French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius said on Sunday that he believes Assad’s regime is on the brink of collapse and that the new opposition coalition must be supported to keep power out of the hands of extremists.
France was the first Western country to recognise the Syrian National Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
Talking to RFI radio, Fabius said:
"I think that the end is nearing for Bashar al-Assad ... even the Russians are considering it,"
"The best defence against extremists is the Syrian coalition,"
"The coalition is uniting the opposition. The problem is ensuring that, once Assad's regime falls, there isn't more chaos. We want to avoid the Iraqi phenomenon,"
"The problem is not simply today, but tomorrow. Once Bashar falls, the question will be what happens to these fighters. Will we find them in Mali, or elsewhere?"
Many Western powers have been hesitant about arming the opposition, believing that some rebel groups have links to al-Qaeda and would seek to enforce Islamic law if Assad was toppled.
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