France calls new Syrian government a masquerade
Assad ‘remains stubbornly deaf to the demands of his people,’ French Foreign Ministry spokesman says
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PARIS (AP) — France’s government is accusing Syrian President Bashar Assad of a “masquerade” in naming a new prime minister amid the bloody conflict in his country.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Assad “remains stubbornly deaf to the demands of his people” 15 months into an uprising against Assad’s rule.
Assad appointed loyalist Riad Farid Hijab as prime minister Wednesday and ordered him to form a new government following parliamentary elections.
Speaking in an online briefing Wednesday, Valero said the elections were a “pretense” and that the appointment of a new premier “constitutes a new evasion, a masquerade.”
France, Syria’s onetime colonial ruler, has urged Assad to step down and pushed for international pressure on his regime. Thousands have died in Assad’s crackdown against the anti-government uprising.
The Times of Israel Community.