Assad is Out!

As was written yesterday, as is written now and as declared earlier this morning by United States Secretary of State, John Kerry in his opening statement in Geneva, Bashar al-Assad cannot be a part of any transitional government in Syria. Mr. Kerry said Assad cannot "regain the legitimacy to govern". And the Secretary of State is correct: that Assad remains free is a testimony to his allies Russia and China, both of whom have blocked concerted resolutions and statements by the United Nations Security Council to condemn Assad and his regime for crimes against the Syrian people. As the Syrian peace talks convene in Geneva, Secretary Kerry simply repeated a notion shared by the majority in the World community, with Russia, China and Assad himself as the only dissenters. In response to Secretary's opening declarations, Assad's representative Walid al-Moallem retorted: "No one, Mr. Kerry, no one can grant of withdraw the legitimacy of the President other than the Syrians themselves. This is their right and duty." Moallem is right. But he has failed to tell the Geneva II meeting that Syrians have withdrawn any legitimacy as to Assad's rule. The 130, 000 dead Syrians have withdrawn their legitimacy to Assad, the thousands of Syrian refugees now being fed, clothed and housed in camps  have withdrawn their legitimacy to Assad, the gassed children have withdrawn their legitimacy to Assad, the tortured thousands have withdrawn their legitimacy to Assad, the barrel-bomb mothers have withdrawn their legitimacy to Assad and the starved besieged Syrians have with drawn their legitimacy to Assad. In short Mr. Moallem, the crimes your and your regime have perpetrated upon the Syrian people nullifies any iota of legitimacy you once had.