The French President made April 12, a number of loud statements, urging to take advantage of the weakening of the positions of Vladimir Putin to end the war in Syria. Francois Hollande is sure that after hitting the tramp at the air base in Syria has opened a unique “window of opportunity” to end the Syrian conflict and regime change in the country.
The last time this window was opened in August 2013, says Hollande appeared today in an interview in the newspaper Le Monde.
We will remind, in August 2013 between Hollande and Obama reached a preliminary agreement on the application of the joint impact of the US and France on the positions of the Assad regime in Syria. The shot was supposed to be a response to the transition of Assad “red line” on 21 August in ghouta (suburb of Damascus) used chemical weapons. To hit all was ready, and August 31, Hollande only waited for the confirming call Obama.
But at the last moment the US President decided to “obtain the consent of Congress.” As a result, the fluctuations in Obama allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to take the initiative in their own hands.
September 9, 2013 Putin offered the Americans the agreement: Syria gives chemical weapons under international control and agree to its subsequent destruction and joins the international Convention banning chemical weapons.
Since then, Hollande has continuously maintained that while the American President made a serious mistake. “Obama couldn’t see that it was not only about Syria and allowing Assad to cross the “red line”. For Vladimir Putin this is also a signal that the United States would prefer the path of compromise than the use of force,” — said the French President today in an interview with Le Monde. He added: “I see a connection between what happened /when/ in Syria and meanwhile, what happened /then/ in Ukraine”.
But now, after 7 April 2017 missile U.S. attack on the Syrian air base was held with the acquiescence of the Kremlin, Putin’s position has weakened, I’m sure the French President.
“For many months, Putin thought that he had a completely free hand — said Hollande. He had an agreement with Turkey and the Alliance with Iran, and the Assad regime pushed forward a new position on the battlefield. He was Deus ex machina (“God from the machine”) in this whole situation, but now he isn’t.”
Moreover, Moscow did not stop the American missiles bombed positions of Assad, and the Turkish President Erdogan has taken in this situation Putin’s side. Besides, in Iran — the middle of election campaign, Hollande recalls: “So now we have opened a “window of opportunity” that you want to use”. The moment seems favorable to the French President in order to reverse the situation in Syria by bringing “all parties to the conflict to the negotiating table”.
Hollande said that now negotiations can finally be productive. And France should play a major role in the completion of this “endless conflict.” Today, after the incident on 4 April chemical attack in the Syrian city of Khan Sheyhun, the French position that all 6 years remained unchanged — “Assad must go” — finally has a chance to be heard, hopes Hollande.
The French President did not insist on the immediate departure of Assad, but is convinced that he must leave immediately after the conclusion of the political talks on the future of Syria.
Well, if Assad suddenly decide to use chemical weapons, “I see that Mr. trump will be able to remain inert,” says Hollande.
The French President also said that the Americans warned Paris about the attack on Syrian air base “a few hours” before him. During this time France could not technically be ready to act jointly with the Americans, but in the future, trump needs to take into account its allies, said Hollande: “Donald trump must understand that it is preferable to use a multilateral approach.”
With regard to the first “window of opportunity”, i.e. August 2013, the Hollande’m pretty sure that if the US and France then bombed the positions of al-Assad, Putin’s reaction would be the same as in April 2017 in response to the rocket attack trump.
