Syrian opposition sees Trump win as chance for new push for peace
Donald Trump's election as US president could provide fresh momentum for ending Syria's six-year-old civil war, the president of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) said on November 9.
 |
Speaking to Reuters, coalition president Anas al-Abdah also urged Germany to step up its efforts to end the war and push for limited sanctions against Russia for its support of President Bashar al-Assad.
"The new (US) president-elect has the will and the leadership to reassert American leadership in the area and in Syria," he said in an interview, contrasting this with the current US approach which he said had allowed Russia to act with impunity.
The Turkey-based SNC is a coalition of political and rebel groups which is backed by Western countries that oppose Assad.
One insurgent group on the ground in Syria was less optimistic.
"I think things will become difficult because of Trump's statements and his relationship with Putin and Russia. I imagine this is not good for the Syrian issue," Zakaria Malahifji, head of the political office of an Aleppo-based rebel group, told Reuters earlier on November 9.
