US Tells Syrians Not to Accept Amnesty

Syrian FM Slams Call, Saying Amnesty for Weapons Would Restore Calm

The US State Department today has warned Syrians not to accept any offers of amnesty from the Assad government, insisting that they have a record of “thuggery against the opposition” and that it was unwise to deal with them.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem slammed the comments, particularly as they relate to a current call for full amnesty for any non-murderers involved in violent acts if they agree to hand over weapons.

“Syria considers the US call an encouragement for the armed groups to pursue their criminal acts,” al-Moallem said. The Syrian government has condemned protesters as “armed terrorist groups,” but in some cases they have been violent attacks not just from the regime, but from military defectors who oppose the regime.

The Arab League has been attempting to broker a deal with the Assad regime on reform, but so far the reforms have been extremely limited, and if anything the violence has escalated since the deal was announced.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.