German Foreign Ministry hosts meeting for opposition members

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle held talks with a prominent member of the Syrian opposition Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting about democratic transition in the country. Westerwelle met in Berlin with former MP Riad Seif, a member of the opposition Syrian National Council, to discuss “efforts by the Syrian opposition to work on a unified and credible alternative to [President Bashar] Assad,” his ministry said. Seif was taking part in a closed-doors meeting of a working group on the economic redevelopment of Syria after the potential fall of Assad which the ministry said brought together representatives from 20 countries and international organizations. “The German government is actively working toward a unification of the Syrian opposition,” Westerwelle said in a statement. “I encouraged Riad Seif today to present quickly a common plan from the opposition on the political transition in Syria. The opposition must be ready to assume power after a fall of Assad. “I value Riad Seif’s committed and selfless engagement for a democratic, civil and socially just Syria.” Seif is a former member of Parliament for Damascus who served more than eight years in prison for his role in the opposition, where he was active in the “Damascus Spring” network of political and civic forums following Assad’s coming to power in 2000. Germany has ruled out military backing for the Syrian opposition but is trying to help bridge its internal political divisions before any regime change. Up to 50 members of the Syrian opposition are currently working in Berlin on plans for a political transition, with backing from U.S. and German think tanks and the Foreign Ministry. The group of former generals, economists and legal experts are formulating what they say could become a new constitution. From dailystar