Mikdad: Opening door for nomination to presidential elections reflects Syria’s sovereign decision

Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad affirmed Saturday that Syrian state’s announcement to open the door for nomination to Presidential elections came as a reflection to its sovereign decision to run these elections on time according to the Syrian constitution rules that specifies the President’s term with 7 years which ends during next July.
“As expected, a number of international officials turned to deal with the Syrian government’s behavior in criticism and accusing it of hindering political dialogue and Geneva process as they talked about the non possibility of going to elections and announcing readiness to realize the political solution at the same time, in light of Geneva track, pointing to contradiction,” Mikdad told Lebanese al-Binaa newspaper.
He added on top of those who stand by that attitude were the French President, UN Secretary General and his envoy to Syria.
“No matter how you turn your face, you will see those who lurk for Syria are the same who raise the motto of democracy in front of its face, they are the same who seek to hinder the most important democratic approach in its political life… and however you turn your face, you will see that talking about a political process equals speaking about elections,” Mikdad said.
He went on to say that when war on Syria began and the Syrian state was calling for dialogue and the halt of violence, the foreign sides, which pretend adherence to the political process under the title of “dialogue and Geneva, call on gunmen not to throw weapons and reject any dialogue.
Mikdad added “we are not talking about a deadline decided by the Syrian government, but a time fixed by the power of the Syrian constitution rules and known since 7 years with the beginning of President Bashar al-Assad’s constitutional term… and we are not speaking about an advanced political process that will end soon and guarantee broadest participation in elections, but those who talk about the contradiction between the political process and elections put the two formulas face to face in principle.
He pointed out that involving Geneva in protest against elections is deliberately fabricated; affirming that Syria will not accept any issue in Geneva that allows conclusions which say Syria is ready to put under discussions its constitutional sovereign responsibilities, on top, the electoral constitutional elections.
“Taking Geneva as a pretext to contest the election process is mainly invalid because it opposes Geneva 1 communiqué which states commitment to the Syrian institutions’ safety, including the presidential institution which comes on the pyramid peak of the Syrian state structure and the political process, based on a national unity government,” Mikdad said.