France Leads in Recognizing the Syrian Coalition

The rest of the world usually sees France as a country obsessed with fine wines and excellent food...and Parisian haute couture...but France is founded on something much more profoundly human. Liberty. Equality. Fraternity. The French soul resonates with these principles that define her culture and her passion for human rights. This week a Socialist French President has again proved just how important these qualities are for France. In a bold move to confer legitimacy on the week-old Syrian opposition coalition and encourage other Western nations to follow suit, France recognized the Coalition as the legitimate Syrian government. Today the new Syrian ambassador was welcomed at the Champs Elysee presidential palace in Paris, where he met with France's President, Francois Hollande, and the head of the newly formed Syrian opposition coalition. France has been well out ahead of western allies nearly since the start of the Syrian uprising 20 months ago. Saturday's surprise announcement came even before the brand new coalition has named its provisional government and before a place in Paris to house the envoy has been found. "There will be a Syrian ambassador in France," Hollande announced. France expelled its al-Assad regime Syrian ambassador in May, at the same time that other countries were doing the same. Mouaz Al-Khatib, the opposition leader, described the new Syrian ambassador to France, Mounzir Makhous, as "one of the first to speak of liberty" in Syria. He holds four doctorate degrees and belongs to the Muslim Alawite sect of President Bashar Assad, demonstrating an effort to reach out to all of Syria's people, al-Khatib said. France recognized the coalition days after it was formed last Sunday - and so far is the only western country to do so. France, under Gaullist President Nicolas Sarkozy, also took the lead in backing the Libyan opposition that ultimately ousted leader Moammar Qadhafi, and flew the first mission of the international coalition providing air support to Libyan rebels. But, the United States and other EU nations have said they prefer to wait and see whether the coalition truly represents the variety of people that make up Syria before they recognize it. Syrian opposition coalition leader al-Khatib said in today's Paris news conference that military and administrative organizations are being formed and a coordination center devoted to humanitarian aid will be set up in Cairo. In a bid to reassure other nations, the coalition president said thay as soon as the fighting ends,the coalition will arrange for fully democratic elections to be held "in all freedom" so that the Syrian people can select the democratic institutions and the form of constitutional regime that they want." The al-Assad regime's comment concerning France's action was typical : "If France has appointed him, then he is a French ambassador, not a Syrian one.". For the rest of us, Vive la France. The world has need of her in these difficult times. -- to remind us what our human principles are and how they should be demonstrated.