FRANCE PRESS

DOHA: The Muslim Brotherhood wants a “democratic” Syria, not an Islamic state to replace the regime of embattled President Bashar Assad, the group’s former leader said late Sunday.

Speaking at a conference organized by the Brookings Doha center, Ali Sadreddine Bayanouni said the Brotherhood was “not imposing itself on the opposition or on the people of Syria … We support the establishment of a modern, civil, democratic state,” he said.

Bayanouni said the newly formed Syrian National Council represents “80 percent of the Syrian opposition.”
Opposition groups, both Islamist and secular, announced the council’s formation at a meeting in Istanbul Sunday, vowing to forge a united front against Assad’s regime.

The Brotherhood’s current leader, Riyad al-Shaqfa, was appointed to the council’s board.
Bayanouni criticized the international community, particularly the United States, for failing to take a stronger stand against Assad’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.

“We hope the U.S. finally realizes that its interests lie with the people and not with the regime,” he said.
The Syrian regime has banned the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria and all of its officials live in exile.