Mr. Farouq Al Habib:

It is the responsibility of politicians, not people like me. The Syrian people do not believe the superpowers - the United States, for example - have done all they can do to stop the crisis in Syria and defend the Syrian people. There is a huge frustration inside the country because of that negative position. More pressure should be put on Iran, for instance, to stop sending fighters and arms to the regime. Pressure should be put on Russia, not only because of Syria but also because of Ukraine and other countries. There should be pressure on Lebanon to close its borders and prevent members of Hezbollah from crossing over. There should be no partnership with dictators in the Middle East. Aiming to fight extremism in that way will not work because it fuels extremism, gives more justification for the extremists and allows them to win support from the oppressed people. Dictatorship is not a replacement for what is there. When people lose hope in a political solution and these extremist groups offer a way to have revenge, it makes it easier for them to recruit young people, especially from poor environments and those who are not well educated.

The first step, therefore, must be to put pressure on to end dictatorship, not only in Syria but in the region. Concerning my country specifically, the way forward is obvious for us. First, we must stop the flow of non-Syrian fighters and the flow of arms into Syria.