DAMASCUS — The leader of Syria's main opposition group called Monday on President Bashar Al-Assad to respond to his overture for a dialogue to save the country from complete destruction. Mouaz Al-Khatib, the head of the Syrian National Coalition, said he is extending his hand “to facilitate the peaceful departure” of the regime and called on Assad to begin releasing tens of thousands of political prisoners as a precondition. Al-Khatib said last week he is willing to hold talks with the regime in Egypt, Tunisia or Turkey if that would help end the bloodshed. His offer marked a departure from the mainstream opposition's narrative insisting that Assad step down before any talks. He renewed his offer Monday in an interview with Qatari-based Al-Jazeera television and said he was placing the ball in Assad's court. “We say to the Syrian leadership, let us search for an exit for the crisis before Syria gets destroyed even more,” he said. “The regime has to take a clear stance and we will extend our hand for the sake of our people and in order to facilitate the peaceful departure of the regime,” he added. Al-Khatib met separately with Russian, US and Iranian officials on the sidelines of a conference on security in Munich over the weekend. There has been no comment from Syrian officials on Al-Khatib's initiative last week or his latest comments. A senior Iranian official visiting Damascus appeared to voice support for Al-Khatib's call for dialogue, without naming him. “We welcome any initiative that leads to dialogue,” said Saeed Jalili, the head of Iran's National Security Council. He said the talks should be held in Damascus. “It's a good step forward,” Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said at the Munich Security Conference, where he said he had held a “very good meeting” with Al-Khatib. Israeli armed forces chief Lt Gen Benny Gantz on Sunday started a visit to Washington with the Syrian conflict and Iran's controversial nuclear programme on his agenda. And US Vice President Joe Biden flew to Paris for talks on Monday with President Francois Hollande also covering Syria. In Damascus, Assad accused Israel of seeking to “destabilize” Syria, state news agency SANA reported. The raid “unmasked the true role Israel is playing, in collaboration with foreign enemy forces and their agents on Syrian soil.” In Beirut, Lebanese judicial officials said prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for a top Syrian intelligence official for his alleged involvement in a bombing plot in Lebanon. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, say Brig. Gen. Ali Mamlouk is accused of being involved with Lebanon's former information minister who is accused of plotting a wave of attacks in Lebanon at the behest of Syria. The former information minister, Michel Samaha, has been in custody since August. His arrest was an embarrassing blow to Syria, which has long acted with impunity in Lebanon. Mamlouk, head of Syria's national security council, was indicted in absentia along with Samaha in the summer. The officials said another arrest warrant has been issued for a Syrian colonel identified as Adnan. — Agencies
