The exiled leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria Ali Bayanouni said if his movement took power in Damascus it would be willing to hold peace talks with Israel. "If talks lead to withdrawal from occupied land and give Palestinians their rights then what's wrong with it? There is no problem," he told Reuters.
Bayanouni has recently allied with Syrian former Vice-President Abdel-Halim Khaddam and other opposition leaders in exile to form the National Salvation Front.
"I think a lot of the reason the Syrian regime receives support is due to ... fear of an outcome like Iraq," Bayanouni told Reuters, adding that foreign pressure could lead to the collapse of the government.
"The regime is scared. It is scared of internal things. This has increased repression," London-based Bayanouni said. "The Syrian regime lives in a state of fear and terror ... It doesn't know what will come out of the Hariri report," he said.
© 2006 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
