USA/FILE: U.N. wives urge Syrian first lady: "Stop your husband".

Record ID: 280715

  • Title: USA/FILE: U.N. wives urge Syrian first lady: "Stop your husband".
  • Date: 19th April 2012
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (APRIL 18, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HUBERTA VON VOSS-WITTIG, WIFE OF GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N. AND CO-CREATOR OF VIDEO, SAYING: "We think that the signal that we are trying to send to Syria was the right signal at the right time, so we are not alone with what we were intending to do and that makes us, of course, I would
  • Embargoed: 4th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9T3F4CBVE15MSWEV3635U600F
  • Story Text: The wives of U.N. ambassadors from Britain and Germany targeted Syria's first lady with an online appeal to "stop your husband" in his yearlong bid to quash a popular uprising that has left thousands dead.
    The video contrasts the lavish lifestyle of 36-year-old Asma al-Assad, wife of President Bashar al-Assad and mother of three, with the images of dead and injured Syrian children.
    "Stand up for peace, Asma. Speak out now. For the sake of your people. Stop your husband," asks the video. "Stop being a bystander. No one cares about your image. We care about your action."
    It was produced by Sheila Lyall Grant, the wife of Britain's U.N. envoy, and Huberta von Voss-Wittig, the wife of Germany's U.N. ambassador. Britain and Germany are both members of the U.N. Security Council.
    "We have the impression that in this moment before the ceasefire happens, the voice of Asma Asad is really important. Asma Asad was one of the leading females in the Arab world who before the crisis, was speaking out for peace many times. We know that she has a big influence on her husband and within the regime and we appeal for her response and her leadership role," von Voss-Wittig told Reuters. "Before the crisis, she openly accepted this leadership role and now she's very quiet."
    A former investment banker, Asma al-Assad once cultivated the image of a serious-minded woman inspired by Western values.
    But she appears to have continued a life of luxury shopping during the uprising against the four-decade rule of the Assad family. E-mails exchanged with her husband, obtained by Britain's Guardian newspaper, apparently showed they were buying pop music and luxury goods on the Internet during the conflict.
    The European Union has banned Asma al-Assad from traveling to the EU or shopping from European companies.
    "We hope that Asma Asad reminds herself of what she said before. Many times she has spoken out about human rights. She has many times spoken out about freedom and stability and often she said we all deserve the same life," von Voss-Wittig said.
    "The people in her country are in immense pain and suffering. We hope that our appeal works."
    The video asks viewers to sign a petition at www.change.org demanding the London-born first lady speak out to "stop the bloodshed."
    Von Voss-Wittig said thousands have already signed the petition and have over 100,00 views on YouTube.
    President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma were shown on Syrian state TV on Wednesday (April 18) packing food aid, an apparent effort to burnish the image of a first couple derided for ordering luxury goods on the Internet while their country burns.
    They joined hundreds of volunteers boxing cartons full of flour, sugar, cooking oil and pasta for victims of fighting in Homs, where the president's forces are crushing an uprising.
    "I would say it is not enough to hand out goodie bags to people who are being displaced because there's violence in the country and we all know where the violence originates from. This is incredible. What we need is a courageous sign of her going forward and saying, 'stop this violence right now'. We need peace and we eventually at some point also reconciliation and I would say that women will be very, very important if not crucial in that process," von Voss-Wittig said.
    She's hopeful that more will continue to join the cause as the situation in Syria progresses.
    The U.N. estimates Assad's forces have killed more than 9,000 people in the uprising. Syrian authorities say foreign-backed militants have killed over 2,600 soldiers and police.
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