[8] Makdissi issued a press release mid-February 2013 in which he stated that he had resigned because of Syria's "violence and polarization that left no place for moderation and diplomacy"[9] and apologized to Syrian families if they had thought that he had not understood their suffering while in his diplomatic position.
[10] Makdissi gave a lengthy interview to The New York Times in January 2014 in which he talked about his political position as a Syrian Christian and independent politician.
He also made it clear that he is an independent politician who believes in and works for a peaceful political solution in Syria and that he is a strong supporter of the Geneva platform and process.
[12] He said that the Syrian government never considered giving any real political concession to absorb the growing uprising in the street and the last serious initiative that was presented by the regime is the SAHARA conference in 2012[clarify].
He stressed that there is no military solution in Syria and the only permissible way is a negotiated settlement and that an understanding among international powers, especially Russia and the USA, is a must to achieve such a transition.