Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam expected that “Geneva 3” would fail to reach a solution to the crisis in his country due to the interventions of Tehran and Moscow. He emphasized that both Russia and Iran have expansionist ambitions in the Arab region and that they will undermine any project that distances President Bashar al-Assad, as their plans are tied to his remaining in power.
Khaddam criticized Iran and Russia in statements to the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan on Sunday, accusing Iran of causing the Syrian crisis and Russia of prioritizing its ambitions and interests at the expense of civilians.
He criticized the international community for agreeing to continue the Geneva conferences, stating that Geneva 3 would not produce a roadmap and would enable the Assad regime to continue its crimes against the Syrian people, including killing, siege, and starvation. He affirmed that the conference would not result in serious solutions.
Khaddam added that the Geneva conferences deliberately neglected the root cause of the Syrian crisis and remained indecisive. He singled out the Saudi stance, previously announced by Prince Saud al-Faisal and currently by Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, which stresses the necessity of Assad’s departure, either through political means or a military solution.
He argued that Russia’s ambitions in Syria are substantial and cannot be ended by an international conference. He explained that Russia sometimes uses the Assad regime and other times Iran, and both countries have expansionist ambitions in the Arab region, and they will thwart any project that removes Assad from power since their plans rely on his staying in office.
Khaddam also highlighted the ongoing negotiations’ curious nature, as they seek a settlement while the Assad regime is still involved, despite its involvement in killing half a million people and displacing around 10 million to other countries.
Regarding the opposition’s participation in the Geneva conference, Khaddam wished that the opposition had declined to attend, so the dialogue would be purely Syrian after the imposition of names by the Russian side, which is essentially represented by the regime’s delegation. He emphasized that this situation is demeaning to all Syrians, especially considering the lack of genuine negotiations currently in Geneva, where multiple parties speak, and the international mediator listens, without a genuine negotiating table that reveals truths to the international community.
Concerning the future of the negotiations, Khaddam clarified that the current situation gives Assad and Russia more time to kill Syrians and implement Russia’s plans in the region. He stressed that any agreement that includes a phrase preserving Bashar and his regime would be mere ink on paper and would not end the crisis.
Khaddam affirmed that the current regime forces and security apparatus, like the crimes of former President Hafez al-Assad, are sectarian forces, not national ones. He explained that any government emerging outside of this regime would face these apparatuses, likely leading to a military coup in Syria within a year or less, returning the situation to its previous state. He emphasized that Syria needs to be rebuilt from scratch on all levels.
