Abdul Halim Khaddam calls on the international community to peacefully lift the cloud of the despotic regime. He requests Washington to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.
Abdul Halim Khaddam, the former vice president of the Syrian Republic during the presidency of Bashar al-Assad, urged the United States and Europe in an extensive dialogue with the American website “World Net Daily” to work towards the peaceful overthrow of the current regime in Syria, away from violence. Khaddam, who resigned from his position in 2005 and moved to live in France, where he formed a group calling itself the “National Salvation Opposition Front,” stated, “We do not ask the United States or Europe to resort to violence in extending a helping hand to the Syrian people in their struggle for democratic salvation. We only urge the international community to lift the cover of the despotic regime and to cease its diplomatic relations with the ruling authority. The change in the system of governance is now looming on the Syrian horizon.”
Khaddam emphasized that the current Syrian regime poses a threat to the security of the United States, similar to the previous regimes of South Africa that operated under a policy of racial segregation. He said, “The Syrian regime poses a real threat to the United States and the West because it turns Syria into fertile ground for the spread of terrorism and extremism, which is considered a natural outcome of the despotism, oppression, and corruption of the ruling regime.”
Khaddam also accused Syria of involvement in supporting extremist Muslim terrorists, including militants in Iraq. He stated, “Some may wonder why these sects do not fight Bashar al-Assad within Syria. The answer is that there are mutual interests between them. The extremists condemn Assad’s actions, and he, in turn, facilitates their infiltration into Iraq and Lebanon.”
The website noted that criticisms had been directed at Khaddam due to his association with the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, which, in turn, opposes the Syrian government. The Muslim Brotherhood is considered one of the first extremist Islamic movements in the twentieth century and was the nucleus for the formation of Hamas and al-Qaeda. At that time, Khaddam justified his affiliation with the group by stating that his decision was aimed at strengthening national unity. He defended the Muslim Brotherhood by asserting that it could not be equated with Hamas. Khaddam stated, “The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria is considered a Syrian party, while Hamas is considered a Palestinian party. Each has its own conditions, strategies, and arises from its national sense.”
Khaddam also affirmed that he does not share specific goals with the Syrian Democratic Coalition, without specifying the areas of disagreement. He also acknowledged his disagreement with Farid Ghadry, the leader of the Syrian Reform Party, especially after Ghadry spoke before the Israeli Knesset in 2007. Khaddam emphasized that he would not visit the Zionist entity, as Israel occupies Syrian territories in the Golan Heights and violates the rights of the Palestinian people and the resolutions of the United Nations.
