Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam described the Arab summit hosted by Damascus over the past three days as not being Arab, considering it devoid of substance and a failure by all standards.
Khaddam added in an interview with the Italian news agency « AKI »: « The summit was not Arab because a significant number of Arab countries participated at a low level for political reasons related to various issues in the region and against the backdrop of the Damascus regime’s stance on these issues. »
Khaddam, one of the founders and leaders of the Syrian Salvation Front, stated, « In my opinion, the summit lacked substance. The first day was filled with speeches, while the closed sessions of the second day did not last more than a few hours. » He explained that key issues affecting the region’s future, such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, Iraq, Lebanon, the situation in Darfur and South Sudan, and Iran’s regional strategy, were not discussed.
Quoting Khaddam, AKI reported him saying, « The summit is a failure by all standards, both in terms of substance and form. However, for Bashar al-Assad and the regime in Syria, it is considered successful because they are not concerned with resolving the presented issues; rather, they focus on holding the summit just to prove that the regime in Damascus is not isolated and to leverage the event internally, given the extremely complicated circumstances. »
Abdul Khaleq Khaddam expected Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, and other countries that participated with low representation in the Damascus summit to make every effort to reach a solution to the Lebanese crisis.
« American Gateway through Israel »
On the other hand, Khaddam commented on reports indicating an exchange of messages between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying, « Bashar al-Assad wants to enter the American gateway through the Israeli gateway, but he knows full well, as the Israelis do, that he is unable to achieve the peace sought by Israel. This also reflects on Olmert, who is incapable of achieving peace that would provide political cover for Bashar al-Assad. »
La Cour internationale
En ce qui concerne l’assassinat de l’ancien Premier ministre libanais Rafic Hariri, l’ancien vice-président syrien estime que le rapport du chef de la Commission d’enquête internationale indique qu’une entité politique est derrière l’assassinat de Hariri et de tous les autres assassinats au Liban.
Khaddam s’attend à ce que le rapport que le procureur général présentera à la Cour internationale révèle tous les noms des personnes impliquées dans l’opération, considérant que « la question est devenue tout à fait claire, justifiant la panique du régime syrien ».
Khaddam: Assad a empêché Shoukat de voyager
D’autre part, Khaddam a accusé le président syrien d’empêcher le chef de la branche des renseignements militaires, Assef Shoukat, de voyager à l’étranger.
Il a déclaré qu’Assef Shoukat, gendre du président Bachar al-Assad, a disparu de la vue, ajoutant : « Nous nous attendons à ce qu’il subisse le même sort que Gazi Kanaan. »
Il est à noter que Gazi Kanaan, qui a occupé le poste de ministre de l’Intérieur en Syrie en plus de diriger la branche du renseignement syrien au Liban, s’est suicidé dans son bureau à Damas en 2005.
