Former Syrian Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam described the Arab summit hosted by Damascus over the past three days as non-Arab and considered it devoid of content and a failure by all standards.
Khaddam added in an interview with the Italian news agency “AKI” that “the summit was not Arab because a large number of Arab countries participated at a low level for political reasons related to several issues in the region and based on the position of the regime in Damascus on these issues.”
Khaddam, one of the founders and leaders of the Syrian Salvation Front, stated, “In my opinion, the summit had no content. The first day was filled with speeches, and the closed sessions of the second day did not last more than a few hours,” explaining that the main issues affecting the future of the region, such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, Iraq, Lebanon, the situation in Darfur, and the South Sudan, and Iran’s regional strategy were not discussed.
“AKI” quoted Khaddam as saying, “The summit is a failure by all standards, in terms of content and form. But for Bashar al-Assad and the regime in Syria, it is considered successful because they are not concerned with resolving the issues raised, but merely holding the summit to prove that the regime in Damascus is not isolated and so that it can exploit the event internally, given the extremely complex conditions.”
Abdul-Khaleq Khaddam expected that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, and all the countries that participated with low representation in the Damascus summit would make every effort to reach a solution to the Lebanese crisis.
“American gateway via 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. However, he knows full well, as the Israelis know, that he is unable to achieve the peace sought by Israel, and this also reflects on Olmert, who is incapable of achieving peace that provides political cover for Bashar al-Assad.”
The International Court
Regarding the case of the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the former Syrian Vice President considered that the information in the report of the International Investigation Committee indicates that a political party stands behind the assassination of Hariri and all other assassinations in Lebanon.
Khaddam expected that the report to be presented by the prosecutor to the International Court would reveal all the names involved in the operation, considering that “the matter has become entirely clear, justifying the Syrian regime’s panic.”
Khaddam: Assad prevented Shawkat from traveling
On the other hand, Khaddam accused the Syrian President of preventing the head of military intelligence, Assef Shawkat, from traveling outside the country.
He said that Assef Shawkat, who is the son-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad, has disappeared from view, adding, “We expect him to suffer the same fate as Ghazi Kanaan.”
It is worth noting that Ghazi Kanaan, who served as the Minister of Interior in Syria in addition to heading the Syrian intelligence in Lebanon, committed suicide in his office in Damascus in 2005.
