“Paris – French
Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam, now a refugee in France, announced on Thursday in an interview with ‘Le Figaro’ that Bashar al-Assad is mobilizing his weapons in Alawite areas, accusing Assad of attempting to implement a plan to ‘divide’ the country.
Abdul Halim Khaddam, who defected from the regime in 2005 and has been living in France since then, stated that “Bashar and his family initially distributed rifles and machine guns in the cities and villages inhabited by Alawites from their sect. And for the past month, they have been moving heavy weapons by land towards the coast to hide them in the hills and mountains.”
He continued, “Missiles and strategic weapons have been entirely moved, while tanks and artillery have been only partially moved because the regime needs to keep some to suppress protesters in the cities. Bashar also plans to send fighter jets to Latakia Airport.”
Khaddam noted that the Alawites make up 8% of the Syrian population, but not all Alawites support Bashar al-Assad, adding, “Assad does not want to flee and rejected all Arab initiatives. The only option left for him is to destabilize Syria and divide it.” Khaddam explained that “Alawite areas include southwest of Homs and extend upwards through Hama to reach Latakia on the coast.” He said that Assad is currently implementing a plan “aimed at stirring sectarian war” and added, “Force has failed, and he has nothing left but to implement a plan to destabilize and divide Syria, which would destroy the country.”
He continued, “I know that (Assad) has, for the past month, informed one of his Lebanese allies of his intention to establish an Alawite state from which he can launch a civil and sectarian war.” The latest figures from the United Nations indicate that more than five thousand people have been killed since the start of the crackdown on protests against the regime in March 2011. However, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, admitted on Wednesday that the UN is no longer able to provide an accurate toll of the victims of repression in Syria.”
