Abdel Halim Khaddam to ‘Elaph’: He warned about Syria reaching the point it has reached today, but no one listened to his warning. He emphasized that the opposition is capable of overthrowing the regime in two months if it obtains qualitative weaponry.
Abdel Halim Khaddam, the former deputy to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad who defected from the Syrian regime, was not surprised by the developments that have occurred in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. In an exclusive interview with ‘Elaph’, he stated that since declaring his defection, he sent messages to several Arab officials, explaining the danger of the situation in Syria. He said, “Syria will explode, and the fire will not stop at the Syrian borders. Syria will become a haven for extremists from all over the Arab and Islamic world, but no one took heed of this warning.”
Khaddam believes that the Islamic State organization in Iraq and Syria serves the regime in Syria, “because it doesn’t fight the regime but rather fights the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian people.” He confirmed that Bashar Al-Assad and his regime would fall in two months if the Syrian opposition were given qualitative weaponry, even if in not large quantities, and if Arab and Western countries contributed to uniting the Syrian opposition groups.
In the following is the text of the dialogue with Khaddam:
“More than three years have passed since the start of the Syrian conflict, how do you evaluate what’s happening in Syria?”
“I was not surprised by the developments that have occurred in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Since announcing my defection, I directed messages to several Arab officials, explaining the danger of the situation in Syria. I said, ‘Syria will explode, and the fire will not stop at the Syrian borders. Syria will become a haven for extremists from all over the Arab and Islamic world, but no one took heed of this warning.”
“They handed Iraq over to Iran…“
“What happened?”
After two years of the Syrian revolution, there were no extremists, but in the third year, extremist organizations like ISIS began to appear. We called on the Arab and Western communities to take measures that support the Syrian opposition, enabling it to overthrow the regime and extremism. But in return, the Arab League called for a political solution at a time when Bashar Al-Assad was killing, destroying, and displacing people. The Arab stance called for working towards a political solution. Who could imagine that Syrians could coexist with a regime that committed such crimes? Thus, the situation in Syria transferred to Iraq.”
“Since the American war on Iraq, signs of a bleak future emerged, as after the US occupation of Iraq, they decided to dissolve the Iraqi state, the Iraqi army, and the Iraqi Baath Party, handing Iraq over to Shiite Islamic organizations loyal to Iran. They handed Iraq over to Iran. When Iran took control of Iraq, it extended its influence to Syria and Lebanon.”
“In Syria, there was a revolution against the Syrian regime, Iran, and Russia. What happened in Iraq?”
An extremist faction intervened, and there were tribes subjected to persecution, denied their rights, so they started a revolution to defend themselves, their rights, and their future. Their revolution was then masked by attributing it to ISIS. This situation will not end until Iran falls, but it will not fall in Iraq. On the contrary, it works to divide Iraq, into a Kurdish state, a Shiite state, and a Sunni state. This is the most dangerous threat to Iraq and the Arab and Islamic worlds.”
“ISIS serves Assad”
“It is said that ISIS is a creation of the Syrian regime. What do you say?”
“ISIS serves the regime in Syria, because it doesn’t fight the regime but rather fights the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian people. We can say that it indeed serves the regime’s interests and aligns with it. This is what needs to be recognized and dealt with. Therefore, we only asked for military assistance. We asked for nothing more than giving the Syrian opposition qualitative weapons. They are capable of bearing the responsibility for liberating Syria from the regime and extremism. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen; instead, assistance was provided to individual organizations. The Syrian people will not be able to end this crisis except through the unity of Syrians and the opposition in all its spectra, not through the coalition or the national council. Bashar is fighting the Syrian people unitedly with his army and supporters from his sect. In contrast, there is a divided opposition. In this context, we urged Arab countries to work towards holding a comprehensive national conference for all opposition factions calling for regime change. This conference should study the Syrian crisis and develop a new strategy, thereby strengthening and empowering the opposition forces to take responsibility for liberating Syria from both extremism and the murderous Syrian regime. However, this yielded no results.”
And what is the solution?
The path taken by the Arab League and the Western community will not lead to a result. The solution lies in saving the Syrian people from the Syrian regime and making Syria a base for overthrowing the Iranian regime. Today, there is a strong alliance between Iran, Russia, and the Syrian regime, and Iran controls Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. In Iraq, the crisis has exploded, and here I emphasize that we must not abandon the Iraqi tribes, but deal with them differently from the extremism of ISIS. The Arab world stands at a crossroads. Either the Iranian-Russian alliance with the Syrian regime is broken, or things are left to proceed randomly, which will be a catastrophe for all Arab countries in the East and West.
American Responsibility
But there is no solution that satisfies Iran in Syria!
Iran’s primary interest is for the Syrian regime to prevail, given the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon and Iraq. This is my conviction today. If Iran loses Syria and Syria turns into a haven for extremism, it will affect Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen. This is what has already begun. The United States bears the responsibility. So far, the United States supports Nouri al-Maliki. Why? Is it because of ISIS? It is certain today that Maliki cannot fight ISIS, which came from outside. Iran and Iraq facilitated its passage to Syria. That’s why you find that ISIS does not attack Iran.
Have you met with Iranian delegates to discuss the Syrian crisis?
I have no connection with Iran, neither directly nor indirectly. I advised some Syrians who have relationships with Iran that the path Tehran is taking is destructive to Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.
Clung to Bashar
Is Iran clinging to the Syrian regime or Bashar al-Assad?
Iran clings to Bashar al-Assad as it clings to its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The reason is that Bashar alone can hold the situation in Syria because the majority of the army and the Alawite sect are with him, and the Arab and international stance is lenient. The American stance towards the Syrian people is completely different from the Russian stance towards Bashar al-Assad. Russia provides everything to Bashar, from equipment to weapons. In return, the United States calls for a political solution. And here lies the dilemma. How can a political solution be envisioned between a side that holds power and a side that only holds conviction and belief in its rights?
Is the Syrian regime as cohesive as it seems in public?
The Syrian regime is the strongest, while the weaknesses are experienced by the Syrian people. But if the Syrian opposition were given qualitative weapons, even if not in large quantities, and if Arab countries contributed to uniting the Syrian opposition groups and stopped dealing with individual groups, I say that Bashar and his regime in Syria would fall within two months.
