Abdulhalim Khaddam, former Vice President of Syria, said, “The speech delivered by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad yesterday, Sunday, carries no political initiatives but rather suggests that he is either lacking in vision and insight or is following Iranian instructions on behalf of them to address the Syrian people and the international community.”
Khaddam added in a statement to the Jordanian website “Jo 24” broadcast today, Monday: “Assad’s speech indicates that he is taking advantage of the weakness of Arab countries’ stance towards the Syrian crisis… and is presenting us with such desperate speeches.”
He questioned, “What is the reason for the Arabs not resorting to establishing a realistic international intervention as they did with the Libyan people when Gaddafi was eliminated?” He warned of the spread of extremism in Syria if the people remain alone in confronting the Assad regime, saying, “Frustration and injustice are two main drivers of extremism, which I expect will engulf Syria and the region with extreme violence and deprive it of security and safety.”
President Bashar al-Assad delivered a speech in front of a crowd of his supporters at the Opera House in Damascus yesterday, Sunday, in which he ignored the demands of the Syrian opposition for his resignation and described the mediation efforts by the Arab Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, as “external interference.”
