Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam condemned the recent statements by Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa regarding Saudi Arabia, considering them aimed at severing Syrian ties with the Arab world and strengthening them with Iran. Khaddam stated in an interview with the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan that Sharaa’s statements are part of a policy pursued by the ruling regime, aimed at cutting Syria’s links with the Arab system and reinforcing its connection with Iran’s regional strategy. He added that targeting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is linked to Iran’s regional strategy, emphasizing that the Syrian regime’s role in this strategy is to launch a campaign against the Kingdom and its leaders, given that the Kingdom, due to its Arab and international position, forms one of the main obstacles to Iranian interests’ dominance over the region.
Khaddam, one of the prominent figures of the Syrian regime in the past, resigned in June 2005. Since then, there has been a campaign against Damascus’ policies. He currently resides in Paris. Al-Sharaa’s statement made on August 14th criticized Saudi Arabia’s absence from the last meeting of neighboring countries of Iraq, held in the Syrian capital. He spoke at a press conference in Damascus about a disruption in the relationship between Syria and Saudi Arabia, not from Syria’s side, considering Saudi Arabia’s role in the region to be almost paralyzed now, sadly, and I do not know the reasons.
The Saudi government strongly responded to al-Sharaa’s words, accusing him of seeking to defame the image of the Kingdom and indirectly accusing Damascus of spreading chaos and turmoil in the region. However, a Syrian official expressed regret on Saturday for what was mentioned in the Saudi government’s statement regarding statements attributed to Mr. Farouk al-Sharaa that were distorted. The source, quoted by the official Syrian news agency (SANA), affirmed Syria’s determination not to get involved in disputes that only serve the enemies of the two sister countries and the enemies of the Arab nation. Relations between Damascus and Riyadh have witnessed a downturn since August 2006 when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad referred to Arab leaders, without naming them, as pseudo-men due to their condemnation of what they called Hezbollah’s adventure, during which Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers on July 12, 2006, followed by a 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah.
