Former Syrian Vice President: Iran has expansionist ambitions and will thwart any project that removes Assad

publisher: اليوم السابع

AUTHOR: مصطفى عنبر

Publishing date: 2016-01-31

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Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam expected the failure of the “Geneva 3” conference to reach a solution to the crisis with a roadmap due to the interventions of Tehran and Moscow. He affirmed that Russia and Iran have expansionist ambitions in the Arab region and will undermine any project that distances President Bashar al-Assad because their plans depend on his staying in power.

Khaddam criticized Iran and Russia in statements to the Saudi newspaper “Al-Watan” on Sunday, accusing the former of causing the Syrian crisis and the latter of focusing on its ambitions and interests, even at the expense of civilians.

He also criticized the international community for agreeing to continue Geneva conferences, stating that “Geneva 3” will not produce a roadmap and will be like its predecessors, enabling the Assad regime to continue its crimes against the Syrian people, including killing, siege, and starvation. He emphasized that the conference would not come up with serious solutions.

Khaddam stated that the Geneva conferences deliberately did not address the root cause of the Syrian crisis, and they remained maneuvering here and there. He exempted the Saudi position, as announced previously by Prince Saud al-Faisal and currently by the Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, that Assad must leave, either through political means or by military intervention.

He added that some believe Russia’s goal is to establish naval and air bases, stating, “This is not true; Russian military bases in Syria have been there since 1976 and are not used at all. Moscow’s real goal is to change the equation that aims to keep Assad as president.”

In the current situation, Khaddam pointed out that the future outlook indicates a deterioration in Syria and that the country is heading towards a catastrophe similar to what happened in Palestine. He emphasized that preparations are currently underway for this catastrophe, involving dividing the country into provinces.

Khaddam said that Russia’s ambitions in Syria are significant and won’t be ended by any international conference. He explained that Russia sometimes uses the Assad regime and at other times employs Iran. Both Russia and Iran have expansionist ambitions in the Arab region and will sabotage any project that distances Assad because their plans are contingent on his remaining in power.

He added that the noteworthy aspect of the ongoing negotiations is that they aim for a settlement while the regime is still in place, despite its involvement in killing half a million people and displacing around ten million others worldwide.

Regarding the opposition’s participation in the Geneva conference, Khaddam stated that he wished the opposition had refused to attend, making the dialogue purely Syrian, without imposing names from the Russian side, which is represented by the regime delegation in name only. He added that this is humiliating for all Syrians, especially considering that there are currently no genuine negotiations in Geneva. Multiple parties are involved, and the international mediator shuttles between them, while there is no actual negotiation table where truths are revealed to the international community.

As for the future of these negotiations, Khaddam clarified that all that is happening is giving Assad and Russia more time to kill Syrians and implement Russia’s plans in the region. He emphasized that any agreement that includes a clause allowing Bashar and his regime to stay will be mere ink on paper and won’t end the crisis.

Khaddam affirmed that the current regime forces and security apparatus, since the days of the former president Hafez al-Assad, are sectarian forces and not national institutions. He explained that any government that emerges from outside this regime will face these apparatuses, and within a year or less, there will be a military coup in Syria, and things will return to their previous state. He emphasized that Syria needs a comprehensive rebuilding from scratch on all levels.

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