Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam considered that the Iraqi scenario, referring to the American war in Iraq, is entirely unlikely in Syria. In his interview broadcasted yesterday evening on Al-Arabiya TV, he stated that the Iraqi scenario, meaning war, is not at all plausible in Syria. He believed that the United States will not use military force against Syria.
Khaddam added that the psychological and political pressure is hindering the country and is worrisome, as Syria is facing a situation it has not experienced since independence. He asserted that Syria is currently living in Arab and international isolation with constant threats, which greatly concerns the Syrian citizens.
Khaddam further emphasized that the only way to protect Syria is by strengthening national unity with all parties, even those with whom there were deadly conflicts, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, which had a confrontation with Syrian security forces in 1982 leading to the ban of their activities.
He continued that this requires bold decisions, including amending the constitution. Khaddam added that we must not repeat the mistake of Saddam Hussein, who ignored the calls of the Iraqi opposition for dialogue, resulting in an unexpected outcome: the Iraqi opposition, allied with Syria and Iran, became the political cover for the U.S. war on Iraq.
He argued that we should not provide any justification for any Syrian citizen to slide outside the national interest, without saying that Syrians will deal with Americans. Khaddam continued, stating that when the Syrian citizen sees that their leadership has worked to achieve national consensus, brought everyone inside the country, and made national unity the shield to protect the country, there will be popular consensus on the regime, and people will forget all previous mistakes.
He questioned, saying, “But when we see dozens of Syrians banned from returning to Syria, and if they return, they will enter prison, doesn’t this fuel resentment? The country is more important than the regime”
