Syrian Deputy President Abdel Halim Khaddam pointed out that President Bashar al-Assad is keen on holding the presidential elections “in defiance of the world.” He also emphasized that “Iran is the one who brought ‘ISIS’ to Syria,” holding Iran and Russia “a fundamental responsibility for the situation in Syria.”
Khaddam (82 years old) said in an interview with the London-based newspaper “Al-Sharq Al-Awsat”: “There is no value to the ballots that will go to the boxes, and whoever Bashar or others choose will do so either forcibly or fearfully. These are not elections, and everyone knows it, but Bashar al-Assad is keen to hold them in defiance of the world.”
Regarding the responsibility for the current destruction in Syria, he explained: “There are two fundamental responsible sides: Russia, Iran, and the regime on one hand, and, on the other hand, the Arab community. There is a fundamental difference between those who kill or participate in killing and those who could stop or mitigate the killing.”
He added: “The Syrian people are not inherently extremists, but there is a kind of oppression and a feeling that the world has abandoned them, which has driven many Syrians towards extremism, in his definition, which is a loss of balance in behavior.”
He continued: “Iran is the one who brought ‘ISIS’ to Syria, and no one doubts that, and I know what I am saying.”
He clarified that Iran is not primarily seeking reconciliation with the Gulf but rather “looking for temporary appeasement only until it finishes the Syrian crisis. After that, it will turn to other countries to fuel conflicts, starting with Bahrain and supporting the Houthis in Yemen to create turmoil on the Saudi border. The Arab region will witness unprecedented sectarian conflict in the coming years.”
Regarding global intelligence reports suggesting that the conflict in Syria could last for another ten years, Khaddam concluded by saying, “If they want it that way, it will last more than 20 years, and if they want, Bashar al-Assad will end in one month. They should not worry about armed groups because they will end after Bashar’s fall.”