Former Vice President: Assad’s option, which he declared to one of his Lebanese friends, is that if he becomes besieged, he will go to the coast and declare a state there.
Abdul Halim Khaddam, the former deputy to the Syrian president, appealed to the heads of Arab countries, especially the leaders of Gulf states concerned about what is happening in Syria. He said, “The situation in Syria concerns them from a fraternal, national, and religious perspective, and I implore them to take decisive action, to pack their bags, and go to the West, demanding forcefully the formation of a military coalition to save the Syrian people and the region. Because not intervening militarily will also have serious consequences for the region, and the people will turn to extremism at a certain stage. Syria will become a haven for extremists from the Arab and Islamic world, becoming even more dangerous to regional security and international security than Afghanistan and what happened in Iraq before.”
He stated that the real option in Syria is an international military coalition conducting military operations similar to what happened in Libya, and that anything else will not achieve the goal desired by the region’s demand for a no-fly zone.
Khaddam explained that the so-called no-fly zone mentioned by the Turkish President does not solve the problem. He said, “It requires international military intervention to protect it, and it does not come by the decision of the Syrian regime or the Syrians. It comes by the decision of states, and Turkey on the border can establish a no-fly zone, but this will lead to a new border with Turkey, meaning that the regime will deploy its forces on the border of the no-fly zone, thus preventing movement towards or from it, and therefore the benefit will not be achieved.”
In a telephone interview with “The Middle East” yesterday, Khaddam emphasized that Assad does not have the option of reconciliation with the Syrian people. He stated, “This is impossible after these crimes, after this regime that has been suppressing people for decades, and the sectarian tension created by the regime. After these crimes and the massive and frightening number of martyrs, Bashar al-Assad cannot be acceptable in Syria in any way. However, his declared option, as he mentioned to one of his Lebanese friends, is that if he becomes besieged, he will go to the coastal area and declare a state there. In addition, the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov informed some Arab ministers that he will not surrender or submit, and his choice is to establish a state in the coastal region. This means a prolonged war within Syria between the people who are determined to maintain their unity and the regime that tore apart national unity and is now trying to fragment the geographical unity.”
Regarding the information that Assad is transferring weapons and equipment to the coastal area, Khaddam said, “I announced more than a month and a half ago on Al-Arabiya channel that Bashar al-Assad made a decision to send all the weapons he does not use for killing, including strategic weapons, missiles, and aircraft, most of which are now at Latakia Airport, to the coastal area. He is preparing himself for the establishment of this state. This information comes from sources within the heart of the regime. In addition, he is training tens of thousands of sons from the coastal region in military activities to form the future army of the alleged state.”
Regarding the fate of Assad and whether he will seek refuge outside of Syria, Khaddam stated, “He will not leave Syria. His fate will be similar to that of Muammar Gaddafi. He does not care about the needs of the Syrian people or the needs of the state. Instead, he cares about his own needs and those of the allied group of military personnel who established the army during Hafez al-Assad’s rule to be the regime’s army, not the national army. Consequently, the needs of the people do not matter to them. If he resorts to the crime of moving to the coastal area, this means that he will secure his future needs in the region through the Russian fleet, which will transport him with the necessary supplies, including food.”
Regarding the Russian position and whether Russia genuinely supports Assad or if it has not yet found the price it seeks in exchange for abandoning support for the Syrian regime, Khaddam said, “Russia is not loyal to Bashar al-Assad but to its international strategies. It has ambitions to become an influential state in the Middle East. Its presence in the region means that it can economically, politically, and militarily pressure the West by controlling oil. Therefore, Russia has allied itself with Iran, known for its strategic objectives, which include controlling the region from the Mediterranean Sea to the borders of Afghanistan, encompassing the entire Arab Levant. This alliance is needed by both Iran and Russia, and it will dominate the region as long as the Arab situation remains in this state of hesitation.”
Regarding the Arab stance and their positions on the situation in Syria, the former deputy to the Syrian president said, “We all have hopes for the Arab stance, especially the Gulf states, as they are our partners in security and stability in the present and the future. However, since the start of the Arab uprisings, the Arab group was quick to act in the Libyan crisis but remained silent for 8 months before taking action and condemning the acts of killing and crimes in Syria. However, after their intervention, they did not take the same options as in Libya. Syrians hoped that the Arab countries would make a strong decision demanding the major powers to form an international military coalition to rescue them from this regime. This did not happen. One initiative after another came, but no initiative declared the illegitimacy of the regime and called for its downfall, as happened in Libya.”
He added, “There is a sense of bitterness among the Syrians, and despite good decisions such as withdrawing ambassadors and closing embassies, they do not bring down the regime. What brings down the regime is military force.”
Regarding arming the Free Syrian Army, the former deputy to the Syrian president said, “Arming the Free Syrian Army is a good thing, but the army is divided, with part of it in Turkey and part in the country. It can be armed with light and medium weapons, but it cannot be armed with tanks, anti-aircraft weapons, and artillery. It consists of symbolic, simple weapons for self-defense, and it will not lead to a solution in Syria but will give new opportunities to the regime.”
Regarding the Western stance and its hesitation to make a military decision on Syria, Khaddam wondered, “Why did the West carry out its military operations in Libya? Not for oil. Muammar Gaddafi was not going to drink the oil, and on the contrary, we have seen that he improved his relations with the West recently. The actor that pressured the international community against military intervention was the Arab stance.” He added that if a cohesive Arab stance emerges demanding military intervention and is willing to participate, the West will respond. He clarified, “We will see at least a decision from Western countries, excluding Russia, which will use its veto, along with China.”
Regarding the opposition in Syria, he said, “The Syrian opposition bears great responsibility due to its diversity and formations. Its main problem now is the National Council, which has deviated from the demands and goals of the Syrian people.” He added, “Burhan Ghalioun went to the Friends of Syria conference in Tunisia and called for aid and relief efforts, but he did not call for military intervention. In fact, this council, which rejects military intervention, faces two accusations: either some of its leaders have ties to the regime because they benefit from non-intervention, or they are ignorant of knowledge and politics and cannot understand the people’s outcry and their call to the world for intervention.”
Their responsibility is significant. I am now extending an invitation to all factions of the opposition in all its forms to unify their efforts and convene a comprehensive national conference based on the following principles: overthrow the regime and hold it accountable, along with all those who have committed crimes, and not accept any continuation of it. Develop a vision for the future of Syria to build a democratic state.
The National Council has lost media attention and is in decline, especially since those who defected are prominent figures. It is no longer what people believed it to be; it only encompasses one political faction.
All of Syria is occupied, and the opposition abroad has not fully represented the entire revolution for years. They sympathized with the revolution but remained distant from its demands and needs. Now, the primary need is for everyone to unite to save the Syrian people and work on building with equality, regardless of sect or gender.
In the Syrian state, it is difficult to continue, but in the coastal region, it will continue for a period until the state regains its role and the people catch their breath after these crimes. Then, the process of overthrowing Assad and the state he will establish will begin.
Regarding the rumors that those helping Assad make his decisions are his father’s old entourage, Khaddam affirmed that none of those who were with his father are still with Bashar. The military personnel and civilian figures who abandoned him, including himself, held responsibilities in foreign policy. There was a group of key officers who controlled the entire army, all of whom retired.
As for who governs Assad, Khaddam stated, “Assad is governed by his emotions. He is an indecisive personality. He listens to one thing in the morning and agrees with it, and then another thing in the afternoon that contradicts it, and he also agrees with it. He has a complex of weakness because people used to say that his father was strong, and his brother Bassel was strong, while he is weak. So he makes harsh decisions to show people that he is not weak. Here is an example of a decision-maker. All the talk that he is directed by others is rumors spread by the security apparatus to absolve Bashar of the responsibility for the decisions he makes. There is significant similarity between Gaddafi and Assad. Gaddafi was highly emotional; he made decisions based on his emotions. When he was calm, he made decisions according to the approach he set for himself in Libya. Similarly, Bashar, but the difference is that Bashar’s decisions are made based on his emotions, and in moments of non-emotion, he does not make decisions as a result of study and thought, but rather due to what is conveyed to him and what is said to him.
The security apparatus is the main force in the country, and the army is part of the security apparatus. Hafez established a security system based on an army loyal to him and closed the doors of military colleges to Syrians, allowing only those loyal to him, directly or through villages or towns, to enter. Ninety percent of the army officers are from the coastal region.”
Regarding the role of the international Arab envoy to Syria, Khaddam said, “Annan’s efforts are nothing more than sightseeing trips. Annan tried in the Iraqi crisis, but he did not achieve any success, and now he cannot achieve any success because there is a wide gap between the regime’s position and its policies and what is required by the international community and the Arab countries. Therefore, it is impossible for him to succeed, and I believe he will not complete his initiative and will withdraw. He went to Damascus and heard harsh words from Assad. The atmosphere suggests that he was not comfortable with the meeting.”
Regarding the Secretary-General of the Arab League and his positions, Khaddam said, “The Arab League was not balanced in dealing with the Syrian issue. It was expected to provide a report that explains and offers proposals based on clarity, frankness, and transparency, that this regime has no hope or solution except a military one. However, it ruled out a military solution, and it is not entitled to do so. He said several times that they do not accept a military solution.”
