In the third part of the dialogue between Sultan Al-Saad Al-Qahtani and the former Syrian Vice President, Abdul Halim Khaddam, on “Hadeeth Al-Omr” on Rotana Khaleejia, the guest denied rumors that his wealth amounted to four billion dollars and indicated that he longs for his homeland and the village of “Banias,” which is the dearest thing he misses.
He revealed that he is on the verge of completing his memoirs, in which he will talk about all the stages he witnessed in Syria’s relationships with other countries.
Regarding the Lebanese file, Abdul Halim Khaddam said they tried to help President Suleiman Frangieh, and things were going smoothly because he was their friend. When problems arose between the Palestinians and the Kataeb Party, and the city of Zahle was surrounded, they intervened to lift the siege before things escalated in Beirut. Muslim leaders requested Syrian intervention, and the decision was made to descend to Beirut and send two battalions to calm the situation.
He said that “Abu Ammar” wanted to have a base in Lebanon after being expelled from Jordan, so the Syrians advised him to win over the Muslims after his clash with the Christians.
Regarding the issue of assassinations of figures in Lebanon, Abdul Halim Khaddam said he does not have confirmed information that Syrian intelligence is behind them, but he is sure that the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was at the Syrian presidential order. He tried to warn Hariri about the matter, advising him to travel.
Khaddam considered Hariri’s assassination a loss for moderation, likening him to Riad Al-Solh. Regarding his relationship with Rafik Hariri, he said it started in 1981 when Walid Jumblatt introduced him as a businessman close to Saudi Arabia. He described him as calm and not impulsive, and Hafez al-Assad suggested Rafik Hariri’s name for the position of prime minister.
Abdul Halim Khaddam added that he opposed Hafez al-Assad’s decision to bring Emile Lahoud to the Lebanese presidency, a decision made at the request of his son Bashar, who took over the Lebanese file in 1997 after a friendship with Suleiman Frangieh, who also wanted Emile Lahoud as president at that time.
During the program, Khaddam revealed that Syria’s relationship with Iran during Hafez al-Assad’s era was a “cooperation,” but during Bashar al-Assad’s era, it turned into Syria’s “subordination” to Iran. He added that Hafez al-Assad’s worst flaws were allowing his children and family members to control people and engage in corruption, and his mother was weak in front of them. It is worth noting that Sultan Al-Saad Al-Qahtani’s historic dialogue with Abdul Halim Khaddam is part of “Hadeeth Al-Omr.”
