Former Syrian Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam expected the failure of the Geneva 3 conference, which began the day before yesterday, to reach a solution to the crisis with a roadmap. Khaddam, through “Al-Watan,” criticized Iran and Russia, accusing the former of causing the Syrian crisis and the latter of focusing on its ambitions and interests, even at the expense of civilians.
The former Syrian Vice President criticized the international community for agreeing to continue the Geneva conferences, asserting that “Geneva 3” will not produce a roadmap and will be like its predecessors that allowed the Assad regime to continue its crimes against the Syrian people, including murder, siege, and starvation, emphasizing that the conference will not bring about serious solutions.
Khaddam stated to “Al-Watan” that the Geneva conferences deliberately did not address the root cause of the Syrian crisis and remained maneuvering here and there. He exempted the Saudi stance, previously declared by the late Prince Saud al-Faisal, and currently by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, stating that Assad must depart, either through political means or by military intervention.
Moscow and Tehran’s Ambitions
Khaddam added that some see Russia’s goal as establishing naval and air bases. He said, “This is not true. Russian military bases in Syria have been present since 1976 and are not used at all. Moscow’s real goal is to change the equation aimed at keeping Assad in power.” He noted that in these circumstances, the outlook suggests a deterioration in Syria, and the country is on the verge of a catastrophe resembling what happened in Palestine. He emphasized that this catastrophe is currently being prepared, involving dividing Syria into provinces.
Khaddam stated that Russia’s ambitions in Syria are significant, and an international conference will not end them. 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 they will thwart any project that removes Assad because their plans hinge on his staying in power.
He added that the striking aspect of the ongoing negotiations is that they work towards a settlement while the regime is implicated in killing half a million people and displacing about ten million others to various countries.
Insult to the Syrians
Regarding the opposition’s participation in the Geneva conference, Khaddam stated that he wished the opposition had refused to attend, so that the dialogue would be purely Syrian, without imposing names from the Russian side. In reality, the delegation representing the regime is there only in name. He added that this is an insult to all Syrians, especially considering that there are no genuine negotiations currently in Geneva. Multiple parties are being heard by the international mediator, while there is no real negotiating table where facts can be revealed to the international community.
Regarding the future of these negotiations, Khaddam explained 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 containing a clause that allows Bashar and his regime to remain in power will be mere ink on paper and will not end the crisis.
Forces loyal to the regime..
. Khaddam affirmed that the current regime forces and security apparatus, since the days of the crimes of the former regime’s 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 a military coup in Syria will occur within a year or less, returning things to their previous state. He emphasized that Syria needs to be rebuilt from scratch on all levels.
He continued, “I had hoped that the opposition would request the formation of a military leadership to control the fighters and a political leadership to manage the political conflict with the regime, but unfortunately, this did not happen.”