Abdul Halim Khaddam, former Vice President of the Syrian Arab Republic, called on President Barack Obama in a letter regarding the situation in Syria to take a decisive stance against this criminal regime that has used all means of violence, killing, and displacement against its people.
Khaddam stated, “My motivation for writing this letter to you is my concern for my homeland, Syria, and its people who are facing the worst crimes of murder, destruction, and displacement by the despotic regime in Syria, supported by Iran and Russia. The Security Council could not take serious measures due to the veto power of both Russia and China, and at the same time, other countries, especially the United States of America, did not take decisive actions.”
He added in his letter, “When the Syrian regime used chemical weapons, you decided to punish it and sent part of your warships to the Syrian coast. However, the Russian mediation offered to destroy the chemical stockpile in exchange for halting military operations against the Syrian regime. Thus, Russia succeeded in protecting its ally, who believed that the United States would not take military action against it, which increased its ability to escalate killings and destruction.”
Khaddam continued, “Most Syrians wonder about two things. Firstly, why didn’t the United States form an international military coalition to save the Syrian people who have bled with hundreds of thousands of martyrs, wounded, and the destruction of the country, and millions being displaced? Is the state terrorism that kills citizens a legitimate terrorism? Do the crimes of the regime not contradict the United Nations Charter, human rights law, and human values? Aren’t these crimes crimes against humanity?”
He addressed the second concern of many Syrians, relating to the presence of ISIS, which occupied Syrian cities, including Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and areas in Idlib and Aleppo. Despite this, no action was taken to protect and save the Syrian people. He asked, “When ISIS reached the borders of the Kurdistan region in Iraq and the town of Ain al-Arab in Syria, an international military coalition was formed to combat terrorism. Are Bashar al-Assad’s crimes not considered terrorism? Is there discrimination between Arabs and Kurds? Both Arabs and Kurds are brothers in the nation, equal in rights, and have lived together for hundreds of years. Many Syrians and Iraqis fear a second disaster for the Arabs, similar to the catastrophe of Palestine, as Khaddam stated.”
He continued in his letter, “When your ambassador and the French ambassador visited the city of Hama in Syria and were received with a massive popular reception, Syrians had the impression that the United States and its Western allies would help the Syrian people and provide serious support for them to defend themselves and assist them in building their democratic state where Syrians enjoy equal rights regardless of religion, sect, ethnicity, or gender. Especially since Bashar al-Assad worked to tear apart the unity of Syrians through sectarianism. We hope that the countries that supported Bashar al-Assad in this approach will reconsider their positions because stirring up the issue of minorities and discriminating against them in terms of rights compared to other citizens will ignite the fire not only in Syria but also in most countries around the world since no country is devoid of religious, ethnic, and sectarian diversity.”
