“Khaddam: Moscow Still Insists on Conducting Dialogue Between the Opposition and the Syrian Regime.
Rome – UPI – Yesterday, the former deputy to the Syrian President, Abdel Halim Khaddam, announced that Moscow continues to adhere to its stance of the necessity to engage in dialogue between the opposition and the government in Damascus, calling for the formation of a coalition from the international community outside the Security Council for intervention in Syria.
The Italian news agency ‘AKI’ reported, yesterday, that Khaddam stated that the Russians haven’t changed their position at all, and they still adhere to the principle of political dialogue with the Syrian regime as a means to achieve a solution.
He expressed his affirmation to Russian envoy Mikhail Bogdanov, whom he met yesterday in Paris, that any talk about dialogue with the criminal regime is futile, and this doesn’t just apply to the opposition but to every honorable Syrian.
Khaddam wondered, who dares to sit down with the regime for a dialogue, after all the destruction and devastation it has caused to Syria?
He indicated that dialogue with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad means accepting his presence and the presence of his regime, asking on what basis would this dialogue be? How will the parties find common ground? Khaddam considered that even if the head of the regime relinquishes power, the structure of the security apparatus won’t change.
The problem isn’t in his person, but in the regime’s mechanisms.
He commented on the proposal to form a transitional government in Syria and said that a government without a program won’t provide a solution; without a program, it can’t last for more than 10 days.
He believed that the interim government is supposed to coincide with the collapse of the regime.
Personally, I don’t agree with the perspective of forming a government in the presence of the murderous regime, even if it includes all opposition factions. Khaddam pointed out that many opposition figures’ attempts to crystallize this government have failed, just like all the exile governments that lack a presence on the homeland.
He added, we say frankly, there are no liberated areas at present that the regime can’t access through its aircraft and artillery.
He believed that expediting the regime’s downfall is possible through the formation of a coalition from the international community outside the Security Council for intervention in Syria, considering that as soon as the first 3 fighter jets take off above the areas controlled by the regime, it will collapse.
Khaddam emphasized that delay in international intervention will lead to the growth of extremism in Syria, and this matter won’t only harm Syria but will also harm the interests of all countries in the region.
Regarding the future of minorities in Syria, he posed questions to the Russian envoy about this matter, and if during the revolution, one Christian or Alawite were harmed by the rebels due to their religious beliefs, his answer was in the negative.
Khaddam added that the Syrian people are nationalistic and adhere to this principle, eager for their unity, and it’s not in the interest of 85% of the Syrian people to force the remaining to leave the country.
He considered that establishing an Alawite enclave in Syria is impossible because no citizen can accept dismantling the national fabric, confirming that this type of division failed in the 20th century when the French established an Alawite state.
Khaddam directed a plea to Arab governments to recognize the danger of Iran’s strategy in the region, not just on Syria alone but on Arab countries as well.
He urged them to provide assistance through all means to the Syrian revolution in the path of overthrowing the regime that has lost its means of resistance.
The former deputy to the Syrian President held a discussion with Russian envoy Mikhail Bogdanov about the ongoing crisis in Syria and Russia’s supportive stance towards President Bashar al-Assad. During the meeting, Bogdanov affirmed his country’s support for change through political dialogue, while Khaddam wished for the Russian leadership to reconsider its policy and halt all forms of military, political, and economic support that it offers to the regime in Syria.”
