Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam once again called for an international conference to define and categorize terrorism, while warning that the world will witness more acts of violence. He emphasized that achieving peace in the Middle East is unattainable as long as the Israeli occupation persists.
Khaddam was quoted by the Syrian News Agency as saying, “The Europeans committed a significant error during the Durban Conference in South Africa by refusing to pass any resolution condemning Israel, thereby shielding this Israeli terrorism.” He urged for an international conference to precisely define and describe terrorism, cautioning that failure to hold this conference would result in successive episodes of violence.
The Syrian Vice President asserted, “There is no such thing as good or bad terrorism. Terrorism exists, and people have the right to resist occupation.” He further argued, “If resistance against occupation is considered terrorism, then European history must be rewritten to condemn all movements that resisted Nazism.”
In terms of achieving peace in the Middle East, Khaddam stated that it cannot be accomplished “while Israel continues to occupy even an inch of the 1967 territory.” He added that peace necessitates ensuring the security of both parties in a balanced manner.
At the conclusion of his meeting with a delegation from the French Higher Military Studies Center, Abdel Halim Khaddam accused Europeans of prioritizing Israel’s security over that of Arab countries. He called upon the representatives of the European Union to actively and seriously pressure Israel, emphasizing that their role should be one of decisive action rather than mere questioning. The French delegation arrived in Syria on Friday and held a meeting today with the Syrian Minister of Defense, General Mustafa Tlass.