Abdul-Halim Khaddam, the former deputy to the Syrian president who defected from the Syrian regime in 2005, stated that Western countries should not fear that the fall of President Bashar al-Assad would lead to the emergence of an extremist Islamic regime. Speaking in a special statement to the London-based newspaper “Al-Sharq Al-Awsat” during a visit to Brussels where he held a press conference discussing the developments in his country, Khaddam emphasized that “the international parties should stop expressing fear about the rise of fundamentalist extremism leading Syria because Syrians, both Muslims and Christians, are religious but not fanatical. It should be understood that covering the regime under this title and the regime’s continued suppression and tyranny will lead to the transformation of moderation into extremism.”
He suggested that these countries should help form an international investigative committee and refer the investigation file to the International Criminal Court to hold those who ordered, planned, and executed the killings accountable. He clarified that military operations are not required.
Khaddam, who arrived in Brussels last week to hold a press conference discussing the developments in his country, stressed that Syrians do not need any international military intervention to help them get rid of the regime.
However, he added that “Turkey has a vision regarding the issue of reform in Syria, but the matter that the Turkish leadership may not agree on is the overthrow of the regime and the establishment of a new system.”
Khaddam accused the current Syrian regime of “contributing to fueling sectarian tension” in the country. He pointed out that Syria had never experienced any sectarian tension before, “but the practices of the current regime led to this situation.”
Expressing his belief that “Syrian youth will continue their protests and achieve their goals,” Khaddam stated that “these young people have no connection to any party or any group of any kind.”
He leveled a series of accusations against the Syrian authorities, including “corruption, monopolizing power, suppressing freedoms, and the weakness of economic administration,” which led to the movement of the youth. He added that “the success of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt” contributed to this. He clarified that “all opposition parties support the peaceful movement in the Syrian streets, and they do not accept any external interference in the country’s affairs.”
Khaddam accused the Syrian president of “providing support to the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi,” criticizing, at the same time, the positions of Arab countries, saying: “Arab countries that support the Libyan opposition are the same ones supporting President Assad.”
In response to a question about his political past, where he was a prominent figure in the Syrian regime for many years, Khaddam stated that he had offered advice to the Syrian president for years and provided many suggestions to address the situation, “but President Bashar ignored all my proposals.” He claimed that his decision to defect from the Syrian regime came “out of concern for his country, Syria.”
Khaddam expressed his willingness to stand trial, indicating that he does not fear defending himself against any charges that may be brought against him. He believed that the “real crisis in Syria lies in the nature of the regime that has governed Syria for four decades, monopolizing power, making decisions independently, and marginalizing the role of the people, using all means of suppression and its institutions, leading to the rise of sectarian tension.”
He said, “The issue is not a matter of playing with time or making decisions to satisfy this or that direction in an attempt to absorb popular resentment. The issue lies in an undeniable fact, which is changing this regime, holding its officials accountable, and returning to the path of democracy established by the Syrian forefathers who built the independent state, toppled by military coups.”
Khaddam expressed his belief that the regime will change, stating, “From my perspective, it will happen, and it is natural for Syrians to go through a series of stages, but all of them will contribute to achieving the ultimate goal. Sometimes, variations in slogans without directly declaring the main goal result from the nature of the stage and the complex circumstances that the Syrian people have gone through.” He added, “But the agreed-upon statement among everyone is the return of freedom and ending the mechanisms of authoritarian rule… We must not forget the state of fear that the Syrians had due to the terrorism of security institutions with acts of arrest, killing, and imprisonment. Today, we see that the youth of Syria are the ones who have broken the wall of fear.”
He pointed out that the protests are “unusual scenes for Syrians for nearly half a century,” and thus, the stages of the regime’s confrontations will determine the nature of each stage. He added, “This revolution was launched by the youth of Syria, not political parties or groups, and they are from various political and intellectual affiliations. We must help them draw the requirements of each stage, and everyone should be their support, not a burden on them.”
