Brussels, Damascus – United Press International – Former Syrian Vice President turned defector, Abdul Halim Khaddam, considered the decision of the “Muslim Brotherhood” group to withdraw from the “Salvation Front,” of which he is one of its prominent founders, was not surprising. He spoke about negotiations taking place between the group and the regime in Damascus through a security committee headed by a colonel in the internal security branch.
Khaddam stated in an interview with “United Press International” that “the political bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood was in the process of taking a withdrawal position, and negotiations were ongoing between the group and the regime through a security committee led by Colonel Tawfiq Younes of the internal security branch, along with the membership of two officers with the rank of major and captain. In addition, an advisor to this committee, who was responsible for the Muslim Brotherhood file and negotiations with them during the late President Hafez al-Assad’s era, is retired Colonel Turki Almaddin.”
He added that “the Brotherhood wanted, through their recent statement, to cover up these negotiations with the issue of Gaza, the Palestinian people, and resistance. They justified, during the discussions between us, the reasons for announcing the suspension of their opposition activities against the Syrian regime, stating that it was related to the Gaza issue. We asked them: Did Bashar al-Assad direct his army to liberate Palestine and regain the Golan Heights? Did you also direct your forces to liberate Damascus, and did you make this decision for patriotic reasons? The truth is that he did not do so, and they did not do that either.”
