He reiterated that the regime’s organs assassinated Hariri.
Paris, UBI: Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam described the recent legislative elections in Syria as a “play,” accusing the regime in Damascus of obstructing the International Special Tribunal responsible for prosecuting the killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and attempting to exert influence in Lebanon.
Khaddam, who defected from the Syrian Baathist regime and now lives in exile in Paris, stated in an interview with United Press International that it is inappropriate to refer to what happened in Syria last Sunday as elections, emphasizing that the nature of the regime transforms these events into mere theatrical performances.
He further explained that Article 8 of the Constitution designates the Baath Party as the leader of society and state institutions, thus ensuring that the election results are predetermined since the Baath Party consistently secures more than 51 percent of all seats.
Khaddam added that a portion of the remaining seats is allocated to the National Front parties, leaving only around 30 percent for independent candidates. However, he clarified that even these independents are not truly independent. Therefore, these elections do not align with the commonly understood concept of elections in other countries, as the results are known well in advance, typically a week or 10 days prior.
In this context, he considered the role of the Syrian Parliament to be even lower than that of a parrot. Any deputy who opposes a minister is subject to having their immunity lifted and facing prosecution if they do not comply with the orders of the Speaker of Parliament and withdraw their objections. On the other hand, Khaddam emphasized that the primary goal of the current regime in Syria is to retain power. While the Syrian people seek to rid themselves of this regime, he emphasized that the first ambition of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is to prevent the establishment of an international tribunal in the Hariri assassination case and then to regain influence in Lebanon. He noted that the formation of this court is inevitable and awaited its results with regard to the involvement of security services close to Bashar al-Assad in the Hariri assassination.
In response to a question about whether Assad is aware of everything happening in Syria, he stated, “He is aware of everything… All security agencies are directly linked to him.”
Regarding his opinion on US President George Bush’s policy of rejecting dialogue with Syria, Khaddam stressed that they always urge all countries not to engage in dialogue with the current Syrian regime because they believe the regime is suffocating the Syrian people.
In this context, he pointed out that the visit of Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Damascus and her meeting with Assad will not have a significant impact on the current situation. He believed that the regime in Damascus has established a political strategy aligned with Iran and Lebanon’s situation. Therefore, visits by Pelosi and others will not change Syria’s policy.
Khaddam discussed peace in the Middle East and expressed “our full support for the Arab Peace Initiative.” At the same time, he rejected the notion of linking the possibility of achieving peace solely to the President in the White House. He emphasized that what is important is the overall American policy on the Middle East.
While reaffirming his position that forming an alliance with the Syrian “Muslim Brotherhood” does not pose a threat to the establishment of an Islamic state, he pointed out that it is not valid to draw a comparison with the experience of the Iranian revolution in 1979. He highlighted that the Syrian people, both Christians and Muslims, are moderate, and the social structure in Syria differs significantly from that of Iran.
He emphasized that the objective of the opposition alliance in the “National Salvation Front” is to establish a democratic state.
