Several Arab governments have escalated their positions toward the Syrian government on the backdrop of the violence unfolding in the country, following the Syrian security forces and army’s shelling of several cities with tanks. Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia have summoned their ambassadors to Syria for consultations. At the same time, the Arab League has reiterated its call for an immediate end to the violence.
In a related context, former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam welcomed the Arab positions supporting the rights of the Syrian people, stating that they were expected.
Khaddam told “Radio Sawa” that these Arab positions were expected since all Arab governments are witnessing “the scale of crimes committed by the Syrian regime.”
He added that the speech delivered by the Saudi monarch was like “igniting the spark of Arab action in supporting and rescuing the Syrian people from the crimes they are subjected to.”
Regarding the Turkish stance, Khaddam emphasized that Turkish-Syrian relations are historical and sensitive, united by geography and common destiny, and he noted their positions regarding the killings of the Syrian people.
Khaddam explained that it is “natural for Turkey to take a firm stance in support of the Syrian people,” adding that “the continued killings and crimes committed by the Syrian regime will be a factor of instability in the region, affecting everyone.”
Khaddam criticized the statements of Bouthaina Shaaban, advisor to the Syrian president, that preceded the visit of the Turkish foreign minister. He pointed out that these statements indicate that the Syrian regime has lost the ability to assess reality and imagines that it lives in an isolated world where no one holds it accountable.
