‘There Is External Military Intervention By Mercenaries In The Syrian Conflict’

 Kamel Abbas, Ambassador of Syria in Delhi talks to Kunal Majumderabout the situation in Syria, blaming western support to the rebel forces for the continuing crisis

On the situation in Syria:

Two years have passed since the crisis in Syria began and unfortunately till now, we haven’t found any political solution, due to external interventions. There is bloodshed on the streets. This blood is Syrian blood, regardless from which side it is from. Our concern is to stop this blood flowing on the streets of Syria. Our government wants a political solution. We are facing cross-border terrorism, big media propaganda and armed groups on the ground who get support finance and weapons from different countries like the GCC countries, European countries or America. This is the problem we are facing in Syria.

What is happening in Syria is not a country war. It’s not a war between Shias or Sunnis. In Syria, the war is between radical terrorists against a secular regime. People from Aleppo are from the Sunni community, they support our government, they support our president. We have 70 ministers in our cabinet, 25-26 ministers belong to this community, which you call, Sunnis. We have no sectarian war in Syria; we have a war by external military intervention in Syria by mercenaries, who came from all over the world to fight against our regime, against our government, against secular regime in Syria. This is what is happening in Syria. If the leader of Al-Qaeda announces on TV and calls all elements of Al-Qaeda to come and fight against our regime, is this democracy?

On the role of the West: 

Western countries support the armed groups on the ground with weapons. Already we have arrested many groups; they have weapons from France, America Israel and other countries. This means they support the armed groups with weapons and money. So this is a very big joke and a big media propaganda. America, a big country, has a double standard policy. On one side they support the armed groups on the ground against our government in Syria and on the other side they fight against those same groups in other countries.

The leader of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, announced and called all the elements of Al-Qaeda to come to Syria to fight against our government, to kill our people and to destroy public and private sector in Syria. The colonialist states and America would like to destroy our regime in Syria. They need to change our policy in the Middle East because Syria has an independent policy in the Middle East. If they have any dream to destabilise the regime, they cannot do so. Our regime is very strong because we have a majority in Syria. Our people support our regime, our army is very strong. Syria is different than other countries. Our President came to the power by election. Our people have put the president in power but in other countries, I will not mention which country, they came to power by the support of America.

Who created Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, who supported them? Who supported Al-Qaeda in Syria? Who supported the Wahhabis? Saudi Arabia is a follower of American policy. When America tells them to stop, they can stop. But America doesn’t tell them. They announce to the media some things but under the table there are different things. There are Wahabis and Al-Qaeda fighting against our government in Syria. Among all of them some of them are raised in Syria. The Wahabis came from Arab countries, European countries, America and from neighboring countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan etc. What do those people need from our country? They need democracy? Do those countries that support the rebels, terrorist groups have democracy? Do they have a constitution, elections? Do they have women rights, what is it that they would like to teach us of democracy?

More than 3800 schools have been destroyed in Syria. Is this for democracy? More than 1500 factories have been destroyed in Syria. And some of them are taking our machinery and selling it in Turkey. Is this a revolution? Have you heard of any revolution that asks a colonialist state to come and occupy the country? These rebels, armed groups cut heads and shout “Allah-hu-Akbar”. The Islam religion is for peace and asks for equality and justice. Not like this, this doesn’t belong to Islam. And if you read history, all western countries fought against the authority of religion on their ground. So how are they so keen to support religious groups to come to power in Arab countries? I don’t know, it is very strange.

On incorporating internal reforms in Syria:

Our government and our leadership in Syria since the beginning of the issue, have announced many reforms for Syria. They removed emergency law, they put a free media law, they accept many parties to participate in the government and allow any group to form a party in Syria. Syria is a free country, a secular country, and has many religions and ethnicities. Syria is a secular country in the Middle East and our constitution doesn’t allow any religious party to remain in power.

A strong call for a political solution in Syria and pressuring countries who support armed groups and mercenaries to stop doing so is needed to end the problem in Syria. Our concern is to stop blood flowing in Syria; our concern is to protect our people. Any government in a war would like to restore the law and the order and protect the civilians in the country.

http://www.tehelka.com/there-is-external-military-intervention-by-mercenaries-in-the-syrian-conflict/