Al-Zou’bi: What Syria Accepts and Rejects in Geneva II Talks is Subject to National Sovereignty

DAMASCUS,(ST)_Information minister  has said that respecting the national sovereignty and combating terrorism are the main conditions in any political process to solve the crisis in Syria.

 Omran al-Zou’bi, who was speaking on Thursday in an interview with the ‘Talaqi’ TV channel, clarified that what Syria accepts and rejects in the Geneva-2 talks is subject to the national sovereignty which must be respected by the international community.

“There is a serious international will to hold Geneva-2 conference,” the minister said, asserting that the solution to the ongoing crisis will be Syrian and it is in the hands of the Syrian people themselves only.

He added that the Syrian leadership’s decision to go to the Geneva-2  meeting is based on the Syrian people’s interest.” The main concern of the government is to prevent bloodshed, flush out terrorists and protect the state’s institutions which the enemies want to destroy. “

“The Syrian leadership’s choice for political solution is essential and not connected with the statement of the Geneva-1 meeting. The Geneva statement is clear and it goes without saying, but there have been attempts to misinterpret it,” al-Zou’bi said.

Agendas

He confirmed that the opposition abroad is a mere tool in the US’s hands and it moves according to the US will, adding that the agendas of the terrorist organizations operating in Syria are similar to that of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

“Most of these agendas belong to al-Qaeda and they cannot be part in the talks. Each organization, such as the “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant”, has international and regional relations and it is an output of al-Qaeda thought. Its agendas are identical to that of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey ,”the minister said.

He made it clear that the appearance of the so-called the ‘Islamic Front’ was aiming to present the front as a moderate one but it failed due to its involvement in military and terrorist operations.

Al-Zou’bi cited that the Syrian leadership outlined a comprehensive national political project to deal with the crisis’ repercussions, while the opposition has done nothing in this regard. 

Disputes

“The apposition abroad has personal and financial disputes and it has no national agenda,” he said, adding: “There are clues and facts about the superpowers’ intention to launch an aggression on Syria because of the defeat of the terrorist groups on the ground.”

As for the national unity government, al-Zou’bi said that it will meet the Syrian people’s aspirations and guarantees the country’s sovereignty and independence.

“It is not allowed for anyone to consider that it is possible to disintegrate the structure of the Syrian Arab army and the national institute in a political process after Syria’s steadfastness,” the minister said, asserting that the Syrian state and army are fighting terrorism on behalf of the whole world.

Donations to armed groups 

He called on all countries to abide by the international resolutions related to combating terrorism, especially the UN resolution No.1373 which was issued after New York events.

“Some countries, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and a number of Gulf states collect donations and send them to the armed groups in Syria without accountability,” al-Zou’bi said.

He sees that the gunmen who surrendered themselves over to concerned authorities are not terrorists but they are misled.

“Currently, we are witnessing a political track entitled ‘the Syrian state that has remained steadfast’,” al-Zoubi said.

Concerning President Bashar al-Assad’s candidacy to the next presidential election, the minister clarified that this matter is an internal matter and it is a personal decision of the president.

“We, as Syrians, want President Bashar al-Assad to be the republic’s president after 2014.”

Basma Qaddour