Ghassan Massoud: Syrian Army, Guarantee of Country’s Strength, Unity, Sovereignty

DAMASCUS, (ST)_ During the first months of Syria events, many Syrian artists appeared repeatedly on national screens to express their views regarding the going, starting from the enlightenment role they are entitled to play as to form objective and balanced public opinion. However, this role suffered a kind of retreat and some artists preferred to distance themselves and keep silent because of convulsive and exaggerated stances by some Syrians advocating false “democracy” and “freedom”.

 Syrian world star Actor, Ghassan Massoud, was recently the guest of the Syrian “Al-Ikhbariya” channel program to break the silence and clarify his viewpoint on the Syrian crisis.

 Trying his best to be objective, Syrian actor Massoud wasn’t a hypocrite neither to the government nor to the “opposition”, but in certain moments he was brave enough to dig deep into all stances and ideas which went far in violating national principles and human nature.

 He said “no one in Syria or abroad can believe that the United States has the slightest intension to bring “democracy” to Syria or to any other country,” stressing that the U.S. is seeking to sow chaos and terrorism in the country with the help of some Syrians who have exploited the US hostile stances towards their homeland.

 Bitterly and disappointedly, the world star talked about how some Syrians inside the country had turned themselves into “firewood” to feed the strife and destroy the state’s institutions just to please some parties abroad seeking personal political benefits. He pointed out that the state’s institutions are actually the achievements and properties of the Syrian people over the past decades, so destroying them is unforgivable.

 The world actor made it clear that he rejects all attempts by those who call themselves “opposition” to spoil the reputation of the Syrian Arab Army, the symbol of Syria’s national sovereignty.

 “How did they allow themselves to demonize the army and call for shedding its blood? Any insult or harm to the army is an insult to me personally and an insult to my father and mother too,” Massoud said, adding that he himself had served in this military institution.

  “This is the army of the Syrian Arab Republic, it is the guarantee of the country’s strength, unity, security and sovereignty, and no one has the right to harm it neither by word nor by deeds” the actor stressed, pointing out that this Army had lost thousands of soldiers in Lebanon in confrontation of the Israeli aggression against South Lebanon.

 Massoud, who criticized attempts to incite military aggression against his country, didn’t forget to talk about the “media craziness” embodied by the malicious campaign launched against Syria by Arab and international mass media which scarified their credibility to serve certain political goals.

 He blessed the National Reconciliation Ministry’s efforts which led some people who got involved in the country’s current events to return to the lap of their homeland, asserting that this is a wise step in the right direction to overcome the crisis and urging all the Syrians who carried the weapon against their fellow citizens to hand their weapons over to the authorities.

 Syrian actor and filmmaker Ghassan Massoud, 54, is known internationally for playing the role of Muslim ruler Saladin in Ridley Scott’s film “Kingdom of Heaven”. He also starred in other foreign movies including the “Valley of the Wolves: Iraq” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean: Art of World’s End”. In Syria, Massoud appeared in many Syrian-made films.

  Hamda Mustafa