Information minister slams Britain over “illogical and irrational” Syria policy

DAMASCUS – Information minister Omran al-Zoubi said Britain is pursuing an illogical and irrational policy by attacking the only country which is confronting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria organization, known as ISIS.

“What gives the British foreign secretary the right to decide for Syrians how long their president should stay in power?” al-Zoubi told the Guardian in an exclusive interview, in reference to earlier statements by the British official in which he said President Bashar al-Assad should step down.

 Criticizing British Prime Minister David Cameron, the minister said his behavior reflects a mentality that goes back to colonial times, SANA reported.

“They have to abandon the sanctions that have cost Syrians dearly. Isis and the sanctions are two faces of terrorism,” he added.

“We will not allow Syria to become an extremist emirate,” he said. “It will not be another Saudi Arabia,” describing the kingdom as “the General Motors of terrorism which exports it to the rest of the world”

Qatar and other “backward and demented” Gulf states, and Turkey, were all supporting Isis, he said in a scathing criticism against Gulf states and Turkey.

“My message to Britain is that their deeds must match their words,” al-Zoubi said. “If they are really against terrorism let them act accordingly and genuinely confront Isis. The way to do that is by not ignoring those who are really fighting Isis.”

Al-Zoubi said that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Turkish AK party had been the inspiration for al-Qaida and its Syrian branch Jabhat al-Nusra, as well as Isis and other terrorist groups.

Commenting on the issue of refugees arriving in Europe, al-Zoubi said Britain and the US should handle the issue since it emerged out of their policies that went awry in Libya, Yemen and Syria and a policy of sanctions that began in 2011.