Transparency and Actuality
President Bashar AL-Assad tackled, in his recent interview with Syrian TV, different issues as regards foreign and domestic fronts, and on top of the issues related to foreign front are the continued fighting against terrorism, US, Russia and Turkey. Actually the continued fight against terrorism necessitated a deep reading for President Assad’s description of the roles played by such countries.
President Assad outlined that “the reality is that the Americans are occupiers, whether they are in the east, the north or the south, the result is the same” asserting that when we are finished with the areas according to our military priorities and we reach an area in which the Americans are present, the fate of the Americans will be similar to their fate in Iraq.” This patriot popular resistance has to have the necessary support against the occupier.
“We should all be united against occupation. When we reach this state, I assure you that the Americans will leave on their own accord because they will have no opportunity to remain in Syria; although America is a superpower, it will not be able to remain in Syria. This is something we saw in Lebanon at a certain point and in Iraq at a later stage. I think this is the right solution.”
President Assad pointed out that the terrorist Baghdadi was in American prisons in Iraq, and that they let him out in order to play this role. So, he is someone who could be replaced at any moment, asserting that American politics are no different from Hollywood; it relies on the imagination. Not even science fiction, just mere imagination. So, you can take American politics and see it in Hollywood or else you can bring Hollywood and see it through American politics.”
” I believe the whole thing regarding this operation is a trick. Baghdadi will be recreated under a different name, a different individual, or ISIS in its entirety might be reproduced as needed under a different name but with the same thought and the same purpose. The director of the whole scenario is the same, the Americans, lashing at the US bids as to include a number of countries as participants in this operation is to give it credibility so these countries will feel not embarrassed, but have the desire to be that they are part of a “great” operation, as the Americans have tried to portray it.”
President Assad added “in this way, they are credited with fighting terrorism. We do not need such credit. We are the ones fighting terrorism. We have no relations and have had no contact with any American institutions.”
President Assad described his US counterpart, Mr. Trump, as “the best American President, not because his policies are good, but because he is the most transparent president. All American presidents perpetrate all kinds of political atrocities and all crimes and yet still win the Nobel Prize and project themselves as defenders of human rights and noble and unique American values, or Western values in general…Trump talks transparently, saying that what we want is oil. This is the reality of American policy, at least since WWII. We want to get rid of such and such a person or we want to offer a service in return for money. This is the reality of American policy. What more do we need than a transparent opponent?”
President Assad lauded the Russian principles as having been clear throughout this war and even before the Russian base that started supporting the Syrian Army in 2015. These principles are based on international law, Syrian sovereignty and Syria’s territorial integrity.”
Russian policy deals with the realities on the ground. These realities on the ground have achieved two things; the withdrawal of armed groups from the north to the south in coordination with the Syrian Army, and as such the advance of the Syrian Army to the north, to the area not occupied by the Turks, underscored President Assad.
President Assad pointed out that through the recent agreement between Russia and Turkey, the Russians reigned in the Turks, outmaneuvered the Americans and aborted the call for internationalization which was proposed by the Germans. That is why this agreement is a positive step. It does not achieve everything, in the sense that it will not pressure the Turks to leave immediately. However, it limits the damage and paves the way for the liberation of this region in the future, or the immediate future, as we hope…Russia was with us in liberating Khan Skeikhoon and its environs; announcing an end to military operations does not mean an end to fighting terrorism.
We believe that Russian involvement anywhere is in our interest, because our principles are the same and our battle is one. So, Russian involvement will certainly have positive results and we started to see a part of that. Contrary to what you said, we were happy with this summit, and we are happy with the Russian-Turkish relationship in general, contrary to what some people believe, that the Russians are appeasing the Turks. It does not matter whether the Russians are appeasing the Turks or not or whether they are playing a tactical game with them. What is important is the strategy, reiterated President Assad.
As for Turkey, President Assad lashed out at the negative aspects of the Turkish presence until they are driven out one way or another, asserting that the Turkish incursion, not only reflects Turkey’s territorial greed but also expresses American desire, pointing out that the Turks did not abide by the signed agreement about Idlib, but we are liberating Idlib. “There was a delay for a year; the political process, the political dialogue, and various attempts were given an opportunity to drive the terrorists out. All possibilities were exhausted. In the end, we liberated areas gradually through military operations. The same will apply in the northern region after exhausting all political options.”
“We must remember that Erdogan aimed, from the beginning of the war, to create a problem between the Syrian people and the Turkish people, to make it an enemy, which will happen through a military clash. At the beginning of the war, the Turkish Army supported the Syrian Army and cooperated with us to the greatest possible extent, until Erdogan’s coup against the Army. Therefore, we must continue in this direction, and ensure that Turkey does not become an enemy state. Erdogan and his group are enemies, because he leads these policies, but until now most of the political forces in Turkey are against Erdogan’s policies.”
In the near future we must give room to the political process in its various forms. If it does not yield results then this is an enemy and you go to war against it; there is no other choice, declared President Assad.
President Assad outlined that what he uttered regarding Mr. Erdogan mere indeed actual description in light of Erdogan’s deeds on the ground against Syria and Syrians as a political thug and a thief stealing everything related to Syria. “I was not calling him names; I was describing him. This is an adjective and this description is true. What do you call somebody who steals factories, crops and finally land? A benefactor.
President Assad noted that meetings were held between security officers but at different levels. Few meetings, probably two or three, were held in Kasab inside the Syrian borders or close to the joint borders, and one or more meetings were held in Russia. .But there have been no real results. At least we had expected to reach a solution concerning the withdrawal agreed upon in Astana for fifteen kilometers west and north in the de-escalation zone in Idlib. It did not happen…There were tripartite meetings with Russian mediation and Russian presence. We insisted on the Russian presence because we do not trust the Turks, so that there are witnesses.
Dr. Mohamad Abdo Al-Ibrahim
alibrahim56@hotmail.com