SOHR exclusive | Politicians : “US policies towards Syrian issue changed after disconnection of opposition and change of its tendency”
Several developments in the Arab world, like visits of some Arab officials to Syria, as well as some circulated reports about re-considering the Syrian membership in the Arab League in the coming summit that is scheduled to be held in Algeria, indicate to efforts to restore the Syrian seat in the pan-Arab organisation.
The recent visit of the Omani Foreign Minister to Damascus also mirrored the same approach of normalising ties with Al-Assad regime. Meanwhile, some observers wonder about the implications of some US hints to give up the ouster of Al-Assad regime, amid continuous pressure to make Al-Assad accept and agree on the enforcement of some UN resolutions, most important of which is the Resolution No. 2254.
Meanwhile, it seems that there is no Arab or international consensus for re-integrating Syria in the Arab system which has been manifested in the comments by Ahmad Abul-Gheit, the Arab League Secretary-General, during a joint press conference with the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Naser Al-Subah, when he said, “convenient conditions have not been paved yet for restoring the Syrian seat in the Arab League.”
On the other hand many followers for the Syrian affairs anticipate the outcomes of two meetings of the Syrian opposition that will be held in Doha and Moscow and whether those meetings will bring new arrangements for new escalations or agreements for starting a new negotiation “marathon.”
In an exclusive SOHR interview with the anti-regime politician, Qasem Al-Khateeb says “any reform in the Syrian regime structure means its collapse, because the regime is based mainly on its military and security authorities.”
The politician notes that toppling of the regime is associated with dismantling its security and military bodies, which are the base of all dictators and authoritarian.
Mr. Al-Khateeb reiterates, “the Syrian people will meet their aspirations and get rid of the tyrant regime only after dismantling the security services, disclosing the fate of the forcibly disappeared people, releasing all detainees, solving the problem of the displaced people, repatriating all migrants, running integral and free elections under international supervision and guarantees and working with independent judiciary system trying all war criminals and bringing the commanders ordered, aided and abetted the killing of Syrian people to justice.
Commenting on the Russian arrangements either with the Arab side or the US administration, the opposition activist says that Russia has been backing the Syrian regime at the political and military levels and will not abandon Bashar Al-Assad considering him as “a red line” and a “main regional alley,” adding that the Russian stance has not been changed since 2011.
Mr. Al-Khateeb expects that normalising ties with Al-Assad and his regime and restoring the Syrian seat in the Arab league will not be a part of the agenda of the coming Arab League summit because most of Arab states reject brining Syria back to the Arab league, deem Al-Assad regime as “a criminal” and also stick to their demands of trying Al-Assad.
He emphasises that incubating Al-Assad in the Arab world means that the Syrian regime have to break up with the Iranians, and Al-Assad cannot do so even if he wants, adding “the promoted bids are mere efforts to distract the angry people fromt the chronic crises in Syria where living conditions are unbearably worsening.”
On the other hand, Habid Hadad, a former Syrian Communication Minister, has told SOHR “ It is common knowledge now that the US administration approach that has worked on toppling Al-Assad regime without delay since the second term of Obama, has changed.”
“In my opinion, the US administration stance has changed because the Americans have recognised the tendency of the Syrian opposition they have been dealing with,” Hadad said, describing the Syrian opposition as “weak, divided and linked with regional and international agendas and cannot replace the current Syrian regime.”
According to the former Syrian top official, the United States cares about its strategy in the region, especially in the devastated Syria, that is built on establishing a regime loyal to it and accept to normalise ties with Israel.
“Securing the Zionist regime has always topped the US administration’s agenda whether under the rule of Trump or Biden, where Biden’s policy is considered as continuation of Obama’s,” he said adding that the US current policy towards the Syrian issue focuses on two approaches: leading an international coalition to combat ISIS and other terrorist forces in Syria and Iraq, and deal with the Syrian issue as a case that require US-Russian consensus.
He sees that the race of most of the Arab regimes to normalise ties with Israel nowadays aims at serving those regimes’ narrow interests away from the Arab central issue, the Palestinian cause.
Concerning restoring the Syrian seat in the Arab League, Hadad highlights “disregarding the role of the pan-Arab body which exerted no efforts or offered any solutions for the Arab issues, bringing Syria back to the Arab League is welcomed because it will open the road for broader scope of communications between the Syrians and their brothers in the other Arab countries. The suspension of Syria’s membership in the League of Arab States resembles the latest sanctions under Caesar Act, as both only harmed the Syrian people and has not significantly affected the mafias of the ruling class.”