US admits its allies supported ISIL in Syria

Syrian ambassador has told Mehr News International Service the International community should exert pressure on Saudi Arabia to cut its systematic support for terrorism in Syria, AVA Diplomatic reports.

In the second part of the interview carried out with Syrian ambassador to Tehran Mr. Adnan Mahmoud, the focus has shifted to Syrian crisis, the role of Saudi Arabia in Syria, Turkey’s downing of the Russian fighter jet and the prospects of Vienna talks on Syrian crisis:

Recently, Ankara has summoned Russia ambassador to Turkey to voice objections over Russian strikes which targeted Turkmen tribal region in Syria. Is Turkey seeking a more extended engagement in Syrian situation?

Turkey’s claims on targeting of Turkmen tribal region in Syria by Russians are sheer lies, and the contrary holds true; not only Syria but also the world as well have admitted that Turkey, during 4 past years (since the wake of Syrian crisis) has been supporting terrorism inside Syria. It is also admitted by US vice-president that US allies, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey have supported ISIL and Al-Nusra Front, which has been especially clear since the last 18 months when the official flag of these groups had been raised in different parts of Turkey by the groups’ sympathizers or recruiters, and the Turkish government has tacitly supported them; we believe that Russian involvement in Syria has been in line with international law and UN charter and by an official request by Syrian government, while Turkish support for terrorism clearly violates the UN resolutions on fighting terrorism and the UN charter as well.

Given the speculations that Saudi Arabia will host on December different Syrian opposition groups in Riyadh, how would you evaluate Saudi Arabian record in Syria?

Saudi Arabia has been accomplice to the crimes committed against Syrian civilians and an avowed supporter of Takfirism extremist ideology behind the atrocities in Syria either in arms or in money; Adel Al-Jubeir officially has proclaimed support for terrorists in broad daylight; thus, we believe Saudi government should be subject to the harshest pressures by international community to stop its bloody adventurism in Syria.

Some groups has proposed a snap election in Syria; would Syrian government show consent to this election?

Syrian people would only decide on this and before Takfirism defeat in Syria, any word about any political development would prove failure; fighting terrorism should be a guiding principle of any political change; Syrian citizens should come to a consensus on what would be the future of their country.

What would you think of Paris terrorist attacks?

By convention, Bashar al-Assad and Syrian government official condemn terrorist attacks in Paris, and any terrorism in any spot on the planet is despicable, since Syria brings the scar of terrorism on itself. We condemn death of innocent civilians; however, the strategic errors committed by the West and France herself in supporting terrorism have invited terrorism to their backyard in the heart of Europe. This is a threat Syria has been warned supporters of terrorism 4 years ago.

We know that thousands of foreign terrorists fighting in Syria who had been helped in reaching Syria by Turkey; now, France should seriously review its policies which amounted to disaster to join the party fighting terrorism, abandoning all double-standards. Any country with willing to fight terrorism should cooperate with the countries really fighting terrorism on the ground.

The active support for terrorism seeks to weaken Syria and its role in the broader resistance against the Zionist regime; they also seek to serve and realize western and US interests in the region, which is parallel with destabilizing the whole region to plunder natural resources of the region; terrorism knows no borders for itself. What Iran has done in the region is crucial to bring stability to the region as its highly principled role in line with its moral and ethical strategy undeniable by any country in the region.

Is there any level of cooperation between Syria and Egypt in fighting terrorism?

We did have some contacts with Egyptian officials, and we have recently seen positive positions taken by Egypt on terrorism, supporting Syrian role in fighting extremism; we and Egypt face a common enemy and all should join an international coalition which really fights terrorism, unlike western coalition which only claims on paper fighting terrorism, covertly supporting it.

How would you see international community’s difference of position on Beirut and Paris victims of terrorist attacks?

Western and US double-standards on terrorism is violation of the fundamental laws of international community and against any human value and morality; no notable Arab and Western country were seen to condemn what ISIL did in Burj Barajneh neighborhood of Beirut killing tens of innocent people and wounding many others, while we saw a host of condemnations coming from Arab or Western countries on Paris terrorist attacks, while the nature of atrocity is the same in both events, and attempts to fight terrorism should be the same in different regions. Wahhabism is the most virulent virus among the viri upholding the violence and atrocity against human achievements of peace and civilization and seeks to destroy the whole generations of humanity. Today, our fight is not only military, but it is moral, ethical, and religious.

It seems that Russia and Syria have their own different definitions of terrorism as Russia has actively engaged in talks with for example Al-Nusra Front, while Syrian army actively fights the group as allies to ISIL. Is there an agreement, tacit or whatsoever, between Damascus and Moscow on this?

We believe that terrorism is terrorism, and according to international law, terrorist is who kills and destroys; so, Syrian Takfirists under any name, have committed atrocities in different parts of Syria in unprecedented dimensions beyond the imagination taking victims of all walks of life. So, all warring factions fall into the category of terrorism. Opposition, on the other hand, is distinct group with political ideology of their own and who do not use arms against the establishment and their own fellow citizens. Any group targeting Syrian army and government is aptly considered terrorist. There is no ‘moderate terrorist’ or ‘violent terrorist’ in the annals of international relations.

Terrorism is not limited to using weapons; rather, it has an intellectual dimension; in this, Takfirism which prescribes destruction of any sort and Wahhabism and Al-Qaeda are the same, since both are nourished from the same source of evil thinking and hatemongering. Currently, Iran, Russia, Iraq, and all countries with a serious resolution to fight terrorism stand with Syria. We are in general consensus and common grounds on fighting terrorism which was fostered by the US and its allies in the region, who supported them by logistical aid and arms and finance.

How would you think of Kurdish groups fighting ISIL? Would they be categorized as a group inside the wider spectrum of resistance?

All Syrian ethnicities do not want to be considered separate from the motherland; Syrian constitution does not recognize multiple Syrian citizen types, and all forces fighting terrorists do such, without any exception, to serve Syrian national interests, all are considered as Syrians and supported by Syrian army.

Turkey and the US have been long negotiating on creation of a buffer zone in northern borders of Syria. Could this buffer zone serve Turkish interests as a no-fly zone?

Turkey has been a logistical base for terrorists since the wake of conflict in Syria, providing them with Saudi and Qatari resources and arms. There has been no serious commitment and action by the US or Turkey to fight terrorists. Any power which entertain fighting terrorism should coordinate actions with Syrian government and army; however, the strong 60-country alliance led by the US failed to score a single success in Syria by airstrikes against ISIL; rather, it spread terrorist forth to other countries, especially western countries, which once had invested heavily in terrorists in Syria.

Has Syrian government had taken national and international measures to return Syrian refugees back to country?

All refugees come from regions destroyed by terrorist atrocities, and terrorism is the major cause of refugee crisis; Syrian government had mobilized all capacities to bring Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries back to country where government force control the regions, and they will live beside their Syrian brothers as equal citizens. Syrian government currently provides aid to all citizens fleeing atrocities of terrorists and settling on government-controlled regions. They would not come to secure regions if they had any fear from government crackdown. Syrians migrating to Turkey constitute 20 per cent of the whole refugees, and Turkey had contrived a plot so that Syrians migrate to Europe through land. They have been escaping the terrorism and economic plights of the war.

How would you evaluate the situation on the grounds in Aleppo?

Currently, Syrian army have the initiative on the ground along with support coming from National Defense Forces, Iranian military advisers, and Palestinian resistance groups in unremittent fight against terrorism; it had scored some success in Aleppo’s southern and eastern outskirts, Homs, Hama, and suburbs of Damascus. These achievements have been strategic in nature and have pushed back Takfirist terrorists in all fronts across the country. The success comes in a situation where terrorists enjoy the most advanced artillery which receive from their supportive countries, which in turn, called terrorist groups including ISIL, Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Fath, and Jaish al-Islam to unite against Syrian army as a single enemy.

Back to Vienna talks, Iran was invited for the first time. What are causes behind the invitation, and what did the talks seek to achieve regarding Syrian situation?

No country in the world could ignore the role of Iran played in the region on fighting terrorism and solving regional issues. Iran’s role is based on an accurate evaluation of the crises and on international principles, and the UN Charter. The west committed a strategic error of judgement when the US and its allies in the region supported terrorism, pouring forth arms and money to Syria; however, Iran’s path is righteous on the contrary.

How would you assess the future of Vienna in hitting a solution to Syrian crisis now with Iran participating in the talks with a recognized status?

It is beyond any doubt that Iran’s participation in Vienna talks contributed crucially to decisions made in the session along with positive roles Iraq, Russia, Oman, and Lebanon played; their contribution was critical in reaffirming that no power could decide on behalf of Syrian people about the future of country. However, UN resolutions, especially on terrorism, should be emphasized upon, and pressures should be mount on Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar to cut their support for terrorism as a prologue to any solution to Syrian crisis.