PRESIDENTIAL Political and Media Advisor Bouthaina Shaaban asserted in Damascus yesterday that the Syrian Arab Army will strike wherever there is terrorism in the nation, adding that the government is resolved to restore sovereignty over the whole national soil and to respond to anyone who targets it in order to preserve Syria’s future and unity.
In an interview with Al Mayadeen TV on Monday, Shaaban clarified that the weakness and disarray of the US Administration’s positions, along with its moral degradation even in dealing with the agreements it signs, have reflected on the implementing of the Russian-US deal on Syria, as the Pentagon did not listen to Obama regarding the agreement, and it was undermined inside the Congress.
She pointed out that the recent Russian-US agreement on Syria cannot be implemented unless the problems inside US Administration is solved, noting that Russia is in the right because it is committed to agreements and it works against terrorism, while the US discourse contains a great deal of nonsense and inexactitude.
She added that the provisions that were agreed on in the Russian-US agreement were not made public; rather what has been announced was just partial matters and not the five documents. She stressed that the Syrian leadership was a main party in the consultations regarding each point in the agreement even before it was written down, adding that the Russian ally differs from the West in terms of respecting the sovereignty of states and allies, stressing that Russia does not agree to any detail regarding Syria before getting the consent of the Syrian leadership.
Shaaban noted that the West doesn’t feel embarrassed if it signs an agreement and doesn’t abide by it, and it’s attempting to do so with Russia as it did before regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran.
On what has been circulated via media outlets regarding a US apology for the aggression on a Syrian Army position in Deir Ezzor, Shaaban clarified that the US apology came through informal channels, adding that Syria does not trust that apology; rather it wants a public apology that ensures that the incident is never repeated.
The Presidential Advisor stressed that Syria is a member state at the UN and the Syrian Arab Army is fighting terrorism, and the legitimacy of President Bashar al-Assad stems from the Syrian people, not from what the American administration decides.
On the relation with the Democratic Union Party, she said: ‘We don’t differ with any component of the Syrian people on any ethnic, religious, or sectarian basis; rather we differ on a political basis,’ asserting that the Party represents only a small part of the Kurds, and that Syria has supported all sides which fight terrorism and deals with them according to their stances towards Syrian sovereignty.
Shaaban accused the so-called ‘opposition’ of rejecting dialogue with the Syrian government because its members are tied to foreign agendas, noting that on the other hand, agreements were reached with armed groups more than once because these groups ‘have more independence than those who were entrusted with holding dialogue in Geneva.’
She dismissed the existence of any guarantees or coordination among Russia, Iran, and Turkey regarding the blatant Turkish aggression on Syrian territory, asserting that Syria didn’t disregard this aggression and it doesn’t believe in the Turkish allegations of fighting terrorism at the time when it send terrorists to destroy Syria.
She criticised the UN for failing to fulfill its role as a neutral international institution, noting that some UN workers attempted to dissuade some citizens from getting out of al-Waer neighbourhood in Homs and from Daraya in Damascus countryside, and by doing so they overstepped their boundaries, adding that UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura isn’t carrying out his duties with transparency, and that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s recent accusations which he levelled at Syria are groundless.
Shaaban pointed out that relations with Egypt have never been severed, saying ‘we understand the situation in Egypt and we are always ready to build good relations with it,’ affirming that Syria welcomes any change that supports Arabism and the relations with the Arab countries, adding that Syrian leadership doesn’t receive direct information from the Egyptian leadership.
She indicated that some of the Arab parties which have been secretly supporting Israel are supporting it publically today, adding that Israel has normalised its relations with the Arab Gulf states and it works on changing the curriculum in Sudan, Egypt, and Yemen to make it refer to it as an ‘Israeli state’ instead of an entity occupying Palestine.
The Presidential Advisor went on to note that what has been announced by head of the government of the Zionist entity Binyamin Netanyahu is conclusive evidence that Israel is the biggest beneficiary of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ and that Israel seeks to drive the Arabs apart.
Shaaban added that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are supporting and financing terrorists in Syria and sending terrorists through Turkey, and they continue to pursue this track without any change regarding their relations with the terrorist organisations in Syria.
She considered that assassinating the Jordanian writer Nahed Hatar is a part of the attempts to silence voices that is taking place in the region, addressing the killers by saying ‘where is the freedom, democracy, and human rights if we are not able to disagree?’
• The Advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ali Akbar Velayati has reiterated Iran’s constant support for Syria in the fight against terrorism until achieving ultimate victory.
During his meeting on Monday with Speaker of the People’s Assembly Hadiyeh Abbas in Tehran, Velayati said: ‘Iran supports political solution in Syria and does not accept any scheme that goes against the interests and aspirations of the Syrian people who have the exclusive right to determine the future of their country away from foreign interference.’
Velayati stressed Iran’s support for Syria in the fight against terrorism till the end and providing necessary support in all fields, indicating that: ‘Only the Syrian state, led by President Bashar al-Assad who was elected by the majority of the Syrian people can achieve safety, peace and stability.’
The Iranian official condemned the Zionist-US attack against the sites of the Syrian army which coincided with an escalation in terrorist attacks, exposing the connection between the two. He added that the US violation of the cessation of hostilities proves its indecisiveness in its claims about fighting terrorism and endeavours to find a political solution, affirming that fighting terrorism in Syria must be in coordination with the Syrian government.
Velayati hailed national reconciliations in Syria and the Syrian government’s efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance to the locales besieged by terrorist organisations, affirming that the Iranian presence in Syria is meant to fight terrorism that has no boundaries and poses a real threat to international peace and security.
For her part, Abbas said the Syrian leadership’s priority is to fight terrorism, ease the suffering of the Syrian people, make national reconciliations a success and deliver humanitarian aid to those besieged by terrorist groups.
‘Terrorists and their regional and international patrons continue in their attempts to undermine every effort that seeks to end the crisis in Syria and the suffering of the Syrian people,’ the Speaker added.
Abbas praised cooperation and coordination between Syria, Iran and Russia which has an important role in the victories made in Syria and in consolidating the steadfastness of the Syrian people, thanking the Iranian government and people for their support for Syria to emerge from the crisis.
‘Syria is a sovereign country, and President al-Assad is the elected leader who was chosen by the Syrian people,’ she added. Abbas added that the future of Syria and the region will be decided by Syria’s war against terrorism because terrorism poses a threat to humanity, condemning the US aggression against a Syrian army site in Deir Ezzor and voicing confidence in Syria’s victory.
Abbas, accompanied by a parliamentary delegation, began on Monday morning an official visit to Tehran in response to an official invitation by Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council Ali Larijani.
