Syria is facing a war led by the U.S. and undemocratic powers in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel, that are backing terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda and the Nusra Front, Deputy Foreign Minister Faissal al-Mikdad said.
In an interview with the Brazilian Folha de San Paulo newspaper, Mikdad said it is high time the international community realized that it needs to reassess events in Syria and to know that “it has to trust the Syrian state, and not terrorists."
“The U.S. wants, through this war, to see the last country in the Middle East that seeks a fair solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict surrender and a change in the nature of alliances in the region," Mikdad said.
"The U.S.'s barefaced involvement in the war against Syria has been evident since the early days of crisis when its former ambassador to Syria Robert Ford held numerous meeting with leaders of armed terrorist groups and enticed them to break the law," Mikdad added.
He said Israel’s involvement was established, as was made clear by its welcoming of Al-Qaeda-linked wounded terrorists for treatment in Israeli hospitals, which proves deep connection between Israel and terrorist groups in terms of shared goals.
“Israel also blatantly bombarded sites in Damascus countryside, Quineitra and other areas, and terrorist groups fighting the Syrian state were found to be using Israeli weapons," he said. Furthermore, Israel’s Benyamin Netanyahu visited injured terrorists and showed them full support, Mikdad said.
Asked about the nature and makeup of groups fighting Syrian state, Mikdad said: “They are criminals and smugglers who can be bought by millions of dollars streamlined by Saudi Arabia. They want to set up their emirates and live in the past at the expense of the secular Syrian state that has had a stabilizing role in the region for ages."
Mikdad said the Syrian state has reacted calmly to unfolding events and tried to dissect them “but did not anticipate the enormous amounts of weapons and funds that entered Syria.”
“The Syrian army was prepared for an external war with the enemy which is occupying our lands, that’s why it was sort of taken off guard at the beginning of events,” Mikdad said.
“At the second stage and when we trained the army and people rose up side by side with National Defense Forces, we managed to repel the terrorist attacks. Today, there is no single area across Syria that is difficult to reach for the state when it wants it."
He expressed renewed confidence in Syria’s victory, indicating that time needed for achieving ultimate victory is contingent on the amounts of money and weapons sent to terrorists.
Mikdad pinned responsibility for the obstruction of political solution on external sides which are backing terrorists, and said that “those who want to dominate Syria have not given political solution a chance."
Mikdad added that political negotiations are the only way to resolve crisis but, he said “we cannot relinquish our counterterrorism efforts. I think it is not only our responsibility but it is the international community’s too."
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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