Khaddam and Assad. Hariri's killer
Photo: AP
'Iran's puppet'
Photo: AP
Former Syrian VP: Syria Iran’s puppet
Former Syrian vice president says Assad has no strategy, serves Tehran's interest in region
After claiming that he is "positive that Assad gave the order to kill Hariri", Abdul-Halim Khaddam, former Syrian vice-president, continues to attack the Damascus regime.
Syria Denies
Roee Nahmias
Comments by former Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam that President Bashar Assad had threatened Lebanese Premier Hariri sparked scathing reactions with lawmakers calling Khaddam be tried and sentenced for ‘lying’ and betraying country
"The relationship between Syria and Iran is not a strategic one", he said. "Strategic cooperation should exist between two independent strategies, but Assad has no strategy. He, in fact, serves the Iranian's interest in the region. I support friendly relations among neighboring countries, but there is a difference between friendliness and situation where one country is the other's puppet".
In an interview to the Israeli-Palestinian radio station "Voice of Peace", Khaddam clarified his claims regarding the Hariri murder and said: "Bashar Assad is the one who killed Hariri with cooperation of Lebanese nationals who despised Hariri".
Khaddam continued: "Hariri made an effort to improve his relations with Assad, and I helped him, But Assad's hatred to Hariri was so strong and irreversible that he decided to kill Hariri."
"Two weeks before the murder, Assad invited his Lebanese co-conspirators, asking them to start a smear campaign against Hariri which would lay the ground for his elimination. The aim was to accuse Hariri of cooperating with America and Israel, a cooperation known to result in a death sentence. They wanted to hush the reverberation of Hariri's death, but his elimination proved to be an earthquake", added Khaddam, who was a full-fledged participant in the Syrian regime's involvement in Lebanon for dozens of years and walked hand in hand with Hafez Assad sennior, since their high school days.
Khaddam disclosed that "only a regime is capable of such a professional operation; this included one thousand kilograms of C4 explosives and a professional execution. In Syria, every security stroke is approved by one person only. I said all that to the UN commission of inquiry."
If Khaddam's statements will strike the right chords in the international community they could reignite the flames in Damascus, in a particularly bad timing. This is especially true now since only yesterday the London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat quoted the newly appointed Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Mualem as saying Damascus reached a secret agreement with the international commission of inquiry to investigate Hariri's assassination. Al-Mualem explained that "Syria is content with the agreement", and that it plans to cooperate with the commission. Al-Mualem denied that the agreements include any understanding on allowing U.S. troops to operate against Iraq from Syrian soil.
When asked about Assad, Khaddam answered without hesitation: "Bashar is worried and scared; he puts a lot of pressure on his security organizations to exert even more pressure on the public to keep it silent."
'Syria arms Hizbullah'
Khaddam has other revelations about Iran and Hizbullah that the Syrian regime would find unpleasant. First, Khaddam confirmed that Syria equips Hizbullah with arms. This may sound trivial to the Israelis who are used to hearing such claims from the Israeli media, but this time they're confirmed by a former senior Syrian source.
"Syria indeed helps them with arms and support. The Israeli occupation has ended, what's left is the Sheba farm issue, but Lebanon's government needs to be supported. With that in mind, supplying arms (from Syria to Hizbullah) is a mistake", he said.
Immediately after Khaddam decided to leave Syria, move to France, and spill the beans against the Syrian regime, the Syrian People's Council declared him a traitor. Khaddam doesn't seem to be moved by it. "It's a One Man show which weakens the country.
Corruption is rampant. People close to the regime exploit the nation's resources while half of the population lives below the poverty line. There is no organization in Syria that is not corrupt, that's why there are no foreign investments in Syria…"
In another context he added: "the regime can not be preserved. It's an old regime, the leadership's mentality is irrational and requires a comprehensive change and denying the rule of one man."
Message to Israel: Implement UN resolutions
If you wondered whether Khaddam is worried about an assassination attempt following this interview, he explains: "I went through four assassination attempts, in some I was injured by shots, but I came out alive. It's obvious that the regime in Damascus is behind it. The regime is founded on the assassination mentality, and many were killed during its rule. In any event, he who sent the assassins – will pay the price."
When asked about his message to Israel, Khaddam said: "Israel is interested in keeping Assad in power because he is weak and he weakens Syria. They want Syria to be weak and deprived. I say to the people of Israel – if you really want peace – implement the UN resolutions about the Palestinian land and the rest of the land occupied in 1967."
In conclusion, does he see himself as the future president of Syria? "I'd be happy to serve my country in any position", he answered.
