https://en.sputniknews.africa/20241211/west-uses-transition-in-syria-as-smoke-screen-to-establish-presence-ex-uk-ambassador-says-1069653392.html
West Uses Transition in Syria as 'Smoke Screen' to Establish Presence, Ex-UK Ambassador Says
West Uses Transition in Syria as 'Smoke Screen' to Establish Presence, Ex-UK Ambassador Says
Sputnik Africa
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Syrian armed groups captured the capital of Damascus on Sunday. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said that he and 18 other... 11.12.2024, Sputnik Africa
2024-12-11T08:25+0100
2024-12-11T08:25+0100
2024-12-12T09:06+0100
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The so-called transition period in Syria is a pretext for Western countries that need time to establish working relations with the country's new authorities, ex-UK Ambassador to Syria and Middle East expert Peter Ford told Sputnik. The militants of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are trying to establish in Damascus an authority similar to the "salvation government" it had created in Idlib to cover its rule, he added. The true transition process would require the participation of many groups, Ford continued. * Al-Qaeda and Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) are both terrorist organizations outlawed in Russia and many other states
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bashar assad, syria, damascus, west, hamas, daesh (isis), international, middle east, al-qaeda, conflict, military
bashar assad, syria, damascus, west, hamas, daesh (isis), international, middle east, al-qaeda, conflict, military
West Uses Transition in Syria as 'Smoke Screen' to Establish Presence, Ex-UK Ambassador Says
08:25 11.12.2024 (Updated: 09:06 12.12.2024) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Syrian armed groups captured the capital of Damascus on Sunday. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said that he and 18 other ministers stayed in the capital. President Bashar al-Assad stepped down and left Syria after negotiations with some participants of the Syrian conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that.
The so-called
transition period in Syria is a pretext for Western countries that need time to establish working relations with the country's new authorities, ex-UK Ambassador to Syria and Middle East expert Peter Ford told Sputnik.
"All talk of 'transition' is a smoke screen to create a window of one or two years in which the Western powers can develop an open master-client relationship with people who yesterday were Al-Qaeda* and Daesh*. For Western powers, the optics of doing business with gangs and warlords designated as terrorist groups present a problem. This can be got round, however, by pretending to have a 'transition,'" Ford said.
The militants of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are trying to establish in Damascus an authority similar to the "salvation government" it had created in Idlib to cover its rule, he added.
"This is akin to the administration Hamas installed in Gaza, although Hamas, of course, were elected," the ex-diplomat said.
The true
transition process would require the participation of many groups, Ford continued.
"If we were going to talk seriously about 'transition,' it would be necessary to include groups like the Kurds [who want autonomy], the Druze [who just want to be left alone], the Eastern tribes [who want the proceeds from oil wealth], and, of course, supporters of the Asad regime, including the Baath Party, left behind just as Baathists were left behind in Iraq after Saddam's fall. None of this is going to happen," he said.
* Al-Qaeda and Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) are both terrorist organizations outlawed in Russia and many other states
