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Saudi, Qatari money behind Syria crisis: Analyst

A prominent political analyst says the United States funds the terrorist group al-Qaeda to prompt insecurity in the Arab country and terrorize the Syrian people.

The United States has announced that it will be providing an additional USD 45 million to the insurgents fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

The US has already provided some USD 25 million to the armed groups.

Some European and Arab countries have also provided weapons to the insurgents fighting against the Syrian government.

Western states have been calling for Assad to step down. However, Russia and China are strongly opposed to the Western drive to oust Assad.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign national..

Press TV has conducted an interview with Dr. Kamel Wazni, a political analyst from Beirut, to further discuss the issue. The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Dr. Wazni, do you think that, with what we’ve heard lately in the latest conference, there are issues that are being spoken of for the first time in the Syrian capital, Damascus, the issue of the prisoners, the fact that the Syrian army itself has to also stop its fire?

Do you think that the Syrian government can be tolerant to a sort of debate, perhaps an intense debate with the opposition in order to really create change and reform in the country?

Wazni: I think my understanding for the president of Syria, he is willing to accommodate what is right, what is good for Syria; and he’s willing to extend a hand to the people willing to sit at the table and negotiate.

But on the other hand, there are people shooting at the government. This is a military action; it has to stop, has to cease before any meaningful dialogue takes place.

I think we have to distinguish between those people who want to negotiate and to bring a transition to Syria, and to build a country that will prosper, and to be a country that every Syrian will see its aspiration happening. I think President Bashar al-Assad is trying very hard.

But on the other camp, you have the opposition backed by foreign interests, actually trying to sabotage the whole political process in Syria.

I think at this point in time, when you have a head of government yesterday, the Emir of Qatar, calling for a military intervention, this will show the intention and the money that is coming from Qatar, from Saudi Arabia, from Turkey and from Western countries. This money is trickling into chaos and into disorder in a country that needs to be helped to heal itself.

I think despite all of that, what we heard from the president of Syria, he’s willing, he’s determined and he’s capable to carry this progress. But you have to give him some time because when you have people shooting and putting bombs and explosion, then I think securities will come first because if you are in charge of these people, you have to provide a safe environment for a political process.

Press TV: Yes, it seems that the military issues are being heard louder than any political words. But do you think that the conference for the internal opposition can have any leverage, although the external opposition says that these people are detached from the people inside Syria and cannot have enough confidence from the people in order to make change?

Wazni: I think it requires a lot of work from inside and you have to, at one point, see those people outside, if they want to be outside and take their orders from the outside or they want to be back into the country and start building a country that everybody wants it to be.

I know we have a member of parliament and he knows better about this, but as a political analyst, I look at it when you have a country that faces this kind of difficulty, especially in the last year and a half or more so, sometimes the government has to assert its power and provide security. Security comes first.

This is not in Syria – any country that faces some hurdle as is the case in Syria – but that doesn’t mean the president tries to actually build a constitution, put a referendum, had a new election, certain modification for certain laws.

But does that need more reform? Well, this is up to the Syrian people.

They have to stop the funding of these terrorist groups that they are bringing them from everywhere. This is a message to the United States: don’t bring al-Qaeda from everywhere around the world and dump them on the Syrian people.

The Syrian people deserve a good life, a better life, and not a terrorist organization that you train them, you use them and now you use them again to be killed.

So, even those organizations have to be very careful because they’ve been used by the Americans to get rid of them and to fight a war that they have no business in.

Press TV: Dr. Wazni, do you think that since the conference or the opposition inside is calling for an international resolution, which is based on the six-point plan, do you think that this will give the UN and Arab League envoy more importance and more leverage in order to go on with his mission?

Wazni: I think at this point, the United Nation’s envoy hasn’t really put a plan, a real plan for the situation. He asked Ban Ki-moon for some time and I think everybody is waiting for after the American election to see what will happen in Syria.

I think they will postpone some of the peace-making process for after the election. I think the Syrian issue becomes a contentious issue in the American election between the Romney campaign and Obama campaign. I don’t think the current administration wants to put a lot of pressure on this country.

They know – I think, at this point – the Qataris, the Saudis and especially Turkey now at this point, they lost this battle. They’re biting their hands because they know in two months, probably, they will have a different political picture. Not because they wanted to but because I think the Syrian government asserted its power and a lot of Syrian people have found out that the government is the only institution that can protect its people, and they’ve been very effective in regaining the trust and the security on the ground.

I think those two elements will help to bring a process in Syria and it would be the beginning of a solution that would be for the best for the Syrian people and for the world.

Press TV: How about Morsi’s plan? Do you think that that can find common ground with Lakhdar Brahimi’s mission and also with the internal opposition’s call for change?

Wazni: We have to be very careful about assessing his position at this point. We are still not clear on some of the things that he’s saying because he’s taken some hard line that does not go with the spirit of dialogue, and I think we have to wait and see progress.

But I think the fact is that there are the Iranians, the Egyptians, who said very clearly that they don’t want an outside intervention.

But he has some other statements that are not acceptable to a meaningful dialogue. We have to wait and see and be very cautious.

The main point [is that] Syria asserted itself and put its foot on the ground and they are strong and capable and determined to carry their duty as a country. I think this will carry weight in any negotiation to bring an end to this madness and to bring security and stability to a very dear country because the Syrian people deserve peace, stability and prosperity.

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