Russian Federation Council: Western and Arab Media and Channels Purposefully Distorted Events in Syria

Members of the Russian Federation Council delegation that visited Syria recently expressed support of the political, economic and social reforms initiated by President Bashar al-Assad, calling on the Syrian opposition to engage in the national dialogue process.

In a press conference held in Moscow on Wednesday, the delegation members said that Syrian authorities gave them freedom of movements in all areas in order to learn about the reality of the events taking place in them, noting that President al-Assad personally asked them to visit as many areas as possible and meet the biggest number of people from all walks of life to form a true and objective image of the situation in Syria.

Head of the delegation, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov, expressed relief over the results of the visit, noting that they were given full freedom to meet people in the streets, saying “we parked our car wherever we wanted and talked to people, showing interest in their opinions.”

He noted that these meetings, along with meetings with religious figures, were conducted without representatives of the Syrian authorities.

Umakhanov stressed that the situation in Syria is complex, contradictory and multi-faceted, and that the political scene cannot be described in black and white, adding that the opposition figures represent differing directions that don’t meet even in major issues.

During the conference, Umakhanov showed photographs of the destruction and vandalism that took place in Daraa, Hama and Homs, noting that the delegation unintentionally participated in the funeral of one of the victims; a taxi driver and father of several children.

“That was an emotional scene… the victim’s father affirmed that his son’s martyrdom is a tribute to national unity and tolerance among all the Syrian people,” he said.

Umakhanov went on to stress that the situation in Syria is stable, saying “We saw with our own eyes the bustle of life, stores working, and citizens living normal life despite the feelings of sadness and sorrow over the Syrian people’s victims from the army, security forces and civilians who fall victim to the acts of armed terrorist groups that continue to commit crimes and attempt to terrorize citizens.”

He pointed out that some western and Arab mass media and channels seek to accuse the authorities of all the acts of vandalism and murder, but this is inconsistent with the truth.

Umakhanov said that the Syria people have rightful and legitimate demands and that there are feelings of dissatisfaction over the economic and social situation since Syria isn’t as rich as other Arab countries, stressing that Syria is undergoing intense pressure and attempts by foreign forces to stoke the fires of conflict in it.

“We are convinced that western and Arab mass media and satellite channels purposefully and determinedly distorted and falsified what is actuallty happening on the ground,” he said, adding that the staff of the Russian Embassy in Damascus told him as such, giving an example of a minaret that was allegedly shelled according to one channel, but they saw for themselves that the minaret was standing and that the mosque itself was intact.

Umakhanov concluded by saying that they were assured by President al-Assad that Syria is heading towards reform and democratic change, and that the two sides agreed to continue communicating on various levels.

In turn, Deputy Chairman of the Juristic and Judcial Affairs Committee at the Russian Federal Council and member of the delegation Mikhail Kapura noted that the delegation didn’t try to play the role of mediator or resolve the conflict in Syria, but rather chose to witness what is happening in Syria objectively and report back to fellow parliamentarians and the Russian leadership to formulate Russia’s stance correctly and conclusively.

For his part, Chairman of the International Relations Department at the Russian Federal Council Andrei Baklanov said that the delegation members visited the locations where events took place and talked to the people who experienced them firsthand in addition to talking to the Syrian leadership and political and social figures, saying that the delegation will relay its impressions to the Russian leadership.

Baklanov stressed that this is the actual method for formulating a true image, not relying on biased mass media, criticizing the NATO for taking biased stances in Libya without forming committees to find out the actual facts, acting out of the resolutions of the Security Council.

In turn, Deputy Chairman of the International Relations Committee at the Russian Federation Council Ziad Sabsabi said that Russian MPs are not indifferent to what is happening in Syria, noting that President al-Assad was the one who invited them to visit several areas in Syria and meet with opposition figures.

The delegation members concluded by saying that they agreed with President al-Assad to form a committee of journalists to visit Syria and report the truth about the situation in it objectively.