Iran: US Prevents Syrian Gov’t from Completing Reforms
A senior Iranian diplomat censured the US and other western states for preventing the reforms envisaged and promised by the Syrian government from completion.
“By supporting terrorist and extremist groups, the US has treated both the Syrian people and the opposition unfairly and has not allowed (Syrian President Bashar) Assad’s reforms to be completed,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said in a meeting with Chinese researchers, scholars and members of the media on Wednesday night.
He said that Assad had initiated reforms but Western countries immediately pushed the Arab state to a war and added that the US neither gave the Syrian people the opportunity to achieve their demands nor paved the way for the opposition to solve issues politically.
He added that Washington prevented the Syrian government from completing the reforms and laid the groundwork for terrorism and extremism to grow in the country.
The Iranian diplomat said that enemies of Syria got disappointed with the policy of direct interference in the country and thus put indirect meddling on their agenda and brought irresponsible armed groups to the country.
Foreign hands can be witnessed in Syria which has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.
The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.
The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling the President Bashar al-Assad’s government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.
The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.
Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said in May that the flow of weapons – most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past – has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.
