Syrian PM Condemns Certain States, Salafis, Al-Qaeda for Mass Killings

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi blamed certain states, the Salafis and the Al-Qaeda for terrorist operations which have claimed the lives of thousands of people in his country, and said terrorist groups supported by certain foreign actors are misusing differences in his country to bring Syria into turmoil.

Addressing the 16th heads-of-state summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) here in Tehran on Thursday, the Syrian premier noted terrorist attacks on his nation, and said the “terrorists are backed up by certain foreign states”.

He stressed that Damascus is rigid about the attainment of a peaceful solution to the crisis in his country, but said such a solution should be introduced and accepted by the Syrians themselves.

Al-Halqi reminded Damascus’s agreement with former UN Envoy Kofi Annan’s plan on Syria, and reiterated, “We are after the resumption of talks and cessation of hostilities.”

“Many countries allege to be supporting peaceful solutions in Syria, but they oppose Annan’s plan in practice,” he said, and cautioned, “The responsibility for the failure of this plan lies on their shoulder as they strove to keep the Syrian crisis going and falsified events.”

“The world should know that the Syrian crisis, in fact, rises from foreign meddling. Certain well-known countries from inside and outside the region are seeking instability of Syria,” the Syrian prime minister complained.

He said it has been proved that “the Syrian government prioritizes the demands of the nation and wants to create a new Syria on the basis of multilateralism”.

Elaborating on the recent developments in Syria, al-Halqi said, “It has been proved that foreign-backed terrorist groups have been misusing events and killing the innocent people.”

“These terrorists include Salafis and Al-Qaeda Takfiri groups,” he reiterated, and added, “Those states that support terrorism and oppose talks should be given moral and economic punishments as they are part of the problem in Syria.”

The Syrian prime minister further accused certain NAM members of hypocrisy, and explained, “We are now witnessing that a number of countries which have signed the final statement of the NAM which calls for non-intervention (in Syria) by foreign actors are part of the foreign interference in Syria and are deteriorating the economic conditions of the Syrian people.”

He further noted the earlier remarks uttered about his country by Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi, and cautioned, “Mr. Mursi and all other parties have no right to talk about law and order in Syria, this law and order belongs to Syria.”

The Syrian prime minister said all states should be fully familiar with the situation on the ground in Syria and then adopt a fully “transparent stance on Syria which should be based on non-intervention in other countries’ affairs”.

In his address to the inaugural session of the NAM heads-of-state summit in Tehran, Mursi voiced support for what he called “the struggle of the Syrian people against an oppressive regime”.

In response, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem criticized Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi’s stance on developments in Syria, calling it “clear interference” in his country’s internal affairs.

“Mr. Mursi went beyond the Non-Aligned Movement’s norm and interfered in the internal affairs of a NAM member state … he spoke like a (political) party chief not like a NAM president,” Muallem told Al Alam TV network on Thursday.

Meantime, the Arab language TV network rejected the western media reports claiming that the Syrian delegation had walked out of the summit hall in protest at Mursi remarks.

The network said that Muallem had come out of the conference hall to have an interview with Al Alam.