Syria: politics uses religion

On Monday the major Russian air company Aeroflot stopped taking flights to Syria – at the moment the destination is not very popular. Nevertheless, according to the mister of transport of Syria, Mahmud Said, flight connection won’t be lost – other air companies will continue to fly to Syria. At the same time, Damascus hopes for development of economic cooperation with Moscow. The Syrian vice-premier on economics, Kadri Djamil, said that “our country undergoes heavy sanctions and blockade. The West and the US say that the sanctions are aimed at the regime, but this is a hypocritical position, a wrong position. Economic sanctions influence every citizen of Syria. They say they shoot at the regime, but they strike every citizen. There is a real possibility that the Syrian people won’t find a solution for the problems. But the Syrian people have different opportunities, and it will find the way for settlement of the problems. The current government of Syria includes representatives of the opposition, peaceful opposition. This government is a step toward the all-national government. Its main motto is achievement of national peace. National peace is a key problem. National peace cannot be achieved with any foreign interference.

The governmental statement says about certain aims, certain problems, for example, the demand of compensation providing to those who lost property and those whose relatives died. We also suggested holding the all-national dialogue for settlement of the Syrian problems. But extremists don’t want the dialogue. The conflict is lasting for 18 months. Clashes continue, it leads to destruction of Syria itself. At the moment the point is not in the regime, the point is in the country’s fate, the fate of the whole Syrian nation. We should take national political efforts for taking the country out of the crisis. Cooperation of Syria and Russia, previously the Soviet Union, is a long-term cooperation, it has a long history. We cooperate in the sphere of oil, transport, and education.”

Moscow supports the current Syrian government in general. Yesterday the conference titled “Syrian confrontation to globalism” gathered various experts. The member of the presidium of Spiritual Heritage and International Cooperation Academy, Nadia Gandur, stated: “When they say that it is a struggle between Sunni-Muslims and Shiah-Muslims and Christians, I don’t believe in it. When I lived there, I was a young girl, and we lived together. Our family lived in a Muslim district, but there were no conflicts. In one street Virgin Mary’s Belt Cathedral situated, as well as Forty Apostles Cathedral, and near them three-four mosques were situated. From the one side you hear bells ring, from the other side – a voice of a muezzin.

I have been waking up with the urging “Wake up people, pray and go to work” for many years. I lived in Russia, but a muezzin’s voice sounded in my head. I missed his voice because it was our life. The current events in Syria are about politics, imperialism, the West, Saudi Arabia, Qatar which want to divide the world and occupy the whole Arab East.”

Oleg Fomin, the member of the council of Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society (the oldest in Russia scientific and humanitarian organization aimed at humanitarian cooperation with people of the Middle East) said: “We have many times met Patriarch of Antioch Church Ignatius IV during our visits to Syria. We should remember that the word “Orthodox” came from Syria. The word was born in the Antioch Orthodox Church founded by Apostles Peter and Paul. And recently our Church has made a statement – it supports Christians and stands for preservation of the confessional peace which used to exist in Syria and was a pattern for other Muslim states.”

Leonid Ivashov, the president of Geopolitical Problems Academy, believes that “Obama’s administration radically changes the political strategy on redistribution and rebuilding of the world. The aim remains the same – the world domination of the US. But unlike the political strategy of George Bush Jr, today we see changes in approaches. If George Bush announced “crusades” against the whole Muslim world after 9/11/01 and failed because the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan were unsuccessful. And for protection of Kissinger’s conception on “Fourth Rome” when countries are conquered and regimes are supported by American force, there are no material resources or military contingents. That is why today we see implementation of the geopolitical strategy developed by Zbigniew Brzezinski when the Islamic world becomes an initiator of instability, an initiator of starting regional conflicts, and we don’t exclude that the Islamic world might be an initiator of a big war, we hope it won’t be global. The principle “divide and rule” is used in a full extent: we see that the bets are placed for attraction of Sunni Islamic states and radical political forces to the American side. Today the mechanism of struggle between radical Sunni and Shiah has been started.

I have many times been to Syria. It was a generally trouble-free, beautiful, peaceful, calm, and many-confessional country. Yes, reforms were necessary. I met President Bashar Assad and saw that President wanted democratization and reforms eagerly. But some conservative forces, first of all Security Service of Syria and members of Baas party, which didn’t want any changes. But President wanted changes. And some part of the society wanted them as well. At the first stage we observed political demands on some changes in the political system, in the economic model of the society, on extension of democratic principles in power. What do we see today? The four-staged operation was planned against Syria. At the third stage the political opposition was eliminated for the protest stage. Now it is replaced by hired armed groups. It is done according to plans of the Western forces and the US.

At the moment I’m inspired by the invitation of Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to Saudi Arabia. Probably it will be discussed that Shiah-Muslims are clashed with Sunni-Muslims in favor of foreign interests and benefits. Today we still can see an opportunity for a political progress in Syria, for launching a new stage of the political settlement process. According to recent data, population changed its mind, even those who were dissatisfied with the regime. What hired bandits have brought, what the West is doing burning the war are unacceptable for the majority of people.

The biggest danger for the Syrian people is the American elections. The team of Barack Obama planned to add “head” of Bashar Assad to its election campaign. Today Obama has no trump: he played Osama Bin Laden when Obama’s rating fell. Today he must overthrow Bashar Assad and state on the powerful diplomatic victory. And it doesn’t matter how much people should be killed more. A great pressure is brought at Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan, for they to launch their armies to Syria – because of chemical armament or a peacemaking operation. It is the most dangerous thing.”

Speaking about influence of the Syrian developments on the Caucasus, Ivashov noted: “The Syrian situation penetrated to our North Caucasus and even to Kazan. What is happening in Syria? It is an effort to form radical Sunni Islamic groups and declare the war against Shiah and people of other religions. It is a Western project – to clash Muslims and Muslims. Remember Laurence Arabian, the resident of the British intelligence in the Middle East, reported to the Foreign Office in London: “Our aim is to make Arabs fight against Arabs in favor of our interests.” Today Arabs are fighting against Arabs in Syria, Muslims against Muslims in favor of American, British and other interests. This radicalism reached the North Caucasus, fortunately, it is not popular yet. We see that radical youth groups appear. We felt it in the youth forum in Dambai when young people with beards demanded jihad and lynching of Bashar Assad and welcomed Americans. Politics uses religion. We see the beginning of an internal confessional conflict, and then it will turn into a inter-confessional conflict. It is awful.”