On Saturday, the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said that any ground operation in the country would be considered an act of aggression if authorization of Damascus is not approved.
Syria’s FM, Walid Muallem
The declarations of the Syrian FM came in response to the announcement of the Saudi Arabian Defense Minister, who claimed that its forces were prepared to be deployed in Syrian ground to fight the militants of the Islamic State. The cited announcement was received with the approval of the White House yesterday.
In addition to the declarations above, Bahraini ambassador to the UK Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammed al-Khalifa stated that the kingdom would also be ready to cooperate with its troops altogether with the Saudi Forces. The United Arab Emirates, member of the Gulf Cooperation Council are also ready to commit troops in the fight, the diplomat said.
Quoting Walid Muallem: “Any ground intervention on Syrian land without the agreement of the Syrian government is an act of aggression…we regret that those (who invade) will return to their countries in coffins”.
Muallem also talked about the delay of the Geneva Peace Talks by members of the Saudi-formed opposition delegation on Wednesday after the significant advances that the Syrian army, altogether with its allies has accomplished in the last months. The suspension of the dialogue led the Syrian envoy for the UN, Staffan de Mistura to announce a three-week pause in the talks that aim to establish a long-term settlement in the war-torn country.
Syria’s FM also mentioned that they are still waiting for the UN to send them the list with the names of the people from the opposition with whom the dialogue is supposed to be carried out saying: “…We do not intend to speak to ghosts”.
Walid Muallem also stated that a long-lasting ceasefire in Syria will not take place until the frontiers with Jordan and Turkey are taken under control.
In the end, one thing remains clear: regional (and also Western) opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s government doesn’t seem to cease on its attempts to destabilize Syria, and maybe the most disturbing fact is the double-standard of those who claim to look for peace for the benefit of Syrian people and are at the same time fueling the conflict and deepening the disastrous humanitarian crisis that’s been rocking the Islamic nation for about five years.
Written by Lisbeth Mechter