Alwaght | News & Analysis Website

Alwaght- Syrian Presidential Political and Media Advisor Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban says that Takfiri terrorism hitting the region might be a last-ditch attempt by the West to forward its agenda.
According to the Syrian News Agency, SANA, she made the remarks at the second session of the International Media Conference against Terrorism which was dedicated to discuss the role of media in the ongoing regional and global conflicts. Shaaban warned of the destructive role some media outlets play in altering the Arab culture and civilization in an attempt to force a radical change in the region.
“The US seeks to re-mould the countries of the world according to its own image,” she added, pointing out that the Arabs are not averse to change as long as it suits “our values, ethics, religion and civilization.”
Under the patronage of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the International Media Conference Against Terrorism kicked off in Damascus on Friday.
Highlighting the role of media in instigating conflicts, Shaaban said that the US controls 90 percent of the international media while the Saudi regime finances more than 80 per cent of the Arab media which, she said, makes for a dangerous role that media plays which attempts to fragment the Arab region.
The axis of resistance, she added, is faring well with the West realizing that it is unable to wage wars on the ground, but warning that it is attempting more dangerous wars without any boots on the ground or one dollar spent through a strategy outlined in 1997 by seven think-tanks whose stated aim is to control the region.
Shaaban said efforts to curb the role of hostile media in the current conflicts have so far not succeeded. She however expressed hope that the conference will be one step ahead in confronting this challenge which she termed as the “the toughest” during the current stage.
Shaaban struck an upbeat note saying that the “world of resistance” is gaining significant victories, citing in particular the Iranian nuclear deal, the steadfastness of Syria, the courage of the Russian President and the developments on the international arena which she said augur well for the countries in the resistance front.
Participants in the event said that the current crisis proved that most of the media outlets are not neutral and they are actually an accomplice in bloodshed as they have been trying to remake a reality that serves their agendas.
They stressed that the takfiri terrorists’ heavy dependence on media proves that they are part of a structure that had been built by intelligence agencies, citing that the ISIS has more than 90,000 accounts of Twitter and Facebook in addition to 19 media production companies and an army of skilled and professional photographers and journalists.
They also stressed the need to establish a global media alliance aimed at unmasking the true face of the Takfiri terrorists, highlighting the importance of the conference as it managed to bring together a large number of journalists from all corners of the world.
Speaking during the event, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said that all regional countries are a target of the Zionist and Wahhabi project, adding that this project should be confronted through unity.
He blamed the spread of terrorism on the non-abidance by the UN resolutions on counterterrorism, which he said have not been implemented because of “favoritism towards the regional countries fostering terrorism,” including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and the Israeli regime.
This failure to enforce the international counterterrorism resolutions and the resulting ineffectiveness in fighting terrorism were reiterated by Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem.
Speaking of the talk to establish a regional alliance against terrorism, al-Moallem took the opportunity to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin, “who was the first among world leaders to work for creating a regional and international alliance for combating terrorism.”
“The need to create such an alliance is certain particularly in light of the failure of the anti-ISIS alliance established by the US,” said al-Moallem, wondering “Does the US really intend to eliminate ISIS, or does it want to exploit it to realize its strategic goals?”
 Responding to various views that the recently agreed Iran’s nuclear deal with the world major powers could have positive or negative impact on the crisis in Syria, al-Moallem hailed the deal as historic, saying it would allow Iran to act more actively in the international arena.
Al-Moallem stroke a confident note by saying that “the stronger our ally is the stronger we are,” affirming that Iran will not change its position on the crisis in Syria, which was made very clear in the recent statements of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.
He called on the world countries to follow in Iran’s footsteps in its defense of justice and peace, saying that Iran has provided all forms of the support to the Syrian people before the nuclear deal and during the period of its negotiations and will continue to do so after it was signed.
“This deal is a clear recognition of Iran’s pivotal role in the regional and international arenas,” said al-Moallem, adding that the deal would out to test the seriousness of the West, particularly the US, to utilize this fact in combating terrorism and finding political solutions to the region’s crises.
Iran’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Ali Jannati also spoke at the conference, saying that Iran will continue to stand by the Syrian people as it stands by the side of justice.
“We have to be more strongly and effectively present at the resistance front to face Zionism and racism and battle with Takfirism and fanaticism that are the result of the misunderstanding of Islam,” said Jannati.
Deputy Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Party Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed that Syria has completely foiled the project aimed at diverting its political orientation towards the US-Israeli axis instead of the axis of the resistance.
He affirmed in this context that Hezbollah will continue supporting Syria and will be present wherever needed by the resistance project.
 Around 130 journalists from Russia, Iran, Cuba, Spain, China, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria, Morocco, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Cyprus, Britain, Germany and Kuwait are participating in the two-day conference, in addition to Syrian journalists.
Discussions are focusing on the role of the national, friendly and hostile media in the political and intellectual discourse, the importance of military reporting, the role played by media in the ongoing wars, the formation of the new world order and means of creating a regional and international alliance for countering terrorism.