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On January 20, Foreign Affairs managing editor Jonathan Tepperman met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to discuss the conflict.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says the Zionist regime's military is obviously supporting terrorist groups in Syria by conducting airstrikes in the crisis-hit country.
"Whenever we make advances in some place, they (the Israeli regime) attack in order to undermine the army. It’s very clear," Assad said Foreign Affairs.
"That’s why some in Syria joke, 'How can you say that al-Qaeda doesn’t have an air force? They have the Israeli air force'," he added.
His remarks came a week after an Israeli regime aircraft fired two missiles at the village of Quneitra in the Syrian Golan Heights bordering Lebanon.
The Tel Aviv regime has carried out several airstrikes in Syria since the start of the nearly four-year-old foreign-sponsored militancy there.
Damascus says Tel Aviv and its Western allies are aiding the extremist terror groups operating inside Syria since March 2011.
Assad said he sees no military end for the war in Syria, which has been going on for 4 years, but with a political solution as in any war in the world.
Assad feels optimistic about the unity in Syria where he said, "If you go to Damascus now, you can see all the different, let’s say, colors of our society living together."
Assad also said that if they want to make any change in the Syrian constitution, then all Syrian people must have a word in it.
He also added, "When you want to make a change, as long as you’re talking about a national problem, every Syrian must have a say in it. Whatever solution you want to make, at the end you should go back to the people through a referendum, because you’re talking about the constitution, changing the political system, whatever. You have to go back to the Syrian people. The people should make the decision, not anyone else."
Concerning the negotiations that will take place in Moscow, Assad said," We will go to Russia, we will go to these negotiations, but there is another question here: Who do you negotiate with? As a government, we have institutions, we have an army, and we have influence, positive or negative, in any direction, at any time. Whereas the people we are going to negotiate with, who do they represent? That’s the question."
Assad also spoke about the regional powers such as Iran saying, "Iran is an important country in this region, and it was influential before the crisis. Its influence is not related to the crisis; it’s related to its role, its political position in general. Iran doesn’t have any ambitions in Syria, and as a country, as Syria, we would never allow any country to influence our sovereignty. We wouldn’t accept it, and the Iranians don’t want it either. We allow cooperation."
But concerning the US and the West, Assad pointed out saying, "That’s the problem with the Americans and with the West: they want to have influence without cooperation."
He also clarified that the US and the West want to play a role through hegemony whereas Iran is playing a role through cooperation, "… in full cooperation with the Syrian government, and that’s always the case", as did Assad say.
Concerning the Israeli strike to Quneitra, the Syrian president stated that there has never been any kind of operation against Israeli regime occurring through the Golan Heights since the cease-fire in 1974.
" So for Israel to allege that there was a plan for an operation—that’s a far cry from reality, just an excuse, because they wanted to assassinate somebody from Hezbollah.", President Assad added.
Syrian president also declared that the Zionist regime army has been attacking Syria now for nearly two years, without any reason. Also he said they attacked army positions that have no relation with Hezbullah.
When Assad was asked about what he thinks is Zionist regime's agenda he said," They are supporting the rebels in Syria. It’s very clear. Because whenever we make advances in some place, they make an attack in order to undermine the army. It’s very clear.
Syrian president felt positive and confident concerning the future of Syria, where he feel things will go back to where they were before the war with the power of Syrian constitution, army, and unity of Syrian people.
Concerning what Assad expects from US, he said, "Pressure on Turkey, pressure on Saudi Arabia, pressure on Qatar to stop supporting the rebels. Second, to make legal cooperation with Syria and start by asking permission from our government to make such attacks. They didn’t, so it’s illegal".
Syrian president ended by saying Syria is ready to cooperate with any country that is serious about fighting terrorism.
Assad concluded the Syrian policy to be as," one that preserves stability in the West Asia. Syria is the heart of the West Asia. Everybody knows that. If the West Asia is sick, the whole world will be unstable. In 1991, when we started the peace process, we had a lot of hope. Now, after more than 20 years, things are not at square one; they’re much below that square. So the policy should be to help peace in the region, to fight terrorism, to support this area economically, to help upgrade the mind and society... That is the supposed mission of the United States, not to launch wars. Launching war doesn’t make you a great power."
