Syrian dissident: Time for initiatives is over

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- Whilst calls are on-going for international intervention to protect [Syrian] civilians, and others demand that the rebels be armed in order to narrow the gap in power between the two sides, prominent Syrian dissident Haythan al-Maleh has rejected the principle of armed revolution in any form. He expressed fear of the consequences of the spread of weapons among the Syrian people, in view of the different sects and ethnic minorities there, and predicted a further negative escalation of the situation if arms became widespread amongst the opposition.

In a statement to Asharq al-Awsat, al-Maleh said “any military intervention would destroy Syria, as has happened in Libya.” He said the “Syrian regime is pressuring the rebels to adopt weapons, so it can then claim that the revolution has incorporated armed gangs.” Yet, al-Maleh emphasized that “the revolution will not fall into this trap.” He stressed his confidence that “the revolution in Syria will emerge victorious, and that the regime will be overthrown by peaceful means”. Al-Maleh believes that the demonstrations, having lasted for six months, are an accomplishment in favour of the revolution, not the al-Assad regime, because they are evidence of the strength of the Syrian people, and their strong will.

Al-Maleh believes that there are strong indications that the regime will fall, most prominently the imminent economic collapse; “within a month, the authorities will not be able to pay the salaries of civil servants.” He revealed that major financiers are transferring their money abroad, and that the economic circle which funds the regime has shown discontent with regards to the recession and economic decline. This is in addition to the defections within the army, and al-Maleh disclosed that “there are major unannounced divisions within the Syrian army, which could function as a major decisive factor.” He urged “the honourable members of the Syrian army to pounce upon the regime and remove it.” Al-Maleh believes that ceasing purchases of Syrian oil will also play a major role in tightening the grip around the Syrian regime and its resources. He indicated that “the opposition is seeking to isolate Damascus diplomatically by pressuring Western governments to recall their ambassadors from there”, revealing that attempts have already been made in this regard.

Al-Maleh, chairman of the Istanbul Conference and National Salvation Conference, considered the stumbling performance of the Syrian opposition to be both “natural and justifiable.” He said that “the Syrians have endured 60 years of rule under a fascist police regime, which has led to a drought in political thought and the demise of leaderships and political and social entities, which if they exist, are oppressed by the regime.” He said this has fostered a thought process that dominates the conducts and manners of the Syrian opposition members, whereby each of them attempts to exclude and remove the others.

As for the Arab initiative to resolve the current crisis, al-Maleh said “the time for initiatives is over. There is no room now for the al-Assad regime to survive, and if it does not leave willingly, it will have to leave by force. The blood that has been shed has closed the doors for any political solution.” Al-Maleh revealed that he had expected the Arab League Secretary General’s visit to Damascus to end in failure, because Damascus is not willing to listen. Al-Maleh also described the Arab stance as negligent when it came to saving Syrian citizens. He said it is sad that the Syrians are waiting for the West to rescue them, whilst Arabs have declined to move a muscle. Al-Maleh revealed that four years ago, during a meeting with the Chief of the Syrian Intelligence Major General Hisham Bekhtyar, he warned the Syrian regime of the significantly deteriorating conditions in Syria. He also revealed that he sent a two-page memorandum to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and later on sent seven other messages, in which he warned the President that he could smell blood in the country, and requested him to carry out reform. Yet, al-Maleh said “unfortunately I have received no response since then.” He added that the revolution was expected to a large extent, as “the whole of Syria was coming to the boil slowly”. Al-Maleh cited three outstanding issues that caused the situation to erupt after 40 years: the issues of missing people, confiscated homes, and displaced residents. This is in addition to Law No. 49 of 1980, which stipulated that all Muslim Brotherhood affiliates in Syria were to be executed, and article 16 of Decree No. 14, which grants security officers with immunity from prosecution, thus intensifying the state of distress among the Syrian people.

Al-Maleh revealed that he has visited the International Criminal Court and spoken to its judges, who are now waiting for a signal from the Security Council to take an action.

With regards to the Syrian army’s practices against unarmed civilians, al-Maleh said that the reasons for the killings were understandable: “There is a state of insurgence, and so there are killings. This is understood.” However, he added that “I do not understand why there are all these excessive appropriations of sanctities, and why there is all this looting and seizure of property committed by the army and the security elements. This is not an army that protects us, or an army that we can entrust to our land. When the French occupied Syria, they did not break into mosques or schools or universities. Yet, the Syrian regime has deemed all these practices as permissible, and acted as if it was an occupying army, not as one that should defend the country.”

Al-Maleh, who is currently on a visit to Cairo as part of an opposition delegation to garner support from the Egyptian people, expected Iran to soon abandon the Syrian regime, having realized that it is “prone to collapse.” He believes the meeting held in Paris between the Syrian opposition and Iranian diplomats to be “the beginning of a shift in Iranian policy.” Al-Maleh also claimed to understand the hesitant Turkish position towards the crisis, indicating that “Damascus is pressuring Ankara with the PKK card.” Al-Maleh urged the Egyptian people and government to support the Syrian people “even on a spiritual level by staging a million-man march, recalling the Egyptian ambassador from Syria, and expelling the Syrian ambassador from Egypt”. He said this would boost the morale of the Syrian people to a great extent.