Al-Moallem to al-Jomhouria: We Will Never Abandon Hizbullah, Iran

Local Editor

As the country enters a wave of complexity and reaches a dead-end in terms of finding effective solutions to the presidential vacuum as well as the legislative and governmental paralysis which has turned the cabinet into a caretaker cabinet, there has only been a shy attempt by the Head of the Democratic Gathering Walid Jumblatt towards a solution.

[Jumblatt] presented his [timid initiative] during his latest meeting with MP Saad Hariri in Paris; entailing political appeasement and bringing about moderate stances which would allow more rapprochement and hence smoothly arrive to solutions when it is time.

Reaping the fruits of such an attempt will apparently start mid-autumn... In an interview with al-Jomhouria newspaper, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem anticipated that Gulf-Iranian negotiations will kick-off at the UN as soon as the nuclear deal passes the hurdle of the US Congress and the Iranian Consultative Council.

After the UN's Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura proposed inviting Syria's warring parties to join four UN-led separate thematic working groups to carry out the Geneva Communique, and called for "launching political negotiations and a political transition that represents the legitimate rights of the Syrian people," al-Moallem told al-Jomhouria newspaper that "there is no complete initiative so far to resolve the Syrian crisis, but rather ideas brought by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that were discussed with the Syrian side - which had previously discussed similar ideas with Russia - and Zarif had assured to finish and promote these ideas.

Al-Moallem declared there are fixed Syrian principles in any initiative to-be, and these include:

- Preserving the sovereignty of the Syrian state over all its territories.

- Keeping dialogue exclusively between the Syrian sides and without any pre-conditions.

- Giving the people the right of referendum on any deal that would take place.

Commenting on the UN Security Council Resolution, al-Moallem said that "De Mistura is betting that the nuclear deal will be approved by the US Congress and the Iranian Consultative Council in October, and that is when the nuclear deal will bring about solutions to the Syrian crisis."

Al-Moallem neither confirmed nor denied that there have been meetings between the head of Syria's National Security Bureau Ali Mamlouk and the Saudi heir Mohammad bin Salman, he assured that "the condition of Syria's abandonment by Hizbullah and Iran that was made by some sides is utterly not accepted."

He further explained that his latest visit to the Sultanate of Oman was made upon an invitation from his Omani counterpart.

Moreover, al-Moallem added "Syria's enemies are in crisis, and therefore they are trying to find solutions. They have not yet reached the stage of defeat, hence the war will continue until the Americans are convinced that it is time to find solutions."

Al-Moallem seemed optimistic in terms of the nuclear deal, noting that "its results will bring about the beginning of a Gulf-Iranian dialogue in the coming month at the UN headquarters." He went on to say that "the nuclear deal will draw attention to other files as soon as the US Congress and the Iranian Consultative Council approve the deal.

It is worth mentioning that an Egyptian media delegation has visited Syria for the first time in two years, where they met with the Syrian Foreign Minister and high-ranking officials in presence of the coordinator of the visit Salem Zahran, where al-Moallem answered the questions of the delegation. He also spoke about Syrian-Egyptian security coordination, and underscored the visit of Turkish Army Chief of Staff to Damascus where he met with Syrian officials.

Source: Al-Joumhoria, Translated and Edited by website team