Syria consistent in dismantling CWs: Mark Weber
Press TV has conducted an interview with Mark Weber, director of the Institute for Historical Review, about UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying Syria is likely to meet the deadline in dismantling its chemical arsenal.
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed optimism and said that Syria is on track with regards to meeting those deadlines in destroying its chemical weapons and we have Lakhdar Brahimi saying that the deal and of course President Assad’s cooperation has turned him into a partner. What do you make of that?
- Well I think the statement by the UN Secretary General is a very welcomed one and I think it underscores once again that in this conflict the government of Damascus, and not the divided and confused opposition, is the side that has shown itself to be consistent, accountable and serious in this whole matter.
It shows once again I think that the Syrian government in this whole conflict, even when there is a real peaceful solution to it, we hope, must play and should play a key role.
- Well that is an interesting point you make because we just did report that out of the twenty three sites only twenty one have been declared, have been visited that is by the inspectors because two of them have been basically been prevented from visitation due to the foreign-backed insurgents.
It kind of shows the level of cooperation we can get from these insurgents when it comes to achieving durable peace and stability in Syria, wouldn’t you agree?
- Exactly, yes. I mean it is more and more obvious that the Syrian government has pursued a consistent policy and that it can act in a serious and accountable way even despite the enormous obstacles they have to be overcome during this terrible conflict and it is even more obvious I think that as time passes on, that the opposition is incapable, even speaking much less acting in any serious and consistent and unified way.
- So what does this mean for Syria as wee see more cooperation on the part of the government and no form of maneuvers as far as this foreign-backed insurgency goes and as far as coming down to the negotiating table?
Where does it all go because a lot of us are putting a lot on this Geneva II peace conference in finding a solution to what is happening there?
- Well it is going to be difficult to say how this all plays out but the Syrian government as well as the Russian government and Iranian government have all pursued a consistent policy in this regard in contrast to the confused one on the part of the opposition and the United States and Saudi Arabia which are backing it.
But there is a larger issue I think that this whole discussion of chemical weapons really underscores and I think it should refocus world attention on the blatant double standard that the United States is trying to impose in the region.
Remember, the United States is demanding and insisting on a level of accountability on the part of Syria, Iran or other countries that it refuses blatantly to ask or demand of Israel which is of course the other big elephant in the room as they say in the Middle East region.