The Syrian government considers actions of the US-led coalition in Syria and Iraq to have nothing to do with the fight against terrorism, Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader Halqi said.
The actions of the US-led international coalition in Syria are “unproductive” in the fight against terrorism because they are not coordinated with the Syrian leadership and violate international laws, Halqi said in an interview with Sputnik.
“Syria does not consider US actions in Syria and Iraq productive. The US air missions in Syrian airspace are not coordinated with the Syrian side and completely deviate from the framework of the fight against terrorism.
“The Syrian Army is fighting on the front and plays the decisive role, while the actions of the coalition led by the United States have nothing to do with the fight against terrorism.”
According to Halqi, Syria is in great need for the suspension of the terror groups’ funding, cessation of militants’ transfers to the country, which are supported by a number of countries in the region, such as Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
“At present, the Syrian government does not feel real cooperation in these areas (suspension of funding, military and logistical support.) However, it is evident that Washington is interested in the counter-terror efforts only for its own purposes that consist of dividing the region, local communities and suppressing opposing forces.”
He also said Turkish and Saudi actions show the two countries are not prepared to create a coalition with Syria for a joint fight against terrorism.
Russia’s Efforts
“We are grateful for the Russian president (Vladimir Putin’s) support and efforts, but the problem is that today, we do not see that Turkey or Saudi Arabia is prepared to change their stance and begin a common fight against terrorism.
“In reality we see that Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel continue to help armed groups that are active in Syria. So how can we say now that these countries will form a joint union with Syria in the fight against terrorism?”
Halqi added that he supports Putin’s initiative to create a coalition between Syria and its neighbors in the fight against terrorism “if it satisfies the interests of all the countries in the region.”
Syria has been consumed by a civil war since 2011. The country’s government is fighting a number of opposition forces as well as radical militant organizations, including the IS extremist group.
In late June, Putin called on Syria and other countries in the Middle East, including Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, to establish an anti-terrorism coalition, if Damascus considers it to be appropriate.
The Russian president added that Moscow is ready to support the creation of such a coalition and to help establish dialogue between the countries in the region.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported in June the number of civilians killed in the US-led coalition airstrikes on Syria’s oil-rich areas, where there are oil refineries, oil wells, building and vehicles, across Hasaka, Deir Ezzor, Raqqa, Aleppo and Idlib had risen to 162, including 51 children and 35 women.
The UK-based observatory strongly condemned the death of 162 civilians, as a result of the coalition airstrikes and called for neutralizing civilian areas from all kinds of military operations, where the victims of these operations are millions of innocent people who have been wounded and displaced.
