RUSSIA: Syrian Ambassador to Russia, Riad Haddad says the opposition in Syria are acting on Western orders and rumours of Assad stepping down are groundless

Record ID: 280547

  • Title: RUSSIA: Syrian Ambassador to Russia, Riad Haddad says the opposition in Syria are acting on Western orders and rumours of Assad stepping down are groundless
  • Date: 1st February 2012
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JANUARY 31, 2012) (REUTERS) SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA RIAD HADDAD SITTING DOWN FOR RADIO INTERVIEW EKHO MOSKVY MICROPHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA RIAD HADDAD, SAYING: "There is a massive information campaign and in this campaign, there are unfortunately a lot of lies, a lot of fabrication, and a lot of untruths." HADDAD'S EYE
  • Embargoed: 16th February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9A033GBGU4ODE4PZTSJYWPLSI
  • Story Text: Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad on Tuesday (January 31) accused the West of stoking protests in Syria, supplying "terrorist groups" with weapons and mounting a systematic disinformation campaign against President Bashar al-Assad regime.
    Haddad made the comments to Reuters following an interview on independent radio station Ekho Moskvy on the same day that diplomats at the United Nations planned to argue a Security Council resolution which would call for Assad to step down to defuse a 10-month-old uprising against his family's dynastic rule.
    "There is a massive information campaign and in this campaign, there are unfortunately a lot of lies, a lot of fabrication, and a lot of untruths," Haddad said.
    He said that Syria was open to negotiate with the opposition, but in reality, most of the people in Syria supported Assad, and those who were seeking reforms were satisfied with Assad's overtures. Haddad said the regime had already started to implement a whole package of reforms in areas such as the parliamentary party system, elections and mass media.
    Still, Haddad said, a small part of the Syrian population persisted in fighting authority--with the help of the West.
    "I'm saying that there are armed terrorist groups in Syria," he said, adding "They are enacting a foreign plot against Syria."
    On the battlefront, activists in the eastern districts of Damascus said troops fired in the air as they advanced beyond areas from which the defector Free Syrian Army withdrew, capping three days of fighting activists said killed at least 100 people. Activist groups said 25 people were killed on Monday (January 30) in Damascus suburbs, and dozens more died in other parts of the country, mostly in raids in and around the central city of Homs, which has seen some of the heaviest attacks by Assad's forces.
    "We are acting against a small number of terrorist groups who are taking to the streets with weapons and starting to shoot at police and security forces and attack public and private institutions," Haddad said.
    On Monday (January 30) Russia proposed to host talks between Syrian and opposition representatives to bring an end to the bloodshed, but the opposition has refused to attend unless Assad steps down. Russia has said that Assad's resignation must not be a precondition for the Syrian peace process. It has remained one of Assad's few allies and has supplied him with arms and ammunition during the protests.
    Moscow has repeatedly said Assad's opponents share the blame for the bloodshed. It fears a Western resolution could be interpreted broadly enough to lead to a Libyan-style military intervention, which Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not allow.
    A draft of the U.N. Security Council resolution, obtained by Reuters, calls for a "political transition" in Syria, and says the Security Council could adopt unspecified further measures if Syria does not comply with its terms.
    Haddad dismissed Western and Arab League efforts to control the regime.
    "Those who support the mutiny in Syria with funding and weapons are the ones who pushed for sanctions.," Haddad said. And he rebuffed rumours spreading on social media that Assad would consider stepping down.
    "These are definitely rumours that have no basis, and this is completely untrue," Haddad said.
    The United Nations said in December that more than 5,000 people had been killed in the protests and crackdown. Syria says more than 2,000 security force members have been killed by militants.
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