@ SyriamonitorSyria Monitor
Syria's Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem on Sunday said the draft protocol presented to Syria by the Arab League (AL) includes items that reflect unbalanced stances taken by member states of the AL and its ministerial committee since the crisis began in Syria. The Minister noted that Syria received on Saturday a letter from the AL Secretary General which said that the AL Secretariat General is not in the position to respond to the Syrian amendments.
The AL Secretary General's letter came two days after Syria suggested few amendments to the AL draft protocol regarding the legal status and the tasks of the AL observer mission to be sent to Syria.
"The AL mission has the freedom of movement…We have not restricted its movement and we have nothing to hide at all….They have to see the crimes of killing and slaughter being perpetrated against our citizens and the law enforcement forces…What we asked for is to be informed of the places the mission will go to," said al-Moallem.
He added that "We in Syria don't consider that the time period needed by the AL mission to fulfill its task is the key issue but rather the content. If [their] intentions are good, they shouldn't adhere to the period…We care that the mission's tasks will be carried out well."
Al-Moallem said Syrians expressed their rejection of foreign interference and the Arab League's decisions against Syria. "The problem in Syria can only be solved by the Syrians."
On Syria's response to the growing pressures from the Arab, Islamic and international sides, al-Moallem said that they are continuation to a series of pressures practiced against Syrian since the beginning of the crisis by countries like the US and the EU, in addition to the Arab states now. "If fight was forced on us, we shall fight. But we hope and we are working so that fight wouldn't be forced on us," al-Mollaem said in an answer to a question, stressing that Syria "is not in need of any logistic support from any Arab country," and that Damascus is coordinating with the Russian friends at every step.
The Minister went on saying that "What is taking place in Syria is armed groups attacking the citizens, the law enforcement and army forces."
Asked on whether there will be a civil war in Syria, al-Moallem said "If you read the statements issued by the U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and her Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, you feel that they are pushing towards the civil war they are warning of."
"There won't be a civil war no matter how much they try to create one…Our people can quell this sedition," al-Moallem affirmed, adding that it is the foreign sides' statements that are leading to the killing and further encouraging the armed groups to go on with their acts.
