M A I N   N E W S

Syrian envoy alleges US in league with Al-Qaida
Says Houla killings were ‘pre-planned terrorist crimes’
Ashok Tuteja/TNS

New Delhi, June 7
Syria today alleged that the USA was in league with the Al-Qaida in Syria to cause bloodshed in the Arab nation so that the Assad regime could be discredited and overthrown.

“Everybody knows who created Al-Qaida…the US is supporting it in Syria while opposing it in Afghanistan. The current leadership of the Al-Qaida has already declared that they are against the Syrian regime,’’ Syrian Ambassador to India Riad Abbas said at a press conference here.

He also accused countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey of helping the militants who were responsible for the current situation in his country. “The Saudi foreign minister was recently seen shaking hands with one of the militant leaders…it is already known that militants have basis in Turkey,’’ he said.

Abbas vehemently denied the involvement of the Syrian Government in the latest massacre in a Syrian village as also in the May-end killings of more than 100 people at Houla, saying they were “pre-planned terrorist crimes’’ designed to tarnish the image of the Syrian administration. Most of the people killed were those who refused to surrender to the dictates of the militants to oppose the current regime.

“Everybody knows that the terrorist elements in Syria will indulge in the killings of innocent people whenever an international conference on Syria is round the corner…now there is a conference in Istanbul. The latest massacre is aimed at implicating the Syrian Government ahead of this conference as also the visit of (UN Special Envoy to Syria) Kofi Annan),’’ he added.

The envoy said the Syrian Government was not adopting aggressive means to deal with the militant groups only because of the collateral damage such an action could cause to the innocent people.

Though the situation in Syria was not normal, it was not as bad as was being projected by the Western media. The Assad regime enjoyed the full backing of the army, he said, pointing out that not a single unit had defected. Also, not a single Syrian diplomat has defected. ‘’A majority of the Syrians are with the Assad regime…they have understood the game plan of the militants.’’