US pursuing double standards on Syria: Pundit

Press TV has conducted an interview with Kevork Elmassian, an academic and political commentator in Beirut, about US President Barack Obama authorizing the use of airstrikes to defend US-trained militants in Syria.

 The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How much of an escalation would this be in US involvement in Syria?

Elmassian: First of all I am not surprised by the recent decision of President Barack Obama to conduct airstrikes or attacks against the targets or against military targets who are attacking the so-called moderate rebels who are trained and armed by the United States. These recent developments in the region especially in Syria and the recent agreement between the United States and Turkey, we can put it in the context of the partisan war, first of all between the Republicans and the Democrats where presidential elections are on the way after ten months and also between the AKP and the opposition groups who are on the way to form a new government.

Now the United States was already conducting airstrikes against ISIS and sometimes against al-Nusra front who are considered terrorist organizations in Syria but if President Barack Obama is planning to gain a major victory before the elections in order to serve its party for re-elections to become for the election of Democratic president in the future, he should not carry out these attacks against the Syrian army because the Syrian army is serving the strategy of fighting terrorism in the region and the Syrian army is a major force that is able and has the capability to conduct major airstrikes and major blows against the terrorists.

So by attacking the Syrian army, you are working against the strategy of the United States which is fighting terrorism. The United States declares that its first and foremost priority is to destroy the ISIS, the presence of ISIS in the northern part of Syria and other places. So by conducting airstrikes or attacking the Syrian army you are giving a big service on a golden plate to ISIS where the Kurds and other factions will also gain grounds in these territories where the Syrian army fill the vacuum.

Press TV: Well obviously I would imagine the United States would argue that it wants to defeat both ISIL and the Syrian government. Will it be able to do both things at once?

Elmassian: I do not think that is a realistic option if we make the calculations on the ground and if we think realistically of what is happening on the ground in Syria we will see that you have major powers fighting on the ground. The Syrian army is one of the major powers and this army is fighting ISIS and other terrorist organizations so by defeating the Syrian army or President Bashar al-Assad, you are giving ground to ISIS because at the current moment the US does not have the so-called moderate rebels on the ground. There are maybe tens, 50 or 60 moderate rebels and these people cannot make any major advances on the ground in Syria. The al-Nusra front, the Islamic Army, the so-called Islamic State or ISIL, these groups have the ground, these people have the power. These groups are enjoying the economic exports of oil; they are enjoying all the income of the oil export into Turkey.

So the United States first should deal with Turkey to stop the infiltration of the terrorists and stop the oil exchange between ISIS and Turkey where ISIS is selling its oil to Turkey and then to sit on a peace negotiation table with the Syrian government, with the Syrian army because the Syrian army whether the Americans like it or not, it is the major force that is able to defeat terrorism in Syria.

Press TV: And also I am wondering with the United States now set to get directly involved and even strike President Assad forces if it so chooses, how will this affect the entire region because we know of course Syria is an important player in the region as well?

Elmassian: I think the escalation in Syria does not serve the interest of anybody in the region. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Syrian government and other players were warning especially Iran that the fire will spread into other regions and now we can see that the fire already spread to Turkey, into the [Persian] Gulf states because of their reckless policies in Syria.

Syria is in the heart of the Middle East and by destroying the infrastructure and the backbone of the Syrian state which is the Syrian army, you will give the ground for the terrorists who will not stop on the borders with Syria. These terrorists will conduct their operations in Jordan, in Iraq, in Turkey and in [Persian] Gulf states. This is a fact but I cannot understand how the Americans are thinking at the current moment by attacking the Assad government or the Syrian army because this will serve the interest of the terrorists and these terrorists will carry out their operations against the allies of the United States.

So the United States is conducting or adopting a contradictory policy. On one hand it says it is fighting terrorism but on the other hand they are fighting those who are fighting terrorism in Syria.  

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