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'US sees ceasefire in Syria as opportunity to increase own influence'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and United States Secretary of State John Kerry speak during the International Syria Support Group meeting, September 22, 2016 in New York. (Photo by AFP)

Press TV has spoken to Ammar Waqqaf, a Syrian political commentator from Milton Keynes, and Nabil Mikhail, a professor at the George Washington University, to discuss the failed US-Russia brokered ceasefire in Syria.

Asked whether he thinks Washington is sincerely seeking a ceasefire in Syria, Ammar Waqqaf opined that a ceasefire is not an end in itself but a means to achieve something and “what the United States wants to achieve in general is to increase its influence on the game in Syria.”   

“I think their [US officials] main objective is still to oust the Syrian government and if not, then to weaken it in such a way that reviving a central sort of governance based in Damascus for a unified Syria won’t happen.” He underscored that  “when they say military solution is an illusion, it means that they are putting whatever resources needed to make it an illusion.”

The image grab shows Ammar Waqqaf (L), a Syrian political commentator from Milton Keynes, and Nabil Mikhail, a professor at George Washington University, at Press TV's 'The Debate' on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Nabil Mikhail noted that although Washington pretends that it wants a ceasefire in Syria, the Obama administration is doing everything possible to circumvent the longevity and the effectiveness of such a truce.

“In Aleppo, we saw following the past three weeks a long process of detailed negotiations and then the deal is even more elaborate and you have so many conditions and so many items and so many stipulations. And then suddenly after some clashes between Syrian and American forces, we can scrap the deal. The question is why did you negotiate such a long deal in the first place?” 

On the one hand, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff says the US does not trust Russia, and on the other, certain American officials suggest that Russia and the US establish a joint intelligence center, he said, arguing that definitely, it does not require a PhD in political science to detect the discrepancy between their statements and actions.

“What we are seeing now is not a truce for sure. We are seeing a gradual chaotic escalation of violence involving many sides. For instance, America let Erdogan move into north Syria and battle many Kurds. The New York Times reported, I believe two days ago or three days ago, that America is thinking of arming the Syrian Kurds. This is a contradiction.”


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