Syrian candidate: US-Israeli intervention threw Syrians’ wish to chasm

Syrian presidential candidate Maher Hajjar says Syrians wanted to make certain things right when they started their protests in 2011, but interventions form the United States and Israel diverted their path toward a dreadful chasm.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Alam on Wednesday, Hajjar said what Syrians are going through is a price they are paying for supporting resistance against Israel’s aggressions and defiance to international laws in the region.
Hajjar, who was a member of Syria’s communist party, is one of the three candidates running for Syria’s first multi-candidate presidential vote which is to be held on June 3.
He said the Syrian crisis has historic roots which are not bound to Syria and run in regional problems as well.
Hajjar said people’s protest in 2011 was based on their natural needs and dissatisfaction with their life condition, which was becoming worse, but the government didn’t cooperate with them and economic and social problems increased.
“Just when Syrians got to this point, our people turned to a prey for the American-Zionist plot that lead them toward a chasm,” he said adding that, “people’s movement could give hope for a better future, but lack of proper political leadership caused the movement not to run in the desired path and this was the reason that, instead of national figures, reactionary Arabs and executive forces of American-Israeli plot lead the movement, using their money and media, and made this day for the Syrians.”
Acting on UN charter chapter VII
Hajjar thanked Russia, China and Iran for their economic and non-economic supports to the Syrian people during past three years of war and asked them to call on the United Nations for acting on the Chapter VII of the UN charter and change their stance from ‘defense’ to ‘acting against’ terrorism.
He further slammed countries that have been supporting terrorist groups inside Syria and said they should know that Syrian people will act against them.
The Syrian politician rejected negotiating with terrorist groups and said the only one who should respond to them is the army.
Opposition doesn’t have a clue
Speaking on negotiating with opposition groups, both inside and outside the country, Hajjar said, if there is going to be a negotiation, it should be done with the one that formed this opposition coalition, “the United States”.
“I reject talking to the opposition instead of the US,” Hajjar said adding that, the opposition has never introduced a single political plan for the country, because they have allied with Israel and they are ashamed of showing their true colors.
“The opposition figures left the country to distribute the power among themselves, just like what happened in Lebanon; which was a clear betrayal and such thing as national betrayal is never accepted in Syria.”
He strongly condemned the opposition for victimizing people for their meanness political interests.
The only solution
“the essential strategy for uprooting terrorism in Syria is for all Syrians, regardless of their political views, to unite together to awaken from the nightmare they are suffering from, so that they move toward a sweet dream of remaking Syria in a way that is safe to live and improve.”
“And if Syrians don’t get united on this stance, there is no way they could defeat terrorism.”
Hajjar said, he has stepped forward for participating in the election as a candidate to invite all Syrians to get united against terrorism, “because this sinister problem is targeting all Syrians, both supporters and opponents of the government.”