Turkish Newspaper: Bashar Al-Assad Will Soon Be out

According to a Turkish newspaper, the statements of a former diplomat working for the Bashar al-Assad regime, revealed that there are some problems with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and that Moscow has prepared a "new plan" to exclude him from the Syrian scene.

Yeni Şafak newspaper said in an article by writer Bulent Orakoglu: "If these allegations are true, and Assad does not solve his problems with Putin, he may find himself fallen from his throne, at a time when he turned his destination to Iran due to the conflicting interests of Damascus and Tehran," with Russia's interests and goals in the region."

Orakoglu added: "According to the former diplomat Saqr Al-Mulhim, it was agreed between the active countries in Syria to work for Syria without Assad."

He explained that "as a first step in the solution, a political council will be formed alongside the regime's military council, and an interim transitional government will be formed that includes some Syrian officials from the opposition, so that Assad will leave for Iran, Cuba or Venezuela as a political refugee."
 

Brutal War

Noting that the coming months will be full of surprises, Al-Mulhim claimed that US sanctions will intensify against countries or institutions that have close relations with the Assad regime and "do not apply the principles of Caesar's Law."

It was former US President Donald Trump who signed the "Caesar Act to Protect Civilians in Syria", known as the "Caesar Act", on December 21, 2019.

Orakoglu added: "According to the law, which took its name from the code name of a member of the military police who leaked 55,000 photos of 11,000 detainees who were tortured to death in Assad's prisons, sanctions will be imposed on foreign persons and organizations who support or have significant financial relations with people or Companies working on behalf of Russia and Iran.

He continued: "In this context, high-ranking officials in the US State Department announced that the United States will impose sanctions on 39 people associated with the Syrian regime, including Bashar al-Assad and his wife, under the Caesar Act."

The same officials also stated that "the sanctions will continue as long as the brutal war waged by the regime against its own people continues."

Orakoglu pointed out that, according to experts, "the foreign policies and ultimate goals of Russia and Iran differ, although they were on one front during the revolution that began in 2011. Also, the three main problems between Moscow, Damascus and Tehran are related to the political process around preparing the new constitution in Iran, Israel and Syria.”

He stated that "Russia assumes that there are two extensions of Iran: one in Asia and the other in the Middle East. In this, Iran in Asia is very important for Russia in terms of being an observer member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, being a part of joint military exercises in the Caspian Sea, and trade relations between Beijing and Moscow.

Orakoglu added, "However, Russia differs with Iran in the Middle East in terms of the methods used, although their goals in Syria are the same, which is to fight terrorism. That is why Russia wants Iran to remain a regional power in Asia and does not want it to open up to the Mediterranean."

Therefore, although Israel often launches attacks on certain areas inside Syria on the pretext that they “hit Iranian military targets,” Russia does not confront or prevent them, even though it has air defense systems and good relations with Israel, which causes annoyance to Damascus and Tehran.

Therefore, it can be said that Russia's "turning a blind eye" to these attacks is one of the important problems between the two parties, according to what the writer sees.
 

Direct Provocation

Orakoglu continued, "While the conflicts in Syria are currently on the rise, the differences between Moscow, Tehran and Damascus are increasing. Moscow's criticism of Damascus has led to allegations that Putin no longer wants Assad in the Syrian scene. However, there are two approaches to what Moscow can pursue in Syria."

He explained that: "According to the first approach often advocated by the military wing, there is no civil war in Syria. The government of the regime is trying to regain its lands. Therefore, the only way to end the conflict will be to eliminate what it calls terrorists completely."

He continued: "As for the second approach advocated by Russian diplomats, the issue in Syria is not limited to terrorists, as there are opponents against the Assad administration as well. So, this is a civil war, and ending this will be by starting a political dialogue and returning to the Geneva track (continuing the process), reaching an agreement, reforming the constitution, and holding elections under United Nations monitoring.

However, the writer added: "Turkey was the first country to show its opposition and its position on the presidential elections that were held on May 26, 2021, which was a farcical show organized by the Assad regime, unilaterally killing children in the areas under its control."

He added: "It was stated in the joint statement published by the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, England and the United States: The presidential elections were neither free nor fair, and we reject the Assad regime's decision to hold these elections outside the framework of UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254."

Orakoglu pointed out that "78 residents of Douma lost their lives as a result of the poisonous gases released by the Assad regime in an attack with chemical weapons on April 7, 2018, and the regime seized Douma after an intense siege and violent attacks."

Therefore, the choice of Assad and his wife to vote in the Douma district in the capital, Damascus, was a "clear provocation" for the feelings of millions of Syrians, as well as a "frank challenge" to the international community, which announced that it would not recognize these elections, says the Turkish writer.

Orakoglu concluded his article by saying: "You wonder where the butcher of the 21st century Bashar al-Assad gets the courage to challenge the whole world? From Putin, no doubt. Therefore, I think that if Putin started the countdown to excluding Assad from the Syrian scene, this killer would not have been able to commit crimes in front of the whole World.