Barri: "Idlib s situation is normal and Turkey has its special account"
Istanbul – North-Press Agency
Samer Taha
The former Chief of Staff of the Free Syrian Army Ahmed Barri has described what is happening in Idlib as normal and attributed that “no real agreement was reached regarding the ceasefire”.
Barri said: “The ceasefire agreement is supposed to be between two parties who set conditions after negotiations, but the latest ceasefire was only announced by one party which was Russia”.
Barri claimed that Jaafari (Syria’s representative to the United Nations) said that Damascus wasn’t informed about the truce until it was published by media outlets, and that the basis of the agreement is “fragile”, Barri pointed out that Russia wanted to be looking to the world as a peace-seeking country and that the opposition doesn’t want calm.
Barri added that Damascus does not accept the political solution and seeks, with Russian-Iranian support, to impose its control over all areas which are held by armed opposition groups.
Washington is responsible
Moreover, Barri also held the United States the responsibility for maintaining the state of war in Syria, where he said: “If the US wants a ceasefire or wants to overthrow the regime, it would have done it since 2011, but unfortunately the US and the rest of the countries help keep the situation constant, especially the United Nations, by remaining silent and indifferent to the actions of killing and destruction in Syria”.
Furthermore, Barri considered, “what is happening today in Syria is much stronger than what had happened in World War II, in term of intensity of bombardment,” describing the battle between the Syrian Army and the armed opposition groups as a fighting between a 40-year-old man and a child of one year, where the result is inevitable.
Special Turkish Accounts
Ahmed Barri justified Turkey’s silence towards the ongoing events in Idlib, regarding attacks, advancement and bombardment by the Syrian government forces, that it is a matter of “special accounts”, where Turkey has warned against attacking its checkpoints, while it is not easy for Ankara “to get into war with super-Powers.”
He revealed the Turkich support for armed opposition groups “with all kinds of weapons along with financial, logistical and strategic support.”
Barri claimed that the world would see what the armed opposition groups would do to the Syrian government forces if the Russian fighter jets stop bombing for only three days, the whole world will hear the Syrian government forces crying for support.
It is noteworthy that the Syrian government forces managed to advance in a number of villages and towns, in an attempt to control the city of Khan Shaykhun as stepping in through two axes in the east and west of the strategic city which is located on Aleppo – Damascus highway.
The Syrian government forces seek to besiege the city of Khan Shaykhun and force the opposition groups to withdraw from it and from other areas of Hama northern countryside, such as al-Latamna, Murak and Kafr zita, in order to expand its control in the vicinity of the strategically important international road.