Al-Moallem: Any Ground Intervention Is Aggression That Will Be Confronted

Saturday, 6 February 2016

Al-Moallem: Any Ground Intervention Is Aggression That Will Be Confronted

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem warned Saturday against any foreign ground intervention in its war after reports that Saudi Arabia and Turkey could send in troops.

"Any ground intervention on Syrian territory without government authorization would amount to an aggression that must be resisted," Moallem said at a news conference in Damascus.

"We assure you that any aggressor will return to his country in a wooden coffin."

Saudi Arabia, Moallem said, is implementing the US will, and “it seems that after Syrian army’s victories, the conspirators and funders have got fed up with their tools on the ground, and that they decided to get involved themselves.”

Moallem, however, ruled out such a move, but still recalled “their crazy decisions made not only against Yemen but also regarding other areas.”

Meanwhile, Moallem warned that “Everyone should realize, on top of all (UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan) de Mistura, that Syria is going for a Syrian- Syrian dialogue without any preconditions and will not comply with any precondition set by any party whatsoever.”

“The two Vienna Communiqués and the Security Council Resolution (2254) stress on the broadest representation of the opposition delegation” the Syrian FM said, adding “…We told them ‘do not repeat the mistakes of Geneva 2’.”

The top Syrian diplomat said that the Security Council resolution no. 2254 and the two Vienna Communiques state that the Syrian people alone have the right to determine their future and that dialogue should be a Syrian- led among the Syrians without foreign interference and without preconditions, while the statements of “Riyadh opposition” delegation, made even before the go to Geneva, were full of preconditions.

‘We asked the UN Special Envoy for Syria de Mistura to provide us with a list of the names of those with whom we were going to have dialogue, because we wouldn’t hold dialogue with ghosts,” the minister said.