Naharnet

Ghalioun Says Hizbullah, Iran Risking Future Ties with Syria

The leader of the opposition Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun, has warned that Hizbullah and Iran are risking their future relations with Syria by supporting President Bashar Assad.

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Ghalioun said: "The Syrian people stood completely by Hizbullah once. But today, they are surprised that Hizbullah did not return the favor and support the Syrian people’s struggle for freedom."

Tehran is "participating in suppressing the Syrian people" by backing Assad in the crackdown against protestors, he said.

"I hope that Iranians realize the importance of not compromising the Syrian-Iranian relationship by defending a regime whose own people clearly reject it and has become a regime of torture to its own people," Ghalioun said.

Tehran must understand "that this is the last chance to avoid an unwanted fate to the Syrian-Iranian relationship," he told CNN.

Ghalioun also warned that the crackdown could lead to international military intervention.

He said international humanitarian intervention may be needed to protect Syrians from the ongoing clampdown "even if we have to use some force."

"The topic of foreign military intervention is a dangerous and critical topic and should be taken seriously," Ghalioun said.

"But unfortunately, this regime is pushing people to seek foreign military intervention. Some are demanding foreign military intervention without knowing the consequences,” he added.


Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/22478