Mick Hartley

Here's Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Miqdad on Russian Today TV yesterday:

Faisal Al-Miqdad: "In Syria, we were not surprised by this Western escalation against the Russian Federation [regarding the Ukraine crisis] as well as against Syria. This had been the Western policy before the Cold War, and continued to be after it ended. However, since it became more apparent that Russia engages in a policy of confronting the Western efforts to dominate the world, the Western countries have been trying to put an end to this, before the Russian Federation assumes its complete role in constructing global policies.

"In that respect, what happens in Ukraine affects Syria. In Syria, we are facing a special situation, because of the Western countries' onslaught against Syria and the Russian federation's support of Syria. The goal of all this is to put an end to the Russian support for the just causes of the peoples, including the Russian support for the Arab Republic of Syria's fight against terrorism.

"This is because the terrorism from which Syria has suffered in the past 11 years is driven financially, politically, and militarily by the Western countries, which are now attacking Russia.  […]

"Taking hostile positions against the Islamic Republic [of Iran] will not benefit the Arabs. Therefore, both the Arabs and the Iranians should invest more efforts in order to clarify the foundations of these relations. We must not allow Western countries to muddy the waters and to turn us into enemies instead of friends. […]

"Because we have good relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, we are capable of bringing the two sides closer, instead of…"

Interviewer: "You mean Tehran and the Gulf countries…"

Al-Miqdad: "Yes. Instead of the constant enmity that is always ignited by the Western countries."

This is a regime that's spent the last 11 years clinging on to power by decimating its population, killing off some half a million and forcing a huge exodus of over 6 million – helped by Russian air force attacks on hospitals and the like. Jeremy Corbyn and the Stop the War Coalition must be so gratified to find their views largely shared by such a distinguished statesman.