(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - We have conducted an interview with Ashwaq Abbas, professor at the University of Damascus, to discuss the issue further.
The following is a transcript of the interview.
Q: Syrians have held rallies throughout the country. President Assad's government has called for an emergency Arab League summit. First of all, how probable is it that the summit will be held? Secondly, tell us why does Damascus want to have this summit?
Abbas: I think it will not help because the Arab League took the decision. And Syria is now trying to make a peaceful solution to the crisis - she wanted to solve the problem in Syria by a diplomatic and peaceful way.
But, I think the Arab League, according to the last decision, tried to put Syria under pressure and postpone the crisis of Syria to become like an international crisis, not local or trying to solve by an Arab solution or Arab measures.
Q: The Arab League's decision to suspend Syria's membership came as the league has, basically, been turning a blind eye to the killings that's taking place in Bahrain and Yemen. Why the difference as far as how they're reacting, in your opinion?
Abbas: Before I give you my opinion, I have to focus on the [idea] that if you want to stop the Syrian diplomacy, the Arab League must take this decision by the head committee in the Arab League, and the expression of its own members in the Arab League.
But yesterday, we saw three states, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq that refused or stopped to vote on this decision.
Actually, I think we need a majority. We need a lot of pressure to not give the Arab League the opportunity to make this crisis in Syria by applying for a foreign plan with the Americans, Europeans and between two proxies, Israel.
We think that in Syria, the Arab League does not take the correct and perfect solution to solve the problem. The Arab League's decision will make the crisis in Syria become more and more.
Let's say, it will put the Arab League or the Arab states at the end of the stage in the region because now we think there are some foreign projects or foreign plans between the two proxies like America and the Europeans. They want to change the game in the state, the game in the region.
And what we also saw for Iran and the nuclear file is this kind of solution in the region, a new game in the new order, and a new control of play in the region.
Q: The Arab League has been setup to protect these Arab countries. Why would the Arab League listen to outside parties, you were talking about, for example you named the United States. Why would they work against the interests of the Arab World?
Abbas: Actually, I think they asked the Arab League to “make it or take it” in the last meeting, to give Arabian legitimacy to make the crisis in Syria into an international crisis.
Before, in the Security Council, they failed to activate this, or they failed to make it like this, because we have a veto from Moscow, a veto from China; and because they felt they moved the old game for the Arab League, especially since we have many countries like Qatar or the other Arabic states.
They wanted to play this role for the United States of America or for the European Union. It's something to exchange the play, or to exchange the view.
And what we heard today from Moscow is that the Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov said that Moscow's security is part of Russian security. It gave me a very important idea that it's just an international [balance] - an international play - that they take from the Syrian [alarm] to play this game.
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