Accusations against the Syrian government that it used chemical weapons against unarmed people sound totally illogical, political adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Bouthaina Shaaban, told a news conference on Friday.
“It is known that chemical weapons were removed from Syria back in 2013, and the OPCW confirmed that these weapons had been taken out (of the country),” she emphasized.
“But even if we assume that these weapons fell into the hands of the Syrian army, why using it against unarmed people, children and elderly persons? That’s totally illogical!” Shaaban said.
“Then came a strike on al-Shayrat airfield, with the US dropping dozens of missiles on it,” she went on to say. “There was neither gas nor chemical weapons there, but the American version was immediately picked up by the media, and now something that has never taken place is presented as real facts.”
“The western strategy aims at creating a new state between Syria and Iraq which means Syria will have to be divided,” she said. “But there is a United Nations Security Council Resolution confirming the need to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity based on single citizenship for all its residents regardless of their religion and ethnicity,” Shaaban pointed out.
“Not all the Kurds seek autonomy,” she noted. “In many areas of Syria, various ethnic and religious groups live side by side, if they all demand independence, the country will collapse.”
At the same time, the Syrian presidential adviser stressed that the country’s authorities were determined to keep the country united. “We have been maintaining dialogue with a part of the Kurds residing in the country’s eastern areas,” Shaaban said.