The hot phase of the armed conflict in Syria is over, the government of Bashar al-Assad has not been overthrown, most of the terrorists have been eliminated, and in all of this can be seen the merit of Moscow, which forces Washington to revenge, the article in the French edition of “Le Figaro” claims.
A Syrian businessman close to the government of the Arab Republic told in a commentary to the publication that at the end of last year there was no limit to the triumph that Damascus felt after the announcement of the withdrawal of American troops from the country. At the same time, the countries of the region expressed a desire to restore diplomatic relations, terminated at the beginning of the war. Nevertheless, the United States does not retreat, emphasizes the source: “The States have not been able to win the war, so now they intend to crush our economy.”
The first warning signals, he said, arose in early January, when the European Union extended sanctions against eleven Syrian entrepreneurs. Around the same time, Washington also tightened sanctions. As a result, the prospects for financing the restoration of the country’s infrastructure by Gulf businessmen turned into nothing.
Lebanon, called Syria’s “backyard”, also came under pressure from the United States, told a Beirut diplomat: “Washington threatened to blacklist banks if even the dollar was transferred from Beirut to Damascus.”
Finally, when US State Department head Michael Pompeo showed up in the Middle East, he effectively banned the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait from returning Syria to the League of Arab States, sponsoring rebuilding the country and resuming diplomatic relations with Damascus. Even Iraq, which has never severed relations with the SAR, was under pressure. Thus, the authorities had to cancel the opening of the border checkpoint in Abu-Kamal.
In the background, the article emphasizes, the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has serious reasons for concern, because it becomes clear that the United States has not left the country alone, and continues to sway the situation.