Consul General of Syria in the Philippines Issam Eldebs hit the US government for “meddling” in the internal affairs of Syria, and insisted that the August 21 chemical attack was an act by rebels and not by the government of Bashar Al-Assad.

In a roundtable discussion at the University of Makati yesterday, Eldebs said that US Pres. Barack Obama’s decision to delay air strikes in Syria shows that global opposition to US military intervention has been effective.

Eldebs called on the Filipino people to support the Syrian people, saying that Syria is one of the birthplaces of civilization and Christianity.

“Today, Syria is going through an intense crisis, and we ask for your support. I am telling you, the Syrian government did not release these chemical weapons against its own people. We have suffered enough already, with the many sanctions against us,” Eldebs said.

The consul general believes that rebels, aided by US allies, were responsible for the chemical attack that allegedly killed 1,400 civilians.

Eldebs explained that the US government cannot destroy chemical weapons through air strikes. “If these weapons even exist, their locations are unknown. They (US) don’t have legitimate targets to hit. The only targets they have are innocent people,” he said.

Eldebs added that the US government only wants to launch air strikes in order to hit critical military infrastructure and weaken the government’s position against the rebels, in the bid to have Assad overthrown.

“But changing a legitimate government is our internal affairs. Only the Syrian people will decide who to have as president,” Eldebs argued.

US ‘doesn’t like’ Assad

Assad condemned the occupation of Iraq and is not allied with the US government. This is the reason why the US “doesn’t like” the Syrian president, Eldebs said.

In an earlier statement, the International League of People’s Struggles (ILPS) also said that the US detests the Syrian government “for asserting national sovereignty and independence.”

The ILPS said that both the US and Israeli governments stand to benefit most from the removal of Assad, who is a close ally of the Iranian government. “The US covets the oil resources of Iran and calculates that the fall of the current Syrian government would weaken Iran drastically,” the group said.

“Both the US and Israel benefit in economic, political and military terms from the overthrow of governments in the Middle East that oppose US imperialism and Israeli Zionism and support the Palestinian people in their struggle for national and social liberation,” it added.

The ILPS also exposed earlier attempts to by the US government and Western media to falsely attribute human rights abuses to Assad. The Homs massacre of 200 people and the Houla massacre of 108 people were blamed on the Syrian government, but were later found out to be the handiwork of the rebel Free Syrian Army.

The Free Syrian Army is aided by US allies, the ILPS also said. The governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar provide funding, while special forces of France at Great Britain provide training. The rebels also pass through Turkey to enter into Syria.

On chemical weapons

In the discussion sponsored by the Pimentel Institute for Leadership and Governance, Eldebs said that Assad, elected twice into power, is “one of the best presidents” that Syria has had.

“Syrian people have everything. We don’t have the poorest of the poor, because education is free and paid for by the government. So is healthcare. We also don’t pay much taxes because of the revenues from oil,” the consul general said.

In response to questions by students and the media regarding the possession of chemical weapons, Eldebs said that the Syrian government indirectly admitted to it, when it agreed to the Russian government’s proposal to surrender these weapons in order to avert a military strike.

“Our neighbors also have these weapons, even nuclear weapons. Israel has more than 300 nuclear heads. We do not have a single one. So we have to protect ourselves. But having chemical weapons is not the same as using them against our people. We will never do that,” he said.

But he warned that Syria “will retaliate” and be forced to use weapons at its disposal, should the US government attack.

Meanwhile, the ILPS has called the US government a “hypocrite” for making false claims on Syria’s use of chemical weapons, noting that the US is the biggest user of such weapons.

“[The US] uses napalm, white phosphorous and other bombs, depleted uranium tipped artillery shells and bombs, and defoliants like Agent Orange [in its wars of aggression],” the group said.