Presidential Board Member of Beth Nahrin National Council Echoua Gourieh: Syria has two options either to engage in a transitional political process or in a civil war

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — During an interview of Suroyo TV program, “Orocutho,” Member of the Presidential Board of the Bethahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo D’Bethnahrin, MUB) Echoua Gourieh stated that the war between Israel and Gaza on the one hand and Israel and Hezbollah on the other hand was behind the recent events in Syria.

“The countries influential in the Syrian crisis knew without a doubt that the balances of power in Syria would not remain as they were before. The features of change began to appear through the war in Gaza, which later moved to Lebanon, especially with the collapse of Hamas and the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as the conflict of interests between Tehran and Ankara,” said Gourieh. “Israel had 2 options, either striking the Iranian armed groups in Syria or using another party to take over this task. Thus, the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham began attacking Holeb (Aleppo), Hemto (Hama) and Hmoth (Homs) with the aim of cutting off Iranian military supplies to Hezbollah through Syrian territory.”

Regarding any civil war in Syria, Gourieh pointed out that the Syrian scene has 2 options, either speeding up the transition process and reaching a political solution to the Syrian crisis in accordance with UN Resolution No. 2254, with all powers in the transition process, or a war that divides Syria geographically into Sunni and Shiite regions, in addition to North and East Syria. In this case, the Syrian war will witness the intervention of Iraq, Iran and Turkey, who will participate in sectarian fighting.

Gourieh called on Syriac (Aramean-Chaldean-Assyrian) people, parties, churches and institutions to be ready to become part of the political equation based on a new Middle East, by uniting their word and demands and putting them firmly on the negotiating table, in order to preserve their national identity and historical presence in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.