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'SAUDI ARABIA TRYING TO BACK LUNATICS'
09:38 27/03/2014 >> INTERVIEWS
Press TV has interviewed Kevin Barrett, editor of Veterans Today
from Madison, about Syrian opposition's demand for "sophisticated"
weapons.[http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/03/26/356107/saudi-arabia-trying-to-back-lunatics/]
Press TV: Mr. Barrett, taking into consideration the flow of arms and
funds to militants in Syria by the West and regional countries such
as Saudi Arabia, just how much room is there left for a political
solution?
Barrett: Well as Lakhdar Brahimi said the only possible solution
would be a political solution. Although it does seem that the diehard
supporters of the Syrian militants are not giving up yet, despite the
series of military setbacks that have put them in a difficult position.
This latest appeal by the Saudi Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin
Abdulaziz asking for more sophisticated weapons for the Syrian
militants including things like Stinger type shoulder-fired
anti-aircraft missiles, I do not believe the Western powers are
going to go along with that. They already feel they made a mistake
by supporting similar kinds of extremists in Afghanistan. There was
a panic in the West when all kinds of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles
were floating around and nobody knew who had them.
And so when the Saudi leadership is telling the West to handover large
numbers of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to these groups in
Syria - some of which are so extreme that they have been expelled
from al-Qaeda for being too extremist - I do not think that that is
going to fly.
So I do think that probably the Syrian government will manage to
continue with its moving forward on the military front and I think
that the West - I hope at least - will reject this ridiculous call
from the Saudis for advanced arms for the militants and will move in
a direction called for it by Mr. Brahimi of a political solution.
Press TV: And of course the fact that many of these militants have
returned back to their homeland especially in Europe, just how much
would Saudi Arabia be affected by terrorists who might just come back
home and bite the hand that fed them?
Barrett: Well that is the real irony here. You know if there is one
autocracy in the Middle East that is crying out for regime change,
it is Saudi Arabia and the Saudis have all kinds of militants who
oppose that government.
Some of them are very reasonable people and others are extremist,
obscurantist lunatics and the Saudis are trying to throw money and
weapons at all of these people, mainly at the lunatics hoping that
they will go and overthrow somebody else's government over in Syria.
Well I think the potential for blowback here is pretty extreme. I
think the Saudi leadership should radically reconsider its course
and consider the possibility of moving towards a more open society in
Saudi Arabia itself and stop trying to bloodily overthrow neighboring
governments.
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2014/03/27/kevin-barrett/
From: A. Papazian
09:38 27/03/2014 >> INTERVIEWS
Press TV has interviewed Kevin Barrett, editor of Veterans Today
from Madison, about Syrian opposition's demand for "sophisticated"
weapons.[http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/03/26/356107/saudi-arabia-trying-to-back-lunatics/]
Press TV: Mr. Barrett, taking into consideration the flow of arms and
funds to militants in Syria by the West and regional countries such
as Saudi Arabia, just how much room is there left for a political
solution?
Barrett: Well as Lakhdar Brahimi said the only possible solution
would be a political solution. Although it does seem that the diehard
supporters of the Syrian militants are not giving up yet, despite the
series of military setbacks that have put them in a difficult position.
This latest appeal by the Saudi Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin
Abdulaziz asking for more sophisticated weapons for the Syrian
militants including things like Stinger type shoulder-fired
anti-aircraft missiles, I do not believe the Western powers are
going to go along with that. They already feel they made a mistake
by supporting similar kinds of extremists in Afghanistan. There was
a panic in the West when all kinds of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles
were floating around and nobody knew who had them.
And so when the Saudi leadership is telling the West to handover large
numbers of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to these groups in
Syria - some of which are so extreme that they have been expelled
from al-Qaeda for being too extremist - I do not think that that is
going to fly.
So I do think that probably the Syrian government will manage to
continue with its moving forward on the military front and I think
that the West - I hope at least - will reject this ridiculous call
from the Saudis for advanced arms for the militants and will move in
a direction called for it by Mr. Brahimi of a political solution.
Press TV: And of course the fact that many of these militants have
returned back to their homeland especially in Europe, just how much
would Saudi Arabia be affected by terrorists who might just come back
home and bite the hand that fed them?
Barrett: Well that is the real irony here. You know if there is one
autocracy in the Middle East that is crying out for regime change,
it is Saudi Arabia and the Saudis have all kinds of militants who
oppose that government.
Some of them are very reasonable people and others are extremist,
obscurantist lunatics and the Saudis are trying to throw money and
weapons at all of these people, mainly at the lunatics hoping that
they will go and overthrow somebody else's government over in Syria.
Well I think the potential for blowback here is pretty extreme. I
think the Saudi leadership should radically reconsider its course
and consider the possibility of moving towards a more open society in
Saudi Arabia itself and stop trying to bloodily overthrow neighboring
governments.
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2014/03/27/kevin-barrett/
From: A. Papazian