Iranian diplomat analyzes complex relations with Syria

Veteran Iranian diplomat Ali Jannati has written a report on the dynamics of the relationship between Iran and Syria and the Islamic republic’s role in getting the latter out of it crisis as well as about its concerns if there is a change in President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Ali Jannati, former Iranian ambassador to Kuwait and son of hard line cleric and chairman of the Guardian Council of the Constitution Ayatollah Ahmed Jannati, wrote in Mellat newspaper, that the best support Iran can offer to Syria in order to end the turmoil is to help in establishing a dialogue between the regime and opposition and in changing the features of the police state the regime has created of Syria. Jannati admitted that Iran is apprehensive about the government that is to rule Syria in case the regime is ousted and particularly focused on anti-Iranian Sunni Islamists, namely the Muslim Brotherhood. However, he downplayed the influence of those Islamists in the Syrian political scene. “The Muslim Brotherhood is not the dominant party in the Syrian opposition, which is made up of a variety of political factions.” He pointed out that even Salafis, who are also labeled Islamists and are part of the opposition, are not on good terms with the Brotherhood. “Plus, there are also liberal, communist, and socialist factions.” Fear of a Brotherhood rule, however, is still valid, he added, because they are not expected to follow the footsteps of the Syrian regime as far as resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine are concerned. “For example, the Muslim Brotherhood will not want to have anything to do with Hezbollah in Lebanon because of sectarian difference. We are also not sure if they will reject normalization with Israel and support the Palestinian cause like Bashar al-Assad’s regime.” In case free and fair elections are held in Syria and include all opposition parties participating, Jannati stated that Sunnis, whether Arabs or Kurds, comprise the majority of Syrians, while 13 percent of the population are Shiite Alawis and 10 percent Christians in addition to 3 percent Druze. “Bearing all this in mind, it is expected that most Sunni Syrians will vote for the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the most popular among religious factions, and they will win a majority.” As for former vice president Abdul Halim Khaddam, Jannati added, he has strong influence in Syria and his denunciation of Assad makes him quite popular among Syrian revolutionaries. “Yet, the majority of average Syrians will consider him a remnant of Assad’s regime and will object to having him back in their new democracy.” Jannati slammed Iranian state TV, which is supervised by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, for not conveying the full picture of what is happening to Syrians at the hands of Assad’s regime. “Iranian TV could have chosen a more objective way of covering the events in Syria and should have shown both sides — the massacres committed by the regime and the weapons used by the opposition.”