Syria situation only going to get worse in 2016

Dubai: That the situation in Syria is only going to get worse next year was the message at the Arab Strategy Forum, which opened in Dubai on Tuesday.

Saudi Prince Turki Al Faisal, Chairman of the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies and a former intelligence chief, said that Russia’s intervention in Syria has “complicated the situation” in the country.

Russia, which started launching air strikes in Syria in October, has asserted that it is hitting Daesh militants, which has been disputed by the United States and rebels on the ground.

Syria has been mired in a civil war for more than four years, which began as a struggle for democracy between Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and rebels. However, violence in the country has intensified with the emergence of terror group Daesh, which has seized almost half of Syria’s territory.

The United States is leading a 60-nation coalition aimed at defeating Daesh in Syria and Iraq. It has urged countries in the Middle East to do more in the fight against the terror group in those two countries.

Al Faisal said that the Islamic and Arab countries “have the desire and determination to fight Daesh,” adding that any Arab engagement on the ground in Syria would have to be done in cooperation with other countries, such as the United States and Turkey.

Gassan Salame, political thinker and author, said that “everyone is against Daesh on paper but Daesh is not the main enemy”. He said that the terror group is being used as an excuse to fight a proxy war in the region. He urged Islamic nations to take responsibility for defeating Daesh. “Air strikes are useless. What is the goal? Are we killing Daesh through air strikes? I don’t think so,” he said.

Gulf and Western countries have said that Al Assad should step down for the conflict in the region to be resolved, and have supported the rebels. Al Faisal said that Al Assad is the “biggest terrorist”.

He said that the resources to defeat conflicts in the region are available but there is no willingness to do so.

Salame warned that 2016 could see the emergence of new regional conflicts. Russia’s intervention in Syria has raised the possibility of conflict between Turkey and Russia, which could spread to the Kurdish areas and Central Asia.

Al Faisal said that Western nations, including Russia, are treating the symptoms of terrorism by fighting Daesh, rather than tackling the causes.

“If you look at the problems in Syria and Iraq, the disease [of terrorism] is present in the capitals, Damascus and Baghdad,” he said.

In an effort to combat terrorism, Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday the formation of an Islamic military coalition with 34 countries. The coalition includes Arab countries such as the UAE, Qatar and Egypt, as well as non-Arab Islamic countries such as Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey, and excludes Shiite-majority Iran, which is Saudi Arabia’s rival in the region. The coalition is expected to target all terrorist groups and not just Daesh.

A senior Saudi prince, who requested anonymity, told Gulf News on the sidelines of the Arab Strategy Forum that Iran is welcome to join the Islamic military coalition.

“I think that if Iran wants to join, then it is welcome [to do so],” the prince said.

“The coalition’s objective is not sectarianism or competition with Iran,” he added.

Salame said that the Islamic coalition is “useful”.

Saudi Arabia is currently leading a military coalition in Yemen, aided by the United States, against the Al Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, to restore the internationally recognised government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.