Going to be unsettled for a while, not end of story in Syria, say former Indian diplomats
The situation in Syria is going to be “unsettled” for a while and one will have to keep fingers crossed if the opposition forces in that country remain together and open a “new chapter” of unity, sanity and development, several former Indian diplomats have said.
A day after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar Assad’s authoritarian government in Syria, India today called for a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process to bring stability to that country.
Anil Wadhwa, a former Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) thinks the situation in Syria now is “not going to be easy at all”.
Rebel leader Abu Mohammed al Jolani has said that while he will “respect minorities”, he has also said they should follow the right kind of religion, he pointed out and conjectured that this could lead to sectarian strife.
The former diplomat said this development in Syria will have an impact on a wider region.
“I don’t think it is something that will settle very quickly. Interested parties will be affected and they will start resisting. So, it’s not the end of the story in Syria,” Mr. Wadhwa told PTI.
Alluding to the U.S., he said, the Americans were “happy to control the oil fields”, so they got their troops there. “I feel it is going to be unsettled for a while,” he said.
Mr. Wadhwa, however, said that he was “not surprised” about what was happening in Syria, adding, “The day there was a truce in Lebanon, I knew.” The MEA said it is monitoring the unfolding developments in Syria while underlining the need for all parties to work towards preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Arab Republic.