US, regional allies behind Syria crisis: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Hafsa Kara-Mustapha, a journalist and Middle East analyst from London, and Richard Hellman, the president of the Middle East Research Center from Washington, to discuss the Syria peace talks in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

Kara-Mustapha said if certain Persian Gulf monarchies and Turkey had not interfered in Syria's affairs, a settlement would have been found to end the crisis, adding that foreign-backed militants turned the tensions in the Arab country into a bloody war.

Militants, backed by the United States and its regional allies such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, have wreaked havoc in Syria to pursue the American-Israeli interests in the region, she added.

Kara-Mustapha said that pinning the blame for the crisis on the Syrian government and its regional allies seems to be “preposterous and utterly shameful.”

However, the Middle East expert welcomed any solution which would end the ongoing bloodshed in Syria, help restore the sovereignty to the Arab country and ensure that Syrian refugees return to their homeland.

Hellman, for his part, expressed hope that the sides involved in Syria peace talks - including the US, the UK, Russia, Germany, France, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE and Qatar - would reach the conclusion that “it is time for transition.” He added that a real settlement seems to be necessary to protect all minorities in the war-torn nation.

The researcher said it is time to stop the killing in Syria and pushing thousands of Syrians out of their homeland.

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