US intrusion into Mideast caused Paris attacks: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Tighe Barry, a member of the CODEPINK in Washington, to discuss the latest terror attacks in and around the French capital of Paris.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What do you make of what the Syrian President has said that these attacks are actual result of these failed policies by Paris and of course other western countries and what Paris is experiencing right now is what Syria has been going through for five years now?

Barry: Well today we have to mourn the innocent loss of life from Syria, France, Lebanon to Yemen and we have to mourn these people’s lives and this was caused by an intrusion into an area that the United States and its western allies had no reason to be involved in.

We know that the terrorism is coming from the countries that are funding and fueling the terrorist movement which would be Saudi Arabia and Israel. If the United States wanted to show its strength in the world it would condemn and deny both Israel and Saudi Arabia, the access to this military equipment that both of these entities use against their own people and use and give to others in the region.  

Press TV: Well let’s look at what you have just said; you mentioned Saudi Arabia and Israel, both very close allies of the United States and France. Are we going to see a change? Are we going to see a real analysis of what is behind the loss of the lives of these innocent people that perhaps could lead to a change in policy by Paris, by London, by Washington against Tel Aviv, against Riyadh?  

Barry: Well I wish I could say yes but I see the knee-jerk reaction already. You watch the local news media here in United States and once again they are calling the same war hawks out getting their opinion and their opinion is the same that we have to use more military equipment, we have to enter more countries, kill more people and that this is the answer and we know the failed policies of 30, 40 years of the United States backing both Israel and Saudi Arabia and not backing legitimate governments that yes, they may be oppressive, they may be dictatorships but it is not our business to go in and overturn these governments. It is the business of the people that live in those countries to do this.

Basher al-Assad said at the very beginning it was fighting terrorism and the fact of the matter is when peaceful, non-violent protesters picked up guns, they became what we call terrorists. I think we use the word “terrorism” too loosely. I think these are criminal organizations that have been formed our desperation, lack of hope, lack of possibilities for the future.

I was just in Lebanon just before the bombings and I visited the camps with the Syrian refugees. Every single one of them wants to go back to Syria. They want to go back but they cannot go back until everyone lays down their arms and we have peaceful dialogue and negotiations. This is what we need.

Now I think France and United States and London will once again have a knee-jerk reaction to this criminal activity and they are going to cause more damage than they could if they would just sit back, realize who the perpetrators of these crimes are and where the acts come from and we can have an international dialogue, calling in the UN, calling in all countries in the world to unite and fight these criminal organizations and I think through peaceful means we can do this.   

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