True opposition list prerequisite to Syria talks: Barrett

Press TV has interviewed Kevin Barrett, an editor with the Veterans Today from Madison, on the Syrian government’s call for the identification of real opposition representatives from terrorists.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What would be the problem with actually knowing prior to negotiations which entities are going to be there, which entities are going to be classified as a terrorist group? Why does it seem that some have problems with this demand by the Syrian government in your perspective?

Barrett: The Syrian opposition is very divided and fractious. It’s made of all sorts of different groups and individuals. And the groups that are waging civil war against the government of Syria include all sorts of different folks.

But the common threat here is that there wouldn’t be any civil war in Syria if there hadn’t been foreign intervention and a conscious destabilization program designed to try to get regime change in Syria in the same way that they got regime change in places like Iraq, Libya and so on. So really I think that the issue is not so much which groups are classified as terrorist. The word terrorism and terrorist is being thrown around so absurdly these days, it’s used against any group that isn’t particularly appreciated by who’s ever using the word.

But the real issue here is that Syria needs to be stabilized and returned to a peaceful situation, where peaceful political competition can replace violence. And to do that, we do need to have a list of players who are willing to make that step that is to move from civil war to a post-civil war situation.

Clearly some of these groups are not going to do that. Some of them are absolute fanatics linked to various outside players who are not interested in peace, where some groups may very well be willing to end the war. So obviously a list of which groups are responsible and genuinely interested in peace is a prerequisite for any meaningful talks.

Press TV: Are you optimistic with these peace talks coming up in just over two weeks? What will it take in order to at least start the initial stages to working towards stabilization in Syria?

Barrett: I think that the Western public opinion has finally arrived at a state where no longer can be fooled at least in mass by these claims that the Syrian rebels are the good guys and deserve our support and we need regime change, and all of that kind of thinking, I think, has fallen victim to the terrorism, including the false-flag terrorism, but not all of it is false-flag, in other words, the kinds of bloody and brutal acts against civilians that’s what terrorism is by the so-called Islamic State, Daesh and others.

And today Western public opinion recognizes that the government of Syria may not be this demonized entity that it’s been portrayed as. And it may be we’re going to have to have a compromised solution rather than overthrowing the government by military force.

I think we are there in terms of Western public opinion, and as far as the governments of the West, there may have been parallel shifts there as well, but we won’t know for sure until we see what happens with these negotiations.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk