US Pushing for Federalism in Syria: Adviser
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) - A senior adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad lashed out at the US-led military coalition for its attempts to displace people from the cities of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, denouncing it as part of a plot to prepare the ground for federalism in Syria.
The daily crimes the US-led military coalition commits against civilians in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor are meant to intimidate the local residents into fleeing the region to pave the way for portioning Syria or creation of the so-called federal regions, Bouthaina Shaaban, the political and media adviser to Syria’s president, said in an interview with Al Mayadeen TV.
Condemning the US for its “illegitimate presence” in Syria, Shaaban said the united Syrian nation will not let the US government impose any federalist system on the Arab country.
Syria will keep fighting against the illegitimate presence of foreigners, either the American or the Turkish forces, in the same way that it kicked out terrorism, she noted.
The adviser further hailed reopening of the Damascus International Fair as a harbinger of end of war and beginning of the reconstruction era in her country.
The 59th edition of Damascus International Fair, Syria’s top trade event, made a comeback on Thursday after five years, with companies from 43 countries attending the exhibition.
More than six years of war have taken a severe toll on Syria, costing the economy $226 billion, according to a new World Bank report.
More than 400,000 people have been killed, over half the population driven from their homes and a third of housing has been destroyed or damaged, according to last month’s report.
