IranPress/Middle East: Nawaf al-Moussawi, Lebanese member of parliament told Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV channel that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had turned down Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman proposal to give Damascus hundreds of billions of dollars for reconstruction if it accepted to cut ties with Iran and Hezbollah.
The Lebanese lawmaker affiliated to Hezbollah added, a Saudi delegate had conveyed the message to the Syrian president, notifying him that the Riyadh regime would have no problem with Assad staying in power only if the Damascus government opts to cut ties with Tehran and Hezbollah.
Iran, along with Russia and Hezbollah, has been effectively helping the Syrian government in its fight against those terrorists.
US and Saudi Arabia are rushing to challenge Russia and Iran's influence in Syria by investing in reconstruction efforts, but their initiative may come late as the government of Bashar al-Assad gained more ground as well as local and international support.
last week, Saudi Arabia announced that it had contributed $100 million to northeast Syria for "stabilization projects" in areas formerly held by ISIS.
The US State Department welcomed Riyadh’s move, calling on Washington's allies “to do their share in this effort that helps bring greater stability and security to the region.”
Blaming the U.S. and Saudi Arabia for the war, Syria has rejected their reconstruction efforts and has called on US-led coalition allies to withdraw immediately. The Syrian Foreign Ministry denounced Saudi Arabia's "flawed decision," saying "Saudi authorities, who conspired against the interests of our Arab nation, announced the provision of 100 million US dollars to the international coalition led by the United States of America outside of international legitimacy and in defiance of the UN Security Council resolutions related to the crisis Syria."
The offer to fund Syria's post-civil war reconstruction is while is widely believed to be a key sponsor of the Takfiri terrorists, who have been operating to topple the Syrian government since 2011 the war that hasresulted in a humanitarian catastrophe, with over 13 million Syrians currently in need of humanitarian assistance, and over 7 million people internally displaced due to violence and destruction.
Related:
US-led coalition responsible for killing civilians in Syria
Syrian Army scores new advance, captures US-made weapons from terrorists
Syrian government estimates that it may take up to $400 billion to reconstruct Syria after the conflict and it would take at least 10-15 years to restore Syria's infrastructure.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a message to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad that the Islamic Republic is fully prepared to help Syria with the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.
The Iranian president emphasized that the Islamic Republic would continue its assistance to the Syrian government and nation until the complete establishment of security and stability in the Arab country.
Read More:
President Assad bans foreign money from Syria reconstruction
Bashar al-Assad: Syria needs assistance of Iran and Hizbollah
