Roundup: Syria backs Russia's initiative on forming anti-terror regional alliance

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Thursday that his country supports the recently-proposed Russian initiative on forming a regional alliance to battle the rampant terrorism in the region, according to the state news agency SANA.

The minister made the remarks during his meeting with the visiting UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, during which the minister said his government supports the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin on creating a regional alliance to battle terrorism.

Last month, Putin reaffirmed Russia's support of the Syrian government and said that Syria must unite with neighboring countries in order to combat the Islamic State (IS) group, expressing his country's readiness to facilitate dialogue between countries in the region, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, both are staunch allies to the insurgency against President Assad, to make a regional anti-terror coalition.

Experts said Putin's proposal is a sign about a change in the regional landscape toward the expansion of terrorism and chaos, saying even though the Russian plan is not crystallized, but for Russia to propose such coalition that group Syria and Saudi Arabia together, surly means something.

Meanwhile, al-Moallem stressed that his country still considers countering terrorism as the top priority in the path for ending the Syrian conflict.

The top Syrian diplomat renewed his government's support for the UN envoy's efforts to find a political solution to Syria.

A day earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad commented on the Russian initiative, saying his country is ready to ally with any country for countering terrorism, questioning, however, the willingness of the countries, which are accused of supporting the radical groups in Syria like Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, to join such an alliance.

"When the world defeats terrorism in Syria, it will be a service for all the countries of the world who will find themselves one day in a direct confrontation with terrorism," Mekdad noted.

SYRIA OPTIMISTIC ABOUT LANDSCAPE CHANGE

Meanwhile, Mekdad stressed that the Syrian people and leadership are "optimistic" and "convinced that Syria will win its war against the systematic aggression which has been targeting it for about five years."

He said the regional countries, including Syria, have started witnessing some "significant developments," noting that the landscape has started to appear better and change positively "even if in a slow pace."

"Syria has started to reap the political harvest of the steadfastness of its people and leadership, the heroism of its army in the war against terrorism and of the support provided to it by its friends," he remarked, during a late interview with the state-run TV.

He pointed out that there is a change in the way the world stance toward what is going on in Syria, in terms of understanding the ramification of the terrorist attacks and the near certainty that the cross-border terrorism will strike other countries if it wasn't contained.

Mekdad also noted that toppling President Bashar al-Assad is no longer a priority for the West.

He pointed out that foreign countries are reaching out to the Syrian leadership, admitting their "mistake" in their previous stances.

"There are a lot of contacts with the Syrian leadership and there is a clear admission by the countries who led the war against Syria that they have been mistaken and that they have to shoulder their responsibilities in this domain," he said.

He added that "many of the European countries have sent letters to Syria and Syria is making precise and responsible dialogues." Enditem