FSA chief: Free National Army is a pipe dream
General Salim Idris says fight against ISIS may last for a long time
Written by : <
http://www.aawsat.net/author/layal-rahal> Layal Abu Rahal
on : 28 Jan, 2014
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat-In exclusive comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Free
Syrian Army (FSA) chief Gen. Salim Idris played down hopes of the Syrian
rebels unifying their ranks in the near future, dismissing the formation of
a Free National Army as a "pipe dream" and confirming that the battle
against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will not end soon.
Idris spoke about the Islamic Front, a moderate Islamist rebel coalition
recently announced in Syria, confirming that any issues between the FSA and
the Front have been resolved and the two are working together to combat
Al-Qaeda's growing presence in Syria.
The FSA chief also spoke about the forthcoming Geneva II conference and
addressed recent leaks about Western intelligence agents reportedly meeting
with the Assad regime to discuss security cooperation.
Asharq Al-Awsat: What role is the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military
Council playing in the formation of the Free National Army that was recently
announced by Syrian interim Defense Minister Asaad Mustafa, which aims to
unify the ranks of Syria's rebels?
Salim Idris: We have agreed with the interim defense minister to reconstruct
the Supreme Military Council and reorganize the ranks of the [rebel] forces
fighting on the ground in order to strengthen them in their fight against
the Assad regime's forces. However, the Free National Army issue appears to
be more of a pipe dream than reality. Before making promises, we have to ask
ourselves if we have the potential to form such an army, whether in terms of
providing the troops ammunition or paying their salaries. I think any
project that lacks these elements of success must be carefully studied,
because the Syrian people have grown tired of illusory promises. The sole
condition for the formation of an army such as this is the availability of
sufficient funds for six months, and this is not the case.
Q: Will the Syrian Revolutionary Front-as its leader, Jamal Maarouf, has
announced-form the primary core of the Free National Army when it is formed?
No one has the right to play a unilateral role, because the reconstruction
of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council must happen in a
collective manner. Moreover, posts are temporary and their function is to
oversee fighters until the regime falls. There must be a collective
mechanism in order to come up with a true Supreme Military Council operating
within an institutional hierarchy.
Q: Will you remain in your post following the Supreme Military Council's
reconstruction?
I did not defect from the regime to become the chief of the Free Syrian Army
(FSA). Rather, I am a soldier at the service of the Syrian revolution, and I
am ready to play any role. This is not mention that posts are only nominal
and are worthless compared to our key objective, which is the toppling of
the Bashar Al-Assad regime.
Q: The FSA has been in talks with the Islamic Front? What are the results of
these talks?
We met the Islamic Front delegation almost a month ago and all unresolved
problems between us were resolved. The Front's leaders also welcomed the
project of uniting military forces on the ground to confront the regime, but
meetings were disrupted due to the joint fighting against ISIS.
Q: What is your assessment of the course of the battles between the
opposition fighters and the ISIS?
ISIS is part of Al-Qaeda, and defeating it in Syria is not something easy
that can be done within a week or two. Fighting ISIS may take a long time,
and thus will deplete and weaken the opposition on some fronts. This is a
highly risky issue, because the regular army will take advantage of this
weakness in order to make gains on the ground at the expense of the
opposition factions. And this is exactly what is currently happening on the
Aleppine front in northern Syria. We knew that from the outset, but the war
against ISIS was forced on us due to its practices and violations against
our fighters.
Q: What role is the Supreme Military Council playing in the battles against
ISIS?
We provide some of the battalions operating on the ground with weapons and
ammunition available through our operation command. It is natural for
support to be concentrated on the battalions that used to operate under the
umbrella of the Supreme Military Council but have recently assumed new
names, such as the Syrian Revolutionaries' Front and Jaysh Al-Mujahideen.
Q: Do you have any information about the security cooperation between the
Syrian government and Western intelligence agencies that Syrian Deputy
Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Mekdad spoke about?
The Syrian regime is used to promoting lies in order to lift the morale of
its remaining support base. It is well known that the countries of the
Friends of Syria have severed their relations with the regime. However,
intelligence agencies usually work secretly. We do not have any information
about whether there is cooperation or not. But we call on all international
sides to sever ties, if any, with Assad in order to pressure him into giving
in to the demands of the Syrian people.
Q: Has your position on attending the forthcoming Geneva II peace talks
changed?
Our attendance of Geneva II conference requires favorable circumstances,
namely opening humanitarian corridors to allow aid into the besieged areas
and the cessation of the barrel-bomb shelling by the regime. In addition, it
is necessary that we obtain international guarantees for Assad to step down
and surrender his powers to a transitional executive body. In this context,
the political opposition must be alerted to the fact that going to Geneva
against the will of the fighters on the ground will be a wrong choice and
does not serve the interests of the Syrian revolution.
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Received on Tue Jan 28 2014 - 17:22:05 EST