Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara warned on Tuesday that the Middle East risks sliding into further turmoil unless Israel strikes a security agreement with Damascus that preserves Syria's sovereignty.
At an event hosted by the Middle East Institute in New York, Mr Al Shara accused Israel of exploiting Syria’s moment of fragility to stage massive military attacks.
“We are not the ones creating problems for Israel. We are scared of Israel, not the other way around,” he said. “We have fears and we will be watching the interests of Syria.”
Israel has continued to carry out strikes in Syria since the toppling of former president Bashar Al Assad, saying it has concerns over the new government and needs to protect the country's Druze minority.
US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said on Tuesday that Syria and Israel are close to striking a “de-escalation” agreement in which Israel will stop its attacks while Syria will agree to not move any machinery or heavy equipment near the Israeli border.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meetings in New York, Mr Barrack said the agreement would serve as the first step towards the security deal that the two countries have been negotiating.
“I think everybody is approaching it in good faith,” he said.
But Mr Al Shara cautioned that negotiations over a security deal remain fraught, because of what he called Israel’s stalling tactics, repeated breaches of Syrian airspace and incursions into its territory.
“We read in the news that Israel wants to see Syria weakened,” he said. Mr Al Shara stressed his government’s commitment to diplomacy.
“Any parties seeking to drag Syria into new conflicts will not be acceptable. We try to be wise and resolve disputes through diplomatic efforts,” he said.
He rejected any efforts to partition Syria, warning that this would destabilise the wider region.
“Jordan is under pressure, and any talk of partitioning Syria will hurt Iraq, will hurt Turkey. That will take us all back to square one,” he said. He added that Syria is only now beginning to emerge from its 14-year civil war.
Mr Al Shara sought to reassure world leaders that Syria is ready to reintegrate into the international community, and underscored improving ties with regional powers, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Iraq, with a thaw also under way with Egypt.
“If your neighbour is fine, you are fine,” he said, quoting an Arabic proverb. “We would like to see neighbouring countries live in peace and security, so that we, too, can enjoy peace and security.”
But scepticism persists. UN diplomats cite unresolved issues of accountability, governance and human rights in Syria, while others warn that international investors will be reluctant to commit capital until sanctions are lifted and political risks ease.
For now, the UN General Assembly stage on Wednesday will give Mr Al Shara a rare global platform to rebrand his country.
