Jumblatt Admits US Failure: I Won΄t Interfere in Syria

Source: Al-Manar TV, 16-10-2008
Once again, it's Walid Jumblatt...
The "different" and "unique" Lebanese politician was once again able to steal all attention through remarkable and striking statements that would signal new views towards the various outstanding issues from his local rivals to Syria and Iran.
Speaking to Lebanese daily As-Safir, the head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt hailed the establishment of diplomatic relations between Beirut and Damascus, vowing not to interfere in Syria's internal affairs. "Let the Syrian people decide the type of leadership that suits them," he said.
Jumblatt, who assailed two days ago the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc over his historic visit to the Islamic Republic and called him the dean of losses, admitted that he had no contact with Iran but stressed he was ready for dialogue with Tehran. But the agenda, according to Jumblatt, should include "the truce with the Zionist entity, implementation of the Taef Accord, the defense strategy, the excellent relations with Syria and if they (Iranians) wished to provide aid then this should happen through the Lebanese state."
Meanwhile, Jumblatt didn't seem betting anymore on the United States to achieve any goals. The PSP chief admitted the US policies had failed in many regions of the world, and said the Americans succeeded only in helping to establish the international tribunal that would try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's suspected assassins.
"If the new US administration does not make calculations, we would head to total economic and political chaos," he highlighted. "I foresee chaos in Afghanistan and Pakistan and maybe in Iraq," he added.
Jumblatt also said that the decision to extend the "Israeli" July 2006 war against Lebanon was a "silly" US decision. He said that they thought they could end Hizbullah. "They did not learn from the 1982 experience when the "Israeli"s came to Beirut and then moved out," he recalled.
Moreover, Jumblatt, who firmly backed reconciliations lately especially with the Resistance party, said that he did not mind meeting its master, Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah if his eminence expressed readiness for such talks. He even seemed seeking such a meeting. "If the party saw that a meeting with me is useful, then I wouldn't mind," Jumblatt pointed out, stressing that "in politics there is nothing closed" when asked whether doors were not closed for such a meeting.
But Jumblatt denied that he would soon hold talks with head of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohammad Raad at Minister Talal Arslan's residence. "We don't want to discuss issues that we would later talk about at the national dialogue table," Jumblatt said.