Syria civil war ‘stalemate’, says Syrian deputy PM
Syria’s deputy prime minister says that neither side in the country’s civil war is capable of winning a military victory – and that the government would call for a ceasefire.
The long-delayed peace conference in Geneva could see Syria’s government proposing a ceasefire, said Qadri Jamil.
The deputy prime minister, who is responsible for the country’s economy, told the Guardian the country was suffering huge financial losses, on top of the huge loss of life. An estimated 100,000 people have died as a result of the two-year long conflict, and another 2 million Syrians have been displaced.
“Neither the armed opposition nor the regime is capable of defeating the other side,” said Mr Jamil. “This zero balance of forces will not change for a while”
He added that the Syrian government would put forward a number of proposals to bring about an end to the conflict: “An end to external intervention, a ceasefire and the launching of a peaceful political process in a way that the Syrian people can enjoy self-determination without outside intervention and in a democratic way.”
Neither the armed opposition nor the regime is capable of defeating the other side. Qadri Jamil
The chemical weapons attack on 21 August brought Washington close to ordering n attack against President Assad, believing his government to be responsible for the subsequent death of 1,439 people.
However Russia and the United States agreed a deal to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, averting military strikes.
Under the plan, Syria has to hand over an infantry of its chemical weapons by 21 September.
Mr Jamil said that the Syrian economy had lost about $100bn equivalent to two years of normal production, during the war.