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Syria: Is there a Russian-Iranian Dispute over Fate of al-Assad?
http://www.juancole.com/2015/10/russian-iranian-dispute.htmlSyria: Is there a Russian-Iranian Dispute over Fate of al-Assad?
By Juan Cole | Oct. 4, 2015
Russia and Iran don’t see eye to eye about the future of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad after their military intervention in the civil war, according to correspondent Basil Muhammad of the Kuwaiti dailiy al-Siyasah (“Politics”).
Mr. Muhammad says he interviewed a member of the Iraqi parliament who declined to speak on the record. This individual maintained that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards want to turn the clock back to 2010 and entirely restore the power of Bashar al-Assad throughout Syria, ensuring that once Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) is defeated, it can’t have any resurgence. Unlike Russia, Iran is willing to send ground troops, according to this source.
The parliamentarian said that in contrast, Russia wants al-Assad to be moved out of the presidency to some ceremonial position.
He spoke of two other actors and their views– the Iraqi government of PM Haydar al-Abadi and the Shiite militias (the latter are said to have sent further forces to Syria).
