Syrian Ambassador Riad Kamel Abbas Syrian Ambassador Riad Kamel Abbas

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the world should stop differentiating between “good terrorism and bad terrorism because we cannot protect mankind” with such talk, Dr Riad Kamel Abbas, Syria’s Ambassador to Delhi, urged India to support the government of Bashar al-Assad and join the fight against forces opposed to it.

He said some Syrian refugees have arrived in India and have sought refugee status under the United Nations. “But some of them may belong to terrorist organisations,” Ambassador Abbas told The Indian Express.

“While we have our forces, it is enough that India should support our position in the international arena. A direct fight against terrorists is also welcome,” he said.

While appreciating India’s stand of no external intervention on the Syrian issue, and Modi’s tough talk against terror, Abbas said any country that supports the fight against terrorism “must support our government and join hands to fight this threat.”

He said the Islamic State is not just a Syrian problem and will affect the whole region. “ISIS will influence the whole region. I had spoken about this earlier also but no one took it seriously and then events like (the attack on) Charlie Hebdo woke Europe to this threat,” he said.

Blaming the West in general and the United States in particular for the Syrian crisis, Abbas said this was “not a natural crisis”, but “a plot”.

He said not all those travelling to Europe as refugees were Syrians. “Using Syria’s name, those from Iraq, Palestine, Libya, Egypt and several other countries are gaining entry into Europe. I have evidence to prove this. There are not more than 30 per cent Syrians in the crowds flocking European borders,” he claimed.

He also warned that some of those entering Europe “are members of ISIS.”

Abbas said over four million Syrians are displaced within the country and no international aid is reaching them. “This crisis is being run by Turkey. President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan gave Europe two bad choices — either allow a no-fly zone over the Turkish-Syrian border or deal with an influx of refugees. Those left behind are being forced out by terrorists,” he said.

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