Two years before the Paris terror attacks, the Syrian intelligence had given a list of ISIS jehadis active in France which French Government ignored, claimed the Syrian Ambassador to India, Dr Riad Abbas. The same terrorists later carried out the Paris massacre on 13/11, he maintained.
“When we gave the list two years ago, the French Government refused to take it and even acknowledge it. Now after the same ISIS jehadis carried out the attack, the French and German intelligence officials came to Syria in a secret visit seeking the same list again. We recently again gave them the list,” Abbas said during an interaction with the Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents (IAFAC) on Saturday.
After the attack, Abbas said, France wanted the Syrian Government to cooperate with their intelligence and security but they were told to first recognise the legitimacy of the existing Assad regime and reopen their embassy in Damuscus. “The Syrian Government is all for cooperation with the France on humanitarian ground, but they should open their embassy and talk through proper channel,’’ the Syrian envoy said.
He added that now Germany has queried them on the Syrian refugees, asking about the possibility of ISIS jehadis sneaking into Europe and other countries in the crowd. Abbas has earlier said that possibly more than 20% terrorist may have sneaked into Europe among the refugees. He said that 1250 terror orgnisations are active in Syria as of now and they were getting support from Saudi Arabia. lauding Russian efforts in Syria, he expressed hope that in about one month, ISIS will be contained in the country.
Criticising the West for its policy with regard to Syria, the envoy accused United States for creating ISIS and supplying weapons to them. He also blamed the Turkish government of Tayyip Erdogan for its role in the “Western game plan.”
While saying that the first priority of the Syrian government was to control terror and then find a political solution to the problem, Abbas sought India’s involvement in its rebuilding. “We appreciate India’s position on Syria as it is not for any external intervention in our country,” Abbas said.