Konflikten i Syrien

Syria archbishop calls on West to back President Bashar al-Assad in war against Islamist rebels
Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart, based in Aleppo, says West should follow Russia in backing Assad regime rather than Islamist-dominated rebel groups
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Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart, who is based in the war-ravaged northern city of Aleppo, said Mr Putin's involvement had brought "hope" to many of Syria's Christian minority, who thought it might force the warring sides to the negotiating table.
In an interview with The Telegraph during a visit to London, he also urged Britain and America to re-examine their assessment of President Assad, who he claimed was not the "Devil" that they made him out to be.
Archbishop Jeanbart said: "I have been asking fellow bishops, priests and lay people about what they think of the Russian involvement, and they say they find some hope in it because they are desperate for the end of this war.
"As long as Europe and the USA have been involved, we have no seen no results despite the coalition bombing, but with the Russian intervention maybe things will change.

The churchman's remarks on Russia are a direct challenge to Britain and the US, who insist the Kremlin's recent bombing campaign has targeted mainly rebel groups opposed to President Assad rather than specifically going after Isil.
"I would not claim to know exactly who Russia is bombing in Syria, but as far as I can see, many of these other rebel groups are nearly as bad as Isil anyway," Archbishop Jeanbart said. "The moderate rebels who are fighting are very little in number, and I am sure that those moderates who are there could reach an understanding with the Syrian government now anyway.

He also defended President Assad, saying the Syrian leader would have to remain in power at least for the short term should any negotiations about a future transitional government ever get underway.
"He is perhaps not an angel, no, but he is not as bad as the West makes out. I am against killing of any kind, but war is war, and when Assad was confronted with people who had weapons in their hands, he had to take arms against them himself.
"Besides, if he leaves there will be even worse civil war. There is a large part of the country united behind him - if he goes, that group may divide and then there will be even more factions fighting."

It is true that in the four years of the war it has always been depicted as an interreligious war. But it's not so. Everyone is running from the places controlled by the Islamic State (IS) or the al-Nusra Front: Christians, Sunnis and Alawites. And they are running to places where the Syrian army is established. The provinces of Al-Raqqah and Idlib are regions where only Sunnis live, yet for some reason those same Sunnis are running away from the al-Nusra Front, which positions itself as the "protector of the Sunnis."

The war is now being fought between religious terrorism and the secular government. The war in Syria is not an interreligious war and not a war to topple Assad. It is a war to destroy Syria as the last secular government in the Middle East.