Syria conflict - ABC Interview with Robert Bekhazi

Mar 16, 2013

In this interview for The World on ABC News 24, Jane Hutcheon speaks with Robert Bekhazi from Australians for Reconciliation in Syria, as the Syrian conflict enters its third year.




Renda Darwich:


Thank you so much Robert, your remark reflects so profoundly many of our thoughts, interests and passion that we or I share towards this callous invasion directed to our Syria not excluding the Syrian President and official leadership in which still today so highly thought of and well respected. 

With the well entrenched obstacles [that you have mentioned in the interview above 'Syria conflict enters third year'] impeding harmony to the lovely peaceful ordinary Syria under the current leadership it is so pitiful to know that this peaceful ordinary life we were accustomed to in Syria and that we all now wish for has become no more than a ambitious illusion. 

Everything [all sectors; health education social economic ...] was positively progressing and near to perfect prior March 2011. With concern to the Syrian refugees; Syria witnessed and sympathetically housed [though not camped as such, like we see now of how the Syrian refugees are scattered in Lebanon] substantial refugee influx during both the Iraq War and the 2006 Lebanese War notwithstanding [since 1967] the non-visaed homeless Palestinian refugees however as we all know it the consequent lethal intrusions by Lebanon Qatar Saudi-Arabia and Turkey have just about reversed Syria's role in the Middle East. 

Today, many innocent people from within Syria's rural areas have had no choice but to flee the barrage of bullets encircling their once peaceful communities and opt to live in the extreme poverty stricken shelters provided to them. I witnessed on 'mtv Lebanon' a lady who was holding a seven month still - foetus and complained of visible cancerous tumours to her chest though of Lebanese origin was denied entry to a Lebanese hospital, she was classified as a Syrian refugee it was told, in accordance to the Lebanese authorities she had fled Syria. Her husband also a Lebanese citizen but a resident in Syria quoted repeatedly 'Syria is my mother and Syria is my father, I would walk into any hospital, yes even the best of all facilitated hospital such as Hamad Hospital in Syria and they would pleasantly and warmly greet me, my wife and my children and attend to my or our medical concern free of any expense'.... he continued to explain why he could not travel back across the borders and re-enter Syria. He explained the dangers resulting from the Free Syrian Army and more. Indeed, this is real and true. 
The refugees sheltered in the muddy camps in rural Lebanon wish to return to their warm homes and attend civil institutions however it is these lethal intrusions that Robert identified which has prevented them from doing so and not as conveyed to us as the President of Syria is at fault in this regard. It is really disappointing to see so much time and effort being put into insights like that of ABC TV only to watch and then question the lack of background, evidence and comprehensive understandings in regard to the subject or issue within itself. These programme or well sought out endeavours do not tell the true story or put subtlety, do not answer the question at hand. 

The people of Syria tell a different story to that in the programs viewed on for example ABC TV or SBS OR Al Jazeera. The people of Syria tell us of their everyday suffering and deprivation, the bombarded public institutions, terror activity, terror organizations, Free Syrian Army terror affiliations and the impact of it to their families and friends. 

The people of Syria would tell you about the horrific enduring experiences of family wives sons daughters, the stories similar to that of but with much regret Jill Meagher in Victoria - Australia, horrific experiences of rape, kidnap ransom and indeed similar stories of decapitations and to relate it to our stories in Australia, much similar to the horrific murderous scene of decapitation witnessed in South - Western Sydney a fortnight before now. Yet in Syria it is at a hourly basis and committed by the foreign funded [to a large extent, non-Syrian] affiliates of the Free Syrian Army [FSA] including those orders from the fraudulent 'Al Maglas Al Watani Al Souri' now in Qatar however in all these experiences never has such war crime been ordered or dictated by President Al Assad. This is the Syrian story. More relevant, this is the misconception which is repeatedly conveyed to us through ABC TV and SBS. One would question, which media he/she may refer to in identifying the true relations amongst the people of Syria and the President of Syria. However and to my dismay, it is difficult as these media offices have an autonomous sanction in place against them in Australia although, they reflect the aspirations of the people of Syria and they include Al Dounya TV and Al Akh bariye. An example is when Nile-Sat wished to block view of Syrian TV in time of the terror bombing only muting the Syrian story or reality of events. In all fact, this reveals to us Australians or Syrian-Australians that there is a political relationship in what is conveyed to us and what is not.