Press TV has interviewed Jalal Fairooz, a Middle East expert from London, to get his take on the recent remarks by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir that Riyadh will continue supporting Takfiri militants in Syria.
The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Should we be surprised at all that the Saudis still see a military option in Syria?
Fairooz: Well, the Saudis have been very much embarrassed recently because they are being linked now as they have all the time been supporting ideologically, militarily and funding the extremists and terrorist groups in Syria. Now, the whole world knows that the origin of these Daesh groups is in Saudi Arabia.
Up to today, you could see the Saudi-backed televisions are airing what will mean a support for the Daesh and the terrorists. Of course after the Paris shootings and killings, the world has taken some side against the Saudi and for the first time we can hear in the Europe parliaments, saying that the Saudi is the origin of these terrorist groups and we have to aim that. Now that the situation is turning because of presence of Russia in this game, then the Saudis are trying to find some way out of this trauma.
Press TV: Indeed, in finding this way out, you know we can talk about Vienna obviously and the peace talks which are set to take place there again. I am so wondering though with the Saudis’ going into peace talks expecting that they will win militarily through their support of terrorism. What is the point?
Fairooz: They are now trying to back up from some of the funding of the ISIS, trying to monitor as they claim. But on the other hand, they want to try to find a new page that is why they are calling for a very vast meeting of the Syrian opposition in Riyadh to try and have control over the next phase of what is going on in Syria. Now that they cannot topple down the Syrian government through the terrorists, they are going on pressurizing the Europeans and the Western hemisphere to be in their side, trying to get some control over the next phase of Syria [peace talks].