Damascus:Mass funeral (Photo AP)

[youtube LrTymMjD5xI]

Press TV has conducted an interview with Saeb Shaath, author and Middle East affairs expert.

What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Tell us about the significance now, now that the insurgents basically, it appears that it has been proven, that they are the ones that are using the nerve gas, the significance of this and will it be condemned internationally with something being done about it?

Shaath: This is very significant since Mrs. Del Ponte is a former Swiss attorney general and prosecutor with the International Criminal Court – tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, to remember. She is a prominent figure and she is the leading figure in the United Nations Commission investigating the human rights and war crimes, abuses happening in Syria and within her scope as well the chemical weapons investigation even if some Western politicians are going to jump the gun now and say that that’s not her area, there is a team waiting in Cyprus. No! it is her area and she has mandate for that from August 2011 to carry on such a thing and she, by the way, the sources told us that …there are 1,000 testimonies she gathered over Skype from within Syria and outside Syria who told her that these operations were carried out by these radical and fanatic organizations, which are supported by the West.

So she has all of that, and all the indications she gathered pinpoint at these fanatic groups.

However, this is hardly going to amend the Western power position, who are bent on destroying Syria.

Now since President Barack Obama declared that the use of chemical weapons by Syrian president, he mentioned Presidentchemical weapons by name, would cross the redline; now when we see that all the fingers are being pointed at their backed rebels and what colour of line is going to be there? Orange or umber or green?

And what about McCain, the Republican Senator McCain and Lindsey Graham, who were going mad …

Press TV: Mr. Shaath let me just jump in here because, yes, as you said it is significant and we see the condemnation and hear the condemnation but will it turn into something concrete as you just alluded to. As far as the international part of the Western countries that are supporting this insurgency, what will it take to make a difference that not only it is a condemnation but it will stop them from using these chemical weapons again?

Shaath: It takes the public opinion not the Western governments. The Western governments, as I said, are bent on destroying Syria.

Today we have the proof that leaked from the British inquiry on the Iraqi war, which told us that the Western powers led by their commander-in-chief George Bush then, knew beforehand that Iraq had absolutely nothing of weapons of mass destruction that they were calling and accusing the Iraqis of having and still they went ahead with their invasion of Iraq and destroyed millions of lives in Iraq, looted the country while sending Iraq back to the stone ages, guaranteed the supremacy of Israel in the area.

That is their target, and as well [it is] going to be in Syria. So it is the public opinion now that has to move, the independent Non-Governmental Organizations have to tackle this issue right now.

SaebPress/Press TV/MY/KA