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Ten years have passed since the start of the Syrian revolution, and the As-Suwayda governorate in southern Syria remains “soft thorns” concerning the Assad regime and its Russian allies, whose movements are frequent today, with the in order to impose a “settlement” or so-called “reconciliation” agreement similar to what the Daraa governorate has witnessed in recent years, especially after it was captured by Assad’s forces in 2018.
Although the Russians’ attempts to impose a “settlement” in As-Suwayda are not new, at present they appear to be different from their predecessors, especially as they come at a time that precedes the presidential elections in Syria by a few months, and their The proposal coincides with the “humanitarian” aid that Russia has announced it will deliver to the people. The province, recently, in a scenario that observers described as “seduction and closeness” to the popular incubator, to make the efforts that Moscow continues to achieve until now.
Two days ago, the director of the so-called “Center for Reconciliation of Russia in Syria”, Sitnik Vyacheslav Borisovich, announced that the committee to “fix” the situation in Daraa began its work on the first of this month, continuing: “Residents of Daraa and the neighboring governorates view their work positively and I hope that a similar committee will start working soon in the Sweida governorate.
The Russian official’s talk was preceded by repeated visits and tours of Russian military police to various areas of As-Suwayda, through which, according to media sources told Al-Hurra, they met with the elders of the province, in addition to the sheikhs of the Druze community, and offered to conclude a “settlement” agreement for the young people who left the service. Military, deserters and wanted for reserve service.
“They did not serve in Assad’s army.”
The issue of defaults in military service, whether compulsory or reserve in the “Syrian army”, is stagnant in the As-Suwayda governorate and, according to unofficial statistics, the number of retarded youth exceeds 40,000, of which twenty thousand are still within the Syrian borders.
In recent years, the security branches of the Assad regime have tried to convince the notables of As-Suwayda and the Sheikhs of Aql to persuade the young men to return to service in the “Syrian Army”, but all these attempts they were unsuccessful, the last of which was in October 2018.
Since then, the names of “Fourth Division” officers have prompted offers to join the service, including the young man from the city of Sweida serving in military units in southern Syria.
In conjunction with the above, tours and meetings of officers of the Russian Military Police were held with dignitaries of the province, in order to solve the problem of those who did not also attend compulsory service, the most prominent of which was at the beginning of 2018, months before the attack carried out by ISIS in villages in the eastern countryside of As-Suwayda. Which killed 200 people.
What ISIS did at that time opened the door to a major attack and accusations by the people of the province against the Assad regime, since they held him responsible for the massacre of civilians, especially because he had withdrawn his forces from the same axis. in which “ISIS” fighters infiltrated. What gave a scene whose details became clear that the Syrian regime tried to “submit” to the government at that time and punish it, since it did not respond to its military and security policies.
Attempts to subjugate and punish the Syrian regime were not limited to the above, but continued until the As-Suwayda incident almost three months ago, when more than 17 youths were killed by the Moscow-backed “Fifth Corps” in Daraa, led by the commander. Known as “Ahmed Al-Awda”.
A clone of the “settlement” of Daraa
Going back to the moves Russia is currently taking on As-Suwayda, Suwaida 24 website editor-in-chief Rayan Maarouf says that a Russian delegation headed by a general with the rank of major has held meetings at As-Suwayda in the past few days and has made several visits initially targeting community leaders, including notables and traditional clergy. .
Maarouf, who is in As-Suwayda, added in statements to the Al-Hurra website: “The Russian delegation spoke with the notables and clerics about Russia’s intention to establish a reconciliation committee, in coordination with the security services. of the Syrian regime in the governorate of As-Suwayda, provided that he oversees the conclusion of status agreements for those not serving in the ranks of the army and dissidents, and those wanted for security reasons. “
The Russian delegation told the notables and clergy that they wanted to hear their suggestions, and each person they met had a different point of view from the other.
Maarouf points out that the Russian conversation revealed the existence of a plan that Moscow is working on, which is the formation of a reconciliation committee similar to the committees that were formed in the Daraa governorate, and which have returned to activity in the past. last three months, especially since the Russian general gave an example of the Daraa settlements, and considered them “settlements”. Successful”.
Coordination under the protection of “State security”
The entry of the Russians to As-Suwayda was neither direct nor single. Rather, there is undeclared coordination with the security branches of the Assad regime and, according to information obtained by the Al-Hurra website, coordination is taking place between Russian officials and the head of the branch of “State Security” in the governorate, Brigadier General Salem Al-Hosh, who hails from the Izraa region in the Daraa camp, has strong ties to Moscow.
Although the Russian delegation traveled between the towns and cities of As-Suwayda in recent days, they used to conclude their tours by going to the “State Security” branch located on Qanawat Road, for a meeting with Brigadier General Al- Hosh.
The last visit by the Russians to As-Suwayda was earlier this week, and Maarouf explains that current information indicates that, over the next few weeks, an office for the reconciliation committee that Russia intends to form will be opened in the building of the As-Suwayda governorate.
It is decided that Russia will present the terms of the agreement during a new meeting with the elders of the province and clerics of the branch of “State Security”, as is known.
What does Moscow want?
In addition to the previous visits and meetings, it was noted in recent days that “humanitarian” aid arrived from Russia to dozens of families from the As-Suwayda governorate, and according to Russian media, the aid is provided by the Russian-Syrian Business Council, in alliance with Russian Gathering. To develop friendship and business relations in Syria. “
The provision of “humanitarian” aid is part of a campaign called “to the city of As-Suwayda. With all the love of Russia”, to serve as “temptations and preparatory steps” to win the popular incubator, which has always refused to bestow “loyalty” to the Syrian regime, led by Bashar al-Assad, and pledged Standing on the Fence, ten years ago.
The writer and journalist Hafez Qaraqout believes that the Russians do not have a political plan or even financial means to cover projects that lead to imposing stability, considering that their attempts “have a security character and are repeated again to target young people who refuse to enter military service “.
Speaking to the Al-Hurra website, Qarqout said that the entry of the Russians into As-Suwayda is not new, as they had previously tried with retired officers to form auxiliary forces for the “Syrian Army”, as is the case. in Daraa, forming the “Fifth Corps”, but they failed because they had to. Coverage “and is not present in the region, neither at the public level nor at the security level.
The writer and journalist notes that the Assad regime and the Russians are trying, through their current tour, to make up for the shortage of young people in the “Syrian Army”, and are moving to complete this task, with the participation of the branches security in As-Suwayda.
In addition to the above, Qaraqout continues: “The Russians are also trying to sell letters to the Arab depths and Israel, arguing that they can control stability in southern Syria and train security forces to limit Hezbollah’s expansion and Iran”.
‘Pre-election stability’
The Russian narrative, which focuses on “stabilization” in As-Suwayda, cannot be separated from what Syria expects from the presidential elections four months from now, and on this basis it had moved in early December to carry out a comprehensive arrangement of three branches in Daraa governorate, and is now trying to copy it in As-Suwayda. .
Drawing on the recent meetings that the Russian delegation held with the dignitaries of As-Suwayda, Maarouf explains that the Russians explicitly hinted at their intention to “create a state of relative stability in the south, in preparation for the upcoming presidential elections in mid-2021. “.
And the journalist continues, “But the Russians have not come up with any solution to persuade the backward and dissident youth of the governorate to return to serve in the army to this day, as they did not seek the multiple reasons that led to thousands of young people to desert the service or not to join it. “
There are indications from Moscow that it intends to put young people who want a settlement to serve within the “first corps” of Assad’s forces, that is, his service in the southern region.
Maarouf is unlikely to accept the Russian offer from the backward and dissident segment. In early 2015, Bashar al-Assad made them an offer to serve in the “15th Special Forces Division” within the As-Suwayda governorate, and only a few joined.
The journalist notes: “Therefore, Russia will not be able to impose an agreement today, mainly because it does not have the possibility to impose an agreement by force, as happened in Daraa in 2018, due to many considerations about Suwaida.”
