Riyad Naasan Agha, Former Syrian Culture Minister Who Defected to the Opposition: If Only the Regime Regains Control, and the Russians and Iranians Leave

Riyad Naasan Agha, Syria's former minister of culture who defected to the opposition, said: "If only the regime regains control, and the Russians and Iranians leave [Syria]." Speaking on Al-Arabiya TV on April 5, he said that "all the countries of the world have a piece of the Syrian pie, and the regime does not own even its own piece," and that the goal is no longer freedom, but independence.

Following are excerpts:

Interviewer: It seems as if the regime has regained its control over…

Riyad Naasan Agha: If only… I'm telling you. If only the regime regains control, and the Russians and Iranians leave…

Interviewer: You mean…

Riyad Naasan Agha: Yes, I'll take it.

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Our goal used to be freedom, but not anymore. Today, the goal is independence. Syria should enter a new stage of search for independence. All the countries of the world have a piece of the Syrian pie, and the regime does not own even its own piece.

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If only the regime had true control of what is under its control, and not under the control of the Russians.

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