Rifaat al-Assad is ready to cooperate with Washington

Syrian former Vice President, Rifaat al-Assad, expressed his readiness to cooperate with the administration of the American President George Bush in order to topple the regime in Syria to which he announced he will be returning to bring in democracy and economic prosperity.

Rifaat, the brother of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, said in an interview with the Associated Press in his office in Marbaia, Spain, that his interest to contact American officials is for the "benefits of the American and Syrian peoples." He added he was not contacted by any American official.

Rifaat stressed he does not want to replace his nephew, the current President Bashar al-Assad, to the presidential post, noting that he wants to lead a peaceful movement for the change in Syria. He said I have noticed that the country is threatened from the outside and from the inside. It does not enjoy stability," adding "America has the right to defend its interest and it is also natural that Syria will defend its interests also. The case should be solved within the context of their regional interest." Al-Assad explained "I do not admire the current regime" in Syria, noting he never supported the Syrian intervention in Lebanon.

He told the Associated Press that he is for a peace agreement between Syria and Israel but he does not consider such an agreement as a priority the same as he does for political or economic reforms. Rifaat explained that the "Syrians who have been suppressed might be inclined to extremist Islam."