Osama Mounajed: Syrian children are being killed by Belarusian weapons

One of the leaders of the Syrian opposition says about Lukashenka's role in the conflict.

On May 26, bodies of at least 90 people, including 32 children, were found in Syrian Houla after an attack by the pro-government troops. In response, France, Germany, the UK and other countries expelled Syrian ambassadors. The ambassador of Syria in Belarus continues his work.

Osama Mounajed, one of the leaders of the Syrian Transitional Council answered questions for Radio Svaboda.

According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Belarus was the second biggest arms exporter to Syria after Russia until 2011.

This is very sad. Lukashenka not only dares to dictate Belarusians how to live, but also gets involved in killings and violence of other peoples. We know Belarus depends on Russia. Russia presses on Belarus forcing it to supply arms to Assad. Belarus exports weapons and ammunition to Syria. The Syrian government uses it to kill children, old people and civilians in Syria.

What is the current situation in Syria?

Since last March, 17,000 people were killed, about 56,000  disappeared, almost 60,000 fled to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Some towns were ruined. They look like Berlin in 1945. About 1.5 million people lost their homes, had to move and leave their work and towns. Many boys and girls lost their parents. Assad's troops kill everyone over 14 years old during mopping up operations. Old people are being killed before the eyes of children. The regime is not going to stop violence.

Why are the changes in Syria bloody? Why was it faster and easier in Tunis and Egypt?

There's a difference. Tunis and Egypt had a state, government, country. Syria is organized in another way: only Assad's family can hold the power. In Syria, the minority rules the majority. Assad views the country as heritage from his father, like in North Korea.  All Syrians are slaves on his farm. If you try to oust Assad, you want to deprive him of property. In Tunis and Egypt, armies were commanded by people, not by dictators. All heads of security services in Syria belong to Assad's clan. They have been there for 50 years. They are not very good at economics,  social sector, educational reforms, but they are good at domestic security, they know perfectly how to suppress uprisings.

What would you like to tell Belarusians?

I wouldn't like Belarusians to see the sufferings the people of Syria are passing through. I hope changes in Belarus will be easier and softer. Belarus won't have freedom while Russia is governed by and practises old communist methods of pressure on other countries. I  have hopes the colour revolutions that happened in other Eastern European countries will reach Belarus as well as the events of the Arab Spring will echo in Belarus.