German AfD party heads to Syria to talk Syrian refugee return

Sputnik
Wed, 07 Mar 2018 09:49 UTC

© AP Photo/ Markus Schreiber

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentarians have embarked on an extraordinary trip to assess the situation in Syria and boost the party's hopes of sending back half a million Syrian refugees from Germany.

On March 6, members of AfD took to social media to illustrate their trip to Syria, showing pictures of Damascus and posing with allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

According to Deutsche Welle (DW), the group is comprised of four Bundestag MPs as well as three state parliamentarians from the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

Helmut Seifen, the deputy leader of the AfD's parliamentary party in the NRW state parliament, told DW that during the trip to Syria the seven-man team aims to determine "whether there is war everywhere, or if there are safe areas as well," at the same time adding that MPs would likely only travel to "safe" areas.

"The goal of the trip is to thoroughly inquire on-site about the humanitarian situation and reconstruction work in areas which have been liberated from terrorists," the party said in a statement cited by German news magazine Der Spiegel, adding that the trip was taken due to a lack of trust in media coverage of the conflict.

Meeting With Assad Ally

On March 5, the delegation held a meeting with Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun, who reportedly called for Syrian refugees to return home. Christian Blex, an AfD parliamentarian from NRW, posted a picture from the meeting, having mistakenly written on Twitter that Hassoun had "emphasized how important the separation of religion and church is."

According to DW, later it was clarified that the Grand Mufti had called for "the separation of religion and state." Furthermore, in his tweet Blex "asked" Chancellor Angela Merkel to invite the mufti to Germany.

'Blue Jeans Instead of a Black Veil'

"We have lived through the harshness of war in Germany before and we are still aware of the suffering it brings. We were surprised when we saw people going about their normal lives in Damascus," Blex told reporters, according to the pro-Syrian government news website Tishreen.

The MP was thunderstruck by the fact that some women wear jeans in the country.

"Blue jeans instead of a black veil! Women sit in bars. Barely imaginable in Mecca - also sadly not in Berlin-Neukölln [...]"

At the same time, some Syrians reminded the group of the plight in the Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus, with a journalist Yaacob Kaddoury sarcastically writing on Facebook:

"That's it guys, our demand to wear tight jeans has been granted and that means all our problems have been solved... let's return home! Let the chips fall as they may."

The parliamentarians' trip to Syria has raised concerns among German Green party MPs, with lawmaker Konstantin von Notz tweeting that the AfD politicians were acting like "Assad fan boys."

Last year AfD proposed to designate Syria as a safe country of origin, insisting that the war in the country was coming to an end and that Germany should start talks with President Assad to repatriate Syrian refugees.

Founded in February 2013, the AfD's primary focus was on the opposition to bailouts of European Union member states like Greece, mired in economic crisis and debts. Over time, the right-wing party has evolved into an anti-immigration party. The AfD strongly condemns Chancellor Merkel's "open-door" policy towards refugees from Africa and the Middle East, which has welcomed more than 1.5 million migrants since 2015.

Comment: Cognitive dissonance alert: the new German "far-right alt-Nazi fascist racist" AfD travels to Syria, has productive talks with the Grand Mufti, marvels at the freedom of Syria's women, gets along with Assad, and generally comes off as more rational than pretty much all other mainstream Western political parties. But shame on them, they're still "Assad fan boys who hate Muslims".

Update: The AfD made some other discoveries on their trip to Syria, which the Germany Foreign Ministry recommended they forego:

Shell-Holes from Terrorist Mortar Attack in Cathedral

The delegation entered Syria from Lebanon on March 5, with its first destination being the country's capital, Damascus. Firstly, the politicians met with religious figures.

"What the state media won't tell: On February 5, "moderate" terrorists from Eastern Ghouta shelled a Syrian Orthodox Church with mortars. The altar and floor were damaged, fortunately, no one was hurt," Blex wrote on Twitter.

The group held a meeting with Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun, who reportedly called for Syrian refugees to return home. Christian Blex posted a picture from the meeting on his Twitter:

"His excellence Syria's Grand Mufti has emphasized how important the separation of various religions from the state is for their peaceful coexistence in this country. It is also of particular importance to him that Christians in Syria have equal rights with people of other religions," Blex explained. ...

Desire to Restore Normal Diplomatic Relations

The AfD delegation also plans to hold meetings with senior Syrian officials and politicians. They have spoken to the minister of state for national reconciliation affairs about the Syrian government's program, aimed at reintegrating the rebels into peaceful life.

"The government grants amnesty to people willing to reintegrate into peaceful life, as long as they have not committed war crimes. There is a whole array of people, and even cities that are ready to reintegrate, seeking negotiations. [...] They also told us about the background of terrorist groups in Syria and foreign influence on these groups: some are financed by Turkey; others are funded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the United States. We have also found out that the United States maintains its bases in Syria in violation of the norms of international law," Blex elaborated.

"The meeting with Mr Ali Haidar, the minister for national reconciliation on Tuesday evening. He told us that over 100,000 former militants (fighting against the government) have returned to peaceful life following the amnesty. More than 100 municipalities and towns have been reintegrated into peaceful life."

Furthermore, it appears that Syria is in dire need of labor and would be glad if those Syrians who left for Germany returned home. Blex has also said that the minister of foreign affairs told the delegation that the officials were aware of Syrians with Islamist background living in Germany.

"He warned us against letting people who may be dangerous into the country. But he also wants to restore normal diplomatic relations with our country," Blex said, saying that another topic on the agenda was Turkey's military operation in Afrin, which has spurred outrage among Syrians.

Is Syria a Safe Country of Origin?

The first two days of the trip the group spent in Damascus, with politicians being impressed by the cleanliness of the streets and the peaceful life in the city. However, the AfD members preferred to steer clear of the territories being constantly shelled from Eastern Ghouta.

"I can only say that Damascus is worth visiting. People are polite and the food is very delicious. Nevertheless, keep in mind the old Arab saying: God bless those who pay visits - but short ones," he wrote on Twitter.

When asked whether Syria was a safe country of origin, Blex said that the first impression was that it was, although said that they could not make a conclusion based on what they had already seen.

"We didn't see any danger on our way from Lebanese border to Damascus. Certainly, there is some threat closer to the territories, where terrorists are, due to the shelling. But they are limited to several regions in Syria. As soon as we visit Homs and Aleppo, we will have a full picture of the situation. For now, I would share the US's evaluation and say that Syria is a safe country," Blex told Sputnik.

"At the fair in Damascus. Usual weekdays. Modern shops. Women in headscarves and without them. It's hard to believe that tens of thousands of Syrian men are in Germany now, and their families have yet to join them..."