Damascus, SANA – Ambassador of South Africa in Damascus Shaun Byneveldt affirmed his country’s support for Syria’s efforts to find a political solution for the crisis in it, saying “Syria is for the Syrians, and they along can solve its problems.”
In an interview given to the Syrian TV, Byneveldt said that South Africa rejects military solutions for the crisis in Syria, as Syria is an independent, sovereign state that can handle its own affairs.
He noted that South Africa has prior experience regarding disputes and disagreements among groups in it, and all that was resolved politically in 1994 when many believed that such a resolution was impossible, but this resolution was realized and South Africa became a unified, civilized, democratic state free of discrimination and racism.
Byneveldt asserted the strength of Syrian-South African relations in the fields of politics, economy, and education, and that his country hopes to sign agreements with Syria in the fields of culture, tourism, petroleum, gas, and more, adding that he met with Public Works Minister Hussein Arnous and Electricity Minister Imad Khamis to discuss prospects of cooperation in reconstruction and energy projects.
Hazem Sabbagh
