Syrian Lawmaker Explains What Prompted France to Join US Strike on Syria

In an interview with Sputnik, Samer Shiha of the Syrian People's Council addressed the missile attack the US, UK and France launched against Syria last week, and berated French President Emmanuel Macron for failing to deliver on his promise to pursue an independent foreign policy.

"Our relations with France remain bad. Europe and America essentially take the same steps, creating terrorists and supplying them with weapons and financial assistance," Syrian People's Council member Samer Shiha told Sputnik.

He recalled that when Macron came to power, "he said that he would not depend on anyone, but it was lip-service; in fact he sticks to what Washington will decide on Syria."

READ MORE: Assad Returns Legion of Honour Award to 'US Slave' France After Strikes on Syria

At the same time, Shiha expressed confidence that "there will come a day when France and many other states will want to mend relations with Syria."

Touching upon the alleged chemical attack in Douma and the Western airstrikes that followed it, Shiha described all this as a "real show."

"Syria destroyed all its stock of chemical weapons with the help of Russia a great while ago. [The alleged Douma chemical attack] is the work of the White Helmets, supported by the UK. After Douma's liberation, we detained people who staged this attack and they are now under state arrest. It was all a lie, a real lie," Shiha concluded.

In the early hours of April 14, the US, France and the UK conducted coordinated airstrikes on Syrian civil and military facilities in retaliation for the alleged use of chemical weapons by government forces in the Damascus suburb of Douma on April 7.

READ MORE: France Proves Military Power by Launching Attack on Syria – Prime Minister

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 71 out of the 103 missiles were intercepted by the Syrian air defense systems, which includes predominantly Soviet-made missile defense installations, such as S-125, S-200, Buk, Kvadrat and Osa.

The Russian air defense units did not take part in the interception as no missile entered their areas of responsibility.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said last week that the ministry has enough proof that the alleged April 7 chemical weapons attack in Douma was nothing but a false flag provocation aimed at prompting the US to stage a missile attack on Syria.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), for its part, said that its fact-finding mission had visited a site in Douma to collect samples in connection with the alleged chemical attack there. The mission pointed out that it would "evaluate the situation and consider future steps including another possible visit to Douma."