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“The citizens want gas, electricity, Water and warming fuel; the Syrian government signed a deal of third operator for cellular mobile communication in Iran……!!”, this is what a pro regime website broadcasted in a mocking way and maybe it is mixed with a mass anger from the recent economic deals signed between the Syrian and Iranian sides.
The prime minister linked to regime “Emad Khameas” had a visit to Iran and met the secretary of the Highest Council of The Iranian National Security “Ali Shimkhani” where 5 agreements emanated from the common economic cooperation which has been signed on for more than a year in the fields of agriculture, animal resource, industry, petrol and communications ( cellular mobile operator), have been signed on by the Syrian and Iranian sides.
Regime media mainly focused on the background of the economic agreements highlighting the operator of cellular mobile communication through all different kinds of media including the pro social media, as if the news were to receive a very wide interaction by the Syrian people, as if the Syrian people is living in complete luxury but missing only a third cellular mobile network in order to live in a great prosperity. It is as if “Khamees” totally ignored the dire and miserable situation that all the Syrian people is going through, and not paying any attention to what the middle and poor classes suffer from who are forced to stand for long hours in a line that can reach hundreds persons just to get a gas cylinder or some water.
A citizen commented in sarcasm:” In this crisis, the main reasons of it are mobile communication and the internet which have brought us here. The citizen is the target and not a reason for officials are there to fix the citizens’ problems. We will not get rid of these problems and all the corrupted people who are trading with our blood and our living. As if no one is seeing and knowing those corrupted officials who are making these statements that anger the citizens.. and they keep saying things are gettong better .. certainly getting better but for officials’ advantage and not the people’s.
Probably the syrian people is completely aware of the main goal of this alleged deals; they are gifts in return for what the Iranian government has offered considering the military and financial support for Assad regime in the years of war after being about to fall apart as most service facilities get out of service for being directly targeted in the clashes between the sides of the conflict. Maybe it will be the launch for an economic occupation through having big projects that benefit Iran in the first place regardless of any advantage of the people.
The Syrian people during the years of war has gone through enough pain, suffering and deprivation as well as losing beloved and relatives. So that the people’s concern become providing the living with the minimum basic necessities of life living each day by itself because it might be the last one taking into account deaths many means. Having the main services including water for drinking, electricity, Fuel for warming and gas for cooking, are burdening needs which require high living to afford; a gas cyliner ranges 10 thousand Syrian pounds with difficulty to find. The wise government ought better to keep and fulfill its promises in providing those services before working on contracting new agreements serving their advantages which are way far from the reality of the Syrian people.
By Samah Alkhaled
translated by Sabah Najem
Syrian Press Center