ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States' special envoy to Syria on Saturday rejected the proposal of decentralization in Syria where minority groups are demanding greater inclusion in the government.
"Decentralization has never really worked anywhere in this region," Tom Barrack told reporters on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.
"If you look at what happened in the Balkans, we divided it into seven separate countries and it's a mess. If you look at what happened in Iraq, we got frustrated after three trillion dollars and a few hundred thousand lives, and you have decentralization, which is now a big issue. If you look at the confessional system in Lebanon, it hasn't worked. If you look at Libya, we did the same thing,” he said.
"So, I don't know the answer to the question as to what the right form of government is, but it needs to be decided by the regions, and the people, and the tribes, and the cultures. It just does,” he added.
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said decentralization “has never worked” in the Middle East when asked if decentralization is possible in Syria on the sidelines of Doha Forum on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/OxlBb2laL9
