Russian Expert: US Will Be Forced To Leave Mideast

Moscow, Aug 5, IRNA – Russia Deputy Director of the Institute for political and military analysis Alexander Khramchikhin, by referring to US severe economic problems, said that the US will be forced to leave the Middle East region. He made the remarks in talk with Russian public radio 'Voice of Russia' on Saturday. He said that the US is forced to massively decrease its military presence in the Middle East region, so it is trying to create a situation so that big problems do not emerge in the region in its absence. The Russian expert added that the US cannot maintain its military forces in the region and their withdrawal from Iraq, without deploying even one military base there indicated the reality. He continued that the US does not have budget to continue its military presence in the Middle East and its huge deficit, which has reached the record figure of 1,200 billion dollars in the current year, does not allow Washington to do so. Concerning US decision to depart from the Middle East, he added that one of its signs is reducing dependence of the US on the Middle East oil and in the last 10 years the level of oil import from this area had reduced severely and its share from 25 percent has reached 15 percent. About possibility of alien military intervention in Syria, the Russian expert said that referring to vast support of Syrian people for the government and the Syrian military ability, it is unlikely. Khramchikhin also said that considering US economic and military problems, the country does not wish to get involved in a military operation in Syria. He concluded that lack of interest of President Obama to participate in such an operation is another important factor in military invasion against Syria. 'If President Bush were in office, he would start a war against Syria,' he opined./end