Peter Ford, the former British ambassador to Syria, has said that the current political climate makes it impossible for anyone to approach Assad or the Syrian government as anything other than alleged war criminals.

“In the present atmosphere of hysteria, it is impossible to get a fair hearing about Syria or to make a fact-finding visit to Syria or to have any contact with Syria at all,” Ford recently told RT. “Minds in government and the Western media are virtually closed and we are in a period of total hysteria.”

“It is impossible to have a rational discussion of Syria at the moment in many Western countries. There are too many vested interests that want to prevent a rational discussion. Anyone who tries to be objective is immediately, personally attacked.”