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Syrian Opposition Suspends Farcical Peace Talks |
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By
Stephen Lendman |
| On Monday, US/Saudi supported terrorist groups comprising
the anti-Syrian High Negotiations Committee (HNC) suspended talks - objecting
to vital efforts by government forces supported by Russian air power to
liberate the country entirely from the scourge of imported death squads. Washington and its rogue allies want puppet governance replacing Syrian sovereignty, its people given no say over who’ll lead them. Ceasefire is fantasy. Fighting rages. Heavily armed terrorists continue pouring across Turkey’s border into Syria. Peace talks were dead-on-arrival, a waste of time, accomplishing nothing after three weeks of proximity discussions, now close to collapse. Opposition accusations about Assad ceasefire violations and blocking humanitarian aid from besieged areas fly in the face of reality. US supported anti-government terrorists bear full responsibility. They wrongfully call Syrian/Russian efforts underway to liberate areas of Aleppo still held by terrorist groups a ceasefire violation. Pro-Western mediator Steffan de Mistura said the status of talks will be reviewed on Friday, a decision then made “on how and when to move forward…focus(ing) on political transition.” Damascus justifiably rejects foreign interference in its internal affairs violating international law, insisting Syrians alone will choose their leadership and government, no outside forces. Only three opposition delegates remain in Geneva, a show conflict resolution lack of seriousness and obstruction. They agreed to continue undefined “technical” discussions with de Mistura at least through week’s end, without further elaboration. If no “progress” is achieved, they’ll “leave.” Talks are effectively dead, both sides irreconcilably apart. Syria’s chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari was entirely candid, saying “(w)hat the Riyadh faction or the so-called Group of Saudi Arabia announced confirms what we have already revealed to public opinion: the Israeli-Saudi-Turkish will to derail inter-Syrian negotiations in Geneva.” It “only waited two days to announce this commitment to derail the talks, and this is proof that these negotiators do not have the political will essential to establish a serious and responsible dialogue.” Permanent representative of the Russian Federal to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva Alexey Borodavkin blasted the HNC’s decision to halt talks, saying: It’s “evidence that extremists prevail in the composition of this delegation, which from the outset did not want any negotiations and put forward preconditions and ultimatums, and, in fact, continues to rely on the continuation of the bloody armed conflict in the country.” They want deadlock and continued conflict, not resolution, Damascus irresponsibly blamed. Washington wants war, not peace. It wants the Syrian Arab Republic entirely destroyed, Iran next in line for regime change. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |
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