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Dueling SC Resolutions on CW Use in Syria |
| By
Stephen Lendman |
| On Thursday, Russia and Washington faced off in a Security Council debate
with dueling resolutions on extending the OPCW/UN Joint Investigation Mechanism
(JIM). Its mandate expires on November 17. A previous article explained what’s going on as follows: Damascus is falsely blamed for CW use, despite no evidence proving it. Russia wants the JIM extended until May 16, 2018. Washington proposed another 24 months. The sinister US text includes a provision for invoking the UN Charter’s Chapter VII, authorizing “action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security.” Russia strongly opposes efforts to escalate conflict in Syria or anywhere else. US policy is polar opposite, using the JIM report on last April’s Khan Sheikhoun incident as justification for its imperial aims - wanting endless war in Syria for regime change, not resolution. JIM report conclusions were biased, distorted and one-sided. OPCW inspectors never visited sites requiring examination. Russia called its report sloppy and “amateurish,” based on “a layman’s methodology,” lacking credibility. Moscow’s draft SC resolution calls for revising JIM’s conclusions. Work done failed to conform to international standards, it said. It called for JIM inspectors to visit Kahn Sheikhoun, site of the alleged incident, and Shayrat airbase, the alleged site where an unproven CW attack was launched what they failed to do since last April, drawing conclusions based on phony evidence supplied by anti-Syrian sources, including the al-Qaeda-linked White Helmets. Moscow called for a credible full-scale investigation, according to Chemical Weapons Convention standards, what hasn’t been done so far, rendering the JIM report an attempt to present phony conclusions, lacking credibility. Washington lied, calling JIM’s findings serious and trustworthy. Is the Trump administration seeking a pretext for escalated war on Syria, using the UN Charter’s Article VII to justify what’s unjustifiable? Washington’s phony accusations of Syrian CW use appear to be how it’ll claim the right to strike government military and other targets at a time of its choosing. On Thursday, Russia and America vetoed each’s others resolutions on this issue. Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia blasted Washington’s resolution, saying “(t)here was nothing balanced in it.” It solely aimed to “question the role of Russia in the process of Syrian political settlement.” Before the vote, Nebenzia explained Russophobic UK UN envoy Matthew Rycroft said Moscow “has no place in the political process in Syria.” US UN envoy Nikki Haley repeated the same disgraceful accusation, saying “the only thing that today has proved is that Russia cannot be trusted in the political process in Syria.” “Russia will not be a good and trusted actor because they want control who’s at fault. They want to control what happens. They want to control that area.” “(T)hey want to work with Iran and Syria to make sure that they have that all under control.” Fact: Washington wants endless war and regime change, Syrian sovereignty destroyed, along with permanent occupation and control of the country, installing puppet rule to serve its interests. Fact: Russia wants peace and stability, respect for Syrian sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and right of its people to decide who’ll lead them, free from foreign interference - according to international law. Haley finds new ways of embarrassing herself, saying by failure to support Washington’s resolution on extending JIM, Russia is “telling the entire world that chemical weapons are okay to use.” America, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan and Israel share responsibility for CW use in Syria - by terrorists they support. Damascus is falsely blamed for their high crimes. Not a shred of evidence proves its forces used CWs any time throughout years of conflict. Clear evidence shows US-supported terrorists used them numerous times. Washington’s war in Syria is far from resolved, despite important progress made toward liberating the country from its US-supported terrorist scourge. What dirty trick will the Trump administration come up with next to escalate things? It’s just a matter of time before its next move. VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html |