On March 25, The New York
Times headlined, "US and Turkey to Step Up 'Nonlethal' Aid to Rebels
in Turkey," saying:
Other US allies were urged to do the same. Insisting no weapons will
be sent belies heavy Western and Israeli ones delivered through porous
borders for months.
They include powerful explosives, small arms, submachine guns, machine
guns, sniper rifles, rocket and anti-tank grenade launchers, among others.
They've been used to kill civilians and security forces, as well as
destroy government facilities.
Russia repeatedly denounces Washington's one-sided support while claiming
peaceful resolution intentions. Obama says aiding Assad's opposition
furthers transitioning to a "legitimate government."
In other words, he wants independent Syria replaced by a client state
America controls. Then on to the next target for the same purpose -
Iran.
If Washington had a motto it would be: We're boss, and what we say goes!
Russia and growing numbers of other nations respond Nyet!
Syrians want no outside interference. International law backs them.
They assert sole right to decide how their nation's governed. Most support
Assad. Washington recruited and backs Syrian National Council (SNC)
and Free Syrian Army (FSA) belligerents. They function lawlessly as
Western proxies.
Most Syrians oppose them. They want peace, not violence. They know Washington
pulls their strings. Its Special Forces and CIA operatives aid them
covertly on the ground. So-called "non-lethal" aid includes "strategic
communication" equipment.
White House spokesman Ben Rhodes says it's "important to the opposition
as they're formulating their vision of an inclusive and democratic Syria
to have the ability to communicate."
It's not about saying hello to mom. It's for coordinating attacks, as
well as communicating with neighboring forces in Turkey, regional countries,
and Western ones. It and other aid subvert peace efforts.
That's the whole idea. Washington won't tolerate it. Violence facilitates
regime change. Peace assures continuity. Kofi Annan fronts for power.
His mission excludes even-handedness. His disingenuous rhetoric hides
it.
He largely pressures Assad. On Monday, he met with Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Ahead
of the meeting, Russia's strong statement said:
"(O)ur essential approach is to ensure a ceasefire and end to violence
in Syria, which will be difficult to implement without putting an end
to external armed and political support of the opposition."
"Taking into account that the Syrian authorities are ready to establish
such a dialogue, the key task is to convince the Syrian opposition to
sit down at the negotiation table with the authorities and reach a peaceful
resolution of the crisis."
On Friday, a UN Human Rights Council (HRC) statement again censured
Assad. It spuriously accused him of "sharply escalating" violence. Moscow
and Beijing denounced the comments. A Russian Foreign Ministry statement
said:
"The document gives a unilateral assessment to the events in the country
and accuses only the Syrian government of violence. It does not contain
any requirements towards armed groups of the opposition. The document
also ignores international efforts aimed at settling the crisis, in
particular the mission by U.N./Las (League of Arab States) Special Representative
Kofi Annan."
"The UNHRC biased and inadequate resolution runs counter the efforts
taken by the international community to stabilise the situation in Syria.
The document ‘is discordant’ with the recent U.N. Security Council statements
that support Kofi Annan’s mission and condemns the terrorist acts in
Damascus and Aleppo."
"Moreover, the irresponsible position taken by several states, which
came against Russia’s proposal to condemn the terrorist acts in Syria
that led to the losses of lives, and violence by armed militants encourage
impunity of terrorists."
The Russian Federation "continues to insist on stopping violence in
Syria by ceasing fire by all parties and start a nationwide political
dialogue without foreign interference. We will persistently comply with
this policy."
As long as killer gang attacks continue, Assad's obligated to fight
fire with fire. Holding back facilitates insurgent killings, weakens
his own grip on power, and leaves his people helpless in the face of
Western-backed aggression.
Annan's its willing agent. He's replicating his Secretary-General role.
He was little more than an imperial tool. He never achieved or worked
for peace anywhere. He's not doing it now. His message to Assad is that
"the transformational winds blowing today cannot be easily resisted,
or cannot be resisted for long."
"The only way to deal with this is through reform, through change -
and change that respects democratic principles, individual dignity,
the rule of law and human rights."
His decade long UN tenure showed contempt for the above principles.
His words now ring hollow. While feigning even-handedness, he largely
criticizes Assad.
Russia insists that halting violence depends on both sides cooperating
and ending foreign interference. President Dmitri Medvedev and Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov especially oppose Western and neighboring states
supplying weapons to insurgents. Annan avoided the subject.
Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denounces belligerent outside
interference. Over the weekend, multiple insurgent attacks killed hundreds
and injured many more. Killer gangs spurn peace. So do Washington, rogue
NATO partners, and complicit Arab states.
On March 26, Today's Zaman headlined, "Turkey presses Syrian opposition
to unite, produce 'national pact,' " saying:
Turkey and Qatar want unity ahead of an April 1 and 2 international
meeting.
An unnamed Turkish official called it "by far the most significant meeting
as far as the Syrian opposition is concerned."
Presenting a united front offers a "political vision for the future
of" Syria. Around 200 representatives from different ethnic, sectarian,
religious, and political groups began meeting in Istanbul to try to
find consensus.
Only the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) was left out because of
its ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey calls it a terrorist
group for wanting an independent Kurdistan.
Ankara closed its Damascus embassy. It believes Assad's days are numbered
and thinks Syrians will oust him. However, "doubts of the Syrian opposition
to act as a united front lead to concerns over" protracted conflict.
Deep rifts between opposition sides favoring violent and peaceful approaches
leave resolution far apart. Whether discussions now can heal breaches
remains to be seen. Previous attempts went nowhere.
Washington's one goal involves establishing another client state by
any means, including war. Expect it. Then on to the next target - Iran.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge
discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News
Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time
and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy
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http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/
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