UN Report Unfairly Bashes Syria

By Stephen Lendman
2-8-14

Throughout many months of conflict, anti-Syrian propaganda proliferated. It continues without end. Misinformation is part of Washington's regime change strategy.

UN officials are involved. On January 27, a new report circulated. It's titled "Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic."

It's maliciously one-sided. It doesn't surprise. Ban Ki-moon is a subservient US imperial tool. Blaming Syria for US-sponsored death squad crimes is standard practice.

The UN reports discusses "unspeakable" horrors. It falsely calls Syria's conflict "civil." There's nothing civil about it.

Syria was invaded. Assad responsibly defends his country's sovereignty. He's going all out to protect Syrians from death squad atrocities. He's wrongfully blamed for their crimes.

Ban repeatedly turns truth on its head. He points fingers the wrong way. He does it consistently. He does it repeatedly.

He "urge(d) all parties to the conflict to take, without delay, all measures to protect and uphold the rights of all children in Syria."

Assad prioritizes it. Terrorist invaders bear full responsibility. Ban didn't explain.

The UN report covers the period from March 1, 2011 - November 15, 2013. According to Ban:

It "highlights that use of weaponry and military tactics that are disproportionate and indiscriminate by Government forces and associated militias has resulted in countless killings and the maiming of children, and has obstructed children’s access to education and health services."

"Government forces have also been responsible for the arrest, arbitrary detention, ill treatment and torture of children."

Almost as an afterthought he added:

"Armed opposition groups have been responsible for the recruitment and use of children both in combat and support roles, as well as for conducting military operations, including using terror tactics, in civilian-populated areas, leading to civilian casualties, including children."

US-supported death squads bear full responsibility for horrific crimes against humanity.

They murdered innocent civilians. They conducted numerous chemical weapons attacks. They committed gruesome atrocities.

They attack residential neighborhoods. They slaughter families while they sleep. They murder children in their beds.

They recruit others to join them. They do so under threat of torture and death. They hold civilians as human shields.

They destroyed or damaged dozens of hospitals, schools, mosques, public buildings, and private property.

They blew up vital infrastructure. They sabotaged oil and gas pipelines. They prevent humanitarian aid from reaching entrapped civilians.

They're armed, funded, trained and directed by America, key NATO allies and rogue regional states.

Point fingers the right way. Assign blame where it belongs. The UN report is largely polar opposite. It highlights children disappearing.

It claims Syria detained them young as 11 for alleged association with anti-government forces. It said Syria's military conducted large-scale arrest campaigns.

Children were tortured and abused, it said. It claimed Syrian forces did so to extract confessions, humiliate them, or pressure a relative to surrender.

It maliciously accused Assad of "ill-treatment and acts tantamount to torture." It claimed it includes:

beatings with metal cables, whips, wooden batons and metal ones;

electro-shocking to genitals and other body parts;

ripping out fingernails and toenails;

sexual abuses, including rape or threatening it;

mock executions;

cigarette burns;

sleep deprivation;

solitary confinement;

exposure to relatives being tortured;

suspending children to walls or ceilings by their wrists or other limbs;

forcing their heads, necks, or legs through a tire while beating them; and

beating them tied to a board.

An unnamed 16-year-old boy allegedly said he witnessed a 14-year-old male friend sexually assaulted and killed. Other uncorroborated accusations are similar.

They include young girls being raped and children beaten with metal bars or hammers. In some some cases killing them.

Unsubstantiated claims hold no water. Claiming them discredits the UN report. It almost entirely ignores horrific US-sponsored death squad atrocities.

They're well planned. Insurgents are well-trained. CIA operatives are involved. They're experts in the most gruesome torture techniques.

Death squad extremists terrorize civilians, starve them, hold them as human shields, and kidnap them for ransom.

They conduct targeted killings, arbitrary executions, brutal torture, other forms of ill-treatment, beheadings, and cutting out a victim's heart and eating it, as well as other violent crimes.

Pro-government loyalists are targeted. Syrian civilians are terrorized. No crime too gruesome to commit is avoided. They repeat with disturbing regularity.

Death squad killers are well trained. Washington wants wholesale carnage, pain and suffering. Body counts mount daily.

Peace is a convenient illusion. Hegemons spurn it. No-holds-barred ruthlessness reflects official US policy. The UN report didn't explain.

It merely cites allegations of sexual violence committed by opposition groups. They've been caught in the act numerous times committing gruesome atrocities. They're too outrageous to conceal.

The UN report did its best to do so. It focuses on maliciously vilifying Assad. It makes unjustifiable accusations. It back them with uncorroborated allegations. It discredits itself in the process.

It doesn't surprise. It happened so many times before. America calls the shots. Subservient UN officials comply.

Ban is notoriously one-sided. He's been so throughout his tenure. He's polar opposite what he swore to uphold. His record reflects failure and betrayal.

He consistently spurns core UN Charter provisions. He's beholden to wealth and power. He supports wrong over right.

He's complicit with US, NATO and Israeli crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. He's a model reprehensible secretary-general.

He blames victims for perpetrator crimes. Especially Western and Israeli ones. His deplorable record earned him two terms.

He lies for power. He turns a blind eye to Obama's imperial wars. His latest report shows it.

Imagine blaming Assad for attacking schools and hospitals. Imagine accusing him of killing civilians he's going all out to protect. Imagine saying:

"Injured opposition fighters and civilians, including children, admitted to Government hospitals in perceived pro-opposition areas in Aleppo, Dar’a, Homs and Idlib governorates were reportedly exposed to arrest, detention, ill treatment and acts tantamount to torture by civilian doctors, and/or elements of Government forces."

Imagine providing no evidence proving it. Imagine none existing. Imagine fabrications substituting for hard, independently verifiable facts.

Instead of pointing fingers the right way. Ban called on "all sides to stop all grave violations against children (and) civilian areas."

It bears repeating. US-supported death squads bear full responsibility. Unnamed so-called witnesses making unsubstantiated allegations don't wash. Don't expect Ban to explain.

Deputy Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad denounced his accusations. "I categorically deny there are any children being detained," he said.

He accused foreign-backed terrorists of crimes blamed on Assad. Interior Minister Mohammad al-Shaar said Syria is confronting "international systemized terrorism (committed by) armed terrorist" invaders.

Separately, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) headlined "Syria demands stop to politicization of Syrian chemical file."

Identical letters were sent to Ban and Security Council president Raimonda Murmokaite. Syria's Foreign Ministry said Washington and complicit SC members express unfair criticism.

"These countries have strayed from the truth and the objective assessment of what Syria has accomplished in the context of implementing its obligations according to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC),'' the letters said.

''The unfair campaign coincided with the convening of Geneva 2 and the positive attitude of Syria towards it."

"This escalation...is clear indication of more pressure brought to bear on Syria with the intent of influencing Geneva 2."

Syria's Foreign Ministry called on the international community to stop "leveling unfair accusations and resorting to cheap skepticism against the Syrian government."

Expect lots more accusations ahead. Expect vilifying Assad to continue. Expect regime change to remain official US policy.

Expect peace talks to go nowhere. Expect conflict to keep raging out-of-control. Expect possible false flag deception as pretext for direct US intervention.

When America wants regime change, no-holds-barred policies pursue it. If diplomacy, sanctions, and proxy wars fail, direct intervention is the bottom line option.

Last year, Obama postponed it. He didn't cancel it. Odds favor it ahead. It takes a giant leap of faith to believe otherwise.

Doing so would be unprecedented. Replacing Assad with pro-Western governance remains policy.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.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.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour