30 april

Ännu ett terrordåd i Damaskus idag!

Press TV – Blast hits central Damascus, causing casualties: Syrian media

A car bomb explosion has hit the central district of al-Marjeh in Syria’s capital city of Damascus, causing casualties, Syrian media report.
Reports also say the blast took place near the Syrian Interior Ministry. Gun fire was reportedly heard immediately after the blast.

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A massive car explosion has been reported in central Damascus with the Syrian Interior Ministry, a big hotel and a market located nearby. Local media report many have been injured.
Reports on casualties vary from five to seven people.
The explosion went off in Marjeh district of the capital. The Semiramis Hotel is located there, not far from the ministry.
There is no information on the target of the blast. Activists reported gunfire was heard in the area immediately after the explosion.
Eyewitnesses say they heard a powerful explosion and then saw thick, black smoke rising from behind a group of buildings.
The Marjeh district is in the historic part of the city. The blast went off near a building which once housed the country’s Ministry of Interior Affairs. The ministry had earlier been moved to another site.

Damascus – Marja: the high number of martyrs of the terrorist bombing to 13 and more than 70 injured

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey, efter gårdagens dåd – Syria: Terrorists attempt to murder PM

The Syrian terrorists, backed by the FUKUS Axis (France, UK, US) have perpetrated a failed bomb attack against the Syrian Prime Minister, Wael al-Halaqi. Until what point will the West continue to cavort with murderers, rapists and torturers? Is this an ”ethical” foreign policy?
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First they dismantled Yugoslavia, then they insolated and insulted the core of the Serbian nation by carving off Kosovo and virtually declaring it an independent state (when Kosovo is, was and always has been a province of the Republic of Serbia and is the birthplace of the Serbian nation). Afghanistan was next because it refused to allow the USA to build a pipeline transporting mineral resources from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean through Pakistan, then they attacked oil-rich Iraq based upon lies, then Libya because Colonel Gaddafy’s African policies were sending alarm bells ringing among the lobbies.
And now Syria, as a first step towards pushing Russia further away from the Mediterranean, as a last piece in the puzzle surrounding Iran, which if it follows, will become the final piece in the puzzle creating a vice-like grip around Russia’s throat. Then let’s guess who is next.

Annons

29 april

Russia Today – Huge suicide blast near Damascus school targets Syrian PM, casualties reported

Christof Lehmann – Damascus Terror Bomb Targeting Prime Minister Al-Halqi Kills 19. West´s Desperate Attempt to Derail National Dialog

Monday 29 April, during the morning hours, a bomb blast near a school in central Damascus, targeting Prime Minister al-Halqi, who is chairing the Syrian National Dialog, killed at least 19 and wounded 25 civilians. Al-Halqi was not hurt during the terrorist attack in al-Mezze, Damascus. The attack is likely to be a desperate attempt to derail the National Dialog in the light of the dialog´s success and military failure of the NATO – backed mercenary corps in Syria.

english.ruvr.ru – Putin, Obama say ready to do everything to settle conflict in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama said they were ready to do everything necessary to settle the conflict in Syria.
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that Putin and Obama discussed the Syrian issue during a telephone conversation the two had on Monday.
”The two sides stressed the importance of the fact that Kerry [U.S. Secretary of State] and Lavrov [Russian Foreign Minister] were in constant contact and were trying to develop some joint steps,” Ushakov said.
Ushakov said: ”The readiness to take all necessary measures to finally resolve the Syrian issue was stressed as well.”

english.ruvr.ru – Moscow urges world leaders to condemn Damascus attack

english.ruvr.ru – It’s inadmissible to speculate on WMD for geopolitical purposes – Lavrov

It’s inadmissible to speculate on the issue of weapons of mass destruction for geopolitical purposes, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a question and answer session in Moscow earlier today. He specifically elaborated on war chemicals in Syria.
According to him, this is by no means the first time that the issue has surfaced at a news briefing. Reports to that end are not always well-founded, Lavrov said.

Press TV – Russia warns against attempts to topple Syrian government

Russia has warned the West against using a search for chemical weapons in Syria as an attempt to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
”There are governments and outside players that believe that all means are appropriate [to be used] to overthrow the Syrian regime,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.
Referring to the use of chemical weapons by foreign-backed militants on March 19 near the city of Aleppo, where 25 people were killed and 86 injured, Lavrov criticized UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his call on a UN fact-finding mission to investigate unproven claims about the use of chemical weapons in Syria in December 2012.
”This demand by the [UN] secretary-general with reference to a forgotten episode reminds us a great deal of attempts in Syria to introduce a practice analogous to that which existed in Iraq, when they were looking for weapons of mass destruction there,” Lavrov added.

Press TV – UK MPs question gov’t claims on Syria

British MPs have demanded that the government provides evidence on its claims that sarin chemical agent was found in soil samples from Syria.
The call has been made over fears that the government’s claims are another trick similar to the fabricated claims by the British and American governments back in 2003 that former Iraqi dictator Saddam had ready-to-launch weapons of mass destruction, an excuse that was used to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq.

Press TV – ‘UK, France barring UN Syria inspection’

Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari says Britain and France are trying to undermine Damascus’s official request from the United Nation to investigate chemical weapons use in Aleppo.
Al-Jaafari said in an interview with the Lebanese NBN TV channel that the western governments seek to repeat the Iraqi scenario in Syria through questioning its sovereignty by opening its borders to undisciplined inspections by the UN under the pretext of chemical weapons use.
Al-Jaffari said the western sides do not want an investigation to take place suggesting they know full well that the anti-government militants used chemical agents in the town of Khan al-Asal, near Aleppo, and elsewhere.

Press TV – ‘US, some allies blamed for Syria crisis’

Delegates at an international peace conference in Turkey have blamed the United States and some of its allies in the Middle East for creating the crisis in Syria, Press TV reports.
The participants from twenty-three different nationalities at the conference in Istanbul said on Sunday that the imperialistic designs of the US, certain Western states, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are to blame for the crisis, Press TV’s Istanbul correspondent Serena Shim reported.

Press TV – UK mil. chief warns against Syria war

Britain’s military chief has warned Prime Minister David Cameron against any intervention in Syria saying it would risk dragging British forces into an all-out war.

28 april

english.ruvr.ru – Israel PM tells ministers to stay silent on Syria

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his ministers to keep silent about Syria to avoid the impression Israel is pushing the international community into armed intervention, army radio said Sunday.
Netanyahu gave the instructions after Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin suggested the international community might react militarily to ”take control of the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal”.
The radio station reported Netanyahu sought to avoid that Elkin’s words be seen as an Israeli attempt to push the United States into launching a military operation in Syria.
The political commentator on military radio said that ”US hesitancy over the Syrian issue in the last few days, however, is causing a great deal of worry in Israel”.

almanar.com.lb – Israeli Leaders Push US into another Pro-Israel War in Syria

Tel Aviv is trying to pave the way for a US-led foreign intervention in Syria by accusing Damascus of using chemical weapons. This is the same excuse, the weapons of mass destruction, that pro-Israeli neocon circles used in 2003 to launch the Iraq war. Later, this claim proved to be a lie as many experts from all over the world had warned in advance. For its part, Syria denied that it had used chemical weapons. Syrian Information Minister was quoted as saying on 24 April that his country would not use this kind of weapons even in the event of war with its worst enemy, Israel.
On 15 April, head of Israel´s Military Intelligence and Former Head of the Institute for National Security, General Amos Yadlin, called for taking steps to break the axis of resistance -which consists of Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria- by weakening Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and ending his rule as soon as possible. The Channel 2 of the Israeli TV further quoted Yadlin as saying that “whoever that is not aware that the fall of Assad is a positive development for Israel, would be incapable of reading the situation correctly.”

syrianews.cc – A Very Bad Day for Al-Qaeda FSA Terrorists in Syria

Christof Lehmann – Unequivocal Russian Support of Syria against Foreign Military and Political Aggression

In an article, published on nsnbc international on 27 April, it transpired, that Turkish, that is NATO troops are said to be directly involved in combat operations against the Syrian military. The Turkish troops, who are fighting alongside western backed al-Nusrah, that is al-Qaeda mercenaries, constitute a gross violation of international law, a gross violation of the Geneva Agreement, and a criminal act of war by Turkey and NATO.
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Over the recent days, both the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russia´s President Vladimir Putin have repeatedly stated, that it is unacceptable that the latest claims of evidence about the Syrian governments use of chemical weapons should be used as a pretext for military aggression against Syria. In almost unprecedented use of strong language, the words lies and fake evidence were used with regard to Iraq, where manufactured claims about WMDs were used as a pretext for an illegal war against Iraq ten years ago, from which the country still has not recovered.

Tony Cartalucci – NYT: ”Nowhere in Rebel-Controlled Syria is There a Secular Fighting Force to Speak Of”, Time to end Western support for terrorists in Syria

Revealed is a conspiracy so insidious, so outrageous, and a web of lies so tangled, that Western governments perhaps count on their populations to disbelieve their tax money is being used to intentionally fund and arm savage terrorism while purposefully fueling a sectarian bloodbath whose death toll is sounded daily by the very people driving it up to astronomical heights. The cards are down – the US has been exposed as openly funding, arming, and supplying Al Qaeda in Syria for two years and in turn, is directly responsible for the death, atrocities, and humanitarian disasters within and along Syria’s borders that have resulted.

Chemical Weapons Inspection in Syria stalled: UN Team Takes Orders from Washington, “Cannot be Trusted”

In all their “absurdity and deceitfulness,” al-Zouabi explained, such statements by some Western governments are made in pursuit of basic goals.
“Their aim is, first, to cover those who are really behind use of chemical weapons in Khan al-Assal, and secondly, to repeat Iraq’s scenario, to pave the way for other investigation inspections. To provide, based on their results, maps, photos of rockets and other fabricated materials to the UN, which as we know, opened the way to the occupation of Iraq.”

I den grupp som skulle undersöka spår efter kemiska vapen som FN ville skicka in i Syrien för några veckor sen ingick inte några experter från Ryssland och Kina!!

Experts from Russia and China however were not included in the team to ensure it wasn’t biased, according to the United Nations.
At the time Russian EU envoy Vitaly Churkin criticized “this kind of logic,” saying in that case he “would recommend excluding all NATO countries too.”

”Väst måste sluta stödja terrorism i Syrien”, Agnes Mariam om konflikten, kvinnoförtrycket och freden

– Västländer uppmuntrar och stödjer terrorism i Syrien. Jag menar att väst har ett ansvar för varje enskild civil som dödas i Syrien. Det säger Agnes Mariam, känd företrädare för katolska kyrkan i Syrien. Hon anklagar omvärlden för att sabotera en politisk lösning av den tragiska konflikten.
…
– Den bild världsmedia ger är inte sann. Vad som pågår är inte en folklig revolution utan en invasion av Syrien stödd utifrån och med deltagande av terrorister från fler än 30 länder. De skyddar inte civila utan terroriserar dem, driver människor på flykt, plundrar, förstör, bränner ner.
– Se på vad de gjort, fortsätter Agnes Mariam. Rebellerna har förstört elkraftverk, vattenreningsanläggningar, spannmålslager och historiska och kulturella platser. I Aleppo har de monterat ned och fraktat 1400 fabriker till Turkiet, vilket gjort 40.000 arbetslösa. Upproret har inte fört med sig något positivt.

Sharmine Narwani – Chemical Weapons Charade in Syria

For the uninitiated, “varying degrees of confidence” can mean anything from “no confidence whatsoever” to “the Israelis told us” – which, translated, also means “no confidence whatsoever.”
Too cavalier? I don’t think so. The White House introduced another important caveat in its detailed briefing on Thursday:
“This assessment is based in part on physiological samples. Our standard of evidence must build on these intelligence assessments as we seek to establish credible and corroborated facts. For example the chain of custody is not clear so we cannot confirm how the exposure occurred and under what conditions.”
“The chain of custody is not clear.” That is the single most important phrase in this whole exercise. It is the only phrase that journalists need consider – everything else is conjecture of WMDs-in-Iraq proportions.
I asked a State Department spokesperson the following: “Does it mean you don’t know who has had access to the sample before it reached you? Or that the sample has not been contaminated along the way?”
He responded: “It could mean both.”
…
At this point, almost everything being discussed in relation to chemical weapons inside Syria is conjecture – and to be honest – highly suspect.

Christof Lehmann – Turkey likely to have used Chemical Weapons in Syria

The renewed diplomatic raw about the use of chemical weapons in Syria, with bellicose threats from the US- Administration, has taken a surprising turn, as it transpires, that the most likely perpetrator are Turkish military officers in Syria.Turkish troops and pilots have over the last week been involved in pitched battles, alongside al-Nusra terrorist or mercenary corps, in the attempt to secure the Ming airfield near Aleppo, leading to suspicions that the anti-Syrian alliance is preparing the political and military pretext for yet another Iraq or Libya – style “intervention”.

‘Militants seek US intervention in Syria’, an interview with James Jatras, former US Senate Foreign Policy analyst

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich – The Fueling of Unrest in Syria, Israel’s Territorial Ambitions

.. it is important to change the accepted narrative about Syrian uprisings. Given the decades lone demonization of Iran, it may be more palatable to associate the fueling of unrest in Syria point to a ‘weaker’ Iran, but let there be no mistake – Syria today is in turmoil in order to promote Israel’s grand strategy – even as the perpetrator – Israel, plays the victim and warns of chemical weapons use by Assad’s regime, demanding intervention. “Evil requires the sanction of the victim.” Ayn Rand.

27 april

UPPDATERING

En intervju där det ges en trolig förklaring till hur det förhåller sig med de senaste dagarnas hotfulla prat och anklagelser om kemiska vapen. Dessa anklagelser kom oväntat från israeliskt håll just som USA’s försvarsminister åkte till Israel på besök. Det som följt efter det är mest ett sätt för USA att hantera och tona ner det hela, därav de ansträngda och tillkrånglade formuleringarna om ”varierande grad av övertygelse om att kemiska vapen använts i liten omfattning”.

US fears nuclear conflict with Russia over Syria: Mark Glenn

Press TV: Mr. Glenn another media campaign against Syria with accusations of weapons of mass destruction. Just how close are we to seeing another Iraqi-style military intervention in Syria?
Glenn: I don’t think that we are anytime going to see this taking place soon. I see this latest development as basically arising out of the surprise that was sprung on Secretary of Defense Hagel when he went to Israel and met with his counterpart [Israeli Minister of Defense] Moshe Yaalon. Then, without having even discussed this with Hagel, all of a sudden it is breaking out in Israeli media that Syria supposedly used these weapons of mass destruction.
So, I see this latest admission on the part of the [US] president, where even if you look at the language that he is using.
He says, with varying degrees of confidence, meaning that the US intelligence community and certainly Obama’s White House do not believe that Assad used these weapons against his own people.
So, I think what we are seeing right now basically is just damage control in Obama and his administration; trying to contain what really was a dirty trick that was played upon them when Hagel visited Israel and this news was released in the Israeli media.

Och Robert Frisk befinner sig återigen bland de syriska trupperna och rapporterar om framgångar för den syriska armén.

They may be fighting for Syria, not Assad. They may also be winning: Robert Fisk reports from inside Syria

‘NATO-backed militants used WMDs in Syria’, an interview with Dr. Randy Short with the Dignity, Human Rights and Peace organization in Washington … and Al-Muhajiroun, Anjem Choudary in London.

slut på uppdateringen _______________

Kan någon gå på den här föreställningen en gång till? Efter t.ex. Irak. Och dessa påståenden om användande av kemiska vapen kommer från de verkliga krigsförbrytarna. Risken är väl att det finns de som inte är uppmärksamma och låter sig bedras, med hjälp av sådana som Sten Sjöström och hans kumpaner i medierna.

Finian Cunningham – US, UK diabolic lie: Syria used chemical arms

You have to admit it. The Americans and British do make a formidable double-act – of deception and criminality. Where one party has the firepower, the other has the liar-power.
The diabolic duo is at it again. This time the criminal magic show is to sell the lie to the world that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons of mass destruction. Weeks of political choreography have set up the issue of chemical weapons as a convenient “red line”.
Now, hey presto, the threshold has been reached for the Americans and the British to justify ramping up their criminal interference in Syria from covert proxy terrorism to overt state terrorism.
…
“The US intelligence community assesses with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale.” The unconvincing Hagel then blew the sales pitch by adding: “We are not sure of the origin but any use of chemical weapons in Syria is likely to have come from the Syrian regime.”
In other words, with varying degrees of confidence, we haven’t a clue.
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The familiar credibility gap in the American regime’s rhetoric was shored up the next day by Britain’s David Cameron. He told the BBC:
“It is extremely serious – this is a war crime – and we should take it very seriously.”
Cameron added:
“I think what President Obama said was absolutely right – that this should form for the international community a red line for us to do more.”
…
But let’s take a closer look at the words of Cameron and his “confident” assertion of Syrian government war crimes.
The British prime minister said: “It is very disturbing what we are seeing. It’s limited evidence but there’s growing evidence that we have seen, too, of the use of chemical weapons, probably by the regime.”
Behind the façade of an assured trusty politician is the sneer of a dodgy second-hand washing machine salesman.
The crux of the matter is there is no evidence; only American and British insinuation of what is “likely” and “probable” to suit their illicit agenda of forcing regime change in Syria through escalating violence on the civilian population.
Obama and Cameron are downplaying a direct military attack on Syria for now. But what this double-act is trying to achieve through their
latest show of deception is to give themselves a license to escalate their covert terrorism in Syria.

Press TV – US claims of chemical arms use in Syria repeat of Iraq scenario: Syria

The Syrian information minister says the United States aims to “repeat the Iraq example” in the Arab country by claiming that the Damascus government has used chemical weapons against foreign-backed militants.
In an interview with Russia TV, Omran Al-Zoubi denied allegations by US officials that chemical weapons had been used in Syria on a small scale, CNN reported on Friday.
”Everything that the American minister and British government have said lack credibility,” Al-Zoubi said, adding, ”It’s baseless, and it’s a new tactic to put political and economic pressure on Syria.”
Al-Zoubi further said that the Americans “want to manipulate the issue, to let whoever used the chemical weapons … get away (with it), and to repeat the Iraq example.”

Syrian Girl: U.S. Ignoring FSA’s WMD Use

26 april

english.ruvr.ru – Moscow says UN decision on Syria chemical weapons ‘politicized’

Russia accuses the UN Secretariat of taking a politicized approach toward investigating reports on the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a commentary that the UN Secretariat demanded that Damascus agree to the establishment of a permanent inspection mechanism on the entire Syrian territory with unlimited access.
”The inspection system proposed is analogous to that used at the end of the previous century in Iraq, which, unlike Syria, was under UN Security Council sanctions.”
”This turnaround in the UN Secretariat’s position is nothing but a demonstration of a politicized approach,” Lukashevich said.
As a result, the investigation into the March 19 incident near Aleppo has been blocked, Lukashevich said.
”It is difficult to understand why the UN Secretariat prefers to take its cue from those who care not about concrete steps to prevent attempts to use chemical weapons in the Syrian crisis but to change the regime of a sovereign state,” it said.

english.ruvr.ru – ”Evidence” of Syrian chemical weapon use not up to U.N. standard

Assertions of chemical weapon use in Syria by Western and Israeli officials citing photos, sporadic shelling and traces of toxins do not meet the standard of proof needed for a U.N. team of experts waiting to gather their own field evidence.

sana.sy – Pushkov Warns of US Accusations of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria

Chairman of the Russian Duma’s International Affairs Committee, Alexei Pushkov, warned of the US intentions behind making accusations against the Syrian government of using chemical weapons.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Pushkov said such accusations could be used as a pretext to start a war against Syria similar to what happened in Iraq.
”The US is starting a new attack against Syria by accusing it of using chemical weapons, which is the same way Bush used in Iraq accusing it of possessing nuclear weapons as an excuse for war,” added Pushkov.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel earlier claimed, according to what he said a belief by the US Intelligence, that the Syrian army has used chemical weapons ”on a small scale”.
In a contradictory statement, the US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the White House was still seeking an accurate investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Syria which can be either confirmed or dismissed simply through UN inspectors.

sana.sy – Russia, China, Iran: Intervention in Syria Would Stoke Terrorism and Worsen the Situation

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, stressed that the European Union’s (EU) decision on importing the Syrian oil from ”the Syrian opposition” is dangerous and constitutes a violation of the norms of the international law and the Syrian sovereignty.
During his speech in the UN Security Council’s session on the Situation in the Middle East, Churkin expressed strong astonishment over the EU dangerous decision that violates the norms of the international law and the principles of national sovereignty.
He refuted the justifications of the promoters of the decision under the pretext of supporting what they call the ‘moderate opposition’, adding ”No matter how much those who created this dangerous decision attempted to propose it, there is no need to be a prophet to understand that financial flows go to the strongest armed ranks.”
The Russian diplomat clarified ”those are the extremists and radicals including al-Qaeda -linked terrorists from ‘Jabhat al-Nusra’ and they are controlling several oil fields.
Churkin warned that betting on war to the end in Syria would lead to worsening the situation and increasing the danger of terrorism, underscoring Russia’s worries of ”exporting weapons to illicit groups in Syria”.

Press TV – China opposes military intervention in Syria

Beijing disapproves of military interventions in any country and that position is also consistent and clear, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press briefing on Friday, Xinhua reported.
Hua called on all Syrian parties to seek a political solution as the only correct way to resolve the crisis in the Arab country, urging an immediate end to all violence there.
”China calls on the international community to make unremitting efforts to produce a political settlement on the issue in a responsible manner,” she told reporters.

Syrian information minister wraps up Russia visit

8dagar.com – Ja, sarin finns i Syrien….

Först hittar Israels underrättelsetjänst ”bevis” för att Syriens regering har använt giftgasen sarin.
Några dagar senare säger USA:s försvarsminister att han inte tror på det och så ytterligare några dagar senare att han med ”en viss grad av varierande säkerhet” har fastställt att kemiska stridsmedel – och specifikt saringas – har använts i Syrien.
Varför har då USA i praktiken stoppat den FN-undersökning av användning av kemiska stridsmedel som Syrien har begärt?
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Man kan också fundera över tajmingen i Hagels utspel:
1. De båda biskopar som kidnappats i Syrien har ännu inte kommit till rätta. Om terroristerna har dödat två av Syriens högsta kyrkomän kan det inte undgå att uppröra en stor världsopinion. Det handlar om Syriens kristna minoritet (5 procent) vars liv står på spel. USA har inte kommenterat frågan utan väljer att tala om annat…
2. Bostondramat var ett hårt slag mot USA:s politik att kalla terrorister i andra länder som Syrien, Ryssland och Kina för frihetskämpar, men när smittan når USA är det plötsligt ensamma galningar. Det måste vara genant för Vita huset att deras ”demokratibistånd” i Syrien går till grupperingar som spränger deras egna medborgare i luften.
3. De syriska regeringsstyrkorna har haft framgångar på sistone och problemen i den USA-riggade Nationella koalitionen gör att utsikterna för en rebellseger i Syrien ter sig allt mer illusoriska.

english.ruvr.ru – Jordanians lash out against US troops deployment

About 300 Jordanians have demonstrated against the proposed deployment of 200 U.S. troops on their nation’s border with Syria.
Some protesters warned that the small force could be just the beginning of a process that leads to U.S. involvement in Syria’s civil war to secure its chemical weapons. Other demonstrators, backing the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, burned American flags.
At the Friday rally in Amman, leftists and independents chanted, ”No to U.S. troops in Jordan. This is not in our national interest.” They said they do not want to see a U.S.-led invasion of Syria like the 2003 war in neighboring Iraq, based on faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction there.

25 april

Russia Today – Defense Secretary Hagel: Syria used chemical weapons

Visst ser det ut så som Cartalucci säger, att västländerna i desperation tar till anklagelser om kemiska vapen i ett läge där ”rebellerna” tycks lida stora nederlag, trots alla enorma resurser och allt stöd de fått.

Tony Cartalucci – US Unveils Iraq WMD ”Curveball-Style” Lies Vs. Syria, As NATO terror front collapses in Syria, US attempts to justify intervention by drumming up familiar WMD lies

The last two weeks have seen a series of victories for the Syrian Army across Syria. It appears that 2 full companies of so-called ”Free Syrian Army” fighters have been annihilated near Damascus, while government forces have restored order in parts of Homs and along the previously porous Lebanese-Syrian border.
Time has run out for the West, and it appears that they are desperately seeking any excuse to rescue their failing proxy war. When urgent, but otherwise unjustified military intervention is needed, a ”humanitarian” pretext is usually invented – as it was in Libya. Failing that, as the West has already clearly done in Syria, an even more tenuous narrative has been resurrected from its well-earned grave. CNN has reported in their article, ”Hagel: Evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria,” that:
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Thursday that the United States has evidence that chemical weapons have been used in Syria.
…
The ”Curveball-style” lies told about Iraq are now being repeated about Syria by an increasingly unhinged West who has tried every trick in the book, and is flipping back to the beginning to start over again. The question is, can the world afford to be led down this path again, knowing exactly where it ends? Nations and people outside the Wall Street-London international order are tasked with foiling this criminal war of aggression – unable this time to plead ignorance to the West’s true intentions.

english.ruvr.ru – Syrian troops gain upper hand over rebels

Syrian government troops are gaining the upper hand over rebels with assistance from the people’s volunteer corps, the country’s Information Minister Omran Al-Zouabi told the Voice of Russia.
The desire of many young men and women to protect their homeland has shifted the balance, he said.
That part of the opposition which is supported by the United States and its allies is just the façade covering up the real goals pursued by Turkey, Qatar, America and Saudi Arabia, said the minister.
“That part of the opposition which we call internal, regardless of whether it is inside Syria or abroad, has its own political goals but, unfortunately, no concrete political project. And that’s why it lacks mass support”.
On Tuesday, Syrian government troops regained control of the strategically important town of Otaybach near Damascus.

Brahimi must slam NATO over Syria: Ralph Schoenman, A political commentator tells Press TV that UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi must censure the NATO countries for fueling the turmoil in Syria….Press TV has conducted an interview with Ralph Schoenman, a political commentator and the author of Hidden History of Zionism from Berkeley

24 april

almanar.com.lb – Brahimi Suggests UN Arms Embargo on Syria Conflict

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi suggested the Security Council consider an arms embargo on both sides of Syria’s conflict during a closed-door meeting, a UN official said Wednesday.
Brahimi ”emphasized the need for a political solution along the lines of the Geneva Communiqué and warned against the growing militarization and radicalization inside Syria,” Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said, describing the address delivered last Friday.
”He reiterated the secretary-general’s call to stop the flow of arms to either side in Syria and called on the council to consider an arms embargo.”

Press TV – UK attempts to hide its destructive role in arming Syria terrorists: Jim Brann

If you look at the series of announcements made by the British government, they are more and more deceptive because clearly Britain is introducing military aid of various kinds into the situation while at the same time pretending that it is not.

Press TV – Western spies in Syria behind abduction of archbishops: Moaz al-Khatib

The former leader of Syria’s opposition National Coalition Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib says Western spies currently active inside Syria were behind the recent abduction of two archbishops in Aleppo.
According to Khatib, tens of Western spy agencies are currently active in Syria, reports show.
The reports also added that the former head of the opposition has claimed that it was also possible for a foreign intelligence agency to be working in Syria to instigate more tension in the country.
He said that those responsible for the abduction of the archbishops are trying to add to the unrest in Syria.
Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Paul Yazigi were abducted as they were reportedly carrying out humanitarian work in a village in Aleppo governorate on Monday.

Press TV – 500 Europeans fight along with militants against Syria: EU official

EU’s anti-terror chief Gilles de Kerchove told British media on Wednesday that some 500 Europeans were in Syria, to fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
He said that Britain, Ireland and France were among the EU countries to have the highest numbers of militants in Syria.

Press TV – Magnetic bomb kills Syria Electricity Ministry official: SANA

A senior official at Syria’s Electricity Ministry has been killed by a magnetic bomb attached to his car, SANA news agency reports.

‘US involved in massacring of Syrians’, Danny Makki (Makki’s del som text), a Syrian political analyst from the capital city of London … and Lee Kaplan, an investigative journalist from Berkeley

Ulf Sandmark – Till Syrien: Hur kan 9/11-alliansen brytas upp?

Efter lång och trogen tjänst har de svenska socialdemokraterna och regeringen avslöjat sig själva som de facto medbrottslingar till al-Qaida. De samarbetade om att skicka svenska JAS-plan till Libyen där de deltog i Natokriget mot Khaddafi med al-Qaidas terrorister som fotsoldater. De stöder öppet den del av den syriska oppositionen som arbetar med det al-Qaida-allierade Jabhat al-Nushra. Om Säpo skall sköta sitt uppdrag att bevaka terroristsympatisörer så borde man bavaka dessa politiker. Den socialdemokratiska partikongressen har uttalat sig för att kunna köra över FN i ”extrema nödfall” och anger Syrienkriget som ett sådant exempel. De går därmed t.o.m. längre än den moderatledda regeringen i sin hets att kriga tillsammans med al-Qaida.
Den syriska regeringsarmén, under ledning av president Assad, står emot stormaktsangreppet och återvinner nu stora landområden, men 11-september-alliansen kan inte ge upp sitt angrepp på Syrien. Skall de tillåta att deras väpnade angrepp på en suverän nation och stöd till ändlösa massakrer skall bli allmänt erkänt och fördömt i hundratals år? …

Press TV – Tunisians censure countries recruiting their children to fight Syrian govt.

Tunisian families have taken to the streets to protest against certain foreign countries’ recruitment of their children to fight the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Press TV reports.
The families staged a peaceful demonstration outside the parliament in Tunis on Tuesday to censure some countries for their role in recruiting their children, especially Turkey.
“I know that Turkey has facilitated my son’s entry to Syria. I blame the Turkish authorities for the sorrow of Tunisian and Syrian mothers. One of our youths has left [for] Syria with his wife and daughter. They were sold. Is this what they call jihad?” one of the protesters said.

Christof Lehmann – Syrian Information Minister al-Zoubi visits Russia. Syria Target of War and Media War. Arab League is Dead

During a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday, the Syrian Information Minister al-Zoubi said, that Syria is facing a real war that has many elements. Al-Zoubi stressed the role of media and the media war that is waged against Syria, as well as the role of state-sponsored terrorism. About the role of the Arab League al-Zoubi said, that the Arab League is dead.

syrianews.cc – Zo’bi: Syria Took its Decision to Fight Terror

Syrian Minister of Information Omran Zo’bi in a press conference from Moscow after meeting Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov 23 April 2013, pointed out the main current issues regarding the Syrian Crisis and the reality of events as of now, emphasizing Syria’s official stance on all sides of the crisis. The following are highlights from his conference.
…
‘Reality on the ground in Syria is a confrontation between the military establishment and terrorist groups. It is not possible to understand the ‘armed opposition’ concept and it’s strange from the political discourse’
‘There is nothing called Free Army, this is not an establishment rather a brand, and the majority fighting on the ground are financed by Saudi Arabia & Qatar.. Al-Nusra Front has an organizational structure with organized sources of arming’

23 april

Samtidigt som det rapporteras om allt större framgångar för regeringstrupperna i kampen mot de väpnade gängen, så kommer de här påståendena, tecken på desperation? – Syria using chemical weapons against militants: Israel

Brigadier General Itai Brun, head of the research and analysis division of Israeli military intelligence, said on Tuesday that Syrian troops have probably used Sarin, a lethal nerve agent, against militants on several occasions in the past few months.

Press TV – Syria govt. forces clear more areas around Homs

Syrian government forces have driven out foreign-backed militants from around the city of Homs as the army continues clearing operations in the west of the country.
The gains came on Tuesday as Syrian soldiers were clearing more Homs suburbs as well as the district of al-Qusayr, viewed as the main stronghold of armed militants in the area.
Dozens of explosive devices were found and defused while army forces captured large numbers of other weapons from the militants.
In the last few days, the Syrian Army had managed to seize a number of strategic towns and villages near the border with Lebanon.

Syrian information minister in Moscow for talks, Syrian Information Minister, Omran al-Zoabi has given a talk to an audience of Russian diplomats in Moscow on the situation in Syria and on the government’s plans to overcome the crisis in the country. He says that misleading information has become a weapon in a war staged against Syria.

nyhetsbanken.se – EU oljar terrormaskin

Europeiska unionens utrikesministrar beslutade idag att lätta på EU:s oljeembargo till förmån för de terrorister som försöker ta kontroll över Syrien.
Det är inte bara fråga om att hålla terroristernas fordonsflotta rullande utan EU-företag ska också kunna köpa olja som terroristerna har stulit för att finansiera vapenköp. Terroristkontrollerade områden ska förses med utrustning för att kunna driva statsägda syriska oljekällor och låta pengarna gå i terroristernas fickor istället för att komma civilbefolkningen till del.
…
Däremot vågade EU inte så kort inpå terroristdramat i Boston besluta att direkt beväpna Syriens terrorister. Det får istället som hittills ske inofficiellt.

Press TV – Syria slams EU plan to buy oil from militants

Syria has described the European Union’s plan to buy oil from militants fighting against the Damascus government as an act of aggression.

Press TV – Arab League snubs UN appeal to stop arming militants in Syria

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Araby has rejected an appeal by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to put an end to the arming of the militants in Syria.
…
Qatar’s prime minister refused to comment after the meeting.
During the meeting, Ban called on Qatar and certain Arab states to stop supplying weapons to the militants fighting in Syria, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said on Monday.
At a meeting in the Qatari capital Doha last month, the Arab League gave its member states the “right” to provide all sorts of arms supply to the militants in Syria.

Rihan Younan, 21: Därför väljer jag bort kanalen

Men det som fick Rihan Younan att börja tvivla på Al Jazeeras sanningsenlighet var ett par personliga upplevelser. I januari 2012 befann hon sig i sin hemstad Aleppo, när Al Jazeera rapporterade om upplopp och demonstrationer på en plats där hon med egna ögon kunde se att allt var lugnt. Sommaren dessförinnan, 2011, satt hon i Edinburgh och oroade sig för sin mor som flög till Aleppo, där det just då enligt rapporteringen var oroligheter och väpnade strider. När hon äntligen fick tag på modern fick hon det lugnande men förbryllande beskedet att allt var som vanligt, inget hade hänt och att det inte fanns några tecken på strider alls.
– Det fick mig att fullständigt förlora förtroendet för Al Jazeera, säger Rihan Younan och fortsätter:
– Det är lättare att genomskåda ensidighet och partiskhet och att se om något är sant eller ej, när det är ens egen verklighet som skildras.

22 april

almanar.com.lb – Assad: Fighters from 23 Foreign Nationalities Are Fighting in Syria Now

According to the Lebanese daily, Assad expressed his relief regarding the developments on ground, as he indicated that the Syrian leadership’s strategy focuses on keeping Damascus and other cities under the army’s control.
“As for countryside regions, we intend to clear them out for tactical necessities; and it is better to consume them before they consume us, knowing that we are capable of regaining the region anytime we want.”
The Syrian president stressed that “the so-called “Free Syrian Army” is actually finished. We are now fighting Al-Qaeda, and there are fighters from 23 foreign nationalities fighting in Syria now.”
Assad indicated that “many sides have demanded us at the beginning of the crisis to put an end to the situation immediately. However, anyone responsible cannot deal with his land and people in this way, and if we took this action when the picture was still ambiguous, we could have lost some friends; instead we got some opponents on our side.”

english.ruvr.ru – Lavrov to discuss Syria with Kerry on Tuesday

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he would meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on April 23 and discuss Syria.
”We had a very good conversation with John Kerry and agreed on the phone the day before yesterday to meet in Brussels tomorrow on the sidelines of the Russia-NATO Council meeting and discuss what we, Russia and the U.S., could do to encourage those who resisted the peace process that have yet to change their position,” he told a Monday press conference in Moscow.
The Russian minister said he got the impression that Washington has been inclined lately to move toward a political settlement of the Syrian conflict.
”When I spoke with John Kerry on the phone, I felt a confirmation to the inclination displayed at our earlier meetings, the inclination to search for the soonest political settlement and ways to direct the situation towards negotiations between the government and the opposition,” Lavrov observed.

Press TV – Syrian army deals major blow to militants near Damascus

Syrian soldiers have killed dozens of militants near Damascus as the army continues mop-up operations on the outskirts of the capital.
On Sunday, a number of militants were killed during intense clashes with Syrian troops in the town of Jdaidet al-Fadl, located on the western suburb of Damascus, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported.
Terrorist hideouts were also raided by the Syrian forces in the town of Daraya, which is located about eight kilometers (five miles) southwest of Damascus.

Intervju med Thierry Meyssan i en rysk TV-kanal, från den 14:e april verkar det som.

nyhetsbanken.se – EU beslutar om vapenstöd till Syriens terrorister

EU:s utrikesministrar möts på måndag i Luxemburg för att besluta att beväpna Syriens terrorister.
Tysklands utrikesminister Guido Westerwelle sade idag söndag att Berlin kommer att ha något annat val än att acceptera upphävandet av en EU:s vapenembargo mot Syrien om andra europeiska länder verkar för det.
Tyskland har fram till nu har motsatt sig att ge militärt stöd till Syriens rebeller, men Storbritannien och Frankrike driver på för att embargot ska kunna löpa ut i slutet av maj. Antagligen kommer Carl Bildt sin vana trogen att ställa upp för väpnad västintervention i form av vapenstöd till terrorister, efter att en tid ha spelat motvillig.
Den socialdemokratiska partikongressens beslut att Sverige även i framtiden – efter Afghanistan och Libyen – kan stödja militära västinterventioner vid sidan av FN bäddar för att Sverige hoppar på tåget.

jpost.com – ‘Jordan opens skies for IAF drones flying to Syria’

Jordan has opened two corridors of its airspace to Israeli Air Force drones seeking to monitor the ongoing conflict in Syria, French daily Le Figaro reported on Sunday, citing a Western military source in the Middle East.

21 april

Den inhemska syriska oppositionen, SNC, säger nej till alla former av terrorism. Den väststödda, FSA, säger nej till dialog och förhandlingar med Syriens president.
english.ruvr.ru – Lavrov, Kerry mull situation in Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has mulled the Syrian problem during a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
”The situation in and around Syria” was discussed, the Russian Foreign Ministry website reported on Sunday.
It said the telephone conversation took place on Saturday at the initiative of the US side.
Syrian National Coalition says rejects ‘all forms of terrorism’
Syria’s main opposition National Coalition said on Sunday it firmly rejected ”all forms of terrorism” and vowed that weapons it attains would not fall into the wrong hands.
In a declaration outlining its vision of a post-Assad Syria and issued following a ”Friends of Syria” meeting with Western and Arab backers, the coalition said it would not allow acts of revenge against any group in Syria.
‘No dialogue with Assad’ – Free Syrian Army
The Free Syrian Army has no plans to enter into a dialogue with President Bashar Assad. It believes its conflict with his regime cannot be resolved by means other than force.

Press TV – Assad: Army enjoys people’s support

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says situation in the country is improving as army enjoys people’s support in the fight against terrorism.
Assad made the remarks on Sunday in Damascus while receiving a Lebanese delegation representing national parties and forces.

Christof Lehmann – Morsi after Meeting with Putin; Committed to Peaceful Syria Solution, No to IMF-Loan

A closer alignment of Egypt with Moscow would make the country less dependent on US foreign policy and could, at least to a certain degree, counter the strong influence the USA is asserting over the Arab League through Qatar.
The little Gulf Kingdom has since 2007 grown into a veritable regional political superpower, which has stood and is standing behind many of the sweeping changes which have cast northern Africa and the Middle East into turmoil since 2011. Qatar and the USA are the primary powers behind the attempted subversion of Syria.
The question one may ask is, whether Morsi´s statement, that Egypt is committed to finding a peaceful and legal solution to the crisis in Syria is indicative of a more self-confident Egypt, and an Egyptian president who is aware of the fact that an alignment with the USA and Qatar, without playing the Moscow card, makes him as easily disposable of as his predecessor Hosni Mubarak.

Press TV – US increases support for foreign-backed militants in Syria: Kerry

Kerry made the remarks at a press conference held at the end of the so-called Friends of Syria conference in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday, saying the US would continue to provide assistance to the militants in Syria.
He said the US government decided to provide the militants in Syria with what he called a non-lethal package.
“For the last several months, we have steadily increased our non-lethal assistance to more than 127 million dollars,” Kerry said.
The new package, which would provide an additional $123 million aid to the militants, brings the total of US help to $250 million.
Media reports have indicated that the US trains the foreign-sponsored militants in the crisis-hit country, in addition to coordinating arms shipments to them.

Press TV – Germany skeptical about arming militants in Syria

“We are skeptical as the German government when it comes to delivering weapons because we are concerned that weapons could fall into the wrong, namely extremist, hands,” said Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Saturday.
He made the remarks on the sidelines of the so-called “Friends of Syria” group’s meeting in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

‘US will regret arming Syria militants’, interview with Dr. Kevin Barrett, author and Middle East expert

20 april

Tony Cartalucci – A Bleak Look at the West’s Vision for Syria, Terrorist controlled areas are scenes of sectarian brutality, fear, kidnappings, mass murder, collective punishment, and pillaging – the obvious end game of Western-backed regime change.

Clearly, Western-backed terrorists are not just fighting the ”Assad regime,” they are fighting anyone opposed to their sectarian ideology which is both hardly ”democratic,” and hardly anything to do with ”freedom.” Predictably, unthinkable atrocities are being carried out in a wave of violence and subjugation that is leaving a broken society everywhere it sweeps through. Through the destruction of physical infrastructure, the crumbling of Syria’s institutions, and the extermination or driving out of Syria’s minorities, what the West backs as ”regime change,” is in reality calculated sectarian genocide.
In terrorist-controlled territory, we see a vignette of the ”future Syria” the West imagines – one not unlike the now dysfunctional, decimated Libya, or the totalitarian regimes of Tunisia and Egypt, both ruled by the sectarian crypto-terrorist Muslim Brotherhood.
These are purposefully imposed nightmares couched behind ”humanitarian concern” and ”democracy promotion.” It is clear that in areas the Western media claim are devoid of government troops, abuse, atrocities, tyranny, humanitarian catastrophe, and despair only increase. The rationale made by the West to continue fueling this conflict and extend this state of chaos across the entire country, poses to the rest of the world a moral imperative to not only condemn this conspiracy against the Syrian people, but to oppose it and ensure that it utterly fails.

Press TV – Syria shoots down balloon carrying US-made spying devices near Idlib

According to Syria’s official news agency, SANA, the balloon, which was equipped with US-made spying devices including cameras, was shot down over town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday.
Syrian officials say the devices have large memory storage.

‘US arms al-Qaeda to destabilize anti-Israel states’

Intervjun med Syriens president för några dagar sen, med engelsk text

19 april

Press TV – Recent events in US may be prelude to attack on Syria: Webster Tarpley

But I would put this together with some other things. It is a very dangerous pattern now. It is coherent with an early attack by the US and NATO perhaps joined by Israel against Syria.
First of all, we have got Netanyahu. Yesterday afternoon, the Saudi foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, met with Obama at the White House in an unannounced unscheduled meeting and the topic mentioned was Syria. So that would be the Saudis pushing for an attack as soon as possible.
Going back a couple of days, then we have the new Secretary of Defense Hagel – that some people thought would be some kind of a peace angel – has announced the transfer of about 200 US troops into Jordan.
Now as far as I can see, that looks like the headquarters of a division. It looks like something that could function as the headquarters of an expeditionary force by the United States perhaps against Syria.
So you put those three things together and you see that against the backdrop of this strategy of tension that we have got going on in the United States. We have got bombs; we have got letters loaded with ricin poison; we have got explosions going off; we have got again something that looks very, very similar to a classic NATO strategy of tension and it looks like that all may be a buildup to an attack on Syria. I think it is more threatening now than it has been in many, many months.

 

Stoppa kriget mot Syrien!

Demonstration på Medborgarplatsen i Stockholm lördagen den 20 april, kl. 12:00 – syriensolidaritet.se

Kriget och sanktionerna mot Syrien drabbar civilbefolkningen mycket hårt. En fredlig lösning på konflikten, i enlighet med FN:s fredsplan, omöjliggörs av de vapenleveranser och det logistiska och finansiella stöd som USA, Turkiet, Qatar, Saudiarabien, m.fl. ger till beväpnade grupper och utländska krigare i Syrien. Det utländska stödet också till religiösa sekterister riskerar den fredliga samlevnaden mellan människor av skilda religioner i hela regionen.

18 april

Verkligt hotfulla signaler plötsligt! Världssamfundet måste ta sig samman, och sätta ner foten, och göra allt för att förhindra att den tungt beväpnade vaneförbrytaren USA ställer till med (ännu) en verklig katastrof!

nyhetsbanken.se, 200 USA-soldater skickas till Jordanien i ett mönster som enligt experter påminner om förberedelserna 2003 i Saudiarabien för invasionen av Irak – USA skickar trupper till Jordanien

USA kommer att sända 200 soldater till Jordanien under de kommande veckorna i ett försök att ”stödja landets försvar”, säger Washington.
Uttalandet kom på onsdagen från USA: s försvarsminister Chuck Hagel i kongressen. Han sade att utplaceringen kommer ”bistå strävandena att hejda våldet vid den syriska gränsen”, samt förbereda bekämpning av eventuella hot om användning av kemiska vapen i Syrien.

Press TV – US plans Syria invasion via Jordan with 20,000 soldiers

The US military is deploying more forces to Jordan as part of a plan to dispatch 20,000 more soldiers there in a bid to invade Syria under the pretext of securing the country’s chemical weapon arsenals.
The Pentagon is sending nearly 200 troops from the 1st Armored Division to establish a “small headquarters” near Jordan’s border with Syria and plan potential military operations, “including a rapid buildup of American forces if the White House decides intervention is necessary,” The Los Angeles Times reports on Thursday, citing ‘senior US officials.’

Tony Cartalucci – Surreal: US Troops Stage in Jordan to Defend Al Qaeda in Syria, Massive US arms/aid deliveries prop up Al Qaeda in Syria, while US troops stage in Jordan to defend terrorists they spent last decade fighting.

CNN reports that some 200 US troops are staging along Syria’s border, this as reports reveal huge amounts of US-provided flour smuggled into Syria have formed the foundation of Al Qaeda’s public relations strategy. Together with huge amounts of US-provided weapons, the aid is fueling Al Qaeda’s continued operations and atrocities inside Syria. The addition of US troops along Syria’s border appears to be a response to recent and significant gains made by the Syrian government in stamping out terrorist operations nationwide.

Al-Qaeda, US irregular infantry in Syria: Webster Tarpley

So we have now got the prospective of the Mediterranean becoming a terrorist lake between the terrorist bases in Libya which is spreading out across the Sahara into Algeria, into Mali, into other nearby countries and then the future terrorist regime that NATO and the United States are devoted to installing in Syria, from which of course, then al-Qaeda will reach out into Turkey and Jordan and these other countries that were mentioned.
So this is one of the most colossal hypocrisies of the age and it also shows the absolute fanatical recklessness of the US ruling class because this is something that you cannot get away with. It is just beyond belief

english.ruvr.ru – Lavrov.. We Understand Reasons which push Brahimi to Resign

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he has received with a high understanding reports about the intention of the international Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi to resign, wondering ”how can a professional man behave in contrary to this if one of the two organizations which commissioned him to hold discussions between the authority and opposition, the Arab League , abandons any form of support.”
”The Arab League has considered the Syrian government as illegitimate in Damascus and gave representation to the opposition coalition which doesn’t represent even the whole opposition, at the same time it has taken a decision to arm the opposition,” Lavrov said in a statement to journalists.

reuters.com – Assad’s forces break rebel blockade in north Syria

Syrian government troops have broken through a six-month rebel blockade in northern Syria and are now fighting to recapture a vital highway, opposition and state media said on Monday.

Tony Cartalucci – US Military Aid Falls into Al Qaeda’s Hands in Syria by Design, Not Chance

Huge amounts of US-provided flour smuggled into northern Syria (see image below) have formed the foundation of Al Qaeda’s public relations strategy, the Washington Post and London Telegraph reveal. Together with huge amounts of US-provided weapons, the aid is fueling Al Qaeda’s continued operations and atrocities inside Syria.
Recently it was revealed that the US, UK, and France, through Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, and other regional allies, have been funneling cash and thousands of tons of weapons into Syria – the vast majority of which have ended up in the hands of Al Qaeda’s Syrian franchise, Jabhat al-Nusra.

US deploys 200 troops to Jordan-Syria border ‘to curb violence’, Conn Hallinan from Foreign Policy in Focus thinks Washington’s move jeopardizes any chance for peace in the country.

sana-syria.com – Al-Jaafari: Syria Won’t Allow a Second Sykes-Picot to Pass

Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, stressed that the Syrian people, who have contributed to the making of history over thousands of years, will not allow anyone to encroach upon their sovereignty, dignity, political independence and national unity.
Speaking at a Security Council session on Thursday, al-Jaafari said Syria was in the third place internationally in terms of security but an internationally- and Gulf-backed element of destruction represented in the terrorist groups with takfiri thinking worked to sabotage the atmosphere of security in Syria.
He slammed some countries hosting displaced Syrians over trying to bargain on them and prevent them from returning home.
He noted that there are subversive forces that seek to sabotage the social agreement in our region and displace full components of our communities.
”Syria will not allow a second Sykes-Picot [Agreement] to pass at the expense of the region’s peoples,” said al-Jaafari, affirming that Syria will be the strongest circle in confronting the attempts to impose any new reality alien to the region.
He stressed that the Syrian government is determined to implement the political solution through a Syrian-led national dialogue.

Syria News 18.4.2013, President Bashar al-Assad’s interview with Alikhbaria TV
* Al-Jaafari: Syria supports efforts of ending sexual abuse and Won’t Allow a Second Sykes-Picot to Pass
* Iran’s Defense Minister: Foreign Intervention in Syria Would Be an Explosion in Middle East
* Churkin: UN Report Ignores Terrorist Groups’ Responsibility for Sexual Crimes in Syria

17 april

sana-syria.com – One Citizen Martyred, Others Injured as Terrorists Fired Mortar Shells in Damascus

One citizen was martyred and others were injured as mortar shells launched by terrorists on Wednesday fell in al-Abasyin Bus Station in Damascus.
A source at the Police Command told SANA reporter that the terrorist attack resulted in one citizen martyred and 17 others injured as 4 mortar shells fell on the area which is crowded with passengers.
The source added that two mortar shells fell on the surroundings of al-Abasyin Bus Station.

sana-syria.com – Lavrov: Some Countries Hinder Dialogue , Al- Qaeda Cells are Fighting Syrian Forces

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there are countries that are putting obstacles in the way of dialogue among the Syrians, calling on all players in the Middle East and the world to seek a way to implement the Geneva Statement so as to solve the crisis politically.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu which took place in Istanbul on Wednesday, Lavrov voiced commitment to the Geneva Statement, affirming that if all players adopted the principles of the Statement, then it will be possible to overcome all obstacles placed by some countries which keep calling for war and toppling the state.
He pointed out that changing the regime in Syria as a precondition for dialogue is unrealistic, and that Russia doesn’t play the game of changing regimes or authorities in countries.
”If our goal is to stop and end the crisis, we must force all those who fight there to sit at the dialogue table, but when some sides aim at changing the region or having the president step down, this will be at the expense of more victims among the Syrian people,” Lavrov said.
He also stressed the necessity to stop arming the Syrian opposition, saying that arming the opposition contradicts the Russian position and that the armed opposition must stop violence and start political dialogue to resolve the crisis.

Draft resolution on Syria dismissed as biased – According to reports leaked to British and Australian newspapers — British MI-6 operatives are not only operating on Syrian soil — but bringing back dirt samples that they say prove chemical weapons were used.
The spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took a pass when asked on Tuesday what British spies are doing in Syria.

english.ruvr.ru –Will Brahimi challenge the Arab League? – uk.reuters.com – Brahimi eyes new U.N. envoy role in Syria, dropping Arab League – envoys

Rumors that Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations and League of Arab States’ special representative for Syria, may resign are strongly exaggerated. According to UN diplomatic sources, he intendsto distance himself from the LAS, while retaining his post as a UN emissary. Brahimi has every reason to be disappointed with the Arab League’s tough stance on Syria.

17 april, självständighetsdagen i Syrien – sana-syria.com – Sixty-Seven Years of Independence of Syria… Photo Report

16 april

Press TV – Assad issues new general amnesty

”President Assad has issued decree number 23, granting a general amnesty for crimes committed” prior to Tuesday, the Syrian state news agency, SANA, reported on Tuesday.
The agency added that under the decree, the death penalty of the criminals will be commuted to a life sentence.
According to the President’s decree, Syrians “who joined a terrorist organization will only have to serve a quarter of their sentences.”

Press TV – Syria slams France, UK for supporting al-Qaeda – guardian.co.uk – Syrian minister says UK and France are ‘directly or indirectly’ backing al-Qaida

The Syrian government has criticized Britain and France for supporting al-Qaeda terrorists in their fight against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
”Britain and France were complacent about supporting al-Qaeda directly or indirectly,” Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad said in an interview on Monday.
Miqdad described the UK and France as “new colonialists” for giving political and military support to the armed groups in Syria.
The Syrian official also criticized Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar for acting to ensure Western interests.

english.ruvr.ru – Syria’s political opposition arrived in Moscow to discuss peace settlement

Representatives of Syria’s political opposition arrived in Moscow to discuss the situation in their country, which has been torn apart by an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad that began in March 2011. The delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil, leader of the People’s Will party, and National Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar, leader of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.
Haidar said previously in an interview with Voice of Russia radio that the delegation has brought concrete proposals to Moscow for the resolution of the Syria crisis.

english.ruvr.ru – The General Secretary of the Arab League resigned

Lebanese TV channel ”Al-Mayadin” reported on the resignation of Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi
According to some reports, the General Secretary’s decision, who heads the Arab League from July 1 2011, related to a deadlock in efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria, which lasted for more than two years.