31 maj

‘Non-Syrian foreign-backed opposition illegitimate’, interview with Naseer al-Omari, writer and political commentator, New York

30 maj

Hussein Askary och Jeffrey Steinberg ger sin bild av den dramatiska utvecklingen de senaste veckorna, det är väl värt att läsa hela texten – Undkom vi ett tredje världskrig den 5 maj?

Världen har förändrats på fler sätt än de flesta kan föreställa sig. De flesta av oss, innefattat regeringstjänstemän och massmedia, ligger veckor efter de globala skeenden som i detta ögonblick potentiellt formar vår framtid.
De israeliska flygräderna mot Syrien den 5 maj satte Mellanöstern och världen som helhet på randen till ett globalt krig. Syrien, Iran och Hizbollah föranleddes att omedelbart svara på de israeliska angreppen i tron att Israels galne och Armageddon-besatte premiärminister Benjamin Netanyahu startat slutspelet. Det som skulle ha följt på tillbuden var ett massivt raketangrepp mot Israel av de tre bundsförvanterna Iran, Syrien och Hizbollah, plus sannolikt vissa palestinska fraktioner i Gaza.
Det israeliska svaret vore då, att efter man inledningsvisanvänt konventionella stridskrafters bombat alla tre, att sätta in taktiska kärnvapen för att slå ut Irans kärnkraftsanläggningar och iranska revolutionsgardets fästen och invadera södra Libanon, för att oskadliggöra Hizbollahs förmåga att angripa Israel. Syriska armén skulle ha svarat med att skicka kemiska eller andra robotar mot Israel vilket skulle lett till att Israel satt in kärnvapen mot Damaskus. I det läget hade USA varit tvungna att gå in på scenen för att försvara Israel och potentiellt skulle även Ryssland ingripit på andra sidan, vilket skulle ställt de två supermakterna i direkt öppen konfrontation med varandra.
Enligt obekräftade uppgifter kontaktade Syriens president Assad sin ryske kollega Vladimir Putin omedelbart efter israeliska räderna och varnade för att syriska armén måste svara på brottet mot vapenvilan och Israels dramatiska upptrappning. Putins råd till Assad skulle ha varit att vänta tills han talat med USA:s president Barack Obama …

english.ruvr.ru – Geneva to host Russia, US and UN tripartite meeting on Syria on June 5

Representatives of Russia, the United States, and the United Nations are planning to meet in Geneva on June 5 to discuss preparations for an international conference on Syria.
”A tripartite meeting is expected to take place in Geneva on June 5, involving representatives of Russia, the US, and the UN, at which preparations for an international conference on Syria will be discussed,” a Russian Foreign Ministry source told journalists on Thursday.

Christof Lehmann – Israel threatens to attack Russian Ships transporting S-300 Air Defense Systems

Following the recent statements by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that Russia would honor contracts about the delivery of S-300 Surface to Air missile systems to Syria as a stabilizing factor and to discourage warmongers from attacking the Syrian Arab Republic, the Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon threatened, that Russian vessels which are transporting the air defense systems could be attacked by Israel´s military.

nyhetsbanken.se – Turkisk polis fann saringas hos terrorister

Turkiska säkerhetsstyrkor har hittade en 2 kg cylinder med saringas vid en husrannsakan hos syriska aktivister från al-Qaida-kopplade länkade Al-Nusra-fronten, rapporterar turkiska medier. Terroristerna som tidigare hade hållits i förvar planerade att använda gasen i en bomb.
Saringasen hittades hos syriska islamister som hålls fängslade i de södra provinserna Adana och Mersia efter en genomsökning av turkiska polisen på onsdagen, säger rapporterna. Gasen påstås ha varit avsedd att användas i den södra turkiska staden Adana.
På måndagen arresterade turkiska anti-terrorstyrkor 12 misstänkta medlemmar av al-Nusra-fronten, som är terroriststämplad även av USA. Polisen rapporteras också ha hittat en cache av vapen, dokument och digitala data som kommer att ses av polisen.
Efter genomsökningar släpptes fem av de gripna medan sju misstänkta hålls kvar i häkte. Turkiska myndigheter har ännu inte kommentera gripandena.

syriareport.net – Chemical weapons found in Turkey raid

Syrian opp. would not win fair elections: Dmitry Babich

Finian Cunningham – Western states a gang of arsonists setting countries on fire

How to describe the actions of Britain and France towards Syria and by extension, the wider Middle East and Africa regions?
This week, the insane British and French mis-rulers gave notice that they intend pouring fuel on the Syrian crisis – a crisis that they largely instigated – by openly sending more heavy weapons to the Western-backed mercenaries tearing that country apart.
It should be patently obvious that the murderous rampage against Syrian civilians that is entering its third year could not be sustained if it were not for the relentless Western government and media support.

Press TV – Hawkish US Senator McCain met with infamous kidnapper in Syria

A new report has revealed that, in his recent trip to Syria, hawkish US Senator John McCain met with an infamous terrorist who has been involved in the abduction of a group of Lebanese pilgrims.

Shamus Cooke – How Obama and Al-Qaeda Became Syrian Bedfellows

29 maj

english.ruvr.ru – Syrian opposition ready to take part in conference – resolution

The Syrian opposition will take part in the international conference on Syria, if the international community sets a concrete date for the settlement of the current conflict.
This came in a resolution that was adopted Wednesday, at a meeting of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces in Istanbul.

Russia Today – Russia blasts US double standards over Syrian peace progress

The US-Russian initiative for a comprehensive peace conference to resolve the Syrian crisis needs honest effort of those involved. But some nations apparently try to undermine the effort to call the meeting, says the Russia’s foreign minister.
On Wednesday, the US, Turkey and Qatar pushed through a UN resolution condemning the Syrian government for the alleged use of foreign fighters against rebel forces in the battle for the strategic town of Qusair.
The document calls for an investigation into the matter as well as more aid access and protections for the civilian population of Syria.
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Earlier that day, the Russian foreign minister warned against the resolution, which he says may threaten a peaceful resolution to the Syrian conflict.
“To my great astonishment we have learned that in addition to the sponsors of this draft resolution the US delegation is promoting most vigorously this very unhelpful idea. I asked [US State Secretary] John Kerry about it in Paris, and apparently he was not aware of this situation. He promised to handle it, but I don’t know whether he managed to do it,” Lavrov said.

english.ruvr.ru – US-sponsored anti-Damascus resolution ‘may compromise Syria conference’ – Lavrov

West dishonest over Syria unrest, supporting terrorists: Chossudovsky

The Role of Turkey in the US-NATO-Israeli War on Syria

nyhetsbanken.se – EU-beslutet olagligt

Rysslands utrikesminister Sergej Lavrov fördömer EU: s senaste drag som ”en olaglig” beslut.
”Det här är ett olagligt beslut. Att seriöst på officiell nivå diskutera om man ska leverera eller inte leverera vapen till icke-statliga aktörer strider mot alla normer i internationell rätt”, säger Lavrov.
Han påminde om avtalet om vapenhandel, Global Arms Trade Treaty, som säger att ”vapen ska lämnas till regeringar och endast med krav på ett slutanvändarintyg”.

Mairead Maguire – Report and Appeal – mussalaha del Syria

Report and Appeal to the International community to support a process of dialogue and reconciliation in Syria between its people and Syrian government and reject outside intervention and war.

EU’s decision to lift arms ban threatens security of entire region

28 maj

Läs hela! – nyhetsbanken.se – Ännu en spik i EU:s kista

Vill man veta hur diskussionerna i Bryssel gick innan kolonialmakterna Storbritannien och Frankrike torpederade det gemensamma vapenembargot måste man gå till finländska eller österrikiska media.
I Sverige dominerar som tidigare propagandan att civilbefolkningen i Syrien lider för att president Bashar al-Assad är ond och för giftkrig mot en opposition som har folkets stöd.
Österrikiska ”Die Presse” konstaterar att av det myckna talet om en gemensam utrikes- och säkerhetspolitik (GUSP), som beslutades i en ceremoni i Maastricht 1992 återstår intet.
”Ju längre det pågick, desto värre blev det,” sade en diplomat som deltog i förhandlingarna. Tyskland spelade en skamlig roll genom att framför allt försöka press motståndarna till krigslinjen, Österrike, Sverige, Finland och Tjeckien, till eftergifter.
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Die Presse påpekar att den brittiska ståndpunkten är hycklande eftersom britterna av allt att döma redan skickar vapen.
Från november 2012 till februari 2013 levererades 3 000 ton vapen från Kroatien till Syrien via Jordanien. Saudiarabien har betalat, turkiska och jordanska flygplan har transporterat vapnen och brittisk underrättelsetjänst sägs ha spelat huvudrollen i distributionen.
Innan Frankrike och Storbritannien kan börja sända vapen i dagsljus återstår ett hinder: EU:s gemensamma ståndpunkt 2008/944/. I denna fem år gamla lagstiftning finns åtta bindande kriterier för vapenexport. Exportören måste kunna bevisa att inga vapen kan ”avledas till terroristorganisationer”, en risk som är påtaglig i Syrien där flera av de 660 rebellgrupperna är allierade med terrornätverket al-Qaida.

nyhetsbanken.se – Dödens köpmän kräver frihet

De krigshetsande ministrarna lovade att hålla sig till garantier mot missbruk och för ”att följa EU:s regler för vapenexport”, vilket är fullkomligt omöjligt i ett inbördeskrig där terroristerna urskillningslöst dödar anhängare av fel trosriktning och människor lojala med landets regering.

english.ruvr.ru – Syrian conference won’t be held without authoritative opposition – Russian Deputy FM

Unpreparedness of the Syrian opposition to send an authoritative delegation may jeopardize prospects for holding a international conference on Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday.
”No, it will not be held,” Ryabkov answered an Interfax question if the conference will be held in the absence of an authoritative delegation of the Syrian opposition.

Scott Creighton – Warmonger McCain Meets with Terrorists in Syria While Journalist Killed by their Snipers

Russia Today – McCain sneaks into Syria, meets rebels

Gordon Duff – ‘Syrian National Council’ unfit to rule

War on Syria’s aftermaths

27 maj

Min tolkning av läget är den att det finns lite olika viljor bland västs finansoligarker, ayatollorna bakom scenen. En amerikansk fraktion som är inställda på att ge upp Syrien-kampanjen och få ett slut på striderna, det är denna vilja som Carl Bildt ger uttryck för. Och en brittisk-israelisk-fransk fraktion som vill att våldet ska fortsätta (som extremister som fp’s Olle Schmidt ser sig som springpojke åt). Eller så är allt detta vapenskrammel från britternas sida en del av en taktik för att sätta press på Syriens ledning inför förhandlingarna.

Press TV – Hague: UK govt. ready to go it alone on arming terrorists in Syria

The British Foreign Secretary has hinted that the UK government was ready to go it alone as long as the issue of arming foreign-backed terrorists in Syria is concerned.
William Hague was speaking in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, where he did his best to persuade his counterparts of the need to lift restrictions on the supply of weapons to Syrian rebels.

Press TV – Syrian army gains more ground in Qusayr as EU discusses arms embargo

english.ruvr.ru – Lavrov, Kerry join forces to broker Syria peace talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are meeting in France to look into the specifics of the upcoming “Geneva conference.2” in a push to find a peaceful way out of the Syrian crisis.
Neither Russia nor the US has so far named an exact date for the anticipated peace talks. It was previously announced that the conference could take place by the end of May. The meeting was then postponed until at least mid-June, diplomatic sources said.

english.ruvr.ru – Syrian National Coalition will not take part in Geneva-2 conference – official

friendsofsyria.wordpress.com – Car bomb kills 6 injures 30 in Syria’s Homs

The bomb exploded on Monday near a gas station in al-Waar neighborhood of Homs causing huge material damage to the station and the buildings surrounding it.
Meanwhile, the battle between Syrian government troops and foreign-backed insurgents over the strategic city of Qusayr continues for the eighth straight day
Sources inside Qusayr say 80 percent of the city is now under the control of government troops and Syrian soldiers have arrested the Moroccan leader of a terrorist group after he was injured.

sana.sy – Al-Jaafari: Syria Insists on Investigating Qatar’s Role in Abducting UN Personnel in Golan

Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari said that Syria insists on conducting a UN investigation of the role of Qatari intelligence agencies in the abduction of UN personnel in the occupied Syrian Golan.
In an interview with Russia’s Novosti news agency on Monday, al-Jaafari said that a person from Doha used a Qatari phone number to contact the people who abducted UN personnel and explained to them how to act, where to go, what to say and what to do about the abductees.
He said that this information is confirmed by an email sent by a UN employee working in Damascus to the UN headquarters, and that this email was circulated on the highest level in the UN, including the Secretary-General.

syriareport.net – Syrian TV Reporter Shot Dead

The Syrian Ministry of Information today confirmed the death of news reporter Yara Abbas in Al-Qusayr, Homs province. Abbas was killed by a sniper in the vicinity of Al-Daba’a military airbase which is currently being secured by Syrian troops following a major offensive on Al-Qusayr city.
Abbas, who worked for Alikhbaria Syria was reportedly embedded with Syrian troops engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the area.

Too Many Cooks: EU divided over arming Syrian rebels, with Jeremy Salt

26 maj

Press TV – Booby-trap bomb kills 6, injures 10 near Syrian capital

Syrian Army Continues Crackdown on Terrorists in al-Qseir and Other Areas

The following report by the Syrian News agency SANA provides details on the crackdown on US supported terrorists in the border town of Al Qseir.

almanar.com.lb – Al-Manar Camera in al-Qusayr Shoots Syrian Army Progress

Press TV – Damascus to attend Geneva conference: Syria FM

Damascus says it will take part in the forthcoming international conference in Geneva, describing the talks as a ”good opportunity for finding a political solution” to end the unrest in Syria.
Syria Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told a news conference in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Sunday that the Damascus government has agreed ”in principle” to take part in Geneva conference in June, which is aimed at ending the crisis in the Arab country.

nyhetsbanken.se – Tyska spioner tror på Assad

Den tyska utlandsunderrättelsetjänsten BND har reviderat sin bedömning av situationen i Syrien radikalt, rapporter Der Spiegel. 2012 förutspådde BND ett snabbt slut på Assadregimen.
Enligt den nya analysen är regeringsarmén starkare än någonsin, medan den s k rebellrörelsen nöts ned.

Finian Cunningham – Top 10 Western ‘hits’ on Syria

Listening to Western “governments” – otherwise known as criminal regimes led by war criminals – pontificating and pronouncing on Syria is like riding a rollercoaster of hilarity, absurdity and downright lies.
A selection of the “best”, that is, the worst, of these Western talking points has been compiled below into a top 10 Western ‘hits’.

Intervju med Ziad Fadel från bloggen Syrian Perspective
Why Syria Matters – Rick Staggenborg Interviews Ziad Abou Fadel May 25th 2013

25 maj

english.ruvr.ru – Syria: al-Qusayr in government hands

According to television reports in Syria, the army is mopping up the remaining pockets of rebel resistance in al-Qusayr near the border with Lebanon.
Earlier on Saturday, it foiled an attempt by rebel forces arriving from the environs of Damascus to break its stranglehold on the Qusayr terrorists.
It also destroyed a rebel supply base located near an airfield six kilometers north of al-Qusayr.
The victory in the Qusayr battle has already enabled Syria to reopen the main road connecting Homs with the Lebanese city of Baalbek.

Press TV – Syria army seizes al-Daba’a airport north of Qusayr

The Syrian troops took control of al-Daba’a military airport north of Qusayr in Homs province on Saturday, the latest reports from the town said.

Press TV – Assad has upper hand in talks with militants: Mark Dankof

english.ruvr.ru – Syria: conference of good hope

This week official Damascus and the Syrian opposition, supported by international intermediaries, continued consultations on holding an international conference on Syria. This conference will possibly take place in June.
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The main aim of the conference has not been defined yet. It still remains to be seen if the conference would manage to form a government of national unity capable of stopping the bloodshed. There is no consensus between Russia and the West on another key issue, which is the fate of Bashar al-Assad. However, all this should not be an obstacle on the way of building up dialogue, expert of the Institute of Strategic Assessment and Appraisal Sergei Demidenko says.
“The major international participants, such as the US, Russia and the EU, slowly start to find common ground on this issue. Another satisfactory development is that now Russia, the EU and the US see more eye-to-eye about the nature of the Syrian opposition. It stands to reason that the opposition would not be able to take power if Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell and would not take the country out of the crisis in the future. These are two important points from which further dialogue should proceed.”

Why We Oppose U.S. and Israeli intervention in Syria, Statement by ANSWER Coalition

Having overthrown the Governments in Iraq in 2003 and Libya in 2011, the U.S. government has sought to topple the Syrian government during the past two years. The CIA has been the coordinating agency for massive weapons shipments from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to armed groups fighting to topple the Syrian government.
The conflict in Syria that began more than two years ago was fueled by a wide range of grievances, some legitimate, some reactionary. But the armed rebellion inside the country is today inextricably bound to imperialism and the most reactionary regimes in the Arab world. Its aim is to destroy a secular, nationalist government that U.S. leaders view as an obstacle to their goal of dominating the entire Middle East.
The United States, Britain, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been funneling vast quantities of arms, money and supplies to the Syrian opposition, and training thousands of anti-government fighters in Turkey, Jordan and elsewhere. On May 5, Israel heavily bombed an area close to the capital, Damascus.

Press TV’s Documentary- Aleppo:From Resistance to Victory, The present documentary portrays the events of the siege of Aleppo in 2012 from the viewpoint of its residents