28 feb

rt.com – Russia, China block bid by Western powers to impose UN sanctions on Syria

Russia and China have vetoed a UN Security Council proposal that would have banned the supply of helicopters to the Syrian government, and blacklisted eleven Syrian military commanders over allegations of toxic gas attacks.
The proposed resolution, put forward by Britain, France and the United States, was put to the vote of the international body on Tuesday despite an earlier pledge by Russia to use its power the quash the proposal, the seventh time it has done so since the conflict first erupted in Syria since 2011

Eva Bartlett – War on Syria: Manufactured Revolution and Fake Media Narrative (Video)

Canadian independent journalist Eva Bartlett is the object of a smear campaign by Canada’s mainstream media.
Listen to what she has to say and then decide who is telling the truth.

24 feb

Nya försök till fredsförhandlingar i Genéve.
sputniknews.com – What Brings Syrian Opposition Closer to a Compromise With Damascus

”I do not expect a quick breakthrough, but the process has been launched. Sadly, results will not come soon since the Syrian conflict has dragged on for too long and those involved have irreconcilable differences,” Vladimir Sotnikov, a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told RT. ”However, these differences have gradually been settled and more opposition groups have taken part in the negotiations.”

Suliman Mulhem – A Look at Assad’s Syria Following Nearly Six Years of Crisis

As the Syrian crisis approaches its 6th anniversary, we take a look at some of the Syrian government’s social, political and economic policies. This will not only give an insight into what life has been like in Syria, but it also provides an indication of what values and principles are important to the Syrian government.

19 feb

almasdarnews.com – Latest battlefield update from west Palmyra shows Syrian Army approaching city: map

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) had another productive day in the western countryside of Palmyra (Tadmur), liberating several points from the Islamic State (ISIS) militants amid another big push on Sunday.

The Problems With the Amnesty International Report
”The release of the – at face value – damning report by Amnesty International on human rights abuses at the Saydnaya prison in Syria has caused huge controversy in the past week; but are its claims based in fact? John Wight speaks to former British Ambassador to Syria, Peter Ford.”
Amnesty Report on Syrian Prison Deaths Questioned by Ex UK Ambassador to Syria
Storbritanniens Syrienambassadör anser att Amnesty-rapporten ohållbar

Growing up with War: Children of Syria (RT Documentary)
Since war broke out in Syria almost six years ago, a whole generation of kids has never known life in peaceful times. They’ve witnessed family members being killed and their houses destroyed. Many were wounded and war has robbed them all of their childhoods. With no end in sight to the bloody conflict, their futures remain uncertain.

11 feb

globalresearch.ca – Iran has been “Implacable in the Rejection of Washington’s Destructive Role in Syria”

Professor Tim Anderson is a distinguished author and senior lecturer of political economy at the University of Sydney, Australia. In an interview with Khamenei.ir, he answers questions about the Syrian crisis, the Astana peace talks as well as the role of Iran, Russia and Turkey in the peace process.

8 feb

Igår kom Amnesty och västmedierna med en våldsam offensiv med en rapport om fruktansvärda förhållanden på ett fängelse utanför Damaskus.
Det är ett krig som pågår mot Syrien och både Amnesty och medierna deltar i det på angriparnas sida. Det har de visat i flera år. Bara det gör ju att man måste förhålla sig avvaktande till ett sånt här utspel. Vad vill de uppnå med att gå ut med detta nu? Tidigare har de velat ha ingripande av Nato-länder, men det kan det väl knappast handla om nu. Är det ett försök att störa fredsförhandlingarna?
Som vanligt dröjer det någon dag innan någon oberoende granskare hinner ta en titt på det som påstås, och när det då visar sig att påståendena är tveksamma eller helt felaktiga så är inte västmedierna närvarande, de tiger. Men syftet med deras utspel är uppnått, de flesta har registrerat påståendena och tagit dem för sanna. Det är ju svårt att undgå budskapet.

Moon of Alabama har tittat närmare på den aktuella rapporten. Det är som med tidigare Amnesty-utspel, de har intervjuat motståndare till regeringen, och gått på deras uppgifter, och har därefter gjort en uppskattning på hur många som kan ha dödats. En mycket tveksam metod.

Amnesty Claims Mass Executions In Syria, Provides Zero Proof

The claims in the Amnesty report are based on spurious and biased opposition accounts from outside of the country. The headline numbers of 5,000 to 13,000 are calculated on the base of unfounded hypotheticals. The report itself states that only 36 names of allegedly executed persons are known to Amnesty, less than the number of “witnesses” Amnesty claims to have interviewed. The high number of claimed execution together with the very low number of names is not plausible.
The report does not even meet the lowest mark of scientific or legal veracity. It is pure biased propaganda.

Den syriska regeringens kommentar – presstv.ir – Syria rejects Amnesty ‘false’ report of mass jail hangings

The Syrian Justice Ministry, in a statement published on Tuesday, rejected the account of mass hangings at Saydnaya prison near Damascus between 2011 and 2015 as bogus and false, saying such claims are meant to ruin the government’s reputation in the international community.

presstv.ir – Tide of Syria conflict turning in favor of Damascus, Moscow: Assad

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says the tide of events in the Arab country is changing in favor of Damascus and Moscow, which are both engaged in a battle against foreign-backed terrorists.

Ian Sinclair – The Media is Ignoring Leaked US-Government Documents on Syria

For example, liberal journalists and commentators have repeatedly stated the US has, as Paul Mason wrote in the Guardian last year, “stood aloof from the Syrian conflict”. The leaked audio recording of a meeting between President Obama’s second Secretary of State John Kerry, and Syrian opposition figures last year shows the opposite to be true.
Challenged about the level of US support to the insurgency, Kerry turns to his aide and says: “I think we’ve been putting an extraordinary amount of arms in, haven’t we?” The aide agrees, noting “the armed groups in Syria get a lot of support”.

1 feb

rt.com – Trump doesn’t seem to want another Libya in Syria – Lavrov

US President Donald Trump doesn’t seem to want to repeat the Libyan scenario in Syria when he proposes setting up ‘safe zones’ in the war-stricken country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that the Libyan case had been “tragic.”
“We understand that Donald Trump’s administration is yet to specify its approach [on Syrian ‘safe zones’],” Lavrov said at the Fourth Session of the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

journal-neo.org – Middle Eastern Analysts Evaluate the Astana Meeting Results

Unlike all the meeting that were held in Doha, Istanbul and Riyadh over the last three years, in Astana, Syria’s opposition forces were represented by field commanders, thus breaking a sort of a monopoly on the negotiations that was held by the so-called Supreme Commission for Negotiations sponsored and controlled by Saudi Arabia.
For a long time it would be believed that no negotiator could bring the representatives of Damascus and the militant warlords under one roof to negotiate the situation. However, once this goal has been achieved the sky is the limit for the Syrian peaceful settlement, notes a well-known Arabic columnist, A. Atwan.
The most influential Egyptian newspaper, Al-Ahram, has expressed its hope that the meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana will strengthen the determination of the Syrian army and the Syrian people.

almasdarnews.com – Aid only coming from Russia and Syrian government, says Aleppo resident

almasdarnews.com – In pictures: Kurdish forces receive US armored vehicles

almasdarnews.com – US-led Coalition airstrike targets Carlton Hotel in Idlib city

The US-led Coalition has carried out an airstrike over the militant-controlled city of Idlib, targeting the Carlton Hotel and the area around it.
The accommodation centre was believed to be an asset of the Jahbat Fateh al-Sham terrorist group used both for troop housing and as a meeting point for its prominent commanders.