{"id":105354,"date":"2014-01-12T20:24:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-12T20:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/?guid=e66e1875b190a2020dc37262a4e9d704"},"modified":"2014-01-12T20:24:00","modified_gmt":"2014-01-12T20:24:00","slug":"obama-sabotaging-syrian-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/editorials\/obama-sabotaging-syrian-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Obama Sabotaging Syrian Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"
Obama Sabotaging Syrian Peace<\/b><\/div>\n
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by Stephen Lendman<\/div>\n
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Obama initiated war on Syria. He wants regime change. He wants continued bloodshed, destruction and human suffering to get it. He deplores peace.<\/div>\n
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He bears full responsibility for nearly three years of conflict. He began it. He wants it continued. He says one thing. He does another. His policies speak for themselves.<\/div>\n
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On January 22, so-called Geneva II peace talks are scheduled to begin. Mid-2012 Geneva I talks ended in failure. Washington prevented success.<\/div>\n
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Talks were called a “last ditch effort” to halt violence. Similar rhetoric followed Kofi Annan’s one-sided peace plan. <\/div>\n
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It placed the conflict ending burden on Assad. It did so unfairly. Western backed death squads bear full responsibility.<\/div>\n
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Since conflict erupted, Assad’s been wrongfully blamed for their crimes. He’s more victim than villain. <\/div>\n
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Washington wants him ousted. It wants him prevented from defending his people. If not him, who will?<\/div>\n
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Obama, complicit NATO partners, Israel, and rogue regional despots want him toppled. They want him out violently. Peaceful resolution is smoke screen deception.<\/div>\n
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Conflict rages out-of-control. Conditions are worse than ever. Millions of ordinary Syrians suffer most. Ongoing war bears testimony to longstanding US viciousness. <\/div>\n
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Syria is Obama’s war. He bears full responsibility. Regime change was planned years ago. Conflict continues. It shows no signs of ending.<\/div>\n
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On January 8, Russia blocked Washington’s latest Security Council effort. It wrongfully blame Assad. <\/div>\n
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One-sided SC language condemned him for attacking Western-backed death squads in Aleppo.<\/div>\n
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On December 19, Moscow vetoed a draft Aleppo bombing statement. It wrongfully blamed Assad. He’s defending his people. He’s acting responsibly.<\/div>\n
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He’s battling Western-backed death squads. He’s defending ordinary Syrians. Washington disgracefully calls him a “brutal dictator.”<\/div>\n
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On January 7, State Department<\/span><\/a> spokeswoman Jen Psaki wrongfully accused him of “kill(ing) tens of thousands of his people.”<\/div>\n
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He’s “not someone that we see a future for in…Syria,” she added. “You know what our focus is,” she claimed. It’s “bringing an end to the suffering and bloodshed of the Syrian people.”<\/div>\n
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It bears repeating. Washington bears full responsibility. Assad is doing his job. He’s doing what any leader would do. <\/div>\n
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He’s fighting terrorism. He’s battling death squad invaders. They’ve committed horrific atrocities. Western media largely ignore them. Assad is blamed for their crimes.<\/div>\n
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Expect Washington to manipulate planned Geneva II talks. Psaki stressed “putting a transitional government in place.”<\/div>\n
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Talks aren’t about peaceful conflict resolution. They’re for regime change. Syrians alone may decide who’ll lead them. <\/div>\n
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Washington wants them denied. America’s agenda alone matters. National sovereignty doesn’t count. Nor do rule of law principles. US policy makers violate them consistently.<\/div>\n
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No nation operates more lawlessly than America. None does so more egregiously. None causes more harm. Washington does it globally. <\/div>\n
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Ravaging one nation after another is longstanding US policy. So is blaming victims for its crimes. Assad is in the eye of the storm. Iran’s turn is next. <\/div>\n
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Congressional hawks want war, not peace. Obama blocked Tehran’s Geneva II participation. According to Psaki:<\/div>\n
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“Iran has done nothing but help (Assad), help bring foreign fighters in, help the regime’s efforts to brutalize the Syrian people.”<\/div>\n
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“And if they wanted to send a message to the world about their seriousness of having a positive outcome, there are steps they could take.”<\/div>\n
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“There’s no indication that they have any desire or interest in taking any of these steps.”<\/div>\n
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“(U)nless Iran endorses, supports, (and) embraces the Geneva (II) communique, we wouldn’t support their attendance.”<\/div>\n
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Washington wants its language blaming Assad for ongoing conflict. It wants transitional government approved. It wants pro-Western stooges in charge. <\/div>\n
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It wants Syrians having no say. When Geneva I ended, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said:<\/div>\n
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“Assad will still have to go. What we have done here is to strip away the fiction that he and those with blood on their hands can stay in power.”<\/div>\n
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US Geneva II policy remains unchanged. Syrian blood is on Obama’s hands. Iran justifiably opposes imperial lawlessness. It won’t endorse agreements furthering them. No nation should.<\/div>\n
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On January 10, Reuters<\/span><\/a> headlined “Iran will not attend Syria peace talks: US officials.”<\/div>\n
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They spoke anonymously. According to Reuters, they said “barring a dramatic change in Tehran’s position, Iran would neither participate formally…nor join informally on the sidelines.”<\/div>\n
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“That’s right, they’re not coming,” said one official. On January 5, John Kerry said Iran could “contribute from the sidelines.”<\/div>\n
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Suggesting it was insulting. Tehran, of course, rejected marginalization. On January 6, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said:<\/div>\n
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“Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, Iran has reiterated its principled policy, which is based on the necessity of adopting a political solution.” <\/div>\n
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“Any (proposed) solution should respect the Syrian people’s right to determine their own destiny and should be based on Syrian-Syrian dialogue.”<\/div>\n
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“Iran has always announced its readiness to make a contribution in this regard…but Tehran will only accept those proposals which respect the Islamic Republic of Iran’s dignity.”<\/div>\n
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On January 11, Voice of Russia<\/span><\/a> headlined “West sees toppling Assad more important than ending bloodshed in Syria.”<\/div>\n
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Indeed so. It’s why conflict continues. It’s why so-called peace talks are cover for regime change.<\/div>\n
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It’s unclear what nations are attending. It’s uncertain who’ll represent opposition forces. They’ve deeply divided. They’re battling each other. <\/div>\n
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Syria justifiably won’t negotiate with terrorists. They want continued conflict. They reject peace. Rajab Safarov heads the Centre for the Study of Modern Iran.<\/div>\n
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“It’s pointless to hold a conference with no Iranian delegation attending,” he believes.<\/div>\n
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“Actually, the Middle East problem has not been settled to this day precisely due to the non-participation of such an important regional player as Iran.” <\/div>\n
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“So, if Iran does not attend the forthcoming Geneva conference, any decisions the other conferees may make will prove ineffective.”<\/div>\n
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According to Centre for Public and Political Studies director Vladimir Yevseev:<\/div>\n
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“Before starting talks with that largely shattered opposition in Geneva, all countries involved in the Syrian conflict to a greater or lesser extent should meet under the UN aegis to adopt a resolution that would recognize any interference in Syria’s internal affairs as an international crime.” <\/div>\n
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“This could be followed by a peacekeeping operation to seal the borders that foreign mercenaries have been crossing to get into Syria from neighboring states.” <\/div>\n
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“The second stage of the operation would focus on disarming foreign militants.”<\/div>\n
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Resolving ongoing conflict requires Washington calling off its dogs. <\/span>Syrians alone should decide who’ll lead them. <\/div>\n
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International law is clear. No nation may interfere in the internal affairs of others. <\/span>Sovereign rights are inviolable. Outside interference is unacceptable. It’s lawless. It has no legitimacy.<\/div>\n
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It’s longstanding US policy. It assures continued conflict. Syria’s agony remains ongoing. It shows no signs of ending. <\/div>\n
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Expect Geneva II failure like earlier initiatives. Washington bears full responsibility. It began conflict. It continues. <\/div>\n
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It won’t end as long as Washington demands regime change. It’ll continue as long as Assad remains in charge. <\/div>\n
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Polls show he was overwhelming support. Demanding his removal assures continued conflict. No end in sight looms.<\/div>\n
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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. <\/div>\n
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His new book is titled “Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.”<\/div>\n
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http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/div>\n
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Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. <\/div>\n
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Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/div>\n
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It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.<\/div>\n
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http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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