Engdahl: Arab Spring a Pentagon Strategy

Source: RT

The UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has urged the UN Security Council to break the political deadlock on Syria. He said 'unity over the crisis will help his peace mission' - comments he made during his briefing to the body about his findings following his recent visit to Damascus. William F. Engdahl, researcher and author of "Full Spectrum Dominance: Totalitarian Democracy in the New World Order"

Turkish PM: Israeli Attacks on Gaza are ‘State Terror’

Source: End The Lie
Madison Ruppert

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made some quite heated statements in condemnation of the most recent Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in a speech Tuesday, calling the attacks a “massacre.”

A cease fire between Gaza militants and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) went into effect Tuesday but there have been reports of rocket attacks despite this agreement.

Thus far, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz, almost 200 rockets have hit Israeli territory since the most recent outbreak of violence began on Friday.

The Israeli Air Force has conducted some 37 airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip, 19 of which supposedly targeted rocket launchers while 18 allegedly targeted weapons warehouses.

These attacks have resulted in 26 Palestinian deaths, 22 of which were allegedly militants while four were civilians who had no hand in the rocket fire.

In a speech to the Turkish parliament, Erdogan called on Israel to “stop the brutal attack against Palestinians and stop the massacre and bloodshed.”

He also called the Israeli airstrikes on Palestinians “state terror,” adding that the Turkish people have an obligation to “remember that Gazans are our brothers, and will always remain so.”

Military Attack Against Syria Without Congressional Approval Could Lead To Obama’s Impeachment

Source: RT


‘Impeach Obama’ Bill: Use of military without Congress approval ‘high crime’

An American military attack on Syria could effectively lead to the impeachment of President Barack Obama. Congressmen say that any war without congressional authorization would be “unconstitutional”.

Republican Representative Walter B. Jones Jr. has come up with a resolution demanding Obama’s impeachment in case his administration starts another military action without the approval of Congress. This came as a reaction to the American Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announcing that in order to carry out the offensive, the US military needs permission from the UN and NATO alone. 

Jones’s resolution states that the prime authority to rule on the attack is the US Congress, not international bodies, be it NATO or UN. 

“Expressing the sense of Congress that the use of offensive military force by a president without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress constitutes an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under Article II, Section 4 of the constitution,” Jones’s resolution said. 

In an exchange which occurred at a session of the Senate Armed Services Committee, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that in case the Obama administration decides to strike Syria, it would merely “inform” Congress after the decision has been made. 

“Our goal would be to seek international permission and we would come to the Congress and inform you and determine how best to approach this,” Panetta said. “Whether or not we would want to get permission from the Congress, I think those are issues I think we would have to discuss as we decide what to do here.”

Responding to Panetta, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions said he was “breathless” to hear the statement.

Corbett Report Radio - Breitbart, Stratfor and Food World Order

Source: Corbett Report
James Corbett

Tonight on the broadcast we go over the continuing, puzzling saga of Andrew Breitbart’s death, look into the Stratfor email embargo, and take your calls. In the last half of the show we’re joined by James Evan Pilato for our weekly Food World Order update.

Works Cited:

Breitbart’s Obama college video turns out to be a dud, sparks race debate
Breitbart: “Wait ‘Til They See What Happens March 1st”
Breitbart Autopsy Leaves More Questions Than Answers
WikiLeaks’ Elaborate Embargo on the Stratfor Emails
Panetta: International Mandate Trumps Congressional Authorization for Wars
While We Were Looking The Other Way–Obama To Be First President To Chair UN Security Council
AntiSec dumps Monsanto data on the Web
Corporations Kidnap ‘Lorax’ to Greenwash Dangerous Products
Genetically Altered Bird Flu Virus ‘Not Dangerous’
U.S. Stands Firm Against Drug Legalization, Biden Says
More Foods Going to Pouch Packaging
Michigan Lottery Winner Loses Government Food Aid
#BingeAndPurge: Pink Slime, Satire, Coconut Cottage and more

Russia Accuses Libya of Training Syrian Rebels

Source: Lacrosse Tribune

Russia demanded Wednesday that NATO apologize for civilian casualties during the uprising in Libya last year and accused the Libyan government of supporting a training center for Syrian rebels, provoking a sharp response from the U.S. and Libya’s prime minister.

The sparring was another indication of how deeply divided the international community remains over the turmoil in the Middle East, particularly the bloody uprising in Syria.

Russia and China have accused NATO of overstepping its Security Council mandate to protect civilians in Libya during the uprising last year, and have strongly opposed any similar action in Syria.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said his country has received information that “a special training center for Syrian revolutionaries” has been established in Libya with support from government authorities.

He did not elaborate but expressed concern about “the uncontrolled proliferation of Libyan arms in the region” and said training fighters to attack Syria’s government was undermining stability in the Middle East.

Pentagon Launches Desperate Damage Control Over Shocking Panetta Testimony

Source: Prison Planet
Paul Joseph Watson

Alex Jones: “This represents absolute 100 per cent proof that the military industrial complex which runs the United States is under the control of foreign central banks who are imposing a military dictatorship.”

The Pentagon is engaging in damage control after shocking testimony yesterday by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at a Senate Armed Services Committee congressional hearing during which it was confirmed that the U.S. government is now completely beholden to international power structures and that the legislative branch is a worthless relic.

During the hearing yesterday Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey brazenly admitted that their authority comes not from the U.S. Constitution, but that the United States is subservient to and takes its marching orders from the United Nations and NATO, international bodies over which the American people have no democratic influence.

Panetta was asked by Senator Jeff Sessions, “We spend our time worrying about the U.N., the Arab League, NATO and too little time, in my opinion, worrying about the elected representatives of the United States. As you go forward, will you consult with the United States Congress?”

The Defense Secretary responded “You know, our goal would be to seek international permission. And we would come to the Congress and inform you and determine how best to approach this, whether or not we would want to get permission from the Congress.”

Despite Sessions’ repeated efforts to get Panetta to acknowledge that the United States Congress is supreme to the likes of NATO and the UN, Panetta exalted the power of international bodies over the US legislative branch.

China Votes Against an Excuse for War

Source: China.org.cn
Qu Xing - President of the China Institute of International Studies

In February, China voted twice against a UN draft resolution which strongly condemned the Syrian President Bashar Assad's cruel crackdown on domestic uprising and calls for his resignation.

This action is a comprehensive judgment that considers the basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations, basic guidelines of contemporary international relations, China's national interests, and bilateral relations between China and the related countries.

In fact, China appreciates the Arab League's peace efforts; the reason why China voted against the draft resolution is related to its certain sections: they would provide a foundation for Western countries to launch a future Syrian war.

For example, the draft resolution agreed to solve the issue according to the schedule of the Arab League, and reserved the right to take further action if the draft cannot be carried out. But that hides acquiescence for free interpretation which would be nothing less than starting the vicious dominoes of foreign armed intervention in the Syrian conflict.

Libya has served a good example in this regard, where the Security Council resolutions had been overstepped and the Security Council authorization had been abused.

During the six-month war in Libya, at least 25,000 civilians lost their lives, and no one can tell the exact number of the people injured. If the Libyan model is applied to the case of Syria, a similar disaster will undoubtedly occur, and the wounds of war will be difficult to heal.

Revolt Injection: 'Cash, Arms and Jihadists Fuel Syria War'

Source: RT

Syrian government forces have regained control of the Baba Amr district in Homs - which has been the main centre of armed resistance for almost a month. Washington says it'll keep up efforts to convince Russia and China to put pressure on President Assad and impose tougher sanctions against the Syrian regime. James Corbett - editor of the Japan-based independent news website the Corbett Report, says it's not developments within Syria, but international politics, that will shape the country's future.

Syria: Clinton Admits US On Same Side As Al Qaeda To Destabilise Assad Government

Source: Global Research
Prof. Michel Chossudovsky and Finian Cunningham 
 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has acknowledged that Al Qaeda and other organizations on the US “terror list” are supporting the Syrian opposition.

Clinton said: “We have a very dangerous set of actors in the region, al-Qaida [sic], Hamas, and those who are on our terrorist list, to be sure, supporting – claiming to support the opposition [in Syria].” [1] (Click here to watch video)

Yet at the same time, in the above BBC interview the US Secretary of State repeats the threadbare Western claim that the situation in Syria is one of a defenceless population coming under “relentless attack” from Syrian government forces.

There is ample evidence that teams of snipers who have been killing civilians over the past year in Syria belong to the terrorist formations to which Clinton is referring to.

As Michel Chossudovsky points out in a recent article: “Since the middle of March 2011, Islamist armed groups – covertly supported by Western and Israeli intelligence – have conducted terrorist attacks directed against government buildings, including acts of arson. Amply documented, trained gunmen and snipers, including mercenaries, have targeted the police, armed forces as well as innocent civilians. There is ample evidence, as outlined in the Arab League Observer Mission report, that these armed groups of mercenaries are responsible for killing civilians. 

While the Syrian government and military bear a heavy burden of responsibility, it is important to underscore the fact that these terrorist acts – including the indiscriminate killing of men, women and children – are part of a US-NATO-Israeli initiative, which consists is supporting, training and financing  ‘an armed entity’ operating inside Syria.” [2]

The admission at the weekend by Hillary Clinton corroborates the finding that armed groups are attacking civilians and these groups are terroristic, according to US own definitions, and that the situation in Syria is not one of unilateral state violence against its population but rather is one of a shadowy armed insurrection.

Clinton’s admission retrospectively justifies the stance taken by Russia and China, both of which vetoed the proposed UN Security Council Resolution on 4 February, precisely because that proposal was predicated on a spurious notion that the violence in Syria was solely the responsibility of the Al Assad government.

NATO’s Double Game In Libya Under UN Cover Revealed

Source: Pakistan Observer
Akhtar Jamal

Suitcase size drones played decisive role.

Islamabad: A Canadian newspaper has revealed an account of NATO’s double-game in Libya and disclosed how the NATO countries collaborated with each other to topple the Libyan regime and secretly supplied most sophisticated weapons and drones to Libyan rebels.

According to the newspaper, Ottawa Citizen, the NATO states misused the UN embargo of arms and sea-blockage and enforced one-sided sanction while allowing NATO-backed special forces and trainers to slip into Libya via sea. 

The paper also disclosed that dozens of brief-case size drones were also sent to Libya to monitor and track Gadhafi forces and hunt them down.

It said that NATO partners in the Mediterranean Sea enforcing an embargo under authority of the United Nations Security Resolution 1973 allowed weapon supplies without any interception to anti- Gadhafi forces.

The publications recalled while in May of 2011 NATO had set up a ring of 20 warships to enforce a United Nations arms embargo for all sides, while the UN embargo was clearly aimed at preventing the delivery of weapons both to Gadhafi and those fighting him.

The paper added that hundreds of tonnes of ammunition and arms breezed through the blockade, “exposing what critics say was Canada and NATO’s real motive during the Libyan war of regime change under the guise of protecting civilians.”

Arab League Pushes for UN Invasion of Syria

Source: AntiWar.com
Jason Ditz

With their monitors withdrawn from the nation and their last UN Security Council resolution in shambles, the Arab League has voted today to push for a full scale United Nations invasion of the troubled nation of Syria.

Saying the move would “put additional pressure” on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the league says it wants to create a “joint” force of Arab League and United Nations “peacekeepers” as well as backing the various rebel factions.

Exactly what the proposal would accomplish is unclear, as the Arab League could not even pass a resolution that explicitly rejected military intervention through the UN Security Council. Analysts say the call for an attack is “symbolic.”

But symbolic of what, it isn’t clear. Syria’s government of course has rejected this “plan” and there is no chance either Russia or China is going to allow the UN to agree to it either. The net effect, then, is to further alienate Syria from the Arab League.

Expanding Pakistan-Russia Partnership Within Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Source: Pakistan Today
Qudssia Akhlaque

A move in the right direction
====

Pakistan considers Russia as an engine for increased economic growth and a factor of peace and stability in the SCO region. Both the countries seem equally keen to broaden and diversify mutually advantageous cooperation, particularly in the energy sector.

The two countries have also been discussing the possibility of developing rail links with Iran and other areas in the SCO region from Pakistan. Russia had shown some interest in Pakistan’s keenness to develop rail links to Central Asia from Gwadar.

Reaffirmation of Russian support for Pakistan’s request for full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is another encouraging sign.

Notably in June 2005, Pakistan supported Russia’s bid for observer status in the OIC and in turn Russia helped Pakistan obtain the observer status in the SCO.

Both share the view on the need for a multi-polar world and the centrality of the UN role in the world affairs.

The growing presence of US and Nato forces in the region and Pakistan’s active cooperation with both had made Moscow somewhat uneasy. However, Pakistan’s gradual distancing from the US has encouraged the Russians towards closer cooperation. 

Pakistani diplomats at the Envoys Conference in Islamabad a couple of months back had advocated more proactive engagement with Russia. Some promising signs of renewed engagement, including the recently concluded visit of Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to Russia, are visible. This visit also signals to the US Pakistan’s greater activity within its Asian neighbourhood. Russia has, alongside China, become more assertive in demonstrating multi-polarity as opposed to uni-polarity on the global power scene. 

SYRIA: PREVENTING WAR: NATO’s Objective is to turn Syria into Another Iraq, a Quagmire of Ethnic and Sectarian Violence

Source: RT

Prof. Igor Panarin

The reported “hundreds of Syrian activists” would have no particular reason or opportunity for being in Libya. Which means that the assault against the Russian diplomatic mission was a special operation pulled off by Western secret services. It is very reminiscent of the “stray” missile that hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999. The assault on the embassy is a blatant offense against Russia’s national security, which must be retaliated for adequately. 

NATO’s ultimate objective is most likely turning Syria into another Iraq: a quagmire of ethnic and sectarian violence, locked in endless terrorist warfare among feuding communities. Similarly to Iraq, Syria is also a patchwork nation with its own Sunni, Shia and Christian communities. The chaos that is very likely to follow an illegitimate deposition of the Assad government may claim hundreds of thousands of civilian lives.

Syria’s population is roughly equal to that of Iraq: 24 million. All these people are now hostages to a military gamble orchestrated by the same powers that have turned Iraq into a perpetual war zone.

In turn, Syria is also Russia’s last stand: the recent assault against the Russian embassy in Tripoli has demonstrated that Russia could also be on NATO's list of potential targets.

The Russo-Chinese veto in the UN Security Council effectively prevented a military operation against Syria. Writer and political scientist Igor Panarin believes France, Britain and the US have increased pressure against Moscow following the vote.

In the article below, professor Igor Panarin explains his view.­­­­

Moscow and Beijing have been absolutely reasonable in their concerns about a possible “Libya scenario” being imposed on Syria. A similar UN Security Council resolution on Libya triggered a NATO military operation in support of an armed coup in that country, which resulted in the toppling of a legitimate government. Notably, even with Muammar Gaddafi deposed and killed, there is still no stability in Libya to this day. Not to mention all the Libyan civilians killed by NATO air strikes – something the leaders in London, Paris and Washington are reluctant to admit.

China Must Ally With Russia To Prevent West's Takeover Of Middle East

Source: Global Times
China cannot stay out of Syrian chaos 

The West has sped up efforts against Syria after the double veto by China and Russia over the UN Security Council resolution. Russia has sent its envoy to the country. China cannot sit idly by as the situation moves away from its intentions.

Even it is not able to dictate the direction of the Syrian situation, China can at least cast its influence in three aspects.

It can facilitate communication between the Assad government and the opposition. The vetoes by China and Russia have deprived the West of a convenient excuse to launch direct military action, meaning the Syrian opposition will not receive overall support as given to the NTC in Benghazi during the Libyan civil war.

The tenacity of the Assad regime, including its military strength, differs from Gaddafi's, making it harder for the opposition to seize power. These lay out the possibility of channeling dialogue between the Assad regime and the opposition. China and Russia should help the country reform and avoid revolution. It is worth a try.

Second, China should persuade the Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt to mitigate their attitude toward the Assad government. Within the Arab League, the consensus toward Syria is weak. Plus, the antipathy toward Assad is offset by the bloc being on alert to any external interference in an Arab country.

How the Arab League Has Become a Tool of Western Imperialism

Source: Global Research
Finian Cunningham

It’s an intrigue befitting the machinations of classical colonialism in past centuries, such as the Sykes-Picot carve-up of the Middle Eastern Levant territories, or the betrayal of the Arabs after World War I, or the theft of Mesopotamia’s oil by British capitalists.

Only this time, it is Arabs who are helping the neocolonial powers to deceive and subjugate other Arabs. Enter the Arab League.

Over the past year, the 22-member organization has emerged as a useful deceptive cover for Western powers as they seek to redraw the political contours of the Arab World, and beyond, for their own strategic interests.

The momentous popular upheavals that began in early 2011 across the Arab World have in many ways been co-opted or manipulated by Western imperialist powers to minimize democratic gains and to refashion the political map to their continuing advantage. A feat of achievement considering that these same powers have for decades supported the repressive regimes that have inflicted so much misery and suffering.

The leitmotif for Western intervention is “responsibility to protect” (R2P) – the notion that these powers are motivated by concern for human rights and the protection of civilian lives. But given that the United States, Britain, France and other NATO states have been conducting criminal wars of aggression over the past decade in mainly Muslim lands, with a death toll exceeding one million and casualties amounting to many more millions, these powers found themselves with a huge credibility problem when it came to contriving a pretext to intervene in the Arab upheavals.

What better than to shroud the Western agenda for intervention in Arab affairs with an appearance of Arab support? The League of Arab States has fulfilled this role. Since its inception in 1945, it has only ever suspended two member states. The first of these was Libya in March 2011; the second is Syria, suspended eight months later in November.

Drones and Deaths - News Analysis

Source: PressTV Global

Press TV Global discusses President Obama's recent admission of the previously unacknowledged drone strikes in Pakistan which demonstrate a clear violation of international law. Assassination drone strikes were initiated under the Bush administration and escalated by the Obama administration. Confirmed drone strikes have been reported in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. Pakistani sources report an average of 50 civilian casualties for every one militant killed by drone strikes. An investigation by the London based Bureau of Investigative Journalism has found that attacks in Pakistan alone have killed 775 civilians including nearly 170 children since 2004.

NATO: Murdering Afghan Civilians

Source: The Nation

The UN mission in Afghanistan has reported that a record number of civilians were killed in the war-torn, foreign-occupied country in 2011, marking the fifth consecutive year the death toll has risen. 

In its annual report, the mission revealed that 3,021 civilians were killed in 2011, up eight percent from 2010. 

The report differed from the assessment of NATO forces that the year was “remarkably successful.”

It is expected that NATO would try to sell it as such, for it is preparing to withdraw combat troops from the region and hand over responsibility for security to the Afghan government. 

The first question, raised even by the UN report, is who is doing the killing. The report blames the Taliban for 450 deaths. However, though the report acknowledges that the International Security Assistance Force has been responsible for civilian deaths, it does its best to defend them, stating that it has reduced the number of deaths over the last two years. Most of the deaths attributed to NATO were due to air attacks – as widely reported – over even weddings and funerals. These deaths have provoked even the propped-up regime in Kabul to protest.

The report noted that the geographic distribution of casualties had shifted, as the conflict lessened in intensity in the south and increased in the southeast, east and north. This also showed that the resistance to foreign occupation has spread all over the country. 

It is unfortunate that the only sources of information about casualties, civilian and military alike, are the US and the UN. It is therefore of significance that Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said that Pakistan has not asked the USA to apologise for the Salalah incident, in which 26 Pakistani soldiers lost their lives. 

Though the UN has been forced to report NATO excesses against Afghan civilians, Pakistan’s rulers seem to have learnt nothing, and are working to restore NATO supply lines through Pakistan.

Exposed: The Arab Agenda in Syria

Source: Asia Times
Pepe Escobar

Here's a crash course on the "democratic" machinations of the Arab League - rather the GCC League, as real power in this pan-Arab organization is wielded by two of the six Persian Gulf monarchies composing the Gulf Cooperation Council, also known as Gulf Counter-revolution Club; Qatar and the House of Saud.

Essentially, the GCC created an Arab League group to monitor what's going on in Syria. The Syrian National Council - based in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries Turkey and France - enthusiastically supported it. It's telling that Syria's neighbor Lebanon did not.

When the over 160 monitors, after one month of enquiries, issued their report ... surprise! The report did not follow the official GCC line - which is that the "evil" Bashar al-Assad government is indiscriminately, and unilaterally, killing its own people, and so regime change is in order.

indiscriminately, and unilaterally, killing its own people, and so regime change is in order.

The Arab League's Ministerial Committee had approved the report, with four votes in favor (Algeria, Egypt, Sudan and GCC member Oman) and only one against; guess who, Qatar - which is now presiding the Arab League because the emirate bought their (rotating) turn from the Palestinian Authority.

So the report was either ignored (by Western corporate media) or mercilessly destroyed - by Arab media, virtually all of it financed by either the House of Saud or Qatar. It was not even discussed - because it was prevented by the GCC from being translated from Arabic into English and published in the Arab League's website.

Until it was leaked. Here it is, in full.

The report is adamant. There was no organized, lethal repression by the Syrian government against peaceful protesters. Instead, the report points to shady armed gangs as responsible for hundreds of deaths among Syrian civilians, and over one thousand among the Syrian army, using lethal tactics such as bombing of civilian buses, bombing of trains carrying diesel oil, bombing of police buses and bombing of bridges and pipelines.

Russia and China Oppose West-backed Resolution on Syria

Source: The Hindu
Atul Aneja

Amid high drama at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Russia and China have spiritedly opposed a European-Arab draft that seeks to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as the first step towards the establishment of democracy in the troubled Arab nation.

Citing the principle of sovereignty and advocating a peaceful internal dialogue, Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin said during an animated debate on Tuesday that there were alternative ways to end the bloodshed in Syria other than by the eviction of Mr. Assad by foreign powers through the U.N. route.

Questioning the legality of the proposed resolution, Mr. Churkin said the UNSC did not have the mandate to interfere in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state. “The Council cannot prescribe ready recipes for the outcome of domestic political processes. It is not in the [U.N.] Charter”. Mr. Churkin warned that the U.N.'s intrusion into the internal affairs of a country would set a dangerous precedent. “Then you will start telling what king needs to resign and what Prime Minister needs to step down. This is not the business of the Security Council.”

Observers say the Russians are apprehensive that if validated, the principle of U.N. interventionism in internal conflicts can be used to target them if the domestic situation in Russia deteriorates for some reason.

Russia Warns NATO, Gulf States Against Intervention In Syria

U.S. Sixth Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney

Source: Xinhau News and Stop NATO

“We are convinced that in a time of extreme internal political crisis, the role of the international community should not be one of exacerbating conflict nor meddling by the use of economic sanctions or military force.” 

“We will not stand for any sanctions resolutions or using the council’s toolbox so as to fuel conflict or possibly justify any foreign intervention in the future.”

The Security Council met on Tuesday afternoon on the current situation in Syria, with the Arab League and Western countries urging the 15-nation council to adopt their joint draft resolution, which demands what they call a “political transition” in the Middle East country.

UNITED NATIONS: Russia on Tuesday warned foreign countries against meddling in the internal affairs of Syria, saying that “the Syrian crisis can only be resolved within the Syrian-led political process.”

Standing NATO Maritime Group 1

The statement came as Vitaly Churkin, the Russian permanent representative to the United Nations, was addressing an open meeting of the UN Security Council on the current situation in Syria.

“The solution to the crisis can be found only through a Syrian-led, inclusive political process,” Churkin said. “If all key players of the international community were to concentrate their efforts on implementing these provisions we are convinced that the crisis would long be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case.”

“We are convinced that in a time of extreme internal political crisis, the role of the international community should not be one of exacerbating conflict nor meddling by the use of economic sanctions or military force,” he said. “No, it should be fostering dialogue so as to seek an optimally effective and smooth resolution with a view to a cessation of violence and establishing a Syrian-led inclusive political process.”

“Russia, which has enjoyed close, friendly contacts with the Syrian people and the Arab world from the very beginning, fought to ensure that the Syrian people would be able to decide for themselves without bloodshed and violence and set a course, a format for necessary social, economic, and political reforms,” he said.