by Stephen Lendman
On July 19, Russia and China vetoed a Western resolution on Syria. Invoking UN Charter Chapter VII, it effectively authorized war.
Recriminations followed Thursday’s vote. At the State Department’s July 19 press briefing, spokesman Patrick Ventrell said:.
“We think (Moscow and Beijing’s veto was) deplorable, and certainly we’re not pleased with the outcome of the vote.”
“Having said that, we’re going to remain focused on all elements of our national security strategy in terms of keeping the pressure on the Assad regime (for the) kind of political transition” Washington demands.
Asked about America’s next step, he said “Assad is not going to stay in power, and there is going to be a change to a new government.”
Pressed on if Washington planned circumventing UN authority, he admitted that “avenues outside of the Security Council” are being considered.
He barely stopped short of saying if other methods fail, war is the final option.
Asked what he knew about the Bulgarian bombing incident, he said US officials are involved in investigating it.
He stressed that “Israel and Israeli citizens are targets of vicious acts of terrorism.” He ignored what appears like another Mossad false flag.
He said nothing more about his previous day dismissiveness over the July 19 cold-blooded murder of Syrian officials. US-backed death squads killed them. A state funeral paid final respects.
Comments from American officials reflect outrageous imperial arrogance. Ventrell is no exception.
Russia responded harshly in response to criticism from Washington and other Western nations. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said:
“Attempts by certain Western countries to hold Russia responsible for an escalation in the violence in Syria over its refusal to back a resolution containing threats of sanctions against the Syrian authorities are totally unacceptable.”
He also condemned a July 19 House of Representatives “revenge” vote. Members voted 407 – 5 for an amendment to the FY 2013 Department of Defense Appropriations Act (HR 5856).
It punished Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport. It lost its Pentagon contract. Jim Moran (D. VA) introduced the measure. He called it wrong to partner with “lords of war” supplying arms to Syria.
He lambasted Pentagon officials for awarding the contract. It called for selling 10 Mi-17 attack helicopters to Afghanistan’s military.
America plays hardball. If Russia and China don’t acknowledge who’s boss, expect tougher recrimination ahead.
Vladimir Putin stressed several times he won’t tolerate Libya 2.0. His June 2 “Russia and the Changing World” article said:
“(W)e intend to be consistent in proceeding from our own interests and goals rather than decisions dictated by someone else. Russia is only respected and has its interests considered when the country is strong and stands firmly on its own feet.”
Civilization requires respecting the “inalienable right to security for all states, the inadmissability of the excessive use of force, and the unconditional observance of the basic principles of international law.”
“To neglect any of these principles can only lead to the destabilization of international relations.”
He deplored America’s offensive missile shield near Russia’s borders. “Regrettably, our Western partners are unresponsive and have simply brushed our concerns aside,” he said.
He stressed the importance of the UN “and its Security Council to effectively counter the dictates of some countries and their arbitrary actions in the world arena.”
“Nobody has the right to usurp the prerogatives and powers of the UN, particularly the use of force with regard to sovereign nations.”
He pointedly referred to Washington and NATO. He denounced what he called “humanitarian operations” and “missile-and-bomb democracy.”
“It seems that NATO members, especially the United States, have developed a peculiar interpretation of security that is different from ours.”
“No one should be allowed to employ the Libyan scenario in Syria. The international community must work to achieve an internal Syrian reconciliation.”
“It is important to achieve an early end to the violence no matter what the source, and to initiate a national dialogue – without preconditions or foreign interference and with due respect for the country’s sovereignty.”
He warned America and NATO partners not to circumvent Security Council authority. He expressed concern about possible war on Iran and “disastrous” consequences if it happens.
“He’s equally worried about Syria. He said US/Russian relations “continue to ebb and flow.”
“The instability of the partnership with America is due in part to the tenacity of some well-known stereotypes and phobias, particularly the perception of Russia on Capitol Hill.”
He said relations with America depend on “principles of equal and mutually respectful partnership.” He knows Washington doesn’t respect these notions.
Meanwhile on July 20, the Security Council unanimously extended UNSMIS monitors another 30 days. Failure to agree would have ended their mandate at midnight EDT.
The measure says further extensions depend on future Secretary-General reports, whether the Security Council confirms no further heavy weapons use, and significantly less violence overall.
Britain proposed the resolution. It’s offensive, one-sided, and resolves nothing. It’s UN envoy and Washington’s called it a “last chance” to keep observers on the ground.
Expect nothing positive between now and late August. Washington, key NATO partners, and regional allies won’t allow it.
At the same time, Western efforts target credible reporting from Syria. SANA state media is repeatedly hacked. On July 20, its web site can’t be accessed. On July 14, it headlined “SANA Website Attacked to Prevent it from Conveying Truth of Events in Syria,” saying:
Foreign elements attack the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Doing so blocks credible news and information reporting.
“After the failure of several attempts to hack the website and publish fabricated news on it, foreign sides targeted the website with a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack).”
SANA publishes daily news and articles in English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic. On July 19, it was unavailable. Days earlier it couldn’t be accessed.
On July 20, it was up only for a short time. It’s struggling to keep operating despite relentless efforts to silence it. Other Syrian media have also been attacked. If they had nothing important to say, they’d be ignored.
Meanwhile, scoundrel media war on Syria continues relentlessly. On July 18, The New York Times headlined “Washington Begins to Plan for Collapse of Syrian Government,” saying:
“Pentagon officials were in talks with Israeli defense officials about whether Israel might move to destroy Syrian weapons facilities.”
Obama’s national security adviser, Thomas Donilon, discussed plans with Israeli officials last weekend. Obama tried pressuring Putin by phone. A White House statement said significant differences remain between the two leaders.
On July 18, a Times editorial headlined “Assassination in Damascus” practically gloated about it, saying:
Assad wages “bloody war against his people..convinced he (can) weather the storm.” In other words, murdering top officials is fair game to prove him wrong.
Russia was also denounced for “abetting Mr. Assad’s killing spree by supplying him with helicopters (and) stubborn(ly) support(ing him).”
Suppressed was Washington’s complicity in supplying Western-recruited deaths squads with heavy weapons, munitions, funding, training, and direction.
On July 18, a Washington Post editorial headlined “Syria’s nerve agents,” saying:
Killing Syrian officials “blew a hole in (Assad’s) regime (and) could lead to the government’s loss of control over territory.”
Syria’s alleged chemical stockpile was stressed, their weaponization, and possible use. Israel’s security was highlighted.
The editorial omitted mention of Israel’s nuclear, biological and chemical arsenal. It used chemical, depleted uranium, and other terror weapons against Lebanon in 2006 and Gaza during Cast Lead. Media scoundrels say nothing.
Syria threatens no one. Israel menaces humanity. So does America. Issues this important are suppressed. Fingers repeatedly point the wrong way.
Media scoundrels betray their readers and viewers. Condemn them. Ignore them. Get real news and information. Learn what’s going on.
Understand real, not fake, global threats. Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and other states are victims. So are people everywhere wanting to live free.
Washington, key NATO partners, Israel, and rogue Arab League states threaten it. Ending their scourge is humanity’s only chance.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
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