VIDEO — The Ingredients of Geneva II – Syrian Girl
108morris108
Jan 5, 2014
We learn insights and the backgrounds to Syria in the Geneva 2 prism.
VIDEO — CrossTalk: Syria – Talking The Talk?
RT
Jan 31, 2014
Where does the Geneva process stand? How did the disinvitation of Iran affect the talks? What are the interests of all the participants? And at what point will both sides realize that the bloodshed in Syria is unacceptable? CrossTalking with Dan Arbell and Joe Lauria.
RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air
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VIDEO — RT first TV crew at besieged Syria town after alleged atrocity by Islamists
RT
Jan 30, 2014
It’s been more than a month since Islamist rebels seized the industrial Syrian town of Adra, and allegedly massacred dozens of civilians there. Heavy fighting left thousands displaced, and militants still hold large parts of the city, making it impossible to go in and verify the details of any atrocities. Yet RT became the first foreign TV crew to get to the area since the start of the siege – and spoke to some of the survivors.
RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air
VIDEO — Turkey’s Best Hope is to Leave NATO – And Could Ukraine Divide? – Morris
108morris108
Jan 28, 2014
Country’s borders are not so sacrosanct. Sudan and Czeckoslavakia are two examples of countries dividing
Syria’s Kurds have declared autonomy this can only lead to Turkey’s Kurds being empowered.
The current campaign against Erdogan is because he is backtracking on being NATO’S bull dog.
The Syria Peace Talks: When the “International Community” Supports Terrorism
by Dr. Ismail Salami
Global Research
Jan 27, 2014
A five-minute audio message by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri went viral on the internet in which he enjoins the rebels in Syria to end their infighting and focus their energies on battling against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
A veritable testimony to the fact that the militants fighting against Bashar al-Assad are affiliated to the terrorist al-Qaeda and as a result, they are stripped of any cloak of legitimacy, it further reinforces the notion that there is more than meets the eye in Syria.
Interestingly, the warring factions decided to patch up their differences and sit down at the negotiating table once they heard their leader’s bezels of wisdom.
The negotiations started on Wednesday in an ambience charged with vitriol and spite. While Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem was trying to clarify the real situation in Syria and give a “Syrian version of facts,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon interrupted him and tried to deny him the chance to continue with his speech.
The western media say that he had exceeded his time and that he should not have clashed with the UN head but the fact is that they had gathered together to resolve a Syrian crisis which has been largely engineered by the West and the al-Qaeda elements. In other words, they were there to resolve a West-fomented crisis and the Syrian foreign minister was utterly entitled to finish his speech.
Here’s the exchange:
Ban: Can you just wrap up please.
Moallem: I came here after 12 hours in the airplane. I have few more minutes to end my speech. This is Syria.
Ban: How much do you have left now?
Moallem: I think 5-10 minutes.
Ban: No, no. I will give you another opportunity to speak.
Moallem: No, I cannot divide my speech. I must continue … I will do my best to be fast.
Ban: Can you just wrap up in one or two minutes?
Moallem: No, I can’t promise you, I must finish my speech. … You live in New York, I live in Syria. I have the right to give the Syrian version here in this forum. After three years of suffering, this is my right.
Ban: We have to have some constructive and harmonious dialogue, please refrain from inflammatory rhetoric.
Moallem: It is constructive, I promise you, let me finish.
Ban: Within 2-3 minutes please. I will give you another opportunity.
Moallem: You spoke for 25 minutes, at least I need to speak 30 minutes.
The talks do not seem to yield any fruits as there is a substantial gap between what the government of Bashar al-Assad demands and what the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and its Western allies want. The opposition group insists that President Bashar al-Assad must relinquish power and that a transitional government be formed in Syria.
Geneva II: Lavrov, “No Deal With Terrorists Under Any Circumstance”
nsnbc international
Jan 26, 2014
Christof Lehmann (nsnbc) : Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has emphasized Russia’s red line with regards to terrorism, saying that “a dialog with terrorist groups fighting in Syria will not be held under any circumstance”. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani backed up Russia’s position in an interview on CNN, saying that “the first step for solving the crisis in Syria lies in expelling terrorists”. Meanwhile, UN/AL envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi has held talks with both the Syrian government’s and the foreign-backed opposition and indicates that talks continue in Geneva on Monday.
In February 2013 a US veto to a Russian sponsored UN Security Council resolution, condemning all forms of terrorism, regardless by whom and under which circumstances they are being committed, threw the two partners for peace into a state of diplomatic deep freeze.
Rusia drafted the resolution, following a devastating terrorist attack in Damascus, and Lavrov responded to the US veto by blasting the US administration for double standards.
On Sunday, in Geneva, the Russian Foreign Minister underlined Russia’s red line with regards to terrorism, saying:
“A dialog with terrorist groups fighting in Syria will not be held under any circumstance. … We refuse holding a dialog with terrorist groups, it is against our principles, and we wouldn’t advise others to do that. … The negotiation process has no room for groups like Jabhat al-Nusrah, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and other branches of the al-Qaeda organization. … Finding a solution for the humanitarian crisis in Syria will be sure to promote confidence in the Geneva II negotiations”.
Sergei Lavrov recalled the words of the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, at the 2013 G8 summit in Northern Ireland, when Cameron called for addressing the Syrian government and the opposition for cooperation in eradicating terrorism from Syria.
Lavrov emphasized, that considering the scale of the terrorism that is endemic to Syria and Iraq, the eradication of it must be considered a prime priority. Without mentioning the United States in particular, the Russian Foreign Minister deconstructed recent attempts of the US administration to position certain of the terrorist organizations as good or moderate and worth supporting, while positioning others as radical and extremist, by including both the ISIS and “any other al-Qaeda brigades” in his denunciation of terrorism.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) vs. Syria’s “Moderate” Al Qaeda Terrorists
by Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research
Jan 23, 2014
The Western media has tacitly acknowledged, faced with overwhelming evidence, that the opposition rebels have not only committed countless atrocities, they were also behind the chemical weapons attack of August 21.
In the wake of these tragic events, a new dribble of media disinformation is unfolding.
The evolving media narrative –which coincides in a timely fashion with the Geneva 2 Peace Conference– consists in distinguishing between two categories of Al Qaeda affiliated rebel organizations.
The story runs roughly as follows:
- There are moderate Al Qaeda rebels (“good guy Jihadists”) including those affiliated to Al Nusrah, which are now part of the Western supported moderate Islamic Front. The latter is now openly supported and financed by the US and its allies.
- And then there are the so-called extremists associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
PN 