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Deplorable US Rush to Judgment in Syria |
By
Stephen Lendman |
| On Wednesday, Security Council members discussed Tuesday’s CW attack
in Kahn Sheikhoun - Washington, Britain and France irresponsibly blaming
Assad. Neocon US UN envoy Nikki Haley said if Security Council members fail “to act collectively…we are compelled to take our own action” - a deplorable comment, suggesting possible US terror-bombing of Syrian forces and government targets, escalating conflict hugely. “The time has come to act collectively with all necessary firmness,” French UN envoy Francois Delattre added. The US/UK/French draft resolution is wrongheaded and one-sided. Russia called it “categorically unacceptable” - drawing conclusions about culpability before evidence shows who’s responsible. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it’s “completely” based on fabricated claims, intended to escalate conflict, not resolve it. Video footage about the incident circulated by social media appears “provocative(ly)” staged. Since 2014, US-supported terrorists controlled Idlib province where Tuesday’s attack occurred. No vote was immediately scheduled on the US/UK French draft resolution. Western UN envoys said they won’t negotiate on the text much longer. In its current form, a Sino-Russia veto is likely. The draft irresponsibly points fingers the wrong way. Its provisions are unacceptable. It demands Syrian authorities provide flight plans, logs and other relevant information on its aerial operations for April 4, the date of the CW attack. It requires Damascus to supply names of all helicopter squadron commanders, provide immediate access to its airbases, and organize meetings with its generals and other relevant officers in five days. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would have to report every 30 days on whether Syrian authorities are cooperating with individuals investigating the Tuesday incident. Russia steadfastly supports Syria in combating US-supported terrorists imported from scores of countries. Its aerial operations continue unimpeded. Its acting UN envoy Pyotr Ilyichev supports an independent OPCW fact-finding mission in charge of investigating the Khan Sheikhoun CW attack. On April 11 and 12, Secretary of State Tillerson will be in Moscow for talks with Sergey Lavrov. Syria will be a key topic, along with Ukraine, North Korea and combating terrorism. It’s unclear if he’ll meet with Putin. His aide Yury Ushakov said he’s “a guest of our foreign minister. He’s coming to see Lavrov, and we can go from there.” During an April 5 State Department meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Tillerson declined to answer questions about Tuesday’s incident. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |