Tag Archives: Syria
| Hawks in Obama administration dream on Syrian government overthrow
On June 17 Wall Street Journal has published information that “dozens of State Department officials this week protested against U.S. policy in Syria, signing an internal document that calls for targeted military strikes against the Damascus government and urging regime change as the only way to defeat Islamic State.
The “dissent channel cable” was signed by 51 State Department officers… The views expressed by the U.S. officials in the cable amount to a scalding internal critique of a longstanding U.S. policy against taking sides in the Syrian war… The State Department acknowledged the existence of the cable, which is a formal, confidential diplomatic communication… Obama administration officials have expressed concern that attacking the Assad regime could lead to a direct conflict with Russia and Iran”.
It is hard to imagine the link between military strikes against the Damascus government and victory over ISIS. This problem naturally provoked some questions to Obama administration. The next day Deputy Press Secretary Jennifer Friedman was asked: “Is there any reaction from the White House to the internal State Department memo that’s very critical of the President’s Syria policy?”
Ms. Friedman answered she has not read memo yet but it contradicts to Obama’s approach to Syrian problem: “First, the President has always been clear that he doesn’t see a military solution to the crisis in Syria. And that remains the case. And so we’re focused on the threat posed by ISIL and terrorist groups in Syria”. She stressed twice “that the President has been clear and continues to be clear that he doesn’t see a military solution to the crisis in Syria”. Jennifer Friedman added: “That doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be discussions or a variety of conversations and a variety of opinions, but that fundamental principle still remains”.
The discussion may rise from the position of circles round Clinton. Despite the lack of evidence linking Orlando mass murderer Omar Mateen to Daesh (ISIS) in any operational (direct) sense, the first inclination of Hillary Clinton was to renew American bombing of Syria, Iraq and Libya.
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| Turkish-ISIL Oil Trade: The Role of Britain, Israel, and the Kurdistan Regional Government
Turkish officials were involved in illegal transport of oil from Iraq long before the emergence of the so-called Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS/IS/DAESH). Their illegal trade expanded to the Syrian Arab Republic with the intensification of the conflict in Syria. Turkey, however, is not the only player involved in the illegal oil trade in Syria and Iraq. The operations of the Anglo-Turkish company Genel Energy PLC, which works in Iraqi Kurdistan and Malta, illustrates the constellation of financial and energy sector interests involved.
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| Is global coalition against ISIL possible? French opinion
Tour d’horizon des alliances, solides, bancales ou de circonstance, face à l’Etat islamique.
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| Turkey Provokes Russia with Shoot-down
Exclusive: Turkey appears to have deliberately shot down a Russian warplane as a provocation designed to escalate tensions between NATO and Russia, a ploy that seems to have sucked in President Obama as he tries to look tough against Russia to appease his neocon critics, writes Robert Parry. (Update: Russia says one airman saved.)
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| Hollande proclaimed a war to Islamic state
Following the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015, the President François Hollande spoke before a joint session of the French Parliament. He announced several new measures in French politics in the Middle East.
First of all he states: “France is at war. The acts committed in Paris and near the Stade de France on Friday evening are acts of war… They are an act of aggression against our country, against its values, against its young people, and against its way of life. They were carried out by a jihadist army, by Daesh… Friday’s acts of war were decided upon, planned and prepared in Syria. They were organized in Belgium and carried out on our soil with French complicity”.
That is why Holland concentrated attention on the fighting against ISIS: “We are facing an organization, Daesh, which has a territorial base, financial resources, and military capabilities. Since the beginning of the year, Daesh’s terrorist army has struck in Paris, Denmark, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Libya. Every day, it massacres and oppresses populations.
That is why the need to destroy Daesh concerns the whole international community”. Hollande asked the Council of Security to adopt a resolution expressing will to combat terrorism.
Hollande described practical steps in the French war on terrorism: “France will step up its operations in Syria. Yesterday I ordered 10 French fighter jets to launch airstrikes on the Daesh stronghold of Raqqa”. This military operation is carried out with US assistance. So the USA has got new ally in its coalition against Islamic state.
Hollande states there are two Middle East countries where France fights terrorism. They are Iraq and Syria. “We are fighting terrorism in Iraq to allow the authorities of that country to restore their sovereignty throughout the entire country, and in Syria, where we are resolutely and tirelessly seeking a political solution, one that does not include Bashar al-Assad. But our enemy in Syria is Daesh.
There is no question of containing it. This organization must be destroyed, both to save the populations of Syria and Iraq, and those of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey – all the neighboring countries.
But we must do more. Syria has become the largest breeding ground for terrorists that the world has ever known, and the international community – as I have noted more than once – is divided and incohesive. From the outset of the conflict, France has called for this unity, which is so necessary in order to act.
Today, we need more airstrikes, which we will carry out, and more support for those who are fighting Daesh, which we, France, will provide. But we need all those who can really combat this terrorist army to unite as part of a large, single coalition. That is what we are striving for.
In the next few days, I will therefore meet with President Obama and President Putin to unite our forces and to achieve a result which, at this point, has been put off for far too long.
France is speaking to everyone – to Iran, Turkey, the Gulf States.
I have asked the defense minister to take up this matter tomorrow with our European colleagues under article 42 (7) of the Treaty on European Union, the solidarity clause, which states that when one State is attacked, all the Member States shall have the obligation to provide aid and assistance because the enemy is not just France’s enemy, it is Europe’s enemy.
Europe cannot live in the belief that the crises around it have no effect on it. The refugee issue is directly linked to the wars in Syria and Iraq. The inhabitants of those countries, particularly those living in territories controlled by Daesh, are suffering hideously and they are fleeing. They are the victims of this same terrorist system”.
It looks like there is now difference for Hollande now who fights against Islamic state. He claims for unity of all forces involved in Syria conflict. He proposes collaboration both for US led and Russian led coalitions and also looks for support from other EU members. Assad’s regime is not an enemy number one for Hollande now. But he is still constant in his vision of Syria future: there is no place for current government and Assad. This is acceptable for the USA but not acceptable for Russia. Existing differences can be hardly overcome and united coalition against ISIS is not a realistic project. Anyway French position in Syria conflict changed. This circumstance opens new possibilities for international political struggle round Syrian problem.
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