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Stephen Lendman, Contributor
Activist Post
On August 3, The General Assembly ignored rule of law principles. Member states are sworn to uphold them.
It passed a non-binding Syrian resolution 133 – 12. Thirty-one nations abstained. Cowardice defines their failure to do the right thing.
Saudi Arabia drafted the measure. It partnered with Qatar and perhaps Bahrain doing so. They’re regional axis of evil co-conspirators. Compared to them, Assad is saintly.
Russia called the measure “biased and unbalanced.” It was that and much more. It ignored reality on the ground. It ran cover for Washington’s proxy war.
It endorsed daily slaughter and destruction. It ignored Western/Arab League/Israeli responsibility for ravaging another nonbelligerent country. It spurned millions of Syrians.
In UN history, August 3, 2012 will live in infamy.
Honest observers won’t forget how irresponsible nations acted. At the same time, 12 courageous ones did the right thing. They include Russia, China, Syria, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Belarus, Myanmar, North Korea and Zimbabwe.
Syria’s UN envoy Bashar al-Jaafari condemned the resolution. He called it a hysterical anti-Syrian campaign. Fundamental UN Charter and other rule of law principles were violated.
National sovereignty was ignored. Imperial interests alone were served. Syrians were betrayed.
Western-sponsored terrorism was endorsed. Doing so ensures greater violence, mass killing and human misery.
“Some countries which waged war under the pretext of fighting terrorism are supporting, directly and indirectly, the acts of these armed terrorist groups, of which is al-Qaeda,” al Jaafari said.
He added that resolution sponsors Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain are “despotic oligarchies.” They’re imperial partners. They’re attack dogs for Washington’s regional wars. They’re lawless rogue states.
They persecute, arrest, imprison, torture, and brutalize their own people. They’re ruthless against anyone publicly supporting political, economic and social justice. Their regimes have no legitimacy.
They’re silent about ongoing atrocities in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Palestine, and their own countries. They supported Washington’s war on Gaddafi.
They helped murder tens of thousands of Libyans. They support current puppet leadership. They mock rule of law principles and democratic values. They treat people like garbage and show it.
Iran’s acting UN envoy Eshagh Alehabib called the resolution “one-sided.” It “will have no impact whatever. It is a piece of theater.”
Britain’s UN ambassador Mark Grant said it wasn’t meant to be balanced. It shamelessly points fingers the wrong way.
UN envoy Susan Rice echoed Grant’s view. She skipped her usual histrionics. Doing so didn’t soften her mockery of fundamental international and constitutional law.
Russian UN envoy Vitaly Churkin accused Western countries of hidden goals.
The measure “will aggravate the confrontational approach to resolution of the Syrian crisis and will in no way facilitate movement of the sides toward a platform of dialogue and a search for a peaceful resolution of the crisis in the interests of the Syrian people.”
Other countries voting no said Syria faces forces supporting terrorism.
Nations voting yes condemned Syria for Western-backed crimes. General Assembly language mocked legitimacy and fairness. It endorsed wrong over right. It gave fig lead cover for greater Western intervention.
It “deplor(ed) the Security Council failure.” Doing so took direct aim at Russia and China. So far, their vetoes prevented full-scale war.
At issue is for how long. Washington has longstanding regime change plans. All means are employed. Body counts don’t matter. Imperial priorities take precedence. They include unchallenged regional dominance to Russia and China’s borders.
Hypocritically the resolution expressed grave concerns for human rights violations. It lied saying Syria uses heavy weapons against its own people. They’re used to defend them against death squad killers.
It wrongfully claimed Assad “threat(ens) to use chemical or biological weapons.”
No such threat was made. Syria admitted having chemical weapons. Biological ones weren’t mentioned. Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said Syria would only use chemical weapons against external aggression. Distortion, misinterpretation, and willful lying followed his comments.
Resolution language hypocritically claimed concern for “international peace and security.” It expressed “profound regret at the death of many thousands of people.”
At the same time, it ignored Western-sponsored mass killing and destruction. Alleged concern about protecting civilians ignores Washington proxy death squads murdering them.
It shamelessly endorsed fundamental human rights. At the same time, responsible parties violating them aren’t mentioned.
Its call for “political transition” ignores fundamental international law. Doing so violates sovereign Syrian rights. In May, free, fair and open parliamentary elections weren’t mentioned. Independent international monitors endorsed them.
Ruling Ba’ath party members won a convincing 60% majority. Repeating what’s accomplished is irresponsible. Demanding it is unconscionable.
Shamelessness defined August 3 voting. Doing so perpetuates conflict. Escalation, not resolution will follow. One hundred and thirty-three nations have blood on their hands.
A Final Comment
A virtual unanimous hallelujah chorus expressed similar comments. Truth and full disclosure were absent. Perpetrators were absolved. Victims were blamed.
The New York Times called the resolution an overwhelming critique of Syrian policy. The Wall Street Journal said it condemned Syria’s campaign. CBS said it denounced Syria’s crackdown but took little action.
AP said it tells Assad to step down. Reuters said it isolates Russia and China for vetoing Security Council resolutions. The Los Angeles Times said it condemned Syrian violence and “big power” inaction.
The Chicago Tribune headlined “UN nations condemn Syria; Russia, China seen isolated.” The London Guardian said the General Assembly criticized the Security Council’s failure to act. London’s Independent said UN nations condemn Syria and demand political transition.
The vote came a day after UN/Arab League Syrian envoy Kofi Annan resigned. It’s effective end of August when his mandate expires. Reasons given were duplicitous. Both actions on consecutive days weren’t coincidental. They advance the ball for war.
Annan’s Washington’s man. Obama officials chose him. His “peace plan” was sham cover for imperial lawlessness. It also bought time. Escalated aggression now is planned.
On August 3, Time magazine headlined “Syrian Opposition Sees Annan Failure as Vindication of its Armed Struggle,” saying:
Annan’s resignation “confirmed the Syrian opposition’s belief that there is no alternative (but) a military struggle to bring down the Assad regime.”
Former Syrian National Council head Burhan Ghalioun said “(t)he defeat of the Annan plan means there is no political solution.” Western powers must act. “We have no time to waste.”
Expect continued scoundrel media unanimity. Doing so endorses war. Obama, key NATO partners, and regional allies want full-scale intervention. Only its timing is unknown.
Prioritizing the prevention of potentially catastrophic war matters most. The entire region and beyond could become embroiled. The threat is too great to ignore.
A late July Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) report said Western intervention looks more likely. “We are not moving toward intervention but intervention is certainly moving towards us,” it said.
At issue is “appropriate modes of intervention.” In some respects, it already began.
It’s been ongoing throughout the conflict. Now it’s escalating. Annan’s resignation adds momentum. Conditions “make a hands-off approach increasingly” unlikely.
Washington considers conflict resolutions unacceptable. Regime change alone matters. War all along was planned. So is subjugating the entire region. Perhaps destroying it will happen in the process.
One country after another is ravaged. Mushroom-shaped cloud solutions may follow. Stopping this madness matters most. Imagine what’s coming otherwise.
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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at [email protected]. His new book is titled How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War. Also 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.http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/
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