Humanitarian Crisis in Damascus Countryside
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
US-supported terrorists hold countless thousands of Eastern Ghouta residents hostage.
Syria and Russia are falsely blamed for their high crimes, including shelling of residential areas and hospitals, along with preventing humanitarian supplies from reaching civilians in dire need.
On Wednesday, Russia’s Center for Syrian Reconciliation said efforts to cease hostilities in Eastern Ghouta failed.
Al-Nusra and other US-supported terrorists refused to stop fighting and surrender their arms.
According to Russian General Yuri Yevtushenk, Eastern Ghouta’s humanitarian situation is critical. Appeals by Russia’s reconciliation center failed to achieve positive results.
Talks for peaceful resolution were derailed, US dirty hands likely responsible, wanting endless war and regime change no matter the human cost.
Eastern Ghouta is one of four de-escalation zones established by Russia, Iran and Turkey last May - an unattainable objective so far in the area.
In the past 24 hours alone, US-supported terrorists shelled Damascus and surrounding civilian areas.
On Wednesday, Sergey Lavrov stressed conflict resolution in Syria is only possible by “respect(ing) (its) sovereignty and territorial integrity” - affirmed by Security Council resolutions.
On Monday at the Valdai International Discussion Club, he accused Washington of “playing with fire” in Syria.
In response to a question, he said conflict resolution in Syria depends not “on what else Russia can contribute, but rather on what the US refrains from doing,” adding:
“The US should have stopped playing dangerous games that could result in the partition of the Syrian state.”
“The US creates on the territories under its responsibility to the east of the Euphrates and up to the Syrian state border, authorities that are intentionally formed in such a way as not to have any communications with Damascus, and provides various forms of ‘assistance’ to them” - namely heavy weapons.
Lavrov explained efforts by Russia and Syria to combat al-Nusra and other terrorists in Eastern Ghouta continue, adding US-led Western nations aren’t “serious” about combating them, refusing to recognize al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria) as a terrorist group.
America’s agenda in Syria is the main obstacle to conflict resolution - rejected by the Obama and Trump administrations.
On Thursday, a Security Council session will be held on Syria. Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said it’s to address the humanitarian crisis in Eastern Ghouta “and come up with ways of getting out of this situation.”
Like many times before, expect Washington and its imperial allies to block constructive efforts to end crisis conditions.
UN human rights high commissioner Jordanian Prince Zeid Ra’ad Hussein mocks the mandate he’s sworn to uphold, supporting Washington’s imperial agenda, including its naked aggression on Syria.
On Wednesday, he disgracefully lied, accusing Assad of conducting a “monstrous campaign of annihilation” in Eastern Ghouta - ignoring high crimes committed by US-supported terrorists, along with efforts by Syrian and Russian forces to liberate the area.
Like many times before, the NYT disgracefully blamed Assad for “fractur(ing) the country” - ignoring Washington’s full responsibility for launching aggression in 2011, continuing it for seven years with no prospect for resolution because Obama and now Trump want endless war and regime change.
Other media scoundrels falsely accused Syria and Russia for slaughter, destruction, and humanitarian crisis conditions in Eastern Ghouta - notably the neocon/CIA house organ Washington Post.
“Death is raining down on Eastern Ghouta,” it reported, ignoring Washington’s responsibility for daily carnage - committed by terrorists it supports.
The key objective throughout Syria is defeating US-supported terrorists, ending the presence of Pentagon forces illegally occupying northern and southern parts of the country, along with halting its daily terror-bombing, massacring civilians, turning Syrian infrastructure to rubble.
Government and allied forces, along with Russian airpower, deserve high praise for their liberating efforts - not condemnation by media scoundrels and others supporting US-led naked aggression against a sovereign country threatening no one.
A Final Comment
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov correctly said “(t)hose responsible for the situation in East Ghouta are those who support the terrorists, those that are still there.”
“(N)either Russia, nor Syria, nor Iran belong to the category of such states, for it is they who on the ground are engaged in an irreconcilable struggle against the terrorists in Syria.”
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