THE LIBERATION OF HOMS, BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE AGGRESSION AGAINST SYRIA
Voltaire Network
May 12 2014
by Thierry Meyssan
The liberation of Homs, the third largest city of the Syrian Arab
Republic, is not just an event among others in the war waged by NATO
and the GCC on Syria. For Thierry Meyssan, the agreement reached
between the Republic and its attackers suggests a quick exit from
the war. It will probably be accompanied by a redistribution of
regional roles.
Events follow and contradict each other in Syria. While at the
beginning of the year, a smiling Washington sponsored the organization
of the Geneva 2 Peace Conference, it sabotaged it from behind and
yielded to all Saudi requests. The war seemed to be destined to last as
long as the states of NATO and the GCC would finance it. Yet secretly,
for two months, peace negotiations moved forward on the initiative of
Iran. They bore their first fruit with the liberation of Homs which
could mark the beginning of the end of the war of aggression.
To understand, one must remember the official discourse and replace
the signs in the chronology of the negotiations that were taking place
at the time. This is also an opportunity for me to correct previous
statements that could not have been complete because of the secrecy
of the talks.
Four Months of War Against Syria
In early January, Washington had determined its strategy for Syria.
President Obama secretly met Congress to hold a vote for war funding
until the end of the fiscal year, that is to say until September. This
unusual procedure, unworthy of a supposedly democratic state, was
hidden from the American public and became known only because of a
dispatch from Reuters UK [1]. Parliamentarians authorized the shipment
of arms to “moderate opposition” groups, without identifying these
famous groups as, in the field, all armed opposition groups, without
exception, engaged in atrocities in the name of their vision of Islam.
[2]
At the same time, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, undisputed leader of Al
Qaeda since the summer of 2001 and Saudi national security adviser,
was hospitalized in the United States. The rumor spread that King
Abdullah would place him in disgrace at the end of the six months he
had been given to overthrow Bashar al-Assad.
In Turkey, the judiciary tried to establish how Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan was diverting money to Al-Qaeda. It jeopardized the
Muslim Brotherhood IHH Humanitarian Association. [3]
Then the United States sabotaged the peace conference in Geneva that
they were sponsoring jointly with Russia. John Kerry had Iran’s
invitation cancelled by Ban Ki-moon the day before the meeting,
though the invitation had already been duly addressed to Iran. He
presented a delegation called “Syrian Opposition” that was restricted
to members of the National Coalition, which is to say exclusively to
employees of Saudi Arabia. During his keynote speech, he kept going
over the worst war propaganda, describing the onset of a “revolution”
after the torture allegedly inflicted on teenagers in Deraa or citing
“horrific reports” on torture and thousands of executions. [4]
The Geneva conference was thus a dialogue of the deaf between, on the
one hand, a Syrian national delegation requiring prior condemnation
of terrorism in accordance with UN resolutions and on the other hand,
a pro-Saudi delegation overwhelming it with fanciful accusations.
Strangely, debates clenched around a seemingly very minor point :
the fate of the inhabitants of old Homs. Several locations in the
country and several places in Homs were besieged by the national army,
but the pro-Saudis were anxious that humanitarian organizations should
enter only old Homs.
On February 15th, the Special Representative of Ban Ki -moon and of
Nabil el-Arabi, Lakhdar Brahimi, noting that the Syrian Arab Republic
would not bend because the balance of power on the ground was largely
in its favour, suspended sine die the negotiations [5].
During the three weeks of the conference, the United States had also
taken the initiative to engage with their Saudi friends, followed by
Poland with its European allies, to encourage them to take steps to
protect themselves from the return of the jihadists. On February 6th,
the Secretary of Homeland Security , Jeh Johnson, told his counterparts
that peace was at hand and that the parties to the Western Jihad
in Syria would come back, inebriated with blood, to commit crimes in
Europe and the USA [6]. The first state to obey was Saudi Arabia, which
by decree forbade participation in jihad under penalty of 4-20 years in
prison, then it was France’s turn, which adopted a vast, comprehensive
anti-jihadist plan on April 23. On this occasion, false statistics were
distributed to the press announcing that about 10,000 Westerners and
5000 Arabs fought in Syria, while Lakhdar Brahimi spoke the preceding
year of 40,000 foreign fighters and the Syrian military evoked 120 000.
Shortly after the launch of this campaign, the European Union
confiscated the Syrian assets it had frozen, supposedly to finance the
destruction of chemical weapons, contrary to a resolution of the OPCW
which specified Syria’s financial inability to pay such destruction
and created a special international fund to act in its place. [7]
All these maneuvers were discussed by Washington and its allies at
a secret meeting of the Board of U.S. national security and heads of
European intelligence services at the White House as revealed by the
Washington Post. [8]
Militarily, Saudi Arabia brokered a cease-fire between armed groups
waging amongst themselves a terrible war of competition [9]. This
agreement did not last long and the fighting resumed quickly and
with greater gusto. However, its existence confirmed that the Saudi
Kingdom had become the only entity capable of being obeyed by the
“armed opposition”. In addition, we learned in passing that Ã~IIIL
was directly controlled by Prince Abdul Rahman al-Faisa , brother of
the Minister of Foreign Affairs. [10]
On February 22nd, Westerners had a resolution adopted by the UN
Security Council on humanitarian aid to Syria. As pointed out by
Ambassador Churkin, it came after many attempts to use this aid to
overthrow the regime. In fact only 7% of funds were gathered for
this aid, three-quarters of which was distributed by the Syrian Arab
Republic and only a quarter by UN agencies. However, in practice,
this resolution, not being respected by the armed opposition groups,
amounts only to prohibiting the Republic from besieging the areas
they control. [11]
On February 27, the tone rises between Saudi Arabia and Qatar about
the Muslim Brotherhood. Riyadh imposes requirements and sponsors a
bombing in Doha. [12]
It was then that began secret contacts on the liberation of old Homs.
In mid- March, the new U.S. ambassador to Syria, Daniel Rubinstein,
ordered the closure of the Syrian consular offices in the country.
[13] Then, on the occasion of the visit to the White House of the
President of the National Coalition, he announced the diplomatic
recognition of this group of pro-Saudi opposition, without putting an
end to diplomatic relations in international bodies with the Syrian
Arab Republic . [14]
On March 21st, the Turkish army, a NATO member, entered Syrian
territory to support a new jihadist takeover of the town of Kassab
[15]. While the Syrian army tried to save the Armenian population of
the city and bombarded the jihadists, the Turks shot down a Syrian
plane [16] . Armenia and all OTCS Member States protested in vain
against what looked like a continuation of the massacre of Armenians
by the Young Turks in 1915. Challenged by the Russian delegation to
the Security Council, Westerners refused to condemn the violation of
Syrian sovereignty by a NATO [17] member State.
At the end of March, Saudi Arabia and Qatar concluded an agreement.
Doha would gently cease its support for the Muslim Brotherhood whose
foreign leaders are asked one by one to leave the Emirate. Their
representatives would be excluded from the Syrian National Coalition.
To restore its image, Qatar plans to create a new television channel
that will soften the image of Al-Jazeera.
On April 3 , the 11 surviving members of the Friends of Syria argue
against the principle of a presidential election in Syria. They
reaffirm that it is they, through negotiations, not the Syrians
democratically, who must choose their future. [18]
On April 16, Prince Bandar bin Sultan was officially relieved of his
duties as national security adviser as well as Saudi intelligence
chief. [19] To oust him, King Abdullah was supported by John Kerry who
punished thusly the prince’s reactions to the chemical weapons case.
The Sudeiris Clan of whom Bandar is the leader, was forced to bow. The
kingdom then tidied up its operations. On the one hand, the king
ordered the release of French hostages and secondly he adopted jihad
legislation. Now, participation is prohibited, however the returning
Saudis will not be imprisoned but rather welcomed as prodigal sons.
On April 20th, a faction of Al-Qaeda in Syria, Ã~IIIL, freed four
French hostages and handed them to the Turkish police. Officially,
the four men were journalists held by Saudi Arabia (it is known that
the Ã~IIIL is controlled by Prince Abdul Rahman al-Faisal ). They
were released without compensation. [20] However one of the four
hostages would have been a member of the French secret services and,
according to the German magazine, Focus, their release was accompanied
by a funding of $ 18 million to Ã~IIIL.
On May 6th, Saudi Arabia arrested 62 members of Al- Qaeda accused of
plotting against the officials of the regime . [21]
The Liberation of Homs
Negotiations on the liberation of Homs began in early March. That was
two months ago. It was implemented from May 7 to 9. Combatants and
civilians who supported them, a total of 2,250 people, were allowed
to leave the city on buses. They could take with them small arms and
personal belongings. The document states that the windows of the bus
should be tinted or covered by curtains. An Iranian representative
was on board each vehicle. The convoy was escorted by police to a
rebel area twenty kilometers to the north.
Homs, described by NATO and GCC propaganda as the “heart of the
revolution”, is returned to the authority of the Republic, without
blood being shed. Its liberation marks the end of the takfisriste
project in Syria. Upon entering the old town, Syrian soldiers
discovered several mass graves in which the jihadists threw their
victims.
Curtains hid fighters from news reporters. We do not know how many
were foreign officers. The only thing certain is that they are French
and Saudis, with some Americans. They abandoned their heavy weapons.
They were to continue their journey and be exfiltrated by Turkey. The
Syrian government is committed not to speak publicly about the presence
of foreign officers, but it is an open secret for journalists who
approached civilians.
If the presence of Saudis is not surprising, that of the French and
Americans is. Paris had formally severed contacts with jihadists in
Syria since its intervention in Mali, in January 2013 , against other
jihadists. So much for severing, although these contacts were more
discreet. As for the Americans, they have a reputation for leaving the
ship to their allies when the weather turns bad. Yet there they were.
Henceforth, the question is what is the intention of NATO and the GCC.
It seems that the Nicaraguan style war is over. Perhaps because
the Republic resisted, perhaps because it was becoming increasingly
difficult to find candidates for jihad. Washington would fall back
on simple support for its Syrian employees. From this point of
view, the liberation of Homs corresponds to an escalation against
Damascus. For the past week, rockets rain down on the capital, causing
many casualties. Given the balance of power within the population,
the outcome of the war leaves no doubt and will be speedy. Bashar
Assad should be democratically elected by a large majority of his
fellow citizens on June 3, and the war should slowly end, its funding
being provided only until September.
The campaign led by Washington to dissuade jihadists from going back
to NATO countries suggests that a new purpose will be found for them.
For over a year, the Russian Federation has been convinced that it
will be the next target of Westerners. So, it prepares for a new shock,
even if it does not know where it will happen exactly.
Moreover, the liberation of Homs turns the page on the project of
domination of Arab countries by the Muslim Brotherhood. While they
were, since 2007, the privileged interlocutors of the State Department,
and Washington had placed them in power in Turkey, Qatar, Tunisia,
Libya, Egypt and elsewhere, they are now in reflux. Those who the
academic, Robert S. Leiken, described in 2005 as moderates capable
of governing an Islamized Arab world on behalf of the United States,
have been or are being rejected or dismissed from all countries where
they hold power.
Finally, the victory of Homs hints at the possibility of a future
rivalry between Iran and Russia. It is clear that if Washington had
confidence in Tehran in this case, it is because the two states have
previously entered into a comprehensive agreement. It seems that
the United States is remaking Iran Constable of the area, as it was
at the time of the Shah. In this perspective, military assistance
to Hezbollah, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Palestinians should
decrease slightly. Tehran should push its allies toward compromise. In
exchange, Washington could give it free rein in Iraq, Syria and even
Lebanon. It would follow that Shiism which, since Ayatollah Khomeini,
was an anti-imperialist force would become once again just a way
for Iran to assert its identity and its influence. This development
would ruin Russian-US projects in the region. But can they still be
envisaged after the Ukrainian crisis ?
Thierry Meyssan
Translation Roger Lagassé
Your e-mail address Recipient Text of your message:
[1] “Congress Approves U.S. secretly weapons flow to ‘moderate’
Syrian rebels” by Mark Hosenball , Reuters , 27 January 2014.
[2] “The United States, the first global terrorism financiers” , by
Thierry Meyssan, Al -Watan (Syria) , Voltaire Network, February 3,
2014 .
[3] “Turkish Justice accuses IHH of links with Al- Qaeda” , Voltaire
Network, 15 January 2014.
[4] “John Kerry’s opening speech at the Geneva 2 Conference” by John
F. Kerry, Voltaire Network , 22 January 2014.
[5] “Briefing on Syria by Lakhdar Brahimi to the UN General Assembly ,”
by Lakhdar Brahimi, Voltaire Network, 14 March 2014.
[6] “Syria now a “matter of homeland security” for US and EU”,
Translation Alizée Ville, Voltaire Network, 10 February 2014.
[7] “European Commission seizes frozen Syrian assets”, Translation
Alizée Ville, Voltaire Network, 16 February 2014.
[8] “Spymasters gather to discuss Syria” by David Ignatius , Washington
Post, February 19, 2014 . “U.S. coordinating secret war against Syria”,
Voltaire Network, 21 February 2014.
[9] “Riyadh concludes cease-fire agreement among terrorist
organizations in Syria”, Voltaire Network, 30 January 2014.
[10] “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant led by Prince Abdul Rahman”,
Translation Alizée Ville, Voltaire Network, 4 February 2014.
[11] “Resolution 2139 dealing with Humanitarian aid in Syria”,
Voltaire Network, 22 February 2014.
[12] “Secret war between Qatar and Saudi Arabia”, Voltaire Network,
13 March 2014.
[13] “Washington expels all Syrian diplomats”, Voltaire Network,
18 March 2014.
[14] “Washington grants diplomatic status to Syrian National
Coalition”, Voltaire Network, 7 May 2014.
[15] “Turkey helps foreign mercenaries slip into Syria”, Voltaire
Network, 22 March 2014.
[16] “Turkish army downs Syrian combat aircraft”, Voltaire Network,
23 March 2014.
[17] “UN Security Council refuses to condemn Turkey-backed attack on
Kassab”, Voltaire Network, 5 April 2014.
[18] “11 Countries Joint Statement on Syria” , Voltaire Network,
3 April 2014.
[19] “Prince Bandar steps down”, Voltaire Network, 17 April 2014.
[20] “Release of French hostages held by France’s allies in Syria”,
Voltaire Network, 20 April 2014.
[21] “Saudi Arabia detains 62 Al-Qaeda members”, Voltaire Network,
9 May 2014.
http://www.voltairenet.org/article183731.html