PRESS RELEASE
The Russians Work To Derail
'Libyan Scenario' in Syria
Dec. 21, 2011 (EIRNS)—The Russian government on Dec. 15 table a draft United Nations resolution on Syria, as another of its well-considered war avoidance moves in the current crisis.
The resolution calls on the Syrian government to institute democratic reforms in negotiations with popular oppositional groups, but equally calls on all other parties to obey international law: among other things, foreign governments must prevent arms from reaching Syrian groups which attack the police and army, and must encourage all opposition organizations to enter into negotiations with the government.
The Anglo-American alliance for World War III, which now includes a prominent role for Germany along with France on the Syria issue at the UN, declared the resolution unacceptable, but the resolution immediately gained support from major nations, such as China, India, and Brazil.
Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters that he hoped the resolution would help "stop violence, uphold human rights" and expedite government reforms. "We all believe the Security Council must do something." He said the council should not play a role that would "fan the conflict" but instead "bring an end to the crisis," according to a Foreign Policy magazine report. The resolution would prevent anti-Assad hit-squads from receiving smuggled arms, but wouldn't impede Syria from continuing to purchase arms for international suppliers, including Russia.
The war alliance is going to attempt to negotiate with the Russians over the resolution. In the meantime, the Syrian government and the Arab League have come to an agreement on the deployment of monitors, opening up the possibility of a negotiated settlement.
