PRESS RELEASE
Konashenkov: The U.S. Has Not Lived Up to Any Pledges on Syria
Nov. 6, 2016 (EIRNS)—Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said today that the U.S. failure to meet any of the obligations in Syria that it signed up to, going back to the original cessation of hostilities agreement last February.
"During this period of time the United States has not even met the obligations it assumed under the agreements between Russia and U.S. Russia has never received either maps, or positions, or any other information about any terrorist organization in Syria: from the Islamic State to Al-Nusra,"
he said.
Konashenkov took particular exception to the U.S. hypocrisy regarding the humanitarian situation in Aleppo, in response to statements by State Department spokesman John Kirby on Nov. 4, who ranted about the level of hunger and starvation in Aleppo. "[A] humanitarian pause was designed for what?" Kirby asked.
"To allow people to leave, but it was also to allow aid to get in. And how much aid has gotten in? None. And so we’re seeing reports now of citizens of Aleppo tying ropes around their abdomens to try to get around the abdominal pain that they’re feeling from starvation. They’re going to contaminated water sources for drinking water, because there isn’t any.... So whether the pause is in effect or not, you’d have to talk to the Russians. But the Syrian people, particularly the citizens of Aleppo, certainly aren’t feeling any benefits from it."
Konashenkov blasted Kirby’s cynicism:
"Throughout the whole anti-terrorist operation in Syria we are paying a special attention to the warring sides’ reconciliation and delivery of humanitarian aid to the Syrians,"
he said.
"In the last few months alone, [Russia] delivered more than 100 tons of the most necessary cargoes to Aleppo—food, medicine and necessities. All the civilians of Aleppo received this aid, without any limits for the western and eastern parts. During this time, the State Department did not deliver a single bread crumb to the Syrians it supposedly cares so much about."
On the ground, meanwhile, the Western media are finally beginning to take notice of what’s actually been going on all along: that the jihadis it loves so much are killing civilians in government-controlled areas. Associated Press, citing the Syrian Observatory as its source, reports that at least 74 civilians, including 25 children, have been killed in the jihadi offensive in Aleppo. "Rights groups and the UN have sharply criticized the rebels over the shelling of western Aleppo districts, which has killed a number of civilians," reports AP. But this has been going on all along. Where have these guys been? They’ve been too busy working regime change in Damascus to notice the civilians the insurgents they’ve been backing have been killing.
