The Syrian course and the new international balances

Arab affairs

The Syrian course and the new international balances

Through its steadfastness in the face of the global war led by the United States, Syria has created a new strategic environment at the level of international relations. And ever since the double Russian-Chinese veto which obstructed the attempts to ensure the issuance of hostile resolutions against the Syrian national state and its resisting people, this environment in which American unilateral hegemony has retreated after it was imposed by the bullying empire since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the so-called Cold War, has started to emerge. The new international scene thus materialized and was enhanced with Syria’s steadfastness, owing to its people, its army and its national state. This steadfastness was behind the international positions and options aiming at preventing the United States and the colonial alliance operating under its command from securing a United Nations cover for the invasion of Syria and the launching of hostilities against it.

This was also true following the discovery by the colonial decision-making and planning circles of the fact that this war would be too costly due to Syrian immunity and the national rallying around the resistance and renewal strategy led by President Bashar al-Assad, who proved a great ability to accomplish domestic reforms based on the Syrian national agenda and far away from the dictations linked to the colonial agenda and the regional governments that are collaborating with the international alliance to tear Syria apart and turn it into an arena.
This is the first time in the history of the United Nations - which has become an American colony during the last three decades - that an international team emerges in the face of American hegemony, taking the initiative into its own hands and moving forward to draft resolutions at the Security Council under Western submission. The American sabotage plans from outside the Security Council aim at obstructing the birth of new equations and at preventing the transformation of the Syrian-Russian precedent into a permanent rule that will govern the remaining international and regional files, in regard to which the governments opposing colonial hegemony might adopt initiatives to activate them. This obstruction process is being undertaken through ongoing interferences led by the group of states that failed to undermine Syria despite the financial, military and intelligence capabilities they have been deploying since March 2011 to tear Syrian national unity apart and drown the country in a cycle of violence and blood through armed and takfiri gangs and the opposition fronts that are engaged in infighting and being protected by the West and the regional governments affiliated with it.

The global cold war is peaking from the Syrian window because the immunity of the Syrian fort is confirming the impossibility to wage major wars in which the West fears for the fate of its colonial base in the region, i.e. Israel. In the meantime, the latter is terrified of the resistance axis in which Syria constitutes a cornerstone, while aware of the fact –as recognized by its leaders- that its existence will be at stake in any upcoming war which might result from the adventure of the attack against Syria. For its part, the government of Ottoman illusion with its threats has started to constitute the epitome of weakness and impotence. At this level, it would be enough to note the mockery and criticisms which are targeting Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul’s newspapers that spoke about Turkey’s collapse on the day that will follow any act of hostility against Syria or on its border. Amid this global cold war climate, Kofi Annan’s mission has become an arena for the conflict. It is clear at this level that the West is exercising dupery through the adoption of the rhetoric accusing the Syrian state of not respecting is commitments, while in reality, it is the United States and its partners in the war on Syria that did not respect their pledge to support Annan’s mission, which requires the discontinuation of the media instigation of civil war, the prevention of the flow of weapons, funds and armed gangs inside Syria and the ending of the mobilization of the murderers and terrorists being introduced into the country via the Jordanian, Lebanese and Turkish borders, next to which strongholds and dens were established to gather the mercenaries.

Today the rising global powers are basing their action on the international arena on the strength and steadfastness of an Arab state which was historically dubbed the heart of the world and whose people are confirming an admirable ability to resist, persist and uphold their national identity and independence.

News analysis

The observers: A tug of war

There are attempts to transform the international observers’ team into a mechanism hostile toward Syria. This has not stopped ever since the understating over the formation of the team via a joint memorandum between the Syrian government and the United Nations under the cover of a Russian- American understanding at the Seoul summit to support Annan’s mission. The Americans want to negotiate under the mission’s umbrella and require cards. This is why they are encouraging the armed men without adopting them, and encouraging Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey without reiterating their positions while trying to undermine Annan’s mission. There are three axes for the American plan which was uncovered by Syria that is now trying to defuse their mines:

1. The linking of the observers to the UNFIIL troops operating in South Lebanon.
2. The opening of the Syrian airspace before the observers.
3. The focusing of the political and media pressures on holding the Syrian government responsible for the flaws affecting the discontinuation of the violence.

As to the Syrian handling, it is being conducted over three axes:

1. The insistence on an agreement over an independent reference for the observers and on having Syrian civilian employees replacing the Lebanese team that has known affiliations with and loyalties to foreign sides.
2. The limitation of the airspace to the Syrian Arab army solely, while any demands by the observers will have to go through the army and be met in partnership with it after looking into these demands.
3. The calls on Annan and the Security Council to issue a position in regard to the fall of 100 civilians and military men via assassinations ever since the beginning of the observers’ work.

Arab affairs

Syria

The armed terrorist groups are continuing to target the civilians and security forces while several cities witnessed explosions resulting in the fall of dead and injured in the ranks of the citizens and the security troops. In the meantime, United Nations envoy to Syria Kofi Annan called on the Syrian command to stop using heavy artillery. He also demanded the quick deployment of 300 observers, considering that their presence had a positive impact. Annan continued that on April 21 he received a message from the Syrian authorities announcing they had pulled out all their troops and heavy artillery from the cities. Annan added that the Syrian government also informed him about the continuation of the attacks staged by the armed groups against soldiers and public property.

In the meantime, the international observers’ team continued to tour a number of Syrian cities and listened to the citizens’ opinions. For his part, the secretary general of the Party of Popular Will and a member of the chairmanship of the Popular Front for Change and Liberation, Kadri Jamil, said that the meeting held by his movement with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tackled in depth the issues related to the Syrian crisis. He added that it was agreed that dialogue which was necessary to exit the crisis had now ripened and that it should be held with the participation of all the national forces to safely exit the current crisis with the least possible cost, stressing the necessity of establishing the foundations of the desired drastic reforms.

Egypt

The Israeli government considered that the decision to annul the deal related to the exportation of gas to Israel was a dangerous precedent at the level of bilateral relations and that it cast its shadow over the peace agreement. For his part, Benjamin Eliezer excepted the eruption of a conflict on the Egyptian-Israeli border, while the head of the supreme council of the armed forces, Field Marshal Mohammad Hussein Tantawi, responded by saying: “Our border is constantly ablaze. We are not attacking any of our neighboring countries and are rather defending our border. If anyone tries to approach Egypt’s, border we will break his leg.”

For its part, the Egyptian People’s Assembly issued a statement in which it assured that the discontinuation of the gas exports to Israel reflected the Egyptian people’s will, rejecting the Israeli threats and confirming Egypt’s’ ability to deter any attack. In the meantime, the Egyptian government announced its willingness to resume the exportation of gas to Israel at new prices and Minister of International Collaboration Fayza Abu al-Naga said in this context that her country did not mind the resumption of the gas exports to Israel based on a new contract featuring new prices. The higher committee for the presidential elections in Egypt announced the final list of the presidential candidates, one which included thirteen names among which was that of former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmad Shafik after the committee accepted the plea filed by Shafik following his ousting from the presidential race based on the political isolation law.

Sudan

The direct confrontations on the border between the Sudan and South Sudan states have resumed. American Ambassador at the UN Suzanne Rice threatened to impose sanctions on both states in the case the fighting continues, while the African Union called on Sudan and South Sudan to end the hostilities and resume the negotiations. For his part, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir assured that his country was not hostile toward the Southern population, rather towards the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement that is in power in Juba, and reiterated his threat to pursue the movement. Al-Bashir also announced from the oil-rich Heglig area that his government will not return to the negotiations table with the Juba government. As to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit, he accused Sudan of proclaiming war on his country.

Bahrain

Protests prevailed over the Formula 1 race that was held in Bahrain on Sunday. Indeed, around seven thousand demonstrators carried banners demanding the introduction of democratic reforms, at a time when the Bahraini police launched tear gas bombs to disperse the protesters.

Palestine

The Israeli occupation bulldozers destroyed the village of Arakib for the 37th time in a row and left no construction standing except for the mosque and the graveyard. Once the operation was over, the population re-launched the building of the homes to express its insistence on staying in its village. The Israeli government also legalized three Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, ones that were classified as being illegal, claiming that these lands were owned by the state.
What was noted this week was the three-hour meeting held between Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad after a state of tensions which prevailed between the two men due to Fayyad’s refusal to deliver President Mahmud Abbas’ letter to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. This came as a surprise to many Fatah officials who wished to see Fayyad gone.

Israeli file

The issues tackled by the Israeli papers issued last week were quite various, as they shed light on Egypt’s decision to discontinue the exportation of gas to Israel and the repercussions of this decision on the relations between the two sides. Haaretz believed there was no connection between the Egyptian decision to stop the gas exports to Israel and the peace agreement, while Maariv stressed that the Egyptian decision aimed at pressuring an Israeli company which had filed a lawsuit against Egypt due to the explosions that targeted the gas pipes.
On the other hand, the papers followed up on the report carried by Yediot Aharonot regarding the surprise being prepared by Hezbollah for Israel in case it were to strike the Iranian nuclear facilities. This surprise features small unmanned aircrafts, many of which are feared to be launched by Hezbollah to detonate them on some targets in the North. Yediot Aharonot also quoted a security source as saying that the Lebanese organization was receiving these aircrafts from Iran for free.

Lebanese affairs

News analysis

The boat and the responsibility of dismantling the platform

The Lebanese army’s confiscation of the Libyan weapons boat and arrest of some individuals involved in the transfer of weapons to the Lebanese North to be delivered the terrorist gangs in Syria, both fell in the context of a series of measures recently adopted by the army command and the intelligence directorate in the face of the dangerous activities undertaken by Lebanese powers that are involved in the war on Syria and that have established training camps and planning dens on Lebanese soil.

Firstly, the Lebanese army units adopted more stringent measures and procedures on the border between the two countries and announced the obstruction of several attempts to smuggle weapons into Syria during the last couple of weeks. This is an action worthy of praise and falls in the context of the national military institution’s assumption of its constitutional obligations with decisive popular support. The Lebanese platform for the war on Syria has reached a dangerous size, whether on the media level or on the security and military levels. As to the Lebanese forces that are responsible for these operations, they are known and proud to proclaim their engagement in the global war on Syria, while the army is fully aware of all the details and facts of these practices.

Secondly, the Lebanese are fearful over stability and security with the emergence of the platform established by the March 14 forces upon American and Gulf orders. As to Saad al-Hariri’s boasting of his implication in the hostile war on Syria, it is yet another proof for his personal and political responsibility for the exportation of terrorism into Syria and the shedding of the Syrians’ blood to serve the colonial plan in the region. The other predicament caused by those involved in the war on Syria is that the terrorist and takfiri tumor they have created on Lebanese soil has started to pose a threat to Lebanese stability. This is where the political, judicial and security responsibility of the Lebanese state and its institutions resides, as the gangs sponsored by Al-Hariri and Geagea inside Lebanon are being used to provoke bloody domestic strife in order for them to turn against the Lebanese equations prior to the parliamentary elections. Tampering with the lives and blood of the Lebanese and Syrian people has become part of the history of the latter sides, along with the hostility of their foreign masters and their leaders in the Gulf.

Thirdly, it is up to the Lebanese army to immediately dismantle the platform of interference in Syria, as well as all of its security, political and media components. It must therefore storm their dens and strip them of their weapons as they constitute terrorist bases lurking all the Lebanese based on the logic used by Al-Hariri and Geagea to shed Syrian blood and jeopardize Lebanese security. The Syrian state for its part enhanced its border measures and is practically proving its ability to control and obstruct the failed smuggling attempts from Lebanon, one which constitute proof for the fact that those involved in the country are planning a dangerous explosion that requires the military institution to uphold civil peace and prevent the resumption of the attempts to undermine the Lebanese people’s national unity. Takfiri terrorism, whose cells and groups were rallied to carry out sabotage in Syria, has now become a Lebanese problem and those responsible for it are the agents of the United States and Saudi Arabia in Lebanon. In the meantime, the governmental disregarding of these acts under the headline of abstinence and submission to blackmail should come to an end because the country is now at stake.

Following the boat scandal and the emergence of reports about the recruitment of hundreds of mercenaries among the committers of massacres in Syria to serve known Lebanese militias, the issue is no longer related to a different political opinion, the right to express oneself or the adoption of a specific viewpoint. It is an exposed involvement in the threatening of national security and requires deterring procedures and measures. At this level, whoever claims anything else is a conspirator and a partner in the shedding of innocent Lebanese and Syrian blood, regardless of the excuses, justifications and lame pretexts behind which they hide. The efforts of the Lebanese army are worthy of praise while what is required is to embrace this institution, support it and launch a political and popular national campaign to support its preemptive steps that are immunizing stability and preventing the explosion that is wanted by the conspirators among Feltman’s men who will not hesitate to set Lebanon on fire to achieve their pledges to their foreign masters.

Lebanese file

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri assured As-Safir he will try to ensure the right climate for his proposal regarding the staging of the elections based on one electoral district in accordance with the proportionality system, adding he has launched a series of political consultations to feel the pulse of the concerned sides in regard to proportionality in preparation for the determination of the next step. In parallel, the papers quoted President of the Republic Michel Suleiman as saying that from now on, the efforts should focus on the changing of the general spirit through a new and modern electoral law that would produce a parliament governed by a national and rational rhetoric placing public and national interests ahead of any other considerations. In regard to the Syrian situation, President Suleiman said in a press conference he held with his Austrian counterpart who visited Lebanon for two days: “We hope there will be no foreign military intervention,” reiterating Lebanon’s rejection of any form of naturalization.

Upon his return from Saudi Arabia, Deputy Walid Jumblatt met with Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and the political aid of Hezbollah’s secretary general Hussein Khalil in Clemenceau. The papers quoted sources as saying that Jumblatt was against proportionality and that this issue was out of the question for him. Regarding the governmental file, Jumblatt assured that his public position was his real position, i.e. that he is not part of the majority, neither in the cabinet nor in parliament, except in regard to the non-toppling of the government.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed the necessity of hastening the drafting of the electoral law while the governmental session which he headed ratified a series of articles, the most prominent of which being the proposal by Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour in regard to the voting of the Lebanese living abroad