by Stephen Lendman

Talks were stillborn when announced. Syria is Obama's war. He launched it. He continues it. He wants regime change.

He wants Washington in charge of Syria's future. He wants Syrians having no say. He wants pro-Western stooge governance replacing Assad.

He wants what Syrians won't tolerate. The so-called Syrian National Coalition (SNC) is a US construct.

Its leaders and representatives are beholden to Washington. They have no legitimacy whatever. Most aren't Syrians. They live abroad.

They have no connection to Syria. They don't give a damn how much they suffer. Most Syrians want nothing to do with them.

Their representatives are in Geneva. They're holding talks with Syrian officials. They're playing a dirty game. They represent Washington, not Syrians.

At first they refused talks unless Assad agreed to step down. They relented. They'd talk, they said, but not directly.

Again they about-faced. They met in the same room. They'd only speak through Lakhdar Brahimi. He's UN/Arab League Special Envoy to Syria.

He's no honest broker. He's Obama's front man. He acting as intermediary for both sides. They're addressing each other through him.

Sunday was day two of talks. Exchanging prisoners alone was discussed. SNC official Monzer Akbik said "we have presented our list."

On Saturday, both sides discussed sending humanitarian aid to Homs. It's an embattled city. US-supported death squads terrorize remaining residents.

Their presence makes delivering aid extremely dangerous. Assad political/media advisor Bouthina Shaaban said:

"In 2013, the Syrian government had a plan to deliver aid to all affected areas. But terrorists used snipers who killed people and blocked roads..."

They didn't "even (let) the Red Cross mission drive to the affected areas."

Geneva talks won't change things, she added. Syria has a plan to deliver aid, she explained. It's being implemented. What happens going forward remains to be seen.

After Saturday talks ended, Brahimi said "(w)e haven't achieved much but we are continuing."

At the same time, he expects Homs humanitarian aid to arrive on Monday. He announced efforts to evacuate women and children.

SNC spokesman Louay Safi said: "We are focusing on opening humanitarian corridors to allow food and medicine to arrive to people."

"There are areas in Syria that haven't seen any food and medicine in the last eight months."

"Negotiations will start on Monday, and (they're) about forming a transitional governing body."

False! An unnamed Syrian source said "there is no such topic on the agenda."

Syrian government officials want ending terrorism addressed. Peace is impossible without defeating it.

Talks won't do it. Nor have nearly three years of conflict. Restoring peace requires Obama calling off his dogs. He has no intention of doing so.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed the issue. On the one hand, he said no talks with terrorists will be held.

"We refuse to have talks and do not recommend other parties (do so) over principled considerations," he said.

Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra, the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), and other terrorist elements are excluded from talks. They "rampag(ing) and commit(ting) terrorist acts," said Lavrov.

They're not peace partners. "They go where more money is paid."

"It is important that the political process be accompanied with a union of sound forces, which think about their homeland, but not about creation of a Halifat in the Middle East or North Africa in order to unite them in different ways and help them combat terrorism."

"Extremists and terrorists call the tune increasingly in different Syrian regions."

Russia agrees with Syria. "The (main) goal is to combat terrorism."

It's "attain(ing) political accord between the Syrian government and reasonable, secular and patriotic opposition (officials) as quickly as possible and along with the political settlement help them unite to fight against these terrorists."

It's hard imagining they will. They take orders from Washington.

America enlists, funds, arms, trains and directs the most extreme anti-Assad elements. Halting their rampaging requires changing US policy.

Expect business as usual to continue. Expect Geneva talks to fail. Whether anything substantive happens remains to be seen.

As long as SNC representatives want talks focused on transitional governance (aka regime change), key issues won't be resolved.

RIA Novosti called talks so far "tense in the extreme." Both sides address each other through Brahimi.

"…Syrian journalists with differing political affiliations attack each other verbally and physically behind the scenes."

Lavrov is right. Ending terrorism matters most. Both sides must agree. Little else matters otherwise. Conflict will continue. It can do so indefinitely.

On Sunday, Assad's political/media advisor Bouthina Shaaban addressed reporters. Syria prioritizes ending terrorism, she said.

It's ridding the country of imported death squads. It's ending Syrian suffering. It's restoring security and stability. It's letting Syrians alone decide their future.

"We didn't notice seriousness from the coalition delegation called 'opposition,' " she said. It's self-serving. It's unconcerned about Syrian suffering. Or what benefits Syrians.

"In spite of that, we are positive, and we will continue (to) discuss all the points on the table," she said.

At the same time she stressed:

"Those who are present in Geneva from the Coalition delegation are not opposition. They are a very small team, and there is a greater national opposition inside Syria."

That's the main problem. Elements most involved in conflict want war. They deplore peace.

SNC officials have no connection to Syria. They "either have not been to Syria in thirty years, or they do not care about the suffering of the Syrian people," said Shaaban.

"(T)hey do not have any person in Syria, or, in the best circumstances and intentions, they have no vision, and we have noticed that they do not know anything about the reality, nor do they know anything about what should be done."

They want power transferred to themselves. It won't be discussed. Syrians alone will decide their future. Geneva talks won't do so, Shaaban stressed.

Only one delegation in Geneva represents Syria, she added. Only one wants Syrian needs addressed.

Only one wants their suffering ended. Only one wants genuine peace, stability and security restored. Only one is legitimate.

She estimates "over 2,000 armed groups fighting in Syria." It's a "difficult problem," she said. It's key.

Most important is US support. Conflict won't end as long as it continues. It shows no signs of ending.

On Saturday, Syria's Information Minister Omran Al-Zoubi addressed it, saying:

"The US is involved through its intelligence agencies in a lot of what happened in Syria supported by Turkey, (Saudi Arabia) and Qatar."

"Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Erdogan must be asked whether they have quenched their thirst for Syrian blood."

If anyone thinks Assad will step down, "they are living in a fantasy world," he added.

Throughout nearly three years of conflict, anti-Syrian media bias persisted. Misreporting continues. Lies substitute for real news, information and opinion.

New York Times editors turned truth on its head saying "deaths of thousands of civilians have not persuaded Russia and Iran to break with Mr. Assad or at least pressure him to end the slaughter and cruelty against civilians."

He's wrongfully blamed for US-supported death squad crimes. Times editors share blame with other media scoundrels.

It doesn't surprise. When America goes to war or plans one, they march in lockstep. They support its worst crimes.

They call mass slaughter and destruction liberation. They glorify war in the name of peace.

They consider plunder economic development. They call US-installed puppet regimes democracy. They mock legitimate journalism. They disgrace themselves in the process.

They wrongfully call Syria's conflict civil war. There's nothing civil about foreign invaders. Don't expect them to explain.

Times editors lied saying government forces "deprived civilians of food and other essential needs."

They lied throughout years of conflict. They do it in all US wars. So do other mainstream editors, reporters and commentators. They're paid to lie. Truth-telling is verboten.

On January 22, Washington Post editors headlined "On Syria, Obama administration is leading to failure."

WaPo editors are militantly anti-Assad. They wrongfully accused him of death squad atrocities throughout years of conflict.

They did again saying he dropped " ' barrel bombs' on schools." He fired "Scud missiles (on) apartment buildings."

He "blockaded neighborhoods where children die of starvation." They quoted John Kerry's lie about "systematic torture and execution of thousands of prisoners."

He called it "an appalling assault, not only on human lives but on human dignity and on every standard by which the international community tries to organize it."

No nation commits more human rights abuses than America. Kerry's quote pertained to a spurious UN report.

A previous article discussed it. Releasing it was strategically timed. It was two days before Syrian peace talks began.

It has no legitimacy whatever. London solicitors acted on behalf of Qatar. It's a police state. Its government supports anti-Assad death squads.

It wants him ousted. It wants stooge governance replacing him. So do WaPo editors.

It doesn't surprise. New owner Jeff Bezos has CIA ties. He's in bed with the devil.

He got a $600 million Agency contract. It's double what he paid to buy WaPo. Amazon has a disturbing history. It's long curried favor with national security officials.

WaPo long ago fell from grace. It's worse than ever now. It went from Nixon's nemesis to Bush supporter. It marches in lockstep with America's imperial agenda. It lies for power.

So do Wall Street Journal editors. On January 22, they headlined "The Syria Peace Follies."

They discussed inviting, then disinviting Iran to participate. What's the difference, they suggested.

"The Syrian opposition knows Iran is Assad's chief supplier of weapons, funding and reinforcements," they said.

Their source is John Kerry. He's a serial liar. He's been caught red-handed numerous times. He has no credibility whatever.

He claimed "Iran is currently a major actor with respect to adverse consequences in Syria."

"No other nation has its people on the ground fighting in the way that they are."

Journal editors accept his lies as gospel. Washington bears full responsibility for Syria's conflict.

Kerry has blood on his hands. Don't expect Journal editors to explain. Misinformation substitutes for truth.

Journal editors lied claiming claiming a "secret and illicit (Iranian) nuclear weapons program."

They support war, not peace. They endorse regime change. They're in lockstep with imperial lawlessness.

What's ahead for Syria remains to be seen. Conflict without end continues. A humanitarian crisis festers.

It bears repeating. Syria is Obama's war. He bears full responsibility for high crimes too grave to ignore.

He remains unaccountable. He risks embroiling the entire region in conflict. He risks possible WW III.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

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