by Stephen Lendman

Part I discussed spurious anti-Assad accusations. They're fake. They have no credibility whatever. Release was strategically timed.

It came two days ahead of sham Geneva II peace talks. Much ado about nothing describes them. Chances for conflict resolution are zero. More on this below.

Assad was wrongfully accused of "industrial scale killing of detainees." No verifiable evidence suggests it. None exists. Fabrications substituted.

Syria's Ministry of Justice denounced them. It called alleged evidence baseless. "The report is a mere gathering of photos of unidentified persons proving" nothing, it said.

Releasing it ahead of Geneva II was politically motivated. Doing so undermines peace.

London's Guardian was complicit. Two published articles reported malicious lies. London's Daily Telegraph shares guilt. It reported separate allegations. It did so disgracefully.

On January 20, it headlined "Syria's Assad accused of boosting al-Qaeda with secret oil deals." Western intelligence supplied fake evidence.

It's farcical on its face. Why would Assad conspire with terrorists he's going all out to eliminate? Why would they work with a government they're committed to topple?

Releasing more fake accusations two days ahead of sham Geneva talks wasn't accidental. According to the Daily Telegraph:

"The Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad has funded and co-operated with al-Qaeda in a complex double game even as the terrorists fight Damascus."

Western intelligence sources weren't identified. Most likely they're American. Throughout nearly three years of conflict, Obama officials spread malicious lies.

London's Daily Telegraph is complicit in publishing more misinformation. US and other Western sources have no credibility. Nor do rogue anti-Assad regional countries.

"Jabhat al-Nusra, and the even more extreme Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS), the two al-Qaeda affiliates operating in Syria, have both been financed by selling oil and gas from wells under their control to and through the regime," said the Telegraph.

It claims Assad "deliberately released militant prisoners." It said he did so "to strengthen jihadist ranks at the expense of moderate 'rebel' forces."

You can't make this stuff up. The Telegraph claims he did so "to persuade the West that the 'uprising' was sponsored by Islamic militants including al-Qaeda as a way of stopping Western support for it."

Fact check

It bears repeating what previous articles explained. Syria is Obama's war. It was planned long before he took office.

It aims to replace sovereign Syrian independence with pro-Western stooge governance.

Throughout the region, Washington uses Al Qaeda and other extremist elements strategically. They're US proxy forces. They're funded, armed, trained and directed.

CIA operatives are involved. So are US special forces. Jihadists comprise the majority of anti-Assad fighters.

Thousands cross Syria's porous borders. Most pass through Turkey. Others come from Iraq and Jordan. Some from Lebanon. They're recruited from dozens of countries. They're not Syrians.

Why would Assad contribute to their ranks? Why would he aid them? He's going all out to defeat them. Claiming otherwise turns reality on its head.

So does saying it's to shift Geneva talks from regime change to fighting terrorism. Assad is unequivocal. He's right. Independent observers agree.

Syria's main problem is eliminating jihadist terrorists. Geneva talks are a side show. They'll resolve nothing.

Conflict resolution depends on defeating terrorism. Extremist anti-Assad elements aren't in Geneva. They refused to participate.

They want war, not peace. They'll keep fighting regardless of Geneva's outcome. Saudi Arabia and other regional rogue states support them. So does Washington.

Assad can't be defeated without direct US intervention. Perhaps it's coming. Maybe later this year. In the meantime, proxy war continues. No end in sight looms.

Assad is committed to defeating terrorism. Not according to the Telegraph's so-called "intelligence source." Western ones have no credibility. Unidentified ones are worst of all. The Telegraph's source lied saying:

"Assad's vow to strike terrorism with an iron fist is nothing more than bare-faced hypocrisy."

"At the same time as peddling a triumphant narrative about the fight against terrorism, his regime has made deals to serve its own interests and ensure its survival."

If so-called evidence existed, why was it withheld until now? Why was it released two days before Geneva talks?

The Telegraph claimed Assad "began collaborating actively with (extremist) groups" in spring 2013 after doing so earlier.

Syria is a minor oil producer. It's unclear what portion of its resources jihadists control. Western collaboration with them is very clear.

Helping them loot Syrian oil is part of its strategy. According to the Telegraph's source:

"The regime is paying al-Nusra to protect oil and gas pipelines under al-Nusra’s control in the north and east of the country, and is also allowing the transport of oil to regime-held areas."

"We are also now starting to see evidence of oil and gas facilities under ISIS control."

The Telegraph's source blames Assad "for the rise of al-Qaeda in Syria." It defies logic to claim it. Why misinformation was published, Telegraph editors must explain.

They claim Western alarm about Al Qaeda and other extremist elements in Syria. Washington is directly involved in enlisting and supporting them.

It did so in Libya. The same pattern repeats in Syria. It's longstanding US strategy. It began in Afghanistan.

Mujahideen fighters were recruited. They were used against Soviet Russia. Ronald Reagan called them "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers."

He invited their representatives to the White House. Allies became enemies. They're strategically used both ways at the same time. America operates this way.

Claiming alarm about extremist fighters against Assad doesn't wash. It bears repeating. Washington aids and abets them. Claiming otherwise is patently false.

Propaganda wars accompany hot ones. Since early 2011, Obama waged both. New accusations reflect the latest example of deception.

It won't be the last. The battle for Syria's soul continues. At stake is its sovereign independence.

Sham peace talks began in Switzerland. Prospects for success are zero. Washington bears full responsibility for Syria's conflict.

Obama launched it for regime change. John Kerry lied blaming Assad for what's ongoing. He called it unthinkable for him to remain in power.

He's mindless of what most Syrians want. He ignores fundamental international law. No nation may interfere in the internal affairs of others.

Doing so is longstanding US policy. Rule of law principles don't matter. Washington rules alone apply.

Kerry blamed Assad for US crimes. Excluding him from transitional governance is essential, he claims.

Russia argues otherwise. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Geneva talks must "refrain from any attempt to predetermine the outcome of the process."

Moscow forthrightly respects Syrian sovereignty. Syrians alone must determine their future. They must do it with no outside interference. Not according to Washington rules.

On January 22, talks began. Forty countries participated in day one. Their representatives addressed attendees.

Syria and opposition elements sat face-to-face for the first time. Ahmad Jarba heads the Syrian National Coalition (SNC). It fronts for Washington.

Jarba is a convenient stooge. He's self-serving. He's mindless of what Syrians want. He called his participation a mission "to rid Syria of" Assad.

He spuriously accused him of Nazi type war crimes. He demanded regime change.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem accused rogue Arab regimes of financing terrorism. They're conspiring to destroy Syria, he said.

"They have used their petrodollars to buy weapons." They "flood the international media with lies."

"Where is the moderation in 'moderate' groups," he asked? They conduct "terrorist attacks disguising their activities as counterterrorism."

"This is the real truth. Those who do not see (it) are blind. Is this the Syria you want," he asked?

Syria won't remain in conflict forever, he said. "We have come here to put an end to this barbarism. We are here to protect the civil state."

"We are here to protect the cradle of civilization. We are here to protect the Christians of the East."

"Cease armed support to terrorists. Lift the sanctions. Remove the siege, and let us practice politics," he stressed.

He accused Turkey of exacerbating conflict conditions. "Syria has received a stab in the back from its neighbors," he said. "The Erdogen government has allowed terrorists into our land."

Saudi Arabia is directly involved. "Wahhabis are trying to throw the country back. They have virtually no ties with Syria."

"They rape women, kill children, cut off their heads, and hang them (in) the streets." Al-Moallem criticized other countries. They hide their intentions behind slogans like "the great Syrian revolution," he said.

"They've plunged the country in the dirt, but the masks are torn off now. We see what they want."

"They want to aggravate the situation in the country. They are pumping oil dollars to mercenaries, behaving like barbarians and hiding behind the goals of the Syrian revolution."

John Kerry said "(w)e see only one option, negotiating a transition government born by mutual consent."

"That means that Bashar al-Assad will not be part of that transition government." He wrongfully accused him of Washington's crimes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged responsible conflict resolution.

"We hope that all external players will encourage Syrians to reach an accord, to refrain - and to prevent the sides - from attempts to predetermine final agreements, from other steps capable of disrupting the negotiating process," he said.

"It is necessary to engage Iran in the common efforts towards the fulfillment of the Geneva communique devoid of attempts to interpret it either way," he added.

"The essence of this document is that issues related to the future of Syria must be resolved by the consent of the government and the opposition."

"There can be no solution found through the use of force. Dialogue is the only way."

Russia supports Syrian sovereignty. Syrians alone must decide who'll govern. Outside forces have no right to choose.

Talks will shift from Montreux to Geneva. Syria and opposition representatives alone will participate.

Discussions will continue for days. A final communique will follow. Russia won't permit it to say Assad must go. Syrians alone must decide either way.

Geneva won't achieve conflict resolution. No end in sight looms.

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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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