by Stephen Lendman

In a Wednesday Sputnik News interview, I said Putin and Assad can discuss anything any time by phone or other ways of communicating - daily if necessary.

Assad’s invitation to Moscow, making Western media headlines, shows solidarity between both leaders - committed to eliminate terrorism, defeat US regional imperial policy, as well as Putin’s respect for Syrian sovereignty and the right of its people alone to decide who’ll lead them, not America or any other foreign power.

Assad and Putin partnered against the scourge of US sponsored and imported terrorism in Syria. It’s virulent in Iraq. Washington wants it spread to Russia, Central Asia, China and elsewhere, part of its dirty scheme to advance its imperium. On Tuesday, both leaders discussed ongoing joint operations in Syria. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:

“Yesterday evening, Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Moscow for a working visit. (Putin) was informed in detail by his Syrian counterpart about the current state of affairs in Syria and the long-range plan.”

Putin thanked Assad for coming at his request, saying the following:

“We took the decision upon your request to provide effective aid to the Syrian people in fighting the international terrorists who have unleashed a genuine war against Syria.”

“The Syrian people has been practically alone in putting up resistance and fighting these international terrorists for several years now, and has suffered great losses. Lately though, there have been some major positive results in this fight.”

“The attempts by international terrorists to bring whole swathes of territory in the Middle East under their control and destabilise the situation in the region raise legitimate concerns in many countries around the world.”

“This is a matter of concern for Russia too, given that sadly, people from the former Soviet Union, around 4,000 people at least, have taken up arms and are fighting on Syrian territory against the government forces.”

“Of course, we cannot let these people gain combat experience and go through ideological indoctrination and then return to Russia.”

Putin explained what he stressed before, wanting ongoing conflict resolved politically, Syrians alone deciding who’ll lead them - not America or any other foreign power.

Interfering in the internal affairs of other countries flagrantly violates international law - longstanding US policy, raping one country after another, Syria one of its many targets.

Obama bears full responsibility for ongoing conflict, using death squads imported from scores of other countries, the Salvador option used in El Salvador in the 1980s - then Iraq, Libya, Syria with lots more targets Washington has in mind.

There’s nothing civil about Syria’s conflict, one of the many myths Western officials and media scoundrels perpetuate.

Assad thanked Putin for inviting him - expressing “tremendous gratitude” for helping Syrians in their time of need, operating entirely “within the framework of international law.”

“(W)e all know that any military action must be followed by political steps,” he stressed. “(O)ur common goal is to bring about the vision the Syrian people have of their own country’s future” free from foreign domination.

“(M)ilitary strikes against the terrorists are essential, above all because we must fight terrorism” - humanity’s shared goal to defeat it.

Russian military expert Mikhail Buzhinsky called Russia’s Syria campaign an impressive demonstration of its capability, using precision weapons for the first time in combat, achieving significant results.

Commander US Army Europe General Ben Hodges expressed astonishment about Russia’s ability to deploy a powerful strike force to Syria quickly and achieve impressive results. Its strength and skill to execute effectively took him by surprise.

He stopped short of admitting Russia is a formidable force to be reckoned with. Putin’s intervention shows he drew a red line he won’t allow to be crossed.

He won’t tolerate Washington’s intention to infest Russia and Central Asia with ISIS and other terrorist elements like in Syria and Iraq.

He intervened forcefully and effectively to prevent it. He’ll continue until accomplishing his righteous mission - at the same time challenging Washington’s imperial agenda, its evil dark side.

It’s about time someone did it - an incentive for other nations to follow.

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

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

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

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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