Stephen Lendman

Russia and America are fundamentally at odds on the future of Syria - US imperial arrogance the fundamental issue, defying international law, wanting Assad replaced with a puppet it controls.

On January 6, AP News headlined “US sees Assad staying in Syria until March 2017,” saying:

“An internal US timeline for a best-case Syrian political transition, obtained by The Associated Press, sets a date of March 2017 for Assad to ‘relinquish’ his position as president and for his ‘inner circle’ to depart.” “That is two months after President Barack Obama leaves office and more than five years after (he) first called for Assad to leave.”

International law is clear and unequivocal. No nation may interfere in the internal affairs of others. Russia supports the right of Syrians alone to decide who’ll lead them.

Washington wants exclusive authority, symbolic of its out-of-control arrogance, waging endless wars to replace sitting governments with ones it controls, serving its own self-interest.

The Obama administration envisions new presidential and parliamentary election in August 2017, effectively wanting Syrians excluded from deciding who’ll lead them.

Assad must go remains official US policy - despite his overwhelming popularity. Syrians won’t tolerate anyone else leading them or foreign interference in their affairs.

In June 2014, Assad was reelected with an 89% majority - in an election independent monitors judged open, free and fair. No one in Syria is popular enough to unseat him electorally.

Nor does he intend stepping down unless Syrians want new leadership - their exclusive right alone to decide either way, firm on wanting him remaining president. He intends to oblige them.

At his Wednesday’s State Department press briefing, spokesman Admiral John Kirby acknowledged Washington’s document was authentic, at the same time downplaying it disingenuously.

Saying this “kind of work is done here at the State Department all the time” - turning truth on its head claiming it doesn’t represent official US policy, just a potential future political process timeline.

At the same time, saying “(o)ur hope and expectation is that the entire (transition) process will start this month.” US policy on Assad remains unchanged.

Kirby quoted John Kerry, saying “the exact timing of his departure isn’t something that we’re fixated on.”

AP chief diplomatic correspondent Matt Lee challenged Kirby, asking if his “arms (are) a little tired (from holding up) the straw man you put up to knock down?”

Washington won’t “accept North Korea as a nuclear armed state, and yet it is,” said Lee. “You also say this about other things. You say you’ll never accept Crimea as part of Russia.” Reality indicates otherwise.

“Isn’t it time to recognize these things for what they are and not live in (a world of) illusion, or fantasy, where you pretend that things that are, are not?”

Syria is Obama’s war, using ISIS and other terrorists as US imperial foot soldiers. Calling its conflict civil is polar opposite truth.

The vast majority of Syrians want peace, not war. They want exclusive right to choose their leadership and parliamentary members.

They reject foreign interference in their internal affairs. They want no part of Washington imposing its will extrajudicially - fully supported by Russia, Iran and free people everywhere.

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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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