On Monday, Arab League/UN envoy to Syria Steffan de Mistura announced the date without indicating who’ll participate.
From what’s known, US/Saudi-backed terrorist groups will be involved, including Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam).
It operates like ISIS, equally ruthless, responsible for the August 2013 Ghouta, Syria chemical weapons attack, killing scores, injuring numerous others, Assad wrongfully blamed for its high crime.
What other US/Saudi-backed terrorist groups will participate remains for de Mistura to name them, begging the question.
How can peace talks be legitimate when one side is committed to Syria’s destruction, its popularly elected government replaced by one decided by outside forces – Syrians having no say over who’ll lead them?
How can they succeed when Obama and rogue allies want endless war until achieving regime change – using ISIS and other terrorist groups as imperial foot soldiers?
Geneva I and II talks failed. Expect this round to fare no better, de Mistura admitting things will be “uphill” at best, mission impossible most likely.
Proximity talks are planned, shuttle diplomacy, mediated by Western-controlled UN negotiators, not both sides meeting face-to-face – a process to last at least six months, maybe much less if intractable deadlock occurs.
Initial talks for several weeks will focus on increasing humanitarian aid, combating ISIS, and negotiating a ceasefire with selected opposition terrorist groups – committed to continue fighting.
Anti-Assad moderate combatants don’t exist. Perpetuating the myth otherwise persists. De Mistura claiming “suspensions of fighting” can be negotiated with US/Saudi-backed terrorists is pure fantasy.
Nearly five years of Obama’s terror war with no foreseeable end speaks for itself. Syrian UN envoy Bashar al-Jaafari will head his government’s delegation.
A so-called High Negotiations Committee opposition coalition named serial killer Mohammed Alloush to head its side, a key Army of Islam terrorist, drawing sharp criticism, perhaps rendering peace talks dead-on-arrival.
Who can negotiate with someone holding a knife to his throat, guilty of gruesome atrocities, showing no signs of ending them, enjoying full US/Saudi support?
It bears repeating what earlier articles stressed. Chances for restoring peace and stability to war-ravaged Syria any time soon are virtually nil.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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