British Media Parades UK-Coddled Syrian “Defector” in PR Push

In-depth Report:
Attempting to lend credibility to Western “doubts” over a Syrian-Russian weapons deal meant to impede American aggression, the London Telegraph has once again paraded in front of the public yet another Syrian “defector.”Unemployed, has lived in UK hotel for over a year, parroting Western talking points – strains limits of credibility – admittedly lodged at the expense of the UK government.

Previously, it was self-confessed Al Qaeda collaborator Nawaf Fares, this time it is “former diplomat” Khaled al-Ayoubi.Before parroting predictable Western talking points, the Telegraph attempts to flesh out their new character, describing him in their article, “Syria: Assad cannot be trusted on any chemical weapons promises, says his former diplomat,” as:

Mr al-Ayoubi is an ethnic Kurd who joined the Syrian diplomatic service in 2001. He came to London as second secretary at the Syrian embassy in February 2011 but was made charge d’affaires in May last year after his predecessor was booted out of the country in response to the massacre committed by Syrian forces in Houla.

The Syrian ambassador, Sami al-Khiyami, had been withdrawn in the March that year. It left Mr al-Ayoubi as the most senior Syrian diplomat in the UK.

But he defected in July last year, saying he could no longer defend the regime, and went in to hiding.

He has only gone public now because of the horrors he witnessed in last month’s chemical attack on a suburb of Damascus which is believed to have killed more than 1,400 people, including 400 children.

It is not entirely clear what the Telegraph means by “witnessed” since al-Ayoubi has apparently been “hiding” in the UK since his “defection.”What raises suspicions further regarding yet another tenuous Telegraph narrative is that al-Ayoubi is described as unemployed, yet lodging in a UK hotel, presumably for the past year since his defection.

It is also claimed that the “Syrian intelligence service” made death threats against al-Ayoubi after his defection, but this is never verified, and it is just as likely these “Syrians” were MI6 agents coaxing al-Ayoubi into his current role as compromised fodder for British propaganda.

The Telegraph finally admits that after his “defection” and amidst these alleged death threats:

He and his family were put under the protection of the Foreign Office and now live in a secret location outside London.

Meeting him in a hotel room, he said he now suffers from depression because no one is willing to employ him. “I have applied for many, many jobs but as soon as they see I was a Syrian diplomat they do not want to know,” he said.

In other words, we are expected to perceive as credible the parroting of Western talking points regarding Syria by a “defector” admittedly being housed, clothed, and fed by the British government – a man who believes his very life depends on the protection currently being provided by the British government.

The Telegraph piece is yet another incredible piece of propaganda aimed at the lowest intellectual common denominator, hinging on expectations that the general public is incapable of identifying obvious, elementary conflicts of interest – as if al-Ayoubi, whatever his real story may be, is going to refute anything the British government who is housing and “protecting” him says. Additionally, al-Ayoubi has been in the UK for the past year, and is no more qualified than anyone else to speak on the alleged chemical weapon attacks in Damascus, Syria.

The Telegraph even admits that al-Ayoubi only met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad one time:

He once met Assad when he was a diplomat in Greece in 2003 and described him as a “Jekyll and Hyde” character. “He was nice and polite. Very humble but the world now knows what a horrible man he is.”

Despite the Telegraph’s attempt to portray al-Ayoubi as being part of the “upper echelons of the diplomatic circles,” representatives of Syria’s enemies, including current US Secretary of State John Kerry, have had more face time with the Syrian president than al-Ayoubi.

Failing to provide even a single shred of actual evidence to back up any of his claims or unqualified opinions, al-Ayoubi’s interview with the Telegraph is throw-away propaganda that at best simply gives us another troubling look at the inner workings of Western deception.


Articles by: Tony Cartalucci

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]