Ken Jebsen  bei der Berliner Compagnie "Für eine multipolare Koalition des Friedens"

„Berliner Runde – Freidenker im Gespräch“

am Mittwoch, den 9. März 2016, 18.00 Uhr

in den Räumen der „Berliner Compagnie“, Muskauer Strasse 20A, 10997 Berlin*

„Die drohende Kriegsgefahr und was wir dagegen tun können“

Referent und Diskussionspartner: Ken Jebsen
Moderation: Daniel Becker, Dr. Klaus-Peter Kurch

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Ken Jebsen wird  Probleme für die Diskussion anreißen,  wie etwa  :

- „Grundlinien der US-amerikanisch-deutschen Mobilisierung gegen Russland"

- "Wer, was, wo ist die deutsche Friedensbewegung?"

- "Was können wir tun für den so notwendigen Aufschwung der Friedensbewegung?"

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Diese unsere thematischen Interessen stehen in engem Zusammenhang mit dem Aufruf:

„Sagt NEIN, ächtet Aggressionen, bannt die Weltkriegsgefahr!“ (Nein zur NATO)

und dem dringenden Appell:

„Multipolare Welt gegen Krieg“ (Für eine multipolare Koalition des Friedens) 

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Wir wünschen uns eine intensive, streitbare und auf die praktische Förderung der Friedensinitiativen gerichtete Diskussion.

Es erübrigt sich, unserer Meinung nach, Ken Jebsen im Rahmen dieser Einladung vorzustellen. Wir verweisen jedoch auf problemorientierte Beiträge wie diesen oder diesen auf unserer Webseite und gegebenenfalls weitere, die in den nächsten Tagen erscheinen. Selbstverständlich steht die Webseite für Meinungsäußerungen offen.

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Mit solidarischen Grüßen

Daniel Becker, Klaus-Peter Kurch

im Auftrag des Leitungskollektivs

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*Zur Raumfrage: Die Räume der "Berliner Compagnie" befinden sich im Hinterhaus, Eingang Seitenflügel. Da die Veranstaltung im Rahmen unserer Freidenker-Gesprächsreihe stattfindet, wird jedem unserer Mitglieder und regelmäßigen TeilnehmerInnen ein Sitzplatz garantiert. Darüber hinaus sind interessierte Gäste willkommen! Wir bitten aber in Anbetracht der begrenzten Platzzahl um rechtzeitige Anmeldung (bitte mit Tel.Nr. für etwaige Rückrufe).

Die Muskauer Str. ist vom U-Bhf Kottbuser Tor (Haltestelle Adalbertstraße) mit dem Bus Linie 140 Richtung Ostbahnhof zu erreichen. Vier Minuten Fahrzeit bis Waldemar-/Manteuffelstr., dann 240m Fußweg bis Muskauer Nr. 20A. 

Ex-NATO Generalsekretär Solana:" Vorrücken der Nato an Ostgrenze Widerspruch zu NATO-Russland Akte"

gen Grundakte

© AP Photo/ Thierry Charlier

Das Vorrücken von Militärstäben der Nato an die Ostgrenze der Allianz widerspricht laut dem Ex-Generalsekretär der Allianz Javier Solana der Nato-Russland-Grundakte.

14:21 14.02.2016(aktualisiert 14:23 14.02.2016) Zum Kurzlink

© FLICKR/ SEAN CLEE

Moskau: Nato kurz vor Verletzung der Grundakte mit Russland

„Ich glaube, dass das Vorrücken von Militärstäben weiter nach Osten der Grundakte und der Möglichkeit des Bestehens einer Struktur für Zusammenarbeit – und zwar des Nato-Russland-Rates – die die Akte vorsieht, widersprechen wird“, sagte Solana auf der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz.

Nato-Generalsekretär Jens Stoltenberg hatte am Mittwoch erklärt, dass die Verteidigungsminister der Mitgliedsländer in Brüssel den Vorschlag gebilligt haben, die militärische Präsenz des Bündnisses im Osten Europas, im östlichen Mittelmeerraum und im Schwarzen Meer auszubauen. „Konkrete Beschlüsse werden im Juli beim Nato-Gipfel gefasst“, so der Allianzchef.

© SPUTNIK/ GRIGORY SYSOEV 

Russischer Nato-Botschafter: Keine Konfrontation, aber Antwort an Allianz

Laut Pentagon-Chef Ashton Carter will Washington im Jahr 2017 die Summe von 3,4 Milliarden Dollar für militärische Aktivitäten in Europa ausgeben – das Vierfache dessen, was bisher im US-Militärbudget für Europa aufgewendet wurde. Mit diesem Geld sollen zusätzliche Rotationen von Nato-Truppen sowie die frühzeitige Stationierung von schweren Waffen finanziert werden, damit die Allianz „im Krisenfall“ seine Truppen schnell nach Europa verlegen könnte.

Weiterlesen: http://de.sputniknews.com/militar/20160214/307837315/nato-osteuropa-verstoss-grundakte-solana.html#ixzz41GgxINVC

Pentagon attacks on Russia linked to military budget debate in Congress

“Russian threat" top-seller for Pentagon.

26 Feb, 2016 01:55 https://www.rt.com/news/333669-us-nato-russia-threat/

Edited time: 26 Feb, 2016 02:05

Get short URL

© Rafael Marchante / Reuters 

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Statements warning of a so-called “Russian threat” to US security are linked to discussions in Congress on next year’s military budget, said a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, noting the idea of this “threat” has been a “top-seller” for the Pentagon.

“We were not surprised by the loud statements of US security officials who saw Russia as the main threat to US national security,” said Russia’s Ministry of Defense spokesman, Igor Konashenkov.

Read more

Pentagon wants $582bn in 2017 budget, quadrupling of spending in Europe

“It is not a thing to be impressed by,” he said, adding that the statements have the same timing each year. “The reason is simple – the discussion of the military budget in Congress for the next year.”

He pointed out that the idea of a so-called Russian threat is not new. “One needs to remember that the ‘Russian threat’ has been the best-selling threat delivered by the Pentagon not only to Congress, but also to NATO partners since the middle of the previous century,” he said. “What would they do without us?”

Earlier in February, the Pentagon proposed a $582.7 billion defense budget that emphasizes emerging threats from Russia, China, and Islamic State militants (IS, former ISIS, ISIL). The proposed budget would quadruple the last year's request for the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) to $3.4 billion in a bid to reassure NATO allies.

Moscow’s statement comes as General Philip Breedlove, Commander of US European Command (EUCOM), outlined major security challenges in Europe while speaking before the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday. He said that the top two were a “resurgent, aggressive” Russia and IS.

“Russia continues to foment security concerns in multiple locations around the EUCOM AOR. Concurrently, we deal with a variety of transnational threats that largely emanate from instability in Iraq, Syria, North Africa, and the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).”

Read more

Loaded: US sends 5,000 tons of ammunition to Germany ‘to help NATO alliance’

Breedlove said Russia has “chosen to be an adversary and poses a long-term existential threat” to the United States and its allies and partners in Europe.

He claimed that Russia wants to exert influence over its neighbor-states to create a “buffer zone,” as it sees the US and NATO as a threats.

He accused Moscow of failing to “share common security objectives with the West” and pledged to continue to take steps aimed at deterring Russia.

NATO intensified its military activities in Europe after the eruption of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014. The alliance carried out a number of massive military drills last year, including “Trident Juncture 2015,” the biggest since 2002, which included 36,000 international troops, as well as more than 60 warships and about 200 aircraft from 30 states. Russia has repeatedly stated that it regards NATO’s enlargement as a threat to its national security.

“Je Suis Homs”: UN Security Council Silence on Homs, Damascus Terror Attacks, Who Was Behind Them? The International Community’s Double Standards

EDITOR'S CHOICE | 24.02.2016 | 17:45

Failure to condemn terrorist attacks in Damascus’ southern Sayeda Zeinab district and Homs last Sunday, killing scores, injuring hundreds, causing enormous damage shows US/Russia negotiated cessation of hostility terms won’t stop future incidents. In letters to Ban Ki-moon and Security Council president (Venezuelan UN envoy) Raphael Ramirez, Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the body’s silence, its failure to denounce flagrant terrorism, encouraging future incidents by irresponsible inaction – especially encouraging Ankara and Riyadh to continue supporting ISIS and likeminded groups waging war on Syria. The letters demanded action, punitive measures imposed on state-sponsors of terrorism – not forthcoming. Washington, Britain and France block it, partnering with Ankara and Riyadh, continuing support for ISIS and other terrorist groups, assuring endless conflict – foiling US/Russia announced cessation of hostilities terms before their implementation. Expect no meaningful change for the better on the ground ahead.  Obama’s war on Syria continues, its objective unchanged – destroying Syrian sovereignty, replacing it with another US vassal state, looting its resources, exploiting its people, eliminating an Israeli rival, isolating Iran ahead of targeting its independence the same way. Washington deplores peace and stability. Achieving them defeats its imperial objectives. All its post-9/11 wars since October 2001 continue raging – with no resolution in sight, a key indication of what to expect in Syria going forward. On Monday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest was less than optimistic, saying ceasefire “is going to be difficult to implement. We know that there are a lot of obstacles, and there are sure to be some setbacks.” Moscow and Damascus vow to continue combating terrorists responsible for gruesome atrocities, wanting Syrian sovereignty destroyed, caliphate authority replacing it. They’re irresponsibly blamed for doing the right thing – UK Foreign Minister Phillip Hammond, speaking for Britain, America and their rogue allies lied, saying: Cessation of hostilities “will only succeed if there is a major change of behavior by the Syrian regime and its backers.” “Russia, in particular, must honor this agreement by ending its attacks on Syrian civilians and moderate opposition groups, and by using its influence to ensure the Syrian regime does the same.” Moscow and Washington will work with pro-Western UN envoy to Syria Steffan de Mistura, a US-appointed stooge, aiming to assure all parties abide by ceasefire terms. So far, no meaningful mechanism was established to mediate reported violations, no enforcement procedure, nothing to hold violators accountable. Putin expressed optimism after years of failure to end violence, bloodshed and chaos – at the same time stressing “(s)trikes will continue to be carried out against” terrorist groups. They’re excluded from terms agreed on. The deal calls for opposing parties to decide by Friday whether they’ll comply with cessation of hostility terms – terminology short of a formal, more binding, durable ceasefire. A White House statement released after Obama and Putin spoke on Monday was guarded, welcoming the agreement with no assurance of success – maintaining the pretense of phony US war on ISIS. Reality on the ground belies hope for achieving a breakthrough toward conflict resolution after years of failure. It bears repeating what other articles stressed. Washington wants war, not peace. Obama didn’t launch it to quit. Resolving it requires calling off his dogs, ending support for ISIS and other terrorist groups, cutting them off entirely, reigning in Ankara and Riyadh, deciding his Syria policy failed and moving on. Realpolitik has no Hollywood endings. War in Syria rages with no end in sight. Stephen Lendman, globalresearch.ca

Waffenstillstand in SYRIEN? KREUZVERHÖR mit Peter Lavelle on Rt

https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/333440-syria-civil-war-cessation/

Putin erläutert Waffenstillstandsbedingungen für Syrien zum 27.02.

chläge zur Waffenruhe in Syrien

© Sputnik/ Ramil Sitdikov

Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin hat die Bedingungen erläutert, zu denen die Kampfhandlungen um Mitternacht am 27. Februar in Syrien eingestellt werden sollen.

23:15 22.02.2016(aktualisiert 23:18 22.02.2016) Zum Kurzlink

 "Waffenruhe in Syrien werde nicht gegen den Islamischen Staat (Daesh) und andere Terrororganisationen gelten, die vom Uno-Sicherheitsrat als solche anerkannt werden"  Putin

„Bis Mittag am 26. Februar haben alle in Syrien kämpfenden Seiten uns bzw. den amerikanischen Partnern ihr Festhalten an der Waffenruhe zu bestätigen“, so Putin in einer Erklärung, die vom russischen Fernsehen übertragen wurde. 

„Russische und amerikanische Militärs werden gemeinsam anhand von Landkarten bestimmen, auf welchen Territorien solche Gruppierungen aktiv sind“, so der russische Präsident. 

© SPUTNIK/ ILIYA PITALEV

Russland und USA einigen auf Feuerpause in Syrien ab 27. Februar - Agentur

„Gegen diese werden die Streitkräfte Syriens, der russischen Streitkräfte und der von den USA angeführten Koalition keine Kampfoperationen ausführen“, sagte er. .....

Die Waffenruhe in Syrien werde nicht gegen den Islamischen Staat (Daesh) und andere Terrororganisationen gelten, die vom Uno-Sicherheitsrat als solche anerkannt werden, fügte er hinzu. 

„Was den Islamischen Staat, die Al-Nusra-Front und die anderen Terrororganisationen anbelangt, die vom Uno-Sicherheitsrat als solche anerkannt werden, so werden diese aus dem Regime der Waffenruhe völlig ausgeschlossen“, sagte der russische Staatschef. „Gegen sie werden weiterhin Schläge geführt.“

„Russland wird die erforderliche Arbeit mit Damaskus und der legitimen Staatsführung Syriens durchführen“, hieß es. „Wir rechnen damit, dass die Vereinigten Staaten das Gleiche mit ihren Verbündeten und den von ihnen unterstützten Gruppierungen tun werden.“ 

Weiterlesen: http://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20160222/308033320/putin-russland-usa-vorschlaege-waffenruhe-syrien.html#ixzz40zFClcbP

Syrian Ceasefire Agreement: "To exclude Islamic State, Al Nusra Front and “other UN designated terrorist organizations "”

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  Ceasefire in Syria to commence at midnight on Feb. 27 – Russia & US
  

  The US and Russia have adopted “Terms for a Cessation of Hostilities in Syria” and propose that a ceasefire start on Saturday at midnight Damascus time. Terror groups, such as ISIS and Al-Nusra, are not part of the truce.
  
  

  According to the statement, the truce will “be applied to [all] those parties to the Syrian conflict that have indicated their commitment” to accept its terms. It will exclude Islamic State, Al Nusra Front and “other terrorist organizations designated by the UN Security Council.”

  The ceasefire plan also stipulates that other parties should indicate “their commitment to and acceptance of the terms for the cessation of hostilities” by no later than 12:00 (Damascus time) on February 26.

  Feb 22, 2016 16:27
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  Breaking down the US-Russia ceasefire plan for Syria
  

  Following Moscow and Washington’s announcement of a joint ceasefire deal for Syria, the war-torn country may be on the verge of the biggest peacemaking breakthrough since fighting broke out there five years ago. Here is how the proposed truce should work:

  Feb 22, 2016 21:47https://www.rt.com/news/333275-russia-us-syria-ceasefire/

U.S. Peace Council’s Exclusive Interview with Dr. Bashar Ja’afari, Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations

U. S. Peace Council

U.S. Peace Council’s Exclusive Interview with Dr. Bashar Ja’afari, Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations, and Head of the Syrian Delegation at the Geneva III Negotiations

Date of Interview: February 19, 2016 — New York

B.A. [USPC]: With sincere thanks for allowing us to have this interview with you despite your extremely busy schedule, please start by giving us an overall view of the state of affairs with regard to the Syrian crisis today.

Dr. Ja’afari: Let me brief you as simply as possible. If there is a turning point in the whole situation right now, it will be as the following: The enemies of Syria have moved from stage I to Stage II. Stage I was somehow limited to a war by proxies in Syria. Stage II is definitely a direct war. And this is how we can interpret the Turkish government’s threats of direct military involvement inside Syria. The Saudis, of course should be taken into consideration in the same vain. Jordan never stopped sending terrorists from the south. The Israelis are deeply involved by dealing with Al­Nusrah front and treating their wounded guys in the Israeli hospitals, as you know. So, if there is anything new right now, it would be moving from Stage I to Stage II, from war by proxies to direct war and direct military involvement into the Syrian domestic affairs.
The Russian delegation [at the UN] asked this morning for urgent  in the [Security] Council to discuss the Turkish threats of sending Turkish troops inside Syria. The meeting will take place this afternoon. That would be the second meeting called by the Russians of the members of Security Council within [the last] 48 hours. Yesterday they called for a meeting, and today they called for another meeting. Moscow is definitely very well aware of the Turkish military interference and threats because the Russians, as you know, are monitoring the whole situation very closely, with our own air forces.
The main question would be why the Turks and Saudis are doing so. Of course the Qataris are hiding in­between. The Jordanians are doing their dirty business us usual, but quietly. So, we are talking about the same gangs, but this time they are doing things blatantly. The answer is that they got hysterical after the serious military advances of our Army, and after we succeeded with cleaning up the city of Aleppo and reaching the Turkish border. Our Army has liberated, this morning, the last pocket of terrorists on the Syrian­Turkish border in the governorate of Latakia. And now we are cleaning up the Syrian­Turkish border in the governorate of Idlib, which is the hub of international terrorists gathered by the Turkish regime on the Syrian­Turkish border. Aleppo will be cleaned up very soon. The same in the south: Many terrorist offensives in the south have failed. Our Army has the upper hand in the south, next to the Jordanian border, as well as in the separation area in Syria’s occupied Golan with Israel.

So, they are getting hysterical because we have achieved serious military advances on the ground, with the help of our allies—the Russians, Iranians, and the forces of resistance, i.e., the Hezbollah and other national forces on the ground. Being cornered by these military advances on the ground, the Turkish government and the Saudi government reacted very aggressively by trying to escalate the situation to a higher degree, so that their allies — the Americans, the British, the French — would be obligated to accommodate their concerns. But they failed because even the United States, even Britain, even Germany, even France have called on the Turks not to escalate and not to shell the Syrian Kurds next to the border.
Somehow the Saudi’s and the Turks’ wrong policies toward Syria have led to an impasse, deadlock, on the ground, on the side of the terrorists I mean. It seems the real intentions of Riyadh, Ankara, and Amman, as well as Israel, is to torpedo and undermine any chances of success in Geneva within the framework of what we call the Syrian indirect talks, known as Geneva III. The Saudis were not enthusiastic and they are still not enthusiastic for any political settlement of the Syrian crisis. They are still favoring the option of sending flows of terrorists to Syria via Turkish territory. The Turks are taking, of course, charge of logistical matters and training of these same terrorists, and the Qataris are paying the bill also, and covering up the whole scenario through Aljazeera and its affiliated channels. It is an open war right now. No more excuses to anybody to say that they don’t know what is going on — everybody knows what is going on.
Even many Security Council reports have stated that there are thousands of foreign mercenaries operating in Syria. We know even their nationalities. We have provided to the Security Council subcommittees dealing with combatting terrorism books and photos of these foreigners — names, nationalities, all the details, thousands of names and photos. Of course here we are talking about those who got killed by the Syrian Army. The names we have provided are only limited to those who are operating within the Syrian territory. But there still thousands others operating in Syria and Iraq.
This is why everybody is cornered nowadays, because the game is over. No more lies, no more propaganda, can succeed. Even CNN and other American and European media outlets talk about what is going on in Syria. We have received in Damascus many French parliamentarian delegations, all of them are criticizing the French government’s wrong policies toward Syria. We receive almost on a weekly basis Turkish delegations, coming from Ankara and Istanbul, criticizing Erdogan government’s policies. While they are in Syria, in Damascus itself, they appear on the Syrian TV and criticize the wrong Turkish policies.
So, we are at a turning point right now. Either we go for the entrapment of escalation sought by the Saudis, Israelis and the Turks, or we go towards the political settlement within the framework of Geneva. But to go for this political settlement, we need to fulfill first the prerequisites of Vienna II and the Security Council Resolution 2254, which says that De Mistura [UN Special Envoy for Syria Crisis] should come up with two lists: who is terrorist and who is opposition. If he doesn’t fulfill this sacrosanct mission, nothing would fly. Nothing would fly because people are seeking to mix up cards and to fish in murky waters, as we say, so that nobody would know who is terrorist and who is opposition.

B.A.: How do we reconcile these negotiations, on the one hand, with the intensified Turkish and Saudi military attempts to intervene in Syria, on the other? It seems that so long that they thought they had the upper hand in the war, they were willing to enter negotiations, but now that the Syrian Army is taking the upper hand in the war, they are shifting to what you referred to as Stage II. Will they still be willing to negotiate under these transformed conditions?

Dr. Ja’afari: No, no. As I said at the beginning, the Turkish­Saudi escalation is mainly due to the fact that they got hysterical. The Syrian Army has achieved victories on all fronts, next to the Turkish­Syrian border as well as the Syrian­Jordanian border and Syrian­Israeli border. This kind of escalation has only one justification: it is mainly due to the failure of the Turkish policy, failure of the Saudi policy, and the failure of the Jordanian policy. But these three neighboring countries of Syria would not have dared to take up this escalation to this highest level if Washington did tell them not to do it. So the master of the game is Washington. Washington should tell these allies that enough is enough. That playing with Syrian blood and committing this bloodshed in Syria has reached an intolerable degree and should stop. We need to engage in political settlement, but to engage in this political settlement you need credible partners. You don’t need to deal with treacherous elements, agents and spies. You need to work out a political settlement with national opposition — people who are careful about rescuing their country from the mercenaries and terrorists coming from all over the world with the help of the Gulf States’ money and the Turkish logistics. That is why I said we are at a turning point: either we go toward a political settlement or we go toward military escalation.

B.A.: Why is Saudi Arabia so insistent on a confrontation with Syria?

Dr. Ja’afari: We should also shed some light on the reasons that have motivated the Saudis to open the Pandora’s box, meaning, threatening to send troops into Syria. The Saudis failed in Yemen catastrophically, as you know. Today, hundreds of Saudi prisoners were taken by the Yemeni forces. Twelve Saudi high­level officers from the headquarters signed a joint letter to the Crown Price asking him not to enter into any other military misadventure in Syria because they are incapable of continuing their aggression against Yemen. When the Saudis wrongly claim that they would like to send troops into Syria, I think they are either crazy guys, or they are mere dreamers, or they are amateurish politicians. But in all cases, this is going to be another scandal to be added to the Yemeni scandal, and to the Iraqi scandal. The Saudis have failed at all fronts — Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Palestine — and now they have lost the trust and confidence of everybody, exactly like Erdogan.
And this is why the Saudis are now trying to gather another wave of international mercenaries — and they call them the “Islamic Alliance,” which is neither Islamic nor an alliance, but a continuation of collecting garbage from all over the world and calling them “Islamic” forces. Actually, the Saudis have never stopped sending terrorists to Syria under this label of “Islamist” groups. So there is nothing new in this regard, except that the level of craziness of the Saudis has reached a high degree of irresponsibility.
The Saudi regime has stopped paying salaries to doctors in Saudi Arabia. High­level officers, as I said, are energetically against engaging in any military misadventure after the failure in Yemen. They have huge domestic troubles in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia as well as elsewhere. As

you know, the price of oil has dropped to a very low level. The Saudis are almost in bankruptcy right now. They are facing huge challenges, economically, politically, and socially, because of the violation of human rights, as you know, and the execution of the Sheikh Nimr Baqir al­Nimr, etc., etc. They are adding failure after failure, and they are still stubborn and insisting on committing the same mistakes, again and again and again. But this time, as the British newspaper The Independent put it yesterday, Saudi Arabia is going to be disintegrated soon.

B.A.: Going back to actual negotiations, we know they were delayed from the very beginning. What are the obstacles to this process at this stage? What is keeping these negotiations from really going forward?

Dr. Ja’afari: Number one: it is not about negotiating. It is about indirect discussions, indirect talks. That was the option chosen by De Mistura, the Special Envoy, himself. He wanted it to be so, and we agreed on that. This is number one: it is not about negotiating; it is about indirect talks.
Number two: everything was very badly organized in Geneva III. When we went there, we engaged immediately after our arrival in Geneva. Two hours after landing at the airport of Geneva, we went ahead to our meeting with De Mistura at the Palais de Nations, which is the United Nations’ headquarter. But the other delegation, which is called the Riyadh group, did not come until four days later. And when they came, they didn’t go to De Mistura. He went to them at the Hotel.
Beside the so­called delegation of the Riyadh group, whose names were conveyed to De Mistura, another guy came from Riyadh with 102 other persons on board of a Saudi Airline. They didn’t even observe or respect even the framework — the form, forget about the substance — of these indirect talks. So, things did not take off because the organization was very bad. The Special Envoy did not treat everybody on an equal footing in according with the provisions of 2254 Resolution and the Vienna Declaration. He spoiled only the Riyadh group at the detriment of other delegations. And he didn’t qualify as others as delegations. He considered the delegation of women as advisers for him. He considered the delegation of civil society as advisers to him. He didn’t deal with the national domestic opposition coming from Damascus. He didn’t deal with the group of Moscow and the group of Cairo on an equal footing with the group of Riyadh. So he committed many mistakes and he was under huge pressure from Washington and the Saudis and the Turks and the French. This is why things did not take off, because there was no fuel for this missile of indirect talks at Geneva III to take off.
We engaged with him twice, officially speaking. I sat with him twice in official meetings, with my delegation of course. He acknowledged this. He said that the Syrian government was disciplined, organized, etc., etc. So he commended our participation. But again and again and again, he came to Geneva, he invited terrorists to come to Geneva, the guy from Jaysh al­Islam, who came from Riyadh with the group of Riyadh. It is a terrorist organization but he still insisted on inviting these terrorists. He invited another terrorist from Ahrar al­Sham also, who works for the Turks. There were many scandals over there, and all these scandals led to this deadlock and impasse. So things did not take off and we didn’t engage even in any formal discussions. As he called it, the exploratory talks — and I called it the preparatory talks — for Geneva III did not start in Geneva.

B.A.: What is the key to opening this lock? Who has the key?

Dr. Ja’afari: De Mistura has the key. Washington has the key. The British, the French, the Russians, everybody has the key, because they should come up with the list of who is terrorist and who is opposition. That is the key of any success.

B.A.: Do you think there is going to be any agreement on that?

Dr. Ja’afari: Hopefully, hopefully. I think there he [De Mistura] got that point. He understood that, without identifying who is terrorist and who is opposition, things cannot take off. I hope he got it.

B.A.: So how do you see the future from here?

Dr. Ja’afari: We don’t know yet. As I told you, if the Turkish regime insisted on sending troops inside Syria, that would mean a huge escalation in the area. That would trigger not only a regional war but an international war — a world war, unfortunately.
Erdogan is playing with fire, with everybody. His Prime Minister created and invented this wrong policy called “zero problem policy” with Turkey’s neighbors. Now he has ended up with “full problem policies” with all the neighbors of Turkey. He also has very bad relationship with his best ally, Washington, with Europeans —France, Britain, Germany, with Cyprus, with Armenia, with Iran, with Iraq, with Syria, and who else? Bulgaria. No neighbor of Turkey has a normal relationship with Ankara. So, Erdugan cannot be right and everybody else wrong.
The Turkish regime has even blackmailed the Europeans with this phenomenon called the “Syrian refugees,” for instance. He let flows of so­called immigrants to invade Europe in order to blackmail the Europeans: either you allow me to establish this no­fly zone in the northern part of Syria, or I will inundate you with refugees — not only from Syria, because Syrians are only 20 percent of those who went to Germany, but from all over the world: Afghans, Eritreans, Sudanese, everybody claims he Syrian nowadays. Everybody is gathered by the Turks in Turkey and sent to Europe as Syrian refugees.
The Turkish policy has failed. Blackmailing is over. Now they are escalating, militarily speaking. And they should assume responsibility for the consequences of their act. But their best allies should stop them. If we want to save, maintain and rescue peace all over the world, pressure — serious pressure — should be exerted on Erdogan and his Prime Minister.

B.A.: But Turkey is a NATO state, a member of NATO. What are these Western powers doing right now? What is their role in this? Saudis and Turks cannot really be acting that independently.

Dr. Ja’afari: Thank god the NATO did not buy the Turkish policies toward Syria. NATO even denied any assistance to Erdogan. Germany withdrew the missiles from Syrian­Turkish border. NATO is not happy with Erdogan’s wrongdoings in the area. And this is a good sign. But, still, things cannot be limited and restricted to this political pressure. Washington, and the Europeans, should tell Erdogan that enough is enough. He is threatening to trigger a third world war.

B.A.: What can people in the Western countries, especially in the United States and Europe, do to push for a political settlement of the Syrian crisis and avoid yet another, this time more devastating, war?

Dr. Ja’afari: The Americans and Europeans should look for their own interest. If the Turks enter Syria, a Turkish­Russian military confrontation will erupt immediately. A Syrian­Turkish military confrontation will erupt immediately. The Iranians wouldn’t remain quiet. You will see that Egypt will not remain quiet. Iraq will not be quiet. It is going to be a huge problem for everybody. So, the main question is: Is it in the interest of everybody not to interfere? Not to exert pressure on the Saudis and the Turks in this regard? Is it in the interest of the USA to trigger a third world war with Russia right now? I don’t think so.

B.A.: Thank you very much Dr. Ja’afari.

U.S. Peace Council, PO Box 3105, New Haven, CT 06515 • (203) 387­0371 www.uspeacecouncil.org • USPC@USPeaceCouncil.org 

Assad calls Syria parliamentary election for April

News | 23.02.2016 | 00:00

RT - The parliamentary elections in Syria will be held on April 13, 2016, said a statement issued by Syrian President Bashar Assad. Syria holds a general election every four years, with the previous vote taking place in 2012. The announcement comes hours after Russia and the US issued a joint statement on cessation of hostilities in this country, announcing February 27 as the starting date for the ceasefire. Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the truce will not include terror groups, such as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) or Jabhat al-Nusra. Putin called on Assad’s government and the opposition to support the action plan agreed by Moscow and Washington.

Tags: Syria al-Assad

Loaded: US sends 5,000 tons of ammunition to Germany ‘to help NATO alliance’

News | 22.02.2016 | 20:00

RT - Washington has dispatched more than 5,000 tons of ammunition to Germany, the largest amount in 10 years, the US military announced, adding that the shipment will help to “continue to enable the NATO alliance” and to defend its allies. “In the largest single Europe-bound US shipment of ammunition in 10 years, the 21st Theater Sustainment Command … transported over 5,000 tons of ammunition …to the Theater Logistics Support Center Europe's ammunition depot in Miesau [Germany] Feb. 17-18,” said a statement on the US army website. "This critical shipment will help us to continue to enable the NATO alliance, and the fact that it's the largest single shipment in 10 years demonstrates our continued commitment to the defense of our allies," 21st TSC chief of staff, Colonel Matthew Redding, said. Maintaining a stockpile of ammunition means the US and NATO “can quickly draw ammunition in support of short notice NATO operations,” says Redding. "All that effort pays off when we're able to quickly deliver ammo and other supplies to those down-trace units that need them," he went on. The ammunition was taken in 415 shipping containers and stored in Miesau. It will be available for various troops to support operations, including exercise Anakonda 2016, one of US Army Europe’s premier multinational training events, which will be held in Poland in June. The Anakonda 2016 drills will involve more than 25,000 participants from 24 nations, including the UK, the US, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. NATO intensified its military activities in Europe following the start of the Ukrainian crisis and Russia’s reunification with Crimea in 2014. In 2015, the alliance carried out a number of massive military drills including “Trident Juncture 2015”, the biggest since 2002, which included 36,000 international troops, as well as more than 60 warships and about 200 aircraft from 30 states. Moscow has long called on NATO to refrain from expanding into Eastern Europe, saying that such moves have the potential to destabilize the security situation in the region.