Beirut,
Thursday December 08, 2016
As the Syrian army backed by local militias punches its way into East Aleppo, the desperation in Western capitals is clearly visible. Publicly claiming to be opposed to the terrorists, their actions belie their statements.
The Syrian army has liberated nearly 75 percent of East Aleppo form the clutches of terrorists. The latter are now seeking ways to flee the city, an option both Syria and Russia are not prepared to grant them.
Both the terrorists and their Western sponsors have tried to find an escape route out of the city that would certainly spell their doom if they stayed put. Russia and China both vetoed on December 5 a ceasefire resolution proposed by Germany at the UN Security Council. Moscow and Beijing saw this as a ploy to facilitate the escape of terrorists using the pretext of delivering humanitarian aid to civilians.
In his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry had proposed on December 2 a safe corridor for civilians as well as “moderate” rebels to leave the city. This offer, however, did not include the hardcore terrorists. Lavrov accepted the proposal but when the terrorists rejected the deal, The Russian foreirn minister said the deal was off.
Civilians that have managed to flee from East Aleppo into Government-held part of the city have narrated harrowing tales of how the terrorists forcibly prevented them from leaving, holding them as human shields and hostages.
While the Western regimes are desperately trying to buy time for the terrorists, the latter have realized the futility of their position and are seeking an escape route out of the city, if one were to become available. The terrorists know they would be wiped out if they stayed put in the city.
Kerry met his Russian counterpart in Hamburg, Germany on December 7 but no progress was reported. The two are meeting again today but observers see little prospect of any major shift unless the terrorists leave the city, a condition Syrian President Bashar al Asad has stated.
Amid the imminent defeat of the Western-backed terrorists, US President Barack Obama and his allies in Germany, France, Britain, Canada and Italy on December 07 signed a public statement saying they “condemn the actions of the Syrian regime and its backers, especially Russia,” for the Aleppo attacks. How else does one fight the terrorists that have occupied the city and are holding civilians hostage? The Western rulers want a ceasefire so that the terrorists can rest, regroup and perhaps be rearmed, something the Syrian government and Russia are simply not prepared to allow.
To understand how detached the Western rulers are from reality, they called on Syria and Russia to agree to a plan proposed by the UN for a cease-fire, humanitarian aid and talks on a transition government between the opposition and Asad. Why Asad should agree to sit with the terrorists and mercenaries was not explained.
The meddlesome Western regimes, however, are not willing to give up yet even in the face of rapid advances by Syrian government forces. France is hosting a meeting in Paris on December 10 to bring opposition supporters from Europe and the Middle East together. Kerry will also attend. What they will discuss is not too difficult to predict.
Faced with imminent military defeat, they want to save the situation by calling for a ceasefire under the pretext of humanitarian relief and also reiterate once again that Asad share power with these mercenaries.
The ground realities point in a very different direction. As President Asad said on December 7, victory in Aleppo would be a “huge step” toward ending the war imposed on Syria by foreign regimes.
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