Ken Stone, executive member of the Syria Solidarity Movement (syriasolidaritymovement.org) and a longtime antiwar activist, was among the first foreigners to enter the historic city of Palmyra after its liberation from the takfiri terrorists at the end of March. Below we give his report from Palmyra. In the photo, Syrian families with their belongings retrieved from their homes can be seen standing in the street.
Zionist Israel occupied the Golan Heights from Syria and other lands from Egypt and Jordan during the June 1967 War. That defeat of the Arabian armies puffed up the Zionists so much that they have started to usurped various parts of these territories. The Zionists' latest outrageous claim came today when Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the Syrian Golan Heights will remain "forever" part of Israel. It truly takes chutzpah!
The Syrian parliamentary elections were a vote of confidence in the government. It was a gamble because there was the ever-present threat of terrorists firing rockets indiscriminately into civilian areas. Polling stations were a favorite target because of the large number of people lining up to vote. Security forces were able to prevent any such incidents and the Syrian government's hand has been strengthened in the negotiations in Geneva.
Despite the foreign-instigated mayhem and war in Syria, the government is making strenuous efforts at reconciliation. The Second International Tour of Peace found this out during their meeting with the Syrian Minister for National Reconciliation, Ali Heidar. Canadian Peace Activist Ken Stone files this report from Damascus.
The Syrian people are showing resilience in the face of foreign-instigated terror in their country by turning out in large numbers to participate in parliamentary elections. For the first time, a number of opposition parties are also allowed to contest the elections. Until the time of filing this report, there were no reports of terrorist attacks although that is a possibility as they would like to disrupt the process, if they can.
Canadian Peace Activist Ken Stone files this report directly from Damascus where he is part of the Second International Tour of Peace to Syria. He observed the Syrian Parliamentary election today (April 13).
Ken Stone, a long-time member of the Canadian peace movement, heads to Syria to report firsthand about reality on the ground. Unfortunately there has been much misleading and self-serving propaganda about the war that was imposed on Syria five years ago. Despite an international conspiracy to impose a Western puppet government, the people of Syria and their army with the help of allies, have valiantly resisted such attempts.
On the run from the Syrian army and its allies, the takfiri terrorists have once again resorted to using chemical weapons. There is, however, no condemnation of such crimes from the UN, the US or other Western do-gooders. Their only mantra is, 'Asad must go'. He is not going anywhere, primarily because the Syrian people do not want him to go, seeing what the alternative would be: head-choppers and organ eaters!
By announcing withdrawal of the bulk of its forces from Syria, Russia has signaled that it is genuinely interested in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Syria. It is now for Nato countries to show whether they want peace.
Major changes are underway in global politics as the US-led unipolar world comes to an end. A multipolar world is emerging in which new more robust players are active. Islamic Iran is a central component of this new arrangement.
Peace in Syria requires the abandonment of unrealistic demands and a transparent political process to enable all the people to participate in it.
The Kurds are spread over different countries, the victims of colonial carve-up of the Muslim East (aka the Middle East) but they tend to make decisions that are not in their own best interest. Their latest move, a declaration of autonomy in northeast Syria is one such example. This is likely to complicate the possibility of achieving a political solution to the 5-year-old war on Syria.
While associated with renewal and growth, the month of March brings grim reminder of how terribly movements for change in the Muslim world have been subverted. Leaders of Islamic movements need to pay close attention to their modus operandi.
Will the February 22 agreement between Russia and the US outlining terms for cessation of hostilities bring peace to Syria? It offers a glimmer of hope but many uncertainties remain.
Even while most of the world has realized that foreign mercenaries cannot overthrow the government of President Bashar al Asad, Erdogan and Bani Saud continue to harbor the illusion, with disastrous consequences for both.
By his ill-conceived policies, Turkish President Recep Tayip Erogan has brought the war on Syria into his own country. The Turks will pay a heavy price for such foolishness, not to mention illegality.
Weeks of discussions between the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his American counterpart John Kerry resulted in the following terms for a truce in Syria. This will go into effect on Saturday February 27 subject to acceptance by the various parties to the conflict.
After five years of bloodletting, there is a glimmer of hope that the Syrians' long nightmare may end soon. A truce agreement was announced by Russia and the US today under which a ceasefire will go into effect in Syria on February 27. Humanitarian aid will be delivered to besieged towns and villages. The truce does not extend to such terrorist outfits as Daesh, Jabhat al Nusra, Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham.
As the Syrian army makes steady gains against the Saudi-Turkish-Israeli-American backed terrorists, some of the terrorists' backers have freaked out. There are reports that Turkey might launch a direct ground invasion of Syria with frightening consequences for the region. Even the incompetent but brutal Saudis have said they would send their troops into Syria. There seems to be no limit to the madness of these rulers.
As the Syrian army makes steady progress on the ground in Aleppo and elsewhere in the country, Syrian opposition groups and their foreign sponsors conspire to sabotage the peace talks, albeit indirect, in Geneva. Talks were suspended today when opposition groups refused to meet the UN Special envoy, Staffan de Mistura. It was pointless to continue with the charade if no one was talking to each other.
