The Arab League has announced plans to open talks with the Syrian opposition and cut all diplomatic ties with the Syrian government, aligning itself with the US-led effort to wage war against Damascus.
Press TV has interviewed Don De Bar, prominent anti-war activist in New York, about how a covert attack and
efforts to force regime change in Syria fits in with American geopolitical aims that has the US ultimately targeting Russian and Chinese military alliances and trade partners. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Many different countries seem to be involved in the Syria situation. The Saudi Foreign Minister has said and I quote, “How long will we stay on as onlookers to what is happening to our brotherly Syrian people and how
much longer will we grant the Syrian regime one period after another so it can commit more massacres against its people?”
Let’s look at Saudi Arabia saying this and looking at what is going on inside of Saudi Arabia itself and of course we know that the Saudi Regime is also involved in Bahrain.
What is this all about – How does the Saudis start talking about the loss of innocent lives and bloodshed being spilled when inside of its own country right now there has been another death – there has been two deaths in the last couple of days of anti-government protesters there, so… What is this about as far as Riyadh’s statement and their involvement in this situation?
De Bar: Well, those are obvious contradictions, but there’s one that goes even more to the heart of the matter. Go back to September 11th 2001 in the US. The 18 people who are accused and convicted in the press of conducting the operations against the US on the date were all Saudis.
The result of that has been the US declaring war on Afghanistan the next month; ten months later a congressional
approval of the war on Iraq; this past year the war on Libya; several wars that have taken place in West Africa for example Cote d’Ivoire, in East Africa you’ve got Somalia, Uganda and other places…
I agree with both the other guests is that the real truth lies in the geopolitical nature of this – the big picture so to speak – and the big picture shows that for the last eleven years the US has been attempting to neutralize any alliances that Russia or China might have in that area.
They’re looking at Russia and China as ascendant potential competitors in global markets.
The US has been installing missile defense in West Europe, naval forces in the Pacific to encircle both Russia and China; the war in Afghanistan comes up to the southern border of the old Soviet Union; the war in Libya opened the path to Damascus as many people said the path to Damascus would be through Tripoli; and now the path to Tehran, which is next to the old Soviet Union also and a regional competitor is through Damascus – Damascus is one of the allies in the region of Iran.
And so the entire operation is clearly one that is put the US into the position to both strip away any potential allies that Russia and or China would have; to remove their potential independence of movement within the world economy, for example: by removing Saddam Hussein they removed the threat of the European currency being used in petro-dollars; by removing Gaddafi they removed the potential of an African currency being used for purchasing oil and moves now against people using the Ruble or just out and out bartering for oil among Russia, China and
some European countries will be completely negated if the US is successful in Syria and ultimately Iran.
So this is a big picture game and you know, if you look at it closely it does lead to World War III and when you have Kissinger saying that, it’s an open admission by the ruling elite here that that’s where they’re headed.
Press TV: In the meantime we’re sitting we’re debating, there are many entities that seem to be involved in this
situation, but Syrian people are continuing to die. What is the key in your perspective to end the violence inside of Syria?
De Bar: Well, the Russian proposal, which was joined by the Chinese would be a good starting point and that is to call on all sides to stop shooting.
The side that started the shooting is the side that is armed with American, Qatari and other outside weapons that came in through Turkey, trained by Turkish and American troops in Turkey and Jordan.
And until that stops, the Assad regime – the government of Syria, has the responsibility to protect people from armed gangs and they will have to continue to do that.
The bulk of the killing is being done according to every person I’ve spoken with on the ground from Lizzie
Phelan to Mustafa Afzalzadeh – people that have been in Syria – the bulk of the killing is being done by these insurgents that are working for the US, on pay, with American arms.
Press TV