"Questions Plague UN Report on Syria" Al Akhbar

"A senior United Nations official who deals directly with Syrian affairs has told Al-Akhbar that the Syrian government had no involvement in the alleged Ghouta chemical weapons attack: "Of course not, he (President Bashar al-Assad) would be committing suicide.” When asked who he believed was responsible for the use of chemical munitions in Ghouta, the UN official, who would not permit disclosure of his identity, said: “Saudi intelligence was behind the attacks and unfortunately nobody will dare say that.” The official claims that this information was provided by rebels in Ghouta."  Al Akhbar in English

http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/sandbox/questions-plague-un-report-syria

Comments

[JohnH]

It's always been very strange that the inspectors were prohibited from fingering "who done it." That made it obvious that the intent all along was to get Assad, empower political spinners and to protect the real culprits.

Similar to the UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the goal all along was to finger Syria, then Hezbollah, both of whom the "international community" wanted to get. Evidence of Israeli aerial surveillance of Hariri's motorcade during the assassination was not even considered nor its motives questioned.

[confusedponderer]

Assuming that's true, which I am inlined to accept, then Bandar and Kerry and the French and Brits conspired to have their Gleiwitz incident. Cute.

So much for hunamitarianism and the outrage over "the thug" Assad. This is cynicism of the deepest black - R2P my ass.

Who knows, if shit hits the fan, perhaps Kerry will delight us by sternly pointing out to his progressive base that it was COMPLETELY staged and that not only no humans - and also no animals - were harmed in the productions of those youtube movies.

Alas, I fear that was not the case and that the Saudis helped a few hapless, bystanding Syrians to unwanted martyrdom - for the good cause of "rolling back" Iran and toppling Assad.

Now, if I parse that with "sovereignty cannot be a shield for tyrants to commit one murder" - what about punishing the Saudis?

Does that would mean the US should go after the folks who, with cold, calculated premeditation, muurdered, if we are to believe the numbers, 'thousands of Syrians" with CW in Ghouta - just to tar Assad and give the US the excuse to bomb Syria that Kerry needed? Not going to happen.

[David Habakkuk]

CP,

If indeed this report is on the right lines -- and I am trying to keep an open mind on this, and keep my feeling that British official claims in particular stink to high heaven from influencing me unduly -- something very strange and horrible has happened.

However, it may not be as simple as 'cynicism of the deepest black.'

I am reminded of the aphorism of the great Viennese satirist Karl Kraus:

"How is the world ruled and how do wars start? Diplomats tell lies to journalists and then believe what they read."

[MRW]

Excellent report. Well worth trudging through it. Narwani does a great job: she read the actually UN report and found discrepancies in the small print of the appendices that she follows up on. Fascinating read.

[Babak Makkinejad]

So, is EU going to break diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia?

Will the International Court of Justice now begin prcoceedings against Bandar et. al.?

When one sleeps with dogs, one picks up fleas.

[confusedponderer]

Mr. Habakkuk,
if the Saudis had their intelligence service conduct a black op in Syria, and staged the CW attack in Ghouta, that's even more an act of aggressive war than recruiting and hiring mercenaries for a monthly salary and sending them on their way to Syria to bring down Assad's government.

By standard of the laws that the US used against Nazi spies in who infiltrated the US in WW-II, Assad would be justified in hanging every single one of them.

[Colin Murray]

For what it's worth ...

http://whoghouta.blogspot.com/

[David Habakkuk]

Babak Makkinejad,

Actually my dog -- a Shih-Tzu named Monty -- normally sleeps at the end of my bed. I have just come back from taking him for his evening walk.

Not only does he not have fleas, he is companiable, loving, and loyal, and helps me to see things in perspective, when the sheer absurdity of the way policymakers in Washington and London behave threatens to make me lose all sense of proportion.

To suggest that he has anything in common with Prince Bandar would be, quite frankly, a gross insult to dogs.

[jon]

Although that quote supports my analysis and suppositions, I'm not sure it provides any additional, useful information. Without detail as to how the inspector came by his knowledge, it may simply be that he is repeating what has previously been published. That prior news story does not seem to have had much followup or corroboration. While this may have been false flag misdirection by one group of rebels, it might also be the work of low level Syrian military units.

The inspectors say they have collected missile fragments, and calculated trajectories. It may be possible to identify the munitions used and establish a chain of custody, as well as to determine who had control of, and presence in, the sites that the shells were fired from. From samples taken, the composition of the Sarin (or other agent) can be determined, and help to fix who made it originally. It is worth taking the time and doing the work to determine who carried out the attack.

[Fred]

Kerry will delight us with some sanctimonious bull when Prince Bandar's boys kill off a few hundred Bostonians. You do recall Prince Bandar's veiled threat to Putin about Chechen jihadis? Then remember last year's bombing by the same type of 'thugs'. I'm sure Obama will have a wonderful speech prepared as well.

"Does that would mean the US should go after the folks who..." We should, but sadly Obama has Clapper and Alexander busying spying on Americans to have them fulfill their oaths to defend the Constitution.

[Stephanie]

'It's always been very strange that the inspectors were prohibited from fingering "who done it."'

My understanding is that it's standard for such inspectors, whose function is primarily technical, to avoid finger-pointing. The report does suggest that the team members were genuinely appalled by what they observed and that what they observed tended to implicate Assad's forces, although the report is by no means conclusive. I await with patience the evidence that both the anti-Assad Western states and Russia claim to have.

[confusedponderer]

"How is the world ruled and how do wars start? Diplomats tell lies to journalists and then believe what they read."

Actually that isn't satire but disturbingly accurate. Just think of what the likes of Judith Miller and wrote and write on behalf of their ever anonymous 'senior government officials'.

[confusedponderer]

Babak,
at least over time a tendency to behave like a wild boar in a rose garden over time results in a loss of acceptance even with the patient and the insight that, even though one doesn't want to put labels on wild boars, they tend to be coarse, wild, and fuck up gardens generally.

That's how wild boars get shot at by rose gardeners and farmers alike.

http://www.thenational.ae/eus-relations-with-israel-sink-to-new-low-after-aid-row#full

"As diplomatic incidents go, it was a slap in the face.

A woman working for the French consulate was thrown to the ground by Israeli soldiers as they blocked an aid convoy escorted by mainly European diplomats. The convoy was headed to a demolished Palestinian village in the West Bank.

To avoid a showdown over the incident, the Jerusalem-based diplomat, who struck at least one of the soldiers during the tussle, will leave her post next year.

But the run-in last month underscores the depths to which Europe’s relations with Israel have sunk over Jewish settlements and Israel’s bulldozing of European aid projects for Palestinians, according to diplomats and political observers.

“The frustration with Israel is very high,” said a diplomat posted to the Jerusalem consulate of an EU country.

“It’s difficult to deal normally with a country that consistently violates international law.”

As for the EU breaking relations with Saudi Arabia, I doubt it. But then, neither is the US going to.