The problem with the Geneva Communique from the first Geneva round on Syria is that the government of Syria never subscribed to it. It was jointly chaired by the League of Arab States for Syria, whatever that may mean. Another problem is that it is, as so many diplomatic documents are, highly ambiguous. It plainly advocates a power sharing executive formed by some of the current government plus the opposition to oversee a transition to democracy. But it does not state which elements of the current government, and it does not mention which elements of the opposition, nor does it make plain if President Assad himself is eligible to be part of, or to head, the power-sharing executive, and whether he is eligible to be a candidate in future democratic elections.
Doubtless the British, for example, would argue that the term transition implies that he will go. The Russians will argue there is no such implication and the text does not exclude anybody from the process. Doubtless also diplomats on all sides were fully aware of these differing interpretations and the ambiguity is quite deliberate to enable an agreed text. I would say that the text tends much more to the “western” side, and that this reflects the apparently weak military position of the Assad regime at that time and the then extant threat of western military intervention. There has been a radical shift in those factors against the western side in the interim. Expect Russian interpretations now to get more hardline.
Given the extreme ambiguity of the text, Iran has, as it frequently does, shot itself in the foot diplomatically by refusing to accept the communique as the basis of talks and thus getting excluded from Geneva. Iran should have accepted the communique, and then at Geneva issued its own interpretation of it.
But that is a minor point. The farcical thing about the Geneva conference is that it is attempting to promote into power-sharing in Syria “opposition” members who have no democratic credentials and represent a scarcely significant portion of those actually fighting the Assad regime in Syria. What the West are trying to achieve is what the CIA and Mossad have now achieved in Egypt; replacing the head of the Mubarak regime while keeping all its power structures in place. The West don’t really want democracy in Syria, they just want a less pro-Russian leader of the power structures.
The inability of the British left to understand the Middle East is pathetic. I recall arguing with commenters on this blog who supported the overthrow of the elected President of Egypt Morsi on the grounds that his overthrow was supporting secularism, judicial independence (missing the entirely obvious fact the Egyptian judiciary are almost all puppets of the military) and would lead to a left wing revolutionary outcome. Similarly the demonstrations against Erdogan in Istanbul, orchestrated by very similar pro-military forces to those now in charge in Egypt, were also hailed by commenters here. The word “secularist” seems to obviate all sins when it comes to the Middle East.
Qatar will be present at Geneva, and Qatar has just launched a pre-emptive media offensive by launching a dossier on torture and murder of detainees by the Assad regime, which is being given first headline treatment by the BBC all morning
There would be a good dossier to be issued on torture in detention in Qatar, and the lives of slave workers there, but that is another question.
I do not doubt at all that atrocities have been committed and are being committed by the Assad regime. It is a very unpleasant regime indeed. The fact that atrocities are also being committed by various rebel groups does not make Syrian government atrocities any better.
But whether 11,000 people really were murdered in a single detainee camp I am unsure. What I do know is that the BBC presentation of today’s report has been a disgrace. The report was commissioned by the government of Qatar who commissioned Carter Ruck to do it. Both those organisations are infamous suppressors of free speech. What is reprehensible is that the BBC are presenting the report as though it were produced by neutral experts, whereas the opposite is the case. It is produced not by anti torture campaigners or by human rights activists, but by lawyers who are doing it purely and simply because they are being paid to do it.
The BBC are showing enormous deference to Sir Desmond De Silva, who is introduced as a former UN war crimes prosecutor. He is indeed that, but it is not the capacity in which he is now acting. He is acting as a barrister in private practice. Before he was a UN prosecutor, he was for decades a criminal defence lawyer and has defended many murderers. He has since acted to suppress the truth being published about many celebrities, including John Terry.
If the Assad regime and not the government of Qatar had instructed him and paid him, he would now be on our screens arguing the opposite case to that he is putting. That is his job. He probably regards that as not reprehensible. What is reprehensible is that the BBC do not make it plain, but introduce him as a UN war crimes prosecutor as though he were acting in that capacity or out of concern for human rights. I can find no evidence of his having an especial love for human rights in the abstract, when he is not being paid for it. He produced an official UK government report into the murder of Pat Finucane, a murder organised by British authorities, which Pat Finucane’s widow described as a “sham”. He was also put in charge of quietly sweeping the Israeli murders on the Gaza flotilla under the carpet at the UN.
The question any decent journalist should be asking him is “Sir Desmond De Silva, how much did the government of Qatar pay you for your part in preparing this report? How much did it pay the other experts? Does your fee from the Government of Qatar include this TV interview, or are you charging separately for your time in giving this interview? In short how much are you being paid to say this?”
That is what any decent journalist would ask. Which is why you will never hear those questions on the BBC.
This is an annotated version of Hague’s speech at the opening of the ‘talks’. V good.
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1391136657.html
‘He’s a busted flush.
But attention : a packet of top EU posts will be delivered this year, after the EP elections. Among them, President of the European Council, to replace H van Rompuy….
Don’t forget – you read it here first!
No, we bloody didn’t.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9641302/Tony-Blair-the-EU-needs-a-president.html
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2014/01/30/tony_blair_in_cairo_the_middle_east_is_always_black_and_white_for_the_former.html?wpisrc=burger_bar
This gets a very polite knife into Blair around Page 30-
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2012/1/02%20middle%20east%20elgindy/02_middle_east_elgindy_b.pdf
Useful idiot for the US, then.
I know its not political, or on-topic, but I have been researching the rules governing work in my favourite fields, Electrical, Mechanical, Renewables such as stoves, Photovoltaic, Solar Thermal, Heat Pumps in the light of the new QVF qualifications.
Training companies are warning that without taking thousands of pounds of training I will no longer be able to use my existing qualifications.
The Dept. for Community and Local Government has now replaced the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The new Dept. amongst other things runs the Building Regulations including Part P, Domestic Electrical Installations.
Yes, it was run previously by the Double Jag push me pull you Deputy PM which is basically a converted hearse for British Industry with a Jaguar welded on at both ends to permit travel in both directions even at the same time.
It drives forward Old Labour Trade Unionised closed shop Trainng standards which are unreachable financially by private individuals. But it also serves good old-fashioned Tory policy by permitting householders to get DIY electricians to install their electrics and, if the Council isn’t notified within 12 months, that installation is beyond the scope of the Council’s powers to investigate or give penalties.
(Everybody else has taken to intransientising traditionally transient English verbs, so why can’t I do the same?)
I worked in a homeless drop-in centre for a few years and I said to an Irishman who used to drop in, ‘If you knew what terrible effect alcohol does to your body …’ Yes ‘ he says ‘ it would drive you to drink.
This is the effect of the Government legislation. Landlords and house-owners are so scared of the cost of employing skilled tradesmen/ women, that they get the cowboys in and don’t notify or test the work.
Anyway apparently there is a loophole in the Building Regulations which allows a skilled person who is not charging money to do all the types of work I am interested in.
I am a New Tory. i.e. when the work dried up in 2008 I made a limited company and the expenses of professional training and subscriptions, accountants bills, transport etc etc all far exceed the receipts so technically I earn nothing, but I cease to be on the un-employment statistics.
The world is my oyster. I didn’t get where I am today by bothering about government legislation. An Englishman’s home is his castle. My company will charge you, but I receive nothing.
Let’s face it a government dept. that couldn’t reverse its priorities every five years would be virtually useless in the UK political system.
While I’m sitting in my office waiting for the fish to bite on my highly reasonable prices, but no fish are biting because I’m so qualified I have to condemn their whole installation and tell them to start again, I reflect that vast numbers of well-paid people are doing the same, scratching themselves, looking on the internet, pricing jobs, building up dossiers for training courses, plus all the things that Mary does like walking my cat, Fred, on CM’s blog, but, unlike me ,they earn something.
Patience is beautiful. No problem. Private jobs come in from time to time in spite of having been placed on various blacklists by the charming Muslim corporation that I worked for a while. Within the category of people who have sold their souls to the global Zionist/Jihadist new world order, the UK is apparently enjoying a bit of a boom.
@A Node
Yes the British Government would have liked to be able to ban Press TV in retaliation to their jamming of BBC Persian TV channels and Voice of America, which it says in the same document you quoted except you missed out that bit. As you can see they said they were unable to.
Is it surprising that the government would wish to be able to ban broadcasts in Britain of a TV channel which can only be described as Neo Nazi from a country in which all satellite tv is banned? Had Press TV paid their fine and moved editorial control to Britain they would still have their license, still be broadcasting interviews wit Holocaust deniers and all satellite tv would still be illegal in Iran.
Imagine if these were IDF forces being attacked by Palestinians;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEMBtQ4aLkU
Imagine the body count of dead Palestinians, and the total lack of Western outrage.
‘You do realise that Press TV has been removed from almost every “western” broadcasting network one by one using initially creative excuses but now just “the Americans told us to take it off or else.”’
No, I was under the impression Press TV was still available world wide via the seven satellites Optus D2, Paksat-1R, ArabSat 5A, Badr 4, Badr 5, Eutelsat 7A, and Nilesat 201.
Back on topic, if you are a Muslim today in this country and you do not subscribe to either the Western model of secular, i.e. separating your religion and social/work/values into separate, un-crossable compartments or the Zionist corruption of Islam, the Jihadist model we see in Syria, you will be totally shunned.
Perhaps nobody read the link to Aiman Zawairis summary of Qaida/Muslim Brotherhood opinion that I posted earlier. In that article he basically states that thinking for yourself about what is going on in the world is the same as being a spy against Islam. We now know that all our country has been involved with Qaida in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Libya etc. Yesterdasy, sorry typing error, they played a snipper of Mladic starting to say that USUKIS had sent Qaida to overturn the status quo. They may all be war criminals or saints on either side for all I know but the staements of Mladic and Assad are basically true when they say that UKUSISQaida have interfered with their sovereignty.
So when Zawahiri states that independent analysts are spies, and that they are the collaborators with the enemies of Islam who have sold their faith and become apostates, he is describing himself and his own sub=organisations. Furthermore, by throwing the blame of spying onto the independent thinkers he has set alight a 35 year conflict between Muslims, each of them categorising the other as incorrect, or disbeliever, or worthy of being sacked, or silenced, or divorced or disenfranchised up to being beheaded. The trickster and Zionist agent was the jassous/collaborator all the time. His main goal to achieve political power for himself and Qaida from the West and Zionists, by dividing/Ichtilaf the pious, believing Muslims, stripping the assets of theuir countries and giving the spoils of the Muslim countries to the West/Zionists, in exchange for power for his Jesuit/Calvinisic creed of permanent and escalating war in the Muslim lands.
Most Muslims are forced to subscribe to one of the above, the secular or the Calvinist. If you want aneasy life you settle for the former because the full power of the organised religion of Islam under its well-known groups, Deobandi, Brotherhood, Ahle Kitab etc AND the full power of the Zionist Western state of the five continents of the world will be on your case to destroy you if you dare to disobey orders from Zawahiri.
Did we not have a civil war in this ciountry in order to establish freedom of religion and expression. Well, that is what the organised religion of Islam in the UK is working its bollocks off to destroy.
“After being dropped by multiple satellite and cable channels worldwide Press TV started to broadcast live on YouTube. Then 6 months ago their Youtube channel got suspended strangely enough.”
Same as any other channel which violates YouTube’s terms of service.
They are broadcasting on YouTube now as well as streaming their shows live while in Iran much of the internet is blocked.
“WikiLeaks cables say London and Washington have explored ways to limit the operations of Press TV in the UK. And here it comes; Press TV is removed from the Sky platform.”
If you like articles in the Guardian try these:
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/feb/22/bbc-world-service-censorship
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/24/iran-fake-blog-smear-campaign-journalist-bbc
From my local PSC
Please consider complaining to the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complain-online/ ) about this, but use your own words. Ask for a reply, and when you get one, I suggest you escalate it by getting back to the BBC.
Regards
…..
=======================
BBC1 News at Ten on 30/1/14 carried an item about the sacking of Scarlett Johansson by Oxfam because of her link with Sodastream. The program is available on BBC iPlayer until 10pm tonight.
It started at 22.21.12, finished 22.23.23.
* The presenter briefly introduced the topic as about ” a factory in an Israeli settlement on the West Bank”,
* followed by about 15 secs in which a Sodastream ad featuring her is run
* then 10 secs saying why she was sacked
* correspondent Nick Bryan (?) takes over and says this is about Soda’s factory “in an Israeli settlement on occupied West Bank” and shows happy workers in its modern factory, reads out brief Oxfam statement
* then Soda’s Chief Executive is featured making a statement for 10 secs
* then Scarlett is shown touring Kenya for Oxfam for next 20 secs to the end
Possible complaints:
1. Both the presenter and Nick B refer to “an Israeli settlement on the West Bank”. They do not mention this is an illegal settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories which is on the site of what were several Palestinian villages, which is the legal position. Channel 4 in its news coverage however was accurate.
2. The overall effect is that most of the program is devoted to what amounts to an ad both for Sodastream and for Scarlett Johansson – lack of balance.
3. Nobody is interviewed to explain why Sodastream is subject to a campaign to boycott its products not just in the Uk but also in the US and elsewhere.
In general, shows once more a consistent bias against the Palestinian cause by the BBC.
A comment on the BBC complaints website.
I wonder how many of you heard the coverage of the SodaStream story on Radio 4 “Today”. If you didn’t hear it, please listen to it later this morning when it becomes available on iplayer.
‘It would take me all day to list everything that was wrong with your presentation of this story so I will just deal with the most important points.
1. John Humphrys said: “When the Super Bowl is aired in the US on Sunday viewers can expect a glimpse into a conflict more ancient, and indeed more important, than the clash of multi millionaire sportsmen.” Ancient? Settlement construction on Palestinian land under military occupation only began post June ’67. Israel itself was only created 65 years ago. Or if you take the Balfour Declaration as the beginning of “the conflict”, even that was less than 100 years ago. Hardly “ancient”. Before Britain and France carved up the Middle East at the start of the 20th century there was no “conflict” in the Holy Land. John needs a history lesson.
2. Although we were told that Connolly had been to the ME to investigate the story, most of his report was taken up with of advertising SodaStream and the actress, a protest outside London’s Israeli Embassy including a short comment from PSC’s Amena Saleem. From the West Bank itself we had lengthy propagandistic comments from Birnbaum and a shorter comment from a Palestinian worker whose job would be on the line if he spoke the truth about the “conflict”. Hardly impartial testimonies.
3. What was lacking was any attempt to set the SodaStream story against the background of the growing hopelessness of Palestinians whose land, water, rights and very lives are being gobbled up by the occupation.’
Someone, 30 Jan, 2014 – 6:46 pm
While I take exception to students defacing my alma mater I am not sure that that is what happened. If the arrests of students was, as is stated at the end of the Guardian article, for refusing to give their names to the police nobody needs to give their name to the police unless they have been arrested, and if they have been arrested they need to know what they have been arrested for. I have some sympathy with these students. Fees are outrageous.
In fact the Neocons hell-bent on “Americanising the UK” have done a pretty good job in turning the clock back towards the eighteenth century, when only those with money went to university. All this privatisation shit really stinks. For my first degree 1980-1983 I got a substantial grant which was based on my income. For my second degree it cost me £11,000 (give or take). The full fee was twice that because half was paid for by a bursary.
I see the spam-bot loan-sharks are back.
(30 Day Loans 31 Jan, 2014 – 11:25 am)
Obomber’s thank you letter to the Inbal Hotel Jerusalem.
White House letter – Some endorsement coming from him!
http://www.inbalhotel.com/octopus/Upload/images/Obama-letter01.jpg
Book now Special deals http://www.inbalhotel.com/deals
http://www.inbalhotel.com/gallery
Fred, Yes I’m well aware that Press TV is still available on some satellites, Some it is only back on during an appeal process. However the large audience channels, mainly broadcasting to Europe or the Americas it used to have have pretty much all been closed down starting with BSkyB. Their Youtube channel hasn’t been able to post any new video nor stream live since 6 months ago.
Two twerps have a pub lunch of shrimps, rainbow trout and crumble washed down with French wine. Nice. No food banks for Agent Cameron and the over active Hollande.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2014/01/30/01003-20140130ARTFIG00325-hollande-recu-par-cameron-sur-fond-de-french-bashing.php
Meanwhile they are up to these dirty tricks.
‘Essential Equipment’: UK, France to jointly develop war drones
January 31, 2014 at 12:31 pm
Mike Raddie discusses today’s agreement between UK and France on future drone technology development (Russia Today News)
http://bsnews.info/essential-equipment-uk-france-jointly-develop-war-drones/
Direct link to Craig’s “Zionism is bullshit” speech for those still having trouble seeing it https://squonk.tk/craigmurray/zionism-is-bullshit.mp4
Further on the alert at Sellafield.
Alert at Sellafield nuclear plant was triggered by ‘naturally-occurring radiation’, it tells the BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-25975785
Is that likely?
Could one even detect ‘naturally occurring radiation’ at Sellotape?
‘Dirty Thirty’:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_thirty_(Sellafield)#B30
Thank God for Robert Fisk and Seumas Milne, the mainstream’s saving graces (along with Pilger)
Here are their latest columns, on Butcher Blair and Ukraine’s “democratic” uprising:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-if-only-tony-blair-could-grasp-the-truth-about-field-marshal-sisi-9097378.html
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/29/ukraine-fascists-oligarchs-eu-nato-expansion
Single monitor on the fence indicated elevated level:
‘”…All of our plants and storage facilities were quickly confirmed as operating normally, and we were always confident that the issue posed no risk to the workforce or public because the levels being detected, whilst above background radiation levels, were still low. This view was reinforced by the fact that none of our other installed monitors were picking up any kind of increased levels – however, we take such issues so seriously that we investigated fully to confirm that everything was okay.”
OTOH
“”The world and his dog will remember well that some the world’s worst nuclear accidents were initially portrayed as being of no consequence and no risk to the public.”
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/sellafield-shut-to-day-workers-1.1113620
OTOASPGA (alien scaly prehensile grasping appendage)again, Google gave me the 404 page when I tried to find out more…
“Fred, Yes I’m well aware that Press TV is still available on some satellites, Some it is only back on during an appeal process. However the large audience channels, mainly broadcasting to Europe or the Americas it used to have have pretty much all been closed down starting with BSkyB. Their Youtube channel hasn’t been able to post any new video nor stream live since 6 months ago.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hheNrBUgiW8&feature=c4-overview&list=UUzSq7O3MmG-EF0Gq68uSjPw
http://www.youtube.com/user/PressTVBroadcast
Still plenty of Press TV on Youtube which suggests to me that it isn’t content being banned, it was the channel which was suspended for violations of user agreement.
Anyway I don’t think Youtube owes Iran any favours considering Youtube is banned in Iran. I take it you support the actions of the Iranian state.
http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/10/01/iran-lifts-block-gmail-vows-absolutely-censor-youtube/#!t36or
Radon map of the “UK” (sic). I guess North Britain hit critical mass and exploded?
http://www.timberwise.co.uk/our-services/radon-control/radon-map-of-the-uk/
Herbie
“I’m sure Blairio is the fallguy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_Writer_%28film%29
But not sure why you’re agin him now.”
__________________
1/. Well, if being elected President of the European Council constitutes being a fall guy, then I wouldn’t mind being a fall guy 🙂 . No, my comment wasn’t expressing a wish or praise but rather a prediction/warning…
2/. What on earth makes you think I was ever for him? Like a lot of people, I fell out of love with him some time before the Irak war……
Beelzebub
‘He’s a busted flush.
“But attention : a packet of top EU posts will be delivered this year, after the EP elections. Among them, President of the European Council, to replace H van Rompuy….
Don’t forget – you read it here first!
No, we bloody didn’t.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9641302/Tony-Blair-the-EU-needs-a-president.htm”
_______________________
Beaten to it by The Daily telegraph, huh? Well I never. You’re a bit of an old devil for posting that, actually, since some one on here will no doubt now be convinced that I’m either on BLiar’s of The Telegraph’s staff…. 🙂
No, seriously though, BLiar is apparently calling for a directly elected President, but as we all know, the procedure on the Lisbon Treaty for electing the next President doesn’t involve direct elections. This is just another example of his occasional puffs of wind I referred to on jocular fashion in my ‘performing seal’ post of earlier.
Keep imbibing the sulphur and let the brimstone flow!
‘some one on here will no doubt now be convinced that I’m either on BLiar’s of The Telegraph’s staff….’
Think they all know you’re working for My Satanic Majesty. Blair wouldn’t employ anyone who asks questions, and you’re a bit far right for the Telegraph.
Fred, Thanks for the Youtube link. I hadn’t noticed they had managed to get back on. No live broadcasts on the new channel though.
And of course I don’t support the ban on Youtube inside Iran. The new Iranian President has stated that they are considering lifting the ban inside Iran and I hope he does.
With the recent easing of sanctions on Iran US pressure on broadcasters to fine a reason to remove Press TV may be decreasing.
Checking the European public radiation monitoring network everything seems relatively normal although there might just be evidence of a slight gamma pulse on Ronaldsway, Isle of Man sensor and Dundalk Ireland. Possibly related to heavy rain moving through and atmospheric washout. Fuksuhima?
http://eurdep.jrc.ec.europa.eu/Basic/Pages/Public/Home/Default.aspx
“…and you’re a bit far right for the Telegraph.”
_________________-
Are you suggesting that The Telegraph has shifted ground? Most worrying!
AlcAnon/Squonk 31 Jan, 2014 – 3:51 pm
Couln’t find the Ronaldsway link to Gamma Rays. It’s hardly likely to be Fukushima with Sellafield visible from the Isle of Man. Do you have a link to the actual page please?