Syria and Diplomacy 2917


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.

 

 

 


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2,917 thoughts on “Syria and Diplomacy

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  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!

    Nevermind – he of the (very) short memory – asks:

    “Why are we talking of Munich? who raised this?”

    And within minutes, ESLO provides the answer:

    “Why are we talking of Munich? who raised this?

    Mary”

    The biter bit. Hilarious!

    ********************

    “Life is getting netter, life is getting merrier!” (J. Stalin, ca. 1932)

  • nevermind

    “More mind reading – perhaps I should start commenting on your own motivations since it is now open season on my own?”

    Are you feeling persecuted? why? Is it your daily experience in Tel Aviv, that daily beaten dog feeling, or are you garnering sympathy?

    Every hasbarra should receive training to feel persecuted, and if its the last thing done before Israel eats itself.

  • John Goss

    Great turn out today at the protest at UAV Engines Ltd, Shenstone, near Lichfield, the (largely Israeli-owned company) which makes engines for the drones which indiscriminately kill women and children and sometimes the extrajudicial targets of the drone attack. The weather, which was terrible this morning, opened up beautifully for the vigil with sunshine. It’s pretty well back to normal now with strong winds lashing the gable-end. Up to now the fence has stayed up.

    I am glad this campaign is growing, but it is not growing fast enough to stop the evil users of these despicable machines. But we will remember who they are. I have already forwarded the names and addresses of the board of directors. When a decent government comes to power these people should be made to pay for their crimes.

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!

    Mary trumpets:

    “The more the trolls say, the more is revealed.”

    ______________________

    But what has been revealed recently is that Mary, Nevermind and Mr Scourgie believe that Israel has no right to exist. Fact!

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!

    Dreoilin points out:

    ““The Washington Post raised the subject Nevermind.”

    Not on this board, it didn’t.”
    ________________________

    Precisely. It was Mary, again using the cowardly device of the cut-and-paste in order to be able to claim that SHE didn’t say anything. Gutless – and a liar.

  • nevermind

    Just not reading everything, sometimes I’m busy with other, non of your business, activities, so feel free to rattle your bits, socket.

    So the washington post raised it and some two bit outfit here will amplify it, still it is designed to denigrate a good effort.

    Off course when you rank behind Norway, Canada, Holland and Germany you might just want to back snipe and cause problems whether its toilets or the Munich massaker, all very phooey, to use one of elso’s favourite terms.

  • ESLO

    “The more the trolls say, the more is revealed.”

    This is also what happens with people who are honest and don’t wish to deceive.

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!

    Mr Goss

    Roughly how many people turned out to protest at the vigil you referred to?

    Not that the number of people at a demonstration proves anything about the validity of the demonstrators’ cause, but I feel that posts should give as many facts as possible and eschew vagueness.

    Thanks.

  • Clark

    ESLO, here’s Habbabkuk’s opinion on the universal surveillance Snowden has revealed:

    “@Clark, I don’t need to have any “ideas” because I’m not persuaded there’s a problem for the solution of which “ideas” are required.”

    http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/01/signifying-nothing/#comment-438172

    Here’s Resident Dissident’s take on Habbabkuk’s position:

    “@Clark, Read Habba more carefully he didn’t call for mass surveillance – he just said targeted surveillance was an appropriate response to 9/11 etc.”

    http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/01/signifying-nothing/#comment-438198

    Well Habbabkuk doesn’t need to “call for” mass surveillance; our governments went ahead and implemented it without asking us mere voters. But Habbabkuk is “not persuaded there’s a problem”.

    And here’s Resident Dissident on Snowden:

    “What is going on in Russia is far worse than what is happening in the West – Snowden and Assange have taken that particular shilling and chose to remain silent.”

    and:

    “Perhaps Assange and Snowden might wish to take this up with their new employers and start a campaign to free Evgeny Vitishko.”

    For fuck’s sake; Snowden has become trapped in Russia, partly because the US revoked his passport! But according to Resident Dissident Snowden is a paid traitor. A “traitor” doesn’t ruin his own life to uphold the US constitution.

    ESLO, why are you aligning yourself with people like Habbabkuk and Resident Dissident? How do you think it makes you appear?

  • nevermind

    Precisely. It was Mary, again using the cowardly device of the cut-and-paste in order to be able to claim that SHE didn’t say anything. Gutless – and a liar.

    No, It was Mary who brought this blatant US shit raking to our attention by linking, not her article, and you dear socket are a spineless liittle lickspittel who probably lived a life on public handouts, a freeloading Schmarotzer.

    I’m sure Sofia is not yours, her mum must have felt pity on you and choose somebody else to procriate the families genes, she seems much cleverer than you.

  • Mary

    Thanks John for standing up to the evil.

    Interesting here. http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-1000916180 When knaves and crooks fall out!

    I see they had a fire. http://www.lichfieldmercury.co.uk/crews-tackle-blaze-UAV-Engines-Shenstone/story-20415212-detail/story.html

    £1,810,032
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  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!

    Nevermind

    “Just not reading everything, sometimes I’m busy with other, non of your business, activities,..”
    ________________

    Not reading everything Mary posts? I’m shocked at your disloyalty. Are you sure you’re not really a hasbara Norfolk troll?

  • Mary

    I see the Resident Inviligator/Chief Troll is trying to draw me in. I will not be responding however many insults and lies are directed at me.

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!

    Nevermind

    “..and you dear socket are a spineless liittle lickspittel who probably lived a life on public handouts,..”

    _________________________

    Tut tut! I was under the impression that you approved of – nay, defended ardently – social security benefits?

    If you carry on with such heresies and U-turns you will be expelled from the Egregiousness of Excellences.

  • nevermind

    Tut tut! I was under the impression that you approved of – nay, defended ardently – social security benefits?

    Nowt to do with social secuirty benefits, oh gnarled one, more thinking of what you call your profession, your life’s calling as an invigilating eegit.

  • John Goss

    “Mr Goss

    Roughly how many people turned out to protest at the vigil you referred to?

    Not that the number of people at a demonstration proves anything about the validity of the demonstrators’ cause, but I feel that posts should give as many facts as possible and eschew vagueness.

    Thanks.”

    A lot, H. A lot. Too many for me to count. Perhaps you’d like to come and count them next time. For accuracy. I don’t want to perjure myself by giving you a false impression.

  • ESLO

    Clark

    I will “align” myself with supporters of western democracies before I align myself with its opponents – one of the reasons I do this is because said western democracies provide me (and you) with the freedom to disagree with those I align myself with or anyone else for that matter.

  • Clark

    ESLO, democracy is deteriorating in our “Western” states; Snowden’s revelations make that perfectly clear.

    There’s no point in having “the freedom to disagree” unless we exercise it.

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!

    Clark

    You say to ESLO:

    “ESLO, democracy is deteriorating in our “Western” states; Snowden’s revelations make that perfectly clear.

    There’s no point in having “the freedom to disagree” unless we exercise it.”
    _____________________

    Re your second point: apart from the fact that it is not directly related to the first one, what do you think you’re doing by posting on this blog if not exercising your freedom to disagree?

  • ESLO

    There’s no point in having “the freedom to disagree” unless we exercise it.

    I didn’t think I had been remiss on that score – that is unless you think I should be limited in who or what I disagree or agree with.

    Has it ever struck you that perhaps one of the reasons why western democracy is under challenge is because of the threat from parts of the world where they don’t believe in such essential human rights?

  • Clark

    ESLO, we will lose the freedom to disagree unless we exercise it. Complacency is not an option. Since 2001 we have already lost many of our freedoms. A girl arrested under “terrorism” laws for cycling around Heathrow Airport. A man prosecuted for texting jokes about blowing up an airport. Secret police infiltrating protest groups, forming relationships and actually fathering children with the activists. Police giving false identities in court. Torture. Extradition. What does it take before you’ll protest, ESLO? Actual gas chambers?

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!

    And speaking about the freedom to disagree :

    ESLO, I think you’re a specialist in these matters. Have you come across “The beginnings of Communist rule in Poland – December 1943 – June 1945” ? (Edited by Antony Polonsky and Boleslaw Drukier; Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, 1980).

  • ESLO

    Clark

    How do you know that I don’t protest when our freedoms here in West are threatened. Poor mind reading again I’m afraid. My guess is that my ways of protesting are rather more effective than the ones you propose – they usually involve using the democratic structures that we have rather than saying that they are all broken and ineffective and the only way out is the nihilism proposed in this blog.

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!

    Mr Goss

    “A lot, H. A lot. Too many for me to count. Perhaps you’d like to come and count them next time. For accuracy. I don’t want to perjure myself by giving you a false impression.”
    _________________

    Oh, I wouldn’t have accused you of perjury on this one, don’t worry. In general, roughly how many people count as ” a lot” in your eyes – 10? 100? 500? more?

  • Clark

    ESLO, I was referring to your behaviour here, denigrating activists and allying with the Right-wing total-spying supporter Habbabkuk.

    ESLO, I agree that some contributors here go too far, and thereby seem to support oppressive governments. Polarisation is an unfortunate aspect of human nature; we only have little brains with which to analyse a large and complex world, so we tend to oversimplify. But if we go too far, at least we go in the right direction (locally). Please argue with us compassionately. And please don’t support those who would cut us down.

  • John Goss

    “What does it take before you’ll protest, ESLO? Actual gas chambers?”

    Do you know Clark it occurred to me yesterday that Israel should be the last country to support the USA with its embargo on Cuba. But it is the only one supporting the USA. Can you imagine, considering what happened to Jews in the concentration camps of Germany, where torture and murder was endemic, the country whose government brings to almost every argument, the holocaust, even though that particular holocaust was not within living memory of most people. What is not just within living memory but is ongoing are the terrible camps at Guantanamo and Bagram where prisoners have been tortured and killed by the US.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagram_torture_and_prisoner_abuse

    You would think that Israelis, bearing in mind their own suffering which appears to be perpetually wallowed in, would be the first country wanting the embargo lifted and the horror-camp closed.

  • ESLO

    “Quite agree. I have always said that our ‘democracy’ is illusory.”

    Yes your posts are an illusion? Perhaps you might wish to go and create similar anti State illusions in some of your pet regimes and see how illusory our democracy really is. Given you are an expert on Gaza perhaps you might wish to comment on what happens to those who express a different view to that of the Hamas leadership.

    http://www.hrw.org/reports/2012/10/03/abusive-system-0

  • Mary

    When I heard a trailer for some programme on Radio 4 this morning with George Clooney promoting Hillary Clinton for the next presidency, I heaved.

    Here he is on another state broadcaster.

    http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/george-clooney-thinks-hillary-clinton-will-be-very-tough-beat-f2D11577333

    At the end. Laughing out VERY loud.

    [..]And it sounds like Clooney’s pal Julia Roberts would be right by his side. She says in the new issue of Marie Claire, “I had interviewed Hillary Clinton (for OWN), who has become a personal hero to me — who she is and her convictions as a woman and mother and a humanitarian.”

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