US SECRETARY of State John Kerry arrived in Moscow yesterday to see Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov and also President Putin.
His mission, during which he also wants to discuss the Ukraine, is to try and persuade the Russian leadership to agree a date by which President Assad will leave power in Syria, to open up the way for a government to be formed that will be more friendly to Israel and the US and, by definition, less friendly to Iran, and Hezbollah in the Lebanon.
It is thought that Kerry may well offer Putin some concessions over the Ukraine as the sweetener for a deal. Meanwhile, the Syrian government forces, with the air power of Russia helping to clear their way, have gone from strength to strength. On Monday they regained control of a military airbase on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, military officials have confirmed.
The right wing Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the UK, also agreed that Syrian soldiers retook Marj al-Sultan airbase, as well as securing the adjoining town. This comes after the Syrian army took over the whole of Homs, the main industrial city of Syria, and is now pressing on to retake Aleppo.
The Syrian army is now much stronger and the Syrian masses are now optimistic that at last the end of the war is in sight. The changed mood is such that Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of the Russian Hermitage Museum in Leningrad, said on Monday that ‘Palmyra could be saved’ adding: ‘Currently we are gathering the documents and materials dedicated to the monuments.’ He offered to help saying, ‘When everything calms down, they will have to reconstruct the sites as we did with the destroyed suburbs of Leningrad.’
The revolutionary forces now have the advantage and this is no time to give that advantage up.
The Syrian people are adamant that only they have the right to say who will constitute their government, and that not even Iran or Russia can decide that for them.
Last week the Saudis held a meeting for Syrian terrorist movements. Russia rejected the outcome of this meeting which it said was unrepresentative and included ‘terrorist groups’, and also its conclusion that President Assad and his aides can play no part in any transitional period. Now Saudi Arabia has announced the formation of an alleged anti-terror military coalition of 34 Islamic nations.
Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia and Pakistan are among the countries named in their statement. It read: ‘The countries here mentioned have decided on the formation of a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations centre based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations.’
Saudi Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud said that the campaign would ‘coordinate’ measures to battle terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan, without mentioning how the coordination would be carried out. He added: ‘We can’t undertake these operations without coordinating with legitimacy in this place and the international community.’
Presumably this proposed ‘alliance’ is to supply Cameron’s 70,000 fighters! For good measure, the Saudi Defence Minister added that, apart from confronting the Daesh Takfiri terrorists, the group would also take on ‘any terrorist organisation that appears in front of us.’ Now is the time for the working people of the world to give their full support to the Syrian people and to victory for Assad. They must demand that the US calls off its Saudi mercenaries.
Syria and Assad’s victory will greatly weaken imperialism, and constitute the beginning of the end for the autocratic Gulf feudalists, as well as striking a big blow in the defence of the Lebanon and for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
There must be no deal with Kerry and Obama. Forward to the victory of Syria and to the establishment of the Palestinian state. Withdraw all British forces from the Middle East!