We have been working on a number of articles in hopes of highlighting concerns about the Obama Administration’s so-far, evidence-free case for war against Syria in light of the August 21, 2013 chemical weapons attack said to have been carried out in a Damascus suburb.
But the matter is a quickly moving target, so to speak. While we hope to get one or more pieces out on those matters in the near future, Talking Points Memo has obtained and just released a document which they say was created by the Syrian government, is being circulated to “most offices” in Congress, according to TPM’s sources, and offers the Syrian’s case to the U.S. that diplomacy, rather than military attacks, is how they recommend proceeding.
The arguments presented in the 5-page document (posted in full below) on letterhead from the Syrian People’s Assembly and signed by the assembly’s speaker, Mohammad Jihad al-Lahham, urges the U.S. to “not rush into any irresponsible reckless action.”
“You have the power and the responsibility today to convert the United States of America from the war track to the diplomatic path,” September 5 letter reads. “We hope to meet there, and to talk, as civilised peoples should. We adopt a diplomatic solution, as we realize that war would be a bloody destructive catastrophic track, which does not have any benefit for all nations.”
The letter attempts to play on the sympathies of the U.S. government and public’s enmity for al-Qaeda and other “hatred Wahhabi Jihadist Ideology”. It also makes a familiar case against military strikes by citing the follies of the Iraq War disaster. But it is the letter’s direct response to “Alleged Chemical Attacks” that is most interesting for the moment…
The four bullet-points offered in support of their claim it was the Syrian rebels, not the Syrian regime, which used chemical weapons, are, at least, seemingly verifiable, should someone in Congress or the media attempt to do so. That is in contrast to the bulk of the unclassified, evidence-free case [PDF] that has so far been presented publicly by the Obama Administration to the American people.
Here are the four, short, seemingly verifiable bullet points from that section of the letter, followed by a very good “Question” posed in light of their claims. The full letter follows below it…
2-1 Evidences of possessing Chemical Weapons by the armed fanatic terrorist groups:
- On 19.03.2013 Khan Al-Asal, Aleppo chemical attack on civilians and military personnel, Syrian Government asked on 20.03.2013 for an immediate UN investigation.
The investigation Team visit was delayed for more than 5 months by the US, France and UK intervention. - On 30.05.2013 Turkey announced the capture of an Islamist fanatic terrorist group possessing two litres of Sarin Gas. Therefore, Mr. Servey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, on 31.05.2013 urged the Turkish Government to cooperate to avoid the possibility of any future chemical attack in the Middle East and Europe.
- On 01.06.2013 the Iraqi Army announced the capture of a fundamentalist fanatic terrorist group on the Iraqi – Syrian borders, and seized chemical weapons and a remote control of a small helicopter.
- On 28.07.2013 the Syrian authorities handed to the Russian and Chinese diplomatic mission in Damascus the evidence of the possessing chemical weapons by al Nusra Front and their intention to use them to attack Muaaret al Numan and the suburb of Aleppo.
Conclusion: the above facts proves that the fundamentalist Jihadist terrorist groups possessed and used chemical weapons previously.
2-2 Question: Logically, what is the benefit of the Syrian Government to commit a chemical attack crime during the visit of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria within less than 4 miles from the Commission resident at Four Seasons Hotel?!
In July, Russia submitted a 100-page report to the UN, which places the blame for a March 2013 Sarin attack in an Aleppo suburb on the Syrian rebels. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry website, the report “contains detailed scientific analysis of samples that Russian technicians collected at the site.” While it is unfortunate that the full report has not been publicly released, Russia’s conclusions are consistent with the claim, previously made by Carla Del Ponte, a member of the U.N. Rights Commission’s independent inquiry on Syria, who said the chemicals were “used on the part of the opposition, the rebels, and not by the government authorities.”
Of course, regardless of evidence to back them up, the U.S. will insist that everything we hear from either Syria or Russia must be dismissed as propaganda, which is precisely how Iraq’s denials of WMD possession in the run up to the Iraq war were treated.
Syria also “welcomed a call from Russia…to place Syrian chemical arsenals under international control, then destroy them to avert a U.S. strike.”
Setting aside the question of who actually carried out the last attack, if Syria agrees to eliminate its capability of carrying out a future chemical attack, what possible justification would remain for launching a U.S. military strike?
What do you think of Human Rights Watch stating that Syrian government forces are responsible for the chemical warfare attack? http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3845661.htm
Ernie @2,
It is looking like a diplomatic solution is building up steam, and all players (except Syrian rebels) have indicated a willingness to fully dispose of the problem through U.N. procedures.
I have my fingers crossed.
Just saw this. Very interesting stuff. Would like to hear HRW respond to this. What I read of their report did not sound all that conclusive to me. If I was reading it correctly, they had no one on the ground in Syria themselves. That, right there, would seem to leave it as a far from conclusive report.