theduran--2019-12-15--Who will pay the $250+ billion reconstruction cost in Syria?

Eric Zuesse, originally posted at strategic-culture.org, and now updated here  On November 25th, America’s International Crisis Group (ICG) headlined “Ways out of Europe’s Syria Reconstruction Conundrum” and urged the U.S. Government’s European allies to follow America’s lead and refuse to contribute any funds towards reconstruction of Syria unless and until a government of that country is installed which is acceptable to the U.S. Government. The ICG also stated that, “Europe should consider supporting small-scale rehabilitation projects on condition of no regime interference. … Moscow, the regime’s main protector and enabler, has tried to solicit international help to rebuild Syria – partly to re-legitimise the regime, … but shows neither willingness nor ability to push the regime to make any significant concession [to the U.S. Government].” The ICG ignored that whereas the U.S. and its allies were invading Syria as enemies of Syria, Russia had been requested by Syria to enter the war on 30 September 2015 in order to to assist it in protecting and maintaining Syria’s sovereignty. When the ICG used the phrase “on condition of no regime interference,” they meant that Syria’s Government must have no say-so whatsoever regarding any U.S.-and-allied participation (if any such participation is even to exist) in Syria’s reconstruction — in other words: any such participation would be solely controlled by the invading governments. Furthermore, that ICG document used the term “regime” 234 times always referring to the Government of Syria, whereas the term “government” was to refer to it only one-tenth as many times. None of the invading governments was referred to even once by the term “regime.”  The U.S. Government says that Syria’s Government caused the U.N.-estimated “at least $250 billion” cost to restore Syria from the destruction that Syria’s war produced, and so Syria’s Government should pay those reconstruction costs. That link is to a New York Times article, on 3 December 2017, which explicitly blamed Syrian “President Bashar al-Assad’s ruthless triumph” — which was won against all of the jihadist groups (which the U.S. and its allies had brought into Syria to overthrow and replace Assad’s Government). The Times blamed Assad for having caused the devastation in Syria; the U.S. and its allies say they aren’t to blame for it, at all, by their having organized and armed and trained the tens of thousands of jihadists from around the world for that 6-year invasion of Syria in order to overthrow its secular, non-sectarian, Government, and replace it with one that would be selected by the Sauds; and, so (they say, and that NYT news-article implicitly assumes it to be true), if the invaders-occupiers of Syria might ultimately agree to pay some portion of these $250B+ reconstruction costs, then this would be sheer generosity by the U.S. and its allies — nothing that these governments are obligated to pay to the surviving residents in Syria. It would be charity — not restitution — according to them. The way that this NYT news-report presents this case is, first, to ask rhetorically, regarding the U.S. and its allies in the invasion of Syria, “Can they afford to pour money into a regime that has starved, bombed and occasionally gassed its own people?” and then promptly to proceed by ignoring this very question that they have asked, and instead to provide a case (relying heavily on innuendos) for the immorality of the U.S. and its allies to provide restitution to Syria’s Government to restore Syria. That’s how this Times news-report argues for the U.S. Government, against Syria’s Government, regarding Syria’s postwar reconstruction: The Times news-report repeatedly simply assumes that Syria’s Government is evil and corrupt, and that it is to blame for the destruction of Syria, and thus shouldn’t receive any money from good and honest governments such as ours. It implicitly accepts the viewpoint of the U.S. Government and its allied governments — a viewpoint which blatantly contradicts the actual history of the case, as will here be documented by the facts:  America’s Government (including its press, such as the NYT) simply refuses to recognize the legitimacy of Syria’s Government (even after the first internationally monitored democratic election in all of Syria’s history, which was held in 2014, and which the incumbent candidate Bashar al-Assad (whom the U.S. alliance has been trying to overthrow) won, by 89%), and the U.S. Government has, itself, evilly been trying to conquer Syria (a country that never threatened the U.S.), ever since at least 1949, when the CIA perpetrated a coup there (the new CIA’s 2nd coup, the first one having been 1948 in Thailand — and here is the rest of that shocking history) and ousted Syria’s democratically elected President; but, then, in 1955, Syria’s army threw out the U.S.-imposed dictator, and restored to power that democratically elected Syrian President, who in 1958 accepted Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s offer to unify the two countries (Syria and Egypt) into the United Arab Republic (UAR), in order to protect Syria against a then-imminent invasion and attempted take-over by NATO member Turkey (which has traditionally been hostile toward Syria). It was a peaceful and voluntary transfer of power, to Nasser. However, Nasser became an unpopular President in Syria, as the nation’s economy performed poorly during the UAR; and, so, on 28 September 1961, Syria’s army declared Syria’s secession from the UAR; and it then installed-and-replaced seven Presidents over the next decade, until 22 February 1971, when General Hafez al-Assad resigned from Syria’s military and was promptly endorsed by the Army for the Presidency; and, soon thereafter, on 12 March 1971, a yes-no national referendum on whether Assad should become President won a 99.2%”Yes” vote of the Syrian people. President Assad initiated today’s Syria, by assigning a majority of political posts to secular Sunnis, and a majority of military posts to secular Shiites. All of the Sunnis that he allowed into the Government were seculars, so as to prevent fundamentalist-Sunni foreign governments — mainly the Sauds — from being able to work successfully with America’s CIA to again take over Syria’s Government. Assad’s Ba’athist democratic socialist Party chose his son Bashar, to succeed Hafez as President, upon Hafez’s death on 10 June 2000; and, when Barack Obama became U.S. President in 2009, Obama carried forward the CIA’s plan to overthrow Bashar al-Assad and to install a Saud-allied fundamentalist-Sunni Syrian government to replace the existing non-secular, but Iran-allied, Ba’athist Government. However, since Bashar had built upon Hafez’s secular, non-sectarian, governmental system, the old CIA plan, to apply fundamentalist Sunnis to destroy the basically non-sectarian state (which is the basis of the Assads’ political support), ultimately failed; and, so, America’s Government and media are trying to deal with the consequences of their own evil, as best they can, so as to have only Syria and its allies suffer the Syrian war’s aftermath. U.S. President Donald Trump has been continuing and even intensifying President Obama’s policy, and he loaded his Administration with rabidly anti-Syrian and anti-Iranian people.  In the American Government’s view, the least that Syria’s Government should now do is to pay all the costs for the consequences of America’s lengthiest-ever effort against Syria — or, if Syria’s Government won’t do that, then the U.S. Government will continue its occupation of Syria, and won’t help the Syrian people at all, to recover from the devastation, which the U.S. blames entirely on Assad (who never threatened the U.S.). In fact, on 14 December 2019, Syria Times headlined “A huge convoy for US occupation forces enters Syria’s Qameshli city” and reported that, “The US occupation forces sent today to Qameshli city in Hasaka province a new convoy composed of tanks, ambulances and dozens of vehicles and cars loading military and logistic materials. According to local sources, the convoy illegally entered this morning from Iraq in order to fortify the US occupation forces’ positions in the Syrian Jazeera.” The report went on to state, “Over the few past months, the US occupation forces sent through illegal crossing points thousands of vehicles loaded with weapons, military equipment and logistic materials to reinforce their existence in the Syrian Jazeera region and to steal Syrian oil and wealth.” Video of that convoy can be seen here. (Photos of a smaller convoy of U.S. weapons to Qamishli in August can be seen here.) On December 13th, Syria News headlined “Syrian Security Prevent Trump Forces Approach near Qamishli Airport”, and one can reasonably presume that Trump’s allegations that he’s no longer trying to conquer Syria have all been mere lies. He is continuing Obama’s war to conquer Syria for the Sauds to control.  The Syrian Government says that the countries which invaded Syria with their weapons and their jihadists and their organization — not only the United States and its weapons-supplies to the jihadists, but also Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Turkey, UK, France, and other U.S. allies, the entire U.S. coalition who organized and supplied the six-year international jihadist invasion against Syria — are to blame for the destruction of Syria; and, “If you break it, you own it, and need to replace it.” So, Syrians think that the invaders — and not the people of Syria — must pay the reconstruction cost.  The U.S. Government blames Syrian President Bashar Assad for everything. That charge is, however, quite problematic, given the facts in the case. The U.S. CIA was behind the “Arab Spring” movements to overthrow and replace Assad and other Arab leaders who dissatisfied the U.S. regime, and it then fed into Syria the ‘rebels’ until now. Few of them are still remaining under U.S. protection — which is mostly east of the Euphrates River, where America’s Kurdish proxy-forces are in control, after having finally defeated, with American air power, Syria’s ISIS.  That NYT article used the word “rebel” six times to refer to the jihadists who were fighting against Syria’s Government, and didn’t even once use the word “jihadist” or “terrorist” or anything like that, to refer to even a single one of them. However, almost all of the anti-Assad fighters were, in fact, jihadists (or, some people call them, instead, “radical Islamic terrorists”).  Western-sponsored opinion polls have been taken of the residents of Syria, throughout the war, and they have consistently shown that Bashar al-Assad would easily win re-election there in any free and internationally monitored election, and that the Syrian people overwhelmingly (by 82%) blame the United States for having brought the tens of thousands of foreign fighters into Syria to overthrow and replace their nation’s Government. Consequently, if Syrians will end up bearing the estimated $250B+ reconstruction cost of a war that 82% of them blame on the U.S., then the Syrian people will become even angrier against the U.S. Government than they are now. But, of course, the U.S. Government doesn’t care about the people of Syria, and won’t even allow in any of them as refugees to America; so, Syrians know whom their friends and enemies are. America’s absconding on its $250+B reparations-debt to them wouldn’t surprise them, at all. It’s probably what they’re expecting.  Some U.S. propaganda-media, such as Britain’s Financial Times, have field-tested an alternative, a blame-Russia approach, in case the U.S. team can’t get the blame-Syria story-line to gain sufficient international acceptance. For example, that newspaper’s Roula Khalaf headlined on 1 March 2017, “The west to Russia: you broke Syria, now you fix it”, but most of the reader-comments were extremely hostile to that designation of villain in the case. Here were the most-popular comments:  Nomad_X Mar 1, 2017 What dreadful ‘analysis’ …. Russia finished the Syrian war because they had to. Syria was an artificial proxy war instigated by the USA, Saudi Arabia and Turkey – the Iranians and Russians joined in after the west tried to remove Assad, and failed. The UN also said publicly that Syria was not a civil war – it was a war of foreign mercenary groups trying to overthrow the Assad regime. Russia had no choice but to be there – Putin said publicly there was over 500 Russian nationals involved, and they would be going home once they were finished in Syria. Syria is another US foreign policy disaster which someone else had no choice but to clean up – it essentially created and legitimatized ISIS and now we ALL have to pay for it …. ReportShare54Recommend  Reply Airman48 Mar 1, 2017 The usual Bogus Russian troll perspective that is devoid of the truth. Syria has been a Russian client state in the 1960s when Hafez al Assad invited the Soviets in. Russia took ownership of the Syrian Civil War the minute it intervened and deployed Military forces to that country and after waging a brutal campaign of indiscriminate bombing that killed many hundreds of innocent Syria Non combatants it now expects the West to pay to reconstruct Syria. Read the title of the article again “The West to Russia. You broke it, you FIX it” ReportShare35Recommend  Reply Nomad_X Mar 1, 2017 @Airman48 Some facts for your viewing pleasure – 1. Syria being a client state is not new news – just because they bought their weapons does not mean they wanted a war. 2. Russia cleaned up and finished the war – they did not initiate it – the USA did. 3. The title is a misnomer – the USA, Saudi Arabia and Turkey broke Syria. ReportShare27Recommend  Although some readers, such as “Airman48,” seemed eager to blame anything on Russia, most of the readers, even at that rabidly anti-Russian, neoconservative-neoliberal (or, to use old terminology, pro-imperialist) publication, seemed to be somehow uncomfortable with that view. Perhaps that view would have been popular in 1900 (America and UK were proudly imperialistic at that time), but it seems to be unpopular today. It’s not as easy to fool the American and British people into an invasion as it was, for example, when we invaded and destroyed Iraq on the basis of lies, in 2003. Barack Obama managed to win public support for a repeat of that performance in Libya in 2011, and, of course, for the anti-Syria campaign, and also for a very bloody coup overthrowing Ukraine’s democratically elected government in 2014 — a trifecta of U.S. invasions on the basis of lies (and all of which were invasions of countries that never endangered U.S. national security) — but the bipartisanship of that U.S. hyper-aggressiveness (first with the Republican Bush, and then with the Democratic Obama) has made clear to many Americans, that the U.S. Government itself is the problem, that this is not a partisan problem; it is a problem with the Government itself, by both Parties, which is evil in what it is bipartisan about (such as supporting invasions by lies, against countries that never threatened us).  Voice of America is no more propagandistic than all of America’s major media are, even though it’s openly a U.S. Government medium; and it headlined on 30 December 2017, “Pentagon Preparing for Shift in Syrian Strategy” and reported the latest variant of the U.S. regime’s plan to dump all the costs of the invasion of Syria, onto the Syrian people. Secretary of ‘Defense’ James Mattis said, “What we will be doing is shifting from what I call an offensive, terrain-seizing approach. … You’ll see more U.S. diplomats on the ground.” The article continued, “‘When you bring in more diplomats, they’re working that initial restoration of services. They bring in the contractors. That sort of thing,’ the defense secretary said. ‘There’s international money that’s got to be administered so it actually does something and doesn’t go into the wrong people’s [the Syrian Government’s] pockets.’” He wants U.S. international corporations to be placed into position to skim off some of that reconstruction-money. (Some of this cash might then become recycled into Republican political campaign donations, which would please the Republican U.S. President, and Republicans in Congress. But the Democrats in Congress are ‘patriotic’, and so will not resist Republicans’ effort to continue crushing Syria.)  Mattis was threatening Syrians with America’s absconding with all the damages it left behind, unless Syria’s Government will give America’s Government at least some of what it wants (but never earned). This VOA article said, “There are questions about how the initial recovery efforts will work, given that much of Syria is now under the control of forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.” The implication there is that America has a right to overthrow Syria’s Government; and, that, unless Syria’s Government will bend at least part-way in recognizing this right, the U.S. Government will abscond totally from this matter. The U.S. regime is blaming everything on Assad, and expects him to be grateful for any financial assistance that the U.S. Government, in its kindness and generosity, provides, to his land, which it has destroyed. (Of course, Syria’s Government has also bombed targets in Syria, but the only alternative that was available for President Assad would have been to surrender Syria to the jihadists whom the U.S. team had brought into and armed there.) However, VOA’s presumption that Syria’s Government is to blame and that the invading jihadists aren’t, isn’t likely to be accepted by any nations except some of America’s allies. For example, Poland might back it, in order to retain the U.S. regime’s support, which is especially important to the Polish regime, because their support from some of the other European regimes has been fraying recently, and because beggars (such as Poland is, when it becomes widely criticized by the rest of the EU) can’t be choosers. Apparently, the Trump regime believes it can assemble a sufficient number of such regimes, so as to win its way.  Trump has the support of the entire U.S. aristocracy on this. A leading voice of the U.S. aristocracy (and funder of its agents — such as U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner — when they are in the revolving door between government-service and Wall Street or other private agencies of the aristocracy) is America’s Council on Foreign Relations, which publishes Foreign Affairs magazine, which is perhaps the chief public voice of America’s billionaires, concerning international relations. On 4 October 2017, it published an article, “Don’t Fund Syria’s Reconstruction: The West Has Little Leverage and Little to Gain”, which presumed that “The West” is democratic and its governments represent their publics, and that Syria’s Government isn’t and doesn’t; so, “The West” has a supposed right to ignore the plight it caused in Syria (and which “The West” constantly lies to deny that it caused, and to blame Syria’s Government for the devastation that “The West”s hirees actually produced there).  Here are key excerpts from this CFR Foreign Affairs article, showing the position that America’s billionaires collectively argue for, on this matter — displaying their guidance on this issue, for their vassal aristocracies, in America’s allied countries:  Now that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has successfully defeated or neutralized much of the insurgency in his country, domestic and international attention has begun to turn toward stabilization and reconstruction. …  Yet large sections of the international community — including, critically, key donor countries — continue to reject the legitimacy of Assad and his regime. …  There is a less complicated solution: Do not fund the reconstruction of Assad’s Syria. …  Syria’s reconstruction cannot be dictated or meaningfully shaped by Western donors — at least not to any satisfactory political ends. …  The cost of Syria’s reconstruction will be immense — between $200 billion and $350 billion, depending on the estimate. These sums are far beyond the capacity of Syria, or the willingness of its Iranian and Russian allies, to pay. The burden of reconstruction, then, is expected to fall on the United States, members of the EU, and Japan, as well as on multilateral institutions that are likely to take cues from their major Western donors, such as the World Bank. …  On September 21, a meeting of “like-minded” actors (including Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the EU) announced that “recovery and reconstruction support for Syria hinges on a credible political process leading to a genuine political transition that can be supported by a majority of the Syrian people.” Reconstruction funding is “the biggest lever” the United States and its allies have to push for a credible political process, said David Satterfield, a U.S. State Department official, after the meeting. And according to British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, “We have one big card left to play in a pretty poor hand and that is the cash we can provide for the reconstruction of Syria.”. …  The country, in other words, cannot be put back together by working around the regime that tore it apart. …  Some analysts believe that the West can use funding to win concessions short of regime change. …  The regime will end up trading away “things that don’t matter,” said one European diplomat. “But it will hold out for so long, they’ll seem like concessions when you get them. If there’s something that Damascus has that most others don’t, it’s time.”  Donors will not be permitted to do an end run around Assad. …  Westerners who want to drive a hard bargain will find that they have less leverage than they thought. To begin with, the international community — and the universe of possible donors and investors — is not limited to the West. Syrian officials are keen to advertise the country’s nascent economic recovery and attract investment, but they have also said that they will give priority to investors from countries that stood by Damascus. …  Western donors should not finance the regime-led reconstruction effort. …  The West does not get unlimited tries to remove Assad or to dictate Syria’s politics. Thinking otherwise will be an expensive delusion.  Or, in short: America’s billionaires view the entire question as a business deal between themselves and the ‘regime’ that they have hired the U.S. Government since 1949 to overthrow and control; and the advice that they are giving to their vassal aristocracies is: “The West does not get unlimited tries to remove Assad or to dictate Syria’s politics”; and, so, “The West” should just walk away from the matter: there shouldn’t be any deal — Syria should just become a failed state, such as Libya, or Afghanistan.  Another prominent institutional voice of America’s billionaires is the similarly solidly neoconservative-neoliberal (or pro-imperialistic) Brookings Institution, whose Steven Heydemann headlined on 24 August 2017, “Rules for reconstruction in Syria”, and he wrote:  For the Assad regime, however, reconstruction is not seen as a means for economic recovery and social repair, but as an opportunity for self-enrichment, a way to reward loyalists and punish opponents, and as central to its efforts to fix in place the social and demographic shifts caused by six years of violent conflict. Assad himself affirmed this intent in a speech he delivered to mark the inauguration of the Damascus Exhibition. Thanking Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, Assad said that Syria had “lost its best youth and its infrastructure,” but had “won a healthier and more homogenous society.” The prominent Arab [Qatari-Palestinian-Israeli] political analyst Azmi Bishara described Assad’s claim as “Hitlerian” and as confirmation of the “genocidal” intent of the regime’s policies of displacement.  Thus, a statement by Assad expressing satisfaction that Syria has even a smaller percentage of its citizens who support jihadists today than it had prior to the U.S.-Saudi-UAE-Qatari-Turkish importation of the world’s jihadists into Syria, was there being called “Hitlerian.” America’s billionaires (or at least their policy-propagandists) view Assad’s loathing of jihadists as bigotry, just like Hitler’s loathing of Jews was.  Furthermore, Bishara, who was being cited there by Brookings as an authority about Assad, was a big supporter of the U.S. coalition against Syria: for example, he said about Assad’s Government, at 2:17 in this 20 May 2013 telecast on Syria’s enemy Qatar’s Al Jazeera television in Arabic (Al Jazeera is pro-jihadist in its Arabic broadcasts, but anti-jihadist in its English ones), “Now, it’s shelling its own people, ferociously, an ongoing massacre, and yet the people resist. They haven’t stopped.” He didn’t mention “jihadists” or “terrorists” at all (because he represents their backers). There is no available evidence as to whether Bishara is being paid by the CIA, or perhaps by the Thani family who own Qatar, but Brookings’s failure to disclose information like that (Bishara’s statement’s falsely implying that Assad is anti-Syrian instead of anti-jihadist), in such a context as this passage by Heydemann, indicates the extent to which Brookings should be presumed to be merely an extension of the same international aristocratic group that ultimately controls the CIA, CFR, etc. (Bishara then went on there to use the phrase “we, the Israelis”; so, maybe he instead represents Israel’s Mossad. But that’s just as bad, and maybe even the same thing as the rest of them.)  Furthermore, the International Crisis Group’s “Income & Expenditure for the year 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019” includes a “Schedule of Contributions and Grants Received, for the Year Ended June 30, 2019” showing that by far the largest donor was George Soros’s Open Society foundations, which had contributed 30% of the funds. The next-largest donor was Carnegie Corporation of New York, at 6.3%. An additional 5.0% came from other tax-exempt foundations, which are controlled by other U.S. billionaires such as Charles Koch. All individual donations put together accounted for only 2.5%. It’s people such as that who are trying to transfer control over Syria to the Saud family.  The argument by America’s billionaires (via their agents), regarding restitution to the Syrian people, for the catastrophe that those billionaires (via their political contributions) funded against Syrians, is: If anyone should pay to reconstruct Syria from their invasion of it, then Syria’s Government should — that money should be paid by whomever pays taxes to Syria’s Government, and by no one else.  Apparently, “The West” intends simply to keep on destroying nations and leaving behind more and more failed states.  Of course, this long war to get rid of Russia’s allies might be a profitable policy for the owners of corporations such as Lockheed Martin, but there are big downsides to this policy, for the billions of people whom “The West” seems to care nothing about, such as in Syria, and in Libya, and in Ukraine. And this evil policy is bad even for the American people, who are increasingly coming to loathe the Government that America’s billionaires have increasingly bought and impose upon us.  America’s corruption deserves a Nobel Prize, like was won by Henry Kissinger and Barack Obama; but, this one should be called the “Hypocrisy Prize” and awarded directly to the U.S. Government — an invoice, “amount due,” totaling the damages done by this Government, to all of the governments that had posed no threat to U.S. national security but that the U.S. Government nonetheless overthrew or tried to overthrow, starting with Thailand in 1948. Of course, the rogue U.S. Government would not pay it, but the bill should still be presented, because that bill would be the first Hypocrisy Prize, and it would show what hypocrisy can amount to.  The U.S. regime’s way of dealing with this reality is to point out the hypocrisy of its allies. For example, on 10 December 2019, America’s National Public Radio (NPR) headlined “Why European Countries Are Reluctant To Repatriate Citizens Who Are ISIS Fighters” and exposed the hypocrisy of those allied regimes, while saying nothing at all about the U.S. regime’s hypocrisy, which was even worse, because Trump bans anyone to immigrate into this country from any of those invaded countries.  Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.


veteranstoday--2019-02-03--Germany Reconstruction in Syria

Germany: Reconstruction in Syria

BERLIN/DAMASKUS/WASHINGTON (Own report) – Foreign policy advisors warn of severe setbacks in Berlin’s attempt to influence political development in Damascus through Syria’s reconstruction. So far, Berlin and Brussels had always insisted on only participating in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country if significant political concessions were made. Now, however, the first EU states are breaking out of the common pressure front. The reason for this is that reconstruction has long since begun without the EU and Iranian, Indian and Chinese companies are achieving their first successes. European companies, on the other hand, are still out in the cold. The situation is made more complicated by the fact that the United States is working on a new sanctions law that is threatening all companies and individuals with painful punishments who do significant business with Syria’s government, for example carry out construction projects on its behalf. The law could prevent plans of German companies in Syria as well as in Iran; Berlin would remain uninfluenced in Damascus.  Foreign policy advisors in Berlin and Brussels are currently worried that Germany and the other EU states may come too late with the reconstruction of war-damaged Syria and miss not only lucrative business, but above all a possibly last chance to build up a position of political influence in Damascus. Reconstruction has been underway for some time now. They hold a strong position because they supported the government of Bashar al Assad in the war, especially Russia and Iran. According to a recent working paper of the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS), “the restoration of the energy sector” in Syria “has been driven forward by Iranian consortia in particular since the end of 2017”. These consortia have thus received “surcharges for five major Syrian cities”. According to reports, more than 50 Iranian companies were present at the 60th Damascus International Fair in September 2018; the central theme at the fair was reconstruction. At the end of January, Tehran announced that it would soon be making bank transfers between the two countries possible.  This was last prevented by the US sanctions against Iran.  The reconstruction measures are by no means limited to Russia and Iran. As reported by the BAKS, India, for example, is “working on the Syrian industrial sector”; “Indian funds” are already being used to “build a new thermal power station worth 240 million US dollars south of Damascus”. Chinese companies are also very active in Syria; according to reports, over 200 companies from the People’s Republic took part in the Damascus trade fair. The BAKS states that Beijing is relying “above all on new infrastructure projects” when it comes to reconstruction “as part of its belt-and-road initiative” in which it is seeking to integrate the country.[2] In addition, it has promised Damascus its first billion euro loans. In addition, Arab states are now also pushing vigorously towards Syria. One reason is that the monarchies and emirates on the Arabian Peninsula fear that after the announced US withdrawal from Syria their worst enemy, Iran, could gain a dominant position there; the United Arab Emirates, for example, have therefore begun to normalize diplomatic relations with Syria and are making great efforts to do business within the framework of reconstruction. Jordan, on the other hand, is interested in contracts in its neighboring country in order to set its severely crisis-ridden economy in motion.[3]  Against this backdrop, the voices in Berlin are increasing, insisting that Germany and the EU should now finally develop their own activities. The BAKS stated that the EU should “participate in the reconstruction of Syria”: “This is not only desirable, but a real political necessity”[4] In fact, the German government has already promised support in the past, but explicitly linked this to extensive political concessions in Damascus. It has always been said that Moscow and Tehran could not possibly muster the mid-three-digit billion sums needed to repair the war destruction; they could therefore demand massive influence (german-foreign-policy.com reported [5]). So far, however, this calculation has not worked out – not least because countries like India and China are now in a position to step in as financiers and replace the lack of funds from the EU. Western wealth has lost leverage.  This complicates the situation for Berlin’s power ambitions. Leading German foreign policy leaders continue to play high poker and demand the fulfilment of preconditions before participating in reconstruction. CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter argues that while Germany and the EU should support the reconstruction measures, they should call for the establishment of a “UN-mandated protection zone” in Syria.[6] Omid Nouripour, foreign policy faction spokesman for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in the Bundestag, is also in favour of Damascus calling for political advance measures. In addition, he argues that any aids should not be made available to the government in Damascus, but should be handed over directly to “projects” on the ground.[7] Such an approach allowed Berlin to establish its own clientele structures in the middle of Syria.  However, in the meantime the first EU states are beginning to withdraw from the Berlin power poker, unnerved. At the end of October 2018, a delegation from the Polish Sejm visited Damascus to discuss a resumption of mutual economic relations. The chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in Damascus explicitly called on Polish businessmen to explore the “investment opportunities in Syria” offered by the reconstruction.[8] In January the Italian Foreign Minister announced that Rome was in the process of carefully examining the possibility of reopening its embassy in Syria. Foreign policy experts warn. According to a statement from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), the EU front against Damascus threatens to crack or even break apart if individual states continue to press ahead.[9] This must be prevented. To achieve this, however, “Europeans who are trying to maintain a tough stance towards Assad” would have to recognise that under the current conditions it would hardly be possible to force through what had previously not been possible in the long years of the civil war.  The situation is further complicated by the fact that Washington is preparing new sanctions. Recently, the new “Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act” passed the US House of Representatives, which imposes harsh penalties on all those who provide “significant financial, material or technological assistance” to the Syrian government. In particular, sanctions are to be imposed on all persons or companies who “participate in construction and engineering projects controlled by the Syrian government”.[10] In fact, this excludes participation in Syria’s reconstruction for anyone who has business relations with US companies. If the law is passed, then German company activities in Syria would be practically as excluded as in Iran. Berlin would thus be obstructed in the foreseeable future from any serious possibility of exerting influence there. This would be a heavy blow for Germany’s ambitious ambitions to replace the United States, which is withdrawing from the Near and Middle East, in the ring of states around Europe (german-foreign-policy.com reported [11]).   _________________________   [1], [2] Stefan Luke, Marius Paradise: A difficult reconstruction. Prospects for European initiatives in Syria. Federal Academy for Security Policy. Security Policy Working Paper No. 2/2019.   [3] Ulrich Schmid: Jordan seeks proximity to Asad. nzz.ch 25.01.2019.   [4] Stefan Lukas, Marius Paradies: A difficult reconstruction. Prospects for European initiatives in Syria. Federal Academy for Security Policy. Security Policy Working Paper No. 2/2019.   [5] See also Reconstruction in Syria.   [6] Hans-Jürgen Deglow: Foreign politician Kiesewetter pleads for UN protection zone in Syria. stimmen.de 25.01.2019.   [7] Diana Hodali: Reconstruction of a destroyed country. de.qantara.de 09.01.2019.   [8] Syria and Poland to enhance economic, trade relations. sana.sy 31.10.2018.   [9] Julien Barnes-Dacey: What Europe should do about Syria. ecfr.eu 28.01.2019.   [10] Taylor Luck: Rebuilding Syria: Why Arabs and the West are on a collision course. Christian Science Monitor 29.01.2019.   [11] See also: Ordnungsmacht im Krisengürtel and Keine Ordnungsmacht.


globalresearch--2019-10-15--Syria Has Restored 1554 Schools Completely Destroyed by NATO Sponsored Terrorists

Syrian Ministry of Education managed to restore and rehabilitate 1554 schools and set the plans to rehabilitate 1000 other schools achieving 90% of the current plan thus far. 10,000 teaching jobs to be added in a month from now.  In a review presented during a debate called for by members of the Syrian Parliament, Minister of Education Mr. Imad Azab answered a host of inquiries put forward by the MPs some of which pressing about the situation of education and schools in Hasakah province living under the Erdogan regime’s aggression.  Mr. Azab (image on the right) explained his ministry’s efforts in the fields of restoring and rehabilitating the schools and facilities, the situation of teachers, their salaries, allowances, and compensations, and the ministry’s plan to increase the payouts.  The minister revealed the preparations for a contest to recruit 10,000 teachers in less than a month. These jobs will be covering all the provinces in the country.  Despite the continuous War of Terror and the Economic Terror through draconian sanctions waged by the USA and its NATO stooges directly and indirectly by sponsoring hundreds of thousands of terrorists, Syria is rehabilitating its education sector.  US efforts to turn Syria into a fail state to join the trail of countries and nations it destroyed throughout its criminal history are not being achieved only thanks to the incredible resilience of the Syrian people throughout the past 8.5 years.  One of the sectors systematically targeted by the USA in Syria was the education sector in all its education levels, including the organized destruction of schools and the assassination of teachers and university professors. NATO terrorists turned many schools into headquarters for their groups, prisons for locals for torturing and slaughtering their victims in it, and also in many cases used the playground of the schools as mass-graveyards for their victims and their own terrorists killed in battles.  This sector was also one of the resilient sectors that kept operating under all circumstances to the point teachers’ salaries were paid even in areas under terrorist control by the Syrian state.  Members of the Syrian Parliament are known, to the Syrian people which is important, to be very aggressive when questioning the Syrian cabinet on all topics and achieving in conducting their role in legislation, suggestions, inquiries, and monitoring the conduct of the executive branch of the state.  Syria prides itself on offering top education standards for free and almost free from pre-school all the way up to Ph.D. in all topics and fully covered scholarships abroad, even during the current crisis. Syrian graduates outperform their peers whenever and wherever given the chance to excel.  Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.  All images in this article are from Syria News


sputnik--2019-02-08--Moscow Hopes Syria Will Manage to Restore Sovereignty East of Euphrates - Envoy

Moscow hopes that Damascus and the Kurds will manage to find a solution regarding the eastern bank of the Euphrates that would guarantee Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Russian Ambassador to Damascus Alexander Yefimov told Sputnik in an interview.  "In connection with [US prospective withdrawal from Syria], we hope that Damascus will manage to find an acceptable solution on the issue of restoring Syria's sovereignty over the eastern bank of the Euphrates during contacts with the Kurds and take into consideration interests of all local ethnic groups", the diplomat said.  Alexander Yefimov continued by saying that Russia believes that Syria should return to the Arab League as soon as possible.  "It is obvious that Syria's return to 'the Arab family' will have a broader positive influence in the context of international efforts on settling the Syrian crisis. That's why we speak for Syria returning to the Arab League as soon as possible", the diplomat stressed.  He has also mentioned that Moscow has not seen progress in the United States implementing its decision to withdraw troops from Syria.  "Time will tell how this decision will be implemented in practice. So far, we do not see serious steps on the US part in connection with this", the diplomat said, adding that there is strong opposition in Washington to US President Donald Trump's decision to disengage from Syria.  READ MORE: MSNBC Reporter Thinks US Troops in Syria Are Fighting Assad, not Daesh (VIDEO)  Earlier in January, the Turkish Defence Minister stated that the country's military had completed their preparations for a military operation in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, and east of the Euphrates River.  The Turkish offensive against Kurdish militias was postponed in January after Erdogan's conversation with Trump, which ended in a plan to create a 30-kilometre (18-mile) buffer zone in Syria. Turkey has been opposing the presence of Kurdish militia in the north of Syria, claiming that the militants posed a threat to the country's security.


sputnik--2019-09-10--Syrian Authorities Restore Large Food Market in Aleppos Centre

Syrian Authorities Restore Large Food Market in Aleppo's Centre

During the fighting for control over the economic hub of Syria, which ended in late 2016 with the victory of Syrian troops, the Souq al-Hal was the front line of defence for one of the anti-government groups.  The militants looted the entire complex of the market, while some of the market's pavilions were used as jails for prisoners.  Trade then was moved to a remote area of Hamdaniyah in the southeastern outskirts of the city.  A chief engineer of a company, carrying out the restoration work, told reporters that all communications and trade pavilions in the market would be restored.  He added that a new shopping centre would be built near the restored vegetable market.  Syria has been marred by armed conflict since 2011.  In May 2017, the warring parties held talks in the Kazakh capital of Nur Sultan under the mediation of Russia, Iran and Turkey, and managed to conclude a ceasefire agreement and establish four de-escalation zones.  Even though military operations continue in some parts of Syria, priority has now been given to a political settlement and the return of refugees.


tass--2019-01-07--Turkey has plan to restore peace in Syria after Islamic State defeat president

Turkey has plan to restore peace in Syria after Islamic State defeat — president

NEW YORK, January 8. /TASS/. Ankara believes that the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, outlawed in Russia) has been completely defeated militarily in Syria and the Turkish government is ready to put forward its strategy of restoring peace in the country, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an article published by the New York Times.  ## Right decision  Erdogan said US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US servicemen from Syria was a right one.  According to him, Ankara’s operations against the Islamic State forces helped to prevent terrorist attacks in Turkey and Europe. Erdogan also accused the US-led coalition of relying heavily on airstrikes, which were "carried out with little or no regard for civilian casualties," adding that his country used different methods allowing to minimize impact on infrastructure.  He said that Ankara was set to completely eliminate the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria. "Militarily speaking, the so-called Islamic State has been defeated in Syria," the Turkish president said, adding that "military victory against the terrorist group is a mere first step."  Erdogan also expressed his concern that "some outside powers may use the organization’s remnants as an excuse to meddle in Syria’s internal affairs."  ## Turkish strategy  "Turkey proposes a comprehensive strategy to eliminate the root causes of radicalization," he said. "We want to ensure that citizens do not feel disconnected from government, terrorist groups do not get to prey on the grievances of local communities and ordinary people can count on a stable future."  "The first step is to create a stabilization force featuring fighters from all parts of Syrian society. Only a diverse body can serve all Syrian citizens and bring law and order to various parts of the country," Erdogan went on. "In this sense, I would like to point out that we have no argument with the Syrian Kurds."  However, according to him, many young Syrians had no other choice but to join the People’s Protection Units (P.Y.D./Y.P.G.), a Kurdish militia whom Turkey considers to be "the Syrian branch of the P.K.K. [Kurdistan Workers’ Party]." The latter is listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara and the United States.  "Following the United States withdrawal from Syria, we will complete an intensive vetting process to reunite child soldiers with their families and include all fighters with no links to terrorist organizations in the new stabilization force," he said.  ## Self-government  Erdogan identified "ensuring adequate political representation for all communities" as his country’s another priority.  "Under Turkey’s watch, the Syrian territories that are under the control of the Y.P.G. or the so-called Islamic State will be governed by popularly elected councils. Individuals with no links to terrorist groups will be eligible to represent their communities in local governments," Erdogan’s article says.  According to the Turkish president, local councils in predominantly Kurdish parts of northern Syria will largely consist of the Kurdish community’s representatives, but all other groups will also have "fair political representation." Those councils will receive advice from Turkish officials with relevant experience "on municipal affairs, education, health care and emergency services."  "Turkey intends to cooperate and coordinate our actions with our friends and allies. We have been closely involved in the Geneva and Astana processes, and are the sole stakeholder that can work simultaneously with the United States and Russia," he added. "We will build on those partnerships to get the job done in Syria."  Erdogan reiterated that his country favored preserving the territorial integrity of Syria and expressed hope for the international community’s support.


tass--2019-01-31--Electricity supply in Syrias Daraa province to be fully restored by 2023

Electricity supply in Syria's Daraa province to be fully restored by 2023

DAMASCUS, January 31. /TASS/. Electricity supply in the Syrian province of Daraa will be fully restored by 2023 after distibution substations are repaired, head of the provincial government's electricity department Hasan Zamel told reporters on Thursday.  "The ministry of electricity in Damascus has developed a plan for full restoration of electricity in Daraa by 2023. Restoration will take so much time for two reasons: firstly, because power grids were seriously damaged by militants, and secondly, because of insufficient financing," Zamel said.  He added that all residents will get access to electricity this year, but only at certain times of the day. Full electricity supply will be restored only in four years.  Zamel noted that "power grids in Daraa will need to be re-built from scratch." Infrastructure damages in the Daraa province are estimated at around $85 million, whole only $11.6 million were allocated for repairs, he concluded.  In other media


tass--2019-02-11--Over 31000 houses restored in Syria Russian reconciliation center

Over 31,000 houses restored in Syria — Russian reconciliation center

MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. More than 31,000 residential buildings have been restored in Syria by February 10, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria Sergei Solomatin said on Monday.  "We continue to provide assistance in restoring the infrastructure and creating conditions for refugees’ return. As of 10 February 2019, 31,200 residential buildings, 810 educational and 137 medical facilities have been restored, 999.8 kilometers of roads have been repaired," he said.  Solomatin added that Russia continued to render assistance in ensuring the work of 10 checkpoint for refugees, adding that 221,883 people have returned to their homes by February 10.  According to the Russian reconciliation center, local residents’ protests against the presence of the US-led international coalition in Syria continued. More than 2,000 people took part in a rally in the city of Deir ez-Zor.  In other media


tass--2019-05-20--Pontoon bridge across Euphrates restored in Syria Russian reconciliation center

Pontoon bridge across Euphrates restored in Syria — Russian reconciliation center

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. A pontoon bridge across the Euphrates river has been restored by the Syrian army’s engineering units with the assistance of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the confllicting sides in Syria, the center’s chief Viktor Kupchishin said on Monday.  "The Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting parties helped engineering units of the Syrian army to restore a pontoon bridge across the Euphrates. The bridge has made it possible to resume transport service within the provinca and deliver humanitarian cargoes, food and medicines in a shorter time," he said, adding that the bridge can be used by trucks with building materials to restore infrastructure and social facilities on the Euphrates left bank.  Kupchishin also said that the Syrian authorities continue amnestying people who dodged military service, including refugees and former members of illegal armed groups. Thus, as of May 19, 2019, as many as 57,981 people were amnestied, he added.  Apart from that, refugees continue to return home. "On May 19, as many as 208 refugees managed to leave the Rukban camp via the humanitarian corridor and the Jleb checkpoint," he said. In all, a total of 12,967 people have left the Rukban camp via the Jleb checkpoint for the territory controlled by the Syrian authorities, he noted.  He also said that militants operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone continue to violate the ceasefire. "During the day, shelling attacks by militants were reported from the settlements of Nahshebba (twice), Jubb al-Mgara (twice), Ain al-Qantara, Roisset Rushu, Muqattal, Kara Jagez, Ruyesset Iskander, Qalaz Tahtani and Tell al-Tut in the Latakia governorate, and Huaiz, Jubbain and Hamamiyat in the Hama governorate," he said.  The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.


tass--2019-08-22--Russia ready to help Syria to restore Palmyra museum - Hermitage Director

ST. PETERSBURG, August 22. /TASS/. Russian specialists and experts are willing to take part in restoring the museum of the ancient city of Palmyra. However, monument restoration is not in talks right now, the issue will be decided by the international community after the hostilities in Syria end, Director of the Russian Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky told reporters on Thursday.  "We are willing to participate in the restoration of the Palmyra museum, as well as reopening the Damascus museum. To these ends, the works on 3D geodesic footage and technical drawings will continue. We will exhibit it in the Hermitage, it will become a basis for the Syrian restoration artists’ internships," he said following the talks with Head of the Syrian Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) Mahmoud Hammoud that were held on August 20.  According to Piotrovsky, the cooperation agreement with the Syrian side is planned to be signed in November.  Piotrovsky’s assessment suggests that it will take 1-2 years to restore the Palmyra museum since the beginning of reconstruction works. He pointed out that many exhibits were successfully salvaged and preserved, however, they require restoration as well. The museum displays will be enlarged by the monuments’ digital models created by Russian specialists.  "We need to reconstruct the building, update the displays and breathe new life into it [the museum]. It will be a museum that is simultaneously traditional and modern. The Hermitage Museum will take part in creation and structuring of it, we will gather colleagues and partners. We will rebuild the museum and cultural life will immediately begin there, touristic life, it will mean new jobs," the director of the Russian Hermitage Museum said.  The ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, often referred to as the Bride of the Syrian Desert, was an important hub along ancient trade routes, particularly the Great Silk Road, in Western Asia. Its heyday encompassed the 1st-3rd centuries AD, when a number of architectural monuments were built in the city, which have been preserved in the desert up to this day.  UNESCO placed Palmyra on its list of world cultural heritage sites. The militants who controlled Palmyra from May 2015 through March 2016 and from December 2016 through March 2017 destroyed a number of monuments there.  The devastation prompted Russian restoration artists form the Hermitage Museum and other agencies to join the work to collect materials and data on the condition of the World Heritage Site.  In September 2016, after Syrian government forces had liberated the city, a Russian expert team, headed by the Institute’s Deputy Director Natalya Solovyova, went to Palmyra in September 2016 in order to record the scale of the destruction, take photos and create a 3D model of the complex. The 3D model of Palmyra was created based on photos taken by archeologists from the Institute for the History of Material Culture at the Russian Academy of Sciences and the State Hermitage Museum.  It took Russian experts about a year to create the model, which currently presents the most complete and up-to-date information about the city’s condition.  This year, Russian archeologists are planning to record more footage of the treasured monuments in Palmyra to update the 3D model.  The ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, often referred to as the Bride of the Syrian Desert, was an important hub along ancient trade routes, particularly the Great Silk Road, in Western Asia. Its heyday encompassed the 1st-3rd centuries AD, when a number of architectural monuments were built in the city, which have been preserved in the desert up to this day.  UNESCO placed Palmyra on its list of world cultural heritage sites. The militants who controlled Palmyra from May 2015 through March 2016 and from December 2016 through March 2017 destroyed a number of monuments there.  The devastation prompted Russian restoration artists form the Hermitage Museum and other agencies to join the work to collect materials and data on the condition of the World Heritage Site.  In September 2016, after Syrian government forces had liberated the city, a Russian expert team, headed by the Institute’s Deputy Director Natalya Solovyova, went to Palmyra in September 2016 in order to record the scale of the destruction, take photos and create a 3D model of the complex. The 3D model of Palmyra was created based on photos taken by archeologists from the Institute for the History of Material Culture at the Russian Academy of Sciences and the State Hermitage Museum.  It took Russian experts about a year to create the model, which currently presents the most complete and up-to-date information about the city’s condition.


tass--2019-11-14--Russian minister calls to redouble efforts to restore Syrian monuments

PARIS, November 14. /TASS/. Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education Mikhail Kotyukov believes that it is vital to amplify efforts to restore ancient monuments in Syria, he said at the General Policy debate of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris on Thursday.  "I would like to repeat my call from this podium to boost efforts to restore Syrian monuments that suffered at the hands of terrorists," he stressed. "Faced with this challenge, we should demonstrate the aforementioned intellectual and moral solidarity based on UNESCO ideals and principles."  In his speech, Kotyukov specifically highlighted the topic of developing new technologies which leads to "cardinal changes in the society structure increasing need in social sciences." "We are convinced that the Management of Social Transformations (MOST - TASS) Programme should focus on global inter-subject problems guaranteeing UNESCO’s leading role as a laboratory of ideas," he added.  The minister voiced hope that "the General Conference greenlights drafting of recommendations on artificial intelligence ethics." "We are willing to share our potential in this area accumulated when Russia was drafting the National Strategy of Developing Artificial Intelligence," he pointed out. The minister believes that UNESCO should pay special attention to "the ethics of information society, responsible behavior of media participants, security of digital infrastructure, increasing quality of journalist education and professional standards.".


theduran--2019-07-04--Russia helps Syria to restore the UNESCO World Heritage site of Palmyra

The destruction of Palmyra at the hands of ISIS stands out as one of the most barbaric deeds during the eight-year proxy war that western governments unleashed against Syria. Known as the ‘Venice of the Sands’, the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra – located at the edge of an oasis of date palms and gardens – was a wealthy caravan centre from the 1st to the 3rd centuries after Christ, sometimes independent and at other times under the control of Rome. During the past few years, members of ISIS managed to damage or even completely destroy some of the most significant monuments in ancient Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The antique site has not been restored yet, due to the ongoing proxy war in Syria, which is secretly spurred by western states’ financial and military aid for ISIS. Russia is taking the lead as a driving force of restoration in Palmyra.  Before the outbreak of the proxy war, in March 2011, Palmyra’s UNESCO heritage site was one of the top tourist attractions in the Middle East. Since then, parts of the heritage site have been damaged constantly and one monument after the other has disppeared. Syrian government officials say they transferred about 300,000 artifacts to safe places in recent years.  UNESCO, the UN heritage agency, has called the destruction an “intolerable crime against civilization”. UNESCO General Director Irina Bokova exclaimed: “This destruction is a war crime, an immense loss for the Syrian people and for humanity. This blow against cultural heritage shows that cultural cleansing led by violent extremists is seeking to destroy both human lives and historical monuments in order to deprive the Syrian people of its past and its future. This is why the protection of heritage is inseparable from the protection of human lives, and we must all unite to put this at the centre of all efforts to build peace.”  As Syria’s loyal partner and ally, Russia has taken the lead in restoring the ancient site of Palmyra. In the coming months, Moscow will share its files on restoring Syria’s Palmyra with UNESCO, including a 3D model, Russia’s Defence Minister and President of the Russian Geographical Society (RGO) Sergey Shoigu revealed in an interview with TASS, Rossiyskaya Gazeta and Komsomolskaya Pravda.  Sergey Shoigy explained: “Combing through our archives we have uncovered photos of Palmyra, taken in 1872 by the first Russian travellers who arrived there. Now we are putting together an album, in which we want to show what was there and what has been damaged or destroyed. This endeavor is needed to understand what to do next. Therefore we are creating a 3D model of Palmyra. Soon we will send these files to UNESCO so that they can assess the overall volume of restoration works” (TASS, 19.03.2019).  Palmyra is an oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus. Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. First mentioned in archives in the 2nd millennium BC (before Christ), Palmyra became an established caravan oasis during the times of the Roman Empire,  from the first to third centuries AC (after Christ). It grew steadily in importance as a city on the trade route linking Persia, India and China with the Roman Empire, marking the crossroads of several civilisations in the ancient world.  A grand, colonnaded street of 1100 metres’ length forms the monumental axis of the city, which together with secondary colonnaded cross streets links the major public monuments including the Temple of Baal, Diocletian’s Camp, the Agora, Theatre, other temples and urban quarters. Discovery of the ruined city by travellers in the 17th and 18th centuries resulted in its subsequent influence on architectural styles.  In 1980, Palmyra became part of the UNESCO World Heritage, due to the following criteria: “The splendour of the ruins of Palmyra, rising out of the Syrian desert north-east of Damascus is testament to the unique aesthetic achievement of a wealthy caravan oasis intermittently under the rule of Rome from the 1st to the 3rd century after Christ.  The grand colonnade constitutes a characteristic example of a type of structure which represents a major artistic development. Recognition of the splendour of the ruins of Palmyra by travellers in the 17th and 18th centuries contributed greatly to the subsequent revival of classical architectural styles and urban design in the West.”  The primitive barbarians of ISIS are certainly not able to value the architectural and cultural achievements of former times, as they are destroying one part of Palmyra after the other, claiming the “destruction of idolatry”. Religious tolerance is an alien concept to these savages, just like the idea that our global human heritage needs to be preserved for future generations.  The vandals of ISIS are too fanatic, too uneducated, too uncouth to understand that these structures from the past provide fixed locations for national narratives, constructed in the present, and are symbols for the future as well.  In August 2015, the Temple of Baal was severely damaged by ISIS. This temple of the Mesopotamian deity Baal formed the centre of religious life in Palmyra and was dedicated in 32 BC. It showed a wonderful synthesis of ancient Near-Eastern and Greco-Roman architecture. The temple had a rectangular shape and was oriented north-south.  The northern chamber was known for a bas-relief carving of the seven planets, surrounded by the twelve signs of the Zodiac. It also showed a procession of camels and veiled women. In the court there were the remains of an altar and a basin, a dining hall and a building with niches. In the northwest corner lay a ramp, along which sacrificial animals were led into the temple area. After the devastation by ISIS, only the arched main entrance into the temple is still intact, as well as its exterior walls and the fortified gate.  In the Semitic languages, Baal was a name for “Lord” or “Master”. He was probably a weather god, with power over lightning, rain and wind. The dry summers of the area were explained as Baal’s time in the underworld. His return in autumn was said to cause the storms which revived the land. Thus, the worship of Baal was connected to the region’s dependence on rainfall for its agriculture. Anxiety about the availability of water for crops and trees increased the importance of his cult, which focused attention on his role as a rain god.  In the same month of that year, August 2015, the hordes of ISIS also destroyed the Temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra. Have these architectonic jewels been lost forever? Following the recapture of Palmyra by the Syrian Army in March 2016, the director of antiquities Maamoun Abdelkarim stated that the Temple of Baalshamin along with the Temple of Baal would be rebuilt, using the surviving remains.  The temple of Baalshamin’s earliest phase dates back to the late 2nd century BC. Its altar was built in 115 BC. It represented a fusion of ancient Syrian and Roman architectural styles. The temple’s proportions and the capitals of its columns were Roman in inspiration, while the side windows followed the Syrian tradition. The side walls were decorated with pilasters.  Baalshamin was another Semitic God venerated in Syria. The name means “Lord of  the Heavens”. His attributes were the eagle and the lightning bolt. He formed a triad with the lunar god Aglibol and the sun god Malakbel.  In Palmyra archaeologists found the limestone relief “divine triad”, dating back to the 1st century BC. It shows Baalshamin in the middle, surrounded by Aglibol on the left and Malakbel on the right. The three deities wear breastplates with lamellas. All three hold a sword decorated with gems in their left hand. The right hands are missing. We do not know if they made a gesture of blessing or if they held a spear. In the background there is an inscription in the old alphabet of Palmyra.  The necropolis of Palmyra also became a victim of ISIS attacks. In September 2015, the terrorists blew up a total of six funerary towers, including the three best preserved. They destroyed the tower of Kithot (44 AC), the tower of Iamblichos (83 AC) and the tower of Elahbel (103 AC). Outside the city limits lie various burial grounds, which are named after their location as the north, southeast, southwest and western necropolis in the “Valley of Graves”.  According to the inscriptions these sepulchres were erected between 9 BC and 128 AC. The funerary tower of Elahbel was the largest tower. In these sepulchres, where numerous dead found their final resting place, four storeys were connected by narrow spiral staircases. The exterior of the tower tombs was usually plain. Inside, however, they were richly decorated with architectural and sculptural ornaments.  Just one month later, in October 2015, ISIS blew up  the Monumental Arch, also called the Arch of Triumph or Arch of Septimius Severus. It was built in the third century AC, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, which lasted from 193 to 211 AC. This arch linked the main street of the Colonnade with the Temple of Baal.  The  Monumental Arch consisted of a large gateway in the centre, flanked by a smaller opening on both sides. It was decorated with ornate stone carvings, including reliefs depicting plants or geometrical designs. The reliefs on the Monumental Arch were described by UNESCO as “an outstanding example of Palmyrene art”. It was one of the most lavishly adorned monuments of the ancient desert town.  Appalled by so much destruction, the famous Russian maestro Valery Gergiev gave a concert in the ruins of Palmyra, on the 5th of May 2016. He conducted the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra from Saint Petersburg at Palmyra’s Roman Theatre. The conductor led the orchestra through pieces by the Russian composers Sergei Prokofiev and Rodion Shchedrin. Russian soldiers, government ministers, journalists and many interested Syrian spectators were present.  The maestro described the concert as a protest against the barbarism and violence exhibited by ISIS terrorists, who had used the Roman Theatre to execute prisoners. On this occasion, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addressed the audience by video link from his Black Sea residence in Sochi. He called terrorism a contagion, of which the world needed to rid itself.  “I regard the concert as a sign of gratitude, remembrance and hope,” he said, adding that everybody should be grateful to “those who fight terrorism without sparing one’s own life.” The Russian President called on people to remember “all victims of terror” and to “hope not just for the revival of Palmyra as cultural heritage of humanity but also for the rescue of modern civilization from this terrible menace – international terrorism.”  “The concert in Palmyra is a highly spiritual response to those who wanted to destroy Syria, to split the country along national and religious lines,” Konstantin Dolgov, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs human rights chief, wrote on Twitter (RUSSIA TODAY, 05.05.2016).  The concert was titled “Pray for Palmyra. Music revives ancient remains”. Its date coincided with the handover of Aleksander Prokhorenko’s remains for burial. The Russian special forces officer died in Syria, surrounded by ISIS terrorists. He was killed in April 2016, when Palmyra was recaptured by the Syrian Army, while Russian air strikes provided support.  Back in Russia, maestro Valery Gergiev gave an interview, in which he called the concert in Palmyra a ” humanitarian gesture. An act of sympathy and support. People there have experienced terrible events. We heard explosions in Palmyra at a distance of several kilometres, while we prepared for our rehearsal. The theatre has about two thousand years of history. It is superb, beautiful, a magnificent architectural ensemble, worthy of humanity.”  This concert, however, did not impress ISIS. The terrorists continued on their rampant path of destruction. In December 2016, ISIS destroyed the Tetrapylon, a monument marking a major road intersection along the colonnaded street of Palmyra. It was a testimony to the grandeur of the era around 270 AC, during which Queen Zenobia had reached the height of her power.  Tetrapylon were monuments which the Romans placed at the intersections of major streets. They had four openings and were associated with the worship of Janus, the Roman god of gates and doorways. The Tetrapylon of Palmyra was a striking example of this form of Roman monument. Each of the four groups of pillars supported 150,000 kg of solid cornice. It was one of the rare structures in Syria, where pink granite columns were employed. The granite came fron Assuan in Egypt.  Septimia Zenobia (240–274 AC) was a Queen of the Palmyrene Empire. She was a cultured monarch and fostered an intellectual environment in her court, which was open to scholars and philosophers. Queen Zenobia was tolerant toward her subjects and protected religious minorities. She maintained a stable administration, which governed a multicultural and multiethnic empire. Her rise and death have inspired historians, artists and novelists. Zenobia has become a patriotic symbol in Syria.  In the Russian Empire, Empress Catherine the Great was likened to “Queen Zenobia, the powerful ruler of the Palmyran Empire, who conquered Egypt and a large swathe of Anatolia. In the time of Pushkin, Russian writers further developed the allusion, drawing more generally upon the reputed beauty and cultural richness of Roman Palmyra”, Gilbert Doctorov notes in his interesting essay, “Civilization returns to Palmyra – while the West scoffs” (GLOBAL RESEARCH, 08.05.2016).  The Roman Theatre, where maestro Gergiev and the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra had played, was severely damaged by ISIS, in January 2017. It dates back to the 2nd  century AC. The theatre was constructed in the centre of a semicircular colonnaded piazza, which opened up to the South Gate of Palmyra. The main entrances were 3,5 metres wide, leading to a stone-paved orchestra with a diametre of 23,5 metres. The orchestra was bounded by a circular wall with a diametre of 20,3 metres. The proscenium wall was decorated with ten curved and nine rectangular niches placed alternately.  When ISIS recaptured Palmyra at the beginnning of 2017, they completely destroyed the facade of the theatre, according to Mamoun Abdulkarim, Director of the Syrian government agency of antiquities and museums. Syrian authorities reported that satellite images showed signs of intentional destruction.  Mikhail Piotrovsky, a scholar of Arabic and director of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, said that it was an act of reprisal in response to the classical concert staged by Russia. Drone footage shot by the Russian Ministry of Defence showed that the theatre was partially destroyed. The central part of the stage suffered severe damage.  Palmyra was retaken by Syrian government forces, in early March 2017. The Syrian authorities hoped that tourists could return soon but nothing has come of it yet. Restoration of the damaged sites had to be postponed. The governor of Homs, Tar al-Barazi, told the press that Syrian Palmyra would be ready to welcome its first tourists in the summer of 2019 (TASS, 15.08.2018). Due to the ongoing war, however, his hopes have been crushed. Some western powers and their proxy ally ISIS seem to have a geopolitical as well as a military interest in keeping the pot boiling.  The director of Russia’s Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg offered expertise to help restore the ancient Syrian city. “Restoring Palmyra is the responsibility of all of us,” Mikhail Piotrovsky told TASS. “Restoring Palmyra is a long-term task, and it is essential that we take our time,” he said, estimating that up to 70 percent of the ancient historic site could have been damaged or destroyed. He noted that Russia has “plenty of experience with restoring destroyed historic monuments”, notably after World War II (TASS, 02.06.2016).  Rebuilding, reconstructing, recreating and restoring cannot be carried out when a war is still ongoing and should not be rushed. Yet one thing is clear: the victorious side will decide how to carry out this post-war work in Palmyra. Surely the Syrian Government, with Russia’s help, will authorize the plans and supervise their implementation.  Meanwhile, the world is waiting for the restoration of the UNESCO World Heritage site in Syria and the Russian saying is still valid: “Pray for Palmyra”.  Olivia Kroth: The journalist and author of four books lives in Moscow.   Her blog: https://olivia2010kroth.wordpress.com


themoscowtimes--2019-06-13--Turkey Urges Russia to Restore Calm in Syria After Attack on Its Troops

Turkey denied Russian assertions on Thursday that a ceasefire had been put in place in Syria's Idlib province and demanded Russia restore calm, after the Syrian army and its allies shelled and attacked a Turkish observation post there.  Turkey's Defense Ministry said Syrian government forces had carried out what it assessed to be a deliberate attack, firing 35 mortar shells at one of its observation posts, wounding three Turkish soldiers and damaging equipment and facilities.  Late on Wednesday, the Russian military said Moscow and Ankara had agreed on a full ceasefire in the northwest, centered on Idlib.  However, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that Ankara would do whatever is necessary if attacks by Syrian government forces continue.  "Right now, it is not possible to say a full ceasefire is in place but our efforts on this with Russia are continuing," Cavusoglu said at a press conference with his French counterpart.  "If these (attacks) continue, we would do what is necessary, nobody should doubt that," he said. "Russia as the guarantor country should put pressure and we expect them to do that... We have serious, sincere efforts about this issue with Russia."


themoscowtimes--2019-11-28--Russia, Syria Agree to Restore Ancient Palmyra

Russian and Syrian state museums have signed two agreements to begin restoring the ancient city of Palmyra after it was heavily damaged by the Islamic State, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has said. Aided by Russian airstrikes, the Syrian army captured Palmyra from the Islamic State twice in March 2016 and March 2017. The terrorist group had destroyed several centuries-old monuments in Palmyra, including the facade of its Roman Theater, the Temple of Bel, the Tetrapylon and the Monumental Arch, during its occupation of the site.  The UNESCO world heritage site’s revival will begin with a restoration of the National Museum of Palmyra, The Art Newspaper quoted Hermitage director Mikhail Piotrovsky as saying Tuesday. “We are preparing for the day after tomorrow, it’s not yet possible to do anything tomorrow,” Piotrovsky was quoted as saying about the project's timeline at a signing ceremony in Damascus. The agreements’ long-term goals entail restoring 20 Syrian antiquities primarily from Palmyra and launching an international campaign to restore the ancient city, the art news website reported Wednesday. One was signed between the Hermitage and Syria’s authority for museums and antiquities, and the other between Syria’s museums authority and the Russian Academy of Sciences’ history of material culture institute.  Piotrovsky had said in August that it would take around two years to restore the National Museum of Palmyra. He vowed that Russia would help restore the Palmyra museum but not the damaged ancient monuments. In 2017, Piotrovsky presented a 3D model detailing a 20,000-square-meter area of Palmyra to Syria to help restore the ancient city. Russian experts created the 3D model in about a year using photographs taken on the ground after Palmyra’s initial liberation. Russia organized an international press tour of Palmyra in April 2016, which included a concert performance featuring Sergei Roldugin, a close friend and confidante of President Vladimir Putin. This year, two Russian tour operators began offering travel packages to Syrian cities including Palmyra, though they noted that demand is not high.


theguardianuk--2019-05-21--Water supply restored for millions in Libya averting crisis

Water supply restored for millions in Libya, averting crisis

Water supplies to the Libyan capital and surrounding cities have been restored two days after they were cut off when an armed group stormed a control room, averting shortages that could have caused a humanitarian crisis.  “The crisis of halting water supplies has ended and flows have started,” the Great Man-Made River company, a pipe network supplying ground water from the Sahara, said in a statement.  On Sunday, an armed group had stormed a pumping station run by the Great Man-Made River south of Tripoli, forcing employees to shut down water pipes connected to underground wells. The pipes supplied water to Tripoli, a city of more than 2 million people, and other coastal areas.  The group claimed to be supporters of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA). Haftar’s force dominates the east and south of Libya and has been trying to take the capital from the UN-backed government of national accord (GNA).  The link with Haftar has been disputed. There were claims the armed group was operating independently and that the GNA was making a link to undermine support for the controversial general.  Haftar’s forces have been besieging Tripoli since 4 April with tacit support from countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, but it is generally accepted that the LNA’s plans for a quick victory and the defeat of the GNA have been thwarted.  The agency that oversees the water project, first commissioned by the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, insisted it had never taken sides in the current civil strife and said water supplies should never be used to pursue any interest. “Water is God’s gift to all and should not be used to dictate or bargain under any conditions at all,” the authority said.  As a result of the attack, water was cut not just to Tripoli but also to Gharyan and some other western mountain cities. Supplies to residents were not immediately halted because the water system holds two days of capacity.  The incident underlined the vulnerability of Libya’s civil fabric to a prolonged war. The authority previously warned it was finding it difficult to repair leaks because of the fighting. Libya periodically suffers from water outages.  The GNA accused the armed group of seeking to “lock the water from the capital to lower the morale of its inhabitants”.  The episode may rebound badly on Haftar as he seeks to persuade the international community he can be the upholder of security against the criminal militias who have afflicted the weak GNA government in Tripoli. It will also add to the sense that the siege is deepening a general lawlessness in Libya that others, including Islamic State, are beginning to exploit. There have been a number of Isis hit-and-run attacks in the past month, mainly in the south of the country.  The east and west of Libya have been divided for much of the time since Gaddafi was ousted with the help of Nato-backed forces in 2011.


tass--2019-09-17--Kiev vows radical measures in Donbass unless peace is restored in a year

Kiev vows ‘radical measures’ in Donbass unless peace is restored in a year

"All in all, we have just six months or a year. And Zelensky’s formula ends by a phrase that we don’t have five years to continue talks. This is a conventional 'Zelensky’s formula'," Pristaiko said, stressing that Kiev would make every effort to live up to people’s expectations.  However, unless the Donbass crisis is ironed out in the near future, Kiev will be forced to implement "new radical measures," the top Ukrainian diplomat said, citing the president’s formula.  The minister explained that Zelensky’s plan on ending the war in Donbass in the near future also implies a prisoner exchange. "For example, we will try to return all our guys and girls, this is one part," Pristaiko said. Kiev will also take steps to reach out to people, who are on the other side of the contact line, he noted. In particular, the Ukrainian authorities plan to build a bridge in Stanitsa Luganskaya, and simplify pension application procedures.  In February 2015, participants of the Contact Group for settling the crisis in Donbass signed the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, known as Minsk-2, which had been earlier backed by the Normandy Four (Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine) leaders. The document envisages not only ceasefire, the withdrawal of hardware, amnesty and the restoration of economic ties, but also a constitutional reform in Ukraine aimed at ensuring the decentralization of powers while taking into account a special status for Donbass. However, this plan has not been fulfilled due to Kiev’s stance.


tass--2019-12-20--Kiev has no plans so far to restore railway traffic with Donbass, says senior diplomat

KIEV, December 20. /TASS/. There are no plans now to restore railway traffic with the territories of Donbass that are not controlled by Kiev, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Vasily Bodnar said in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) on Friday.  "Of course, railway traffic is out the question now. The issue at hand is opening additional checkpoints for humanitarian needs. The Contact Group has been tasked with that, and it is working on that," he said when asked by lawmakers whether plans were in store to restore railway traffic with the territories of Donbass that are not controlled by Kiev (the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics - TASS).


unian--2019-05-06--Expert explains when Ukrainian sovereignty in Donbas may be restored

Romanenko says it is necessary to conduct an all-for-all swap and hold further talks on Donbas' future.  Former deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lt Gen (Reserve) Ihor Romanenko has said fighting in Donbas can be stopped within a year, but restoring Ukrainian sovereignty in those territories may take years.  "The return of Donbas can be interpreted as the end of the war. This is quite a long way. [For example,] Russia and Japan are still in a state of legal war, territorial claims have not been resolved yet. There are quite a lot of countries in the world that are in such a state," the expert said, commenting on the statement by advisor to Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky Ivan Aparshyn that Donbas could be returned to Ukraine within five years, according to the Ukrainian online news outlet Obozrevatel.  Read alsoExpert says Russians ready to launch large-scale military actions this year  According to Romanenko, it is necessary to conduct an all-for-all swap and stop the hostilities to hold further talks on Donbas' future.  "As for ceasing the fire, I think this is a realistic task for this year if we are engaged in negotiations and progress. But we see the story with Russian passports in Donbas that Putin has begun, economic pressure, a halt to oil shipments. They say one thing, do another thing, but think something completely different, unfortunately," he said.  Commenting on the likelihood of the return of Donbas with the use of force, the general said: "It's not a question to prepare a plan, and if we're well prepared, we can reach the border within a month. But Russia under Putin will not stop. They will start counter-actions resulting in territorial losses, etc. The question is not to temporarily put the flag either 10 km from the contact line, or even at the border, but to resolve the issue for the restoration of sovereignty. And it is not quite easy."  Romanenko did not rule out the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission to Donbas.  "If negotiations begin, the UN mission can be involved. But if we positively advance in the negotiations, the issue can be resolved without the UN mission. If only they [peacekeepers] agree, they will study the issue, conduct reconnaissance, and assess the situation this year. At best, they may appear there in a year," he explained.


unian--2019-07-03--Zelensky Over EUR 10 bln needed to restore Donbas

Zelensky: Over EUR 10 bln needed to restore Donbas

The return of Crimea and peace in Donbas are safeguards of peace both in Europe and the rest of the world.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said more than EUR 10 billion is needed to restore the war-torn Donbas.  "Returning our territories and captives, achieving peace – those are the most important things. This is the first thing that a citizen-oriented government should provide," Zelensky said during a Ukraine Reform Conference held in Toronto, according to the presidential press service.  "And we can't do without your support here," he said, addressing the participants in the conference.  According to Zelensky, Ukraine is facing two major challenges. The first one is economic: according to preliminary estimates, more than EUR 10 billion is needed to restore Donbas.  "This autumn, we will hold a forum in Mariupol. We invite foreign investors interested in financing infrastructure and humanitarian projects in Donbas," the president said.  Another challenge is related to communication. The president emphasized that Ukraine should also return [the minds of] its people, not only its territories.  "They shouldn't lose contact with Ukraine. These are our citizens. And today, they are scared. They have a Ukrainian passport, they are given 'passports' of 'LPR' and 'DPR,' and now they are being offered Russian ones as well. They're scared because someone's trying to confuse them in answering the question 'Who are we?' They are Ukrainians. Whatever language they speak… And we must realize this throughout the country if we really want their return. Obviously, this is the most difficult issue facing Ukraine. We shall always say: Donbas and Crimea are Ukraine," he said.  According to Zelensky, Russian leadership should finally hear and comprehend the fact that Donbas and Crimea are part of Ukraine.  "The whole world must say this out loud. Tirelessly. It's not only Ukraine who needs this, but also you. Because the return of Crimea and peace in Donbas are safeguards of peace both in Europe and the rest of the world. Remember this when you next time discuss the issue of sanctions," he said, addressing the participants in the conference.


unian--2019-10-03--U.S. calls on Russia to withdraw troops from Donbas to restore Ukraine's control over border

Free and fair elections require withdrawing Russian-led forces and illegal armed formations from Ukraine's territory.  The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has called on the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops and illegal armed formations from the occupied Donbas to restore Ukraine's control over its international border for fair elections in the region.  Read alsoMilitary expert: "DPR"/"LPR" threats to keep Ukraine border go against 'Steinmeier formula'  "We welcome progress towards peace in eastern Ukraine and we call for reinstatement of Ukrainian control of its international border. Free and fair elections require withdrawing Russian-led forces and illegal armed formations from Ukraine's territory, and a secure environment. Russia needs to display the political will to make this happen," the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv wrote on Twitter on October 3.  As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said the Ukrainian side at Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) talks in Minsk had responded to a letter from Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the TCG, Ambassador Martin Sajdik that the so-called "Steinmeier formula" on the peace settlement in Donbas was "pending approval."  "We responded to Mr. Sajdik's letter that we have been in the process of approval of the wording of the 'Steinmeier formula,'" Zelensky said.  "The 'Steinmeier formula' should be incorporated in a new law on special status [the law on special provisions of local self-government in certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions], which is not ready yet," Zelensky said.  According to the president, a new law will be developed by the Parliament in close cooperation and open discussion with the public and no "red line" will be crossed in the new law.  At the same time, Zelensky says that local elections in Donbas can only take place under Ukrainian law and only after the troops are withdrawn.  As regards the timing of the withdrawal of Russian troops from the occupied territories of Donbas and the prevention of holding the elections before the withdrawal, Zelensky said that it would be discussed during the Normandy summit.


unian--2019-10-05--Ukraine's FM announces plans to restore railway communication with occupied Donbas

As of today, Russian-led forces in Donbas control a part of the railways with which communications were stopped in 2014 due to hostilities.  Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko has declared the authorities' readiness to restore railway communication with occupied Donbas.  Read alsoEx-CIA officer may replace Volker as special envoy to Ukraine – media  During the Savik Shuster's Freedom of Speech TV panel show while discussing the restoration of the bridge in the village of Stanytsia Luhanska, he assured the vehicles would drive across the bridge in a month or a month and a half. Other bridges and new crossing checkpoints will appear later.  "Perhaps, a railway communication will appear so that people could comfortably move from one side of the contact line to another one," he said.  As of today, Russian-led forces in Donbas control a part of the railways with which communications were stopped in 2014 due to hostilities.