theindependent--2019-04-24--What can past civil wars tell us about Syria and its road to recovery

What can past civil wars tell us about Syria and its road to recovery?

When Syrian government soldiers first recaptured the small village of Deir Hafar from Isis in 2017, they found the black-painted but hurriedly abandoned Islamic “court” strewn with piles of documents. These hundreds of pages contained terrible proof of how the Syrian civilians there had behaved under at least three years of Isis occupation.  I arrived in the village along with the Syrian army after Russian aircraft had bombed Isis out of the streets – the Islamists were still firing shells as they retreated, killing a senior Syrian commander – and reached the local sharia court building, a concrete blockhouse beside three equally black-painted but iron crucifixion bars on a platform above the road.  But the papers on the floor of the court were the real story of Deir Hafar.  The judges had been Egyptian and their jurisdiction stretched all the way back to the then Isis “capital” of Syria in the town of Raqqa.  The documents revealed that the people of the village had used Islamist “justice” to betray their neighbours – in one case to name family cousins as potential spies, in another to accuse a young man of secretly meeting his girlfriend when he was supposed to attend evening prayers. Other neighbours accused each other of theft. A man supposedly collecting money for an electrical generator had pocketed the cash for himself. One potential agent – possibly for the Syrian government – was handed on for “justice” by the “Revolutionary Islamic Police Court”.  The prosecution witnesses, the defendants, sometimes their “Islamist” guards were precisely named in these archives.  And it came as no surprise when, an hour after I had come across these hundreds of documents on the floor of the “court”, a large group of grimly smiling citizens from 27 villages around Deir Hafar arrived in the main highway through the village, dressed in long, grubby brown robes, to seek out the Syrian army’s officers. They brought with them a joint petition signed by their mukhtars and village leaders seeking “reconciliation” with the Syrian government. The soldiers were not interested. They accepted the petition indifferently and briskly told the sorrowful men, heads bowed in submission, to get in touch with the authorities in Aleppo and Damascus if they wished to seek forgiveness.  Both sides understood the reality. When your home is occupied by another army – when your village is occupied by a rival force – you must collaborate in order to survive. Or, at the least, cooperate. Because the moment of occupation becomes the moment of collaboration.  The Syrian regime, now that it has effectively won its war, is awash with “reconciliation committees” – to whose mercies the villagers around Deir Hafar no doubt appealed. But ending wars is one thing; ending civil wars in which a nation’s own people oppose their government as well as each other is a different matter. And if there is no reconciliation – or resolution – then we had better stand by for part two of the same conflict.  Take Yugoslavia. We all know that the civil war we witnessed there in the 1990s had historical antecedents. For proof, read the country’s Nobel prize-winning Ivo Andric’s The Bridge on the Drina. But the real and vicious civil massacres in Yugoslavia which proved the foundational rock for the ethnic conflict that began in 1991 took place in the Second World War, when Germany’s 1941 invasion produced the fascist state of Croatia whose extermination camps – for Yugoslav Serbs, Jews and Muslims – were sometimes even more obscene than the Nazi variety. Jasenovac camp had a gas chamber. But it also had squads of Ustashe forces trained to execute their victims, Isis-style, with knives and saws.  The anti-German resistance split into mutually antagonistic Serbian-Royalist Chetniks and Communist Partisans, the first soon collaborating with the German and Italian occupiers against the communists, the second – with Allied and Russian support – against the Nazis, Italians and the Chetniks. In the Bosnian conflict of the 1990s, war criminals were largely imprisoned on eye-witness evidence, rarely on archive proof. But the original Yugoslav civil war was littered with written orders and accounts of atrocities, signed off by the perpetrators. Tito’s Partisans showed no mercy to their internal Serb, Croatian or Muslim enemies after liberation. And so when they put the Serb Chetnik leader Dragoljub-Draza Mihailovic on trial for his life in Belgade 1946, the Communists produced his own military records of the war in order to condemn him.  There were several intriguing accounts of initial British collaboration with Mihailovic – Churchill later realised that Tito was more efficient at killing Germans – but the official court proceedings were published internationally since they included so much documentary material; I have an original copy in English, published by the communist authorities in Belgrade in 1946. And here, for example, is document 370, a report from the Drina river in Bosnia to Mihailovic from one of his lieutenants called Pavle Djurisic:  “Our detachments reached the Drina during the night…and then the mopping up of the liberated territory began ... All Moslem [sic] villages have been completely burned, so that there is not one of their houses left ... During the operations we carried out the complete annihilation of the Moslem inhabitants, without regard to their sex and age ... We lost a total of 22 ... Among the Moslems there were 1,200 combatants, and nearly 8,000 other victims – women, old men and children ... The morale of our units was very high. Certain units, with their leaders showed outstanding valour in every situation, and merit every praise.”  This might have been a Serbian report from Bosnia in 1992. Unsurprisingly, Mihailovic replied that he “never thought” Pavle Djurisic “would clear it up in this way”. This, of course, was a trial of the losers by the victors and Nuremberg laws scarcely operated in post-war communist Belgrade, but Mihailovic – a Milosevic of his time – was doomed by the paper trail his forces left behind. As an enemy of Tito – which was his real sin – he was executed on 17 July 1946. But all Tito did to smother these war crimes – and those of his Partisans who threw Croatian men, women and children into death pits after they were handed over (by the British) at the end of the war – was to cloak Yugoslavia in the refrigerator of communist dictatorship.  The fires were not put out. The ashes were merely smothered for less than half a century. Then once more we found the Serbian Chetniks advancing into the Drina valley to destroy the Muslims, in the very same villages where Mihailovic’s men had “annihilated” them with such “valour” during the Second World War.  So killing the leaders of the losing side in a civil war marks a ceasefire in an ethnic conflict, rather than a definitive end. You can put the anguish into an ice box, but the moment the owner of the fridge expires, the current is switched off and the creatures of the past come struggling back to life. Just before the 1991 wars began, the Serbs and Croats had begun to open Second World War mass graves. “Why are they doing this?” my elderly Serb lady translator would rhetorically ask me. “To pour more blood into them.”  The Lebanese have struggled with the same ghosts ever since their own 15-year ethnic civil war – helped on by a host of western nations, Israel and Syria – ended in 1990. Post-war legislation in 1991 effectively amnestied every Lebanese political leader and their murderers for the tens of thousands of war crimes they had committed against men, women and children, including even those Christian militiamen who in 1982 slaughtered up to 1,700 Palestinian refugees at Sabra and Chatila under the eyes of Israeli troops.  But there are still around 18,000 Lebanese who just “disappeared” – into mass graves dug by both Christians and Muslims, or into Syrian prisons. And tens of thousands of Lebanese families still, today, keep their loved ones “alive” by demanding evidence of what happened to them – and the location of their remains. The French-language Christian newspaper L’Orient Le Jour bravely continues to remember these lost and obviously dead souls by allowing them, in imaginative form, to speak for themselves in a regular series called “Keeping Hope”. Here thus “speaks” Raya Daouri, a 30-year old widow and mother of two daughters, six-year old Abir and five-year old Nisrine, in the paper’s edition of 22 March 2017, published almost forty years after she “disappeared”:  “I was on my way towards Souk el-Gharb, to register Abir and Nisrine for their schooling, when I was kidnapped with four other passengers at a checkpoint below the Beirut [antiquities] museum. Samia, Mona, Hanane and Younes were young students returning to Syria ... We all disappeared. Only our driver was released. Besides, it was he who took the awful news to our families ... Don’t let my story end here.” The words are fiction, of course. But surely they are what Raya might have said if she could speak to us.  Being a very introspective as well as intelligent people, the Lebanese have questioned their emotions many times, asking themselves how such gifted, talented – in the most literal sense of the word – and educated communities could produce atrocities on such a scale.  The Lebanese academic and historian Fawwaz Traboulsi has explored civil conflict in both literature and art – in the work of the late Syrian poet Mohamed Marghout, who raged against injustice and dictators; in Picasso and Caravaggio; and the Bosnian filmmaker Ademir Kenovic (his The Perfect Circle was set in the 1990s siege of Sarajevo). Traboulsi was to discover a constant intermingling of the figures of executioners and victims, and quoted Walid Jumblatt, the Lebanese Druze leader – and the only great intellectual politician in Lebanon – who said during the civil war in 1986 that “the enemy is now inside each one of us”.  In Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath, Traboulsi said in an interview two years ago, the painter gave his own physical features to the decapitated head of Goliath. And in Guernica, the writer claimed, Picasso’s reflection on the German bombing of the Basque city in 1937 recognised the killer in the body of the victim. Traboulsi believes that painting, theatre and cinema are better able to express “the essence of civil conflict” than political or historical analysis.  He began his study of the Lebanese war by researching the Spanish Civil War – unaware at the time of the ignoble arguments to keep dictator Franco in the gruesome Valley of the Fallen – and noted how many artists have been inspired by the painting of Guernica to represent the horrors of violence in Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria.  “But I have equally asked myself,” Traboulsi said, “if Guernica is still able to express the abomination of 21st century wars.” Although few seem to appreciate the fact, this was one of the first art works to depict the result of aerial bombing.  So who will prosecute the killers of the Syrian war, either the regime or its enemies?  Syrian refugees, it has been widely proclaimed, plan to seek war crimes charges against Bashar al-Assad, using a precedent through which Muslim Rohingya refugees are trying to use the International Criminal Court to charge Myanmar’s leaders with persecution.  But the US administration has already announced that it will refuse visas to ICC lawyers investigating American war crimes in Afghanistan or Iraq – and that this will include attempts to charge or investigate Israelis. If this demonstrates how closely Washington allies itself to the defence of Israel’s massacres in Gaza, it probably also proves just how many Israelis hold American citizenship. But how can the ICC prosecute Arab war crimes yet fail to investigate those allegedly committed by western military forces?  The Hague war crimes tribunal sought and provided justice for the victims of the 1990s Yugoslav wars of succession. War criminals were imprisoned – and, rather too often, killed themselves in jail. Yet the hatred and corruption – how often they go together – in present-day Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo do not suggest that international “justice” ends wars.  And for those who believe that individual states should prosecute their own monsters – as Yugoslavia did in 1946 – look what happened when a group of independent Lebanese activists in 2011 demanded the abolition of the 1991 Amnesty law and called for “the prosecution of Lebanese war criminals” – even if this meant bringing them to justice in European courts. Their Facebook page immediately received threats from the leaders of almost every political party in Lebanon – demonstrating just who the alleged "criminals" were – but received support from Human Rights Watch, which spoke of the “culture of impunity” which the original Lebanese amnesty law had produced, and its failure to heal the wounds of the civil war.  Some suggested that those responsible for crimes against humanity in Lebanon should be “isolated” from their communities – an unlikely step since they would more likely be lionised – and made to pay financial restitution to their victims.  After every occupation, “justice” becomes a necessity and a nuisance and an impossibility.  De Gaulle gave the French a brief respite from judicial law for their own post-liberation “epuration” – in which thousands of Petainist “Milice” killers and thousands of comparatively innocent collaborators and quite a lot of altogether innocent individuals targeted by their antagonists for personal reasons – were executed, shot, knifed or thrown into mass graves. De Gaulle has described his anguish when, each night, he had to read through judicial accusations of collaboration and war crimes supposedly committed by French citizens – and decide who should face the firing squad and who should merely lose their civic rights. He allowed Laval to be executed, but spared the elderly Petain, after whom he had named his own son.  But it’s when we stand closely beside the killers and the victims that we are faced with other emotions: the need for revenge, the desire for reconciliation, the abject assumption that only decades can resolve acts of cruelty and sadism. Civil conflict, like all fraternal disputes, seems to contain a special savagery in which the victims – if their last words can be discovered – sometimes forgive those about to destroy their lives.  By chance, in these centenary years in Ireland – of the 1916 rising, the treaty negotiations with Britain and then civil war – the Irish authorities have released thousands of military service pension claims from 1916 to 1923; from the rising to the civil war fought out between those Irishmen who accepted a treaty of semi-freedom which still forced 26 counties of Ireland to remain within the British empire and those who regarded the oath of allegiance to the crown as political treachery.  Among the newly released files at the Military Archives in Dublin, we can find some of the saddest and bravest laments of the civil war, the last letter to his family written by fishery inspector James Kane – a former sergeant in the British-led Royal Irish Constabulary – who was condemned to death by fellow Irishmen for “espionage” in 1921. “My dear children,” Kane wrote, “I am condemned to die. I had the priest today thank God. I give you all my blessing and pray God may protect you all. Pray for me and get some Masses said for me.”  And then Kane, with infinite care, lists all those expenses which his family can acquire from neighbours who owe them money -- for furniture, a wardrobe, cushions – and suggests they sell their home and buy “a good cottage”. Then – here the reader might shed a tear -- Kane finishes with these words: “Don’t go to much expense of funeral and have no drink or public wake. I am told my body will be got near home. I got the greatest kindness from men who were in charge of me. Good by [sic] now and God bless you and God bless Ireland. Pray for me constantly and give my love to all my friends and neighbours and thank them for all their kindness to me. Good by from loving father. All my dear children. James Kane. Bury me near my loving wife if possible.” Here was a man who thought only well of his killers-to-be, those who had shown him ‘the greatest kindness’. He was shot on 16 June 1921 at Shanacool in County Waterford.  Then there is a civil war letter from a former Irish army major general on the pro-treaty side, seeking a pension in 1929 for the penniless mother of Brigadier George Adamson, a medical officer and dentist, who in 1922 tried to prevent his soldiers from mutinying against the Irish government. “The rest of the officers of the Brigade who had turned Irregular always regarded Adamson as a traitor that he let them down...” The general wrote. “He was later murdered in the streets of Athlone.” Then there is James Marron who joined a reprisal raid on the Protestant B Specials in Newry in 1920:  “Our orders were to burn every house and shoot dead every male we could get. We burned 12 houses to the ground and shot dead eight of the B men. But the unfortunate part of it all was, we shot dead one woman (accidentally) the head of a large family. This got on my nerves and preyed on my mind ... for a long time I could not sleep thinking of the woman and the others we shot.” Marron’s health never recovered. Indeed, many of the Irishmen who fought in the independence war and the subsequent civil conflict reappear in the pensions documents as sick, confined to institutions or emigrants to the United States – a sad reflection on the economic distress of post-independence Ireland.  I can remember well, in my first years as a reporter in Ireland, meeting some of the Old IRA who had fought the British and then fought each other. They always spoke with pride of their battle against the crown and with deep distress of the war which followed. Families might forgive their former British occupiers. It was more difficult to reconcile the death of a man shot dead by his neighbours. Even in the early 1970s – half a century after the Irish civil war – I found Irish families who knew the names of those Irishmen who had killed their fathers or brothers. The winning side, those who had accepted a continued oath of allegiance to the British monarch, murdered some of their Irish prisoners – on one terrible occasion, “irregulars” were tied together and blown up with a mine.  It would be satisfying to say that this war has truly ended – unless Brexit and the outrageous and criminal remarks of Tory politicians towards Ireland can still tear open these wounds – and perhaps it takes a hundred years for civil wars to be concluded. By then, the guilty are dead and the victims have passed the age at which they would have died of natural causes. If one side wins, then for decades we find that the “princes of war” – to quote a Lebanese NGO – remain in government and are thus protected. The 1991 Lebanese amnesty law does not pardon those who have assassinated or tried to murder “religious personalities, political leaders, Arab and foreign diplomats”. And just in case we Brits disdain the very thought of an amnesty, just remember that the 17th century English ended their own civil war after the Restoration with the 1660 “Indemnity and Oblivion Act’.  The state is sacrosanct. As it is in Algeria where another amnesty law was produced after the 1992-98 bloodbath – and its 250,000 dead – which pardoned members of armed groups who had not committed massacres, rape or insurrection – but which totally amnestied every torture and war crime committed by the savage government militias and army groups which fought the Islamists in the conflict. Further still, it forbade any discussion about the terrible crimes and abuses committed in this Golgotha of blood!  It will come as no surprise to know that this disgraceful legislation was drawn up – in his saner and less comatose days – by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the zombie president who even now is trying to cling to power in Algeria against the wishes of millions of his protesting people. Does freedom bring forgiveness, then? And how long must we wait? Just after the Lebanese war ended, I was present at a morning coffee party in Beirut at which a prominent sectarian leader was present. In one corner of the room was a middle-aged woman whose son had been kidnapped – and “disappeared” on the front line – by the militia of the sectarian leader.  She stood for some time, muttering her fury against him. And then, as we watched aghast, she confronted the man, demanding to know what he had done with her boy, screaming and shouting and shrieking her mother’s love for her undoubtedly dead son. The man tried to reason with her, he would try to find out – of course he would – and he was sorry for her; but she was gently and firmly led from the room. It was the mother of the victim who must leave, not the killer.  In 2017, the Syrian governor of Homs was trying to persuade Sunni citizens to stay in their homes and not to leave on the rebel buses for Idlib province. I was standing beside him as he climbed on the buses and pleaded with them – in vain. “There are many people here who want their loved ones back,” he told me later. “There were many kidnappings at the beginning of the war and they do not believe that I cannot bring them back. It is too long ago. We do not know which side is responsible.”  But we can guess. And we as reporters usually know – as the victims’ families know – who probably killed who at which Lebanese or Syrian or Bosnian checkpoint. After all, we knew who killed 8,373 human beings at Srebrenica. We had seen General Ratko Mladic on the videotapes. But is this about individuals? Or about those who obeyed – however unenthusiastically – their orders? Or who, like the villagers around Deir Hafar, cooperated and then collaborated and then found themselves, after three years, on the wrong side of the war?  Those who thought they were on the “right” side – in Tunisia, for example, until the revolution against Ben Ali proved they were wrong – have been left with their own nightmares, a phenomenon that is worth exploring. In Tunis, at least, there were “Truth and Dignity” hearings after the dictator’s fall, and that feisty little French magazine Jeune Afrique persuaded a 68-year old ex-cop and torturer to admit to his crimes under the regime. “Ridha” (the name, of course, was changed) described how he and two comrades worked. Their first job was to humiliate Islamist prisoners, strip them, and beat them with iron pipes and whips. “Then there were more sophisticated techniques,” Ridha said. “Like the ‘roast chicken’, suspended from an iron pole, feet and wrists tied together, the prisoner was given electric shocks on the most sensitive parts of his body – or the bath, where the victim was pushed into water with chemicals and faeces…This was not our responsibility, but we were caught up in the system.”  Asked why he continued to be a torturer, Ridha explained that “my life was comfortable, I was building my house, I was receiving police training in France and the United Kingdom and in north African countries, and working in anti-terrorist intelligence.” But he realised, he said, that he was obeying orders not through respect for his superiors but through fear. Although he swore he had never touched any women prisoners, he could hear their screams. And when he had the opportunity to resign, he left “with feelings of shame about a system that devoured its own children. When afterwards I happened to come across a former prisoner, I would pretend I did not recognise him. He would do the same.”  Here, perhaps, was Traboulsi’s image of the torturer and victim who had become one. “But all the regrets I can express will not wipe out anything that happened,” Ridha concluded. “I turned towards God, but his forgiveness was easier to obtain that that of men ... My shame wears me down and follows me ... I don’t think I have been betrayed, but I’m afraid of being picked up and thrown into prison to endure what I’ve done to other people. I may be a coward, but I’m not a monster.”  Oh, but he was. Civil wars – and that is the state of society within dictatorships – make monsters of us all. Al-Qaeda was half born in the torture chambers of the Egyptian secret police. Omar Suleiman, Mubarak’s top spy and policeman – in charge of Egyptian-Israeli relations and the man who arranged US renditions to Cairo’s torturers – personally travelled to Tunis to advise Ridha’s superiors in 2006. In 2017, Suleiman’s successors, now working for Field Marshal-President el-Sisi, paid an official trip to Damascus to brief the Syrian government. How do the victims disentangle themselves from this world? How do you close the door on suffering?  Reconciliation is an easy word. Truth, too. How do we switch off the civil war machine? With excuses? With confessions? Or must we wait until all who have sinned – and been sinned against – have passed their natural lifetime on earth? Even if they died in agony years earlier.


tass--2019-12-17--Russia to allocate around $17 mln to UN for Syrian recovery in 2019

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Russia will allocate about $17 mln out of its federal budget to UN structures for the needs of Syrian recovery, the corresponding government order published on the official legal information portal informed on Tuesday.  In order to ensure Russia’s participation in international recovery efforts in the Syrian Arab Republic, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered to allocate $16.9 mln in 2019 out of the country’s federal budget.  Up to $5.8 mln will be allocated to the budget of the UN Development Program in order to finance the project aimed to provide aid to the municipal structures of the Syrian provinces that received the most significant damage. Up to $5 mln will be allocated to UNICEF to aid the implementation of the project aimed to recover the Syrian education system, as well as the project that aims to ensure access of mothers and children to food and quality healthcare.


fortruss--2019-09-22--MAJOR Russia and Syria Rebuilding Palmyra VIDEO

MAJOR: Russia and Syria Rebuilding Palmyra (VIDEO)

Palmyra, Syria – Terrorist savagery is often thought of as something horrendous happening only to humans and/or other living creatures. But these are just some of the most striking examples of their barbarity. Terrorists also destroy cultural and/or historical legacy of the targeted society. There are countless examples of this. In Europe, the NATO-occupied Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohia is the most striking example. In this particular example, Albanian terrorists (they are known as some of the most abominable terrorists in Syria, as this video shows) are shown destroying millennium-old Serbian historical and cultural heritage. Of course, the West supported Albanian terrorists. Serbia bravely stood its ground and fought both the West and terrorism for the whole 9 years. However, it all came at the worst historical moment possible. The time when Russia was on its knees.  Syria has been under a similar attack. The West wanted the country to surrender. Syrian people refused. Soon, “human rights violations” were everywhere. Terrorists started flocking from all over the world. The West armed them. The brave Syrian people have been fighting them since 2011. Hundreds of thousands have been killed. But just like in Serbia, the Western-supported terrorists didn’t just kill people. They also wanted to erase monuments of Syria’s magnificent past. Ancient towns, cities, churches, mosques, etc. were destroyed, burnt or razed to the ground. Syria’s (and world’s) most valuable historical and cultural treasures were destroyed. However, the loss of Syria’s heritage would’ve been much worse had it not been for Russia, the sole remaining military superpower able to resist the well-known imperialist juggernaut.  Now, Russia isn’t just helping Syria militarily. Syrian authorities and Russia have also been working on restoring the ancient city of Palmyra to its former glory. Western-dominated UNESCO doesn’t show due diligence toward the destroyed monuments of the country, although they’re all cleared of mines. Russian sappers made sure of that. What is the thing that prevents them to help? Indifference, lack of resources, or is it the (geo)politics of their main financial backers?


globalresearch--2019-01-21--US Threatens to Sanction Lebanon if They Participate in Rebuilding Syria

The U.S. State Department allegedly sent a cable to the Lebanese Embassy in Washington that warned them against inviting Syria to the Arab Economic Summit in Beirut that is scheduled to take place this week, Al-Akhbar reported on Wednesday.  According to Al-Akhbar, Lebanon was not only warned against inviting Syria to the Arab Economic Summit, but Washington also threatened sanctions against Lebanon if they participate in any reconstruction efforts.  The latter (U.S.) threatened Lebanon with sanctions if it participated in the reconstruction of Al-Sham (a reference to Damascus),” Al-Akhbar claimed.  “The U.S. position was relayed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, in more than one way,” they continued.  “We urge Lebanon and all Arab League member states to refrain from sending an invitation to Syria. We also urge Lebanon not to take any steps that contribute to securing the financial interests of the Syrian regime. For instance, making investments or sending funds for reconstruction. Any financial or material support for the Assad regime or its supporters may be subject to American sanctions.”  The U.S. State Department has not issued a comment regarding these allegations; however, Washington has warned several nations in the past about participating in the reconstruction of Syria.  Note to readers: please click the share buttons above. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.


sottnet--2019-07-26--Rebuilding Aleppo Before after photos show reconstruction of key Syrian sites destroyed by Wester

Rebuilding Aleppo: Before & after photos show reconstruction of key Syrian sites destroyed by Western-led bombings

It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his income depends on his not understanding it.


sottnet--2019-08-27--Syrians already rebuilding Khan Sheikhoun just days after liberation from al-Qaeda

On Friday, the Syrian military announced that they had regained control over Khan Sheikhoun. Controlled by militants since 2014, the town has been practically destroyed.of Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib Province, with a group of foreign journalists having come to look at what had been a strategic stronghold of terrorists since 2014.Foreign journalists, including those from Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Russia, had the opportunity to look at how life is going in the liberated town. Italian correspondent Gian Michalisin noted that it was a strategically important task to clear Khan Sheikhoun of terrorists, recalling that 2,500 foreign militants had been operating here On Monday,"You can see the mosque that was the first to be put in order., since the city was liberated from militants", Maj. Gen. Ravil Muginov of the Russian Centre for Syrian Reconciliation said.According to Muginov, the local administration is doing its best to return a sense of nomalcy to the town."When we were on our way [to the town], we saw that. Of course, there is still a lot to be done, but the Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides will also be doing everything possible", he added.According to Idlib Governor Muhammad Fadi Sadun, over the past three days, a road to one of the local schools has been rebuilt. The building itself is being repaired to open on 1 September."It is very painful to see all this destruction that happened to Khan Sheikhoun. Before the war, it was a very beautiful town, people lived a good, wealthy life. Thank God, now it is liberated, and we will try to do everything to make it as soon as possible the same as before, so that people live peacefully and children go to school", he said.According to the governor, the provincial authorities have set a goal of facilitating the return of local residents. To do this, first of all, the town needs to restore electricity and water supply.The Syrian Army regained control over the city of Khan Sheikhoun , located in Idlib Province in the northwest of the country, last week.In early August, a long-discussed truce entered into force in Idlib. The Syrian military said it would resume its military operation in northwestern Syria if Ankara failed to implement its obligations under a Turkey-Russia agreement reached in Sochi last September. Three days later, on 5 August, Syrian government forces resumed the operation due to the militants' non-compliance with the ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey.


sottnet--2019-11-04--Iran dares to help Syria rebuild its power grid defying US sanctions on its 'terrorist' construction

Iran dares to help Syria rebuild its power grid defying US sanctions on its 'terrorist' construction sector

Tehran and Damascus have signed a preliminary deal on rebuilding Syria's power grid at a major electricity expo, which by pure coincidence took place in Iran just as Washington sanctioned its construction sector.The deal envisages not only theWhile little has been revealed, the memorandum of understanding signed Saturday by the states' energy ministers also outlinesThe Syrian government delegation also toured the 19th Iran International Electricity Exhibition, which featured products of more than 450 companies from Iran, China, and Russia, and signed a number of additional contracts there.That expo , whether by ironic coincidence or not,Issuing a seemingly deliberately vague pamphlet, theThe actual list of those sanctioned "strategic materials," conveniently swept under the rug,Saddam's 'aluminum tubes of mass destruction', anyone?


sputnik--2019-03-14--Russia Against Linking Political Motives With Syria Rebuilding Efforts - Moscow

"The principle difference of our position is that the help and assistance in the creation of conditions for accepting refugees and in the rebuilding of Syria should be provided beyond any political considerations. We are against linking this issue with political considerations and we have specifically stated this […] We have expressed our regret that the Syrian government has not been invited to this conference in Brussels; [this happens] not for the first time", Vershinin told reporters after attending the UN-sponsored Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region.  READ MORE: At Least One Civilian Injured in Terrorist Attack on Syria's Latakia — Reports  "This may be considered nothing short of the violation of basic rights, including those of humanitarian assistance, which must be carried out in close coordination with the side that is receiving this assistance, which is the Syrian legitimate government in this case", the diplomat explained.  Apart from being one of the guarantors of the ceasefire in Syria, Russia also assists Damascus in the postwar reconstruction of the country and the repatriation of refugees, and makes efforts to help ensure the settlement of the conflict in Syria at various international platforms.  The next Astana meeting on Syria has been tentatively planned for April on the level of deputy ministers, Vershinin said, adding that the specific dates of the talks were subject to further coordination among the participants.  "We are yet tentatively scheduling the next high-level meeting on Syria to be held in Astana in April. The specific dates as subject to further coordination […] High-level [meeting] means on the level of deputy ministers, Vershinin told reporters in Brussels.  Vershinin also said he had discussed the ways the Astana format talks on the Syrian reconciliation could be useful for advancing the Geneva consultations on Syria with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in Brussels.  "Today, we have discussed, including during the detailed consultations with the UN secretary-general's special representative, Pedersen, the issues of Syrian settlement, from humanitarian support to the political process; the ways the Astana format could be useful in terms of advancing the talks and consultations in Geneva", Vershinin told reporters.  Vershinin also noted progress in the process of forming the Syrian constitutional committee, stressing it could be completed in the near future.  WATCH Jihadi Brides Yell Daesh Slogans Amid Battle for Last Stronghold in Syria "I can say, without disclosing all the details of the ongoing diplomatic cooperation, that we have made significant advances on our way to complete the formation of the constitutional committee in the near future … I am optimistic about rapid, effective and fruitful conclusion of our joint work which will allow launching this committee",  Vershinin told reporters, adding that three Syrian ceasefire guarantor states were working on the committee formation in cooperation with the UN Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen.  "I also met with US Special Representative for Syria James Jeffrey and with a number of delegations; all of them underlined the need for the soonest launch of such a constitutional committee and completing its formation", the Russian diplomat pointed out.  Since 2011, Syria has been struggling with conflict, which left millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance, many of them displaced. Since the Syrian government has taken back the territory previously held by terrorists, the focus has shifted toward the rebuilding and return of refugees.


sputnik--2019-08-27--Syria Starts Rebuilding Khan Sheikhoun After Strategic Town Liberated From Terrorists

Syrian authorities have started rebuilding infrastructure in the recently liberated town of Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib Province, with a group of foreign journalists having come to look at what had been a strategic stronghold of terrorists since 2014.  Foreign journalists, including those from Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Russia, had the opportunity to look at how life is going in the liberated town. Italian correspondent Gian Michalisin noted that it was a strategically important task to clear Khan Sheikhoun of terrorists, recalling that 2,500 foreign militants had been operating here.  On Monday, the Russian military delivered humanitarian aid to the town.  "You can see the mosque that was the first to be put in order. Civilians have returned to neighbouring houses. Electrification is already underway, and this work has been going on for three days, since the city was liberated from militants", Maj. Gen. Ravil Muginov of the Russian Centre for Syrian Reconciliation said.  According to Muginov, the local administration is doing its best to return a sense of nomalcy to the town.  "When we were on our way [to the town], we saw that the roads have been patched, asphalt put down, they are trying to clean everything up. Of course, there is still a lot to be done, but the Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides will also be doing everything possible", he added.  According to Idlib Governor Muhammad Fadi Sadun, over the past three days, a road to one of the local schools has been rebuilt. The building itself is being repaired to open on 1 September.  "It is very painful to see all this destruction that happened to Khan Sheikhoun. Before the war, it was a very beautiful town, people lived a good, wealthy life. Thank God, now it is liberated, and we will try to do everything to make it as soon as possible the same as before, so that people live peacefully and children go to school", he said.  According to the governor, the provincial authorities have set a goal of facilitating the return of local residents. To do this, first of all, the town needs to restore electricity and water supply.  The Syrian Army regained control over the city of Khan Sheikhoun, located in Idlib Province in the northwest of the country, last week.  In early August, a long-discussed truce entered into force in Idlib. The Syrian military said it would resume its military operation in northwestern Syria if Ankara failed to implement its obligations under a Turkey-Russia agreement reached in Sochi last September. Three days later, on 5 August, Syrian government forces resumed the operation due to the militants' non-compliance with the ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey.


sputnik--2019-11-20--Pentagon Intelligence: Trump Pullout From North Syria Gives Daesh Way to Rebuild

A new assessment by the Pentagon’s Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), released on Tuesday, claims that Trump’s pullout of US troops from northern Syria has assisted the Daesh terrorist group and ruined connections with Kurdish militia forces.  The inspector general said that without “counterterrorism pressure” the group may be able to more freely build clandestine networks and attempt to free Daesh members detained in prisons as well as family members living in refugee camps.  According to the DIA report, the death of terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had “likely little effect” on the group’s “ability to reconstitute” as they "postured to withstand" their leader's death.  In late October, Daesh named Abi Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as its new leader, following the death of al-Baghdadi and his immediate likely successor, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, who was killed in a US airstrike days after the group leader was taken out, according to US officials.  *Daesh (also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.


tass--2019-04-06--Russia regrets US preconditions for rebuilding Syria Lavrov

Russia regrets US preconditions for rebuilding Syria — Lavrov

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. Moscow regrets Washington’s opinion that efforts to rebuild Syria should begin only after the political transition of power is over, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Egypt’s Al Ahram newspaper published on Saturday.  According to Lavrov, efforts of post-war reconstruction and humanitarian assistance are now taking the center stage in the country.  "We need to help all Syrians in need, without preconditions and politicization," Russia’s top diplomat said. "In this respect, we regret the stance of the United States and the European Union, who keep linking - including publicly - the allocation of funds for rebuilding Syria to the political transition. If this is not politicization of humanitarian assistance, then what is?"  He added that Moscow keeps rendering all possible support to Damascus in rebuilding infrastructure and delivering humanitarian cargo both through bilateral channels and via international mechanisms, including the UN and its agencies.  "The figures speak for themselves: since July 2018, with the help of the Russian side, 800 educational and 150 medical facilities have been rebuilt, over 1,000 km of roads have been repaired, over 1,000 km of power lines have been laid, over 130 of water supply facilities have been put into operation," the minister said. "The Russian Center for the reconciliation of the warring sides in Syria carries out humanitarian missions on a daily basis, delivers aid to various regions of the country and provides medical assistance."  In addition, the internationally supported effort is under way to clear the Syrian territory of landmines, unexploded ordnances and explosive devices. In February, Russia donated $1 million to the UN Mine Action Service to finance its work in Syria.  ## No aggression  Lavrov reiterated that Moscow’s approach to the Syrian crisis is well known. "We consistently support a political solution based on respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, with respect to norms of the international law," he said.  "As the situation in Syria stabilizes and improves, those who nurtured opposition and radical groups in Syria, openly demanding to topple the government of [Syrian President Bashar] Assad, have eventually started to realize this [the need to take a similar approach]. And this is good news," Lavrov said. "At present, this aggressive rhetoric is no longer used with regard to the Syrian leadership."  According to Lavrov, the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland remains another important topic in Syria’s post-war reconstruction.  "Russia’s initiative on the matter was supported by many countries in the region. We are working with our partners to put it into practice," Russia’s top diplomat said.


tass--2019-07-26--Russia urges BRICS nations to take part in rebuilding Syria says Lavrov

Russia urges BRICS nations to take part in rebuilding Syria, says Lavrov

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 26./TASS/. Moscow urges all partners in the BRICS group of nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to take part in work towards post-war restoration of Syria, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a BRICS foreign ministerial session on Friday.  "It is crucially important to support the processes of Syria’s post-conflict restoration. We urge participation in this activity and note in this connection efforts taken by our Chinese and Indian friends," the Russian diplomat said.  The main tasks for the settlement in the Arab republic are restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity, extermination of the remaining terrorists, assistance in the return of refugees with an advance of the political process led by the Syrians themselves in line with Resolution 2254 of the UN Security Council, Lavrov reiterated.  "The launch of a constitutional committee that is expected shortly will be a crucial stage on this path," the top diplomat stressed.


tass--2019-08-27--Syrian authorities begin rebuilding infrastructure in Khan Shaykhun

KHAN SHAYKHUN /Syria/, August 17. /TASS/. Syrian authorities have begun reconstructing infrastructure facilities in the town of Khan Shaykhun located in the south of Idlib province, Spokesperson for the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria Major General Ravil Muginov said, adding that the town’s residents were returning to their homes.  According to Muginov, on Monday, the Russian military delivered humanitarian aid to the town. He pointed out that electricity supply was being restored and added that the town administration was making every possible effort to restore civilian life. "On our way here, we saw that many roads have already been repaired, waste is being disposed of. Certainly, there is still a lot to do and the Russian Center for Reconciliation will also do its best," Muginov noted.  "It hurts to see the destruction that Khan Shaykhun has suffered. Before the war, it was a very beautiful town, people prospered here. Thank God, the town is free now and we will work hard to make it what it once was so that people can live in peace," Idlib Governor Fadi Sadun said.  Foreign reporters visiting the town, particularly those from Greece, Bulgaria and Italy, highlighted the importance of Khan Shaykhun’s liberation. "Khan Shaykhun remained a militant stronghold for quite a long time, 2,500 militants had moved here from other countries. Liberating the area from terrorists is an important strategic task," Italian reporter Gian Micalessin said.


theatlantic--2019-03-15--No One Wants to Help Bashar al-Assad Rebuild Syria

Russia, which intervened in the conflict in 2015 and is keen to preserve its newfound regional influence, can’t take on the cost of reconstruction. Its economy is in tatters, made worse by sanctions imposed following its invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014 and its interference in the 2016 U.S. elections ; the over its seizure in November of Ukrainian vessels near the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov, which both countries share under a 2003 treaty; and low oil prices.  But Moscow has tried, with no success, to get the international community to pay.  The U.S. and Europe have made reforms, including a political transition, a precondition for any role in reconstruction. They are also banking on the fact that Assad’s main backers, both internal and external, will realize that ongoing support for him will keep the purse strings closed.  “Assad is a principal obstacle to rehabilitation of Syria, and eventually the Alawite business class and those who support the regime externally will find that he’s a liability and an albatross that will grow,” a Western diplomat recently told The Atlantic. The diplomat added, “I’m told that before the war, the capital budget was $60 billion, and last year the capital budget was $300 million, of which only 20 percent was actually spent. Not only does it not have the money, but they don’t have administrative [or] political capacity to build the country.”  Conor Friedersdorf: The flawed coverage of Trump’s withdrawal from Syria  For years, the West has pressed Russia to compel Assad to make concessions.  “The issue really is, how much power do [the Russians] have to force real reforms, actual reforms that devolve power away from Damascus, that decentralize power somewhat?” Mona Yacoubian, who studies Syria at the U.S. Institute of Peace, told me in a recent interview. “And here, it’s not at all clear that Russia has that kind of leverage.”  The irony is, the very focus on reconstruction is tacit acknowledgment that Assad isn’t going anywhere. Russia’s and Iran’s continued support, the U.S. withdrawal of the majority of American forces, and the beginning of some rehabilitation among Arab countries give Assad few incentives to make political concessions. But even from this seemingly comfortable perch, Assad is in a bind. His supporters can’t afford to pay for reconstruction; his adversaries in the West can, but won’t. Iran, Assad’s other principal supporter, is suffering from reimposed U.S. sanctions and doesn’t have that much to spare.  Yet much needs to be rebuilt. About 11 million people have been displaced and lost their home. The fighting has water, sanitation, and electrical systems in former rebel-held areas. Schools and hospitals have been razed. Large cities like Raqqa have been flattened. In rural areas, irrigation channels are no longer functioning; grain silos have been destroyed.


theindependent--2019-01-29--UK to give Iraq more than 30m to rebuild hospitals schools and power plants destroyed in Isis figh

UK to give Iraq more than £30m to rebuild hospitals, schools and power plants destroyed in Isis fight

The UK will give more than £30m to Iraq to rebuild hospitals, schools and power plants destroyed in the fight against the Isis, the Middle East minister has said, two days after urging the war-torn country to wean itself off an economic reliance on Iran.  The aid package was announced by Alistair Burt during a four trip to Iraq, where the UK became the first donor to a newly-formed international fund to put the country back on its feet.  The UK plans to allocate £16m to help rebuild neighbourhoods flattened during the battles against the global terror group, as well as £6.9m for the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure like factories and £10m for the country’s humanitarian response.  Mr Burt said he hoped that the money would allow some of the 1.8 million people currently displaced in Iraq to return home and “restart their lives”.  He added that it was part of his commitment to “tackle the persecution of Christians across the globe”.  “There is much to be celebrated about Iraq’s progress since the territorial defeat of [Isis] in 2017. But there is more to be done to help Iraq develop the strong, stable future, decided on by all Iraqis, that its people deserve,” the minister said from Baghdad, where he held talks with Iraqi president Barham Salih, the prime minister Adil Abdul Mahdi, and the foreign minister.  He also met the prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government, Nechirvan Barzani, and the prime-minister designate, Masrour Barzani.  “I am proud that we will be the first donor to the Iraq Reform and Reconstruction Fund. UK aid will provide vital support to the people of Iraq as they rebuild their lives, their businesses and their economic independence,’ he added.  The Department for International Development (DFID) said the funds will also be used to “unlock Iraq’s economic potential”, make it more business-friendly, generate jobs and boost the potential for enhanced future trade with the UK and other countries.  It added that since 2014, UK aid in Iraq provided 4.1 million people with healthcare, 2 million people with safe water and sanitation, over 800,000 people with shelter and nearly half a million people with food.  The move comes just two days after Mr Burt urged the Iraqi authorities to wean itself off economic reliance on Iran and become more energy self-sufficient.  Iranian officials travelled to Baghdad earlier this month to push for expanded trade and energy ties with Iraq, including keeping natural gas flowing there where it accounts for 40 per cent of the country’s electricity needs.  In November Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said that economic relations between the two countries reached about $12 billion in 2018, but that Tehran hopes that will almost double this year.  The UK and other US allies worry that US president Donald Trump’s surprise announcement that he will pull US troops out of Syria will only embolden Iran in the region, and in particular Iraq.  Over recent years Tehran influence has grown in Syria, where its forces are fighting alongside Syrian regime troops and in Iraq where many powerful paramilitary groups are deemed to be loyal to Tehran.  Washington has previously pressured Iraq to halt imports of Iranian gas and hopes to counter Iranian influence through renewed sanctions.  Mr Burt echoed those warnings, telling Reuters that Iraq must convert oil resources to become more self-sufficient.  “To expect Iran to have no influence in Iraq is fanciful,” he said from the British Embassy in the Iraqi capital.  “What is important is that Iraq finds the opportunity to follow its own future in terms of foreign relations and that its economy is strong and isn’t reliant on Iran.”  “The sooner all its oil wealth can come on stream and can capture all the energy that is sometimes not used as effectively as possible ... The better,” he added.    Iraq’s oil export capacity is nearly 5 million barrels per day, but it is pumping below capacity in line with an Opec agreement to stabilise prices.  Washington hopes it can reduce its gas flaring to satisfy domestic energy needs and rely less on Iranian power imports.  On Sunday Mr Burt said there were ideas for more power projects in Iraq.  Tuesday’s statement said the UK government had allocated millions to help re-build or rehabilitate power plants.


france24--2019-11-13--Libyan city of Benghazi faced with daunting task of reconstruction

Libyan city of Benghazi faced with daunting task of reconstruction  After the 2011 revolution in Libya, a bitter battle broke out in the country's second-largest city, Benghazi, pitting Islamist militias against the forces of General Khalifa Haftar. After four years of fighting, Haftar's forces took control in 2017 and a relative calm returned to Benghazi. But today, the pace of reconstruction is slow and locals are starting to get impatient. FRANCE 24's Wissam Charaf and Eric de Lavarène report.


globalresearch--2019-12-17--Video: Syria’s President Assad Discusses Syria’s Reconstruction, China’s “Belt and Road” and US Aggr

Video: Syria’s President Assad Discusses Syria’s Reconstruction, China’s “Belt and Road” and US Aggression

In the third of recent international interviews, Syria’s President Bashar al Assad met with Phoenix Television, to discuss Belt and Road development projects with China’s Phoenix Television.  Given that Syria and China are both part of the original Silk Road that created a beautiful explosion of the development and trade that uplifted humanity, this interview has greater importance than the recent one with France’s Paris Match and that with Rai News 24, subsequently banned in Italy. Transcript courtesy of SANA.  Journalist: Mr. President, on behalf of the Chinese television channel, Phoenix, I would like to thank you for giving us this interview.  President Assad: You are welcome.  Question 1: Mr. President, allow me to start straight away… Syria has been able to make great achievements in fighting terrorism and large areas of Syrian territories have been restored. Now, where will you begin the reconstruction of Syria?  President Assad: In fact, we are not waiting for the end of a particular stage of the war in order to start reconstruction; reconstruction starts immediately after the liberation of any area, whether it is big or small, a village or a city. Reconstruction has stages, the first of which is rebuilding the infrastructure, particularly in the areas of water and electricity. Later, the state shifts its focus to schools, health centers and hospitals.  However, the most important stage in reconstruction, which comes later and constitutes the most serious challenge for us, is restoring daily activity especially economic livelihood. This requires a great deal of effort and is affected by internal factors and the external environment – namely the embargo imposed by Western countries on Syria, which has a negative affect and slows the process down. So, reconstruction has already started, but we need more investments from within and outside the country in order to scale it up.  Question 2: And here we ask, Mr. President, what are the most important areas in which Syria needs the help of friendly countries, including China?  President Assad: China specifically provides assistance in reconstruction particularly in the humanitarian domain. As I mentioned earlier, life’s necessities are water and electricity and China is providing support in these areas through humanitarian grants which we apply to the areas most in need.  In the past, we did not engage in discussions with our friends – and at the forefront China, on reconstruction because the security situation did not allow us to initiate this process on a large scale. Now, with the liberation of most areas, we have started discussions with a number of Chinese companies experienced in reconstruction. As I mentioned, the most important stage and the greatest challenge is the full restoration of the economic cycle. We would hope that Chinese companies start looking and studying the Syrian market which is improving quickly and constantly in terms of security.  It is essential that we start discussing investment opportunities, because it is well-known that rebuilding countries destroyed partially or totally by war is very profitable and has high returns-on-investment. The process is not limited to loans or providing aid without any returns, it is a profitable investment in every sense of the word.  We have started talking to a number of Chinese companies on finding ways to evade sanctions and have access to the Syrian market. They have shown an interest because the process is profitable, but investors and investment companies still have concerns about the way sanctions could impact them. We have found certain formulas, which will not be disclosed of course, for them to enter the Syrian market safely and consequently contribute to the reconstruction process in Syria.  I would like to emphasize that this support is not limited to the economy; reconstruction ultimately means contributing to Syria’s stability for two reasons. First, in the past two years, millions of Syrians have returned from abroad without finding sufficient job opportunities, which in itself is a factor that can be used by terrorists and outside powers. Second, the reconciliation we have achieved in Syria, was in part with those who worked with the militants or the terrorists at a certain period. They agreed to lay down their weapons and return to their normal lives – this return requires job opportunities. So, the support from China and other friendly countries in Syria’s reconstruction, is as important as the military efforts to restoring stability in Syria, and striking and fighting terrorism.  Question 3: So, can we ask about the concrete measures that are being taken by the Syrian government in order to attract investors coming from China and other friendly countries?  President Assad: The first thing an investor needs is security. When we talk about a country coming out of war: we have achieved great milestones in this respect, but we are not completely finished. The first question an investor asks is about security, this is what we are doing on a daily basis – fighting terrorists and liberating areas one by one.  As to the investment environment, there are requirements any investor would need, regardless of whether there is a war or not. In this regard, we are focusing on two things: the urgent, which is improving this investment environment by addressing necessary measures, like transparency, clarity on investors’ rights and obligations in the country and the legal or judicial aspects of their investments. With all these issues, we are currently drawing up clear guidelines for investors.  However, the more important and comprehensive step is the investment law. We have achieved significant progress in developing our investment law in-line with similar laws in many other countries around the world, thus ensuring it is based on international investment standards.  This law clearly identifies the guarantees given to investors concerning their investment in Syria: legal guarantees, financial guarantees, exemptions clearly laid out, the tax situation for their investments – and any other aspects which constitute a guarantee to ensure that this investment is completely safe and profitable. We are now in the final stages of this law and it will be passed soon.  Question 4: Well, Mr. President, are there specific measures taken to ensure the existence of a safe investment environment which assure Chinese investors to come and not face any security problems? Chinese investors are very concerned about this.  President Assad: That’s right, this is a serious challenge. In fact, there are two challenges. First, is the current lack of sufficient or effective financial channels between Syria and China for the transfer of money. This is a real problem caused mainly by the sanctions. A solution must be found if we want investors to come to Syria; a solution needs the engagement of relevant financial institutions from both countries, which requires discussion at a state level. This is a major obstacle that needs to be overcome.  The second issue is the fear that many Chinese companies still have. Today, there are companies which are willing to send experts to Syria. This is important because many Syrian industries have started to show interest in the Chinese market, for example Syrian factories which buy their equipment from China. Previously, Chinese experts had concerns about coming to Syria; this has recently started to improve, which is a new step.  However, when we talk about Chinese investment with Chinese capital, this needs more assurances; we must exert greater effort in this regard as a Syrian state and we hope the Chinese state with its relevant institutions – like the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation, to encourage investors to come to Syria or at least to the areas which have become completely safe. In this interview I confirm this and since you are in Syria, you are able to convey the true, unexaggerated picture about the extent of security achieved recently.  Intervention: So, the Syrian government guarantees security to all Chinese companies which might come to Syria, and that there is no problem in terms of safety?  Question 5: Mr. President, I would like to ask you about the Belt and Road Initiative. How do you see this initiative in general?  President Assad: From a strategic perspective, it constitutes a worldwide transformation, a transformation in the nature of international relations. If we look at the current situation in the world, we see that it is governed by Western attempts of domination, particularly on the part of the United States. In the past during the Cold War, there was a period of conflict among states. This conflict was based on the degree of dominance of each pole, particularly the Western pole over a group of states, in order to achieve its interests against the other pole.  Before that, World War II and the preceding period of full colonialization; states occupied other nations and wherever they did so, they defined the interests of those peoples under their domination. In most cases there were no mutual interests; those peoples were enslaved by the more powerful states.  Today, we see that there is a superpower – China, trying to strengthen its influence in the world. But what kind of influence? It is not the negative influence we have become accustomed to, but rather an influence in the sense of relying on friends and an influence based on mutual interests. When we in Syria think about being part of the Silk Road and Syria is a small country – by international, geographic, demographic, economic and military standards…  Intervention: But historically, it is on the Silk Road.  President Assad: It is exactly on the Silk Road, but what is more important is that this new approach is derived from history but is suitable for the 21st century; it is an approach built on parity. When we are part of this Road, China treats us as equals and not as a superpower dealing with a small country. There are mutual interests: it is beneficial to China, Syria and all the countries on this Road.  Another aspect, is that it is not limited to China’s bilateral relations with these countries but rather it is a relationship among all the countries on this axis. So, it is a relationship of culture and civilization which ultimately leads to greater prosperity and investment, and the improvement of the social, economic and security conditions in these countries. This means more stability in the world, which is contrary to what we have known in our modern and recent history. This is what we see in the Silk Road (Belt and Road Initiative): stability and prosperity.  Question 6: Syria, for its part, expressed its desire to take part in the Belt and Road Initiative. Are there any developments in this regard?  President Assad: During the previous period, and especially in the early years of the war due to the instability, it wasn’t our priority. Perhaps because it didn’t make sense to talk about infrastructure when you are in a state of life or death, not as individuals but as a homeland, as a nation – Syria.  Now that we have overcome this stage and with the increased stability and the improvement of the economic cycle in Syria, we have started this year a serious dialogue with the Chinese government on how Syria can become part of the Silk Road (Belt and Road Initiative). At present Syria is not on the route; there are different routes and Syria is not on them. However, part of the initiative includes cultural, educational and scientific domains, and through the direct relationship between us and China, there has been a large number – which has increased in recent years – of scholarships offered to Syria that we are benefitting from. The discussions have recently started concerning infrastructure, which is one of the most important elements and could make Syria a part of the Silk Road (Belt and Road Initiative) in the future. We have proposed a number of projects only a few months ago.  President Assad: Of course. In areas related to infrastructure, we have proposed around six projects to the Chinese government in line with the Belt and Road methodology and we are waiting for the Chinese government to determine which project, or projects, is in line with their thinking. I think when this infrastructure is developed, with time, the Silk Road (Belt and Road Initiative) passing through Syria becomes a foregone conclusion, because it is not a road you only draw on a map. Whilst it is true that historically the Silk Road passed through Syria, Iraq and this region, today however, this initiative takes into account the available infrastructure required for these routes. Therefore, by establishing, strengthening, and developing this infrastructure, the Silk Road (Belt and Road Initiative) will pass through Syria in the future.  Question 7: Do you think that Syria has now become ready, security-wise, to be part of this initiative?  President Assad: Precisely, because we are ready security-wise, we have started discussions with our Chinese friends. Before that, it wasn’t logically or practically possible to initiate such a dialogue.  Question 8: Mr. President, I would like to ask you about the situation in America. The United States holds presidential elections next year. If Trump is not reelected for a new presidential term, would that failure, in your opinion, be useful to Syria or not?  President Assad: In one of my interviews, I referred to Trump as being the best because he is the most transparent. Of course, being the best doesn’t mean that he is good; but transparency is a good thing especially that when it comes to Western politics because we have become accustomed to masks which hide real Western intentions regarding the world.  However at the same time, we need to realise that the American political system is not a state system in the sense that we understand. It is a system comprised of lobbies. The rulers of America are the money lobbies, whether in the form of oil, weapons, banks, or others. These lobbies control all parts of American politics.  When Trump tried to be independent, albeit in a very limited degree, the attack against him started. We are now witnessing the impeachment process aimed at bringing the President back into line with the lobbies. All the presidents we have dealt with in Syria, from Nixon in 1974 – when relations with America were restored, up to Trump today are controlled by these lobbies. No matter how much good will any president has, he cannot act outside the policies of these lobbies. Therefore, betting on the change of presidents is misplaced and unrealistic and I don’t think that this American policy will change in the next few years. That’s why during the election campaign, they say one thing and once they are elected, they do the complete opposite. For those reasons in Syria we never consider which American president comes and which one leaves.  Intervention: In this context, I pose the question: after the American president announced his intention to withdraw American forces from Syria, he suddenly backtracked and said that he will leave American troops in Syria in order to protect oil wells in the area east of the Euphrates. So, he suddenly takes a decision, and then goes back on it.  President Assad: Exactly, what you are saying confirms my point that the lobbies are the ones in charge of the policies. It also confirms that this state is not governed by principles, but rather by the interests of those companies; if they have an interest in occupying the oil wells, stealing and selling them one way or another, then this state and this regime will act in favor of these companies, regardless of international law and regardless of American law. They violate American laws for the sake of these companies because if they don’t make them happy, the president might be impeached.  Question 9: Mr. President, what is the number of the remaining American troops on Syrian territories now?  President Assad: The funny thing in American politics is that they announce the number between thousands and hundreds. When they say thousands: it is to make the the pro-war lobby – particularly the arms companies, happy that they are in a state of war. When they say hundreds: they are addressing the people who oppose the war by saying that they are only “a few hundred.” In actual fact, both figures are incorrect for a simple reason; even if these figures were correct, they are based on the number of American soldiers and not the number of individuals fighting with the American army. The American regime relies significantly in its wars on private firms like Blackwater in Iraq and others. So even if they had a few hundred American soldiers in Syria, they still also have thousands – maybe tens of thousands, of civilians working for such companies and fighting in Syria. That’s why it is difficult to know the real number, but it is certainly in the thousands.  Question 10: The Americans say that they will protect oil wells in the east of Euphrates area in Syria; but in the end, what are they going to do with the oil produced from those wells?  President Assad: Before the Americans, in the early days Jabhat al-Nusra used these wells; after ISIScame and drove out al-Nusra – or rather when ISIS merged with al-Nusra and they all became ISIS, it also stole and sold oil. Where? It used to sell it through Turkey. Now America is the one stealing oil and selling it to Turkey. Turkey is an accomplice, with all these groups, in selling oil; it doesn’t have a problem – Turkey is ready. The Turkish regime plays a direct part in selling the oil, previously with al-Nusra, later with ISIS and today with the Americans.  Question 11: In this situation, what is the impact on Syrian oil returns?  President Assad: At a certain point at the beginning of the war, oil returns dropped to almost zero. Today – after restoring a small number of wells during the past two years – we have a little amount of oil. However, there is still limited positive impact on the Syrian economy from oil because most of the wells are either under the control of terrorist groups or groups acting outside the law and under American command. So, the situation with the oil has not changed much.  Question 12: Yes. So, how is the Syrian government going to face the question of American presence in the oil fields area east of the Euphrates?  President Assad: First, the Americans rely on terrorists. The terrorists must be attacked, this is a priority for us in Syria. Striking the terrorists weakens the American presence one way or another. At a later stage: there are Syrian groups acting under American command and these groups must be persuaded, one way or another and particularly through dialogue, that it is in all our interests in Syria that they embrace the homeland and join the Syrian state’s efforts to liberate all its territories. At that point, it’s only natural that there will be no prospect for an American presence. However, if they remained, they have their experience in Iraq to consider; there will be a popular resistance and they will pay the price. Ultimately, the Americans will leave.  Question 13: Mr. President, we have witnessed recently popular protests and riots in some neighboring countries, including Iraq, Lebanon, and even Iran. In fact, these countries are considered, to a certain extent, Syria’s allies. How do you view what happened and is happening in these countries?  President Assad: Of course, neighboring countries have a direct impact on us because there are direct family and economic relations, as well as other types of relations that exist between any two neighboring countries. At the same time, the Middle East as a whole is one area; the social fabric is similar, beliefs are similar and interests are intertwined even when these countries are not direct neighbors.  If we assume that the movements taking place aim to address the problems faced by the population and that they would lead to improving economic, political and other conditions in these countries, then I can say that the impact will be positive.  However, if we think logically, would the Western countries and in particular the United States, leave these countries to continue spontaneously?! They would definitely interfere and would certainly exploit every movement in order to create chaos, because American policy – at least since 2000 and since the Iraq war – is to create chaos. This is what they called ‘constructive chaos;’ that is how George Bush and Condoleezza Rice referred to it. This ‘constructive chaos’ which they are looking for, is a type of chaos that achieves their interests. That’s why when this chaos takes place in our region, or in any other region, it will have a negative impact on us. Chaos is contagious, it’s like a disease, it spreads; so, we can only hope that these events remain in the internal, spontaneous, popular framework.  Question 14: Would it be possible to say that one should look for an American role wherever there is chaos?  President Assad: This is self-evident and has become well-known throughout the world. What is the difference between the policies of superpowers: America, and those who stand with it – like France and Britain, believe or think – which we see as wrong but they see as right – that the interests of these countries or this axis, lies in creating chaos; whereas Russia, China and most other countries believe that stability and international law are in the best interest of the world and its states, big or small.  Journalist: Mr. President, thank you very much for availing us this opportunity and we wish you continued success and progress.  President Assad: Thank you and I also thank Phoenix Television for this interview.  Journalist: Thank you very much.  President Assad: You are welcome.  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.


russiainsider--2019-01-28--Congress to Pass Sanctions Against Syria Reconstruction

The US/al-Qaeda regime-change onslaught failed so now posturing US politicians will do everything they can to make sure Syria goes through the same sanctions hell Iraq did 1990-2003:  On Tuesday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to impose new sanctions on the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad and its allies, and those who do business with them. The move comes a month after President Donald Trump’s announcement to withdraw troops from Syria, and as some Arab governments are thawing relations with the Assad regime, which has all but secured a military victory after nearly eight years of war. The measure has been passed by the House twice in previous sessions, and a companion bill currently remains pending in the Senate. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., reintroduced the standalone version of the Syria bill, H.R. 31, which passed under fast-track procedures. On the Senate side, the bill is one provision rolled into a foreign policy-related package called the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as a lead sponsor. Senate Democrats blocked the bill — designated as S.1, which symbolizes heightened importance — on the grounds that Congress should reopen the government before considering unrelated legislation.  Specifically the US "lawmakers" target anyone engaged in reconstruction:  The current version of the bill imposes sanctions on anyone engaging in “significant financial, material, or technological support to, or knowingly engages in a significant transaction with” the Syrian government or the governments of Russia and Iran in Syria. It includes an exception for nongovernmental organizations operating in Syria, and it directs the president to come up with a plan regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrians in need. The Syrian government has been courting investors to help rebuild parts of the country decimated throughout the multi-pronged Syrian war. Reconstruction plans have largely focused on areas destroyed by Syrian and Russian bombs, like parts of Damascus and Homs, and not cities like Raqqa, which the U.S.-led coalition flattened in its fight against the Islamic State. Western governments have said they will not contribute to reconstruction efforts until progress is made toward a peaceful settlement to the war. The European Union this week imposed a new round of sanctions on business executives and entities doing business with the Assad regime.  This is the same script from Iraq where the US first destroyed water treatment plants then imposed sanctions so they couldn't be put back online. But hey, don't worry, the bill "isn't targeted against the Syrian people" because small amount of humanitarian aid by NGOs will still be allowed in:  Oh, so the US will do everything it can to stop reconstruction which would take billions and the cooperation of major powers and companies, but Syrians are welcome to any crumbs humanitarian aid organizations can get in -- how graceful!  The difference between Syria 2019 and Iraq 1990 is that this time around Moscow isn't part of the sanctions regime. Syria will never be as isolated as Iraq where hundreds of thousands died as a result of the post-war sanctions demanded by Bush. Thank god! Thank god for Russia!


sottnet--2019-11-12--US congressional panel: Next phase of dirty war on Syria is occupying oil fields, blocking reconstru

US congressional panel: Next phase of dirty war on Syria is occupying oil fields, blocking reconstruction

• Economic sanctions against Damascus and its allies; and • "Preventing reconstruction aid and technical expertise from going back into Syria."  US military 'owns' one-third of Syria, 'the rest is rubble'  'The conflict is not over; it's entering a new phase'  Despite President Donald Trump's order of a partial withdrawal of troops from Syria , the United States' regime-change war against the country continues in broad daylight.a longtime US diplomat who oversaw a congressionally mandated study of Syria, outlined the four-pronged plan for what she calledBut when Stroul presented it before a panel, the potential impact on civilians was was not even mentioned once.a militaristic think tank funded by the US government and its allies, along with the arms industry , fossil fuel corporations, and banks. In April, The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal exposed a secret meeting at CSIS where US and Latin American officials mulled a military invasion of Venezuela. Though it was open to the public, the think tank's recent meeting on Syria was no less militaristic.Titled " Syria in the Gray Zone ," the panel featured the two co-chairs of the Syria Study Group One co-chair was chosen to represent the Republican Party, and the other to represent the Democratic Party, but both marched inBoth of the congressionally appointed co-chairs also happen to work at theTheir Syria Study Group was a collection of hardline interventionists from pro-Israel and Gulf monarchy-funded DC think tanks, as well as Mark Kirk , the former Republican senator who was one of the all-time greatest recipients of funding from Israel lobbying outfits.is a longtime US government operative whoWhile serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, she oversaw US weapons sales and foreign aid for the State Department and Washington's soft-power arm, the US Agency for International Development ( USAID ).In her speech at CSIS,summarizing the points made in the Syria Study Group final report in September.Dana Stroul reluctantly acknowledged that "there's limited appetite domestically here" for more US intervention in Syria. But she noted that theResorting to classically colonial rhetoric, Stroul casually noted that" She made it a point to stress that this sovereign Syrian land "owned" by Washington also happened to be "resource-rich," the "economic powerhouse of Syria, so where the hydrocarbons are... as well as the agricultural powerhouse."Stroul explained.Calling for the "political and diplomatic isolation of the Assad regime," Stroul urged the US to continue "holding the line on diplomatic isolation, preventing embassies from going back into Damascus." She then advisedFinally, Stroul proposedNoting that the US government's humanitarian aid and "stabilization assistance" for Syria has gone to its ally, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast,until it achieved its goal of regime change.Emphasizing that Washington's goal in has been to block reconstruction by Damascus, Stroul insisted, "We should hold a line on preventing reconstruction aid and technical expertise from going back into Syria."President Trump's Syria policy largely mirrors the sadistic strategy outlined by Stroul at the Syrian Study Group.In October, Trump ordered a partial withdrawal of US troops from northeastern Syria, inspiring a chorus of outrage in official Washington.to starve the Syrian government of funding needed for reconstruction efforts.At the CSIS panel, Dana Stroul argued that even with the US military presence in flux,The Republican co-chair of the Syria Study Group Michael Singh, who is also a fellow at the pro-Israel WINEP think tank, echoed Stroul's argument. "We still have leverage," he said. Although Trump's proposed withdrawal has weakened it.


tass--2019-03-21--Russian senior diplomat discusses Syrias reconstruction with UNDP officials

Russian senior diplomat discusses Syria’s reconstruction with UNDP officials

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin discussed Syria’s reconstruction on Wednesday with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, Director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, and UNDP Country Director in Syria David Akopyan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.  "UNDP representatives in Syria have informed us about the current state of affairs in Syria’s early reconstruction and about the results achieved in the context of the implementation of projects with Russia’s donor participation aimed at rebuilding residential areas and basic infrastructure in Syria," the foreign ministry said.  The meeting also focused on project cooperation at the Russia-UNDP Trust Fund.  "The sides agreed to continue dialogue on boosting Russia’s strategic partnership with the UNDP," the ministry added.  In other media


tass--2019-06-21--SCO chief says international efforts important for Syrias reconstruction

SCO chief says international efforts important for Syria’s reconstruction

"The member states reiterated their common position that there is no alternative to resolving the situation in Syria through dialogue based on ensuring the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," Norov pointed out.  BEIJING, June 21. /TASS/. The Bishkek summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) emphasized the importance of further international efforts to assist Syria in its post-war reconstruction, SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov said at a press conference on Friday.  "The member states believe that cooperation within the Astana process has created conditions for advancing the political settlement process performed and guided by Syrians in order to find solutions in the interests of the Syrian people and the international community," the SCO secretary general noted. "In this regard, the summit highlighted the importance of further international efforts to assist Syria in its post-war reconstruction," he said.  The SCO summit, which took place in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on June 14, involved the leaders of Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as observer countries - Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia - and representatives of the United Nations, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Executive Committee and the Eurasian Economic Commission.  The next summit is scheduled to be held in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk on July 22-23, 2020.


tass--2019-10-12--Ukraine has no money for reconstruction of Donbass - lawmakers

KIEV, October 12. /TASS/. David Arakhamia, head of President Vladimir Zelensky’s Servant of the People faction in Verkhovna Rada (parliament), said that Ukraine does not have money for Donbass’ reconstruction.  "We are aware that we have no money for the reconstruction of Donbass. We will have to look for it somewhere," he said in an interview with a Ukrainian media outlet.  Earlier, President Vladimir Zelensky asked Ukrainian entrepreneurs to assist in reconstruction of Donbass.


tass--2019-12-23--Russian, Syrian top diplomats to discuss economic reconstruction

MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem in Moscow on Monday. The parties will discuss ways to resolve the situation in Syria, including the activities of the Constitutional Committee, and economic cooperation between Moscow and Damascus. While in Moscow, the Syrian top diplomat will also participate in a meeting of the Russia-Syria intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation.  "The parties are expected to exchange views on a wide range of pressing global and regional issues, focusing on the situation in Syria, including the activities of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva, as well as the country’s post-war reconstruction and efforts to facilitate the return of refugees," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, commenting on the upcoming meeting between Lavrov and Muallem.  Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad also said that the two top diplomats would pay special attention to trade and economic cooperation. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov visited Syria last week, discussing ways to establish control over the country’s oil fields and reconstruct transport infrastructure facilities with President Bashar al-Assad.  The two countries also continue defense cooperation: the first Russian-Syrian naval exercise concluded in the Mediterranean Sea on December 19.  Lavrov and Muallem will particularly discuss political efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, including the consultations of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva and the Astana process on Syria in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan. The Constitutional Committee has been facing difficulties, as its members failed to agree on an agenda at their second meeting on November 25-29. In addition, no date has been set for the Committee’s next meeting, which was initially expected to be held on December 16. A round of international talks on Syria took place in Nur-Sultan on December 10-11, involving the guarantors of the Astana process (Russia, Iran and Turkey), but failed to achieve any breakthrough.  The Russian and Syrian foreign ministers will also exchange views on the situation on the ground. Last week, tensions escalated in the Syrian province of Idlib. On Friday, government forces thwarted two militant attacks, killing over 200 terrorists. The Al-Watan newspaper reported on Sunday that Syrian troops had liberated a number of settlements in the southeast of Idlib and were heading to a stronghold of the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group (outlawed in Russia) in Jarjanaz.