Bombing Syria instead of helping as it becomes free of terrorists

April 2018

Letter by Kay Weir

Dear Prime Minister Ardern

The recent overnight bombing of Syria with a hundred missiles by the US-led coalition is a flagrant violation of international law and grievous assault on a country that has already suffered greatly from Western aggression. It should be recalled that wars based on lies of the American led coalition have already destroyed Iraq and Libya. This has led to the deaths of between 2–4 million people, and millions of refugees, that coalition countries are unwilling to accept as refugees.

The Barzah Research Laboratory in Damascus, destroyed by the bombing based on claims by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on April 13 2018, that this centre is used for research, development, production and testing of chemical and biological weaponry, had been checked by the world’s chemical expert agency, the OPCW. It reported in late February that there were no chemical or biological weapons being developed, tested, or produced at the site. The US, UK and France are not interested in the truth. https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/EC/88/en/ec88dg01_e_.pdf

The coalition could not even wait for completion of an investigation by experts on the ground in Syria into the allegations of a chemical attack that the coalition blamed on Syria’s government. Russia had been warning the US for weeks saying its intelligence showed that a chemical weapons event was about to be staged. Pointing out just how shaky the case was for their reasons for bombing Syria, a sovereign country, Pentagon chief James Mattis told the US Congress on Thursday just a few hours before the bombing: “We are looking for the actual evidence.” The New York Times in an article titled, Pentagon urges caution on imminent strike against Syria, reported: “Defense Secretary James Mattis demanded evidence of the Syrian government’s role in a suspended chemical attack to justify military action. ” This lack of evidence makes the bombing even more irresponsible and appalling.

Terrorists supported by coalition use chemical weapons

Overlooked in the coalition’s rush to blame Syria’s President Assad, for the alleged attack, very obvious culprits were not considered. Terrorist groups in Syria use chemical weapons. The Washington Post late in 2016 reported that Islamic State used chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq52 times since 2014. Also, the US State Department in a warning on 17 October 2017 to travellers to Syria advised: “Tactics of ISIS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and other violent extremist groups include use of suicide bombers, kidnapping, small and heavy arms, improvised explosive devices, and chemical weapons.” It should have been top of the list that terrorist groups were very likely responsible if there was a chemical attack in Syria.

Showing how the terrorists came to be in Syria, a declassified August 2012 US Defence Intelligence Agency report notes that terrorist groups were supported in Syria by US-led allies since at least 2012 to undermine the Assad government. It is illegal surely to arm terrorists to get rid of the legally government. Syrians have suffered greatly from the orchestrated violence of terrorists, using bombs, chemical weapons, executing people in public, chopping off heads, etc. Untold misery has been meted out to Syrians by these terrorists that have been funded and supported by America, the UK and France.

Russian support to stop becoming another Iraq

Syria asked Russia for support in 2015 to prevent it becoming another Iraq, 95% of Damascus territory has been regained. Recent unverified reports of chlorine gas use in East Ghouta were likely staged by the last terrorist pocket, in order to provide an excuse for the US-led coalition to intervene to stop their final evacuation. Syria’s army with Russian support has liberated tens of thousands of civilians trapped for 6 years by terrorists in horrifying situations. Civilians liberated from the terror siege have told horror stories of living as captives under the tyranny ofjihadists. Civilians were kept in cages on streets as human shields. Young girls were snatched from their families and raped. Medicines and food were hoarded and used for extortion. These heavily armed terrorists have been lionised by Western media as “rebels.”

With Syrians being liberated from terrorists, thousands of people are being cared for in relief centres run by Syrian and Russia medics and volunteers. The US coalition bombing has allowed the remnants of terrorists to continue in Syria with their mayhem.

We hope that as Prime Minister you will support the humanitarian principles and international law on which the United Nations is based.Russia and Syria have destroyed their chemical weapons under UN supervision. The US has not. Being out of step with dishonest murdering bullies is not such a bad thing surely! Our nuclear-weapons-free legislation and proud history of standing up to bullying over rejecting nuclear ships in our harbours, all brought admiration worldwide. And the millions of people whose countries and societies have been destroyed by western wars would appreciate New Zealand’s efforts in opposing wars, and in support of a legally elected government, undermined and falsely demonised by the US, UK and France. .

The Pacific Institute of Resource Management Inc (PIRM), established in Wellington in 1984, is dedicated to sustainable use of the Earth’s natural resources, and peace, equity and justice issues. We make submissions to government and publish the occasional journal Pacific Ecologist.

Yours sincerely

Kay Weir
pirmeditor@gmail.com
Editor Pacific Ecologist
The Pacific Institute of Resource Management

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