Calls to Prevent US Strike on Syria Fall on Deaf Ears

Elio Delgado Legon

HAVANA TIMES — US President Barack Obama’s intentions of launching a “limited strike” on Syria – a measure for which he has sought authorization from Congress – have prompted innumerable negative reactions around the world and no few statements from respected civilian and military personalities who do not wish these threats to be carried out.

A survey conducted by The Washington Post and ABC reveals that six out of every ten Americans are opposed to this offensive.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has stated that a military attack on Syria could worsen the conflict, adding that: “We must consider the impact that any punitive measure would have on efforts to prevent further bloodshed and facilitate a political solution to the conflict.”

Before more than one hundred thousand people gathered in Saint Peter Square, Pope Francisco declared that wars always spell defeat for humanity, and strongly urged leaders around the war to abandon the idea of such a conflict. Prior to this, he had taken a number of steps in this direction and sent a letter to the leaders of the Group of 20, advocating peace.

Other world leaders, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, have said that claims that the Syrian army has used chemical weapons are absurd, when they are well aware of the fact that such statements could be used as a pretext for sanctions and even a military intervention. It’s a ridiculous claim devoid of any logic, he said.

The Russian president told Obama that, before thinking of using military force against Syria, they ought to consider the victims of such an intervention, adding that he addressed the US president in his capacity as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Other European leaders have distanced themselves from such calls for a strike on Syria, a measure which, without a Security Council mandate, constitutes a violation of international law and the UN Charter.

Many international political analysts have come out against a military attack on Syria, justified by the claim that the government used chemical weapons against its own people, something which has not and cannot be proven.

There is, however, evidence that such chemical weapons were used by mercenary forces, which declared as much when asked by a journalist investigating the facts. These forces admitted they were never taught how to make proper use of these weapons and that this was the reason the explosion took place.

In addition, there have been reports that a video showing the use of chemical weapons in Syria was actually filmed in a big film studio in Qatar. Several US broadcasters, including CNN and NBC, have declared they cannot guarantee the authenticity of the video showing the chemical attack in Syria.

As a last minute resort, the Russian government advanced a proposal calling for Syria to place its chemical weapons at the disposal of the international community, to show it has no intentions of using them in an internal conflict. This proposal has been accepted by the Syrian government.

This deprived the US president of all arguments and Congress is to discuss the issue. Barack Obama, however, maintains an ambiguous stance on the matter and has not yet declared whether he agrees with the measure proposed by Russia. He is to meet with President Putin to assess the matter.

Despite massive opposition and so many other calls not to carry out the strike it would be impossible to quote them all, President Obama has not officially discarded the possibility of a limited strike against Syria, aimed at weakening its military force. Such a measure would aid the mercenaries and, in the words of Secretary of State John Kerry, would constitute a clear message to Iran.

It is more than clear that, since mercenaries armed and trained by the CIA and Gulf countries were introduced into the region, the aim of this entire maneuver has been to overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s government and continue to fence Iran in.

Many experts concur that an intervention in Syria could unleash a conflict of incalculable repercussions which would spread across the entire Middle East – a region which is already volatile.

All of these opinions and many others have reached the ears of Barack Obama, but he doesn’t seem to be paying much attention, as though deaf. We can only hope he will abandon the idea of invading Syria, for the benefit of world peace.