nsnbc : The Russian UN Envoy Vitaly Churkin told the press that neither Russia nor the United States want Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to fall. If the words of Russia’s top-diplomat hold true, this surprising consensus has been reached after over four years of war and US calls for the ousting of Assad.
Russian UN Envoy Vitaly Churkin – nsnbc file photo.
On Tuesday, Russian UN EnvoyVitaly Churkin told the US-American CBS that the government of the United States no longer wants the fall of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. The Russian top-diplomat told CBS:
"I think this is one thing we share now with the United States, with the US government: They do not want the Assad government to fall. They do not want it to fall. They want to fight (Islamic State a.k.a. ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) in a way which is not going to harm the Syrian government. … On the other hand, they do not want the Syrian government to take advantage of their campaign against (IS). But they do not want to harm the Syrian government by their action. This is very complex,”
Noting that Russia and the United States are getting closer to reaching a consensus about the situation in Syria, Churkin added:
"They [US authorities] have made a lot great progress in understanding the complexities of the situation. To me, it is absolutely clear that … one of the very serious concerns of the American government now is that the Assad regime will fall and (IS) will take over Damascus and the United States will be blamed for that. "
US’ UN Evoy Samatha Power, here "havin a word with Churkin” at the Security Council. nsnbc file photo – (Microphone off)
As late as last week US President Barack Obama described Russia’s support for President Al-Assad as well as the limited Russian military presence in Syria as "a big mistake”.
Some analysts would note that the presence of Russian"military advisers” plus additional arms deliveries to Syria have been a game changer in a period where US, Turkish and others increasingly discussed the "forming of a coalition of the willing” while circumventing the UN Security Council to oust "the Syrian dictator”.
Churkin’s statement to CBS comes as a surprise after the US’ UN Envoy Samantha Power, on Monday, told CNN that:
"doubling down on a regime that gases its people, that barrel bombs its people, that tortures people who it arrests simply for protesting and for claiming their rights – that’s just not going to work. … Even if you were Machiavelli and all you cared about was ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – former name of IS], to support a regime like this and to not take account of the views of the vast majority of the Syrian people who want to go in a different direction is not going to either bring peace or actually succeed in defeating terrorism.”
Churkin, for his part, stressed that Russia as well as Iran bear the biggest responsibility for the deterioration of the situation in Syria. He noted in turn, that it is pointless to point fingers and blame anyone for the Syrian crisis, adding that:
"Everybody’s responsible. It is easy for me to point the finger but I think simply the situation was misjudged from the outset and then it was allowed to degenerate and how far it will go, I do not know.”
Should Churkin’s statement about an US – Russian consensus about President Al-Assad hold true, than the war in Syria and Iraq could, potentially enter a new phase in which Turkey, whom Pakistani Major (r) Agha H. Amin described as "NATO’s odd wolf” could become NATO’s next target. Thus far, the development of the war in Syria has been largely consistent with the assessment Agha H. Amin made in a February 2013 interview with nsnbc ( see related article below).
CH/L – nsnbc 16.05.2015
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