Damascus Peace, But Syria Still Under Strangling Western Sanctions, Embassy Closures

 

 

A morning drive and walk through Damascus with my friend Lulwa, from the Old City to Midan to the artisan area, Tikkiyeh, near the National Museum.

We discuss Canada’s obscene preventing of Waseem Ramli from taking his post as honourary consul. [Support Waseem]

Lulwa talks about how Canada’s (shameful) closure of Syrian embassies/consulates years ago affect Syrian Canadians in a variety of ways, as well as prevented many Syrians in Canada from voting (democratically) in their presidential elections.

Lulwa also mentions a near-miss she and her mother had in 2011, when western media and fake-left insisted the “revolution” was peaceful in Syria: a site, in Midan, where a (terrorist) explosion took place roughly 15 minutes after they were there.

As we drive, Lulwa points out that the housing on the mountain is largely unregulated, meaning no permits to build the homes, and has been thus for a long time, even though most governments wouldn’t allow this. Certainly doesn’t fit the depiction of the Syrian government as draconian and against the people.

*Note: This evening, as I visited a family, they told me of how one member cannot get the conventional cancer treatment medications those in the West have access to, due to sanctions.

Related:

Mark Taliano:

“These crimes also violate the rights of Canadians to know the truth. The Canadian government’s full spectrum attack on Syria, from the closure of Syrian Embassies which denied expatriate Syrians their right to vote in the 2014 Syrian elections, to the economic blockade, to the information blockade, to the covert support for al Qaeda and affiliated terrorists, means that Canadians themselves are left in a vacuum of imposed ignorance, impaired by the war lies, unable to be informed citizens, and to hold their government to account.”

Syrian American Doctor on The Propaganda, Criminal Sanctions, and War Crimes, In The War on Syria

I spoke with a US-based Syrian doctor, educated and trained in Syria but living in the United States about a variety of issues related to war propaganda on Syria since the start in 2011, as well as the draconian effects of the criminal western sanctions on Syria.

Dr Husam al-Samman on Syrian Health Care System, Criminal Western Sanctions, War on Syria

In early December, I spoke with Dr. Husam al-Samman, a Syrian doctor living in the United States, about issues pertaining to the health care system in Syria; about the early days in Syria–when corporate media claimed the protests were peaceful–and about the criminal western sanctions on Syria, which prevent even the delivery of critically-needed medicines, including Dr. al-Samman’s attempt to deliver medicines for cancer remission patients to Syria and being literally blocked from doing so, in spite of his tireless and heroic efforts, by the United States.

Sanctions on Syria: the criminal, silent, killer

In 2016, I visited the centre depicted in the linked RT news report on the effect of western sanctions on children with cancer. At the time, the director told me they were trying to help 240 children, were underfunded and in debt, the people working there were volunteers, and (at that time) were facing constant power outages, as was the norm in Aleppo due to terrorists outside of Aleppo controlling the power plant.

Eva Bartlett on Syria: myths, media lies, and realities. Imperialism on Trial, Birmingham

Eva Bartlett speaks about the Imperialist war on Syria, looking at myths and media lies on Syria.

This was one of several speeches at Imperialism on Trial, in Birmingham, the third night of the tour.

Panel included:

-The former British Ambassador to Syria, Peter Ford
-Professor Peter Kuznick, co-author (w Oliver Stone) of the Untold History of the United States
-Michael Pike, member of Veterans for Peace, poet.

 

Eva Bartlett on Spring 2018 Visit to Syria, Israeli Violence in Gaza

Recently, Global Research TV had me on to discuss Syria, Palestine, and MSM lies.

 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the myth of sectarianism in Syria

In his latest interview, with RT’s Murad Gazdiev, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addressed the question of whether Sunnis are oppressed in Syria, as corporate and Gulf media so often allege. President Assad replied:

“…the first narrative when it started, internationally–mainly in the West of course–and within Syria, in some mainstream media’s in our region and in the West, their plan was to create this rift within the society that will make things easier for them when you have such a civil war, kind of civil war, between sects or ethnicities. And it failed.

 

Now, they keep using the same narrative at least to encourage some fanatics in different places in the world to come and defend their brothers in this area, cause that’s how they imagine that there is conflict between sects. So, because of their narrow-minded way of thinking, maybe or their ignorance, they came here just to support their brothers.

 

Now, if I’m going to tell you this is right or wrong, your audience doesn’t know me, they don’t have any idea maybe about my credibility. I’ll tell you, you know Syria very well, it’s better to go and see the reality on the ground.

 

If there’s such a narrative, let’s say, in reality sects killing another sect, Syria should be divided now according to sectarian line.

 

…Now, in Damascus, in Aleppo, in Homs, in every area under the Syrian government control you will see every spectrum of the Syrian society with no exceptions. This reality will debunk this narrative. I mean yeah how could they live with each other while the government is killing them, according the sectarian basis? It doesn’t work.”

 

 

President Assad’s words prompted me to reflect on the secular Syria I have seen on eight trips to the country, since first visiting in April 2014. Below, I share related articles, posts, photos and short clips, just a glimpse of secular Syria, where faiths are respected and where most Syrians, if asked about their faith, reply “ana Souri”, I am Syrian.