Tim Drayton wrote:Get Real! wrote:Tim Drayton wrote:Would any apologist for the Assad regime care to comment on the following?
Meanwhile, on Tuesday evening French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said French prosecutors were opening an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed by the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The investigation will focus on a report published last year by three former war crimes prosecutors which accused the Syrian government of systematically torturing and executing about 11,000 detainees since the start of the uprising against Mr Assad's rule in March 2011.
That report was based on the evidence of a defected military police photographer, referred to only as Caesar, who along with others reportedly smuggled about 55,000 graphic digital images of dead detainees out of Syria.
"Faced with these crimes which offend the human conscience, this bureaucracy of horror... it is our responsibility to act against the impunity of these killers," Mr Fabius said.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34399638
Not any more than you would care to comment on why France conducted sorties inside Syria without a UN mandate or permission by the Syrian government!
Be careful there Tim, you don’t wanna find yourself drowning with the French in their disgraceful double standards!
I note with interest that you find the existence of credible evidence of eleven thousand people being tortured to death funny.
Tim,
Assad is a war criminal and created DAESH as well as all the other groups like Al Nusra and FSA because he snuffed the Arab Spring out with Helicopter Gunships and started to kill the dissidents on the streets. Then, when they began to get militant, he used Chemical Weapons and Gassed thousands of civilians. Then of course, the thousands of political prisoners who died of starvation as you correctly illustrated.
How anyone on this forum can be an apologist for all this and still have a straight face is beyond me.
These are dangerous times. This could be the prelude to WW3. If Russia is not careful, their will be coalition troops on the ground in the very near future. Remember, this is NOT about the USA. It is the COALITION which the USA leads and there are more than 60 coalition members, including Greece and Cyprus. So if this is a prelude to a war between USA and Russia, then technically both Greece and Cyprus are at war too.
Think about it. WW2 started with the invasion of Poland. WW3 could start or have already started in Syria. 60+ countries are already involved.
The USA will not take this action by Russia lightly. Either Putin will have to apply pressure on Assad to transition and negotiate with a power sharing arrangement with the Sunnis who are a majority in Syria, and in the process, destroy all these groups like DAESH and FSA because they would be unable to recruit, or the coalition will send in thousands of troops in FSA occupied areas to support them. Think about it. DAESH and others are getting their support from the Sunni populace. Can you blame them for turning to DAESH when Assad is a madman killing thousands of them?
Remember, the key to all this is to support the most moderate forces in the region, and Hesbollah/Assad and as bad as DAESH/Al Nusra/Al Qaeda. It's evil Vs evil! DAESH are not being targeted by Russia because they are useful to Assad and the Russians since they attack virtually all of Assad's opponents.
Russia better watch its step because there are more fighters on just 1 American Aircraft carrier than there are Russian Fighters in the entire Mediterranean without even taking into consideration what is already in Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, UAE, Bahrain and QATAR.
The other thing Putin will need to be mindful of is that it is likely the USA will have a Republican President soon. If that is going to be Jeb Bush, then all I can say is watch out! It's definitely going to be the Republicans because Obama has been indecisive.
I hope I am wrong, but this war in Syria appears to be an endless and bloody affair and that will not change one iota no matter how many times they are bombed by aircraft. Assad has to go, and the coalition can not enter into any negotiations whatsoever other than his terms for a transition and surrender! Criminals to the Hague!
For as long as Assad remains, there will always be an FSA, Al Nusra, DAESH, Islamic Front and not only. Not only this, but they are going to end up in Tartus.