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Americans and the Russians are leaping over the threshold in Aleppo – almost.
Note the rhetoric: US State Department Spokesman, John Kirby, says:
This invites a double-fisted punch from Major General Igor Konashenkov, Chief of Information, Ministry of Defence:
In fact, Russian missiles have already been fired on the Western-led coalition.
Read this report from Iranian Fars news agency: "The Russian warships fired three Caliber missiles at the Foreign Officers' Coordination Operations Room in Dar Ezza region in the western part of Aleppo near Sam'an mountain, killing 30 Israeli and Western officers." Several US, Turkish, Saudi, Qatari and British and Israeli officers were also killed.
If the militants lay down their weapons "in dignity" and leave, Mistura would "personally" accompany them out. Why would De Mistura's lead that group out of the city which the UN considers a terrorist organisation?
It is all hurtling towards the US elections on 8 November.
So much part of the election propaganda has Russia become that images of the Russian bear, in Donald Trump's corner, menacing the US, must be presumed to have been sketched in the minds of many voters. The one who will fight this monstrous ogre is Hillary Clinton. This build-up of the "Russian enemy", according to some analysts, may therefore be advantageous to Clinton.
Anyone following US-Russian actions in West Asia, particularly Syria, must come away with one unmistakable conclusion: the US, France, Britain, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey tried their damnedest to bring about regime change in Syria. They destroyed Syria, but Bashar al Assad is still President despite their six-year-long war against him.
Russians entered the war to fight terror groups and protect Assad. If they prevail in Aleppo, they will look like the victorious power. Indeed, when CNN's Christiane Amanpour interviewed Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow earlier in the week, he accused the US of helping terrorism in Syria. One would have expected Amanpour to be on the offensive in her follow-up question, but she took it lying down.
The Russian resolution seeking a ceasefire to enable humanitarian aid to the besieged in Aleppo comes with a proviso: all aid convoys will be checked by Russian and Syrian forces.
Lo and behold, Egypt bolts from the coalition on which the Saudis have spent blood and treasure. Egypt supports the Russian resolution.
Just as the Russian-Syrian combine increases its grip over Eastern Aleppo (so far in rebel, al Nusra’s, hands), 62 countries abandon all thought of dethroning Assad; they rush to the Security Council to prevent further deaths in Aleppo.
This would be quite unremarkable were it not for a fact of historic importance. Saudi Arabia and Qatar joined the group seeking a "transition according to the Geneva conventions". Look, who is citing the scriptures! On the eve of US elections, it is all totally topsy-turvy.
Supposing Clinton wins the election, will she as President be able to affect the outcome in Syria? Or have the Russians imposed a fait accompli by totally altering the situation on the ground? Remember her imperious wave of hand as Secretary of State: "Get out of the way, Assad."
(This article has been published in an arrangement with IANS. A senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs, Saeed Naqvi can be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com. The views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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