Posted on 10/21/2015 6:05:30 AM PDT by EBH
In his first known international trip since civil war began in Syria, President Bashar Assad has just returned from a quick visit in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Assad reportedly briefed Putin on Syria's current and future military operations.
Assad's trip was kept secret until after Tuesday's meeting — and after the Syrian leader's safe return home.
The Kremlin's official account of the meeting includes a quote from Assad, saying, "I want to thank the Russian people once more for the help you are giving Syria and express the hope that we will vanquish terrorism."
Announcing the visit, state media in Syria and Russia say the two leaders discussed how to fight terrorism, and that the sessions — several meetings and a working dinner — also included foreign and defense officials from both countries.
From Beirut, NPR's Alison Meuse reports for our Newscast unit:
"Putin promised he'd work with world powers to find a political solution to the conflict, now in its fifth year. Assad said that terrorism is the main obstacle to peace, and that Russia's air campaign — now in its fourth week — has halted the spread of terror.
"Washington and its regional allies say Assad is part of the problem. But in recent weeks, some of Assad's staunchest critics, including Turkey, say he could be part of a political transition."
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
Maybe he can buy a nice house in Moscow.
Maybe Putin can build a nice beach front house in Syria once the terrorists are disintegrated....or they've all moved to Europe.
I hope this trip is worth the risk - leaving the country during a civil war is a very big deal. I also hope Putin and Assad will work out the short-term details and long-term objectives so that Assad can restore stability to his country.
Obama’s been squeezed out of Syria like a huge white, puss-filled zit on a pimply-faced teenager.
Maybe Qaddaffy should have gone to Moscow, before he got sodomized by a Kalashnikov...
Apparently he left without fanfare and is already back in country. Basically is was a ‘top secret’ type trip.
I agree, getting stability back is key, but with Qatar sending their military to bolster the rebels I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Perhaps this trip to Russia was to discuss that the conflict is taking on larger regional implications.
“Maybe Qaddaffy should have gone to Moscow, before he got sodomized by a Kalashnikov...”
It was a stiletto, not a Kalisnikov, and Hillary laughed about it. She ought not tempt the fates that way.
Now there are two Asshats in Moscow.
Hopefully he'll get control of his country and live there happily ever after.
Putin: Well, “Bash” I would say pretty darn good.
Assad: What is “good”?
Putin: Well, we have killed 2,956 people this week in massive carpet bombing runs. Our estimate is that they were all rebel-terrorists.
Assad: I hear from my INTEL people that 300 of them were terrorists, the remaining numbers were innocent civilians. I mean I don't want to make this whole operation look too bad, right?
Putin: Look “Bash” you wanted help? You want to stay in power? Leave it to my boys, they'll make the other side pay dearly! I am also trying out all kinds of new weapons systems. Most of them are experimental and never been deployed on the battlefield. The results look very promising.
Assad: Yes, but Vlad, this is still my country and I can't kill off the population in the name of my own survival.
Putin: You want to be the governor of the Alawite coastal areas or do you want to be like me, ruler of all the peoples, crusher of skulls.
Assad: Well, all I really wanted to do was be an opthamologist in London...
Putin: Stop your whining you miserable, lowly Arab scum!
Assad: Wh? What? Are you calling me...
Putin: No, no Bash I meant we are best of pals Da?
Assad: OK, ok, just keep up the blitz...
Maybe Putin can seek asylum in Syria, too, when his aggressions, undeclared wars, and crimes against Russian citizens are dealt with. He won’t want to end up like Milosevic.
Now there are two Asshats in Moscow.
To match the two in the White House.
He’s a dynastic dictator and a socialist, the leader of the Syrian Baathist party. His partnership with Iran’s mad mullahs should wake up anyone who thinks he’s the good guy.
I wonder if Putin and Assad discussed climate change while he was there? After all, according to Obama, that’s the biggest threat we are facing.
What's the distance from the Caspian Sea to the center of Qatar?
Even the precise circumstances of his death are shrouded in mystery. Some say one of his own men did him in to avoid death. Others say undercover French assassin got him. Autopsy did seem to show one shot to head and one to abdomen.
Anyway, he is dead. Early on, Assad faced the same probable outcome. But NATO was not on hm as closely as they were Qhadaffi.
Lol! This is like a mafia boss sitting down with some corrupt business owner who’s business they’re about to take over and operate after running off the thugs THEY themselves sent to give the guy ‘problems’. ie, a “protection” payoff.
“But NATO was not on hm as closely as they were Qhadaffi.”
True. I think their attention is more focused on opening the ISIS chapter in Europe right now.
"a recent investigation conducted by Novaya Gazeta, one of the few independent newspapers left in Russia, complicates this cozy tale of counterterrorist cooperation. Based on extensive fieldwork in one village in the North Caucasus, reporter Elena Milashina has concluded that the “Russian special services have controlled” the flow of jihadists into Syria, where they have lately joined up not only with ISIS but other radical Islamist factions.
In other words, Russian officials are adding to the ranks of terrorists which the Russian government has deemed a collective threat to the security and longevity of its dictatorial ally on the Mediterranean, Bashar al-Assad."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/23/russia-s-playing-a-double-game-with-islamic-terror0.html
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Understanding Provocation [Provokatsiya]
One of the most powerful tools the Kremlin has in its secret arsenal of Special War is provocation, what they call provokatsiya.
While Moscow cannot claim to have invented this technique, which has existed as long as there have been secret services, there’s no doubt that Russians have perfected the art and taken it to a whole new level of sophistication and deviousness. At times, it can become a strategy all on its own (not always, mind you, with edifying results).
Provokatsiya simply means taking control of your enemies in secret and encouraging them to do things that discredit them and help you. You plant your own agents provocateurs and flip legitimate activists [in this case, dupe actual Jihadis -ETL], turning them to your side.
When you’re dealing with extremists to start with, getting them to do crazy, self-defeating things isn’t often difficult. In some cases, you simply create extremists and terrorists where they don’t exist. This is causing problems in order to solve them, and since the Tsarist period, Russian intelligence has been known to do just that.
While this isn’t a particularly nice technique, it works surprisingly well, particularly if you don’t care about bloody and messy consequences. ..."
http://20committee.com/2014/03/29/understanding-provocation/
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In other words, it's like starting a fire, or pouring gasoline on a fire, in order to be the 'big hero', being first on the scene to put it out. Except in this case, you get to grab control over the buildings and town you helped 'saved' from the fire you helped to start.
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