Russia and the USA Want Talks Between Syrian Régime and Opposition

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On Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Russia and the USA would set up an international conference on Syria by the end of this month. He’s optimistic that it’d involve both the Syrian government and opposition forces. At a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, Kerry said that the conference would aim at facilitating a solution to the Syrian crisis through political dialogue. Lavrov added that the Syrian government assured Russia that it’s ready to participate in the conference, saying, “But, of course, so far, these are just words that have yet to be transformed into actions”. He went to say that the Syrian opposition hasn’t commented on the proposal. So far, opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have refused to sit down for talks with the régime in the past, saying that Assad’s removal is a non-negotiable issue. Lavrov pointed up that the conference would be a follow-up to last year’s international meeting in Genève that drafted a peace roadmap for Syria.

The communiqué passed in Genève by the UN Action Group on Syria, which includes Syria’s neighbours and the permanent members of the UN Security Council, proposed to start with the creation of a transitional government drawn both from the opposition and Assad’s administration. Both Kerry and Lavrov stressed that Russia and the USA support the Genève roadmap, seeing political dialogue as the only solution for Syria. Kerry said that the alternative is increasing violence, a humanitarian crisis, and the country’s disintegration.

Moscow and Washington have clashed over Syria in the past; the USA put the responsibility for the civil war on Assad’s régime, whilst Russia insisted that the opposition should share the blame for the conflict. Russia blocked several UN Security Council resolutions on Syria, saying that they were biased in favour of the opposition. The USA supported the Syrian opposition, providing the motley coalition of forces (which includes many radical Islamists) with non-lethal military equipment. Recently, a bill filed with the US Senate proposed the supply of weapons to the Syrian insurgents. Kerry said the bill’s fate depended on the American inquiry in progress into reports that the rebels used chemical weapons, but added the matter may become a moot point if the government and the opposition begin dialogue. More than 70,000 have died in the two-year-long present conflict in Syria, according to the latest UN estimates.

8 May 2013

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/world/20130508/181018883/Russia-US-Want-Talks-Between-Syrian-Govt-Opposition.html

Editor’s Note:

Let’s not put too fine a face on this. The USA has woken up to the fact that Islamist radicals would benefit from the toppling of Assad. Besides that, Russia and China are adamant… NO MORE BOMBS! To put the kybosh on the idea of “intervention”, it’s unaffordable (there ain’t nuttin’ in Motha Hubbard’s cupboard, kids… Bush wasted it all on the adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan) and it’d destabilise the entire region (the Gulf States are most jittery on that score, and they’re American allies). Look carefully at:

Recently, a bill filed with the US Senate proposed the supply of weapons to the Syrian insurgents. Kerry said the bill’s fate depended on the American inquiry in progress into reports that the rebels used chemical weapons, but added the matter may become a moot point if the government and the opposition begin dialogue.

That is, Kerry’s given the US government a face-saving fig-leaf. The opposition will refuse to sit down with Assad… then, the USA will piously (and hypocritically) withdraw its former offer of arms. “They won’t sit down for peace talks… they’re terrorists intent on mayhem”. Let’s not be coy, the Boston bombing incident makes it politically impossible for any American régime to cooperate with any group that even looks like it might have Islamic militants within it. Any road, most of Obama’s rhetoric on Syria was election-year hogwash, not meant to be taken seriously by mature adults. Reflect on this… Wet Willy would’ve gotten the USA involved in a very sticky wicket just to placate the Religious Right troglodytes in the GOP. God IS in His Heaven… the Old Master does it again (just like when he defused the claptrap over Iran)… hey, anybody who still chain-smokes, backs Spartak, plays the guitar, goes white-water rafting, and cusses when he wants to can’t be all bad.

BMD

White House Petition Urging the Release of Two Orthodox Christian Archbishops Held Hostage in Syria

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Editor’s Foreword:

Please, sign the petition by using the link below.

BMD

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An appeal to President Obama and his government for the release of two Orthodox Christian Archbishops, namely Archbishop Boulos Yazigi and Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim, who were abducted by armed rebels on 23 April 2013 in the suburbs of Aleppo, Syria. The driver of the Archbishops was murdered and the Archbishops were forced by the rebels to go to an unknown location either in Syria or in Turkey. We appeal to you beloved in Christ and peace loving people to sign this petition urgently asking the American administration to use all its influence for the release of these two Archbishops and to bring a peaceful settlement to this bloody Syrian conflict through a negotiated settlement.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/appeal-president-obama-and-his-government-release-two-abducted-orthodox-christian-archbishops-syria/xNskxL1q

(No URL… sent to me as a cut n’ paste)

 

Still No News on Kidnapped Bishops in Syria

Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yazigi of Aleppo

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A spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo said that there’s still no news about the two Syrian Orthodox archbishops kidnapped a week ago, on 22 April. The spokesman, who preferred to be anonymous for security reasons, spoke today with the Catholic NGO Aid to the Church in Need, saying, “We still don’t know where the two archbishops are or who has taken them. There are many Christians being kidnapped now, and this is the first time where we have absolutely no clue about what has happened, where nobody has taken responsibility for the abduction. Of course, this is very worrying… especially, as we’re now on Day Eight since [the kidnapping] happened”.

Gunmen abducted Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yagizi and Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim some five miles west of Aleppo, the city to which they were returning after travelling to the Turkish border to negotiate the release of two priests… Frs Michael Kayyal and Maher Mahfouz… kidnapped on 9 February. The kidnapped killed the archbishops’ driver, Deacon Fatha’ Allah Kabboud. Even if the archbishops are being held in a safe location, there’s concern for the health of Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Ibrahim, who takes medication for high blood pressure and diabetes, and isn’t thought to have had the medication with him when he was taken.

The diocesan spokesman said that Church leaders were combating pressure from the Christian community. He said that Christians were calling for demonstrations to appeal for the archbishops’ release, a move which that he said could antagonise the kidnappers. Saying that services and prayer vigils were taking place including one broadcast on Syrian TV, he added, “Christians are worried and want to express their anger about what’s happened, but we should carefully study every step… we have to think about what the response would be from the kidnappers”.

He went on to appeal for continuing international pressure for the archbishops’ release. Emphasising the bishops’ high status, he said that he was hopeful that diplomatic intervention would prove effective, noting, “So far, the international community has done very well in putting pressure. We don’t want that pressure to subside… government, civil society, churches, and NGOs… different levels of help might help”. He called on Christians “and all people of good will” to pray for the archbishops’ release, observing, “What’s so sad about this is that both men were among those working hardest for peace, yet, in this time of conflict, they’re amongst those paying the highest price”.

29 April 2013

Zenit

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/aleppo-spokesman-no-news-on-syrian-archbishops

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Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim of Aleppo

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Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi appealed for the release of two Orthodox bishops kidnapped and held in Syria, saying that they should be set free in the name of humanity. Rai made his appeal whilst he served liturgy at Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Brazil, where he’s on an official visit. On 22 April, armed men kidnapped Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yazigi and Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim, both of Aleppo, as they were enroute to the northern city from the Turkish border. Rai said that all parties involved in the kidnappings should “play a part in their release”, and emphasised, “The kidnapping of the two bishops has nothing to do with current political disputes”.

29 April 2013

The Daily Star

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Apr-30/215527-rai-appeals-for-release-of-syrian-archbishops.ashx#axzz2RwEPtGYA

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On Friday, in a strong message of solidarity, Muslim clerics in Damascus denounced the kidnapping of Greek Orthodox Bishop Boulos Yazigi, and Syriac Orthodox Bishop Youhanna Ibrahim, both of Aleppo. Last Monday, armed men abducted the two whilst they were travelling to Aleppo from a town on the Turkish border where they were carrying out “humanitarian work”. The official SANA news agency reported that imams and preachers at mosques throughout the Syrian capital said in Friday sermons that the kidnappers “ dishonoured the inviolability of Christian and Islamic clergymen”. On Saturday, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation joined in, calling for the “unconditional” release of the two bishops. Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu, the OIC secretary general, condemned the kidnapping. The OIC statement urged their “immediate and unconditional release because such acts contradict the principles of true Islam and the [high] status held by Christian clergymen in Islam”. It added that Christian clergy always “had dignity and honour in Islamic countries”.

28 April 2013

ICN: Independent Catholic News

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=22424

No Sign of Orthodox Bishops’ Release, Fears of Political Blackmail Grow

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There’s no sign that the abductors of two Orthodox bishops kidnapped four days ago near Aleppo have released them, despite numerous reports about their liberation. A source, anonymous for security reasons, told AsiaNews, “Nothing; there’s nothing; only unreliable reports. We can talk about their release only when the two bishops are in front of us and can talk to us”. On Monday, gunmen abducted Bishop Youhanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Diocese of Aleppo, and archbishop Boulos Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox diocese of the same city, in Kafr Dael, 10 kilometres (@6.25 miles) from Aleppo, on the Turkish border. The kidnapers killed their driver, a Syriac Orthodox deacon. According to information from the Orthodox Church, the two prelates were negotiating the release of two priests, Fr Michel Kayyal (Armenian Catholic) and Fr Maher Mahfouz (Greek Orthodox), seized in February and still in the hands of kidnappers, even though a ransom was paid for their release.

Damascus pinned the kidnapping of the two bishops on “terrorist groups”. Some sources blamed Chechen jihadists for the abduction. Instead, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the main armed opposition force, accused Syrian troops. Whatever happened, what’s certain is that their abductors kidnapped the two bishops in a rebel-held area, so, opposition officials said that they’d do what they could to ensure their release. Our source told AsiaNews, “However, the release is taking its time, and this is worrisome”. As time goes by, fears are growing that something went wrong. Our source said, “The more time goes by, the worse it gets”. Some fear that the abduction might be a way to force the Church and Christians to take sides. So far, only the UN and the Vatican continue to call for political talks as the only way to end the civil war.

On Wednesday, as he mentioned the two kidnapped bishops, Pope Francisco Bergoglio called “for an end to the bloodshed”, for the delivery of “necessary humanitarian assistance to the population”, and for a quick “political solution to the crisis”. In a joint public statement, the Syriac and Greek Orthodox Patriarchates of Antioch, to which the two kidnapped bishops belong, emphasised that the two prelates were “messengers of peace”, as demonstrated by their “religious, social, and national work”. On this basis, the Patriarchates called on all Churches in the world to reject “all kinds of violence hitting people living in the East”. Similarly, they called on “our partners in citizenship, from all Islamic confessions, to stand hand-in-hand and work together, to repudiate human exploitation and the dehumanisation of man, to not use people as a shield in battle or as a means for monetary or political bribery”. The abduction of the two bishops came at a time when Western governments are increasingly convinced that they must arm the Syrian rebels and the CIA is certain that the Assad régime used nerve gas, a conclusion that could push the USA towards military intervention in Syria.

26 April 2013

Elias Khoury

AsiaNews

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/No-sign-of-Orthodox-bishops’-release,-fears-of-political-blackmail-grow-27766.html

Editor’s Note:

That’s where it stands now… nobody knows nothing, no way, no how… nobody knows a bloody thing. However, the longer that it drags on is not to the good. As the AsiaNews source said, “The more time goes by, the worse it gets”. Light a candle for Bishops Youhanna and Boulos at Liturgy on Sunday and have your priest pray for them… that’s all that any of us can do at present. As I said, the total amount of verified intel on these guys is ZIPPO… don’t build castles in the air.

BMD