'For average Syrians all members of opposition are terrorists:' VA Senator Richard Black

Published time: 27 Jan, 2017 12:22
RT

This week, the draft text of a new constitution for Syria was drawn up with the help of the Russian advisors. RT sat down with experts to discuss the provisions in the document and the obstacles to its implementation.

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Outspoken Virginia Republican State Senator Richard H. Black also commented on the draft Syrian constitution: “It is an interesting thing. What Russia is doing is a little bit what the US has done where we have come from a foreign perspective and attempted to impose rules on governments of other countries. It is much more complex with Russia. Because Russia did not begin the war in Syria. The war in Syria was begun by the US, the UK, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Russia was pulled in at a critical time. They are trying to resolve things.”

According to Richard Black, “it is always a problem when people who are not a part of the culture try to impose government rules on another nation. They are trying to bring sides together. The problem that you have is that there are no moderate rebels.”

“Tulsi Gabbard, when she made her visit to Syria, she found exactly what I had found. When I went in April, I met with Bashar Assad, I traveled all around the country and repeatedly Syrians are offended by this idea of rebels or opposition. To them, they are all terrorists,” Richard Black told RT.

[END REPORT]

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Sen. Black's military career and outreach to the Syrian government, from Wikipedia:

Black served as a pilot in the US Marines during the Vietnam War, earning the Purple Heart medal.[1] After the war, he left the service and earned a law degree, returning to military service as a prosecutor with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps.[1] Black later headed the Army's Criminal Law Division at the Pentagon, before retiring from the military in 1994.

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Syria

In April 2014, Black sent an official letter to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,[22] thanking "the Syrian Arab Army for its heroic rescue of Christians in the Qalamoun Mountain Range",[22] praising Assad for "treating with respect all Christians and the small community of Jews in Damascus," and stating it was obvious that the rebel side of the war was largely being fought by "vicious war criminals linked to Al Qaeda" [22][23] Democratic State Senator A. Donald McEachin called the letter "bizarre,"[24] while Republican State Senator Bill Stanley later joked "What's the matter, Dick? Was Kim Jong-un not returning your text messages?".[25]

In 2015 Islamic State included Black in a list of its enemies, calling him "The American Crusader." It quoted the following statement by Black: "One thing is clear, if Damascus falls, the dreaded black and white flag of ISIS will fly over Damascus. ... Within a period of months after the fall of Damascus, Jordan will fall and Lebanon will fall. ... I think you will automatically see a beginning of a historic push of Islam towards Europe and I think, ultimately, Europe will be conquered."[26]

On April 27, 2016, Black began a three-day trip to Syria in support of its government.[27] Explaining his trip in a series of Twitter exchanges with the Washington Post, Black wrote that the U.S. was "allied with two of the most vile nations on earth, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which are intent on imposing a [Wahhabi] fundamentalist government on the Syrian people."[27]

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