British former ambassador to Syria slams his government's Syria policy

He added that there was now a Christmas tree in the city’s central square, which there would not have been “if the other side had won”.

The Guardian editor makes a half-hearted attempt to put Ford's remarks in the corner ("Ford, who has been accused of being an apologist for the Syrian regime ...") but this was a flea biting an elephant. 

And remember, this former ambassador to Syria is Peter Ford, not that fiend Robert Ford, the former U.S. ambassador to Syria.     

British policy has made situation in Syria worse, says former ambassador

Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor

December 23, 2016 - 6:20 EST

The Guardian

Peter Ford says Britain should either have committed troops or not have encouraged opposition to mount ‘doomed campaign’

British policy on Syria has been “wrong every step of the way” and made the situation worse, a former UK ambassador to the country has claimed.

Peter Ford, who was the ambassador in Damascus from 2003 to 2006 and has been a persistent critic of UK policy in Syria, said Bashar al-Assad’s government should be given “a little credit” for the “relatively peaceful” end to the siege in Aleppo.

He added that there was now a Christmas tree in the city’s central square, which there would not have been “if the other side had won”.

Ford, who has been accused of being an apologist for the Syrian regime, said the UK government faced a choice between two evils and Assad, rather than a jihadi opposition, was the lesser of the two.

He has always claimed the moderate opposition is very small, and the dominant extreme elements are unreconstructed jihadis bent on destroying the west.

The UK Foreign Office view is that only 200 or 300 of the fighters in Aleppo were loyal to al-Nusra, the al-Qaida franchise in Syria. It claims pluralists dominate in the High Negotiations Committee, the umbrella body that has led negotiations with the UN in Geneva.

Ford also opposed UK bombing of Islamic State in Syria, and at one stage, giving evidence to the defence select committee, argued that Assad would win because “repression works”.

The former diplomat said the UK’s policy on Syria had been mistaken from the start. He said the then prime minister David Cameron should either have been prepared to commit British forces on the battlefield or refrained from “encouraging the opposition to mount a doomed campaign which has only led to hundreds of thousands of civilians being killed”.

“We have made the situation worse,” he said. “It was eminently foreseeable to anyone who was not intoxicated with wishful thinking. The British Foreign Office, to which I used to belong, I’m sorry to say has got Syria wrong every step of the way.

“They told us at the beginning that Assad’s demise was imminent. They told us he would be gone by Christmas – they didn’t tell us which Christmas, so they could still be proven correct – but then they told us that the opposition was dominated by these so-called moderates. That proved not to be the case.

“Now they are telling us another big lie, that Assad can’t control the rest of the country. Well, I’ve got news for them. He is well on the way to doing so.”

Ford – who has served the Foreign Office throughout the Middle East – said Assad’s forces would need first to consolidate their hold on Aleppo and defend against possible counterattacks. He said they were likely to attack East Ghouta in rural Damascus first before turning to Idlib, the rebels’ last remaining urban stronghold.

“However, this is a time to welcome the fact that there is now a Christmas tree in the central square of Aleppo – there wouldn’t be any Christmas tree if the other side had won,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Ford – a critic of most western military interventions in the Middle East – said aerial attacks similar to those conducted by the Russian and Syrian air force were under way in Mosul in Iraq and in Yemen without the west raising concerns.

“I think we are very selective in our indignation about the Aleppo campaign. Similar bombing is going on in Mosul and in Yemen and we give the people there a pass. We don’t talk about atrocities, we don’t talk about war crimes, although they are indisputably being committed in both those theatres. We don’t talk about genocide, holocaust.

“We will be lucky if those campaigns end with the green buses. There were no green buses in Gaza. There were no green buses after the Nato bombing in Yugoslavia. I think we need to give the [Syrian] government a little bit of credit for what has been a relatively peaceful end to this terrible period.”

Pressed on the regime’s attacks on hospitals, Ford said: “It was also a war crime to use hospitals as command centres, which is what the jihadis did. It was also a war crime to use schools to store ammunition, which is what the jihadis did.”

Ford in the past has suggested opposition forces were responsible for the deadly attack on a UN humanitarian convoy in October, but a UN panel of inquiry has said the attack was conducted from the air, and only Syrian and Russian air forces were operating in the area. The UN panel said it could not judge if the attack, which led to the deaths of 10 humanitarians, was a mistake or deliberate.

[END REPORT]

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Pundita watching U.S. policy in Syria unfold

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FARS recaps high points in the Battle of Aleppo

"It seems that al-Muhaysini has sent the foreign members of the militant groups to the Aleppo battlefield to get rid of them," several militants wrote in their posts.

Aleppans celebrating the city's liberation

People Pour into Streets Expressing Joy over Full Liberation of Aleppo from Terrorists

December 23, 2016 - 1:29 [local time]
FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- People in Aleppo took to the streets after the Syrian Army General Command declared restoration of security and stability to Aleppo city and its liberation from terrorists.

The citizens marched through the streets, expressing joy over the victory of the Syrian army and its allies over the terrorists and expelling them from Aleppo.

Aleppo residents carried flags of the homeland and raised pictures of President Bashar al-Assad, while mosques called to prayers and the churches tolled their bells.

On Thursday, the last batch of terrorists and their families left the neighborhoods of Al-Zobaydiyeh, al-Ansari and Salahuddin East of Aleppo.

The Syrian Army and its allies from the resistance front made history and took back the country's second most important city from thousands of terrorists in a landmark victory that will change the future of the war in Syria.

The last pocket of terrorists left Eastern Aleppo on Thursday evening, meaning that the Syrian army and its allies purged all city districts of Jeish Al-Fatah terrorists and completed control over the entire city.

Syria has been grappling with deadly unrests since early 2011, and only after two years, Damascus found itself under the siege of a variety of terrorist groups overtly and covertly supported by the western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

Since mid-2012, the government forces have been fighting with the foreign-backed militants to take control of Aleppo, Syria's largest city and the country’s former commercial hub.

The terrorist groups, mostly from Al-Qaeda's official branch in Syria the Al-Nusra Front, occupied the Eastern, Northeastern and Southeastern districts of Aleppo and the Western, Northwestern and Southwestern parts of the city remained under the control of the army and popular forces.

There were no remarkable changes in arrangement of forces in Aleppo city till September 2015 when the Damascus government requested Iran to send a large number of military advisors, war strategists and commanders to Syria and also asked for Russia's direct military involvement in the war on terrorism.

And that's when the scene changed.

Russia began counterterrorism operations in Syria on September 30, 2015, after Moscow received an official request from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Initially, the military operation started, conducted by a task force of more than 50 aircraft and helicopters, including the Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-24M bombers, Su-25 attack aircraft, Su-30SM fighters and Mil Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.

The Syrian government issued permission to the Russian air force to use two airports in Homs province - in addition to Humeimim airbase in Lattakia - to attack terrorists across the country.

In November 10, 2015, the Syrian army, popular forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, backed up by Syrian and Russian warplanes, removed two-year-long siege on Kuweires military airbase some 60km East of Aleppo city after killing hundreds of ISIL terrorists, as unconfirmed reports said the groundbreaking victory was gained under the leadership of Iran's renowned Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani.

Then, the army kicked off plans to take back Aleppo city.

In July, the Syrian government forces carried out large-scale joint operations to entrap the militants in the Eastern districts of Aleppo city.

On July 12, the army completed its siege of the Takfiri terrorists in the city of Aleppo. The terrorists came under siege in Aleppo city, while the army initiated an assault on Bani Zeid district. Bani Zeid was the most important stronghold of the terrorists in Aleppo city as it was used as a platform for terrorists' daily mortar and missiles attacks on other regions.

The army, Hezbollah, NDF and Iraq's al-Nujaba popular forces then beat militants back from their strongholds in al-Lairamoun neighborhood and took control of Castillo road.

Late in October, the Syrian Army troops and popular forces repelled over a dozen massive offensives of over 16,000 militants on their positions in Western and Southwestern Aleppo city.

Jeish al-Fatah launched several rounds of attacks, codenamed the Great Epic Operation, with over 16,000 militants through the three directions of Ramouseh, Assad Military-Engineering Academy and Artillery Academy Building to break the army's siege of their comrades in the Eastern districts of Aleppo city, but failed.

The Great Epic Operation comprised of four phases of attacks to access and capture the Assad Military-Engineering Academy in Southwestern Aleppo in the first and second phases of operation, and then in the third phase they intended to carry out fresh offensives to capture the Aleppo highway, while the last phase of the operation would focus on the removal of the siege on the militants in Aleppo city.

They failed to attain any of their objectives in the first three days of the operation. Jeish al-Fatah suffered a heavy death toll and retreated from the battlefield without any gain.

Then the terrorists prepared to attack the army positions in the Northwestern outskirts of Aleppo near the Castillo road. And they sustained defeat again.

On October 31, the militants admitted that the Great Epic Operation ended in yet another failure even in absence of Russian airstrikes, blaming their top commander for their "humiliating defeat in Western and Southwestern Aleppo".

The militants complained in their social media posts that Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini, senior al Qaeda-linked cleric and religious leader of Jeish al-Fatah coalition of militant groups, was to blame for the "humiliating result" in Aleppo.

The terrorists slammed al-Muhaysini for his "totally wrong strategy" for removing the army siege on their fellow militants under siege in Eastern Aleppo, saying that his "naive plans sent hundreds of fighters to meet their death".

"It seems that al-Muhaysini has sent the foreign members of the militant groups to the Aleppo battlefield to get rid of them," several militants wrote in their posts.

Some 5,000 militants took part in the first phase of the large-scale Great Epic Operation. Arab media outlets reported at the time that at least 500 militants of Jeish al-Fatah had been killed and 1,000 more wounded only in the first phase.

"Several commanders from Jeish al-Fatah, Nouralddeen al-Zinki and Fatah al-Sham Front (the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group previously known as the al-Nusra Front) were among the slain militants in Aleppo," the Arabic language al-Mayadeen reported.

"Terrorists also shelled residential areas in the Western districts of Aleppo with hundreds of Grad Missiles in revenge," the report said.

Meantime, medical sources reported that Jeish al-Fatah launched chemical attack on residential areas under the control of the government troops in Aleppo city, inflicting casualties on the civilian population in the region.

"Based on evidence and the symptoms reported about the affected population, Jeish al-Fatah has used Chlorine in its chemical attacks this morning," the sources underlined.

But after almost 4 days of heavy clashes, the Syrian Army troops and popular forces exerted unprecedented force on Jeish al-Fatah terrorists and drove them out of the Western and Southwestern parts of the city.

The pro-government forces then intensified their attacks on positions of Jeish al-Islam in recent week after several humanitarian pauses were used by the militants to access fresh forces and cargos of arms and ammunition.

In the meantime, the Russian and Syrian fighter jets were targeting the entire supply lines of terrorists from Hama and Idlib provinces to prevent flow on arms, ammunition and fresh fighter to Aleppo.

Aleppo is now declared a completely liberated city by the Syrian army after more than a thousand terrorists surrendered to the Syrian army at the end of talks with government officials.

The last phase of the army's thunder attacks started this week. In the last few days, hundreds of Fatah Al-Halab (Conquest of Aleppo) militants left Aleppo city on Green Buses Tuesday night after they removed barricades at Bab Al-Hadid Square (the Iron Gate) in Southeastern Aleppo and allowed civilians to evacuate the war zone hours earlier.

The militants of Fatah Al-Halab (Conquest of Aleppo) – one of a dozen terrorist groups operating under the umbrella of Jeish Al-Fatah coalition - surrendered the entire Old Aleppo quarter after the Syrian Army's swift advances West of the Aleppo International Airport risked splitting them apart from their comrades further South.

The terrorists gave up fight and requested ceasefire talks with the government after their massive counteroffensive at Karm Al-Maysar and Karm Al-Qaterjy failed to yield any gains. Making matters worse for the insurgents, the Syrian Armed Forces would proceed to capture Sha'ar district, and the nearby Turbet Lala, Qadi Askar and Qarleq districts to arrive at Bab Al-Hadid on Tuesday.

Later in the day, the militants engaged in secret negotiations with government officials in Aleppo to surrender the Old Aleppo quarter and leave the city.

Bab Al-Hadid Square is a few hundred yards North-East of Aleppo Citadel and is the borderline of the Old Aleppo quarter in the East.

The only pocket of Jeish Al-Fatah terrorists remaining in the city were mostly from Al-Qaeda's Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah Al-Sham Front) and Noureddin Al-Zinki that were further to the South in Bostan al-Qasr (Also Bostan Alkaser) and its adjacent districts and under a very tight siege of the army and Hezbollah troops.

Early Wednesday morning reports by several regional Arab media outlets quoted rebel sources as declaring that a major part of the factions operating in the few remaining Eastern Aleppo districts had agreed to pull out completely, while others continued the fight and ran parallel talks with Syria and Russia through Turkey on the terms of their surrender or relocation to other cities.

Reports suggested that a Turkish-Russian agreement has been reached over the surrender of the remaining East Aleppo districts under jihadists' control after extended negotiations between leaders of opposition groups and Russian officers in Turkey.

The Syrian army also confirmed that militants will start leaving Aleppo in 48 hours.

Meantime, militants have started confirming through their social media pages and websites that they are to leave Aleppo after several years, acknowledging defeat.

Over the last several days terrorists' affiliated media outlets have been sending consoling messages, saying 'we are losing Aleppo but we will fight in other places', showing that they were preparing to surrender Aleppo, but the messages appearing on these media now are all filled with sorrow, acknowledging final defeat.

On the other side of the war, radio exchanges are heard among Syrian army and Hezbollah commanders felicitating each other on the landmark victory that is a turning point in the war on terrorism in Syria and will be of unrivaled weight at any political talks on the future of Syria.

People All throughout Aleppo are heard shouting Allah-u-Akbar (God is Great) from their rooftops and mosques in a show of joy and victory.

Aleppo will once again see a calm day and there will be many family reunions when citizens come together from the West and the East to celebrate end of war in their city. They will shed tears, but this time of joy, today or tomorrow.

Rifts are widening among the militants over the major loss, with each faction blaming others for the humiliating defeat that took such a short time that even surprised Syrian army commanders.

Ever since Tuesday, the terrorists have been on the run retreating from one district to another Southeast of Aleppo city, while tens of militants were turning themselves in to the army men in newly-captured regions.

Since the capture of Iron Gate (Bab al-Hadid) district, the Syrian pro-government forces captured the Old Aleppo quarter, Al-Marja, Sheikh Lutfi, al-Zeidiyeh, Seif al-Dowleh, Karam al-Jabal, al-Qayoul, al-Farafereh, Qastal al-Hararmi, al-Bayadheh, al-Safsafeh, al-Qasliyeh, Ma'adi, Bab an-Nayrab, Jbb al-Quebeh, Bab al-Nasr, al-Mashatiyeh, al-Jadideh, Bab al-Maqam, al-Fardos, Karam Humad, al-Boloura, al-Asila, al-Zabdya, Maqale', al-Ansari, al-Salehin, al-Kalasa, al-Ansari, al-Mash'had, al-Sukri, Karam al-Da'ada, al-Nezha, Sheikh Saeed, Bostan al-Qasr (Bustan al-Kaser) districts.

[END REPORT]


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Being shown live now- Putin annual marathon presser Q&A (UPDATED 6:20am, 7:57am ET)

Last Update

Gah, it's over! 

"He answered a total of 47 questions. The press conference lasted for over 3 hours 50 minutes."

I just love Putin's annual press conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlLb5s2rr_E

Update, from earlier in presser:
Putin: 

"The next phase [in Syria] must see a nationwide ceasefire. Then political negotiations must take place. We have suggested that they could take place in Astana. Erdogan and Assad have agreed to that."

Sputnik is live-blogging the presser.

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A British priest learns firsthand that his government has been lying about Syria

"Why is it, given that stories about massacres by the Syrian Army are headline news worldwide, and several international media units are in Aleppo, that there is not one international media agency actually at the Registration Centre talking to the refugees themselves? We were the only ones there."

I think the good Reverend is too polite to write what I did in the title; instead, he confined his criticism to "Western" media. But by the time you finish reading his account it won't take imagination to guess what he thinks of his government's utterances about Syria. After all, much of what the media report about the Syrian war is quotes from government sources or a parroting of the quotes. 

I note that I don't belong to Facebook, where he published his account, so I took if from another website and republish it in full below, minus the photographs. 

I'll also note, because he doesn't mention it in the account, that the December trip he describes was not his first visit to Syria. He'd been there last in November 2015 for his doctoral research on Syrian Christian-Muslim relations. But I think it was his prior observations in the country that alerted him he might not be getting the truth from the British and other Western media about the situation for E. Aleppo residents.

At any rate, he decided to make a surprise visit to see things for himself, and without notifying the Syrian government of the true intent of his trip.  Here is what he found:
      
ALEPPO: THE TRUTH THAT THE WESTERN MEDIA REFUSES TO REPORT
DECEMBER 15, 2016

Tal Fanzine

Andrew Ashdown is a Church of England priest studying Christian-Muslim relations in Syria. In the last few days he has visited East Aleppo. This is the report of his visit to the area yesterday (14th December) that he published on his Facebook page. (Photos by Andrew Ashdown):

This morning we visited the main IDP Registration centre at Jibrin for Internally Displaced Persons from East Aleppo. They are registered here for humanitarian reasons and access to services before they go either to relatives in other parts of Syria if they have them (many do), or to other reception centres where they are provided with accommodation, food and other services. 

During the past two weeks they have registered 95,000 refugees but estimate there may be a further 10,000 who have not registered. There were thousands of people there who have arrived within the last couple of days. 

Let me make clear that we visited in a taxi without Government or Army accompaniment, and without prior notice. We were not expected.

The Centre is well organised. The Syrian Red Crescent have tents available that offer information about all social welfare facilities available, and offer free medical attention. In cases of emergency, ambulances are on hand to transport patients to hospital. Free food is being distributed by the Syrian Red Crescent and the Syrian Army, and we saw a convoy of Russian lorries [delivering] aid. There is also a Russian field hospital on site which offers immediate medical treatment.

The sense of relief amongst the thousands of refugees is palpable.

All were keen to talk, and we interviewed several who had arrived only yesterday and today. They all said the same thing. They said that they had been living in fear. They reported that the fighters have been telling everyone that the Syrian Army would kill anyone who fled to [Western Aleppo], but had killed many themselves who tried to leave – men, women and children. 

One woman broke down in tears as she told how one of her sons was killed by the rebels a few days ago, and another kidnapped. They also killed anyone who showed signs of supporting the Government. The refugees said that the ‘rebels’ told them that only those who support them are “true Muslims”, and that everyone else are ‘infidels’ and deserve to die.

The refugees told us they had been given very little food: that any aid that reached the area was mostly refused to them or sold at exorbitant prices. Likewise, most had been given no medical treatment. (A doctor who has been working with the refugees for weeks told me last night that in an area recently liberated, a warehouse filled with brand new internationally branded medicines had been discovered.) 

Most of the refugees said they had had members of their families killed by the rebels and consistently spoke of widespread murder, torture, rape and kidnap by the rebels. They said if anyone left their homes, their properties and belongings were confiscated and stolen.

One old man in a wheelchair who was being given free treatment in the Russian Field Hospital said he had been given no treatment for three years despite asking. He said: “Thank God we are free. We now have food. We can now live our lives. God bless the Syrian Army.” 

They all said they were glad to be out and to be free. All the refugees without exception were visibly without exception clearly profoundly relieved and happy to be free. One woman said: “This is heaven compared to what we have been living.” 

We asked if the Syrian Army had ill-treated anyone. They said never. One woman said: “They helped us to escape and they provide us with food and assistance.”

I therefore have two key questions:

1. It is now only the Syrian Red Crescent, the Syrian Army, and the Russians who are providing humanitarian aid to the tens of thousands who have fled East Aleppo. Why are none of the international agencies offering to help them now?

2.  Why is it, given that stories about massacres by the Syrian Army are headline news worldwide, and several international media units are in Aleppo, that there is not one international media agency actually at the Registration Centre talking to the refugees themselves? We were the only ones there. 

Here are people who have lived through it who are keen to talk, yet the media take at face value unverifiable claims by highly dubious sources. The collapse of any form of reliable investigative journalism in a context of global significance is utterly shocking.

Today the agreement for 4000 fighters to leave Aleppo is reported to have collapsed after the fighters had refused to fulfil the agreement. (I don’t know the details, but think about it -- there is no reason on earth why the Syrian Government would want this agreement, which would involve the complete liberation of the city, to fail!) It is reported that the fighters refused to leave or let the civilians do so.

The refusal of the western media to report objectively, or to seek informed information from the thousands of civilians from East Aleppo who are keen to share their stories, whilst granting full credibility to terrorists without any on the ground verifiable information on their claims, is nothing short of obscene.

Everything that I have seen and heard in Aleppo; from civilians in East and West from all communities, and from talking with doctors, faith communities and with Army people as well, and witnessing and risking bombardments on both sides, convinces me that the reports in the western media are twisted fabrications of the horrors that are happening in ‘rebel’ controlled areas. And still, the media refuses to listen to the witness of the people themselves.

Postscript: Christmas is coming in Syria. In a country and a city in which people of all faiths are free to worship; where mosques and Churches stand side by side; and where Christmas music is playing in cafes and restaurants. And yet the world is mourning the defeat in Aleppo of extremists who destroy Christian and Muslim places of worship, and slaughter any who do not follow their obscene ideology.

[END]

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LAST MILITANTS LEAVE E. ALEPPO, UN SATISFIED WITH EVACUATION

BREAKING NEWS
Sputnik
21:24 - December 22, 2016 

The remaining militants have left Aleppo, which is now fully controlled by the Syrian army, a military source told RIA Novosti. Later, the Syrian army confirmed in a statement that the whole city is now under the control of Damascus.

The last convoy evacuating militants from eastern Aleppo has left the city, the source said. "This convoy is the last one. Now we can say that all militants have left Aleppo, and the city is fully controlled by the Syrian army," the source said.

"The command of the Syrian army declares that peace and security returned in the city of Aleppo," the army's statement read.

"This victory is of strategic importance and has become critical in the fight against terrorism on the one hand and dealing a blow to terrorists' project and all who supports them," the Syrian army said.

Earlier in the day, Lebanese media reported that the last convoy, consisting of 15 cars and 4 buses, has begun to leave eastern Aleppo.
[...]

UN Satisfied With Ongoing Evacuation From Eastern Aleppo - Diplomatic Source
20:46 - December 22, 2016
Sputnik

According to a diplomatic source close to the International Syria Support Group, the UN is satisfied with the ongoing evacuation from Eastern Aleppo.

GENEVA (Sputnik) – The United Nations is satisfied with the ongoing evacuation from Eastern Aleppo and notes the positive contribution of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation, a diplomatic source close to the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) told Sputnik on Thursday. 

"The UN leadership is generally satisfied with the course of evacuation of citizens and militants from the eastern districts of Aleppo that is being carried out now and notes the significant contribution of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation," the source said.

[END REPORT]

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Andrey Karlov and the Russian Orthodox Christian Church in North Korea

"While ambassador to North Korea, he was instrumental in the building of a Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Pyongyang through discussions with Kim Jong Il. The cathedral was consecrated in 2006."

Holy Trinity Cathedral, Pyongyang

"Andrey Gennadyevich Karlov (Russian: Андре́й Генна́дьевич Ка́рлов; 4 February 1954 – 19 December 2016) was a Russian career diplomat who served as the Russian Ambassador to Turkey and earlier as the nation's ambassador to North Korea.

"In 1992, he graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He was fluent in Korean, and served in different roles in the USSR embassy in North Korea from 1979 to 1984, and 1986 to 1991. Between 1992 and 1997 he worked in the Russian embassy in South Korea, and served as Russia's ambassador to North Korea from 2001 to 2006. 

"While ambassador to North Korea, he was instrumental in the building of a Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Pyongyang through discussions with Kim Jong Il. The cathedral was consecrated in 2006."  (Wikipedia)

It is hard to encompass the great import of Ambassador Karlov's diplomatic accomplishments in North Korea. 

As to those who sniff that the cathedral has few visitors other than tourists -- I'd say the history of Christianity is the best answer. The cathedral has only been standing for a decade, a blink in the eye of time.

March 2007:

From Pyongyang to Vladivostok to learn the Orthodox Easter Liturgy

Two priests, ordained last August by the North Korean Orthodox Church, visited Vladivostok to learn about Lenten celebrations and the Easter Liturgy. The links between the two Churches remains, both under the authority of Alexi II.

Vladivostok (AsiaNews) – At the beginning of Lent North Korean Orthodox priests visited the Russian city of Vladivostok, to attend the Cathedral of St Nicolas and learn the seasons liturgy and Easter celebrations. The decision to journey to the Siberian city was born of the fact that the two, who were ordained priests in the only Orthodox Church in the North Korean capital, the Holy Trinity, received their formation in Vladivostok.

With the two – Fr. Feyodor Kim and Fr. Ioann Ra – was Kim En Chang, a graduate from the Gnesiny music school, who also studied scared music in Vladivostok. The formation of North Korean clergy in Russia was granted thanks to the efforts of the North Korean Orthodox Commission, set up in Pyongyang in 2002.

According to Fr. Dionisy Pozdnyayev, a Russian Orthodox priest from the Moscow Patriarchate invited by the North Korean government to minister to foreign nationals in the North Korean capital, the creation of an Orthodox Committee "marks the official recognition of Orthodoxy".

During the Russian “workshop”, ties between the two Churches were strengthened – both fall under the authority of the Patriarch of the Russias Alexi II – and it was confirmed that a Russian priest and choir have been sent top take part in the Korean Easter celebrations.

By the early 1900's some 10,000 Koreans converted to Orthodoxy as a result of Russian missioners' work in cities like Seoul (South Korea) and Wonsan (North Korea) and several villages. However, Japanese colonial rule and the Stalinist regime in the north cut short the process of evangelisation.

Missionary activity did start again in South Korea where there are now four Orthodox churches

The Vladivostok's delegation is not the first on Russian ground: four North Koreans are studying at the Moscow Patriarchate's Theological Seminary. Two Russian students from the Moscow Theological Academy are also currently studying the Korean language and culture at Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University.

[END REPORT]

The Agne Partheni chanted (perfectly) by a Korean in a ceremony in 2011 at Holy Trinity Cathedral, with Amb. Karlov in attendance:  

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Al Qaeda takes gullible Norwegians to the cleaners

One born every minute: 

 ... According to Steigan, the White Helmets are in fact none other than al-Nusra's propaganda department, with a budget of at least $100 million, funded from the United States and other countries supposedly at war with terrorism. The supposedly independent Syria Campaign, which involved shock content to [promote] a full-blown Western campaign against Syria, was in fact yet another propaganda vehicle for the White Helmets.

However, when East Aleppo fell, the White Helmets were gone without a trace, as were other "humanitarian" organizations which largely benefitted from EU and US help.

Norway alone funneled millions upon millions of dollars in tax money and private donors through the Norwegian People's Aid (NPAID), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the Norwegian Aid Committee (NORWAC).

"What did appear were massive food and medicine storages, which together with depots of weapons and chemicals were enough to keep the war going on for years," Steigan wrote, claiming that the terrorists used civilians as human shields and fully controlled the supplies that were intended for the civilians. ...

The passages above and below are from Sputnik's report today, Heroes or Zeroes? Questions Raised About Upright Image of 'White Helmets' 

According to Norwegian blogger Pål Steigan, who lashed out against lavish Norwegian contributions to the morally dubious cause, the whole White Helmet business is "a downright fraud" from beginning to end.

"When East Aleppo fell, there wasn't a single White Helmet anywhere to be seen. They had all vanished into thin air, together with the narrative of the heroic Syrian uprising that the mainstream media has been expelling for years," Pål Steigan wrote. ...

They didn't vanish. They were transported back to Turkey, from whence they came. But if it's any comfort to Steigan, Norwegians weren't the only ones taken in. Yet one would think that after all these centuries people would be cautious when they learn that a humanitarian organization to help in a country targeted for takeover was set up by a 'former British officer.' 

Pundita don't laugh it's not funny. Speaking of the British, today FARS has its knickers in a twist about the latest outrage:

British Generals in Syria to Recruit Aleppo Terrorists

TEHRAN (FNA)- A group of British Generals and military advisors have arrived in Syria to recruit and train the terrorist groups which have withdrawn from Aleppo, a Russian daily reported.

The Izvestia newspaper reported that UK Defense Minister Michael Fallon had earlier said that 20 British military instructors have already arrived in Syria to "restore the combat capability of units of the moderate opposition which has retreated from Aleppo".

Earlier reports, in October, said that Britain had sent its military experts to Syria before Aleppo's liberation by the Syrian army to train the fresh terrorists for combat, medical first aid, and bomb defusal.

Based on reports in certain media and the social media pages, the mission of these advisors changed with a change in conditions and their first mission now is to assess the combat capabilities and military equipment of the terrorist groups which have left Aleppo and they are due to determine new strategies for the so-called "moderate" dissidents to unite them under a unified military command.

The British Generals and [other] officers are now being safeguarded by the air force. ...

I'll never forget the time Brzezinski was in a TV debate about the feasibility of the U.S. bombing Libya to support French and British attempts to overthrow Qaddafi. At one point he said, "The British and French are hated in the Middle East. Why would the U.S. want to associate itself with those two in that part of the world?"

I blurted, "He's grown a brain in his dotage!" But I'm sure he always knew; he just didn't feel like emphasizing it while he worked in the U.S. government. 

They hate the British and French in that part of the world because they know them, and this extends to North Africa. But then they start in with the 'Enemy of my enemy is my friend' business, and that is how they get taken in again.

[shrugging] A fool is born every single minute, and the British government knows that very well.

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"Bad Weather Slows Terrorists' Evacuation from Aleppo, All Militants Likely to Leave by Late Thursday"

Aleppo in the snow 

Before I turn to the 12/22 FARS report headlined in the title of this post, FARS reported yesterday that there had been a "blizzard" in Aleppo. Obviously from the photo in today's report it hasn't been a Chicago-style blizzard, but the snow and freezing temperatures have slowed evacuations. (From the Weather Underground site, snow was expected again Thursday morning, then clearing and warmer temperatures.)

However, AMN reported at 7:15pm local time yesterday, All civilians transported out of east Aleppo: Red Cross:

Over 30 buses filled with 1,000 militants and civilians reportedly departed from the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo to a jihadist-controlled area near the Idlib Governorate, a military source told Al-Masdar News on Wednesday.

As a result of today's evacuation, the Red Cross has declared the last militant-controlled neighborhoods of eastern Aleppo civilian-free.

All-in-all, tens of thousands of civilians were safely transported to government and militant-held areas inside the provincial capital, ending the two month-long humanitarian crisis that was at the forefront of many media networks.

Earlier today, the remaining militants from Fatah Halab and Jaysh Al-Fateh were given one last warning regarding their departure from the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo by the Syrian Arab Army.

Should the militants refuse to leave east Aleppo, the Syrian Arab Army has promised to eliminate the final jihadist rebel forces still operating inside the city's eastern sector.

 [END REPORT]

All right; now to FARS: 

December 22, 2016 - 3:40 - [local time]

TEHRAN (FNA)- A Red Cross spokesperson said the evacuation process in Eastern Aleppo might last until the end of Thursday with tens of buses and vehicles transferring the militants out of the city, while other sources declared the end of the evacuation operation.

Spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Inji Sidqi said tens of buses and vehicles dedicated to carrying the militants will leave Eastern Aleppo on Thursday and the evacuation operations will last until late Thursday night.

Also, the websites affiliated to the dissidents said that the bad weather conditions and snow disrupted the evacuation operations in Eastern Aleppo and tens of militants are waiting for the green buses to take them out of the region.

A number of activists in the region also said that 20 buses and 700 vehicles were due to enter Western Aleppo from the Eastern parts of the city, but 17 buses and 175 vehicles have reached the region so far.

ICRC President Peter Maurer said the International Committee of the Red Cross has evacuated some 30,000 people from Eastern Aleppo in Syria since the start of the process.

Maurer told RIA Novosti that evacuations would continue for several more days until the remaining residents wishing to leave the city are accommodated and there is no need for further evacuations.

[END REPORT]

So, by Christmas, which is celebrated December 25 in Syria, the evacuations should be complete or nearly so. Then it will be the Syrian military's job to clear the few diehards from E. Aleppo, then de-mining operations will expand in that portion of the city. After that, many evacuees now in shelters in W. Aleppo can return to their homes, such as they are.  

Now let me see if there's been any late-breaking news on the evacuations.  [taptaptaptaptap] Not at this moment. Fingers crossed......

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"Are India and Pakistan set for water wars?"

By Navin Singh Khadka, Environment reporter
BBC World Service
December 22, 2016

India is stepping up efforts to maximise its water use from the western rivers of the Indus basin, senior officials have told the BBC.

The move would involve building huge storage facilities and canals.

The three rivers flow through Indian-administered Kashmir but most of the water is allotted to Pakistan under an international treaty.

Experts say Delhi is using the water issue to put pressure on Pakistan in the dispute over Kashmir.

Relations have deteriorated since a deadly militant attack on an Indian base in September. Pakistan denies any link to the attack.

Excuse my interrupting but what "experts?" Would the reporter care to name the sources or at least specifiy the number?  Is it two experts or 20 or --

For the record, the water issues would be arising with or without the dispute over Kashmir and cross-border attacks. And if we go all the way to the end of the report, we find this 'little detail:'

Some water resources analysts believe Delhi will also have to be mindful of China before making any major move.

In September, Tibet blocked a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo river (known as the Bramhaputra in India) as part of its most expensive hydro project, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

The news came just when Indian media were suggesting that Delhi could pull out of the IWT.

"We need to remember that China is an upper riparian country in Indus and Bramhaputra basins and it is also Pakistan's closest ally," said [water expert] Mr Thakkar.

Many experts agree that completing such huge and complex infrastructure projects may not be as swift as some Indian officials suggest.

I don't know what the reporter means in the last sentence -- is the reference to Indian or Chinese projects, or both? And how many experts are we talking about? Never mind, because it's no use complaining about the state of journalism.

But in between the opening and closing paragraphs the reporter attempts to explain the current dust-up between Pakistan and India about a water treaty. 

At this point I am still focused on the Syrian War, which I hope against hope can be largely resolved once the new American administration settles in. At any rate, I will be returning to water issues soon after the start of the new year. For now, I repeat the advice I gave Indians a few years ago about water. To summarize: 

Don't get further entangled in water disputes with China and Pakistan. Focus, focus, focus on what you can do to repair and expand India's water infrastructures and increase water conservation in every way possible at this very primitive stage of humanity's knowledge of conservation methods. DO THIS BECAUSE YOU HAVE FAR LESS TIME THAN YOU REALIZE TO CONSERVE.

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"Aleppo airport to be re-opened as Army triumphs"

By Zen Adra
December 21, 2016
AMN

Syrian authorities are in full swing to reopen the Aleppo international airport for civilian flights after years of closure due to the heavy fighting between the Syrian Army and rebel forces.

The reopening of the country's second largest airport comes as government forces, backed by allies, managed to fully re-take all rebel-held districts in the city's east.

Thousands of militants and civilians are now being evacuated from their last pocket as per an agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey.

The airport was first closed in January 2013 when rebel fighters stormed Brigade 80 to the north of the airport. It was then reopened for a shot time in January 2014.

[photos of airport as it is today]

[END REPORT]

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"India Overtakes Britain as the World’s Sixth-Largest Economy"

By Robbie Gramer

December 20, 2016
Foreign Policy - The Cable

... India’s economy has reportedly overtaken the United Kingdom’s for the first time in over 100 years, now standing as the world’s sixth-largest economy by GDP after the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and France. The milestone is a symbol of India’s rapid economic growth and, conversely, the U.K.’s post-Brexit slump.

Economically, it’s been a banner year for India. In February, it surpassed China as the world’s fastest-growing economy. And in October, the International Monetary Fund predicted India would retain that title for the foreseeable future; its GDP is projected to increase by 7.6 percent through 2017. ...

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Pundita paging Bashar Al-Assad! Please accept Bibi Netanyahu's offer!

Israel offers to take in injured people from Aleppo

Paul Antonopoulos

December 21, 2016

AMN

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has ordered his government to “find ways” to bring injured civilians from Aleppo, Syria, to Israeli hospitals.

That could clear the way for hundreds of Syrians, a country still technically at war with Israel, to cross into the country at the express invitation of a prime minister normally known for his hard-line positions on Iran, the Palestinians, and other issues, according to Vox.

“We see the tragedy of terrible suffering of civilians and I’ve asked the Foreign Ministry to seek ways to expand our medical assistance to the civilian casualties of the Syrian tragedy, specifically in Aleppo,” Netanyahu said during a reception for foreign correspondents based in Israel.

“It’s being explored as we speak,” he confirmed.

I am hoping that when Israelis come to transport the injured they might bring with them toys for children in the shelters. Anyhow, please, please, say Yes to the offer! Please! 

While you're deciding, here is some Christian music, African style, to decide by, in honor of the Christmas season. Lots and lots of drumming and dancing and singing along with the choir!     

Jai Ho! 

  
  

Christmas Tree Lighting in Aleppo: Light drives out darkness

RT reported yesterday that for the first time since 2012 Azizieh Square in W. Aleppo city held its Christmas tree lighting. There was an explosion of unknown origin in the background a few minutes later but it didn't stop the celebration.

"Balconies of houses around the square were festooned with Syrian and Russian flags, as hundreds of members of the Christian minority of what was once Syria’s biggest city, celebrated a symbolic return to normality, following the recapture of the city by government forces earlier in December."

"A brass band played seasonal standards, and many filmed the ceremony – an unusual sign of ordinary civilian life – on their smartphones."

It's a great moment when the gigantic tree is lit up, along with many lights all around the square.

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Don't worry, the Syrian War will start making sense any year now.

Convoy of Evacuation buses in E. Aleppo

Photo: AFP 2016/ KARAM AL-MASRI via Sputnik

We're going to charge through an Evacuations sitrep, as it stands at this minute, plus a crash course on two important Syrian villages and a few remarks on Christian members of Hezbollah. Ready?  

On Dec. 20 FARS posted a video report about the evacuation of approximately 900 civilians from two villages that had been under siege from the bad guys, and which had been mentioned quite a bit in the press in recent weeks:Fuaa & Kefraya. From the text accompanying the video, these evacuees "... entered Aleppo city from Idlib and were sent to temporary residential centers in Jibrin district."  

However, this being the Syrian War, in which what was true a minute ago is not true in the next minute, and besides it turns out there are more than 900 people in those two villages -- (Just how big is the average Syrian village? Much bigger than before the war because they're crammed with refugees from cities.):

Yesterday FARS reported that the evacuation from E. Aleppo were proceeding apace. Today, as of 
1:35 local time FARS reported:

Terrorists Breach Evacuation Agreement in Idlib, Exit of Militants From Aleppo Suspended

[Well, at least it's progress now that FARS is making a distinction between militants and terrorists].

Not to be outdone, at 15:46 local time today Sputnik reported:

Evacuation of Militants From Eastern Aleppo Being Completed - Kremlin

From the report it looks as if Sputnik's Arabic desk and the Kremlin are not entirely in synch. [taking a swig from the sherry bottle] Okay, let's do the FARS report first:
TEHRAN (FNA)- A security source disclosed that terrorists groups' lack of commitment to an agreement on exit of injured civilians from two militant-held towns in Idlib pushed evacuation of militants and their families from the Eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo into suspension.

The source said that the terrorist groups that have laid siege on Fua'a and Kafraya towns in Northern Idlib once again violated the evacuation agreement's terms, leaving negative impact on the trend of transferring militants and their families from Eastern Aleppo.

The Arabic language desk of Sputnik reported that only one bus could take the militants and their families out of Aleppo yesterday and after that evacuation operation was suspended. [emphasis mine]

The source further added that it was agreed that the last group of militants and their families leave Aleppo in return for evacuation of the injured and patient civilians on 8 buses from Fua'a and Kafraya, but terrorists prevent exit of buses carrying the injured and patients from the two towns in Idlib, violating the terms of the evacuation agreement.

The source went on to say that relevant officials are trying hard to pave the ground for the restart of civilian evacuation from Fua'a and Kafraya.

Based on the latest reports 15,500 militants and their families have thus far left Aleppo and the army has called for faster evacuation of militant from the Eastern neighborhoods to dispatch engineering units to defuse terrorist-planed bombs and mines in the newly-freed districts.

A military source disclosed on Tuesday that a growing number of militants that had earlier called for evacuation from Aleppo refused relocation to terrorist-held regions in Idlib and turned themselves in to the Syrian Army troops, applying for amnesty.

The source said that while over 3,400 militants turned themselves in to the government forces since the army started operation in Aleppo's Eastern neighborhoods, a growing number of more militants and their families asked for government amnesty.

The militants that applied for amnesty rejected relocation to Idlib.

Meantime, reports said on Tuesday that the army troops urged terrorist groups to speed up their evacuation from Eastern Aleppo as engineering units are preparing to start defusing bombs and mines in the newly-liberated districts as soon as evacuation ends.

The army called on terrorist groups to leave Aleppo along with their families as soon as possible because the engineering units are waiting for the moment to start defusing bombs and mines planted by militants in the newly-liberated districts.

Reports further added that tens of buses and a number of ambulances entered Aleppo's Western countryside this morning carrying militants and their families.

A group of militants was transferred to the regions of Orum al-Kobra and Kafr Naha and other groups were dispatched to Idlib city.

Tens of buses were in al-Sukri district to take the rest of militants and their families out of Aleppo.

The army soldiers deployed around the besieged neighborhoods in Eastern Aleppo called on the militants to leave the region faster. 

[END REPORT]

Are we game for Sputnik's report from the Kremlin? So what else do we have to do with our time?  

MOSCOW (Sputnik) The process of pulling out militants from the Syrian city of Aleppo is being completed, the militaries of Russia and Turkey cooperate closely, and a series of negotiations produced results, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

Last Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry's center for Syrian reconciliation announced the end of the operation to liberate the city from militants who controlled the eastern neighborhoods since 2012. After that, evacuation of militants and their families, as well as evacuation of civilians started from eastern Aleppo. The day before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed hope that the process would be completed in a few days.

"Now the pulling out of militants from eastern Aleppo is being completed. Moscow and Ankara closely interact through our defense ministries and general staffs. A series of intense negotiations produced a result, and the liberation of the city has a very important military, strategic and symbolic significance," Peskov told the MIR 24 television channel.

[END REPORT]

Got all that?  [taking another swig of sherry] Next:

By the way, those two villages mentioned at the top of this post are no longer exclusively Shiite, although you wouldn't know that from mainstream media reports about them. From a knowledgeable commenter at Sic Semper Tyrannis ("Bandolero") during a December 18 discussion with SST leader Colonel Pat Lang, who is himself very knowledgeable about the Middle East and its religions:

Fuah is mainly a 12er ["Twelver" Shiite sect] Shia village while Kafraya was mainly Ismaili. Today, because of the war, the reality is a bit different, because now there are all kind of people from other villages nearby, like Sunni government employees, Alawis, Christians and so on, who fear to be persecuted by the takfiri jihadis and [who] looked for shelter not far from home. 

And of course, there are large contingents of the Syrian army and Hezbollah there. Without the contribution of the Syrian army and Hezbollah these famous resistance villages were long gone. And yes, here you are [right' the people of Fuah and Kafraya became famous. Heroic songs about Fuah and Kafraya are quite popular among 12er Shia, Hezbollah and Janubis.

https://youtu.be/dWVo9FgXD-4

Regarding the discussion of Alawites being Muslim or not, I think these times are long gone on the Shia side. I don't know any Shia, and especially no marja, who doesn't regard Alawis as Muslim. A couple of decades ago, when Musa Al Sadr and Imam Khomenei ruled the Alawis to be Muslims and lost sons of the Shia, that may have been controversial, but on the Shia side that discussion is settled.

And the other thing is that the times when Hezbollah was a 12er Shia militia are also gone somewhat. Hezbollah nowadays defines itself not sectarian, but politically; i.e., as resistance (against Israel and Israeli partners in crime, eg Takfiris, American and European imperialists etc). 

There are for example quite [a number of] Christians nowadays in Hezbollah -- wearing chains with crosses around their necks right next to pictures of [Hezbollah leader] Nasrallah [when they fight] in battles against Takfiris in Aleppo. 

And believe me, in Fuah and Kafraya all kind of people are united, especially since it is essential to survive in what may well be the most difficult situation in the whole of Syria.

I wanted to mention all the above because the MSM and a number of mainstream commenters have been making it seem that the only interest the Iranian government has had in getting the villages evacuated was to save the Shiites there from Sunni terror groups. Obviously that was not the whole story, from Bandolero's remarks.

Granted, it's a hard war to follow, even for people who are knowledgeable, because the battlespace is so very fluid and there are so many players. But the MSM has repeatedly showed itself to be slow-footed. One is absolutely lost trying to depend on those sources to learn what's happening in the Syrian War.   
   
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