Pounding the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, Russian-backed Syrian forces hit remaining holdouts in the seven-year-old Saudi-backed insurgency seeking to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. After expelling anti-al-Assad rebels from stronghold in Aleppo Dec. 20, 2016, Russian-backed Syrian forces thought they had purged anti-al-Assad rebels from all their safe havens. Eastern Ghouta is another Saudi-backed rebel held territory only 15 miles from Damascus. While the U.N. Security called for an unconditional ceasefire to stop the bloodshed in Eastern Ghouta, anti-Assad rebels have sacrificed the civilian population to hang on to their last stronghold. With Russian air strikes pounding Eastern Ghouta, Syrian forces are close to driving the remaining rebels out. Demanding a 30-day nationwide ceasefire, the U.N. Security Council showed it’s still controlled by Saudi Arabia
If you listen to the U.N. Security Council, you’d think that al-Assad is doing something illegal, trying to rid his country of terrorists trying to topple his regime. Everyone wants to stop the bloodshed but does the U.N. want to admit that the Saudi-backed rebels’ seven-year-old proxy war to topple al-Assad has failed? If you listen to the Security Council, you’d think al-Assad has no right to defend his sovereign territory against a well-funded Saudi-backed insurgency to change regimes in Damascus. Former President Barack Obama played along for six-years, giving Saudi-backed rebels the arms-and-cash needed to topple al-Assad. When Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to help al-Assad Sept. 30, 2015 with air strikes against rebel forces, the war turned to al-Assad’s favor. Obama never admitted that he helped fund a proxy war that killed over 450,000 Syrian civilians.
Under Obama’s policy, the State Department routinely blamed al-Assad for the thousands of civilian deaths, not once admitting that he had a right, with whomever allies he wanted, to defend his sovereign territory. Security Council officials show their bias in the fight, insisting al-Assad, Russian and Iranian-backed forces stop their offensive against anti-Assad rebels in Eastern Ghouta. When you consider that 71-year-old U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura has tried to broker peace in Geneva for the last two years, it’s obvious the U.N.takes the Saudi side in the conflict. U.S.-educated Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has stated openly that Saudi Arabia will never accept the al-Assad regime. Spending the last seven years funding a destructive proxy war, Saudi Arabia—with U.S. help under Obama—created the worst humanitarian crisis since WW II, with some 12 million Syrian seeking asylum.
Since 71-year-old Donald Trump took over from Obama Jan. 20, 2017, the U.S. shifted its policy to defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS], not seeking regime change in Damascus. Trump’s emphasis on ISIS left the terror group all but defeated, pushed out of strongholds in Mosul, Iraq July 4, 2017 and Raqqa, Syria Oct. 17, 2017. Whatever happens to Syria’s sovereignty, Trump no longer backs Obama’s policy of arming Saudi-backed rebels trying to topple al-Assad. Whatever humanitarian crisis has occurred in East Ghouta, Special Envoy de Mistura should spend his time trying get Saudi Arabia to give up the fight. Brussels-based European Union has also been on the wrong side of the fight, backing Saudi Arabia’s proxy war to topple al-Assad. Syria’s refugee crisis, backed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, drove the U.K out of the EU with the June 23, 2016 Brexit vote.
Time has come for U.N.’s de Mistura to back a plan to provide safe passage for Saudi-backed Syrian rebels out of Syria. Much like they did in Aleppo and Homs, it’s time for Saudi-backed rebels to give up the fight in Eastern Ghouta. U.N. officials need to recognize al-Assad’s sovereign right to rid his country of rebels seeking regime change in Damascus. When the U.N. rails against Russia or Iran’s involvement to defend al-Assad, they should recognize that al-Assad’s right to pick his allies and enemies. If the U.N. really wants to protect civilians in Eastern Ghouta, it’s time to get the Saudi-backed rebels safe passage out of Syria. Accepting they’ve lost the war, Saudi’s 32-year-old Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman must pull the plug on the seven-year-old insurgency to topple al-Assad. Once that happens, Russian-Iranian-backed forces will stop bombing Eastern Ghouta.
Given the mess caused by Turkey fighting the U.S.-backed YPG Kurdish militia in Afrin, Syria, there’s no better time for Saud-Arabia to call back the dogs in Eastern Ghouta. There’s no faster way to end the bloodshed in Syria than to officially call off the Saudi proxy war against al-Assad. Giving Saudi-backed rebels safe passage out of Syria assures that the civilian population isn’t caught in the crossfire. As long as Saudi-backed rebels continue their battle against al-Assad, the bloodshed goes on. U.N. officials led by de Mistura should urgently declare an end to the Saudi-proxy war, protecting civilians at all costs. U.N. and U.S. officials have to stop blaming al-Assad or his Russian and Iranian allies for his battle against anti-regime forces. Stopping the bloodshed in Eastern Ghout requires the Saudi-backed rebels forces to give up, allowing U.N. officials to provide safe passage out of Syria.
