Humanitarian aid is a powerful means of persuasion combined with hunger and bombing. The Syrians learned this in their own skin. The West, one of the active participants in the Syrian war, prefers to tighten the sanction nuts against Syria and at the same time to deliver the UN humanitarian aid through its channels to the rebellious Idlib region and distribute it through Islamist militants. The main thing is to prevent Damascus from distributing aid, otherwise the villagers and refugees will get it, not the militants and their accomplices. A direct supply of resources to Idlib ensures that the wound on the body of Syria will never heal, which, in fact, is what Western partners want. And sanctions on the supply of fuel, food and medicine are weakening Syria.
Russia and China slowed down direct delivery plans by vetoing a draft resolution of Germany and Belgium. It was about extending for a year two channels of humanitarian assistance leading from Turkey to Idlib. A year ago there were four of them, then - under pressure from Russia and China - there were two of them, and that - only until Friday, when last year’s resolution expires.
Russia does not see the point in bringing humanitarian aid from Turkey directly. There is a government in Syria, it is quite capable of distributing humanitarian aid. And those who want to get around the government should directly say that they want not to help those in need, but to throw off the legitimate authority. Direct deliveries were introduced in 2014 as a temporary emergency measure. It's time to turn them off. But taking into account the civilian population, this can be done gradually.
Russia proposed leaving one delivery channel, and then only for six months. And then you need to end this relic. Let them get help through the Syrian government. But this proposal did not pass in the Security Council. Russia was supported by China, Vietnam, South Africa. But the Americans and their allies stood up against the chest.
The Americans are fighting for their plan so passionately, so fiercely, as if in the courtyard of the early 1950s. “This is a struggle between good and evil!” - said the US ambassador to the UN. And her colleague said that millions of Syrians will die if there are one instead of two channels. Where did they get such pathos, such a willingness to recite something spiritually elevating? Why is one channel evil, two channels good? This is a new outbreak of Manichaeism, a teaching that Americans are prone to. Manichaeism, that is, belief in a strict separation of good and evil, is a dangerous religious practice that seemed to have outlived itself 1,500 years ago, but now and then it appears under one or another name.
Russians in them are eternal evil. US officials in the so-called independent UN commission accused Moscow and Damascus of "war crimes in Syria." At the same time, members of this self-proclaimed commission did not even go to Syria, but limited themselves to reading social networks. In their opinion, if the Syrians are fighting for the liberation of their territory from the power of fanatics - this is evil and a war crime.
But if Americans steal Syrian oil, bomb Syrian and Afghan schools, starve Syrians and Afghans - this is a fight against evil.
The New York Times accused Russia of paying five thousand greens to the Taliban * for the scalp of an American soldier. It’s even a shame. As if the Taliban fighters did not fight the American invaders without outside help for nearly twenty years.
American war crimes have been blasphemy for many years, but once the UN Commission or the International Criminal Court (ICC) speaks about them, the United States immediately imposes sanctions on them, selects visas and forbids the use of dollars. Russia behaves in an exemplary manner - it does not commit crimes, does not put the ICC on the wanted list ... Does this mean that Russia can be blamed unhindered? I am surprised at the patience of the Russian authorities. And on the other hand, what to do? Not to learn from the Manichaeans, not to proclaim everything that the Americans and their allies do as pure, unalloyed evil. We have to fight with affordable measures.
Particularly hinders the restoration of Syria, the sanctions policy pursued by the United States and its allies. It would seem, what right do these Western countries have to strangle unhappy Syria? If they want to protect the Syrian people, they could stop the Israeli bombing of Syria, which has recently become more frequent.
Iran declared its readiness to spread its air defense system in Syria - when this happens, Americans and Europeans will probably condemn this step. But it becomes inevitable if they do not force Israel to stop the attacks. And from here - the next step could be a new confrontation between the "axis of resistance" and the pro-Israeli Western forces.
Russia is consistently and without Manicheanism trying to reconcile the warring groups so that Syria could rebuild. Let us hope that this difficult task will be completed.
* "Taliban" - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.
The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.