The US State Department intends to spend up to $ 35 million to support the "independent" media in Syria. The agency’s grant states that one of the objectives of the program is to counteract the misinformation that Russia and the Syrian government are allegedly spreading.
“Strengthening the capacity of the Syrian media in countering disinformation efforts by Russia, the Syrian regime and other states, as well as increasing the ability of Syrians to recognize disinformation,” the document says.
The State Department believes that the information environment in Syria is polarized and divided between supporters of the regime and the opposition, as well as Kurdish and Arab media. In addition, according to the ministry, the real picture of the conflict in the republic is distorted by the "misinformation" of Moscow, Damascus and Tehran along with the propaganda of extremists.
“The propaganda efforts of extremist groups and the systematic misinformation from the Syrian regime, Russia and Iran distort the perception of the conflict, prevent the international coalition against IS * from stabilizing the situation and hindering the peaceful political transition process envisaged by UN Security Council resolution 2254,” the statement says grant text.
As explained, “misinformation” depicts “Syrian Civil Defense” (the official name of the infamous organization “White Helmets”) and “moderate opposition” as terrorists and calls the staging “chemical attack” in the SAR, which, according to the authors of the document, allegedly organized by Damascus .
According to State Department officials, these efforts “sow doubts, undermine the coalition’s stabilization efforts in the north-east of the country and prevent the Syrian regime from being held accountable for the crimes committed.”
Washington continues to ignore the obvious evidence of staging a chemical attack in the Syrian city of Duma on April 7, 2018. Recall that information about the incident came from non-governmental organizations, including White Helmets. However, two days later, there were no traces of toxic substances in place. In addition, as it turned out, not one of those killed at the site of the "tragedy" was a resident of nearby houses. According to witnesses, the bodies were specially brought from outside.
In the video, which served as confirmation of the “attack”, dummies were involved. RT managed to talk with one of the "actors", 11-year-old boy Hassan Diab, who was presented as one of the victims. Together with his father, he told how the production took place. In addition, in February 2019, the producer of the British broadcasting company BBC, Riam Dalati, admitted to the fake character of the White Helmets video.
Nevertheless, the “chemical attack” in the Duma was the reason for the immediate airstrike of the Western coalition led by the United States on Syrian government targets.
In late November, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the preparation of new provocations by the White Helmets and the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham * *, but this time in the Idlib de-escalation zone.
As explained by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the provocations have not yet been implemented, probably due to the fact that Russia and the Syrian authorities have publicized the training data.
“The situation that has developed with the participation of White Helmets in many production scenes, including April 2018 in the Eastern Duma, is already, in my opinion, extremely clear. And the facts that were presented to expose these provocateurs, they are more than convincing. We are discussing this in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, ”the minister added.
- Member of White Helmets in Syria
- © Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP
The United States has more than once been caught in deception about events in the Middle East, political analyst Oleg Matveychev noted in a conversation with RT.
“Ever since the Iraq campaign, the American media has fallen for lies. Enough evidence has been gathered about White Helmets and staged attacks. We see how the organization is now hiding its tails. They want to remove her from the information field, ”said the expert.
According to Matveychev, the recipients of the next US grant will distribute messages that are extremely beneficial to their sponsors. This will lead to a new wave of fake news.
“A typical story. When the United States in any country allocates money to support supposedly "independent" media, it means that fake news will soon start. These media are completely dependent on the will of the States. In fact, there is an interference in the internal affairs of Syria, ”he added.
Imbalanced Information
As part of the grant, the US State Department plans to support the release of news and materials on current events and on certain topics, including “countering Russian and Iranian misinformation,” conducting journalistic investigations, and creating programs about religious and ethnic minorities.
Syrians need access to balanced sources of information in order to effectively promote stability and peace in the ATS, the document emphasizes.
According to the document, "although in some parts of the region the repressive influence of the Syrian regime and the Islamic State has changed to a more media-friendly environment, independent journalism is just beginning to appear, and restrictions on the media remain."
“In other areas in northeast Syria, forces supported by the regime, Russia and Turkey have already established their presence, which makes us worry about the ability of independent media to work openly and in safe conditions,” the Department of State experts continue.
They also claim that Moscow and Damascus are conducting military operations in Idlib against the opposition, although this area has been identified as a demilitarization zone.
It is worth recalling that on December 17, terrorists attacked the Syrian army in the province of Idlib. The attacks and attempts to organize an offensive and break through the defenses of the government armed forces continued in the following days. It was in response to such actions that the SAR Armed Forces launched an attack on Idlib on December 19, freeing dozens of settlements in the southeast of the province.
Both Russia and Syria seek to prevent attempts to turn the Idlib region into a permanent haven for terrorists. This position was once again voiced on December 2 during a meeting of the ATS leader Bashar Assad and the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Syrian settlement Alexander Lavrentyev.
By the way, after Moscow “began active efforts to support the legitimate government in Damascus, almost 90% of the territory was freed from terrorists,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in November.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Washington and its allies are spreading false information about what is happening in the SAR and deliberately support hotbeds of tension.
“The Syrian government is doing tremendous work to establish a peaceful life in the country. UN specialized structures recognized the compliance of the created living conditions of returning citizens with international humanitarian standards. Nevertheless, the US and its allies continue to misinform the world community about the situation in the SAR, ”the department said.
As an expert of the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Konstantin Blokhin explained, Washington is seeking a split in Syrian society, and therefore exposes Moscow and Damascus in a negative light.
“It is obvious that the United States is trying to demonize Russia and Syria in order to quarrel all groups of the population in the Arab Republic again and prevent the country's post-war structure. After all, the Russian Federation, among other things, successfully acts as a moderator, it succeeds in resolving conflicts that the Syrian authorities could not cope with before, ”Blokhin commented.
- Servicemen of the Russian center for reconciliation of warring parties distribute humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees on the territory of the humanitarian corridor Abu Duhur in the vicinity of Idlib province.
- RIA News
- © Mikhail Voskresensky
Oil fight
The US State Department has been providing financial and technical support to the "independent" Syrian media since 2012. These organizations are able to reach the vast majority of the audience in the republic, is mentioned in the description of the grant. According to a survey conducted in January this year, 84% of respondents from opposition areas receive information from at least one source supported by the United States authorities.
“Syrian media partners jointly produce and broadcast approximately 100 hours of content daily; The US Department of State continuously and actively promotes independent media and fights disinformation, ”the document emphasizes.
Washington sponsors other programs in the SAR. So, this year, $ 40 million was allocated to reform the Syrian judicial system. It was planned to spend another $ 75 million to support local authorities and civil society.
The US is fighting for oil resources in the Middle East and the ability to control them, says Konstantin Blokhin. According to him, Washington tried to play the Kurdish card, bleeding Ankara with Damascus and Moscow, but nothing came of it. So now he decided to act in an integrated and systematic way.
“This is called soft power.” States are not going to refuse to remove Assad and continue to create chaos in the Middle East. They will try to discredit the legitimate Syrian leader and Russia. It is important for them to show that Moscow’s efforts are harmful and inhumane, and the American presence in the SAR was much more useful, ”Oleg Matveychev noted in turn.
* “Islamic State” (ISIS, ISIS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.
** “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (“Jabhat Fath al-Sham”, “Front al-Nusra”, “Jabhat al-Nusra”) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014.