Syria government raps 'occupation', opposition urges justice as peace panel opens
Syria's government condemned what it called the occupation of its land while the opposition demanded justice and peace on Wednesday
at the opening of a U.N.-backed panel meant to usher in reconciliation after 8-1/2 years of civil war.
Slideshow (4 Images)
Syria government raps 'occupation', opposition urges justice as peace panel opens
Consequences of US recklessness in Middle East are yet to unfold, says Lavrov
Consequences of US recklessness in Middle East are yet to unfold, says Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov © Alexander Shcherbak/TASS
MOSCOW, October 28, 2019 - The consequences of reckless actions that the US and its allies have taken in the Middle East are yet to unfold, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, addressing a meeting of the Academic Board of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of late Russian politician Yevgeny Primakov.
According to Lavrov, Washington’s activities in the Middle East have destroyed many regional states, gave rise to rampant terrorism, washed out a unique ethnic and religious mosaic and created a large-scale migration crisis.
"The consequences of reckless activities by the US and its allies remain to be overcome. As you know, we are tackling this issues, first and foremost, by facilitating efforts to root out terrorism in Syria, resolve the country’s humanitarian problems, promote the return of refugees and launch a political process, which we expect to begin with the start of the Constitutional Committee’s activities in Geneva later in the week," the Russian top diplomat pointed out.
Spokeswoman for the UN Special Envoy for Syria Jennifer Fenton said earlier that the opening ceremony of the Syrian Constitutional Committee’s first meeting was scheduled to take place in Geneva on October 30.
The reason the Pentagon and Mark Esper sent in more Military Troops and armor tanks to protect Kurdish-occupied Syrian oil wells ...
US smuggles Syrian oil to other countries - Russian Defense Ministry
US smuggles Syrian oil to other countries - Russian Defense Ministry
Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov © Vadim Grishanin/press service of the defense Ministry of the Russian Federation/TASS
MOSCOW, October 26, 2019 - The United States smuggles Syrian oil to other countries, the convoys are guarded by US private military companies and special operations forces, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
"Tank trucks guarded by US military servicemen and private military companies smuggle oil from fields in eastern Syria to other countries. In the event of any attack on such a convoy, US special operations forces and combat aviation are immediately used to protect it," Konashenkov stressed.
He added that oil was extracted with the use of the equipment supplied by the leading Western corporation bypassing all US sanctions.
Konashenkov noted that
the contract for transporting oil was executed by the US-controlled company Sadcub created at the so-called autonomous administration of eastern Syria. "Revenues from smuggling Syrian oil arrive at numbered bank accounts of US private military companies and intelligence services through brokerage firms that interact with it," he said.
According to the Defense Ministry,
given that the cost of one barrel of oil smuggled from Syria is $38, the monthly revenue of that "private business" exceeds $30 million.
"To secure such a continuous financial flow free from control and taxes, the top officials at the Pentagon and Langley will be willing to guard and protect oil wells in Syria from the imaginary ‘hidden cells of the Islamic State’ (IS, terror group, outlawed in Russia) indefinitely," Konashenkov added.
Satellite images confirm US Controls Syrian Oil
The United States controlled the extraction and transportation of Syrian oil both before and after terrorists were defeated in the country, Konashenkov said.
"The space intelligence images show that Syrian oil was actively extracted and transported on a mass scale by tank trunks for processing outside Syria under the reliable protection of US troops both before and after the defeat of the Islamic State (terror group, outlawed in Russia - TASS)," Konashenkov stressed.
He added that
all hydrocarbon reserves were the property of Syria, not terrorists or the Americans, who claim that their goal is to protect Syria’s oil fields from Islamic State militants.
"What Washington is doing now, that is, capturing and holding oil fields in eastern Syria under its control, is, putting it bluntly, international state-sponsored gangsterism," Konashenkov noted.
The Pentagon earlier said that the US was planning to send additional troops to northeastern Syria to protect oil fields from Islamic State terrorists.
Turkey says 'largely' reached agreement with Russia in Syria talks
Talks between Turkish and Russian officials on developments in northeast Syria have concluded and the two delegations have "largely" reached an agreement, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying by state media on Wednesday.
Iran, Russia take aim at U.S. military presence near Syrian oilfields
Iran and Russia on Tuesday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to maintain a military presence near oil fields in northeastern Syria, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying any exploitation of resources would be illegal.
U.S. House backs measure that would impose sanctions on Turkey over Syria
The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday for a resolution calling on President Donald Trump
to impose sanctions and other restrictions on Turkey and Turkish officials over its offensive in northern Syria.
Turkey condemns U.S. move to back measure on sanctions
Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday strongly condemned a move by the U.S. House of Representatives to back a resolution that would impose sanctions on Ankara,
saying the decision was not fitting of the NATO alliance between Turkey and the United States.
Turkey says reconnaissance flights have begun along Syrian border
Turkey's defense ministry said on Tuesday
that reconnaissance flights and mine clearing operations had begun some 10 km into Syria, where planned patrols with Russian troops are set to take place after the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from the area.