US Ambassador to UN: Emergency Meeting a 'Stunt,' Blasts Russia and Assad 'Game'
The
United States Ambassador to the United Nations took a truculent tone
during the emergency meeting on Saturday accusing Russia of bombing
civilians and blaming the Assad regime for the rise of ISIS calling
the meeting "grandstanding," a "stunt," and a
"game" after 80 Syrian Army forces were killed in a US-Led
airstrike.
18
September, 2016
During
the emergency UN Security Council meeting on Saturday called by
Russia only hours after a US-led airstrike degraded Syrian Army
positions leading to the death of some 80 soldiers and "paving
the way" for a major Daesh offensive, the United States
Ambassador to the United Nations refused to offer remorse but instead
laid the blame for the crisis in Syria directly at the feet of the
Russian Aerospace Forces who she says is "bombing civilians"
and the Assad regime who she claims gave rise to Daesh.
"Why
are we having this meeting tonight? It is a diversion from what is
happening on the ground. If you don't like what is happening on the
ground then you distract. It is a magician's trick… we encourage
the Russian Federation to have emergency meetings with the Assad
regime and deliver them to this deal," said an aggressive
Samantha Power.
"What Russia is alleging tonight is that somehow
the United States is undermining the fighting against ISIL. The
Russian spokesperson even said that the United States might be
complicit in this attack… This is not a game," said the
diplomat before going into details on the United States fight against
the terror group. "The Syrian regime that bills itself as the
fighter against ISIL let the group grow and grow. ISIL took root and
prospered right next to the Assad regime," said Power.
"The
best way to fight ISIL and al-Nusra Front is to stop bombing
civilians and deliver the Assad regime. Assad's tactics have been a
gift to terrorists. There is a better way forward, but Russia really
needs to stop the cheap point scoring and grandstanding and focus on
what matters. The implementation of something that we have negotiated
in good faith with them."
"We regret the loss of life, but
since 2011 Assad's regime have been striking Syrian civilians
relentlessly," exclaimed the American diplomat in an attempt
apparently to justify the violation of the ceasefire or to downplay
the urgency of the meeting at hand. Some who watched the statements
by Samantha Power described it as the US Ambassador to the United
Nations blaming Assad for US warplanes bombing his forces.
The verbal
assault offered by Samantha Power looks to do little to quell growing
tensions between the United States and Russia, the latter of which
wonders if the ceasefire deal was negotiated in good faith after
Syrian forces were decimated by American airstrikes on Saturday.
Russia also argues that the so-called "moderate" rebels,
with whom the United States has aligned themselves with, have
intensified rather than drawn back attacks since the ceasefire began
on September 12. The Obama administration finds itself in a tricky
predicament regarding the rebels who have outwardly aligned
themselves with the al-Nusra Front terror group, formerly Syria's
al-Qaida affiliate, under the umbrella group "The Army of
Conquest."
Timing
& other aspects of US strike on Syrian army suggest intentional
provocation – Churkin
RT,
28
August, 2016
The
US’ sudden attempt to “help” the Syrian army fighting ISIS in
the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, which resulted in a strike that
killed and injured dozens of soldiers, does not look like an honest
mistake, Russia’s UN envoy told journalists at the UNSC meeting.
“It
is highly suspicious that the United States chose to conduct this
particular air strike at this time,” Russia’s ambassador Vitaly
Churkin said.
Churkin
questioned why the US suddenly chose to “help” the Syrian army
defend Deir ez-Zor after all these years, recalling how American
forces just observed terrorists’ movements and did “nothing when
ISIS advanced on Palmyra.”
“It
was quite significant and not accidental that it happened just two
days before the Russian-American arrangements were supposed to come
into full force,” Churkin added.
Vitaly
Churkin spoke to journalists after briefly leaving the closed-door UN
Security Council meeting, which was convened by Moscow to give
Washington a chance to offer an explanation for the actions of its
military.
However,
instead of discussing the issue, US ambassador Samantha Power
immediately left the room to address the press and accuse Russia of
hypocrisy.
The
US envoy to the UN spent some 30 seconds expressing “regret” over
the unfortunate coalition airstrike that resulted in the loss of the
lives of Syrian soldiers, and insisting that even if the ongoing
investigation proves the US military is indeed to blame, it had never
been their “intention” to strike Syrian military.
After
that, Power spent the next 15 minutes slamming Moscow’s “uniquely
hypocritical and cynical” attempt to make Washington explain itself
at an urgent UNSC meeting.
“Why
are we having this meeting tonight? It is a diversion from what is
happening on the ground. If you don't like what is happening on the
ground then you distract. It is a magician's trick… we encourage
the Russian Federation to have emergency meetings with the Assad
regime and deliver them to this deal,” said Samantha Power.
"What
Russia is alleging tonight is that somehow the United States is
undermining the fighting against ISIL. The Russian spokesperson even
said that the United States might be complicit in this attack …
this is not a game," she added, before going into details of how
Assad government is to blame for the dire situation in Syria.
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