Chemical Attacks In The Syrian Arab Republic

syria-sarin-weapon

A Synopsis of the Presentation, before a United Nations Panel in Geneva, made by Ms Niloufer Bhagwat on 18th September, 2017

  1. The allegations directed against the Syrian Arab Republic in the recent 28 August 2017 report of what is referred to as the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic , with the word ‘ Independent’ emphasized to prevent any questioning or critique of the report; recalls the infamous false allegations against Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq; and the case against Libya by the Human Rights Council submitted to the General Assembly to suspend Libya, in a flagrant act of injustice , prior to thousands of bombing sorties on Libya by coalition forces which destroyed Libya, and murdered the President Qaddafi , with mercenary terrorists brutally plunging the country into anarchy . It is a reflection on the state of our world that it is not those who perpetrated these infamous crimes who were indicted before the General Assembly on a report by the Human Rights Council , nor were they subject to any Inquiry by an Independent International Commission of Inquiry or any mechanism established by the General Assembly . Another country Afghanistan has also been destroyed after 9/11, which was unconnected to Afghanistan, yet the country continues to be bombed by the “ Mother of all Bombs”

  2. The supreme International Crime of waging wars of aggression which is really the source of all war crimes and crimes against humanity , collectively killing not hundreds , but millions in the Middle East, across Asia , in Africa , and In EURASIA; is of no concern to those desperate to frame inconvenient leaders and their governments if they oppose the re-colonization and occupation of their countries. The objective is to install proxy governments, to fragment countries. or to impose structured chaos in several regions of the world, for the seizure of national resources and to perpetuate financial dominance . Mercenary terrorist organizations have been used as an instrument in these wars sometimes as allies and interchangeably as enemies , wherever intervention and the positioning of US led NATO forces assisted by regional governments are necessary for restructuring of regions , or for regime change or to install in office proxy governments.

  3. The strategy of using tendentious reports of Human Rights organizations and Commissions parallel to the use of force is now a repetitive exercise against inconvenient governments to malign leaders defending their sovereignty and their people. Never before has the United Nations and its organs and agencies been used in such a systematic manner in recent years , in particular the Human Rights bodies , to systematically frame leaders defending their countries , to create mechanisms or special ad hoc courts and Tribunals either through the Security Council or the General Assembly abhorrent to the rule of law by their selectivity and unequal treatment; apart from simultaneously imposing sanctions on people and nations resisting in violation of Trade Laws and agreements to increase the vulnerability and restiveness of the population and lower their morale .While victims have been pursued through UN agencies and organs , perpetrators of aggression and those who steal and build apartheid States and colonial settlements, have absolute impunity .

  4. The Security Council and the General Assembly have been establishing wholly illegal Tribunals and mechanism. It is necessary to state that merely because a Resolution is passed by the Security Council or the General Assembly, does not make the Resolution legal, and many such Resolutions are ultra vires of the UN Charter as these bodies do not have the powers to establish judicial organs. Significantly waging a war of aggression , the most vital of the Nuremberg Principles is no longer discussed by the most prominent human rights organizations and those who project themselves Independent Commissions ; all these Human Rights bodies are aware that wars of aggression sometimes using armed forces and at other times mercenary terrorists recruited through the data base of the Al Qaeda , is official policy now for decades .

  5. The ‘endless war’ global war declared in our lifetime with many military theatres , is a political and economic project for the world declared by the Project for the New American Century and its global alliance system , which had targeted the Arab homelands and Syria officially in 2001 as per public statements of former General Wesley Clark. Syria was targeted not because of Chemical Weapons , but because it was a Resistance state in the region .opposed to the colonial project of occupation. For several decades Syria had Chemical Weapons which it never used The Chemical Weapons Convention of 31st August 1994 , a Convention to prohibit the Development, Production , Stockpiling and use of Chemical Weapons and their Destruction has established tthe Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons with a Technical Secretariat. The Technical Secretariat has an Inspectorate unit to investigate the use of Chemical Weapons and identify its perpetrators, provided the investigation team is broad based. Human Rights bodies and Commissions are in no position without Scientific and forensic evidence and on the ground investigations by technical experts , to give us an opinion as to who the perpetrators are in the chemical attacks on the people in the Syrian Arab Republic. What we have on record from the very outset is propaganda . Propaganda and a politicized report is no substitute for evidence, and this evidence cannot be hypothetical or hearsay ; it is not only deaths and injuries which are relevant in such an investigation but the nature of the weapon used and by whom . The report that we are being asked to accept has not investigated the nature of munitions used or whether it was Sarin or a Sarin like substance and from whose arsenal? Admittedly the ISIS/Daesh/Al Nusra Front and its front organizations have crude chemical weapons capability as per reports of the world’s most powerful Intelligence Agencies the CIA and MI 6 reported that this capability existed from 2013.

  6. The Syrian Arab Republic was earlier not a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1994 and yet had no history of ever using Chemical Weapons against any country or within its borders . Immediately after 9/11 Syrian Arab Republic was in the list of 7 countries officially targeted by the US administration termed the “ Axis of Evil” . To attack Syria to remove its government a case was needed however false , this is where the narrative starts, the fake news of Syrian government chemical attacks on its own people,assisted by false flag incidents and staged attacks by terrorists assisted by an aggressive coalition waging wars of aggression to seize resources in the region and for strategic alignments of gas and oil pipelines.

  7. On 19th March 2013 the Syrian Arab Republic first requested the Organization for the prohibition of Chemical Weapons to assist Syria in investigating an attack by terrorists armed with chemical weapons which had taken place in government controlled area of Khan al Assal . This area in which there were Syrian soldiers and civilians was struck by a rocket containing chemical agents similar to the nerve gas Sarin; 19 civilians and one soldier died in the attack and 107 civilians and 17 soldiers were injured . Terrorists associated with ISIS/Daesh/Al Nusra Front had carried out the chemical attacks .Local doctors confirmed the nature of the incident stating that Syrian soldiers were seen assisting civilians and rushing them for medical treatment.

  8. Significantly even as the OPCW was on this mission to Syria at the request of the Syrian government; two attacks took place at Ghouta a densely populated suburb of Damascus under rebel control in the early hours of the morning on 21st August 2013. Estimates of people killed were approximately 1,338 and forensic reports significantly revealed that the chemical agent in the Khan al Assal attack and Ghouta were the same .

  9. Immediately after the Ghouta attack ,even though the OPCW technical teams were in the county on an official mission, and no government would attack its citizens with Chemical Weapons when an investigation was taking place ; tendentious propaganda went viral that the government of Syria was using Chemical Weapons against its own people . It is forensic evidence which however finally exposed that the attack was carried out by terrorists as agent provocateurs in the area controlled by them, as the rockets used for the Chemical attack had a very small range of about 3 Kilometers. and could not be fired from government held territory on to Ghouta considering the distance ; this was conclusively and scientifically established among others by Dr Theodore Postol , an eminent Defense Scientist and Professor of Science, Technology and National Security at MIT and Richard M Lloyd an analyst at the Military Contractor Tesla Laboratories ,who exposed that the propaganda that the Syrian government had used Chemical weapons on Ghouta had no basis, as the dimensions of the 9M 22-U artillery rocket with the same standard as a 9173-U motor would limit the range of the rocket to no more than 3 kilometres. The technical properties of the munitions prevented these rockets being launched onto targets at Ghouta from government held territory at a considerable distance from Ghouta. A study of the rockets design, its likely payload and its possible trajectories show that it would have been impossible for the rocket to have been fired from areas controlled by the government of Syria.

  10. Seymour Hersh , the eminent journalist from the United States ,known for his investigating reporting and his access to special sources , in a detailed report: ‘ The Red Line and the Rat Line’ unravels the Byzantium strategy of giving terrorists access to Chemical Weapons and that US and British Intelligence had knowledge from at least 2013 that the ISIS/Daesh/ Al Nusra Front which now calls itself Al Shams etc had chemical weapons capability . The Potran Down Defence Laboratory in Whiltishire examined a sample of the Chemical weapon used in Syria and concluded that it did not match with the batches of militarized Sarin in the arsenal of the Syrian military .The OPCW and the UN Joint Investigative mechanism to investigate attacks using Chemical Weapons opined that the surface to surface rocket attacks contained the nerve agent Sarin , however the mission did not find sufficient or credible evidence to support the allegation that the government of Syria had carried out the attack .

  11. Alarmed by the nature of these Chemical attacks by terrorists staging false flag operations to blame the government ; Syria acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention , a decision in which the Russian Federation played a vital role . Syria decided to urgently get rid of the entire stock pile of Chemical Weapons in co-operation with the OPCW to prevent staged attacks by terrorists being attributed to the government .

  12. On 14th September 2013 an International Agreement was signed by Russia , the United States and Syria that stipulated a time bound destruction of all Chemical Weapons , this was accompanied by a Security Council Resolution 2118 of 29th September 2013

  13. The implementation plan of destroying all chemical weapons was worked out by the Syrian Arab government with the OPCW . On 6th October 2016 the OPCW inspection commenced and actual destruction began, with a deadline fixed for destruction of all Chemical Weapons by around mid 2014. Whereas the terrorist mercenaries refused a ceasefire even for a limited period of nine months , to facilitate the work of the OPCW indicating that they and the countries backing them were unhappy about this solution as it would be difficult thereafter to stage false flat attacks.

  14. On 2nd May 2014 , 92.5% of Syrian Chemical Weapons were destroyed or shipped out for destruction, on ships of NATO countries.

  15. By 31st October 2014 the government of Syria had met the deadline and was free of Chemical Weapons. This was further confirmed in January 2015 when the head of OPCW, Ahmet Uzumcu from Turkey in a press conference declared that the last of Syria’s Chemical Weapons had been shipped out of the country for destruction. The State Department ‘s spokesman on 8th July 2014 stated that Syrian “ Chemical Stockpiles have “100 percent been removed “.

  16. Despite this reality that the Syrian Arab Government has rid itself of all Chemical Weapons and co-operated in every respect with the OPCW , we have another report of the alleged Independent International Inquiry Commission for Syria dated 28th August 2017 which falsely alleges that the Syrian government was responsible for the Chemical attack on Khan Shaykhun on 4th April 2017. In this context it would be relevant to state that several of Syria’s factories, including chlorine producing units in and around Aleppo and in other areas, were either dismantled or fell into the hands of terrorists when Aleppo among other towns and regions was overrun and occupied; that is before its recent liberation. Admittedly and significantly the town where this attack is said to have taken place is controlled by terrorists of the most extreme kind . Earlier ISIS/Daesh/ Al Nusra now al Shams, admittedly recruited as mercenaries by several countries waging war against Syria; these organizations change their name from time to time. even as they are listed by the Security Council as terrorist organizations; however though the name changes they are the same terrorists trained by powers who have converted Syria into killing fields and taken hostage of the civilian population in areas occupied by them where people are subjected to horrific conditions ; as terrorists on instructions from powers funding them have laid siege to cities and towns; starving areas under their control to force population displacement for Balkanization .

  17. The Independent Commission of Inquiry states that on or about 6.45 in the early hours of the morning on 4th April 2017 a Sukhoi aircraft used by the Syrian Air force fired three conventional bombs and one chemical bomb containing Sarin or Sarin like substance at Khan Shaykhoun. As a direct consequence of this Chemical attack 80 people were killed and 200 injured . The real issue is what weapon/projectile/munitions was used for the attack and by whom?

  18. The evidence relied on by the Independent Commission is a superficial dent, not a crater, at the alleged site of impact and some kind of a pipe with caps at both ends . The was tampered with immediately as indicated by videos taken, with individuals without proper gas masks and protective suits in and around the area . As soon as the terrorists knew that Inspectors would be coming they are alleged to have filled the site with cement, subsequently. It must be reiterated that Syria had destroyed or shipped out all of its Chemical Weapons duly certified by the OPCW . Whereas this Independent Commission observes that the remains of the munitions at the site indicate that a Soviet made Khab 250 Chemical bomb filled with Sarin was dropped at the site from the aircraft . The conclusion of the so called Independent Commission is not supported by any credible or trustworthy forensic evidence and in fact contradicted by the OPCW report which observes that there was no local aircraft alert in the early hours of the morning and that witnesses stated that it was after 11 30 that aircraft alert was sounded and that Syrian and Russian aircraft were observed . Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defense, Major General Igor Konashev stated that “ The Khab -250 bomb had never been exported outside the USSR and that these munitions were dismantled as early as in the 1960s.Moreover the Khab -250 was never designed to contain any Sarin nerve gas. The Khab -250 could never leave any crater as it is designed to explode in the air at the height of 30-70 metres( 100 -280 ft above ground ).

  19. It is necessary to emphasize that no member of the Independent Commission has visited Khan Shaykhoun or any other site of alleged chemical attack and without forensic evidence to conclude that the government and military of Syria was using Sarin or Sarin like substance ; moreover munitions from the arsenal of the former Soviet Union namely the Khab 250 Chemical bomb not in existence since the 196Os, was never designed to carry Sarin . Significantly terrorists from these areas in the days preceding the attack had on social media declared that they would be starting a campaign against chemical attacks and were ordering gas masks etc Merely on the basis of samples and body specimens or autopsies of those exposed does not lead to the conclusion that the Military forces of the Syrian Arab Republic had attacked Khan Shaykhoun with a Chemical bomb .

  20. Since photographs of the alleged weapon used was widely broadcast by videos and photographs , once again Dr. Theodore Postol ,an expert in Ballistic Missiles , with a substantial background in Air dispersal , a Professor at MIT who has taught courses on Weapons of Mass Destruction Chemical and Biological , has in an open letter to US Intelligence Agencies on the White House Intelligence Report issued on 11th April 2017, that is after launching 59 Tomahawk missiles on to Shayrat Air Base; asserted that the report is amateurish; the photographic and other evidence published does not provide any evidence that the United States has concrete knowledge that the government of Syria was the source of the Chemical attack on the 4th April 2017.Videos show unprotected workers at the site at the same time that dead birds are being packaged. Workers at the site were wearing clothing with the Logo “Idlib Health Directorate” removing dead birds in plastic bags with no protective clothing of any kind in street wear, with honey comb masks which are no protection against Sarin vapors or aerosols and medical examination gloves and no protective gear. Other persons are also seen near the site without protective gear, that is apart from health workers.

  21. Professor Postol asserts that a main piece of evidence , the fragment of the improvised weapon indicatesthat the attack was executed by individuals on the ground and that there is every possibility that the source was likely tampered with or even staged . Professor Postaol exposes the nature of the so called weapon from the photographs and video displayed frame by frame , as ”a crushed carcass of a cylindrical pipe ( assuming that the crater and carcass were not staged ) and that Sarin could have been dispersed on the ground by an improvised device made from a 122 mm section of rocket tube filled with Sarin and capped on both sides……… the pipe has a fractured seam……. and has been flattened into the so called crater by an explosive” . Dr. Postol conclusively opines in his open letter that the US Intelligence report contains no evidence that the attack was the result of munitions being dropped from the Aircraft . In fact the report is clueless as to who did this on the ground, since this widely published dispersal device could not have been dropped from the air; in all probability a slab of high explosive was placed over this pipe and detonated .No competent analyst would miss the evidence that the pipe has been crushed from above and not exploded by a munition from within Dr. Postol has referred to this manufacture of evidence as the politicization of Intelligence . After reading the report of the’ Independent Commission ‘ the conclusion is that the Commission has similarly resorted to politicization of its report without proof of the nature of the weapon system and an analysis as to by whom was it used .

  22. The piece of fiction in the Report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Syrian Arab Republic is the reference to a Soviet era Chemical bomb , was intended as a cover for the fact that neither Russia which has acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention nor Syria , have any Chemical Weapons. A story had to be manufactured, which has left a huge crater in the narrative of the fiction of the Chemical attack by Syrian military forces ; as the Soviet era Chemical bombs were destroyed in the sixties ; were never intended to be used for Sarin and do not cause any craters or dents as they explode in the air.

  23. The report of the Independent Commission is vague on material particulars on the nature of the weapon system used and the timing of the attack; this report is also contradicted by the OPCW report which states that there were no Syrian or Russian Aircraft flying at 6 .45 am or in the early hours of the morning , no aircraft alerts had been sounded ;and that witnesses and the spokesman for the Russian military and the Syrian government forces stated that their aircraft had flown over the area between 11.30 and 12.30 at noon .

  24. United Nations investigators learned from townspeople of Al-Tamanah about how the terrorists and activists had staged a chlorine gas attack in the night of April 29-30 ,2014, and then sold the story to the Western media hungry for fake news against President Assad’s government and even made false statements to UN investigators who stated in their report : “ seven witnesses stated that frequent alerts about an imminent chlorine attack by the government had been issued , but in fact no incidents with chemicals took place ………………” The UN report states that “ while people sought safety after warnings their homes were looted and rumours spread that the events were being staged ……….the witnesses came forward to contest widespread false media reports . Some witnesses gave evidence of attack which was suspect , including data from questionable source.( UN Report).

  25. Seymour Hersh has investigated and reported that in or about 20th June 2013 , the analysts of the Defense Intelligence Agency issued a highly classified briefing for the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Deputy Director David Shield , which stated that al Nusra maintained a Sarin production cell; its program , the DIA paper said was the “ most advanced Sarin plot since al Qaeda’s pre 9/11 efforts”. The report said that terrorists were attempting to obtain Sarin precursors in bulk, likely tens of kilograms for the anticipated large scale production in Syria . This has not been the subject matter for any Independent Commission of Inquiry , the Human Rights Council of Human Rights NGOs.

  26. There is no evidence whatsoever that Syrian government forces have used Chemical weapons. On the other hand there is prima facie evidence in terrorist controlled areas of the use of Sarin like substances and even Sarin to stage false flag incidents ;some witnesses to the OPCW complained of a smell similar to drainage dirty water and the smell of pesticide, pointing to home grown chemicals being mixed in improvised factories, not militarized Sarin . Syria has no chemical weapons and there has been no challenge to their being declared weapons free, in accordance with the rules of procedure of the OPCW .

  27. It is astonishing that no Human Rights body or Independent Commission or Human Rights NGO such as Human Rights Watch among other organizations have found it necessary to refer to the e mails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threatening President Assad and his family as a way to ensure that he steps down in favor of a proxy government , a very serious issue ; while they remain focused on passing off false flag incidents and falsely blaming the government of the Syrian Arab Republic. In the e mails there is a statement to the effect that the best way to assist Israel is to bring down the regime of President Assad .

  28. The truth is that a war of terror has been waged on the Syrian Arab Republic , its people and its head of state . To cover up for this war of aggression being waged by a coalition of interests allied with regional governments, false flag attacks are being launched with crude chemical weapons therefore the words Sarin or Sarin like substance , to justify the destruction of Syria and its people and vilification of Syrian patriots who stand by their country and people. The pattern is the same like Afghanistan, like Iraq, like Libya, the threats to eliminate the leadership of North Korea and destroy its weapon systems ; and the threat to wage war on Iran etc. only the details defer . The objectives remain the same , military and financial subjugation and slavery of several regions of the world.

Niloufer Bhagwat is a lawyer and wife of former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat

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