Stephen Lendman

Feature NYT, WaPo, WSJ, and other major media reports struck a common theme on the eve of Secretary of State Tillerson’s trip to Moscow.

NYT: “Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson is taking a hard line against Russia on the eve of his first diplomatic trip to Moscow, calling the country ‘incompetent’ for allowing Syria to hold on to chemical weapons and accusing Russia of trying to influence elections in Europe using the same methods it employed in the United States.”

WaPo: “Officials in the Trump administration on Sunday demanded that Russia stop supporting the Syrian government or face a further deterioration in its relations with the United States.”

WSJ: “Top US officials dialed up their criticism of Moscow and blasted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad Sunday, heightening tensions in advance of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Russia this week.”

AP News: “G7 Ministers Aim to Press Russia to End Assad Support”

Chicago Tribune: “Trump officials tell Russia to drop its support for Syria’s Assad”

London Guardian: “Trump officials broadcast president’s plan for Syria: wait for global response.”

Al Jazeera: “No solution to war with Assad in power”

Reuters: “US air strike gives Tillerson a boost for Moscow talks”

AFP: “US steps up pressure on Syria ahead of Russia talks”

Ahead of Tillerson’s April 11 and 12 Moscow trip, the common theme is what Russia won’t accept - ending support for Syria, halting anti-terrorism operations, supporting US regime change demands.

Tillerson: “I hope Russia is thinking carefully about its continued alliance with Bashar al-Assad, because every time one of these horrific attacks occurs, it draws Russia closer into some level of responsibility.”

McMaster: “I think what we should do is ask Russia, how could it be, if you have advisers at that airfield, that you didn’t know that the Syrian air force was preparing and executing a mass murder attack with chemical weapons?”

Haley: “In no way do we see peace in that area with Russia covering up for Assad. And in no way do we see peace in that area with Assad at the head of the Syrian government.”

Russia rejects tough talk. Bilateral relations require respecting its interests. Washington consistently refuses.

America’s position toward Russia is more hostile than any time in modern memory, Tillerson unlikely to achieve anything substantive on his visit.

Assad was falsely blamed for the April 4 Khan Sheikhoun CW attack he had nothing to do with - a likely CIA-instigated false flag, using terrorists to do its dirty work.

Trump’s response was naked aggression, planned in advance of the incident, likely prelude for more to come, risking direct confrontation with Russia.

Neocons in charge of Trump’s military posture dashed hopes for better bilateral relations. Attacking Syria without just cause ruined them. So does making unacceptable demands.

Interviewed on RT, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin said “revolutions are exported to different states” on the phony pretext of democracy building.

“Because of this policy, some states ceased to exist. Others are on the verge of disappearing. Look at Syria now and Yemen. (W)ho’s next?”

Terrorist groups serve the interests of countries responsible for creating and supporting them, he explained, without naming obvious nation-state names.

These groups represent an “existential threat to the global community, to every state and every individual.”

World peace, stability and security depend on eliminating this scourge. One nation can’t do it alone. International cooperation is needed - what’s absence given Washington’s ruthless imperial agenda, using these groups for its own geopolitical aims.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at http://www.sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.