Stephen Lendman

Trump promised improved relations with Moscow. Bilateral ones are dismal on his watch, US hostility worse than any time in recent memory.

Russia wants peaceful conflict resolution in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Ukraine and elsewhere. Washington wants endless wars, escalating ongoing ones, threatening North Korea and Iran.

Are Russia and China on its target list? Will unthinkable nuclear war erupt on the Korean peninsula, in the Middle East or elsewhere? Lavrov and Tillerson agreed on launching a joint working group to seek ways of improving bilateral relations, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

Moscow is sincere. It’s word is its bond. America can never be trusted, saying one thing, doing another consistently on key issues, especially geopolitical ones, notably in relations with sovereign independent nations like Russia and China.

On Friday, Lavrov and Tillerson spoke by phone, following their dismal April 11 - 12 meeting in Moscow, accomplishing nothing, irreconcilable differences separating both countries.

According to acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner, “(t)he Secretary and Foreign Minister discussed a range of other topics, including the OPCW investigation into Syria’s use of chemical weapons on April 4.”

“The Secretary reiterated his support for the OPCW’s existing investigative mechanism” - irreparably biased, stacked with pro-Western elements, blaming Syria for the April 4 Kahn Sheikhoun CW attack it had nothing to do with.

Russia wants a reliable, independent investigation, its own investigators involved along with ones from other countries.

According to its Foreign Ministry, Lavrov “expressed regret over the US opposition to Russia’s initiative in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to dispatch inspectors to Syria for verifying the reports on the use of sarin nerve gas in the town of Khan Sheykhun on April 4 and the presence of poison chemicals on the Shayrat airbase.”

“Lavrov and Tillerson agreed to issue instructions for pondering a possibility to organize an independent investigation of the incident under the aegis of the OPCW.”

Washington won’t permit anything it doesn’t control. Proper investigation will prove Syria had nothing to do with what happened - showing Trump administration and media scoundrel claims otherwise were Big Lies.

So far, no credible steps were taken to investigate the Khan Sheikhoun CW attack. Nearly three weeks after the incident, OPCW inspectors haven’t visited the crime scene.

America and Britain claiming absolute certainty about Syrian culpability is a bald-faced lie, a scheme to further demonize Assad unjustly, along with enlisting public support for regime change, including greater US involvement toward achieving it.

Russia is the world’s leading major power force for peace and stability. America and its rogue allies wage endless wars of aggression - humanity’s survival up for grabs if their ruthlessness isn’t stopped.

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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.