Do Russians go to Syria?
Last week, several events took place, which formed into links in a single chain. Militants in Syria have stated that the undemocratic troops of Bashar al-Assad are pushing them hard, and therefore they (militants) need military assistance from Western countries to maintain democracy in Syria. At the same time, American marines arrived at the Jordanian-Syrian border. At the same time, Austria decided to withdraw its military contingent from the Golan Heights, anticipating that after the lifting of the EU embargo weapons the warring parties in Syria, the past 31 of May, at the altitudes will be hot. Moscow took advantage of this, talking about overcoming the tension in the Golan by entering Russian peacekeepers there.
After the panicked statements by the “oppositionists” that their affairs were bad, and Bashar Assad won in El Quseir, US Secretary of State John Kerry postponed his planned flight to Israel. The reason for this was a series of meetings that the Obama advisers decided to arrange in Washington. We are talking about weapons assistance to the Syrian militants. This urgency, many analysts believe, was caused precisely by the defeats of the opposition.
As transmits correspondent ITAR-TASS Ivan Lebedev, the closest foreign policy advisers to the president of the United States have planned a series of interdepartmental meetings on the issue of military assistance to the Syrian opposition. As anonymous American representatives said, the decision to provide military assistance to the rebels was not made. But Barack Obama is increasingly inclined to begin supplying arms to them. The meetings will consider the possibility of creating flightless zones in Syria.
Meanwhile, writes MIGnews.com, US Marine Corps units were deployed to the Syrian-Jordanian border. This was announced by the Iranian channel "Press TV". In the Jordanian port of Aqaba, 1000 of US infantrymen from the 26 expedition squad arrived. Americans "under a strong Jordanian escort" was transferred to the border with Syria. Amman and Washington do not comment on reports about the activities of the US military in the kingdom.
We go further. As you know, Austria, in contrast to Britain and France, opposes the arming of Syrian "oppositionists". In this regard, in Austria last Thursday, a difficult but logical decision was made to withdraw the peacekeepers from the Golan.
Deputy Federal Chancellor of Austria, Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, confirmed that his country's decision to withdraw his contingent from Golan was made after the EU announced the lifting of the arms embargo against the terrorist groups in Syria. He recalled that Austria warned against the grave consequences of such a decision, reports SANA.
Comrade Spindelegger explained that the government did not suddenly make such a decision. Austria warned that the mission of the Austrian soldiers would be dangerous if the European Union lifted the arms embargo.
The Austrian Ministry of Defense made a plan to recall its military for 4 week. Perhaps this period will be extended to 6 weeks, in particular, if there is no substitute for Austrian soldiers.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was ready to send its peacekeepers to the Golan Heights instead of the outgoing Austrian contingent. Andrei Rezchikov, Ekaterina Yermakova ("Sight"), referring to ITAR-TASS and RIA "News", Give his words:
“Bearing in mind the difficult situation that is developing today in the Golan Heights, the Austrian contingent on the line of demarcation between the Israeli forces and the Syrian army could replace the region leaving this region. Of course, only if the regional powers are interested in this, if the UN Secretary General asks us about this. ”
Comrade Putin recalled that at a recent meeting with Ban Ki-moon during his visit to Russia, he “asked us to increase our participation in UN peacekeeping operations”. In addition, on the eve of the UN Secretary-General asked the international community to send its soldiers to the Golan instead of the Austrian peacekeepers being withdrawn.
At the United Nations, at first, they were delighted with the likely participation of Russian peacekeepers. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the world organization, said: "The UN welcomes any contribution of the international community to peacekeeping efforts in the Golan, and the UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) is of great importance for maintaining peace in the region."
But then official spokesman Martin Nesirky clarified that Russia cannot send peacekeepers to the Golan: after all, according to the document on the zone of separation between Syria and Israel, Russia (as a country that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council) does not have the right to send its peacekeepers to the Golan heights . Nesirky said: "We are grateful to Russia for its willingness to send its troops to the Golan, but the disengagement agreement and protocol between Syria and Israel do not allow the participation of countries - permanent members of the UN Security Council in the UNDOF."
Monday story with peacekeepers received a continuation from the other side.
Israel gave Russia a response to the proposal to place Russian peacekeepers on the Golan Heights, but did not want to advertise it, said RIA News" Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin before the visit to Moscow starting on Monday. “The position of Israel was openly and clearly expressed during a conversation between the leaders of the two states. There are things that are sometimes better to stay at this level, ”said Elkin, referring to Putin’s telephone conversation on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On the same Monday, June 10, information spread that Israel was not against the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the Golan.
Anna Analbaeva, Ekaterina Yermakova ("Sight") cite expert opinion that it is easy to change the rate of 40-year-old forbidding Security Council members to send their peacekeepers there, and Israel itself is not against the deployment of Russian soldiers along its border with Syria. This was stated by the deputy head of the Israeli Ministry of Interior Faina Kirshenbaum, who arrived on a visit to Moscow.
“We heard that some countries decided to withdraw their peacekeepers because (they) were injured. We are very sorry, although there was an agreement that forces would remain there. If President Putin has decided to enter his forces, then I do not think that Israel will resist. We always want someone there to be in order to really monitor the situation, ”she told the Echo of Moscow radio station.
Mr. Nesirki from the United Nations did not say anything to that, but the chairman of the Security Council, a British diplomat, Mark Layal Grant, admitted that it would be possible to implement the initiative of Russia if Israel and Syria agree to this.
It is unlikely that Russia will object to Syria.
Head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. On the same day, Alexei Pushkov noted that in the absence of UN peacekeepers in the region, the matter could go as far as the war between Syria and Israel. "It seemed to me that the Russian proposal would give additional guarantees against the Syrian-Israeli war," the channel quotes him. "RT".
Alexey Pushkov is sure that this agreement, which was concluded about 40 years ago, is not relevant, since the situation has changed significantly since that time and "requires a qualitatively new solution."
“Therefore, we are now raising the question of whether this agreement should be revised and updated,” said Pushkov. He stressed that it is too early to talk about the futility of the Russian proposal and “you can still return to it”.
“The issue has not yet been resolved, it is being considered. We need to really do something, because it cannot be ruled out that the Syrian-Israeli issue will also be drawn into large-scale military operations, ”the State Duma deputy said.
10 June, reminds «RT», it became known that on the basis of the 31-th separate airborne assault brigade formed a peacekeeping brigade to perform tasks under the auspices of the UN or CSTO. This was stated by Commander of the Airborne Forces Colonel-General Vladimir Shamanov. His words are quoted by Interfax: “From June 1, in accordance with the directive of the General Staff 31, I have a separate assault assault brigade, which is equipped with contract servicemen at 100%, has the status of a peacekeeping force.”
Alexander Gorbenko ("But") writes:
“Russia's proposal to engage its servicemen is caused precisely by the danger of uncontrolled spread of the conflict to neighboring countries. Now, according to Vitaly Churkin, Russia is proposing to save the mission of UNDOF. At the same time, it is precisely Russian peacekeepers who will best suit the tasks facing the UN contingent. And this task, we recall, is to prevent the resumption of the Syrian-Israeli conflict, to stop provocations and, if possible, to identify their true perpetrators. The Syrian army will do everything possible to prevent accidental shelling of the Russian military from its side. But Israel is not at all interested in the UN observers suffering from the actions of the IDF. Thus, only terrorists will be the losers in the presence of the Russian military in the Golan. ”
There is, however, a different opinion, which leads "BBC".
According to Zeev Khanin, a political scientist at Bar-Ilan University, Israel would like to avoid a repeat of the “two-day war” with Syria in June 1982, when the Israeli aviation fought directly with Soviet air defense. According to the same Khanin, Israel would like to avoid a situation similar to the one in South Ossetia, where Russian peacekeepers became involved in the armed conflict.
According to Khanin, relations between Russia and Israel have reached a level of almost strategic partnership, however, this initiative of V. Putin can put this achievement at risk.
From a “neutral” point of view, Yevgeny Satanovsky, President of the Middle East Institute, estimates the possible deployment of Russian peacekeepers to the Golan. “The fact that our Austrian and Philippine colleagues are deserting from there is quite understandable. When was it for the UN peacekeeping mission to fulfill its functions in the conditions of a real military confrontation. Always these missions were dissolved and instantly disappeared. But given that Russia is one of the founders of the United Nations, a member of the Security Council, we could have separated Israel, with which we have extremely friendly relations, and Syria, with which we have quite friendly relations. At the same time, today we are an absolutely neutral party, ”Svetlana Kalmykova quotes him ("Voice of Russia").
By the way, the deputy head of the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs Faina Kirshenbaum, giving an interview to Ekho Moskvy, clarified something, also in the “neutral” plan.
“We want any forces that can take responsibility. It can be Russian, it can be Austrian, it can be Australian forces. It absolutely does not bother us, ”she says. RIA News". According to her, Israel has already faced a situation where peacekeepers were stationed on the Golan Heights, who did nothing and just sat in bunkers. She added: "Therefore, we would like to have forces that will take an active part, if only in maintaining peace and tranquility between us."
Thus, with a positive decision by Israel and Syria on the issue of the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the Golan, as well as with the appropriate decision of the UN, the peacekeeping brigade comrade Shamanov spoke about could go to fulfill the assigned tasks. It is unlikely that the withdrawn Austrian forces will wish to replace their contingents with any other country. In addition, peacekeepers like those “who did not do anything and just sat in bunkers”, Israel is not needed in the Golan.
Observed and commented on Oleg Chuvakin
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