Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Europe

A new state friendly to Russia may appear in Europe

2024-04-21

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Bogdan Kish

[REGNUM] The pressure faced by the Republika Srpska is pushing President Milorad Dodik and his circle to serious actions that are not to the liking of the collective West, but bring it closer to a historic solution.

Criminal cases, foreign interference, threats and blackmail - over the past year, the Serbian entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina has faced unprecedented pressure due to its refusal to impose anti-Russian sanctions, give up its powers to Sarajevo and join NATO.

Milorad Dodik has repeatedly stated that the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina have several “red lines”, if they cross them, the region will face serious consequences. If the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), with the help of the West, tries to “push” Banja Luka on a number of issues, including imposing anti-Serbian laws and recognizing the resolution on Srebrenica, the Serbs may declare independence.

But such an announcement is not the most difficult decision, unlike the pressure that is expected after. The main question is: will Banja Luka be able to survive?

REPRESENTATIVE DESTROYER
After the civil war, peace never came to Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the West, they decided to forcibly keep three peoples within one state, albeit divided into two parts - the Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation of BiH.

Since 1995, the country has introduced the position of High Representative, who is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Dayton Peace Treaty. To say that all representatives vested with practically unlimited power worked against the Republika Srpska is an understatement.

However, I would like to dwell separately on the current High Representative, German politician Christian Schmidt, who was mired in scandals in his homeland and sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina into a kind of exile. His appointment is not recognized by Republika Srpska, Russia, or China, since his powers were not confirmed by the UN Security Council.

However, the lack of a UN Security Council mandate does not prevent Schmidt, who is actively supported by official Berlin and the US and British embassies, from pursuing a de facto anti-Serbian policy. The fact that Schmidt “wouldn’t work” with the Republika Srpska became clear when he insisted on implementing the “Law on Denial of Genocide in Srebrenica,” which not only prohibited denial, but also punished it with a prison term.

Republika Srpska, naturally, does not recognize either the law or the fact of genocide. In this regard, in August 2023, the prosecutor's office of Bosnia and Herzegovina brought charges against the president of the republic under the law on “failure to comply with decisions of the Constitutional Court and the High Representative.”

The confrontation between Schmidt and Dodik reached a new level when the High Representative, not recognized by many, tried to impose the “Electoral Law” and the “Property Law.”

The first assumed that the Central Election Commission (CEC) of BiH would have more rights and opportunities to influence the electoral process throughout the country, and the second - that all the property of the entities - from natural resources to government buildings - would belong to Sarajevo.

Both laws directly violate the Dayton Accords, which Schmidt is supposed to be enforcing. The innovations caused a strong reaction in Banja Luka, which stated that it not only does not recognize the imposition of such laws, but is also ready to consider the possibility of leaving BiH.

And recently, to these two “red lines” a third was added - work on a UN resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica.

“BOSNIA MAY NOT SURVIVE THE RESOLUTION”
In March, it became known that the Bosniak part of the Bosnia and Herzegovina mission to the UN was independently, without a decision from the BiH Presidency, working on a new resolution on Srebrenica. It is due to be presented at the UN General Assembly on May 2.

According to the draft resolution being prepared, July 11 will be declared “international day of genocide in Srebrenica”, the Serbian people will be called responsible for the genocide, and reparations may be demanded from the Republika Srpska and Serbia. Political pressure on the entity will also increase.

Despite the fact that such a resolution is not binding, a “sediment,” as they say, will remain. Moreover, neither the Germans, nor the British, nor the Spaniards, nor the Croats, etc. were not found responsible for genocide, despite proven crimes against humanity.

Just as the mass killings of Serbs in the concentration camps of Jasenovac, Jastrebarsko, Banica, and the executions in Kragujevac and Kraljevo were not declared genocide.

It is worth recalling that this is not the first attempt to assign such responsibility to the Serbs. In 2015, at the UN Security Council, the UK did everything to adopt a similar resolution, but then it was blocked by Russia.

The Russian “no” and the raised hand of the late permanent representative Vitaly Churkin saved the Serbian people from the stigma and again reminded Belgrade who its main ally is. The Russian diplomat himself received more than one monument in Serbia and the Republika Srpska for this decision.

And now nine years later, the West is again trying to adopt an anti-Serbian resolution, but not in the UN Security Council, but through the General Assembly, where no one has the right of veto.

Why now? Relations between Republika Srpska and Russia are at their peak. Milorad Dodik and Vladimir Putin presented each other with state awards, bilateral relations are developing in all directions. Banja Luka demonstratively refuses to introduce anti-Russian sanctions, which saves the whole of BiH from the status of an unfriendly country, and also blocks BiH’s entry into NATO.

Pressure on the Republika Srpska is also pressure on Serbia, which supports the Serbs on the other side of the Drina in everything. Belgrade and Banja Luka are Russia's only friends in the Balkans. This prevents the West from completely controlling the region and drawing the republics into NATO.

President Milorad Dodik has repeatedly called on the Bosniaks not to provoke the situation and not to incite ethnic hatred, since “Bosnia and Herzegovina may not survive the resolution.” According to the head of the RS, the Serbs see no point in continuing to live in the same country with those who consider their people guilty of genocide.

“Don't do this because it is not conducive to life in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This will not unite us, but will separate us forever. We do not want to live with those who say that the Serbian people are “genocidal”. We don’t want to live with you and we won’t live in the same country with you,” Dodik emphasized.

On April 18, a rally called “R. Serbia is calling you,” where the top leadership of the entity, as well as the Prime Minister and ministers from Serbia, were present. Several tens of thousands of Serbs from both sides of the Drina gathered in the square and presented a united front against the resolution on Srebrenica.

In addition, the Serbs do not understand why they should mourn the victims of others, while no one even remembers their losses for more than 30 years, which certainly does not contribute to reconciliation. From the stage, politicians declared that the national idea of the Serbs from Serbia and Republika Srpska is unification. The people supported.

Naturally, the brightest speaker was Milorad Dodik, who said : “Serbia is our land, our state. If it were God’s will, constitutional and any other justice, we would be an integral part of Serbia, and not this crap called Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Hints of an imminent declaration of independence are heard more and more often in Banja Luka. And Republika Srpska is not limited to just words.

NOT BY RALLIES ALONE
On April 18, the Republika Srpska parliament adopted the report of an independent international commission. At one time, Banja Luka asked her for help in investigating the events in Srebrenica and the surrounding area in order to prove that accusations of genocide were lies. The group was led by the famous Israeli historian and “Nazi hunter” Gideon Greif.

According to the commission's findings, during the entire period of the war from 1992 to 1995, 3,741 people died in the Srebrenica region, more than 2,500 of them were Serbs. The National Assembly of the RS supports the point of view expressed in the conclusions of the commission and confirms that the term “genocide” for Srebrenica is incorrect and cannot be accepted.

At the same time, Parliament expresses its respect to the victims of the tragic conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina and their families and condemns the war crimes committed by all parties.

The report of the commission led by Greif is the only legitimate document that recognizes the Serbian entity.

Banja Luka also adopted its own law, which provides for the holding of municipal and republican elections. “We will return what belongs to us,” Dodik said.

Thus, the Republika Srpska actually ousted the Central Election Commission of BiH from its territory, and the Serbs working in this body resigned. This is how Banja Luka wants to protect itself from interference in the elections from Sarajevo.

If the resolution on Srebrenica is adopted, the Republika Srpska will not stop there and will return all its powers that were given by the Dayton Peace Agreement. Powers that, over the years, have effectively been taken away by Sarajevo and the West, using various pressures - from threats to personal sanctions.

The list of initial powers belonging to the Dayton Republic includes the return of the army, jurisdiction in the fields of justice, energy, government procurement, tax policy, border control, the electoral process, and so on.

In fact, Republika Srpska may soon become a full-fledged and independent state within the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then, possibly, beyond them.

The West continues to rely on Sarajevo in attempts to create a unitary Bosnia, which will oppose Russia, join NATO, and move away from Serbia. Republika Srpska does not see any point in continuing to coexist with the Federation of BiH within the framework of an artificially created state.

Milorad Dodik has made this clear with his latest statements. Given the seriousness of his intentions and the noticeably tougher rhetoric, Banja Luka clearly has an action plan and, apparently, support outside the entity.

One thing is for sure - in the near future the Balkans will not let the world get bored again.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

4 dead Russian Diplomats in 3 months

2017-02-24

[TheDuran.com] Russia's long time ambassador to the UN has died suddenly in New York - this is the fourth Russian diplomat who has died in the last 3 months.

Vitaly Churkin was one of the wisest voices in international diplomacy. His voice will no longer echo in the halls of the United Nations. Articulate, polite yet commanding, wise yet affable, he oversaw some of Russia’s and the world’s most important events in a position he occupied since 2006.

Churkin had to face a great deal of hostile criticism from both the Bush and Obama administrations during his time at the UN, but he always did so with grace. He never failed to explain the Russian position with the utmost clarity.

Standing next to some of his colleagues, he often looked like a titan in a room full of school children.

His death, a day before his 65th birthday, is a tragedy first and foremost for his family, friends and colleagues. It is also a deeply sad day for the cause of justice, international law and all of the principles of the UN Charter which Churkin admirably upheld in the face of great obstacles.

His death however raises many uncomfortable questions…
More at the link

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Russia opposes Syria sanctions after UN gas attacks probe

2016-10-28

[FRANCE24] Russia on Thursday dismissed as "unconvincing" the findings of a UN-led investigation showing that Syrian forces had carried out three chemical attacks, and said no sanctions should be imposed.

"We believe that the proof is not there for any punitive action to be taken. It's simply not there," Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told news hounds following a closed-door Security Council meeting.

A joint United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
-Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) panel concluded that government forces carried out three chlorine gas attacks on villages in 2014 and 2015.

It was the first time an international probe blamed

Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Horror of Homs...
's forces after years of denial from Damascus.

But Churkin told the council that the findings were not strong enough to trigger sanctions.

The conclusions "in most cases... are not substantiated by sufficient testimonial basis, first of all material proof, they are full of contradictions and therefore unconvincing," he said, according of a text of his remarks.

The findings are "not definitive, have no legally binding force and cannot serve as accusatory conclusions for taking legal decisions," he added.

Britannia and La Belle France pressed demands for sanctions, arguing that UN resolutions provided for such action in response to the use of chemical weapons.

Link

International-UN-NGOs

United Nations appoints Portugal’s Guterres as next UN chief

2016-10-14

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The 193-member United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
General Assembly unanimously appointed former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres on Thursday as the ninth secretary-general of the world body for five years beginning Jan. 1, 2017.

Guterres, 67, will replace

the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon, 72, of South Korea. Ban will step down at the end of 2016 after serving two five-terms. Guterres was Portugal's prime minister from 1995 to 2002 and UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015.

Guterres pledged on Thursday to act as an "honest broker" and said he would take a humble approach in trying to deal with global issues, with human dignity at the core of his work.

"Diversity can bring us together, not drive us apart," Guterres told the General Assembly.

"We must make sure that we are able to break this alliance between all those terrorist groups or violent turbans on one side and the expressions of populism and xenophobia on the other side," he said. "These two reinforce each other, and we must be able to fight both of them with determination."

The 15-member UN Security Council last week unanimously recommended that the General Assembly appoint Guterres. He beat out 12 other candidates, seven of whom were women, amid a push for the first woman to be elected.

Guterres told the General Assembly that protection and empowerment of women and girls was a priority commitment. He has pledged to work toward gender parity within the United Nations.

"We have selected a candidate who is prepared to cut past the jargon and the acronyms and the sterile briefings and get real," US Ambassador Samantha Power told the General Assembly. "He knows the only measure of our work here is whether we are or are not helping and supporting real people."

Diplomats were now watching to see who Guterres appoints to senior UN positions amid speculation by diplomats and UN officials that China would like one of its nationals to head peacekeeping and that Russia is keen to lead political affairs.

Currently, a French man runs peacekeeping, an American man leads political affairs and a British man is in charge of humanitarian affairs.

A senior UN Security Council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
, said several people had insisted that Guterres did not do any deals to win Russia and China's votes.

"(Guterres is) the sort of person who will pick a strong team around him, appointment on merit," said the diplomat, adding that, while he had not heard it directly from any Chinese diplomats "it is clear (China is) making a significant challenge for the Department of Peacekeeping."

When asked earlier this month if Russia had an interest in one of the senior UN positions, Russia's UN. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told news hounds: "We do believe that Russia should be properly represented in the Secretariat."

He did not specify which post, but added: "We are not the only ones who are expressing the interest in various positions."

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Russia vetoes UN resolution to stop bombing of Aleppo

2016-10-09

Russia vetoed a UN resolution aimed at stopping the bombing of Aleppo on Saturday, prolonging the division and paralysis of the security council in the face of the Syria’s humanitarian disaster.

The Russian ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, currently presiding over the security council, cast the veto against a Franco-Spanish resolution that had demanded an end to all aerial bombardment and overflights of Aleppo by Russian and Syrian regime aircraft. The resolution also called for a resumed ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian supplies to besieged population.

China abstained, further isolating Russia on the issue, along with Angola. Venezuela was the only other country to vote with Russia against the resolution.

A Russian counter-resolution, which omitted mention of aerial bombardment, was voted down with nine votes against and four in favour.

The bitter divisions in the council, which faces a high and rapidly rising death toll in eastern Aleppo, produced a heated but fruitless debate that saw some of the normal diplomatic niceties abandoned.

“Normally I begin my statement with, ‘Thank you Mr President’,” Matthew Rycroft, the UK ambassador to the UN, said at the start of his remarks. “I cannot do this today.”

“This council cannot stand by while such misery is meted out on the people of Aleppo. And yet, thanks to you, Mr President, that is exactly what we are doing,” Rycroft told the council. “Thanks to your actions today, Syrians will continue to lose their lives in Aleppo and beyond to Russian and Syrian bombing. Please stop now.”

What are you going to do about it?

The US deputy ambassador, David Pressman, said: “One of us, perversely the president of council, is determined for the killing to continue, and is helping carry it out.”

There are about 275,000 people trapped by the siege of eastern Aleppo, where civilians are suffering through daily bombing, including by bunker-buster and incendiary weapons, and through starvation, as limited supplies run out and aid convoys are blocked from the city. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, on Friday called for a war crimes investigation of the Russian and Syrian regime bombing.

The Russian foreign ministry said the Franco-Spanish resolution “distorted” the real situation in Syria, and that a ban on aerial bombardment would “provide cover to terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra” and allied militants.

According to diplomats, the UN envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, told the security council that the presence of roughly 1,000 Nusra fighters was being used as a pretext for the bombing of 275,000 people and had offered to personally escort the militant group out of the city to guarantee their safe passage.

At the present rate of bombardment of eastern Aleppo, De Mistura said the city would be totally destroyed by December. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, called it “worse than a slaughterhouse”.

“Russia has once again abused its veto privilege and sabotaged the UN security council, this time stonewalling efforts to stop the vicious assault on east Aleppo’s civilians,” said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch.

“Today’s vote is a stark reminder of the urgent need for permanent members of the security council to shelve the veto in situations of mass atrocities, an idea supported by a vast majority of countries around the world. The ball is now in the court of the UN general assembly, which should feel compelled to hold an emergency meeting, demand an end to unlawful attacks on civilians in Aleppo, 100,000 of whom are children, and explore avenues for accountability.”

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Russia questions evidence of Syria chemical attacks

2016-09-01

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The UN Security Council failed to agree Tuesday on whether Syria merited sanctions over the use of chemical weapons, with Russia questioning the evidence from an independent commission that found government forces were behind at least two such attacks.

Council members met to discuss the findings of an international team of inspectors that determined that both the Syrian government and ISIS gunnies were responsible for chemical attacks carried out in 2014 and 2015.

But Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, whose country is a close ally of the Syrian government, said it was too early to consider implementing a September 2013 council resolution authorizing sanctions that can be militarily enforced for any use of chemical weapons in Syria.

"Clearly there is a smoking gun. We know that chlorine most likely has been used - that was already the finding of the fact finding mission before - but there are no fingerprints on the gun," Churkin said following the closed-door session.

"There is nobody to sanction in the report which has been issued," he said. "It contains no names, it contains no specifics. ... If we are to be professional, we need to question all the conclusions."

Churkin said, however, that he was pleased the report had confirmed the use of chemical weapons by ISIS.

Heading into the meeting, US Ambassador Samantha Power called the report "a landmark" and said she expected a Security Council resolution "soon."

"It is the first official independent confirmation of what many of us ... have presented substantial evidence of for a long time, and that is a pattern of chemical weapons use by the Syrian regime," Power said. "It is incumbent on the council to act swiftly to show ... we were serious about there being meaningful accountability."

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Russia wants to work with US over Syria gas probe

2016-08-26

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Russia will work with the United States on a response after a UN investigation found that the Syrian regime had carried out chemical attacks, Moscow’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Thursday.

"We have a joint interest in discouraging such things from happening, preventing such things from happening even in the fog of war," Churkin told news hounds.

Meanwhile,
...back at the chili cook-off, Chuck and Manuel's rivalry was entering a new and more dangerous phase...
La Belle France’s foreign minister urged on Thursday that the Security Council had to respond firmly after a UN probe found that Syrian government troops were responsible for two toxic gas attacks.

"The use of chemical weapons, which the Syrian authorities agreed to ban in 2013 under international pressure ... is an abomination that highlights the damning role played by the Damascus regime in the worsening situation in Syria," Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a statement.

A joint investigation by the United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
and the global chemical weapons watchdog also found that ISIS forces of Evil had used sulphur mustard gas, according to a confidential report seen by Rooters.

"La Belle France calls for a response that measures the seriousness of this. The Security Council must not shirk its responsibilities and La Belle France is already working with its partners" on the matter, Ayrault said.

The results set the stage for a Security Council showdown between the five veto-wielding powers, likely pitting Russia and China against the United States, Britannia and La Belle France over whether sanctions should be imposed in the wake of the inquiry.

French diplomatic sources said Gay Paree wanted to use the chemical weapons report to push for a resolution at the Security Council that would force Russia, the key backer to Syrian

Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Horror of Homs...
, to accept that its ally had used banned weapons and as a result would use its influence to back a credible ceasefire across the country.

"We need to use this report to force Russia out of its ambiguity. If they were to veto such a resolution they would need to justify the use of chemical weapons," one senior diplomat said.

The 15-member Security Council is due to discuss the report next week. UN Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon said the report would be made public after that meeting.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syrian army texts residents to leave rebel-held Aleppo

2016-07-27

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Syrian army sent text messages to residents of rebel-held eastern Aleppo saying it will grant safe passage to people wishing to leave the area, which has been effectively besieged by pro-government forces, state media said on Tuesday.

The army called on residents to push "mercenaries" out of the city - a reference to rebel fighters - and said it would give safe passage and temporary accommodation for anyone wishing to leave the area, state news agency SANA said.

The messages also called on gangs to lay down their weapons, SANA said.

Concern has been growing for at least 250,000 people who have been trapped in rebel-held eastern Aleppo since heavy fighting effectively closed the last supply route, the Castello Road, in early July.

Syria’s most populous city before the war, Aleppo has been divided for years between rebel and government-held zones. Full control of Aleppo would be a significant prize for

Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Despoiler of Deraa...
On Monday, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the UN Security Council that by day people in the eastern areas of Aleppo can move to the western part of the city, "where the situation is significantly better".

Churkin’s comments came in a session during which the United Nations
...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
aid chief asked the Security Council to push for a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause in fighting to allow food and other aid to be delivered to eastern areas of the city.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Britain slams Russia for blocking UN condemnation of Aleppo fighting

2016-05-07

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Britannia on Thursday slammed Russia for blocking a UN Security Council statement condemning the Syrian military offensive in the battleground city of Aleppo.

The statement was circulated to the 15-member council on Wednesday during an emergency meeting on Aleppo but was dismissed by Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin as a "propaganda coup".

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said Russia’s refusal to back the statement "speaks volumes about their support for and protection of the Assad regime."

Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Terror of Aleppo ...
’s forces launched an offensive in Aleppo on April 22 that they said was aimed at flushing out jihadists. But the West has accused Damascus of targeting civilians, hitting hospitals and markets.

After air strikes hit a camp of displaced Syrians near the Turkish border on Thursday, the British ambassador called for more pressure to be exerted to rein in the Damascus regime.

"It is really high time for every member of the Security Council to use every last drop of influence on the Assad regime to get them to respect the cessation of hostilities and every other obligation under international humanitarian law," said Rycroft.

At least 28 civilians, including women and kiddies, were killed Thursday in the bombing of the camp in Sarmada in Idlib province, which is controlled by Syria’s Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front.

Link

Europe

Russia warns of Takfiri chemical attacks in Europe

2016-04-14

[Iran Press TV] Russia has warned of the "clear and present threat" that Takfiri
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed...
murderous Moslems in Syria could launch chemicals attacks in Europe.

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin made the remarks on Wednesday following a closed-door United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the progress of investigations into chemical attacks in Syria.

"I have not heard anybody claim that they are concerned that the Syrian government may use chemical weapons in a subway in a European city -- all those things are happening with the terrorists," Churkin said.

The UN envoy noted that thousands of the Takfiris had relocated to Europe.

"Could some of them have brought with them components of chemical weapons? Could some of them have brought to a European city or European country their knowledge of how to build chemical weapons?" he asked.

During the UNSC meeting, Russia and China presented a draft resolution that calls on all countries, especially Syria’s neighbors, to monitor and report Lion of Islam activities related to chemical weapons.

"Our hope is that if they know that we are monitoring their activities, the incentive to use chemical weapons in the hope that the responsibility for that can be shifted elsewhere... will diminish," he added.

Link

The Grand Turk

Turkey hub for Daesh-looted historical relics: Russian UN envoy

2016-04-07

[Iran Press TV] The southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep has become a hub for selling antiques and artifacts stolen by the ISIS terrorist group from Syria, says Russia’s permanent UN ambassador.

ISIS’s annual illegal income from the sales of stolen historical relics reaches nearly 200 million dollars, Vitaly Churkin said in a letter presented to the UN on Wednesday.

He stressed that most of the artifacts are sold on the black market after being smuggled into ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
from Syria. "Those pieces of antiques are sold through auctions illegally on websites and through local markets," Churkin added.

Thousands of internationally recognized archaeological sites are still held by the Takfiri
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed...
terrorists, nine of which are present in the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List, he noted.

Link

The Grand Turk

Turkey Key Supplier of Weapons to ISIL: Russian Envoy to UN

2016-04-02

[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] Moscow has submitted data on ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
’s illegal arms and military hardware supply to ISIL in Syria to the UN Security Council. Supplies are supervised by the Turkish intelligence service, Russian UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said as cited by Russian media.

The main supplier of arms and military equipment to ISIL turbans is Turkey, which uses non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for this purpose. The National Intelligence Organization of Turkey is in charge of the operations. Transportation is carried out mainly via automobiles, including humanitarian aid convoys, Churkin wrote in a letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Terrorist groups operating in Syria received kabooms worth $ 1.9 million via Turkey last year, according to the letter.

In total, the Lions of Islam were delivered 2.5 thousand tons of ammonium nitrate (worth around $788,700), 456 tons of potassium nitrate ($468,700), 75 tons of aluminum powder ($496,500), sodium nitrate ($19,400), glycerin ($102,500) and nitric acid ($34,000 thousand) via Turkey in 2015, Churkin wrote.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More