Russian Foreign Minister Accuses U.S. Of Double Standard On Syria

[Purveyor]

Source: LA TIMES

By Sergei L. Loiko
September 2, 2013, 11:41 a.m.

MOSCOW -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Washington of applying a double standard in its approach to Syria and said its evidence that President Bashar Assad's regime used chemical weapons is unconvincing.

“It is very odd to hear … my good friend, U.S. State Secretary John Kerry, claiming that the U.S. side presented Russians with irrefutable evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria,” Lavrov told students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations on Monday. “We were shown some data which contained nothing concrete: neither geographical coordinates, nor names nor proof that the probes were taken by professionals.”

Lavrov said the United States used a double standard in dealing with Syria and the Middle East in general.

“It is a personal issue based on a personal dislike for some authoritarian dictator, whereas dictators for whom there is no dislike are not talked about because they are assistants and allies for our Western partners,” he said. “Terrorists should not be divided into good and bad; it is absolutely unprofessional and shortsighted.”

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-russian-foreign-minister-syria-us-20130902,0,4255096.story

[Arctic Dave]

1. They only become bad dictators when they stop doing what we tell them to do.

all the others get a free pass and all the weapons we can sell them.

[kardonb]

3. dictators

and you thought the cold war was long gone ? As long as Putin is around and thinks a very diminished Russia is still a world power , the cold war will never be over .

[ehcross]

9. Dictators

Yeah, Putin is still around and badly misses his greatness of times past. So the cold war is not gone at all.

[arewenotdemo]

2. I hope these lines matter to the U.S. Congress, because they appear not to matter much to Obama.

“The fallout from this strike will be far more global than just dramatically aggravating the situation in the Middle East,” he said. “After this strike the Kremlin may irrevocably rethink its dealings with the U.S.A. and may bury for the foreseeable future all prospects of any partnership and any cooperation with Washington.”

[Hubert Flottz]

4. Would that be because the UN might find out that the

Russians have supplied the chemical weapons to despots around the globe?

[another_liberal]

8. Like our government has clean hands?

We supplied the White Phosphorus Israel used on civilian refugees in Gaza. There is film of the attacks.

[go west young man]

11. You may want to dig deeper..

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/revealed-uk-government-let-british-company-export-nerve-gas-chemicals-to-syria-8793642.html

[Hubert Flottz]

17. I had read about that a couple of other places.

I'd hate to have that blood on my hands. All those children destroyed. Whoever supplied that stuff should be hanged by the same rope they used on Saddam.

[treestar]

16. Gotta love these Americans taking the side of Russia

against the United States.

[Comrade Grumpy]

19. Is that you, Senator McCarthy?

Opposing getting involved in a military intervention in Syria hardly qualifies as being "against the United States." Unless you think half the Congress, including a good many elected Democrats, are un-American, too.

[Hydra]

20. Don't mind him

He's pushing for a new cold war mentality. Neocon wet dream 2.0.

[treestar]

22. Nothing to do with that

How silly.

We know the Russians do not have pure motives - they won't even let the UN do anything about chemical weapons. Even though they signed the Convention against them. One should not be using their ministers as backing on anything.

[Purveyor]

24. "Reds, Reds...who are these "Reds" that everybody keeps harping about anyway? /sarcasm off eom

[GeorgeGist]

5. Bullshit ...

[DirkGently]

6. He's got a point.

[dipsydoodle]

7. Lavrov: Evidence of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria Should Not Be Kept Secret

The Foreign Minister spoke during an address to the students of the Moscow State University of International Relations, RT reported.

"If there truly is top secret information available, the veil should be lifted. This is a question of war and peace. To continue this game of secrecy is simply inappropriate. "

Samples collected by first responders after the August 21 chemical attack in a Damascus suburb have tested positive for the sarin nerve agent, US Secretary of State John Kerry told US media as he sought build support for a military strike. No knowledge of who was behind it has yet come to light.

In a later appearance on CNN, Kerry said that the evidence, which was gathered independently of the UN, strengthened Obama's call for military action against the government of President Bashar Assad, which the US accuses of being responsible for the chemical weapons attack.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920611000433

UN chemical weapons inspectors asked to speed up Syria investigation.

Ban Ki-moon presses team for findings on blame for Damascus attack ahead of G20 summit and US congressional debate

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/01/un-chemical-weapons-inspectors-investigation

[treestar]

10. They don't want it to be true

I don't believe them. They know the data shows it to be true.

[Celefin]

12. The data that is so convincing that it has to be kept secret?

Nothing to fear nothing to hide comes to mind.

[treestar]

15. Why don't they reveal it then?

It has been shared with them.

Russia knows its way around spying.

[joshcryer]

13. How does Russia not have a similar relationship with dictators?

Absurdity.

[madokie]

14. The man is right.

I can say that with all honesty.

[Hubert Flottz]

18. He is right.

We back people who do the same things that we attack others for.

Obama had a chance to clean America's slate, but he was too timid to "look back" at the war crimes the Bush gang committed. Now he looks just as guilty to the world as the neocon/PNAC war criminals were, because he let it slide. Obama took the easy way out right off the bat.

[Hydra]

21. He had billionaire backing to gain the Whitehouse

And as Cutler Beckett put it in Pirates: "Your terms are steep, Mr. Turner. We will expect fair value in return."

[Amonester]

23. Did he vote for the Russian Anti-LGBT bill?

If so, nobody should listen to this dictator wannabe...