US Think Tank Provides Forum for the Syrian National Council and Cover for Israel

AIPAC team first from west to interview new head of SNC; as Israel’s media friends continue supporting Syrian opposition.

Fikra Forum Interviews New Head of Syrian National Counci

(OSAKA, Japan) - It’s very revealing that the newly elected head of the Syrian National Council (SNC), Abdulbaset Sieda, gave his first extended Western media interview since assuming the post on June 10 to Fikra Forum, a project of the AIPAC-created Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

As I revealed in “Fikra: An Israeli Forum for Arab Democrats,” WINEP (The Washington Institute for Near East Policy) [1] has long been working closely with the SNC in pushing for foreign intervention to topple Assad.

In February, WINEP senior fellow and Fikra director David Pollock wrote in an e-mail to the forum’s subscribers:

“As the international community struggles to halt the Syrian regime’s brutal assault on its people, Fikra Forum would like to share our newest piece by Radwan Ziadeh, an official with the Syrian National Council and executive director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies. Ziadeh calls for intervention, urging the international community to form a coalition that legitimizes the SNC as the unified representative of the Syrian opposition and acknowledges the council’s plan for the future of Syria”.

Meanwhile, Israel’s friends in the media provide cover for Israel’s support — via its American lobby — for the Syrian opposition. Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin recently reported on Israeli vice prime minister Shaul Mofaz’s speech at “the Washington Institute for Near East Peace” [sic]:

“My expectations are that the Western countries should give humanitarian support to the Syrian people,” he said. “We cannot be part of it, and it is clear why.”

Maidhc Ó Cathail
thepassionateattachment.com, June 21, 2012.

[1] WINEP The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) is a think tank based in Washington, D.C. focused on United States foreign policy in the Middle East

Special thanks to Silvia Cattori in Rome

http://www.silviacattori.net/article3352.html

Maidhc Ó Cathail is a writer and educator. Born and raised in Ireland, he has been living in Osaka, Japan since 1999. Salem-News.com is happy that this extremely diverse writer has joined forces with our team. In addition to writing a monthly column for the Irish language internet magazine Beo!, Maidhc's work has been published by Antiwar.com, Dissident Voice, Foreign Policy Journal, Khaleej Times, Media Monitors Network, Online Journal, Palestine Chronicle and many more. Maidhc Ó Cathail was asked to join the Salem-News team because of his fantastic world coverage. His reports covering events like the conflict in Palestine, show a fantastic overview of the developing events that are shaping world history. We look forward to sharing stories from this well connected individual with our readers. It is a tough and complicated world out there, and we're all better off with the additional education gleaned from Maidhc Ó Cathail's research and reporting. You can write to Maidhc at: maidhc98@yahoo.com

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