Felicity Arbuthnot writes:
At 6.05 am, (GMT) on Tuesday 1st April, a
correspondent on the BBC’s flagship morning news programme Today stated that Russia had “seized Crimea”, faithfully following
the rampant propaganda being hysterically stirred from Washington and Whitehall
and by newspapers ranging from the Los
Angeles Times to pick-your-favourite-news-outlet land.
Again, for anyone just returning from another
planet, Crimea with a turnout of 83.1%, voted, in a referendum, by nearly
ninety-seven percent, to rejoin Russia.
Not only was not a shot fired (apart from a
couple in the air and one by a sniper suspiciously mirroring actions by the far
right in Kiev) but incredibly, Russia is now contemplating returning some of
the arms from the bases it has taken over, to Kiev.
Reportedly two thirds of Ukrainian armed forces
are so underwhelmed by those who, backed by the US, illegally overthrew the
government in Kiev, that they have opted to stay in Crimea and/or join Russia’s
defence forces.
Incidentally, a Google of “referendum” elicits
that:
“A referendum … is a direct vote in which the entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment or a law … the referendum is one of the three pillars of direct democracy.” (Emphasis mine.)
“A referendum … is a direct vote in which the entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment or a law … the referendum is one of the three pillars of direct democracy.” (Emphasis mine.)
Never the less, on Thursday 27th March, the UN,
ever willing to do Washington’s bidding, carried a majority vote for a
Resolution which dismissed Crimea’s vote as: “having no validity (and) cannot
form the basis for any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of
Crimea or of the (Capitol) City of Sevastopol.”
Surely the key to this craven farce is also in
the word “Autonomous”, of which the dictionary definition is: “(of a
country or region) having the freedom to govern itself or control its own
affairs.”
Western diplomats were quoted as saying the UN
vote sent a “strong message” to Russia.
Well no.
Since it is non-binding the bluster is hardly
worth the oxygen expended, or the hot air that accompanied it.
Perhaps the most laughable statement of the day
was from Ukrainian “Foreign Minister” Andriy Deshchytsia, who said that:
“The purpose of this document is to reinforce
core United Nations principles … This text is also about respect of territorial
integrity and non use of force to settle disputes” and that challenges would
not be allowed: “to our rules based on international framework.”
This from a man involved in the US funded
overthrow of a sovereign government, resulting in over one hundred deaths and a
mob:
“Feeding the blazing defences with blankets,
tires, wood, sheets of plastic foam and anything else that might burn”, in
their efforts to overthrow President Viktor Yanukovych, who whatever his failings,
was democratically elected.
““It is called the tactic of scorched earth,”
said a protester who identified himself as Andriy.” (New York Times, 19th February 2014.)
This was the mob of which US State Department
spokeswoman Jen Psaki tweeted:
“To echo Barack Obama today - proud to stand #UnitedForUkraine.
World should stand together with one voice.”
She was joined by an un-named “Senior White House official” who: “posted a ‘selfie’ on Twitter holding a sign that read: #United_For_Ukraine @State_Dept_Spox.
She was joined by an un-named “Senior White House official” who: “posted a ‘selfie’ on Twitter holding a sign that read: #United_For_Ukraine @State_Dept_Spox.
Those with whom they were “standing” were also,
presumably, the: “Hundreds of members of the ultra-nationalist Right Sector
movement” who “stormed the parliament (Rada) building in Kiev, smashing windows
and breaking down doors” on 19th March (1).
Meanwhile, “scorched earth” seems to be the order
of the day, with former Ukrainian Prime Minister and jail bird, Yulia Tymoshenko,
in an alleged telephone conversation (2) with former Deputy Secretary of
the National Security and Defence Council, Nester Shufrych, stating that arms
should be raised against the Russian Federation so that: “not even a scorched
field will be left in Russia.”
“This is really beyond all boundaries. It’s about
time we grab our guns and go kill those damn Russians together with their
leader”, she is cited as saying.
“Tymoshenko confirmed the authenticity of the
conversation on Twitter” but claimed: “a section where she is heard to call for
the nuclear slaughter of the eight million Russians who remain on Ukrainian
territory was edited.”
On President Putin, seemingly she was also
prepared to: “grab a machine gun and shoot that m*********er in the head.”
That German hospital must have worked miracles on
her alleged severely damaged spine.
Meanwhile, in the Crimea this week, Russian Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev, with a delegation of Cabinet Ministers, paid a
surprise visit promising funds for improved power supplies, water lines,
education, health care, infrastructure, salaries and pensions for the elderly.
Shortly before when much of the power supplied by Ukraine was mysteriously cut, Russia immediately supplied mega-sized generators – some which had been formerly deployed as power back-up for the Sochi Olympics.
Shortly before when much of the power supplied by Ukraine was mysteriously cut, Russia immediately supplied mega-sized generators – some which had been formerly deployed as power back-up for the Sochi Olympics.
Medvedev also announced that Crimea would benefit
from the creation of a special economic zone, with lower taxes, simplification
of bureaucracy, incentives for business development and the development of the
region – named by National Geographic
as a “Best Trip” in 2013 – as a top tourist destination.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Minister announced
that all men of conscription age will get a one year deferral of draft.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
finds this all very threatening, warning of danger of “intervention”,
“miscalculation”, strategic implications.”
Ratcheting up rhetoric to hysteria level, warning
that Russia could “invade” swathes of the Ukraine in three to five days – a
statement with more than a whiff of Tony Blair’s weapons of mass destruction
which could be launched in “forty five minutes.”
Threatening is actually NATO, whose member
countries nearly encircle the Russian Federation, with Ukraine’s troops due to
train with NATO in Bulgaria in shortly upcoming exercises.
The trained killers have wasted no time in
recruiting new members to their international gang.
The US has sent six F-15s to “patrol” the Baltic
and twelve f-16s to Poland, pledging that: ”more US support is on the way.”
America’s friends better watch out – its
“support” is more often than not an occupation – and mega scorched earth.
Meanwhile, back in Ukraine, the population is set
for financial nightmares. Russia’s parliament has cancelled rents for the Black
Sea Fleet’s base until 2042 – worth $98 million annually.
Also cancelled are generous discounts for
Russia’s natural gas. Household gas prices are expected to rise by fifty
percent from the 1st May.
The complex gas discount and the hosting of the
Black Sea Fleet are linked, thus, additionally, Kiev may also be additionally
obliged: “to return $11 billion which Russia paid to lease the bases” (3).
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s “interim government” has to
ponder on how to repay an estimated $27 billion loan to the IMF, with its
entire gold reserves allegedly “confiscated” (4) in more than forty
heavy boxes and taken for “safe keeping” to the US – as with Iraq’s and Libya’s
gold reserves, an action that mimicked Germany’s removal of gold from occupied
nations in WW2.
In all, it has to be wondered how many in the
Ukraine are wondering whether to move to Crimea.
No comments:
Post a Comment