By Hiram Reisner / Newsmax
Perceived imminent Western military action in Syria is not
only illegal but also could lead to possible "catastrophic" intervention
into the affairs of a sovereign state and destabilize the region as a
whole, Russian leaders warn.
Moscow has indicated it would not interfere with Western military
action against Syria, but it has stressed Western nations are making a
mad dash before all is known about the alleged nerve gas attack in a
Damascus suburb that has reportedly killed more than 1,000 people,
according to The Christian Science Monitor.
The Russians are also stressing that the expected imminent attack
without United Nations imprimatur is charging into dangerous territory.
"Attempts to bypass the Security Council, to once again create
artificial, unproven excuses for an armed intervention in the region,
are fraught with new suffering in Syria and catastrophic consequences
for other countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa," Foreign
Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement posted on
the ministry's website Tuesday.
Lukashevich also pointed to the cancellation of a scheduled meeting
between Russian and U.S. officials on how to resolve the Syrian crisis
as a sign that an attack is imminent, the Monitor reports.
"Moscow perceives Washington’s decision to postpone this meeting
literally on the eve of the agreed-upon date with serious
disappointment," he said.
Georgy Mirsky, an expert with the Center for Development and
Modernization with the official Institute of World Economy and
International Relations, said, "There's nothing Russia can or should do
to stop Western military intervention in Syria."
"Syria isn't Libya. Battles are going on everywhere, and it will prove
impossible to set up a secure zone. There is zero chance that Western
forces will launch a ground war. So, it will be limited cruise missile
attacks from ships; that might weaken [President Bashar Assad], but will
not likely be decisive," he said.
"Russia can sit and watch. A propaganda war will rage, and Moscow will
be able to say that we wanted peace, we were working for the Geneva-2
conference, but it didn't happen because they opted for military force
instead," Mirsky said.
"As things stand, developments will play into Moscow's hands. The U.S.
will compromise itself with another war in another Arab country, and
look more than ever like a neo-colonialist power. Why would Obama want
this?"
