Damascus Street Notes by Franklin Lamb
“Who does that obnoxious
woman think she is?” demanded a staffer who works in the Russian
Embassy media office inside the vast windowless soviet style massive
high walled compound which belongs to his country, here in Damascus.
“Viktor” had been invited to our table, for lunch at
the “Lady of Damascus” (“sitt a cham”) restaurant in the middle class
neighborhood of Shalan, having been spotted by our charming host, a
Sheik and MP in Syria’s Parliament. The well-spoken gentleman was
furious, after putting down his mobile phone having apparently heard
some rather upsetting news. What ignited Viktor were the recent
statements of the US State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland and
her seemingly anti-Russian statements lecturing and insulting Syria’s
ally, which Victor considered a bald effort to misinterpret the recent
statement of Russia’s Middle East envoy, Mikhail Bodganov. Badganov, on
12/13/12 had stated, in response to a question, “One must look the facts
in the face… unfortunately, the victory of the Syrian opposition cannot
be ruled out.” Bogdanov also noted that the Syrian government was
“losing control of more and more territory.”
Viktor explained that what has galled the Russian
and his embassy colleagues here about Nuland, known for her pro-Zionist,
anti-Syrian, Russian, Arab and Muslim views, was her arrogant language:
“We want to commend the Russian government for finally waking up to the
reality and acknowledging that the regime’s days are numbered.”
According to Viktor, “Bodganov said nothing really
new. And we will issue a clarification of this very soon.” He continued,
“Everyone knows that theoretically the foreign-backed rebels could win.
This is not new and is always a possibility during an uprising. But
Mrs. Nuland surely knows that the Syrian government has purposely pulled
back from some rural areas where there is mainly open space in order to
concentrate its forces to protect population centers. This is very
basic military strategy and has been employed throughout history. In the
English language I think it’s called something like a “strategic
retreat or tactical redeployment. It is reprehensible for western and
Gulf media to use our Middle East envoys statement as a form of
psychological warfare while deceiving the media.” He added, “Of course
we have contingency plans for an evacuation of our citizens if
necessary. This is quite normal and we and other countries have such
plans for Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, the Gulf countries and Palestine,
among others. Russia has not lessened its support for Syria and to think
otherwise is yet another in the series on many miscalculations from
Washington.”
Sure enough, within hours, the Russian Foreign
Ministry spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich, a friend of Viktor’s issued a
statement: “We would like to remark that he (Bogdanov) has made no
statements or special interviews with journalists in the last days. We
once again confirm the principled Russian position about the lack of any
alternative to a political solution in Syria.”
After venting on Nuland, Victor and others at our
table were totally dismissive of the statement of the secretary general
of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who told reporters in Brussels after a
meeting with the Dutch prime minister at NATO headquarters. “I think the
regime in Damascus is approaching collapse,” he told reporters after a
meeting with the Dutch prime minister at NATO headquarters. “I think now
it is only a question of time.”
The Syrian MP explained that Rasmussen has no
credibility at all after all the lies he spoke concerning NATO in Libya
and how NATO’s more than 9,000 bombing missions “protected the civilian
population” whereas in truth, everyone there at the time (including this
observer) knew very well that the main threat to Libya’s population,
starting in March 2011 and continuing until mid-October was from NATO.
From Sorman to Sabna NATO forces rained indiscriminate death on the
civilian population of Libya and according to Russian President, due to
meet with Obama in February, has condemned the US and NATO for deceiving
Russia and the international community regarding its true aims. Viktor
told us that his country fears the same deception is afoot in Syria.
Damascenes are tense, sullen, but not panicked
following the recent events and what many consider terrorist acts by
so-called “rebels.”
According to students I very much enjoy meeting with
from Universities and Colleges here, their President, Bashar Assad,
still has the support of a majority of the population. Many, as does the
Assad government, accept, in principal, the April 2012 Geneva
Proposals. That initiative, proposes a transitional government resulting
from dialogue leading up the 2014 election which would be open to all
candidates. They favor letting the Syrian people choose at the ballot
box the next president whoever that may be.
It is evident here in Damascus that the main worry
of the population is the manifold effects of the generally viewed
illegal and immoral US led sanctions. On a another subject, “Tamara, a
university student explained that the target of students and
intimidation by rebel backers of students and faculty plus the
kidnappings, taking of houses and cars by these same elements are
affecting education here although almost all the schools and
universities are still functioning.
This observer had the help of a small group of
Damascus University students in conducting a survey of the effects of
the US led sanctions regime on the civilian population. Virtually every
person who expressed a view on this subject told this observer that the
only purpose of the American sanctions is regime change by way of trying
to force the population to suffer to such an extent that the long lines
for bread etc. turn violent and break the bond between the Bashar Assad
government and the civilian population. People here commonly refer to
the US led sanctions against Iran as also being about regime change and
not because Washington believes it can force Iran to abandon its
perfectly legal nuclear development program.
The results of a student led survey of grocery
stores in Damascus, completed on 12/12/12, shows the following increases
in food prices that citizens here must pay against the backdrop of
current unemployment figures currently estimated by economists as being
between 40-60 percent of the population.
Damascus Student survey: Price rises for food items between May 2011 and December 2012 (Official exchange rate is currently 80 Syrian pounds for one US dollar) Lamb—500 Syrian pounds to this week’s price of 750
sp, Chicken—200 sp to 450 sp, Milk—per liter….from 40 to 95 sp,
Rice—from 40 sp to 100 sp, Eggs—160-300 sp for a carton of 30 medium
sized eggs, Cooking oil—30 per liter to 60, Sugar—40 sp per kilo to 85
sp, Bread—20 sp for 10 loaves of flat bread to 55 currently in Damascus
but 220 s.p. in Aleppo where, as in Homs, Hama and the east, a massive
humanitarian crises in rapidly spreading.
Russia has promised wheat for this basic staple in
Syria. But time is of the essence. In many areas of Syria most in need,
basic food stuff supplying NGO’s are absent.
Bottled cooking gas– 500 sp now up to 1000 sp, is also becoming more difficult to find in several Damascus neighborhoods.
Heating oil which was 100 sp per liter is now on
average 250 sp but becoming quite scarce. Even some of the five star
hotels here in Damascus, due to a severe shortage of “mazot” fuel oil,
are cutting off the heat and hot water to rooms except for periods
between 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 8-10 p.m. Russia has reportedly promised a
tanker of fuel oil but it will be dangerous to transport it by road to
the population centers here because, according to students working as
volunteers with the Syrian Arab Republic Red Crescent Society and other
humanitarian organizations, rebel forces are increasing stealing or
destroying aid convoys and rampaging the countryside.
Students here in Damascus intend to publish a more
detailed list of consumer goods every two weeks. Yesterday some picketed
the empty American embassy in protest against US led sanctions. “The
Syrian people will never forget or forgive the American campaign to
starve us into submission”, one sign read.
It appears to this observer that, rather as is the
case with Iran, the illegal and immoral US led sanctions, which urgently
need to be challenged at The Hague, imposed on the civilian population
of Syria is having the opposite effect of what their cynical architects
intended.
The piling on of sanctions is giving credibility to the Assad
government which, while employing measures to curtail prices increases
here, so far with modest success, is arguing that the price rises are
the result of Syria’s American and Zionist enemies. This view is widely
shared among students at Damascus University and the general public.
Franklin Lamb is doing research in Damascus and is reachable c/o fplamb@gmail.com
