EDITORIAL

Blatant British Plots Now Exposed at United Nations and on Capitol Hill

Aug. 29 (EIRNS)—The UN Security Council session on Syria Aug. 28 became a world platform for yet another round of lies by British spokesmen to cover for their pending staging of a false-flag case chemical weapons attack in Syria, to provoke a counterattack by the U.S., France, and Britain. This carries the result of not merely busting up potential positive relations between the U.S. and Russia and among major powers, but the risk of all-out nuclear war.

The whole blatant operation, a rerun of two other staged false-flag chemical weapons incidents and counter-strikes in Syria, is out in the open now, and is a call to mobilize against the perpetrators—the core of the expiring British geopolitical system. The circles responsible are also the very same ones conducting the “Russiagate” coup-assault against the U.S. Presidency and nation.

At the UN, British Ambassador Karen Pierce went berserk yesterday in response to information released this week by Russian authorities, who identified British secret services and the White Helmets as involved in stealth pre-staging of chlorine, video, and other elements of what is to be another chemical weapons incident blamed on Damascus. Pierce dismissed the Russian revelations as a “density of fake news,” and denounced Russia for being “more egregious” than ever for daring to make such specific charges, which she called “a smokescreen for a possible impending attack by the Syrian regime, once again against its own people in Idlib.”

This evil madness is a call to action for U.S. citizens and people around the globe to together put a stop to the lies and killing. With the stakes being global showdown and the risk of nuclear war, there is no room for anyone to think “someone else will do the job” and save the day. The drag factor, as always, is not more “information,” but more guts.

Today, Independent candidate for Congress in Texas (CD 9), Kesha Rogers, endorsed the statement, “The World Must Unite To Stop the British False Flag Chemical Attack in Syria” (see Editorial in the Aug. 29 EIR Daily Alert), and exhorted “all citizens to act now to demand an end to the British lies. President Trump must not fall into the trap being set for him.” Providing a link to her video statement from April this year exposing the “chemical weapons hoax used in the last instance of pressuring President Trump into a reckless conflict with Russia in Syria,” Rogers urges her fellow Americans: “Enough of the lies! Call the White House and tell him, it’s a trap! Shut down the British drive for nuclear war once and for all. Call the White House switchboard….”

Britain’s “Russian collusion” coup drive is also primed for bust-up. Two points stand out about Tuesday’s closed-door joint Congressional Committee hearing, which took testimony from Bruce Ohr, the senior Justice Department official who illicitly, directly collaborated with British intelligence operative Christopher Steele against the President. First, it is reported that the Congressmen were informed that Special Counsel Robert Mueller conspicuously has never questioned Ohr, nor his co-conspirator wife, Nellie! Second, Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) is now strenuously pointing out that the next step from yesterday’s on-the-record Bruce Ohr testimony, is for it to go to Utah U.S. Attorney John Huber, who is collaborating with Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz in investigating DOJ and FBI surveillance abuse. Ratcliffe, himself, is a former Federal prosecutor and law professor. The message from yesterday’s hearing is clear: The law enforcers became the lawbreakers now facing jail time.

In dramatic contrast to these dangers, momentum is building for grand results from the upcoming Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Each day, many African heads of state are arriving in Beijing, for activities in advance of the Sept. 3-4 formal sessions. Then, only two weeks afterwards, the UN General Assembly will convene in Manhattan, with dozens of world leaders who will now be actively part of a new world outlook of development. The Chinese Ambassador to FOCAC Affairs Zhou Yuxiao said this week that a key aspect to watch is the combined impact of the Belt and Road Initiative, along with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the African Union’s Agenda 2063—the 50-year continental development plan announced in 2013. Zhou spoke of the significance of the FOCAC gathering, as likening it to a “twin-engine” driver: the Belt and Road Initiative and FOCAC.

The shared future for humanity looks bright.

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

U.K. UN Envoy Hysterical as Russia Unveils British Role in False Flag Syria Chemical Attack

Aug. 29 (EIRNS)—U.K. Ambassador to the United Nations Karen Pierce issued hysterical and threatening remarks on Aug. 27, in response to Russia’s charge that British secret services are involved in staging a provocation in Syria involving chemical weapons. She spoke both in the UN Security Council session—whose topic was the humanitarian situation in Syria, and to reporters outside. Pierce told the Security Council, according to the transcript on the U.K. Mission website:

“I would now like to turn to some of the statements made by the Russian Ambassador.

“The Russian Ministry of Defense today gave a briefing in which it said—and this has been echoed by members of his own Mission—that the United Kingdom and the White Helmets were involved in preparing chemical weapons attacks against the Syrian people. I did not use the word ‘comical’ in my press briefing [prior to the Council session]. What I said was that even by the egregious standards of Russian propaganda, this is an extraordinary allegation. It is wholly untrue and it has been denied by the commander of the British forces in Kuwait who is supporting the coalition. I am happy to repeat that denial now and I am happy to rebut any allegation that the British government or British forces engages with terrorists on the ground in Syria. The only plausible explanation we have for why these stories are being floated at the time other than to increase the amount of fake news in the system is as a smokescreen for a possible impending attack by the Syrian regime once again against its own people in Idlib, and I repeat, the statement that I, the French, and the Americans made earlier about responding appropriately. We have no information about chlorine being delivered and therefore, if the Russian Ministry does have that, the most probable explanation is that it is a preemptive attempt to set the agenda and the narrative for an appalling attack to come. And I would appeal to Russia to use all its persuasive powers to convince the Syrian authorities not to attack their own population and never again to use prohibited chemical weapons….”

Pierce went on to make repeated threats, while ostensibly addressing the humanitarian situation, stating, for example, that “The United Kingdom also will respond appropriately [along with the United States and France] if the Assad regime repeats its illegal use of chemical weapons that has already had such devastating humanitarian consequences for the Syrian population.”

Pierce said that there are no grounds for refugees to return to Syria, and no circumstances to aid in reconstruction.

“There will be no reconstruction assistance until there is a credible and ongoing political process. There will not be a Marshall Plan for Syria. There will not be a Brussels Plan for Syria. If there is any plan, it will need to be a Moscow and a Putin plan.”

Russian UN Ambassador Confirms, False Flag Chemical Attack in Syria Is a Live Threat

Aug. 29 (EIRNS)— Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia was calm but unmoved in response to the outburst of U.K. Ambassador Karen Pierce, who had issued her denial of British involvement in staging a chemical weapons provocation in Syria, speaking to the press before she went into the UN Security Council session on Syria. Nebenzia said, “The Russian Defense Ministry does not have a habit of making fake and ridiculous statements like defense ministries in other countries probably do. If the Russian Defense Ministry says something, it means it knows something.” He stressed this as confirming that “another chemical weapons provocation is being planned in Syria,” reported TASS.

“According to reliable information, two large-capacity trucks have arrived in the Saraqib city area, accompanied by eight White Helmets members,” Nebenzia said. He said further that the White Helmets had delivered a large amount of chemical agents to a warehouse in Saraqib, while some of those chemicals had been taken to a militant depot in southern Idlib. Saraqib is in central Idlib province, about 60 km north of Kafr Zita, the town that the Russian Defense Ministry identified earlier this week as the planned location of the chemical weapons false flag attack.

“The Syrian armed forces do not have chemical weapons and have no plans to use them. There is no military need for that. We have stated that more than once. People in their right minds will not use means that are useless from a military point of view in order to trigger reprisals by three major powers,” he said.

Afterwards, he told reporters that Russia considers warnings by “our Western partners” of possible use of chemical weapons by Syrian government forces “as an invitation to the armed rebel groups to stage another chemical provocation as they did in Douma earlier in April or in Khan Sheikhoun, to have a pretext for military strikes against Syria. We see these preparations, we see a military build-up, and we strongly warned against it.”

Furthermore, the use of chemical weapons as the U.S. and its partners are alleging makes no sense. “Why would they be inviting a military strike upon themselves by an alleged chemical attack?” Nebenzia asked. “Besides, from the battlefield point of view these chemical attacks have no military significance at all.”

When asked what Russia would do should there be a U.S.-U.K.-French attack on Syria, Nebenzia replied: “First of all, we don’t want to hear or to know about any possible Western attack on Syria. It is a priori illegitimate. There is no Security Council decision on that, and they will never have one. And it will definitely affect the political process in the country. We hope that we don’t even discuss it, that this won’t happen.”

Mattis, Nauert Threaten U.S. Action against Syria on Chemical Weapons Use Pretext

Aug. 29 (EIRNS)—Secretary of Defense James Mattis, when asked at Aug. 28 his press conference by a CNN reporter about the possible use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, said, “You have seen our administration act twice on the use of chemical weapons.” He reported that the Department of State has been in active communication—“recent active communication with Russia to enlist them in preventing this.”

At the State Department a few hours later, spokeswoman Heather Nauert basically repeated what Mattis had implied about the alleged Syrian government plans to use chemical weapons. “So we would encourage Russia to make this point very clear to Damascus that that will not be tolerated,” she said.

Interestingly, one reporter pointed out that Idlib is full of Al Qaeda-like terrorists associated with Al Nusra and other groups. “You certainly don’t want to provide another safe haven in Idlib, do you?” he asked.

Nauert entirely avoided the question. “I don’t have anything additional for you on that, but I think [the] Department of Defense addressed that today earlier,” she said. Mattis and Dunford, in fact, had not addressed that problem.

Lavrov Charges, U.S. Opting for ‘Regime-Change’ Instead of Fighting Terrorists in Syria

Aug. 29 (EIRNS)—In a Moscow press conference today, following his meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Abdel al-Jubeir, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported that U.S. officials have rejected the facts Russia has presented on a planned false-flag chemical weapons attack planned for Idlib, in Syria, while having provided nothing to substantiate their claim that Russia’s information is false, Sputnik reported him as saying.

Idlib is the last stronghold of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists, Lavrov said, and they must be excised. Yet the U.S. rejection of evidence of a staged chemical weapons attack, plus threats made against the Damascus government, appear aimed, not at defeating terrorists, but in driving for “regime-change”—much as was done in Iraq and Libya. This is exactly the same policy carried out by the Obama Administration, Lavrov observed, which used all possible means to protect Jabhat al-Nusra, in hopes of using it eventually against the Bashar al-Assad government.

While minimizing the risks to the civilian population, Lavrov continued, it is essential that an operation be launched against the “festering abscess” of terrorists in Idlib, “who are trying to gamble on the status of the de-escalation zone, to hold civilians as human shields, and bring the armed formations ready for negotiations with the Syrian government to their knees.” According to TASS, he underscored that Russia is ready to cooperate with the U.S. to resolve all problems in Syria, Libya, and other countries in the region, but said that Washington is reluctant.

“We advocate that all problems in this region and other regions of the world should be resolved collectively. We are open to cooperation with the United States and other Western countries, as well with the countries of the region to settle all the problems that exist there.”

U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

Ohr House Testimony Raises Burning Questions, ‘What Was Mueller Really Up To?’

Aug. 30 (EIRNS)—Based on consultation with Congressional sources about yesterday’s testimony by demoted former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr before a joint Congressional committee, two reputable investigative reporters, Sara Carter and John Solomon, raise pointed questions about the nature of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s phony Russia investigation.

Recall House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes’s warning of a few weeks ago, that Americans “will be shocked” when they learn what was included and excluded from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant applications. Ohr, he said at the time, is central to this.

Speaking last night on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox, John Solomon, who writes for The Hill, said that one of Ohr’s most important revelations was that neither he nor his wife, Nellie, (employed by Fusion GPS), were ever questioned by Robert Mueller. Given Ohr’s role as British intelligence operative Christopher Steele’s back-channel to the FBI after the FBI “fired” Steele as an informant, his wife’s job working with Steele to dig up dirt on Donald Trump, why would Mueller not want to question him?

“If,” Solomon asked, “Mueller wanted to get to the bottom of this, the questions that Congress has raised that are now in the public, whether the FISA warrant was legitimate and the origins of this investigation were legitimate, you would think at the very least, he’d want to talk to Bruce or/and find out why was he playing the intermediary role. This raises a lot of questions for people in Congress about what Mueller is really up to.”

Indeed. Several Congressmen commented after hearing Ohr’s testimony, that the omissions in the FISA warrant applications—no mention of Ohr or his wife, their relationship to Steele, or Steele’s well-known bias against Trump, no mention of the unverifiable nature of his dodgy dossier (Ohr admitted that it could never stand up in court) and Steele’s acknowledged credibility problem—are “astonishing.” The FBI had all this information, yet failed to include it.

On the Hannity show, Rep. John Ratcliff (R-TX), a former U.S. Attorney and terrorism prosecutor, said that Ohr identified a half-dozen senior FBI and DOJ officials to whom he had revealed his and his wife’s involvement with Steele, with Fusion GPS’s Glenn Simpson, their payments, etc. The senior FBI officials advised of this relationship included Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, attorney Lisa Page and Special Agent Peter Strzok, according to sources who spoke to SaraACarter.com. It’s highly unlikely that then-FBI Director James Comey didn’t know about this, Carter told Sean Hannity.

In comments to The Hill, Representative Ratcliff said he thinks Ohr’s testimony should be referred to U.S. Attorney John Huber, who is working with DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz in investigating allegations of surveillance abuse by the DOJ and FBI, particularly in the case of the FISA application to surveil Carter Page.

Trump Affirms Continued Suspension of U.S.-South Korea Military Exercises, Overrules Mattis

Aug. 29 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump sees no reason for major U.S.-South Korea military exercises to resume after they were suspended earlier this year to facilitate U.S. diplomacy with North Korea. He tweeted a “Statement from the White House” this afternoon: “President Donald J. Trump feels strongly that North Korea is under tremendous pressure from China because of our major trade disputes with the Chinese Government. At the same time, we also know that China is providing North Korea with considerable aid, including money, fuel, fertilizer and various other commodities. This is not helpful! Nonetheless, the President believes that his relationship with Kim Jong Un is a very good and warm one, and there is no reason at this time to be spending large amounts of money on joint U.S.-South Korea war games. Besides, the President can instantly start the joint exercises again with South Korea, and Japan, if he so chooses. If he does, they will be far bigger than ever before. As for the U.S.-China trade disputes, and other differences, they will be resolved in time by President Trump and China’s great President Xi Jinping. Their relationship and bond remain very strong.”

Trump’s statement overrules the announcement made yesterday by Secretary of Defense James Mattis at a press briefing. He said a number of times in response to questions, that there was no planning for continuing the suspension of exercises beginning next year. The suspension had only applied to large exercises while smaller scale exercises continued without let-up.

“They’ve never been turned off,” he said. “We turned off several to make a good-faith effort. We are going to see how the negotiations go, and then we’ll calculate the future, how we go forward.” This was taken by the news media, and even the Pentagon’s own news service (in a story that was later taken down), to mean that the large-scale U.S.-South Korean exercises would be resuming next year.

THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER

Chinese Envoy Proclaims ‘Twin-Engines’ of BRI and FOCAC Will Transform Africa

Aug. 29 (EIRNS)—Zhou Yuxiao, Chinese Ambassador to the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation, spoke of the historic impact of the FOCAC summit, in an interview with Xinhua yesterday. His observations come as many African heads of state are already arriving in Beijing, even before the Sept. 3-4 formal sessions of the forum take place. Founded in 2000, FOCAC has had two previous heads-of-state meetings, one in 2006 and one in 2015.

Zhou said that the China-Africa collaboration had proceeded in small steps, but successfully over the years. All the while, China’s ability to “walk the walk,” and Africa’s success in collaborating, made things work, to the point of widespread trust and effectiveness. At the 2015 FOCAC meeting in South Africa, China pledged financing in the range of $60 billion for implementing ten cooperation plans announced at the time. Now financing is also coming from the Silk Road Fund, the BRICS New Development Bank, and private Chinese firms.

Xinhua summarized, “A key aspect to watch, Zhou said, will be how China and Africa link the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and African countries’ development plans.” This year, diplomatic relations were established between the African Union Commission (currently headed by Rwanda) and FOCAC. Zhou referred to the BRI and FOCAC as being “twin engines” for further driving cooperation in Africa.

Many African leaders and experts are forecasting what lies ahead.

Lesotho’s Prime Minister Thomas Motsoahae Thabane said in an Aug. 22 Xinhua interview that the upcoming summit “is a landmark in the world aiming to improve itself for the survival of the human race, which faces multiple challenges today … the commitment is not only to specific countries in Africa, but to Africa in general.” China is a “true friend” of Lesotho, not “by word of mouth … but through actions, actions that push us to go from the situation of being underdeveloped to a situation of being developed. What more can you wish for from a friend than to stretch a hand of friendship in order to raise you up when you were flat on your stomach?”

Thabane further pointed out that relations with China are “mutually beneficial.” In the past, for Western countries, the benefit was “always for what they call ‘the Mother country.’ Now, China is not like that, that is why we feel like we have a true and loyal friend in China.”

Hisham AbuBakr Metwally, an Egyptian researcher with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry, wrote an Aug. 21 opinion column for CGTN’s website, “FOCAC—Unprecedented Successful Mechanism, Reshaped Africa,” reviewing accomplishments in rail, agriculture, energy, education, and other areas in Africa, thanks to work with China to date.  But he forecast more and bigger projects and a bright future. “After the completion of all mega infrastructure projects and industrial zones, the continent will change completely.”

SCIENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Indian Space Program Postpones Lunar Mission To ‘Ensure Success’

Aug. 29 (EIRNS)—Indian Space Research Organization director K. Sivan, at his press conference yesterday, where he talked at length about the manned space program, also provided an update on the Chandrayaan-2 mission to the Moon. It is a very challenging mission, which will include an orbiter, a lander named Vikram, weighing a hefty 1,471 kilograms, and a rover at 27 kg. The target landing site is near the Moon’s South Pole.

Sivan announced that the launch is being postponed from this year to January. The change, he said, is “to ensure that it becomes a success in the first attempt.” He explained, the experts “have suggested some changes,” in entering an orbit at the Moon and in landing the rover. The lunar craft changes increased the weight of the spacecraft, which required a change in launcher. The launch window extends from Jan. 3 to Feb. 16, but Sivan said ISRO intends to launch in January.

Sivan reminded the media that regarding delays to increase the chance of success, “were also the steps taken by China while executing its Moon mission program.”

COLLAPSING WESTERN SYSTEM

New Study Estimates 3,000 Puerto Rican Deaths from Hurricane Maria

Aug. 29 (EIRNS)—A study released yesterday by George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health estimates that the death toll in Puerto Rico from September 2017’s Hurricane Maria was 2,975 people—a vast increase over the official figure of 64 people issued by the Puerto Rican government last year.

Even this figure is still an estimate, however, explain the researchers, who say much more work must be done to determine whether all these deaths were related to Maria’s destruction or other causes contribute as well.

What is known, is that low-income communities, and especially the elderly, were disproportionately affected. Spanning the period from September 2017 through February 2018, the study showed that the death rates in lowest-income areas peaked at about 60% higher than the baseline, in the aftermath of the storm. Factors such as the lack of electricity, clean drinking water, refrigeration, or adequate housing contributed to deaths in poorer areas, especially affecting individuals requiring refrigerated medications, oxygen, or air conditioning. The elderly or those suffering from chronic diseases were especially vulnerable.

In an interview with El Nuevo Dia, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló emphasized that the hurricane was an unprecedented catastrophe, for which the island was unprepared. Response protocols were established to deal with a Category 1 storm, not anything like Maria’s Category 4, he said.