EDITORIAL

Vladivostok Forum Advances Shared Interests in Asia-Pacific, as British Geopolitics May Blow Up the World

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)—Today, on the eve of the formal agenda of the two-day Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met, and agreed on several joint economic and strategic regional initiatives for the coming months. This is the first of many high-level bilateral and multilateral meetings on the occasion of the EEF, all serving to benefit Asia, the Pacific region, and nations worldwide. On Sept. 12, Abe will reportedly meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi will both meet with Putin, and participate fully in the EEF sessions. Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga, and South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon likewise are involved.

In this same spirit, warm greetings were sent over the weekend, by Putin, Xi, and President Trump to Chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea on the occasion of the D.P.R.K.’s 70th birthday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders reported today that a second meeting between Trump and Kim is under scheduling consideration, after Kim proposed this in his new letter to Trump.

This diplomatic momentum, along with the epochal shift of the Beijing Forum for China Africa Cooperation Summit Sept. 3-4 for development in Africa, points the way to the prospect of a beautiful future of shared destiny for mankind. In the good will and diplomacy at work, one can sense how very realistic is the proposal by Lyndon LaRouche that the Four Powers—China, Russia, the United States and India—can come together to work on a New Bretton Woods system to serve worldwide development and peace.

At the same time, it is this very prospect that is anathema to the City of London/Wall Street axis, for it will end their old imperial order of domination, looting, and destruction. Their rage is what is behind the immediate crazed mobilization by the British government and flunkies in other nations, to provoke a confrontation with Russia in Syria, which potentially can mean all-out war.

The latest on this is that the Wall Street Journal posted a wartime propaganda piece Sunday evening asserting that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “has approved” plans to gas his people (according to “U.S. officials,” unnamed). This then was megaphoned by other media coverage as a “fact” all over the place, from Israel to California. Then today, John Bolton, National Security Advisor to President Trump, gave reporters in Washington a war-hoop description of how, when Assad makes his chemical weapons move, the U.S., Britain and France have already agreed to retaliate with a much “larger attack” than the last two strikes on Syria, made on the same pretext.

We are at a very dangerous moment. But voices of sanity and opposition to the crazies are increasing, as we circulate the LaRouche PAC warning statement, “The World Must Unite To Stop the British False Flag Chemical Attack.”

Yesterday, 15 members of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity Steering Group (VIPS) issued a strong memo of warning to President Trump: Don’t back al-Nusra in Idlib. Trump should “cool things down.” Trump should “consider what might be called a pre-emptive ceasefire. By that we mean a public commitment by the presidents of the U.S. and Russia” to work together “to preclude an open clash.” The VIPS warned Trump against Bolton by name: “If you wish wider war, Bolton has put you on the right path.”

In London today, Labour MP Emily Thornberry, Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary, spoke out to insist that any British government proposal to join the U.S. and strike Syria must be first voted on by Parliament; and secondly, if there is a charge that the Damascus government used chemical weapons, it must be properly investigated, not just asserted as an excuse for an attack.

Virginia State Sen. Richard Black, who just returned to the U.S. after six days in Syria, is speaking out. His LaRouche PAC interview was posted Sept. 9; his similar interview with Sputnik was posted Sept. 10.

Black puts it straight, reminding everyone of the 17th anniversary tomorrow of 9/11: If this “British intelligence MI6” scenario to carry out a staged gas attack in Syria takes place, then “it is very likely that there will be air attacks on the Syrian army; then we will be in a close total alliance with al-Qaeda that attacked the U.S. and murdered 3,000 Americans on 9/11.”

THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER

Putin and Abe Meet in Vladivostok, Set Joint Mission Projects, Look Ahead to a Peace Treaty

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)—Today in Vladivostok, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks, and set several joint mission projects and follow-on. Among the specifics are that a third Japanese business mission to the South Kurile Island is to happen by the end of the year, and perhaps as early as October. Abe said that Putin and he have outlined a roadmap for joint projects on the disputed islands.

In remarks to the media afterward, Abe addressed the question of a peace treaty. “Our new approaches are changing the shape of Japanese-Russian cooperation. Without violating the legal positions of both sides, we are implementing what can be done. We are accumulating experience, we are moving toward what we, with President Putin aspire—toward a peace treaty. In order to solve the problem … we, together with the President, will make every effort.”

Abe also addressed the question of providing economic assistance to North Korea, saying it will be possible, once the nuclear problem can be resolved. “If we solve the issue of the kidnapping of Japanese citizens and the nuclear missile problem in a comprehensive way, we will be able to draw a line with the unfortunate past, and normalize diplomatic relations; then we will be able to provide North Korea with economic assistance.”

Putin told the press after their meeting, “We are determined to develop Russian-Japanese cooperation based on the principles of good-neighborliness, mutual respect and mutual consideration of interests.”

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

Wall Street Journal: Unnamed U.S. Officials Claim Assad Approved Chemical Weapons Use

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)—The headline of a Wall Street Journal article posted late Sept. 9, blared, “U.S. Says Syria Plans Gas Attack in Rebel Stronghold,” and is being repeated across news media worldwide. “Syrians in Idlib Brace for Chemical Weapons Attack,” screamed Fox News today, “Syria’s Assad Has Approved Use of Chlorine Gas in Idlib,” parrots The Hill. There are dozens more similar headlines proclaiming that catastrophe is imminent in Idlib, thus helping to set the environment for what the Journal claims is inevitable: U.S.-led air and missile strikes against Syrian government forces as they advance on the last jihadi stronghold in Syria.

“President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has approved the use of chlorine gas in an offensive against the country’s last major rebel stronghold, U.S. officials said, raising the prospects for another retaliatory U.S. military strike as thousands try to escape what could be a decisive battle in the seven-year-old war,” the Journal report claims at the outset. “In a recent discussion about Syria, people familiar with the exchange said, President Trump threatened to conduct a massive attack against Mr. Assad if he carries out a massacre in Idlib….”

After this hearsay, it does go on to say that while the U.S. military has developed attack options, “Trump hasn’t decided what exactly would trigger a military response or whether the U.S. would target Russian or Iranian military forces aiding Mr. Assad in Syria, U.S. officials said.” The U.S. Administration could, instead, rely on economic sanctions or unspecified political tools, but the neo-cons who have hijacked U.S. policy would not be satisfied with such measures.

The Journal article otherwise repeats ad nauseam all of the war propaganda about Assad and chemical weapons, in the same manner as did the “intelligence” about Saddam Hussein’s WMD in the run-up to the Iraq invasion in 2003. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White is quoted, “I will not comment on U.S. military plans, but Assad’s use of chemical weapons, sarin and chlorine, and disregard for civilian lives is well documented and contrary to regional stability.” Clearly, the al-Qaeda terrorists that run Idlib are getting a free pass.

Bolton Talks Up Major Anglo-French-U.S. Strike on Syria, To Retaliate for Chemical Arms

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)—U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton spoke in strong terms today about the contingency of making a strike on Syria, larger than in the past—and in league with the British, for retaliation to any charge of Damascus using chemical weapons. Bolton spoke in reply to reporters, after a speech he gave on the International Criminal Court. Bolton’s latest words are still further evidence, of exactly what the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity warned of yesterday in their Memo to President Trump: “If you wish wider war, Bolton has put you on the right path.”

Bolton said, as quoted by Reuters and other media, “We’ve tried to convey the message in recent days that if there’s a third use of chemical weapons, the response will be much stronger.” Further, “I can say we’ve been in consultation with the British and the French, who joined us in the second strike, and they also agree that another use of chemical weapons will result in a much stronger response.”

Bolton blew off any idea of a false flag chemical weapons attack. “The government of Russia and others have said that we are giving the authorization for al-Qaeda to use chemical weapons and try and pin it on the government of Syria. That has to be, in the history of propaganda in the 20th and 21st centuries, one of the most outrageous claims that I can think of.”

U.K. Shadow Foreign Secretary Insists Parliament Investigate, Vote To Approve Syria Attack

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)—British Labour Party Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry today made an important statement against the frenzy for a Western attack on Syria. She spoke in the course of a debate on an Urgent Question put down in Parliament, and demanded that, in the case of any charge against Syria for using chemical weapons, there must be a full and proper investigation; and there must a vote in Parliament on any British participation in an attack on Syria.

Her statement comes in direct opposition to Alistair Burt, the U.K. Foreign Office Minister of State for the Middle East, who refused to aver today in the Commons, that MPs would be given a vote, if the Her Majesty’s government decides to join the U.S. in a reprisal attack on Syria, should Syria be charged with use of chemical weapons.

The following is a transcription of Thornberry’s remarks in full in the House of Commons:

“Thank you Mr. Speaker, for granting this Urgent Question. And let me congratulate my Hon. Friend, the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth, for securing it.

“I can only echo what he has already said regarding the terrible bloodshed and humanitarian crisis that is looming in Idlib, and the urgency of all sides working to find some form of peaceful, political solution to avert it.

“In the short time I have, Mr. Speaker, I want to press the government specifically on how it intends to respond, if there are any reports over the coming weeks—accompanied by horrifying Douma-style images suggesting the use of chemical weapons. Particularly because of how the government responded after Douma, without seeking the approval of this House. And without waiting for independent verification of those reports from the OPCW. And particularly because if this scenario does arise it may do so over the next month, when the House is in recess.

“We know from Bob Woodward’s book that what Trump wants to do in the event of a further reported chemical attack, is commit to a strategy of regime change in Syria and indeed had to be prevented from doing so after Douma. [sic—President Trump’s policy against regime change is well known—ed.]

“That would be a gravely serious step for the U.K. to take part in, with vast and very dangerous implications, not just for the future of Syria but for wider geo-political stability. And, in light of that, I hope the Minister of State will give us two assurances today.

“Firstly, that if there are any reports of chemical weapons attacks, particularly in areas of Idlib controlled by HTS [Hayat Tharir al-Sham, aka Jabhat al Nusra], that the government will not take part in any military action in response, until the OPCW have visited those sites under the protection of the Turkish government, independently verified those reports, and attributed responsibility for any chemical weapons used.

“Relying on so-called open source intelligence provided by proscribed terrorist groups is not an acceptable alternative.

“And second, Mr. Speaker, if the government does intend to take such action—escalating Britain’s military involvement in Syria and risking clashes with Russian and Iranian forces—will the Minister of State guarantee this House that we will be given a vote to approve such action before it takes place, even if that means recalling Parliament?”

Veteran Intelligence Professionals Strongly Warn President Not To Back Al Nusra in Idlib

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)— The Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) Steering Group issued a public Memorandum Sept. 9 warning President Donald Trump that Moscow has “upped the ante in Syria,” and is engaged in a full-out campaign to take back the Al Nusra/al-Qaeda/ISIS-infested province of Idlib. They write: “The Syrians will almost certainly succeed, as they did in late 2016 in Aleppo. As in Aleppo, it will mean unspeakable carnage, unless someone finally tells the insurgents theirs is a lost cause. That someone is you.”

The VIPS state that the Israelis, Saudis, and others that want unrest to continue are “egging on the insurgents, assuming that you, Mr. President, will use U.S. forces to protect the insurgents in Idlib,” and perhaps punish Damascus. “We believe your senior advisors are encouraging the insurgents to think in those terms, and that your most senior aides are taking credit for your recent policy shift from troop withdrawal from Syria to indefinite war.

“Russian missile-armed naval and air units are now deployed in unprecedented numbers to engage those tempted to interfere with Syrian and Russian forces trying to clean out the terrorists from Idlib…. We do not want you to be surprised when the Russians start firing their missiles. The prospect of direct Russian-U.S. hostilities in Syria is at an all-time high. We are not sure you realize that.”

The VIPS warn there is further volatility because “Kremlin leaders are not sure who is calling the shots in Washington.” While not the first time Putin has encountered such uncertainty, they say, this is the first time that Russian forces have deployed in such numbers into the area, ready to do battle. “The stakes are very high,” the VIPS warn.

They write, “The best way to assure Mr. Putin that you are in control of U.S. policy toward Syria would be for you to seek an early opportunity to speak out publicly, spelling out your intentions.” They add, “If you wish wider war, Bolton has put you on the right path.”

The VIPS conclude, “If you wish to cool things down, you may wish to consider what might be called a pre-emptive ceasefire. By that we mean a public commitment by the Presidents of the U.S. and Russia to strengthen procedures to preclude an open clash between U.S. and Russian armed forces. We believe that, in present circumstances, this kind of extraordinary step is now required to head off wider war.”

They also include an appendix, citing the ceasefire of Sept. 12, 2016, “which did not happen,” and other instances in which the U.S. did not honor ceasefire agreements. The appendix quotes Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying that despite agreements signed by President Putin and then President Obama, intelligence was not shared.

COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM

Banker William White Warns of Next Big Crash

Sept. 9 (EIRNS)—Economist William White, until 2008 working at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and since then a frequent critic of the ailing financial system, told the Sept. 8 issue of Germany’s Der Spiegel that “the problems underlying the Lehman crisis, have never been solved. On the contrary, they have become worse.” Thanks to governments’ financial reanimation, the systemic banks have become even bigger—too big to let go under like Lehman 10 years ago. “The crisis management had undesired consequences,” White says, “the debt is higher than ever before, particularly in the threshold countries and in China.” Ten years since the outbreak of the crisis, a change of policy is overdue, White says: “Already the response to the market crash of 1987 was to print money. And it has continued this way. After every crisis, interest rates are lower and the debt higher. We are crushing against a limit, therefore.”

U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

Trump on the Hustings in Pennsylvania, Then Heading for Missouri and Mississippi

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)—Donald Trump continues his mission to bypass official Washington and take his campaign directly to the people this week, with events in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Mississippi.

On Sept. 11, Trump will attend an event to commemorate the 9/11 attacks, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the site where 40 passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 perished, in an attempt to overcome their hijackers. With this visit, Trump will have now recognized each of the three sites—with an event last year at the White House honoring the New York victims, then later at the Pentagon—where some 3,000 Americans died on that fateful day. Trump will be accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

On Sept. 13 Trump will be in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and on Sept. 14 in Jackson, Mississippi. In Missouri, Republicans are energized by the unexpected chance to unseat incumbent Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill, with Republican contender Josh Hawley—currently the Missouri attorney general—surprisingly finding himself in a “neck-and-neck” race.

The Mississippi rally on Friday evening takes place at the coliseum in Jackson. It is set to highlight the race for Senate. Democrats are drooling over the possibility of an “Alabama remake” (in which Democrat Doug Jones “unexpectedly” upset Roy Moore after 40-year-old charges of womanizing were launched against Moore), since Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith is in a three-way race with two Republicans and one Democrat.

Russia and U.S. Energy Ministers To Hold Talks in Moscow

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)—Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will hold talks on Sept. 13 in Moscow according to TASS. The two will discuss the resumption of an energy dialogue, introduction of new U.S. sanctions against Iran, construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and development of oil and gas markets, Novak told reporters today.

“The topics of the meeting, first of all, include cooperation in the field of energy, energy efficiency, in general restoration of relations in the field of energy dialogue. I think that we will talk about the situation in the oil market, in the gas market, because today the U.S. represents one of the largest countries in oil and gas production, and they are exporters. At the last meeting we discussed the consequences [from introducing new sanctions against Iran] that could affect the market. I think we will surely touch upon this topic, because it has a very strong influence on today’s market expectations,” Novak said, adding that construction of infrastructure, including Nord Stream 2, will also be discussed.

SCIENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE

India Will Get Help from France for Its Manned Orbital Mission

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)—In order to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s challenging mission to send an Indian astronaut crew into Earth orbit aboard an Indian launch vehicle by 2022, New Delhi is engaging the cooperation of other countries. India and France have cooperated in the past on various aspects of space technology. An announcement on Sept. 6 by the Jean-Yves Le Gall, president of France’s space agency, the National Center for Space Studies (CNES), and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman K. Sivan, commits France to share its expertise in manned space science and technology with ISRO.

Le Gall explained that “a working group will be set up for us (France) to share our expertise in space medicine, astronaut health monitoring,” and other fields. These other areas to be discussed are radiation protection, protection from space debris, and personal hygiene systems. A statement from CNES says that it will be sharing expertise acquired from the spaceflight of French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s six-month mission aboard the International Space Station beginning Nov. 17, 2016. Pesquet conducted 50 scientific experiments during his mission.

Carrying out the Indian manned mission in such a short period of time will require an “opening up” to international cooperation. India plans to work with Russia, and perhaps the U.S., in the training of a three-man crew.

OTHER

Virginia State Sen. Richard Black Destroys Lies about Syria in Sputnik Interview

Sept. 10 (EIRNS)—Virginia State Senator Richard Black (R), in an in-depth, exclusive interview about Syria, President Bashar al-Assad, and the Syrian people, published by Sputnik today, soon after Black’s return from six days in Syria, destroys the image of “Assad the tyrant’ constructed by the British Empire and American Tories, and pushed through the media.

Black, who has now met twice with Assad, described the President as “optimistic” and “determined,” and a man who “drives himself” in his own SUV, rather than have a chauffeur and an escort.

Black told Sputnik he and Assad discussed the upcoming battle in Idlib, which the Syrian Arab Army has almost recaptured, with the exception of a holdout pocket controlled “by an individual named al-Julani,” al-Qaeda’s top figure in Syria. If the U.S. intervenes in Idlib, Black said, “We would be fighting shoulder to shoulder alongside al-Qaeda, the same group that attacked the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on 9/11.” Black continued that Syria doesn’t use carpet bombing as the U.S. and its allies did in liberating Mosul in Iraq, and in Raqqa, “because they are liberating the people…. If we get rid of the sanctions, it would make it so much easier for the refugees to return. We did talk about the refugees and President Assad made it quite clear: he wants all of the Syrians to return to Syria.”

Sputnik asked about the chemical weapons. Black said he studied the Syrian war for seven years, after studying Libya, and “that led to the fact that we were capturing Libyan weapons so that we could ship them to Turkey and use them to stage an invasion of Syria.” The terrorists carried out each of the chemical gas attacks in Syria, except for Douma last year, where Senator Black said, the rebels staged a fake attack (as other media and American scientific experts have also shown).

Senator Black pointed out that “No American journalist has ever asked if Syria had gas in the first place. If they were so desperate to use gas, why don’t they use it against the terrorists? There are 50,000 terrorists in the province of Idlib. Why do they always use them against women with baby strollers and old men?”

The senator told Sputnik, “I worry very much that there will be a poison gas attack, there’s been actual intelligence released on it. It appears as though British Intelligence MI6 will carry out a staged gas attack; they have already chosen a location that has been disclosed. They have trained people to fake as if they were victims of gas. Now it’s been disclosed and they may change their plans. We may see a different scenario.”

“Did you receive actual assurances from Assad that the Syrian army isn’t using chemical weapons?” Sputnik asked.

Black countered, that “President Assad finds it to be ludicrous the idea that he would ever use it. You recall that the U.S. declared unequivocally, along with the UN, that there were no poison weapons remaining in Syria. They [the Syrians] know if they used poison gas … it would probably provoke an invasion by the West. Syria understands it. They have absolutely nothing to gain, everything to lose.”

Being such a “vocal critic,” Sputnik ask the senator, what part of U.S. policy does he disagree with the most?

Black: “Going all the way back to the time when the U.S. opposed the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan, we have begun to use terror as a weapon…. The CIA, working together with British intelligence, have repeatedly used the terror weapon to overthrow nations.”

Sputnik: “…Do you think that some changes will likely be introduced under the Trump administration?”

Black: “I had very much hoped that this would be the case when President Trump appointed Michael Flynn as his national security advisor. I knew Michael Flynn, I knew his advisors; they were people who have an interest in peace. They genuinely opposed terror, they wanted to improve relations with Russia; they saw no reasons for the tensions with Russia.

“The deep state were terrified Michael Flynn might remain the national security advisor. For this reason they ousted him and successively put in bellicose people like John Bolton and they probably couldn’t find a greater advocate of war than John Bolton. So at this point I think it is quite questionable if the President will be capable of changing and shifting American policy.

“The problem is that he is surrounded by the deep state. We use the term to refer to the elements of the CIA, the State Department, to a smaller extent to the Defense Department, some members of Congress, the Senate. Not all … but certain key people. John McCain was a good example. And then we had those think tanks which were typically funded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, U.A.E., places like that. They may have a dozen people and their job is to write articles that undermine secular governments and lead to their overthrow…. I wish that President Trump would carry out some of his campaign promises that I like very much. He said, ‘I’m going to work with Syria, with President Assad. I’m going to diminish tensions with Russia, which isn’t necessary. I’m going to downgrade NATO.’ I agree with all these things and I wish he’s carried them out. I think it would be better for him to do so….”

He stressed passionately that the people of Idlib “need to be rescued. The idea that that somehow we would leave the most hideous jihadists, the worst terrorists on Earth untouched to prevent the accidental death of some civilians is like if at the end of World War II, we would say: ‘Well, this final battle for Berlin will result in civilian casualties, so we can’t go after Adolf Hitler because there will be collateral damage….’

“For all the civilized world, it is central that the battle for Idlib take place.”

Speaking of the refugees, Senator Black emphasized: “President Assad has made it clear: he wants all the refugees back. He needs them to rebuild Syria. The UN is under pressure from the U.S., Saudi Arabia, from all the sources of funding and so what they do is that for refugees who have left Syria, they provide financial incentives, money, food, medical attention. But if they return to Syria, they get nothing. … Nonetheless, … 150,000 have returned to Aleppo City already, 350,000 have returned to Homs City and some are returning from Lebanon and both Syria and Lebanon are very anxious for all of the refugees to return….

“We should end the sanctions and allow peace to return. … One-third of our entire national debt was incurred fighting in the Middle East and there is not one single thing that has benefitted the American people or American foreign policy…. Everything has been destruction, we have left governments in ruins, we have left anarchy in places like Libya, where they have no government at all after seven years, and so it is time that we refocus our foreign policy and restore the image of the United States as a good, decent and moral country.”