Russia Denies Plan To Seize Syria's Aleppo After Civilian Evacuation

[uhnope]

Source: RFE/RL

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denied allegations that Russia and Syria are preparing to storm Syria's Aleppo after clearing civilians out of the city under the guise of a humanitarian operation. U.S. officials and Syrian rebel groups have suggested Russia's and Syria's creation on July 28 of so-called "safe corridors" where they have invited an estimated 250,000 civilians trapped amidst fighting to evacuate may be part of a plan to depopulate the city so that the Syrian army, which has surrounded and besieged the city, can seize it.

"I categorically deny the allegation that some storm is being prepared," Ryabkov told Interfax late on July 29. "Our American partners, due to their own stagnancy and suspiciousness toward Russia, are beginning to attribute some nonexistent designs to us. We cannot accept that things should be formulated this way. We are pursuing the ends that have been declared - not more but not less," he said.

Some U.S. officials have agreed with assertions by Syrian rebel groups that the so-called safe zones, which Aleppo's besieged civilians so far have largely avoided, will not be used to provide humanitarian aid and a safe route out, but rather to cleanse the area so government forces can capture it.
...
"Aleppo residents are calling the corridors that Russia is talking about 'death corridors'," which is why they have not taken up the invitation to use them, said Ahmad Ramadan from the opposition Syrian National Coalition. A U.S. official told Reuters that the Syrian regime may intend to arrest and punish people who attempt to use the corridors, claiming they are armed rebels or "terrorists" trying to escape the city. Moreover, "why would you evacuate a city that you wanted to send humanitarian aid to?" the official asked.

Read more: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-denies-plan-seize-syria-aleppo-besieged-city-after-civilian-evacuation/27889515.html

[rocktivity]

1. Straight out of the Nazi playbook

How long before a safe zone is "accidentally" bombed? Why not make Aleppo a REALLY safe zone by NOT attacking it?


rocktivity

[uawchild]

4. Because it's filled with ISIS and moderate Jihadist rebels, perhaps?

Aleppo is hardly a "safe zone", it's a war zone filled with fighters on all sides.

The only way to end this bloody civil war is to hold peace talks now. The rebels blew off the last suggested round of talks because they thought they were winning then. Perhaps now that they are facing defeat in Aleppo, they will be more amenable to serious discussion of ending this war.

[Cayenne]

6. Those monsters need to be crushed

The fighting wont end until the rebels are dead. They are head chopping salafists that have no respect for Christians living there. It is al Assad that has protected minorities and antiquities from these monsters. I'm on the side of the 'immodest' women.:large

[uhnope]

18. all hail Dear Leader Assad. Crush more hospitals, Assad, carpet bomb more families

because it's the Christian thing to do, right?

[Cayenne]

27. Compared to Erdogan and House of Saud

You want to install a Suadi stooge?

[ozone_man]

28. Let civilians have sage passage

and then bomb the smithereens out of ISIS and moderate rebels (terrorists if they were in U.S.). Makes perfect sense to me.

[uawchild]

2. The source name is actually Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Isn't it? Yes. That's our state funded propaganda service, isn't it?

From Wikipedia's article on Radio Propaganda:

RFE/RL was developed out of a belief that the Cold War would eventually be fought by political rather than military means.[65] American policymakers such as George Kennan and John Foster Dulles acknowledged that the Cold War was essentially a “war of ideas”.[66] The United States, acting through the Central Intelligence Agency, funded a long list of projects to counter the Communist appeal in Europe and the developing world.[67] The missions of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty were separate from Voice of America in the sense that VOA was meant to be the voice of America, reflecting American foreign policy and disseminating world news from an official American viewpoint, whereas RFE/RL has the mission of captivating people and stimulating non-cooperation in Communist countries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_propaganda#Radio_Free_Europe.2FRadio_Liberty

[NWCorona]

3. That was the first thing I noticed.

[uhnope]

5. Yeah why don't you start ranting about PBS and NPR now.

I know people who listened to RFE/RL while living under the Soviet Russian dictatorship. You smear them every time you try to smear RFE/RL. Though I know this won't make a dent and you will just keep copy and pasting the same stupid Wikipedia paragraph over and over, in case anyone else is reading your post: RFE/RL is so cautious and careful in its reporting it's almost boring. It's no more propaganda than PBS or NPR. Yeah why don't you start ranting about PBS and NPR now. Your constant attempts to shit on RFE/RL get you nowhere. Anyone with a working brain can see the difference between RFE/RL, PBS, BBC, NPR versus RT, TASS, Sputnik...

[uawchild]

8. Are NPR or PBS stated funded propaganda outlets? Gee, no, they are not.

But Radio Free Europe is, see the difference?

Just look at the propaganda spin in your OP's headline:

"Russia Denies Plan To Seize Syria's Aleppo After Civilian Evacuation"

What spin! Yeah, sure, RUSSIA denies planning to SIEZE Syria's Aleppo, that is masterful propaganda on so many levels.

First, it's RUSSIA SEIZING Aleppo, and from Syria!

Second, those lying RUSSIANS are "denying" their "plans".

Third, no mention that the Syrian government is the one trying to regain control of Aleppo from ARMED ISIS and jihadist rebels.

It's simply a thing of beauty that headline, and is a good example of the stock-in-trade of Radio Free Europe.

Are you actually embarrassed to give the actual name of your source when you cite Radio Free Europe?

Could it be that even you realize that people connect the name Radio Free Europe with Cold War propaganda?
I am beginning to suspect that is the case.

[uhnope]

16. to the reality-based community RFE/RL is considered a mainstream and centrist source

the reality-based community which includes DU admin--that's why it's in LBN while, for example, RT is banned from LBN. So keep bashing DU admin, or take it up with them directly.

[uawchild]

20. Until 2013 Radio Free Europe "news" was banned in US

U.S. quietly repeals propaganda ban, spreads government-made news to Americans
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/07/15/news/nation/u-s-repeals-propaganda-ban-spreads-government-made-news-to-americans/

[uhnope]

22. see post 21 and consider taking it up with DU admin if you think RFE/RL shouldn't be in LBN

otherwise have a good time. Maybe cut and paste that silly wikipedia paragraph again, you haven't done that for several minutes now

[uawchild]

25. See post 24: Radio Free Europe was deemed to be propaganda by the US

even during the height of the Cold War! But here it is again for curious readers:

In the 70s, Fulbright was no friend of VOA and Radio Free Europe, and moved to restrict them from domestic distribution, saying they “should be given the opportunity to take their rightful place in the graveyard of Cold War relics.” Fulbright’s amendment to Smith-Mundt was bolstered in 1985 by Nebraska Senator Edward Zorinsky, D, who argued that such “propaganda” should be kept out of America as to distinguish the U.S. “from the Soviet Union where domestic propaganda is a principal government activity.”
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/07/15/news/nation/u-s-repeals-propaganda-ban-spreads-government-made-news-to-americans/

[uawchild]

23. Why are you claiming I am bashing DU admins? Please stop the nonsense.

No one here has mentioned DU admins except you in your baseless allegation. Please quote me where I "bashed" DU Admins.

This seems like a baseless smear you are throwing out because you are losing a discussion.

[Purveyor]

14. This from one who will squeal like a stuck pig when RT is used as a source.

[uhnope]

15. And you think RT and RFE/RL are comparable

yeah DU admin doesn't think so either. RT is banned from LBN, go figure

[uawchild]

19. Radio Free Europe "news" was illegal in US till 2013 because it is propaganda

...
Until this month, a vast ocean of U.S. programming produced by the Broadcasting Board of Governors such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks could only be viewed or listened to at broadcast quality in foreign countries.
...
The restriction of these broadcasts was due to the Smith-Mundt Act, a long-standing piece of legislation that has been amended numerous times over the years, perhaps most consequentially by Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright, D. In the 70s, Fulbright was no friend of VOA and Radio Free Europe, and moved to restrict them from domestic distribution, saying they “should be given the opportunity to take their rightful place in the graveyard of Cold War relics.” Fulbright’s amendment to Smith-Mundt was bolstered in 1985 by Nebraska Senator Edward Zorinsky, D, who argued that such “propaganda” should be kept out of America as to distinguish the U.S. “from the Soviet Union where domestic propaganda is a principal government activity.”
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/07/15/news/nation/u-s-repeals-propaganda-ban-spreads-government-made-news-to-americans/

[ozone_man]

29. Good catch! Is that even allowed here as a source? n/t

[uawchild]

7. BEST Propaganda headline from Radio Free Europe this YEAR!

"Russia Denies Plan To Seize Syria's Aleppo After Civilian Evacuation"

RUSSIA denies plan to SEIZE Syria's Aleppo, indeed!

Oh, the spin masters at Langley have outdone themselves with this one.

Kudos to you brave Cold War II warriors!

[Sunlei]

11. may the next time putin cranks the bit on some poor horse be the end of him. may it flip back &..

crush him. my opinion, my imagination.

[uhnope]

13. you're flailing & your personal attacks are getting old

Try reading the second paragraph. The Russian gov issues a denial.

[uawchild]

17. U.S. quietly repeals propaganda ban, spreads government-made news to Americans

WASHINGTON — For decades, a so-called anti-propaganda law prevented the U.S. government’s mammoth broadcasting arm from delivering programming to American audiences. But this month, that came silently to an end with the implementation of a reform passed in January. The result: an unleashing of thousands of hours per week of government-funded radio and TV programs for domestic U.S. consumption in a reform initially criticized as a green light for U.S. domestic propaganda efforts. So what just happened?

Until this month, a vast ocean of U.S. programming produced by the Broadcasting Board of Governors such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks could only be viewed or listened to at broadcast quality in foreign countries. The programming varies in tone and quality, but its breadth is vast: It’s viewed in more than 100 countries in 61 languages. The topics covered include human rights abuses in Iran; self-immolation in Tibet; human trafficking across Asia; and on-the-ground reporting in Egypt and Iraq.

The restriction of these broadcasts was due to the Smith-Mundt Act, a long-standing piece of legislation that has been amended numerous times over the years, perhaps most consequentially by Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright, D. In the 70s, Fulbright was no friend of VOA and Radio Free Europe, and moved to restrict them from domestic distribution, saying they “should be given the opportunity to take their rightful place in the graveyard of Cold War relics.” Fulbright’s amendment to Smith-Mundt was bolstered in 1985 by Nebraska Senator Edward Zorinsky, D, who argued that such “propaganda” should be kept out of America as to distinguish the U.S. “from the Soviet Union where domestic propaganda is a principal government activity.”

Zorinsky and Fulbright sold their amendments on sensible rhetoric: American taxpayers shouldn’t be funding propaganda for American audiences. So did Congress just tear down the American public’s last defense against domestic propaganda?
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/07/15/news/nation/u-s-repeals-propaganda-ban-spreads-government-made-news-to-americans/

[uhnope]

21. LOL. That was so they could broadcast in Somali to the Somali community in the USA

you forgot that part, hmmmm I wonder why:

The agency wants to reach diaspora communities, such as St. Paul Minnesota’s significant Somali expat community. “Those people can get Al-Shabaab, they can get Russia Today, but they couldn’t get access to their taxpayer-funded news sources like VOA Somalia,” the source said. “It was silly.”

You know that claiming what you're claiming is ridiculous and convinces nobody, nada zilch. Go ahead with your tag team and keep railing that RFE/RL is the same as RT, that the US media and Putin's fascist control over the media are equivalents too. Yeah just keep doing that, see how far you get. Yeah back to ignore for you, good luck with that

[uawchild]

24. such “propaganda” should be kept out of America as to distinguish the U.S. from the Soviet Union

Fulbright’s amendment to Smith-Mundt was bolstered in 1985 by Nebraska Senator Edward Zorinsky, D, who argued that such “propaganda” should be kept out of America as to distinguish the U.S. “from the Soviet Union where domestic propaganda is a principal government activity.”
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/07/15/news/nation/u-s-repeals-propaganda-ban-spreads-government-made-news-to-americans/

Hmm. Seems you didn't even read the article.

Until 2013 Americans, both Democrats and Republicans thought that such propaganda put out by Radio Free Europe should be be KEPT out of AMERICA to distinguish the U.S. “from the Soviet Union where domestic propaganda is a principal government activity.”

GOOD LORD, even during the height of the COLD WAR American politicians realized Radio Free Europe was propaganda and they wanted to keep it's "news" out of THIS country.

[Sunlei]

9. an outright slaughter of an entire country.

:large

[uawchild]

10. Its past time for a brokered Peace in Syria.

All outside parties, Russia, the US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia must stop funding and supporting fighters in the Syrian Civil War.

Only a negotiated peace will end this carnage.

[Sunlei]

12. it's to late, Russia has moved foward to destablize Turkey.

[David__77]

26. I hope insurgents allow civilians to leave areas under their control, if they wish.

...