Syria ceasefire not genuine on part of US: Activist

Press TV has conducted an interview with Sara Flounders, a member of the International Action Center.

Here is a rough transcription of the interview:

Press TV: What do you make of these latest situations? We have seen so much in the last few years in dealing with Syria in promises and broken promises and now the United States with this ceasefire seems not to be once again being very sincere about wanting peace to come to Syria, your take.

Flounders: Well the real problem with this ceasefire, with each of the ceasefire agreements and there have been many, is that the US remains absolutely committed to regime change, to the overthrow of the elected government of Syria and to their continued support of a whole series of armed fanatical factions that they play off one against the other, all committed to the destruction of Syria and whether they … at any one moment as moderate or extreme and as there is a flow of arms and a flow of names back and forth and commanders back and forth who change sides, all of this is really the US determination of overturning the government of Syria and that is continuing right through this ceasefire.

As we can see it is used as an opportunity to regroup, it is used as an opportunity to rename some of the groups and at the same time the US war propaganda continues through groups like the White Helmets NGOs which are complete frauds, extending publicity to the armed factions that are fighting, that are armed by the US and through Saudi Arabia, through Qatar, through Israel and through Turkey and at the same moment there are incursions by US special forces operating with Turkey into Syria.

So this ceasefire is not in any way genuine on the part of the US and they do not want it to continue because they are determined to continue regime change.

Press TV: Well let’s look at the other side of this. As you have said we have seen several attempted truce agreements in the past. Why do you think Russia then agreed to try this one more time if there is a lack of sincerity on the part of Washington? What do you think about that aspect because in many stages it gives them, as you have just said, it gives the rebels more time just to regroup and to start again, your take on that?

Flounders: Well the importance of the ceasefire agreements is that it shows again and again the willingness on the part of the Syrian government to arrive at any sort of peaceful negotiation with the opposition and to constantly express to the people of Syria, not to the invading foreign forces but to the people of Syria their interest in arriving at a peaceful resolution and I think this is why there have been so many efforts at ceasefires even if they are temporary, even if they won’t succeed and it also shows on part of Russia and the others who are giving assistance to this elected government to show a willingness to try to arrive at some negotiation but I think the demand of the people of the world must be to the US government to stop, to cease its effort at overturning the elected government of Syria.

That is the source of the problem, this US determination to arm one group after another and to just attempt to create chaos on the ground. It has displaced almost half the population of Syria today and at the same time the ceasefires do give some immediate aid and food and supplies to the half million people who are desperate for assistance and any government has to think about that, how to help the people who are caught in the middle in this terrible, terrible war.

So we offer hope, confidence in a ceasefire but at the same time we feel the responsibility to challenge the US government’s continuing arming of all these different groups and they are continuing efforts to overturn the elected government.

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