Conceding Nothing

"In the next few days we will send the necessary documents to the UN, including the technical documents that are needed to draft such an agreement. Then we will sign the Chemical Weapons Convention. It should come into force about a month after signing. That's the standard process under consideration."
"It counts most of all on the U.S. renouncing threats of force and adhering to the Russian plan. When the U.S. stops supplying weapons to terrorists and we see they are committed to stability in the region, then we will be ready to see this process through to the end."
"If we look at the past few days, the threats were not about giving up chemical weapons. They were based on a provocation [on August 21] ... A provocation realized by the leadership of the United States."
"I think any war with Syria could quickly turn into a war that would destroy the entire region and lead to decades of instability".
Syrian President Bashar al Assad

In this Monday, Aug. 26, 2013 file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad gestures as he speaks during an interview with a Russian newspaper, in Damascus, Syria. Syria will subject its chemical weapons to international monitoring because of Russia, not because of threats made by the United States, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with Rossiya 24. (AP Photo/SANA, File)

Well, then, that neatly puts thing into perspective. This is definitely not a case of terminal arrogance. A country doing its desperate best to preserve itself, attempting to rescue itself from the evil intentions of its enemies in the West whose provocations and incitements have brought regional terrorists to launch deadly attacks against the legitimacy of a duly elected, democratic government for the people by the people, has launched its counter to the threats of a superpower world bully.

There is no legitimacy to claims of Syrian brutality against its own population. Those who have been rebelling against the minority Shia-led government which they risibly claim has too long oppressed the majority Sunni population are Islamists, terrorists, al-Qaeda agents with deadly intentions for his country. It is a conspiracy launched primarily by the United States with the assistance of France and England, with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey training and arming the terrorists.

As the world is his witness Bashar al-Assad insists that the aggressive and deadly assaults that the United States and its allies plan against his vulnerable country are unjustified and represent a crime against humanity which the United Nations most certainly will not countenance. Even America's own lawmakers and population view such a threat with abhorrence, refusing to give it legitimacy. He, on the other hand, is himself amenable to surrendering the chemical canisters he has just recently discovered in his possession.

He trusts his stalwart ally Russia, to work for the furtherance of peace efforts, to tamp down the ferocious war mentality of America, doing the bidding of the Zionists. And by the way, it would immensely aid peace efforts should the Islamic Republic of Iran be cordially invited to take part in the civil diplomatic overtures. Those three peace-loving countries; Syria, Russia, Iran will make a sincere effort to prevail over the blood-thirsty war-mongering Western nations with their love of fostering deadly conflicts within Arab countries.

He is prepared to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention. And to hand over details of his country's chemical stockpile a month or so from now. The Russian proposal came as a godsend; more power to that country of faithful support to a good friend. Sound reasoning, advice and expectations echoed by Syria's deputy prime minister who reiterated that Russia's superb proposal could succeed only if the U.S. and its friends pledge they will not plan any future attacks on Syria.

"We want a pledge that neither it [the U.S.] nor anyone else will launch an aggression against Syria", said Qadri Jamil grimly. Oops, don't look now: Circumstantial evidence implicating the Syrian government appears to be on the cusp of revelation. How dreadfully inconvenient. But not to be released for a few days yet, the results of the soil, urine and blood samples from victims, along with the ammunition collected from the sites in question.

"Only the regime had the [chemical weapons] stocks, the [firing] vectors and the interest in doing it, so we can draw a conclusion from that", charged France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius. The UN secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to be in possession of the findings of the UN inspection team by Monday. By then the regime should have managed to kill off another hundred or so terrorists plaguing its cities full of frightened and loyal citizens.