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I
welcome to Sputnik orbiting the world
with me George Galloway and me gatri
this is where we cover the stories that
made it into the news and those that
didn't but should have it's news from
elsewhere and from a different point of
view it's not often I can squeeze in a
guest fresh from her encounter with the
Archbishop of can
and on her way to the airport for an
audience in Rome with his Holiness the
pope but it's good she may be smelling
of incense today but it's the rather
more sulfurous whiff of the close
proximity of high explosives that she's
used to she's mother Agnes Mariam of the
Cross of the dicese of HS hamama and
yabu in the Syrian Arab Republic here on
what has suddenly become a controversial
tour of Britain you'd think the British
anti-war movement would be interested in
hearing what what a representative of
Syria's Christian communities has to say
about the us-backed so-called Rebels and
their beheading ways but alas her
scheduled appearance in today's stop
thewar Coalition International Peace
conference was scuppered by liberals who
don't much care to hear from a woman
with an actual firsthand account no
apparently they prefer to hear only from
other armchair activists who've gained
their opinion from the Evening News
Mother Agnes may have been denied the
right to speak at to stop the war
Coalition but she'll reach a much bigger
audience here on Sputnik we'll be
talking to her in the second half of the
show this month in
1979 hundreds of Iranian militants
stormed the US Embassy in tan taking
hostage those inside whom they described
as a nest of spies sparking a long cold
war between the Islamic Republic and the
West punctuated by Hot War Slaughter by
proxy in the Iraq Iran War and directly
by the shooting down of an Iranian
airliner by the US warship vincens not
so long ago by which I mean weeks not
months it looked like war war was
imminent but as Mr Churchill said jaw
jaw is usually preferable and lo and
behold peace is breaking out at least on
the international level in both Syria
and Iran the nuclear deal sealed with
retweets hugs and kisses well the
Iranians don't do hugs and kisses but
you know what I mean in Geneva this week
is a Triumph for diplomacy and a defeat
for the dogs of war how's it going down
grie president Rohan who has an own
Twitter account he yes and he's very
active on it extraord he he this week uh
on the day of the deal um said that the
agreement in Geneva is a very positive
First Step but the journey before us is
long who knew a president on a president
of Iran online on Twitter indeed indeed
and so active it's fantastic he's got a
lot of followers on it as well uh this
week Ras and also came with a survey
among Americans about how they feel
about the Iran peace talks and 44% of
them support the interim peace deal
between Iran and the six big Powers 22%
however oppose it just 50% however says
that us should use its military power to
defent Israel against 50% well that
would have been 100% just a few decades
ago if you calibrate the effort that the
Israel Lobby makes in the United States
to absolutely control the political
system and the money that they spend on
it but they only have 50% of the support
of the public now you took the camera
out onto the Streets of London to see
what the public thought about the fact
that peace is breaking out everywhere
how did that go well everybody's of
course very very positive about it
everybody wants peace there were some
some who were a bit skeptic or maybe
critical about the actual peace
agreement what's in it but
overwhelmingly they're welcoming it of
course let's take a look I think it's
good you know you want to have peace
around the world I mean you don't want
any threat of nuclear bomb going off
really anytime so the less bombs the
better there only the Israelis think
they haven't and they have a vested
interest in keeping the West at odds
with uh Iran America and Israel work
together you know they are from the same
womb yeah so when one is doing something
and the other is there are they playing
good cup back cup people who don't have
a stake in um uh in um um in the risks
involved are able to create the peace
treaty and the people um who are local
understand the major risk involved I
think to trust the Iranians is a
terrible mistake I think anybody that
stands up against imperialism that
stands against people that try and take
your Independence away and anybody that
stands up for their own independence
rock on
my first guest John White is a novelist
a writer and an analyst he's also been
the most stalwart defender of mother
Agnes Mariam of the cross's right to be
heard in Britain during her tour and
he's joining us now for the first time
on Sputnik John thanks very much uh for
coming on the show tell us first of all
how did it come to pass that someone
with firsthand evidence of what's
happening in Syria is effectively
blackballed from the stop the war
International Peace conference this
unfortunately was the doing of a couple
of liberal commentators who are also
delegates at this conference who still
believe for some strange reason that
there is actually a revolution taking
place in Libya and sorry in Syria and
believe that you can have a situation
where you're against Western
intervention and against the presentent
Syrian government but who else is going
to stop these barbarians unless it's the
Syrian government I don't know if these
liberal commentators have 30 divisions
of armed troops up their sleeve to take
to the conflict but if they don't then
that's a non-pos and it's actually
disgraceful given the position of this
country with Vis V Libya and Visa Iraq
they've not learned from history now
there seems to be a complete about face
going on on the part of the big Western
Powers just a few weeks ago we were
almost at war with Syria and thus by
extension Iran MH now we're headed for
Geneva 2 in Geneva on the Syrian track
and we've done a deal on the nuclear
question with Iran how do we get to this
stage well this is due to two things
it's due to the resistance of the Syrian
people in the syan Arab Army standing by
their government against what is an
invasion it's not R it's an invasion of
their of foreign uh jihadists extremists
religious obscurantist and barbarians
and it's also British public opinion if
you recall you were part of that I know
the moment's vote taken in the
parliament where the British public
opinion drove our politicians for once
to find a spine to find the guts to stay
the hand of the British government and
that was a very seminal moment in our
history and comparisons have been drawn
quite rightly I think with the momentous
Norway debate that turned the course of
the second world war this is 1940 where
uh Chamberlain fell and was replaced by
Mr churo absolutely after the invasion
of Norway and Britain's we might have
been conducting this conversation in
German if that debate had not happened
but for the people of the Middle East
this is equally as momentous because
they they are facing a a turning point
in their history is this country is
Syria going to be turned into a
graveyard for minorities Muslim and
non-muslim or is it going to remain a
multi- language multiethnic
multi-religious secular modern state
which the overriding identity that joins
syrians together is Arab not religion
not sectarianism so these are the stakes
involved and this is why when the
Western powers are entering into Geneva
to in January they're doing so from a
position of weakness their first option
was to topple Assad through their
proxies among the so-called opposition
the second option was to enter peace
talks but Assad would have to go he
would have to resign why should he
resign the Syrian Army have bled for
this man for two and a half years the
Syrian people have suffered and stood by
their government for two and a half
years so it's a question of national
sovereignty it's a question of dignity
and so it's encouraging that the Western
powers are entering these talks however
there is that we have to be but it's
very surprising I myself as as a a
practitioner in the field I'm not entire
sure why they have apparently taken this
big step back I won't call it a
capitulation because they're still
causing real trouble in Syria and
they're still capable of causing real
trouble for Iran but it's a very big
step backwards for them does it reflect
the weakness of the political class on
both sides of the Atlantic it does yes
especially the Obama Administration the
Western Powers understand the character
of the opposition they know that they
can no longer uh be seen to even hint at
any support of these 7th Century
barbarians the same ideology responsible
for 9/11 the 77 bomb in London the
Madrid bomb the murder of Lee Rigby most
recently in London we were going to join
forces with that ideology in effect and
so people could see that and there's an
old saying fool me once shame on you
fool me twice shame on me and these
people will not be Fooled Again will it
be sabotaged it has two major uh
opponents in the region Israel and Saudi
Arabia the medieval despotism linked up
with the so-called only democracy in the
Middle East this is an Unholy Alliance
to be sure but it's an alliance with a
lot of powerful friends and in the Saudi
case a lot of money yes are they capable
of sabotaging the peace track they're
certainly capable of trying their damers
to do so uh and they are trying but
they're becoming increasingly isolated
not just regionally but in the whole
world we've got Benjamin yeyahu he's
been like Doctor Strange Love on
steroids over the past week the way that
he's tried to know this is a historic
mistake and so on all this apocalyptic
language and rani's been the Exemplar of
rational and diplomacy and you know
flagma ISM but you you you encountered a
lot of English people in London saying
to hang with Israel's objections why
don't we start acting in the interest of
ourselves and everybody else in future
and the people suffering of course the
actual s sanctions people are tired
people are seeing the real face of
Israel you know yes but the one thing
that the people were very critical about
is um they're wondering why um why isra
why the US is now making such a deal
what what what what's behind it why
they're why it seems like they're
betraying their friend Israel and Saudi
Arabia for that matter well I think the
US requires stability in the region and
its first option was to forment Regional
hegemony uh this was part of a long
process after 911 that's failed that's
crashed on the rocks of Syria and nasan
Hassan Nala the leader of hisbah rightly
described Iran Syria and hisbah is
constituting an axis of resistance so
Israel's interests are regionally in
order to weaken and neuter Iran for its
own Regional hegemonic purposes but what
we have to understand is Iran has never
occupied another country in the region
it's never initiated military conflict
and it doesn't have nuclear weapons well
Israel is guilty of all three so what is
the cause of instability in the region
it does need take a genius to work it
out and so I think American public
opinion has significantly shifted with
regard to Israel uh especially read a
statistic earlier which was amazing 50%
just not even a majority exactly half of
Americans think that America should
continue to guarantee the security of
Israel this is but the dog that is
embarking there is the other 50% and
Once Upon a Time in recent memory almost
all Americans would have uh pledged
their Troth to the defense of Israel's
security so the world's falling out of
love with Israel and never has been in
love with Saudi Arabia yes so they've
got an uphill battle if they want to
persuade people to Scupper this deal
John White thanks very much for joining
us on Sputnik stay with us we'll be
right back with an interview with the
aforementioned Mother
Superior welcome back to Sputnik in
January some of the Waring parties in
Syria will sit down around a negotiating
table in Geneva after the success of the
Iran deal can we look forward to peace
and Reconciliation in Syria you were out
in the Streets of London gatri was there
optimism abroad about that Prospect well
where there is a way out diplomatically
people will always prefer that rather
than the military way joj rather than
war war as Mr Churchill famously said
but the skepticism of the British media
remains High I they have developed a
kind of
ogre demonic figure in the current
government of Syria it's difficult for
them to climb down well the people
believe differently so let's have a look
as you well know the main media yeah has
been just feeding things out there for
people you know to take you know without
thinking about it yeah and that's what
we're being fed but there's a lot more
going on there than we realize that's
that's far too sectarian now this there
alqaeda there's everybody in there
pretending to be opponents of the
government I think what Obama has done
basically is retreated from the world I
think he's basically um abdicated any
leadership position and um um I don't
want to insult any Brits by saying this
but I think that uh he's Neville
Chamberlain number
two my next guest is mother Agnes Mariam
of the Cross of the dicese of HS hamama
and yabu a very very honored guest
mother Agnes thank you for joining us on
thank you both of our parts we're
honored to have you here it's a pleasure
now you are one of the leading voices
standing up for Unity and Reconciliation
and peace in Syria you are one of the
great Defenders of the once cherished
Christian Community in Syria where it
was the safest place to be a Christian
in the whole Arab world and is now
practically hell on Earth tell us please
from your standpoint as someone who's
been living through all of this exactly
what the situation is for Christians in
Syria well uh all the fears in the
beginning uh are becoming uh incarnated
in the
reality uh we have now a succession of
invasion real Invasion on Christian
stronghold historical also stronghold
like
mahula uh sadad
K neek and yesterday I heard about s NAA
uh is it a religious War I don't think
is it a Christian persecution I don't
think I think that uh those who are
engineering uh the events in Syria wants
to give a
justification for the systematic
destruction of the Syrian State and the
dismantling of the Syrian uh Syrian
social tissue uh because they have very
wide objectives and the Christians the
religious component the what is more
precisely extremist religious extremism
is it tool a war tool indeed but the
Fanatics are not just targeting
Christians no they're they're targeting
other Muslim uh sects and also those in
their own sect who don't agree with
their medieval obscurantist Savage
interpretation uh of Islam exactly and
so almost everyone is an enemy except
those who agree with their very narrow
interpretation
yes it's an
exclusivist extremist
fanatic uh facade of an ongoing violence
to destroy the Syrian State indeed and
though Christians have always had this
honored special place in Syrian
Society now what do you think your
Muslim neighbors imagine when they see
statues of the Virgin being willfully
smashed churches being sacked uh the
black flag of al-Qaeda being placed in
the uh in the place of the Cross do you
feel a sense of solidarity from the
Muslim neighbors of course uh our uh Co
coexistence our conviviality with Islam
uh is
historical uh the Arabic Christian open
their doors uh to uh the new uh Islamic
Fighters coming from
Arabia they opened their door because
there was no difference on a cultural
basis and they they took their distance
from the Byzantine
Empire then so we were living together
with the same culture with the same
values and uh if you put out the
politics there is no problem between all
the component of the very precious and
diverse social tissue in Syria and in
the Levant now the what is targeted is
not only Christian it's the
civilization and like this you have
mosques that are destroyed you have drw
shrines that are destroyed you have
sufis shrines and you have synagogues
that are destroyed among them the oldest
one in the world the jobar synagogue
that goes be that goes until the
solomonian time so it is a threat again
against civilization and we are back to
the Barbarian era it has failed though
hasn't it the just a few weeks ago in
Parliament which is my other job yes uh
was part of the decisive majority which
stopped Britain actually attacking Syria
in conjunction with the United States
and by so doing stopped the United
States from attacking and now as you saw
on the Vox pops on the screen we're
talking about talks now in January this
is a transformation almost a miracle of
the uh situation that existed only a few
weeks ago couple of months ago at
most this sense of failure is it likely
to make these Fanatics more barbaric or
will they begin now to withdraw from the
country will they begin to seek some
kind of accommodation with the
government in the
maskus I think first that I have to
thank the British House of common for
its historical and prophetic vote uh
that has made a turning point in the
history uh toward peace and uh it uh it
is expressing the position of the uh uh
British public opinion second because of
this vote as you said it's the it was
the Congress who also adopted the same
policy and we have a big door open
toward a peaceful and a nonviolent uh
settlement of the Syrian crisis today
what we see in Syria is contrary is
completely the contrary uh
reaction they want to make points to
register points and so there is a
terrible uh recrudescence of violence
everywhere you have heard about uh blind
shelling on civilian populations on
children on school bus schools on
professors uh in Damascus in hes every
day we have uh news about slaughtering
people uh this blind violence uh seeks
uh to register point for uh negotiation
but they are really showing the real
face uh of the ongoing uh violence and I
really make here an appeal to all those
who stand behind uh those foreign
Fighters please for the sake of humanity
stop the fueling of such means you will
not gain anything you will uh uh at the
end the history will judge you the
response on the street was pretty
overwhelming that we don't want war gri
no they don't they're very tired of it
they in the back of their mind they
still have the Iraq and Afghani War yes
so they're quite pronounced about the
Syrian War don't want it you don't want
well the last person I think from United
State had another opinion I am I am
happy that it's not the majority
uh they seek war for power and it seems
that war will give uh to United States
its predominant role I think exactly the
contrary uh it's sponsoring and being
the mentor of peace talks that bring
President Obama to a pre proeminent role
in the
uh International scene just briefly we
only have a few seconds left are you
optimistic about the neg Neo iations in
January I will be optimistic if the
people who will be there will be
representative of the syan opposition uh
what I see is that the Syrian opposition
today you know that is fragmented so
it's not representative moreover those
who are presented as the sole
representative of the Syrian people uh
do not have any grass rooted
representation they are out of Syria
since 30 years we want the internal
opposition that is nonviolent and that
is representative of the majority of the
opposition in Syria to be represented
mother Agnes we must all pray for that
thank you very much indeed for joining
us on
sput now this is the part of the show
where we listen to the world you through
our Twitter portal gri how's Sputnik
going down in the Twitter sphere well
well unlike the positivity that I
received on the streets about the peace
talks the people on Twitter were a bit
more skeptical about especially the Iran
deal Lana Del was a grossly unfair deal
but the only way they could ease
sanctions Iran shouldn't have to plead
to the US for basic rights I don't think
Iran has been pleading for basic rights
I think Iran has protected and defended
its in alienable right to have a nuclear
energy program uh it's expressed in a
sweeter way through president Rohani who
we now know has a Twitter account uh but
I don't think that Iran has sacrificed
its essential rights well I think I
agree with you because on the street I
was speaking to a number of Iranians and
they all hold on to their dignity they
all said yeah we the sanctions we have
suffered under sanction but we still
Prosper yeah in in our own way and we
didn't go on our knees to to get the
deal Iran hasn't surrendered it's the
Western powers that have surrendered
after all regime change in Iran was
their actual goal nothing to do with
nuclear energy about Syria Tony Hugh
says that the war in Syria will end when
the takfir come and pay masters realize
it's over for them they'll move out and
I'm I'm concerned about legitimate
protest offic yeah and of course some of
them will come back to countries like
ours and yours uh in the Netherlands uh
and wreak havoc there if they can it's
what happens when you when when Dr
Frankenstein built a monster he didn't
realize that it's called a monster for a
reason it's soon out of control well
unfortunately that's all we've got time
for I hope you enjoyed Sputnik as much
as we enjoyed making it please do keep
supplying us with your tweets and your
thoughts at rtor Sputnik that's it for
me gatri and from me George Galloway
it's been marvelous
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