An "umbrella" for the rebels

For more than six months the whole world has been reading stories and watching videos of areas of conflict between the Syrian government troops and combat detachments of the opposition. The world community and the United Nations take measures to secure a cease-fire, but it can not yet be achieved.

It should be emphasized that the anti-governmental protests in Syria began within a framework of the so-called "Arab Spring", during which there was a change of ruling regimes in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. Furthermore, the power in Libya was changed with the armed support of aircraft and NATO Special Forces. The foreign media made no secret of the fact that the initiators of these events were certain circles in the U.S. and its European allies pursuing their own interests.

In Syria, the rapid overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime failed. There are various ways to think about the current Syrian government, but Bashar al-Assad is a duly elected president, and the militants who oppose him with weapons and terrorist acts against the civilian population - can not be called a peaceful opposition. More than once the U.S. has tried to push forward in the UN Security Council a decision on military intervention in the conflict, but this proposal was blocked by China and Russia.

The United States and some Western countries are actively supporting the Syrian opposition. France and Italy have recognized the opposition leaders as the sole representatives of Syria as a state. And this is despite the fact that the composition of the "government abroad" has twice changed. The self-constituted "government" is strongly supported not only in the field of diplomacy. Some Gulf countries help financially - pay not only the supply of weapons and ammunition to militant groups, but the "soldiers of fortune" that came to Syria from Muslim countries and international terrorist organizations.

Also Turkey is actively helping the rebels. It is through its territory that the opposition forces are supplied with arms and ammunition. Turkey has created not only camps for refugees from Syria, but also organized recreation centers for militants, and the wounded are treated in the Turkish army's hospitals. It's natural that during bombardment the opposition groups going away on holiday to Turkey, some artillery shells fly into Turkish territory.

Of course, Syria always apologizes. Cases of this kind happen in all armed conflicts, where the troops of one party go to neighboring territory.

Early November, the Turkish government made a request to Germany for delivery of Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to deploy them on the Turkish-Syrian border. In its request Ankara stressed that they will not be used to create a flight-free zone but exclusively for the protection of Turkey. Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, issued a statement saying that the militarization of the Syrian-Turkish border is leading to an escalation of tension on it. The Russian diplomat says the main reason the border of Turkey and Syria is becoming more volatile is the absence of "political will in a number of countries not to pump up military muscles but to give more consideration to creating the necessary prerequisites and forming a framework for the political process."

On November 25, German defence minister Thomas de Maiziere said that Russia can not put a veto upon the supply of air defense systems to the Turkish-Syrian border. "We do not want Turkey to be involved in the Syrian conflict. So far, Turkey has reacted with restraint. Now it is seeking assistance, we must provide it, and it will contribute to the removal of tension," said the minister.

But it is a disputable issue because the appearance of a Patriot surface-to-air missile system can be viewed from another angle. For example, from Afghanistan, the Taliban go away on holiday to Pakistan too. The U.S. UAVs regularly bomb the Taliban and, occasionally, peaceful Pakistani kishlaks. The Pakistanis are none the better for it, but when they shot down one UAV, they angered the U.S. command in Afghanistan. An assumption arises that the Patriots will cover the rebel forces from possible Syrian air strikes, and indeed, Turkish, or more likely, coalition troops, in case of a possible armed intervention in the conflict of NATO countries.

In general, these are the same double standards: wordy speeches from every rostrum in defense of peace and civilian population, and in the meantime - support of the rebels against the legal government and providing an anti-missile umbrella for them.