Anonymous emails tie Syria’s Assad to George Galloway’s Gaza Flotilla and ‘easily manipulated’ Americans

Anonymous emails link Syria’s Assad to George Galloway and ‘easily manipulated’ Americans.

ASMA Assad, 36, the Vogue-approved wife to Syrian President, Bashar Assad, has spoken to the Times about her life and concerns.

Says Asma Assad in an email:

“The President is the President of Syria, not a faction of Syrians, and the First Lady supports him in that role.”

Hurrah!

“The First Lady’s very busy agenda is still focused on supporting the various charities she has long been involved with and rural development as well as supporting the President as needed. These days she is equally involved in bridging gaps and encouraging dialogue. She listens to and comforts the families of the victims of the violence.”

Charity work must go on! Wernher von Braun was right – how the widows and cripples of old Homs Town will owe their large bags of second hand clothes and text books to Bashar Von Braun.

In other news, hacktivist collective Anonymous have released private e-mails from the office of President Bashar Assad telling the Syrian leader how the “American psyche can be easily manipulated”. The leaked e-mails focused on preparation for President Assad’s interview with ABC news anchor Barbara Walters last December.

In it, he said:

“No government in the world kills its people, unless it’s led by a crazy person.”

When fielding questions about the violence, Sheherazad Jaafari, a press attaché at the Syrian delegation to the UN, told the leader of the Middle East’s most notorious police state to say “that mistakes have been done in the beginning of the crises because we did not have a well-organised police force…American psyche can be easily manipulated when they hear that there are ‘mistakes’ done and now we are ‘fixing it’. It’s worth mentioning also what is happening now in Wall Street and the way the demonstrations have been suppressed by policemen, police dogs and beatings”.

Adding that “Syria doesn’t have a policy to torture people, unlike the USA, where there are courses and schools that specialise in teaching policemen and officers how to torture”.

Back in August 2011, Anonymous shut down Syria’s Defense Ministry website, for a while replacing its content with the anti-government message:

“the world stands with you against the brutal regime of Bashar Assad. Know that time and history are on your side – tyrants use violence because they have nothing else, and the more violent they are, the more fragile they become. We salute your determination to be non-violent in the face of the regime’s brutality, and admire your willingness to pursue justice, not mere revenge. All tyrants will fall, and thanks to your bravery Bashar Assad is next… efend your country – rise up against the regime! — Anonymous.”

Anonymous has also published what it says are emails between the Syrian regime and George Galloway, the former Labour MP who now heads an organization called Viva Palestina. He exchanged words with Bouthaina Shaaban, who serves as media adviser to Assad.

Image: Syria President Bashar Assad, right, meets George Galloway, member of British Parliament, in Damascus, Syria on Sunday July, 31, 2005. Galloway is in Damascus at the invitation of Syrian Parliament speaker Mahmoufd Abrash to deliver a lecture on “Justice in the new world order”.(AP Photo Sana)

Haaretz reports:

Galloway has for many years carried on close contacts with dictators and extremist elements in the Arab world. In the late 1990s, he was closely linked with Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, the Assad regime in Syria, Hamas in Gaza and the Iranian regime.

In July 2011, at a time when Assad was perpetrating massacres of his own people, Galloway was interviewed on Hezbollah’s al-Manar network, where he heaped praises on the Syrian president. “Bashar Assad wants reform and change, to realize the aspirations of his people,” he said in the interview, which was quoted in the official Syrian news agency Sana. “They are trying to pressure Syria and President Assad because of the good things that he did, such as supporting Palestinian and Lebanese resistance and rejecting to surrender to Israel.”

On August 11, 2010, Galloway wrote to Bouthaina Shaaban:

“I am writing once again to ask for Syria’s co-operation although I do not doubt it for one moment. Syria is as I have often said is the last castle of Arab dignity. This convoy sets out simulataneously [sic] on September 18th 2010 from London, from Casablanca and from the Gulf. The London and Gulf columns of vehicles would like to converge on Latakia and sail from there to Al Arish…

“It is intended that the vehicles and passengers should sail to Al Arish on board the Mavi Marmara, which as you know is owned by IHH, If His Excellency the President Bashar al Asad and his government can accept this proposal in principle perhaps you could nominate partner organisation(s) and individuals with whom my colleagues could liaise about the practical details?”

Those alleged emails:

The following is the original correspondence between George Galloway and Bouthaina Shaaban:

From: b.shaaban@mopa.gov.sy
Sent: Sun 15/08/10 6:30 PM
To: buthainak1@hotmail.co.uk

Fwd: VivaPalestina5 convoy to Gaza

Your Excellency dear Ambassador and honourable lady Dr Shaaban,

Assalam o Aleukum.

Thank you for your beautiful reply. I knew that I could rely on you and the last Arab country in this historic endeavour.

Given the shortness of the time (we leave London Casablanca Doha on September 18th, and these three columns joined by big contingents from Turkey Jordan and Lebanon hope to sail from Latakia aboard the Mavi Marmara between October 5-7th) can I respectfully request that you task officials in Damascus and and Latakia to make contact with my comrades in advance of your arrival back to Syria?

I remind you they are Kevin Ovenden kevin.ovenden@gmail.com and Dr Zaher Birawi zkb2002@hotmail.com

This would be very helpful to us.

I hope you are enjoying your travels and have a safe journey back to Damascus.
With all my good wishes,
Yours fraternally
George Galloway
VivaPalestinaArabia

From: b.shaaban@mopa.gov.sy
Sent: Sat 14/08/10 12:05 PM
To: office@georgegalloway.com

Re: IMPORTANT – private and confidential

Dear George

Thank you very much for your email which I was delighted to receive. God bless your amazing efforts and I will be honored to be part and parcel of it and to be the catalyst for my country too. I am now abroad for about 10 days and expected to be back in Syria on August 24. If we can touch base then and get further details about what is really required and from whom in more details you will find me happy to put my time and energy to help with this most important cause of the Twenty Firtst Century. I hope you are following my writings in Counter Punch. Take care and God bless you and your efforts.

As ever
Bouthaina

On Wed 11/08/10 3:05 PM , Ayesha Bajwa <office@georgegalloway.com> wrote:

Your Excellency Dr Bouthaina Shaaban
Special Advisor to President Bashar al Asad
President of the Syrian Arab Republic
Damascus
By e-mail
Your Excellency, dear Dr Shaaban

I hope this letter finds you well. Please be assured of my warmest fraternal greetings always. I am writing on behalf of Viva Palestina whose world-wide family of solidarity organisiations and registered charities will soon be setting out for beseiged Gaza again with our fifth convoy of aid. You will recall the outstanding assistance
afforded us in Syria on previous occasions over the last period. I am writing once again to ask for Syria’s co-operation although I do not doubt it for one moment. Syria is as I have often said is the last castle of Arab dignity. My only regret is to have to ask for your help again.

This convoy sets out simulataneously on September 18th 2010 from London, from Casablanca and from the Gulf. The London and Gulf columns of vehicles would like to converge on Latakia and sail from there to Al Arish. The Casablanca column hopes to join us in Al Arish and we hope all three columns – hundreds of vehicles strong – will enter Gaza through Rafah without hinderance.

The aid on board the vehicles will be 50% medical equipment and 50% educational, construction and other aid.

The organisers of the convoy are Viva Palestina UK, Viva Palestina USA, Viva Palestina Arabia, Viva Palestina Malaysia, Viva Palestina Ireland, the Turkish NGO IHH,the International Committee to break the Seige on Gaza, Kia Ora – the Viva Palestina sister organisation in New Zealand, Viva Palestina Australia, Viva Palestina South Africa, Viva Palestina Spain, Viva Palestina Italia, and Viva Palestina France.

It is intended that the vehicles and passengers should sail to Al Arish on board the Mavi Marmara, which as you know is owned by IHH.

If His Excellency the President Bashar al Asad and his government can accept this proposal in principle perhaps you could nominate partner organisation(s) and individuals with whom my colleagues could liaise about the practical details? The liaison from our side would be Mr Kevin Ovenden and Mr Zaher Birawi of Viva Palestina UK (as we believe 2 is enough).

In any case please convey my respect and my admiration to His Excellency the President.

With all good wishes

George Galloway

Lest we forget:

Anorak

Posted: 7th, February 2012 | In: Key Posts, Politicians Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink