THE orchestrated attack on Syria is being relentlessly pursued. Mounted by the U.S. government in conjunction with its European allies, particularly neo-colonialists Sarkosy and Cameron, it is backed by corporate media demonization of the government of President Bashar Al-Assad and the false presentation of an opposition fighting for democratic freedoms.

This is a repeat of the – for now – successful Libya method. The aim: to replace the current Syrian government with one more compliant and compromised to Western requirements, with no ideals of national independence, firm support for Palestine, and a political and military alliance with Iran.

This attempted intervention has met with a measured but sturdy resistance from the Syrian leadership and the majority of the people. Russia and China are determined to avert another Libyan outrage.

Another player has appeared in this context, the Arab League, who sent a mission of 163 observers into Syria last December 27, nominally to promote a regional solution. Their arrival suspiciously heralded a notable increase of internal violence, including a suicide bombing in Damascus and another attack on an oil pipeline.

But British journalist Lizzie Phelan, visiting Damascus in late January, affirmed that her observations were surprisingly different from prevailing media accounts. She found no chaos or the army deployed in the streets, but people going about their business normally and safely. She was particularly struck by a pro-government rally in Omeya Plaza, Damascus, attended by thousands of supporters, "happy to see and applaud the President."

The Syrian security forces also reported the capture of 57 men wanted for acts of terrorism and the seizure of a large quantity of arms and sophisticated equipment in the southern province of Idleb. National television showed footage of this equipment, linked to 66 U.S. military satellites, and other materials of Israeli design.

Meanwhile, Al Assad has untiringly continued his attempt to resolve the situation in the country, with constitutional reforms, close to completion, to be put to a referendum with a view to national elections.

He has also consistently exposed the infiltration of mercenaries into Syria as a means of utilizing opposition groups to secure foreign intervention in the country. In a recent interview given to The Sunday Times, the president affirmed that Syria "will not bend" to Western pressure. He acknowledged that the conflict and pressure to subject Syria will continue, and that his role as president is not to lament but to make decisions to avert more bloodshed. These lie in capturing armed bands, preventing the entry of arms and munitions from neighboring countries, halting sabotage and restoring law and order.

Meeting in Cairo January 22, at the end of its first mission in Syria, the Arab League proposed that Al Assad transfer his powers to the vice president and form a government of national unity within two months, mirroring a resolution to the UN Security Council drafted by Britain and France, with input from Qatar, Morocco, the United States, Germany and Portugal.

The Syrian government reacted angrily, accusing the League of conspiracy with Western powers, while accepting its second proposal to extend the observation mission for a further month.

But with bewildering rapidity, powerful Arab League members pulled out of the second mission, which was almost immediately suspended.

On February 1, the French and British Foreign Ministers, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and several Arab ministers met in New York to discuss the draft resolution. The objective, to ‘internationalize’ the case of Syria in the UN Security Council and prepare the way for the desired change of government and possible military intervention, has been, for now, blocked by Russia and China. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has insisted that any resolution on Syria "must include the postulate of non-intervention by the UN in the internal affairs of this country, as well as an express veto on the document being used as backing for the use of force against it," as was the case with Libya.

In the Security Council vote on the resolution on February 4, Russia and China made use of their veto powers to prevent its implementation, while the other 13 members voted in favor of it.