US seeks to establish pro-Western client regime in Syria

Stephen Lendman said in an interview with Press TV on Wednesday that Washington “plans regime change” in Syria in order to establish a “pro-Western” government in the country.
Lendman said what is happening in Syria is “a replication of what happened in Libya minus NATO bombing.”
“Make no mistake. If all measures employed fail, you can expect bombs a way to follow,” he added.
“We know in Libya we saw the NTC (National Transitional Council) established — an illegitimate group transformed into the legitimate government of Libya. International law prohibits anything like that.”
“We see the same thing now (in Syria). You have got the Syrian National Council based in Turkey. You have got the so-called Free Syrian Army. These are militants. These are insurgents. They have no legitimacy. They are a rogue operation gang,” the American author said.
Lendman’s remarks come as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Arab League (AL) chief Nabil al-Arabi has proposed a joint UN-AL observer mission, including a joint special envoy, to resume monitoring the situation in Syria.
On January 28, Arab League’s secretary general said in a statement that the organization had decided to “immediately stop the work of the Arab League’s mission to Syria” due to “the critical deterioration of the situation” in the country.
The observer mission had been in Syria since December 26, 2011 and was tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Arab League plans over the unrest in the country.
The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of being behind the unrest that began in mid-March 2011.
Damascus, however, says “outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” are responsible for the turmoil, which it says is being orchestrated from abroad.