Le Pen told Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri that there was "no viable and workable solution" to the Syrian civil war beyond choosing between Assad and the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, which she said must be "eradicated."She added:
"Since we can't let IS take power, there is no alternative to Assad," she said. "The least bad option is the politically realistic. It appears that...Assad is evidently today the most reassuring solution for France."
"The way to protect the Christian minority is to eradicate those who have a vision of destroying all the minorities."Update (Feb. 22): The investigation continues, targeting Le Pen's chief of staff and bodyguard:
"For me to protect Christians is to make sure the Christians stay in their countries," not become refugees, she said.
Earlier Wednesday, Le Pen's chief of staff, Catherine Griset, and bodyguard, Thierry Legier, were detained for interrogation in the case.
Griset and Legier were suspected of being fictitiously employed at the European Parliament as parliamentary assistants, a source familiar with the case told AFP.
Prior to the detentions, Le Pen slammed the case as a "political plot" against her, stressing that the voters would never fall for it.
"The French can tell the difference between genuine scandals and political dirty tricks," the candidate was cited as saying by Reuters.
Le Pen's lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi also labeled the probe a "manipulation," which was aimed at destabilizing her campaign ahead of the vote.
Britain's Independent this week ran the headline: "Clear evidence Russia interfered in 2015 UK election, says former minister".
But on reading the article, there is no "clear evidence" presented to back up the tendentious anti-Russian claims. Indeed, no evidence at all. The whole allegation was based on claims made by anonymous "security sources" and reference to other unproven stories, such as the alleged hacking of the US election.
This kind of fake, unethical journalism that has become a staple in Western media with regard to Russia. Whether it is allegations of Russia probing electoral processes or probing territorial air space and waters, the entire thrust of the Western media relies on innuendo, prejudice and disinformation. All told in a relentless, unquestioning fashion by the gamut of Western mainstream media outlets.
Remembering their decades of friendship and shared diplomatic service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken of how he "walked through life side by side" with the late Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, who died on Monday.More coverage on Churkin's sudden passing:
The Russian Foreign Ministry's official Facebook account shared Lavrov's emotional post dedicated to his "colleague and friend."
Saying that Churkin "passed away in the line of duty, just several hours before his 65th birthday, Moscow time," Lavrov remembered how Churkin had celebrated his 42nd birthday in the early 1990s. It was in Sarajevo, "where snipers did their work on a daily basis," Lavrov wrote.
The two diplomats were appointed as deputy foreign ministers "simultaneously" in the spring of 1992, Lavrov wrote, explaining that he was in charge of work at the UN back then, while Churkin was serving in the Balkans.
Praising the late diplomat's efforts to settle the crisis in the former Yugoslavia, Lavrov shared a poem he wrote for Churkin in 1994.
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The important thing for a diplomat, Lavrov added, is "the ability to advocate the interests of one's country, without falling into unrestrained confrontation, looking for possibilities to unite efforts, based on the balance of interests.
"The best way to pay respect to our friend will be to continue working on creating the basis for a calmer, safer, more democratic world," the Russian foreign minister went on to say.
"On behalf of the US leadership, the Secretary expressed his deep condolences on the unexpected death of Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Vitaly Churkin, who was well known to many Americans," the statement reads. "An exchange of opinions on relevant international issues and issues concerning the bilateral agenda also took place," the statement concludes.
President Trump appointed Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster as his new national security adviser on Monday, picking a widely respected military strategist known for challenging conventional thinking and helping to turn around the Iraq war in its darkest days.In reality, what President Trump has done, is select a man who will bring very little of his own thoughts with him to the position. Instead, he will - verbatim - repeat the talking points, reflect the agenda of, and serve the interests driving the collection of corporate-financier funded think tanks that devise - and have devised for decades - US-European foreign policy.
Comment: See also: Ousted former President Viktor Yanukovich speaks on Ukrainian crisis