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Syria Superthread [merged]

Maybe they were going to defect but forgot they didnt speak english ? ;D
 
S.M.A. said:
.....what's the point of the Syrians doing this considering the UK has already decided to sit this one out?
I saw nothing in the UK Parliament's voting against contributing forces to a military strike, which precludes their bases being used to support such operations.
 
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/09/201398151357659161.html

Assad says no evidence of chemical attack
Syrian president, interviewed by US broadcaster, denies he was behind a chemical weapons attack in Damascus suburbs.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has denied that he was behind a chemical weapons attack on the Syrian people and said evidence was not conclusive that there had been such an attack, CBS reported.

"There has been no evidence that I used chemical weapons against my own people," CBS on Sunday quoted Assad as saying in an interview conducted by Charlie Rose in Damascus.

The US, along with other Western and regional countries, accuse the Assad regime of carrying out a chemical attack in Damascus suburbs on August 21, killing hundreds of people.

Speaking on the CBS Sunday morning show Face the Nation, Rose summarised the answers Assad gave in his first interview with an American television network in the last two years .

Rose said that the Syrian president did not confirm or deny that the regime has chemical weapons.

The US and France are seeking to build an international coalition to launch military strikes against Syria in response to the alleged chemical attack.

Member countries of the European Union also blame the Syrian government for the attack said on Saturday that the world should wait for a report from UN weapons inspectors before any US-led military response.

In another media report on Sunday, Germany's Bild am Sonntag paper said Syrian government forces may have used chemical weapons without the personal permission of Assad.

Syrian brigade and division commanders had been asking the Presidential Palace to allow them to use chemical weapons for the last four-and-a-half months, according to radio messages intercepted by German spies, but permission had always been denied, the paper said.

Bild said the radio traffic was intercepted by a German naval reconnaissance vessel, the Oker, sailing close to the Syrian coast. 
 
He makes a "just because" statement;
("President Vladmir V. Putin of Russia wants to prevent the United States
from using military force or support from the Security Council to bring down governments it opposes.")
It is no wonder that Hamadi Jebali who resigned as Prime Minister of Tunisia made known in early 2012 that the international
community has to reconsider the mechanism of decision making policy regarding veto action in the Security Council.

A veto decision cannot come to be based solely on such "just because" reasoning by any elected leader.
It is hollow.
In this case, it lacks representation of the predicament of the people of Syria.

Sometimes we need not look too far back to recognize crucial advances to world peace that must be made known
and exercised by the audience it applies to. That audience must include the council itself.
From a single Security Council Resolution (1325) adopted in 2000 we clearly see reason to make
appropriate changes to the veto mechanism.
It lacks representation from those who suffer the greatest.
Where is their voice found in such "just because" statements ?

Info;
Tawakkol Karmen, along with Ellen Johnson Sirleaff and Leymah Gboweee, were the co-recipients of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.

The Nobel Committee cited Resolution 1325, which states that women and children suffer great harm from war and political instability and that women must have a larger influence and role in peacemaking activities; it also "calls on all actors involved, when negotiating and implementing peace agreements, to adopt a gender perspective."Upon announcing the award, the committee chairman Thorbjørn Jaglandd said: "We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society." He later added that the prize was "a very important signal to women all over the world."

 
myself.only said:
Hmmmm could we kill both sides and then rent the place out to the Palestinians?

I think a lot of them would still want to take on Israel. We'd replace one enemy for another.
 
PuckChaser said:
I think a lot of them would still want to take on Israel. We'd replace one enemy for another.

Mmmm we could tell them they could be grateful... or perhaps they need us to deploy Celine Dion and Justin Bieber on a Friendship Tour to convince them?
 
S.M.A. said:
Syrian warplanes test British air defences at Cyprus: what's the point of the Syrians doing this considering the UK has already decided to sit this one out?

Mirror link

"But the moment the Syrians ­spotted our planes on their radar they high-tailed for home."

It would be an interesting scenario if Raptors happened to be scrambled. Would the SU's be able to detect them? If not, would they continue into the exclusion zone therefore getting shot down without even knowing it?
 
An unprecedented diplomatic initiative by Putin or just another ploy to buy time for Assad?

Calgary Herald link

MOSCOW (AP) -- The Russian foreign minister says Moscow will push Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control.

Sergey Lavrov said Monday that if such a move would help avert a possible U.S. strike on Syria, Russia will start work "immediately" to persuade Syria to relinquish control over its chemical arsenals.

Lavrov told reporters that Russia would urge Syria to concentrate its chemical weapons in certain areas under international oversight and then dismantle them.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Russian and Syrian foreign ministers on Monday strongly pushed for the return of United Nations inspectors to Syria to continue their probe into the use of chemical weapons and again warned Washington against launching an attack.

The statement comes as President Barack Obama, who blames President Bashar Assad for killing hundreds of his own people in a chemical attack last month, is pressing for a limited strike against the Syrian government. It has denied launching the attack, insisting along with its ally Russia that the attack was launched by the rebels to drag the U.S. into war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after Monday's talks with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem that U.N. chemical weapons experts should complete their probe and present their findings to the U.N. Security Council
(...)
 
On the "Red Line"

It was not Mr. Obama that made that line. It was established by our forefathers who had firsthand terrifying experiences
from the use of chemical weapons in warfare.
They recognized right away the dangers to the innocent of future generations. They agreed upon, friend and foe alike, on
measures including mechanisms that were subsequently set in place prior to the population explosion.

The last of those mechanisms is the ultimatum. It is obvious that something must be done.
War is the final word of its definition. The theory is clear;
"Do something or we shoot !" It must be understood then, "Do nothing, we shoot !".
It is also clear that when it comes to this point, world leaders suddenly realize the tack in their shoe
must be dealt with immediately.

Mr Obama (in reality) is correcting a wrong that previous administrations and the whole world
overlooked and allowed to happen.
The initiative he has taken is what should have been done at that time. It could very well have been made by
most any other nation.
As we all become aware of the possible consequences of the ultimatum,
we must align ourselves once again, but this time in a direction
to finally extinguish forever the use of these types of weapons from human history.
We'll get there.
I second Mr. Ban ki-Moon statement; "Give peace a chance ".
 
In the meantime, many Russians- save for perhaps all those Russian military advisors embedded in Syrian units- are leaving Syria in government-chartered planes ahead of the possible strike.


Moscow sends new plane to evacuate Russians from Syria


Quote:
MOSCOW - A Russian plane landed in the Syrian port city of Latakia on Sunday, the government said, as it seeks to evacuate its citizens from the escalating conflict.

The plane would collect citizens of Russia and other ex-Soviet states "who have expressed a desire to leave the zone of conflict," Russian emergencies ministry spokeswoman Irina Rossius said in a statement.

It was not clear how many people would be evacuated on the flight but Russian news agencies said those who wanted to leave were already waiting at Latakia airport.

The flights come as expectations grow of Western military action against President Bashar al-Assad's regime over claims it used chemical weapons in an attack outside the Syrian capital in August.


link
 
S.M.A. said:
An unprecedented diplomatic initiative by Putin or just another ploy to buy time for Assad?

Calgary Herald link

Which ever it is, it has bought time for both Assad and Obama. However, the cynic in me says that the "international community" cannot guarantee that all the Syrian chemical weapons will be collected and turned over to international control, perhaps because the possibility exists that one or more people somewhere down the chain will keep some back just in case. Now I have no idea of the extent of the regime's stocks and chemical weapons are fairly inefficient in that a fair number are required to achieve a militarily significant result. That, also, is dependent upon weather to a fairly large extent. In other words, the amount to be hidden might be large enough to show up in any physical count to verify numbers against records thaT would be out more than a few rounds.

Perhaps the offer provides a face saving device for both Assad and Obama. If Assad refuses, the momentum for a strike may be increased, while if he accepts, the opposite seems to occur. All Obama has to do in the meantime is jut his chin out and make a few emotional speeches while he waits for events to unfold.
 
S.M.A. said:
An unprecedented diplomatic initiative by Putin or just another ploy to buy time for Assad?

Calgary Herald link
Initial response, via wire service Twitter feed ....
Syria welcomes Russia's proposal for Damascus to put its chemical weapons under international control: Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moualem
Time will tell ....

Also, some alleged details about the Saudi's contribution to the fight ....
A top secret memo sent by the Ministry of Interior in Saudi Arabia reveals the Saudi Kingdom sent death-row inmates, sentenced to execution by decapitation, to Syria to fight Jihad against the Syrian government in exchange for commuting their sentences.

According to the memo, dated April 17, 2012, the Saudi Kingdom negotiated with a total of 1239 inmates, offering them a full pardon and a monthly salary for their families, who were to remain in the Kingdom, in exchange for "...their training in order to send them to Jihad in Syria."

The memo was signed by Abdullah bin Ali al-Rmezan, the "Director of follow up in Ministry of Interior."

According to the memo, prisoners were of the following nationalities: Yemenis, Palestinians, Saudis, Sudanese, Syrians, Jordanians, Somalis, Afghanis, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Iraqis, and Kuwaitis.

There were 23 Iraqi prisoners ....
That said, the Assyrian Int'l News Agency isn't exactly pro-opposition in its editorial selection rubric....
"Syrians In Ghouta Claim Saudi-Supplied Rebels Behind Chemical Attack"
"Video Shows Syrian Rebels Executing Bound Government Soldiers"

Finally, a bit more info from Russian media to dirty up the information sand box....
A chemical attack may be launched on Israel by Syrian rebels from government-controlled territories as a "major provocation", a number of sources have told RT.

The news comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed that Syria puts its chemical weapons arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction in order to prevent a possible military strike against the war-torn republic.

Moscow also urged the Syrian authorities to join the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The offer has already been passed over to the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, who met Lavrov in Moscow for talks on Monday ....
 
Old Sweat said:
Which ever it is, it has bought time for both Assad and Obama [...] All Obama has to do in the meantime is jut his chin out and make a few emotional speeches while he waits for events to unfold.

Just like how he declared and talked about chemical weapons represented a "red line" in Syria a year ago? It has been blatently crossed, regardless of which side was responsible; Al-Qaeda; The rebels or Assad. He should probably draw an invisible line this time so we can't tell if it has been crossed. Whatever happened to the CIA arming the rebels which was authorized by the White House this June. Good or not, in the future he should say nothing at all.

Quoting Clifford D. May from the National Post (Make Assad Pay): "It is not helpful to continually insist- against overwhelming evidence- that the "tide of war is receding," and to repeat ad nauseam how "war weary" the West has become. Assad is not war weary. Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei is not war weary. Al-Qaeda commander Ayman al-Zawahiri is not war weary".


 
S.M.A. said:
An unprecedented diplomatic initiative by Putin or just another ploy to buy time for Assad?

Calgary Herald link
MOSCOW (AP) -- The Russian foreign minister says Moscow will push Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control.


So Vladimir Putin is, all of a sudden, the voice of "reason" and "moderation" in this mess?

The US has two choices:

    1. Bomb Syria, maybe just a little bomb, as Secretary Kerry suggests, maybe more ~ no matter, it will backfire, this is the Middle East, after all, and President Obama will be branded as a warmonger, but a "strong" warmonger so that's OK; or

    2. Stand down and wait and see ~ no matter, it will backfire, this is the Middle East, after all, and President Obama will be branded as a weak kneed vacillator.

In either event Russia comes off looking "reasonable" and "helpful," and China will smile quietly from the rear row, having invested nothing and risked nothing.
 
In either event Russia comes off looking "reasonable" and "helpful," and China will smile quietly from the rear row, having invested nothing and risked nothing.

And be around to pick up the economic pieces after the dust settles.....
 
What are we facing in the WEST?  Is this what we too could be facing in our future?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=28b_1378767064#rUYREsjryDGMiGVy.01

'Convert to Islam or die' is the choice 'liberated' Christains in Syria must make


Terrified Christians claim Syrian rebels ordered them to convert to Islam on pain of death when they ‘liberated’ their ancient village.

Opposition forces, including fighters linked to Al Qaeda, gained temporary control of the Christian village of Maaloula after fighting with regime forces.

The reports have reignited fears about western support for the rebel groups, which are increasingly being infiltrated by Islamic extremists.

One Maaloula resident said the rebels, many of whom had beards and shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is great), attacked Christian homes and churches shortly after moving into the village.

‘They shot and killed people. I heard gunshots and then I saw three bodies lying in the middle of a street in the old quarters of the village. Where is President Obama to see what has befallen us?’

Another Christian resident said: ‘I saw the militants grabbing five villagers and threatening them and saying, “Either you convert to Islam, or you will be beheaded”.’

Another said one church had been torched, and gunmen stormed into two other churches and robbed them.

The beautiful mountain village, 25 miles from Damascus, is one of the few places in the world where residents still use the ancient language of Aramaic, which was spoken by Jesus and his disciples.

It has become a key strategic battleground in the Syrian civil war because of its proximity to the capital. It was held by President Assad’s regime, but taken at the weekend in a rebel advance spearheaded by the hardline Islamist al Nusra Front.

Villagers said they heard several foreign accents among the rebels, with many feared to be Al Qaeda fighters imported into the conflict. A villager said he heard mainly Tunisian, Libyan, Moroccan and Chechen dialects.

In a video posted online, a rebel commander shouted at the camera: ‘We cleansed Maaloula from all the Assad dogs and all his thugs.’ But Syria’s state news agency claimed the rebels had withdrawn and the regime had regained the village, saying: ‘The army inflicted heavy losses in the ranks of the terrorists.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415586/Syrian-rebels-attack-historic-Christian-village-residents-speak-language-Jesus.html
Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=28b_1378767064#WwsGhKtpujCfiIUd.99

As E.R.C. points out, these barbaric acts are what is defining the spread of this madness throughout that Region.
 
It's interesting that the US press is currently playing up the fact that the Russians took advantage of an off the cuff remark made by Sec. State John Kerry to develop the proposal to put Syria's CW assets under international control. And it seems that everyone and their dog is jumping on this band wagon.

Obama sees potential ‘breakthrough’ in Russia’s Syria proposal

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/john-kerry-in-london-campaigns-for-world-to-support-military-strike-against-syria/2013/09/09/e8ad7a72-193d-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html?hpid=z1

Hours earlier, in London, Secretary of State John F. Kerry sketched out a transfer-of-control scenario similar to the Russian proposal, then dismissed it, after being asked by a reporter whether there was anything that Assad could do to avoid an attack. “Sure, he could turn over every bit of his weapons to the international community within the next week, without delay,” Kerry said. “But he isn’t about to.”
 
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