Syria

[vector7]

Clinton: Only a matter of time before Assad's gone

US Secretary of State says Damascus regime on its way out; Assad 'not going to be able to sustain what is a growing armed opposition apparently led and fuelled by defectors from his own army'

Published: 11.19.11, 10:51 / Israel News

Tipping point? United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday said that Syrian President Bashar Assad "is going to be gone, it's just a question of time." In an interview with CBS News, Clinton commented on the situation in Syria, saying that Washington is hoping "they avoid a civil war and greater bloodshed." Related stories: 75 killed in Syria fighting Arab League to Syria: Halt violence or face sanctions France recalls Syria ambassador, violence grows Asked how much longer she thought Assad can sustain his control, Clinton said: "I can't sit here and predict it but I think the pressure is building." The secretary of state also noted that she does not expect an international force to intervene in Syria the way that US and NATO forces did in Libya. Anti-Assad protest (Photo: Reuters) In a separate interview with ABC News, Clinton noted that Assad "is not going to be able to sustain what is a growing armed opposition apparently led and fuelled by defectors from his army." Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that the United States and its European allies are focusing their efforts on blocking money transfers between Syria and Lebanese banks. Assad with US Ambassador Ford (Photo: AFP) According to the report, the White House is hopeful that the financial pressure will serve as a final blow to Assad's regime, which has been suffering due to sanctions on oil exports and the faltering tourism industry. The US Treasury assistant secretary on illicit financing, Daniel Glaser visited Beirut recently, and warned local banks against trading with Syria, saying they risk being "blacklisted" by the United States and Europe. Commenting on the pressure mounted by global leaders and the Arab League, Clinton said that European pressure is more effective because there is much more trade going on between Europe and Syria than between the United States and Syria.

[American Patriot]

Wonder why? Everything is fine right?

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-...a-immediately/
U.S. urges Americans to leave Syria "immediately"

Pro-Syrian regime protesters carry a huge portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a demonstration to show their solidarity with their president, in Damascus, Syria, on Nov. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)
Anger in the Arab World




(CBS/AP) BEIRUT - The U.S. Embassy in Damascus urged its citizens in Syria to depart "immediately," and Turkey's foreign ministry urged Turkish pilgrims to opt for flights to return home from Saudi Arabia to avoid traveling through Syria.
"The U.S. Embassy continues to urge U.S. citizens in Syria to depart immediately while commercial transportation is available," said a statement issued to the American community in Syria Wednesday and posted on the Embassy's website. "The number of airlines serving Syria has decreased significantly since the summer, while many of those airlines remaining have reduced their number of flights."
The warning followed an announcement in Washington this week that Ambassador Robert Ford would not return to Syria this month as planned, indicating concerns over his safety.
The Obama administration quietly pulled Ford out of Syria last month, citing credible personal threats against him.
The Turkish foreign ministry on Wednesday urged Turkish pilgrims to opt for flights to return home from Saudi Arabia and avoid traveling through Syria for security reasons.
The warning came two days after Syrian soldiers opened fire on at least two buses carrying Turkish citizens, witnesses and officials said, apparent retaliation for Turkey's criticism of Assad. The Turks were returning from Saudi Arabia after performing the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.


Meanwhile, Syrian security carried out raids in rebellious areas in the center and the south of the country Wednesday, and at least six people died, raising the death toll in the past two days to 34, activists said, as the U.S. and Turkey took unusual steps to protect their citizens.
Syrian President Bashar Assad was under increasing international pressure to stop the brutal crackdown, but no effects were apparent on the ground.
Activists and human rights groups said at least six people died in central and southern Syria on Wednesday, some during raids by Syrian security forces, and others who died of injuries sustained earlier.
Wednesday's casualties raised to 34 the number of Syrians killed in the past 24 hours.
Two main activist groups, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordinating Committees, documented the deaths, which were reported Tuesday in the central cities of Hama and Homs, the eastern city of Deir el-Zour and elsewhere.
The violence came a day ahead of Arab League talks in Cairo to assess the Syria crisis after the 22-member organization rejected proposed Syrian amendments to its plan to send Arab observers to Syria to protect civilians.
The Arab League suspended Syria's membership over the bloodshed and Syria's failure to abide by an Arab peace plan it signed.
A key U.N. committee voted Tuesday to condemn human rights violations by Assad's government and called for an immediate end to all violence. Nearly 4,000 people have been reported killed in the military crackdown on the popular uprising since March.
The nonbinding resolution adopted by the General Assembly's human rights committee calls on Syrian authorities to implement the Arab League peace plan, agreed to earlier this month, "without further delay."
The resolution, sponsored by Britain, France and Germany, was passed by a vote of 122-13 with 41 abstentions. It must now be approved at a plenary session of the 193-member world body, where its adoption is virtually certain.
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said in a statement that the committee's first-ever resolution on Syria's human rights violations "has sent a clear message that it does not accept abuse and death as a legitimate path to retaining power."
Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Jaafari again accused Britain, France and Germany of "waging a media, political and diplomatic war against Syria" and encouraging armed groups to engage in violence rather than national dialogue with the government.

[American Patriot]

Syria: No longer revolution, it’s a civil war

By BARRY RUBIN
11/21/2011 21:37

Two major enemies are blocking the way to a moderate, stable Syria. One is the regime itself; The other is a US-Turkish policy that is determined to force an Islamist regime on the country.


The only honest answer to the question of what will happen in Syria is that nobody knows. The battle has gone on for eight months, killed more than 3,500 people, and could go on for many more months. There’s no telling who will be ruling Syria when the dust settles. A regime victory is quite possible – perhaps most likely – and its overthrow would not necessarily bring about an Islamist regime.

But what do we know about Syria? Here’s a guide.

1. Don’t overrate Iran’s role
Despite wild rumors, the Syrian regime doesn’t need the Iranians to tell it how to repress people. Iran is an important source of financing for the Damascus government, but this is President Bashar Assad’s battle to win or lose. Tehran is definitely going to be a secondary factor.

Syria’s other ally is Hizbullah, but the killing of so many Sunni Muslims, including Muslim Brotherhood people, has lost it Hamas. There is a sort of Sunni-Shia version of the Spanish Civil War going on now. But when it comes to the radical and Islamist forces on both sides there’s no good guy.

2. Turkey isn’t the good guy here
The Islamist regime in Ankara isn’t opposing the Syrian regime out of its love for democracy. Erdogan’s government wants to have a fellow Sunni Islamist dictatorship in Damascus, preferably under its influence. In this situation, Turkey is just as bad as Iran.

3. Will the two sides make a deal?
No, this is a war to the death. The regime cannot make a deal and yield power because the elite would lose everything.

Moreover, the government elite would face death, exile, or long-term imprisonment if it loses. Similarly, the dominant Alawite community and large portions of the Christian one (together roughly 25 percent of the population) risk massacre if the government falls.

4. Will the army bring down the regime or change sides?
No (see point 3). While some are defecting (see below), the high command cannot survive a change of power. Unlike in Egypt and Tunisia, the armed forces cannot usher in a new regime under which it can hope to keep its privileges.

5. Is this now an inter-communal war?
No, there are hints of communal massacres but this kind of thing hasn’t begun yet. If and when it begins you will know, and it will be terrible indeed.

6. Is Syria now in a civil war?
This is beginning. Defectors from the military have formed a Free Syrian Army. A ninemember Military Council has been formed including five colonels. Note the lack of generals (see Point Four) and that all of them appear to be Sunni Muslim Arabs (see Point Five). They say they are going to fight the regime and defend the populace. But from where will they get arms? 7. Will economic collapse bring down the regime? No. See Points 1, 3 and 5. Nobody is going to quit because they get hungry. This is a killor- be-killed situation.

8. Who is the opposition leadership?
Ah, that’s a very interesting question. The best-known group is the Syrian National Council (SNC). It has announced its 19- member leadership group which includes 15 Sunni Muslims, two Christians and two Kurds. Note that there are no Alawites or Kurds. The SNC has an advantage because it was assembled by the United States using the Islamist regime in Turkey.

Given its Western backing, the SNC is surprisingly dominated by Islamists. Ten of the 19 are identifiable as such (both Muslim Brothers and independent – Salafist? – Islamists) and a couple of those who are nominally Leftists are apparently Islamist puppets.

The fact that US policy is backing an Islamist-dominated group indicates the profound problems with Obama administration policy.

It should be stressed, though, that the SNC’s popular support is totally untested.

Many oppositionists – especially Kurds – are disgusted by the group’s Islamist coloration and refuse to participate.

The National Coordination Committee (NCC) is a Leftist-dominated alternative. The Antalya Group is liberal. There is also a Salafist council organized by Adnan Arour, a popular religious figure; a Kurdish National Council and a Secular Democratic Coalition (both angry at the SNC’s Islamism).

It is hard to overestimate how disastrous the Obama administration’s policy has been.

Not only has it promoted an Islamist-dominated leadership (which might be pushed into power by monopolizing Western aid) but this mistake has fractured the opposition, ensuring there would be several anti-SNC groups. This strategy has also angered the Kurds and Turkmen minorities who view the SNC as antagonistic to their hopes for some autonomy. As a result, these two groups have reduced their revolutionary activities.

The best source on these events is the exiled democrat Ammar Abdulhamid whose daily Syrian Revolution Digest is indispensable to understand what’s going on in the country.

He writes that, despite US and Turkish support, nobody will recognize the SNC as the “legitimate representative of the Syrian people” because of its “over-representation of certain currents and under-representation of others, as well as lack of transparency in the selection and decision-making processes, not to mention lack of clear political vision and transitional plans.”

Again, it should be stressed that in terms of actually directing the rebellion, there is no leadership.

9. So who do we want to win?
Despite the threat of a Sunni Islamist regime, I hope that Assad will be overthrown.

Why? If the regime survives we know it will continue to be a ferociously repressive dictatorship, allied with Iran and dedicated to the destruction of US and Western interests, the imperialist domination of Lebanon, wiping Israel off the map and subverting Jordan.

With a revolution, there is a chance – especially if US policy doesn’t mess it up – for a real democracy that is higher than in Egypt.

In Syria only 60% of the population is Sunni Muslim Islamist. The minorities – Alawite, Christian, Druse and Kurdish – don’t want an Arab Sunni Islamist regime.

As for the Sunnis themselves, they are proportionately more urban, more middle class and more moderate than in Egypt. Islamists and the Muslim Brotherhood in particular have never been as strong in Syria as in Egypt.

In Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, the Islamists face what is largely a political vacuum; in Syria they have real, determined opposition.

Today, the Syrian people have two major enemies blocking the way to a moderate, stable democracy. One is the regime itself; the other is the US-Turkish policy that is determined – naively for the former; deviously deceitful from the latter – to force a new repressive Islamist regime on the Syrians.

The writer is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) and a featured columnist at Pajamas Media.

[BRVoice]

Well, things are much worse than I thought if this is true


Report: Russia Sent Syria Super-Advanced S-300 Missiles

A report Thursday said that Russia has supplied Syria with advanced S-300 missiles, and has sent advisers to help Syria run the system.
By David Lev First Publish: 11/24/2011, 1:15 PM




missile
morgufile royalty free

Russian warships that have reached waters off Syria in recent days were carrying, among other things, Russian technical advisors who will help the Syrians set up an array of S-300 missiles Damascus has received in recent weeks, a report in the London-based Arabic language Al Quds-Al Arabi said Thursday. Citing sources in Syria and Russia, the paper said that Moscow sees a Western attack on Syria as a “red line” that it will not tolerate.

Despite the mounting opposition in the West and even in the Arab world against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad for his assaults on protesters seeking to unseat him as leader of the country, Russia maintains its support for Assad, the report said. Russian and Syria military officials are working together to maintain Assad's rule, and to deflect a possible attack by NATO or the U.S and EU.

Along with the missiles, the report says that Russia has installed advanced radar systems in all key Syrian military and industrial installations. The radar system also covers areas north and south of Syria, where it will be able to detect movement of troops or aircraft towards the Syrian border. The radar targets include much of Israel, as well as the Incirlik military base in Turkey, which is used by NATO.

The S-300 system is regarded as one of the most potent anti-aircraft missile systems available.

The system's radar is able to simultaneously track up to 100 targets while engaging up to 12.

Deployment time for the S-300 is five minutes, and they have a very long life span, with no maintenance needed.

Russia had attempted to sell the system to Iran, but that sale was cancelled due to pressure by the U.S. and Israel, with Russia returning Iran's deposit. According to the report, the Iranians paid for Syria's S-300 missile system. It is not known if some of the missiles have reached Iran as well.

[BRVoice]

The clock is ticking that is for sure. Everyone is pushing and no one is backing down. This will be the start of World War Three.

[BRVoice]

Turkey 'ready for action' as Syria deadline expires


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Friday, November 25, 2011
ISTANBUL - Reuters

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. AA photo

Turkey said it could tolerate no more bloodshed in Syria and it was ready to take action with Arab powers if President Bashar al-Assad failed to take steps towards ending the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.
An 11:00 a.m. GMT deadline given by the Arab League to Syria to agree to accept observers or face sanctions has expired today.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had told a news conference in the morning that he hoped the Syrian government would give a positive response to Arab League plan on resolving the conflict.
"If it doesn't, there are steps we can take in consultation with the Arab League," he said. "I want to say clearly we have no more tolerance for the bloodshed in Syria. The attitude of friendly and fraternal countries on this subject is clear."
The Arab League's sanctions on Syria include halting flights, curbing trade and stopping deals with the central bank.
Davutoğlu said he was ready to attend a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers that could take place on Sunday, depending on Syria's response. He was also consultating with the European Union, NATO and U.N. Security Council members.
Davutoğlu also held talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who had attended a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo on Thursday.
Speaking alongside the Turkish minister, Judeh said he hoped Syria would sign a protocol to accept observers as a first step to ending the violence that has gripped the country for eight months.
"This is the collective wish of the Arab world and if they don't, God forbid, we have to meet again," he said.
Non-Arab Turkey, Syria's largest trading partner and formerly a close friend, has strongly backed the stance taken by the Arab League towards Syria.
Turkey and Jordan both border Syria and potentially have a important part to play if French proposals for a humanitarian zones in Syria gather support.
This week Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan bluntly told Assad to quit or risk facing the same fate as Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed last month after being caught by rebels.

[American Patriot]

In general, this stuff builds to a popping point, then fizzles. Christmas is coming for the West... I can't see the West pushing too hard, but then the Israelis don't celebrate Christmas either....

[American Patriot]

Nuke carrier leads US strike force into Syrian waters

Published: 25 November, 2011, 18:34

00:00
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USS George H.W. Bush. (AFP Photo/US Navy)
(41.0Mb) embed video



Nuclear aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush has reportedly anchored off Syria. As an Arab League deadline to allow observers into the country passes with no response from Damascus, the possibility of intervention in Syria seems to be growing.


The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group along with additional naval vessels are to remain in the Mediterranean to conducting maritime security operations and support missions as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.The US 6th Fleet is also patrolling the area, Interfax news agency reports.



Meanwhile, America and Turkey are urging their citizens to leave Syria. The US released a statement on Wednesday urging American citizens to “depart immediately while commercial transportation is available.�

Against this backdrop, the prospect of humanitarian intervention in Syria no longer looks like such an impossible scenario. And pressure is growing on the issue.



Paris is urging the creation of a secure zone to protect civilians “that would allow aid groups and observers into Syria� and is seeking support from the US, UN and the Arab League. French foreign minister Alain Juppé said he was speaking with partners in the United Nations, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Arab League on the issue. However the EU stopped short of endorsing a French proposal for EU-backed humanitarian corridors on Thursday, acknowledging, however, that protection of civilians in Syria remains a top priority.


The imposition of a no-fly zone over Syria by the Arab League with US logistical support, is also being discussed, according to the Jordan-based Al Bawaba news website. A strong sense of déjÃ* vu prevails, with the specter of a Libyan scenario repeating itself.
Rumors about the no-fly zone over Syria came in the wake of Tuesday’s United Nations General Assembly resolution which condemned human rights abuses by the Syrian regime, including the killing, arbitrary imprisonment and torture of civilians.



Meanwhile, an Arab League deadline for Syria to allow an observer mission into the country or suffer crippling sanctions passed on Friday without a response from Damascus, a League source told AFP.


"Until now, there has been no response from the Syrian government," the source said after the 1 pm (1100 GMT) deadline. Damascus has been given until the end of the day to respond, if it is to avoid sanctions.


Earlier this month Russia, the most powerful opponent of the West's push for “international intervention,� also anchored its warships in the Syrian port of Tartus. According to unconfirmed reports, the warships were carrying technical advisors who will help Syria set up and run advanced S-300 missiles supplied by Russia. However, there is no official confirmation that the S-300 missiles have actually been delivered to Syria by any side.


Meanwhile, Moscow has announced it opposes a military scenario for resolving the Syrian problem and the use of a human rights argument as an excuse for foreign intervention in the affairs of a sovereign state. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said that “under no circumstances must human rights issues be used as a pretext for interfering in the internal affairs of a state."


Moscow has also abstained from voting on the resolution by the UN General Assembly Human Rights Committee thanks to "the humanitarian focus of the draft's text," said Lukashevich.



Experts say that even the armed opponents of Bashar al-Assad’s regime would strongly oppose any interference from outside.


“Even among the opponents of the ugly Assad regime, many in Syria will actually not welcome an intervention by Western forces,� even if it comes in the shape of fellow-Muslims in the Turkish army, predicts Dr. Pierre Guerlain, a professor of political science at Paris West University.


And Dr Marcus Papadopoulos, an analyst from Britain's 'Politics First' online magazine, told RT that any hopes of bringing peace to the region by toppling the current Syrian government are delusional.


"I can't see how they can possibly believe that peace will come to the Middle East with president Assad falling, I mean if we have a look at some of the people that the Syrian government is fighting against at the moment, they're actually armed militants, they're criminal gangs, and many of these armed militants have links to religious extremism, so once again, I think it's a reckless, negligence, short-sighted approach that the West is taking."

Earlier this month, Arab League foreign ministers suspended Syria in response to its violent suppression of anti-government rallies.


An uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad started eight months ago. Since then, an estimated 3,500 people have died in clashes with government forces.

[BRVoice]

US carrier strike force enters Syrian waters. Russian carrier en route
DEBKAfile Special Report November 26, 2011, 11:33 AM (GMT+02:00) Tags: Syria US aircraft carriers Russian warships Arab League Turkey

The USS Bush enters Syrian waters

The Syrian crisis aassumed a big power dimension this week with the build-up of rival United States and Russia naval air carrier armadas in Syrian waters, debkafile's military sources report.

The USS George H.W. Bush arrived Wednesday, Nov. 23, in the wake of the three Russian warships anchored earlier opposite Tartus which established a command post in the Syrian port. They will be augmented by Russia's only air carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov, which is due in mid-week.

By deploying 70 ship-borne fighter-bombers plus three heavy guided missile cruisers and five guided missile destroyers opposite Syria, Washington has laid down military support for any intervention the Arab League in conjunction with Turkey may decide on.

Bashar Assad can see for himself that Washington has hoisted a nuclear aerial umbrella to protect its allies, Israel, Turkey, and Jordan, against the retaliation his armed forces high command pledged Friday for the deaths of six Syrian air force elite pilots in an ambush Thursday.

For some time, Ankara has been weighing the creation of a protected haven for rebels and refugees inside Syria. France has proposed slicing "humanitarian corridors" through Syria for them to flee safely from military tank and gunfire and secure supply of food, medicines and other essential supplies to the cities under army siege.

Both plans would depend on being safeguarded by substantial ground and air strength inside Syria which would certainly face fierce resistance from Assad's military.

The Arab League has scheduled weekend meetings to decide how to proceed after Damascus ignored its Friday deadline for accepting hundreds of monitors. Saturday, Nov. 26, AL finance ministers will discuss economic sanctions. In the past 48 hours, at least 70 people were reported killed as the Syrian army continued its crackdown in the face of spreading armed opposition.

The Russian Kuznetzov carrier and its accompanying strike vessels will join the three Russian warships parked opposite Tartus for more than a week. It will enter the same Syrian offshore waters as the USS Bush and the US Sixth Fleet, which is permanently posted in the Mediterranean.

The Syrian crisis is therefore building up to a superpower face-off unparalleled since the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union ended in the nineties, debkafile's military sources note.

While Washington clearly stands ready to back operations against the Assad regime, Moscow is drawing a red line around his presidential palace in Damascus. The Kremlin is warning the US, NATO and the Arab League that they will not be allowed to repeat their feat in Libya of overthrowing Muammar Qaddafi against Assad.

In the face of this escalating big power standoff and the high possibility of the Syrian ruler deciding to lash out against his country's neighbors, the Israeli, Jordanian and Turkey armies have declared a high state of war preparedness.

[Chameleon]

Well, that's just great.

I hope you guys are prepared for WW3. It might just become reality.

[American Patriot]

Chameleon, we're ready as we're gonna get.

But, like the Cuban Missile Crisis, this too, I believe (with all my heart) will fizzle.

[American Patriot]

Well, Michael - we agree on this at least....

[American Patriot]

Syria Holds War Games

Damascus, Dec 5 (Prensa Latina) Syria´s missile forces held war games using live ammunition to test this type of armament to confront any attack, the General Command informed. Sunday´s drills also assessed the training of the troops that accurately carried out the project, achieving outstanding results, the military source noted. The rest of the Armed Forces also carried out different maneuvers with live ammunition and diverse armaments including aircraft and combat helicopters, the communiqué highlighted. The drills took place amid the intensification of the hostile Western campaign, supported by the Gulf States, particularly Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and spearheaded by Turkey, whose anti-Syrian statements have intensified. Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense General Dawood Abdullah Rajiha underlined that the military forces, commanded by President Bashar al-Assad, will continue to be loyal to the mother country and defend the interests of the Syrian people, SANA news agency reported. as/lch/ml/mh

Modificado el ( lunes, 05 de diciembre de 2011 )

[BRVoice]

US “extremely concerned� over Syrian assault fears

December 9, 2011

The United States said Friday it was "extremely concerned" by reports that Syria plans a large assault on the key city of Homs and urged the regime to let in independent monitors.
US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said that President Bashar al-Assad would be responsible for any further deaths as Syrian troops carry out a nine-month-old assault which the UN says has killed more than 4,000 people.
"We're extremely concerned about what's going on in the city of Homs. There are reports today that the government may be preparing a very serious new assault on the city of Homs in a very large-scale way," Nuland told reporters.
She reiterated calls by the Arab League for Syria to let in monitors and also urged the regime to permit international media to travel in the country to see the situation first-hand.
"It's a perfect example for them to prove that they are not the propagators of this violence, and obviously they've chosen not to do so," Nuland said.
"They are not going to be able to hide who's responsible if there is a major assault," she said.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon

[BRVoice]

Britain calls on Syria to withdraw forces from Homs

December 9, 2011

Britain called on Syria on Friday to immediately withdraw its forces from the city of Homs, once again demanding the government in Damascus stop its "unacceptable" crackdown on dissent.
Activists said at least 10 people died in Homs during the day, among 24 killed nationwide. An opposition group warned of a bloody final assault on the city of 1.6 million residents in central Syria.
"The British government is deeply concerned by reports of a build-up of Syrian security forces and armored vehicles in the besieged city of Homs," said Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt.
He added: “The Syrian government should immediately withdraw its forces from Homs and exercise restraint.�
This is exactly what had said it would do when it agreed to the Arab League's November 2 plan, he added.
That plan had included a commitment to end all violence, "withdraw the military from cities and towns, release detainees and provide access for Arab League monitors and the international media," he added.
Burt said Homs had been the scene of "disturbing crackdowns" in recent months.
"We condemn the continuing violence against civilians and call on the Syrian government not to escalate the cycle of violence further," he added.
"We continue to work with our international partners to condemn the repression in Syria and call for the Syrian government to meet their people's legitimate demands.
"The violence is unacceptable and must stop."
-AFP/NOW Lebanon

[BRVoice]

Friday, December 09, 2011

Turkey warns Syria not to provoke regional crisis

By Douglas Hamilton

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey warned Syria on Friday it would act to protect itself if a Syrian government crackdown on protesters threatened regional security and unleashed a tide of refugees on its borders.
At least five Syrians were shot dead as protesters took the streets following Friday prayers and ahead of a general strike called for Sunday, according to a network of anti-government activists reporting events to a website based in England.
In Homs, the hub of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, they chanted "Syria wants freedom" and "Bashar is an enemy of humanity," Qatar based Al-Jazeera television said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu did not say what action Ankara might take, but he made clear Turkey would not hesitate to insulate the region's security from tumult in Syria. Turkey shares a 900 km (560 mile) border with Syria.
"Turkey has no desire to interfere in anyone's internal affairs. But if a risk to regional security arises, then we do not have the luxury of standing by and looking on," Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara.
"If a government that is fighting its own people and creating refugees, is putting not only their own security at risk but also that of Turkey, then we have a responsibility and the authority to say to them: 'Enough!'" he said.
Peaceful demonstrations calling for reform began in Syria in March, inspired by the Arab Spring, but were met almost from the outset by lethal force.
About 4,600 Syrians have been killed in nine months of protest and violent state suppression, according to Syrian activists. Hundreds have fled over the border to Turkey which has established refugee camps.
President Assad says some "mistakes" may have occurred but casualties have been overwhelmingly from the security forces, targeted by "armed terrorist gangs" who are motivated and directed by unnamed foreign influences.
But Syria has been hit by United States and European Union economic sanctions and suspended from the Arab League which is also threatening to impose sanctions.
Russia and China, however, have effectively blocked any similar move at the United Nations and Moscow is warning the west constantly not to interfere in the affairs of its longtime Arab ally.
KILLING CONTINUES
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 28
demonstrations across the southern province of Deraa, calling for the "overthrow of the regime," on what protesters are calling the "Friday of the Strike of Dignity" planned over the weekend.
Security forces fired into a crowd outside the mosque in Al-Qusayr in Homs province, the Observatory said. In Homs city, one person was killed by gunfire from a checkpoint. Troops surrounded protesters as they came out of two mosques in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, and two children were killed in districts of Homs, the activist website reported.
Another person was killed by gunfire outside Damascus.
State television also reported violence but gave a different account. It said a girl was shot by "terrorists" in Deraa and civilians wounded by "terrorist armed groups."
TELEVISED CONFESSIONS
Davutoglu has proposed that contingency plans be made for a buffer zone along the Syrian border should violence escalate to the point where a mass exodus is threatened.
The NATO allies have called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Assad this week denied all responsibility for civilian deaths and said no orders to kill had been issued by him to the armed forces. Russia, China, Iran and Brazil, among other states, say the West should not interfere.
There has been no threat of Western military intervention from the United States or its allies.
Syrian state television on Thursday aired confessions by "terrorists" bent on destabilising the country by attacking security forces, killing and sabotage, the state news agency SANA reported.
It said they admitted making and planting bombs but did not elaborate on their alleged political motive for such attacks.
Anti-government activists say three unarmed civilians have died for every security force member killed since March. They say Syrian interrogators use torture to obtain confessions.
"Hani Mahmoud Srour, a terrorist, confessed to his involvement in killings, targeting a security forces patrol, and vandalizing public property in Deraa province," SANA reported.
It said Jamal al-Mikdad "together with hooded persons" took explosives to a target "in return for 250 Syrian pounds," the equivalent of about $5.
The Syrian army, police, intelligence and security forces, along with non-uniformed pro-Assad militias are held responsible by NATO and Arab League states for rutheless repression.
Defectors from the army and some activists have taken up arms in a Free Syrian Army to defend civilians and attack the security forces. They are believed to number several thousand.
The head of the Arab League, which has threatened to impose sanctions if Syria does not comply with a peace plan and sign an agreement allowing international monitors into the country, said on Thursday "the ball is in the Syrian court."
"What we expect is as soon as possible Syria will accept to sign the protocol," Nabil Elaraby said during a trip to Iraq. "It is up to them. (If) they want to stop the economic sanctions, they sign."
(Additional reporting by Tulay Karadeniz in Ankera, Dominic Evans and Laila Bassam in Beirut; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Copyright © 2011 Reuters

[vector7]

Hundreds Of US-NATO Soldiers Arrive & Begin Operations On The Jordan-syria Border

Report: Foreign Troops Begin to Spread Near the Villages of Al-Mafraq

Published on 12 December 2011

by Sibel Edmonds

WASHINGTON, D.C. (USA)
OfficialWire News Bureau

Sibel Edmonds
Update 1: Today at 12:00 P.M. we contacted DOD Press Office via two voicemail messages and one e-mail asking for comment(s) on this story. As of 6:00 P.M. EST we have not heard back.

Update 2: Another journalist with a major mainstream media publication was told by his editors that there would be no coverage or follow up on these developments.

According to first-hand accounts and reports provided to Boiling Frogs Post by several sources in Jordan, during the last few hours foreign military groups, estimated at hundreds of individuals, began to spread near the villages of the north-Jordan city of “Al-Mafraq”, which is adjacent to the Jordanian and Syrian border.

According to one Jordanian military officer who asked to remain anonymous, hundreds of soldiers who speak languages ​other than Arabic were seen during the past two days in those areas moving back and forth in military vehicles between the King Hussein Air Base of al-Mafraq (10 km from the Syrian border), and the vicinity of Jordanian villages adjacent to the Syrian border, such as village Albaej (5 km from the border), the area around the dam of Sarhan, the villages of Zubaydiah and al-Nahdah adjacent to the Syrian border.

Another report received from our source in Amman identified an additional US-NATO Command Center in “al-Houshah,’ a village near Mafraq.

Our Iraqi journalist source in London provided us with the following related information:

“Some of the US forces that left the Ain al-Assad Air base in Iraq last Thursday, did not come back to the USA or its base in Germany, but were transferred to Jordan during the evening hours.”

The above information was further corroborated by our correspondent and advisor Nizar Nayouf who interviewed an employee in the London-based office of Royal Jordanian Airlines:

“At least one US aircraft carrying military personnel landed in the Prince Hassan Air base located about 100 km to the east of the city of Al-Mafraq.”

Earlier last week, Jordanian news websites disclosed that “Western officials have requested the King to allow establishing an electronic spy station in the north of Jordan (near the Syrian border) in order to access the Syrian army and contact Syrian high-rank officers for convincing them to make a military coup or (at least) rebel against the regime”.

Nizar Nayouf, BFP advisor and correspondent on Syria in London, had the following statement on Al-Mafraq:

“The al-Mafraq air base, which now includes Air Force Academy, was a starting point for “conspiratorial activities” by Jordan, The UK and Israel against Syria in the past, particularly in the 1960s. In September 1968, a Syrian commando Major, Salim Hatoom, who fled to Jordan with a number of officers after a failed coup attempt, established a camp from which he started a rebel military against the then left-wing government of Syria under president Nureddin al-Atassi and Salah Jadid. By the end of 1970s and early 1980s, the Syrian Islamic Brotherhood and their military wing “At-Taleeah al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah” (the Islamic Militant Vanguard) used the same base for its military struggle against president Hafez a-Assad regime, in which they were being trained by the Jordanian and Israeli intelligence agents, and cars were being bombed before they were sent to the streets of Syrian cities for the killing of innocents and undermining state facilities.”

Mr. Nayouf went on to emphasize the irony of the situation:

“I guess history repeats itself but as farce…Last spring, that tens of Syrian soldiers, who fled to Jordan, were transferred to a camp west of the Jordanian city of “Salt”, in which officers from Israeli military intelligence (AMAN) began the investigation with them under the supervision of the Jordanian military intelligence. This was to extract information from them on issues related to the development of the Syrian army, weapons and training, especially after 2006.”

We contacted our expert sources on US media and intelligence-military and were told that the US media has been told not to report on this latest development until Tuesday, December 13. Boiling Frogs Post is the first news website to report on these latest developments.

This story is developing and we await further details and confirmation from our sources in Turkey and Jordan. For additional Boiling Frogs Post Syria coverage see here and here.

[American Patriot]

Interesting.

[vector7]

US units exiting Iraq deployed in Jordan to forestall Syrian attack

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report December 13, 2011, 11:18 AM (GMT+02:00) Tags: Syrian army Bashar Assad Jordan US Iraq


US 1st Brigade departs Iraq

As the US completes its final withdrawal from Iraq, American special forces troops have been diverted to positions in Jordan opposite a Syrian tank concentration building up across the kingdom's northern border, debkafile's military and intelligence sources report.

As of last Thursday, military convoys, air transports and helicopters have been lifting US troops across the border from Iraq. They have been deployed in position to ward off a possible Syrian invasion in the light of President Bashar Assad's warning that he would set the entire Middle East on fire if the pressure on his regime to step down persisted.

Syria's other neighbors have taken precautions against this contingency but this is the first time US boots have hit the ground directly opposite Assad's army.

The incoming US contingents are disclosed by our sources as having been housed at the King Hussein Air Base of al-Mafraq, 10 kilometers from the Syrian border. US troops were sighted Monday, Dec. 12, building surveillance towers and army posts in the Jordanian villages of Albaej, Zubaydiah and al-Nahdah al-Houshah as well as near the Sarham dam of the Yarmoukh River which runs down the international border between Syria and Jordan.

Three months ago, the Syrian ruler cautioned Jordan's King Abdullah II to stop granting asylum to Syrian military deserters and allowing his country to serve as a conduit for pumping arms to the opposition.

The king was not deterred by this threat. Seen from Damascus, Jordan would be easier to take on militarily that either Turkey or Israel. Saturday, Dec. 10, Jordanian surveillance units confirmed that Syrian armored units were gathering opposite the Jordanian town of Bura Al Hariri.

Iraqi sources report that the American units came from the big Iraqi Ain al-Assad air base in the western province of Al Anbar opposite the Jordanian border. This base is in the process of evacuation as the US military drawdown in Iraq approaches completion. Most of the troops are flown to US bases in the Persian Gulf and Europe.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, when he met US President Barack Obama at the White House Monday, approved the transfer of American contingents from Iraq to Jordan across their common border. Obama was therefore able to state after their talks: "We share the view that when the Syrian people are being killed or are unable to express themselves that's a problem. There's no disagreement there."

By this comment, the White House sought to stress that the Baghdad government is not letting Tehran twist its arms on the Syrian question.

[vector7]

Report: Syria arms missiles with chemical warheads

11 December 2011 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL

The Syrian regime, which has endured nine months of civil unrest spurred by the Arab Spring as it swept across the Middle East, has armed its medium-range missile arsenal with chemical warheads.

According to a report published by the Sabah daily Sunday, Damascus armed 600 one-ton chemical warheads to use in the event of a foreign military intervention. Furthermore, President Bashar al-Assad ordered the deployment of 21 missile launchers along its border with Turkey. Syria’s medium-range missiles that can be equipped with chemical warheads have a range of up to 1,300 kilometers and would include the southern and central provinces of Turkey.

According to the daily, the Syrian military keeps its stockpile of chemical warheads in secret facilities in and around the capital city of Damascus. In mid-November, President Assad held a special meeting with top commanders of the Syrian army and argued over how to respond to a possible military intervention by the international community. Additionally, Russia, which stood by the Assad regime’s defiance of international pressure on Damascus, sent 3 million gas masks to the troubled country.

Most of those masks will be distributed to the regime’s loyalists, the families of soldiers and Baath supporters. The distribution of the masks is set to be completed by the end of December, according to the daily.

Syria is believed to have had a chemical weapons arsenal for more than three decades. Following heavy defeats against Israel in conventional warfare, international defense sources believe that following the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Hafez al-Assad, the former general of the Syrian Air Force, decided to bolster Syria’s strategic position through the development of ballistic missiles to counter Israel’s superiority in conventional warfare. The unchallenged superiority Israeli air forces led Syrian generals to push for other means to protect the regime. From then on, Syria has launched clandestine efforts to develop chemical warheads with ballistic missile delivery systems.