Syria

[BRVoice]

UN inspectors investigating suspected poison gas attacks tour stricken areas for a 3rd day, activists say - @AP
1 hour ago from www.ctvnews.ca by editor

Update: UN inspection team expected to depart Damascus on Saturday; unclear when report will be completed - @NBCNews
1 hour ago by editor

UN chief Ban Ki-moon cuts short Austria trip to prepare for UN weapons report scheduled to be delivered to him Saturday - @mitchellreports
2 hours ago by editor

[BRVoice]

Rick, I truly believe that, for the good of the american people, that the US should stay out of this mess going on the Middle East.

I'm having difficulty to sleep, my gut feeling tells me that a very bad storm is coming.

Sometimes I became sad, sometimes angry, sometimes hopeless. Because I cannot do anything to stop this madness.

For relief I play games but not even that could get me out of this feeling.

I pray for you Rick and all guys on this forum, Ryan, vector7, Malsua, Minuteman, etc. I'm sad that the american people had to pass through this.

[BRVoice]

Interesting thoughts by Galrahn -


Raymond Pritchett@Galrahn1m
So Russia's Navy is shadowing the 6th fleet, telling Syria where the US Navy ships are, no doubt.

Max Fisher‏@Max_Fisher33m
Information Syria can use to - ? RT @Galrahn: Russia's Navy is shadowing the 6th fleet, telling Syria where the US Navy ships are, no doubt.

Raymond Pritchett‏@Galrahn32m
@Max_Fisher strike back. The recon piece at sea is the kill chain element they lack the most of.

Max Fisher‏@Max_Fisher29m
@Galrahn Do they have the capability to do that? Honest question

Raymond Pritchett‏@Galrahn28m
@Max_Fisher they have anti-ship missiles and an Air Force that's been flying combat sorties for two years. I would assume they could.

Raymond Pritchett‏@Galrahn27m
@Max_Fisher doesn't make it easy, but definitely makes it possible. Particularly when they know where to focus firepower.

[BRVoice]

U.S. Facing Test on Data to Back Action on Syria

By MARK MAZZETTI and MARK LANDLER

Published: August 28, 2013

WASHINGTON — The evidence of a massacre is undeniable: the bodies of the dead lined up on hospital floors, those of the living convulsing and writhing in pain and a declaration from a respected international aid group that thousands of Syrians were gassed with chemical weapons last week.

And yet the White House faces steep hurdles as it prepares to make the most important public intelligence presentation since February 2003, when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell made a dramatic and detailed case for war to the United Nations Security Council using intelligence — later discredited — about Iraq’s weapons programs.

More than a decade later, the Obama administration says the information it will make public, most likely on Thursday, will show proof of a large-scale chemical attack perpetrated by Syrian forces, bolstering its case for a retaliatory military strike on Syria.

But with the botched intelligence about Iraq still casting a long shadow over decisions about waging war in the Middle East, the White House faces an American public deeply skeptical about being drawn into the Syrian conflict and a growing chorus of lawmakers from both parties angry about the prospect of an American president once again going to war without Congressional consultation or approval.

American officials said Wednesday there was no “smoking gun” that directly links President Bashar al-Assad to the attack, and they tried to lower expectations about the public intelligence presentation. They said it will not contain specific electronic intercepts of communications between Syrian commanders or detailed reporting from spies and sources on the ground.

But even without hard evidence tying Mr. Assad to the attack, administration officials asserted, the Syrian leader bears ultimate responsibility for the actions of his troops and should be held accountable.

“The commander in chief of any military is ultimately responsible for decisions made under their leadership,” said the State Department’s deputy spokeswoman, Marie Harf — even if, she added, “He’s not the one who pushes the button or says ‘go’ on this.”

Administration officials said that communications between military commanders intercepted after Wednesday’s attack provided proof that the assault was not the result of a rogue unit acting against orders. It is unclear how much detail about these communications, if any, will be made public.

In an interview on Wednesday with the PBS program “NewsHour,” President Obama said he still had not made a decision about military action.

But he said that a military strike could be a “shot across the bow, saying ‘stop doing this,’ that can have a positive impact on our national security over the long term.”

The bellicose talk coming from the administration is unnerving some lawmakers from Mr. Obama’s party, who are angry that the White House seems to have no inclination to seek Congress’s approval before launching a strike in Syria.

“I am still waiting to see what specifically the administration and other involved partners have to say about a potential military strike, but I am concerned about how effective such an action could be,” said Representative Adam Smith, a Washington Democrat who is the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. “I am worried that such action could drag the United States into a broader direct involvement in the conflict.”

Despite the Obama administration’s insistence that the graphic images of the attack go far in making a case for military action in Syria, some experts said that the White House had its own burden of proof.

Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said that whatever evidence the administration put forward would be the American intelligence community’s “most important single document in a decade.”

The Obama administration, Mr. Cordesman said, needs to use intelligence about the attack “as a key way of informing the world, of building up trust in U.S. policy and intelligence statements, and in moving U.S. strategic communications from spin to convincing truth.”

And yet it appears that the public presentation of the Syria evidence will be limited. Instead of the theater of Mr. Powell’s 2003 speech — which included satellite photographs, scratchy recordings of conversations between Iraqi officials and a vial of white powder meant to symbolize anthrax — American officials said the intelligence assessment they are preparing to make public will be similar to a modest news release that the White House issued in June to announce that the Assad government had used chemical weapons “on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year.”

Based on that conclusion, Mr. Obama authorized a limited program of supplying the Syrian rebels with arms, which have yet to arrive.

As the White House now considers direct military action in Syria, something it has resisted for two years, Speaker John A. Boehner wrote a letter on Wednesday to Mr. Obama asking the president to provide a “clear, unambiguous explanation of how military action — which is a means, not a policy — will secure U.S. objectives and how it fits into your overall policy.”

The discussion has even brought in former officials intimately involved in making the hurried public case for the Iraq war. In an interview with Fox Business Network, Donald Rumsfeld, who was defense secretary at the time, said Wednesday that “there really hasn’t been any indication from the administration as to what our national interest is with respect to this particular situation.”

Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican, has been scathing in his criticism of Mr. Obama for the opposite reason — that the president in his view has not taken enough action. Mr. McCain has said that doubts about military action expressed by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, have emboldened the Syrian government to use chemical weapons and that Mr. Obama, having allowed Mr. Assad to cross his “red line” on the use of these weapons on previous occasions, had little standing now.

“Now this is the same president that two years ago said that Bashar Assad must leave office, and so where is America’s credibility?” Mr. McCain said on Fox News. “Where is our ability to influence events in the region? And I promise you that those who say we should stay out of Syria do not understand that this is now a regional conflict.”

The administration plans to brief leaders in the House and Senate with a classified version of its intelligence assessment about the attack, according to Congressional aides.

Americans over all have been skeptical about the United States getting involved in Syria’s civil war, although surveys show they are more open to a limited strike on Syrian targets using cruise missiles or drones.

There has not been a major poll released since last Wednesday’s chemical attacks, but a poll published by Quinnipiac University last month found that 61 percent of people said it was not in the national interest to intervene in Syria, while 27 percent said it was. By a similar split, 59 percent opposed providing weapons to rebel forces, while 27 percent were in favor. But 49 percent of people said they would support missile strikes against government forces if the strikes did not endanger American lives, while 38 percent said they were opposed.

It is the fear of the United States getting dragged into yet another Middle Eastern war that before last Wednesday had animated opposition — both inside the White House and across the country as a whole — to American military intervention in Syria.

Even as he now contemplates getting deeper into a war he had long resisted, Mr. Obama appears to be mindful that the opposition remains.

“We can take limited, tailored approaches, not getting drawn into a long conflict,” he said Wednesday on “NewsHour.” He added, “Not another repetition of, you know, Iraq, which I know a lot of people are worried about.”



This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: August 28, 2013
An earlier version of this article reversed the percentage of respondents in a Quinnipiac University poll last month who said they were in favor of, and opposed to, providing weapons to rebel forces in Syria. Twenty-seven percent were in favor of providing the weapons, and 59 percent were opposed to it.



This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: August 29, 2013
An earlier version of this article misstated the standing of Representative Adam Smith. He is the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, not the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

[BRVoice]

BBC: Russia moving two warships to east Mediterranean.


Strikes on Syria will leave Israel in flames, Iran army chief says - @AFP
6 mins ago from blogs.aljazeera.com by editor

Any military action against Syria will have consequences beyond the region and leave Israel in flames, Iran's army chief of staff General Hassan Firouzabadi said in remarks reported on Thursday.

"Any military action against Syria will drive the Zionists to the edge of fire," Firouzabadi said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...rmy-chief-says


Germany's Chancellor Merkel, Russian President Putin agree the UN must deal with the situation in Syria, German government statement says - @Reuters
4 mins ago by editor

[American Patriot]

Rick, I truly believe that, for the good of the american people, that the US should stay out of this mess going on the Middle East.

I'm having difficulty to sleep, my gut feeling tells me that a very bad storm is coming.

Sometimes I became sad, sometimes angry, sometimes hopeless. Because I cannot do anything to stop this madness.

For relief I play games but not even that could get me out of this feeling.

I pray for you Rick and all guys on this forum, Ryan, vector7, Malsua, Minuteman, etc. I'm sad that the american people had to pass through this.

BRVoice, thanks for your thoughts and prayers for all of us!

You know, it's really funny, WE aren't "going through anything" right now. We're just sitting here waiting on the other shoe to drop, so to speak.

Having traveled the world many times, and meeting folks from other countries it comes down to something few people really grasp. Americans don't hate the Russians and the Russians don't hate the Americans for instance. In fact, we all get along JUST FINE when meeting in either country, we might not agree on some things, but no one hates the other. This goes for all countries and all people (with one exception I'll mention shortly).

No matter where I have gone people have been nice to me.

It comes down to our governments. The policies governments create and follow, the pressures they put on others to do things their way, and sometimes the LACK of protection of their OWN people against those governments is actually the problem.

It's NOT the people normally, it's the GOVERNMENTS who cause things like this to happen.

The PEOPLE get stuck with the crap dumped on them.

The exception to this are the Muslims in the Middle East - they don't like Westerners, meaning me, Ryan, you, the Russians, the Europeans etc. They don't like ANYONE. They fight everyone. They want everyone dead, and they fight each other. They are barbarians.

As far as I am concerned until they can behave like civilized people, they are just a blight on the face of this planet. Fussy came in here awhile back and jumped on me for calling them "animals" or "generalizing" - but you know what? I can say and do what I want. I LIVE in America and we have free speech.

I don't give a shit what another person thinks of me for standing up for what *I* believe in, if I'm right I'm right. If I'm not, then it will work out in the wash won't it?

So - as far as I am concerned I give everyone, every single person a chance. Regardless of race, color, religion, whatever... when they screw up they are done.

[vector7]

“The Art of War”
The new East-West military confrontation

by Manlio Dinucci

Voltaire Network | Rome (Italy) | 14 August 2013

français italiano Español Deutsch Português

Since Putin has returned to the presidency, Russia has reinforced its "anti-American rhetoric" by using "old Cold War stereotypes," said President Obama after cancelling the meeting set for September.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was the asylum Russia granted Edward Snowden, guilty of having brought to light evidence that the U.S. intelligence agencies spy on everyone and everything. But there is something else. Moscow is opposed to the "missile shield," which would allow the U.S. to launch a nuclear first strike knowing that they can neutralize the retaliatory strike. Russia also opposes the further expansion of NATO to the east and the U.S. / NATO plan to demolish Syria and Iran as part of a strategy that targets the Asia-Pacific region. Moscow sees all this as an attempt to gain a clear strategic advantage over Russia (as well as over China).

Are these just "old stereotypes of the Cold War"? Don’t be so sure, considering the program NATO announced on Aug. 8, which promises "the most ambitious and frequent military exercises" especially near Russia. From Aug. 25 to Sept. 5, NATO fighter-bombers (including Italian ones), with dual conventional and nuclear capacity, will participate in Norway in the "Brilliant Arrow» exercise. This is under allied aircraft command, whose just-appointed head is General Frank Gorenc, U.S. Air Force commander in Europe.

This will be followed in November by the air force exercise, "Steadfast Jazz," with NATO fighter-bombers deployed in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, at the Russian border. In September-October NATO warships will participate in the large "Brilliant Mariner" exercise in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Other NATO warships will also be deployed to the Black Sea. There in July the "Sea Breeze 2013" exercise took place, in which the navies of ten countries (including Italy) took part under the orders of the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe, which at the same time commands the Allied Joint Force in Naples.

The U.S. and NATO allies are therefore increasing military pressure on Russia which, of course, does not limit its response to what Obama calls "anti-American rhetoric." After the U.S. decided to also install a missile "shield" on the island of Guam in the western Pacific, the Command of the Russian strategic forces announced that it is building a new 100-ton missile "able to overcome any missile defense system." Later this year Russia will carry 16 experimental launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles of various types. And already in the water is the first of the new Borey-class nuclear submarine, 170 meters long, able to reach a depth of 450 meters, armed with 16 Bulava missiles with a radius of 9,000 km and each with 10 multiple independent warheads, capable of maneuvering to avoid interceptor missiles. The new submarine is one of the eight that the Russian Navy will receive by 2020 (to replace the previous ones), along with 16 multi-role submarines and 54 surface units.

Regarding the above information, the European media, especially the Italian, which are champions of misinformation, have been virtually silent. So the vast majority of the people have the impression that war threatens only "turbulent" regions such as the Middle East and North Africa, without realizing that "peaceful" Europe is once again, in the wake of U.S. strategy, the first line of a military confrontation that is no less dangerous than that during the Cold War.

Manlio Dinucci

Translation
John Catalinotto

‘U.S.-Russia’ confrontation more than rhetoric

By Manlio Dinucci on August 15, 2013

After President Barack Obama cancelled the summit meeting set for September, he explained it by saying that since Vladimir Putin resumed his presidential office, Russia has reinforced its “anti-American rhetoric” by using “old Cold War stereotypes.”

The straw that broke the camel’s back was Russia’s granting asylum to Edward Snowden, who was guilty of having brought to light evidence that the U.S. intelligence agencies spy on everyone and everything. But there is something else. Moscow is opposed to the “missile shield,” which would allow the U.S. to launch a nuclear first strike knowing that they can neutralize the retaliatory strike.

Russia also opposes the further expansion of NATO to the east and the U.S.-NATO plan to demolish Syria and Iran as part of a strategy that targets the Asia-Pacific region. Moscow sees all this as an attempt to gain a clear strategic advantage over Russia — as well as over China.

Are these just “old stereotypes of the Cold War”? Don’t be so sure, considering the program NATO announced on Aug. 8, which promises “the most ambitious and frequent military exercises,” especially near Russia.

From Aug. 25 to Sept. 5, NATO fighter-bombers, with dual conventional and nuclear capacity, will participate in Norway in the “Brilliant Arrow” exercise. This is under allied aircraft command, whose just-appointed head is U.S. Air Force commander in Europe, Gen. Frank Gorenc. This will be followed in November by the air force exercise, “Steadfast Jazz,” with NATO fighter-bombers deployed in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, at the Russian border.

In September and October, NATO warships will participate in the large “Brilliant Mariner” exercise in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Other NATO warships will also be deployed to the Black Sea, where the “Sea Breeze 2013″ exercise took place. In it the navies of 10 countries [Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Canada, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and the U.S. — translator’s note] took part under the orders of the commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe, which at the same time commands the Allied Joint Force in Naples.

The U.S. and NATO allies are therefore increasing military pressure on Russia, which, of course, does not limit Russia’s response to what Obama calls “anti-American rhetoric.” After the U.S. decided to also install a missile “shield” on the island of Guam in the western Pacific, the Command of the Russian strategic forces announced that it is building a new 100-ton missile “able to overcome any missile defense system.”

Later this year, Russia will carry out 16 experimental launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles of various types. And already the first of the new Borey-class nuclear submarines is in the water. This submarine is 558 feet long, able to reach a depth of 1,500 feet, armed with 16 Bulava missiles with a radius of 5,600 miles and each carrying 10 multiple independent warheads, capable of maneuvering to avoid interceptor missiles. The new submarine is one of the eight that the Russian Navy will receive by 2020 to replace the previous ones, along with 16 multirole submarines and 54 surface units.

Regarding the above information, the European media, especially the Italian, [and U.S. corporate media too — WW] which are champions of misinformation, have been virtually silent. So the vast majority of people have the impression that war threatens only “turbulent” regions such as the Middle East and North Africa, without realizing that “peaceful” Europe is once again, in the wake of U.S. strategy, the first line of a military confrontation that is no less dangerous than that during the Cold War.

This article appeared in the Italian daily newspaper Il Manifesto on Aug. 13 and was translated into English by WW managing editor John Catalinotto.

[vector7]

Russia Dispatches Sub, Cruiser; UK Sends 6 Jets To Cyprus; China Repeats "Dire Consequences" Warning

Thu, 08/29/2013 - 07:45 EDT - Zero Hedge

Some took a prior report the that the "developed" nations would use Cyprus as a warplane strike base just as a leaked memo predicted in 2011, skeptically. Today we finally got official confirmation from that Britain that it is sending six RAF Typhoon jets to Cyprus "as a defensive measure amid growing tensions over Syria and talks of Western military intervention."

It's defensive in case Syria launches an airborne assault of the UK we take it? A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the air-to-air interceptor jets would be deployed to the British Akrotiri base in Cyprus on Thursday. "This is purely a prudent and precautionary measure to ensure the protection of UK interests and the defence of our Sovereign Base Areas at a time of heightened tension in the wider region," the spokesman said. "This is a movement of defensive assets operating in an air-to-air role only.

They are not deploying to take part in any military action against Syria."



And just as expected, with the US already piling up naval assets in both the Mediterranean and the Arabian Sea, Russia is responding in kind, and has dispatched a submarine and a cruiser to the Mediterranean. CBS reports: Russian news service Interfax is citing military sources as saying Moscow is dispatching an anti-submarine ship and a cruiser to the Mediterranean. Interfax says the moves are being made due to the "well-known situation" there -- referring to the Syria crisis.

But a Russian government news service, Rianovosti, says the reassignments are part of a planned rotation and aren't linked with the situation in Syria. This comes as the US decided to postpone the pullout of its Nimitz aircraft carrier which is near the Straits of Hormuz currently, and which was supposed to return home. The Navy has ordered the Nimitz, which is in the Indian Ocean, to stay for now.

Finally, keeping things exciting, China reiterated that the West should stay the hell out. SCMP reports: Chinese state media warned the West against strikes on Syria on Thursday as momentum mounted for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to be punished over an alleged chemical weapons attack. In an editorial headed “No excuse for strikes”, the state-run China Daily said the US and its Western allies were “acting as judge, jury and executioner”.

“Any military intervention into Syria would have dire consequences for regional security and violate the norms governing international relations,” it said, adding such a move “will only exacerbate the crisis and could have unforeseen and unwelcome consequences”.

Making a comparison with the war in Iraq, it said the international community should not allow “itself to be led by the nose by US intelligence, which after all was responsible for claiming Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction”.

The foreign ministry has advised any Chinese citizens in Syria to leave as soon as possible, and recent media reports from China's First Financial Daily have revealed that Chinese entrepreneurs and businessmen working in Syria have begun pulling out of the country. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Syria surnamed Feng told First Financial Daily reporters that major Chinese-funded enterprises remaining in Syria were few, and most would "soon withdaw or reduce staff".

So with the unscheduled early pullout of UN inspectors from Syria on Saturday morning as was reported earlier, we know the who, we know the how, and just may have learned the when.

[American Patriot]

So... I have no problems with us doing exercises. That's what we do.

It's what they do. It's all posturing.

It's all for practice, just in case.

The Syria thing is different.

[vector7]

Evidence: Syrian Rebels used Chemical Weapons (not Assad)

By Shoebat Foundation on August 27, 2013 in Blog, General
By Walid Shoebat and Ben Barrack

Recent news of a chemical weapons attack in Syria smacks of desperation. The question comes down to who is most desperate right now, the Assad regime or the Muslim Brotherhood rebels? Consider that since June, Assad’s forces have been winning. According to a CBS News report from last month, victories for the rebels had become “increasingly rare” and that the Muslim Brotherhood-backed opposition fighters were sustaining “some of their heaviest losses” near Damascus.


Saudi Chemicals in hands of Syrian Rebels

The New York Times echoed this sentiment, even saying that before gaining the upper hand, concerns were that Assad would use chemical weapons; he did not.

In fact, even before Assad’s forces gained the momentum, a UN official reportedly found evidence of rebels using chemical weapons but no evidence Assad’s regime did. This, from a Washington Times article by Shaun Waterman dated May 6, 2013:

Testimony from victims strongly suggests it was the rebels, not the Syrian government, that used Sarin nerve gas during a recent incident in the revolution-wracked nation, a senior U.N. diplomat said Monday.

Carla del Ponte, a member of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, told Swiss TV there were “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof,” that rebels seeking to oust Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad had used the nerve agent.

But she said her panel had not yet seen any evidence of Syrian government forces using chemical weapons, according to the BBC, but she added that more investigation was needed. {emphasis ours}

Today, while the rebels are more desperate than they were at the time of that article, evidence of rebels using chemical weapons is available; evidence Assad’s regime has used them is not.

Waterman wrote…

Rebel Free Syrian Army spokesman Louay Almokdad denied that rebels had use chemical weapons.

That doesn’t square with a video uploaded on August 23, 2013, in which Free Syrian operatives threatened to launch chemical weapons:



A day later, on August 24th, a video was uploaded and featured on facebook that purports to show Syrian rebels loading what very well may be a rocket armed with some sort of chemical agent. The tip of the rocket is armed with a light blue tank or canister that very well contains a nerve agent. At the end of this video, two separate launches of these rockets can be seen:



This video from a Syrian TV news report claims to show chemicals (some of labels on these chemicals are in English) and weapons seized by the Syrian government in the rebel stronghold of Jobar. Note at the :10 mark a label that reads:

“Saudi Factory for Chlorine and Alkalies”

In this video, two Syrian rebels (Muslim Brotherhood gang) can be heard coordinating an attack on a nearby building. As smoke billows a short distance from the building, a rebel on the ground can be heard directing someone – presumably at the source of the launch – to change his direction. At that point, the rebel from the launch point can be heard talking about using sarin gas next:



In this video of a Russia Today news report originally broadcast on or before June 16, 2013, testimony from a United Nations panel is reported to demonstrate that rebel groups – not the Assad regime – was responsible for the use of chemical weapons in general, Sarin gas in particular, which backs up the claims in the previous video. Those who attempt to discredit the report below because it is from Russia Today should have difficulty doing so when factoring in rebels above talking about using sarin gas:



It’s significant to consider that the rebels were reportedly using chemical weapons at a time when Assad was more desperate than he is now. Again, why would Assad use chemical weapons now and not then? Who is more desperate at this point in the conflict?

The answer is, the Muslim Brotherhood rebels, who have no problem killing themselves (or their own) if the cause of Islam is moved forward.

Even CNN International, which has typically been quick to report favorably for the Muslim Brotherhood rebels, is hedging its bets lately, when it comes to who is responsible for the attack. Here is a video report from Frederik Pleitgen in which he leaves the possibility open that the rebels may have perpetrated or staged the attack:



Back in March, we chronicled evidence of chemical weapons being used by the Syrian rebels. Unfortunately, since google terminated Theodore’s YouTube account, most of the videos in that post have been deleted and have been more than a little difficult to find.

Running concurrent with the tide that turned in Assad’s favor a few months ago was another defeat for the Muslim Brotherhood – in Egypt. That defeat has been taking place ever since Mohammed Mursi was ousted on July 3rd. So why would Assad use chemical weapons now and not months ago, when his situation was much more precarious?

As the Associated Press was reporting that the U.S. is moving ships closer to Syria in response to the alleged chemical weapons attack, Reuters reported that Assad’s army found chemical weapons in tunnels that had been used by the rebels, according to Syrian state television.

Oxford University historian Mark Almond granted Russia Today an interview and explained both why western nations are so willing to blame Assad and why rebels would have a motive to murder their own people. In response to a question about why the U.S., the U.K., and France appear so eager to blame Assad, Almond said:

“Western governments… want to say ‘Gotcha’. They have been demanding the fall of Assad for more than two-and-a-half years now and it has become increasingly frustrating that his regime has shown much more resilience than they had expected, despite the resources that they and the Gulf Kingdoms have thrown into the war on the other side.

It is also like a distraction from the embarrassment of Egypt, where we see the European and the US governments basically using weasel words to avoid any kind of condemnation of a massacre in the streets of Cairo. So there are both the specifics of Syria and the context of what is going on elsewhere in the Arab world, especially in Egypt.”

Almond gives a very interesting answer to the question about why the rebels would intentionally gas their own people:

“We do have some very radical groups who would no doubt say, as they have when they have been challenged about using suicide bombers, killing innocent people, that God will recognize his own when the dead die, that he will save for heaven the justified victims and just send to hell the wicked supporters of Assad. So it is not impossible that somebody has staged this.

Consider that a man many of the Syrian rebels show the utmost of reverence for is the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. When writing about a Muslim tactic known as Muruna, Qaradawi expressed when it is acceptable for Muslims to kill fellow Muslims:

“…killing Muslims whom the unbelievers use as shields… leaving these unbelievers is a danger to the Muslims, so it is permissible to kill these unbelievers even if Muslims are killed with them in the process.” – The Case FOR Islamophobia, p. 56

Of course, if the rebels are desperate enough, Muruna could sanction the murder of their own people if it meant bearing false witness and a blood libel that would engage external forces that want Assad removed. As things stand today, the rebels are more desperate than is the Assad regime.

Specific examples include the staged death of twelve year-old Muhammad Al-Dura by Palestinians. Whether the child was used as a prop in a Palestinian blood-libel or was actually killed, he was clearly put in danger by Palestinians who shot at him as the news cameras rolled for a false report that aired on France 2. They wanted to blame the Israelis.

Earlier this month in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood supporters were caught behaving as victims of oppression at the hands of the military. They might have gotten away with it if nothing but still shots were taken. Unfortunately for these miscreants, video was recorded that revealed a staged, mass display of despicable behavior.

Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood rebels would never get away with launching chemical weapons and taking credit for it. They’d have to do so while blaming Assad. It’s straight out of the Nazi playbook and a violation of two major commandments – Thou shalt not murder and thou shalt not bear false witness. However, the Muslim Brotherhood, as usual, provides more evil spin. It bears false witness while committing murder in order to push an agenda.

Lying, bearing false witness, blood libel, and murder.

Yeah, that smells like the Brotherhood.

[BRVoice]

Hezbollah has declared a state of alert among its cadres and started deploying troops to southern Lebanon amid mounting expectations of an imminent US-led strike on Syria, party sources told NOW.

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nownews/...uthern-lebanon

[BRVoice]

RT @SkyNewsBreak: Sky Sources: Russia to call for urgent meeting of five permanent members of UN Security Council

RT @AlNusrawi: #BREAKING: Reports that Turkey has closed Bab al Hawa crossing and Tal Abyad for unknown reasons. Fears that Jarabulis will close too.

Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah2h
The key to predict the strikes in #Syria is not Incirlik or some aircraft carrier or a high alert somewhere! It is when #UN #CW team leaving

Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah2h
#Italy will not join military action against #Syria without UN backing http://htz.li/18mRRH4 #Assad via @haaretzcom

Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah2h
South #Africa opposes any military action against #Syria

Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah2h
A recent opinion poll in #Germany showed that the majority of Germans are against a military action in #Syria

[vector7]

Rand Paul Suspects Chemical Attacks ‘Launched by Rebels, Not Syrian Army’

by Matt Wilstein | 2:28 pm, August 28th, 2013
AUDIO



Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) cautioned against U.S. military action in Syria Wednesday morning during an appearance on Chris Stigall’s Philadephia-based radio show. He said “questions” remain on which side of the Syrian conflict used chemical weapons, saying, “there is a great incentive for this to actually have been launched by rebels, not the Syrian army.”

Paul fought back against suggestions from the White House that the Obama Administration could launch strikes against Syria without congressional approval. “The Constitution mandates that Congress declare war, not the president.” He predicted that President Obama would say “dropping a few cruise missiles isn’t war,” but said it the U.S. getting “more involved” would be almost inevitable.

“We’re not playing a game here,” Paul said, arguing that intervention in Syria could prompt a war with our “ally” Russia with whom we “went through 70 years avoiding war.” He said “people need to think these things through” before moving forward with any action.

The senator then questioned the assessment that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons against its own civilians. “There are some questions,” Paul said. “It sounds more and more like chemical weapons were used, but there are some questions–and it should be investigated–who used them?”

Quoting Pat Buchanan, Paul asked, “Cui bono? To whose benefit is this? All of this redounds back to this is to the benefit of the rebels because now it’s bringing other people in on their side. So there is a great incentive for this to actually have been launched by rebels, not the Syrian army.”

Listen to audio below, via WPHT:




Do the Syrian rebels have access to chemical weapons?

By Ken Hanly Aug 28, 2013 - 14 hours ago in Politics



Damascus - One of the reasons given to rule out the Syrian rebels as being responsible for the chemical attack in the suburbs of Damascus is that they simply do not have access to chemical weapons at least to the degree to carry out the Damascus attack.

Mark LeVine is professor of Middle Eastern history at UC Irvine, and distinguished visiting professor at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Lund University in Sweden. He often writes analytical opinion pieces for Al Jazeera.

His position is perhaps a good place to start: "It is simply not conceivable that the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia or other major players would allow any of the Sunni jihadi groups operating in Syria to build up a significant stockpile of chemical weapons and use them on numerous targets simultaneously. The risk that these weapons could be used against Israel, the US or other targets would be too great to allow.

" Notice the strength of LeVine's conviction. The scenario is not just improbable it is inconceivable.

Note also his high opinion of the ability of US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia to ensure that the militants do not stockpile enough chemical weapons to carry out the Damascus attack. Yet the Damascus attack was really not as huge as it first was hyped as. Not only that the quality of the chemicals used seem to have been less than military grade.

Otherwise as experts have noted, rescue personnel and doctors could not have treated the victims without protective gear or they would themselves be victims. Lost in all the discussion of the issue is evidence that the rebels do have access to chemical weapons, in particular sarin gas:Turkish security forces found a 2kg cylinder with sarin gas after searching the homes of Syrian militants from the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra Front who were previously detained, Turkish media reports. The gas was reportedly going to be used in a bomb.

NOTE: The Syrian ambassador in his speech says "two liters" not kg. I don't know which is correct.

Some rebels have actually boasted of their capacity to launch chemical weapons attacks. Political adviser of the Free Syrian Army Bassam Al-Dada said that the Army had all the components to produce chemical weapons and knew how to put them together and use them if necessary. He stressed that they would only use them if the Assad regime used them first. Speaking to the Turkish Anatolia news agency he said that Assad should know that if he uses chemical weapons the opposition also has them.

Wikimedia Commons
A FSA fighter engaged in a shootout in Aleppo

There is also considerable evidence that the rebels used chemical weapons in the Khan al-Assal area of rural Aleppo in March. The Syrian government asked the UN to investigate but then the rebels demanded that there be investigation of a number of other incidents as well.

However, the investigation of this incident was one of the tasks of the present group of inspectors. I expect that they will probably never get to the site. Russian experts were able to investigate the site and concluded that the attack was by the rebels and used sarin gas.

As the Syrian Ambassador to Syria mentions in his speech the Russians had given extensive documentation to the UN about their investigation but nothing has ever been heard since. Right from the start the UN refused to carry out any investigation that would assess who was responsible for the attack. Rebels with the support of the west then also demanded an investigation of a whole series of other alleged chemical attacks. About the Khan al-Assai incident, Carla del Ponte, a UN investigator said in early May:Testimony from victims strongly suggests it was the rebels, not the Syrian government, that used Sarin nerve gas during a recent incident in the revolution-wracked nation, a senior U.N. diplomat said Monday.

Scott Bobb /VOA
Syria: Wounded civilians

Carla del Ponte, a member of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, told Swiss TV there were “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof,” that rebels seeking to oust Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad had used the nerve agent.

The Syrian government is demanding that the UN investigate immediately what they allege are three more chemical attacks carried out by rebel groups just outside of Damascus. I expect this is unlikely to happen because of security concerns. They might be hit by incoming missiles. I append the speech by the Syrian Ambassador to the UN. I hope I am wrong and this is not conceivable.

[vector7]

Flashback:
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Leaked emails prove Obama "backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria and blame it on Assad"

And the band plays on. American reminds me of a battered victim suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Will nothing shake America out of her Obama-induced stupor?

Obama's tactics seem to emulate the al qaeda jihadists he is supporting in Syria.

This is evil. Imagine what we don't know.

Thanks to Armaros for sending this news story. He laments: "Obama brought me to a point where, contrary to how I always felt and most of us do wanting to win debates and be proven right, I am now days hope to be wrong. I hope that the story I am reading is not true as much as I despise this impostor. Your book was one of the first, if not the first series of information I was hoping to be proven wrong. Now daily I see stuff I wish turning out as some Alex Jones conspiracy or FB hoax or whatever...except the truth."

U.S. 'backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria and blame it on Assad's regime' Daily Mail

• Leaked emails from defense contractor refers to chemical weapons saying 'the idea is approved by Washington'
• Obama issued warning to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last month that use of chemical warfare was 'totally unacceptable'

PUBLISHED: 14:16 EST, 29 January 2013 | UPDATED: 18:17 EST, 29 January 2013
Leaked emails have allegedly proved that the White House gave the green light to a chemical weapons attack in Syria that could be blamed on Assad's regime and in turn, spur international military action in the devastated country.

A report released on Monday contains an email exchange between two senior officials at British-based contractor Britam Defence where a scheme 'approved by Washington' is outlined explaining that Qatar would fund rebel forces in Syria to use chemical weapons.

Barack Obama made it clear to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last month that the U.S. would not tolerate Syria using chemical weapons against its own people.

Scroll down for video


War games: An explosion in the Syrian city of Homs last month. It has been now been suggested that the U.S. backed the use of chemical weapons to spur international military intervention

According to ********.comthe December 25 email was sent from Britam's Business Development Director David Goulding to company founder Philip Doughty.

It reads: 'Phil... We’ve got a new offer. It’s about Syria again. Qataris propose an attractive deal and swear that the idea is approved by Washington.

'We’ll have to deliver a CW to Homs, a Soviet origin g-shell from Libya similar to those that Assad should have.

'They want us to deploy our Ukrainian personnel that should speak Russian and make a video record.

'Frankly, I don’t think it’s a good idea but the sums proposed are enormous. Your opinion?

'Kind regards, David.'

Britam Defence had not yet returned a request for comment to MailOnline.


Leaked: The email was allegedly sent from a top official at a British defense contractor regarding a 'Washington approved' chemical attack in Syria which could be blamed on Assad's regime

The emails were released by a Malaysian hacker who also obtained senior executives resumés and copies of passports via an unprotected company server, according to .

Dave Goulding's Linkedin profile lists him as Business Development Director at Britam Defence Ltd in Security and Investigations. A business networking profile for Phil Doughty lists him as Chief Operationg Officer for Britam, United Arab Emirates, Security and Investigations.
The U.S. State Department had not returned a request for comment on the alleged emails to MailOnline today at time of publication.
However the use of chemical warfare was raised at a press briefing in D.C. on January 28.
A spokesman said that the U.S. joined the international community in 'setting common redlines about the consequences of using chemical weapons'.


Countless losses: Families attempt to identify the bodies of Syrian fighters shot and dumped in a river in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo today


Devastation: People gather at a site hit by what activists said was missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet from forces loyal to Assad, at the souk of Azaz, north of Aleppo on January 13

A leaked U.S. government cable revealed that the Syrian army more than likely had used chemical weapons during an attack in the city of Homs in December.
The document, revealed in The Cable, revealed the findings of an investigation by Scott Frederic Kilner, the U.S. consul general in Istanbul, into accusations that the Syrian army used chemical weapons in the December 23 attack.

An Obama administration official who had access to the document was reported as saying: 'We can't definitely say 100 per cent, but Syrian contacts made a compelling case that Agent 15 was used in Homs on Dec. 23.'

Mr Kilner's investigation included interviews with civilians, doctors, and rebels present during the attack, as well as the former general and head of the Syrian WMD program, Mustafa al-Sheikh.

Dr. Nashwan Abu Abdo, a neurologist in Homs, is certain chemical weapons were used. He told The Cable: 'It was a chemical weapon, we are sure of that, because tear gas can't cause the death of people.'


Threats: Barack Obama said during a speech last month that if Syria used chemical weapons against its own people it would be 'totally unacceptable'


Tyrant: Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, pictured with his wife Asma, is facing increasing international pressure over his brutal massacre of his own people

>Eye witness accounts from the investigation revealed that a tank launched chemical weapons and caused people exposed to them to suffer nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, delirium, seizures, and respiratory distress.

The symptoms suggest that the weaponized compound Agent-15 was responsible.Syria denied using chemical weapons and said it would never use them against citizens.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters at the time, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said his biggest concern was how the U.S. and allies would secure the chemical and biological weapons sites scattered across Syria and ensure the components don't end up in the wrong hands if the regime falls, particularly under violent conditions.

Government forces and rebels in Syria have both been accused by human rights groups of carrying out brutal warfare in the 22-month-old conflict, which has claimed more than 60,000 lives.

[BRVoice]

Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah6h
#BreakingNews Eyewitnesses on #Syria-#Turkey borders: Additional tanks and armored vehicles enforcements arrived!


Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah6h
#BreakingNews Deputy #UK PM: Intervention in #Syria is legal even if it is not authorized by UNSC!


Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah7h
#BreakingNews #Russia Naval Forces: The deployment of #Russia warships in Mediterranean sea has nothing to do with #Syria!


Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah7h
#BreakingNews #France defense official: Army prepared to join the strike against #Syria if #Hollande orders such action!


Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah7h
#BreakingNews #Iran Air defense forces is now on HIGH ALERT! #Syria

Rami al-Lolah‏@RamiAlLolah7h
#BreakingNews #UK: Our jets in #Cyprus are for protecting our interests in the region and not to attack #Syria!

[BRVoice]

Russian Paratrooper Artillery in 1st Intl. Drills in 20 Years


Russian Paratrooper Artillery in 1st Intl. Drills in 20 Years. (Archive)


MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) – Artillery units of Russia’s Airborne Assault Forces will participate in an international exercise for the first time in two decades, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The exercise, codenamed Interaction-2013, will take place in Belarus in September, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Irina Kruglova said. Russia will send an artillery battery from the Ulyanovsk Special Airborne Assault Brigade, she said.

As part of the exercise, Nona self-propelled guns, artillery fire control vehicles and D-30 howitzers will be airdropped and employed in a simulated combat operation, the spokeswoman said.

The exercise is organized under the umbrella of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russia-led security group that includes the former Soviet states of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

[American Patriot]

well, they are deploying ducks to a duck shoot then....

[American Patriot]

I don't remember hearing or reading about Obama's leaked emails before.

If that's true, why didn't it hit the forefront before?

[vector7]

Russia to Strengthen Airborne Forces With 3 Brigades


Russia to Strengthen Airborne Forces With 3 Brigades
© RIA Novosti. Ruslan Krivobok


16:20 31/07/2013
Tags: BMD-4Ms, Russia’s Airborne Forces (VDV), Russia

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MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian military is to assign an additional three air assault brigades to the Airborne Forces (VDV) in order to boost its rapid reaction capability in future conflicts, VDV commander Col. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov said Wednesday.

“The Airborne Troops will become the core of Russia’s rapid reaction forces, and in order to ensure that…the paratroopers are capable of performing this task, I proposed to the Russian military leadership to reassign three air assault brigades from the Eastern and Southern military districts to the VDV,” Shamanov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“My proposal was approved,” he said, adding the brigades could join the Airborne Forces as early as October or November.

The Airborne Forces consist of about 35,000 men deployed in four divisions and a brigade. Despite their elite status, less than 30 percent are currently professionals, though Shamanov said the VDV hopes to have about 80 percent professional soldiers and only 20 percent conscripts in its ranks by 2015.

That ratio is optimal for the creation of a solid basis for mobilization and training purposes, he said, with conscripts having the choice of continuing their service as professional soldiers or officers after a year of mandatory service.

Shamanov also confirmed that the Airborne Forces will soon receive several advanced BMD-4M airborne fighting vehicles and Rakushka armored personnel carriers for testing in field conditions by 2015.

The BMD-4M is the latest modification of an armored combat vehicle that can be para-dropped to provide firepower and support for airborne troops. It features a new chassis, a digital fire control system and high-precision weaponry, including a 100-mm gun.

The 13-ton vehicle has a crew of two and can carry six paratroopers.

The Russian military is expected to acquire at least 1,000 BMD-4Ms under the current rearmament program by 2020, the army says.


Syria, Iran threaten retaliation; Russia sends warships

Oren Dorell, USA TODAY 1:04 p.m. EDT August 29, 2013

Syrian allies Iran and Russia are working together to prevent a Western military attack on Syria, the Iranian president said, as Russia said it is sending warships to the Mediterranean, where U.S. ships are already in position.


Both Iran and Russia would work in "extensive cooperation" to prevent any military action against Syria, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in statements carried by several Iranian state-controlled media outlets. Western military action against Syria would be an "open violation" of international laws, he said.

SYRIA CRISIS: 8 latest developments

UNITED KINGDOM: Under pressure over Syria evidence

"Military action will bring great costs for the region," Rouhani said, and "it is necessary to apply all efforts to prevent it."

Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, told the Tasnim news website, that an attack on Syria "means the immediate destruction of Israel."

Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, on Sept. 3, 2007.(Photo: Mehdi Chasemi, AP)

The statements came as Russian state-owned media reported that two Russian warships were sailing for the eastern Mediterranean Sea to protect Russian interests as tensions escalate in the region.

The ships, a missile cruiser and a large anti-submarine vessel, are traveling from the North Atlantic and will arrive in a number of days, Reuters reported.

Middle East analysts say weapons and terrorist networks at Iran's disposal mean the threats should be taken seriously.

"Iran is a huge threat," said Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

Both Iran and Syria have threatened to retaliate against Israel and other U.S. allies in the Middle East in the event of a U.S. attack on Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians. Hundreds of Syrians in a region held by rebels were reported killed in an Aug. 21 attack.

Iran's ruling mullahs are Syria's main ally in the region and view the survival of the Assad regime as important to their aims. Mehdi Taeb, confidant of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said Syria is Iran's "35th province. … If we lose Syria we won't be able to hold Tehran," writes Karim Sadjapour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Syria provides Iran a port on the Mediterranean Sea and a transit to Iran's terrorist proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Iran is suspected of helping Syria evade U.S. and European sanctions by selling its oil on the international market, according to a report from Reuters. Iranian military leaders view an attack to topple Syria's Assad regime as an opening salvo in a Western campaign to topple their own regime in Iran, Sadjapour said.

Iran could order its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or Hezbollah to use their networks around the world to target countries that support the military strike.

Iran could also try to close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow Persian Gulf passage for about 20% of the world's petroleum supply, said Cohen of the Heritage Foundation.

"When we keep an eye on Syria we need to keep an eye on the security of shipping, especially the shipping of oil in the straits," Cohen said.

During the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, both countries targeted oil tankers carrying their adversary's oil.

Iran now has multiple military platforms it can use to threaten maritime traffic in the Gulf, including hard-to-detect mini-submarines and small, high-speed patrol boats that can swarm a carrier task force.

U.S. forces in the region are prepared for such attacks but would not be able to prevent them all right away, said Chris Harmer, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War who worked on military plans for the Persian Gulf as a commander in the Navy.

Recent experience, however, shows that Iranian weapons still pose a threat to modern navies.

During Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia nearly sunk the Israeli corvair Hanit with an advanced sea-skimming missile that crippled the ship's propulsion system and killed four sailors.

Hezbollah, which relies on Syria as a transit point for weaopns and other aid from Iran, also has thousands of rockets hidden in its base in southern Lebanon that it can launch at Israeli cities. And Syria has missiles it can launch at Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus and Israel.

Then there is terrorism and political unrest, a staple of Middle East violence.

Iran, a Shiite Muslim theocracy, could spur uprisings among Shiite populations in Sunni-led Gulf countries, especially Bahrain, which has a Shiite majority, and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which have considerable Shiite minorities, Cohen said.

It could also activate Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guards throughout the Middle East and the world to hit U.S. or European civilian or military targets. It has done so before.

Bulgarian prosecutors have tied the 2010 bus bombing that killed six Israeli tourists to a Hezbollah cell, which Israel said was linked to Iran, charges that both Hezbollah and Iran deny.

Argentine prosecutors say Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists were behind the bombings in 1992 and 1994 against Israeli and Jewish targets that killed a combined 116 people in Buenos Aires.

And Hezbollah killed a combined 457 American and French troops and Lebanese civilians in three bombings in Beirut in 1983 according to France and the USA.

Some analysts say Iran's current leadership is unlikely to retaliate.

Analyst Harmer said the Syrian threats are a bluff.

"The Syrian Arab Army can't beat a ragtag, ill funded, poorly equipped, barely trained insurgency, what exactly are they going to do against the most powerful military in the world?" Harmer said.

And while Iran may want to retaliate, it usually does so through Hezbollah, which "is task saturated between helping Assad stay in power, and protecting Shia neighborhoods in Beirut from retaliatory car bombs," he said. "I don't think Iran can run the risk of retaliating on their own."

Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy and a former policy planner at the State Department under George W. Bush, said the public statements of Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, show that he "wants to get out of this thing with limited damage to Iran's reputation."

"He clearly understands that if Iran gets into a shooting war with the United States, Europe and international intervention, it's likely to be a quicker path to regime elimination than any other."

[BRVoice]

Russia Calls For Urgent UN Security Council Meeting


Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/29/2013 12:16 -0400


Somehow we doubt that Putin just folded...

Sky News Newsdesk ✔ @SkyNewsBreak Sky Sources: Russia to call for urgent meeting of five permanent members of UN Security Council

1:07 PM - 29 Aug 2013


Some more from BBG:

• RUSSIA CALLED FOR THE SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING, DIPLOMAT
• 5 PERMANENT COUNCIL MEMBERS U.K., U.S., FRANCE, CHINA, RUSSIA
• FIVE PERM. SEC. COUNCIL MEMBERS TO MEET AT 2:30P

Hopefully Putin doesn't whip out incontrovertible proof the chemical gas attack was linked to Al Qaeda, Qatar... and the US of course.