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BREAKING: Russia will help #Syria in case of foreign military assault - Putin
Last edited by BRVoice; September 6th, 2013 at 14:17.
Saint Paul in the Ephesians 6:12
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
wow.... This is really looking nasty. How in the fuck are we going to get out of this one? Easy, backing down.
But as I said earlier, if we go in, we go big. None of this petty bullshit bombing sites from a ship in the Med. We go in, full force, everything we have, obliterate both sides of this fight and take out the WMD
Standoff In The Mediterranean: The US vs Russian Navies
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/05/2013 11:05 -0400
While the leaders of the two superpowers are shaking hands for the camera in St. Petersburg, their navies are sending a different message. Here is the latest breakdown of the world's key navies in the Mediterranean theater of naval operations as of last night. By now it is likely woefully outdated, now that there are reports the Chinese have joined the fray too (not on the side of the 'free droning world').
Revealed: America and Russia in secret Syria talks as Moscow warns of nuclear catastrophe if US launches strikes at Assad’s uranium reactor
Russia says it’s compiled 100-page report blaming Syrian rebels for a chemical weapons attack — Putin warned action against Syria without UN approval would be ‘legitimizing aggression’ and he called the U.S. liars from Daily Mail:
With U.S. diplomats secretly talking with their Russian counterparts behind the scenes at the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg in hopes of avoiding a stalemate over Syria, publicly Moscow warned that a military strike on Syria could have catastrophic effects if a missile hit a small reactor near Damascus that contains radioactive uranium.
But a U.S. official attached to the United Nations delegation told MailOnline that while Obama’s admission on Wednesday that U.S.-Russia relations have ‘hit a wall,’ the president’s team is overreaching with an ambitious proposal that has no chance of success.
The talks started last week and are continuing both in Russia and New York, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about bilateral diplomatic talks. He explained that Russia is insisting that Obama call off a planned military strike against Syria if either house of Congress declines to authorize it.
Meanwhile, U.S. diplomats are insisting that the Russians bend in the opposite direction. They want Putin’s government to entertain seriously a proposal from Saudi Arabia, which would require them to refrain from opposing UN Security Council resolutions pertaining to Syria and wind down its arms sales to Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
‘The Russians are playing hardball,’ the source said, ‘and no one really knows right now if we can bend them.’
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the U.N. nuclear agency to urgently assess the risk as the United States considers military action to punish Syria’s government for an alleged gas attack.
‘If a warhead, by design or by chance, were to hit the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) near Damascus, the consequences could be catastrophic,’ a ministry statement said.
It said nearby areas could be contaminated by highly enriched uranium and that it would be impossible to account for the nuclear material after such a strike, suggesting it could fall into the hands of people who might use it as a weapon.
Revealed: America and Russia in secret Syria talks as Moscow warns of nuclear catastrophe if US launches strikes at Assad's uranium reactor
Secret discussions continue behind the scenes as Obama and Putin maintain their chilly exteriors
Russia said on Wednesday that a military strike on Syria could have catastrophic effects if a missile hit a small reactor near Damascus
Russia says it's compiled 100-page report blaming Syrian rebels for a chemical weapons attack
Obama cancelled planned one-on-one talks with Putin in Moscow ahead of the G20 gathering
Meeting of the leading world economies is being held in St. Petersburg this week
Putin warned action against Syria without UN approval would be 'legitimizing aggression' and he called the U.S. liars
Obama said the credibility of the international community was on the line
China and emerging economic nations backed military restraint in Syria crisis
European Union leaders said there was 'no military solution to the Syrian conflict'
Pope Francis called on G20 leaders to 'lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution'
David Cameron has arrived – already facing suggestions he has been sidelined after ruling out British involvement
Today Russia is warning that a U.S. strike on Syria's atomic facilities might result in a nuclear catastrophe
By David Martosko In New York, Jill Reilly and Becky Evans
PUBLISHED: 03:33 EST, 5 September 2013 | UPDATED: 18:24 EST, 5 September 2013
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With U.S. diplomats secretly talking with their Russian counterparts behind the scenes at the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg in hopes of avoiding a stalemate over Syria, publicly Moscow warned that a military strike on Syria could have catastrophic effects if a missile hit a small reactor near Damascus that contains radioactive uranium.
But a U.S. official attached to the United Nations delegation told MailOnline that while Obama's admission on Wednesday that U.S.-Russia relations have 'hit a wall,' the president's team is overreaching with an ambitious proposal that has no chance of success.
The talks started last week and are continuing both in Russia and New York, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about bilateral diplomatic talks.
He explained that Russia is insisting that Obama call off a planned military strike against Syria if either house of Congress declines to authorize it.
Meanwhile, U.S. diplomats are insisting that the Russians bend in the opposite direction. They want Putin's government to entertain seriously a proposal from Saudi Arabia, which would require them to refrain from opposing UN Security Council resolutions pertaining to Syria and wind down its arms sales to Bashar al-Assad's regime.
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Obama and Putin
Obama and Putin
Iron grip: U.S. diplomats are secretly talking with their Russian counterparts behind the scenes at the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg in hopes of avoiding a stalemate over Syria, while Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin show their stoic game faces in public.
All eyes on them: The world's media watch as President Obama walks up to President Putin
All eyes on them: The world's media watch as President Obama walks up to President Putin
'The Russians are playing hardball,' the source said, 'and no one really knows right now if we can bend them.'
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the U.N. nuclear agency to urgently assess the risk as the United States considers military action to punish Syria's government for an alleged gas attack.
'If a warhead, by design or by chance, were to hit the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) near Damascus, the consequences could be catastrophic,' a ministry statement said.
It said nearby areas could be contaminated by highly enriched uranium and that it would be impossible to account for the nuclear material after such a strike, suggesting it could fall into the hands of people who might use it as a weapon.
More...
You've 90 days to deal with Assad, Obama is told: Senate chiefs back action as President says 'world set red line, not me'
Revealed: Pentagon knew in 2012 that it would take 75,000 GROUND TROOPS to secure Syria's chemical weapons facilities
Shameless: The sickening Instagram account where Syria's first lady Asma al Assad displays her pitiful attempts at a charm-offensive as her husband's brutal regime clings to power
Stripped, bound and shot in the head: Horrifying fate of Assad’s soldiers executed on camera by Syrian rebels
Russia urged the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency secretariat to 'react swiftly' and present IAEA members 'an analysis of the risks linked to possible American strikes on the MNSR and other facilities in Syria'.
Moscow has been the most powerful ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, shielding him from tougher U.N. resolutions and warning that a Western military attack on Syria would raise tensions and undermine efforts to end the country's civil war.
'The IAEA is aware of the statement but has not received a formal request from the Russian Federation,' an IAEA spokesperson said. 'We will consider the questions raised if we receive such a request.'
The IAEA said in a report to member states last week that Syria had declared there was a 'small amount of nuclear material' at the MNSR, a type of research reactor usually fuelled by highly enriched uranium.
Strained
Strained: Obama canceled a planned one-on-one meeting with Putin in Moscow ahead of the G20 gathering as it became clear the pair would not find common ground on Syria
Nuclear expert Mark Hibbs, of the Carnegie Endowment think-tank, said the MNSR was a very small reactor and there would not be a lot of nuclear material there.
But he said there could be 'a serious local radiation hazard' if there was irradiated nuclear material in the reactor and it was dispersed by a weapon strike.
Olli Heinonen, a former IAEA chief inspector, said the core of such a reactor typically has 1 kg of highly-enriched uranium, much less than the 25 kg that would be sufficient to build an atomic bomb.
'Thus for nuclear explosive purposes it is of a limited value,' he said in an e-mailed comment. Any radioactive contamination, he added, 'would be a local problem'.
In 2007, Israel bombed a desert site in Syria that U.S. intelligence reports said was a nascent, North Korean-designed reactor geared to producing plutonium for nuclear weapons. Syria said the site, at Deir al-Zor, was a conventional military facility._
This comes as Russian Foreign Ministry officials said that they had compiled a 100-page report that details evidence that Syrian rebels and not forces loyal to President Bshar Assad carried out a deadly sarin nerve gas attack earlier this year.
A statement posted to the ministry's website said that a report had been delivered to the United Nations in July that included detailed scientific analysis from Khan al Asal, the site of the alleged prior attack.
Expectation:
Expectation: Britain is expecting progress on the key issues of tax, transparency and trade at the summit which Mr Cameron put at the heart of the UK presidency of the G8 at the Lough Erne summit in Northern Ireland earlier this year
G20 leaders hold working dinner at Russian palace
Obama arrives late to G20 dinner
Russian officials have said their investigation into the March 19th incident was conducted under the protocols established by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons - the international agency that governs the non-use of WMD.
Because of this report, the Russians have warned the United States and its allies not to rush into retaliation for the August 21 attack that shocked the world.
It added that the build up to potential military action bore all the hallmarks of the false claims and poor intelligence that preceded the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
'The Russian report is specific,' the ministry statement said according to McClatchy News Tribune. 'It is a scientific and technical document.'
The Russians also claimed that the focus on the August attack has diverted attention away from the March 19th incident.
However, another chemical weapons expert, Jean Pascal Zanders questioned the Russian assertion that the sarin mix appeared to be dated from the Second World War.
'The Western Allies were not aware of the nerve agents until after the occupation of Germany,' he wrote in an email to the McClatchy Report.
'The USA, for example, struggled with the sarin (despite having some of the German scientists) until the 1950s, when the CW program expanded considerably.'
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a second source at the UN said on background that talks are ongoing, and that the United States wants Russia to abstain from any Security Council votes condemning Syria.
Putin said Wednesday that his government 'doesn't exclude' going along with a UN resolution, but he is relying on its Security Council veto as a cudgel to attack the U.S.
The Russian president, a long-time ally of the Syrian dictator, said he could authorize his UN representative to support a resolution responding to the Syrian sarin gas attack on August 21 if the Security Council is provided with 'evidence that would be obvious and prove beyond doubt who did it'. But he said that a US strike in the absence of Security Council approval would amount to an unprovoked invasion.
'Anything outside the framework of the UN Security Council is aggression, other than self-defense,' Putin said at the Kremlin. 'What Congress and the Senate are doing now is essentially legitimizing aggression. This is unacceptable.'
He went on to call Kerry a liar. 'This was very unpleasant and surprising for me. We talk to them (the Americans), and we assume they are decent people, but he is lying and he knows that he is lying. This is sad,' Putin told the council.
Tense? Putin greets Obama at G20 in Russia
This evening Obama was looking increasingly isolated on Syria as China, the European Union, emerging economic nations and Pope Francis - in a letter - warned of the dangers of military intervention without the approval of the U.N. Security Council.
Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said: 'Military action would have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price - it will cause a hike in the oil price.'
The BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - echoed that remark, and the Pope, who leads the world's 1.2billion Roman Catholics, urged the G20 leaders to 'lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution'
European Union leaders described the Aug 21 attack near Damascus, which killed up to 1,400 people, as 'abhorrent' but said: 'There is no military solution to the Syrian conflict.'
However, Obama said before talks with Japan's prime minister that the use of chemical arms in Syria was 'not only a tragedy but also a violation of international law that must be addressed.'
Aides said he would set out his views at the leaders' dinner and hoped to build support for military action, although aides acknowledge a consensus might be hard to find.
U.S. President Barack Obama, right, speaks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during arrivals
U.S. President Barack Obama, right, speaks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin
Scrutiny: U.S. President Barack Obama, right, speaks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during arrivals
Smile for the cameras:
Smile for the cameras: President Putin welcomes Prime Minister David Cameron. Mr. Cameron was keen to support military intervention, but he lost a parliamentary vote on the issue last week
Welcome
Welcome: President Putin speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the first working session of the G20 Summit in Constantine Palace
White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said: 'We would not anticipate every member of the G20 agreeing about the way forward in Syria, particularly given the Russian position over many, many months now in terms of resisting efforts to hold the Assad regime accountable.'
Putin was isolated on Syria at a Group of Eight meeting in June, the last big summit of world powers, but could now turn the tables on Obama, who recently likened him to a 'bored kid in the back of the classroom' who slouches at meetings.
Only France, which has already said it is preparing to join U.S. military action, rallied loudly behind Obama.
'We are convinced that if there is no punishment for Mr. Assad, there will be no negotiation,' French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said before leaving for St. Petersburg.
With backing by Beijing and Moscow unlikely at the U.N. Security Council, where both have veto powers, Obama is seeking the approval of the U.S. Congress instead.
Putin says rebel forces may have carried out the poison gas attack and that any military strike without Security Council approval would violate international law, a view now being supported increasingly openly by others - including countries that have usually disagreed with Moscow on Syria.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi are also in St. Petersburg to push for diplomacy rather than military options, and support efforts to organise an international peace conference on Syria.
Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, portrayed the 'camp of supporters of a strike on Syria' as divided, and said: 'It is impossible to say that very many states support the idea of a military operation.'
Peskov also reiterated that the United States had failed to produce convincing proof that Assad, who is backed by Russian arms, and his forces had resorted to chemical warfare.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel saw no chance of agreement between Putin and Obama on Syria. U.S.-Russian ties have long been strained by political differences but went into freefall when Russia harboured Edward Snowden, a former spy agency contractor who leaked details of U.S. intelligence programmes.
The past 24 hours have not boded well for the Obama administration's military plans in Syria. MailOnline reported Wednesday night that despite Secretary of State John Kerry's assurances that there would be 'no boots on the ground, the Department of Defense determined 20 months ago that securing Assad's chemical weapons would require 75,000 or more ground troops.
President Barack Obama, left, listens as Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks during the start of the G-20 Working Session
President Barack Obama, left, listens as Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks during the start of the G-20 Working Session
A
A U.S. official attached to the United Nations delegation told MailOnline that while Obama's admission on Wednesday that U.S.-Russia relations have 'hit a wall,' the president's team is overreaching with an ambitious proposal that has no chance of success
U.S. President Barack Obama attends the first working session of the G20 Summit
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron attends the first working session
Decisions: Putin said Wednesday that his government 'doesn't exclude' going along with a UN resolution, but he is relying on its Security Council veto as a cudgel to attack the U.S
President Putin reads a statement at the opening of the session.
President Putin reads a statement at the opening of the session. The seating plan at the summit has reportedly been adjusted to put physical distance between him and President Obama
David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend the first working session of the summit.
David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend the first working session of the summit. Germany said it has no plans for military action in Syria
Welcome:
Welcome: US President Barack Obama, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, shake hands before the start of their bilateral meeting
Talks: US President Barack Obama and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, during their meeting at the G20 Summit
Talks: US President Barack Obama and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, during their meeting at the G20 Summit
China's President Xi Jinping, left, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin speak with each other during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit this morning
China's President Xi Jinping, left, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin speak with each other during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit this morning
Obama last night cleared the first hurdle to obtaining Congressional approval for a strike, as the influential Senate Foreign Affairs Committee backed the use of force by a margin of 10-7, moving the measure to a full Senate vote next week.
The proposal allows the use of force for 60 days, with the possibility of a 30-day extension.
But while the Senate moves steadily toward passage, the resolution increasingly appeared doomed in the House of Representatives. Various media-driven 'whip counts' – which predict how a vote will turn out based on public statements of members of Congress – estimate that as many as 200 of the 435 voting House members have already said they will oppose the measure.
With tensions running high over Syria in the run-up to an expected US military assault, the stage has been set for one of the most strained international summits in recent years.
The seating plan at the G20 summit has reportedly been adjusted to put physical distance between host President Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama.
But the pair were quick to put on a show of smiles when Putin greeted Obama as he arrived at the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg this afternoon.
Ahead of the meeting of the leading world economies in St. Petersburg, Putin warned that action without UN approval would be 'an aggression' as the relationship between the two countries reaches it lowest point since the Cold War.
But President Obama, who is leading the international drive for an armed response to President Bashar Assad's apparent breach of the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons, said the credibility of the international community was on the line.
Focus
Focus: The G20 summit is expected to be dominated by the issue of military action in Syria while issues surrounding the global economy, including tax avoidance by multinationals, will also be discussed during the two-day summit
Arrival: South Korean President Park Geun-hye, left, shakes hands with Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta at the start of their bilateral talks during the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, 05 September 2013.
Arrival: South Korean President Park Geun-hye, left, shakes hands with Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta at the start of their bilateral talks
Change of plan
Change of plan: Constantine Palace which is hosting the G20 summit. Ahead of the meeting of the leading world economies in St Petersburg, Mr Putin warned that action without UN approval would be 'an aggression'
Grand:
Grand: The palace, which will be the venue for an evening dinner was founded in 1715 by the first Russian Emperor Peter the Great and used as a summer residence that was meant to outshine the French Versailles
World stage: Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg, the venue for G20 leaders
World stage: Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg, the venue for G20 leaders
VATICAN DENIES REPORTS THAT POPE FRANCIS CALLED ASSAD TO DISCUSS SYRIA
It was reported by a newspaper in Argentina today that the Pope had called Bashar al-Assad.
Clarin newspaper said that Pope Francis had called Assad in the last few hours' and speculated that he may call the White House and France over the Syria crisis.
But a Vatican spokesman later issued a denial and instead said that Pope Francis had written about the crisis in Syria to Putin.
David Cameron arrived in Russia this morning and is already facing suggestions that he has been sidelined after ruling out British involvement in any military action in the wake of his shock Commons defeat last week.
He is not expected to have a formal bilateral meeting with President Obama.
The president has said he is confident of receiving approval from Congress for 'limited and proportionate' military action, which he said would not involve US troops putting 'boots on the ground' in Syria.
Assad had flouted a chemical weapons ban enshrined in treaties signed by governments representing 98 per cent of the world's population, he said, adding: 'I didn't set a red line. The world set a red line.'
Speaking in Sweden as he traveled to St. Petersburg, the US president said the credibility of the international community was 'on the line' if it allowed Assad to act with impunity.
He repeated his 'high confidence' that the regime was to blame for the sarin gas attack on a suburb of Damascus on August 21 which the White House believes killed more than 1,400 people, including 400 children.
But today Russia is warning that a U.S. strike on Syria's atomic facilities might result in a nuclear catastrophe and is urging the U.N. to present a risk analysis of such a scenario.
The warning comes from Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich.
He said in a statement that a strike on a miniature reactor near Damascus or other nuclear installations could contaminate the region with radioactivity, adding: 'The consequences could be catastrophic.'
IAEA spokeswoman Gill Tudor told the AP in an email that her agency is ready to 'consider the questions raised' by Lukashevich if it receives a formal request to do so from Moscow.
Russia's Interfax news agency says that Moscow intends to bring up the issue at next week's 35-nation IAEA board meeting.
Meanwhile, France's prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, rallying support for French involvement in military action, told the National Assembly in Paris there was no doubt the Syrian government was to blame and a failure to react would allow Assad to launch a similar attack again.
Determined
Determined: President Obama, who is leading the international drive for an armed response to President Bashar Assad's apparent breach of the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons, said the credibility of the international community was on the line
French President Francois Hollande (front) walks down the stairs
US President Barack Obama disembarks from Air Force One
Deep in thought: US President Barack Obama disembarks from Air Force One, right, this morning as well as French President Francois Hollande, left
Testing time:
Testing time: David Cameron arrived in Russia this morning and is already facing suggestions that he has been sidelined after ruling out British involvement in any military action in the wake of his shock Commons defeat last week
David Cameron and George Osbourne, British Chancellor of the Exchequer arrive at the G20 summit
David Cameron and George Osbourne, British Chancellor of the Exchequer arrive at the G20 summit
But Putin continues to say any evidence on culpability for the attack should be presented to the UN Security Council – where Russia has repeatedly blocked reprisals against Assad.
Obama cancelled a planned one-on-one meeting with Putin in Moscow ahead of the G20 gathering as it became clear the pair would not find common ground on Syria.
Mr. Cameron has said he will make the case at the G20 for a robust international response to the use of chemical weapons.
And he promised to use Britain's 'diplomatic muscle' to press the international community to increase its support for an estimated two million civilians forced to flee their homes during Syria's two-year civil war.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrives in St. Petersburg
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde arrives in St. Petersburg yesterday
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrives in St. Petersburg as well as Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde
South Korea's President Park Geun-Hye is welcomed as she arrives at Saint Petersburg's airport
South Korea's President Park Geun-Hye is welcomed as she arrives at Saint Petersburg's airport
Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, left, arrives in St. Petersburg, Russia on
Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner speaks with journalists as she arrives in St. Petersburg
Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, left, arrives in St. Petersburg, Russia
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, centre, greets members of the Indian delegation as he arrives
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, centre, greets members of the Indian delegation as he arrives
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, left, and his wife Gloria Bongi Ngema step off the plane in St. Petersburg
President of Senegal Macky Sall
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, left, and his wife Gloria Bongi Ngema step off the plane in St. Petersburg as well as President of Senegal Macky Sall
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, arrives in Russia for the meeting
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, arrives in Russia for the meeting
Evening Meeting: G20 Summit members walk together after the first day of the G20 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The G20 summit is expected to be dominated by the issue of military action in Syria
Evening Meeting: G20 Summit members walk together after the first day of the G20 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The G20 summit is expected to be dominated by the issue of military action in Syria
In this handout image provided by Host Photo Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin (5th L) walks with G20 Summit members after the first day of the G20 in St. Petersburg, Russia
In this handout image provided by Host Photo Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin (5th L) walks with G20 Summit members after the first day of the G20 in St. Petersburg, Russia
French President Francois Hollande, (second left), speaks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, as they walk to a dinner event that will take place with other G-20 leaders at Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013
French President Francois Hollande, (second left), speaks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, as they walk to a dinner event that will take place with other G-20 leaders at Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013
British Prime Minister David Cameron (2-L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2-R) before the first working session of G20 summit in Constantine palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia, 05 September 2013
British Prime Minister David Cameron (2-L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2-R) before the first working session of G20 summit in Constantine palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia, 05 September 2013
US President Barack Obama (C) talks to Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta (L) and British Prime Minister David Cameron (R) before the first working session of G20 summit in Constantine Palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia
US President Barack Obama (C) talks to Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta (L) and British Prime Minister David Cameron (R) before the first working session of G20 summit in Constantine Palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia
Britain has already contributed £348 million to the humanitarian relief effort and Mr. Cameron is expected to announce further aid in St. Petersburg as he urges fellow leaders to dig deep for a UN appeal which has so far received less than half of the sums requested.
He will also seek agreement from fellow leaders on the need for better access for humanitarian workers to those affected by the fighting – including the establishment of safe routes for aid convoys and the removal of bureaucratic obstacles to non-governmental agencies trying to enter Syria to provide help on the ground.
The Prime Minister confirmed on Tuesday that the UK 'can't be part and won't be part' of any military strike as a result of his Commons defeat last week, but warned that it would be 'perilous' for the international community to let Assad escape unpunished.
He told MPs: 'If no action is taken following President Obama's red line and if no action is taken following this appalling use of chemical weapons, you have to ask yourself what sort of Armageddon are the Syrian people going to be facing?... I think we would see more chemical weapons attacks from the regime.'
Syria does not even feature on the formal agenda for the summit of an organisation which brings together 20 of the world's most important economies to discuss issues like growth, financial stability and recovery from the global downturn.
President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso (L) talks to British Prime Minister David Cameron (R) before the first working session of G20 summit in Constantine palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia, 05 September 2013
President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso (L) talks to British Prime Minister David Cameron (R) before the first working session of G20 summit in Constantine palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia, 05 September 2013
General view of the dinner table of the G20 summit at Peterhof Palace on September 5, 2013 in Saint Petersburg. Russia hosts the G20 summit hoping to push forward an agenda to stimulate growth but with world leaders are distracted by Syria
General view of the dinner table of the G20 summit at Peterhof Palace on September 5, 2013 in Saint Petersburg. Russia hosts the G20 summit hoping to push forward an agenda to stimulate growth but with world leaders are distracted by Syria
Protests
Protests: A dozen art workers from the Muzei Vlasti tried to stage a protest against G20 Summit and took out the artwork by Russian artist Konstantin Altunin to unfold it for passers-by in downtown St. Petersburg but police withdrew it
Russian policemen detain an opposition activist, who tried to display a cartoon showing G20 leaders
Russian policemen detain an opposition activist, who tried to display a cartoon showing G20 leaders
An activist shows his posters for no international military intervention in the ongoing conflict in Syria to a policeman, as he pickets in Saint Petersburg
An activist shows his posters for no international military intervention in the ongoing conflict in Syria to a policeman, as he pickets in Saint Petersburg
But the crisis is certain to dominate discussions on the margins of the two-day meeting, which comes amid indications of healthier recovery in countries like the UK, US and Japan, but faltering growth in emerging economies like China.
Britain will aim to use the formal proceedings in St. Petersburg to press for progress on priorities like tax transparency, reforms to the financial services sector and free trade. The UK will resist an expected push by Brazil and Argentina to water down anti-protectionist language in the summit communique.
Following phone calls in recent days with Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, Mr. Cameron will be pressing for the completion of an EU-Canada free trade deal which eluded him at the Lough Erne G8 summit hosted by the UK in Northern Ireland earlier this year.
He will be joined by Chancellor George Osborne, as well as the Bank of England's Mark Carney, who is the only central bank governor to attend in his role as chair of the international Financial Stability Board.
Well that’s that …
But Isn’t this the problem? Becuase we won’t drill for our own oil, we always end up over the Middle east’s oil barrel.
Have you ever just thought to yourself, WHY? I am getting tired of this scam, aren’t you?
Vladimir Putin: “Russia will help Syria in case of strike”
Posted on September 6, 2013
[ 06 September 2013 19:46 ]
“We are currently delivering weapons to Syria and having economic cooperation”
Baku – APA. “Russia will further continue giving aid to Syria through delivery of weapons and economic cooperation,” said President of Russia Vladimir Putin addressing a press conference dedicated to the G20 summit’s outcomes, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti. Asked whether Russia is going to help Syria, in case of strike, Putin said: “Yes, we will continue giving aid. We are delivering weapons to Syria and having economic cooperation. I hope that the humanitarian cooperation will be closer and humanitarian aids will be provided to civilians, who are in a difficult situation now.”
I just saw the General on television awhile ago (this morning) kind of laughing about Obama's incompetence. He didn't use that word, but surely implied it.
Robert H. Scales, a retired Army major general, is a former commandant of the U.S. Army War College.
The tapes tell the tale. Go back and look at images of our nation’s most senior soldier, Gen. Martin Dempsey, and his body language during Tuesday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on Syria. It’s pretty obvious that Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, doesn’t want this war. As Secretary of State John Kerry’s thundering voice and arm-waving redounded in rage againstBashar al-Assad’s atrocities, Dempsey was largely (and respectfully) silent.
Dempsey’s unspoken words reflect the opinions of most serving military leaders. By no means do I profess to speak on behalf of all of our men and women in uniform. But I can justifiably share the sentiments of those inside the Pentagon and elsewhere who write the plans and develop strategies for fighting our wars. After personal exchanges with dozens of active and retired soldiers in recent days, I feel confident that what follows represents the overwhelming opinion of serving professionals who have been intimate witnesses to the unfolding events that will lead the United States into its next war.
They are embarrassed to be associated with the amateurism of the Obama administration’s attempts to craft a plan that makes strategic sense. None of the White House staff has any experience in war or understands it. So far, at least, this path to war violates every principle of war, including the element of surprise, achieving mass and having a clearly defined and obtainable objective.
They are repelled by the hypocrisy of a media blitz that warns against the return of Hitlerism but privately acknowledges that the motive for risking American lives is our “responsibility to protect” the world’s innocents. Prospective U.S. action in Syria is not about threats to American security. The U.S. military’s civilian masters privately are proud that they are motivated by guilt over slaughters in Rwanda, Sudan and Kosovo and not by any systemic threat to our country.
They are outraged by the fact that what may happen is an act of war and a willingness to risk American lives to make up for a slip of the tongue about “red lines.” These acts would be for retribution and to restore the reputation of a president. Our serving professionals make the point that killing more Syrians won’t deter Iranian resolve to confront us. The Iranians have already gotten the message.
Our people lament our loneliness. Our senior soldiers take pride in their past commitments to fight alongside allies and within coalitions that shared our strategic goals. This war, however, will be ours alone.
They are tired of wannabe soldiers who remain enamored of the lure of bloodless machine warfare. “Look,” one told me, “if you want to end this decisively, send in the troops and let them defeat the Syrian army. If the nation doesn’t think Syria is worth serious commitment, then leave them alone.” But they also warn that Syria is not Libya or Serbia. Perhaps the United States has become too used to fighting third-rate armies. As the Israelis learned in 1973, the Syrians are tough and mean-spirited killers with nothing to lose.
Our military members understand and take seriously their oath to defend the constitutional authority of their civilian masters. They understand that the United States is the only liberal democracy that has never been ruled by its military. But today’s soldiers know war and resent civilian policymakers who want the military to fight a war that neither they nor their loved ones will experience firsthand.
Civilian control of the armed services doesn’t mean that civilians shouldn’t listen to those who have seen war. Our most respected soldier president, Dwight Eisenhower, possessed the gravitas and courage to say no to war eight times during his presidency. He ended the Korean War and refused to aid the French in Indochina; he said no to his former wartime friends Britain and France when they demanded U.S. participation in the capture of the Suez Canal. And he resisted liberal democrats who wanted to aid the newly formed nation of South Vietnam. We all know what happened after his successor ignored Eisenhower’s advice. My generation got to go to war.
Over the past few days, the opinions of officers confiding in me have changed to some degree. Resignation seems to be creeping into their sense of outrage. One officer told me: “To hell with them. If this guy wants this war, then let him have it. Looks like no one will get hurt anyway.”
Soon the military will salute respectfully and loose the hell of hundreds of cruise missiles in an effort that will, inevitably, kill a few of those we wish to protect. They will do it with all the professionalism and skill we expect from the world’s most proficient military. I wish Kerry would take a moment to look at the images from this week’s hearings before we go to war again.
White House releases list of supporters on Syria response: Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom - @AaronBlakeWP
10 mins ago from twitter.com/AaronBlakeWP by editor
Saint Paul in the Ephesians 6:12
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Egypt eyes US President’s brother, Malik Obama, for terror watch list
Posted on September 6, 2013
Egypt eyes Obama’s brother for terror list.
NEW YORK – President Obama’s Kenyan half-brother, Malik Obama, appears headed for the Egyptian terror watch list because of his Muslim Brotherhood ties.
Complaints have been filed with Egypt’s prosecutor-general calling for Malik to be put on Egypt’s terror watch list and brought to Egypt to be questioned by state criminal investigators for allegedly financing terrorism, according to former PLO member and native Arabic-speaker Walid Shoebat.
According to Egyptian newspaper and television reports, Malik Obama has become a target in an Egyptian government terrorist investigation because of his role as an owner and investment adviser for the Sudan-based Islamic Dawa Organization, or IDO, and the organization’s umbrella group, the Muslim Brotherhood.
Shoebat has provided the following translation of a report from an Egyptian media source, Youm 7, detailing criminal complaints filed against Malik Obama with the Egyptian attorney general and the Egyptian High Court, petitioning to put him on the terror watch list in Egypt:
Dr. Ahmed Nabil Ganzory, in his capacity as lawyer and agent for Dr. Sadik Rauf Obeid, and resident in the United States of America, filed a complaint with Egyptian Attorney General Hisham Barakat, against Malik Obama, accusing him of supporting terrorism in Egypt and for his involvement in managing the Islamic Dawa Organization (IDO). The complaint also asks to include Chancellor Tahani Al-Jebali to substantiate claims against Obama. …
Complaint No. 1761 for the year 2013 reported to the Attorney General asked the Egyptian High Court to consider the suspicious activity of a group called the Islamic Dawa Organization, which is owned and managed by Malik Obama. This group is now being investigated by international bodies and the attached evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt that a close link exists between Malik Obama and some of the most notorious characters already wanted for their involvement in terrorism, as is consistent with the pictures and reports attached. …
The complaint also asks the court to bring in Malik Obama – a resident of the United States – to be questioned in regard to the terrorist groups in Egypt, whether by inciting or participating with or in any form of support punishable by law. It seeks permission to declare Obama a defendant in his right outside Egypt diplomatically, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the case of non-appearance and compliance for the investigation, the complainant requests monitoring [Malik Obama] by including his name on all Egyptian airports and ports, and take the necessary legal steps.
John Bernard is a retired Marine First Sergeant who writes on Counter Insurgency Doctrine, Islam, Rules of Engagement and Middle Eastern culture, in his blog: Let Them Fight or Bring Them Home.
Incredible! Even as United States Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Coastguardsmen continue to be sacrificed in Afghanistan for a failed understanding of that culture, we are speeding toward the likelihood of doing the same in Syria.
Yes; the Administration has repeated the mantra; ‘no boots on the ground’ until I can hardly sleep without hearing it, but, that was also what was supposed to give us peace of mind as we intervened in Libya.
Remember Libya?
We were chided by the “save the world folks” that the Rebels in Libya simply wanted “peace” and “freedom” even though we knew they were littered with Al Qaida operatives.
Libya.
It is approaching one year ago that the CIA black house in Benghazi was hit – by Libyan rebel elements that, we were told, would be grateful for our intervention or at least, that was the premise.
Four dead Americans later and not one single question answered, and this nation herds its way toward yet one more intervention in yet one more fundamentalist Islamic culture sans any evidence that we have learned a thing about the driving force in all of these cultures; the religion! And make no mistake about it; the religion is key!
If you are a person that thinks religion doesn’t matter, then you are a person not given to a religion or who has lost understanding of your own. Our God(s) instruct us, direct us, compel us. We are given to their admonishments and exhortations, led by their Pastors, Teachers, Rabbis, Clerics, Imams, Leaders and we willingly conform to the image of the one God we claim to serve. Entire article below.
If the God of that religion teaches compassion, we will strive to be compassionate. If that God displays anger and violence or even instructs his followers to propagate by the sword, we are very likely to comply.
Choosing to ignore a person’s religion or his adherence to it is both insulting to him and foolish. A man given to his God is someone whose character and walk is disciplined by his teaching and compelled to act on his commands. It is both an act of faith and a sense of responsibility. It is internal, external, eternal and all encompassing. Even when that person seems not to exude the nature of his God or to be living the perceived teachings of his religion, he is never-the-less, personally hounded by the knowledge that he has fallen short and intent to change even the midst of “moral” failure.
So how is it that the ‘best and brightest’ in our government can’t seem to comprehend this? Why would military strategists intentionally ignore so vital a piece of information about the enemy they are about to face? When in history have men ever purposefully suppressed information about a man’s religious proclivities? And most important; why would the citizens of, arguably, the strongest nation in the world not demand that its elected leadership do a better job of assessing its enemies before embarking on an adventure that will surely lead to the shedding of the blood of its Sons and Daughters?
The answer is simple; the people have become lax and far too many no longer hold to any principles steeped in the teachings of the God of their Fathers. We are a people without a compass and sadly, without an historical perspective of our current enemies. Many in this nation carry with them a sense of compassion but compassion by itself can be a deadly and foolishly applied emotion if not followed up by “personal” action. If a person feels so compassionately about something, they should feel compelled to act accordingly – and personally! If you truly believe intervention on the part of the “innocents” in Syria is of paramount importance, then prove it; mount an aircraft bound for the Turkish/Syrian border and help, don’t demand that this government send in War Fighters whose religion is denied them and who have been denied the right of self-defense. If you feel morally bound to help those “innocents”; then go if you are so convinced.
My point; there has been a growing concern about Syria and the “innocents” there without a corresponding understanding of the government, the makeup and belief of the rebel forces or even the “innocent civilians” our actions are purported to help.
Do we actually “know” who the bad guy is in this fight? How is it we can be so certain that the “good guys”, are good; measured by their perception of us and their future plans, based on their religious convictions about interpersonal, interfaith and international relations? Even as the “innocents” who have been rushing toward the Turkish border were pleading for our help, they were also defiantly clear, ‘don’t send in your troops’. There were also embedded threats that inaction would likely turn the “good guys” into bad guys.
So how good is good, if it can so easily be turned into bad? Isn’t this beginning to sound, just a little, like Libya 2.0?
The only supportive evidence that Chemicals were used has been in the form of Administration commentary ending with “trust me”. Keep in mind that the UN, at least initially, was responding to accusations that the Rebels had used these weapons. One day later, without any definitive evidence and having not reached the site of the attack, the UN had predictably changed its tune and lodged accusations of their own against the Regime. As of this writing, there still isn’t any hard evidence of a chemical, or which chemical or the delivery method or even the culprit.
And yet, there remains a strong and steady voice to intervene, militarily; a voice that says; “send them – not me”. And even if the Administration’s tarot cards are correct, the truth is we cannot know what the unintended consequences will be once we unleash one or many Cruise Missiles into another sovereign and fundamentalist Islamic land; keeping in mind that the internal strife in Syria is not a clear and present danger to the US….And knowing we possess not the will to fight definitively!
For as we now know by gleaning our recent history, in Libya, our War Fighters can wind up paying a price for our willful blindness of the more egregious doctrines of a religion we have so vehemently scrubbed from our assessments of this enemy.
So, should we feel compassion when women and children and the aged suffer during combat? The answer is, yes. But that is not the question to be asked in this instance.
Rather the question is whether our compassion should lead to unstudied, unshackled, historically voided aggressive action against someone – anyone, in our knee-jerk attempt to stop ravages against an element of society we have deemed, innocent. For as we have seen in Afghanistan, parsing the good from the bad, the innocent from the guilty, those deserving of our compassion from those deserving of our wrath, is no easy task and far too often we get it wrong.
Until the time comes that we are ready to again come to terms with what we have always declared to be our religious heritage and until we decide to make proper and complete assessments of our enemies, we will continue to make decisions based neither in morality or historical fact and we will continue to flounder as a legitimate military force in the world.
And our War Fighters will continue to pay the price for our arrogance, our ignorance and the selfish demands of people who do not possess the courage or tenacity to send themselves.
White House releases list of supporters on Syria response: Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom - @AaronBlakeWP
10 mins ago from twitter.com/AaronBlakeWP by editor
France is the only country that voiced this publicly as far as I know.
In case you missed it, President Obama referred to the United States armed forces as “my military” during a statement to the media regarding the Syrian crisis Friday.
“But as I’ve already said,” Obama noted, “I have had my military and our team look at a wide range of options.”
donkeyhotey donkeyhotey.wordpress.com
Twitter users went crazy with responses and outrage.
“Obama said he had “my (his) military” look at options. Very Very Offensive to me as a Retired Naval Aviatior! Our Military serves Our USA! – David Hayden
I have not made a final decision about various actions that might be taken to help enforce that norm. But as I’ve already said, I have had my military and our team look at a wide range of options. We have consulted with allies. We’ve consulted with Congress. We’ve been in conversations with all the interested parties, and in no event are we considering any kind of military action that would involve boots on the ground, that would involve a long-term campaign. But we are looking at the possibility of a limited, narrow act that would help make sure that not only Syria, but others around the world, understand that the international community cares about maintaining this chemical weapons ban and norm.
September 6, 2013, 6:30 AM Russia cancels Syria lobbying mission to D.C.; More Russian war ships reportedly head for Mediterranean
President Obama speaks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during arrivals for the G-20 summit at the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sept. 5, 2013. / AP
The speaker of Russia's national legislature said Friday that a plan to send a parliamentary delegation to Washington to try and convince U.S. lawmakers that a unilateral military intervention in Syria would be unwarranted and counterproductive had been cancelled.
Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of the State Duma, said the delegation would no longer travel to the U.S. and called the decisions by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to refuse to meet their Russian counterparts deplorable.
Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson confirmed Thursday that Reid had turned down the offer. Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said the speaker had also declined the offer.
"We are really disappointed by their decision not to meet with their Russian colleagues," said Russian Embassy spokesman Maxim Abramov on Thursday after the U.S. congressmen made their decisions public.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the delegation on Monday.
Meanwhile, Russia's government-linked news agencies quoted senior military officials as saying two more of the country's warships were headed for the Mediterranean, near Syria's western coast.
The RIA-Novosti agency said two ships from Russia's Black Sea Fleet, the frigate Smetlivyi and the landing ship Nicholai Filchenkov, an electronic surveillance vessel, were ready to head to the region, according to a high-ranking source in the defense ministry. Russian news agencies said at the end of August that the navy was dispatching an anti-submarine ship and a missile cruiser to the Mediterranean.
Russia has a military base on Syria's west coast at Tartus, and has been slowly increasing its naval presence in the region, along with the U.S., in recent weeks. Play Video
CBS News correspondent David Martin reported that one U.S. submarine and five missile destroyers were expected to take up positions in the eastern Mediterranean -- all armed with cruise missiles. That's more than enough firepower for a hypothetical strike on Syria which Pentagon officials say would be limited to fewer than 50 targets.
The latest developments come as tensions peak between Russia and the U.S. over Syria.
Russia is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, and has warned the U.S. repeatedly against taking unilateral military action, calling instead for a unified response from the U.N. Security Council. Russia, which has used its veto power as a permanent member of the Council to block any punitive action against the Assad regime thus far, says the Obama administration should wait until the U.N. concludes its own investigations into alleged chemical weapons attacks.
The Obama administration claims to have definitive evidence proving Assad's government was behind an Aug. 21 chemical attack in the suburbs of Damascus which the White House says left almost 1,400 people dead. The Russian government has dismissed the American evidence as "absolutely unconvincing," and said this week it had presented its own report to the U.N. showing Syrian rebel groups have used chemical weapons during the vicious two-and-a-half year conflict.
Iranian leader: U.S. will 'definitely suffer' if it leads strike on Syria
By Greg Botelho and Michael Pearson, CNN
updated 11:00 AM EDT, Fri September 6, 2013
Britain: Sarin gas used in Syria
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Opposition group reports 87 dead, including 14 women and 14 children
Hezbollah calls potential U.S. strikes a form of "organized terrorism"
Obama continues to press for a military action as a "moral" imperative
British scientists detect sarin in the Damascus-area attack, echoing U.S. claims
(CNN) -- As the ramifications of a grisly chemical weapons attack loom over a summit of world leaders, some of Syria's staunchest friends blasted what they call the "arrogance" of U.S.-led efforts to strike the war-torn nation and said those who do will pay a steep price.
Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday the United States -- which, in addition to being one of his country's chief adversaries, has led the push to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government over chemical weapons -- has no right to make "humanitarian claims (given) their track record" in Iraq, Afghanistan and at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The turmoil in the Middle East, Iran's leader said in remarks reported by state-run Press TV, is a "reaction of the global arrogance" that is rooted Washington. Should the United States and allies strike Syria, he added, it won't be able to "eliminate (the) resistance."
"We believe that the Americans are committing a folly and mistake in Syria and will, accordingly, take the blow and definitely suffer," said Khamenei.
He spoke on the same day Hezbollah issued its first official statement since the effort began to strike al-Assad's forces in the wake of an August 21 chemical weapons attack outside Damascus that, the United States estimates, killed more than 1,400 people, many of them children.
Video: Rows of bodies, injured children after attack
The group, which is popular in parts of the Arab world yet labeled a terrorist organization by the United States, claimed that any military action against Syria's government is "a form of direct and organized terrorism."
"These threats fail to conceal the true objectives of this strike aimed at mobilizing Israeli (strength) in the region in an attempt to impose the Western colonial grip," Hezbollah alleged in a statement read by parliamentarian Hassan Fadlallah, as reported by Lebanon's official National News Agency.
The remarks from Hezbollah and Iran are significant, given concerns that international military intervention in Syria could set off a wider war that further destabilizes the region and, thus, the world. Based in Lebanon, Hezbollah is linked to numerous terrorist attacks and is one of Israel's chief adversaries. So, too, is Iran, which has been at odds with Washington and others for years regarding its nuclear program.
Still, U.S. and other leaders continue to press for military action against Syria's government -- taking their arguments, through Friday, to the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Before heading east, U.S. President Barack Obama said that he believes the world has a duty to act, saying a failure to do so would give those with chemical, biological and nuclear weapons carte blanche to use them on anyone.
Arguing that "the international community's credibility is on the line," the president said, "The moral thing to do is to not to stand by and do nothing."
Yet Russia, which repeatedly has used its veto power to block U.N. Security Council efforts targeting al-Assad, has pushed back. They accused Washington and others of being overzealous and bull-headed by ordering strikes without irrefutable proof Syrian leaders are responsible for using chemical weapons, something they don't publicly believe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin even went so far as to accuse U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of being dishonest as he makes the case to Congress for a strike, including his assertions about the role of an al Qaeda-linked group in Syria.
"He is lying, and (he) knows he is lying," Putin said at an event Wednesday. "It's sad."
British scientists find traces of sarin gas
Russia also has challenged assertions that Syrian forces has used chemical weapons, killing rebel fighters and civilians, including in the attack last month on a rebel stronghold near Damascus.
Such accusations against al-Assad and his government are hardly new since his government cracked down on protesters in 2011, setting off what became a civil war that the U.N. estimates has left more than 100,000 people dead, produced over 2 million refugees and displaced another 4 million inside Syria. The violence shows few signs of abating: On Thursday, for instance, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported at least 87 more dead nationwide, among them 14 women and 14 children.
How you can help Syrian refugees
While the overall bloodshed has drawn rebukes and spurred some support for the opposition, it's chemical weapons allegations -- involving sarin gas, an extremely volatile and potentially lethal nerve agent -- that provoked the threat of direct international military action.
In June, France's foreign minister said samples in his nation's possession showed sarin gas had been used several times in Syria. The United States has made such assertions on multiple occasions, including in April when Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel alleged there's evidence sarin had been used lethally on a small scale. More recently, Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that blood and hair samples from near the August 21 eastern Damascus attack site "tested positive for signatures of sarin" gas.
What are signatures of sarin gas?
And on Thursday, the British prime minister's office announced that its military scientists found traces of sarin gas in soil and clothing taken from a patient treated near the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack outside Syria's capital.
Scientists at the Porton Down military laboratory concluded the samples were unlikely to have been faked, and Britain is sharing its findings with the United Nations, the office said. The U.N. was expected to review samples taken by its own inspectors this week.
Echoing rebel forces, Washington has insisted that al-Assad's forces are behind such chemical weapon attacks, claiming only they have access to them and can deploy them on a large scale. Yet Syria has been equally adamant it has done no such thing, instead accusing "terrorists" -- its blanket term for opposition fighters -- of deploying chemical weapons.
Syrian civil war in photos
Syria's refugees in numbers
Who is to blame, and what the world should do about it, looms large over Thursday and Friday's G20 gathering of world leaders in St. Petersburg, Russia.
G20: Where geopolitics trump economics
The summit's focus is officially on economic matters, though the deep divisions among its participants on this pressing issue are hard to ignore: the U.S. and French leaders are calling for a military strike against Syria's government, while Russian leaders are standing by their longtime ally and questioning claims al-Assad's government is responsible for gassing its own people.
How these talks influence the debate, if at all, is itself in question.
When asked Thursday while walking alone to dinner if any progress had been made on Syria, U.S. President Barack Obama said, "No, we talked about the economy."
Fervent debate in U.S., around the world
A sweeping international consensus seems unlikely as long as Russia -- which will host Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Moscow on Monday, according to Syria's official SANA news agency -- and the United States maintain their firm positions
Kerry said this week, in Washington, that "at least 10 countries have pledged to participate" in a military intervention that Obama and French President Francois Hollande have urged. Yet that figure could well change.
Britain, normally a dependable U.S. ally in military affairs, has voted against joining any military action. And officials in France -- where polls show one in three people favor strikes -- have said they will wait until the United States decides on a course of action. Read the U.S. Senate draft resolution (.pdf)
That won't come until after Congress weighs in, likely next week, on a measure authorizing strikes focused on degrading Syria's ability to use chemical weapons. While congressional leaders have backed Obama's call for action, most legislators are officially undecided so much that what happens is still anyone's guess.
"It weighs on me," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, who added "it is conclusive" chemical weapons were used. "... There is no question that what (public reaction) is coming in is overwhelmingly negative."
Yet the president -- arguing that the world cannot afford a country to use such weapons against its own people without responding -- hasn't promised he'll abide by the vote in Congress. And Pentagon spokesman George Little said the Syrian government "should not take solace from the deliberative process that we are undertaking right now."
"We have time to adjust, if necessary, given conditions on the ground, given what the Syrian regime may or may not do in terms of movements of equipment and so forth," Little told reporters Thursday.
Fast facts: Sarin gas
Whatever the United States decides, some world leaders are stumping against military action.
In a letter Thursday to Putin in his role as host of the G20 summit, Pope Francis urged a "peaceful solution through dialogue" and called an armed intervention a "futile pursuit."
Speaking from St. Petersburg, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said that while the international community "cannot remain idle" in the face of Syria's apparent chemical weapons use, "there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict."
"Only a political solution can end the terrible bloodshed, grave violations of human rights and the far-reaching destruction of Syria," he said. "Too many lives have already been lost and too many people have suffered for too long and lost too much."
Obama on Syria: ‘I’m not drawing an analogy to WW II’; Immediately draws analogy to WW II
Posted at 11:15 am on September 6, 2013 by Twitchy Staff | View Comments Tweet
"I'm not drawing an analogy to WWII, other than to say...
—
Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) September 06, 2013
Obama says he doesn't want to compare this to WWII, and then he compares it.—
Kathleen McKinley (@KatMcKinley) September 06, 2013
Obama says he won't make World War II analogy then says, helping the British during bombing of London was unpopular. #G20#Syria—
Anne Walters Custer (@annekwalters) September 06, 2013
Yes, that happened. Because of course it did.
The mouth-flapper in chief discussed Syria a G20 presser today and promised he wasn’t about to draw an analogy to World War II.
Obama: "I want to be clear: I'm not drawing an analogy to WW2"—
Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) September 06, 2013
Obama: "Now I'm not drawing an analogy with WWII, but [analogy with WWII]."—
Evan Condry (@lazyevan) September 06, 2013
OMG–watching @BarackObama presser. Stumbling, flailing, grasping, defensive…non-sensical, evasive…invoking WWII… #fail—
Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) September 06, 2013
"I'm not drawing analogies to World War II other than to say … " oh dear.—
Kathryn Jean Lopez (@kathrynlopez) September 06, 2013
Obama: I'm not drawing an analogy to WWII other than to say it was unpopular in Congress to help out the British.—
Carol (@carolinagirl63) September 06, 2013
obama ww2 "when london was getting bombed it was profoundly unpopular to help the british. doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do."—
RickLeventhalFoxNews (@RickLeventhal) September 06, 2013
Bad analogy. RT @HayesBrown: Obama has a new WWII analogy! Giving aid to Britain in 1940 was unpopular, but still the right thing to do.—
Dan Trombly (@stcolumbia) September 06, 2013
HULKS NOT MAKE WWII ANALGY EXCEPT SYRIA IS HITLER "Obama: I'm not going to make a WWII analogy, except that when London was bombed…"—
HULKS OF AMERICA (@HulksOfAmerica) September 06, 2013
OMG. Helping Britain in WWII is hardly comparable to Syria—
Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) September 06, 2013
Terrible analogy RT @GPollowitz: OMG. Helping Britain in WWII is hardly comparable to Syria—
Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) September 06, 2013
If Obama was president during WWII, he'd tax imported beer from Germany and call it a "punitive" action for Nazi bombing of London.—
Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) September 06, 2013
Obama compares himself to FDR aiding Churchill–you know, the colonialist whose bust he threw out of the Oval Office.—
Michael Graham (@IAMMGraham) September 06, 2013
Moscow - Three Russian naval ships were sailing toward Syria in the eastern Mediterranean on Friday and a fourth was on its way, the Interfax news agency reported, citing a source at navy headquarters.
Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Ivanov said on Thursday that Russia was boosting its naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea, but primarily in order to organise a possible evacuation of Russians from Syria.
He did not say how many vessels were being sent.
The prospect of increased Russian naval presence near Syria has stoked fears of a larger international conflict if the United States orders airstrikes over a 21 August chemical weapons attack in a suburb of Damascus, the Syrian capital. The US already has numerous war ships in the Mediterranean.
Two Russian amphibious landing vessels and a reconnaissance ship have passed through the Dardanelles strait, according to the report carried by Interfax, a privately owned agency known for its independent contacts within Russia's armed forces.
Three Russian war ships were seen sailing through the Bosporus in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. It was not immediately clear if they were the same three vessels, although that seemed likely.
‘Special cargo’
Interfax reported that another landing ship had left the Black Sea port of Sevastopol on Friday morning and was to pick up a "special cargo" in Novorossiysk before sailing toward the eastern Mediterranean.
The state RIA Novosti news agency also said that the landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov would be headed toward Syria after picking up cargo in Novorossiysk, which it said would take several days.
The three ships reported to have passed through the Dardanelles are the Novocherkassk and Minsk landing vessels and Priazovye reconnaissance ship.
The defence ministry said it was unable immediately to confirm the ships' departure.
The foreign ministry issued a statement on Friday, warning the US and its allies against striking any chemical weapons storage facilities in Syria.
"That would create the threat of releasing highly toxic chemical agents, with corresponding consequences for the civilian population and the environment," the statement said.
"Moreover, it can't be excluded that as a result of such a reckless action militants or terrorists could gain access to chemical weapons. This is a step toward proliferation of chemical weapons not only across Syrian territory but beyond its borders."
Compared to Syrian biological weapons, sarin is nothing – official
Posted on September 5, 2013
Photo: RIA Novosti
The issue of chemical and biological weapons in Syria is creating concerns in both neighbouring and distant countries. The mere presence of such weapons in the hands of the Syrian rebels is seen as a threat in itself, as they have not hesitated to use them against civilians twice in the recent year.
Syria’s bioweapons program, which US officials believe has been largely dormant since the 1980s, is likely to possess the key ingredients for a biological and chemical weapons, including a collection of lethal bacteria and viruses as well as the modern equipment needed to covert them into deadly powders and aerosols, according to US and Middle Eastern officials and weapons experts.
This latent capability has begun to worry some of Syria’s neighbors, especially after allegations that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad used internationally banned chemical weapons against civilians in an Aug. 21 Ghouta attack.
Top intelligence officials in two Middle East countries said they have examined the potential for bioweapons use by Syria, perhaps as retaliation for Western military strikes on Damascus. Although dwarfed by the country’s larger and better-known chemical weapons program, Syria’s bioweapons capability could offer the Assad regime a way to retaliate because the weapons are designed to spread easily and leave few clues about their origins, the officials said.
“We are worried about sarin, but Syria also has biological weapons, and compared to those, sarin is nothing,” a senior Middle Eastern official told Washtington Post. “We know it, and others in the region know it. The Americans certainly know it.”
US officials acknowledge the possibility of a latent bioweapons capability but are divided about whether Syria is capable of a sophisticated attack.
However, if Syrian rebels cannot carry out such an attack, al-Qaeda affiliated in Iraq most certainly can.
Recent reports indicating al-Qaeda in Iraq is seeking to obtain bioweapons raises serious concern about those weapons reaching al-Qaeda affiliates JAN and ISIL, or the Syrian bioweapons falling into their hands.
The Iraqi government announced in June it had arrested members of an al-Qaeda cell who confessed they intended to carry out bioweapon attacks in Iraq and neighbouring countries.
Further investigations revealed that plans were put in place for al-Qaeda affiliate JAN to get access to those weapons and “further aggravate the tragedy of the Syrian people,” according to Iraqi national security advisor Faleh al-Fayyadh.
Security forces shut down two factories, one in Baghdad and the other in an area near the capital, and confiscated biological compounds and the equipment used in their manufacture, the government said in a statement. Confiscated items included a remote-controlled toy plane that was to carry bioweapons to be dropped over a relatively distant target.
The Leaders and Representatives of Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America made the following statement on the margins of the Group of 20 Nations Leader’s Meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia:
The international norm against the use of chemical weapons is longstanding and universal. The use of chemical weapons anywhere diminishes the security of people everywhere. Left unchallenged, it increases the risk of further use and proliferation of these weapons.
We condemn in the strongest terms the horrific chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21st that claimed the lives of so many men, women, and children. The evidence clearly points to the Syrian government being responsible for the attack, which is part of a pattern of chemical weapons use by the regime.
We call for a strong international response to this grave violation of the world’s rules and conscience that will send a clear message that this kind of atrocity can never be repeated. Those who perpetrated these crimes must be held accountable.
Signatories have consistently supported a strong UN Security Council Resolution, given the Security Council's responsibilities to lead the international response, but recognize that the Council remains paralyzed as it has been for two and a half years. The world cannot wait for endless failed processes that can only lead to increased suffering in Syria and regional instability. We support efforts undertaken by the United States and other countries to reinforce the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons.
We commit to supporting longer term international efforts, including through the United Nations, to address the enduring security challenge posed by Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles. Signatories have also called for the UN fact finding mission to present its results as soon as possible, and for the Security Council to act accordingly.
We condemn in the strongest terms all human rights violations in Syria on all sides. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict, more than 2 million people have become refugees, and approximately 5 million are internally displaced. Recognizing that Syria’s conflict has no military solution, we reaffirm our commitment to seek a peaceful political settlement through full implementation of the 2012 Geneva Communique. We are committed to a political solution which will result in a united, inclusive and democratic Syria.
We have contributed generously to the latest United Nations (UN) and ICRC appeals for humanitarian assistance and will continue to provide support to address the growing humanitarian needs in Syria and their impact on regional countries. We welcome the contributions announced at the meeting of donor countries on the margins of the G20. We call upon all parties to allow humanitarian actors safe and unhindered access to those in need.
European signatories will continue to engage in promoting a common European position.
Saint Paul in the Ephesians 6:12
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
The U.S. has intercepted an order from Iran to militants in Iraq to attack the U.S. Embassy and other American interests in Baghdad in the event of a strike on Syria, officials said, amid an expanding array of reprisal threats across the region.
Military officials have been trying to predict the range of possible responses from Syria, Iran and their allies. U.S. officials said they are on alert for Iran’s fleet of small, fast boats in the Persian Gulf, where American warships are positioned. U.S. officials also fear Hezbollah could attack the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
While the U.S. has moved military resources in the region for a possible strike, it has other assets in the area that would be ready to respond to any reprisals by Syria, Iran or its allies.
Those deployments include a strike group of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and three destroyers in the Red Sea, and an amphibious ship, the USS San Antonio, in the Eastern Mediterranean, which would help with any evacuations.
The U.S. military has also readied Marines and other assets to aid evacuation of diplomatic compounds if needed, and the State Department began making preparations last week for potential retaliation against U.S. embassies and other interests in the Middle East and North Africa.
U.S. officials began planning for a possible strike on Syrian regime assets after the Aug. 21 attack outside Damascus in which the U.S. says Syrian government forces killed over 1,400 people using chemical weapons. The U.S. military has prepared options for an attack and beefed up its military resources in the region, including positioning four destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean.
That process slowed last weekend when Mr. Obama said he would first seek an authorization for using military force from Congress.
A delay in a U.S. strike would increase opportunities for coordinated retaliation by groups allied with the Assad government, including Shiite militias in Iraq, according to U.S. officials.
The destroyers positioned in the Eastern Mediterranean are equipped with—in addition to Tomahawk missiles that could be used against Syria—the Standard Missile-3, which could be used to intercept ballistic missiles should Iran launch a retaliatory strike, officials said.
Israel has so far been the focus of concerns about retaliation from Iran and its Lebanese militant ally Hezbollah. The commander-in-chief of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps said last week that an attack on Syria would lead to the “destruction of Israel.”
The State Department issued a new alert on Thursday warning against nonessential travel to Iraq and citing terrorist activity “at levels unseen since 2008.” Earlier this year, an alert said that violence against Americans had decreased. That reassurance was dropped from the most recent alert.
Re: Syria
Originally Posted by BRVoice
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