Cyprus-Forum.com

[yialousa1971]

US preparing plans for possible Syria attack: Report

Fri Mar 2, 2012 1:45AM GMT


The Pentagon has prepared “detailed plans” for a military strike against Syria in case President Barack Obama issues an attack order.

According to an unnamed senior US official, the plans include several different kinds of operations, number of personnel as well as the type of military equipment needed, CNN reported.

“There are lots of ideas floating around,” the official said, adding that “People are teeing up to options.”

The revelation comes as several high-ranking US officials have in recent weeks voiced their support to put pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to give up power, including providing increased assistance to the armed groups fighting Syria’s government.

“If we can't get Assad to yield to the pressure that we are all bringing to bear, we may have to consider additional measures,” said US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, without elaborating what those measures could be.

Meanwhile, US Senator John McCain called on the international community in mid-February, to help provide military equipment to the armed gangs in Syria.

"There are ways to get weapons to people who are fighting against this kind of oppression, we showed that in Libya," McCain told reporters on a visit to al-Qods (Jerusalem).

On Tuesday, a defected military officer who refused to be named told reporters in the western Syrian city of Al-Qusayr that the armed groups were receiving military equipment from both France and the US.

"We now have weapons and anti-aircraft missiles and… we will defeat Bashar [al-Assad]," the general said.

Assad had on February 20 said that a number of foreign countries were fueling unrest in Syria by supporting and funding the armed terrorist groups fighting against the government. He also said that they were blocking the attempts made by Damascus to end the month-long unrest in the country as well as preventing it from treading the patch of reforms.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Damascus blames “outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/229523.html

[yialousa1971]

Gunmen executing people in the streets – Homs eyewitness



People have been left without water or electricity as rebels destroy water pumps and power converters. Civilians are forced to stay inside as snipers shoot from the rooftops.

­RT in Damascus managed to contact an eyewitness in Homs, who says gunmen are killing civilians in the streets. Galina says leaving home is out of the question, as snipers “can shoot you in the back.”

“They kill both young and old. They steal people from their homes and chop them into pieces, put them in plastic bags and throw them out!”

She claims rumors are spreading of gunmen from France, Lebanon and Tunisia killing Syrians.

“They mostly kill Christians here,” she says.

Galina says people in Homs support the Assad government and want “the revolution” to be over.

Earlier reports said rebels left Homs under pressure from Assad’s forces, but threatened to retaliate.

The rebels said it was a “tactical retreat” brought on by a shortage of weapons and worsening humanitarian conditions.


Soon after the reported victory by government troops, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Syrian authorities had given it permission to deliver aid to the Homs district of Baba Amr, the opposition’s main stronghold in the city.


Baba Amr had been under siege for over a month, during which hundreds of people were killed.


The Syrian uprising has been going for nearly a year now. The UN estimates that over 7,500 have been killed in the bloodshed. Two draft resolutions were put forward before the UN Security Council, both calling for President Bashar Assad to step down, but were vetoed by Russia and China, who noted that the resolutions did not censure violence by the armed opposition.


A number of experts have said that although a majority of Syrians are not necessarily supporters of Assad or the Baath Party, they nevertheless oppose violent action against the government and would prefer the peaceful evolution from an autocratic political system to democracy. Analysts believe the outcome of a referendum vote in which 89 per cent of Syrians voted in favor of a new constitution is a sign of what the majority of wants.


Neil Clark of The Guardian told RT that Western leaders are being highly hypocritical when they criticize the Syrian regime for being undemocratic, and yet fail to respect the views of the majority of Syrians.


“Fifty-seven per cent of Syrians have voted, and an overwhelming majority of them have said yes to it,” he said. “It’s a great day for democracy in Syria. And yet what’s the reaction been by the Western leaders? Well, Hillary Clinton denounced it as a cynical ploy. Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, said that it was a sham, but in fact what is a sham is the West’s approach, because the reaction to this referendum shows us that they’re not really keen on democracy in Syria.”

http://rt.com/news/syrian-witness-repor ... rimes-639/

[Bananiot]

It is amazing, but not unexplainable, the fact that all the fascists of Cyprus supported or support, Saddam, Mubarak, Gaddafi, Assad, Ahmadinejad and throw their poison at the West while trying to explain the stance of the West as one of greed, expansion and brutality. Granted, the West is no saint, but these dictators?

[Svetlana]

So, Yialoser, you condemn the Israelis when they killed Arabs who were fighting for their freedom, but endorse Arabs when they kill 7,500 other Arabs fighting for their freedom....have I missed something?

[Schnauzer]

It is amazing, but not unexplainable, the fact that all the fascists of Cyprus supported or support, Saddam, Mubarak, Gaddafi, Assad, Ahmadinejad and throw their poison at the West while trying to explain the stance of the West as one of greed, expansion and brutality. Granted, the West is no saint, but these dictators?

I regard your comment as highly insulting to those among us who prefer to analyse the actions which preceded the overthrow of the first three examples you highlight (the forth currently progressing nicely by all accounts), rather than blindly accepting that such 'Overthrows' will in some way benefit the common folk who live in those nations.

The invasion of Iraq is now proven to be based on inaccurate intelligence, is known to have been unlawful and has resulted in the mass slaughter of countless innocent civilians, the nation itself is now a shadow of it's former condition and it's leader Saddam Hussein, executed because he knew too much about what was really going on.

The overthrow of Mubarak was the next successfully engineered example of how infiltration and subterfuge can lead to disharmony, the population of Egypt are now worse off than before the uprising, they will probably remain so for years to come.

Libya is also in ruins, the people are similarly faced with years of hardship having also fallen victim to the same tactics as were used in Egypt.

The situation in Syria is now undergoing precisely the same process as both Egypt and Libya, such infiltration and subterfuge having produced the required results of the Western powers, WITHOUT having to resort to 'Shock and Awe' invasions since they could not find suitable excuses to so do.

The eyes of Israel are now fixed on Iran and one wonders just how many more nations must be destroyed in order that THEY may be safe, the Palestinians are currently suffering from the effect of Israeli expansionism, it would appear that Israel must be protected at ALL costs.

If one cannot blindly accept that the above examples are truly a justifiable process of advancing and upgrading the living conditions of the common folk who are resident in the above nations, then better to be labelled a 'Fascist' than a 'Blind Fool' (imho).

[Robin Hood]

Svetlana:
You said.............

So, Yialoser, you condemn the Israelis when they killed Arabs who were fighting for their freedom, but endorse Arabs when they kill 7,500 other Arabs fighting for their freedom....have I missed something?

Can I answer that?

YES!.............. by the way not ‘freedom’ ....... ‘survival’ would be a better description?

Israel is a Foreign Army attacking the Palestinians in their own ‘prison’, I believe the term is ‘shooting fish in a bucket’? Israel gets material support in abundance from the USA, Palestinians get next to nothing and no external organisations are allowed to give them support. Even humanitarian aid is blocked (A bit like the Warsaw Ghetto!). Israel ensures this by a total air/land/sea blockade whilst slowly but surely destroying their infrastructure.

In Syria, the legitimate Government of that country is fighting a rebel force within its own territorial borders. As most news is unreliable and often unconfirmed, it is not possible to determine whether the rebels represent the population as a whole, as in 'Popular Uprising' or are just a revolutionary force supplied and sustained by external powers/organisations with a vested interest in the outcome.

So , I think there is a difference between Israel/Palestine and Syria/Syria, don't you?

We will only find that out when it is all over .......... like we have Libya and Egypt.

[Bananiot]

... the forth currently progressing nicely by all accounts ...

That's Assad Schnauzer, about 7 000 down and still counting. He is doing pretty good, you reckon, don't you. Your analysis stinks.

[Schnauzer]

... the forth currently progressing nicely by all accounts ...

That's Assad Schnauzer, about 7 000 down and still counting. He is doing pretty good, you reckon, don't you. Your analysis stinks.

Since the inference of that which you have chosen to extract above, SHOULD (at least) prompt a little recognition of the similarities between the past and current events in the Middle Eastern regions, I am quite surprised to note that you (having read my comments) conclude that my analysis 'Stinks'.

So obviously similar to the events of both Egypt and Libya are those in Syria, I am amazed that you are seemingly unable to recognise and identify them as a well rehearsed campaign of divisive tactics employed by the West (A strategy which SOME accept as successfully completed recently) which ultimately only places greater hardship upon the 'Innocent Civilians' who would prefer to have no part of them.

Therefore, every death, whether it be within or without the ranks of the legitimate government, is attributable to those who instigated the uprising and the more discerning among us need no prompting to associate Israel and the Western Powers with the responsibility for every one of them.

Sadly, it would appear that your own views are based on that which is TOLD to you (or you have seen on the T.V.or read in the newspaper) rather than that which you have seen and experienced, perhaps you are in favour of 'Infiltration', 'Subterfuge' and 'Political Chicanery' ?, there is plenty of it about these days and acceptance of it does tend to alleviate the stress of having to THINK for oneself and form one's own opinions.

You have my sympathy I assure you.

[Bananiot]

.... the legitimate government ...

What legitimate government are you talking about? When did they have democratic, multiparty elections that would legitimise the rulers of Syria? You ask us to pay no attention to news that come from countries where accountability is held to high esteem and you want us to believe murdering dictators? You have to be joking!

[Schnauzer]

.... the legitimate government ...

What legitimate government are you talking about? When did they have democratic, multiparty elections that would legitimise the rulers of Syria? You ask us to pay no attention to news that come from countries where accountability is held to high esteem and you want us to believe murdering dictators? You have to be joking!

For goodness' sake my friend, do NOT open up a debate on 'Legitimate Governments', it may lead us into the quagmire of a further 'Analysis' of that which took place when 'Hamas' was duly elected as a 'Legitimate Government' only to be outlawed since 'Bush', Blair' and 'Olmert' did not approve of it's formation.

Such is the power of the West in and around Israel.

As to the concept of 'Democracy' in the regions of conflict, perhaps the Leaders of such regions view OUR system with disdain (or contempt), it is THEIR choice and (if 'Democracy' be truly associated with 'Freedom' to choose) the rejection of 'Hamas' is a clear indication of just WHY the concept of it is now viewed with suspicion, perhaps 'Forcing' it's acceptance upon other nations (providing it suits Israel) is yet another reason for the resistance of it.