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by **kimon07** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:53 am

British forces in Syria,

Assad presidential compound said under attack
http://www.debka.com/article/22133/Brit ... der-attack

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 26, 2012, 11:59 AM (GMT+02:00)
Tags: Syria military operation British forces Bashar Assad Vladimir Putin Qaisoun Palace

British special forces on field mission
Unconfirmed first reports from British, French and Turkish sources say British special operations forces crossed from Turkey into northern Syria Tuesday, May 26, and advanced up to 10 kilometers inside the country. The same sources report heavy fighting around the Presidential Guards compound on the outskirts of Damascus.
DEBKAfile’s military sources note that this compound exists to defend Bashar Assad’s presidential palace on Mount Qaisoun overlooking Damascus.
British and Gulf TV stations are again running interviews with dozens of Syrian soldiers taken prisoner by rebel forces and transferred to Free Syrian Army centers in South Turkey. But this time, they are being aired in conjunction with those two developments, indicating pivotal and coordinated military action inside the embattled country, or even the start of western intervention against the Assad regime.
Later Tuesday, Gulf military sources confirmed the presence of British special forces in Syria.
Our military sources estimate that the British military drive into Syria, if confirmed, is designed to establish the first safe zone along the Syrian-Turkish border, to be followed by more Western military incursions to establish additional zones of safe asylum in other parts of Syria.
This follow-up action would depend substantially on Syrian, Russian and Iranian (+ Hizballah) responses to the initial stage of the operation.
The reported British incursion, if confirmed, occurred at the tail end of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 24-hour visit to Israel Tuesday morning and would have posed a direct challenge to his repeated warning that Moscow would not tolerate Western military intervention in Syria and actively prevent it. Similar warnings have issued from Tehran.
As for the timing, the double military drive against Assad also occurred hours before a NATO “consultation” in Brussels on the shooting down of a Turkish warplane by Syria last Friday, June 22, which Ankara stated Monday “must not go unpunished.”
The two-pronged operation - the reported British incursion and major clash at the front door of Assad’s presidential palace - would appear to be designed to widen the cracks in his regime and speed its final breakup.

On June 11, DEBKAfile ran a video report on President Barack Obama’s decision to speed up limited action against Bashar Assad.
http://www.debka.com/article/22073/

by **yialousa1971** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:58 pm

William Hague: action on Syria possible without support of Russia and China

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, has said that Britain would be prepared to take action to resolve the conflict in Syria without the support of Russia and China.

In a live Twitter chat with members of the public, Mr Hague admitted that the peace mission led by Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary General, had “failed so far.”

And while he still wanted the plan, which has the backing of the UN Security Council including Russia and China, to succeed, Britain was prepared to take alternative measures if this proved impossible.

Moscow and Beijing have proved reluctant to agree to severe sanctions or military measures against Syria over the course of the 16 month conflict.

Russia in particular is a long-time ally of the Assad regime, and both nations are reluctant to agree to formal action after complaining that they felt duped by the passing of a UN Resolution which ultimately resulted in the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator, last year.

Mr Hague suggested that unless the bloodshed in Syria ceased, the Government would seek a new UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) even without the backing of Russia and China.

He said: “Our strong preference is to work with Russia & China but if Annan plan fails no option is ruled out.

"We're working with them. We support stronger action by Friends of Syria. If no progress made will seek strong UNSCR.”

Asked by a number of Tweeters why Britain did not seek a military resolution to the conflict in order to stop the bloodshed, he disclosed that while his preference was for diplomatic measures, an armed force had not been ruled out.

Mr Hague said: “Sustainable UN presence requires cessation of violence. No option is ruled out. But military intervention wld [sic] require international agreement and very large scale force.”

One Twitter user, Viresh Joshi, asked: “How many more massacres will it take until the global community realises that the Annan Peace Plan hasn't worked?”

Mr Hague responded: “Hasn't worked so far but best way of avoiding more massacres is to do everything we can to support peaceful transition.”

A new UN Resolution would likely be similar to the Chapter 7 resolution which was used to remove Gaddafi.

In the first place it would rule out military action, and instead threaten the: “complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio and other means of communication.”

However, Mr Hague’s words in the Twitter chat make clear that Britain would be prepare to move on to an armed force as a last resort.

He was responding to Tweeters including one called “Noor,” who said: “The struggle has been going on for 16 months, when will the international community deem it necessary to intervene?”

Tweeter Khalil Agha asked: “How longer would u wait for Russia and China to support any fair solution in Syria. Average of killed civilians raised to 80 daily.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... China.html

by **yialousa1971** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:39 pm

Russia says no to no-fly zone over Syria

Russia has rejected a call to establish a Libya-like no-fly zone over Syria proposed by the United States and its allies.

"We repeatedly pointed out… the counter-productiveness of various unilateral steps… like proposals about the creation of… humanitarian corridors and safety zones," Xinhua quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov as saying in Moscow on Friday.

"These ideas have not been supported by the international humanitarian organizations working in Syria. These dubious ideas are not needed," he added.

Gatilov made the remarks hours after the Western-led Friends of Syria group met in Paris and called for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Syria.

During the meeting, which Russia and China boycotted, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Moscow of “holding up progress” in efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria.

But Gatilov called Clinton’s remarks “inappropriate” and said that her statement contradicts the agreement reached by the major powers in Geneva the previous weekend.

"We have heard this numerous times before, but we are concerned that these types of remarks go against the final declaration of the Geneva meeting (on June 30), which was adopted with the participation of the US secretary of state," he stated.

Diplomats meeting in Geneva reached an agreement on a Syria-led transitional governing body that could include members of the current Syrian government and the opposition.

The foreign ministers of Russia, China, Britain, France, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi also attended the Geneva meeting.

UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan said the participants of the Geneva meeting agreed that the transitional governing body in Syria “could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups, and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent.”

Syria has been experiencing unrest ever since March 2011, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government.

The Syrian government says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.

Damascus also says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and the security forces have been given clear instructions not to harm civilians.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/07 ... ver-syria/

by **kimon07** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 9:42 pm

A very hot summer coming up. The CY presidency will have its hands full.

by **yialousa1971** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 1:56 am

Clinton’s criticism of Beijing on Syria ‘unacceptable’: China

Sat Jul 7, 2012 1:10PM GMT
source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/07 ... ble-china/

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin

China has censured US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her criticism of Beijing’s stance toward Syria, saying her remarks were “unacceptable.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin said in a press conference in Beijing on Saturday that China is “not impeding the process of resolving the Syrian issues.”

On July 6, Clinton warned Russia and China over their support for Syria and said Moscow and Beijing “will pay a price” for their stance toward the Syrian issue.

“The only way that will change is if every nation represented here directly and urgently makes it clear that Russia and China will pay a price,” Clinton stated during the so-called “Friends of Syria” meeting in Paris, which was boycotted by Moscow and Beijing.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected Clinton’s remarks as “unacceptable”, saying Beijing “has made an important contribution to… the peace and stability of the region and the fundamental interests of the Syrian people as well as pursuing a political solution to the Syrian issues.”

The anti-Syria Western regimes have been calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, but Russia and China remain strongly opposed to the Western drive to oust Assad.

French President Francois Hollande said in the opening of the July 6 meeting in Paris that Assad “must go.”

Hollande also called on participants to “encourage the UN Security Council to take measures as quickly as possible” to support a plan by UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan, agreed upon in a meeting in Geneva on June 30.

Annan said the participants of the Geneva meeting agreed on the formation of a transitional governing body in Syria that “could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups, and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent.”

However, Russia and China opposed the wording of the plan that called for an interim government that excludes those “whose continued presence and participation would undermine the credibility of the transition and jeopardize stability and reconciliation.”

On July 3, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “some Western participants have started in their public statements to distort the agreements that were reached” in Geneva.

“The consensus that was reached in Geneva was a very important step in the consolidation in the positions of all members of the international community… towards solving this problem peacefully and refusing to use military force from whatever side,” Lavrov stated.

by **yialousa1971** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 2:01 am

‘US fueling conflict, destabilizing Syria’ – Assad

Published: 09 July, 2012, 12:00
source: http://www.rt.com/news/assad-interview-us-conflict-692/

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (AFP Photo / HO)

The US government is providing its political support to the Syrian opposition and purposely destabilizing Syria, said President Bashar al-Assad in an interview. He praised Kofi Annan’s peace plan, but said foreign interests were impeding its success.

The Syrian President gave a rare interview to German news broadcaster ARD during which he addressed western political rhetoric that he was the main obstacle for peace in Syria.

Assad said he still enjoyed public support in Syria, but “the United States is against me, the West is against me, many regional powers and countries and the people are against me.”

When asked whether or no the US had a hand in the conflict that has wracked the country for the past 16 months, he stressed they were “a part of the conflict.”

“They offer the umbrella and political support to those gangs to create instability (destabilize) or to destabilize Syria,” Assad told ARD.

Assad further blamed armed gangs for the mounting death toll of the Syrian conflict. The UN estimates at least 10,000 people have been killed since violence first erupted in March of last year.

These gangs are an amalgamation of al-Qaeda terrorist cells, outlaws and police fugitives who have eluded law enforcement authorities for years, said Assad. He added that “they had killed more security and soldiers maybe than civilians.”

The President categorically denied claims that Syrian government troops were behind the massacre in the city of Houla where over 100 civilians were killed.

“Gangs came in hundreds from outside the city and attacked law enforcement units… then they killed many families, children and women,” said Assad. He went on to say that the gangs were wearing army uniforms to try and incriminate the Syrian government, a well-known tactic used by opposition forces in Syria.

‘Kofi Annan’s plan shouldn’t fail’

Al-Assad praised UN-envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan and said he was doing “a difficult but good job.”

“The main obstacle is that many countries don’t want to succeed. So they offer political support and they still send armaments and send money to terrorists in Syria. They want it to fail.”

At a conference in Geneva last week, Kofi Annan but forward a new plan stipulating a unity government in Syria, including opposition members and excluding political figures that put the country’s stability at risk.

Assad said the idea of a unity government was flawed in that it did not define the nature of the Syrian opposition.

“We may have tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or millions – could they participate? This kind of government, the democracy, needs criteria and needs mechanism,” stressed Assad.

Not another Egypt or Libya

The President dismissed fears that Syria would follow the same path as Egypt and Libya, maintaining that Syrian policies differed from those of their Arab neighbors.

He said that the Syrian conflict needed to be treated differently from the other Arab conflicts. Referring to the Egyptian revolution, he said “it was a completely different situation” to Syria due to the historical context and social factors that separate the two countries.

He decried the execution of former Libyan leader Colonel Al Gaddafi as a crime that was unacceptable.

Two-sided solution to conflict

Al-Assad concluded that the solution to the Syrian crisis had two axes. The first of which is the fight against terrorism in Syria as the country’s armed groups are not willing to open dialogue with the government.

The second solution is “dialogue with different political components and at the same time to have reform” involving all groups that are prepared to cooperate.

“The people will decide who should be our representative,” said Assad.

by **kimon07** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 9:51 pm

Russia sends naval flotilla to Syrian port: report
MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse

A December 19, 2008, file photo of the Russian Admiral Chabanenko destroyer arrives at Havana's harbor. AFP photo
Russia has sent a naval flotilla of six warships led by an anti-submarine destroyer to its naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, the Interfax news agency reported today.

The Admiral Chabanenko and three landing craft have left their home port of Severomorsk in the Arctic Circle on their way to the Mediterranean where they will be joined by the Russian patrol ship Yaroslav Mudry as well as an assistance vessel, a military source told the agency.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russia ... sCatID=359

by **yialousa1971** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 1:51 pm

US using al-Qaeda to overthrow Syrian government: Analyst

File photo shows an explosion in the flashpoint Khalidiya district of the central Syrian city of Homs on July 23, 2012.

A prominent political analyst says the US and its allies have once again failed in their attempt to overthrow Syria’s government despite using all the tools at their disposal including al-Qaeda militants, Press TV reports.

“Obama relies on drones, he relies on special forces; he relies on irregular forces and his irregular forces include al-Qaeda, interestingly enough and all kinds of terrorist groups around the world that have now been recruited into this US strategy, so I do not think any intelligent observer is going to be much impressed by what Obama has said,” Webster Griffin Tarpley told Press TV on Tuesday.

On July 21, The New York Times reported that “[US President Barack] Obama’s administration has for now abandoned efforts for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Syria, and instead it is increasing aid to the rebels and redoubling efforts to rally a coalition of like-minded countries to forcibly bring down the government of President Bashar al-Assad.”

According to the report, the US diplomats have been in contact with Israeli and Turkish officials over how to overthrow Assad’s government.

Tarpley added, however, that these efforts against Syria “by some indications at least, have been a failure.”

The analyst said the Western media are blacking out democratic movements in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia and ignoring the terrible situation in those countries while concentrating on Syria.

“So I think it would be important to shift the attention to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, [and] the United Arab Emirates [UAE]; all these reactionary monarchies of the Persian Gulf, it seems to me, really are the ones that ought to be on the hot seat and that might give Syria some sort of cease,” he added.

Syria has been the scene of unrest since mid-March, 2011, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters. But Damascus blames ''outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups'' for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

MYA/SS/AZ

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/25 ... row-assad/

by **dinos** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 2:29 pm

If you really take Tarpley at face value, then you'll also believe that anthropogenic global warming is a fraud. I'm actually interested in how many people here actually believe that global warming is not caused by people (fraud means not even a little bit)...

by **yialousa1971** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 2:50 pm

dinos wrote:If you really take Tarpley at face value, then you'll also believe that anthropogenic global warming is a fraud. I'm actually interested in how many people here actually believe that global warming is not caused by people (fraud means not even a little bit)...