Iraq & Syrian Civil Wars - Page 69

On August 26 2013 05:10 Ghanburighan wrote:
I think people confuse several levels here. This isn't some gung-ho democratization.

The first level is stopping the breach of international conventions on chemical warfare.

The second level is avoiding a humanitarian crisis.

The third level is aiding a people being oppressed by their own government.

Only the fourth step is one where one might aid in the process of nation-building. And, call me a cynic, but I haven't heard a single statement regarding helping a democratic transition in Syria. In fact, no-one has credibly said anything about any step beyond 1. Which I find deplorable as I personally know people who have been driven out of their homes by the violence. But that's life.

On August 26 2013 02:27 DeepElemBlues wrote:
I'm not sure what planet it is where people act like the word of Russia is as good as gold and the word US, France, Britain etc. is obviously and automatically never true

Syria to allow inspectors to site of suspected chemical weapons attack

...a top Syrian official told CNN on Sunday that the government would allow U.N. inspectors full access to any site of a suspected chemical weapons attack.
The agreement is effective immediately, Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad said.
The U.N. secretary-general's office said inspectors hope to begin their probe Monday at the suspected chemical attack site. Before Sunday, U.N. inspectors in Syria attempting to gather information were not allowed to visit the site of the recent attack.

On August 26 2013 05:02 maartendq wrote:

Wow, finally someone who gets it. I'm getting really tired of people thinking that it is possible to just "insert" democracy into a country or region that didn't evolve the necessary institutions to make democracy actually work. It took Europe and the US centuries of painstaking political development to get where they are now - and there are still large differences between each country - so why anyone thinks that Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt or any other middle-eastern country can be democratised in less then a decade is completely beyond me.

The White House said Sunday it had "very little doubt" that the Syrian government was responsible for a chemical assault that killed hundreds of civilians, as U.N. inspectors prepared to access the site of the attack.

Syrian state television reported that the regime of Bashar al-Assad has now assented to international experts going to the Damascus suburb purported to have been hit by deadly nerve gas. A U.N. fact-finding visit is slated for Monday.

But a senior Obama administration official treated the Syrian decision with skepticism, saying it was "too late to be credible."

"If the Syrian government had nothing to hide and wanted to prove to the world that it had not used chemical weapons in this incident, it would have ceased its attacks on the area and granted immediate access to the UN - five days ago," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The developments come amid heightened tension between the Syrian regime and the wider international community, with the U.S. said to have Naval ships edging towards the strife-torn country as President Barack Obama weighs his options.

Earlier Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the U.S. military was ready to take action against Syria if needed.

Royal Navy vessels are being readied to take part in a possible series of cruise missile strikes, alongside the United States, as military commanders finalise a list of potential targets.
Government sources said talks between the Prime Minister and international leaders, including Barack Obama, would continue, but that any military action that was agreed could begin within the next week.

A Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine is said to be in the region while a number of warships recently left Britain for exercises in the Mediterranean.
Commanders may also need to make use of the RAF base at Akrotiri, Cyprus for air support.
If military action is approved, the first wave of missiles could start within a week.
Military sources suggested the early hours of the 2011 campaign against Col Muammar Gaddafi could form a template for any operation. The Libya campaign began with a blitz of Tomahawk cruise missiles from US warships and from a British Trafalgar Class submarine.
The Royal Navy declined to comment on the current positions of its submarines, but they regularly pass through the area on their way to the Suez Canal.
America’s Sixth Fleet currently has four guided missile destroyers in the area, each of which could join the attack.
The Royal Navy also has its rapid response task force in the Mediterranean. The group includes two frigates and the helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious.

On August 26 2013 06:57 nunez wrote:
@stealth

didn't this exact thing happen back in may, ending up with the un accusing the rebels of using sarin gas?

you must have quite the telescope. at least it would be pretty obvious where the skepticism towards the US and the UK stems from on that planet.

On August 26 2013 07:47 nunez wrote:
source to the backtracking? must have gone under my radar.

Christof Lehmann (nsnbc) ,- Abdola Al-Jaledi, a former high-ranking member of the Jabhat al-Nusrah front has revealed on his Twitter account @abo_almonthir, that his Jabhat al-Nusrah colleagues are in possession of chemical weapons, reports the independent Syrian Dampress Online Journal.

A former member of the al-Qaeda associated, foreign-backed Jabhat al-Nusrah front which is fighting the Syrian Armed Forces in an attempt to oust the Syrian government to establish an Islamic Sharia state, has admitted that Jabhat al-Nusrah is in possession of chemical weapons, to be used in attacks in Syria.

The Syrian Dampress Online Journal reports, that the Saudi Arabian terrorist, Abdola al-Jaledi has recently revealed on his Twitter account, @abo_almonthir, that his colleagues are storing toxic agents.

Al-Jaledi, who is a former, high-ranking member of the Jabhat al-Nusrah has reportedly left the al-Nusrah to continue fighting with another, also al-Qaeda associated brigade.

On his Twitter account, Al-Jaledi apparently said: “If it was not for confidentiality on this matter, I would reveal who was the fighter who made the said chemical bombs”.

The governor of Hama province in central Syria was killed in a car bombing on Sunday, state television reported, in an attack it blamed on rebels.

"Terrorists assassinated Anas Abdel Razzaq al-Naem, the Hama governor, in a car bomb attack in the Jarajma district of Hama," it said.

The council of ministers said that Naem "died as a martyr, killed by criminal gangs."

Naem was appointed to the post in July 2011, four months after the beginning of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

He had replaced Khaled Abdel Aziz, who was sacked by Assad after massive anti-regime protests erupted in the town of Hama, where hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the regime before government troops arrived to crush the protests.

Foreign minister: Turkey would join any coalition against Syria, even if a consensus is not reached at the UN Security Council - @Reuters

Assad: Failure awaits the US if it attempts to intervene in Syria - @guardian

France: No decision has yet been made to take military action against Syria; all options are open - @Reuters

Russia is deeply concerned over possible US military action in Syria; urges restraint: RIA cites Lavrov - @Reuters

White House official disputes British press reports that Obama and Cameron agreed on intervention in Syria in call yesterday - @markknoller