Yahoo: Assad predicts disaster if West meddles in Syria

[GoSkins561]

The UN is currently visiting Syrian soldiers who had chemical weapons used on them by opposition forces.

[Gurgeh]

I don't see how bombarding Assad is going to help in the long run. If you damage him enough to turn the course of the civil war, then you hand the country over to people who are no friends of the West and the most organised of whom have spent years trying to blow us up. They'd love to get their hands on those same chemical weapons. If on the other hand we give him the military equivalent of a slap on the wrist, then he isn't going to be deterred at all, and you've just stirred up yet more hatred and anger for no good reason.

 

It does seem like this all stems from Obama declaring the use of chemical weapons to be the red line which if crossed would cause a military response. I bet he never thought anyone would be crazy enough to cross that line, and therefore believed he would never need to intervene. Now his bluff has been called, and something will have to happen, but it's not going to have a good outcome for anyone.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

There's no way Cameron will do anything. There were thirty opposition MPs absent and he still lost the vote - it was his own party that sunk him.

 

I wouldn't be so assured on that at all. 

 

Cameron's been VERY forceful that action needs to be taken. If you guys push for it outside of the UN, he'll use his discretionary powers and back you. 

 

Hail. 

[GoSkins561]

Sorry if I was rude earlier. I'm exhausted and frustrated by all this.

Anyway, I won't waste time arguing with you anymore.

It's been too much of a challenge to keep my emotions in check all day.

 

I didn't think you were rude, no worries mon, I'm curious, why do you have such emotions when it comes to Syria?

[Titaw]

You guys remember those WMD we never found in Iraq?

[GoSkins561]

Alright, we are gaining support, we now have the support of Latvia and Serbia. 

[visionary]

I didn't think you were rude, no worries mon, I'm curious, why do you have such emotions when it comes to Syria?

Well, I've been following the situation there just about every day for two and a half years.

I've seen countless people killed over there in pictures and videos and talked online with lots of people from Syria, living in Syria, reporting from Syria, and foreign policy experts focused on Syria.

Even if I hadn't though, I'd still be pretty worried.

I don't like dictators, and I really don't like seeing them get away with killing their people, especially on a wide scale.

And this particular situation is even worse because of all the regional fallout.

I just don't think it's something that can be ignored without serious consequences.

And yeah, I'm pretty scared of what will happen to people in Syria, if Assad thinks he can do whatever he wants without any consequences) I'm also scared for the whole region, from Lebanon to Jordan, to Turkey.

And I don't think it's something we'll be able to escape.

It seems pretty clear we're going to do something anyway, I just hope it has some strategy behind it that makes sense.

[visionary]

Guys, there is a lot more involved in Syria than Assad vs Al Qaeda. There are still plenty of moderate voices and protesters, fighters, and local coordinating committees that run places not under control of the government.  Assad going will not hand Syria over to extremists.  The Syrian National Coalition would probably take over in essence with backing from local committees who would do a lot of the ground work at first.  (assuming that the proposed 'Geneva talks' don't automatically produce some sort of results, which I doubt will happen anytime soon, if at all)

 

If you want extremists to take over, the best thing to do is do nothing and let them grow in influence, while moderates are weakened by a lack of support. The jihadis are there because the world did little to support the alternatives and forced people to turn to the few who offered them help, as awful as that help is.  But people in Syria aren't stupid and they don't trusts the Jihadis, most people dislike them and their methods, and it's only a matter of time until they are rejected wholesale.  But the Jihadists probably won't want to leave, so there needs to be a strong, well-supported alternative (other than Assad, since the regime is at this point unsustainable and only brings in more sectarian hatred and jihadists).

 

 

 

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/08/obama-syria-a-challenge-to-the-world-171508.html

Obama: Syria 'a challenge to the world'

 

President Barack Obama called Syria’s chemical weapons attack “a challenge to the world” and said he is considering a “limited, narrow act” against the county’s regime.

 

“We’re not considering any open-ended commitment,” Obama told reporters at the White House Friday afternoon. “We’re not considering any boots on the ground approach.”

 

“I have not made any decisions about the various actions that might be taken,” Obama said. “We have consulted with allies. We have consulted with Congress.”

 

http://news.msn.com/us/kerry-lays-out-case-for-military-intervention-in-Syria

Kerry lays out case for military intervention in Syria

 

Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday laid out evidence supporting a military strike on Syria, saying, "The Assad regime has the largest chemical weapons program in the entire Middle East" and that "we know that the regime has used those weapons multiple times this year."

 

Kerry spoke to reporters at the State Department while the White House simultaneously released an unclassified version of a U.S. intelligence report on Syria's use of chemical weapon, a move Kerry called "unprecedented." The United States has been contemplating an attack on the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al Assad, despite opposition from some members of Congress and foreign governments.

 

"The United States government now knows that at least 1,429 civilians were killed in this attack," including at least 426 children, Kerry said.

 

Kerry said that the Obama administration had consulted extensively with Congress about the intelligence but that ordinary Americans deserved to know as much as possible as well.

The report's findings "are as clear as they are compelling," Kerry said. "I'm not asking you to take my word for it. Read for yourself the evidence from thousands of sources."

 

"Our intelligence community has carefully reviewed and re-reviewed information," he added. "It has done so more than mindful of the Iraq experience. We will not repeat that experience."

 

http://live.reuters.com/Event/Syria_9

Reuters Wire: Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan says any intervention against Syria should be aimed at bringing an end to President Assad's rule.

Don't think it will be, if it happens.  But it will probably speed things up a little.

Assuming it isn't just striking an empty building or two.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/the-alleged-chemical-attack-sites-in-damascus/2013/08/30/9ec4a71e-11a4-11e3-b4cb-fd7ce041d814_graphic.html?Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost

 

 

Picture from a protest in Kafranbel, Idlib today:

 

 

 

 

Ha ha!  I didn't realize that Kerry referred to France as "our oldest ally" today. 

(obviously referring to their assistance and intervention in the American Revolution...against the British)

[visionary]

http://racanarchy.com/2013/08/30/the-informal-case-for-hands-off-syria/

The case for ‘Hands off Syria’

(Some gruesome images there.)

 

http://blogs.channel4.com/lindsey-hilsum-on-international-affairs/syrian-refugees-admiring-baffled-uks-no-war-vote/2756

Syrian refugees admiring and baffled after UK’s ‘no war’ vote

 

It’s not often that people in the Middle East are riveted by a debate in the British Houses of Parliament. But Thursday’s motion on Syria was different.

 

A Syrian refugee I met today, who fled six months ago after his life was threatened because of his opposition to Bashar al-Assad, said: “I really admire your democracy and the way you debated the war. “It’s good that it’s not one man who makes the decision to go to war and then the whole country has to agree.”

 

But the refugees I met were also baffled at how the MPs had come to their decision to vote no. At a small refugee camp of about 25 tents pitched on hot, stony ground, I chatted to a group of refugees from the Damascus suburbs, many from the areas which were hit by chemical weapons.

 

One said to me: “Have the MPs not seen the television? Are they deaf and blind? Is it not on their conscience?”

 

None of them wanted to give their names because they still have family members back in Damascus. “The British MPs will one day have to face the next generation of British children and explain why they voted no,” said another man. -

 

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/30/us-syria-crisis-iraq-idUSBRE97T0XH20130830?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Iraqi militia vowes to attack U.S. interests if Syria hit

 

An Iraqi Shi'ite militia group said on Friday it would attack U.S. interests in Iraq and the region if Washington carries out a military strike on Syria.

 

President Barack Obama said on Friday the United States was still in the planning process for a response to the chemical weapons use in Syria.

 

"All their interests and facilities in Iraq and the region will be targeted by our militants if the United States insists on attacking Syria," a spokesman for the Iraqi militia group al-Nujaba'a told Reuters by telephone, without giving details.

 

Al-Nujaba'a is an umbrella group which includes Iraqi Shi'ite militants who have crossed into neighboring Syria to fight alongside troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Assad is from the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/30/us-syria-crisis-damascus-idUSBRE97T0X620130830?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Assad's forces try to capture gassed Damascus suburb: activists

 

President Bashar al-Assad's forces fired rocket barrages on Friday at a Damascus suburb hit by nerve gas last week, in another attempt to capture the strategic town ahead of a possible U.S. strike, opposition activists said.

 

Elite guard units backed by tanks advanced from two directions on the suburb of Mouadamiya, 8 km (5 miles) west of Damascus along the road to the nearby Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, but were met with heavy resistance from two rebel brigades dug in the town, they said.

His forces have intensified the shelling of Mouadamiya and eastern Damascus neighborhoods since August 21, hoping to drive out rebel brigades, who had encroached on his seat on power in the capital, according to opposition activists.

 

Mouadamiya borders the Mezze military Airport, a main base for loyalist troops and militia, and the headquarters of the Fourth Mechanised Division, which is headed by Assad's feared brother Maher and comprised mainly of troops from his Alawite minority sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, that has dominated Syria for since the 1960s.

 

Activist Wassim Ahmad said the missile barrages hitting Mouadamiya were the heaviest since the suburb was besieged by the Fourth Division and Republican Guards units nine months ago.

 

"It appears the regime is trying to seize Mouadamiya to create a distance between the rebels

and the Mezze airport and the Fourth Division, before the American strike makes them more of a threat," he said.

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/nancy-pelosi-barack-obama-syria-96065.html

Nancy Pelosi the hawk tells President Obama to act on Syria

 

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi pressed top administration officials Thursday night to take military action to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad in response to reports that he used chemical weapons in his nation’s ongoing civil war.

 

“It is clear that the American people are weary of war. However, Assad gassing his own people is an issue of our national security, regional stability and global security,” Pelosi said in a statement after the 90-minute conference call with members of the National Security Council and 26 high-ranking lawmakers.

 

The White House organized the conference call — which was unclassified because of a lack of secure phone lines — at a time when congressional demands for more information on both the intelligence regarding the alleged chemical weapons attack and President Barack Obama’s plans for a military response are growing.

 

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/30/us_had_intel_on_chemical_strike_before_it_was_launched

U.S. Had Intel on Chemical Strike Before It Was Launched

 

American intelligence agencies had indications three days beforehand that the Syrian regime was poised to launch a lethal chemical attack that killed more than a thousand people and has set the stage for a possible U.S. military strike on Syria.

 

The disclosure -- part of a larger U.S. intelligence briefing on Syria's chemical attacks -- raises all sorts of uncomfortable questions for the American government. First and foremost: What, if anything, did it do to notify the Syrian opposition of the pending attack?

 

In a call with reporters Friday afternoon, senior administration officials did not address whether this information was shared with rebel groups in advance of the attack. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the information had been shared.

 

But at least some members of the Syrian opposition are already lashing out at the U.S. government for not acting ahead of time to prevent the worst chemical attack in a quarter-century. "If you knew, why did you take no action?" asked Dlshad Othman, a Syrian activist and secure communications expert who has recently relocated to the United States. He added that none of his contacts had any sort of prior warning about the nerve gas assault -- although such an attack was always a constant fear.

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak

Reuters: Diplomat says UN chief told permanent security council members analysis of samples from Syria could take two weeks
5:47 PM

[twa]

I'm not sure what you mean.   The phone interception happened after the attack.

 

Or are you referring to something else?

see the link above for clarity

[skinsmarydu]

Easy, Trigger.

Whoa, Nelly.

Whatever...let's wait & see. 

I know I'm not the only one.

[CurseReversed]

You just cant make this stuff up...

 

Here is Biden being "dead serious" on why a president declaring war without congressional approval potentially qualifies for impeachment.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIFTXEqEh-8

 

 

 

 

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/30/us-syria-crisis-un-idUSBRE97T10H20130830

U.N. investigators to exit Syria, chemical probe may take weeks

 

A team of U.N. experts finished gathering evidence of a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people in suburbs near Damascus last week, the United Nations announced on Friday, though envoys said analyzing the samples may take weeks.

 

The announcement the U.N. inspectors will not be releasing their findings immediately came as Washington suggested the U.N. investigation would have no bearing on its decision about whether to attack Syria in retaliation for the alleged poison gas attack on civilians.

 

Russia, diplomats said, was hoping to use the time needed to complete the U.N. probe to slow down the push for air strikes. Washington has left the timing of any action unclear.

 

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said the inspectors would be leaving Syria on Saturday but would return later to investigate several other alleged poison gas attacks that have taken place in Syria during the country's 2-1/2-year civil war.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/30/britain-still-difference-Syria

Ed Miliband

I believe Britain can still make a difference in Syria

 

There will be those who believe Thursday's vote in the House of Commons means that Britain cannot make a difference to the innocent civilians of Syria who are suffering such a humanitarian catastrophe. I don't agree. We must use next week's G20 meeting in Russia, with the eyes of the world on Syria, to seek to bring the international community together, and force the warring parties into the political solution that is necessary.

 

But the vote remains an important moment: for parliament, for the country and for Britain's relations with the world. This moment also gives us the opportunity to learn the right lessons for the conduct of foreign policy across all parties.

 

Some people have argued that the significance of this moment is that Britain is stepping back from its pivotal role in the world. There has been talk of a dark and depressing day. There have been warnings that Britain is slipping in to a narrow-minded isolationism, a doctrine that ill-serves the long-term interests of our country and threatens the peace and security of the world.

 

I do not agree with this. The British people know that we prosper as a country when we look out to the world, not when we turn in on ourselves. And the British people are willing today to accept our obligations to others, as we were when my parents were welcomed as refugees to these shores back in the second world war. And indeed, that is why there was a different response to the action in Libya two years ago, compared with the deep anxiety this week about potential action in Syria.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23908845

Syria crisis: 'Incendiary attack' doctor invites Ed Miliband 'to see Syria for himself'

 

US President Barack Obama has said he fully respects David Cameron's approach after Parliament blocked UK involvement in possible military action in Syria.

 

Ministers ruled out British involvement in any military action on Thursday evening after MPs blocked a government motion which called for military action if it was backed up by evidence from the UN weapons inspectors.

 

On Thursday, footage emerged from a BBC team inside Syria filming for Panorama who witnessed the aftermath of an incendiary bomb dropped on to a school playground in the north of the country - which has left scores of children with napalm-like burns over their bodies.

 

The doctor from the organisation Hand In Hand For Syria is known as Dr Rola. She was present at the aftermath of that attack, told BBC Newsnight that following the UK Parliament vote, she would "like to invite Ed Miliband and his family... to spend a day in one of the civilian areas under constant shelling" in order for him to see at first hand what it is like.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/world/europe/in-turnaround-its-france-backing-arms-while-britain-sits-on-syria-sidelines.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimesworld&_r=0

In Turnaround, It’s France Backing Arms While Britain Sits on Syria Sidelines

 

In the 2003 Iraq war, France refused to join the American-led coalition against Saddam Hussein, while Britain, as usual, fought fiercely alongside the Americans.

 

Many Americans made fun of the French, speaking of “cheese-eating surrender monkeys,” and “freedom fries” became the nom de guerre of French fries in Washington.

 

Ten years later, however, France is pressing for military action in Syria and happy to fight alongside the Americans, while the British, in a stunning turnaround after a badly managed vote Thursday night in Parliament, will not take part in any military action, joining the Germans on the sidelines.

 

The outcome is especially bizarre because Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain joined President François Hollande of France in strongly pushing President Obama to act more boldly in Syria — to provide arms to the rebels, to consider a no-fly zone, to strike hard in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons. His activism far outstripped Britain’s teamwork with the United States on the Iraq war, for which bitter Britons referred to Prime Minister Tony Blair as President George W. Bush’s poodle.

 

“On this issue Britain wasn’t Obama’s poodle but his Rottweiler,” said Robin Niblett, the director of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs. “We and the French were pushing Obama on Syria to arm the opposition, lift the embargoes and strike back.”

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/08/30/u-s-sends-marines-to-eastern-mediterranean/?mod=e2tw

U.S. Sends Marines to Eastern Mediterranean

 

The Navy has moved an amphibious ship with helicopters and Marines onboard into the eastern Mediterranean as part of preparations for possible U.S. strikes on Syria, officials said.

 

The ship joins five Navy destroyers armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles. The amphibious ship was sent as a “prudent precaution,” a senior defense official said.

 

The vessel’s helicopters and Marine Corps personnel could be used for any evacuations if any are needed.

 

Officials are concerned about possible Syrian retaliation in response to any strikes. A particular concern for the U.S. are American embassies in the region, such as the one in Lebanon.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/world/after-british-vote-unusual-isolation-for-us-on-syria.html

After British Vote, Unusual Isolation for U.S. on Syria

 

With a few exceptions in the past half-century, there has been a simple rule of thumb when it comes to international conflict: America does not use force without Britain at its side.

 

So when Prime Minister David Cameron was unable to muster the votes in Parliament for support for a strike in Syria — even one limited to stopping the future use of chemical weapons — shock could be heard in the voices of senior White House officials who never saw the British rejection coming.

 

“Bungled by Cameron,” said one.

 

“Embarrassing,” said another. “For Cameron, and for us.”

 

Now Mr. Obama is left to cope with miscalculations on both sides of the Atlantic. If he goes ahead with the strike — which seems all but inevitable, based on the statements of senior administration officials who say the president is determined to restore “international norms” against the use of chemical weapons — he will look more isolated than any president in recent memory entering a conflict.

 

True, Britain stayed out of Vietnam — it was dealing with issues in the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia at the time — and there was no need for Britain in small actions in Panama and Grenada. Ronald Reagan angered his close partner Margaret Thatcher by providing minimal assistance in the Falklands War. But the Middle East, site of Britain’s former empire, is a different matter — territory in which Britain and the United States have long history and deep interests.

 

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/alex-massie/2013/08/on-syria-parliament-has-voted-to-have-no-policy-at-all/

On Syria, parliament has voted to have no policy at all.

 

A muddle and a ****-up. For all the talk of parliament reasserting itself, last night’s vote on Syria showed a parliament that voted, twice, to oppose actions it actually supports. David Cameron has been humiliated but this was hardly a banner day for Ed Miliband either.

 

The House of Commons has, for now, cut off its nose to spite its face. Perhaps surgery can repair the damage. Perhaps it can’t. Because the longer and more deeply one contemplates yesterday’s events the more evident it seems that there were no winners.

 

The government motion was defeated. So was Labour’s amendment. Since these motions were, in essence and in most practical respects, identical one wonders what on earth has happened. Put together more than 450 MPs supported either the government motion or Labour’s amendment.

 

Neither motion authorised immediate military action. Neither motion handed the government a “blank cheque”. Both motions acknowledged more time, more evidence, more discussion would be needed before any final decision was taken. And both were defeated. Work that out if you can.

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/leon-panetta-syria-96109.html

Leon Panetta: President has ‘responsibility’ to act

 

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes that the U.S. needs to step up, back up its word and take action against Syria now that is increasingly clear that the red line has been crossed, for the sake of U.S. national security interest.

 

“The president of the United States, as commander in chief has the responsibility to protect our vital national security interests. There’s no question that the credibility and the leadership of the United States in a troubled world is extremely important to our national security,” Panetta said in a clip from an NBC News interview that will air Friday. “Having drawn a clear red line that Syria should not use chemical weapons, same kind of red line that we’ve drawn on Iran, with regards to the use of nuclear weapons, it is absolutely important to our national security interest that we back up that word and take action when that line has been violated.”

 

Panetta is convinced that the Assad regime is behind the chemical attacks saying that the intelligence is “pretty clear,” and the U.S. now has a responsibility, regardless of how “war exhausted” the nation is.

 

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/29/so_youve_bombed_syria_what_next_peace_plan

So You've Bombed Syria. What Next?

 

For more than two years, impassioned advocates have called for U.S. military intervention in Syria in order to advance a peace settlement. Now, in the wake of last week's horrific chemical weapons attack in a suburb of Damascus, military intervention finally looks imminent. But what of the prospects for peace?

 

At the moment, views are split within and outside the Obama administration over whether the United States should strike Bashar al-Assad merely to punish him for using chemical weapons -- reasserting U.S. regional credibility in the process -- or take sustained action to degrade the regime's capacity to wage war and move the parties toward a peace deal. This is a false choice. No matter the intensity or duration of the strike package, U.S. missiles are likely to open the best window yet to catalyze negotiations, something the United States and Russia have failed to do in a series of abortive attempts to hold a peace conference in Geneva. It is therefore critical that the administration seize this fleeting opportunity to hasten the end of the war as it formulates its military plans.

[visionary]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324324404579045300639945302.html?mod=rss_middle_east_news

Quietly, Some Allies Push for Action

 

In recent meetings, South Korean officials told their U.S. counterparts that continued White House inaction in Syria could embolden North Korea to use its own chemical weapons against its southern neighbor.

 

Similar messages were relayed by Turkish, Israeli and Saudi officials in recent days, telling President Barack Obama he must respond to Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons, current and former U.S. and Middle Eastern officials said. Failure to act, these allies said, could convince Iran that Washington isn't serious about halting its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

 

Mr. Obama's possible move to strike Syria is designed to retaliate against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for what the U.S. and others call a chemical-weapons attack on Aug. 21. A strike would also be intended to persuade friends and foes alike that the U.S. won't renege on global-security commitments.

 

Current and former U.S. officials say growing concerns about American credibility helped tip the scales within the White House in favor of a limited military intervention. Two months ago, when U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Mr. Assad had crossed Mr. Obama's "red line" by using chemical weapons on a smaller scale, neither the president nor his top military advisers favored striking Syria.

I had no idea South Korea was worried too.

 

 

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nowsyrialatestnews/merkel-hits-out-at-russia-china-over-syria-stance

Merkel hits out at Russia, China over Syria stance

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hit out at Russia and China over their stance in the Syrian crisis, saying in an interview published Saturday that their action weakened the United Nations.

 

"It is very regrettable that Russia and China have refused for some time to come to a common position [with Western partners] on the Syrian conflict. This considerably weakens the role of the United Nations," she said in an interview with regional daily Augsburger Allgemeine.

 

Russia and China have vetoed three resolutions that would increase pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the start of the conflict in March 2011.

 

The two countries are also against a current push by the three Western permanent members of the Security Council -- the United States, Britain and France -- for a resolution that would allow military action against Syria over a chemical weapons attack which the West blames on the regime and the regime blames on the rebels.

 

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/31/.UiGul2V3vQg.twitter

UN weapons inspectors pull out of Syria ahead of schedule

 

With a U.S. military strike looming, U.N. weapons inspectors left Syria ahead of schedule early Saturday for a dangerous predawn drive to Lebanon, carrying unknown evidence of what the U.S. says was a chemical weapons attack on its own citizens by the Syrian government.

 

The inspectors had been expected to leave about 9 a.m. Saturday (2 a.m. ET), but they were seen leaving their hotel in Damascus, the capital about 5:30 a.m. in vehicles bound for Beirut, Lebanon. They made no comment as they arrived at the Beirut airport.

 

The U.N. said Friday that the team had finished collecting samples from the site of the alleged attack but that a complete analysis would take time. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the five permanent Security Council members that it may be two weeks before final results are ready, diplomats said.

 

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/lebanonnews/syrian-coast-guards-seize-lebanese-fishing-boat

Syrian coast guard seizes Lebanese fishing boat

 

Syrian coast guards on Saturday opened fire on and seized a Lebanese fishing boat off the Al-Arida coast in North Lebanon, residents from the area told the National News Agency.

 

The Syrian troops dragged the boat to one of the Syrian maritime centers, the report added.

According to the NNA, the boat belongs to Lebanese citizen identified by his initials as A.H.R.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/world/middleeast/john-kerry-syria.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Kerry Becomes Chief Advocate for U.S. Attack

 

Jabbing his finger at the lectern, his voice forceful, his words brimming with indignation, John Kerry laid out the case like the prosecutor he once was, making a closing argument to a skeptical jury.

 

Again and again, some 24 times in all, he used the phrase “we know” as he described the intelligence that Syria’s government massacred more than 1,400 people with chemical weapons. And then, while saying no decision had been made, he left no doubt that the United States would respond with military power.

 

“We know that after a decade of conflict, the American people are tired of war — believe me, I am, too,” said Mr. Kerry, who opposed the Iraq war in his failed presidential bid in 2004. “But fatigue does not absolve us of our responsibility. Just longing for peace does not necessarily bring it about. And history would judge us all extraordinarily harshly if we turned a blind eye to a dictator’s wanton use of weapons of mass destruction against all warnings, against all common understanding of decency.”

 

Just seven months after being sworn in as secretary of state, Mr. Kerry has become President Obama’s frontman in the public argument for a military strike against the Syrian government. While the president sounds restrained in his language and even perhaps personally ambivalent about the operation he seems likely to order, Mr. Kerry came across on Friday as an unstinting advocate for action against what he called “a despot’s brutal and flagrant use of chemical weapons.”

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/30/nato-syria_n_3844669.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

NATO Allies Will Not Take Part In Syria Strike, Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Says

 

NATO's chief said for the first time Friday that the alliance has no plans for military action in Syria because of the alleged use of chemical weapons against its civilians.

 

Asked about the alleged deadly attack in a suburb of Damascus on Aug. 21, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen pointed the finger at Syrian forces. "It demands cynicism beyond what is reasonable to believe that the opposition is behind a chemical attack in an area it already largely controls," he said.

 

On Wednesday, Fogh Rasmussen said, "Any use of such weapons is unacceptable and cannot go unanswered. Those responsible must be held accountable."

 

But on Friday he told reporters in Denmark that NATO has no plans to intervene in Syria, which would require the approval of all 28 of its members.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/31/us-syria-crisis-france-poll-idUSBRE97U05120130831?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Most French oppose attack on Syria and don't trust Hollande to do it: poll

 

Most French people do not want France to take part in military action on Syria and most do not trust French President Francois Hollande to do so, a poll showed on Saturday.

 

The United States said on Friday it would punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for a chemical attack that it says killed more than 1,400 people in Damascus last week, and Hollande said Britain's parliamentary vote against military strikes would not affect France's own actions.

 

The BVA poll released by Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France, showed 64 percent of respondents opposed military action, 58 percent did not trust Hollande to conduct it, and 35 percent feared it could "set the entire region (Middle East) ablaze".

 

Two other opinion polls published this week, and carried out after the gas attack, indicated lukewarm support among French voters for military intervention in Syria.

 

http://www.al-bab.com/blog/2013/august/syria-view-from-US-intelligence.htm#sthash.AUZtnwLA.fokvwPrA.dpbs

Syria: the view from US intelligence

 

The United States has now published has now published a declassified summary of its intelligence assessment relating to the use of chemical weapons in Syria on August 21.

 

Like the British intelligence report issued a day earlier, it firmly dismisses the idea that rebels could have carried out the attacks:
•
"We assess that the opposition has not used chemical weapons."

•
"We have seen no indication that the opposition has carried out a large-scale, coordinated rocket and artillery attack like the one that occurred on August 21."

The most interesting part of the American report, though, is that the US appears to have substantial information about the attacks themselves:

 

 

https://twitter.com/markito0171

Daraa Swaida  Reports of large defections inside Khalkhala Military Airport after rebels destroyed convoy & killed many soldiers
6:20 PM

 

https://twitter.com/LuisaZangh

Can some1 pls tell me what anti-interventionists suggest? Regime has just taken an area in Homs (90% of Qusoor) & they WILL massacre the residents
3:22 AM

 

[what's left in Homs] Qarabees, Hamidiyah, all the gates except maybe Sbaa. Yeh its grim but rebels are tired. No outside world for 2 yrs.
3:29 AM

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=728600660500406&l=129221e7a8

Local Cordination Committees in Syria

By the end of Friday the cordination committees were able to document 72 martyrs includings 4 women, 9 children; 2 under torture:

21 Martyrs in Damascus and its suburbs; 17 in Idlib; 15 in Hama; 10 in Daraa; 6 in Aleppo; 2 in Homs; 1 in Deir Ezzor

[skinsmarydu]

I'm with those who would like a diplomatic solution.  What that might be, I have no idea. 

No bombing, no war.  We have enough enemies because of intervention in other countries' issues.  Their children and grandchildren will do even more damage in the future.   

Assad isn't giving in.  (thread title is forever old, and still relevant!)  Is it our job to try & force him to do so?

[visionary]

I'm with those who would like a diplomatic solution.  What that might be, I have no idea. 

No bombing, no war.  We have enough enemies because of intervention in other countries' issues.  Their children and grandchildren will do even more damage in the future.   

Assad isn't giving in.  (thread title is forever old, and still relevant!)  Is it our job to try & force him to do so?

Cool, how does it get there without a military solution first?  (hint...it doesn't :-)

Assad nor his closest killer buddies aren't stepping down without a knife to their throat.

And no way will the opposition negotiate with the rapists, mass murderers, and destroyers of their homes and families.

And since Assad has said he has no plans to leave power, and any solution would have to include him doing so, there's no point in bothering with any sort of diplomatic solution right now.

 

 

That said, I have no idea what we have planned anymore, as it seems the administration has probably screwed up whatever was intended to be done, just like it has everything else in regards to Syria so far. 

[skinsmarydu]

Oh, I agree...I just don't see it being quick, as much as they want us to believe it will be. 

[visionary]

Oh, I agree...I just don't see it being quick, as much as they want us to believe it will be. 

Do you mean the possible strikes? (or whatever people are calling it now)

Because at this point, I wouldn't be astonished if we waited a couple of weeks, then hit one abandoned building, and declared victory. lol 

 

Supposedly we're narrowing down our targets according to the latest news. 

(assuming we actually go through with it at some point)

[thebluefood]

Everyone else has said this, but this really seems like a catch 22. We intervene and we pour more money and man power into the Middle East in a conflict that

A.) Will probably go on for years

B.) Cause more of our soldiers to die

 

If we don't do anything, we send a message that we're willing to let thugs like Assad run wild against his own people.

 

This is what we call a no-win situation

[twa]

 Is it our job to try & force him to do so?

 

 

if you want to be a world leader and throw down red lines it is

[GoSkins561]

Cool, how does it get there without a military solution first?  (hint...it doesn't :-)

Assad nor his closest killer buddies aren't stepping down without a knife to their throat.

\

 

And then we have Al Qaeda on the other side who isn't backing down from Assad either, so whats the point?

 

[GoSkins561]

Mr. Peace Prize is getting ready to speak.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Obama sounded scary there. He wants to drop some bombs, baby. Yeesh! Seems like he was so tempted to, but barely resisted.

[thebluefood]

Ah, crap, I forgot about his address. What did he say?

[GoSkins561]

He wants to bomb Syria but is sending the vote to Congress even though he thinks Syria is a National Security Risk.