http://news.antiwar.com/2012/11/29/turmoil-in-syria-battle-rages-near-airport-as-internet-goes-down/
The Free Syrian Army (FSA) fired mortars at the airport runways, according to early reports, and say they have been planning the attack for a “long time” aimed at capturing it outright. Syrian troops have deployed to contest the raid.
Robert Ford, the US ambassador to Syria who left Damascus in February, said “the president has never taken the provision of arms off the table” but that “arms are a tactic, not a strategy.”
Its going to be difficult for Iran to even hypothetically satisfy either the IAEA or the United States, as the IAEA has repeatedly reaffirmed that Iran’s nuclear program is 100% civilian in nature.
Turmoil in Syria: Battle Rages Near Airport as Internet Goes Down
State Media Blames Terror Attack for Internet Disruption
by Jason Ditz, November 29, 2012
Flights are being cancelled to the Syrian capital city of Damascus today as a major battle rages just outside of the airport and communication with the outside world has been all but cut off by the loss of Internet and phone service.
The Free Syrian Army (FSA) fired mortars at the airport runways, according to early reports, and say they have been planning the attack for a “long time” aimed at capturing it outright. Syrian troops have deployed to contest the raid.
The loss of the Internetnationwide is something of a mystery, and while the US is blaming the Syrian government for doing so, supposedly to hurt rebel communication, the government has never made such a broad move beforehand, and Syrian state media is reporting that it is the result of a terrorist attack, promising that engineers would repair the outage as soon as possible.
Syria had previously made isolated regional cuts lasting no more than an hour during specific operations but never anything close to shutting the whole nation’s Internet down. Since US officials have been pumping communication equipment into the nation’s rebel fighters’ hands it isn’t clear that the move would impact the rebels at any rate.
Technology experts suggest that the outage could indeed be physical, and all attempts to connect to Syrian IPs are simply timing out. Giving Syria’s limited Internet infrastructure, this could be accomplished by physically cutting a few cables, which may lend credence to the claims of sabotage.
and.....
US Claims Still Hesitant to Directly Send Arms to Syrian Rebels
Robert Ford, the US ambassador to Syria said “We think that a military solution is not the best way for Syria."
by John Glaser, November 29, 2012
Top US officials claim the Obama administration is still wary of formally recognizing the Syrian opposition and of directly sending them arms, after about a year of limited meddling has contributed in an apparent stalemate in Syria’s bloody civil war.
Robert Ford, the US ambassador to Syria who left Damascus in February, said “the president has never taken the provision of arms off the table” but that “arms are a tactic, not a strategy.”
“We think that a military solution is not the best way for Syria,” Ford continued. “Efforts to win this by conquering one side or another will simply prolong the violence and aggravate an already terrible humanitarian situation.”
The US admits it has been aiding the Syrian rebels with non-lethal assistance, and reports have found the CIA to be set on the Turkish-Syrian border funneling weapons from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and others to Syrian rebel groups.
But the Syrian opposition is increasingly made up of extremist jihadis, many of whom have committed war crimes and many of whom are fighting under the banner of al-Qaeda. Still, the US has tried to bolster certain other elements of the opposition to clear the way for direct US support.
“It appears as though the opposition is now capable of holding ground and that they are better equipped and more able to bring the fight to the government forces,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a conference on Thursday. “I don’t know if you can say that the entire country is at a tipping point, but it certainly seems that the regime will be harder pressed in the coming months.”
“Clinton denied a report Thursday by the Associated Press which stated that the administration is already planning to recognize the new Syrian opposition council that Clinton and her State Department were instrumental in helping establish, reports Josh Rogin at Foreign Policy. “She also declined to confirm a New York Times report Thursday that the administration is considering providing direct arms to some members of the Syrian opposition.”
and regarding Iran , US gives Iran a March 2013 deadline to cooperate with the IAEA - or what ?
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/11/29/us-issues-march-ultimatum-for-iran/
US Issues IAEA Ultimatum for Iran in March
Demands Progress With IAEA Investigation
by Jason Ditz, November 29, 2012
The US is demanding that Iran “start cooperating” with the IAEA by March, threatening unspecified UN Security Council moves if they are not satisfied with the progress.
Its going to be difficult for Iran to even hypothetically satisfy either the IAEA or the United States, as the IAEA has repeatedly reaffirmed that Iran’s nuclear program is 100% civilian in nature.
That’s not the problem, despite rhetoric to the contrary. Rather, the problem is that the IAEA says that it hasn’t been able to 100% confirm that there isn’t some hypothetical second nuclear program operational in Iran that they simply have no documentation for.
That’s a virtually insurmountable problem, because Iran’s repeated confirmation that the program doesn’t exist isn’t sufficient, and there is no documentation anywhere to prove that something purely hypothetical doesn’t exist.
And regarding Egypt......
Vote on Egypt’s Constitution Hurried Amid Anti-Morsi Protests
Morsi tried to maintain the legitimacy of the constitutional assembly through dictatorial measures
by John Glaser, November 28, 2012
The council assigned to draft Egypt’s new constitution has decided to rush the vote on a final draft, as hundreds protest in Tahrir Square against President Morsi’s recent dictatorial decrees.
“By late on Thursday afternoon, the constituent assembly, which has been boycotted by liberals and Christians, had approved almost one-fifth of 234 articles,” Al Jazeera reports, including “a unanimous decision to retain the principles of Islamic law as the main source of legislation.”
When Morsi issued a decree last week that placed his rule above any judicial oversight, he did it with in constitutional assembly in mind. Amid accusations that the council was being co-opted by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, many members quit in protest. Morsi’s decree aimed at maintaining the council’s legitimacy.
Liberals and non-Muslims initially included in the drafting of the constitution boycotted it because, they charge, it leans toward Islamic law at the expense of civil rights.
“The Muslim Brotherhood are stealing the constitution,” Sameh Ashour, head of the lawyers’ syndicate and a former member of the council told CNN. “They are tailoring it according to their view after Coptic church representatives, civil movements, and revolutionary representatives withdrew.”
Morsi is scheduled to address the nation on Thursday, in response to widespread protests.
“The president will address the nation on state TV on Thursday evening and will speak about the constitutional decree and why it was issued as well as the events that ensued afterwards,” said the source.
But the supreme court, packed with Mubarak appointees, remained defiant against Morsi’s decree undermining the judiciary. Court spokesman Maher Samy told reporters the court ”will not be intimidated, blackmailed or threatened, and we will not be subjected to any pressure regardless of how strong this pressure is. We are united.”
The power struggle going on in Egypt is complex, but the US isn’t sitting on the sidelines. Washington still gives the Egyptian government almost $1.5 billion plussecurity assistance every year. The US isn’t any more disturbed by Morsi’s decree than they were with Mubarak’s autocratic emergency laws.
As Esam Al-Amin described current US policy towards Egypt: “the strategy is to give the Islamic rising powers a chance to govern as long as they agree to: keep the Americans in, the Chinese and Russians out, the Iranians down, and the Israelis safe.”
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