Hizballah fighters in al-Qusayr battle
DEBKAfile Special Report May 30, 2013, 10:09 AM (IDT)
Taunting Israel, Bashar Assad says in an interview prerecorded for broadcast Thursday night, May 30, that the first batch of Russian S-300 anti-air missiles has arrived in Syria and a second consignment is on the way. Wednesday, May 29, DEBKAfile reported the landing at Latakia of a large Russian transport carrying 60 tons of unidentified freight. This was the first S-300 consignment. Fresh Hizballah forces entering Syria Thursday are heading for Deraa, the rebels’ southern stronghold 30 kilometers from Israel’s Golan border.
More>First Shipment Of Russian S-300 Rockets Arrives In Syria
Two days ago we reported that the most recent escalation in the Syrian proxy war involved a bitter exchange between Russia and Israel, where the latter warned the former that it would proceed with destroying any arms shipments from Russia into Syria, specifically referencing the S-300 missiles that has been known to be en route to Damascus for several weeks now. The Israel defense minister warned that: "The shipments haven't set out yet and I hope they won't. If they do arrive in Syria, God forbid, we'll know what to do." Well, according to Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar not only has the shipment been sent out, but it has already arrived. Check to Israel and coming through on its warning to begin an offensive action not only against Syria, but more importantly, implicitly against Russia.
More:
"Syria has received the first shipment of Russian anti-aircraft S-300 rockets," Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar newspaper quoted Assad as saying in an interview due to be broadcast later on Thursday.More of the missiles would arrive soon, he was quoted as saying.Russia has said it would deliver the missile system to the Syrian government over Western objections, saying the move would help stabilize the regional balance.A staunch ally of the Assad government, Moscow has appeared to grow more defiant since the European Union let its arms embargo on Syria expire, opening up the possibility of the West arming the rebels battling to topple the president. The embargo lapses on June 1.The United States, France and Israel have all called on Russia to stop the missile delivery.
So much for the United Stated, French and Israel's foreign policy leverage, at least in the eyes of Gazpromia Russia, for whom preserving the veto power on Qatar gas pipelines into Europe is the only prerogative.
And just like Israel couldn't get enough of scaremongering about the Iranian nuclear facility in Fordow which was said would lead to the war if left unchecked (we are still waiting), now it is the turn to blindly accuse Syria of preemptive "defensive" violence:
Officials in Israel, the United States' main ally in the region, say the S-300 could reach deep into the Jewish state and threaten flights over its main commercial airport near Tel Aviv.Israel, wary of any Syrian weapons being sent to Hezbollah in Lebanon, has already launched three air strikes against Damascus to stop suspected transfers.Sources close to the Russian weapons export monopoly Rosoboronexport said last year that an earlier agreed S-300 deal had been frozen due to concerns over violence in Syria. But one of the sources said Syria had already paid 20 percent of the contract price.Earlier this month, Israel was reported to have told Washington that Syria had begun payments for a $900 million purchase of S-300s, with an initial deliver due within three months
So if the missiles, shown below, have indeed arrived, look for red flashing headlines about loud explosions in Syria in the next 24 hours. And after that, look for even redder flashier headlines, describing Russia's response.
So , what does Israel do now ?
Israel: Syria Missile Defense Acquisition a ‘Red Line’ for Military Action
Syria Promises to Retaliate if Israel Attacks Yet Again
by Jason Ditz, May 29, 2013
In a meeting with European Union ambassadors, Israeli National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror declared the Syrian government’s imminent acquisition of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to be a “red line” that would obligate Israeli military action to prevent them becoming operational.
The S-300′s are the pride of Russia’s air defense arsenal, and Syria is eager to acquire them after several recent Israeli air strikes, which their existing defensive systems proved unable to prevent. Russia insisted that since the system is purely defensive, and the rebels don’t have any aircraft, the missiles are unrelated to the ongoing Syrian Civil War and they see no reason to delay delivery.
The comments come just a day after Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon suggested in an interview that Israel might attack the Russian Navy in an attempt to sink the ships and prevent the delivery. That is seen as extremely unlikely given Russia’s military capabilities.
The issue is two-fold for Israel, with the public claim being that the S-300′s range would, assuming the missiles were parked along the border, allow Syria to attack planes in Israeli air space and turn Israel into a “no-fly zone.” Privately, the indications are that the real opposition stems from the S-300 making future Israeli attacks much less convenient.
The prospect of Israel attacking Syria seems entirely possible, since the Israeli government does this seemingly randomly once in awhile anyhow. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem insists that Syria will immediately retaliate if Israel attacks yet again, though Israeli officials have repeatedly said they don’t expect Syria to do so, and actually warned Syria not to even attempt to defend itself if and when Israel launches more attacks on them.
Hezbollah Plays Major Role in Capture of Qusayr
Lebanese Militia a Growing Part of Syria's Civil War
by Jason Ditz, May 29, 2013
Syrian forces have essentially ousted the rebel forces from the town of Qusayr along the Lebanese border after a protracted and bloody battle, and only a small remnant of the town remains under rebel control.
The defeat is a major psychological blow for the rebels, and is also a sign of Hezbollah’s growing involvement, as the Lebanese militia participated in the battle in a big way, helping the Syrian government reclaim the town.
It marked the first high-profile use of Hezbollah fighters in an offensive role, as the group had previously participated in side-battles and positioned its forces to defend Shi’ite villages and religious sites. The rebels had been using Qusayr as a means of smuggling supplies in across the Lebanese border, and repeatedly attacked Lebanese sites in retaliation for Hezbollah’s involvement in the battle.
The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) says that the involvement amounts to a Hezbollah “invasion,” and its leadership claimed over 7,000 Hezbollah fighters have crossed the border,more than Hezbollah is believed to have overall by most estimates. They also claimed Hezbollah’s involvement meant impending “massacres” and demanded international intervention on their behalf.
The US State Department also issued a statement condemning Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian Civil War as “unacceptable” and demanded they immediately withdraw. They made no similar comments about the large number of foreign jihadists fighting on behalf of the rebellion.
Little Hope for Syria Peace Talks as Rebels Can’t Even Agree to Attend
Syrian FM: Assad May Run for Reelection in 2014
by Jason Ditz, May 29, 2013
Next month’s Geneva Conference is seen as a “make or break” by some nations for ending the ongoing Syrian Civil War, but there appears to be little momentum going for it, and a lot of indications that the whole thing may never really get off the ground.
The Syrian rebels are a big part of the giant question mark hanging over the event, with the group’s long-split leadership now in complete tatters, and even the one group that had already announced its participation now saying they “haven’t decided,” while reiterating long-standing demands for most of the Syrian government to unconditionally resign before the talks even take place.
That’s obviously a non-starter with the Assad government, bulet even their past indications that they might be willing to negotiate a “post-Assad” scenario are now unclear, with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem insisting Assad would serve out his present term in office and might even run for another in 2014.
The shift may be a result of the Syrian military’s recent recovery of territory from the rebels, emboldening the government and perhaps convincing them that a victory is possible. Of course, both rebels and government have maintained that victory was not only possible, but virtually assured for their side, and have seen stalemates drag the way on for long after either side assumed it would last.
Infighting: Syrian Rebel Leadership Battle Grows
Syrian Rebel Fighters Turn on Their Political Leaders
by Jason Ditz, May 29, 2013
The rebel Syrian National Council eventually gave way to a new umbrella group called the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), and now that too faces an uncertain future as the group’s leadership disputes grow and its viability as a political mouthpiece for the rebellion at large is in increasing doubt.
Four separate rebel groups issued a joint statement about the SNC’s ongoing problems, insisting that the group is losing touch with fighters on the ground and is increasingly falling under the control of foreign backers, with the Saudi government and Qatar seen as the primary culprits in “hijacking” the group.
The Saudi-led GCC and Western nations have been pushing for the SNC to piece together some sort of palatable leadership for the rebellion at large, but even among the group’s limited constituency they are struggling to choose leaders, with Moaz al-Khatib, the last president, resigning because he insisted no one would listen to him.
A big issue is that the SNC’s leadership is mostly drawn from political and religious opposition figures, while the people doing the heavy lifting in fighting the rebellion are seeing little representation. The combat groups are demanding big changes, and more influence over where the rebellion is going.
This problem is compounded by Western interests, particularly from the US government, urging the SNC to add more secular voices to their mostly Islamist leadership, which will dilute the combat groups even more, since Islamist fighters are dominating the battle on the ground. Losing the faith of the fighters risks making the group irrelevant.
That’s doubly true with next month’s peace talks in Geneva, as the rebel fighters aren’t keen on the idea of having a group that doesn’t represent them negotiating on their behalf. The SNC’s status in those talks is still somewhat up in the air, as they have repeatedly issued conflicting statements on whether or not they will participate, and today conceded that they haven’t really decided yet, let alone gotten to the point of negotiating who to send or what their platform will be.
In the end this could mean the Geneva Conference will amount to Syria and Russian negotiating with the US on stopping a war in which one of the primary belligerent factions isn’t at the table, and has no intention of abiding by any “deal” reached in their absence.
Syrian opposition to boycott Geneva talks | ||
Syrian National Coalition says it will not take part in planned summit until siege of Qusayr ends.
Last Modified: 30 May 2013 12:50
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| Syria's opposition will not participate in proposed international peace talks in Geneva next month, its leader has said. George Sabra, the head of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), on Thursday said the opposition was suspending their participation until the international community intervened to end the siege in Qusayr, a town in Homs province near the Lebanese border. "The National Coalition will not take part in any international conference or any such efforts so long as the militias of Iran and Hezbollah continue their invasion of Syria," Sabra told reporters in Istanbul. Khaled Saleh, the SNC spokesperson, who addressed the news conference after Sabra, said civilians in the town had been "severely wounded" and Qusayr had been completely cut off by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. "Civilians have no access to water, electricity and the massacre continues minute by minute while the Assad regime continues to use weapons" it receives from allies, he said. He said the secretary-general of the UN and the Arab League should intervene to stop the killings that the Lebanese group "Hezbollah is responsible for". The planned peace talks in Geneva are being brokered by Russia - a key Syria ally - and the United States. The SNC had earlier said it would take part only if a peace process that leads to Assad stepping down is put in place. Russian missiles SNC's announcement to boycott the talks came only hours after Assad said his country would respond to any Israeli attack on its soil. In an interview to be aired on Thursday by Al-Manar TV station, owned by Hezbollah, Assad also said he had already received the first shipment of an advanced S-300 Russian missile system and would soon get the rest.
"Syria has received the first shipment of Russian anti-aircraft S-300 rockets," al-Akhbar quoted Assad as saying. "The rest of the shipment will arrive soon." Israel has suggested its military might strike the Russian S-300 missiles. Gerald Steinburg, a professor of Political Studies at Bar-ilan University, told Al Jazeera that Israel was paying attention "closely" to what is happening in Syria. But he said Israel was not alarmed by shipments of arms to Syria. "Mr Assad has got problems dealing with his own survival and that of his regime, so it it is not really a major concern in Israel," he said from Jerusalem. Several foreign envoys had participated in the Istanbul meeting to help the opposition arrive at a decision. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said major powers also remain divided on who will take part in the talks or when they will be held. Ban told reporters "active consultations" were still being held, while Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, said the US government's "entire foreign policy apparatus" was working to hold the meeting. The US has also called on Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from Syria immediately. France says about 3,000 to 4,000 Hezbollah fighters are currently battling alongside regime troops in Syria. | ||
Rebels caught with Sarin - and how did they get this ?
CIA’s al-Qaeda Mercenaries in Syria Caught with Sarin Gas
Establishment media refuses to focus on fact al-Qaeda in Syria is the chemical weapons threat
Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
May 30, 2013
Infowars.com
May 30, 2013
In an effort to up the ante in Syria and force the United States to intervene militarily, the British government on Wednesday sent a letter to United Nations boss Ban ki-moon alleging three new incidents of the al-Assad regime using chemical weapons against so-called rebels.
The British and French have yet to provide conclusive evidence that the Syrian regime has in fact used chemicals weapons. Due to a lack of evidence, the Obama administration has balked on using military force in Syria.
“Although there is little sign of the UN investigations team declaring chemical weapons have been used, western governments say that reporting of such incidents keeps up pressure on the Assad government and could deter it from large-scale use of chemical weapons,” The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
“There is increasingly strong evidence of localized use of chemical weapons,” French Foreign MinisterLaurent Fabius claimed on Monday. “We are consulting with our partners to see what concrete consequences that we are going to draw from this.”
According to Turkish officials, however, there is concrete evidence that CIA’s mercenaries operating in Syria under the leadership of the al-Nusra Front, a terrorist group aligned with al-Qaeda in Syria, are in possession of deadly sarin gas and planned to use it against the Syrian Army.
On Wednesday, Turkish officials found the gas in the homes of al-Nusra terrorists in the southern provinces of Adana and Mersia following a search by Turkish police. The terrorists planned to use the gas in an attack in the southern Turkish city of Adana, RT reports today.
The U.S., Britain and France are struggling to present evidence compelling enough to get the United States involved in the conflict. Earlier this week, The Atlantic Wire reported that Senator John McCain met with the CIA’s Islamic mercenaries who made the case that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons. The latest chemical weapons allegations are buttressed by a recent article appearing in the French publication Le Monde.
http://rt.com/news/sarin-gas-turkey-al-nusra-021/
Turkey finds sarin gas in homes of suspected Syrian Islamists – reports
Turkish security forces found a 2kg cylinder with sarin gas after searching the homes of Syrian militants from the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra Front who were previously detained, Turkish media reports. The gas was reportedly going to be used in a bomb.
The sarin gas was found in the homes of suspected Syrian Islamists detained in the southern provinces of Adana and Mersia following a search by Turkish police on Wednesday, reports say. The gas was allegedly going to be used to carry out an attack in the southern Turkish city of Adana.
On Monday, Turkish special anti-terror forces arrested 12 suspected members of the Al-Nusra Front, the Al-Qaeda affiliated group which has been dubbed "the most aggressive and successful arm” of the Syrian rebels. The group was designated a terrorist organization by the United States in December.
Police also reportedly found a cache of weapons, documents and digital data which will be reviewed by police.
Following the searches, five of those detained were released following medical examinations at the Forensic Medicine Institution Adana. Seven suspects remain in custody. Turkish authorities are yet to comment on the arrests.
In a separate incident in Adana, police reportedly received intelligence that an explosive-laden vehicle had entered the town of Adana on Thursday, the Taraf daily reports.
Ankara has attempted to bolster the Syrian opposition without becoming embroiled in the Syrian civil war, a policy which Damascus claims lead to the deadliest act of terrorism on Turkish soil.
On May 11, 51 people were killed and 140 injured after two car bombs exploded in the Turkish town of Reyhanlı, located near the country’s border with Syria.A dozen Turkish nationals have been charged in the twin bombings, and Ankara has accused Damascus of helping the suspects carry out the attack.
"This incident was carried out by an organization which is in close contact to pro-regime groups in Syria and I say this very clearly, with the Syrian Mukhabarat [intelligence agency]," Interior Minister Muammer Guler said.
Syria’s Information Minister Omran Zoubi denied any link the attack, saying his country "did not commit and would never commit such an act because our values would not allow that".Zoubi further charged the Turkish government had facilitated the flow of arms, explosives, funds and fighters across the country’s border into Syria, claiming that that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his party bear direct responsibility [for the attack]."
Reports of chemical weapons use by both Damascus and the Syrian opposition have surrounded the conflict in Syria for months.
In March, the Syrian government invited the United Nations to investigate possible chemical weapons use in the Khan al-Assal area of rural Aleppo. Military experts and officials said a chemical agent, most likely sarin, was used in the attack which killed 26 people, including government forces.
Damascus claimed Al-Qaeda linked fighters were behind the attack, further alleging Turkey had a hand in the incident.
“The rocket came from a placed controlled by the terrorist and which is located close to the Turkish territory. One can assume that the weapon came from Turkey,” Zoabi said in an interview with Interfax news agency.
US President Barack Obama has warned any confirmed use of chemical weapons by Damascus would cross a "red line" which would prompt further action. Both Washington and London claimed there was growing evidence that such chemical agents had been used.
A day before the Reyhanlı bombing, Erdogan released a statement claiming he had evidence the Syrian government had had used chemical weapons, crossing the red line set by President Obama.The accusation contradicted a statement made at the time by a leading UN investigator.Carla Del Ponte, who heads
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, said there were “concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas” in Syria.
"This was use on the part of the opposition, the rebels, not by the government authorities," Del Ponte continued.
Exposure to large quantities of sarin gas, whose production and stockpiling was outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993, causes convulsions, paralysis, loss of respiratory functions and potentially death.
Troubles between the sponsors of the Rebels , as well as between Rebel factions ? Saudis vs Qatar and Turkey struggles emerge....
A warning shot for Turkey-Qatar axis
By Alper Birdal and Yigit Gunay
A bombing in the Turkish town of Reyhanli on May 11 killed 51 people but was largely ignored by Turkish media. Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the Syrian government - with no evidence.
Turkish hacker collective RedHack claims here that Turkish intelligence knew in advance that the Syrian jihadi outfit Jabhat al-Nusra was preparing three car bombs to be detonated inside Turkey. Erdogan remains mum.
The Reyhanli massacre was subjected to a press ban in Turkey after the ruling party's clumsy attempt to cover it up fell short. Butas far as the massacre is concerned, we believe it is possible to make a strong guess about the perpetrators.
Turkish media also did not really reflect upon why Syrian armed groups suddenly started losing Al-Qusayr, in western Syria. The fighters in Al-Qusayr belong to the Al-Farouq brigade. This is the group the leader of the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD, the Kurdish in Northern Syria, ideologically close to the PKK in Turkey), Salih Muslims, referred to as in, "We have made a deal with them in Aleppo."
It is also the same murderous organization who said after having cutting out the heart out of a dead soldier and eating, "What is the problem? I have been butchering Alawites."
A spokesperson of the Al-Farouq brigade, Yazeed Al-Hassan, explained that their recent setbacks were "the result of the recent decrease of shipments from Turkey". The fact is that Saudi Arabia has stopped its weapons transfers through Turkey and moved their supply channels over to Northern Jordan.
Erdogan went to the US without visiting Reyhanli to offer his condolences to the families of the victims of the bombings.
In previous weeks, the leaders of three Arab countries had visited Washington: King Abdullah II of Jordan, Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, and the Saudi minister of Foreign Affairs, Saud Al Faisal.
They repeated the same message in meetings held separately: put your weight on the Syrian issue. A US official told the Wall Street Journal that the reason for asking the US to "put its weight" and lead the Syrian issue is because, "There is a need for someone to manage the players."
The two players these countries had been complaining about were Turkey and Qatar. These two had been sending huge amounts of money, weapons and ammunition to Islamic organizations, especially groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, without coordinating with the "other" players.
The Wall Street Journal asked a Qatari and a Turkish official about it. The Qatari official declined to comment. The Turkish official, after denying the claim that the Erdogan government has been supporting Islamist parties in Syria or anywhere else in the world, said, "We are only defending the interests of the people of Syria."
Right from the start of the "Arab Spring", a great competition between Saudi Arabia and Qatar has raged, especially in Egypt. The domination of the Muslim Brotherhood in all the countries visited by the "Spring" troubled Saudi Arabia very deeply.
Of course, the problem was not about the "support of radical elements". In a sense, Saudi Arabia was supporting the Salafi groups that are more radical than Muslim Brotherhood. The real issue was to gain the upper hand in political influence.
Since the initial Syrian crisis turned into a full-scale war through the provocation of foreign forces, in the polarization of these forces Turkey has openly sided with Qatar.
The forming of this two "block of alliances", one by Qatar and Turkey and the other by Saudi Arabia, Jordan and United Arab Emirates, has sharpened to such an extent that triggered various bloody operations - such as the mysterious suicide attack on a Qatari convoy in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on May 5.
Hitting Qatar in Somalia
Who were the targets of this attack that did not arouse much interest in global media?
When the bombs exploded, a Qatari delegation was visiting Somalia. The Qatari Minister of Interior was also part of the delegation yet, according to police chief Garad Nor Abdul, he was not in the attacked convoy. Abdul said there were no injuries among the Qatari delegation. But later on, ad-Diyar, a Lebanese newspaper, stated that the intelligence chief of Qatar, Ahmed Nasser bin Qassim al-Thani, had been killed in the attack.
According to ad-Diyar, in November 2012 Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani and his intelligence chief had met with Mossad chief Tamir Pardo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the meeting, a plan to assassinate Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was discussed. In this meeting, the Israeli premier requested that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) recognize Israel after Assad was ousted.
The Qatari intelligence chief had dreams of capturing Damascus and was working with Israel to realize this dream. According to ad-Diyar, al-Thani was the person who was responsible for the coordination of the transfer of Yemeni jihadists to Syria after they were trained by the US Special Forces in Qatar.
But who was behind the bomb attack in Mogadishu? There is only one group in Somalia that can pull off such a big and professional attack, featuring two vehicles loaded with plastic explosives: the al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab.
It is not yet clear if al-Thani actually died in this attack. But it is almost certain that he was targeted by al-Qaeda. In the background of the sequence of events that extends to Africa, there is the "subcontractor conflict", ie the competition between the duo Turkey and Qatar with Saudi Arabia.
The US subcontractors have a dynamic relation with the armed groups fighting in Syria. The fact that Qatar and Turkey are working in close cooperation with the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria does not necessarily mean that these two countries do not work with groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra.
The situation in the "field" is in constant flow. Various special weapons transferred from the Balkans are provided to both the groups in the Free Syrian Army and Jabhat al-Nusra. The transitivity of weapons and militants among the groups is also pretty high. So is the transitivity of the support given by the "subcontractor" forces to these groups.
The key weapon in the hands of an al-Nusra militant is the M60 rifle, imported from Croatia. These weapons, bought by Saudi money, have been transferred to the militants through Jordan and Turkey. In a short time, the weapons were visible in the hands of both FSA and al-Nusra gangs.
In previous weeks, there was an interesting development under this perspective. Saudi Arabia, which is known to be in close relation with al-Qaeda groups in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and now in Syria and which keeps its distance from the Muslim Brotherhood, has convened the leaders of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood in Riyadh.
All 12 people who went to Riyadh were members of the Syrian National Council, which is promoted by the US as "the legitimate government in Syria". Among them, was a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader, Mohammad Faruq Tayfur. Tayfur came to an agreement with the Saudis on the withdrawal of Gassan Hitto, a US citizen and a Muslim Brotherhood member, from the presidency of the transitional government formed by the Council.
On the other hand, the Syrian National Council was formed in Qatar with direct US involvement. It is known that the general secretary of the organization, Mostafa Al-Sabbagh, is a Muslim Brotherhood member that is responsible for directing the policies of the organization in alignment with Qatar.
The Muslim Brotherhood connection of Muaz Al Khatib who had been appointed as the head of the organization but who had resigned when Hitto became the Prime Minister is also well known. So the Muslim Brotherhood is everywhere.
The meeting in Riyadh may have been a sign of Saudi Arabia interfering with the role Qatar and Turkey will be playing. The Saudis presented it to the US as the curbing of radical Islamist groups. Another part of this operation was the decision to make the transfer of weapons to the militants in Syria through Salim Idris, the head of the SNC's Supreme Military Council.
So on one hand, the Saudis are getting their hands on the Muslim Brotherhood and on the other hand, they are giving Qatar a message via the al-Qaeda bombs in Somalia. And on top of all these, the explosions in Reyhanli.
After the fatal attack in Reyhanli, US Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement of condolence. In a message constituted of just three sentences, it was mentioned that US would stand with its ally Turkey. The message did not condemn the perpetrators of the attack. Kerry only stressed, "how closely they were working in partnership with Turkey".
After the bombings in 2005 in London, the US government had issued a very detailed statement that was four paragraphs long. In other words, issuing a dry three-sentence-long message that does not condemn the perpetrators of an attack is not an appropriate diplomatic practice.
Moreover, after the attack at the Boston Marathon, the president and the prime minister of Turkey were very prompt in issuing a statement condemning the attack.
So could the attack on Reyhanli be a message to Turkey to "back off"? Just as the message given to Qatar in Somalia.
Message in a bomb
The outcome of the meeting between Erdogan and Obama is not exactly clear.
As far as Turkish mainstream media was concerned, the outcome was "consensus"; "Erdogan and Obama were in agreement on the issue of the necessity to oust Assad." There were a lot of reporters from Turkey in that press conference, which lasted for 38 minutes. Others watched it on TV or the Internet. Did they really watch it or did they all turn deaf?
In the question and answer session for the press, the first question was asked to Obama by an American reporter. The question was about tax. The next question to Erdogan was about the status of the relation with Israel and whether he would go to Gaza or not. Another US reporter asked Obama about the Ministry of Justice, the Associated Press leaks and the attack on Benghazi. To Erdogan, the question was the following: "In case US doesn't step in on the issue of Syria, what will you do about the bombing in Reyhanli?"
There is more. The US news channels broadcast the press conference live. But during the parts where Erdogan was speaking, the broadcast went back to the studio to analyze points Obama made about domestic issues. And this was true for all the channels.
Let's attribute this phenomenon to the haughtiness of the US news channels. But two of the reporters from Turkey who asked questions in the conference drew attention to very important issues. One asked Erdogan whether he had brought with him anything related to his claims of chemical weapons use in Syria. In summary, the response he got back was "We are already sharing all this information."
The same reporter asked Obama whether he would do something to oust Assad. Obama started his response with the claims of chemical weapon use and he reiterated the US thesis that he had been repeating in the last weeks: "We have evidence on the use of chemical weapons. But we need more intelligence on this."
He continued: "Independent of this, thousands died over there. Due to this, we need to increase the international pressure on the situation in Syria. We need to mobilize the international community. I don't believe anyone, including PM Erdogan, would want defend the idea of US intervening in Syria unilaterally and directly."
After that, another reporter from Turkey asked Obama once more: "You said Assad must go. How and when will he go?" Maybe he was trying to get a sentence from Obama worthy of a newsflash. But the response wasn't that exciting. The US president pointed to the international conference to be held in Geneva and repeated his promise to "continue to help the opposition".
The first Geneva conference on Syria was not a success. Its most important result was not "consensus" but the buying of time for each side to strengthen their position. It can be said that the sides are not going to the second conference with expectations of "consensus".
The West has convened the Muslim Brotherhood-centered armed marauders and plunderers that they call opposition under a new umbrella in the Syrian National Council, making a more open political engagement possible. And then it got this team which like a jack-in-the-box produced Muslim Brotherhood figures like Muaz Al Khatib and Gassan Hitto to form a government. In a sense, if the West asks for "consensus for a transition government" in the second Geneva conference, it will have torn its own umbrella.
This new Geneva conference will help the sides once again to buy time - and strengthen their political positions. On the US side, the process will establish the curbing of the impact of the Qatar-Turkey block in the opposition forces. To the extent that they don't want to be restrained, the message to "back off" will be given with exploding bombs.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/05/29/iraq-moves-against-mccainal-qaeda-forces/
Iraqi forces arrest top al-Qaeda commander in al-Anbar Province
Iraqi security forces (file photo)
By Press TV with Gordon Duff
Editor’s note: The Al Qaeda forces defeated in the first major outing for the new Iraqi army are, in actuality, controlled by the individuals that Senator John McCain met with this week. One might ask why an American legislator, a senior member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, would meet with terrorist groups he himself has cited as responsible for attacks on the United States and the deaths of thousands of American civilians and service men and women?
From an article by Dr. Kevin Barrett:
“According to unconfirmed reports, former Republican presidential candidate and current Senator John McCain has joined al-Qaeda. Informed sources report that McCain slipped across the Syrian border last night and joined the al-Nusra front, an Israeli-supported al-Qaeda affiliate that is waging war against Syria.”
What reasons would McCain have for telling enemies of the United States that he will arrange for military aid, aid we know will be used, not just to attack the government in Damascus, but to exterminate the Christian
McCain stops at US Base in Turkey Before Entering Syria to Meet with Al Qaeda Commanders
population of Syria as well?
This same group, the Chechen Al Qaeda affiliate, trained and supplied by the CIA, has not only kidnapped two Christian bishops but is using chemical weapons in Syria, confirmed by multiple sources and full documentation has been submitted to the United Nations.
Iraqi security forces have arrested a senior militant commander of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq network in the country’s western al-Anbar Province, officials say.
According to an Iraqi security official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Adnan al-Awesi was arrested in a sting operation Wednesday afternoon.
This arrest comes after Iraqi troops launched a large-scale operation in the country’s western desert on May 25 in an effort to clear the area of al-Qaeda militants.
Some 20,000 forces took part in the operation and attacked al-Qaeda hideouts in the area. The Iraqi Army also managed to take control of a large terrorist base in the province near the border with neighboring Jordan.
Western Iraq has been confirmed to have been used by militants for infiltrating into neighboring Syria to join the foreign-backed militants in their fight against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Established in 2006, the Islamic State of Iraq is an umbrella organization bringing together several Iraqi insurgent groups.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a shadowy group that was once allegedly led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was reportedly killed in June 2006.
According to the US government and military officials, after Zarqawi’s death, the group’s leadership fell to Ayyub al-Masri, who was killed, along with Abu Omar al-Baghdadi — another leader of the group — in a joint operation by Iraqi and US troops in Salahuddin Province in April 2010.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq has been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in the country since the US-led invasion in March 2003.
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