Syria news of the day.....
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/201322218202590207.html
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/02/21/syrian-rebels-attack-lebanon-vow-to-eliminate-hezbollah/
The FSA and other factions of the Sunni-dominated Syrian rebels have been fighting with Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi’ite militia, for over a week over control of several Shi’ite border villages with large populations of Lebanese residents. The FSA has ordered the villages all “evacuated.”
Those officials are placing the blame squarely on the US, accusing them of having plotted to keep them from getting really heavy weapons from the Saudi government and other nations that are eager to arm them.
The US State Department has issued a statement today insisting that building a pipeline to Iran from which to import natural gas was in and of itself a “sanctionable” offense, which the US considers wholly unacceptable.
In a Thursday interview, Baburin stated that the US stance on Iran totally runs counter to the objectives of the negotiations between Iran and the 5+1 group -- including the US, Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany --, noting that Washington has intentionally imposed new embargoes against Tehran in an attempt to disrupt the talks. The US and its European allies have imposed illegal unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
On February 6, the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting Iranian oil revenues.
The sanctions prevent Iran from gaining access to earnings garnered from its crude exports.
Iran has proved its goodwill in the course of negotiations and now it is time for the Western side to adopt a similar approach, he noted.
The Russian official pointed to more than 7,300 man-hours of inspection of Iran’s nuclear energy facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying that such level of cooperation with the IAEA has been unprecedented in the world.
This proves Iran’s goodwill, but the West ignores this obvious fact, he added.
The next round of comprehensive talks between Iran and the P5+1 is scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan on February 25.
Libya abandoned its nuclear program in 2003 as part of an effort to improve relations with Western nations. Though US and other officials gave lip-service to the idea of improved ties, by 2011 NATO was attacking Libya, imposing regime change in the nation.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/201322218202590207.html
Syria opposition to boycott upcoming talks | ||||
Syrian National Coalition pulling out of Friends of Syria meeting in Rome "in protest of shameful international stand".
Last Modified: 23 Feb 2013 01:42
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Demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad's government have continued in the northern city [Reuters]
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| The most prominent Syrian opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), has announced it is pulling out of the upcoming Friends of Syria meeting in Rome and scheduled talks in Russia and the United States.
After missiles killed dozens in Aleppo on Friday, the SNC released a statement saying the move was to protest the lack of international condemnation of the "crimes committed against the Syrian people".
"Hundreds of civilians have been killed by Scud missile strikes. Aleppo, the city and the civilisation, is being destroyed systematically," the statement said. "The Russian leadership especially bears moral and political responsibility for supplying the regime with weapons," it added, referring to Moscow's status as a leading ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "In protest of this shameful international stand, the coalition has decided to suspend its participation in the Rome conference for the Friends of Syria and decline the invitations to visit Russia and the United States." The Friends of Syria is a collection of dozens of countries trying to find a solution to the Syrian crisis. 'Families buried' At least 12 people were killed and dozens more wounded after rockets hit two eastern districts of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday, according to anti-government activists. The rocket strikes caused several buildings to collapse, and people were being rescued from the rubble, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based anti-government rights group. "At least 12 bodies have been recovered so far and there are more than 50 people wounded," Rami Abdel Rahman, SOHR's head, said.
"There are families buried under the rubble," Baraa al-Youssef, an activist from Aleppo speaking to Reuters news agency via Skype, said after visiting the scene in his Ard al-Hamra neighbourhood.
"Nothing can describe it, it's a horrible sight."
In a video posted to YouTube, a massive cloud of dense smoke was seen rising from the neighbourhood at dusk after one of the missiles struck. Other video showed burning buildings, and people carrying the wounded to ambulances and cars. The voice of a young man can be heard saying "surface-to-surface missiles", while another yells "Hey guys, come help the ambulance!" In another video filmed after sundown, moments of panic could heard as men rushed to rescue people from the rubble. People could be heard screaming "Car car!" to transport the wounded, while others shouted insults against Assad. Opposition 'to form government' Meanwhile, in Cairo, the SNC said that it was pushing forward with efforts to name a transitional government in the coming days. The decision on Friday was made on the second day of a conference held by the opposition in the Egyptian capital. Walid al-Bunni, a spokesperson for the SNC, said that the group's government would control rebel-controlled areas in Syria.
Almost two years after the revolt against Assad broke out in southern Syria, the absence of a political leadership from swathes of land under rebel control has been a glaring weakness of the rebels, who have little control over armed brigades making advances on the ground. Opposition sources estimate that they will need several billion dollars every month to run a government in rebel-held areas, mostly rural and desert regions estimated to comprise over half of Syrian territory.
and.....
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http://news.antiwar.com/2013/02/21/syrian-rebels-attack-lebanon-vow-to-eliminate-hezbollah/
Syrian Rebels Attack Lebanon, Vow to ‘Eliminate’ Hezbollah
FSA Claims 'Direct Hits' on Hezbollah Sites in Lebanon
by Jason Ditz, February 21, 2013
The Syrian Civil War has officially gone regional today, with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) announcing that it has begun attacking neighboring Lebanon as of 12:30 pm Thursday afternoon.
The FSA and other factions of the Sunni-dominated Syrian rebels have been fighting with Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi’ite militia, for over a week over control of several Shi’ite border villages with large populations of Lebanese residents. The FSA has ordered the villages all “evacuated.”
The FSA has promised to continue with its attacks until it “eliminates” Hezbollah across Lebanon. Given the Hezbollah militia’s political wing is part of the ruling Lebanese government, this is a de facto declaration of war on Lebanon itself.
The FSA has claimed “direct hits” in artillery attacks against Lebanon today, but in the near-term the fighting is likely to focus on riling up Lebanon’s own Sunni population into rebellion, something the FSA has done to some success in the northern city of Tripoli, where they fueled weeks of sectarian violence late last year.
and.....
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/02/21/syrian-rebels-blame-us-for-not-winning-civil-war/
Syrian Rebels Blame US for Not Winning Civil War
Leaders Insist US Keeping Them From Getting Really Good Arms
by Jason Ditz, February 21, 2013
Syrian rebel leaders are conceding that the current Syrian Civil War is not close to ending, with one spokesman saying there was “no quick and practical end” on the horizon for the conflict.
Those officials are placing the blame squarely on the US, accusing them of having plotted to keep them from getting really heavy weapons from the Saudi government and other nations that are eager to arm them.
The US has been facilitating arms transfers into Syria for the rebels, but are said to be opposed to sending certain types of arms, including anti-aircraft weaponry, because the rebels have been open about wanting to attack civilian aircraft with them.
Syrian rebels have already attacked civilian aircraft with the limited weaponry they have available, and say they consider all civilian aircraft in Syria to be “legitimate military targets.”
The rebels have been complaining about the weapons they have received virtually from the moment the war began, insisting that compared to the hypothetical influx of arms they expected what they got is insufficient, and is keeping them from conquering the country.
And from Pakistan.....
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/02/21/us-threatens-sanctions-on-pakistan-over-gas-pipeline/
US Threatens Sanctions on Pakistan Over Gas Pipeline
Insists Pipeline to Iran Would Be 'Sanctionable'
by Jason Ditz, February 21, 2013
The IP gas pipeline, an ambitious plan initially introduced in 1989 and which would potentially be a big step in finally solving Pakistan’s long-standing energy crisis, looks to finally get underway this month. But not if the US gets its way.
The US State Department has issued a statement today insisting that building a pipeline to Iran from which to import natural gas was in and of itself a “sanctionable” offense, which the US considers wholly unacceptable.
Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the US intended to help Pakistan overcome its energy crisis, but that actually importing energy from a neighbor with a surplus was not the right way to go about it.
The US has repeatedly made such threats over the past several years, and has repeatedly promised energy aid if the plan was scrapped. That energy aid never seems to materialize however, and after stalling the plan for years, Pakistan seems set to go ahead with it.
Iran news items....
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/02/21/290144/iran-bans-aim-to-sabotage-p51-talks/
Vice Speaker of the Russian State Duma Sergey Baburin (file photo)
Thu Feb 21, 2013 4:35PM GMT
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Vice Speaker of the Russian State Duma Sergey Baburin has slammed the US unilateral sanctions against Iran as Washington’s tactic to sabotage the upcoming comprehensive talks between Tehran and the world powers.
In a Thursday interview, Baburin stated that the US stance on Iran totally runs counter to the objectives of the negotiations between Iran and the 5+1 group -- including the US, Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany --, noting that Washington has intentionally imposed new embargoes against Tehran in an attempt to disrupt the talks. The US and its European allies have imposed illegal unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
On February 6, the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting Iranian oil revenues.
The sanctions prevent Iran from gaining access to earnings garnered from its crude exports.
The US behaviors indicate that it is in Washington’s interest to continue pressures against Iran and prevent the resolution of problems related to Iran’s nuclear energy program through dialogue, Baburin pointed out.
Iran has proved its goodwill in the course of negotiations and now it is time for the Western side to adopt a similar approach, he noted.
The Russian official pointed to more than 7,300 man-hours of inspection of Iran’s nuclear energy facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying that such level of cooperation with the IAEA has been unprecedented in the world.
This proves Iran’s goodwill, but the West ignores this obvious fact, he added.
The next round of comprehensive talks between Iran and the P5+1 is scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan on February 25.
And North Korea cites the Libya situation as a reason not to disarm....
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/02/21/north-korea-nato-war-in-libya-proves-disarming-is-unwise/
North Korea: NATO War in Libya Proves Disarming Is Unwise
Fears 'Tragic Consequences' If They Abandon Their Own Program
by Jason Ditz, February 21, 2013
Addressing their recent nuclear weapons test and international demands that they abandon the program unconditionally, North Korea has issued a new statement citing Libya as an example of why that’s a really bad idea.
Libya abandoned its nuclear program in 2003 as part of an effort to improve relations with Western nations. Though US and other officials gave lip-service to the idea of improved ties, by 2011 NATO was attacking Libya, imposing regime change in the nation.
North Korea’s statement termed that the “tragic consequences” of abandoning a nuclear program that is partially finished, insisting that keeping the program intact is the safer choice.
The US has pushed sanctions against North Korea for the recent test, but the reality is that the nation is already so isolated that any sanctions would be extremely limited. The US had, after all,already cut off food aid to North Korea nearly a year prior. North Korea has informed China of its intention to conduct additional tests.
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