Category: Syria

  • NATO missiles defend Turkey as debate rages over whether the West should intervene in Syria’s civil war

    NATO missiles defend Turkey as debate rages over whether the West should intervene in Syria’s civil war

    First Lieutenant Arnd de Ruiter commands a Dutch Patriot missile battery which defends southern Turkey from Scud missile attacks from Syria, where Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime is becoming more unpredictable and may have used chemical weapons against his own people.

    NATO missiles defend Turkey as debate rages over whether the West should intervene in Syria’s civil war

    Photograph by: Matthew Fisher/Postmedia News , Postmedia News

    ADANA, Turkey — As bloody as the war inside Syria is, it would suddenly get much bigger and much more complicated politically if a Syrian tactical ballistic missile was to hit Adana, a city of more than two million Turks. Such an attack would immediately draw in the Turks and oblige every NATO country to contribute to Turkey’s defence.

    Adana is 140 kilometres away from the Syrian border, as the Scud missile flies. Such rockets can carry chemical weapons which the United States and others suspect have recently been used against Syrians.

    via NATO missiles defend Turkey as debate rages over whether the West should intervene in Syria’s civil war.

  • Syria accuses Turkey of supplying rebels with chemical weapons

    Syria accuses Turkey of supplying rebels with chemical weapons

     

    Syrian minister lashes out at West for supporting rebels; denies claims of chemical weapons use by government; ‘US manipulative, trying to repeat Iraq,’ he blames

    Ynet

    Published: 04.27.13, 09:58 / Israel News

     

    Syrian Information Minister Omran Al-Zoubi rejected US andBritish allegations Damascus had used chemical weapons against opposition fighters, and instead accused Turkey of allowing rebels to transfer chemical weapons across the border into Syria, the Syrian SANA new agency reported.

    The minister talked to Russia TV on Friday, dismissing a claim by US officials a day earlier that they had evidence the chemical weapon sarin had been used in Syria on a small scale, CNN reported.

     

     

    “Everything that the American minister and British government have said lack credibility,” Al-Zoubi said. “It’s baseless, and it’s a new tactic to put political and economic pressure on Syria.”

     

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    Dead animals in Syrian village, allegedly killed by chemical weapons (Photo: Reuters)

     

    Al-Zoubi said the Syrian government is the one that called for an investigation of an incident in which it claimed chemical weapons were used by “terrorist groups.” The government routinely labels rebel fighters as terrorists.

     

    Syria does not have chemical weapons and would not use them if it did, he said.

     

    The Americans “want to manipulate the issue, to let whoever used the chemical weapons … get away (with it), and to repeat the Iraq example,” Al-Zoubi said.

     

    United States President Barack Obama said on Friday that the deployment of chemical weapons by the Syrian government was a “game changer” while noting that intelligence assessments proving that such weapons had been used were still preliminary.

     

    “Horrific as it is when mortars are being fired on civilians and people are being indiscriminately killed, to use potential weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations crosses another line with respect to international norms and international law,” Obama told reporters at the White House.

     

    Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron agreed with US President Barack Obama that such use would represent a “red line” for the international community, but said the response would likely be political rather than military.

     

     

    “This is extremely serious. And I think what President Obama said was absolutely right, that this should form for the international community a red line for us to do more,” Cameron told the BBC.

     

     

    But he objected to British military involvement in Syria. “I don’t want to see that and I don’t think that is likely to happen.

     

     

    “But I think we can step up the pressure on the regime, work with our partners, work with the opposition in order to bring about the right outcome.”

    Also Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked the man heading the world body’s investigation into chemical weapons use in Syria to report to UN headquarters on Monday for “consultations,” a UN spokesman said.

     

    The UN leader has repeatedly asked the Syrian government to give UN inspectors unrestricted access to the country as it looked into chemical weapons use allegations. The team, led by Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom, is ready to head to Syria within 48 hours if an agreement is reached.

  • Davutoglu: Turkey will not discuss future of Syria with Israel

    Davutoglu: Turkey will not discuss future of Syria with Israel

    Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey categorically denies discussing the future of Syria with Israel, dismissing suggestions that the recent Israeli apology was linked to developments in war-torn Syria Today`s Zaman reported.

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    “This will be Turkey’s stance both today and tomorrow. Turkey will never discuss Syria’s future with Israel,” said Davutoglu during a televised interview on Thursday, adding that this was the case for all of Turkey’s neighbors.

    Noting that Turkey refuses to be part of regional policies determined by Israel, such as the ones in 1990s, Davutoglu said that the days when Turkey was not included in regional peace processes were now over.

    The Turkish foreign minister said Turkey was now the main actor in the Middle East putting forward regional solutions and policies. “From today onwards, Turkey will not bother about losing this country or that country,” he said while noting, in an apparent message to the Israel administration, that if there are countries who believe it advantageous to repair relations with Turkey due to the Syrian crisis, it was their concern.

    In late March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered an apology to Turkey for a 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara aid flotilla that resulted in the deaths of eight Turks and a Turkish American. Shortly after the apology, Netanyahu made it clear that a failed Syrian state with chemical weapons at large was the main motive behind the apology.

    Davutoglu stated that the Israeli apology was the product of three-year discussions between Israeli officials who chose to offer an apology when they understood that it was not in their best interests to continue the rift.

    Rift between families of Mavi Marmara victims and government untrue

    Touching on the Mavi Marmara attack, Davutoglu said the passengers of the flotilla only aimed to take humanitarian aid to Gaza and were not perusing any personal interest, but did it for the honor of humanity. The Turkish foreign minister also said that, except for some groups, many people across the world regarded the Mavi Marmara volunteers as people who risked their lives for the honor of humanity.

    Following the Israeli apology, the families of the nine victims have insisted that the blockade on the Gaza Strip be lifted, underlining that without the ending of the blockade and embargo, Israel’s apology and compensation for the victim’s families and those injured would have no meaning. The families also said that they have no intention of retracting their lawsuits.

    In relation to suggestions that the government tried to prevent families from obtaining compensation, Davutoglu said those claims were not true. He added that they will continue to talk to families about the process and fight for their rights.

    No need for a mediator in talks with Iraqi government

    Davutoglu also said that Turkey did not need a mediator to have talks with the Iraqi government, apparently referring to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent visits to Iraq and Turkey. Relations with Iraq have been strained as the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has criticized Turkey for interfering in Iraqi affairs. Maliki is particularly concerned over Turkey developing ties with the Iraqi Kurds in the north of the country. During his visit to Baghdad on March 24, Kerry also spoke to Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani on the phone, telling him to abandon unilateral actions that do not receive the blessing of Baghdad, particularly with regard to an oil pipeline deal with Turkey.

    Days later, Maliki softened his rhetoric, saying that he would welcome rapprochement with Turkey.

    Davutoglu said Turkey never cut off its ties with Iraq but warned that the Iraqi premier should be careful about his comments regarding Turkey.

    Touching on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s scheduled visit to Palestine in late May, the Turkish foreign minister said this date was chosen with the hope that the rival political groups of Palestine, Hamas and Fatah, may have reached a reconciliation by then.

    Davutoglu added that the important thing in the Palestine-Israel conflict is to solve the problem, not the issue of who is going to mediate between the groups.

  • Britain and France renew efforts to lift arms embargo on Syrian rebels

    Britain and France renew efforts to lift arms embargo on Syrian rebels

    Britain and France renew efforts to lift arms embargo on Syrian rebels

    Britain and France will renew their attempts to lift the EU arms embargo on the Syrian rebels after western allies accused President Bashar al-Assad of using chemical weapons.

    Members of the free Syrian Army during an attack against Syrian government forces in Aleppo Photo: AP

    By Richard Spencer, Istanbul

    7:03PM BST 21 Apr 2013

    William Hague, the foreign secretary, said the two would take a “strong stance” in talks with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday. The pledge came after Germany, a major stumbling block to arming the rebels, significantly softened its position on the issue.

    Britain wants to widen the range of aid it is sending to the opposition, though it is not considering sending weapons “yet”. “We are in favour of getting more assistance to the Syrian National Council (SNC),” Mr Hague said. “There are many ways in which we can do that.”

    The German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, said he would accept the lifting of the arms embargo if other countries pushed for it. He said that if “one or two countries” thought there was no risk that arms would fall into the wrong hands, he would “respect” their decision.

    Western ministers and opposition leaders met in Istanbul on Sunday and agreed that all aid to the opposition would be channelled through the SNC’s military wing.

    The United States also announced a doubling in its aid, from $127 million to $250 million.

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    In return, the SNC published a statement of principles that included pledges not to use chemical weapons, to renounce “terrorism and extremism”, and to respect the rights of minorities, including the Alawite sect from which the Assad family comes.

    “Our revolution and vision are for all Syrians,” its statement said. “There is no room for sectarianism or discrimination on ethnic, religious, linguistic or any other grounds. Universal human rights principles will apply to all Syrians, men and women.”

    Mr Hague last week said there was “credible evidence” of chemical weapons use in Syria, with a number of incidents where diluted chemicals appear to have been deployed.

    President Barack Obama has made use of chemical weapons a “red line” which would trigger outside intervention. While officials do not believe that red line has been met in terms of conclusive evidence or scale of use, the western allies made a stronger statement than before on President Assad’s refusal to allow in a United Nations fact-finding mission.

    “Such an approach suggests the responsibility of the regime,” said the statement, by the Friends of Syria group in which the UK, US, France, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are all prominent. “If these allegations are proven to be correct there will be severe consequences.”

    Ministers fear the situation inside the country is deteriorating fast, with Syrian regime forces recently making tactical gains in the Damascus suburbs and near the Lebanese border around the town of Qusayr with heavy loss of life.

    Rebel activists accused the regime of killing civilians as well as scores of fighters as it swept through the towns of Jdeidat Artouz and Jdeidat al-Fadl near Damascus.

    The risk of the war spreading into Syria’s neighbours was highlighted when a rebels accused Lebanon’s Shia militia Hizbollah of fighting alongside Assad troops, and fired shells on Shia towns inside Lebanon in retaliation.

    Britain, France and the United States want the rebels to get enough arms to turn the balance of the war, but not so as to win a quick victory, rather wanting them to force President Assad to negotiate a “managed” transition.

    “The chances of a political solution at present are negligible,” a western diplomatic source said. “The best way of opening up more chances quickly is changing the balance of power on the ground to put more pressure on the regime.”

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  • U.S., allies agree on rules for sending military aid to Syrian rebels

    U.S., allies agree on rules for sending military aid to Syrian rebels

    By Roy Gutman — McClatchy Newspapers

    ISTANBUL, TURKEY — In a move intended to trim support to Islamist extremists who now play a leading role in the Syrian uprising, the United States, Turkey and key Gulf allies this weekend agreed to funnel future military aid only through the internationally recognized Syrian rebel coalition.

    It’s one of a set of steps that Secretary of State John Kerry and other western and Mideast officials announced early Sunday, in what appears to be a concerted new drive to end the two-year-long civil war that pits the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad, who enjoys support from Russia and Iran, against a diverse group of rebels backed by the United States, Turkey, and European allies along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

    Among the steps by the “Friends of the People of Syria” were a U.S. decision to provide another $123 million in non-lethal aid to the Syrian rebel fighters, doubling the aid to date, and a call by all 11 participants for a negotiated solution to bring in a new transitional government.

    They also condemned Assad’s use of ballistic missiles and endorsed a written pledge by the Syrian opposition to hold individuals responsible for war crimes and not to seek “revenge and retribution” against members of Assad’s Alawite sect or any other minority.

    All 11 countries at the Istanbul meeting “made a commitment to direct their military aid and assistance directly and uniquely, solely, through the Supreme Military Command,” headed by Gen. Salim Idriss, a former Syrian army general who defected last July, Kerry told reporters Sunday. “This may be one of the most important single things that was agreed to…that can make a difference to the situation on the ground.”

    How to provide aid to the rebels without empowering militant Islamist extremists who have been at the forefront of anti-Assad victories for the past year has bedeviled countries seeking an end to the Assad regime. The Supreme Military Command is poorly organized and its control of fighters on the ground is uncertain. Aid from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the primary providers of military aid, have dealt primarily with individual commanders on the ground, many of whom are affiliated with Islamist extremist movements.

    Idriss made a lengthy presentation at the meeting of foreign ministers Saturday evening, giving a rundown of the military situation, province by province, and describing in detail the forces that report to him. He assured the ministers that he would provide a full account of “everything you provide to me,” according to a diplomat who attended.

    Kerry told reporters everyone was impressed by the “strength and clarity” of the Idriss presentation and said the Syrian general “could not have been more clear about his determination to separate what he and the opposition are doing from what some of the radical and extreme elements are doing.”

    “I think we are quite confident that he is a strong leader with a capacity to make a difference,” Kerry said.

    Military analysts who closely follow the war say that Gulf states, and individual donors, have been backing the Nusra Front, which the U.S. government has labeled a terrorist group identical to al Qaida in Iraq, and similar groups because of their effectiveness. More moderate rebel groups have said they’ve been starved for support. A senior State Department official, briefing reporters Saturday, said a provincial military commander with thousands under his command, said recently that he had to rely on donations obtained by his troops from family and friends, because Idriss was unable to deliver.

    “Your help to Salim Idriss isn’t going fast enough,” the official quoted the commander as saying. “How do I tell my guys, ‘Wait for the stuff from Salim Idriss. Don’t take that money from that business guy who is backed by an Islamist network’?” The senior official spoke anonymously because he said he was not authorized to speak on the record.

    The main diplomatic move announced Sunday was the call for a return to discussions with Russia on a political resolution of the conflict, based on an accord agreed reached in Geneva last July that called for a transitional government, members of whom would be nominated by, and accepted by both sides.

    Assad named an aide to represent him in the talks, but the rebels did not, and diplomats say Russia has insisted that Assad effectively have a major role in the transition. In the joint statement early Sunday, the 11 participants – Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain, the United States and Turkey, said “Assad and his close associates have no place in the future of Syria” and should cede power to a transitional executive body.

    Kerry sought to offer at least a rhetorical olive branch to Russia, noting that the “framework of peace” was agreed to “by the international community, including our friends, the Russians.” But the joint statement of the 11 countries also warned that if Assad rejects a peaceful transition, “further announcements regarding expanding our assistance will follow.”

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who negotiated the framework with Kerry’s predecessor, Hillary Clinton, was in Turkey on the eve of the 11-nation talks, but there was no sign of any political shift. The discussion is expected to continue Tuesday, when Kerry attends a meeting of NATO foreign ministers that Lavrov is also expected to attend.

    Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @RoyGutmanMcC

    via ISTANBUL, Turkey: U.S., allies agree on rules for sending military aid to Syrian rebels | World | ADN.com.

  • Iran security head visits Syria, “friends of Syria” meet in Turkey

    Iran security head visits Syria, “friends of Syria” meet in Turkey

    Iran security head visits Syria, “friends of Syria” meet in Turkey

    English.news.cn   2013-04-21 11:07:05

    DAMASCUS, April 20 (Xinhua) — Iranian national security head visited Syria on Saturday as the country’s opposition called for a no-fly zone over Syria and “surgical” bombing against Syrian army’s ballistic missile launchers.

    Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, is expected to meet President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, among others, during his three-day visit, local officials said.

    Iran has emerged as a main regional ally of the Syrian government, whose officials have repeatedly stressed support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

    Meanwhile, in the “Friends of Syria” meeting in Turkey’s Istanbul on Saturday, the oppositional National Coalition said they want a no-fly zone over Syria to protect the northern and southern borders to secure the safe return of Syrian refugees.

    They also wanted the UN Security Council to condemn the use of rockets by the government troops “against civilians” and adopt measures to stop the Syrian from using such weapons.

    The group also demanded “capable countries” undertake immediate measures to disable the government troops’ ability to use “chemical weapons and ballistic rockets” through carrying out “surgical airstrikes” by drones.

    However, their Western backers appear reluctant to do so. Among them, U.S. President Barack Obama said repeatedly that he has no plans to send weapons or render lethal aid to the rebels in Syria.

    The United States, however, was reportedly preparing a new package of aid to the Syrian rebels of up to 130 million U.S. dollars in non-lethal aid that would include body armor, night vision binoculars, armored vehicles and advanced communication devices.

    Britain and France have been supporting efforts to lift an arm embargo on Syrian rebels to tilt the balance of the conflict in their favor.

    A military leader of the Syrian rebels, Salem Idris, told reporters on the sidelines of the “Friend of Syria” meeting that “only power would end the conflict” in Syria.

    He brushed off any possibility to embark on negotiations with the administration.

    Al-Assad said Wednesday that what is happening in Syria is a “war” in all sense of the word but there is still chance for dialogue with the opposition.

    “we want all parties to participate…to make dialogue a success,” the president said.

    “All doors for dialogue are open,” he said. “Anything is negotiable… There are no red lines but in two things: Syria’s independence, which means no foreign interference in any internal affairs… and supporting terrorists.”

    Editor: An

    via Iran security head visits Syria, “friends of Syria” meet in Turkey – Xinhua | English.news.cn.