Hillary Clinton Admits US and Al-Qaeda On Same Side in Syria

[Robodoon]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has admitted that Al-Qaeda and other groups on the State Department’s terror list are on the same side as the United States in Syria and that they are aiding opposition rebels.

In an interview with BBC News (watch video), Clinton states, “We have a very dangerous set of actors in the region, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and those who are on our terrorist list, to be sure, supporting – claiming to support the opposition [in Syria].”

Clinton’s admission that Al-Qaeda is supporting the armed insurrection in Syria dovetails with reports that the same Al-Qaeda terrorists who helped overthrow Colonel Gaddafi in Libya were airlifted into Syria by NATO forces.

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri’s has also publicly expressed support for Syrian rebel forces.


Continued

Comment: Al Qaeda is a puppet of the CIA, they are good when they want them to be and bad when they want them to be....so who are the terrorists in the minds of the powers who have taken our government? Well, we the people are, thats what the war on freedom is all about.

 

[Decepticon]

So, who gave their condemnation against the Assad Regime first?

Oh, that's right, the Obama administration.

Who just a week and a half ago, was calling to give weapons to the Syrian rebels ?
http://news.yahoo.com/mccain-calls-military-aid-syria-opposition-185301023.html

 

[Robodoon]

So, who gave their condemnation against the Assad Regime first?

Oh, that's right, the Obama administration.

Who just a week and a half ago, was calling to give weapons to the Syrian rebels ?
McCain calls for military aid to Syria opposition - Yahoo! News

You still don't understand about the establishment controlling both sides do you.

Did you also not know Neo-Cons are lefties?

But the point is our government is supporting the terrorists and going after the american people because of the terrorists. ?1?
NDAA

 

[g5000]

So AQ has turned on Assad.

And we also oppose Assad.

Thus proving that the enemy of my enemy is NOT necessarily my friend.

Your point?

 

[Robert_Stephens]

Agreed, g5000, what is the point here? The Russians were our allies in WW2, but they were not our friends, per se.........

Robert

 

[konradv]

Agreed, g5000, what is the point here? The Russians were our allies in WW2, but they were not our friends, per se.........

Robert

Because he's a dumb shit and thinks we are to.

 

[waltky]

Assad is like the Energizer bunny - he just keeps goin', an' goin', an' goin, an'...

The elusive tipping point in Syria
March 2nd, 2012 - The Syrian military's advance into the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs has changed the dynamics of the resistance to the Assad regime - and put further pressure on Western policy-makers to find ways to help the opposition and protect Syrian civilians. But as Washington debates what's next for Syria, Gulf states are already beginning to provide the opposition with arms and the funding to purchase them, sources in the region tell CNN.

To the Obama administration, the regime's assault on Homs is an ominous sign. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman told a Senate hearing Thursday: "It's important that the tipping point for the regime be reached quickly because the longer the regime assaults the Syrian people, the greater the chances of all out war and a failed state." Baba Amr was the Free Syrian Army's most significant stronghold - a hub for its activities and a place from which opposition activists alerted the world to the regime's brutality through a sophisticated media operation. Now they have been silenced and the FSA scattered, and the Syrian army can turn its attention to other foci of resistance.

Robert Ford, U.S. ambassador to Syria, told the same Senate hearing that "the security services have retained their cohesion." Against that, he said, the Syrian regime is under much greater stress than just a few months ago, with sanctions having an impact and the influential business community "increasingly unhappy." Ford described the Syrian economy as in a sharp downward spiral, with the Syrian pound losing half its value in less than a year.

Both officials steered away from committing the United States to arming the Syrian opposition in the face of the regime's artillery onslaught against Homs, and attacks in towns like Idlib, Zabadani and Daraa. "People are looking at it, but there are a lot of complications that one needs to consider," Feltman said. One of those complications is the possibility of a meltdown that would play into the hands of Islamist extremists. With al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri urging support for the uprising, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Washington needs to be extremely careful about who would receiving any arms shipments.

And that's not easy to know given growing differences among the opposition. The Syrian National Council, the political umbrella of the opposition, is largely made up of exiles. The Free Syrian Army has sprouted from within as unrest has spread; so have local co-ordination committees.

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U.S. sees "no fracturing" of Assad regime
March 1st, 2012 - After weeks of collecting intelligence on Syria and watching the attacks by the forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, the U.S. sees "no fracturing" of the Syrian regime and assesses al-Assad could remain in power for some time to come if the situation does not change, according to a senior U.S. official.

This the basic conclusion of top officials closely watching Syria, the official said. Unless something changes in the next several days, this will also be the message delivered to the Senate Armed Services Committee next week by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The hearing, called for Wednesday, is the first public hearing in which both men will be publicly questioned by Congress on the Syrian crisis.

Sen. John McCain, the senior Republican on the committee, has already called for arming rebel forces, something the defense secretary expects to be asked about, according to the official. The issue of U.S. military planning for options in Syria is also expected to arise, but officials say the secretary and the general may not be able to offer many specifics in an open session before the public. Instead, they are likely to talk more about the current situation in Syria and how the U.S. views the al-Assad regime. "The assumption is Assad will continue to persevere until he and other regime leaders are sufficiently suppressed," the official said. While there have been a number of defections, it's not yet at the point of tipping al-Assad's grip on power.

As for al-Assad, "He's enjoying tactical survival. He can wait it out. He looks to be dug in" the official said. So far, al-Assad is believed to enjoy unhindered movements and communications. But the hope, he said, is that al-Assad is feeling the "strategic weight and pressure of outside critics." The official's characterization matches the assessment given to Congress by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who told a Senate hearing in mid-February that all signs pointed to al-Assad holding on, including little indication of military desertions.

But the newer assessment, even as world condemnation grows louder, suggests al-Assad's regime is holding up the pressure. Last week at an international meeting on Syria held in Tunisia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on the Syria military to disobey their orders. "The longer you carry out its campaign of violence, the more it will stain your honor. But if you refuse to take part in attacks on your fellow citizens, your countrymen will hail you as heroes," Clinton said. Clinton also said there were indications that his supporters are beginning to have doubts.

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[waltky]

International community and old friends turning against Assad...

EU officials: Sanctions against Syria are helping
March 09, 2012 | Sanctions against Syria appear to be working and defections by high-level officials show that President Bashar Assad's regime is cracking, European leaders said Friday.

EU foreign ministers at an informal meeting in Copenhagen said they stood united against Assad's bloody crackdown, which the U.N. says has left more than 7,500 people dead, but appealed to Russia and China to condemn the regime's actions. The bloc's priority is to stop Syria from "descending into full-scale sectarian war" by focusing on the mission there by former United Nations chief Kofi Annan, said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.

Annan, who has been appointed joint U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, has called for a dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition and is likely to meet with Assad during a visit to Damascus on Saturday. "We are searching truly for a political solution," said Bildt. "Whether that is possible or not remains to be seen." On Thursday, Abdo Husameddine, Syria's deputy oil minister, defected from the regime and became the highest-ranking civilian official to join the opposition, warning his countrymen to "abandon this sinking ship."

On Friday, Yusuf Guler, the administrator for the Turkish border town of Reyhanli, told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency that two Syrian generals, a colonel and two sergeants defected from the Syrian army and crossed into neighboring Turkey. They were in a group of some 234 Syrians who had fled into the country since Thursday, he said. "It is very good news that clearly high-ranking state and military officials are increasingly turning away from the Assad regime," Germany's Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, said in Berlin before leaving for the meeting in the Danish capital. "The process of disintegration of the Assad regime has begun; the signs of erosion will continue. No country can be led in the long term with cruelty and repression," he said.

Denmark's Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal, whose country chairs the rotating EU presidency, said strong sanctions against Syria appear to be working, but insisted the bloc must "keep the pressure on Russia and China to play their responsible part of the world society." In February, the EU froze the assets of seven Syrian government officials and the country's central bank. The bloc also banned the purchase of gold, precious metals and diamonds from Syria, and banned Syrian cargo flights from the European Union. It was the 12th round of sanctions the EU had imposed on Syria.

Read more: EU Officials: Sanctions Against Syria Are Helping | Fox News

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Syria deputy oil minister resigns to join opposition
8 March 2012 - Abdo Hussameddin said he was joining "the revolution of this dignified people"

A Syrian deputy oil minister says he is resigning to join the revolt against the government. Abdo Hussameddin, 58, announced his defection in a video posted on YouTube. He is the highest level political figure to abandon the government of President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising erupted a year ago. Earlier, after a visit to the city of Homs, the UN humanitarian chief said some areas had been "devastated" in the offensive by Syrian government troops.

Valerie Amos said the bombed-out Baba Amr district, which was heavily shelled by before being retaken from rebels by government troops, felt like it had been closed down entirely. "The devastation there is significant, that part of Homs is completely destroyed and I am concerned to know what has happened to the people who live in that part of the city," Baroness Amos told Reuters news agency. Activists say troops committed massacres after they went in to the district, but Damascus blames the rebels for many deaths.

On Thursday, a network of Syrian activists, the Local Co-ordination Committees, said 44 people were killed in what it called a "new massacre" by security forces in the Jobar district of Homs. It said the deaths were among 56 latest fatalities in the crackdown across Syria. International media organisations are heavily restricted in Syria, making it impossible to verify the claims of either side. The UN says more than 7,500 people have died as a result of the violence in Syria over the past 12 months.

'Driven by barbarism'

Abdo Hussameddin, who is one of two deputy oil ministers, posted his video on YouTube late on Wednesday. Wearing a jacket, collar and tie, and sitting in a high-backed armchair, he read out a four-minute denunciation of the regime he said he had served in one capacity or another for the past 33 years. "I, Abdo Hussameddin, deputy oil and mineral wealth minister in Syria, announce my defection from the regime, resignation from my position and withdrawal from the Baath Party," he said. "I am joining the revolution of the people who reject injustice and the brutal campaign of the regime."

More BBC News - Syria deputy oil minister resigns to join opposition

 

[waltky]

Syrians have protested in Dubai too...

The moral dilemmas of Syria's revolution
10 March 2012 - The rebellion in Syria has forced many ordinary people to grapple with new and ordinary dilemmas - such as whether to put country before friends and even family.

She was drinking Guinness in a bar in Dubai - a Syrian revolutionary on a weekend break, taking time out in the five-star hotels. Small and smiley, she fizzed with energy as she spoke of the battles on the streets. She stood out amidst the languorous, slightly drunk expats - mostly men - downing their scotch and beers with half an eye on the rugby match showing on a screen the size of a house. "I go to protests every day but my husband is more cautious," she said. "He holds back. We just got married. I thought I knew him but now... I hope I live with him for 40 years and we have children. Maybe. Maybe. But I am not sure any more. I don't know what to do."

A revolutionary dilemma. Here is another. Again a young Syrian on a trip to Dubai. "For months now I have been in Syria, constantly active on the streets taking pictures and putting them online," she told me. "When I came here a few days ago, I met up with some Syrian friends who live here. I'd been on the plane so didn't know what was happening. I asked them. They said they didn't know. "But what's on the news? They said they hadn't seen it today - they only watch it from time to time. They'd been shopping. It was a shock. I am risking my life there. I could just stay here." She read a text on her phone and sighed. "Another friend has been arrested," she said. She shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing, but she looked sad and worried.

So did the man who could not go back to Syria for his mother's funeral. Wearing a T-shirt and baggy navy shorts, he might have been a tourist. In fact he was an artist now living in exile. His images are considered "anti-system" and his name was on a list that meant he would be arrested at the airport. I met him in an art gallery - a huge warehouse of a room full of pictures of guns and soldiers and one showing a holy trinity - Obama, Ahmadinejad and Bin Laden. As he talked about his mother, he wept, shook his head and then broke off the narrative, walking away in despair and grief. A lot of Syrians are crying at the moment.

Then there was the Syrian who is still active in Damascus, but has sent his family abroad. A slim, grey-haired man, his lined face an outward sign of the time he has spent as a political prisoner. Now an opposition politician, his life is clearly at risk. He got his family out but it was not easy. His 13-year-old daughter wanted to stay. He told me how he tried to persuade her she would have to go. "I said to her we need to get some passports - she asked why. I said maybe we'll go on a summer holiday. But her recurrent question was, 'Why are the other school kids are not getting passports, getting visas and so on?' "Every time, I made up some reason or another. Once I told her maybe because the others cannot afford to get passports and go on holiday.

More BBC News - The moral dilemmas of Syria's revolution

 

[waltky]

Assad showin' how childish he is...

Syrian official says regime won't back down first
31 Mar.`12 — A Syrian official says Damascus will not pull troops from cities and towns engulfed in the country's unrest before life returns to normal in these areas.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdessi told state TV late Friday the military is in these cities "in a state of self defense and protecting civilians." He spoke just hours after the U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's office appealed on Syria's government to stop military activities first as "the stronger party" and in a "gesture of good faith." Syria's uprising began a year ago with peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad's regime. In the face of a fierce crackdown, it has become increasingly militarized. The rebels now demand Assad's ouster. The U.N. estimates more than 9,000 people have been killed in the fighting.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Clashes and protests broke out across many parts of Syria Friday, further complicating a peace mission by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan who urged the government to lay down its weapons first to immediately end the country's yearlong crisis. As angry protesters lamented inaction by Arab countries, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to work out how to help the opposition in talks with Saudi Arabia, the biggest advocate for arming the rebels against President Bashar Assad.

Her visit comes ahead of a 60-nation weekend gathering of the so-called "Friends of the Syrian People" in Istanbul. The meeting is an effort to find ways to aid Syria's fractured opposition, which has been frustrated by the government's military gains on the ground. The U.S. is seeking to unify Syria's opposition movement and find ways to further isolate Assad's regime. Assad accepted a peace plan brokered by Annan earlier this week and promised Thursday to "spare no effort" to make sure it succeeds. But he demanded that armed forces battling his regime commit to halting violence as well.

Underscoring the challenges, activists reported shifting clashes, some close to the capital Damascus, and others in the northern Idlib province, the restive central province of Homs and the country's east. The reported death toll ranged from 34 to 42. Thousands of angry protesters emerged from mosques following Friday prayers nationwide calling for Assad's ouster and protesting resolutions adopted by Arab leaders at a summit the day before in Baghdad. The leaders called for talks between the government and the opposition — not for Assad to step down, which is the key opposition demand. "Talks with the butcher?" read a banner carried by a child in the Damascus suburb of Arbeen. "The most woeful weapon facing Syrians is the abandonment by Arabs and the silence of Muslims," read another carried by protesters in the northern town of Kfarrouma.

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[waltky]

Bargaining chip in Iranian nuclear talks...

Kofi Annan seeks Iran's help in Syria crisis
April 11, 2012 – Special envoy Kofi Annan said Wednesday in Tehran that Iran could help solve the crisis in Syria, where activists reported fresh violence near the capital Damascus a day before an international cease-fire is supposed to take effect.

Iran is one of Syria's strongest allies, and former U.N. chief Annan went there to bolster support for his faltering plan to stop the country's slide toward civil war. "Iran, given its special relations with Syria, can be part of the solution," Annan said during a news conference with Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. "The geopolitical location of Syria is such that any miscalculation and error can have unimaginable consequences."

The conflict in Syria is among the most explosive of the Arab Spring, in part because of the country's allegiances to powerful forces including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Shiite powerhouse Iran. The uprising that began more than a year ago seeks the ouster of authoritarian President Bashar Assad. Iran has opposed any foreign intervention in the crisis and Salehi insisted that "change in Syria" should come under the leadership of Assad.

Syria's regime defied the Tuesday deadline to pull out troops from cities and towns that was set in the deal brokered by Annan and launched fresh attacks on rebellious areas. But Annan insists there is still time to salvage the truce by 6 a.m. Thursday, the deadline for government and rebel fighters to cease all hostilities. "We've been in touch with them (Syrian rebels) and have had positive answers from them. ... I think by 6 in the morning on the 12th, Thursday, we should see a much improved situation on the ground," Annan said. "It is possible to do it and it should be in the interests of the people of Syria," he added.

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Syria calm after UN truce deadline
12 Apr.`12 — A fragile cease-fire brokered by the U.N. took hold in Syria on Thursday with regime forces apparently halting widespread attacks on the opposition but still defying demands by international envoy Kofi Annan to pull troops back to barracks.

If the truce holds, it would be the first time the regime has observed an internationally brokered cease-fire since Bashar Assad's regime launched a brutal crackdown 13 months ago on mass protests calling for his ouster. The opposition called for peaceful protests on Friday to test the government's commitment to the accord. There was deep skepticism that the regime would halt its fire for long, given that Assad has broken promises in the past. Also, the regime said Wednesday, on the eve of the truce deadline, that it reserves the right to respond to any aggression, potentially a pretext for breaking the truce.

Annan's plan calls for the deployment of international observers and talks on a political transition once a truce is in place. The initiative has broad international support, including from Assad allies Russia, China and Iran, and is widely seen as the last chance for diplomacy to end the violence. The increasingly militarized uprising has been veering toward an armed insurgency.

The West and its allies doubt the sincerity of the regime's pledges to comply with the truce plan, which calls on the Syrian government to allow peaceful protests. A prolonged cease-fire could threaten the regime by encouraging large numbers of protesters to flood the streets, as they did at the start of the revolt against the four-decade rule of the Assad clan. The government met those demonstrations with a harsh crackdown, and more than 9,000 people have died since, according to the U.N.

Burhan Ghalioun, head of the opposition Syrian National Council, urged Syrians to demonstrate peacefully on Friday. Protests are common on Fridays after Muslims crowd mosques for noon prayers. "Tomorrow, like every Friday, the Syrian people are called to demonstrate even more and put the regime in front of its responsibilities — put the international community in front of its responsibilities," he said.

More http://news.yahoo.com/syria-calm-un-truce-deadline-094414868.html