'US to announce aerial blockade on Syria'

[jsgr79]

'US to announce aerial blockade on Syria'


US readies for possibility of intervention without UN resolution, Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing US military official; plan to include humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees on Turkey's border

Roi Kais Published: 02.25.12, 13:21 / Israel News







The Pentagon is readying for the possibility of intervention in Syria, aiming to halt Syrian President Bashsar Assad's violent crackdown on protesters, the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Saturday, citing a US military offical.


read more'US to announce aerial blockade on Syria' - Israel News, Ynetnews

 

[waltky]

Thought that was what is already goin' on there...

Syria could descend into civil war: Clinton
Sunday, February 26, 2012 : There is "every possibility" that Syria could descend into a civil war which could be worsened by foreign intervention, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the BBC on Sunday.

"I think that there's every possibility of a civil war. Outside intervention would not prevent that -- it would probably expedite it," Clinton said in an interview conducted in Rabat, Morocco. The comments were aired two days after Arab and Western foreign ministers met in Tunis to discuss the Syrian crisis and expressed sorrow at the ongoing bloodshed. "As you try to play out every possible scenario, there are a lot of bad ones that we are trying to assess -- while keeping our eye on the need to get humanitarian aid in, to try to do everything we possibly can to support the Syrian opposition... and we're trying to help push a democratic transition. "It took more than a year in Yemen, but finally there was a new president inaugurated. People kept being killed all the time, so these are very painful situations, there is no getting around it.

"I feel like everyone else watching the video, and I also have the additional information that comes from all kinds of intelligence sources. "I know how terrible things are in parts of Syria. Other parts are totally unaffected. So this is a difficult but necessary engagement for the world to stay focused on," she added. Before the weekend, Clinton said Friday that the international community must work to change Russia and China's positions against measures to stop the Syrian regime's crackdown. Both nations have vetoed two UN resolutions. She told the BBC on Sunday that there was still stiff opposition to any intervention.

"We still have a very strong opposition to foreign intervention, from inside Syria, from outside Syria," she said. "We don't have the United Nations Security Council approval, legitimacy, credibility, that comes with the international community making a decision. "We have a very dangerous set of actors in the region -- Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and those who are on our terrorist list, claiming to support the opposition. "You have many Syrians more worried about what could come next. So I don't want to say that nothing can be done, because I don't believe that and I feel like we re moving to the best of everyone's ability.

"But I want to make clear that, for anyone that is watching this horrible massacre that is going on, to ask yourself: okay, what do you do? "If you bring in automatic weapons, which you can maybe smuggle across the border -- okay, but what do they do against tanks and heavy artillery? So there's a much more complex set of factors." She added: "Part of the reason for the Tunis meeting was to see whose side who was on." During a press conference in Rabat, Clinton also appealed "to the members of the Syrian army to put their country first" and not shoot at civilians.

Source

 

[FA_Q2]

Surprise, more war when the dems are in office to. Who would have thought....

 

[ScienceRocks]

Good luck in stopping russia from supplying Assad! We're going to be walking a thin line between total war and doing nothing.

 

[Oddball]

Surprise, more war when the dems are in office to. Who would have thought....

War is peace, baby.

 

[Peach]

Surprise, more war when the dems are in office to. Who would have thought....

War is peace, baby.

Sure, and freedom is slavery.

 

[Peach]

Good luck in stopping russia from supplying Assad! We're going to be walking a thin line between total war and doing nothing.

Yes, and the Secretary of State seems to be saying we will do as little as possible. As I have written, there is no way Obama can win in this situation.

 

[waltky]

Journalist wounded covering the Syrian uprising saved by rebels...

Rebels whisk injured British reporter out of Syria
28 Feb.`12 – Syrian rebels smuggled a wounded British journalist out of the besieged central city of Homs Tuesday and whisked him to safety in neighboring Lebanon, activist groups said. They did not manage to evacuate a wounded French journalist or the bodies of two other Western reporters killed last week.

The Syrian opposition group Local Coordination Committees and global activist group Avaaz said photographer Paul Conroy was the only foreign journalist to escape Syria. Rima Fleihan, an LCC spokeswoman, said Conroy was smuggled out by Syrian army defectors. The LCC said other Western journalists are negotiating with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to be allowed to leave Syria without having their videos and photos confiscated by authorities.

All the journalists killed and wounded in Homs were smuggled into Syria from Lebanon illegally. "I have heard that he is out," Conroy's wife Kate Conroy said. "All I can say is that we are delighted and overjoyed at the news, but I am not going to say any more than that at this point." Conroy's father Les Conroy said his wife had spoken with their son and described him as being in "very good spirits," though he confirmed he had not personally talked with the photographer. "We're all very relieved and happy that Paul's out," he said.

The regime kept up its fierce bombardment of the central region, a major stronghold of the opposition waging an 11-month-old uprising to oust authoritarian President Bashar Assad. Activists reported overnight the deaths of 144 more people in unrest across the country — scores of them in rebel-controlled Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr by security forces as they tried to flee — and said at least nine more were killed by shelling on Tuesday. After a weekend meeting where Western and Arab nations tried to forge a unified strategy to help push Assad from power, the U.N.'s human rights chief said Tuesday that situation in Syria has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks and demanded an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.

Navi Pillay said her office has received reports that Syrian military and security forces "have launched massive campaigns of arrest" and launched an onslaught against government opponents that has deprived many civilians of food, water and medical supplies. Pillay told an urgent meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council that "hundreds of people have reportedly been killed since the start of this latest assault in the beginning of February 2012." She called on Syria to end all fighting, allow international monitors to enter the country and give unhindered access to aid agencies. In Beirut, a British embassy official told The Associated Press that London is working to repatriate Conroy, who was injured in the Homs along with French journalist Edith Bouvier. The LCC spokeswoman said Bouvier remained behind in Homs. American Marie Colvin and Frenchman Remi Ochlik were killed in the same attack and their bodies are still in Syria.

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Wounded photographer out of Syria
February 28, 2012 -- Journalist Edith Bouvier refuses to leave without certain guarantees, the LCC says; Three activists are killed trying to get Western journalists out of Homs, Avaaz says; Syrian activists risk their lives to smuggle Paul Conroy to Lebanon, Avaaz says; There is no word on where the bodies of Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik are

British photographer Paul Conroy, who was wounded in an attack in Syria that left two other journalists dead last week, has been smuggled out of the country and is now safe in Lebanon, his newspaper said Tuesday. But French journalist Edith Bouvier, who was injured in the same attack, and other journalists are refusing to leave the besieged Syrian city of Homs without Syrian government guarantees that their photographs and recordings will not be confiscated, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.

Avaaz, an international activist network, said Bouvier and two other journalists are believed to be in the same field hospital in the Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr where they were last week. There is no word on the fate of the bodies of Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik, who were killed in Homs. Syrian activists "suffered and risked their lives" over the course of six nights to smuggle Conroy to a safe house in Lebanon, said Wissam Tarif, an Avaaz spokesman.

Three were killed by "targeted Syrian shelling as they tried to assist the journalists through Baba Amr, and 10 died bringing relief supplies into the neighborhood, Avaaz said in a written statement. "Syrian activists wanted to help their friends who have been so bravely telling the story of the carnage in Homs," Tarif said. Conroy's wife, Kate, told CNN she was "overjoyed with the news. We just need time to gather our thoughts before it all goes completely mad. I haven't spoken to him yet, but I've heard the good news on the television."

His newspaper, the Sunday Times, said he was safe and in Lebanon. "He is in good shape and good spirits," the newspaper said in a statement. Avaaz executive director Ricken Patel said: "The world must now listen carefully to the human horror stories that Paul will tell and act to end this bloodbath and deliver the urgent relief and protection to the people of Syria." An additional 40 wounded people were smuggled out of the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs, Tarif said. Colvin and Ochlik, both award-winning journalists, were killed on Wednesday.

Source

 

[Katzndogz]

Someone has to tell their "story".

Russia supports Assad. Russia has a major military base in Syria. obama will do nothing unless he loses the election. If he loses, the scorched eath war he will wage against America might well induce him to directly attack a Russian client state.

 

[waltky]

Say what!!!???...

Senators: U.S. indirectly funding Syrian military
March 14th, 2012 - Angered by Russia's refusal to stop selling arms to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. lawmakers are urging the Defense Department to halt U.S. purchases of Russian helicopters and parts for the Afghan air force.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, 17 senators said that "U.S. taxpayers should not be put in a position where they are indirectly subsidizing the mass murder of Syrian civilians." The letter, dated Monday, was sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well. But State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Tuesday defended the Russian-Afghan deal, saying that although "we obviously share the intent" of the senators' demands to persuade Russia to end its arms supply to Syria, "cutting off U.S. purchases would hurt Afghanistan's ability to defend itself."

Last May, the Defense Department signed a $375 million contract with the Russian state-controlled arms export firm Rosoboronexport to purchase 21 Mi-17 aircraft. The helicopters, developed by the Soviet Union, are used extensively around the world and Afghan pilots traditionally have been trained on them. In their letter, the senators say their primary concern is that the Defense Department is purchasing the helicopters "from an organization that has for years been on a U.S. sanctions list for illicit nuclear assistance to Iran and, in the face of the international community's concern, is continuing to enable the Assad regime with the arms it needs to slaughter innocent men, women and children in Syria."

The lawmakers ask the Department to "immediately review all potential options to procure helicopters legally through other means." But the Defense Department says the contract with Rosoboronexport is the "only legal method" to purchase the military version of the Mi-17 "and to provide ensured cognizance of safety and airworthiness." According to the Congressional Research Service, Russian arms sales to Syria have more than doubled in the past five years, rising from $2.1 billion in the period 2003 to 2006 to $4.7 billion from 2007 to 2010.

The senators also indicate another reason for their anger over the contract with the Russian company, telling Panetta and Clinton that "it is certainly frustrating that U.S. taxpayer funding is used to buy Russian-made helicopters instead of world-class U.S.-made helicopters for the Afghan military." But Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, has said in a congressional hearing that buy American-made helicopters would have meant a much higher cost. "If they had bought an American aircraft, it would have been much more expensive and it would have taken much longer because of the training time of the pilots necessary," Odierno told the Senate Armed Services Committee last Thursday.

As the Obama administration sees it, buying from Russia - even as it continues to arm the Assad regime - may be unavoidable. State Department spokeswoman Nuland says the United States will continue to urge other countries not to provide weapons to Syria. "But at the same time," she said Tuesday, "we also have a requirement to help the Afghans become increasingly self-sustaining in their ability to lead their security efforts at home."

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Russia says it will keep selling weapons to Syria
March 13, 2012 | Russia and the United States have failed to narrow their differences over a planned U.S. missile shield and stand practically no chance of reaching a compromise at the NATO summit in Chicago in May, a top Russian official said Tuesday.

Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Washington is going ahead with its plans for a missile shield in Europe without considering Russian concerns. The U.S. says the NATO missile shield is aimed at deflecting potential missile threats from Iran, but Moscow fears that it will eventually grow powerful enough to undermine Russia's nuclear deterrent. "I think it would be very difficult to achieve any success at the summit," Antonov said. "As of today, there is no document for the leaders to approve."

NATO has said it wants to cooperate with Russia on the missile shield. But it has rejected Russia's proposal to run the shield jointly. Without a NATO-Russia cooperation deal, President Dmitry Medvedev has sought guarantees from the U.S. that any future shield is not aimed at Russia. He has threatened to aim missiles at the U.S. shield if no agreement is reached. Antonov said any moves "will depend entirely on how the U.S. implements its plans."

"If it conducts the policy of presenting us with a fait accompli, that doesn't show trust and respect for us as partners," Antonov said. He wouldn't say whether president-elect Vladimir Putin would participate in the NATO summit beginning May 20 after attending the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations summit at Camp David. "We still need to do a lot with our American friends and NATO colleagues to reach common ground and put it on paper," he said. "I think it will require more time than there is ahead of the summit."

Antonov said he was skeptical about media reports that the U.S. could try to assuage Moscow's concern about the missile shield by sharing confidential technical data, saying U.S. laws would bar the transfer of such data to Russia. But, he said Russia would consider such offers if they are made. Antonov added that an earlier U.S. proposal for cooperation in military technologies hasn't brought any results. "A legal basis is needed for the exchange of sensitive information," he said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/0...apons-to-syria/?test=latestnews#ixzz1p4O5VWES

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

'US to announce aerial blockade on Syria'


US readies for possibility of intervention without UN resolution, Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing US military official; plan to include humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees on Turkey's border

Roi Kais Published: 02.25.12, 13:21 / Israel News







The Pentagon is readying for the possibility of intervention in Syria, aiming to halt Syrian President Bashsar Assad's violent crackdown on protesters, the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Saturday, citing a US military offical.


read more'US to announce aerial blockade on Syria' - Israel News, Ynetnews

I hope it works out well if it's true. I support it if it's true.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Surprise, more war when the dems are in office to. Who would have thought....

Yeah, always picking up the mess of others. How'd that Dem Iraq/Gulf War (both times) go for ya?

 

[Avatar4321]

So when is Congress going to get a vote as required by the Constitution? I don't care what you call it. Declaration of War or Authorization for the use of force. Doesn't matter to me. But Congress has to approve.

How exactly is starting another war in the middle east a good thing right now? You think making things more unstable there is going to help the gas prices?

We do this and we may be starting a regional conflict, at least.

We have no interest there. None.

The last two times we have seriously radical progressive Presidents, we found World Wars. Under both of them.

Im telling you, if we dont get off this path, war is going to be inevitable.

 

[Douger]

So when is Congress going to get a vote as required by the Constitution? I don't care what you call it. Declaration of War or Authorization for the use of force. Doesn't matter to me. But Congress has to approve.

How exactly is starting another war in the middle east a good thing right now? You think making things more unstable there is going to help the gas prices?

We do this and we may be starting a regional conflict, at least.

We have no interest there. None.

The last two times we have seriously radical progressive Presidents, we found World Wars. Under both of them.

Im telling you, if we dont get off this path, war is going to be inevitable.

It's in the script. Damascus gets "turned to rubble" before the next scene can open.

 

[FA_Q2]

Surprise, more war when the dems are in office to. Who would have thought....

Yeah, always picking up the mess of others. How'd that Dem Iraq/Gulf War (both times) go for ya?

That the best you can do? Talk about the reps wars? What did I say, MORE WAR WITH THE DEMS IN OFFICE TO. Both sides love war and yet the left continually claims they have the high road and to be anti war. Your lies and partisanship are noted.

 

[TruthSeeker56]

What happened to the "get out of Iraq, get out of Afghanistan, close Gitmo, diplomatic solutions for EVERYTHING" Barack Obama that the leftists elected?

Obama is a WAR MONGER.............

1. Escalated the Afghan War

2. Ordered the invasion of a sovereign country (Pakistan) to kill ONE terrorist

3. Participated in the overthrow of the Egyptian government

4. Participated in the overthrow of the Libyan government

5. Unmanned drone missions carried out all over the Middle East (including Iran)

6. Gitmo is still open

Now we have the upcoming "aerial blockade" of Syria

What's next? Bombing North Korea?

This President LOVES killing innocent civilians!

Oh, wait a minute, I thought that BUSH and the Republicans were the war mongers! Oops!

But, "non-revisionist" history tells us that EVERY major armed conflict in the 20th century began and/or was escalated by a DEMOCRAT President. Oops again!

 

[chesswarsnow]

Sorry bout that,


1. With Russia backing Assad, its a bad idea to go in there.
2. We don't need a world war over that shit hole.
3. Let the people of Syria stand up and fight, or be killed standing up.
4. Its not or battle, but will it be made our battle?
5. Let congress vote on it, or if not let Obama be impeached over it.


Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

 

[snakedoc]

If we get involved in Syria militarily and it goes bad will this be Bushes fault as well?