The Arabic language source is quoting comments on the agreement by Western politicians like British foreign minister Haig, French foreign minister Fabius and NATO secretary general Rasmussen.
..............................
叙反对派不承认俄美有关叙利亚化武问题的协议
Headline:
Syria's opposition doesn't recognize the Russian - U.S. agreement on the item of Syria's chemical weapons.
News from Russia's news agency [i.e. Novosti] are saying the chairman of the supreme military council of the Free Syrian Army, Idriss, issued [the following] statement the day before: "We (the Syrian opposition) don't recognize the Russian proposal (the proposal regarding the item of chemical weapons)".
[Source: People's Network 人民网 , Beijing, on September 15, 2013]
العراق يرحب بمبادرة روسية لنزع الأسلحة الكيمياوية السورية لتجنب ضربها
Headline:
Iraq welcomes the Russian initiative to [take over] Syria's chemical weapons [in order to safeguard them] from being hitten.
رحبت الحكومة العراقية الأربعاء بمبادرة روسية تضمن نزع الأسلحة الكيمياوية من سوريا و وضعها تحت إشراف جها دولية لتجنب الضربة العسكرية الأمريكية
On Wednesday [i.e. September 11], the government of Iraq welcomed the Russian initiative to ensure the disarmament of Syria [as far as it concerns its] chemical weapons and to put [these weapons] under [international] control to avoid a military strike [from] America.
[Source: Shafaaq News شفق نيوز on September 11, 2013. Shafaaq News belongs to a Kurdish news group in Iraq that is associated with Shafaaq Foundation.]
Further news coming from the same source are here:
A number of elements of the Free Syrian Army were arrested on Thursday while trying to enter Iraqi territory, according to a police source in Anbar police. [Shafaaq News on September 12, 2013]
Some days earlier on September 8, Shafaaq News quoted an interview with Iraq's minister of foreign affairs Hoshyar Zebari (photo above).
The Iraqi minister of foreign affairs Hoshyar Zebari denied that any Arab country or even the Arab League have supported the US strike on Syria during the Arab Ministerial meeting which was held in the head quarters of the League a few days ago in Cairo.
Here an excerpt from the interview Zebari granted to the paper Asharq Al-Awsat / The Middle East:
*It seems to many that the US is seriously preparing for a military strike designed to cripple the Assad regime’s military capabilities. Do you agree?
-True, American preparations are serious, and the strike seems certain. In my estimation the American administration will not stay silent.
*Do you think it possible that the US will not do anything, even after moving warships into the Mediterranean?
Of course no. This is a very difficult matter. As I mentioned, an American military strike is a near certainty. This issue is connected to politics, domestic concerns, the position of President Obama, the American leadership, and their pride. The American administration has reached a point where it cannot back down and the consequences of the strike will be extremely dangerous for the entire region.
*What are the possible repercussions of a strike on Syria in Iraq?
-Iraq will be directly affected by the continuation of the Syrian crisis and its extension into Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has become a single front containing terrorist organizations including Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, and others. Their only goal is to cause as much destruction as possible.
From a humanitarian perspective, there is also the issue of the influx of Syrian refugees. For instance, over a short period of time Iraq has taken in nearly 43,000 Syrian refugees. Naturally there are concerns, especially since we do not know what the grand strategy is to ensure stability in Syria. No one in the Arab foreign ministers’ meeting had any better alternative for dealing with the crisis except enacting the Geneva II conference and securing peace through the participation of both parties.
*Hasn’t the Syrian regime refused to participate in Geneva II?
-They did not really refuse it. The Syrian regime expressed their consent during a visit to Iraq by Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem.
* But Muallem came out later to announce that Syria’s participation was contingent about certain conditions, including Assad remaining in power until the end of his term in office in 2014.
-No. The Syrian regime agreed without preconditions. The two parties must participate in the conference without preconditions in order to ensure credibility.
*How do you interpret the Russian and American positions? The former thinks it has proof that the opposition used chemical weapons and America says that it has proof that the regime used them.
-These positions are the result of politicizing intelligence information.
*What do you mean by “politicizing intelligence information?”
-Every country is using the information it has to support its own position. Many international parties have had reservations and even questioned the credibility of this information. This debate is ongoing and the UN inspectors will present their report to the UN Secretary General. However the team will not name which side used chemical weapons, only whether or not chemical weapons were used. This means that we will continue to hear debates around who was responsible for the attack. Therefore, it is up the different nations’ intelligence services to assess who used chemical weapons. It is for this reason that I believe that a military strike is coming.
*After the military strike, will it be possible for both sides to go to the Geneva II conference and reach a political solution?
-Every party should be pressured to arrive at a political solution, but will that actually happen? We don’t know. Will there be greater repercussions or other parties that will widen the scope of the conflict beyond Syria? That is certainly a possibility.
*Do you think it is possible that the Syria conflict will spillover into Lebanon, for instance?
-With the confrontation with Israel, Hezbollah entering the fray, and terrorist activities here and there, there is serious anxiety over this issue. We, as neighbors of Syria, certainly need to take precautions and work hard with others to settle the differences that could disrupt a political settlement.
*Do you mean that if a strike occurred in Syria, however limited, it must come with a guarantee to preserve the state of Syrian through Geneva II?
-Of course our goal is protecting the Syrian people and their nation.
*What about the current security situation in Iraq?
-The security situation is not stable because of continued terrorist attacks. A big part of that can be traced to the performance of security and governmental agencies in addressing the issue. It is also partially a reflection of the Syrian crisis. We have an interest in ending this crisis and finding a secure and safe way out of it, particularly as we are among the nations that are most affected by what happens in Syria. Regarding the current political situation, all matters are on hold and political issues have not been settled. We are awaiting next year’s general elections.
*What can you tell us about the preparations for the UN meetings with the Arab Group in New York this month?
-As for Iraq, we will go to New York. We have gotten rid of all of the UN restrictions and sanctions that have shackled Iraq, particularly Chapter VII. Having returned to the Arab, Islamic, and international stage, we will go this time free from all the sanctions that we once faced. In my opinion, the most important issue on the table is definitely the Syrian crisis, also the Iranian nuclear issue and the participation of the new Iranian president who will be a star of the meeting in New York.
*Has Iranian policy changed following Hassan Rouhani’s election?
-There are strong indicators that there is an inclination towards change and dealing with the realities of the situation with little concern for ideology.
*Will the Iranian grip on Iraq loosen as well?
-They do not have a grip on us, but there are relations and communication. Next week, the Iranian foreign minister will undertake his first visit to Baghdad.
*What will be discussed during the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Baghdad?
-A number of issues will be discussed: bilateral relations, the Syrian crisis, and the nuclear issue.
*In the case of an American military strike on Syria, do you expect Iran to become a party in the equation?
News Update on Syria: September 9/10 => further down
Breaking News: Obama accepts Russian plan of a chemical weapons' control by international monitors as Syria's government declares its will to cooperate, even to halt poison gas production. However, it remains unclear whether such plan is realistic in the frame of fierce fighting in Syria's civil war.
Obama's speech to the U.S. nation tonight can be evaluated by an ad-hoc opinion poll among speech watchers. It shows an increase of support for inevitable military action within a war-tired nation as well as strong confidence in a diplomatic solution that might be now at hand:
In my last blogspot, some days ago, I dealt with the crisis in Syria. On this occasion, I presented some visitors to "blueprint news" interested in the Syrian subject and who came from most exotic places all over the world.
Today, I'm dealing with some visitors and their field of interest and who came from the actual region of conflict which is stretching from the Mediterranean to the heights of Afghanistan and Pakistan. That region includes Iran which is being regarded by the West as an ally to the Syrian regime and a supporter of militant Islamists in Lebanon and Palestine. All of the following visitors came during the last few days and weeks:
..............................
A visitor from the Emirate of Qatar who loaded latest information about Syria:
A visitor from Iraq interested in Syria news and who visited the same blogspot:
The following photos of victims from the reported gas attacks in Syria had to be added as they are taken from video material shown to members of the U.S. Congress in the effort to convince them of military action against Syria.
This came about the same time when questions of congressmen were answered by foreign secretary John Kerry, defense secretary Chuck Hagel and General Dempsey on September 4. President Obama was absent on that meeting because of his participation on the G-20 economic summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
While official support of U.S. Senate and House on Capitol Hill is still uncertain, Barack Obama is trying to activate his European allies for support of a rather unilateral action in the frame of blocked decisions in the UN Security Council. War with Russia is considered to be unlikely by the Obama administration, even though Russia blocked the UN Security Council and declared that chemical weapons might have been used by Syrian rebels. In addition, Russia sent warships for observation into the Mediterranean where a fleet of U.S. and British warships has already been deployed.
Quotations from the hearing before U.S. Congress on September 4:
Kerry: We are acting cautiously. We are not getting into Syria's civil war.
Kerry: Russia won't go to war over Syria.
Dempsey: There's a risk of escalation if we do nothing.
Kerry: Inaction will undermine our credibility. If we do nothing, Pyongyang,
Tehran, Damascus will celebrate.
Kerry: Strike will impact Iran's thinking.
Syria News Update on September 9:
Russia urges Syria to hand over control of chemical weapons. [USA Today, September 9, 2013]
Syria News Update on September 10:
叙利亚国内反对派组织代表团将自今日起访华
Headline:
A delegation from Syria's internal opposition group is going to visit China these days.
On today's regular press conference of China's foreign ministry, the ministry's spokesman Hong Lei said that a delegation from Syria's internal opposition group "Coalition for a Nationwide Dialogue" was going to visit China these days at the invitation of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs. The Syrian delegation comprises six members. During their visit, the delegation will be received by leading officials of the foreign ministry and related ministries for an exchange of views on the Syrian situation.
[Source: People's Network 人民网 on September 10, 2013]
- Breaking News - NBC News on September 10 -
by Alastair Jamieson, Albina Kovalyova and Keir Simmons, NBC News
"... President Barack Obama has agreed to discuss Russia's proposal that Syria hand over chemical weapons, the White House said Tuesday after Damascus confirmed it would accept such a deal.
Talks will begin at the United Nations later Tuesday, a White House official told NBC News, even as Obama prepares to address Congress -- and the American people -- to make the case for authorization to use military strikes if diplomatic solutions fail.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said the U.S., France and Britain would propose a U.N. Security Council resolution shortly.
Earlier, Syria Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem told NBC News in Moscow that he hoped acceptance of the "peaceful solution" would "put an end to the war."
The building momentum behind Russia's plan, which had already been endorsed by China and Iran, came only 24 hours after Secretary of State John Kerry raised a weapons handover at a news conference in London.
Obama said Monday that the Russia plan offered a potential path that averted U.S. military strikes, but Kerry cautioned that the only reason the Russia solution has "potential legs at all" is because of a credible threat of force.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry testifies before the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday, saying that the Obama administration will not wait for very long on a possible Syrian chemical weapons proposal. "Nothing focuses the mind like the prospect of a hanging," Kerry told a congressional committee Tuesday. He said Obama would look at the plan but added: "We’re waiting for that proposal, but we’re not waiting for long.” Kerry said it had been the “credible use of force” by the U.S. that has “for the first time brought this regime to even acknowledge that they have a chemical weapons arsenal,” adding that the threat of military action “is more compelling if the Congress stands with the commander in chief.”
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel echoed that line, saying the Russia deal "could be a real solution to this crisis," but added: "We must be clear-eyed and ensure it is not a stalling tactic by Syria and its Russian patrons."
Senior senators - including John McCain, R-Ariz., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. - announced they were working on a new plan that would authorize the president to use force only if Syria did not comply with a U.N. resolution to remove chemical weapons by a pre-determined deadline.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announces Tuesday that he will not be voting in favor of a resolution to use U.S. military force in Syria. But even as they discussed their move, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced his opposition to military strikes against Syria. And Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and Kerry's successor in the Senate, said he would not support the use of force resolution passed by the committee, calling it too broad.
The president traveled to Capitol Hill shortly after noon Tuesday to meet with the Senate Democratic Caucus and Senate Republican Conference before delivering an address to the nation from the East Room of the White House at 9:01 p.m. ET.
Kerry said that despite a Senate delay on a vote after the Russians made their proposal, "nothing has changed" on the administration request for congressional action, though he said the president may talk to congressional leaders about timing of a vote.
In a further development, a spokesman for Vladimir Putin said the Russian president had discussed the weapons handover plan with Obama at last week’s G-20 summit.
That shed a different light on Kerry’s mention of the plan at a news conference in London on Monday. That had previously been characterized by spokesman Jen Psaki as an off-the-cuff “rhetorical argument.”
Obama's case for limited airstrikes targeting Assad's regime was boosted early Tuesday when a Human Rights Watch report blamed Syrian government forces for the Aug. 21 poison gas attack that killed hundreds of people. The U.S.-based rights group said it had reached its conclusion after analyzing witness accounts, remnants of the weapons used and medical records of victims.
Human Rights Watch report: Syrian government is likely responsible for chemical attack. HRW said it did not believe the attack could have been carried out by rebels or other “terrorists” as a smokescreen, as suggested by Assad. "Human Rights Watch and arms experts monitoring the use of weaponry in Syria have not documented Syrian opposition forces to be in possession of the 140mm and 330mm rockets used in the attack, or their associated launchers," the report added.
Russia’s diplomatic solution appeared to be gathering momentum internationally -- as an attractive option for many U.S. allies who agree with the White House stance against chemical weapons but who are reluctant to be drawn into another Middle East military conflict.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are working with other senators on an alternative resolution to dealing with Syria and its chemical weapons. NBC News' Kasie Hunt reports.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explained his proposal during a pre-planned 14-minute phone call to John Kerry as the U.S. secretary of state flew from London to Washington Monday.
U.S. officials said Kerry expressed concern that it would be hard to verify whether Syria had complied with any such plan, or to know if the regime had still kept some of its chemical weapons stockpiles.
Adding to international concern, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu agency reported that Syrian jets bombed the border town of Tel Abyad on Monday, prompting yet more Syrians to seek refuge in Turkey. Thousands had already flooded across the border, leaving authorities struggling to cope. ..."
..............................
A visitor from Lebanon who loaded an earlier blogspot
that deals with the dangers of a future World War III:
..............................
A Syrian visitor reminds us of a sad ending of Ramadan (August 2012) which
many Syrian refugees had to experience in their Turkish or Jordanian camps:
- City of the Lost - [The New Yorker / Letter from Jordan, August 26, 2013]
..............................
A Jordanian visitor loaded another blogspot hinting at
a scenario of mutual threats in the Iranian conflict:
..............................
A reminder from Egypt of the presidential elections in 2012 that brought Moh. Morsy
into office. I was surprised to learn how many visitors from the Arab world had loaded
blogspots related to Morsy, even after his destitution by Egypt's military one year later.
The Baghram attack on May 19, 2010, was accompanied by first news on secret negotiations between Taliban leaders and Afghan government envoys on the remote paradise of the Maldives.
By the way, today's government request came from the same internet access point in Kabul as another request on August 17, 2013. That time's subject was chasing Al-Qaeda in Mali.
Choice of localized visitors to "blueprint news" during 48 hours on August 8/9, 2013:
This morning, August 28, the Jordanian daily Al-Medina المدينة reported about the practical steps of preparation for an intervention in Syria after the confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians there. According to Al-Medina, ten national armies should participate in that enterprise "including U.S., British, French, Italian, German, Canadian, Jordanian and Turkish troops" «أمريكا وبريطانيا وفرنسا وإيطاليا وألمانيا وكندا والأردن وتركيا». Their commanders are known to have left the Jordanian capital of Amman yesterday, August 27, after a conference with Jordanian officials. The paper is quoting Jordan's foreign minister Nasser Judeh as saying "The conference discussed the Syrian [subject]" «الاجتماع ناقش الملف السوري».
Michelle and Barack Obama
meeting with Nasser Judeh
التزام أمريكي بحماية الأردن.. وتأهيل جيش سوري "جديد" بدون "إسلاميين"ـ
عجلة الحرب تدور وقادة الجيوش الـ10 غادروا عمان
America [dashing forward] with Jordanian protection ... and a [trained] "new" Syrian army without "Islamists".
With pressure towards war [on all sides], the commanders of the ten armies are leaving Amman.
..............................
Today, China's semi-official People's Network comes with the following headline:
美国政府人士：对叙利亚精确空中打击或周四进行
U.S. government official [says] a precise air-strike against Syria will probably be conducted on Thursday [i.e. tomorrow, August 29].
The Chinese source is quoting a Russian news network that referred to U.S. radio / TV news from NBC dating back to Tuesday, August 27, 2013.
Today, August 28, German news channel N24 reported that UN inspectors in Syria claimed to need another 3-4 days in their search of evidence.
أمريكا تضرب سوريا الخميس ليلا، ومسؤول سوري يهدد بإشعال تل أبيب ردا على الضربة
America will strike Syria on Thursday night [i.e. August 29]. The responsible one in Syria is threatening to set Tel Aviv ablaze as an answer to that blow.
ضربة عقابية محدودة أو ضربة واسعة لأسقاط النظام : سيناريوهات الضربة العسكرية المتوقعة ضد النظام السوري
A limited penalty strike or an extended strike to abolish the regime:
The probable scenarios of a military strike [directed] against the Syrian regime.
[Source: Donia Al-Watan دنيا الوطن, Ramallah / Palestine, on August 28, 2013]
مشروع قرار بريطاني للتحرك في سوريا أمام مجلس الأمن.. والجيش التركي يرفع درجة التأهب
Britain's fixed plan for moving into Syria before the [UN] security council ...
and the Turkish army is raising [its] grade of preparation [or: alert].
[Source: Asharq Al-Awsat / The Middle East الشرق الأوسط on August 28, 2013]
مصدر رسمى امريكى:ضرب سوريا اليوم الخميس ويستمر ثلاثة ايام
Official U.S. source: The strike against Syria will take place today, Thursday, and will continue for three days.
The Palestinian article is still referring to NBC News like the Russian news network that has been quoted by People's Network, Beijing, the day before.
[Source: Al-Fajer Al-Jadeed TV تلفزيون الفجر الجديد, Tulkarm / Palestine, on Thursday, August 29, 2013]
Syria's prime minister Wael al-Halki
رئيس وزراء سوريا يدعو "لاستنفار الطاقات الوطنية" في حال التعرض لهجوم امريكي
Syria's prime minister is calling for the " mobilisation of national powers " in case of [facing] an American attack.
[Source: Reuters رويترز, Beirut, on August 29, 2013]
..............................
Please Note:
The above information, published in Arabic and Chinese media on Aug. 28/29, is somehow contrasting with rather "soothing" declarations in Western media from the same day. Such declarations are saying that Britain will "abstain from intervention as long as UN inspectors are engaged" in their search for evidence, that Obama is "still not decided" and that German chancellor Merkel is "promoting a political solution" to the problem.
However, military preparations being such far developed and counter measures of the Syrian regime like the deplacement of certain military units being under way, one might come to think that there is even much more trouble hidden under the surface of the Syrian conflict than already known by a global community of observers. - Ulysses, August 28/29 -
The Situation on August 30: - It's Only Just Begun ! -
Obama decided to strike Syria, even single-sided if necessary,
however, it's the Congress and the Senate he has to convince.
With the British ally paddling back after PM Cameron's defeat in parliament
yesterday, joint military action will now become more difficult for the U.S. ...
... while a brandnew U.S. opinion poll is not in favor of U.S. military
involved in Syria in a general way. However there's a difference ...
... when it comes to the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime.
And there seems to be clear evidence of that from phone interception.
..............................
Comment by Ulysses:
As to the alleged participation of German troops in the intervention, I have some second thoughts. If such participation was not based on definite rules, compulsory for each member of the North Atlantic Pact or in the frame of the non-proliferation treaty for chemical weapons, I could not see any automatic obligation for German troops to participate in such intervention. In all other cases, German parliament would have to provide a majority in favor of the intervention which I doubt would happen in the actual situation and only some weeks before federal elections in Germany. This would weaken the governing parties and strengthen all opposing groups in parliament. However, an informal participation of German troop commanders in preparation talks as well as some remote logistic support (i.e. air traffic control) could be expected. - Ulysses, August 28/29 -
..............................
Choice of visitors to "blueprint news" on August 28, 2013, and who could be located by a country tag in their web address:
Visitor interested in Syria and who came from Anchorage / Alaska:
Visitor interested in Syria and who came from New Delhi / India:
Visitor interested in Syria and who came from Manaus / Brazil:
Visitor interested in Syria and who came from Ho Chi Minh City / Vietnam:
