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Showing posts with label destabilizing region. Show all posts
Showing posts with label destabilizing region. Show all posts
Turkey’s parliament has authorized cross-border military
operations into Syria ‘when necessary’ following a random mortar-shelling
incident on the Turkish-Syrian border, reports Hürriyet Daily News.
The
Turkish army has been retaliating by shelling Syrian military positions since
Wednesday.
The government-initiated debates in the Turkish
parliament took place behind closed doors. The cabinet of Turkish Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan claimed the Syrian military had launched an act of
aggression against Turkey.
The motion signed by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan says
that the Syrian crisis “affects the stability and security in the region” and
accuses Damascus of conducting assaults into Turkish land.
“This situation risks and threatens our national
security. In this respect, the need for taking precautions and acting quickly
against any threats to Turkey has arisen,” says the document.
In accordance with Article 92 of the Turkish
constitution, the government demanded a one-year authorization to send Turkish
troops to foreign countries, which was granted.
On Wednesday at least three mortar bombs fired from Syria
killed five civilians and wounded at least eight in the Turkish town of
Akcakale. This became a second mortar attack on the Turkish town since last
Friday. Back then Foreign Minister Davutoglu said he would take action if there
were a repeat.
After a heated debate an urgent parliamentary session has
opted to apply the new law.
The motion was supported by 320 deputies, while 129 voted
against it.
Originally the bill targeted militants of the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) fighting for independent Kurd state for the last three
decades. The Kurds have bases in northern Iraq, de-facto not controlled by the
government in Baghdad. The Turkish military has conducted a number of air and
ground assaults on Kurdish positions in Iraq, most of them considered
successful.
The debates around the move have sparked sharp negative
reaction among the Turkish population. While a small group of anti-war
protesters rallied outside the Turkish parliament in Ankara, a real anti-war
storm has been initiated by Turkish and foreign activists on social networks
both inside and outside of Turkey. The hashtag #savasahayir (no to war) quickly
spread beyond Turkish borders into global social networking.
After over a yearof
harboring foreign terroristsand supporting their
operations near and across the Turkish-Syrian border, NATO-member Turkey has
claimed it has retaliated with military force against “targets” inside Syria
for an alleged attack on Turkish territory that it has blamed on the Syrian
government.
Despite
heavily armed listed-terrorist organizations operating in large numbers on both
sides of the Turkish border with Turkey’s explicit approval and logistical
support, the government in Ankara appears to have excluded the possibility that
these terrorist forces, not the Syrian military, were responsible for the
attack which consisted of mortar rounds the armed militants are known to widely use.
Image: Terrorists operating in Syria pose next to a large
mortar. Mortars of all sizes are a favorite of terrorists operating in and
around Syria in NATO’s proxy bid to effect violent regime change. The mortars
fired into Turkish territory could just as likely have come from terrorists
Turkey itself is funding, arming, and harboring on behalf of long-planned NATO
machinations. Unlike the Syrian government, the terrorists, Turkey, and by
consequence, NATO, all have an actual motivation for launching the initial
attack that has caused Turkey to retaliate and predictably call on NATO to
intervene.
It was
unknown whether the mortar shells were fired by Syrian government forces or
rebels fighting to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The
Turkish response seemed to assume that the Syrian government was responsible.
Turkey’s
immediate, unwarranted act of military aggression, along with knee-jerk
condemnations from the US bear all the hallmarks of an orchestrated event – or
at the very least an attempt to opportunistically seize upon an isolated
incident to disingenuously advance the West’s collective geopolitical agenda.
Syria
clearly has no interest in threatening the security of Turkey, nor any reason
to attack Turkish territory which would surely give NATO the excuse it has been
looking for to directly intervene on behalf of its faltering terrorist proxies. Turkey Has Longed for a Pretext to Start War with
Syria
It was
previously reported that Turkey was intended by NATO, and more specifically,
Wall Street and London, to lead efforts in carving out “safe havens” in Syria’s
north, and to do so either under a false “humanitarian” or false “security”
pretext.
This has
been confirmed by Fortune 500-funded, US foreign-policy think-tank, Brookings
Institution which has blueprinted designs for regime change in Libya as well as both Syria and Iran. In their report, “Assessing Options for Regime Change”
it is stated (emphasis added):
“An
alternative is for diplomatic efforts to focus first on how to end the violence
and how to gain humanitarian access, as is being done under Annan’s leadership.
This may lead to the creation of safe-havens and humanitarian corridors, which
would have to be backed by limited military power. This would, of course, fall
short of U.S. goals for Syria and could preserve Asad in power. From that
starting point, however, it is possible that a broad coalition with the
appropriate international mandate could add further coercive action to its
efforts.” -page 4, Assessing Options for Regime Change,
Brookings Institution
Image: The
Brookings Institution, Middle East Memo #21 “Assessing Options for Regime Change (.pdf),”
makes no secret that the humanitarian “responsibility to protect” is but a
pretext for long-planned regime change.
Brookings
continues by describing how Turkey’s aligning of vast amounts of weapons and
troops along its border in coordination with Israeli efforts in the south of
Syria, could help effect violent regime change in Syria:
In
addition, Israel’s intelligence services have a strong knowledge of Syria, as
well as assets within the Syrian regime that could be used to subvert the
regime’s power base and press for Asad’s removal. Israel could posture forces
on or near the Golan Heights and, in so doing, might divert regime forces from
suppressing the opposition. This posture may conjure fears in the Asad regime
of a multi-front war, particularly if Turkey is willing to do the same on its
border and if the Syrian opposition is being fed a steady diet of arms and
training. Such a mobilization could perhaps persuade Syria’s military
leadership to oust Asad in order to preserve itself. Advocates argue this
additional pressure could tip the balance against Asad inside Syria, if other
forces were aligned properly. -page 6, Assessing Options for Regime Change,
Brookings Institution.
Turkish
leaders have clearly spent much time fabricating various excuses to meet
Washington’s demands in this regard by fabricating or taking advantage of
violence Turkey itself is fostering along its own border with Syria.
The report
would also mention Turkey’s role in helping undermine, subvert, and carve out
the ancient northern city of Aleppo:
Because
creating a unified national opposition is a long-term project that will
probably never fully succeed, the contact group, while not abandoning this
effort, may seek more realistic goals. For example, it might concentrate
maximum effort on breaking Asad’s hold on, say, the elite of Aleppo, which is
the commercial capital and which is also the city where Turkey has the greatest
leverage. If Aleppo were to fall to the opposition, the demoralizing effect on
the regime would be considerable.
The
military options include everything from perpetuating violence to, in Brookings’ own words, “bleed
it, keeping a regional adversary weak, while avoiding the costs of direct
intervention,” to Libyan-style “no-fly zones,” to a full military invasion. It
is clear, upon reading the Brookings memo, that the conspiracy has indeed begun
to unfold since its writing – with various military options being prepared and
various co-conspirators positioning themselves to execute them.
The
Brookings Institution’s “safe havens” and “humanitarian corridors” are meant to
be established by NATO-member Turkey, who has been threatening to partially invade
Syria for months in order to accomplish this. And while Turkey
claims this is based on “humanitarian concerns,” examining Turkey’s abysmal human rights record
in addition to its own ongoing genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people
both within and beyond its borders, it is clear they are simply fulfilling the
agenda established by their Western patrons on Wall Street and in the city of
London.
This latest
exchange between Turkey and Syria is not the first. Turkey has fabricated
stories before involving Syrian troops “firing across” the Turkish-Syrian
border. The New York Times published these bold
accusations before admitting further down that “it was unclear what
kind of weapons caused the injuries on Sunday around six miles inside Turkish
territory,” and that “there were conflicting accounts about the incident.” As
are all the accusations used by NATO, the UN, and individual member states to
justify meddling in Syria’s affairs, these tales involve hear-say from the rebels themselves.
It is clear
that Turkey, NATO, and the UN are continuously attempting to set a pretext for
the establishment of “safe havens” and “humanitarian corridors” intended to
circumvent the UN Security Council which has seen attempts to green-light
military intervention vetoed multiple times by Russia and China.
That the UN
has failed utterly to condemn the combined provocations and meddling in Syria’s
affairs illustrates the absolute failure of supranational, let alone, global
governance.
Reports say several Syrian soldiers have been killed in a
new attack by Turkish forces on a military post near the border town of Tel
Abyad.
The Turkish forces fired artillery shells at targets in the Syrian territory
during the early hours of Thursday.
The exact number of the Syrian soldiers killed in the attack has not been
reported.
Turkey’s attack follows a Syrian mortar strike that killed five people in the
southeastern Turkish town of Akcakale in Sanliurfa province on Wednesday.
Syria said it had started an investigation into the cause of the mortar attack
on the Turkish territory.
Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi also sent a message of condolence to
the Turkish people and families of the victims.
The minister stated that Syria respects the sovereignty of
its neighbors and wants its own sovereignty to be respected in return.
In addition, Zoabi called on some foreign countries, especially Turkey, to stop
the flow of weapons and terrorists into Syria.
Meanwhile, the Turkish parliament is scheduled to discuss Thursday a motion for
cross-border military operations inside Syria “when deemed necessary.”
Damascus says certain Western and regional countries, including Saudi Arabia,
Qatar and Turkey, are supporting the insurgents fighting against the Syrian
government.
On Wednesday, NATO ambassadors held an emergency meeting in Brussels over the
Turkish-Syrian border clashes and said in a statement, “The alliance continues
to stand by Turkey and demands the immediate cessation of such aggressive acts
against an ally.”
In July, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with the Turkish
Cumhuriyet daily that Turkey “has supplied all logistic support to the
terrorists who have killed our people.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara supports supplying arms to rebels in Syria fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Davutoglu claimed that the “international community’s message might be conveyed to the Syrian administration via certain methods including the arming of the Syrian National Council (SNC).”
The Turkish foreign minister made the remarks in a press conference with Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi in Istanbul on Saturday.
“If necessary, a transition similar to the Yemen model is worth discussion,” Davutoglu added.
The latest remarks by the Turkish foreign minister come a couple of days after Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani said on February 27 that the “international community” should provide arms to the Syrian rebels and that “Arab countries should take the lead in providing a safe haven for rebels inside Syria.”
Saudi Arabia has also voiced support for the rebels in Syria.
President Assad said on February 20 that “some foreign countries” are fueling the year-long turmoil in Syria by supporting and funding “armed terrorist groups fighting against the government.”
Statements from Western leaders on Syria have grown harsh, if not menacing, as criticisms of the Bashar Assad government are unleashed and regime change becomes a common theme.
The fury and thirst for blood can be heard around the world as Washington and Brussels make their views known on how the conflict in Syria should be resolved. The noose began tightening around Damascus after reports emerged in the previous week that several foreign journalists were killed and injured in a siege of the rebel stronghold Homs. And now, Western officials are taking advantage of the incident as an excuse for openly calling for the removal of Assad and his government. The new labels for the country’s president and his regime are growing creative in their severity.
‘Medieval barbarity’ condemned from the UK
Responsibility for the “medieval barbarity” in Syria lies solely with the country’s leadership, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said at the end of an EU summit in Brussels.
“We will make sure … that there is a day of reckoning for those who are responsible. I have a clear message for those in authority in Syria: make a choice, turn your back on this criminal regime or face justice for the blood that is on your hands,” he said.
Britain is now demanding that Assad face a war crimes tribunal for what Cameron describes as “butchering his own people.”
“It is very important that we set out the war crimes that effectively are being committed, that we write them down, we take the photographic evidence, we bring it together and … make sure that the day of reckoning will come,” he said.
London is withdrawing its entire diplomatic staff from the troubled country, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Thursday.
France wants ‘dictators to pay’
As the two French journalists Edith Bouvier and William Daniels, who were evacuated from the embattled city of Homs, arrived at an airport near Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy asserted that “dictators anywhere in the world should know that they will have to account for their crimes.”
“The crimes that they have committed will not go unpunished,” Sarkozy is quoted as saying by Al Arabiya.
He backed his rhetoric with the announcement that France is to close its embassy in Damascus.
‘Assad’s days numbered,’ Obama warns
The US is obviously not the country to avoid inflammatory comments on the issue. President Barack Obama stated in an interview with the Atlantic Monthly published on Friday that the Syrian president’s “days are numbered,” and said that the US was working to accelerate the transition to what it calls democracy for the country.
“It is our estimation that [Assad’s] days are numbered – it’s a matter not of if, but when,” Obama added.
“Now, can we accelerate that? We’re working with the world community to try to do that,” he said.
Obama did not hesitate to openly compare the situation in Syria to that in Libya some time ago, saying that the country is more sophisticated and more complicated than Libya – while regretting that “countries like Russia are blocking UN action.”
Regime change was the objective in two separate resolutions presented to the UN Security Council, both vetoed by Russia and China, who believe the international community cannot simply push out governments. Moscow and Beijing maintain that the Syrian people must decide what is to take place in their country, and support initiatives that would have both the government and the opposition agree to a ceasefire.
Obama noted that US is trying through the “Friends of the Syrian People” group to promote humanitarian relief to cities under attack from Syrian government forces.
“But they can also accelerate a transition to a peaceful and stable and representative Syrian government,” he added.
Earlier in the week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a Congressional committee that Assad could be classified as a war criminal, while France suggested Assad be referred to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
Assad bad, rebels good?
Western leaders are classifying the Syrian conflict in more black-and-white terms every day, with Assad consistently on the dark side. But while Brussels and Washington condemn the Assad government, eyewitnesses from Homs tell chilling stories of atrocities committed by opposition fighters, who kidnap and kill anyone they choose.
The Free Syrian Army blocked passage to Red Cross and Red Crescent ambulances, delaying evacuation from humanitarian disaster areas like the one in Baba Amr, a district of Homs. Further, on several instances when aid did reach its destination, there was no guarantee the people, who needed it, would receive it.
Thus, on Tuesday, a Russian helicopter flew into a neutral area to pick up Edith Bouvier, a French journalist wounded in the shelling of Homs on February 22. She was meant to be transported to France or Lebanon, but failed to appear, said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
“She was in the area controlled by the rebels. They could carry her out to the helicopter. But she never came. Or were the rebels holding her?” added Putin.
Nothing changed after two attempts by Red Crescent ambulances.
Bouvier and another injured reporter, William Daniels, finally reached Paris on Friday night. But as far as the official powers are concerned, there was no reason for the wounded journalists to spend so much time in the devastated city.
As the recent death toll in Syria's year-long uprising has leapt over 7,500 people, a growing number of voices are saying the atrocities carried out by the opposition can no longer be ignored.
“There is a growing recognition that some of the fundamentalist Islamic groups, who probably make up about 30 per cent of the armed insurgents, are guilty of as much brutality as the Syrian army,” Aisling Byrne, a project coordinator at the Conflicts Forum, told RT. “It is a guerrilla war. This is not a fight for democracy, but a fight to introduce a hardline Sunni regime.”
The Pentagon has prepared “detailed plans” for a military strike against Syria in case President Barack Obama issues an attack order.
According to an unnamed senior US official, the plans include several different kinds of operations, number of personnel as well as the type of military equipment needed, CNN reported.
“There are lots of ideas floating around,” the official said, adding that “People are teeing up to options.”
The revelation comes as several high-ranking US officials have in recent weeks voiced their support to put pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to give up power, including providing increased assistance to the armed groups fighting Syria’s government.
“If we can't get Assad to yield to the pressure that we are all bringing to bear, we may have to consider additional measures,” said US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, without elaborating what those measures could be.
Meanwhile, US Senator John McCain called on the international community in mid-February, to help provide military equipment to the armed gangs in Syria.
"There are ways to get weapons to people who are fighting against this kind of oppression, we showed that in Libya," McCain told reporters on a visit to al-Qods (Jerusalem).
On Tuesday, a defected military officer who refused to be named told reporters in the western Syrian city of Al-Qusayr that the armed groups were receiving military equipment from both France and the US.
"We now have weapons and anti-aircraft missiles and… we will defeat Bashar [al-Assad]," the general said.
Assad had on February 20 said that a number of foreign countries were fueling unrest in Syria by supporting and funding the armed terrorist groups fighting against the government. He also said that they were blocking the attempts made by Damascus to end the month-long unrest in the country as well as preventing it from treading the patch of reforms.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Damascus blames “outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
Syrian army has taken full control of a key terrorist stronghold in the central city of Homs after more than three weeks of clashes, forcing the anti-government forces to pull out of the area.
Officials said the soldiers took control of the Baba Amr district of Homs on Thursday after they defeated the last pockets of armed gangs in the neighborhood and forced them to flee the area.
The main anti-government group, the Free Syrian Army confirmed the news, but claimed to have pulled out of the district in a "tactical" move.
The takeover comes two days after the Syrian armed gangs admitted that they have received weapons from the United States and France.
Earlier a number of Western and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, had supported the idea of sending weapons and financial aid to armed groups in Syria, who have been fighting against the government since March last year.
The move came despite efforts made by the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad government for implementing reforms with the aim of ending unrest which has been plaguing the country for several months.
The Syrian government has recently endorsed a new draft constitution that was approved by nearly 90 percent of eligible voters in a Sunday referendum.
The new constitution excludes Article 8, which declared the ruling Baath Party as the “leader of the state and society,” and also establishes a multiparty system in Syria and limits the presidential term to two seven-year periods.
Despite Western and Arab pressure on Assad's government to step down, Russia has continued calling for the resolution of Syrian crisis through dialogue.
At a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov reaffirmed that Russian diplomacy has been working and will continue to work to resolve the Syrian crisis.
"Today it is clear that aims to instill democracy through force are doomed to disaster and achieve the opposite. What is important today is that we do not allow for a full scale civil war in Syria," Galitov said.
Israel is reportedly preparing the grounds for military meddling in Syria by creating chaos in the southwestern Syrian province of Quneitra, bordering the occupied territories.
Informed sources say Tel Aviv is making efforts to create an insecure and tense atmosphere in the Syrian border province of Quneitra in order to pave the way for the presence of UN observers there which will then be followed by Israeli forces.
The move comes after the failure of Western-backed attempts to create buffer zones along Syria’s border with Turkey and Lebanon.
According to informed sources, Quneitra’s residents are receiving phone calls and SMS from unknown parties, urging them to hold anti-government protest rallies and cause unrest in the border town. Sources also said unknown groups of people have entered the province in recent days, apparently for committing acts of violence in the region.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's recent call for the establishment of tents along the Syrian-Israeli border for the Syrian refugees fleeing violence in their country, is believed to be part of Tel Aviv's new anti-Syria plot.
Israel openly supports armed groups fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, arguing that it would break the Iran-Syria nexus of resistance against Tel Aviv.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. The violence has claimed the lives of hundreds, including security forces.
While the opposition blames the Assad government, Damascus blames ‘outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups’ for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
Syria condemns Qatari and Saudi Arabian calls for arming terrorist groups fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad as a hostile bid aimed at fueling unrest in the country.
Syrian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jihad Maqdisi said on Wednesday that by arming anti-government terrorists in Syria the Kingdom and Qatar are only worsening the situation in Syria and therefore more people will be killed.
He also held those countries funding and arming terrorist groups in Syria responsible for the months of deadly violence in the country.
"The Syrian response to such calls was reserved. We would like the brothers in Qatar and Saudi Arabia or whomsoever to contribute to getting the opposition figures to act rationally and come to the dialogue table, and not to arming the opposition and shedding the Syrian blood, for which they are fully responsible as they are consciously shedding it," Maqdisi told a news conference in the capital, Damascus.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have recently said that they support the idea of sending weapons to anti-government groups, who have been fighting against the Syrian government since last year.
Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Araby has said that arming Syrian rebels might be a possible alternative if the international community fails to end the violence in the country.
Maqdisi also said that Damascus is committed to helping evacuate the Western journalists trapped in the restive city of Homs, blaming rebel refusal to cooperate with the Red Crescent for the delay in their transfer.
"We entrusted the Red Crescent, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, to negotiate (the evacuation) but the gunmen refused to hand over the bodies and the journalists," the Foreign Ministry Spokesman said
Almost 90 percent of Syrian voters have said 'yes' to the country’s new constitution, says Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar.
According to the Syrian minister, nearly 60 percent of eligible voters took part in the referendum on Sunday, with 7,490,319 (89.4 percent) supporting it and 753,208 (9 percent) saying "No."
The new constitution will end five decades of Ba'ath party rule by allowing political pluralism, it will also enact a presidential limit of two seven-year terms.
Article 23 of the new constitution guarantees the women’s rights to participate in the social, economic, and political activities, while Article 42 states that citizens have the right to express their thoughts freely and to hold peaceful demonstrations.
Damascus has pledged multi-party parliamentary elections within three months.
The new constitution is part of the reforms plans promised by President Bashar al-Assad.
The referendum came after a year of deadly violence in the country.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. The violence has claimed the lives of hundreds, reportedly including over 2,000 security forces.
Damascus blames ‘outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups’ for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) meets with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, Tunis, February 24, 2012.
Saudi Arabia has said that arming the Syrian rebels is “an excellent idea,” following remarks by US President Barack Obama vowing to use every tool available against Damascus.
"I think it's an excellent idea... because they have to protect themselves," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said before a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of a conference on Syria in Tunisia.
The pro-opposition so-called Friends of Syria conference organized by a number of Western countries and the Arab League kicked off in Tunisia on Friday to discuss the Syrian unrest.
Faisal’s remarks could yet be seen as another signal of Riyadh's intervention in a foreign country after it sent hundreds of troops to neighboring Bahrain to crush peaceful protests there.
Clinton also threatened Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with a "heavy cost" if he refuses to resign.
Meanwhile, Obama has threatened to mount pressure on the Syrian government.
"We're going to continue to keep the pressure up and look for every tool available” to put pressure on Syrian government, Obama told reporters in Washington.
Pro-Israeli US Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have also called for arming the Syrian opposition with the help of Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Damascus blames ‘outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups’ for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad. The West and the Syrian opposition, however, accuse the Syrian government of killing the protesters.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accused Russia and China of supporting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for commercial reasons.
"The pressure will build on countries like Russia and China because world opinion is not going to stand idly by," Clinton told reporters in London on Thursday.
Referring directly to Moscow and Beijing, she added, "Arab opinion is not going to be satisfied watching two nations, one for commercial reasons one for commercial and ideological reasons, bolstering a regime that is defying every rule of modern international norms."
Earlier in February, the two countries vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution on Syria, which called on Assad to resign and hand over the power to opposition leaders.
The two had also vetoed a similar resolution against Syria in October.
"There will be increasingly capable opposition forces. They will from somewhere, somehow, find the means to defend themselves as well as begin offensive measures," Clinton said.
She also said confidently that she would bet against the Syrian president. "If I were a betting person for the medium term and certainly the long term, I would be betting against Assad."
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Hundreds of people, including many Syrian security forces, have been killed in the course of the turmoil.
Damascus blames ‘outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups’ for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
The West and the Syrian opposition, however, accuse the government of killing protesters.
Moscow has asserted that the unrest should be resolved through negotiation between Damascus and the Syrian opposition. Beijing has also declared that it maintains an unbiased position on the situation in Syria and is trying to resolve the issue through dialog with all the involved parties.
However, more than 70 nations and international groups are expected to gather in the Tunisian capital Tunis on Friday to discuss arming the opposition in the Arab state.
Turkey has announced that it will purchase 100 Lockheed Martin F-35 jet fighters from the United States at a cost of $16 billion while two of the planes have been initially ordered for delivery in 2015.
In a written statement in response to a parliamentary question from a member of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz announced that the ministry is not currently considering cancellation of the purchase, Today’s Zaman reported on Thursday.
Turkey announced in March 2011 that the planned purchase of jet fighters from the US was suspended as the Pentagon refused to share the source code used in the aircraft software, and codes for external activation of planes.
The 16-billion-dollar purchase is part of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program (JSF), an international development and acquisition program intended to replace a wide range of existing fighter, strike, and ground attack aircraft in the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and their allies.
The hi-tech jet fighters, manufactured by the US Lockheed Martin Company, are reportedly the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program ever.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says his country will not participate in so-called 'Friends of Syria' conference, which is expected to gather several western nations and international groups in Tunisia.
Hong said China is not prepared to attend the conference as it needs to further study the aim, effect and mechanism of the conference, and has no idea of the preparations of the meeting.
He added that China is a friend of the Syrian and Arab nations.
“China supports all efforts that are conducive to peacefully and properly resolving the Syrian issue," Hong said.
The senior Chinese official pointed out that China hopes to work with all concerned parties to play a positive and constructive role in the process of settling the Syrian crisis.
China believes that any action taken by the international community should help end tensions, boost political dialogues, resolve differences and maintain peace and stability in the Middle East, Hong said.
'Friends of Syria' conference is to be held in the Tunisian capital Tunis on Friday.
Meanwhile, Russia has announced that it would not take part in the conference.
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov on February 22 described the absence of Syrian officials at the 'Friends of Syria' conference as a big blunder by its organizers.
“Concerning the meeting, we have several questions, especially the composition of invitees. We paid the attention to the fact that there are no representatives of the Syrian government among them. In short, the organizers are planning to discuss issues related to Syria’s serious crisis without the involvement of one of its main players, the Syrian authorities,” Gatilov said.
“Secondly, on the eve of the meeting, the Western and Arab countries are supposed to meet separately. Supposedly, they will determine the character of discussion at the meeting in Tunisia and even will draft a final document. Russia believes that such an approach is completely unacceptable," he noted.
“We consider it is incorrect to adopt or draft documents on such an important issue without the involvement of key players of the Syrian crisis. Consequently, we consider that it’s impossible for Russia to take part in the meeting in Tunisia. We have informed our decision to its organizers,” Gatilov concluded.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March last year.
While the West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of the killings, Damascus blames ''outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups'' for the unrest that erupted in mid-March, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
In interviews with Israeli news outlets over the past few months, the Syrian armed rebels have clearly expressed their vision for the future of Syria and their interest in establishing relations with the Tel Aviv regime.
However, Syrian people have repeatedly expressed solidarity with the government.
The United States has once again said it will consider military assistance to armed groups fighting the Syrian government in an effort to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to give up power.
US officials say “additional measures” might have to be considered if the Syrian president does not step down.
“If we can't get Assad to yield to the pressure that we are all bringing to bear, we may have to consider additional measures,” said US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, but she declined to elaborate on what those measures might be.
In recent days, US officials have increasingly spoken out against Damascus and some US politicians have called for arming the Syrian opposition.
On Monday, senior US Senator John McCain said it is time for the international community to provide increased assistance to the Syrian opposition.
"There are ways to get weapons to people who are fighting against this kind of oppression, we showed that in Libya," McCain told reporters on a visit to al-Qods (Jerusalem).
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also pledged to talk Russia and China into changing their positions on Syria.
President Assad said on Monday that some foreign countries are fueling unrest in Syria by supporting and funding armed terrorist groups fighting against the government. He said that they are blocking attempts to end months of unrest in the country and preventing it from treading the path of reforms.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including security forces, have been killed in the unrest. Damascus blames “outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
Russia and Lebanon have announced they will boycott a meeting of the so-called “Friends of Syria” group in Tunisia scheduled to be held on February 24, Press TV reports.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said on Tuesday the decision not to participate in the meeting was in line with the decision to “dissociate Lebanon from the developments in Syria,” a Press TV correspondent reported.
Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry issued a statement on Tuesday saying the meeting in Tunis followed the “purpose of supporting one side against another in an internal conflict.”
“We cannot accept the offer to attend this meeting,” the Russian statement added.
Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Ben Abdessalam said on February 12 that Tunis would host the meeting, which was proposed by France and the United States.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011, with demonstrations being held both against and in favor of President Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian president accused certain states of blocking attempts to end the unrest in Syria during a meeting with Russian Chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee Alexei Pushkov on February 20. Assad said “some foreign countries” are fueling the turmoil in Syria by supporting and funding “armed terrorist groups fighting against the government.”
On February 16, the United Nations General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution, introduced by Egypt, which supports an Arab League plan concerning the unrest in Syria.
Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari said after the UN vote that the resolution “would only lead to a tightening of the crisis and more violence in the region as a whole.”
Jaafari added that the United Nations was in danger of being used by “some member states” as a means of providing cover for “armed terrorist groups” in Syria.
The Israeli regime has publicized its worries about the presence of two Iranian naval ships at the Syrian port of Tartus, declaring that the ships would be watched “very closely” in case they come near its waters.
“If the boats come near our territorial waters, we will monitor them very closely," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said on Sunday.
Two Iranian Navy ships docked at the Syrian port of Tartus on Saturday to provide maritime training to naval forces of Syria under an agreement signed between Tehran and Damascus a year ago.
The Iranian fleet, consisting of a destroyer and a supply ship, arrived at the port, situated 220 kilometers (136 miles) northwest of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Friday, upon obtaining authorization from the Egyptian armed forces a day earlier to sail along the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea on their way to the Syrian coastal waters.
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said Sunday night that the presence of Iranian warships in the international waters is reflective of the Islamic Republic’s naval might.
Brigadier General Vahidi pointed out that such overseas presence was within Iran's rights, adding that the Iranian Navy’s missions abroad were based on policies aimed at enhancing Iran's naval capabilities and readiness.
On Saturday, Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that the country’s 18th fleet had sailed through Egypt’s Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea.
This was the second time that an Iranian naval fleet passed through the waterway since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The Suez Canal cuts through Egypt and allows shipping to pass from the Middle East to Europe and vice versa without sailing around the southern tip of Africa.
Two Republican US senators have called on the administration of the country’s President Barack Obama to multiply its efforts to oust the Syrian regime by arming the Middle Eastern country’s opposition.
Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who both serve on Senate Armed Services Committee, made the appeal on Sunday.
“I believe there are ways to get weapons to the opposition without direct United States involvement,” McCain said.
“So I am not only not opposed, but I am in favor of weapons being obtained by the opposition,” he added.
The senator further explained that the US government could equip the Syrian opposition through ‘third-world countries’ and the Arab League (AL).
Graham said, “If the Syrian regime is replaced with another form of government…the world is a better place.”
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. The violence has claimed the lives of hundreds, reportedly including over 2,000 security forces.
Damascus blames ‘outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups’ for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
The West and the Syrian opposition, however, accuse the government of killing protesters.
The senators’ comments come a day after media reports showed that ‘a good number’ of US military and intelligence drones are operating in the airspace over Syria.
Graham also said that Washington had to continue pressuring Russia and China to make them change their stances towards Damascus.
Earlier in February, China and Russia vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution on the country, which called on Assad to resign and hand over power to opposition leaders.
The two countries had also vetoed a similar resolution against Syria in October.
A senior Iranian lawmaker says the presence of Iranian and Russian naval forces in Syria’s coastal waters is a clear warning to the US to refrain from any possible military adventurism.
“The United States should take Iran's warning about [refraining from any possible] military intervention in Syria seriously,” Hossein Ebrahimi, deputy chairman of Iran Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Sunday.
He added that in the event of a US strategic mistake in Syria, Washington may receive a crushing response from Iran, Syria and a few other countries.
On Sunday, January 8, a large Russian navy flotilla led by an aircraft carrier arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus in the Mediterranean Sea for a six-day port call, to show Moscow's solidarity with Damascus.
"The port call is aimed at bringing the two countries closer together and strengthening their ties of friendship," the official SANA news agency quoted a Russian naval officer Yakushin Vladimir Anatolievich as saying.
Two Iranian Navy ships also docked in the Syrian port of Tartus on Friday, February 17, to train Syrian naval forces under an agreement signed between Tehran and Damascus one year ago.
“Syrians are against any form of foreign intervention in their country, but the United States by arming opposition groups is trying to harm the [anti-Israeli] axis of resistance in the region [in order to] affect Islamic Awakening in regional countries,” Ebrahimi added.
The lawmaker went on to say that the recent dispatch of a number of unmanned military and intelligence drones for operations in Syrian skies by the US military will only result in more solidarity among the Syrians.
NBC News quoted unnamed US defense officials as saying on February 18 that US drones are monitoring “the Syrian military attacks against opposition forces and civilians.”
Syria has been the scene of unrest since mid-March, 2011, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government.
The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters. But Damascus blames ''outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups'' for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have held a demonstration in the southern Turkish city of Antakya near the border with Syria, Press TV reports.
Hundreds of Syrians demonstrated in support of President Assad on Sunday and condemned international attempts against the Syrian government.
Demonstrators also chanted the name of the Syrian president and urged him to resist foreign pressures against Damascus.
The demonstration in Antakya comes as the United Nations General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution, introduced by Egypt, which supports an Arab League plan concerning the unrest in Syria on February 16.
Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari said after the UN vote that the resolution “would only lead to a tightening of the crisis and more violence in the region as a whole.”
Jaafari added that the United Nations was in danger of being used by “some member states” as a means of providing cover for “armed terrorist groups” in Syria.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011, with demonstrations being held both against and in favor of President Assad.
The West and the opposition accuse the government of being behind the months-long unrest, but Damascus says “outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” are responsible for the turmoil, which it says has been orchestrated from abroad.
South Africa's Closing Argument Against Israel for Genocide at the ICJ
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