Syria
Live coverage of the conflict in Syria, including the international response to the Aug. 21 2013 chemical attack. For our current live blog on Syria, go to: http://live.reuters.com/Event/The_battle_for_Syria
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Obama administration officials have contacted energy experts in recent days to discuss oil market conditions as the president weighs a military strike against Syria, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Read the full story here. -
Reuters Picture: New York City policemen stand guard as Syrian-Americans against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government shout slogans towards Assad supporters taking part in an anti-war rally through Midtown Manhattan August 29, 2013. Mohammed (L), who did not want to be further identified due to fear of reprisals on his family in Syria, held the colors of the Syrian opposition flag over his head. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
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Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) backs a limited bombing campaign in Syria. Statement: www.democraticleader.govby Blake Hounshell via twitter edited by Margarita Noriega (Reuters) 8/30/2013 2:43:59 AM -
The United States will continue to seek out an international coalition to act together on Syria, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Friday, after Britain's parliament rejected military action:
"It is the goal of President (Barack) Obama and our government ... whatever decision is taken, that it be an international collaboration and effort," Hagel said during a trip to the Philippines, adding that the United States would continue to consult with Britain.
"Our approach is to continue to find an international coalition that will act together. And I think you're seeing a number of countries state, publicly state, their position on the use of chemical weapons."
Continue reading. -
by suttonnick via twitter 8/30/2013 5:43:06 AM -
U.N. inspectors arrive at military hospital in Damascus
BEIRUT - United Nations inspectors arrived at a military hospital in a government-held area of Damascus on Friday to visit soldiers affected by an apparent chemical attack, a Reuters witness said.
The inspectors have spent the week visiting rebel-controlled areas on the outskirts of Damascus after reports of a poison gas attack last week that the opposition blames on President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government accuses the rebels of firing chemical munitions at civilians and soldiers.
Witnesses said the team were meeting with soldiers at the Mezze Military Airport who government media said were exposed to poison gas in the Damascus suburb of Jobar on Saturday.
A Reuters witness said the U.N. inspectors were not carrying body armour, indicating they would not cross into rebel-held territory after their visit to the military base.
Official media said some soldiers were overcome by fumes after finding chemical agents in a tunnel that had been used by insurgents.
The state news agency SANA said soldiers "suffered from cases of suffocation." State TV footage did not appear to show evidence of chemical weapons. It showed five blue and green plastic drums, normally used to transport oil, lined against a wall in a room and several rusty mortar bombs and grenades.
(Reporting by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Mark Heinrich) -
China said there should be no rush to force U.N. Security Council action against Syria until a probe by U.N. experts into suspected chemical weapons use is complete.
READ: China urges no U.N. action on Syria before probe completed -
Ake Sellstrom (C), the head of a U.N. chemical weapons investigation team, stands outside Yousef al-Azma military hospital in Damascus August 30, 2013. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri
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Ake Sellstrom (C, wearing cap), the head of a U.N. chemical weapons investigation team, arrives at Yousef al-Azma military hospital in Damascus August 30, 2013. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri
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U.N. vehicles transport a team of United Nations chemical weapons experts on their way to visit Yousef al-Azma military hospital in Damascus August 30, 2013. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri
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Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday intelligence gathered by Ankara left no doubt that the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were responsible for a poison gas attack near Damascus last week.
READ: Turkey says no doubt Assad's forces behind poison gas attack -
From the Reuters Archive: Assad's brother, the muscle behind the throne
Written by Khaled Yacoub Oweis, July 18, 2012
Syria's second most powerful man almost never appears in public, but those who have had dealings with him paint a picture of a man of supreme self confidence, who treats his brother's country like family property. Opponents of the Assad family revile Maher al-Assad as the most ruthless of a "family council" trying to survive the revolt against the iron-fisted dynastic rule founded by their late patriarch, Hafez al-Assad.
During the crackdown against the anti-Assad revolt, Maher has solidified his violent reputation as the leader of core military units drawn mainly from the family's Alawite sect that have used tanks and artillery to lay waste to swathes of Sunni Muslim areas.
At 44, he is two years younger than Bashar. He commands the Fourth Armoured Division and is de facto head of the Republican Guard - praetorian units set up to defend the family's seat of power in Damascus.
The family council, aided by top secret police and intelligence operatives, comprises Bashar, Maher, their now slain brother-in-law Assef Shawkat, and Mohammad Makhlouf, their uncle from the side of their mother Anisa.
Continue reading. -
READER COMMENT: Turkey state news agency says it has details that Syria's 155th Missile Brigade carried out Aug 21st CW attack.
Editor's note: link to the full statement - www.aa.com.tr -
by Circa via twitter edited by Clare Richardson 8/30/2013 5:27:25 PM -
Read the full transcript of John Kerry’s remarks on #Syria: http://wapo.st/146bzLcby Post Politics via twitter 8/30/2013 5:29:54 PM -
Kerry doesn't leave much doubt the US is aiming to strike, probably soon. Certainly little suggestion of waiting for the UN. And he made it clear that a very significant audience for his words (and possibly for what comes next) would be Iran. Echoes what officials have been saying all week: if Washington doesn't stick with its red line here, Israel and Iran will assume the red line over Iranian nuclear weapons doesn't hold either. -
"I would now be shocked if the US government doesn't go to war, even if alone," said Bilal Saab, director and head of research at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis. "This is as clear a case for intervention, from the administration's standpoint, as can be."
"it will most likely be dragged into a Libya-style intervention. The incremental, "dragging your feet" approach could be worse than an action. The regime is not salvageable and the costs of preserving it may be higher than removing it." -
U.S. says 1,429 Syrians killed in Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack
A Syrian chemical weapons attack killed 1,429 Syrian civilians, including 426 children, an unclassified report by U.S. intelligence agencies concluded on Friday.
President Barack Obama is using the report to make the case for retaliation against the Syrian government.
The report, based partly on intercepted communications, said U.S. authorities have a high degree of confidence that the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad was responsible, which it said is the strongest position the U.S. intelligence community can take short of confirmation.
Read the full report by Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton here. -
Kerry gave the speech Obama should have delivered. Read: Has Iraq shackled American power?by david.rohde via twitter edited by Clare Richardson 8/30/2013 5:47:26 PM -
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks about the situation in Syria at the State Department in Washington, August 30, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed
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UK, US intelligence documents outline their legal position and a summary of their intelligence assessment on the alleged chemical weapon use by the Syrian government - edition.cnn.comby CNNInternatDesk via twitter edited by Margarita Noriega (Reuters) 8/30/2013 5:53:23 PM -
READER COMMENT: there are reasons for the UN to exist. If everyone acts on ones own decision, then we might as well just dissolve UN. I would like to ask the USA government. If they have the so-called proof of use of chemical weapons and they knew this is not the first time these weapons were used, why the USA government did not present these so-called legitimate evidence to the UN during the UN's investigation. Also Kerry claims that the UN is off-track with the mandate, why USA did not ensure the mandate is on track? -
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Video: John Kerry gave a briefing on the declassified US assessment of Syria’s use of chemical weapons on August 30. He said the attack was prepared for three days in advance. He said “at least” 1,429 people died in the attack. He said that a senior regime official confirmed the use of chemical weapons. He said the regime bombarded the strike sites ahead of an UN inspection, to “destroy evidence”.
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The Washington Post is reporting the Aleppo has lost internet connectivity. While mobile internet tools like accessing websites or apps might not be available, many social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, allow users to post via SMS, or text messaging. Losing the internet does not necessarily mean people cannot access the web -- it just severely limits their ability to communicate and share multimedia such as photos, videos, and longer form text.
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Reuters Wire: British Prime Minister David Cameron says he agreed with President Obama that British and U.S. cooperation on international issues will continue despite Syria difference
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Reuters Wire: Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan says any intervention against Syria should be aimed at bringing an end to President Assad's rule.
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The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that Kerry's charges were a "desperate attempt" to justify a military strike against Syria, adding that accusations by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that it has used chemical weapons were "lies and baseless." (Reporting by Mariam Karouny; editing by Christopher Wilson)
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The U.N. will be holding an extraordinary press briefing at 12:30 pm EDT on Saturday. They say it will be webcast (webtv.un.org). There's a sense of inevitability in the air at the UN that military action against Syria is somehow unstoppable at this point, especially after both Kerry and Obama spoke back-to-back this afternoon about how limited action would be justified.
Saturday's briefing will focus on UN chief Ban Ki-moon's planned meeting tomorrow morning with UN disarmament chief Angela Kane, who is en route to NY from Syria at this very moment. (She was dispatched to Syria after the Aug. 21 incident to plead for access for the UN team.) Journalists will be pressing for details about how long the analysis of the samples taken by UN inspectors in Syria at the site of last week's alleged chemical weapon attack will take.
The UN was the butt of more than one comment in Washington today. First there was what Kerry said about the UN chemical investigators having nothing to say that Washington doesn't already know (see my earlier post). Later Obama slammed the UN Security Council for its "incapacity ... to move forward in the face of a clear violation of international norms." Of course, Obama is really not criticizing the United Nations here but Russia, which has vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions that would have condemned President Assad's government and threatened it with sanctions.
Western diplomats tell Reuters that Russia might try to call an emergency UN Security Council meeting over the Labor Day weekend in an attempt to halt the momentum towards a military attack on Syria by arguing that everyone should wait until the UN inspectors finish their analysis of blood, tissue and soil samples taken in Syria. (They're testing for traces of chemical toxins.)
One thing's certain -- it will be a busy weekend at the UN... -
Our story on six US warships now in Mediterranean shows how relatively unimportant Britain's contribution to the campaign would have been in any case. Each of the five US destroyers carries an estimated three dozen Tomohawk cruise missiles. The single British submarine defence sources said was deployed would have carried perhaps three or four at most. On the opening day of the Libya campaign, the US fired something in excess of 200 cruise missiles. The British fired one, with a second the following day. It allowed them to say they were involved -- important politically, but largely irrelevant militarily.
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Analysts increasingly expecting strike in next 48 hours, presumably overnight or in the small hours of the morning. Officials were trying to talk last week on the prospect of getting diplomacy back on track maybe at the G20 in Russia. All the roads, however, leads to Moscow on this. Could Putin deliver Assad to talks on some kind of power-sharing deal? Perhaps, but would the West agreed to him stay in power? And, in any case, is the relationship between Obama and Putin so bad that getting a deal could be all but impossible...
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#POTUS will seek authorization from #Congress to use military force in #Syria. I welcome debate & opportunity to provide input from #OK05.
— Rep. James Lankford (@RepLankford) August 31, 2013 -
Obama and Syria: Britain has helped Obama rediscover the Constitution. No need to thank us, America via @Telegraph http://t.co/KTXLegcCOw
— Tim Stanley (@timothy_stanley) August 31, 2013 -
READER COMMENT: Since Congress won't convene until Sept. 9th, does that mean the world will continue to watch, over the next two weeks, the Syrian public experience more of the same horrific atrocities caused by chemical and incendiary devices? -
"it's genius-ish," said one former administration official on condition of anonymity. "If he wins in Congress, they own it too. If he loses he looks weak but he can partially blame Congress. It's not a bad political trick given where we were -- and it also gives a window for diplomacy to play out."
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Asking Congress for a green light on Syria not only tactically clever, it's also the right thing to do in a democracy. A rare combo.
— Paul Harris (@paulxharris) August 31, 2013 -
Reuters' Victoria Caveliere reports writes that as President Barack Obama tries to persuade Congress that the time has come for military action in Syria, Syrians living in the United States are deeply divided about what should be done - with some calling for a swift bombing campaign to unseat President Bashar al-Assad, while others blame the crisis on rebel groups.
READ: War talk means more worry for Syrians living in United States -
READER COMMENT: Interesting choice for the republicans, strikes in Syria will benefit defense contracting companies that are major campaign contributors which is a key component of 2014 and 2016 elections. However, on the other hand they run the risk of agreeing with Obama on a highly unpopular unilateral military operation.
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Video: A protest march against military intervention in Syria was staged by the Stop the War coalition in London on August 31. The march saw more than 1,000 anti-war activists march past Parliament and 10 Downing Street before gathering for a rally in Trafalgar Square. The video above shows footage of protesters holding signs which read ‘Hands Off Syria’.
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Ed O'Keefe at the Washington Post tweets some congressional responses on Syria:
Congresspersons:
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California): "...the debate and authorization by Congress for action will make our country and the response in Syria stronger"
- Rep. John Larson (D-Connecticut) "Now every Member will have an opportunity to debate the merits of the use of force
- Rep. Pete King (R-New York): "The President doesn't need 535 Members of Congress to enforce his own redline.”
- Rep Buck McKeon (R-California): Use of force "should be contingent on [Obama] setting clear military objectives that can meet articulated policy goals."
- Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland): "...the Syrian regime must know that their blatant violation of international norms will be met with a strong response"
- Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pennsylvania): "[Obama] rightfully recognizes the importance of seeking Congressional approval before taking military action."
- Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Alabama) "Cruise missiles are not a strategy. [Obama] by now should see that foreign policy is far more complex than that"
Senators:
- Senators John McCain (R-Arizona) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina): "...we cannot in good conscience support isolated military strikes in Syria."
- Senator Angus King (D-Maine): "I will review the evidence and arguments with great care before deciding how I will vote on this difficult & important issue"
- Senator Markey Memo (D-Massachusetts.): "I am looking forward to a thorough, detailed debate that hears all sides."
- Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee): "I’m concerned about the consequences of a military strike in Syria, and what happens with step 2, 3 and 4 after that."
-. Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida): "...as far as I’m concerned, we should strike in Syria today."
- Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois): " If we can do something...w/o engaging in a war and w/o making a long-term military commitment...I’m open to that debate.”
- Senator Susan Collins (I-Maine): "Congress must be involved in this weighty decision, and I strongly agree with the President's decision."
- Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida): U.S. "should only engage militarily when it is pursuing a clear and attainable national security goal."
- Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey): "I will work with the Senate leadership in support of [a use of force resolution] as expeditiously as possible."
- Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan): A congressional vote on use of force "would strengthen the president’s decision to take military action."
- Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky): "This is the most important decision any President or any Senator must make, and it deserves vigorous debate."
- Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire): "Authorizing the use of military force...is not a decision I take lightly. ... I will consider the upcoming vote carefully"
- Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona): Will review all information "to properly assess the implications of U.S. action and the impact on U.S. interests."
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont): "I need to hear more from [Obama] as to why he believes it is in the best interests of the United States to intervene."by Ed O'Keefe via twitter edited by Margarita Noriega (Reuters) 8/31/2013 9:08:14 PM -
John Kerry doing five Sunday shows tomorrow: NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CNN.by Michael Calderone via twitter 8/31/2013 9:14:51 PM -
by NBC Nightly News via twitter edited by Margarita Noriega (Reuters) 8/31/2013 9:18:58 PM -
U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) today released the following statement on President Obama’s remarks on Syria:“We believe President Obama is correct that the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons requires a military response by the United States and our friends and allies. Since the President is now seeking Congressional support for this action, the Congress must act as soon as possible.“However, we cannot in good conscience support isolated military strikes in Syria that are not part of an overall strategy that can change the momentum on the battlefield, achieve the President's stated goal of Assad's removal from power, and bring an end to this conflict, which is a growing threat to our national security interests. Anything short of this would be an inadequate response to the crimes against humanity that Assad and his forces are committing. And it would send the wrong signal to America's friends and allies, the Syrian opposition, the Assad regime, Iran, and the world – all of whom are watching closely what actions America will take.”
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