A Mediterranean Battlefield - Syria

[Adele Edisen]

Thu, August 9, 2012 4:05:13 AM
Obama's secret order to aid Syrian rebels
From: Brasscheck TV <news@brasschecktv.com>

That President Obama had signed a
'secret' order directing the CIA to aid
the Syrian rebels is now public.

This reminds me of Jimmy Carter's
'secret' order of July 3rd 1979, which
directed the CIA to aid the Afghan
Mujahideen.

THAT led to the creation of the Taliban
and Al Qaeda.

What will this lead to?

Video: 2:50 minutes

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/11758.html

Goodman Green
- Brasscheck

P.S. Please share Brasscheck TV e-mails and
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[Keith Millea]

What will this lead to?

Dead people...Lots of dead people.

[Peter Lemkin]

What will this lead to?

Dead people...Lots of dead people.

Yes, sadly, lots of dead people - almost all non-combatants [civilians], and big profits for the makers of war materials. Oh, and yes, moving some pieces around on the 'Grand Chessboard'. i.e. nothing good will come of it.

[Peter Lemkin]

Thu, August 9, 2012 4:05:13 AM
Obama's secret order to aid Syrian rebels
From: Brasscheck TV <news@brasschecktv.com>

That President Obama had signed a
'secret' order directing the CIA to aid
the Syrian rebels is now public.

This reminds me of Jimmy Carter's
'secret' order of July 3rd 1979, which
directed the CIA to aid the Afghan
Mujahideen.

THAT led to the creation of the Taliban
and Al Qaeda.

What will this lead to?

Video: 2:50 minutes

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/11758.html

Goodman Green
- Brasscheck

Adele, not good news, yet not too surprising....sadly. I posted somewhere on this Forum the full text [that part which is public and not classified] of the order. Somewhere, many decades ago, the Constitutional provision that only the Congress [both houses] can declare war was conveniently bypassed by the Executive - and has been ignored since. Once or twice they have been asked to approve a fait accompli, but never to 'declare war' which is now done by the President and his advisors/sponsors/owners. Our system is fatally flawed now. The President can issue these secret orders and also when given a piece of legislation secretly change it [or honor only a part of it] with a secret 'finding'. In secret and in an unaccountable and undemocratic form most everything is decided for us Plebs now....from war to how we will be fleeced and spied upon - even how we will be terrorized. The situation is critical and IMO the system is about to implode or explode....about to collapse....with nothing but bad consequences for the average person in and out of the USA. Many have compared it to the way Rome fell and find the same factors are at play, with a modern twist. After Rome came the Dark Ages...and one wonders what will follow the collapse of Imperialistic America. While the 'original' Dark Ages were followed by a Renaissance, I have a bad feeling about something similar this time UNLESS we stop the collapse into neo-fascism and authoritarian rule, and restructure the whole ball of wax - fast!! We are at a crossroads in history and certainly the crucial one for America, if not the whole World! The USA has IMHO become much less democratic [never was very] and almost all now is top-down; with almost no bottom-up political life left...only a smidgen. The streets and the Internet [until they shut it down] really are our main means of being heard now. Voting seems to do little. The candidates are pre-selected; other parties can not really run; elections are even 'fudged' or decided in the Supreme Court by a few hired hands; Corporate money is allowed to spend whatever to spew propaganda for or against a candidate or issue. What a mess. Meanwhile we are killing people all over for oil and other resources [and a bit of Imperialistic hubris]. The New Rome. No better than the Old one.

[Magda Hassan]

Expected Council Action
The mandate of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) ends on 19 August. The Council will hold two rounds of consultations on UNSMIS in August which will likely focus on the Secretary-General's assessment of the security situation in Syria and recommendations for the mission's future. (Resolution 2059 renewed UNSMIS for a final period of 30 days and requested reporting within 15 days.)

It seems likely that peacekeeping head Hervé Ladsouswho visited Syria in late July to assess the situationwill brief the Council in early August. It was unclear at press time if UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan would also brief and whether the UNSMIS mandate would be renewed for a further period.

Key Recent Developments
The overall level of violence in Syria has continued to escalate, with the government increasing its military operations in population centres and armed opposition groups intensifying attacks against government forces and installations, particularly in Damascus and Aleppo. On 14 July the ICRC determined that the fighting in Syria met its threshold for an internal armed conflict, i.e. civil war. The UN estimates 10,000 killed since the crisis began in March 2011, while other monitoring groups report figures as high as 17,000.

On 11 July, Council members were briefed by Annan on his mediation efforts, including his 9 July meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Annan said neither the government nor the opposition had embraced his six-point plan and asked Council members to endorse the Action Group communiqué of 30 June and insist on consequences for Syria's non-compliance with Council decisions. (The communiqué called for all parties to recommit to the six-point plan and mapped out steps for a Syrian-led political process.)

After Annan's briefing, the UK circulated a draft resolution co-sponsored by France, Germany, Portugal and the US that, under Chapter VII, endorsed the communiqué, renewed UNSMIS for 45 days and threatened sanctions if the Syrian government did not cease the use of heavy weapons and withdraw from population centres within ten days. Russia had also circulated a draft resolution endorsing the communiqué, renewing UNSMIS for three months but making no reference to any consequence for non-compliance. There were numerous rounds of negotiations regarding the UNSMIS renewal up to the vote on 19 July, when the UK draft resolution was vetoed by Russia and China with Pakistan and South Africa abstaining. (Russia did not call for a vote on its draft.)

On 20 July the Council unanimously adopted resolution 2059, which renewed the UNSMIS mandate for a final period of 30 days and took into consideration the Secretary-General's recommendations to reconfigure the mission in light of the deteriorating security situation in Syria. The resolution also conditioned any further renewal of UNSMIS on the cessation of the use of heavy weapons by the government and a reduction in violence by all sides. (On 25 July, Ladsous announced the drawdown of half of the 300 authorised military observers. On 24 July, Lt. Gen. Babacar Gaye of Senegal took over as acting head of UNSMIS after Maj. Gen. Robert Mood of Norway ended his tour on 20 July.)

There were three particularly significant developments during the Council's negotiations on the UNSMIS renewal:

• On Thursday, 12 July, there were reports of an escalation of violence in Tremseh near Hama, resulting in significant casualties. On Friday, Annan said that the Syrian government violated its commitments under resolutions 2042 and 2043 and once again urged consequences for non-compliance. Over that weekend, UNSMIS visited Tremseh and confirmed that the attack involved the use of artillery, mortars and small arms. It also said that specific groups and houses, mainly of army defectors and activists, appear to have been targeted. The government denied the use of heavy weapons.
  
• On 13 July, media reports indicated that US officials were concerned about Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons. On 22 July, the US said it would "hold accountable" any Syrian official involved in the use of such weapons. On 23 July, Israeli officials reported that Syrian stockpiles were being moved as a precaution to avoid chemical weapons falling into rebel hands. The same day the Syrian foreign ministry said chemical weapons would be used only in the event of an external attack on the country. On 24 July, Russia said Syria should strictly adhere to the international ban on the use of chemical weapons.
  
• On 18 July a targeted bombing in Damascus killed four senior security officials of the Syrian government, including the defence and interior ministers as well as Assad's brother-in-law. On 24 July, Assad reshuffled his top security posts.
  

Media reports indicate continuing defections from the Syrian military, bringing the number of generals who have fled to Turkey to approximately 27 as well as an undisclosed number of regular soldiers. In addition, a Syrian parliamentarian and Syria's ambassadors in Cyprus, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates defected.

The defection by Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass on 6 July has been perceived as significant since he is considered a former member of Assad's inner circle. Tlass made his first public statement on 24 July, when he said it was "the duty of Syrians to unite, to build a free, democratic Syria." (Some analysts note that Tlass has been flagged for a leadership role in any post-Assad transition.)

The Arab League hosted a Syrian opposition conference with some 250 participants in Cairo on 2 July, during which general agreement was reached on support for the Free Syrian Army and the exclusion of Assad from any transition process. However, there was no agreement on forming a body to represent a unified opposition. There continue to be rifts over views on the credibility of internal versus external opposition groups, military intervention and Islamic political parties. The Arab League ministerial committee on Syria (chaired by Qatar and including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Sudan) met in Doha on 22 July, calling on Assad to "renounce power" for "a safe exit." The statement also called on the Free Syrian Army rebels and the opposition to form a transitional government. On 24 July, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil el-Araby said the emphasis must be on a peaceful transfer of power in Syria. Syria rejected the demand for Assad to renounce power.

The conclusions from the 6 July Friends of Syria meeting in Pariswhich involved 107 states, but not China or Russiaalso emphasised that Assad must relinquish power.
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[TD="width: 629"] Human Rights-Related Developments
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay briefed Security Council members in consultations on Syria on 2 July. Pillay reported deliberate targeting by the government of medical facilities and use of some of those facilities as detention centres; the arbitrary arrest, detention and systematic torture of detainees by government authorities; and rape and sexual violence against men, women and children in detention or during house raids. (On 16 July, the acting Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict echoed such reports of sexual violence by government forces and their armed militias, or Shabiha, describing them as "alarming.")
On 6 July the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution (A/HRC/RES/20/22) condemning the gross human rights violations and indiscriminate targeting of civilians in Syria by government authorities and the Shabiha. The resolution also expressed concern about the reports it received from its Commission of Inquiry about human rights violations by both government and opposition forces.
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Key Issue
The key issue for the Council is that Syria is now in a state of civil war, and the conflict has become militarised to such a degree that it seems there is currently little political space remaining to negotiate a peaceful solution to the crisis. (On 19 July, Mood said that the escalation of violence had reached an unprecedented level.)
Underlying Problems
The military balance of power in Syria is not shifting away from the government despite the defections from the military and more organised armed rebel groups (which lack both central military and political strategic control) demonstrated by the regime's ability to regain control relatively quickly of positions captured by the opposition.

It seems that while the Syrian government believes it can prevail in the conflict militarily there appears to be some acknowledgement that in any post-conflict situation the regime will be unable to govern Syria credibly.

It is unclear when and whether military or political considerations will finally tip the crisis towards its end game. Nevertheless, it seems both the government and armed opposition groups are fully intent on the military option. Meanwhile, the negative impact on regional security is manifesting itself with serious spillover effects, including pockets of violence in northern Lebanon; the military build-up by Turkey on the border, increasing tension with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and revived talk of "safe zones"; the late July spike in terrorist attacks in Iraq potentially linked to the Syrian crisis; the risk for insecurity on the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; and heightened international rhetoric about chemical weapons.
Options
Options for the Council include:

• maintaining the mission at its currently reduced level of 150 military observers and a civilian component;
  
• reducing the mission to a small political office with liaison tasks and limited verification and reporting capacity; or
  
• withdrawal or non-renewal of the mission.
  

It seems the most likely optionif both sides continue to pursue the military optionwould be not to renew the UNSMIS mandate. It is also possible that the Secretary-General may make the operational decision to withdraw the mission prior to the mandate's expiry due to security considerations.

If UNSMIS is not renewed then the Secretary-General could maintain the "added value" of the reporting capacity under the UN Country Team.

A further option for the Council is to request a de-briefing from both Mood and Annan's former deputy Jean-Marie Guéhenno as "lessons learned" exercise.
Council and Wider Dynamics
Council members will continue to be unanimous in their concern about the devastating level of violence in Syria. Nevertheless, few believe the situation will improve in the coming weeks to sufficiently meet the conditions set out in resolution 2059 for a further renewal.

A significant majority of Council members seem to share the view of the P3 that there is no role for UNSMIS given the current situation in Syria. The mission was to support Annan's six-point plan and observe a reduction in violence, neither of which have occurred. On the other hand, a few members may agree with China and Russia, preferring to have the mandate renewed for a further period to allow more time for a political solution and to lend support to Annan's plan. (However, Council members are mindful that Annan has not made any public statements following the 19 July veto. It is unclear what, if any, outcome there might be vis-à-vis Annan's mediation efforts following his 27 July meeting with the Secretary-General in London.)

Given the current deadlock in the Council it appears that active management of the Syrian crisis is poised to pass out of Council hands in the near term. After the veto, France, Germany, the UK and the US said they would continue to find ways to pressure the Syrian government outside of the Council. In addition, during the 25 July open debate on the Middle East, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the Arab Group, announced a forthcoming General Assembly draft resolution calling for political transition in Syria.
It seems the next juncture for active Council involvement will likely be an endorsement of any possible post-conflict assistance.
UN Documents
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[TD="width: 635"] Security Council Resolution
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• S/RES/2059 (20 July 2012) extended UNSMIS for a final period of 30 days.
  

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[TD="width: 635"] Security Council Withdrawn and Vetoed Resolutions
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• S/2012/538 (19 July 2012) was the UK draft UNSMIS resolution vetoed by China and Russia with abstentions by Pakistan and South Africa.
  
• S/2012/547/Rev.2 (17 July 2012) was the withdrawn Russian draft resolution renewing UNSMIS for three months.
  

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[TD="width: 635"] Secretary-General's Report
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• S/2012/523 (6 July 2012) included options for the UNSMIS renewal.
  

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[TD="width: 635"] Security Council Letters
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• S/2012/542 (13 July 2012) was from Special Envoy Kofi Annan regarding the Tremseh attacks.
  
• S/2012/522 (5 July 2012) was the final communiqué of the 30 June meeting of the Action Group for Syria in Geneva.
  

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full forecast

[Peter Lemkin]

Was just watching an Al Jazeera piece on Aleppo. Yes, AJ has a certain bias, but the camera often doesn't lie....large parts of the city are in total ruin. Other parts are not. [It is a large city]. They interviewed a few people who didn't seem to happy with the FSA soldiers with AJ journalists, but they said they were too afraid to leave the city [though they would like to]; they felt the chances of being killed trying to leave were greater than staying [where the dangers were also great]. Food is now also in short suppy; gas for cars even more so. It seems to me Assad and his forces won't relent and will level most of the cities until somehow this mess ends....but it looks like when that happens, however it does, it will make the damage in Libya look light. The AJ team filmed an areal bomb from a plane clearly hit a large apartment block, then filmed terrified survivors running out for shelter - some too frightened to speak. Very sad. While the People are most important, is is also notable that there are MANY historical monuments and buildings, castles, forts, mosques et al in Syria that are being destroyed and looted now.

[Keith Millea]

I don't really give a shit about Assad but put yourself in his shoes for one minute.What's happening in Syria is what happened to Libya.OK,now what happened to the leader of Libya?Remember?He was killed and sodomized with a knife or something.Does anyone think that Assad won't do anything in his power to not end up dead with some pole shoved up his ass.What would you do,just roll over and say "give it to me good".It's all so sick!

WAR IS HELL

[Ed Jewett]

France Is Preparing A Plan To Evacuate Its Citizens From Israel

Adam Taylor | Aug. 9, 2012, 11:16 AM | 5,214 | [/url][url=http://www.businessinsider.com/france-is-preparing-a-plan-to-evacuate-its-citizens-from-israel-2012-8#comments]7

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French newspaper La Tribune reports that an evacuation plan for 200,000 French citizens currently living in Israel has been devised.French diplomatic sources told the newspaper that the plan was launched due to the rising risk of a conflict with Iran. The aim is to not be caught "off guard" if Israel is attacked by missiles launched by Iranian forces or Hezbollah.
A few dozen Frenchmen and women have been designated as planners for an evacuation, which would use smaller boats to get the citizens to French navy boats docked in Jaffa, near Tel Aviv.
Despite warnings about a conflict from American officials, Israeli officials have made a number of statements about Iran's nuclear program that some believe indicate a military conflict will happen soon. A former Mossad chief, Efraim Halevy, told the New York Times last week, "If I were Iranian, I'd be fearful of the next 12 weeks."





Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/france-is...z23IM50b56

[Magda Hassan]

If I were a French citizen living in Israel I'd jump at the chance to escape that insane place for the moderately less insane France.

[Magda Hassan]

Uproar as footage shows Syrian rebel atrocities

Posted 9 hours 3 minutes ago
PHOTO: One of the videos shows a body, which was allegedly thrown from a roof by Syrian rebels, falling to the ground. (AFP: YouTube)
RELATED STORY: Syrians want embassy staff accepted as refugees
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RELATED STORY: Syrians flee as rebels plan counter-attack
RELATED STORY: US, Turkey mull action on Syria
MAP: Syrian Arab Republic

Horrific videos purportedly showing Syrian rebels throwing the bodies of postal workers off a roof and a man's throat being savagely cut triggered outrage among rights activists on Monday.
Three videos all showing the apparent atrocities in the province of Aleppo, including a bound man being repeatedly shot, were posted on YouTube on Monday but their authenticity could not immediately be verified.
Both sides in the 17-month conflict have been accused of human rights violations as reports of cold-blooded killings mount.
"What is the difference between them and a wild animal in the jungle? At least a wild animal does not kill unless it is hungry," said Massoud Akko, a Kurdish activist and co-founder of the Association of Syrian Journalists.
In one grisly scene, a crowd of people shouting "Allahu Akbar" - God is great - gathered around several bodies crumpled on the ground outside a building before another three victims are hurled one-by-one from the rooftop.
The incident was said to have taken place in rebel-controlled Al-Bab near the northern metropolis of Aleppo and the victims were identified as postal workers, but it was not clear when the killings occurred.
"These are the heroes of Al-Bab city who are inside the post office," the man shooting the video said. When the body of one man was thrown to the ground, the crowd is heard shouting: "This is a shabiha," referring to the pro-government militia.
In another shocking amateur video, a blindfolded man, with his hands tied behind his back, struggled as a group of men forced him to lie down on a pavement in Aleppo.
The man calls out: "I would rather die by a bullet." A man retorts: "Shut up."
As the group chanted "Allahu Akbar," the assailant forced what appeared to be a small knife repeatedly across his throat as his blood spurted onto the pavement.
"This is the fate of all the shabiha and those who support Bashar [al-Assad]," said the man filming the video.
The third clip, purportedly shot in Aazaz, also in Aleppo province, showed a bearded man being hauled out of a car boot with his hands tied behind his back and pushed to the ground.
One man opens fire on him with a small pistol, only to be joined by another with a rifle. They shoot many times at the man, who dies face down in a field.

Backward step

Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says he strongly condemns such atrocities, whoever was behind them.
"If these videos are confirmed, such atrocities harm the revolution. They only benefit the regime and the enemies of the revolution," he said.
Online activists also condemned the killings, which highlight the escalating brutality of a conflict that started out as a peaceful uprising but which has deteriorated into a brutal civil war. The Observatory says at least 21,000 people have been killed countrywide since March last year.
"What is the difference between them and those who kill your children, women and men? This is not a justified reaction at all!" said Akko.
Brothers Mohammed and Ahmed Malas, both dissident artists who live in exile, posted on their Facebook page: "You are killing in the name of God, it seems, but you are killing just like Assad kills. You do not know God."
In recent weeks, activists have frequently expressed concern about human rights abuses by the rebels, as well as repeated atrocities by the regime since it launched its brutal crackdown.
One protester in Aleppo on August 10 held up a poster reading: "Correcting the mistakes of the revolution and its path is necessary for its victory."
Another poster, held up by a protester in Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr district, read: "O sweet Free Syrian Army, don't take me prisoner at your checkpoint."
On August 8, activists and Free Syrian Army commanders distributed an 11-point code of conduct signed by scores of brigade commanders and rebel leaders.
"I swear to my people and the revolution that I will not engage in any practice that undermines the principles of our revolution: the principles of freedom, citizenship and dignity," reads one article.
"I will respect human rights ... our tolerant religious principles and international human rights law - the same human rights that we are struggling for today."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-14/ou...of/4196550