SYRIA WAR MEGATHREAD - Mod Note First Post

karma_ wrote: »

What have Syria, Iran or Egypt contributed to mankind since the stone age?

That is one of the most idiotic sentences ever posted on this forum ever!

If I had made myself look as foolish as you have done with your last three posts, I'd shut down my PC, throw it out the window and retire to the nearest cave for the rest of my days.

Thanks for the advice. I think the Syrians would benefit more from it though. Assuming they aren't already living in caves and gutters.

karma_ wrote: »

Is it just me of has this open racism become way more prevalent on AH recently? In fairness it's a great filter to peer into the darkest recesses of a posters mind.

Where is the racism?

donegal_road wrote: »

*camal_jockey.. here are some images of Syrian cave dwellers from 2 days ago.

Thanks, looks like everything is nice and peaceful there. No need to the west to get involved, thankfully.

Opinions are like **seholes - everyone has one

Thats true, but in your case youve got two..because theres crap coming outta two places:D

And then we have this,dear God why am I not in the least bit surprised.

. By Russell Findlay  |  1 Sep 2013 07:21
BRITAIN allowed firms to sell chemicals to Syria capable of being used to make nerve gas, the Sunday Mail can reveal today.

Export licences for potassium fluoride and sodium fluoride were granted months after the bloody civil war in the Middle East began.

The chemical is capable of being used to make weapons such as sarin, thought to be the nerve gas used in the attack on a rebel-held Damascus suburb which killed nearly 1500 people, including 426 children, 10 days ago.

President Bashar Assad’s forces have been blamed for the attack, leading to calls for an armed response from the West.

British MPs voted against joining America in a strike. But last night, President Barack Obama said he will seek the approval of Congress to take military action.

The chemical export licences were granted by Business Secretary Vince Cable’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills last January – 10 months after the Syrian uprising began.

They were only revoked six months later, when the European Union imposed tough sanctions on Assad’s regime.

Yesterday, politicians and anti-arms trade campaigners urged Prime Minister David Cameron to explain why the licences were granted.

Dunfermline and West Fife Labour MP Thomas Docherty, who sits on the House of Commons’ Committees on Arms Export Controls, plans to lodge Parliamentary questions tomorrow and write to Cable.

He said: “At best it has been negligent and at worst reckless to export material that could have been used to create chemical weapons.

“MPs will be horrified and furious that the UK Government has been allowing the sale of these ingredients to Syria.

“What the hell were they doing granting a licence in the first place?

“I would like to know what investigations have been carried out to establish if any of this
material exported to Syria was subsequently used in the attacks on its own people.”

The SNP’s leader at Westminster, Angus Robertson MP, said: “I will be raising this in Parliament as soon as possible to find out what examination the UK Government made of where these chemicals were going and what they were to be used for.

“Approving the sale of chemicals which can be converted into lethal weapons during a civil war is a very serious issue.

“We need to know who these chemicals were sold to, why they were sold, and whether the UK Government were aware that the chemicals could potentially be used for chemical weapons.

“The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria makes a full explanation around these shady deals even more important.”

 

Mark Bitel of the Campaign Against Arms Trade (Scotland) said: “The UK Government claims to have an ethical policy on arms exports, but when it comes down to practice the reality is very different.

“The Government is hypocritical to talk about chemical weapons if it’s granting licences to companies to export to regimes such as Syria.

“We saw David Cameron, in the wake of the Arab Spring, rushing off to the Middle East with arms companies to promote business.”

Some details emerged in July of the UK’s sale of the chemicals to Syria but the crucial dates of the exports were withheld.

The Government have refused to identify the licence holders or say whether the licences were issued to one or two companies.

The chemicals are in powder form and highly toxic. The licences specified that they should be used for making aluminium structures such as window frames.

Professor Alastair Hay, an expert in environmental toxicology at Leeds University, said: “They have a variety of industrial uses.

“But when you’re making a nerve agent, you attach a fluoride element and that’s what gives it
its toxic properties.

“Fluoride is key to making these munitions.

“Whether these elements were used by Syria to make nerve agents is something only subsequent investigation will reveal.”

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: “The UK Government operates one of the most rigorous arms export control regimes in the world.

“An export licence would not be granted where we assess there is a clear risk the goods might be used for internal repression, provoke or prolong conflict within a country, be used aggressively against another country or risk our national security.

“When circumstances change or new information comes to light, we can – and do – revoke licences where the proposed export is no longer consistent with the criteria.”

Assad’s regime have denied blame for the nerve gas attack, saying the accusations are “full of lies”. They have pointed the finger at rebels.

UN weapons inspectors investigating the atrocity left Damascus just before dawn yesterday and crossed into Lebanon after gathering evidence for four days.

They are now travelling to the Dutch HQ of the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons.

It could take up to two weeks for the results of tests on samples taken from victims of the attack, as well as from water, soil and shrapnel, to be revealed.

On Thursday night, Cameron referred to a Joint Intelligence Committee report on Assad’s use of chemical weapons as he tried in vain to persuade MPs to back military action. The report said the regime had used chemical weapons at least 14 times since last year.

Russian president Vladimir Putin yesterday attacked America’s stance and urged Obama to show evidence to the UN that Assad’s regime was guilty.

Russia and Iran are Syria’s staunchest allies. The Russians have given arms and military backing to Assad during the civil war which has claimed more than 100,000 lives.

Putin said it would be “utter nonsense” for Syria to provoke opponents and spark military
retaliation from the West by using chemical weapons.

But the White House, backed by the French government, remain convinced of Assad’s guilt, and Obama proposes “limited, narrow” military action to punish the regime.

He has the power to order a strike, but last night said he would seek approval from Congress.

Obama called the chemical attack “an assault on human dignity” and said: “We are prepared to strike whenever we choose.”

He added: “Our capacity to execute this mission is not time-sensitive. It will be effective tomorrow, or next week, or one month from now.

“And I’m prepared to give that order.”

Some fear an attack on Syria will spark retaliation against US allies in the region, such
as Jordan, Turkey and Israel.

General Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, described the Commons vote as a “victory for common sense and democracy”.

He added that the “drumbeat for war” had dwindled among the British public in recent days.

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldno...,4690424.story

MOSCOW -- Israel said it carried out a joint missile test with the U.S. over the Mediterranean Sea that was detected Tuesday morning by a Russian radar system.

Earlier in the day, Russia announced the detection of two "ballistic" objects over the Mediterranean, state-run media outlets RIA-Novosti and ITAR-TASS reported.

The two launches were picked up at 10:16 a.m. Moscow time, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reportedly informed President Vladimir Putin.

The news initially raised concerns of a possible missile strike against Syria -- the U.S. is weighing an attack on the country in the wake of an alleged chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government -- but the Russian Embassy in Damascus reported no sign of any explosions or damage from missiles, RIA-Novosti reported.

About two hours after Russia announced the detection of objects over the Mediterranean, Israel's Defense Ministry said the detected launches were made by Israel jointly with the United States to test an Israeli anti-missile system.

“The said launches were the testing of target missile Yakor [Anchor] which is used to test anti-missile defense systems,” an Israel defense spokesman told RIS-Novosti.

Igor Korotchenko, a Russian defense analyst and editor-in-chief of the National Defense journal called the tests "totally irresponsible" at what is a critical time in the volatile region.

“Israel and the United States should have thought better of the grave risks of such tests at this critical time in this region before launching those missiles,” Korotchenko said in an interview with The Times. “The Russian early warning radar system proved its efficiency full well and Russia could have put its nuclear forces on higher alert.

“If Israel chose to act so totally irresponsibly, the United States should have at least used the hotline between Washington and the Kremlin to warn Moscow of such tests despite the current coldness in the relations between the two countries,” Korotchenko added. “It is not clear whether the Kremlin was informed in advance.”

Hoop66 wrote: »

I've been trying to verify this report. Not seeing much that isn't linked to websites that are, shall we say, not completely agenda-free (Infowars.com being the biggest offender here).

Anyone any more reliable/respectable links?

The original story appeared on mintpress news. If by reliable/respectable you mean reported by any news channel you would see on a television or newspaper you might buy in a shop you probably wont find such a link.

Gavlak the guy linked to AP, BBC etc freelances for them though he works for mintpress. Preluding the story they explain this.

"Clarification: Dale Gavlak assisted in the research and writing process of this article, but was not on the ground in Syria. Reporter Yahya Ababneh, with whom the report was written in collaboration, was the correspondent on the ground in Ghouta who spoke directly with the rebels, their family members, victims of the chemical weapons attacks and local residents.
Gavlak is a MintPress News Middle East correspondent who has been freelancing for the AP as a Amman, Jordan correspondent for nearly a decade. This report is not an Associated Press article; rather it is exclusive to MintPress News."

http://www.mintpressnews.com/witnesses-of-gas-attack-say-saudis-supplied-rebels-with-chemical-weapons/168135/