Mairead Maguire urges the Vatican to support Non-Violence in Syria

Mairead is at the Vatican, – an Apostle for peace,  taking her message to the heart of the church!

Quite frankly it is said that the message of peace for Syria has to be taken to the Vatican when it should be emanating from the Vatican! Even so, let us hope that Mairead’s mission will help strengthen the church in its resolve to support the people of Syria.

Father Dave

Mairead Maguire weaing my hat! :-)

Mairead Maguire weaing my hat! 🙂

www.fides.org…

ASIA/SYRIA – The Nobel Maguire at the Vatican: “Non-violence and dialogue are the only path to peace”

Non-violence, dialogue, reconciliation and peace are “the key words to solve the Syrian crisis.” They are “the only possible way to avoid a regional degeneration of the conflict, with unpredictable outcomes”. These are “the values that the Catholic Church strongly promotes, according to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ”: This is what Mairead Maguire, Nobel Prize for Peace in 1976 for her commitment to solving the conflict in Northern Ireland said in an interview with Fides Agency. Maguire was in the Vatican in past days, where she held talks with the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, and the President of the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”, Cardinal Peter Turkson. “I expressed the desire to meet Pope Francis and return home full of hope that a strong message of peace will come from the Holy See in support of peace in Syria”, she explained to Fides.

“During the conversations, we agreed that the Catholic Church must promote a strong message of peace for Syria. A very clear message of non-violence and reconciliation are urgently needed as roads to peace. They are the paths that Jesus chose”, explains Maguire, who is Catholic, and responsible of the NGO “Peace People” in Belfast. “The world needs a message of peace, a word about love towards the enemy and forgiveness. If this message is not spread by the Church, who can offer it?” She notes.

Speaking to Fides about the Syrian scenario, the Nobel notes that “the situation today is very complicated due to new outbreaks, violence and weapons. The figures related to the victims are frightening and, as the UN said, compared only to the Rwandan genocide. Now, after two years of conflict, it is necessary to stop and to support those who seek to bring people together, to propose dialogue again, starting with a cease-fire and put an end to indiscriminate violence. A political solution should be strongly reconsidered”.

Maguire made a trip to Syria last May, at the head of a delegation of peace: “We were in Syria and in Lebanon, visiting the refugee camps.

We participated in interfaith prayer meetings. We met ordinary people, members of the government and the opposition. Most of the groups, civil and religious, call for dialogue and pushes for peace. The population is tired of death, violence and destruction”. “We cannot but reiterate – she continues – that peace, reconciliation are the supreme good and many people in Syria have chosen this path. There are many initiatives from below, perhaps little known, like that of the ‘Mussalaha’ movement, supported by Patriarch Gregory III Laham”.

In concrete, Maguire suggests, “we need to provide technical and material support to promote a de-escalation of the conflict. You have to talk to everyone and restart national dialogue between the government and opposition, tracing a transition, while respecting the principle of self-determination, asking the Syrian people what they want”.

Maguire proposes to apply the model that brought peace to North Ireland, in a society where hate and division were rooted: “We started to promote friendship, forgiveness and reconciliation from the bottom, and then bring them to a political and institutional level. This can also happen for Syria, but the weapons must be silent. The international community should support those who promote this approach for an inclusive dialogue”, she concludes.

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FSA to declare war on Jabhat Al-Nusra?!

Surely this is the beginning of the end for the Syrian ‘rebel alliance’. The Al-Nusra Front has brazenly murdered an FSA commander and the FSA has responded by threatening open war against Al-Nusra. Is it even sensible to refer to this as an ‘alliance’ any more?

Meanwhile the U.S. and Britain are still promising more arms to the rebels. This, of course, is all in the name of ‘democracy’. The irony is that NATO’s own figures show that only 10% of the Syrian population still support the rebels!

Indeed it is a dark and despicable game that is being played by the ‘great’ powers while the poor people of Syria continue to pay the price.

Father Dave

Syria in Crisis

photo by Denning Isles (iammordechai.com…)

freebeacon.com…

Al Qaeda Rebels Kill Free Syrian Army Commander

Assassination triggers third front in Syrian civil war

Bill Gertz

A key commander of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army was killed recently by Syria’s al Qaeda rebels, a sign the opposition to the Bashar al-Assad regime is fracturing and Islamist rebels are on the rise.

Kamal Hamami, the FSA commander, was killed as he went to a meeting of al Qaeda-backed rebels to discuss joint operations against the Syrian army, a U.S. official said, confirming Middle East press reports.

Hamami had opposed the al Qaeda-linked rebels and said there was no place for them within the opposition forces.

He was killed in Latakia province, in the northern part of the country near the Turkish border, a known stronghold of Islamist rebels.

The assassination triggered a call by the FSA for a declaration of war against al Qaeda rebel groups, including the two major groups, the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.

“The Nusra Front and the AQI-sponsored Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seem to have different ideas about working with the mainstream opposition and this could lead to growing problems within the extremist landscape,” said the U.S. official.

“More attacks by Islamic extremists against mainstream opposition figures could lead to retaliation by others in the extremist universe who have been focusing the fight on Assad’s regime,” the official added.

Meanwhile, FSA Chief of Staff Gen. Salim Idris said this week that British Prime Minister David Cameron had betrayed the rebels by deciding not to provide arms. The decision will boost al Qaeda rebels’ control.

“This decision paves the way for al Qaeda to control opposition fighters,” Idris told the Daily Telegraph. “The West promises and promises. This is a joke now. … What are our friends in the West waiting for? For Iran and Hezbollah to kill all the Syrian people?”

However, William Hague, Britain’s foreign secretary, announced on Wednesday that the government would equip “moderate armed opposition” forces in Syria with anti-chemical weapons gear.

Syria’s Islamist rebels are committed to creating a post-Assad state that adheres to extremist Sharia law tenets. The killing of the Hamami is the first indicator that the Islamist rebels will not cooperate with FSA rebels in seeking the ouster of the Assad regime.

The split further complicates Syria’s civil war that has claimed more than 93,000 lives.

Until recently, the rebels had been advancing on the capital city, Damascus. However, military and other support from Russia and Iran has forced the rebels further from the city.

Residents in the northern Syrian province of Al-Raqqah held a protest Wednesday against the al-Nusra Front that has controlled the area since the spring. The protesters said the group was no different than the Assad regime.

Nearby, al-Nusra jihadists fought against Kurdish Popular Protection Units in Ra’s al-Ayn, on the Turkish border.

The Washington Free Beacon first reported July 2 that thousands of foreign terrorists joined Islamist rebel groups in Syria over the past several months.

Most of the groups are fighting for the al-Nusra Front, and in some cases, entire brigades are being formed of jihadists from foreign countries.

While numbers are difficult to estimate, U.S. officials say Islamist opposition rebels number between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters.

The Free Syrian Army, which includes former Syrian military forces, is said to number as many as 80,000 rebels.

However, some of the FSA rebels have switched and sided with the Islamists in recent months.

The Obama administration announced recently that it would begin providing arms and other lethal support to secular rebels. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and several Persian Gulf states also are arming both camps of rebels.

The Assad regime is backed by Russia, Iran, and the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist organization.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials also identified a new foreign fighter group in Syria called Jaysh al-Muhajirin wal-Ansar, Arabic for the Army of Foreign Fighters and Local Supporters. The group is made up of foreign jihadists and is coordinating its operations with the al Qaeda Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.

The terrorist group has been active near Aleppo in northern Syria and appears to be using several different names. It is made up of terrorists from several nations, including some in Europe, Chechnya, Turkey, and Syria.

Another foreign group also has been identified as Katibat al-Muhajirin fi Bilad al-Sham, or Al-Muhajirin Brigade in the Levant, which is made up of Libyans and has carried out attacks in northwestern Syria and the Latakia region.

Hamami’s death provoked FSA rebels to vow the opening of a third front in the civil war

“We will not let them get away with it because they want to target us,” a senior FSA commander was quoted by Reuters. “We are going to wipe the floor with them.”

The assassination followed a dispute between Hamami’s forces and the al Qaeda-linked rebel group over control of a strategic checkpoint in Latakia, Reuters reported.

While Hamami’s forces previously fought together with the Islamists, the FSA has sought to separate itself from Islamist rebels to put off western concerns that any arms supplied to the FSA would reach al Qaeda.

According to Reuters, FSA political coordinator Louay Mekdad said Abu Ayman al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State’s Emir of the coastal region, personally shot Hamami and his brother at the roadblock.

Additionally, Mekdad said one of Hamami’s fighters was allowed to return to the FSA in order to relay the terrorists’ message that the FSA is now viewed as “heretics,” and that the FSA Supreme Command will now become a target of al Qaeda.

The Hamami assassination appeared similar to al Qaeda’s assassination on Sept. 9, 2001, of Afghan rebel leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, a revered figure who was killed by terrorists posing as news reporters two days before the al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

Massoud led the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan whose forces were opposing the Islamist Taliban that was backing al Qaeda. The Taliban were ousted in October 2001, but Taliban insurgents are continuing to wage jihad against U.S. forces and Afghan government troops.

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Mairead Maguire talks about Syria

I have wonderful memories of travelling through Damascus with Mairead. One of most enduring was seeing Mairead finish a conversation with a Syrian girl and turn to me and say “aren’t people wonderful, Dave?”

It is a simple love of people that drives Mairead. Her mind is sharp and she recognises that the problems are complex, but it’s her simple and pure love of humanity that makes her such an inspiration.

Father Dave

[imaioVideo v=1]

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What the media is NOT telling you about Syria!

This is a polished and informative presentation from Ben Swann of the ‘truth in media’ project.

I don’t know who Ben Swann is. Perhaps he has a dark side? Even so, his stated goal of bringing truth back into the media is something this world is certainly hungry for!

Father Dave

[imaioVideo v=1]

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The monastery of Mother Agnes of Homs is under attack!

For those who write off Mother Agnes Mariam (pictured below in Beirut between myself and Mairead Maguire) as a pro-regime stooge, it’s worth noting that her monastery has been attacked by government forces. A total of 21 missiles have been fired into it!

2013 - with Mother Agnes and Maired Maguire in Beirut

The damage has been extensive, as can be seen from the pics below. Thankfully no one has yet been killed but one of the sisters has been injured. It would appear that the attacks are designed to terrorize the sisters and refugees who take sanctuary in the monastery. One could believe that it was all a mistake if it had happened just once, but the helicopter gunship has made three separate attacks now!

monastery-homs-2 monastery-homs-1

The article pasted below from Vatican News makes clear that the monastery is also in the sights of the rebels!

We pray for the health and safety of all those who shelter in the monastery of ‘St James the Mutilated’ who are already experiencing some of the suffering of their namesake!

Father Dave

www.news.va/en/news/asiasyria-a-catholic-belgian-priest-and-a-monaster…

A Catholic Belgian priest and a monastery are in the sights of the jihadists

Qara – The Belgian Catholic priest Fr. Daniel Maes, 74, of the religious Order of “Canons Regular Premonstratensian”, is in the sights of jihadist groups who intend to eliminate him and invade the monastery of San James mutilated in Qara, 90 km north of Damascus. The monastery, belonging to the Greek-Catholic diocese of Homs, is situated on a border area between warring groups and could be occupied to become a military logistic base of the rebels. After the death of Fr. Francois Murad, the Christian community in Syria is very concerned. Each line of communication with the monastery is interrupted. The alarm was sent to Fides Agency by some Catholic Syrian leaders and by the families of monks living in St. James, who belong to 9 nationalities, even in Europe.

Fr. Maes taught moral theology in Belgium for 20 years and since 2010 resides at the monastery, where he is director of the Seminary. The convent of St. James in Qara is an ancient structure dating back to the fifth century A.D. There is a female monastic community, led by the Palestinian nun, Sister Agnes Mariam de la Croix, enriched over the years by a religious community of men and families of lay Christians, Sunnis and Alawites. In past months, the monastery was at the center of gunfire and was hit and damaged by the bombing of the regular Syrian army helicopters that probably wanted to hit arms depots placed in trenches or ditches near the monastery, used for supplies of water in the Byzantine period.Lately, the monastery houses and assists refugee families, regardless of their religious affiliation. Fr. Daniel maintains close contacts with Syrian groups in France, Belgium and the Netherlands which, through voluntary associations, send humanitarian aid to the displaced.

The priest denounced the “ethnic cleansing” carried out on Christians in Qusair, when the town was taken by the rebels and by jihadist groups. “The surrounding Christian villages were destroyed and all the faithful who were caught were killed, according to a logic of sectarian hatred,” he wrote in recent weeks to Fides Agency. “For decades, Christians and Muslims lived in peace in Syria. If criminal gangs can roam and terrorize civilians, is this not against international laws? Who will protect the innocent and ensure the future of this country? ” Says the priest. Thus Fr. Maes describes the current social situation in Syria: “Young people are disappointed, because foreign powers dictate their agenda. Moderate Muslims are worried, because Salafists and fundamentalists want to impose a totalitarian dictatorship of religious nature. The citizens are terrified because they are innocent victims of armed gangs”. Fr. Maes concludes: “The Syrian regime had long since lost all credibility. Today, the urgency is to allow Syria to survive. The Syrian people themselves must reform the country, according to a process of true democracy: a people who, independently, ensures equal treatment for all”.

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Australia cuts off support for Syrian rebels!

Not only does Australia have a new Prime Minister, but now it’s taken a new stance on the Syrian conflict by  listing Jabhat al-Nusra as a terrorist organisation. This is a bold move by the Australian government, and one that puts it squarely at odds with the policy of the US President, who has promised to increase lethal aid to the FSA!

Of course, Mr Obama has not officially offered support to Jabhat al-Nusra, and the Australian government has not explicitly said that it will not support other Syrian rebels but we only need to join the dots to see that the two countries are currently moving in opposite directions with regards to Syria!

Not only does the Australian listing of Jabhat al-Nusra as a terrorist organisation dictate future policy with regards to any formal role the country may have in the Syrian conflict, but it will also make Australians think twice before heeding the call of local Sheikhs who are encouraging their flock to go to Syria and join the FSA!

The move is a politically astute one for the Australian government as it doesn’t appear to involve them in taking sides in the Syrian conflict, thus avoiding any backlash from pro-FSA groups in Australia. Even so, the move effectively bars Australia and Australians from further involvement with the rebel forces, where regular conscripts are said to be joining Jabhat al-Nusra by their thousands on a daily basis!

Father Dave

The flag of Jabhat al-Nusra

The flag of Jabhat al-Nusra

www.heraldsun.com…

Syria group listed under local terror laws

AN extremist group fighting against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the Australian government.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus used the country’s anti-terrorism laws to make the declaration against Jabhat al-Nusra, saying the group was supplied with weapons, recruits and equipment by al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the al-Nusra Front, has a history of suicide attacks and bombings in Syria, and was not part of the recognised Syrian opposition movement, he said on Friday.

Its listing as a terror group makes it illegal to be a member of or recruit members to the group, or receive training from the organisation. The offences apply to anybody in Australia and Australian citizens living abroad.

“This organisation was listed following careful consideration of advice from security agencies for the purposes of the Criminal Code,” Mr Dreyfus said in a statement.

“The Australian government deplores the violence and suffering that is occurring in Syria.”

The listing also makes it an offence to give funds or to get funds from Jabhat al-Nusra, with those found guilty facing up to 25 years in jail.

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Could Barrack Obama be impeached over Syria?

This article from New American hits the nail on the head. Obama’s commitment to arm the Syrian rebels is not only immoral and suicidal. It is illegal!

It is encouraging both to see vigorous opposition within the US Congress to this latest round of warmongering and to see Obama’s opponents using ‘lawfare’ to try to stop him.

The thought that Obama could be impeached over this incident is enticing but highly unlikely. Such a move would only open the gate for proceedings to take place against his predecessor, who likewise went to war without the permission of Congress. Indeed, it could lead to a domino effect, with all law-breaking Presidents being dragged before the courts. The powers-that-be would never allow that!

It would be great, of course, if US Presidents could be forced to act within the law, let alone to act in accordance with the will of the voting public! Generally, the only time the general populace takes exception to the behavior of their political leaders is when they are caught in a sex scandal. They normally face little criticism for decisions that costs the lives of hundreds of thousands of human beings.

Father Dave

Barrack Obama

Impeached over Syria?

source: www.thenewamerican.com…

Lawmakers Seek to Stop Obama Arming Terrorists in Syria

Lawmakers have now introduced bills in both houses of Congress aimed at restraining President Obama and his lawless intervention in Syria on behalf of jihadist rebels, many of whom are openly fighting under the banner of al-Qaeda while massacring Christians and other minorities. If the legislation becomes law, it would make any military action — including the ongoing provision of weapons and training to opposition forces by the administration — contingent on congressional approval.

Of course, the U.S. Constitution already grants war powers to Congress, stating that wars must be declared by lawmakers — not the president. Obama, however, like previous administrations, has a long track record of ignoring his oath of office in virtually every field. In Libya, for example, he even launched an unconstitutional war to overthrow dictator Moammar Gadhafi without so much as a semblance of permission from Congress.

While the U.S. government has been funding opposition forces in Syria since long before open warfare began, the president has stepped up that assistance, offering everything from training and money to military weapons. Obama’s “regime change” operation,backed by the highest echelons of the global establishment, recently culminated with a deeply unpopular announcement this month that the administration would be openly supplying arms and other military aid to rebel forces. Having U.S. troops set up a “no-fly zone” is also being considered.

For some members of Congress, enough is enough. Murmurs about impeaching Obama over his unlawful war scheming have even been popping up since last year on both sides of the aisle. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) even introduced a resolution stating that the president’s use of military force without congressional permission constitutes an impeachable offense. After the decision to openly arm rebel forces was announced earlier this month, though, lawmakers in both parties and in both houses of Congress are taking action.

In the Senate, a bipartisan coalition of four senators introduced a bill last week to make any administration involvement in the Syrian conflict contingent on congressional approval. Sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), the legislation would prohibit any military support for warring factions in Syria unless Congress specifically approves.

“The president’s unilateral decision to arm Syrian rebels is incredibly disturbing, considering what little we know about whom we are arming,” said Sen. Paul. The liberty-minded Republican with potential presidential aspirations, who recently blasted some of his Senate colleagues for voting to support weapons transfers to al-Qaeda allies, has been a leading critic of lawless foreign interventionism since his election.

“Engaging in yet another conflict in the Middle East with no vote or congressional oversight compounds the severity of this situation,” Paul continued. “The American people deserve real deliberation by their elected officials before we send arms to a region rife with extremists who seek to threaten the U.S. and her allies.” Sen. Lee, another leading proponent of liberty in Congress, expressed similar concerns.

More recently, Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced Tuesday the introduction of the “Congressional Accountability and Oversight in Syria Act,” a similar piece of legislation containing much of the same language. The goal, according to the two congressmen, is also to prohibit the administration from taking military action in Syria without explicit permission from Congress.

“What is the goal of providing weapons to the rebels?” asked Rep. Rooney in a statement about the legislation. “We know that the rebels have been infiltrated by al Qaeda and some of the same people we’ve been fighting for the last 10 years. Senior administration officials have told me they can’t give any assurance that our weapons won’t wind up in the hands of al Qaeda. So what’s our endgame?”

Indeed, as The New American has documented for well over a year, rebel ranks are infested with al-Qaeda-linked terrorists and violent jihadists from across the Middle East. The most effective fighting force in Syria, the al Nusra front, officially merged with the terror group earlier this year. Separately, opposition forces have come under fire for using chemical weapons, eating body organs out of Syrian troops, massacring civilians, firing on protesters, ethnic cleansing of minorities, and more.

“If the President wants to take us into Syria, he needs to come to Congress and convince us,” continued Rep. Rooney, who serves on the House Intelligence and Appropriations committees. “The President needs to make a convincing case that this is in our national security interest, and he needs to lay out a clear and comprehensive mission, including an exit strategy. He hasn’t done that yet.”

According to an e-mail survey of around 4,500 people conducted by Rep. Rooney’s office, his constituents — like most Americans— overwhelmingly agree that the United States should steer clear of the conflict in Syria. Almost 84 percent of respondents, for example, oppose sending arms to rebel forces. A stunning 97.4 percent said they did not support putting American troops on the ground.

It is not the first time that Rooney, who tried but failed to cut off funds for Obama’s war on Libya, has spoken out about the administration’s lawless behavior in Syria. Last year, after then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the administration would seek “international permission” from the UN and NATO, instead of congressional approval to wage war on the Syrian regime, the Florida congressman issued a strongly worded statement demanding that Obama come to Congress.

“Once again, we’re seeing the Obama administration ignore the Constitution, the War Powers Act, and the role of Congress in determining when this country goes to war,” said Rooney, an Army captain. “It’s an insult to the American people for the Secretary of Defense to come before a Senate committee and say that the administration will seek ‘international permission’ to spend American resources and potentially put American lives on the line in Syria, but won’t consult with Congress.… The founders were clear not to leave this decision in the hands of one man, and rightfully so.”

The new five-page legislation, which cites older U.S. laws and United Nations efforts in Syria, expresses the sense of Congress that all sides and factions in the war should stop the violence. If enacted, it would prohibit any federal agency from providing aid to any group, movement, or individual unless and until the administration receives specific congressional authorization. The only exception, assuming the administration complies, would be humanitarian aid.

According to cosponsor Rep. McCaul, who serves as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, the bill is also aimed at ensuring U.S. national security. Like other lawmakers from both parties and virtually every serious analyst in the world, the congressman from Texas has serious concerns about opposition forces in Syria and their well-documented links to terrorist groups.

“Arming the rebels in Syria potentially places those weapons into the hands of the Islamist extremists who have infiltrated their ranks and who continue to plot against the United States and our interests abroad,” Rep. McCaul said in a statement. “If the president believes American involvement in Syria is necessary, he will have to present a convincing plan to the Congress and make the case that providing assistance to Syrian opposition forces would not pose a national security threat to the United States.”

On the other side of the debate are establishment forces in both parties — especially RINO Republicans, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the latter of whom is currently embroiled in scandal after posing for pictures with rebel kidnappers in Syria. Among the warmongering wing of both parties, lawmakers are insisting that Obama get the U.S. government even deeper into the bloody Syrian conflict, which some analysts have suggested could become a regional or even global war.

Already, an estimated 100,000 people have been killed in the fighting, with over a million having fled the country so far. Fueled largely by foreign powers — the Obama administration, Sunni Arab dictators, al-Qaeda, and some European governments on one side; the Iranian regime, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Hezbollah on the other — the brutal war is expected to continue raging. Meanwhile, innocent civilians, especially Christians and Shia Muslims, are paying the steepest price.

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Is the US pledge of support for Syrian Rebels was just hot air?

This article echoes what the most knowledgeable people I know are saying – that all the saber-rattling at Doha’s recent ‘Friends of Syria’ gathering was just a lot of noise.

The US can’t afford to arm the Syrian rebels – either politically or financially. The complication with Afghanistan that Sharmine Narwani details below had not occurred to me, but even if it’s a decisive factor, it’s certainly not the only sufficient one.

Father Dave

source: english.al-akhbar.com…

The US’s Afghan Exit May Depend on a Syrian One

By Sharmine Narwani

Washington’s options in Syria are dwindling – and dwindling fast.

Trumped up chemical weapons charges against the Syrian government this month failed to produce evidence to convince a skeptical global community of any direct linkage. And the US’s follow-up pledge to arm rebels served only to immediately underline the difficulty of such a task, given the fungibility of weapons-flow among increasingly extremist militias.

Yes, for a brief few days, Syrian oppositionists congratulated themselves on this long-awaited American entry into Syria’s bloodied waters. They spoke about “game-changing” weapons that would reverse Syrian army gains and the establishment of a no-fly zone on Syria’s Jordanian border – a la Libya. Eight thousand troops from 19 countries flashed their military hardware in a joint exercise on that border, dangling F-16s and Patriot missiles and “superb cooperation” in a made-for-TV show of force.

But it took only days to realize that Washington’s announcement didn’t really have any legs.

Forget the arguments now slowly dribbling out about why the US won’t/can’t get involved directly. Yes, they all have merit – from the difficulties in selecting militia recipients for their weapons, to the illegalities involved in establishing a no-fly zone, to the fact that more than 70% of Americans don’t support an intervention.

The single most critical reason for why Washington will not risk entering the Syrian military theater – almost entirely ignored by DC policy wonks – may be this: the 2014 US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“Help, we can’t get out”

There are around 750,000 major pieces of American military hardware costing approximately $36 billion sitting in Afghanistan right now. The cost of transporting this equipment out of the country is somewhere close to the $7 billion mark. It would be easier to destroy this stuff than removing it, but given tightening US budgets and lousy economic prospects, this hardware is unlikely to be replaced if lost.

Getting all this equipment into Afghanistan over the past decade was a lot easier than getting it out will be. For starters, much of it came via Pakistani corridors – before Americans began droning the hell out of that country and creating dangerous pockets of insurgents now blocking exit routes.

An alternative supply route through Afghan border states Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan called the Northern Distribution Network was set up in 2009, but is costlier and longer than going via Pakistan. And human rights disputes, onerous conditions on transport and unpredictable domestic sentiment toward the Americans places far too much leverage over these routes in the hands of regional hegemon Russia.

Unlike Iraq, where the US could count on its control over the main ports and Arab allies along the Persian Gulf border, Afghanistan is landlocked, mountainous and surrounded by countries and entities now either hostile to US interests or open to striking deals with American foes.

In short, a smooth US exit from Afghanistan may be entirely dependent on one thing: the assistance of Russia, Iran, and to a lesser degree, China.

All three countries are up against the US and its allies in Syria, refusing, for the better part of 18 months, to allow regime-change or a further escalation of hostilities against the state.

In the past few months, the Russian and Iranian positions have gained strength as the Syrian army – with assistance from its allies – pushed back rebel militias in key towns and provinces throughout the country.

Western allies quickly rushed to change the unfavorable equilibrium on the ground in advance of political talks in Geneva, unashamedly choosing to further weaponize the deadly conflict in order to gain “leverage” at the negotiating table.

But none of that has materialized. As evidence, look to the recent G8 Summit where western leaders sought to undermine Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him “isolated” and referring to the Summit as “G7+1.”

In the meeting’s final communiqué, Putin won handily on every single Syria point. Not only was it clear that the international community’s only next “play” was the negotiations in Geneva, but there was no mention of excluding President Bashar al-Assad from a future Syrian transitional government, once a key demand of opponents. Furthermore, the declaration made it clear that there was no evidence linking chemical weapons use to the Syrian government – had there been any “evidence” whatsoever, it would have made it to paper – and Syrian security forces were empowered, even encouraged, to weed out extremist militias by all the G8 nations.

This was not an insignificant victory for the Russians – it was the first public revelation that Washington, London and Paris have conceded their advantage in Syria. And it begs the question: what cards do the Russians hold in their hand to bring about this kind of stunning reversal, just a week after Washington came out guns blazing?

read the rest of this article here.

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US-backed rebels massacre more minorities in Syria

Another massacre by Obama’s rebel troops! 

The soldiers in the video are from Kuwait, and they urge their fellow countrymen to do right by their God and join in the slaughter of Syrian Shiites.

Personally, the only thing I find more disgusting than the men in the video is the way in which the US and Europe are scrambling to support them.

The world really has been turned upside-down!

Father Dave

US-backed rebels massacre more minorities in Syria

US-backed “rebels” carry out sectarian massacre in Syria

source: www.ws…

At least 60 people, including women, children and the elderly, were killed in a massacre of Shia Muslims by US-backed “rebels” in eastern Syria Tuesday.

The sectarian slaughter in the village of Hatlah in the province of Deir Ezzor near the border with Iraq, was reported by both the Syrian government and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based group that supports the Western-backed militias trying to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

A video posted online showed Islamist gunmen bragging about killing Shias and burning and looting their homes. A spokesman for the group, a Kuwaiti, declared that they killed for their religion and calling on Sunnis in Kuwait and elsewhere to do the same. Another exposed a covered corpse saying, “Look Shi’ites, this is how you will end up, you dogs.”

The killings came on the same day that a pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up in the busy Marjeh Square in the heart of Damascus, Syria’s capital, killing 15 people and wounding another 31. The terrorist attack took place near a police station.

The Deir Ezzor massacre, in which an estimated 1,500 gunmen took part, underscored the increasingly open sectarian character of the US-backed war for regime change in Syria, under conditions in which the so-called rebels have suffered a series of serious military defeats.

Al Qaeda-affiliated gunmen of the Al Nusra front and other Sunni Islamist militias have become the predominant forces in what pseudo-left elements in the West insist on calling the “Syrian revolution,” with many thousands of Islamist fighters having entered the country from neighboring Arab states as well as from as far away as Chechnya, the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere in Europe.

Particularly in the wake of the Syrian army’s retaking of Qusair, the strategically important town in the central province of Homs that served as a conduit for arms and foreign fighters coming into Syria from Lebanon, the “rebels” and their supporters have fomented increasingly rabid sectarianism. The pretext for this has been the aid given to the Syrian government forces by members of the Lebanese Shi’ite Hezbollah movement, who crossed the border to help retake Qusair from Al Nusra and its allies.

In the aftermath of the battle, the media and leading Sunni clerics—particularly in Saudi Arabia and the monarchical Persian Gulf Sunni petrol states that have provided much of the money and arms for the “rebels”—have cast the Syrian conflict as a virtual holy war against Shi’ites.

Well-known Sunni cleric Yusuf al Qaradawi, who is based in Qatar and enjoys the support of its monarchy, called for every able-bodied Sunni across the region to go and fight the Shias in Syria and declared that Iran was determined to “devour” the Sunnis.

Qaradawi’s sectarian fanaticism is a reflection of the increasing desperation of his patrons. Britain’s Channel 4 quoted Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Ahmas Bin Abdullah Bin Zaid al Mahmoud addressing the US-Islamic Word Forum in Doha this week as stating: “Should … the United States fail to offer prompt and decisive assistance to the Syrian people to aid them in fulfilling their aspirations, we fear that the crisis at hand might have even more serious repercussions on neighboring states, the Arab region, and world peace.”

Having laid out an estimated $3 billion to arm and pay mercenaries in Syria, Qatar’s royal house fears its efforts are going up in smoke and that defeat may undermine its own grip on power.

In the wake of the government’s regaining control over Qusair, the Syrian military has begun to push into areas of the central city of Homs held by the Western-backed “rebels.” It is preparing a major offensive to regain full control of Aleppo, Syria’s commercial center near the Turkish-Syrian border.

The fear that the forces that the West and its allies among the Gulf State monarchies have fielded and armed as their proxies in the war for Syrian regime change are losing was also expressed in statements by French officials this week.

“We need to re-balance things because over the past few weeks the troops of Bashar al-Assad and especially Hezbollah and the Iranians, along with Russian arms, have gained considerable ground,” said Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

Fabius indicated that this “re-balancing” was to take place through a major escalation of the Western intervention, including France together with Britain and the US directly arming the “rebels.” Ostensibly, Washington and its NATO allies have, until now, supplied only “non-lethal” assistance, but in reality, the CIA as well as British, French and German intelligence have provided direct aid, including the CIA’s coordination of the arms flow paid for by the Saudi and Qatari monarchies.

“We shouldn’t arm them for the sake of arming them, but there has to be a rebalancing,” Fabius continued. “Nobody is talking about sending troops on the ground, but the resistance fighters must be able to defend themselves.”

Fabius said that he had discussed the issue Tuesday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and claimed that Paris would wait until August 1 before sending weapons. This was the date agreed to by the European Union, after Britain and France succeeded in overturning an EU arms embargo on Syria.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Washington Wednesday for discussions on Syria. White House officials have indicated that the members of the National Security Council are reviewing options for an escalation of the US intervention this week, including the direct arming of the anti-Assad militias and the imposition of a no-fly zone. That would entail a major US bombing campaign against Syria.

Other meetings on the crisis confronting Washington and its allies were scheduled elsewhere. The Turkish media reported that Tamir Pardo, the director of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, flew secretly into Turkey Wednesday to discuss the Syrian situation with his counterpart, Hakan Fidan, head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT).

According to some reports, Pardo emphasized Iran’s role in the Syrian events and also apparently suggested Iranian involvement in the mass protests that have swept Turkey for the past two weeks. Turkey has been one of the main supporters of the so-called rebels, and Syria has repeatedly charged that Israel is giving them covert backing in a bid to overthrow Assad and undermine both Iran and Hezbollah.

British Prime Minister David Cameron also announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin would fly to London next week for talks on Syria.

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US Bishops call for peace in Syria

It seems extraordinary to me that there is not a greater outcry from the church against the carnage in Syria. We might have hoped that followers of Jesus Christ across the US in particular might have rallied to oppose their government’s efforts to pour further weapons into the already-devastated country. For the most part though church leaders have been cautious if not muted in their criticisms.

The letter of Bishops Pates and Kicanas is encouraging, though it may prove to be too little and too late.

Father Dave

Rev. Richard E. Pates

Rev. Richard E. Pates

Rev. Gerald F. Kicanas

Rev. Gerald F. Kicanas

source: al-bushra-updates.blogspot.com…

US Bishops Urging Syrian Ceasefire

The bishops overseeing international peace and relief efforts for the Church in the US urged Secretary of State John Kerry to work with other governments to obtain a ceasefire in Syria, initiate negotiations and provide humanitarian assistance, all in an effort to build “an inclusive society in Syria that protects the rights of all its citizens, including Christians and other minorities.”

Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, and Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona, sent a letter to Kerry on Wednesday.

Bishop Pates is chairman of the bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace. Bishop Kicanas is chairman of the board of Catholic Relief Services, the bishops’ international humanitarian agency.

“The Syrian people urgently need a political solution that ends the fighting and creates a future for all Syrians, one that respects human rights and religious freedom,” wrote Bishop Pates and Bishop Kicanas. The bishops cited the appeals for peace in Syria made by Pope Francis on Easter Sunday and in his June 15 message to the G8 Summit.

The bishops noted the reported use of chemical weapons, the United Nations estimate of more than 93,000 deaths, the displacement of millions from their homes and the kidnapping of two Orthodox archbishops on a mission of mercy as urgent reasons for a negotiated ceasefire and political solution.

The full text of the bishops’ letter is available in PDF format here.

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