dagblog - Comments for "Syria: Ban briefed by UN disarmament chief on latest developments - UN spokesperson"

With samples en route to

artappraiser — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 21:17:18 +0000

In reply to Syria: Ban briefed by UN disarmament chief on latest developments - UN spokesperson

With samples en route to labs, Ban calls on Security Council to develop response
U.N. News Centre, Sept. 3, 2013

With the United Nations chemical weapons team working “around the clock” to expedite analyses of samples taken in Syria, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Security Council members to unite and develop an appropriate response should allegations regarding the use of such weapons prove true.

Speaking to the press at UN Headquarters in New York before heading to St. Petersburg, Russia for the G20 Summit, Mr. Ban said that the issue is larger than the conflict in Syria, “this is about our collective responsibility to mankind.”

“I take note of the argument for action to prevent future uses of chemical weapons,” the UN chief said. “At the same time, we must consider the impact of any punitive measure on efforts to prevent further bloodshed and facilitate a political resolution of the conflict.”

He appealed that any decision that is made is done so within the framework of the UN Charter.

The use of force is lawful only when in exercise of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and/or when the Security Council approves such action, said Mr. Ban.

He appealed for renewed efforts by regional and international actors to convene the Geneva conference - with participation from senior United States, Russian and UN officials – “as soon as possible”.

Mr. Ban said he will discuss developments in Syria with world leaders attending the G20 summit [....]

India Rejects Military

artappraiser — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 21:12:30 +0000

In reply to Syria: Ban briefed by UN disarmament chief on latest developments - UN spokesperson

India Rejects Military Action
By Ellen Barry, The Lede @ nytimes.com, Sept. 3, 2013

NEW DELHI — In India, a country that remained vigorously pro-American throughout the Bush presidency, the bilateral relationship remains strong and Mr. Obama is fairly popular, but not on the question of Syria.

The government came out Tuesday with a statement rejecting military action in Syria, and has held back from assigning blame for use of chemical weapons late last month. India’s Foreign Ministry complained to the British government after Prime Minister David Cameron, in a speech, mistakenly named India as one of the countries that had concluded that Mr. Assad was responsible.

Some weariness toward the United States may be due to India’s domestic woes [....]

The Senators are

LULU — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 07:14:38 +0000

In reply to An ex general says he got it

The Senators are "encouraged".

An ex general says he got it

LULU — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 07:08:23 +0000

In reply to BBC just reported a few

An ex general says he got it from three Republican Senators who got it from Obama.

He stressed that the intention would be to "degrade" the Syrian military..

BBC just reported a few

LULU — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 07:00:04 +0000

In reply to Syria: Ban briefed by UN disarmament chief on latest developments - UN spokesperson

BBC just reported a few minutes ago that they have information that Obama is planning a much bigger strike than has been reported if he gets Congressional go-a-head. They said they would have more details in about ten minutes.

The Guardian's link to the

artappraiser — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 05:02:06 +0000

In reply to Syria crisis: French

The Guardian's link to the French dossier is not working; here is one I found in this article @ The Atlantic that works, it's in French:

http://www.gouvernement.fr/sites/default/files/fichiers_joints/syrie_syn...

I don't see any good full translations yet but there are good chunks done well in the Guardian article.

One point in the dossier caught my eye because I had read about the Assad interview with Le Figaro (portions published today) both in that Atlantic article and in this Al Jazeera partial translation of the same interview.

Assad argues that some of his forces in the area should have been affected by the gas if he had done it, but there weren't any examples of that.

Well , the French seem to have an answer for him on that in their dossier. (One that he couldn't know about at the time of the Le Figaro interview, which would have ocurred before the release of the dossier.)

As it says in The Guardian piece, in the dossier French intel talks about knowing he has developed new methods for distributing chemical agents much more precisely than previous while still sending them over a long distance; they also imply that they have a detailed case (summarized but not in the dossier) that he actually has been testing these methods in the smaller strikes we've heard about earlier:

The report continues: "Damascus is capable of delivering its chemical weapons with a very large range of several thousand vectors." These, it says, include Scud C, Scud B, M500 missiles, bombs and artillery rockets with a range of up to 500km.

"Certain missiles can carry up to several hundred litres of toxic agent."

It adds that intelligence reports suggest the Syrians are looking at new ways of dispersing chemical weapons.

"Notably, since the beginning of the conflict, our intelligence confirms the regime's use of munitions carrying smaller amounts of chemical agents adapted for tactical use as they are more accurate and localised.

"We cannot rule out that these trials have also been conducted using other types of chemicals normally meant for civil use and employed at a lethal dose."

Under the heading: "The chain of command and the responsibilities", the report says the Syrian Centre for Scientific Research Study (CERS) is responsible for producing toxic agents for use in war, pinpointing "Branch 450" as being responsible for filling munitions with chemicals and also the security of sites where the chemical agents are stocked. This branch, it claims, is "composed only of Alawite military personnel … distinguished by a high level of loyalty to the regime".

"Bashar al-Assad and certain influential members of his clan are the only ones permitted to give the order for the use of chemical weapons. The order is then transmitted to those responsible at the competent branches of the CERS. At the same time, the army chiefs of staff receive the order and decide on targets, the weapons and the toxic agents to put in them," it states.

The French are basically suggesting evidence of a progression in use of chemical weapons in order to test new ways of delivery, that the earlier claims of chem weapons use, which confused the rest of the world and made everyone suspicious that it might not be the regime, were small because the regime wanted them to be small. That they were testing new ways to use them more precisely than they have been used in the past, so they could target whole enemy neighborhoods without affecting friendly neighborhoods.

Hence, the zealousness of the French about wanting to do something about it; they suspect the intent of continued use like we saw, targeting small populations in relatively limited areas, into the future.

Syria crisis: French

artappraiser — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 04:01:08 +0000

In reply to Syria: Ban briefed by UN disarmament chief on latest developments - UN spokesperson

Syria crisis: French intelligence dossier blames Assad for chemical attack

Document says information from 'France's own sources' shows Syrian regime forces carried out attack that killed hundreds

By Kim Willsher in Paris, theguardian.com, 2 September 2013 14.06 EDT

The French government has published an intelligence dossier that it says shows the forces of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, carried out a "massive and co-ordinated" chemical attack that is believed to have killed hundreds of people.

A nine-page document, published at around 7pm French time on Monday, stated the information had come from "France's own sources" and was based on a detailed technical analysis of evidence supplemented by "additional elements gathered in co-operation with our principal partners".

It was reportedly shown to French ministers and heads of parliamentary groups during an emergency meeting on Syria at the offices of the prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, at Matignon early on Monday evening.

The report and a video, drafted by French intelligence services, purports to show that forces loyal to Assad were responsible for the chemical attack that came from east and west Damascus and targeted rebel-held zones on 21 August, a source told Reuters [....]

On White House lobbying of

artappraiser — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 00:30:30 +0000

In reply to Arab League urges UN-backed

On White House lobbying of the Arab League regarding their statement, from New York Times' Sept. 2/3 article, McCain Urges Lawmakers to Back Obama’s Plan for Syria, page 2:

[....] Ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo, Mr. Kerry sought to mobilize backing for American-led military action at a meeting the group held on Sunday night.

A statement that was issued by the league asserted that the Syrian government was “fully responsible” for the chemical weapons attack and asked the United Nations and the international community “to take the necessary measures against those who committed this crime.”

To the satisfaction of American officials, the statement did not explicitly mention the United Nations Security Council or assert that military action could be taken only with its approval. But it stopped short of a direct call for Western military action against Syria.

Before the meeting got under way, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, urged the international community to stop the Syrian government’s “aggression” against its people.

Saudi Arabia has been one of the principal supporters of the Syrian opposition, and Mr. Kerry consulted by phone on Sunday with Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief and secretary general of its national security council.

The Obama administration’s calculation has been that a call for tough action by the Arab diplomats would enable the White House to argue to members of Congress that it had regional backing for military action and would make up, at least politically, for the British decision on Thursday not to join the American-led attack [....]

and there's more on international effort on page 3:

[....] As the White House consults with Congress, Mr. Kerry is planning a new round of diplomacy. He is planning to meet next weekend with European Union diplomats in Vilnius, Lithuania, and with Arab League diplomats in Rome.

After Mr. Obama’s change in direction, the reaction in Britain and France has largely been one of surprise and confusion. The French government, which had said on Friday that it would support a military strike, said it would wait for the American Congress to vote before taking any military action.

President François Hollande still intends to proceed with a military intervention of some kind in Syria, French officials said Sunday, but France will await the decision of Congress before taking action.

“We cannot leave this crime against humanity unpunished,” said Interior Minister Manuel Valls, speaking on French radio. But given logistical questions of “intervention capacity,” Mr. Valls said, France must “await the decision of the United States.”

“France cannot go forward alone,” he said. “There must be a coalition.”[....]

On Obama?s Plan, a Message

artappraiser — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 16:45:13 +0000

In reply to Syria: Ban briefed by UN disarmament chief on latest developments - UN spokesperson

On Obama’s Plan, a Message Emerges in Israel: Stay Quiet
By Jodi Rudoren and Isabel Kershner, New York Times, September 1/2, 2013

[....] Israel’s ministers of defense and international affairs, who spoke out repeatedly last week, stayed silent on Sunday. Another member of Israel’s security cabinet canceled a news briefing scheduled for Monday, citing the delicate situation. Mr. Netanyahu himself issued a brief, bland statement saying Israel was “calm,” “self-assured” and “prepared for any scenario” before moving on to innocuous matters like wishing the world’s Jews a “good and blessed year.”

Behind closed doors, Mr. Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday that the situation was “evolving,” with “delicate matters” that he was managing “with discretion and responsibility,” and warned: “There is no room for private statements.”

“I ask that you not act without consideration and irresponsibly toward our ally in order to capture a moment of glory,” Mr. Netanyahu said, according to someone who was there and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “These statements do not serve the citizens of Israel.”

Israel has a great deal at stake in the American debate. Beyond the threats by Syria and its allies that they would retaliate against Israel for an American strike, Israel is gravely concerned about America’s waning influence in the Middle East. Israel sees Syria as a test case for Mr. Obama’s credibility in enforcing “red lines,” given his promise to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

At the same time, Israel has a powerful American lobby with bipartisan strength that could be uniquely positioned to help the White House shore up support in Congress.

Yet there were no outward signs on Sunday that Israel would attempt to influence the outcome, and numerous experts on the Israel-American relationship said it would be deeply dangerous to try. [....]

Syria: samples collected at

artappraiser — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 16:30:56 +0000

In reply to Syria: Ban briefed by UN disarmament chief on latest developments - UN spokesperson

Syria: samples collected at site of alleged chemical weapons use to be sent to labs tomorrow – UN
UN News Centre, 1 September 2013 –

Samples collected by the United Nations chemical weapons inspection team in Syria will begin to be transferred to laboratories tomorrow, according to a spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“The whole process will be done strictly adhering to the highest established standards of verification recognized by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons [OPCW],” spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters in New York following a telephone call between Mr. Ban and Dr. Åke Sellström, the head of the inspection team.

Mr. Ban asked Mr. Sellström to expedite the mission's analysis of the samples and information it had obtained “without jeopardizing the scientific timelines required for accurate analysis and to report the results to him as soon as possible,” Mr. Nesirky said, adding that they had discussed ways to further accelerate the analysis.

He reiterated that the UN mission is “uniquely capable of establishing, in an impartial and credible manner, the facts of any use of chemical weapons based directly on evidence collected on the ground.”

Two Syrian Government officials have been observing the process, as per Mr. Ban's guidelines for the procedure, and in strictly in adherence with the established standards for verification set up by the OPCW.

Once analysis of the samples is completed, a report will be given to Mr. Ban who will share the results with all Member States, and the Security Council.

Mr. Ban has been in close contact with the five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He spoke earlier today with the Foreign Minister of France, Laurent Fabius.

Mr. Ban is due to brief the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council on the latest developments “in days to come, possibly Tuesday”, his spokesperson said.