US slams Syria over missed chemical arms deadlines

By artappraiser on Fri, 01/31/2014 - 3:09am |

By Rick Gladstone & Thom Shanker, New York Times via bostonglobe.com, Jan. 31, 2014

Angered over a missed deadline in Syria’s pledge to export its chemical weapons, the United States criticized the government of President Bashar Assad on Thursday, accusing him of stalling their removal and — in a new complaint — weakening the country’s promise to destroy the 12 facilities that produced them.

The criticisms, expressed by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the US ambassador to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a group based in The Hague that is helping to oversee the elimination of the Syrian arsenal, contrasted with the diplomatic decorum that had prevailed since the operation began more than three months ago. Until January, after the first deadline was missed, the Syrian government had been widely praised for its cooperation.

The criticisms by the US ambassador, Robert P. Mikulak, in a statement presented at the organization’s executive council meeting at The Hague, were particularly blunt and specific. They were posted on the State Department’s website, another message that the United States wanted its criticism known outside the executive council’s chambers [....]

URL:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/01/31/chides-syria-missed-chemical-arms-deadlines/QA8G7bDYBc2CAMtzuBOEfL/story.html

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Syrian government 'demolished thousands of homes'
BBC News, 30 Jan., 2014

The Syrian government has been "deliberately and unlawfully" demolishing thousands of homes, a new report by Human Rights Watch says.

Satellite images appear to show large-scale demolitions with explosives and bulldozers in opposition strongholds in Damascus and Hama in 2012 and 2013.

The report says the apparent wanton destruction of civilian property and collective punishment are war crimes.

It comes as government and opposition delegates attend peace talks in Geneva [....]

by artappraiser on Fri, 01/31/2014 - 3:14am

Reuters Allows Anonymous “Diplomats” to Blame Syria for Delays Mostly US’ Fault

By: Jim White Thursday January 30, 2014 9:27 am

Yesterday, Reuters granted anonymity to “sources”, including two who are each identified as “a senior Western diplomat”, to blame Syria for delays in shipping its chemical weapons-related materials out of the country. Only when we get to the very last paragraph of the article, though, do we get to the fact that these chemicals are to be destroyed aboard the Cape Ray, a ship which the US has outfitted with equipment for destroying the chemicals at sea. The article does note that the Cape Ray is now in transit to the region, but it fails to note that even though the original plan was for the Cape Ray to begin its work by the end of December, the ship did not leave the US until January 27. Allowing for transit time to get to the region, it would appear that the US delay in supplying the Cape Ray can account for the bulk of the 6-8 weeks by which Syria is reported to be behind schedule......

Worth reading it all, where it discusses how little of Syria's chemical supplies are usable for a weapon, how much they've destroyed to date, and how much has been turned over waiting for us to do our part (while other countries want nothing to do with this)

http://www.emptywheel.net/2014/01/30/reuters-allows-anonymous-diplomats-to-blame-syria-for-delays-mostly-us-fault/

by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 01/31/2014 - 3:07pm