Reports of a Qatar emir among the 26 kidnapped Qatari in Iraq.

Reports of a Qatar emir among the 26 kidnapped Qatari in Iraq. (TOI).

About 100 gunmen kidnapped at least 26 Qatari nationals from a hunting ground in a desert are not far from the Saudi border early on Wednesday morning, Reuters quotes a regional governor and police officials as saying.

“An armed group driving dozens of pickup trucks kidnapped at least 26 Qatari hunters from their camp in the area of Busaya in Samawa desert near Saudi borders,” Samawa governor Falih al-Zayady is quoted as saying.

A local police official, unnamed by Reuters, is quoted as saying: “We are talking about at least 100 gunmen armed with light and medium weapons broke into the Qatari camp and abducted the hunters at around 3 am local time on Wednesday.”

Some reports say the kidnapped are members of the family of the emir of Qatar, the oil fiefdom’s ruler. Hmmm......Great excuse for Turkey to come to the rescue of it's MB Buddy Qatar.

#Qatar Foreign Ministry confirms its citizens have been kidnapped in #Iraq: https://t.co/ci4asAuxc1

— David A. Weinberg (@DavidAWeinberg) December 16, 2015

Hunters from #Qatar have been coming to #Iraq to hunt using falcons since before '03. ISF searching for kidnapped. pic.twitter.com/M9B3BSufzf

— Haidar Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) December 16, 2015

Reports of a #Qatar emir among the kidnapped. If true, it'll mark a serious chapter in Iraqi-Qatari relations. https://t.co/5wIwbpqL4m

— Haidar Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) December 16, 2015

'Final Solution Productions' Hollywood Studio Caught Producing ISIS Videos.is FAKE DRUDGE REPORT Site

 'Final Solution Productions' Hollywood Studio Caught Producing ISIS Videos.DrudgeReport.

Shockwaves are being felt all throughout Tinseltown today as federal authorities moved to arrest several who are accused of aiding and abetting a foreign terrorist organization by producing ISIS recruitment videos.

The site carrying this story poses as 'The Drudge Report' But is not the real site.

German Turkish Muslims to protest anti-Islam group in Germany

German Turkish Muslims to protest anti-Islam group in Germany. (Taz).

At least 13 non-governmental organizations of Muslim and ethnic-Turkish immigrants in Germany announced Thursday their joint decision to protest against the right-wing populist PEGIDA movement Anadolu Agency reported

“We are calling on all citizens to join demonstration in Cologne on Jan. 5 and take a stance against racism, xenophobia, hatred against foreigners and hostility against Islam,” the organizations said in a joint statement.

“We will support all democratic initiatives and allies that oppose PEGIDA and other groups inspired by it,” the statement added.

Germany's Muslim Coordination Council, a platform of four large Muslim organizations in the country, signed the joint statement along with associations representing Turkish-German businessmen, TUMSIAD and MUSIAD-NRW.

Union of European Turkish Democrats, one of the most influential organizations among Germany’s three million Turks, also backed the call for joining the counter-protests in Cologne, organized by a German citizen initiative supported by political parties, trade unions and church organizations.

Cologne is one of Germany’s most populated cities known for its multi-cultural plurality and large number of immigrants.

A recently formed right-wing anti-Islam movement, Cologne Against Islamization of the West, is also planning a demonstration in the city Monday.

The initiative is a copycat group inspired by the Patriotic Europeans Against Islamization of the West or the PEGIDA, which gathered more than 17,000 protesters in the city on Dec. 22. The rise of the right-wing group made headlines in Germany and abroad.

Nearly 30 percent of Germans polled by the Stern magazine said they believed anti-Islam demonstrations organized by PEGIDA were justifiable.

Merkel strongly criticized PEGIDA in her New Year’s speech Wednesday and accused the movement of discriminating against people in Germany on the basis of their skin color or religion.

"I would like to say the following to those who are participating in these demonstrations: Do not follow the calls of those organizers because their hearts are cold, often full of prejudice and even hate," Merkel said.

Forsa Institute’s poll revealed that while many Germans expressed concerns over what they perceived as Islamization, majority of them did not see any threat and 67 percent of those polled said they viewed talk of a threat of Islamization in Germany as an exaggeration. Read the full story here.

Man opens fire on Turkish PM office - Claim assailant was a member of an outlawed leftist organization

Man opens fire on Turkish PM office - Claim assailant was a member of an outlawed leftist organization. (TZ).

A man carrying hand grenades and weapons was captured on Thursday in front of İstanbul's Dolmabahçe Palace, which houses a prime ministerial office, after a failed attack against a police guard station outside the historic building.

Photos from the scene showed a man being kept down by police officers in ceremonial uniforms. The man was detained and taken to a police station inside the palace immediately after the attack.

İstanbul police chief, Selami Altınok, said the man was captured by the police officers after he threw two hand grenades at the guard station in front of the palace. The bombs did not detonate.

The police have defused the two hand grenades, according to Altınok. He told reporters that the assailant had been imprisoned in 2003-2006 but did not say on what charges and his identity was not revealed.

"The identity and links of the assailant is known to us. But we don't want to reveal it right now," he said, stating that the police believe the assailant is a member of a "known terrorist organization."

State news agency Anadolu said the assailant was a member of an outlawed leftist organization. Hmmm.......A false flag operation to crack down even more on the opposition?  Read the full story here.

#Turkey opposition lawmaker @LutfuTurkkan hints a failed attack on a prime ministerial office in Istanbul was staged & not convincing

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) January 1, 2015

British Anger over plan to dig up 350,000 bodies in historic London cemetery for Muslim burial site.STORY FALSE! False flag,

Source picture

Update:  I've been trying to find another 'source' for this article, seems only the Daily mail had this story. I admit  I've been fooled 

The same 'Story' surfaced in October 2007 at Exposing Islam, then again in 2011 at 'Above topsecret' ,

I'm starting to doubt the whole story and it seems i've been  rerunning an old story, Any input from Tower Hamlets Cemetery or friends of Tower Hamlets would be greatly appreciated to end this 'phantom' story.

It was never my intention to spread false information.

British Anger over plan to dig up 350,000 bodies in historic London cemetery for Muslim burial site.(DM).

I

More info on Tower Hamlets Cemetary:

Notable burials

Family grave of Dr Rees Ralph Llewellyn.

Those who are buried or have memorials here include:

Dr Rees Ralph Llewellyn — Performed autopsy on Mary Ann Nichols, generally considered the first victim of Jack the Ripper 

Alexander Hurley — Singer and comedian, second husband of Marie Lloyd 

John "White Hat" Willis — Original owner of the Cutty Sark 

Alfred Linnel — Trampled by a police horse during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square. His funeral was organised by Annie Besant and William Morris 

Will Crooks — Trade unionist and first Labour Mayor of Poplar 

Hannah Maria Purcell — Widow of William Purcell, carpenter of HMS Bounty 

Some victims of the Bethnal Green Disaster

Charles Jamrach — Animal supplier to P. T. Barnum and others. 

Henry Norris — Civil Engineer of lighthouses for Trinity House

War Graves

There are 279 Commonwealth service personnel of both World Wars buried here, the names of all being listed on bronze panels on a Screen Wall memorial, as are those of four Dutch merchant seamen. Nine British merchant seamen are buried here who were killed when their ship, SS Bennevis, was hit by a bomb while berthed in the Pool of London during an air raid in World War II.

Israel Sends Virus - Insect - Bugs - Critters Laced Letter to Iranian Mission in New York.

Israel Sends Virus - Insect - Bugs - Critters Laced Letter to Iranian Mission in New York.(Fars)

The Iranian embassy in New York received a virus-infected letter from Israel which threatened to make more biological attacks in the future.

The Iranian mission at the UN headquarters in New York received a suspicious letter sealed with an Israeli stamp which contained a number of dead insects.“Those who are enemies of Israel will be targeted by virus attacks,” the letter read.

The diplomats at the Iranian mission immediately informed the relevant US officials who dispatched a team of anti-virus experts to the embassy and they transferred the virus-laced letter under special care to prevent any possible infection.

Based on the latest information, no Iranian diplomat has been infected with the suspicious letter.

Israel, an arch foe of the Islamic Republic, is notorious for its terrorist efforts against Iran.

The regime in Tel Aviv has been a main accomplice in the assassination of Iranian scientists, and made strenuous attempts to disrupt Iran's nuclear program by Stuxnet malware.

In June 2012, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry announced that its intelligence forces have identified and arrested all terrorist elements behind the assassination of the country's nuclear scientists.

"A number of countries, whose territories and facilities had been misused by the Mossad-backed terrorist teams, have provided the Iranian officials with relevant information," the ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, Iran's Intelligence Ministry had detected some of Mossad's bases within the territories of one of Iran's Western neighbors, which provided training and logistical support to the terrorist networks.Hmmmm.......Yup and they even put an Jewish stamp on it, to make sure they know who did it. Do they really think people able to develop 'Stuxnet' ....etc will go to this length??

French & Belgian French-Speaking Jihad Fighters In Syria: "France, Soon It Will Be Your Turn"

French and Belgian French-Speaking Jihad Fighters In Syria: "France, Soon It Will Be Your Turn".HT: Memri.

Among the jihadis fighting in Syria are French-speaking Europeans, mostly from France and Belgium. Some of these individuals are active on social media, where they provide detailed information about their journey to Syria and about their experiences there: their daily lives, their training routine, and their experiences on the battlefield fighting not only the Syrian regime forces but also the Free Syrian Army and the Kurdish PKK.  They urge their fellow European Muslims to come fight in Syria, and answer questions by would-be recruits, often chatting with them in real time.

Posted on Facebook and Twitter rather than on password-protected Islamist forums, the messages are directly accessible to the general public and not just to a closed community, and are obviously aimed at recruitment. In casual and often jocular language typical of messages on social media, the authors paint a rosy picture of life on the front, stressing the pious atmosphere and the sense of brotherhood-in-arms shared by the fighters. They note that recruits may come with their wives and children, and stress the practical advantages of joining the jihad community in Syria, such as the prospect of finding a bride and the low cost of living.

At the same time, the messages also contain the usual tropes of jihadi discourse: the authors stress that they are fighting the "infidels" with the ultimate aim of establishing the Islamic Caliphate, rebuke fellow Muslims who fail to do their duty of fighting jihad, express their willingness and even desire to be martyred for the sake of Allah, and voice threats against those they perceive as their enemies, including Western countries.
The following are excerpts from messages by several French-speaking jihadis that are fighting in the ranks of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Aba Souleyman To Muslims In France And Belgium: "Leave Before It's Too Late"

"Aba Souleyman"[1] is a French-speaking European (most likely Belgian) who has been in Syria since August 2013. The information he has divulged on his Facebook page suggests he his fighting for the ISIS in northern Syria, near the border town of A'zaz, and living with his wife in the Aleppo suburbs. On October 23, 2013, he posted a message urging Muslims in Europe to come to Syria to join the jihad. He wrote: "This message is for my Muslim brothers in France, Belgium and elsewhere who have not yet joined us here in Syria but are thinking about it. Those who are not even considering it have heart disease that only Allah can remove."[2]Read the full story here.

Is Turkey Supporting Al-Qaeda in Syria?

Is Turkey Supporting Al-Qaeda in Syria?(Aina).By Michael Rubin.

Perhaps the most dangerous group in Syria is Jabhat al-Nusra, the Nusra Front. The group does not hide its sympathy for al-Qaeda and targets more moderate Syrian opposition groups alongside the Syrian regime. 

While Syrians comprise most Syrian opposition groups, the Nusra Front counts Libyans, Saudis, Mauritanians, Chechens, Uighurs, Germans, and Turks among its fighters. Around Syria, it is an open secret that Turkey supports--or at least has supported--the Nusra Front.

Not only has Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denied that the Nusra Front are terrorists--more like honorable jihadists, he suggested in the face of questions from an opposition leader--but Turkish forces have also apparently used al-Nusra as a proxy against the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish party linked to Turkey's own Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which remains overwhelmingly popular among Syria's Kurdish population. If it comes to a choice between an al-Qaeda affiliate and a secular Kurdish party controlling territory, Erdoğan sides with al-Qaeda.

When I asked Iraqi counterterrorism officials who monitor the transit of al-Qaeda last summer about the Turkish relationship with the Nusra Front, they were careful. "Let's just say that whenever the Nusra Front wants to have a meeting, they know they can do so inside Turkey and won't be bothered," one official told me. While diplomatic tension between Iraq and Turkey remains strong, the official was able to give very specific examples that suggest he was not simply trying to tar Turkey.

Erdoğan, himself, however has bristled at any suggestion Turkey provides safe haven or even free passage to the Nusra Front. Now, however, there is video evidence. CNN International has an excellent video report on the transit of jihadis through the Hatay airport in Turkey and into Syria. Perhaps it is time for officials to question the judgment of President Obama for his friendship with and personal endorsement of Erdoğan, who appears not only to sympathize with the most radical elements in Syria's civil war, but also to be a liar.Hmmmm.......Perhaps it's time to look up the definition of 'State sponsor of terrorism'?

Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council on the report of the United Nations Missions to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons.

Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council on the report of the United Nations Missions to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons.(UN).

New York, 16 September 2013 - Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council on the report of the United Nations Missions to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons on the incident that occurred on 21 August 2013 in the Ghouta area of Damascus

It is with a heavy heart that I submit to the Security Council the report of the United Nations Missions to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons on the incident that occurred on 21 August 2013 in the Ghouta area of Damascus.

As I join you here, the President of the General Assembly has been given a copy of the report so that he can inform the Member States.

I wish to express my immense gratitude to the Head of the Mission, Professor Åke Sellström, and his team of scientists and technical experts, for their stellar work.  They performed in battlefield conditions, in record time.  Impartial and independent, they represent the best of the United Nations and I thank them for their contribution.

I am also grateful to the Directors-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the World Health Organization for their indispensable support.

The Mission has concluded that chemical weapons were used on a relatively large scale in the Ghouta area of Damascus in the context of the ongoing conflict in Syria. The attack resulted in numerous casualties, particularly among civilians.

The Mission’s findings are based on the evidence it obtained in the course of its activities in the Ghouta area.  The Mission adhered to the most stringent protocols available for such an investigation, including to ensure the chain of custody for all samples.

The planning for the Mission was complex and highly delicate. Routes of entry into the relevant areas and other crucial elements remained uncertain until the final moments.  The Mission was also the victim of a sniper attack.  Despite these difficulties and dangers, the Mission was able to carry out extensive activities on site in the limited time it had available.

The team interviewed more than 50 survivors, medical personnel and first responders. It applied a rigorous and objective selection process designed to identify survivors who may have been exposed to chemical agents. It assessed these individuals’ symptoms and collected biomedical samples, including from hair, urine and blood.

The Mission also documented and sampled impact sites and munitions, and collected 30 soil and environmental samples – far more than any previous such United Nations investigation.

The statements by survivors offer a vivid account of the events of 21 August.

Survivors reported that following an attack with shelling, they quickly experienced a range of symptoms, including shortness of breath, disorientation, eye irritation, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and general weakness.  Many eventually lost consciousness.  First responders described seeing a large number of individuals lying on the ground, many of them dead or unconscious.

The Mission also interviewed nine nurses and seven treating physicians, several of whom responded immediately to the incident.  They reported seeing a large number of people lying in the streets without external signs of injury, some with laboured breathing, most of them unconscious.

The weather conditions that morning were conducive to maximizing the potential impact of an attack involving heavy gases, which can stay close to the ground. Weather information showed a falling temperature between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. The downward movement of air would have allowed the gas to easily penetrate the basements and lower levels of buildings and other structures where many people were seeking shelter.

Let me turn now to the handling and analysis of the materials that were collected by the Mission.

The samples were sent for analysis to four laboratories designated by the OPCW. The Mission’s factual findings are as follows.

(a)The environmental and biomedical samples demonstrate the widespread nature of the attacks. Eighty-five per cent of the blood samples tested positive for sarin. Biomedical samples were taken from 34 of the 36 patients selected by the Mission who had signs of poisoning. Almost all tested positive for exposure to sarin.

(b)These results were corroborated by the clinical assessments, which documented symptoms and signs consistent with nerve agent exposure. A number of affected patients were diagnosed with intoxification by an organophosphorous compound, and clearly showed symptoms associated with sarin, including loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, blurred vision, eye inflammation, vomiting and seizures.

(c)A majority of the environmental samples confirmed the use of sarin. The samples were taken from impact sites and surrounding areas – locations where survivors were also found to have been affected by sarin.

(d)The team was also able to examine impacted and exploded surface-to-surface rockets that are capable of carrying a chemical payload. These were carefully measured, photographed and sampled. A majority of the rockets or rocket fragments recovered were found to be carrying sarin.

On the basis of its analysis, the Mission concluded that it – and I quote – “collected clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used in the Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah and Zalmalka in the Ghouta area of Damascus.”

Due to the security situation and other limitations, the Mission was unable to document the full extent of the use of chemical weapons on 21 August or to verify the total number of causalities.

The results are overwhelming and indisputable.  The facts speak for themselves.

I wish to emphasize that the Mission has yet to complete its investigation of the other allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The Mission will return to Syria as soon as practical to complete its investigation of Khan Al Assal and all other pending credible allegations before completing its final report. I will count on the continued resolve of team, as well as the support of Member States. 

The United Nations Mission has now confirmed, unequivocally and objectively, that chemical weapons have been used in Syria.

This is a war crime and a grave violation of the 1925 Protocol and other rules of customary international law.  I trust all can join me in condemning this despicable crime. The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never re-emerge as an instrument of warfare.

The accession of Syria to the Chemical Weapons Convention and Syria’s belated acknowledgement that it possesses chemical weapons are welcome developments that come with strict obligations.

The Russian Federation and the United States, led by Foreign Minister Lavrov and Secretary of State Kerry, held intensive consultations in Geneva last week, along with their experts. I welcome the understanding they reached regarding the safeguarding and destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles.  I hope the Security Council and the Executive Council of the OPCW can move quickly to consider and implement this plan.  I stand ready to support this plan in every way possible, while also fully realizing the complexities of such an undertaking in the midst of a civil war.

The unity of the Security Council will be crucial. Given the gravity of the situation, I urge the Council to consider ways to ensure enforcement of, and compliance with, the plan through a clear resolution.  In that regard, I draw your attention to a significant element in the agreement reached in Geneva, and I quote:

"The United States and the Russian Federation concur that this UN Security Council resolution should provide for review on a regular basis the implementation in Syria of the decision of the Executive Council of the OPCW, and in the event of non-compliance, including unauthorized transfer, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone in Syria, the UN Security Council should impose measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter."

End quote.  I agree there should be consequences for non-compliance. Any use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, is a crime.

We should not lose sight of the broader perspective of the Syrian crisis.  The terrible loss of life on 21 August was the result of one of many attacks that have collectively killed more than 100,000 people in Syria during the past two and a half years.

The UN Commission of Inquiry has reported that Government and pro-government forces have committed murder, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, rape and torture against civilians. It has also reported that anti-government armed groups have committed murder, executions, torture and hostage-taking. There has been indiscriminate shelling of civilian neighbourhoods by all sides. Yet arms continue to flow to the country and the region.

As action on chemical weapons moves ahead, the international community, including the United Nations, should also not be blind to the war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed with conventional weapons.  There must be no impunity for these violations, either.

The humanitarian situation is desperate. Food supplies are dangerously low in some places.  We lack access to many people in need.  People are living under siege.  Families face intolerable choices between the risk of remaining in place and the risk of taking flight.  Communities that once lived in relative harmony are now torn with sectarian tension.  One third of the country’s people have fled their homes -- the largest flows of refugees and internally displaced persons in many years, causing instability across the region.

We need to do everything we can to bring the parties to the negotiating table. This is the only path to a durable solution. I stand ready to convene the International Conference on Syria in Geneva as soon as possible.  I look forward to meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov and Secretary Kerry on 28 September. I hope we will be able to set a date for the conference at that time. I also hope that this Council will provide full support to the efforts of Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi to prepare the ground for its launch.

This is the most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them in Halabja in 1988.  The international community has pledged to prevent any such horror from recurring, yet it has happened again.

This is a matter that truly affects international peace and security.  After two-and-a-half years of tragedy, now is the moment for the Security Council to uphold its political and moral responsibilities and demonstrate the political will to move forward in a decisive manner.

My hope is that this incident will serve as a wake-up call for more determined efforts to resolve the conflict and end the unbearable suffering of the Syrian people.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Turkey shot down Syrian helicopter at border, Deputy PM says.

Turkey shot down Syrian helicopter at border, Deputy PM says.(HD).

The Turkish Air Force shot down a Syrian helicopter today at the border after the helicopter violated Turkish airspace, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said.

Turkish military aircraft taking off from a base in Malatya shot the M-17 helicopter after it allegedly continued to violate Turkish airspace despite repeated warnings, after which the chopper fell onto Syrian soil, Arınç said.

“It [The helicopter] violated Turkey’s border for two kilometers. It was repeatedly warned by air defense elements. Upon the continuation of the violation, it was determined that it fell into Syrian territory after being shot at 2.25 p.m. with a missile by our planes taking off from Malatya,” Arınç said.

The deputy prime minister said the initiative taken by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to shoot down the Syrian helicopter was based on the rules of engagement with Syria.

The country’s rules of engagement changed after Syria shot down a Turkish plane in June 2012. Turkish officials did not publicly announce details of the revised rules of engagement, but some reports claimed Turkish forces would fire on any Syrian forces approaching within five kilometers of the Turkish border on the Syrian side.

In October the same year, a shell killed five civilians in the Akçakale district of Şanlıurfa province. To protect Turkey, the United States, the Netherlands and Germany deployed batteries of ground-to-air NATO Patriot missiles and hundreds of soldiers along the Syrian border in southern Turkey at the request of Ankara.Hmmm......

UN report photo shows confirmation of use of sarin in Syria attack.

UN report photo shows confirmation of use of sarin in Syria attack. (JPost).

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - A UN photograph of chief UN chemical weapons investigator Ake Sellstrom handing over his report on an Aug. 21 gas attack on Damascus suburbs shows that the report confirms use of the deadly nerve agent sarin.

"On the basis of the evidence obtained during the investigation of the Ghouta incident, the conclusion is that chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic ... against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale," the report said.

"In particular the environmental, chemical and medical samples we have collected provide clear and convincing evidence that surface to surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used," it said.

The photo released by the United Nations shows Sellstrom giving the report, which will be officially released later on Monday, to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. By zooming in on the photo some of its contents can be clearly read.

Donald Rumsfeld Interview: 'A Leader Should Be Careful about Drawing Red Lines.'

Donald Rumsfeld Interview: 'A Leader Should Be Careful about Drawing Red Lines.' HT: Spiegel.

Donald Rumsfeld is no stranger to intervening abroad. In an interview with SPIEGEL, the former US secretary of defense explains why Obama was right to delay military action in Syria and why the president must be wary of Russian President Putin.

SPIEGEL: You recently published a book called "Rumsfeld's Rules," which contains pearls of wisdom you collected during your five decades of public service and passed on to co-workers and employees. One rule says: "The perfect battle is the one that does not have to be fought." So, President Barack Obama did the right thing by calling off a military strike in Syria?

Rumsfeld: Yes, he did do the right thing. When I look at his current predicament -- Russian President Vladimir Putin lecturing President Obama on American exceptionalism and offering his plan for supervision of Syria's chemical weapons -- I think also of another rule, which says: "Never assume the other fellow will not do something you wouldn't do." Mr. Putin is very clever, and President Obama will need to keep that in mind.
SPIEGEL: Obama has tried to engage in public debate rather than rush into a war. Was it the right decision to ask Congress for permission?
Rumsfeld: Yes it was. Most US presidents since World War II have led military actions without a declaration of war by Congress, though most, if not all, have properly consulted and sought support from Congress. That is the wise thing to do. The president, however, found himself in a difficult position because he brought his proposal before Congress at a time when support of the House of Representatives seemed unlikely and the majority in our country was opposed to his military proposal, according to the polls.
SPIEGEL: So if we understand correctly, you are saying that it was not smart of the president to ask Congress in the first place?
Rumsfeld: That is not what I said. My point is that it is not a wise move if you lack a vision with sufficient clarity to gain majority support in the country and the Congress. As President of the United States, it is unwise to go to Congress to ask for support for the use of force and to be defeated. I believe such an action by the Congress would have been unprecedented. And if a president can't gain support in the US Congress, we should not be surprised that gaining support from the nations of the world would be just as difficult.
SPIEGEL: But a democratically elected president cannot simply govern against the will of his own people. And the American public has made it unmistakably clear that they are tired of wars.
Rumsfeld: That is true. Every country should be tired of going to war. War is a terrible thing, but that is the reason why a leader should be careful about drawing red lines. If I had been in Congress, as much as I would be inclined naturally to be supportive of a president, any president, I would have voted no, had the issue come to a vote.Read the full interview here.

Rumsfeld Criticizes Obama's Syria Policies: ""I think he might have been better off it he had helped some of the non-radical elements among the Syrian rebels early on."

Rumsfeld Criticizes Obama's Syria Policies: ""I think he might have been better off it he had helped some of the non-radical elements among the Syrian rebels early on."(Spiegel).

Former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld isn't happy with the job Barack Obama is doing to address the Syrian civil war. He argues the president hasn't explained what he hopes to accomplish in the country. 

In an interview to be published in the next issue of SPIEGEL, former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has strongly criticized President Barack Obama's Syria policies.
"I believe the reason he has had difficulty gaining support both in the US and from other countries is because he has not explained what he hopes to do, what the mission would be and what he hopes to accomplish," Rumsfeld said. "To gain support in our Congress and from other nations requires clarity, an acceptable mission and an explicit outcome."


Rumsfeld also voiced scepticism about Russia's offer of placing Syrian chemical weapons under the control of the United Nations. "(M)y recollection is that the Soviets or the Russians gave Syria most of their weapons arsenal," he said. "And it is not clear to me that Russia itself has fully complied with all their obligations with respect to chemical weapons. Therefore, a question would be: Might it possibly amount to putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop?"
Rumsfeld said Obama should not have allowed the situation to get as far as it has. "I think he might have been better off it he had helped some of the non-radical elements among the Syrian rebels early on, not with US troops, but with weapons, intelligence and humanitarian support."

The former defense secretary also shared his opinions on the National Security Agency spying scandal, expressing a surprising amount of sympathy for Europeans who have been outraged by the government organization's surveillance practices.

"My impression is there are a lot of people, Republicans and Democrats, in the US, as well as people overseas, who are concerned about the NSA programs. Should people be concerned about their privacy? You bet. Nobody wants to think that everything they do or say is under surveillance."

The full original English text of the interview will be available on SPIEGEL ONLINE International on Monday.

Turkey wants US to ready Syria ‘Plan B’ .

Turkey wants US to ready Syria ‘Plan B’.(HD).

Unable to conceal its skepticism about a Washington-Moscow deal to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons stocks, Ankara is set to ask Washington to prepare a “Plan B” for Syria on concerns that Damascus will abuse the process and continue its alleged attacks on its citizens.

“This process will give more time for [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad [to stay] in power. The deal should have been more open and straight in outlining the possible sanctions to be imposed on Damascus in the event of the regime’s incompliance with the deal,” a Turkish diplomatic source said over the weekend.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will outline the Turkish government’s position and its concerns with regard to developments in Syria at a meeting in Paris with the participation of foreign ministers from the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. Davutoğlu was invited to the meeting by John Kerry, with whom he exchanged two phone conversations on Sept. 14 and early yesterday.

Having already described the efforts as “cosmetic,” Davutoğlu bluntly expressed Turkey’s concerns over the deal’s effects on the ongoing civil war in Syria and repeated that the international community should be made well-aware of the potential massacres that could be committed by the Syrian government. Initially slated to be a meeting between the U.S., French and British foreign ministers, the scope of the Paris meetings was expanded in the wake of the Davutoğu-Kerry conversation.

“This deal should not delay the need for an immediate resolution of the ongoing human tragedy in Syria. Al-Assad should not be allowed to continue his massacres. We are concerned that the regime will abuse this deal for the continuation of the human tragedy in Syria,” Davutoğlu reportedly told Kerry over the phone.
Kerry was in Israel on Sunday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to inform him about the Sept. 14 deal.

Turkey, along with France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, favor a large-scale punitive military operation into Syria with the purpose of effectively toppling the al-Assad government after nearly 2.5 years of civil war that has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Syrians. The meeting in Paris will allow the U.S. and its allies to evaluate their next steps in Syria. Davutoğlu is expected to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts in Paris on the sidelines of Kerry’s initiative.

In Paris, the Turkish minister is expected to tell Kerry that al-Assad should not be permitted to abuse the process, arguing that Ankara, Washington and Moscow should accordingly prepare contingency plans with a view to Damascus’ potential incompliance with the terms of the deal.

Although the deal refers to the U.N. Charter’s Article 7, which outlines the measures to be imposed against Syria in the event of non-compliance, Ankara is of the opinion that a more concrete set of sanctions should be announced today.

One other issue Davutoğlu is likely to bring to the table today is the disappointment of Syrian opposition groups who have been fighting against the government since 2011. The Turkish minister will likely ask his counterparts to reinforce the opposition groups both politically and militarily so that they do not lose their positions in the field.

In the meantime, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu held a urgent meeting with top opposition figures late yesterday. Ahmad al-Jarba, head of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), Ahmad Saleh Touma, head of the interim Syrian government and Salim Idriss, head of the supreme military council were scheduled to meet with Davutoğlu in Ankara.

" GENEVA II " - US-Russia reach landmark deal on destruction of Syria chemical weapons arsenal.

" GENEVA II " - US-Russia reach landmark deal on destruction of Syria chemical weapons arsenal.(BLN).

Russia and the United States reached a deal on a framework that will see the destruction or removal of Syria’s chemical weapons by mid- 2014. Under the plan, the Assad government has one week to hand over an inventory of its chemical weapons arsenal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry announced the plan on putting an end to Syria’s chemical weapons program following their third day of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Kerry outlined several points of the plan, which would see the “rapid assumption of control by the international community” of Syria’s chemical weapons. He further stressed US-Russia commitment to the complete destruction of not only of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, but also its production and refinement capabilities.

Syria will also become a party to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which outlaws their production and use.
Damascus must submit within a week’s time – “and not 30 days” – a complete inventory of related arms, “including names, types, and quantities of its chemical weapons agents, types of munitions, and location and form of storage, production and research and development facilities."

The Syrian government should provide the OPCW, the UN and other supporting personnel “with the immediate and unfettered right to inspect any and all sites in Syria.” Lavrov later said that security for all international inspectors on the ground should be provided for not only by the government, but opposition forces as well.

It remains undecided who will actually be tasked with destroying the stock, although their destruction “outside of Syria" and under “OPWC supervision” would prove to be optimal.
On the timetable, Kerry said UN inspectors must be on the ground no later than November, while the destruction of chemical weapons must be completed by the middle of 2014.

"Providing this framework is fully implemented it can end the threat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people but also their neighbors," Kerry said adding that Russian and US teams of experts had reached "a shared assessment" of the existing stockpile and that Syria must destroy all of its weapons. It was possible that the Syrian rebels have some chemical weapons, he acknowledged.

If Damascus fails to comply with the plan, a response in accordance with UN Charter Chapter 7 will follow, Kerry said, in a reference to the use of military force. The chapter provides for "action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security" in the event other measures fail.

But Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said the agreement did not include any potential use of force against Syria. He however said that deviations from the plan, including attacks on UN inspectors, would be brought to the UN Security Council, which would decide on further action.
There is no prior agreement about what form the Security Council’s measures might take if Syria does not comply, Kerry said.
The joint press conference was rather jovial in nature, contrasting sharply with the public barbs which have been traded between Russian and US officials in recent days.
Kerry in fact concluded the press conference by teasing Lavrov that he “could be a senator” after the Russian FM gave a rather voluble reply to a question posed by a Russian journalist.

Kick starting Geneva II.

Meanwhile, both sides reiterated previously stated intentions to meet with Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria, on the margins of the UN General Assembly on September 28.
Speaking alongside Kerry and Lavrov in Geneva on Friday, Brahimi said ongoing work to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control was a necessary step for convening the Geneva II conference.

The conference, which is intended to hammer out a political solution to the brutal civil war which has embroiled Syria for over two years, could be held in October, Lavrov told reporters.

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to present a report to the Security Council which sources say contains overwhelming evidence that “chemical weapons were used” in an August 21 attack in a Damascus Suburb which killed between 355 and 1,729 people.

The government of Bashar Assad strongly denied government forces were responsible for the attack, while the West overwhelmingly blamed Damascus, prompting US Barack Obama’s threat of military action.
Obama has threatened to strike Syria unilaterally, prompting Russia’s Saturday’s joint proposal which will see Syria’s chemical weapons brought under international control.
Although President Assad immediately acquiesced to the Russian-backed plan, rebel forces have resisted efforts which have staved off Western intervention in the country.
On Saturday,  the Free Syrian Army rejected a US-Russian deal as a stalling tactic and vowed to continue fighting to topple the Assad government.
"The Russian-American initiative does not concern us. It only seeks to gain time," said Salim Idriss, the chief of the FSA command, said.
"We completely ignore this initiative and will continue to fight to bring down the regime," he told a press conference Saturday in the Turkish city of Istanbul. 

Turkish prosecutors indict Syrian rebels for seeking chemical weapons.

FSA NBC Troops Aleppo-July 27 2012

Turkish prosecutors indict Syrian rebels for seeking chemical weapons.(RT).

The prosecutor in the Turkish city of Adana has issued a 132-page indictment, alleging that six men of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham tried to seek out chemicals with the intent to produce the nerve agent, sarin gas, a number of Turkish publications reported.

The main suspect in the case, 35-year-old Syrian-national Hytham Qassap has been charged with “being a member of a terrorist organization” and “attempting to acquire weapons for a terrorist organization.” The other 5, all Turkish nationals are being charged with “attempting to acquire weapons for a terrorist organization.”

The indictment alleges that Qassap tried to setup a network in Turkey in order to obtain chemical materials for the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham Brigades. Citing telephone calls made by the cell, the prosecution believes that the group ordered at least ten tons of chemicals, Al-Alam News Network reports.  

The prosecution also dismissed claims that the suspects were unaware of their wrong doing. “The claim that the suspects didn’t know about the possibility of producing sarin nerve gas from the chemicals they tried to buy is not true which was established when they were testifying,” the document reads.

Meanwhile all six suspects have pleaded not guilty. “The suspects have pleaded not guilty saying that they had not been aware the materials they had tried to obtain could have been used to make sarin gas. Suspects have been consistently providing conflicting and incoherent facts on this matter,” the indictment said.

If convicted, Qassab faces a 25 year prison sentence, while his accomplices face 15 years prison terms.

The six men were a part of a group of 11 people arrested in their safe house in Adana on May 23, 2013. Their apprehension came about after surveillance by Turkish police who’d received a tip that Syrian jihadists were trying to acquire two government-regulated military-grade chemical substances. Five of the detained were released from custody after questioning, background checks and after lab tests proved that chemicals seized during the arrest were not sarin gas.


The international community has long been ignoring worrying reports that the rebel fighters in Syria might be capable of carrying out a chemical attack. Russian President, Vladimir Putin also reiterated this week that while no one doubts that poison gas was indeed used in Syria, there is “every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons.”

Evidence that chemical weapons were used by the opposition was also highlighted by the two European hostages that were freed from Syrian rebel captivity last Sunday. In a phone conversation overheard by hostage Pierre Piccinin da Prata, he said it was clear the rebels used gas on civilians in an August 21 attack near Damascus.

“I don’t think that Bashar Al-Assad and the Syrian government are to blame for the chemical attack in Al-Ghouta,” Piccinin told RT. “It would have been absurd for the Syrian government to use chemical weapons.”

The Syrian government has always rejected any accusations of using chemical weapons. After one of the first alleged incidents in Aleppo in March, it was the government that called on UN to send in chemical experts. Another alleged chemical weapons use was reported in Homs in December 2012.

Russian experts flew out to the site of the attack in March to collect samples from the incident. On 9 July 2013, Moscow submitted the results of its inquiry into the use of chemical weapons at Aleppo to the United Nations. Russian scientists analyzing the 19 March 2013 attack found that it was most likely launched by opposition forces, and not the Syrian government.

“It was determined that on March 19 the rebels fired an unguided missile Bashair-3 at the town of Khan al-Assal, which has been under government control. The results of the analysis clearly show that the shell used in Khan al-Assal was not factory made and that it contained sarin,” UN envoy Vitaly Churkin has said.

The United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria into the attack in March concluded that no evidence of the use of sarin by Syria’s government troops has so far been uncovered. The lead investigator, Carla Del Ponte, did hint that it was the rebels that most likely used the chemical weapons.

“The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic wishes to clarify that it has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict.  As a result, the Commission is not in a position to further comment on the allegations at this time,” the statement read. 

Meanwhile, the UN chemical weapons inspection team has completed the report on the latest chemical attack in Syria on August 21 and will deliver it to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon over the weekend.

"I believe that the report will be an overwhelming report that chemical weapons (were) used, even though I cannot publicly say at this time before I receive this report," Moon said.

Although the team was not authorized to draw any conclusions on who was the perpetrator of the attack, a number of US officials speaking to the media on condition of anonymity over the last couple of days indicated that the report would hint the Assad government was responsible.

Related: US Military: Al-Qaeda produced sarin for chemical attacks in Syria

In May, Turkish anti-terror police confiscated a two-kilogram cylinder of sarin gas from members of the Jabhat al-Nusra Front based in Southern Turkey near the Syrian border, according to a classified report obtained by WND.

The National Ground Intelligence Center report states that Al-Qaeda in Iraq produced the sarin gas and then shipped it to the al-Nusra Front for use in Syria, a report in the InfoWars said.

Two months prior to the confiscation, 26 people and Syrian government forces died from exposure to sarin gas delivered in a rocket attack on Aleppo, a city in the northwestern region of Syria near the Turkish border.

“The rocket came from a place controlled by the terrorists and which is located close to the Turkish territory,” according to a Syrian government statement in response to the attack. “One can assume that the weapon came from Turkey.”

The document also describes the sarin seized in Turkey as not being military grade but rather a “kitchen variety,” which corresponds to the sarin gas used in the Aug. 21 chemical attack near Damascus, according to Dr. Yossef Bodansky, a top terrorism expert.

Bodansky said that unlike military grade sarin, the sarin used in the Damascus attack did not accumulate around the victims’ hair and clothing.

If it did, said Bodansky, the sarin molecules would have detached from the victims and “killed or injured the first responders who touched the victims’ bodies without protective clothes … and masks.”

Lavrov: As Syria to put chem arms under int'l control, strike unnecessary.

Lavrov: As Syria to put chem arms under int'l control, strike unnecessary. HT: RussiaToday.

The decision to place Syrian chemical weapons under international control makes a military strike against the country unnecessary, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Video - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif: It Is Illegal for U.S. to Attack Syria.

'UN report won't directly accuse Assad, but it will suggest Syrian regime behind chemical attack'

'UN report won't directly accuse Assad, but it will suggest Syrian regime behind chemical attack' (JPost).

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday that UN inspectors who investigated an August 21 chemical weapons attack in Syria would "probably" publish their report on Monday.

Diplomats have said the report is unlikely to pin blame on either Syrian President Bashar Assad or rebel forces in the country, but that it would contain enough detail to suggest which party was responsible.

Foreign Policy quoted US-based diplomats as saying that the UN report will not directly accuse Assad of using chemical weapons against his own people, but it will provide a strong circumstantial case that "points strongly in the direction of Syrian government culpability."

"I know they have gotten very rich samples -- biomedical and environmental -- and they have interviewed victims, doctors and nurses," Foreign Policy quoted a Western official as saying. "It seems they are very happy with the wealth of evidence they got."
Inspections of ammunition and spent rocket casings, as well as laboratory tests of blood, urine and soil suggest that the Assad regime was behind the attack that killed more than 1,400 people, according to Foreign Policy's UN sources.
Depending on its wording, the report could become a bargaining chip in talks between Moscow and the West about placing the weapons under international control.

More detailled info on the use of chemical waepons in Syria can be found here, A MUST READ!

Pres Putin: "We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal."

Pres Putin: "We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal."(NYT).

MOSCOW — RECENT events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies.

Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the cold war. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis together. The universal international organization — the United Nations — was then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.

The United Nations’ founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America’s consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.

No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization.Read the full Letter here.