Russia doesn't rule out emergence of new UN Security Council members — Russian UN official.

Russia doesn't rule out emergence of new UN Security Council members — Russian UN official. (Tass).

Russia does not rule out the emergence of new members of the United Nations Security Council in addition to the existing five permanent members (Russia, Britain, China, the United States and France), Vladimir Safronkov, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly devoted to the United Nations Security Council reform.

The diplomat confirmed Moscow’s firm stance that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council should preserve their right of veto despite the Council’s expansion.

"As for Russia’s stance, we do not rule out that new U.N. Security Council members may emerge as a result of the UN Security Council reform. But in order to pass a decision in favor of this option, it is necessary to see the entire scheme and what countries will have the status of permanent members at the UN Security Council. One of the hot favorites to become U.N. Security Council permanent members include Germany, Brazil, India and Japan. Hmmmm......Erdogan going Ballistic in 3....2....1. Read the full story here.

UN Watch: "Saudi Arabia refusal to take seat on UN Security Council is victory for human rights"

UN Watch: "Saudi Arabia refusal to take seat on UN Security Council is victory for human rights"HT: UNWatch.

GENEVA, October 18, 2013 – Saudi Arabia's refusal to take its seat on the UN Security Council, announced today via the Saudi Press Agency, is a "victory for human rights," said a Geneva-based human rights group today.

"A country whose legal system routinely lashes women rape victims rather than punish the perpetrators never belonged in the UN Security Council in the first place," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the non-governmental human rights group UN Watch, which has for years reported on Saudi Arabia's oppression of women and its other gross human rights abuses.

UN Watch also noted that Saudi Arabia is the world's largest source of funds for Islamist terrorist groups (see below), and was an "absurd choice" to legislate for the world on combating terrorism.

"While the Saudi statement invoked UN 'double standards' as their grounds for refusal, the truth is that Saudi Arabia's entire system is a double standard. Under Saudi law and practice, there is one standard for men, and another for women, who cannot vote, drive a car, or travel without a male guardian; one for Muslims, and another for Christians, 53 of whom who were arrested this year by religious police for praying in a private home; one for heterosexuals, and another for gays, where homosexuality is punishable by death, and where gays have been publicly beheaded," said Neuer.

"Saudi Arabia has an abysmal human rights record, and by logic and morality never belonged on a Security Council where members need to address critical human rights and humanitarian issues. Saudi Arabia continues to rank as one of the worst places on the planet when it comes to the rights of women, freedom of religion, and other fundamental liberties," said Neuer.

"We are now calling on Saudi Arabia to also pull out of next month's election to the Human Rights Council. The Saudi bid is the height of hypocrisy."Read the full story here.

Saudi Arabia refuses UN Security Council seat, citing body's double standards, failures.

Saudi Arabia refuses UN Security Council seat, citing body's double standards, failures.(JPost).

Kingdom declines to take rotating seat, saying Security Council's double standards "prevent it from properly shouldering its responsibilities towards world peace"; vows not to take UNSC seat until reforms introduced. 

Saudi Arabia said on Friday it would not take up its rotating seat on the United Nations Security Council, citing "double standards" which it said hampered the world body's ability to end conflicts.

It is the second time this month that Saudi Arabia has publicly expressed discontent over what it sees as the Security Council's failure to take action to stop a civil war in Syria that has killed more than 100,000 people. "The kingdom sees that the method and work mechanism and the double standards in the Security Council prevent it from properly shouldering its responsibilities towards world peace," the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA.

Saudi Arabia, along with Chad and Nigeria, were elected by the UN General Assembly on Thursday to serve a two-year term on the UN Security Council as human rights groups called for all three countries to improve their records.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said it was unable to take its seat until reforms were introduced, but did not specify what reforms it wanted.

US-allied Saudi Arabia has been angry over what it says is the failure of the international community to help either Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad or Palestinians seeking an end to more than four decades of Israeli occupation. Hmmmm.....Pass the popcorn it's going to get interesting.Read the full story here.

'Alahu Akhbar' - Islamist blitzkrieg in Syria: Jihadists wiping out moderate rebels.

'Alahu Akhbar' - Islamist blitzkrieg in Syria: Jihadists wiping out moderate rebels.(RT).

'If Washington really wants to topple President Assad, it would have to make a choice between either officially declaring its support for Al-Qaeda and its global expansion agenda, or joining Moscow and battle Islamic extremists in the Middle East.'

The latest news coming from the north of Syria suggests that a series of clashes between the former allies have already left a number of casualties and a change of the operational situation in the Syrian civil war.
The FSA leaders have recently acknowledged that clashes between their brigades and Islamist rivals haves reached boiling point.
Last weekend, the very same day Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov and the US Secretary of State John Kerry hammered out an agreement on Syria’s chemical weapons disarmament, the clashes between FSA associates and the most notorious jihadist groups operating in Syria, the al-Nusra front and the ISIL, were reported by the Daily Beast. 
Islamists attacked first, by blowing up the brother of a commander of the Allahu Akbar Brigades, a local FSA group. In retaliation the group launched a counter offensive, killing four jihadists.
On Wednesday militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the town of Azaz controlled by the anti-Assad Storm of the North Brigade, affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, some five kilometers from the Syrian-Turkish border. Five FSA fighters reportedly died in clashes, with over 100 people taken hostage.
“The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has seized complete control of Azaz. They are in control of the town's entrances,” Abu Ahmad, an activist inside Azaz, told the AFP news agency. 
The shootout in Azaz began after ISIL gunmen attempted to detain a German doctor who has been working as a volunteer at a private hospital in Azaz, accusing him of taking photos of their positions. The doctor managed to escape and is safe now, Rami Abdul-Rahman told the Associated Press, the head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. But as a result of the clashes FSA’s Northern Storm Brigade has had to withdraw from Azaz.
The ultimate goal of the jihadists must be a crossing at Bab Al Salama on the Syrian-Turkish border, currently controlled by the FSA. The Bab Al Salama is one of the few still operable crossings used by the Syrian opposition to deliver weapons, fighters and humanitarian aid from neighboring Turkey.
Local activist Abu Louay al-Halabi told Al Jazeera that “By taking Azaz, the Islamic State is a step closer to controlling the crossing. Its objective seems to be taking over the whole countryside north of Aleppo.”
In yet another shootout, fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group clashed with FSA’s Rasoul group rebels and drove them out of the town of Raqqah in Syria’s north last Wednesday, reported Lebanon’s Daily Start last week. In this town that fell out of Assad’s control last March, the jihadists stick to the same modus operandi – they detonated a car bomb killing two FSA commanders.

After a fierce fight at Rasoul group headquarters, the FSA militants had to withdraw to Turkish territory.
While last weekend Russia and the United States reached a deal on a framework that will see the removal and destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons by mid- 2014, Islamic extremists in Syria made it clear they are not interested in soothing the conflict.
In fact, extremists have taken the Lavrov-Kerry deal to strip Damascus of chemical weapons as a clear signal to act.

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri announced that Islamist militants must avoid any alliances with other rebel forces supported by the west and the Gulf Arab states.

“I warn my brothers and people in Syria of unity and jihad and against coming close to any of these groups,” said Zawahri as quoted by Reuters.


The news came as no surprise, particularly after the publication last week of the defense consultancy IHS Jane's report about almost half of the rebel forces fighting against the Syrian government being either hardline Islamists or open jihadists with strong Al-Qaeda links.

IHS Jane's report insists there are 100,000 fighters opposing President Bashar Assad’s forces at the moment, of which no less than 45,000 are Islamic extremists that are actually the spearhead of the anti-Assad forces. 
Al-Qaeda associates might really succeed in squeezing FSA moderates out of Syria which would automatically put Russia in an awkward position of conducting useless negotiations, with a Syrian opposition swiftly losing its remaining political clout. 

But that would also mean that the US could only supply weapons directly to Al-Qaeda jihadists as the only remaining force capable of opposing President Bashar Assad.

In that case Moscow would be left with only one imperative: to support the legitimate government of democratically elected President Bashar Assad in order to prevent the Middle East from sliding into the uncontrollable chaos of total jihad. 

In turn, if Washington really wants to topple President Assad, it would have to make a choice between either officially declaring its support for Al-Qaeda and its global expansion agenda, or joining Moscow and battle Islamic extremists in the Middle East.

A Full Extremist-To-Moderate Spectrum Of The 100,000 Syrian Rebels .

A Full Extremist-To-Moderate Spectrum Of The 100,000 Syrian Rebels.HT: BusinessInsider.

Who are the approximately 100,000 rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al Assad?

Assad claims that “80 to 90% of those [the Syrian government is] fighting belong to al Qaeda."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry claims that 15% to 25% of the opposition is "bad guys" who belong to an extremist groups.
Neither is accurate.

The complex reality is that there are as many as 1,000 individual armed rebel groups, each of which fall somewhere on the spectrum from al-Qaeda ideologue to secular Syrian Arab Army defector.

Charles Lister of IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Center recently published a fantastic article detailing "specific nature and composition of the insurgency itself." According to Lister, nearly half of the rebel forces are jihadist or hardline Islamists.

We've drawn on Lister's insights and other estimates to establish a rough breakdown of the rebels fighting Assad, Read and see the full story here.

Grounds to believe Syria chemical attack was smart provocation – Putin.

Grounds to believe Syria chemical attack was smart provocation – Putin.(RT).

Russia has every reason to believe that the use of chemical weapons in a Damascus suburb in August was an adroit and smart provocation, President Vladimir Putin has said.

“We have every grounds to believe that it was a provocation. Of course, it was adroit and smart, but, at the same time, primitive in terms of technical performance. They took an old Soviet-made missile, which was taken out of service in the Syrian army long ago. It was most important to have ‘made in the USSR’ written [on the missile],” Putin said at the Valdai discussion forum on Thursday. 
The Russian president pointed out that the August 21st attack in Damascus was not the first time chemical weapons had been used in Syria. 

“But why other cases have not been investigated?” he asked. 

The chemical weapon attack must be thoroughly investigated and those behind it must be identified, Putin told the Valdai Club meeting in Russia’s Novgorod Region.  

“No matter how difficult it might be, but if in the end we manage to answer the question… as to who committed that crime – and that was certainly a crime – the next step will follow. Then, together with our colleagues from the United Nations Security Council we will have to define the level of responsibility of those who committed the crime,” Putin said.

He stressed that measures like military strikes cannot solve every international issue, while should also be brought to the UNSC rather than discussed in the US Congress.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW  

Related:

One nun puts entire US intel community to shame over 'stage-managed' Syria footage

Video- Are these Syrian Rebel held 'Hostages' still alive? WHERE ARE THEY? 

"Boots on the Ground" - Russia, U.S. could send servicemen to destroy chemical weapons in Syria.

"Boots on the Ground" - Russia, U.S. could send servicemen to destroy chemical weapons in Syria.(RBTH)

Servicemen from several countries, Russia included, will help Damascus safely transport and destroy its chemical weapons, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Thursday.

"The defense ministry is currently holding consultations 'regarding the size of the contingent' which might be send to Syria," the newspaper quoted its source in the Russian General Staff as saying.
It is expected that the group would be comprised of experts from the nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protection forces of Russia, the source told the newspaper. It is also possible that a special purpose brigade could be sent to the operation site, the newspaper reported.
Russian and U.S. delegations discussed the issue of ensuring the security of the Syrian chemical weapons program's facilities during the recent talks in Geneva, the daily reported. 

Under the agreements reached which concern the security of the areas where work will be carried out, servicemen from Russia, the United States and a number of European countries will participate, the newspaper reported citing a source.

Russia and the United States have powerful and specialized subdivisions of chemical protection forces, the source said. As to the involvement of Europe, for example, that of the United Kingdom and France, their participation in the operation will lower the risk of possible aggression by the Syrian opposition, a Russian diplomatic source said.
The exact number of servicemen Russia will send to Syria is still unknown, the newspaper reported. "Different variants are being considered. The exact number and composition of the contingent will depend on how many soldiers our foreign partners will allocate for this mission," the newspaper quoted its source in the Russian General Staff as saying.
The total number of participants from all countries could amount to up to 10,000 people, the source said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has told Interfax that Russia's contribution to the liquidation of the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile would be considerable and not only involve political support but material as well. "Our assistance will be material, not only political. This could include experts' input, technologies and many other things," Ryabkov told Interfax.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has recently said that Russia may participate in security efforts during the implementation of the initiative on chemical weapons, Ryabkov said.

Senate Panel Authorizes Limited Military Strike In Syria.

Senate Panel Authorizes Limited Military Strike In Syria.HT: Zero Hedge

And like that, the first step to all out war has been taken:

• SENATE PANEL AUTHORIZES LIMITED U.S. MILITARY STRIKE IN SYRIA

Vote breakdown: 10 Yes; 7 No; 1 Present. The measure includes new language saying U.S. policy is to "change the momentum on the battlefield in Syria" in way that brings about negotiated settlement of conflict, leading to a democratic govt in Syria. In other words: a pro-Qatari/Saudi coalition government that will permit the passage of natgas pipelines under Syria, through Turkey and into Europe, breaking Gazpromia's marginal energy monopoly over the broke continent.
Next up:

• FULL U.S. SENATE TO CONSIDER SYRIA RESOLUTION NEXT WEEK

After that the House, and it's cruise missiles away.
And now, and as always, the ball is in Putin's court.

"There Can Be Only ONE" - Did Al Qaeda Just Go To War With Syria’s Rebels?

Did Al Qaeda Just Go To War With Syria’s Rebels? (dissectednews).

Today, a major bombshell dropped in Syria, but it wasn’t dropped from one of Assad’s planes. It was news that the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (Sham means, roughly, “the Levant,” or “greater Syria” – we’ll just call them ISIS, but they are often just referred to as Al Qaeda in Syria) attacked several Free Syrian Army positions – including the FSA headquarters in Deir Ez Zor, and the entire town of Azaz in northern Aleppo.

I’ll get the disclaimers out of the way first. News on both of these events is highly sketchy. In Deir Ez Zor, some of my sources suggest that what is going on is one step down from a hostage situation, with little bloodshed. According to this narrative, ISIS took control of the headquarters as more of a negotiating tactic than a frontal assault. Other sources deny the report entirely. The bottom line is that very little is known for sure about what’s happening at the moment in Deir Ez Zor.

Azaz is somewhat of a different story. First, I have significantly more contatcs who are either in northern Syria or who have contacts in northern Syria. Many journalists have spent a lot of time there (including many whom I’ve been in contact with in the past). They have trusted contacts in many cities and towns. Azaz, a key border town, is known to many of them because they have passed through that area on their way to other areas, and still others have spent time in the town. However, information from the Azaz media center has been cut off today. There are even reports that ISIS openly attacked the media center, killing a prominent activist. My sources reported this to me as a rumor, though it seems that the BBC’s Ian Pannel has more information .Hmmm....As McCain would say "Allah Akhbar - Thank God"!Read the full story here.

Prominent #Syria media activist Hazem Azizi killed in#Azaz by jihadis during rebel infighting today. Brother crying: “we let these guys in”

— Ian Pannell (@BBCiPannell) September 18, 2013

Jenan Moussa tweeted out a graphic picture that reportedly showed Hazem, before and after he was reportedly killed by ISIS. CNN has heard similar things about other activists:

Activists tell CNN Al Qaeda-linked ISIS sniper killed Omar Hadouli, head of Azaz Media Center in strategic Syrian town on Turkish border — Ivan Watson (@IvanCNN)September 18, 2013

Related:

Al-Qaeda linked group seizes complete control of Syrian border town with Turkey.

Video - Maaloula - Syrian Christian Resident Tells the World of Joint FSA & Al Qaeda Infestation.

Video - Maaloula - Syrian Christian Resident Tells the World of Joint FSA and Al Qaeda Infestation.

A Christian woman from the besieged town who had fled to Damascus tearfully told a BBC reporter about the Free Syrian Army and Al Qaeda Infestation, and begged Obama to stop sending them weapons “because they are killing us!” When asked what the rebels she saw terrorizing the town looked like, she said said they were wearing “Free Syrian Army” clothes.

Those would be the “good guys”Obama has been arming. Note that they have been fighting right alongside the al Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front. - See more at: http://noah.simonstudio.com/#sthash.lo31Jdmy.dpuf

Al-Qaeda linked group seizes complete control of Syrian border town with Turkey.

Al-Qaeda linked group seizes complete control of Syrian border town with Turkey.(HD).

                

An Al-Qaeda front group fighting in Syria on Sept. 18 overran the northern town of Azaz near the border with Turkey after fierce clashes with rebels, activists told AFP.

"The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has seized complete control of Azaz. They are in control of the town's entrances," said Abu Ahmad, an activist inside the town.

Another activist, a resident of the border town, confirmed the report.

"ISIS are in full control. They are detaining people from their homes, and they are manning all the checkpoints," he told AFP via the Internet, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The development comes amid increasing reports of fighting in northern Syria between ISIS and non-jihadist rebels vying to bring down President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

In a sign that Syria's conflict has grown highly localised in recent months, ISIS has fought side by side with rebels against government troops in other areas of the country.

In Azaz, reports emerged of continuing clashes.

Abu Ahmad said that after seizing the town, ISIS fighters were "on their way to the (nearby) Bab al-Salameh" border crossing with Turkey.

Bab al-Salameh has for months been under control of local rebels, chiefly the Northern Storm brigade. News of the seizure of Azaz came after a battle lasting several hours between Northern Storm fighters and ISIS.

Among those reported killed in the clashes was Omar Diab, a media activist from Azaz.Hmmmm....As McCain would say "THANK GOD".

Russia to provide UNSC with data for chemical weapons' use by Syrian rebels – Lavrov.

Video claiming to show a rebel group using chemical weapons to kill a rabbit .In the rabbit video it's stated at 6:44 that the name of the group is the "Reeh Sarsar" (Cold Wind) Chemical Battalion, with the flag on the wall showing the same name. As I noted in the above transcript, the third video calls the Operation "Reeh Sarsar" (Cold Wind), exactly the same name as the group in the rabbit video.


Russia to provide UNSC with data for chemical weapons' use by Syrian rebels – Lavrov.(RT).

“We have plenty of reports on chemical weapons use, which indicate that the opposition regularly resorts to provocations in order to trigger an intervention,” Lavrov is cited as saying by ITAR-TASS news agency.

The UN Security Council will consider the data provided by the Russian side, he added.

The US and its allies blame Assad forces for using sarin gas against civilians in a chemical attack near Syrian capital, Damascus, on August 21.
Despite the Syrian government denying the accusations and no proof of its guilt being presented by Washington, Obama announced that there would be “limited military” action against Assad because the use of chemical weapons can’t be tolerated.
But the US strikes were put on hold after a Russian proposal to hand the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal to international inspectors for destruction, a plan that received the full backing of Assad’s government.
The civil war, in which the Syrian government is fighting what it calls Western-backed Islamist militants, has been raging in the Arab country since March 2011, and has claimed over 100,000 lives, according to UN estimates.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW.

For in depth info on the chemical warfare in Syria go to Brown Moses Blog

Turkey's main opposition leader stands against war with Syria.

Turkey's main opposition leader stands against war with Syria.(HD).

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has again slammed the government’s desire to engage in a military operation against Syria, calling for peace in the region.

“We neither want war in our country, nor with our neighbors. We want Muslims to stop killing Muslims,” Kılıçdaroğlu said late on Sept. 17 in the northwestern province of Balıkesir, where he was attending a commemoration ceremony in the Bandırma district.

He also mentioned the words of the founder of the Turkish republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, “War is a crime if it’s not obligatory,” and urged the government to pursue non-military actions to stop the violence in neighboring Syria.

“If there’s a problem in that country, let’s aid a resolution of that problem. But we should not hand weapons to them, cross the borders and send them there,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

The CHP head also criticized the government for “sending other people’s kids to war.”

“Your child doesn’t serve in the military, but you attempt to wage war on people’s children. If you will fight, send your own kids,” he said.

Video - Assessing Syrian Chemical Weapons Use.

http://www.rusi.org/syria Dr Igor Sutyagin, RUSI Research Fellow for Russia Studies, examines rebel claims of chemical weapons use in Syria, corroborating with his knowledge of Soviet weapons systems and the Syrian military.

Top Commander Says IRGC Not to Remain Cool in Case of US Attack on Syria.

Top Commander Says IRGC Not to Remain Cool in Case of US Attack on Syria.(Fars).

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari called on Washington to adopt a wise decision on Syria, warning that a US military move on Syria will trigger IRGC action.

"If the US makes any military move, it will face numerous problems," Jafari told reporters in Tehran on Monday.

"God willing, the US will adopt wise decisions in this regard and won't expose itself to danger," he added.

Meantime, Jafari underlined that if the US makes any mistake and embarks on a military attack on Syria, "the IRGC will act upon its responsibility", but he declined to explain more in this regard.

In relevant remarks late August, the IRGC Commander warned Washington to abort war plans against Syria, saying that the US will be faced with reactions coming from beyond the Syrian borders if it goes on with its aggression plans.

“The US imagination about limited military intervention in Syria is merely an illusion, as reactions will be coming from beyond Syria’s borders,” Major General Jafari said.

The IRGC commander pointed to the recent US threats of a military strike on Syria, and said when the White House leaders failed to rally international support to form a coalition for a new war in the region, they were made to resort to the so-called plans for limited war on Syria.

He stressed that those who assist the US in such military intervention would themselves face immediate crises in their national security.

   

UNSC resolution on Syria won’t be under Chapter 7 allowing use of force - Lavrov.

UNSC resolution on Syria won’t be under Chapter 7 allowing use of force - Lavrov.(RT).

The foreign minister explained Russia’s position on the future document after meeting his French counterpart Laurent Fabius in Moscow.
The resolution, Lavrov stressed, is meant only to affirm the support of the UNSC to the roadmap for destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile, which will be penned by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

It will also outline measures which fall outside of the OPCW authority, particularly providing security for the organization’s inspectors, who would oversee the process on the ground in Syria. But the resolution would not include any references to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which grants the Security Council a right to use military force to restore peace, Lavrov stressed.

Russia has brokered a deal under which the Syrian government agreed to scrap its chemical weapons arsenal to defuse tension that sparked after a sarin gas attack on August 21. The agreement, prepared by Russia and the US, put on hold American plans to use military force against Syria over the attack, which Washington blames on Damascus.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Syria chemical weapons plan to begin 'in days': Monitoring body.

The above video is what's known as a "Hell Cannon", a popular mortar type weapon used by the Syrian opposition.  More here.

Syria chemical weapons plan to begin 'in days': Monitoring body.(HD).

A US and Russian-inked programme to destroy Syria's chemical weapons should begin "in a matter of days," the watchdog tasked with implementing the plan said Monday.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said that its experts "are already at work preparing a roadmap that anticipates the various challenges involved in verifying Syria's declared stockpiles." "It is envisaged... that the programme to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria will be initiated in a matter of days," the Hague-based OPCW said.

The plan was thrashed out by Russia and the United States in Geneva at the weekend to avert US-led military strikes on Syria, which is accused by Washington of having killed hundreds of people in a gas attack near Damascus on August 21.

President Bashar al-Assad's regime is to provide "on an expeditious basis" a complete inventory of its chemical weapons, production facilities, and "related materials" to the OPCW.

Watchdog experts "will verify the accuracy of this disclosure with on-site inspections, and will also assist in putting into place arrangements to keep the warfare materials and the relevant facilities secure until their destruction." UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called the use of chemical weapons in Syria a war crime after UN investigators published their report saying they had indisputable evidence of their use in the August attack.

The United States, which has threatened a military strike over the chemical arms, estimates that 1,400 people died in the attack.

Ban called on the Security Council to impose "consequences" for any failure by President Bashar al-Assad to keep to the Russia-US plan to destroy Syria's banned chemical arsenal.

Under the deal, which aims to destroy Syria's chemical arsenal by mid-2014, Syria joins the Chemical Weapons Convention, which will come into force in Syria on October 14, the OPCW said.

The 41-member OPCW Executive Council is expected to meet on Thursday or Friday.

"I am aware of the onerous responsibility that the international community is placing on our shoulders," OPCW Director General Ahmet Uzumcu was quoted as saying.

"We will bring to bear on this mission our full energies and commitment, and I have every confidence that the international community will support us fully." Though the military threat against Syria has eased, Monday's UN report will influence what measures are taken by the UN and the OPCW to make Assad stick to the plan.

"Allahu Akhbar" - Syria: nearly half rebel fighters are jihadists or hardline Islamists, says IHS Jane’s report.

"Allahu Akhbar" - Syria: nearly half rebel fighters are jihadists or hardline Islamists, says IHS Jane’s report. HT: Telegraph

Opposition forces battling Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria now number around 100,000 fighters, but after more than two years of fighting they are fragmented into as many as 1,000 bands.

The new study by IHS Jane’s, a defence consultancy, estimates there are around 10,000 jihadists – who would include foreign fighters – fighting for powerful factions linked to al-Qaeda.

Another 30,000 to 35,000 are hardline Islamists who share much of the outlook of the jihadists, but are focused purely on the Syrian war rather than a wider international struggle.

There are also at least a further 30,000 moderates belonging to groups that have an Islamic character, meaning only a small minority of the rebels are linked to secular or purely nationalist groups.

The stark assessment, to be published later this week, accords with the view of Western diplomats estimate that less than one third of the opposition forces are “palatable” to Britain, while American envoys put the figure even lower.
Fears that the rebellion against the Assad regime is being increasingly dominated by extremists has fuelled concerns in the West over supplying weaponry that will fall into hostile hands. These fears contributed to unease in the US and elsewhere over military intervention in Syria.
Charles Lister, author of the analysis, said: “The insurgency is now dominated by groups which have at least an Islamist viewpoint on the conflict. The idea that it is mostly secular groups leading the opposition is just not borne out.”
The study is based on intelligence estimates and interviews with activists and militants. The lengthy fighting has seen the emergence of hundreds of separate rebel bands, each operating in small pockets of the country, which are usually loyal to larger factions.
Two factions linked to al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – also know as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) – have come to dominate among the more extremist fighters, Mr Lister said. Their influence has risen significantly in the past year.
“Because of the Islamist make up of such a large proportion of the opposition, the fear is that if the West doesn’t play its cards right, it will end up pushing these people away from the people we are backing,” he said. “If the West looks as though it is not interested in removing Assad, moderate Islamists are also likely to be pushed further towards extremists.”
Though still a minority in number, ISIL has become more prominent in rebel-held parts of Syria in recent months. Members in northern Syria have sought to assert their dominance over the local population and over the more moderate rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA).
The aim of moderate rebel fighters is the overthrow of their country’s authoritarian dictator, but jihadist groups want to transform Syria into a hard-line Islamic state within a regional Islamic “caliphate”.
These competing visions have caused rancour which last week erupted into fighting between ISIL and two of the larger moderate rebel factions.
A statement posted online by Islamists announced the launch of an ISIL military offensive in the eastern district of Aleppo which it called “Cleansing Evil”. “We will target regime collaborators, shabiha [pro-Assad militias], and those who blatantly attacked the Islamic state,” it added, naming the Farouq and Nasr factions.
Al-Qaeda has assassinated several FSA rebel commanders in northern Latakia province in recent weeks, and locals say they fear this is part of a jihadist campaign to gain complete control of the territory.
As well as being better armed and tougher fighters, ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra have taken control of much of the income-generating resources in the north of the country, including oil, gas and grain.
This has given them significant economic clout, allowing them to “win hearts and minds” by providing food for the local population in a way that other rebel groups cannot.
ISIS has also begun a programme of “indoctrination” of civilians in rebel-held areas, trying to educate Syria’s traditionally moderate Sunni Muslims into a more hard-line interpretation of Islam.
In early September, the group distributed black backpacks with the words “Islamic State of Iraq” stamped on them. They also now control schools in Aleppo where young boys are reportedly taught to sing jihadist anthems.
“It seems it is some sort of a long-term plan to brainwash the children and recruit potential fighters,” said Elie Wehbe, a Lebanese journalists who is conducting research into these activities.

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.

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.