"Moaz al-Khatib, the head of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, said to a room packed with television cameras, “Days ago, the blood of children was actually kneaded into the dough with which the bread was made after the massacre.”
He didn't actually accuse the Syrians of the blood libel, did he?
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sharply condemned the remark late Thursday, calling it a ‘‘dark and mendacious statement, the likes of which we thought had passed from the world.’’
Yeah, me, too.
"Kerry reveals more US aid for foes of Assad" by Matt Viser | Globe Staff, March 01, 2013
ROME — Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Thursday that the United States is preparing to provide $60 million to Syrian opposition groups trying to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The funds will not be used to arm the fighters, which some rebel groups and some US lawmakers had sought. Instead, the financial support will mostly be used to help opposition leaders provide basic security, sanitation, and educational services in areas they now control.
Unreal.
“Assad cannot shoot his way out of this,” Kerry said, standing next to Moaz al-Khatib, the head of the Syrian Opposition Coalition. “And as he deludes himself in pursuit of the military solution, [we] make a different choice. Our choice is a political solution.
“This is a complicated challenge,” he added. “But the principle that guides this challenge is very simple: No nation, no people should live in fear of their so-called leaders.”
The agreement was the centerpiece of Kerry’s nine-country tour of Europe and the Middle East, and it was announced at a villa on a hill above Rome following Kerry’s first meeting with Khatib. Most of Kerry’s diplomatic energy has been spent trying to marshal together countries and find a way to offer a coordinated response to the Syrian conflict....
Translation: Israel is pulling his puppet strings.
The United States will be sending technical advisers to Cairo to help administer the aid, according to a senior State Department official. The $60 million comes on top of more than $50 million that the United States had provided to help Syrian activists organize. The United States also had provided $385 million in humanitarian aid, both in Syria and to help refugees in neighboring countries.
Meaning we are at about HALF a BILLION DOLLARS, American taxpayers.
The new funding could be used for such things as buying radios and establishing an interim police forces; rebuilding schools; or hiring teachers and buying books.
This as you endure AUSTERITY here at home, dear American taxpayers!
And to add in$ult to injury, it's all because of the globe-kicking government sending men and material into Syria in an attempt at regime change.
The United States is also beginning to work with the Supreme Military Council, the rebel army, and will provide military rations and medical supplies.
After Kerry spoke, Khatib launched into an impassioned plea for international support and an entreaty to Assad to “start behaving like a human being.”
“The mass media pay more attention to the length of the beard of a fighter than the massacres,” he said to a room packed with television cameras, referring to reports that Islamic militants had assumed some rebel operations. “Days ago, the blood of children was actually kneaded into the dough with which the bread was made after the massacre.”
Just as the event ended, an Italian peace activist rose in protest. “You are killing everywhere. Drones. Everything,” she shouted toward Kerry, who did not respond....
Why am I feeling that was a staged event?
Kerry’s hope is that the funding will improve the lives of average Syrians, making them turn against Assad.
That's TERRORISM!
"[An] act of terrorism, means any activity that (A) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State; and (B) appears to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping."
We do 'em all, Amerikans!
He also worries that if the United States isn’t providing the assistance, extremist groups will do it instead.
Either way American taxpayers are picking up the tab.
But even while the move marks the deepest American involvement in the Syrian conflict, the process could take months or years at a time when civilians are being killed daily....
Washington has tried unsuccessfully to defuse the Syrian civil war since 2011. Reports that militants with links to Al Qaeda have reportedly taken control of some of the opposition forces have fueled concerns about arming the opposition forces. Some observers worry that American-backed weapons could get in the hands of Al Qaeda....
Such lies, and I'm so sick of them.
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At least Kerry finally condemned the comment:
"Kerry chides Turkey on Israel remark" by SUZAN FRASER and MATTHEW LEE | Associated Press, March 02, 2013
ANKARA, Turkey — US Secretary of State John F. Kerry waded into the controversy over comments by Turkey’s prime minister equating Zionism to a crime against humanity, rebuking the leader of the NATO ally on Friday by saying such remarks complicate efforts to find peace in the Middle East.
It has had that effect, yeah.
Kerry said the Obama administration found the statements by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ‘‘objectionable’’ and he stressed the ‘‘urgent need to promote a spirit of tolerance, and that includes all of the public statements made by all leaders’’ at a news conference in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
‘‘We not only disagree with it; we found it objectionable,’’ Kerry said. He added that he had raised the issue with Davutoglu ‘‘very directly’’ and said he would do the same with Erdogan. The spat comes ahead of a trip to Israel and Jordan later this month by President Obama, who wants to try to nudge the Israelis and Palestinians back to peace talks.
But Davutoglu gave no acknowledgment of the US complaint and denied that any Turkish official had made hostile or offensive comments on Israel. Instead, he blamed Israel for acting in a hostile way toward Turkey. He repeatedly referred to the deaths of nine civilians at the hands of Israeli commandos on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship in 2010.
Of course, Israel's high-seas piracy and murder of an American on board isn't much of a concern to Kerry.
‘‘If Israel wants to hear positive statements from Turkey, it needs to review its attitude,’’ he said. ‘‘It needs to review its attitude toward us, and it needs to review its attitude toward the people in the region and especially the West Bank settlements issue.’’
Finally, SOMEONE SAID IT!
Asked for his reaction to Davutoglu’s remarks, Kerry replied that they demonstrated the difficulty of dealing with such a fraught and emotional situation.
‘‘It underscores the importance of our efforts to try to find a way forward to make peace in this region and to resolve the kind of differences that excite the passions that the foreign minister has just articulated and the difference of opinions about words and about their impact,’’ Kerry said.
Addressing the UN Alliance of Civilizations conference in Vienna this week, Erdogan complained of prejudices against Muslims. He said Islamophobia should be considered a crime against humanity ‘‘just like Zionism, like anti-Semitism and like fascism.’’
Lumping the fascists in there gives them a bad name they don't deserve.
The White House rejected the comparison on Thursday, calling it ‘‘offensive and wrong.’’ A senior State Department official traveling with Kerry said comments like Erdogan’s are ‘‘corrosive’’ to US-Turkey relations and damaging to regional and international stability.
Why?
Kerry said he believes there is a way to repair the damage, but he added: ‘‘It obviously gets more complicated in the aftermath of a speech such as the one we heard in Vienna.’’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sharply condemned the remark late Thursday, calling it a ‘‘dark and mendacious statement, the likes of which we thought had passed from the world.’’ UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon joined the critics, saying it was ‘‘unfortunate that such hurtful and divisive comments were uttered at a meeting being held under the theme of responsible leadership.’’
And the condemnation of Khatib's comment?
Although he did not back down from the Erdogan remarks, Davutoglu did say that Turkey was a strong proponent of the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and would do whatever it could to help achieve that.
Kerry said that despite the comments, he was hopeful Turkey and Israel could eventually find a way to restore their previously close relations.
The uproar has overshadowed Kerry’s previously planned visit to the Turkish capital, where he had hoped to spend much of his time discussing the crisis in neighboring Syria and coordinating plans with the Turks to assist the Syrian opposition, which is fighting to oust President Bashar Assad.
The deterioration of Turkish-Israel relations has been a matter of deep worry for the United States.
Why? Isn't that between them?
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If anyone ever doubted that the U.S. government is a slave for Israel this should dispel them.
"John Kerry prods Egypt on economic reforms; Overhaul is key to secure $4.8b loan from IMF" by Michael R. Gordon and David D. Kirkpatrick | New York Times, March 03, 2013
CAIRO —In Ankara on Friday, Kerry waded into the controversy over comments by Turkey’s prime minister equating Zionism to a crime against humanity, rebuking the leader of the NATO ally by saying such remarks complicate efforts to find peace in the Middle East.
Kerry said the Obama administration found the statements by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ‘‘objectionable’’ and he stressed the ‘‘urgent need to promote a spirit of tolerance, and that includes all of the public statements made by all leaders’’ at a news conference in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
‘‘We not only disagree with it; we found it objectionable,’’ Kerry said.
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I thought he was worried about Syria.
Related:
Secretary of State John Kerry met with a series of Egyptian leaders, including President Mohammed Morsi.
Is it just me, or does Kerry look stoned?
I wonder if there were any condemnations about certain remarks there, and if not one must conclude the Brotherhood is indeed a brother to the New World Order crowd (as many have pointed out over the years).
Another kook:
I wonder if there were any condemnations about certain remarks there, and if not one must conclude the Brotherhood is indeed a brother to the New World Order crowd (as many have pointed out over the years).
Another kook:
"Rebel leader says promised aid is not adequate" by Zeina Karam | Associated Press, March 02, 2013
BEIRUT — The head of Syria’s rebels said Friday that the food and medical supplies the United States plans to give his fighters for the first time won’t bring them any closer to defeating President Bashar Assad’s forces in the country’s civil war.
‘‘We don’t want food and drink, and we don’t want bandages. When we’re wounded, we want to die. The only thing we want is weapons,’’ General Salim Idris, chief of staff of the opposition’s Supreme Military Council, told the Associated Press by telephone.
Don't worry, your getting them.
The former brigadier in Assad’s army warned that the world’s failure to provide heavier arms is only prolonging the nearly 2-year-old uprising that has killed an estimated 70,000 people.
In what was described as a significant policy shift, the Obama administration said Thursday it was giving an additional $60 million in assistance to Syria’s political opposition and said it would, for the first time, provide nonlethal aid directly to rebels battling to topple Assad.
Sick of the semantics yet?
The move was announced by Secretary of State John Kerry at an international conference on Syria in Rome. In the coming days, several European nations are expected to take similar steps in working with the military wing of the opposition to increase pressure on Assad to step down and pave the way for a democratic transition.
But the frustration expressed by Idris is shared by most of his colleagues in the Syrian opposition, as well as by scores of rebels fighting in Syria. They feel abandoned by the outside world while the Assad regime pounds them with artillery and bombs.
The main rebel units, known together as the Free Syrian Army, regrouped in December under a unified, Western-backed command headed by Idris and called the Supreme Military Council, following promises of more military assistance once a central council was in place. Despite those pledges, opposition members say very little has been delivered in terms of financial aid, and in weapons and ammunition.
The international community remains reluctant to send weapons, fearing they may fall into the hands of extremists increasingly gaining ground among the rebels.
Mouaz al-Khatib, the leader of the Syrian opposition coalition, has lamented the West’s focus on the presence of Islamist militants among the fighters. In a forceful speech Thursday to the Rome conference, he said the media reports give ‘‘more attention to the length of fighters’ beards than to the [regime’s] massacres.’’
And he also said.... ??
Some Syrians expressed their disappointment on social media websites. One showed a photo of Kerry carrying a toy gun as a gift for the rebels. Another depicted a three-wheeled cart, of the kind usually used by farmers, with the words: ‘‘The first of the nonlethal weapons has arrived.’’
Idris, a 55-year-old who studied in Germany and taught electronics at a Syrian military college before defecting in July, said the modest package of aid — consisting of an undetermined amount of food rations and medical supplies — will not help them win against Assad’s forces who regularly use warplanes to pound rebel strongholds.
‘‘We need antitank and antiaircraft missiles to stop Bashar Assad’s criminal, murderous regime from annihilating the Syrian people,’’ he said. ‘‘The whole world knows what we need, and yet they watch as the Syrian people are slaughtered.’’
Still, he said he hoped that the promised aid is delivered, which would provide some relief to the civilians caught in the fighting.
Russia, meanwhile, sharply criticized the decision by Western powers to boost support for Syrian opposition forces, saying the promised assistance would only intensify the conflict. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said the moves announced in Rome ‘‘encourage extremists to seize power by force.’’
Russia is a close ally of Syria that has continued to supply arms to Assad’s regime as well as shielding the country from UN Security Council sanctions.
Idris denied media reports that the rebels have recently received arms shipments and said his troops were suffering from ‘‘severe shortages’’ in weapons and ammunitions.
Croatia’s president said Friday his country will withdraw about 100 peacekeeping troops from the Syria-Israel border after reports that Syrian rebels have been armed with Croatian weapons. The Croatian government fears its troops could become targets for Syrian government soldiers fighting the rebels.
No mention of the Saudi suppliers?
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Doesn't he have any friends he can talk to for advice?
"Statecraft is the latest bond for Kerry and Thorne" by Matt Viser | Globe Staff, February 28, 2013
ROME —The friendship has shaped John F. Kerry’s life in so many ways that even Ernest Hemingway might have found it too far-fetched for a plot line. The two were side by side in Yale’s secretive Skull and Bones society. They went off to Vietnam and returned to lead antiwar protests together. Kerry married David Thorne’s twin sister. Thorne was by Kerry’s side when he lost his presidential bid.
It all came full circle on the airport tarmac in Rome on Wednesday. Thorne, the US ambassador to Italy, greeted his old friend and new boss, Kerry, the US secretary of state.....
Related:
“Somebody teased me with a headline earlier today — say “Kerry Arrives; Pope Goes.” I don’t know. But I’m not going near that one. “
Probably a wise decision.
Also see: Sunday Globe Special: Papal Politics
I'm glad I self-excommunicated.
Kerry’s relationship with Thorne is among the most unusual in politics, providing insights into how the secretary of state came to view the world....
Bob Shrum, a top adviser on Kerry’s 2004 campaign had dinner with Thorne — and Henry Winkler, the actor best known as “the Fonz” from “Happy Days” and quite popular in Italy, and all of their wives — at the ambassador’s residence....
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"Aid package for Syrian rebels helps neither them nor US" March 02, 2013
Much has been made of the announcement that the Obama administration is finally going to provide direct assistance to the rebels in Syria.....
But the aid package is no match for the heavy weaponry that Russia and Iran are sending to Syrian strongman Bashar Assad....
Oh, he's a "strongman" now.
One State Department official said the aid would include “anything from radios for local police to schoolbooks that you’re trying to buy for kids.” At a time when missiles are being aimed at civilians, and 70,000 have been killed, that kind of aid sounds absurd....
Especially with austerity planned for Americans.
To add insult to injury, the United States has not only withheld its own military support, but also pressured Saudi Arabia and Qatar to refrain from giving the rebels weapons, out of fear that they will end up in the hands of Islamist extremists. As a result, many of the rebels’ weapons have come from private donors — often the very extremists the United States wants the rebels to shun.
There are good reasons to be wary of arming a disunified rebel movement, including the desire to avoid an intractable proxy war that could engulf the entire region. But raising hopes of real assistance and then failing to deliver hurts American credibility. It also disillusions the forces in Syria that are fighting for their lives. It puts the United States in the worst of both worlds: accused by Assad’s allies of meddling in Syria and accused by the rebels of abandonment. If the Obama administration wants Assad to take its warnings seriously, then it has to back up its words with more than schoolbooks. There are times when sitting on the fence proves more costly than picking sides.
Well, you can see where the agenda-pushing, war-promoting Globe stands.
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Not exactly a friend, but....
"Iraqi leader warns Syria war could spread" by Adam Schreck and Qassim Abdul-Zahra | Associated Press, February 28, 2013
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister warned Wednesday that a victory for rebels in the Syrian civil war would create a new extremist haven and destabilize the wider Middle East, sparking sectarian wars in his own country and in Lebanon.
That's the globe-kickers plan, yeah.
Nouri al-Maliki stopped short of voicing outright support for President Bashar Assad’s embattled regime in Syria.
But his comments in an interview marked one of his strongest warnings yet about the turmoil the collapse of the Syrian government could create.
The prime minister’s remarks reflect fears by many Shi’ite Muslims in Iraq and elsewhere that Sunni Muslims would come to dominate Syria should Assad be toppled, and his statements could provide a measure of support for those fighting to keep Assad in power.
‘‘If the world does not agree to support a peaceful solution through dialogue . . . then I see no light at the end of the tunnel,’’ Maliki said in his office inside Baghdad’s heavily guarded Green Zone.
‘‘Neither the opposition nor the regime can finish each other off,’’ he continued. ‘‘The most dangerous thing in this process is that if the opposition is victorious, there will be a civil war in Lebanon, divisions in Jordan, and a sectarian war in Iraq.’’
Maliki’s comments come as his government confronts growing tensions of its own between the Shi’ite majority and an increasingly restive Sunni minority nearly a decade after the US-led invasion of Iraq.
The war in Syria has sharp sectarian overtones, with predominantly Sunni rebels fighting a regime dominated by Alawites, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam. Rebel groups have increasingly embraced radical Islamic ideologies, and some of their greatest battlefield successes have been carried out by Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al Qaeda-affiliated group which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization.
Assad’s main allies are Shi’ite Iran and the Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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Related: Sunday Globe Specials: US Lost Iraq War
More:
How the f*** would I know? I read the Boston Globe.
