Len Colby Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Libya has become a madhouse of tribal and religious conflicts, and a country where competing mafias have sliced up the country, united only by their subservience to the commercial interests of their creator and benefactor, NATO. (Prof. M.D. Nalapat The author is director and professor of the School of Geopolitics at Manipal University in India.) ----------------------------- Bill Kelly calls it democracy in action but I call it recolonization with no stabilty. ================ Africa and the Middle East: Recolonisation and the Crisis of the Nation State by Prof. Ali Kadri http://globalresearc...xt=va&aid=31423 We shall see, as the revolution is still continuing, not only in LIbya, but in Syria, where the Ruskies dizinfo agents are working overtime. Let's ask the Libyans if they want Gadhafi and stability or democracy and variety of cultures and lifestyles. It took USA seven years to win their revolution and fight a civil war before things settled down. Death to Tyrants! Assad is next. Then on to Bahrain. You are stuck in the past. BK ++++++++++++++++++++++ Gee Bill this quote below is the latest from Lybia.THE LATEST !! Libya has become a madhouse of tribal and religious conflicts, and a country where competing mafias have sliced up the country, united only by their subservience to the commercial interests of their creator and benefactor, NATO. (Prof. M.D. Nalapat The author is director and professor of the School of Geopolitics at Manipal University in India.) He is the grand total of evidence cited by Dr. Nalapat -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 50 min ago !! (stuck in past the past ?? not me ) Snatched and detained: Libya's "jungle law" Related News Libya says it wants ICC's cooperation over detained staff Sat, Jun 16 2012 Syria in civil war, U.N. official says Tue, Jun 12 2012 British envoy's convoy ambushed in Libya, two wounded Mon, Jun 11 2012 ICC lawyer held in Libya faces 45-day detention Mon, Jun 11 2012 ICC sends team to Libya after delegation detained Mon, Jun 11 2012 Point? --------------- PHOTO NOT UPLOADED (You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community.) 1 of 2. Al-Amin Al-Sahli shows the bruises and whip marks on his body as he receives treatment after being held in detention, in a hospital in Misrata June 9, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Stringer By Marie-Louise Gumuchian TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Abdulnasser Ruhuma was asleep in his bed when the militia fighters barged into his Tripoli home. The shouting woke the Libyan bank worker and he rushed downstairs to find around 40 men pointing their rifles at him. Moments later they started beating him. Ruhuma's wife and relatives begged the intruders to stop but they dragged him and his uncle away. Punched, hit with rifle butts and cut with knives, Ruhuma was taken to a makeshift detention center in the middle of the night. In a stark reminder of the lawlessness that prevails in Libya eight months after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, the gunmen never told Ruhuma why they abducted him. He says it stems from a family issue - a relative wanted revenge, so he called on the help of an armed brigade. "We weren't told anything, we were just beaten - our hands, our legs, our bodies," the 42-year old father-of-two said. "I thought I would never make it out alive." Libya's aspirations to replace Gaddafi's repressive rule with an ordered, democratic nation are being undermined by increasingly wayward volunteer militias who operate outside the control of fragile state institutions. The militias attract most attention when, mounted on their battered pick-up trucks with anti-aircraft guns welded to the back, they fight pitched battles in city streets against rival groups, usually over some perceived slight or a dispute over territory. But it is their less visible activities that have done the most to puncture the sense of euphoria and freedom that followed Gaddafi's downfall. Human rights groups have documented a series of cases of militias going to people's houses, spiriting them away and, often, beating and torturing them. Ruhuma was released only after his relatives called government security forces for help. They found him a few hours later. "We hear on television that Libya is secure, but after what I have seen, there is no security. How is this possible? There are armed gangs pretending to be revolutionaries," Ruhuma said. "This is some kind of jungle law." THE REAL POWER ON THE GROUND Militias spearheaded the rebellion that ended Gaddafi's rule. While many have scaled back their activities, gone back to their home towns or merged into national security services, others have yet to lay down their arms. The lack of an effective national police force and army mean many of the militias have more power on the ground than Libya's official rulers. In the last few weeks, Reuters reporters have heard of cases of Libyans taken from their homes or from the street by armed groups. One of Reuters' Libyan members of staff was briefly detained and beaten following a dispute over a parking space. "We have received complaints about people being tortured - taken, detained for a few hours," said Abdelbaset Ahmed Abumzirig, deputy head of the national council for freedom and human rights. "Some have been passed on to the police and prosecutor general and we are following them up. We know that the authorities are weak." International campaign groups have identified armed militias as one of the biggest challenges to stability as Libya's new rulers try to build new institutions and prepare for the first election in a generation on July 7. In the last month, Tripoli's international airport was seized by an armed group for several hours. One person was killed and several injured when militiamen protesting outside the prime minister's office started shooting. Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagour told Reuters the government planned to increase security on the streets and set up more checkpoints to stop people bringing heavy weapons into cities. "This revolution came to eliminate the era of human rights violations, but unfortunately these incidents have happened, these are crimes," he said. On top of the rise in abductions, rights groups say they are also concerned about the fate of thousands of people captured by the authorities and militias during and immediately after the uprising. Human Rights Watch says at least 7,000 are still in detention, citing government officials and the United Nations. Roughly 4,000 of them are held by various militias in both formal and secret detention facilities. The rest are in facilities run by the government. The U.N. human rights agency and aid groups have accused brigades of torturing detainees, many of them sub-Saharan Africans suspected of fighting for Gaddafi's forces last year. Accusations of the mistreatment and disappearances of suspected Gaddafi loyalists are embarrassing for Libya's ruling National Transitional Council, which had vowed to make a fresh start after Gaddafi. It is also awkward for the Western powers that backed the rebellion and helped install Libya's new leaders. "The government, essentially the police through ministry of interior has to develop its capacity to check that. It's not acceptable of course," the U.N envoy to Libya, Ian Martin, told Reuters when asked about the abductions. "I don't think there's a problem of will to deal with that, I believe the intentions of those in authority in Libya is one that wants to protect human rights but more needs to be done." "THE HONDA CIVIC" The good intentions may be there. But the abductions have continued. Al-Amin Al-Sahli was at home when four men from a brigade arrived in a pick-up truck and asked him to go to their headquarters. They did not say why. The 38-year-old, a state employee living in Libya's third largest city Misrata and the brother of a Reuters cameraman, decided to comply and arrived at the base half an hour later. "They took my phone, my things and then led me through the back door to another office. Then they covered my eyes and tied my hands," he said as he lay in hospital after his ordeal. "They started beating me, torturing me. They put me on a device - they called it a Honda Civic," he said, describing it as a metallic frame to which his arms and legs were tied. "They beat me with cables and sticks and everything they had on my back, my legs and all sensitive areas of my body." The 38-year-old, covered in bruises and whip marks, said his detention stemmed from an old argument over a piece of land. He was only freed after other militia groups arrived demanding his release. During his detention, he said he was put in a cell with other prisoners, some of them with broken legs. "I've never seen anything as criminal as this before." (Additional reporting by Reuters Television; Editing by Andrew Heavens) It's only been 8 months since the Civil War ended it's a bit early to say what the long term effects will be, some Brazilians complain about the decline of a law and order since the return of civilian rule few however want the generals to take over again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) It's only been 8 months since the Civil War ended it's a bit early to say what the long term effects will be, some Brazilians complain about the decline of a law and order since the return of civilian rule few however want the generals to take over again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- END COLBY MAYBE TOO LATE FOR BILL KELLY'S OLD FRIEND SEIF War crimes court says 4 staff held in Libya Saturday June 9, 2012, 4:04 PM http://www.northjers...y_concerns.html TOBY STERLING Associated Press AMSTERDAM (AP) — The International Criminal Court on Saturday demanded the release of four of its staffers it says are being detained in Libya, where they are part of an official mission sent to meet with the imprisoned son of deposed dictator Moammar Gadhafi. "We are very concerned about the safety of our staff in the absence of any contact with them," said court President Sang-Hyun Song in a statement issued in The Hague, Netherlands. "These four international civil servants have immunity when on an official ICC mission." The four detained include at least one of two lawyers the court has assigned to help defend the legal interests of Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, who has been held by revolutionary fighters since his capture in November. Seif al-Islam is at the center of a wrangle between the international court and the new government in Tripoli, both of which have drawn up plans to prosecute him for alleged war crimes. Under international law, a country has the first right to try suspects for crimes committed on its own soil. But the ICC indicted Seif al-Islam before the fall of his father's regime and cannot drop his case until it is convinced that Libya's new government will prosecute him for the same crimes — and that it is capable of giving him a fair trial. Since Gadhafi's ouster, the new government in Tripoli has struggled to impose its authority throughout the country. Cities, towns, regions, militias and tribes all act on their own, setting up independent power centers. The lawyer that represents Libyan interests at the Hague court, Ahmed Al-Jehani, said earlier Saturday in Libya that authorities in Zintan, southwest of Tripoli, had detained Australian defense lawyer Melinda Taylor. He said authorities took her camera and recording device before her Thursday meeting with Seif al-Islam, but that inside she shared documents that they said could harm Libya's national security, including information and drawings that could endanger Libyans living abroad. The ICC statement noted that it had been empowered by the United Nations Security Council to deal with Seif al-Islam's case, and that Libya is obliged to obey court rules which ensure "rights of the suspects to have privileged contacts with their lawyers." Al-Jehani says Taylor is being held in a guesthouse in Zintan where her colleagues are staying. He said she will likely be released soon. Continue reading this story on page 2Pages: 1 2 display on one page | Pri ################################## ################################## related // Sham elections postponed while tensions escalate in Libya http://www.workers.org/2012/world/libya_0628/ ++++++++++++++++++++ ALSO http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/06/18/libya-candidates-should-address-torture-illegal-detention Edited June 24, 2012 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Colby Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 When Gaal knows he's beat he changes the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 (edited) When Gaal knows he's beat he changes the subject. END COLBY ================================================ Gee COLBY you didnt see Bill Kelly's (Mr Libya) post # 19 ????? Libya hell will soon be a Syria hell . Oh yeah....soooooo sad. ######################################################### now research http://english.al-ak...ss-saudi-arabia http://open.salon.co...nd_saudi_arabia http://www.eyespymag.com/mossadops.pdf ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ADD ABOVE to below ,looks like MOSSAD in Syrian affairs. http://www.guardian....yria-rebel-army Edited June 24, 2012 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Colby Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Did somebody slip something into your coffee? Bill made no mention of Libya in that post, you however brought it up in your reply. Get back to us when you have actual evidence Mossad is involved in Syria. The best you have is reports Saudi Arabia is and shaky evidence that the Saudis and Israelis share intel regarding Iran. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 (edited) Bill made no mention of Libya in that post // END COLBY ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bill Kelly the great supporter of new ARAB revolutions. He got one in Libya and wants same in Syria. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Saudis and Israelis work together on geopolitical/military problem for them, IRAN. Saudis give $ for rebels and $ for arms in syria. Israeli arms in Syria. Israel and Saudis have geopolitical/military problem for them Syria. MOSSAD has whole department tthat can transfer arms to Muslims. GEE all logical to me. Edited June 25, 2012 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 The revolutions in Libya and Syria, sparked by the Arab Spring revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, have resulted in the execution of Gadhafi and making Assad of Syria a mass murder rejected not only by most Syrians but every major government in the world, except Russia, who needs their Syrian port. Libya, like Tunisa and Egypt and other post revolutionary countries, is now a country of diverse regions and cultures and not united by the force of any dictator or Islamic rule, so there will be divisions, just as there was in the USA and France after their revolutions. I don't want it, the people there want it - they are tired of living under a tyrant, and I support their attempts to free themselves and create their own society, without interference from Russia or NATO. You are the one who is confused. Did you actually read that global research gibberish on the link you posted? I did, and the author, like most liberals, are stuck in the 19th century view of colonial imperialism that sparked the revolution that the USA fought against King George and Algeria fought against France, while what is happening today is a popular democratic revolt by the citizens of these countries against the dictators and tyrants who have ruled them with an iron fist and security states for decades. Big difference. It's not hard to see who are the good guys and who are the bad guys and chose which side you are on. BK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Colby Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Bill made no mention of Libya in that post // END COLBY ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bill Kelly the great supporter of new ARAB revolutions. He got one in Libya and wants same in Syria. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ But he never mentioned or even alluded to Libya in this thread, YOU brought it up. Saudis and Israelis work together on geopolitical/military problem for them, IRAN.Saudis give $ for rebels and $ for arms in syria. Israeli arms in Syria. Israel and Saudis have geopolitical/military problem for them Syria. MOSSAD has whole department tthat can transfer arms to Muslims. GEE all logical to me. The evidence that Saudi Arabia and Israel are sharing intel. on Iran is weak, all I saw was claims from obscure bloggers with no citations or at best a leaked Stratfor e-mail, another of those e-mails OBL's body was going to be brought to Dover AFB. But even if true it would not be evidence of cooperation in Syria. The Soviets collaborated with the western Allies for 4 years in Europe but refused to get involved in the Pacific War until opportunistically seizing some Japanese islands after Nagasaki. Also AFAIK you not posted any evidence there are significant numbers "Israeli arms in Syria". Even if there were Israeli weapons are widely circulated, the CIA supplied the Mujuhadeen with Soviet weapons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 This Brazillian lier to soon report on Syria. PLEASE NOTE / Its not umcommon to find people who live in Brazil who lie. Just my experience. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Syria has WMDs or how they learned to love the lie Posted by seumasach on December 3, 2011 Pinheiro Report against Syria is as truthful as the tale of ‘weapons of mass destruction in Iraq’ by Nathaniel Braia Pravda 3rd December, 2011 The recent “report” of the Commission of inquiry on Syria by the UN Human Rights Council stands for its bombastic accusations against the Syrian government, but entirely omitted to present material evidence, or evidence corroborating the charges. It is based upon testimony from unidentified, unqualified people. The “investigative” method used is no different than the “cover” provided by the western corporate media wtih “information” that is without confirmation as to its truthfulness, yet repeated to exhaustion nevertheless. “LOW STANDARD” In the preamble to the “report” of the commission headed by the Brazilian, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, (photo) it says that the “the standard of proof has ‘reasonable suspicion’” and recognizes that this is “a lower standard of evidence than that used in criminal proceedings.” How were the testimonies collected? Very simple: a public appeal was launched. A UN official says they responded to the call for “organizations and persons interested” in “helping the commission.” So, between the testimony of the alleged “victims” and 223 witnesses’ statements that may appear as disinterested declarations, some as agents of the CIA, there are mercenaries and other bums willing to help the White House in its attempt to overthrow the sovereign government of Syria. None of the statements were checked. The allegation is that it’s because they could not enter Syria. But there are other forms of evidence (photos, movies, documents, confrontations, mixed messages, etc.) It was even suggested to put these forward, but certainly not to run the risk of spoiling the pre-established itinerary. The odd thing is that with millions of Syrians in the streets in all cities, supporting the government (all documented with photos) and more demonstrations outside Syria against foreign interference, that there is not a single statement that says the opposite of whatever the report.wants to prove That is, none of these countless millions could testify. The storytellers also heard from an entity of exemplary exemption as to the Syrian question: the Arab League. One where the little kings, emirs and sultans – all humble puppets of the U.S., to the point where they yield territory for military bases in the region – they defend their monarchies – known to be super-democratic – against the evil example of the Syrian Arab Republic. The press, of course, took the more bombastic statement of the report that 256 children were killed by the regime under torture, sexual violence and other rugged practices imaginable for only truly sick minds. But none of these organs deigned to mention the Syrian claims that “citizens, soldiers and policemen are killed in ambushes by gangs of terrorists” and that the allegations against Syria “are manufactured by the media in the service of the Western powers.” These were all things that the storyteller saw himself as feeling obliged to reproduce in order to give the “information” the minimum of appearance of impartiality. An effort in vain , by the way. Pinheiro alleges that “the UN commission did not have government permission to enter Syria,” but the correspondence exchanged with the Syrian government, attached to “report,” proves exactly the opposite: there was no access prohibition to the country. CORRELATION The exchange of correspondence shows that the Syrian government says it would be pleased to receive a commission sent by the Human Rights Council. It asks only beforehand that the Commission of Inquiry to Syria allow them to complete their own investigations. On this issue, Paulo Pinheiro is the one who gives the ultimatum in a letter dated November 11, requiring that the committee has access to the country in 15 days, ignoring the Syrian considerations. Finally, the “report” says that the Syrian government has not responded to a questionnaire submitted by the committee. Here too, the truth is distorted. The Syrian government responded by saying that the questionnaire was partial and it alone revealed the predisposition of the investigators. The Syrian government says they are not concerned in their questioning about the sabotage that is leading to deaths in Syria (the government says there are more than one thousand killed by terrorists). Of the 26 questions from this questionnaire, only one deals with the actions of terrorists and all others speculate about the alleged Syrian government repression of unarmed demonstrators. The report in fact actually apes the method already used by the media to demonize the Syrian government and its leader, Bashar Al Assad. As the researcher for Global Research, Julie Levesque, in her report entitled, “Protest in Syria: Who counts the dead?,” says the “media reports on the alleged repression by the government of Syria, but does not mention their sources of information.” “They,” says Levesque, “are almost always ‘human rights’ groups or ‘activists’.” Finally, an excerpt from an interview given to Russia Today TV in which – unlike the report by Paulo Pinheiro, the interviewee has a name and profession: Anhar Kochnev, manager of the travel agency that operates in Syria, among others. She says: “There is a powerful disinformation underway. On the 1st of April, the media reported about a great event in Damascus. I was in Damascus that day. This event never happened, neither I, nor any of the residents saw it.” “Already on April 16,” Anhar testifies, “Reuters news agency” reported that “50,000 opponents of the regime took to the streets of Damascus and were dispersed with tear gas and batons.” No one saw. But city dwellers know that this event could not have occurred without the city’s noticing. How many officers were needed to disperse it? How is it that no one has seen it except for Reuters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Colby Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 You're citing Pravda! LOL I'm so convinced! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 (edited) “Already on April 16,” Anhar testifies, “Reuters news agency” reported that “50,000 opponents of the regime took to the streets of Damascus and were dispersed with tear gas and batons.” No one saw. But city dwellers know that this event could not have occurred without the city’s noticing. How many officers were needed to disperse it? How is it that no one has seen it except for Reuters? (this above Reuters report is an absurd fantasy) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This Reuters is a reliable source for some, I rather like to live in the real world. The whole Western mainstream media is lockstep with lies for the conquest of Syria for the formation of a obedient neocolonial state serving the interests of western economic/geopolitical aims. PRAVDA TODAY IS A BETTER SOURCE OF INFORMATION THAN MOST (IF NOT ALL) western MSM news outlets. lets review !! =================================================================================== The U.S. and Syria: Facts you should know by Joyce Chediac 6/27/12 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A REVIEW The following timeline reviews the progression of U.S.-NATO intervention in Syria and counteracts the Big Lie in the corporate media aimed at preparing open imperialist military aggression against the Syrian people. ● Washington has funneled money to a right-wing Syrian opposition group since at least 2005. (Washington Post, April 16, 2011) ● The U.S. reopened its embassy in Damascus in January 2011 after six years. This was no thaw in relations. The new ambassador, Robert S. Ford, who served until October 2011, is a protégé of John Negroponte, who organized death squads in El Salvador in the 1970s and in Iraq while ambassador there in 2004-05. There terror squads killed tens of thousands. Ford served directly under Negroponte at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. ● Ford “played a central role in laying the groundwork within Syria as well as establishing contacts with opposition groups.” Two months after he arrived in Damascus, the armed insurgency began. (Global Research, May 28) ● Armed opposition to Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011 in Daraa, a small town on the Jordanian border. Mass protest movements usually start in large population centers. Later, Saudi Arabia admitted sending weapons to the opposition via Jordan. (RT, March 13) ● The U. S. and its NATO allies used grassroots protests in Egypt, Syria and elsewhere as a cover to build support for right-wing insurgencies whose goal was not to help the Syrian people but to bring Syria into the pro-imperialist camp. Any excesses or mistakes by the Assad government were not the real issue. ● The Arab League, European Union and U.S. begin imposing economic sanctions, a form of warfare, against Syria in November 2011 on the pretext of stopping state-sanctioned violence against protesters. Stepped-up sanctions and freezing of Syrian assets caused the value of the Syrian pound to drop by 50 percent against the dollar, with the cost of necessities often tripling. ● Exiles who received U.S. funding became part of the Syrian National Council. SNC’s Burhan Ghalioun said he would open up Syria to the West, end Syria’s strategic relationship with Iran (and with the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance), and realign Syria with the reactionary Arab regimes in the Gulf. (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 2, 2011) U.S. &NATO escalate involvement ● Ex-CIA agent Philip Giraldi admitted that the U.S. was involved in Syria and laid out the U.S. plan: “NATO is already clandestinely engaged in the Syrian conflict, with Turkey taking the lead as U.S. proxy. Ankara’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davitoglu, has openly admitted that his country is prepared to invade as soon as there is agreement among the Western allies to do so. The intervention would be based on humanitarian principles, to defend the civilian population based on the ‘responsibility to protect’ doctrine that was invoked to justify Libya.” (theamericanconservative.com, Dec. 19, 2011) ● Giraldi continued: “Unmarked NATO warplanes are arriving at Turkish military bases close to … the Syrian border, delivering weapons from the late Muammar Gaddafi’s arsenals as well as volunteers from the Libyan Transitional National Council who are experienced in pitting local volunteers against trained soldiers. … French and British special forces trainers are on the ground, assisting the Syrian rebels while the CIA and U.S. Spec Ops are providing communications equipment and intelligence. … ● “The frequently cited United Nations report that more than 3,500 civilians have been killed by Assad’s soldiers is based largely on rebel sources and is uncorroborated. Likewise, accounts of mass defections from the Syrian Army and pitched battles between deserters and loyal soldiers appear to be a fabrication, with few defections being confirmed independently. Syrian government claims that it is being assaulted by rebels who are armed, trained, and financed by foreign governments are more true than false.” ● The “Free Syrian Army” has rear bases in Turkey, is funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and is made up of defecting Syrian soldiers. Spiegel Online sites a source in Beirut who reports seeing “‘hundreds of foreign fighters’ who have attached themselves to the FSA.” (Feb. 15) ● The U.N.-mandated commission of inquiry, in its February 2012 report, documented torture, taking of hostages, and executions by armed opposition members. ● The first heavy fighting in Syria’s capital, Damascus, started in March. Pipelines were blown up, and huge explosions ripped through intelligence and security buildings in Christian areas on March 16, killing at least 27 people. The Syrian government charged then that terrorist attacks supported from abroad have been responsible for eight car bomb attacks since December, killing 328 and wounding 657. This got little Western media attention. ● Human Rights Watch on March 20 accused armed Syrian opposition members of “Kidnappings, the use of torture and executions … of security force members, individuals identified as members of government-supported militias, and individuals identified as government allies and supporters.” ● In the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs, the armed opposition has formed its own laws, courts and death squads, according to Spiegel Online. Abu Rami, an opposition commander in Baba Amir, interviewed by Spiegel, said in the city of Homs his group has executed between 200 and 250 people. (March 29) U.N. steps in ● Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan went to Syria in March at the behest of the U.N. and Arab League to put together a peace proposal. But Annan and the U.N. are not impartial. Annan is an architect of the “responsibility to protect” doctrine, cited by former CIA agent Giraldi as the planned pretext for intervention in Syria. The U.N. endorsed this doctrine under Annan’s tenure. ● In 2004, Annan gave U.N. approval to the U.S., French and Canadian intervention that deposed Haiti’s President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Annan’s stated reasons were the same then as now in Syria: an alleged impending “humanitarian catastrophe.” Annan provided a similar U.N. cover for France to tighten its colonial grasp on the Ivory Coast in 2006. In Syria, Annan’s calls for a Syrian government ceasefire and for outside “humanitarian” aid are really calls for foreign intervention. ● Syria agreed to an Annan-brokered ceasefire March 27. The opposition refused. While the Western heads of state and the corporate media heaped blame on Assad for “not honoring” the ceasefire, the West kept arming the opposition. ● What the U.S. government really thought of the ceasefire was revealed by Robert Grenier, former director of the CIA’s Counter-Terrorism Center, who called upon those who would “help” Syria “to climb metaphorically into the ring and dirty themselves,” adding, “what the situation needs is not high-minded sentiments, but effective, lethal aid.” (Al Jazeera, March 29) ● As the imperialists “climbed into the ring,” they continued to blame Assad. Speaking at an anti-Assad “Friends of Syria” meeting in Istanbul on April 1, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Assad had “defiled” the ceasefire. She called for Damascus to unilaterally stop fighting and withdraw from areas of heavy right-wing infiltration. She said the U.S had pledged at least $25 million in “nonlethal” aid to the Syrian opposition, which included satellite communication equipment. ● By May, the reactionaries “have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons … paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated … by the U.S.” (Washington Post, May 15) “The Syrian rebels have received their first ‘third generation’ anti-tank weapons. They are supplied by Saudi and Qatari intelligence agencies following a secret message from President Barack Obama.” (debkafile.com, May 22) The Houla massacre ● Right before a scheduled visit to Syria by Annan, news broke of a horrible massacre of 108 people in Houla on May 25, which included whole families and as many as 48 children. Headlines worldwide blamed the Syrian government, and all Western capitals called for increased sanctions and more international pressure on Assad. ● By May 27, the imperialists had coordinated their “international outrage” and expelled Syrian diplomats from the U.S., the Netherlands, Australia, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and Canada. ● The U.N. Security Council reacted to the massacre -- with no investigation as to who was responsible -- by unanimously condemning Syria for allegedly using tanks and artillery after agreeing to a ceasefire. Ignored were statements from the Assad government that it was not responsible. A closer look showed this was the case. ● Marat Musin, reporting for Russia’s ANNA News, was in Houla and interviewed witnesses right after the massacre. Musin determined that the massacre was committed by the so-called Free Syrian Army, not the Assad forces. His report concluded: “The attack was carried out by a unit of armed fighters from Rastan, in which more than 700 gunmen were involved. They brought the city under their control and began with a cleansing action against loyalist [pro-Assad] families, including elderly people, women and also children. The dead were presented to … the U.N. and the ‘international community’ as victims of the Syrian army.” (May 31) The conservative German newspaper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, corroborated the ANNA report on June 7. ● Residents knew many of the killers by name and identified them as local criminal elements now working for the FSA. (Syria News, May 31) Anti-Assad forces then posed as villagers and invited the U.N. observers in. Some put on uniforms of the Syrian soldiers they had killed and said they were defectors. ● A widely shown photo of dozens of shrouded bodies, which the BBC first presented as the aftermath of Houla, was really taken by photographer Marco di Lauro in Iraq in March 2003. ● BBC world news editor Jon Williams admitted in his blog June 7 that there was no evidence whatsoever to identify either the Syrian Army or Alawite militias as the perpetrators of the May 25 massacre. United Kingdom’s Channel 4 senior reporter Alex Thomson said June 7 that the opposition led him into a line of fire and tried to get him killed by Syrian military forces so it would “look bad” for Assad. ● There has been no independent investigation of Houla to date, yet at a June 7 meeting, Annan and current U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon again made statements putting the responsibility for the Houla massacre on Assad. ● Major General Robert Mood, head of the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria, suspended patrols of the 300-member team on June 16, citing “spiraling violence in restive areas.” The suspension was right before the G-20 Summit in Mexico, providing another opportunity for imperialism to criticize Assad. ● In initial remarks, Annan called the Houla massacre the “tipping point.” The deaths at Houla have been used by the U.S. and NATO to more aggressively and openly organize for Assad’s overthrow. U.S. officials and Arab intelligence officers admit that the CIA is in southern Turkey funneling weapons to the FSA. It is also there to “make new sources and recruit people.” (New York Times, June 21) ● As a result, “The onetime ragtag militias of the Syrian opposition are developing into a more effective fighting force with the help of an increasingly sophisticated network of activists here in southern Turkey that is smuggling crucial supplies across the border including weapons, communication gear, field hospitals and even salaries for soldiers who defect. The network reflects an effort to forge an opposition movement ... that together can not only defeat ... Assad but also replace his government.” (New York Times, June 26) Edited June 27, 2012 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 What is the psychological makeup of those who have power that they can't give it up no matter what the cost is in lives and the ruin of their country? Gadhafi's son tried to bring about democratic change but his dad wouldn't listen and then when the revolution began, they both closed ranks and stood fast until Gadhafi was executed by the mad gang from the city that he had had bombed with his artillery. Now Assad is using the same tactics of using artillery to level entire neighborhoods killing women, children and everyone who is there regardless of who they are. What makes men like Gadhafi and Assad think that they can personally own an entire country and maintain power for as long as they want, despite the will of the people. Don't forget that the revolution in Syria began over a year ago when a group of children - not yet teenagers, were arrested, tortured and then killed by security forces for writing anti-government grafitti on walls - As for the Houla massacre, all you have to know is that shortly before it occurred the area was hit by an artillery bombardment before the militias moved in to kill the people - and the rebels have no artillery. It is quite clear that the government of Syria is run by butchers and that they will be stripped of their power before this revolution and civil war is over, and that will be a good thing regardless of how it happens or who supports the revolutionaries. It is also quite clear, as was the case in Tunisa, Libya and Egypt, that this revolution is not an islamic revolt or a civil war between religious groups but an extension of the Arab Spring democratic revolutions, and like those in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, the dictator will eventually be removed and some sort of democratic system imposed, unless Russia and Iran intercede. The question isn't who committed the massacres, the question is why such men who have power refuse to give it up under any circumstances, even if it means the destruction of their entire country? BK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 “Already on April 16,” Anhar testifies, “Reuters news agency” reported that “50,000 opponents of the regime took to the streets of Damascus and were dispersed with tear gas and batons.” No one saw. But city dwellers know that this event could not have occurred without the city’s noticing. How many officers were needed to disperse it? How is it that no one has seen it except for Reuters? (this above Reuters report is an absurd fantasy) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This Reuters is a reliable source for some, I rather like to live in the real world. The whole Western mainstream media is lockstep with lies for the conquest of Syria for the formation of a obedient neocolonial state serving the interests of western economic/geopolitical aims. PRAVDA TODAY IS A BETTER SOURCE OF INFORMATION THAN MOST (IF NOT ALL) western MSM news outlets. lets review !! =================================================================================== The U.S. and Syria: Facts you should know by Joyce Chediac 6/27/12 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A REVIEW The following timeline reviews the progression of U.S.-NATO intervention in Syria and counteracts the Big Lie in the corporate media aimed at preparing open imperialist military aggression against the Syrian people. BK: NOTES: US and NATO HAVE NOT interveined in Syria, yet, and the BIG LIE is not being put forth by the corporate media for imperialist military aggression but it is the Syrian government and its military that has killed over 5,000 of its own people - the Syrian people, who started a peaceful, non-violent protest seeking democracy over a year ago, but have only recently resorted to defending themselves via the Free Syrian Army, mainly regular army defectors. That is the view of most ordinary Syrians and independent journalists on the ground, as well as the UN observers and every free thinking person knowledgeable of the situation. ● Washington has funneled money to a right-wing Syrian opposition group since at least 2005. (Washington Post, April 16, 2011 Syira Syria is run by right-wing military and the right wing Assad family, and any money Washington has funneled to Syria supports democratic institutions. ● The U.S. reopened its embassy in Damascus in January 2011 after six years. This was no thaw in relations. The new ambassador, Robert S. Ford, who served until October 2011, is a protégé of John Negroponte, who organized death squads in El Salvador in the 1970s and in Iraq while ambassador there in 2004-05. There terror squads killed tens of thousands. Ford served directly under Negroponte at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. There is no US embassy in Damascus anymore. If the US supported death squads in Syria they would have supported Assad, not the democratic revolutionaries. ● Ford “played a central role in laying the groundwork within Syria as well as establishing contacts with opposition groups.” Two months after he arrived in Damascus, the armed insurgency began. (Global Research, May 28) Then God Bless him for changing his position from support of dictators as he did in Latin America to support for the revolutions and the people. This is a major change in US policy that began in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt and carries over to Syria, a change that no one is talking about or acknowledging. ● Armed opposition to Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011 in Daraa, a small town on the Jordanian border. Mass protest movements usually start in large population centers. Later, Saudi Arabia admitted sending weapons to the opposition via Jordan. (RT, March 13) The Armed opposition to Assad began after a year of peaceful protests when members of the Syrian army defected and formed the Free Syrian Army. ● The U. S. and its NATO allies used grassroots protests in Egypt, Syria and elsewhere as a cover to build support for right-wing insurgencies whose goal was not to help the Syrian people but to bring Syria into the pro-imperialist camp. Any excesses or mistakes by the Assad government were not the real issue. There is no imperialist camp, the British, French, Dutch and other Imperialists nations of the 19th century were kicked out of their colonies by nationalists movements that began with the American Revolution. Those who compare the internal revolts of the Tunisian, Egyptian, Libyan and Syrian people against their dictatorial and tyrannical leaders fail to recognize the Arab Spring as a true regional democratic revolution. ● The Arab League, European Union and U.S. begin imposing economic sanctions, a form of warfare, against Syria in November 2011 on the pretext of stopping state-sanctioned violence against protesters. Stepped-up sanctions and freezing of Syrian assets caused the value of the Syrian pound to drop by 50 percent against the dollar, with the cost of necessities often tripling. All that is necessary for the economic sanctions to end is for the mass murdering tyrant Assad to relinquish power and allow the Syrian people to form their own government, create their own constitution and develop the society they want - not one ruled by a single family and sociopath. ● Exiles who received U.S. funding became part of the Syrian National Council. SNC’s Burhan Ghalioun said he would open up Syria to the West, end Syria’s strategic relationship with Iran (and with the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance), and realign Syria with the reactionary Arab regimes in the Gulf. (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 2, 2011) Of course the tyrannical Islamic Iran supports fellow despots, but Hamas and other terrorists orgs who Assad supported left Syria when the revolution began, some friends they are, the get when the getting was good. U.S. &NATO escalate involvement ● Ex-CIA agent Philip Giraldi admitted that the U.S. was involved in Syria and laid out the U.S. plan: “NATO is already clandestinely engaged in the Syrian conflict, with Turkey taking the lead as U.S. proxy. Ankara’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davitoglu, has openly admitted that his country is prepared to invade as soon as there is agreement among the Western allies to do so. The intervention would be based on humanitarian principles, to defend the civilian population based on the ‘responsibility to protect’ doctrine that was invoked to justify Libya.” (theamericanconservative.com, Dec. 19, 2011 Somebody with weapons and military power should get in there and defeat the bullies currently killing the Syrian civilians with artillery and butchering militias, and if it isn't the UN or NATO, maybe Blackwater, the IRA, 007 or the Knights of the Round table should inteveine but somebody should help those people and take out Assad and his henchmen. ● Giraldi continued: “Unmarked NATO warplanes are arriving at Turkish military bases close to … the Syrian border, delivering weapons from the late Muammar Gaddafi’s arsenals as well as volunteers from the Libyan Transitional National Council who are experienced in pitting local volunteers against trained soldiers. … French and British special forces trainers are on the ground, assisting the Syrian rebels while the CIA and U.S. Spec Ops are providing communications equipment and intelligence. … US Special Forces could do it alone, but of course they will be viewed as "imperialists" so it will be up to the Syrian Free Army to do it. ● “The frequently cited United Nations report that more than 3,500 civilians have been killed by Assad’s soldiers is based largely on rebel sources and is uncorroborated. Likewise, accounts of mass defections from the Syrian Army and pitched battles between deserters and loyal soldiers appear to be a fabrication, with few defections being confirmed independently. Syrian government claims that it is being assaulted by rebels who are armed, trained, and financed by foreign governments are more true than false. It is a figure based on the number of graves dug for the dead. If the Syrian Army defections is a fabrication, then who is fighting the Syrian army today? ● The “Free Syrian Army” has rear bases in Turkey, is funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and is made up of defecting Syrian soldiers. Spiegel Online sites a source in Beirut who reports seeing “‘hundreds of foreign fighters’ who have attached themselves to the FSA.” (Feb. 15) Where can I sign up? ● The U.N.-mandated commission of inquiry, in its February 2012 report, documented torture, taking of hostages, and executions by armed opposition members. Maybe they were the parents of the kids Assad's secrity forces killed that started the revolution in the first place. Paybacks are a bitch. ● The first heavy fighting in Syria’s capital, Damascus, started in March. Pipelines were blown up, and huge explosions ripped through intelligence and security buildings in Christian areas on March 16, killing at least 27 people. The Syrian government charged then that terrorist attacks supported from abroad have been responsible for eight car bomb attacks since December, killing 328 and wounding 657. This got little Western media attention. They're just getting started. The Free Syrian Army terrorists are just beginning an offensive, so prepare for more deaths. ● Human Rights Watch on March 20 accused armed Syrian opposition members of “Kidnappings, the use of torture and executions … of security force members, individuals identified as members of government-supported militias, and individuals identified as government allies and supporters.” They are also using assassination as a weapon - as they have for the past few thousand years. ● In the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs, the armed opposition has formed its own laws, courts and death squads, according to Spiegel Online. Abu Rami, an opposition commander in Baba Amir, interviewed by Spiegel, said in the city of Homs his group has executed between 200 and 250 people. (March 29) You mean Assad isn't the only butcher in Syria? U.N. steps in ● Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan went to Syria in March at the behest of the U.N. and Arab League to put together a peace proposal. But Annan and the U.N. are not impartial. Annan is an architect of the “responsibility to protect” doctrine, cited by former CIA agent Giraldi as the planned pretext for intervention in Syria. The U.N. endorsed this doctrine under Annan’s tenure. Nobody is protecting the people of Syria. The UN and NATO are helpless. ● In 2004, Annan gave U.N. approval to the U.S., French and Canadian intervention that deposed Haiti’s President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Annan’s stated reasons were the same then as now in Syria: an alleged impending “humanitarian catastrophe.” Annan provided a similar U.N. cover for France to tighten its colonial grasp on the Ivory Coast in 2006. In Syria, Annan’s calls for a Syrian government ceasefire and for outside “humanitarian” aid are really calls for foreign intervention. The Latin American comparison doesn't hold up in the middle east. ● Syria agreed to an Annan-brokered ceasefire March 27. The opposition refused. While the Western heads of state and the corporate media heaped blame on Assad for “not honoring” the ceasefire, the West kept arming the opposition. Why should they honor a ceasefire that permits Assad, a mass murder and psychopath to remain in power? ● What the U.S. government really thought of the ceasefire was revealed by Robert Grenier, former director of the CIA’s Counter-Terrorism Center, who called upon those who would “help” Syria “to climb metaphorically into the ring and dirty themselves,” adding, “what the situation needs is not high-minded sentiments, but effective, lethal aid.” (Al Jazeera, March 29) Yea, where's James Bond when we need him to just kill Assad and end the bloodshed? ● As the imperialists “climbed into the ring,” they continued to blame Assad. Speaking at an anti-Assad “Friends of Syria” meeting in Istanbul on April 1, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Assad had “defiled” the ceasefire. She called for Damascus to unilaterally stop fighting and withdraw from areas of heavy right-wing infiltration. She said the U.S had pledged at least $25 million in “nonlethal” aid to the Syrian opposition, which included satellite communication equipment. The only imperialists in this war are Russia and Iran. ● By May, the reactionaries “have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons … paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated … by the U.S.” (Washington Post, May 15) “The Syrian rebels have received their first ‘third generation’ anti-tank weapons. They are supplied by Saudi and Qatari intelligence agencies following a secret message from President Barack Obama.” (debkafile.com, May 22) Russia is sending in more tanks, so maybe if the rebels get weapons it will be a fair fight after all. The only thing you have to know about the Houla massacre is that it was preceeded by an artillery bombardment by Assad forces. The rest is all BS The Houla massacre ● Right before a scheduled visit to Syria by Annan, news broke of a horrible massacre of 108 people in Houla on May 25, which included whole families and as many as 48 children. Headlines worldwide blamed the Syrian government, and all Western capitals called for increased sanctions and more international pressure on Assad. ● By May 27, the imperialists had coordinated their “international outrage” and expelled Syrian diplomats from the U.S., the Netherlands, Australia, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and Canada. ● The U.N. Security Council reacted to the massacre -- with no investigation as to who was responsible -- by unanimously condemning Syria for allegedly using tanks and artillery after agreeing to a ceasefire. Ignored were statements from the Assad government that it was not responsible. A closer look showed this was the case. ● Marat Musin, reporting for Russia’s ANNA News, was in Houla and interviewed witnesses right after the massacre. Musin determined that the massacre was committed by the so-called Free Syrian Army, not the Assad forces. His report concluded: “The attack was carried out by a unit of armed fighters from Rastan, in which more than 700 gunmen were involved. They brought the city under their control and began with a cleansing action against loyalist [pro-Assad] families, including elderly people, women and also children. The dead were presented to … the U.N. and the ‘international community’ as victims of the Syrian army.” (May 31) The conservative German newspaper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, corroborated the ANNA report on June 7. ● Residents knew many of the killers by name and identified them as local criminal elements now working for the FSA. (Syria News, May 31) Anti-Assad forces then posed as villagers and invited the U.N. observers in. Some put on uniforms of the Syrian soldiers they had killed and said they were defectors. ● A widely shown photo of dozens of shrouded bodies, which the BBC first presented as the aftermath of Houla, was really taken by photographer Marco di Lauro in Iraq in March 2003. ● BBC world news editor Jon Williams admitted in his blog June 7 that there was no evidence whatsoever to identify either the Syrian Army or Alawite militias as the perpetrators of the May 25 massacre. United Kingdom’s Channel 4 senior reporter Alex Thomson said June 7 that the opposition led him into a line of fire and tried to get him killed by Syrian military forces so it would “look bad” for Assad. ● There has been no independent investigation of Houla to date, yet at a June 7 meeting, Annan and current U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon again made statements putting the responsibility for the Houla massacre on Assad. ● Major General Robert Mood, head of the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria, suspended patrols of the 300-member team on June 16, citing “spiraling violence in restive areas.” The suspension was right before the G-20 Summit in Mexico, providing another opportunity for imperialism to criticize Assad. ● In initial remarks, Annan called the Houla massacre the “tipping point.” The deaths at Houla have been used by the U.S. and NATO to more aggressively and openly organize for Assad’s overthrow. U.S. officials and Arab intelligence officers admit that the CIA is in southern Turkey funneling weapons to the FSA. It is also there to “make new sources and recruit people.” (New York Times, June 21) ● As a result, “The onetime ragtag militias of the Syrian opposition are developing into a more effective fighting force with the help of an increasingly sophisticated network of activists here in southern Turkey that is smuggling crucial supplies across the border including weapons, communication gear, field hospitals and even salaries for soldiers who defect. The network reflects an effort to forge an opposition movement ... that together can not only defeat ... Assad but also replace his government.” (New York Times, June 26) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 (edited) AS POSTED 30 minutes ago, Bill Kelly on the sidelines cheering for human hell on earth (COMING SOON TO SYRIA) ===================================================================== Former Libyan Prime Minister 'tortured' WA today - 28 minutes ago Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi: extradited to Tripoli from Tunisia. ... Spokesman Nassar al-Manaa said: ''Al-Bagdadi al-Mahmoudi is in good health and he is in need ... Baghdadi Mahmoudi Faces Torture and Death in Libya June 2nd, 2012 http://www.thepeople...orture-and-deat +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Amnesty finds widespread use of torture by Libyan militias | World ...www.guardian.co.uk › News › World news › LibyaCached Feb 16, 2012 – Hundreds of armed militias operating independently of central authorities, according to report by human rights group. Torture in Libya: The ugly reality of imperialist “liberation”wsws.org/articles/2012/feb2012/pers-f01.shtmlCached ================== Feb 1, 2012 – The multiple reports of torture in the detention centers run by the new imperialist-backed Libyan regime and NATO's “rebels” give the lie to all ... Libyan diplomat dies after torture: rights group | Reuterswww.reuters.com/.../02/.../us-libya-torture-idUSTRE8120N9201202...Cached ================== Feb 3, 2012 – TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A Libyan diplomat who served as ambassador to France for Muammar Gaddafi died from torture within a day of being ... 'Tortured' Libyan wants answers from Blair - Telegraphwww.telegraph.co.uk › News › ================== Apr 11, 2012 – A Libyan military commander who is suing the British Government over its alleged complicity in his rendition and torture has demanded ... MSF withdraws staff over Libya torture cases - Telegraphwww.telegraph.co.uk › ... › Africa and Indian Ocean › ================== Jan 26, 2012 – Medicins San Frontieres pulled its staff out of detention facilities in a Libyan city yesterday after witnessing more than 100 cases of torture ... Amnesty accuses Libyan militias of unbridled torture - World - CBC ...www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/02/.../libya-torture-amnesty.html ================== Armed militia groups in Libya have turned on one another and now rule most of the country, torturing their opponents with impunity, Amnesty ... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Libya teeters on edge of civil war by Konstantin Garibov 1/27/12 ################################# -"There have been clashes between Arabs and Berbers and between other tribes on ethnic grounds. It’s also important that the so-called fighters for freedom and democracy came to power in Libya with the help of NATO, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and France which supplied planes or special task forces. For Libyans, the National Transitional Council is not legitimate." -"There has been no revolution in Libya. The western media have made it all up. From the very outset, it was clear that whoever would come to power after Gaddafi would be unable to rule the country or maintain its territorial integrity. Many Arabic scholars foresaw a split and it came sooner than expected. The reality is that Libya has entered a civil war." The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay and the UN Libya envoy Ian Martin have expressed concern over the situation in Libya where they say the new authorities have failed to assert full authority and instill order. The recent clashes between pro-Gaddafi supporters and NTC forces were provoked by both parties, Ian Martin said. Until recently, the interim authorities managed to handle these kinds of incidents fairly well but they might happen again in the future, the UN human rights commissioner said. On Monday armed units of pro-Gaddafi supporters seized Bani Walid where the elders had passed a no-confidence motion against the central government. Sweeping violence also gripped Benghazi and Tripoli. Bani Walid returned under the control of the Libyan government by Wednesday. The attacks by pro-Gaddafi forces are taking place amid the acute crisis that has hit the NTC and Libya as a whole. Alexei Podtserob of the Institute of Oriental Studies, comments. "There have been clashes between Arabs and Berbers and between other tribes on ethnic grounds. It’s also important that the so-called fighters for freedom and democracy came to power in Libya with the help of NATO, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and France which supplied planes or special task forces. For Libyans, the National Transitional Council is not legitimate." The revolutionaries are disgruntled at the absence of transparency in the government’s work, its failure to pay compensations promised and the presence of former Gaddafi functionaries in the current leadership. For this reason, many experts believe that the NTC is incapable of taking the situation under control. Andrei Volodin of the Center for Oriental Research at the Russian Foreign Ministry, has this to say. "There has been no revolution in Libya. The western media have made it all up. From the very outset, it was clear that whoever would come to power after Gaddafi would be unable to rule the country or maintain its territorial integrity. Many Arabic scholars foresaw a split and it came sooner than expected. The reality is that Libya has entered a civil war." The so-called Arab Spring revolutions naturally spill into full-scale civil wars, Yevgeny Satanovsky of the Institute of the Middle East says. Given this, the new regimes are unlikely to see stability in the near future. According to Satanovsky, the current turmoil in Libya has the potential to wreak havoc across North Africa, and the unrest in Yemen may plunge the whole of the Arabian Peninsula into chaos. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine: http://groups.yahoo....opnato/messages Stop NATO website and articles: http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com ============================================================================ Destroying a Country's Standard of Living: What Libya Had Achieved, What has been Destroyed by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky 9/20/11 ################################################ "There is no tomorrow" under a NATO sponsored Al Qaeda rebellion. While a "pro-democracy" rebel government has been instated, the country has been destroyed. Against the backdrop of war propaganda, Libya's economic and social achievements over the last thirty years, have been brutally reversed: The [Libyan Arab Jamahiriya] has had a high standard of living and a robust per capita daily caloric intake of 3144. The country has made strides in public health and, since 1980, child mortality rates have dropped from 70 per thousand live births to 19 in 2009. Life expectancy has risen from 61 to 74 years of age during the same span of years. (FAO, Rome, Libya, Country Profile,) According to sectors of the "Progressive Left" which have endorsed NATO's R2P mandate: "The mood across Libya, particularly in Tripoli, is absolutely —like there’s just a feeling of euphoria everywhere. People are incredibly excited about starting afresh. There’s a real sense of rebirth, a feeling that their lives are starting anew. (DemocracyNow.org, September 14, 2011 emphasis added) The rebels are casually presented as "liberators". The central role of Al Qaeda affilated terrorists within rebel ranks is not mentioned. "Starting afresh" in the wake of destruction? Fear and Social Despair, Countless Deaths and Atrocities, amply documented by the independent media. No euphoria.... A historical reversal in the country's economic and social development has occurred. The achievements have been erased. The NATO invasion and occupation marks the ruinous "rebirth" of Libya's standard of living That is the forbidden and unspoken truth: an entire Nation has been destabilized and destroyed, its people driven into abysmal poverty. The objective of the NATO bombings from the outset was to destroy the country's standard of living, its health infrastructure, its schools and hospitals, its water distribution system. And then "rebuild" with the help of donors and creditors under the helm of the IMF and the World Bank. The diktats of the "free market" are a precondition for the instatement of a Western style "democratic dictatorship ". About nine thousand strike sorties, tens of thousands of strikes on civilian targets including residential areas, government buildings, water supply and electricity generation facilities. (See NATO Communique, September 5, 2011. 8140 strike sorties from March 31 to September 5, 2011) An entire nation has been bombed with the most advanced ordnance, including uranium coated ammunition. Already in August, UNICEF warned that extensive NATO bombing of Libya's water infrastructure "could turn into an unprecedented health epidemic “ (Christian Balslev-Olesen of UNICEF's Libya Office, August 2011). Meanwhile investors and donors have positioned themselves. "War is Good for Business'. NATO, the Pentagon and the Washington based international financial institutions (IFIs) operate in close coordination. What has been destroyed by NATO will be rebuilt, financed by Libya's external creditors under the helm of the "Washington Consensus": "Specifically, the [World] Bank has been asked to examine the need for repair and restoration of services in the water, energy and transport sectors [bombed by NATO] and, in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, to support budget preparation [austerity measures] and help the banking sector back on to its feet [The Libyan Central bank was one of the first government buildings to be bombed]. Employment generation for young Libyans has been added as an urgent need facing the country." (World Bank to Help Libya Rebuild and Deliver Essential Services to Citizens emphasis added) Libya's Development Achievements Whatever one's views regarding Moamar Gadaffi, the post-colonial Libyan government played a key role in eliminating poverty and developing the country's health and educational infrastructure. According to Italian Journalist Yvonne de Vito, "Differently from other countries that went through a revolution – Libya is considered to be the Switzerland of the African continent and is very rich and schools are free for the people. Hospitals are free for the people. And the conditions for women are much better than in other Arab countries." (Russia Today, August 25, 2011) These developments are in sharp contrast to what most Third World countries were able to "achieve" under Western style "democracy" and "governance" in the context of a standard IMF-World Bank Structural Adjustment program (SAP). Public Health Care Public Health Care in Libya prior to NATO's "Humanitarian Intervention" was the best in Africa. "Health care is [was] available to all citizens free of charge by the public sector. The country boasts the highest literacy and educational enrolment rates in North Africa. The Government is [was] substantially increasing the development budget for health services.... (WHO Libya Country Brief ) Confirmed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), undernourishment was less than 5 %, with a daily per capita calorie intake of 3144 calories. (FAO caloric intake figures indicate availability rather than consumption). The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya provided to its citizens what is denied to many Americans: Free public health care, free education, as confirmed by WHO and UNESCO data. According to the World Health Organization (WHO): Life expectancy at birth was 72.3 years (2009), among the highest in the developing World. Under 5 mortality rate per 1000 live births declined from 71 in 1991 to 14 in 2009 (http://www.who.int/c...rief_lby_en.pdf) Libyan Arab Jamahiriya General information 2009 Total population (000) 6 420 Annual population growth rate (%) ^ 2.0 Population 0-14 years (%) 28 Rural population (%) ^ 22 Total fertility rate (births per woman) ^ 2.6 Infant mortality rate (0/00) ^ 17 Life expectancy at birth (years) ^ 75 GDP per capita (PPP) US$ ^ 16 502 GDP growth rate (%) ^ 2.1 Total debt service as a % of GNI ^ ... Children of primary school-age who are out of school (%) (1978) 2 Source: UNESCO. Libya Country Profile -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (2009) Total life expectancy at birth (years) 72.3 Male life expectancy at birth (years) 70.2 Female life expectancy at birth (years) 74.9 Newborns with low birth weight (%) 4.0 Children underweight (%) 4.8 Perinatal mortality rate per 1000 total births 19 Neonatal mortality rate 11.0 Infant mortality rate (per 1000 live births) 14.0 Under five mortality rate (per 1000 live births) 20.1 Maternal mortality ratio (per 10000 live births) 23 Source WHO http://www.emro.who....x.aspx?Ctry=liy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Education The adult literacy rate was of the order of 89%, (2009), (94% for males and 83% for females). 99.9% of youth are literate (UNESCO 2009 figures, See UNESCO, Libya Country Report) Gross primary school enrolment ratio was 97% for boys and 97% for girls (2009) . (see UNESCO tables at http://stats.uis.une...BR_Region=40525 The pupil teacher ratio in Libya's primary schools was of the order of 17 (1983 UNESCO data), 74% of school children graduating from primary school were enrolled in secondary school (1983 UNESCO data). Based on more recent date, which confirms a marked increase in school enrolment, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in secondary schools was of the order of 108% in 2002. The GER is the number of pupils enrolled in a given level of education regardless of age expressed as a percentage of the population in the theoretical age group for that level of education. For tertiary enrolment (postsecondary, college and university), the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) was of the order of 54% in 2002 (52 for males, 57 for females). (For further details see http://stats.uis.une...BR_Region=40525 Women's Rights With regard to Women's Rights, World Bank data point to significant achievements. "In a relative short period of time, Libya achieved universal access for primary education, with 98% gross enrollment for secondary, and 46% for tertiary education. In the past decade, girls’ enrollment increased by 12% in all levels of education. In secondary and tertiary education, girls outnumbered boys by 10%." (World Bank Libya Country Brief, emphasis added) Price Controls over Essential Food Staples In most developing countries, essential food prices have skyrocketed, as a result of market deregulation, the lifting of price controls and the eliminaiton of subsidies, under "free market" advice from the World Bank and the IMF. In recent years, essential food and fuel prices have spiralled as a result of speculative trade on the major commodity exchanges. Libya was one of the few countries in the developing World which maintained a system of price controls over essential food staples. World Bank President Robert Zoellick acknowledged in an April 2011 statement that the price of essential food staples had increased by 36 percent in the course of the last year. See Robert Zoellick, World Bank The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya had established a system of price controls over essential food staples, which was maintained until the onset of the NATO led war. While rising food prices in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt spearheaded social unrest and political dissent, the system of food subsidies in Libya was maintained. These are the facts confirmed by several UN specialised agencies. "Missile Diplomacy" and "The Free Market" War and Globalization are intiricately related. The IMF and NATO work in tandem, in liason with the Washington think tanks. The NATO operation purports to enforce the neoliberal economic agenda. Countries which are reluctant to accept the sugar coated bullets of IMF "economic medicine" will eventually be the object of a R2P NATO humanitarian operation. Déjà Vu? Under the British Empire, "gun boat diplomacy" was a means to imposing "free trade". On October 5, 1850, England's Envoy to the Kingdom of Siam, Sir James Brooke recommended to Her Majesty's government that: "should these just demands [to impose free trade] be refused, a force should be present, immediately to enforce them by the rapid destruction of the defenses of the [Chaopaya] river... Siam may be taught the lesson which it has long been tempting-- its Government may be remodelled, A better disposed king placed on the throne and an influence acquired in the country which will make it of immense commercial importance to England" (The Mission of Sir James Brooke, quoted in M.L. Manich Jumsai, King Mongkut and Sir John Bowring, Chalermit, Bangkok, 1970, p. 23) Today we call it "Regime Change" and "Missile Diplomacy" which invariably takes the shape of a UN sponsored "No Fly Zone". Its objective is to impose the IMF's deadly "economic medicine" of austerity measures and privatization. The World Bank financed "reconstruction" programs of war torn countries are coordinated with US-NATO military planning. They are invariably formulated prior to onslaught of the military campaign... Confiscating Libyan Financial Assets Libya`s frozen overseas financial assets are estimated to be of the order of $150 billion, with NATO countries holding more than $100 billion. Prior to the war, Libya had no debts. In fact quite the opposite. It was a creditor nation investing in neighboring African countries. The R2P military intervention is intended to spearhead the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya into the straightjacket of an indebted developing country, under the surveillance of the Washington based Bretton Woods institutions. In a bitter irony, after having stolen Libya's oil wealth and confiscated its overseas financial assets, the "donor community" has pledged to lend the (stolen) money back to finance Libya's post-war "reconstruction". Libya is slated to join the ranks of indebted African countries which have driven into poverty by IMF and the World Bank since the onsalught of the debt crisis in the early 1980s: The IMF promised a further $35-billion in funding [loans] to countries affected by Arab Spring uprisings and formally recognized Libya’s ruling interim council as a legitimate power, opening up access to a myriad of international lenders as the country [Libya] looks to rebuild after a six-month war. ... Getting IMF recognition is significant for Libya’s interim leaders as it means international development banks and donors such as the World Bank can now offer financing. The Marseille talks came a few days after world leaders agreed in Paris to free up billions of dollars in frozen assets [stolen money] to help [through loans] Libya’s interim rulers restore vital services and rebuild after a conflict that ended a 42-year dictatorship. The financing deal by the Group of Seven major economies plus Russia is aimed at supporting reform efforts [iMF sponsored structural adjustment] in the wake of uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East. The financing is mostly in the form of loans, rather than outright grants, and is provided half by G8 and Arab countries and half by various lenders and development banks. (Financial Post, September 10, 2011,) ######################################## BILL Ive told you again,again,again and again....its about western control of resources and national slavery to imposed DEBT. BILL YOU ARE PRO SLAVERY by supporting false liberation in said Arab-Spring. Its real name should be BANKERS SPRING --------------------- see http://www.rt.com/news/imf-egypt-tunisia-mackell/ Edited June 28, 2012 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Colby Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 “Already on April 16,” Anhar testifies, “Reuters news agency” reported that “50,000 opponents of the regime took to the streets of Damascus and were dispersed with tear gas and batons.” No one saw. But city dwellers know that this event could not have occurred without the city’s noticing. How many officers were needed to disperse it? How is it that no one has seen it except for Reuters? (this above Reuters report is an absurd fantasy) You believe that anything that contradicts your rigid world view "is an absurd fantasy" got any evidence it is not true? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++This Reuters is a reliable source for some, I rather like to live in the real world. The whole Western mainstream media is lockstep with lies for the conquest of Syria for the formation of a obedient neocolonial state serving the interests of western economic/geopolitical aims. PRAVDA TODAY IS A BETTER SOURCE OF INFORMATION THAN MOST (IF NOT ALL) western MSM news outlets. lets review !! =================================================================================== The U.S. and Syria: Facts you should know by Joyce Chediac 6/27/12 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A REVIEW Typical of the crap you post here most of the claims are unsourced, I’ll only deal with the ones that are: ● Washington has funneled money to a right-wing Syrian opposition group since at least 2005. (Washington Post, April 16, 2011) The citation is inadequate we aren’t told the title, author or even the name of the group or even given a direct quote. I searched the WashPo’s database and are no articles with the keywords <syria> and <2005> 04/15/2011 - 04/17/2011. The author pretty clearly was referring to “U.S. provides secret backing to Syrian opposition - leaked cables reveal funding - Projects include satellite TV channel, but that was published April 18, 2001. But the wrong date was the least of her errors: - the cited article indicated the State Dept. gave money to a few groups but it only named Barada TV, a London based “satellite TV channel that beams anti-government programming into the country” and the “closely affiliated” exile group Movement for Justice and Development. Though your author claimed they were “right-wing” the only indication of the group’s political leanings was ‘U.S. cables describe its leaders as “liberal, moderate Islamists” who are former members of the Muslim Brotherhood’ i.e. a direct contradiction of the bloggers characterization. Al-Jazeera described Barada as a “reformist satellite channel”. But perhaps from Ms. Chediac’s perspective it is ‘right-wing’ she is a member of the hardcore Stalinist-Maoist Workers World Party known for its support of Hamas, Hezbollah, “the Soviet invasion of Hungary…. Slobodan Milosevic, Saddam Hussein…Kim Jong-il [and] the Chinese crackdown on the “counter-revolutionary rebellion” in Tiananmen Square,” but by that standard John Simkin is ‘right-wing’. - Ms. Chediac claimed the group had been receiving money “since at least 2005” but the WP said “The U.S. money for Syrian opposition figures began flowing…in 2005” with no indication it might have begun earlier and “It is unclear whether the State Department is still funding Syrian opposition groups, but the cables indicate money was set aside at least through September 2010” ● The U.S. reopened its embassy in Damascus in January 2011 after six years. This was no thaw in relations. The new ambassador, Robert S. Ford, who served until October 2011, is a protégé of John Negroponte, who organized death squads in El Salvador in the 1970s and in Iraq while ambassador there in 2004-05. There terror squads killed tens of thousands. Ford served directly under Negroponte at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. [uS ambassador to Syria in 2011 Robert S.] Ford “played a central role in laying the groundwork within Syria as well as establishing contacts with opposition groups.” Two months after he arrived in Damascus, the armed insurgency began. (Global Research, May 28) Her cited source, a Canadian economis professor, provided no evidence or citations for these claims. ● Armed opposition to Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011 in Daraa, a small town on the Jordanian border. Mass protest movements usually start in large population centers. Later, Saudi Arabia admitted sending weapons to the opposition via Jordan. (RT, March 13) Another inadequate citation, I’m not going to track this one down, the claim “mass protest movements usually start in large population centers” has been dealt with previously additional exceptions include the Cuban and Chinese revolutions and Che’s failed revolution in Bolivia. It also ignores there were protests in Damascus which were violently suppressed. The maps below come from the 2/15/2012 Spiegel article cited by your author (see below) so it seems there is/was quite a bit of activity in cities and far from the border. ● Exiles who received U.S. funding became part of the Syrian National Council. SNC’s Burhan Ghalioun said he would open up Syria to the West, end Syria’s strategic relationship with Iran (and with the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance), and realign Syria with the reactionary Arab regimes in the Gulf. (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 2, 2011) Yet another inadequate citation, but I tracked it down. Only the part below is available free of charge. Since Ms. Chediac was so unreliable regarding the WP article, and cherry picked 2 other sources (see below) there is no reason believe the rest. I doubt many reasonable people would think this negative. Since the new gov’t would be majority Sunni it is not surprising they would cut ties with Shiite groups that backed the oppressive Assad regime. Wall Street Journal - MIDDLE EAST NEWS - December 2, 2011 Syria Would Cut Iran Military Tie, Opposition Head Says BY JAY SOLOMON AND NOUR MALAS PARIS—A Syrian government run by the country's main opposition group would cut Damascus's military relationship to Iran and end arms supplies to Middle East militant groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, the group's leader said, raising the prospect of a dramatic realignment of powers at the region's core. Burhan Ghalioun, the president of the Syrian National Council, said such moves would be part of a broader Syrian reorientation back into an alliance with the region's major Arab powers. Mr. Ghalioun's comments came Wednesday, in his first major media interview since he was made SNC leader in October. Mr. Ghalioun also ... U.S. &NATO escalate involvement ● Ex-CIA agent Philip Giraldi admitted that the U.S. was involved in Syria and laid out the U.S. plan: “NATO is already clandestinely engaged in the Syrian conflict, with Turkey taking the lead as U.S. proxy. Ankara’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davitoglu, has openly admitted that his country is prepared to invade as soon as there is agreement among the Western allies to do so. The intervention would be based on humanitarian principles, to defend the civilian population based on the ‘responsibility to protect’ doctrine that was invoked to justify Libya.” (theamericanconservative.com, Dec. 19, 2011) ● Giraldi continued: “Unmarked NATO warplanes are arriving at Turkish military bases close to … the Syrian border, delivering weapons from the late Muammar Gaddafi’s arsenals as well as volunteers from the Libyan Transitional National Council who are experienced in pitting local volunteers against trained soldiers. … French and British special forces trainers are on the ground, assisting the Syrian rebels while the CIA and U.S. Spec Ops are providing communications equipment and intelligence. … The correct verb is ‘claimed’ not ‘admitted’ there would be no reason for him to deny any of this since it is in line with his current politics. He did not provide any evidence or citations, he served 16 – 19 years (accounts vary) in the CIA ending in 1992 i.e. he’s been out longer than he was in. That said as previously pointed out foreign aid wouldn’t lessen the rebel’s legitimacy: the American, Cuban and Nicaraguan revolutions, Mujahedeen and ANC all received it as well. ● The “Free Syrian Army” has rear bases in Turkey, is funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and is made up of defecting Syrian soldiers. Spiegel Online sites a source in Beirut who reports seeing “‘hundreds of foreign fighters’ who have attached themselves to the FSA.” (Feb. 15) Spiegel classified this as a “rumor” ● Human Rights Watch on March 20 accused armed Syrian opposition members of “Kidnappings, the use of torture and executions … of security force members, individuals identified as members of government-supported militias, and individuals identified as government allies and supporters.” From the same editorial: Human Rights Watch has repeatedly documented and condemned widespread violations by Syrian government security forces and officials, including disappearances, use of torture and forced televised confessions, arbitrary detentions, indiscriminate shelling of neighborhoods, and deaths in custody under torture. […] While the protest movement in Syria was overwhelmingly peaceful until September 2011, since then Human Rights Watch has documented apparent crimes and other abuses committed by armed opposition elements. These crimes and abuses include the kidnapping… […] We recognize that the perpetrators of these abuses are not always easy to identify nor do they necessarily belong to an organized command structure that follows the orders of the SNC or other opposition groups. Some reports received by Human Rights Watch indicate that in addition to armed groups with political motivations, criminal gangs, sometimes operating in the name of the opposition, may be carrying out some of these crimes. […] Note that my 2nd excerpt immediately preceded hers thus she committed an egregious case of cherry picking. ● In the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs, the armed opposition has formed its own laws, courts and death squads, according to Spiegel Online. Abu Rami, an opposition commander in Baba Amir, interviewed by Spiegel, said in the city of Homs his group has executed between 200 and 250 people. (March 29) Perhaps this will come as a surprise to your author but wars, especially civil ones, are bloody affairs. The Syria gov’t has killed many more. The passage immediately following the one she paraphrased was: He dismisses any doubts about whether these people were really all guilty and whether they received a fair trial. "We make great efforts to investigate thoroughly," Abu Rami says. "Sometimes we acquit people, too." ● What the U.S. government really thought of the ceasefire was revealed by Robert Grenier, former director of the CIA’s Counter-Terrorism Center, who called upon those who would “help” Syria “to climb metaphorically into the ring and dirty themselves,” adding, “what the situation needs is not high-minded sentiments, but effective, lethal aid.” (Al Jazeera, March 29) Grenier was promoted (2005) then fired in (2006) when Bush was POTUS there is no reason to assume his views reflect those views of the current administration or even those of the previous one. ● By May, the reactionaries “have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons … paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated … by the U.S.” (Washington Post, May 15) “The Syrian rebels have received their first ‘third generation’ anti-tank weapons. They are supplied by Saudi and Qatari intelligence agencies following a secret message from President Barack Obama.” (debkafile.com, May 22) The classification of the rebels as “reactionaries” of course came from the author not the WP as noted above numerous revolutions received outside aid. ● Marat Musin, reporting for Russia’s ANNA News, was in Houla and interviewed witnesses right after the massacre. Musin determined that the massacre was committed by the so-called Free Syrian Army, not the Assad forces. His report concluded: “The attack was carried out by a unit of armed fighters from Rastan, in which more than 700 gunmen were involved. They brought the city under their control and began with a cleansing action against loyalist [pro-Assad] families, including elderly people, women and also children. The dead were presented to … the U.N. and the ‘international community’ as victims of the Syrian army.” (May 31) The conservative German newspaper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, corroborated the ANNA report on June 7. These accounts are contradicted the UN and other media outlets, many of Musin’s witnesses seem to have been in or closely tied to the police. Undisputed is that most victims of this conflict are Sunnis. It’s hard to know what exactly happened because the Syrian government has severely restricted the access of outside observers. ● Residents knew many of the killers by name and identified them as local criminal elements now working for the FSA. (Syria News, May 31) Anti-Assad forces then posed as villagers and invited the U.N. observers in. Some put on uniforms of the Syrian soldiers they had killed and said they were defectors. This is an overtly pro-government website and is associated with the Syrian Economic Center which seems to be a governmental or semi-governmental agency“ ● A widely shown photo of dozens of shrouded bodies, which the BBC first presented as the aftermath of Houla, was really taken by photographer Marco di Lauro in Iraq in March 2003. Already discussed ● BBC world news editor Jon Williams admitted in his blog June 7 that there was no evidence whatsoever to identify either the Syrian Army or Alawite militias as the perpetrators of the May 25 massacre. United Kingdom’s Channel 4 senior reporter Alex Thomson said June 7 that the opposition led him into a line of fire and tried to get him killed by Syrian military forces so it would “look bad” for Assad. Already discussed ● In initial remarks, Annan called the Houla massacre the “tipping point.” The deaths at Houla have been used by the U.S. and NATO to more aggressively and openly organize for Assad’s overthrow. U.S. officials and Arab intelligence officers admit that the CIA is in southern Turkey funneling weapons to the FSA. It is also there to “make new sources and recruit people.” (New York Times, June 21) As noted repeatedly various revolutions had outside help. ● As a result, “The onetime ragtag militias of the Syrian opposition are developing into a more effective fighting force with the help of an increasingly sophisticated network of activists here in southern Turkey that is smuggling crucial supplies across the border including weapons, communication gear, field hospitals and even salaries for soldiers who defect. The network reflects an effort to forge an opposition movement ... that together can not only defeat ... Assad but also replace his government.” (New York Times, June 26) As noted repeatedly various revolutions had outside help. The militias once having been “ragtag” reinforces the notion they represent Syrians discontent with their government rather than foreign proxys SOURCES PDF of front page of 4/18/11 WP includes beginning of article: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2011/04/201142075133794563.html Complete text http://ted3.blog.com/ WP link, $3.95 for text http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/2322459491.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Apr+18%2C+2011&author=Craig+Whitlock&pub=The+Washington+Post&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=U.S.+provides+secret+backing+to+Syrian+opposition Al-Jazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2011/04/201142075133794563.html Article about the WWP http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/80922/one-percent?utm_source=TabletMagazineList&utm_campaign=21b9c3ab99-10_18_2011&utm_medium=email Giraldi biohttp://www.councilforthenationalinterest.org/staff/ HRW http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/03/20/open-letter-leaders-syrian-opposition Spiegel 2/15/2012 http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/islamists-against-assad-foreign-extremists-a-danger-to-syria-s-revolution-a-815415.html Spiegel 3/30/2012 http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/profile-of-rebels-in-homs-and-their-executioners-a-824603.html http://www.syria-news.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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