05 September 2013

By Ahmed Abdullah

Obama issued a statement on the situation in Syria. He said the United States should take military action against military targets in Syria. However, Obama will wait for the decision of the Congress, which will meet after the holidays on September 9.

Obama said that the Congress would have time to weigh all "pros" and "cons" before the vote. He also noted that waiting was still needed for the conclusion of UN experts who had travelled to Syria to inspect the area of ??the use of chemical weapons.

Obama said: "We need to take action. We will carry out an operation, limited in time and scope. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs informed me that we had prepared to strike whenever we choose. I'm confident to go forward without the approval of a United Nations Security Council", said the president of the United States. "The military operation could start tomorrow, or next week, or one month from now", Obama declared.

However, he stressed although his government had "authority to carry out this military action without specific congressional authorization", but the US should be "stronger as a nation", and therefore he would "take a decision after debates in the Congress".

The Obama's speech aroused skepticism in Russia.

A political analyst Dmitry Babich believes that Obama is afraid of responsibility:

"He's afraid to take 100 % responsibility for the consequences of the war in Syria. Obama thinks like - a kind of a decision should be taken, but let someone else, not me, be responsible for this is case something happens".

Babich had also expressed a view that the US Congress would also try to shift the responsibility on someone else, for example, it will say - "we will vote only after a certain number of members of the UN Security Council favors this decision".

Vice-President of Russian Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Konstantin Sokolov, commented on Obama's statement on Syria: "This is a political hysteria".

He believes that in case of an attack, 300 cruise missiles that the United States has prepared for the attack on Syria will not be able to provide a strategic advantage. "Americans are thus able to destroy more than 10% of military facilities in Syria. The statement about the absolute superiority of US military power in the region is unfounded and unsubstantiated. The entire game around Syria is primarily an information and psychological operation aimed at allies of Syria, so that they stop to cooperate with Damascus in a supposedly foreseen defeat of Bashar al-Assad", said Sokolov.

U.S. State Department offends again Putin by pointing out to his lies

US FM, John Kerry, speaking on the second American television channel refuted Putin's lie that America had not been able to provide evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Putin's speech is remembered by the words "utter nonsense" - he called so the chemical attack, which, according to him, Assad troops had no reason to pursue.

The use of chemical weapons was called by Putin a provocation of "those who want to involve other countries in the Syrian conflict, who want to gain the support of powerful members in international affairs, primarily, of course the United States". Then he added: "References are given regarding the fact that they (the Americans) have such evidence, but they can not provide any, they do not stand up to criticism, it's outward disrespect to the partners".

Kerry, speaking on the ABC, directly refuted the Putin's speech. He said that the US had provided Russia with evidence of the Assad regime's using of chemical weapons against its own citizens, but Moscow decided to ignore it.

"We've offered the Russians previously to have a briefing on this. In fact, we sent people to Russia who have provided evidence. And they chose, I literally mean chose, not to believe it or to at least acknowledge it publicly".

Earlier, in an interview with NBC, Kerry also commented on Putin's speech about the "provocation". "At this point, there is undeniable evidence, said the minister. - If Putin prefers to ignore it, then that's his choice. However, the United States and its friends have to make a decision based on the evidence".

The minister explained also the form in which the evidence was obtained: US experts went to Syria and analysed samples of blood and hair, proving the use of chemical weapons in a suburb of Damascus, on August 21. "We received the samples of blood and hair, which have traces of the sarin gas", said the minister.

According to Americans, as a result of the Assad regime chemical attack near Damascus on August 21, at least 1,429 people, including 426 children, were killed. Missiles and weapons of mass destruction were used exclusively by government troops, and representatives of authorities visited the area before the attack and warned of the need to wear protective masks, the report said.

Washington has learnt about the impending attack three day before it took place from different sources, but America warned nobody, because the matter concerned mainly "only" Muslim children.

It is to be recalled that the Obama's administration has previously issued a report which found evidence that the Assad regime used chemical weapons.

The report states that "the United States Government assesses with high confidence that the Syrian government carried out a chemical weapons attack in Damascus suburbs on August 21, 2013. We further assess that the regime used a nerve agent in the attack. Our classified assessments have been shared with the US Congress and key international partners".

The text also states that for the protection of sources and methods used to collect the information, some facts and other elements had been omitted. Relevant findings were made on the basis of data obtained by US intelligence, as well as health care professionals (staff of international institutions and Syrian health organizations), videos, testimony of witnesses, reports on social networks ("at least from 12 different points in Damascus") reports by journalists and from communications, "deserving high degree of confidence", by non-governmental organizations.

The report recalls that Syria has accumulated significant stocks of chemical weapons, including mustard gas, sarin, VX and thousands of special munitions. This weapon is under the full control of Assad.

"We assess with high confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale against the opposition many times in the last year, including the Damascus suburbs. We assess that the opposition has not used chemical weapons", the document says. Indicated was in particular that clinical studies had shown strong possibility that sarin had been used.

©  EsinIslam.Com

Add Comments