Posts from — August 2013

Saudi Prince Bandar delivered Israeli chemicals to Syrian terrorists – official
31 August, 2013 – The Voice of Russia

A high-level anonymous official with the Libyan Ministry of Defense granted an interview to the Voice of Russia and discussed matters of intelligence surrounding the chemical attack in Syria. After recent threats by Saudi Arabia against Russia for supporting Syria, this area was focused on. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, when asked if he could verify admissions by Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan that he controlled the terrorists groups in Syria, including Chechen terrorist formations, stated that this was true. The official then stated that there were rumors in the Libyan Defense Ministry that it was actually Bandar who delivered the chemical weapons from Israel to the Syrian insurgents and that it was Israel who was pushing the United States for a military attack on Syria.

Hello! This is John Robles, I’m speaking with an anonymous member of the Libyan Defense Ministry.

Robles: Hello Sir! How are you?

Source: I’m fine, thank you.

Robles: I’d like to ask you some very serious questions regarding, first, the Saudi involvement in the Middle East, in particular with regard to terrorist organizations and formations. Can you tell me anything that you might know about US and Saudi involvement with terrorist formations in Libya and how they might be operating in Syria?

Source: Well, most of the organizations that have been working here have been; not eradicated, but rather exiled to the eastern part of Libya. That’s where they are most active.

In the western part of the country criminal activity is very low, but in the eastern part – Benghazi, Derna, Tobruk – the criminal activity is quite high and most of these are extremist groups, funded mostly by Qatar, more than by Saudi Arabia.

Robles: I see. Would you say these are US-backed groups?

Source: It is possible that they are backed by the United States because these groups do not operate without their consent. Saudi Arabia does not operate without the consent of the United States, because they consider any move from Middle Eastern countries to be a threat to their national interests. So, they ask first advice and then permission.

Robles: So, all the countries in the Middle East, they ask the United States for permission before they do anything, is that what you say?

Source: Exactly! Especially after the invasion in Iraq most Arab countries have felt they are under threat. In fact I remember in 2004 there was a meeting between Arab countries and we were present there, it was near Tripoli. At that time there was Gaddafi and he received a letter during the meeting and jokingly he said “the fax from America just arrived”. But it was more a confession than a joke, I think.

Robles: Do you know the contents of that fax?

Source: No, we weren’t allowed to see any of those documentations.

Robles: I see. But this happened all the time?

Source: It happened all the time. In fact, most of the meetings were attended even by foreigners, non-Arabs.

Robles: And these were meetings between Libyan defense officials and who else? Who was present?

Source: Libyan defense officials, interior ministries of all Arab countries. In fact, all the Arab countries have a unified protocol in case of protests, in case of “cracks”in their governments. The recent Saudi aid in Bahrain and the recent financial support by Qatar to Kuwait under crisis, this shows that they are unified. And most of the Gulf countries have been pressuring for Hosni Mubarak to be released. And Saudi Arabia gave no support for our liberation from Gaddafi, nor to the Tunisians against Ben Ali.

Robles: Saudi Arabia gave no support.

Source: Absolutely no support and in any case.

Robles: What I’ve heard, I’m very concerned about reports that Saudi Prince Bandar, he threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would release Chechen terrorists at the Sochi Olympics. And during part of the conversation which was released, which I’m sure he thought would be secret, he admitted and he said that they control Chechen terrorists, they control the terrorists in Syria, according to his words. Is that true?

Source: Yes, I believe that is true. Some rumors were spoken here in our Defense Ministry that the nerve gasses, that the chemical weapons used against Syrian civilians were brought by Bandar from Israel and given to the rebels. I don’t believe that Assad used chemical weapons against his own people.

Robles: I don’t think so either. So, the rumors have it there that the chemical weapons that were used in Syria, that actually Bandar was involved in this and they came from Israel, originally?

Source: Yes, those are the rumors. And who benefits from this? Mostly Israel. They are the ones which would want it in fact more than the United States.

Robles: What about Saudi Arabia? What is Saudi Arabia’s role then in the Middle East? What are their goals? Is this religious or is this oil?

Source: It is neither, I think. They just follow the orders. From the oil’s they give only 11 million barrels. They have no natural gas resources. And from the religionthey are mostly conservative closed in their areas.

And as the continuing Shia fight, Syria is now 85% Sunni. So, there is absolutely no role. They just provide what the American and British governments want, that’s all.

Prince Bandar is just under something that’s been in force for many years, I think for all his life. He wants the throne for himself and maybe he thinks that allying with the United States that they might help him to become the king of Saudi Arabia. But it is very difficult because there are about 5,000 princes,and only 40 are eligible and he is out of the race for that part.

Robles: So, Prince Banda, his ambition was to become the king?

Source: Exactly! His father, late father, was the heir to the throne, but he passed away a year ago, Prince Sultan. But because his mother is from a legitimate background, not from a royal background, he is not eligible to take the throne, even if he is the eldest son. …more

American Interests in Bahrain – U.S. Military and Strategic Interests Overshadow Human Rights and Oppression

American interests in Bahrain are vast, expensive and strategic. While an American embassy opened in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, in 1971, relations between the two countries date back to 1958, when the U.S. Navy first established a presence in Bahrain. Those relations grew significantly during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm–the 1991 American-led counter-attack on Iraq after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait–and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Bush administration’s invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Unlike most Arab nations, Bahrain allowed the Pentagon to fly combat missions from its territory during those wars.

The 20-some ships of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet–a fleet representing tens of billions of dollars–are based there, with responsibility for 7.5 million square miles of seas from the Arabian Gulf to the Red Sea to the Gulf of Oman. Some 2,300 American personnel are stationed on the Fifth Fleet headquarters’ 100-acre base, and thousands of the fleet’s 15,000 sailors land in Bahrain on and off throughout the year.

The Pentagon requested $258 million in fiscal year 2011 to build several additional facilities on its base there, including $45 million for an expansion at Shaykh Isa Air Base.

Bahrain’s strategic value to the United States is the result of geography: Bahrain is a naval complement to Qatar’s peninsular thumb sticking up the midsection of the Persian Gulf, across from Iran, providing quick access to the gulf’s sea lanes and protecting the disgorging oil pipelines of Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and, further south, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Bahrain has almost no oil. But it has large natural gas reserves (5.3 trillion cubic feet). And it is a major exporter of aluminum and other manufactured goods to the United States. In 2009, Bahrain exported almost half a billion dollars worth of goods to the United States. The United States exported $668 million to Bahrain.

Bahrain’s own military is small: just 13,000 soldiers and 1,200 members of the national guard. But Bahrain uses most of its annual $20 million in assistance from the United States to buy American weaponry and maintain a small fleet of American-made F16s and Abrams tanks. The sum is nowhere near what Bahrain actually spends on American weaponry from its own budget ($5.6 billion in 2008). Bahrain bought the 10 F-16s in 1998 for $390 million. The small nation has bought 70 Stinger missiles since 1990, and in 2007 it bought nine Blackhawk helicopters worth $252 million and six Bell search and rescue helicopters worth $160 million. .

Because of the United States’ close relations–and dependence–on Bahrain, successive administrations in the White House have mostly looked away from Bahrain’s poor human rights record and chronic oppression of the majority Shiite population by the minority Sunni ruling Al Khalifa family, in power since 1783–predating the adoption of the American Constitution.

Bahrain is one of the Arab world’s dictatorship: freedom of speech, of assembly and of religious practice is limited to non-existent if it does not abide by the ruling family’s precepts. And religious education in school denies the validity of Shiite teachings. Nevertheless, the United States calls Bahrain a friend and an ally. …source

Bahrain: Rihanna Al-Mosawi, an example of violations practiced against women as a punishment for claiming their legitimate rights
21 July, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses it concern due to the continued targeting of women for demanding their legitimate rights

On Tuesday, 11 July 2013, the Fourth Criminal Court held its first session in the case of the 14 February Coalition cell where a group of political, human rights and field activists are accused. They are 49 in total, in including one woman, who is the detainee Rihanna Abdulla Al-Mosawi (38 years old)[1]. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights issued a statement clarifying the legal breaches and violations practiced against the detainees and which violated their right in getting a public fair trial. Rihanna started a hunger strike two days ago in protest of her ill-treatment.

The detainee Rihanna Al-Mosawi, and for the first time, revealed to the Judge Ali Al-Dhahrani herself that she was stripped off her clothes twice while she was being interrogated at Riffa police station, however, the Judge merely noted down the complaint as a ‘morally improper treatment’. Al-Mosawi’s family stated that she had decided to end the silence phase after being shocked by the developments of the Ministry of Interior. After being accused of assembling and questioning her about that, the case turned into plotting a terrorist bombing that targets the Bahrain International Circuit for Formula One building, then it turned into contributing in establishing an organization that aims at disrupting the provisions of the Constitution which is the 14 February Coalition. The lawyer Manar Makki mentioned that those present at Court cried when they heard Rihanna speak about the violations she faced, especially being interrogating by masked men and reaching up to stripping her off her clothes and threatening her with rape. …more

Bahrain: Award Winning Photographer Ahmed Humaidan Kidnapped and Detained
30 December 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights condemns the continued harassment and arbitrary arrest of journalists in Bahrain. Renowned and award-winning photographer, Ahmed Humaidan, (25 years-old) was kidnapped by 15 security officers, in civilian clothing, and is currently being detained. On the 29th of December, 2012, at approximately midnight and while Ahmed Humaidan and his friends were entering the city center shopping mall, 15 men in civilian clothing, who are believed to belong to the security forces, surrounded Humaidan and abducted him without declaring the location where they were going, nor identifying themselves. His family sought information about him in different police stations and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) without receiving any information. After 19 hours without news on his whereabouts, Humaidan called his family for 20 seconds to inform them that he is alive, and that he is at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) being interrogated without the presence of his lawyer.
…more

Syria expects U.S.-led military attack ‘at any moment’
31 August, 2013 – Agence France Presse

DAMASCUS: Syria expects a military attack “at any moment” and is ready to retaliate, an official said Saturday, hours after UN experts probing a suspected gas attack blamed on the regime quit the country.

The departure of the inspectors has opened a window for a possible US-led strike after President Barack Obama on Friday gave his clearest indication yet that a military intervention was imminent.

“We are expecting an attack at any moment. We are ready to retaliate at any moment,” the security official told AFP, asking not to be named.

The 13 UN inspectors, led by Ake Sellstrom, left their Damascus hotel in a convoy before dawn and crossed into Lebanon a few hours later, AFP reporters said.

They are due to report straight back to United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon and detail their conclusions on whether a poison gas attack actually did take place in Damascus suburbs on August 21, based on samples collected on site.

Obama’s administration says it has no need to wait for the results of the probe, claiming its intelligence gives firm evidence the regime launched a chemical onslaught that killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children.

That brought a contemptuous response from Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country is a close ally of Syria, saying claims the regime had used chemical weapons were “utter nonsense.”

Obama said on Friday: “We cannot accept a world where women and children and innocent civilians are gassed on a terrible scale.”

“The world has an obligation to make sure we maintain the norm against the use of chemical weapons,” the president said, slamming the failure of the UN Security Council to agree on action.

Obama said he was looking at a “wide range of options” but had ruled out “boots on the ground” or a “long-term campaign.”

“We are looking at the possibility of a limited, narrow act,” he said, while stressing no final decision had been taken on unleashing military strikes against Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

France gave its backing to the US plans, saying a “strong message” should be sent to the Assad regime, but British lawmakers have voted against any involvement in military action and other close US allies said they would not sign up.

Syrian has denied responsibility for the alleged incident and has pointed the finger of blame at “terrorists” — its term for rebels ranged against Assad’s forces.

In Damascus, the mood was heavy with fear, and security forces were making preparations for possible air strikes, pulling soldiers back from potential targets.
…more

Syria, Iran Threaten Retaliation; Russia Sends Warships
29 August, 2013 – by Oren Dorell – USA TODAY

Syrian allies Iran and Russia are working together to prevent a Western military attack on Syria, the Iranian president said, as Russia said it is sending warships to the Mediterranean, where U.S. ships are already in position.

Both Iran and Russia would work in “extensive cooperation” to prevent any military action against Syria, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in statements carried by several Iranian state-controlled media outlets. Western military action against Syria would be an “open violation” of international laws, he said.

“Military action will bring great costs for the region,” Rouhani said, and “it is necessary to apply all efforts to prevent it.”

Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, chief of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, told the Tasnim news website, that an attack on Syria “means the immediate destruction of Israel.”

The statements came as Russian state-owned media reported that two Russian warships were sailing for the eastern Mediterranean Sea to protect Russian interests as tensions escalate in the region.

The ships, a missile cruiser and a large anti-submarine vessel, are traveling from the North Atlantic and will arrive in a number of days, Reuters reported.

Middle East analysts say weapons and terrorist networks at Iran’s disposal mean the threats should be taken seriously.

“Iran is a huge threat,” said Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

Both Iran and Syria have threatened to retaliate against Israel and other U.S. allies in the Middle East in the event of a U.S. attack on Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians. Hundreds of Syrians in a region held by rebels were reported killed in an Aug. 21 attack.

Iran’s ruling mullahs are Syria’s main ally in the region and view the survival of the Assad regime as important to their aims. Mehdi Taeb, confidant of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said Syria is Iran’s “35th province. … If we lose Syria we won’t be able to hold Tehran,” writes Karim Sadjapour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Syria provides Iran a port on the Mediterranean Sea and a transit to Iran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Iran is suspected of helping Syria evade U.S. and European sanctions by selling its oil on the international market, according to a report from Reuters. Iranian military leaders view an attack to topple Syria’s Assad regime as an opening salvo in a Western campaign to topple their own regime in Iran, Sadjapour said. …more

Silent Bombs and Tortured Victims
by Sayed Yousif – 29 August, 2013

The 27th June 2012 will not be erased from memory of many Bahrainis and their families. On that day Major General Tariq Al-Hasan announced discovery of 5 tons of highly-explosive bomb and 3 suspects were being sought, who were subsequently arrested, and convicted in public without any trial. Al-Hasan did not explain how such bomb works, and from what materials it is made of, because as he said “Unfortunately, due to the Ongoing investigation we are still limited in the amount of information we are able to release”, however, all suspects name and photos were published on Bahrain TV, without any consideration to their families, and to the principle that they are innocents until proven guilty.

Just like tens of other bomb discovered by Interior Ministry, this 5 tons bomb seems to be silent too, and with additional unique features that cannot be seen in any other bombs, it is, as photos suggest, made of very traditional components such as cooking utensils, plastic pipes, plumber tools and some stationary items.

Radhi Ali Radhi, 27, was one of those arbitrarily arrested citizens, who did not expect to spend his honeymoon behind bars for allegedly making this bomb. His family did not hear about his arrest until state media published his photo as criminal. Later on, on the first visit he could not speak any word because of torture he was subjected to. Masked security forces stormed his home 12 times, all without arrest warrant, during predawn period, at which his sisters got cursed with obscene words.

The second prisoner who was jailed on this issue was Jaffer Eid, whose suffering began in the early stages of the crackdown, when he had been dismissed from work on political background. Eid was thrown from the top of the stair, and his head was hit to the wall before being stabbed with knives on his leg, and now he cannot walk because of that. Before being arrested, his house was frequently stormed, and many of its belongings were vandalized and others were confiscated.

Mohammed Al-Mughanny was arrested from the airport returning from Dubai on the same charges, and received the same treatment of his mates. His family filled 26 complaints for Interior Ministry, Supreme Justice Board, Justice Minister, and many other people and entities, but he is still mistreated.Hussain Al-Aali, 27, was on the wanted list for illegal gathering charges, and both his house and his neighbors’ were stormed for more than 25 times. After his arrest, and because of sever torture he had been subjected to, he was transferred to the military hospital. Al-Aali did not get an access to a lawyer during his interrogation, and even his family did not see him during first month of detention. He is suffering from disk disease, and after being held in solitary confinement (2m x 2m) he is now suffering from psychological troubles.

On 29 May 2013, the judge Ebrahim Al-Zayed decided to arrest one of the witnesses in this case and fine him. The ruling authority does not face any pressure from influencing countries such as the United Stated and United Kingdom. On the contrary, British Metropolitan Police had sent team to help the dictatorship investigate the so-called “advanced bomb-making material”. …source

Nobel Committee Asks Obama “Nicely” To Return Peace Prize
By NORM DE PLEUME – TFE

Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, said today that President Obama “really ought to consider” returning his Nobel Peace Prize Medal immediately, including the “really nice” case it came in.

Jagland, flanked by the other four members of the Committee, said they’d never before asked for the return of a Peace Prize, “even from a damnable war-criminal like Kissinger,” but that the 10% drawdown in US troops in Afghanistan the President announced last week capped a period of “non-Peace-Prize-winner-type behavior” in 2011. “Guantanamo’s still open. There’s bombing Libya. There’s blowing bin Laden away rather than putting him on trial. Now a few US troops go home, but the US will be occupying Afghanistan until 2014 and beyond. Don’t even get me started on Yemen!”

The Committee awarded Obama the coveted prize in 2009 after he made a series of speeches in the first months of his presidency, which convinced the Peace Prize Committee that he was: “creating a new climate of…multilateral diplomacy…an emphasis on the role of the United Nations…of dialogue and negotiations as instruments for resolving international conflicts…and a vision of world free of nuclear arms.”

“Boy oh boy!” added Jagland. “Did we regret that press release!”

But, he revealed the committee members were all “legless drunk” the day they voted, as it was the start of Norway’s annual aquavit-tasting festival. The “totally toasted” members listened over and over to replays of Obama’s Cairo speech, tearing up and drinking shots to the glorious future: a black man leading America and the world into a new era of peace, hope and goodwill. “For a few hours we were all 18 year-old students again at the beautiful, occasionally sunny University of Bergen! Oh, how we cried for joy!”

The chairman said the committee weren’t “going to be pills” about getting the Prize back because they still “basically really liked” Mr. Obama and that sending it back in a plain package by regular mail would fine if it would save him the embarrassment of a public return. But added Jagland, “things could get nasty” if the committee didn’t see it by the time they announce the new Peace Prize winner in the fall. He and the committee then excused themselves to resume their celebration of Norway’s annual aquavit-tasting festival.

The White House had no comment. It later announced an aggressive new covert CIA initiative to identify and apprehend Al Qaeda operatives in Scandinavia. …source

Obama slams ‘incapacity’ of UN Security Council on Syria
30 August, 2013 – The Daily Star Petulent

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia: US President Barack Obama on Friday slammed the “incapacity” of the UN Security Council to act on Syria and warned the world must not be “paralyzed” on responding to a chemical weapons attack.

“What we have seen so far at least is an incapacity at this point for the Security Council to move forward in the face of a clear violation of international norms,” Obama said, as he met Baltic leaders at the White House.

…more

Bahrain urges nationals to leave Lebanon immediately
31 August, 2013 – The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Bahrain late Friday urged its citizens against travel to Lebanon and for those in the country to leave immediately, citing concerns of the growing impact the Syrian war is having on its tiny neighbor.

“The Foreign Ministry calls on Bahraini nationals to avoid travel to Lebanon at the present time given current events in the region and urges nationals currently [in Lebanon] to leave immediately,” according to the Bahrain News Agency.

“This warning comes based on the ministry’s concern for the safety of citizens and urges everyone to abide by the [original] call in May which is being renewed today with the growing concern of the impact from the Syrian crisis on Lebanon,” the agency added.

In May, Bahrain was among several Arab states to issue travel advisories for Lebanon in light of deadly clashes in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

On Friday, Kuwait took measures to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon and the United Kingdom warned against traveling to the country amid a deterioration of the security situation.

The security situation in Lebanon, linked to the crisis in Syria, has been deteriorating, with a recent spate of car bombings in Beirut’s southern suburbs and Tripoli.

The measures also come as the U.S. stepped up threats against the regime of President Bashar Assad over an alleged chemical weapons attack outside the Syrian capital last week.
…source

The risks of Saudi oil consumption
By Adam Rasmi – The Daily Star – 10 June, 2013

According to a Chatham House report, Saudi Arabia’s surging domestic oil consumption – coupled with its inadequate supply growth – could turn the kingdom into a net oil importer by 2038. Guzzling more than a quarter of its 11.1 million barrel per day production in 2011, Saudi Arabia is the fifth-largest oil consumer in the world. The kingdom even recently surpassed Germany’s consumption level, despite having less than one-third of Germany’s population and one-fifth of its economic output. Continued consumption growth, if left unchecked, could devastate the country’s economy in the coming years.

Demography partly explains this growing use of oil. The population has doubled since 1985 and demand has risen accordingly, but the main culprit is the kingdom’s growing economic prosperity tied with its reliance on oil-fired power generation. Almost all of Saudi Arabia’s energy needs are met by oil and gas – and burning crude oil to overcome gas shortages has increasingly become the norm. Given that oil in particular accounts for nearly 90 percent of the country’s exports and state budget, it is no wonder that Saudi officials hope to rein in consumption as the kingdom continues to eat up more and more of its own export wares.

Rising consumption will have other impacts beyond the country’s energy-led economy. Although close to half of the Saudi economy is derived from the oil and gas sectors, less than 1 percent of the workforce is employed in these industries. To increase employment, the kingdom has become a very bureaucratic nation with over 80 percent of its workforce in the public sector. Similar to other Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia has responded to the Arab Spring with generous public-sector pay increases, highlighting how the country relies on oil revenues to deter political unrest. But diminishing oil revenues in the future could hinder Saudi Arabia’s ability to use its elaborate public sector and welfare system to combat political turmoil.

Saudi Arabia must therefore reduce its oil consumption so it can maintain large state revenues. The first step will require subsidy reform. The price of oil ranges from $5 to $15 per barrel, compared to a global market rate averaging over $110 since 2011. The kingdom’s decision to set the price of oil far below export price is a significant opportunity cost in foregone state revenue – one that also encourages a culture of overconsumption and waste. Saudi Arabia’s poor or unemployed mostly do not benefit from subsidies as the biggest consumers of oil tend to be high-income groups and heavy industries (including the petrochemicals sector) – both of whom are paying unnecessarily bargain rates for oil and gas.
…more

Saudi Arabian crude output soars to 24-year high: Survey
by Bloomberg News
August 30, 2013 , 11 : 00 pm
New York: Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) crude production climbed in August as Saudi Arabia pumped oil at the fastest pace in at least 24 years, a Bloomberg survey showed.

Output by the 12-member Opec increased 116,000 barrels a day, or 0.4 per cent, to an average 31.04 million from a revised 30.924 million in July, the survey of oil companies, producers and analysts showed on Thursday. The gain was the sixth in seven months.

Saudi output climbed 150,000 barrels to 9.95 million barrels a day in August, the sixth straight gain and the most for Opec’s biggest supplier in monthly data going back to 1989. It was the largest gain of any Opec member this month.

“The amount of oil the Saudis are pumping is impressive,” said Sarah Emerson, managing principal of ESAI Energy in Wakefield, Massachusetts. “We could be looking at an historic bull trap. Market sentiment may turn bearish by October and November. ”

Brent crude for October settlement dropped $1.45, or 1.2 per cent, to $115.16 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange on Thursday. Brent is the benchmark for more than half the world’s oil. West Texas Intermediate for October delivery fell $1.30, or 1.2 per cent, to settle at $108.80 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

July production
The July production total was revised higher by 262,000 barrels a day because of changes to estimates for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Ecuador.

The kingdom will probably keep crude production in September at similar levels to this month and July, according to a person with knowledge of Saudi oil policy, who asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Output won’t vary much unless market conditions change, the person said. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) increased its crude output by 120,000 barrels to 2.92 million barrels a day, also the highest level since at least 1989, the survey showed. It was the second- biggest production increase.

Libyan output tumbled 225,000 barrels to 575,000 barrels a day this month, the survey showed. It was the fifth straight decline, sending production to the lowest level since October 2011. Two years after the war that swept the late Muammar Qaddafi from power, Libyan government efforts to revive the oil industry are being stymied by feuding militias and protests.

“It’s clear that the Saudis and Emiratis have deliberately raised production to make up for the massive shortfall from Libya,” said Julius Walker, global energy markets strategist at UBS Securities in New York.

Libyan decline
Libya pumped 200,000 barrels of crude today as negotiations continued with striking workers and guards, state-run National Oil Corp. Measurement Director Ibrahim Al Awami said in telephone interview from Tripoli.

The North African country pumped 1.4 million barrels a day in March, according to Bloomberg estimates.

“The Libyan issues will probably ease before long because the government will send in troops if all else fails,” Emerson said. “If they are back up at even 800,000 barrels a day in a few months, there will be a huge impact on the market.”

Angola production cut
Angola reduced production 40,000 barrels a day to 1.74 million this month, the second-biggest decline in the survey.

The BP-operated PSVM project declared force majeure, a legal clause that excuses companies from delivery obligations because of events beyond their control, on August 18 because of equipment failure.

Nigeria’s production rose 100,000 barrels to 2.02 million barrels a day in August, the third-biggest increase, according to the survey. The country’s oil industry is frequently disrupted by sabotage and unrest in the Niger River Delta, the main crude-producing region.

Iran produced 2.57 million barrels a day in August, up 10,000 from the previous month and down 180,000 from a year earlier. The country pumped 2.5 million barrels a day in May, the least since February 1990. Iran was Opec’s second-biggest producer as recently as June 2012 and is now in sixth place. …more

America Totally Discredited
By Paul Craig Roberts – 30 August, 2013 – OpEdNews

A foolish President Obama and moronic Secretary of State Kerry have handed the United States government its worst diplomatic defeat in history and destroyed the credibility of the Office of the President, the Department of State, and the entire executive branch.

Intoxicated with hubris from past successful lies and deceptions used to destroy Iraq and Libya, Obama thought the US “superpower,” the “exceptional” and “indispensable” country, could pull it off again, this time in Syria.

But the rest of the world has learned to avoid Washington’s rush to war when there is no evidence. A foolish Obama was pushed far out on the limb by an incompetent and untrustworthy National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, and the pack of neoconservatives that support her, and the British Parliament cut the limb off.

What kind of fool would put himself in that vulnerable position?

Now Obama stands alone, isolated, trying to back away from his threat to attack without authorization from anyone — not from the UN, not from NATO, not from Congress, who he ignored — a sovereign country. Under the Nuremberg Standard military aggression is a war crime. Washington has until now got away with its war crimes by cloaking them in UN or NATO approval. Despite these “approvals,” they remain war crimes.

But his National Security Advisor and the neocon warmongers are telling him that he must prove that he is a Real Man who can stand alone and commit war crimes all by himself without orchestrated cover from the UN or NATO or a cowardly US Congress. It is up to Obama, they insist, to establish for all time that the President of the United States is above all law. He, and he alone is the “decider,” the Caesar, who determines what is permissible. The Caesar of the “sole superpower” must now assert his authority over all law or Washington’s hegemony over the world is lost.

As I noted in an earlier column today, if Obama goes it alone, he will be harassed for the rest of his life as a war criminal who dares not leave the US. Indeed, a looming economic collapse could so alter the power and attitude of the United States that Obama could find himself brought to justice for his war crimes.

Regardless, the United States government has lost its credibility throughout the world and will never regain it, unless the Bush and Obama regimes are arrested and put on trial for their war crimes.

Obama’s destruction of US credibility goes far beyond diplomacy. It is likely that this autumn or winter, and almost certainly in 2014, the US will face severe economic crisis.

The long-term abuse of the US dollar’s reserve currency role by the Federal Reserve and US Treasury, the never-ending issuance of new debt and printing of dollars to finance it, the focus of US economic policy on bailing out the “banks too big to fail” regardless of the adverse impact on domestic and world economies and holders of US Treasury debt, the awaiting political crisis of the unresolved deficit and debt ceiling limit that will greet Congress’ return to Washington in September, collapsing job opportunities and a sinking economy all together present the government in Washington with a crisis that is too large for the available intelligence, knowledge, and courage to master.

When the proverbial hits the fan, the incompetent and corrupt Federal Reserve and the incompetent and corrupt US Treasury will have no more credibility than Obama and John Kerry.

The rest of the world — especially Washington’s bullied NATO puppet states — will take great delight in the discomfort of “the world’s sole superpower” that has been running on hubris ever since the Soviet collapse. …more

Syria Attack, Pipeline Politics, OPEC & the U.S. Dollar
By: Jim Willie – 31 August, 2013 – The Market Oracle

Syria is about the last gasp for the Petro-Dollar, the emergence of energy pipeline geopolitics, the rise of the NatGas Coop, the new dominance of Russian Gazprom, the eclipse of OPEC, the fall of the house of Saud, and a grand adjustment process in global commerce and banking. Refer to trade settlement outside the USDollar and diversification away from USTreasury Bond reserves management. It took some time to realize it, but the Cyprus bank incident was a misdirected attack against Gazprom. It failed. The entire Arab Spring movement, an ambitious disruptive project waged with foolhardy ambitions, has turned on itself. Egypt fell, its US puppet discharged. The entire North African region will be in flames soon. The USGovt interfered with a grand industrialization project for European industry, to be placed on North Africa intended to take advantage of cheaper labor, available minerals, nearby resources, and easy shipping. The resentment of Europe will show up in the future. The Middle East and Persian Gulf region is shifting its salute to Russia & China, as the noisy sectarian battles have been a common fixture since long ago. Bahrain has erupted. Saudi is clamping down and converting into an Islamic police state to create the Iran-Saudi repressive bobsey twins. Chaos is the longstanding objective of the USGovt in foreign policy infection, no change in decades.

Syria is about a lot of things, most of which are volatile, many unsolvable. To be sure, the naval port of Tartus is valuable for the Russian Military, always eager to wrest a seaport. Like Lebanon, Syria is a hotbed stronghold for HezBollah, never to be taken lightly. They are mortal enemies to Israel, whose nations have exchanged covert violence for years. Syria might have tight relations with the Shiites of Iran, even some in Iraq. However, Syria represents the crossroads of many important shifting geopolitical roadways that pertain to the global financial structure and commercial systems. Syria is the tipping point for a Grand Global Paradigm Shift. It is the last stand for the Anglo Banker world. Syria will not go easily into the Russian camp, into the Gazprom fold, into the European energy market sphere. For if it does, the entire USDollar system of commerce and the USTreasury Bond system of reserves management will fall by the wayside and open a new era with Eastern dominance. But the Western powers cannot stop it. Clouds of whatever type do not halt pipeline flow, nor pipeline geopolitics. …more

US revealed as enemy of world
31 August, 2013 – By Finian Cunningham – PressTV

Can you believe how ridiculous these American puppets sound? What the deluded Americans do not seem to realize is that they are on their own. The only entities willing to support their aggression on Syria is Saudi Arabia and Israel. So, how’s that for credibility? The only support Washington can muster is from a feudal, sword-wielding, head-chopping regime and a criminal pariah genocidal state. Coalition of the Willing? More like Coalition of the Killing.
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The United States of America stands exposed in the eyes of the entire world as the number-one terrorist threat to the future of humanity. Many have known this fact already, but now it is universally clear.

As the US prepares to launch an overt war on Syria (the covert war has been raging for 30 months), the vast majority of humanity can finally see through all its decades of pretense and conceit as the world’s model of democracy and international law. And what they see is the ugly opposite. The US is a terrorist state that holds international law, democracy and human rights in utter contempt. It is ready, as it always has been, to kill countless civilians for its selfish political ambitions. That is the conventional definition of “terrorism”.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad made a profound point recently when he said that his country has faced aggression for more than two years, but only now is the real enemy revealing itself – the US and its minions. But the US terrorist state is not just being called out over Syria. It is being revealed as the enemy to the entire world.

From past wars in the Caribbean, Central America, Philippines, Vietnam and Indochina, through coups and covert ops in Iran, Iraq, Africa, to recent killing fields in Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia, the historical picture is now complete. All these conflicts and many more – too many to mention here – integrate into one indisputable truth. The US is the world’s biggest terror state. If it is not dealt with definitely, then the future of the world is in peril more than ever.

In previous crimes of aggression, the US ruling elite could invoke the spurious cover of “a coalition of the willing”, or the abused authority of the United Nations or NATO. It was able to do that through deployment of lies, fabrications and a supine mass media that would lend credibility to the mendacity. Now, thanks to alternative, critical media and instant global communications, the American lies don’t work any longer. In an instant, they are exposed; just like the attempt in the last few hours of US Secretary of State John to frame up Syria over alleged chemical weapons use.

The New York Times, BBC and the usual Western media mouthpieces for imperialist propaganda dutifully facilitated Kerry and his US state terrorism with bombastic, important-sounding headlines: “Kerry lays out evidence against Syria”. There was hardly a critical question raised, even though there are grounds for dozens such questions. Years ago, that kind of herd-think might have been enough to buy the US warmongers enough time to launch a war – but not any more. Within minutes of Kerry’s supposedly definitive condemnation, statements, articles, tweets and blogs were pulling the charade asunder, showing that apart from Western-media-amplified bombast, Kerry was not saying anything of value. It was just another risible repetition of earlier hyperbole and empty rhetoric. Or in short, lies.

The people of the world have reached a critical mass of intolerance towards the rogue terror states of the US, Britain, France, Israel and a few other accomplices. We have watched their relentless mass murder and exploitation of fellow humans in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. We have witnessed how this tiny group of state terrorists imposes on the vast majority of humanity their vile criminality and in the process then insult us with grotesque lies and justifications. We have seen how these rogue states have stolen land, poisoned people’s water, burnt their crops, dispossessed their homes, assassinated families with aerial drones and ground drones in the form of death squads. They have committed all these shocking crimes with lies and impunity to the point where now these state terrorists are operating in more than one country simultaneously in a permanent state of relentless war, pushing the very future of humanity to the brink.

However, despite this lawlessness and gangsterism, the people of the world are fighting back.

This week the British parliament voted against the London government’s arrogance to provide its usual criminal special relationship to the Americans. In the execution of past war crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya – to mention a few – Washington could rely on the trusty British imperialists to give a veneer of “coalition of the willing”. British premier David Cameron’s plans to repeat the criminality by backing Washington’s plans to bomb Syria were dealt a crushing blow by the British parliament voting against any such military action. Cameron was forced to withdraw. The vote in the British parliament is not so much a sign of ethics among Britain’s political class. It is
more a reflection of the global awakening among ordinary citizens that this insane state terrorism must stop.

The French government has also backed off earlier bellicose bravado, with French President Francois Hollande belatedly calling for a “peaceful, political solution” over the Syrian crisis. Even Washington’s reliable Canadian puppet Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said that his country will not be getting involved military in Syria. It is also reported that 10 members of the NATO alliance – one-third of the total – are not willing to support American strikes. This latter grouping comprises the usual minions of the US. And we haven’t even yet acknowledged the more strident opponents, such as Russia, China, Iran and the majority of nations elsewhere in Asia, Africa and the Americas.

The people of the world have had it with elite Western rulers acting as terrorists who are holding humanity to ransom. The rulers are presiding not only over military terrorism. They are inflicting economic, social and ecological terrorism with their bankrupt capitalist smash-and-grab system. That system has reached the point of meltdown and that is why we are being pushed into relentless wars – in order for the rulers and their politician puppets to corner the remaining resources. The ultimate solution to end the wars is for the people to overthrow the economic system that US and Western elite rulers preside over. The insane criminality of the US rulers over Syria is exposing this historic challenge facing humanity.

After the British parliamentary setback the US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said: “Our approach is to continue to find an international coalition that will act together. It is the goal of President Obama and our government… whatever decision is taken, that it be an international collaboration and effort.”

Can you believe how ridiculous these American puppets sound? What the deluded Americans do not seem to realize is that they are on their own. The only entities willing to support their aggression on Syria is Saudi Arabia and Israel. So, how’s that for credibility? The only support Washington can muster is from a feudal, sword-wielding, head-chopping regime and a criminal pariah genocidal state. Coalition of the Willing? More like Coalition of the Killing. …more

The Saudi-Israeli Super Power Test Drive their New Lackey

Egypt’s counterrevolution and Syria’s civil war could herald the arrival of a new superpower coalition, an unlikely alliance between Israel and Saudi Arabia, one with great political clout and the other with vast financial wealth, together flexing their muscles across the Middle East, writes Robert Parry.

The Saudi-Israeli Superpower
By Robert Parry – 29 August, 2013 – consortiumnews.com

The twin crises in Syria and Egypt have marked the emergence of a new superpower coalition in the Middle East, the odd-couple alliance of Israel and Saudi Arabia, with Jordon serving as an intermediary and the Persian Gulf oil sheikdoms playing a supporting role.

The potential impact of this new coalition can barely be overstated, with Israel bringing to the table its remarkable propaganda skills and its unparalleled influence over U.S. foreign policy and Saudi Arabia tapping into its vast reservoir of petrodollars and exploiting its global financial networks. Together the two countries are now shaping international responses to the conflicts in Syria and Egypt, but that may only be the start.

President George W. Bush meeting with then-Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan at the Bush Ranch in Crawford, Texas. (U.S. government photo)

Though Israel and Saudi Arabia have had historic differences – one a Jewish religious state and the other embracing the ultraconservative Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam – the two countries have found, more recently, that their interests intersect.

Both see Iran, with its Shiite rulers, as their principal regional rival. Both are leery of the populist Islamic movements unleashed by the Arab Spring. Both sided with the Egyptian military in its coup against the elected Muslim Brotherhood government, and both are pleased to see Syrian President Bashar al-Assad facing a possible military assault from the United States.

While the two countries could be accused of riding the whirlwind of chaos across the Middle East – inviting a possibility that the sectarian divisions and the political violence will redound negatively to their long-term interests – there can be little doubt that they are enjoying at least short-term gains.

In recent months, Israel has seen its strategic position enhanced by the overthrow of Egypt’s populist Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi, a political change that has further isolated the Hamas-led Palestinians in Gaza. Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the Shiite movement of Hezbollah has come under increasing military and political pressure after sending militants into Syria to support the embattled Assad regime.

Assad is an Alawite, a branch of Shiite Islam, and has been a longtime benefactor of Hezbollah, the political-military movement that drove Israeli forces out of southern Lebanon and has remained a thorn in Israel’s side. The growing sectarian nature of the Syrian civil war, with Sunnis leading the fight against Assad, also served to drive a wedge between Hamas, a Sunni movement, and two of its key benefactors, the Syrian government and its Iranian allies.

In other words, Israel is benefiting from the Sunni-Shiite divisions ripping apart the Islamic world as well as from the Egyptian coup which further weakened Hamas by re-imposing the Gaza blockade. Now, Israel has a freer hand to dictate a political solution to the already-weak Palestinian Authority on the West Bank when peace talks resume.

A Method to Neocon Madness

Giving Israel this upper hand has long been the goal of American neoconservatives, although they surely could not have predicted the precise course of recent history. The idea of “regime change” in Iraq in 2003 was part of a neocon strategy of making a “clean break” with frustrating negotiations in which Israel was urged to trade land for peace with the Palestinians.

The plan to dump negotiations in favor of confrontations was outlined in a 1996 policy paper, entitled “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm” and prepared by prominent neocons, including Richard Perle and Douglas Feith, for Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign for prime minister.

In the document, the neocons wrote: “Israel can shape its strategic environment, in cooperation with Turkey and Jordan by weakening, containing, and even rolling back Syria. This effort can focus on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq – an important Israeli strategic objective in its own right — as a means of foiling Syria’s regional ambitions.” [See Consortiumnews.com’s “The Mysterious Why of the Iraq War.”]

The neocons failed to persuade President Bill Clinton to invade Iraq in the late 1990s, but their hopes brightened when George W. Bush became president in 2001 and when the American people were whipped into a state of hysteria by the 9/11 attacks.

Still, it appears that the neocons believed their own propaganda about the Iraqis welcoming American troops as liberators and accepting a U.S. puppet as their new leader. That, in turn, supposedly was to lead Iraq to establish friendly ties with Israel and give the U.S. military bases for promoting “regime change” in Syria and Iran.

In 2002, as President Bush was winding up to deliver his haymaker against Saddam Hussein, neocons passed around a favorite joke about where to go next after conquering Iraq. Should it be Syria or Iran, Damascus or Tehran? The punch line was: “Real men go to Tehran!”

However, the Iraq War didn’t work out exactly as planned. Bush did succeed in ousting Hussein from power and enjoyed watching him marched to the gallows, dropped through a trapdoor and hanged by the neck until dead. But the U.S. occupation touched off a sectarian bloodbath with Hussein’s Sunni minority repressed by the newly empowered Shiite majority. Sunni extremists flocked to Iraq from around the Middle East to kill both Iraqi Shiites and Americans. …more

There goes the neighborhood: Mideast prepping for Syria spillover into all-out religious war
By Shaun Waterman – 29 August, 2013 – The Washington Times

Top generals from the U.S. and its allies have been meeting this week to discuss the fallout from expected military strikes on Syria, as nations and markets around the region scramble to prepare for a wider conflict in the region.

Senior military officials from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada attended the two-day summit in Amman that wrapped up Monday, a U.S. military official told The Washington Times.

SEE ALSO: Obama may go solo with Syria strike; U.S., British lawmakers voice opposition

It was co-hosted by U.S. Central Command and the Jordanian Armed Forces and had been planned since June, said the official.

“The event provided a timely opportunity for the defense chiefs to meet … on issues such as the makeup of [Syrian] opposition forces and short- and long-term impacts of the growing refugee crisis, as well as concern for the spread of sectarian violence in the region.”

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and Jordan’s chief of staff, Gen. Mashal Mohammad al-Zaben attended the meeting, as well as Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. Central Command.

The conference came as the U.S., France and Britain mulled a response to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s suspected chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of civilians.

In Washington, Defense Department spokesman George Little told The Associated Press earlier this week that the emergency summit in Amman aimed at achieving a better understanding of the impact of a broadening regional conflict might have, among other things.

Other nations in the region were scrambling to prepare for spillover from a U.S. strike, which Syria’s neighbors fear will draw them into a broader war in the Mideast between Sunni and Shiia Muslims.

SEE ALSO: White House selling ‘Peace on Earth’ for $18.95 (*Offer not valid in Syria)

Mr. Assad is an Alawite, a branch of the Shia school of Islam, which is also the official religion in theocratic Iran, his main sponsor in the region.

Iraq is majority Shia, and there is already a violent insurgency by Sunni terrorist groups there. Dozens die almost daily in car bomb and other terrorist attacks by al Qaeda-aligned Sunni extremists.

Most of the rebels fighting Damascus are also Sunnis, and many are linked with al Qaeda in Iraq.

Jordan is ruled by a Sunni monarchy, as are the Gulf states, though they all have Shiite populations of varying sizes. Bahrain, home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, has a majority Shiite population.

Lebanon, the country worst hit so far by violent spillover from Syria, is a religious and ethnic patchwork of Muslims, Christians, Arabs and others. It is led by the Iranian-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which has been fighting alongside government forces in Syria to such deadly effect.

This week, Hezbollah’s political heartlands in Beirut’s suburbs have been struck by indiscriminate and deadly car bombs blamed on Sunni extremists.

And with the threat of a U.S. strike looming, refugees are arriving in Lebanon from Syria the at the rate of 1,000 every day, according to U.N. figures released Thursday. …more

NATO Will Not Take Part in a Syria Strike: Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Shia Post -30 August, 2013

NATO will not take part in military intervention in Syria, the alliance’s Secretary-General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, told Denmark’s Politiken newspaper.

“I don’t foresee any NATO role in an international response to the regime,” Rasmussen said, adding that individual countries would decide whether to take part in any military action.

He stressed there could be “no doubt” that the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad was responsible for using toxic gas against civilians near Damascus on August 21, as it “had a store of chemical weapons and the means needed to perform an attack.”

However, NATO’s Secretary-General said he didn’t think intervention was the best way to solve the crisis, adding that a political solution would be “sustainable.

“It demands an international response, so it doesn’t happen again,” Rasmussen said.

The NATO secretary general has in the past insisted on the need for a political solution to the Syrian crisis. …source

Are Westerners Ready to Bomb Syria?
by Thierry Meyssan – Voltaire Network – Damascus (Syria) – 30 August 2013

(Damascus, August 27) – What bee has the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Barack Obama, got in his bonnet? Sunday, August 25, the White House issued a statement in which an anonymous senior official said that there is “little doubt” of the use by Syria of chemical weapons against its opposition. The statement added that Syria ’s agreement to let the UN inspectors in the area is “too late to be credible .”

If the use of chemical weapons on the outskirts of Damascus, Wednesday, August 21, 2013 is likely, the Security Council of the United Nations has not concluded that it was the work of the Syrian government. At an emergency meeting held at the request of the West, the ambassadors were surprised to see their Russian colleague present satellite photos showing the firing of two rounds at 1:35 am from the rebel zone Duma in rebel areas affected by gas (at Jobar and between Arbin and Zamalka ) at times coinciding with the related disorders. The pictures do not tell us whether they were chemical shells, but they suggest that the “Brigade of Islam”, which occupies Duma, has hit three birds with the same stone: first, to remove the support of its rivals in the opposition; second, accuse Syria of using chemical weapons; finally, disrupt the offensive of the Syrian Arab army clearing the capital.

If the Syrian government, similar to its enemy, Israel, is not a signatory to the Convention against chemical weapons and has large stocks, the jihadists also have some, as confirmed by Carla Del Ponte, to the fury of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In December, the Free Syrian Army released a video showing a chemical laboratory and threatening the Alawites. This week, the government discovered several caches of chemical weapons, gas masks and antidotes in the suburbs of Damascus. The products came from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United States and the Netherlands. Also, it is at the request of the Syrian government, not the West, that UN inspectors are present in Syria for two weeks to investigate allegations of use. Finally, on 29 May 29, 2013, the Turkish police arrested a dozen members of the Al-Nosra Front and seized chemical weapons that were to be used in Syria.

However, on Friday, President Obama met his National Security Council to review the attack options against Syria in the presence of Ambassador Samantha Power, leader of liberal hawks. He decided to strengthen the U.S. military presence in the Mediterranean by sending a fourth destroyer, loaded with cruise missiles, the USS Ramage. This is in addition to the USS Gravely, the USS Barry and USS Mahan, which remains in the zone when it should return to port.

Saturday, he called British Prime Minister David Cameron on the phone. And on Sunday, he spoke with French President Francois Hollande. The three men agreed that intervention was necessary without specifying how. Sunday again, the Secretary of State John Kerry called his British, French, Canadian and Russian counterparts to say that the United States was convinced that Syria had crossed the “red line”. If the first three speakers listened at attention, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov expressed surprise that Washington pronounced itself before the report of the UN inspectors. He referred to the “extremely grave consequences” that would result form an intervention in the region.

Monday, the French defense minister, Jean -Yves Le Drian, was in Qatar and was to go to the UAE to coordinate with them. While the Israeli national security adviser, General Yaakov Amidror, was received at the White House. During a telephone conversation between the British Prime Minister David Cameron and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the latter stressed that there was no evidence of use of chemical weapons by Syria. For his part, the Chinese Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Li Baodong, called his U.S. counterpart, Wendy R. Sherman, to urge the United States to exercise restraint. Aware of the risk of a regional war in which Christians would suffer, Pope Francis reiterated his call for peace.

Should we therefore think that the West will go to war without a mandate from the Security Council, as NATO did in Yugoslavia? This is unlikely because at the time Russia was in ruins. Today, after issuing three vetoes to protect Syria, it must intervene or forsake any international action. However Sergey Lavrov has wisely rejected a Third World War. He said that his country was not ready to go to war against anyone, even over Syria. It could therefore be an indirect intervention in support of Syria, as China did during the Vietnam War .

Iran then, through its Deputy Chief of Staff, Massoud Jazayeri, indicated that the attack on Syria would be crossing the “red line” and that if it took this step, the White House would endure “serious consequences.” Though Iran has neither the resources of Russia, nor alliances, it is certainly one of the top 10 global military powers. Therefore, to attack Syria is to run the risk of retaliation against Israel and uprisings in much of the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia. The recent intervention of the Lebanese Hezbollah and the statements of its Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, such as the Palestinian organization PFLP- General Command, leave no doubt.

Questioned by the Russian press, Syrian President Bashar al -Assad, said: “The statements made by US politicians, Western and other countries is an insult to common sense and an expression of contempt for the public opinion of their peoples. This is nonsense: first accuse, then gather evidence. This task is carried out by a powerful country, the United States ( … ) This kind of accusation is a purely political response to the series of victories won by government forces against the terrorists. ”

In Russia, the President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Duma, the journalist and geopolitician, Alexei Pushkov, commented on his Twitter account : ” Washington and London have pronounced Assad guilty before the conclusions of UN inspectors . They will accept nothing but a guilty verdict . Any other verdict will be rejected. ”

The notion of a new war in Syria squares badly with the economic problems of the United States and Europe. If selling weapons is a way to earn money, destroying a state without hope of return in the short or medium term can worsen the situation.

According to a Reuters / Ipsos poll conducted after the August 21st attack, 60% of the US public opposed intervention in Syria against 9% who supported it . If they were convinced of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, they remained 46% in opposition to the war and 25% in support. The same survey indicates that U.S. respondents are even less fond of secret war : 89 % said the US should not arm the rebels, against 11% who want to arm them more. Finally, four options were offered to respondents : airstrikes ( supported by 12%), creating a no-fly zone ( 11%), the financing of a multinational force ( 9%), and direct U.S. action ( 4%).

In France, Le Figaro, published by the arms dealer Dassault, asked its readers and, at the end of the day, 79.60 % opposed the war versus 20.40% in support. It will certainly be difficult to reverse public opinion and go to war.

Another interpretation of events is possible: some videos showing the victims of chemical attacks actually circulated on the Internet a few hours before the attacks. It will always be possible for Westerners to “discover” the deception in time and backtrack. However, the case of chemical weapons in Iraq has shown that Westerners could lie to the international community and escape with impunity once their evil deed is accomplished.

The charges from jihadists and their Western sponsors emerged while the Syrian Arab Army launched a major offensive, “Shield of Damascus” to free the capital. The shot of the two shells of the “Brigade of Islam” came at the beginning of the offensive, which continued for 5 days and resulted in significant losses among jihadists (at least 1,500 killed and wounded of the about 25,000 present). All this agitation may be only psychological warfare to both hide this defeat and attempt to cripple the Syrian offensive. This is especially a way for Washington to test the Iranian response after the election of Sheikh Hassan Rohani to his presidency. And it is now clear that the latter will not oppose the policy of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

However, during the war against Libya, I had underestimated the ability of the United States to violate all the rules, including those of NATO. Basing myself on documents from the Atlantic Alliance, I insisted on the long resilience of the Libyan Jamahiriya confronting its armed opposition. I ignored the holding of a secret meeting on the NATO base in Naples behind the back of the Atlantic Council. At the time, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Turkey, Israel, Qatar and Jordan secretly planned the use of Alliance assets to bomb Tripoli. Not trusting their allies, whom they knew would be opposed to an attack so costly in human lives, they had not informed them. The Atlantic Alliance was no longer an Alliance proper but an ad hoc coalition. In a few days, the taking of Tripoli caused at least 40,000 deaths, according to internal reports of the Red Cross. Such a manoeuvre may be being organized : the Chiefs of Staff of approximately the same states, plus Saudi Arabia and Canada, are gathered since Sunday and until tonight in Amman under the chairmanship of the CentCom commander, General Lloyd J. Austin III. They are considering five options: supplying weapons to the Contras, targeted bombings, creating a no-fly zone, establishment of buffer zones and land invasion.

President Barack Obama could well follow the war plan drawn up by his predecessor George W. Bush on 15 September 2001, who foresaw, in addition to attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, those of Libya and Syria, as was revealed by the former Commander of NATO, General Wesley Clark. Except that, for the first time, the target has serious allies.

However, the new U.S. rhetoric contradicts all the efforts of the Obama administration for the last year that sought to eliminate obstacles to the holding of the Geneva 2 Conference: resignation of General David Petraeus and supporters of the secret war, non-reappointment of Hillary Clinton and the ultra-Zionists ; indictment of irreducible opponents of an alliance with Russia, especially within NATO and the missile shield . It also contradicts the efforts of John Brennan to cause clashes in the Syrian armed opposition to demand the abdication of the Emir of Qatar, and to threaten Saudi Arabia.

On the Syrian side, we are preparing as much as is possible for any eventuality, including the NATO bombing of command centers and ministries coordinated with an assault by jihadists against the capital. However, the most likely option is not triggering a regional war that would overwhelm the Western powers. It is an attack in the fall, supervised by Saudi Arabia and endorsed by the fighters it is currently recruiting . Eventually, this operation could be supported by the Arab League. …more

Obama says Syria chemical weapons attack threatens Israel, Jordan
By Steve Holland, Jeff Mason – Reuters – 30 August, 2013

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama said on Friday the chemical weapons attack in Syria threatened U.S. allies Israel, Turkey and Jordan and that while “nobody ends up being more war weary than me” he is considering a narrow, limited U.S. response.

Obama, speaking to reporters at a meeting he held with Baltic leaders, said the United States must be prepared to act unilaterally if necessary to uphold what he called an international norm against the use of chemical weapons as part of U.S. obligations as a world leader.

As he spoke, the U.S. intelligence community released a report that said an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack in a Damascus suburb killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children.

Obama, in the position of trying to persuade Americans weary of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to accept another U.S. involvement, insisted any military action he takes on Syria will be narrow and limited and not an open-ended, long-term commitment, nor would it involve U.S. troops on the ground.

“I assure you nobody ends up being more war weary than me, but what I also believe is that part of our obligations as a leader in the world is making sure that when you have a regime that is willing to use weapons that are prohibited by international norms on … people, including children, that they are held to account,” he said.

The United States and its allies have been unable to break through a deadlock in the U.N. Security Council given Russian and Chinese opposition to taking steps against the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Given U.N. Security Council paralysis around the issue, he said, “a lot of people think something should be done but nobody wants to do it.”
…more