MOSCOW (AFP) - Syria's foreign minister will on Monday travel to Moscow to discuss the crisis in his country with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Moscow said.
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem's visit will come after a Saint Petersburg summit of 20 major developed and developing economies at which the Syrian crisis is expected to feature prominently.
Russia has been a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime for the past two and a half years, and is fiercely resisting possible military action in response to the regime's suspected use of chemical weapons.
"They (the talks) will focus on an all-encompassing discussion of all the aspects of the current situation in Syria and around it," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Showing posts with label Syria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Syria. Show all posts
Thursday 5 September 2013
Wednesday 4 September 2013
Arab nations offered to pay for strikes on Syria - Kerry
WASHINGTON (AFP) - An international coalition for action against Syria is growing, Secretary of State John Kerry told US lawmakers Wednesday, adding that Arab nations had even offered to pay for any strikes.
"We are building support with ... other countries, among them the Arab League," Kerry said, as the US administration tried to sell its plan for military action to punish Syria for its use of chemical weapons.
"Specific countries that have talked in terms of acting" were "Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qataris, the Turks and the French."
The move comes after an alleged chemical weapons attack on a Damascus suburb last month, which the US says killed 1,400 people.
[caption id="attachment_412286" align="alignnone" width="412"]
(From L-R) Kuwaiti Minister of Planning, Development and State Minister for National Assembly Affairs Rula Dashti, Information and State Minister for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Mohammad Khaled al-Sabah and First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah, attend a meeting at the national assembly in Kuwait City on September 4, 2013, to discuss the state's emergency plan in case of a potential US military strike against Syria. AFP PHOTO[/caption]
The United States had reached out to more than 100 countries already and 57 had agreed chemical weapons were used, and 37 of them had said so publicly, Kerry told a House committee.
President Barack Obama has insisted that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has crossed a red line against the use of chemical weapons and should be punished and his military capability degraded.
"Thirty-one countries or organizations have stated publicly or privately that the Assad regime is responsible for this attack, and that was before our evidence package was put together," Kerry said.
"And 34 countries or organizations have indicated that if the allegations prove to be true, they would support some form of action against Syria."
He even suggested the United States had too many offers of help as he sought for a second day to persuade US lawmakers to back Obama's plan for limited missile strikes against the Syrian regime.
"A number of them have asked to be part of a military operation," he said.
"The Turks, a NATO country, have condemned it, pinned it on Assad, asked to be part of an operation.
"The French have volunteered to be part of an operation. There are others who have volunteered. But frankly ... we got more volunteers that we can use for this kind of an operation," Kerry said.
"With respect to Arab countries offering to bear the cost and to assist, the answer is profoundly yes, they have. That offer is on the table," Kerry, adding it was "quite significant."
"Some of them have said that if the United States is prepared to go do the whole thing the way we've done it previously in other places, they'll carry that cost. That's how dedicated they are to this."
But he stressed: "Obviously, that is not in the cards and nobody is talking about it, but they are talking about taking seriously getting this job done."
He was appearing before the House Foreign Affairs committee on the second day of the administration's blitz on Capitol hill to persuade lawmakers to approve limited military strikes against Syria.
In a sign of public opposition to the plan, anti-war demonstrators held up red-stained hands behind Kerry's head in a silent protest as he spoke.
Lawmakers are now drafting a resolution to go before Congress which would give the US administration a 60-day deadline for military intervention, which could be extended once for 30 more days. It would also bar any American boots on the ground.
Asked if the time limit was acceptable to administration, Kerry said it would be preferable to have "a trigger in there" if Assad used chemical weapons again.
He indicated that a move to give the White House a further 60 days every time such arms were used would be acceptable.
"We are building support with ... other countries, among them the Arab League," Kerry said, as the US administration tried to sell its plan for military action to punish Syria for its use of chemical weapons.
"Specific countries that have talked in terms of acting" were "Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qataris, the Turks and the French."
The move comes after an alleged chemical weapons attack on a Damascus suburb last month, which the US says killed 1,400 people.
[caption id="attachment_412286" align="alignnone" width="412"]
(From L-R) Kuwaiti Minister of Planning, Development and State Minister for National Assembly Affairs Rula Dashti, Information and State Minister for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Mohammad Khaled al-Sabah and First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah, attend a meeting at the national assembly in Kuwait City on September 4, 2013, to discuss the state's emergency plan in case of a potential US military strike against Syria. AFP PHOTO[/caption]The United States had reached out to more than 100 countries already and 57 had agreed chemical weapons were used, and 37 of them had said so publicly, Kerry told a House committee.
President Barack Obama has insisted that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has crossed a red line against the use of chemical weapons and should be punished and his military capability degraded.
"Thirty-one countries or organizations have stated publicly or privately that the Assad regime is responsible for this attack, and that was before our evidence package was put together," Kerry said.
"And 34 countries or organizations have indicated that if the allegations prove to be true, they would support some form of action against Syria."
He even suggested the United States had too many offers of help as he sought for a second day to persuade US lawmakers to back Obama's plan for limited missile strikes against the Syrian regime.
"A number of them have asked to be part of a military operation," he said.
"The Turks, a NATO country, have condemned it, pinned it on Assad, asked to be part of an operation.
"The French have volunteered to be part of an operation. There are others who have volunteered. But frankly ... we got more volunteers that we can use for this kind of an operation," Kerry said.
"With respect to Arab countries offering to bear the cost and to assist, the answer is profoundly yes, they have. That offer is on the table," Kerry, adding it was "quite significant."
"Some of them have said that if the United States is prepared to go do the whole thing the way we've done it previously in other places, they'll carry that cost. That's how dedicated they are to this."
But he stressed: "Obviously, that is not in the cards and nobody is talking about it, but they are talking about taking seriously getting this job done."
He was appearing before the House Foreign Affairs committee on the second day of the administration's blitz on Capitol hill to persuade lawmakers to approve limited military strikes against Syria.
In a sign of public opposition to the plan, anti-war demonstrators held up red-stained hands behind Kerry's head in a silent protest as he spoke.
Lawmakers are now drafting a resolution to go before Congress which would give the US administration a 60-day deadline for military intervention, which could be extended once for 30 more days. It would also bar any American boots on the ground.
Asked if the time limit was acceptable to administration, Kerry said it would be preferable to have "a trigger in there" if Assad used chemical weapons again.
He indicated that a move to give the White House a further 60 days every time such arms were used would be acceptable.
British PM warns danger of fresh Syria attack if no US strike
LONDON (AFP) - Blocked by his own parliament from taking military action against Syria, British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday urged the United States to act or risk further chemical weapons attacks by the regime.
"(US President Barack Obama) set a very clear red line that if there was large-scale chemical weapons use something had to happen," Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Commons.
"Now we know that the regime used chemical weapons on at least 14 previous occasions.
"I think to ask the president of the United States, having set that red line, having made that warning, to step away from it, I think that would be a very perilous suggestion to make.
"Because in response I think you'd see more chemical weapons attacks from the regime."
Obama has said he will punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons but wants authorisation from the US Congress before conducting any military strikes.
Britain will not be involved after members of the House of Commons last week voted against Cameron's call for action, in a historic decision that severely damaged the prime minister's authority.
But in his weekly question and answer session in the Commons on Wednesday, Cameron made clear that he still believed strikes were justified.
"If no action is taken following President Obama's red line, and if no action is taken following this appalling use of chemical weapons, you have to ask yourself what sort of Armageddon are the Syrian people going to be facing?" he said.
Cameron rejected calls for a second parliamentary vote on military action, but said Britain would continue to push for a solution to the Syrian conflict.
"We must use everything we have in our power -- our diplomatic networks, our influence with other countries, our membership of all the key bodies, the G8, the G20, the UN, the EU, NATO -- we must use all that influence to bring to bear," he said.
Cameron said the world still had to take a "very tough response" to the use of chemical weapons, including aiding opposition forces.
"I accept that Britain can't be part and won't be part of any military action on that front," he said.
"But we must not in any degree give up our utter revulsion at the chemical weapons attacks that we have seen and we must press this point in every forum of which we are a member."
"(US President Barack Obama) set a very clear red line that if there was large-scale chemical weapons use something had to happen," Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Commons.
"Now we know that the regime used chemical weapons on at least 14 previous occasions.
"I think to ask the president of the United States, having set that red line, having made that warning, to step away from it, I think that would be a very perilous suggestion to make.
"Because in response I think you'd see more chemical weapons attacks from the regime."
Obama has said he will punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons but wants authorisation from the US Congress before conducting any military strikes.
Britain will not be involved after members of the House of Commons last week voted against Cameron's call for action, in a historic decision that severely damaged the prime minister's authority.
But in his weekly question and answer session in the Commons on Wednesday, Cameron made clear that he still believed strikes were justified.
"If no action is taken following President Obama's red line, and if no action is taken following this appalling use of chemical weapons, you have to ask yourself what sort of Armageddon are the Syrian people going to be facing?" he said.
Cameron rejected calls for a second parliamentary vote on military action, but said Britain would continue to push for a solution to the Syrian conflict.
"We must use everything we have in our power -- our diplomatic networks, our influence with other countries, our membership of all the key bodies, the G8, the G20, the UN, the EU, NATO -- we must use all that influence to bring to bear," he said.
Cameron said the world still had to take a "very tough response" to the use of chemical weapons, including aiding opposition forces.
"I accept that Britain can't be part and won't be part of any military action on that front," he said.
"But we must not in any degree give up our utter revulsion at the chemical weapons attacks that we have seen and we must press this point in every forum of which we are a member."
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