UN Accuses Syrian Rebels Of Chemical Weapons Use...

[paulitician]

More of your Tax Dollars flushed down the Interventionist Toilet.


UN accuses Syrian rebels of carrying out sarin gas attacks which had been blamed on Assad's troops

UN investigators suspect that chemical weapons attacks in Syria were carried out by the country's rebels and not forces loyal to the regime. Former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte told Swiss TV that a UN commission has 'strong, concrete suspicions' that rebels had used the nerve agent sarin gas. 'This was use on the part of the opposition, the rebels, not by the government authorities,' she said.

Her comments came as fierce fighting continued in Syria, where rebels in the east claimed to have shot down a military helicopter, and government forces defended a military air base in the north for the second straight day. The comments by Ms Del Ponte, a member of the U.N. panel probing alleged war crimes in Syria, contradict claims by Britain and the U.S. that intelligence reports showed Syrian soldiers had used chemical weapons. She said that the United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria has not yet seen evidence of government forces having used chemical weapons, which are banned under international law.

'Our investigators have been in neighbouring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated,' said Ms Del Ponte...

Read more: UN accuses Syrian rebels of carrying out sarin gas attacks which had been blamed on Assad's troops | Mail Online
DRUDGE REPORT 2013®

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dey leadin' up to boots onna ground in Syria...

Troops needed to secure Syria’s chemical weapons, some experts say
May 29, 2013 > It’s the option in Syria no one seems interested in pursuing.

Not a war-weary American public. Not hawkish Sen. John McCain who is throwing his support behind a no-fly zone. Not President Barrack Obama and his top advisers, who are mulling whether to send lethal military aid to Syrian rebels. As uncertainty mounts over what to do next in Syria, where questions persist over whether a “red line” has been crossed regarding chemical weapons usage by the regime or anti-regime rebels, all remain leery of direct military engagement in a war in which an estimated 75,000 people have already died.

But some experts suggest that all the talk of potential no-fly zones and other limited military aid distracts from the ultimate underlying issue: If the U.S. and others in the international community want to ensure chemical weapons don’t slip into the wrong hands for use in attacks beyond Syria’s borders, it would likely require thousands of ground troops to secure them. “They are going to have to go in and get the weapons,” said retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Wald, who served as deputy commander of U.S. European Command until 2006. “The issue isn’t really just about a no-fly zone. To get the weapons you need a strong no-fly zone, but you also need a team to actually go in and get the weapons. You need to eliminate the weapons.”

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., center, accompanied by Moustafa, right, visits rebels in Syria. McCain, who slipped into the country for a surprise visit, favors providing arms to rebel forces in Syria.

The reason, Wald said, is that no one on the ground in Syria can be trusted to ensure chemical stockpiles aren’t going to be smuggled or used beyond Syria’s borders — not the Assad regime, not rebel groups and not al-Qaida fighters who have aligned themselves with some of those rebels. Rather than get drawn into a civil war where neither side is a clear U.S. ally, Wald said, the U.S. and international partners should focus on seizing control of chemical sites and not get bogged down in another conflict.

Still, the international community remains largely focused on whether or not to arm rebels in their fight against the Assad regime. On Monday, the European Union lifted an embargo that could open the door to the shipment of lethal aid to rebels, though EU members remain conflicted over whether such shipments should be carried out. McCain, who made a surprise visit into Syria on Monday to meet with rebels, has repeatedly called on the Obama administration to help arm the fighters.

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UN gets new info on alleged chemical use by Syria
May 29, 2013 -- Britain said Thursday it has sent a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with new information on three further incidents of alleged chemical weapons use by the Syrian government.

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said his government has continued to provide new information to the secretary-general and the head of the U.N. team Ban appointed to investigate alleged chemical weapons attacks in Syria. The Syrian government asked Ban to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack by rebels on March 19 on Khan al-Assal village in Aleppo, but insists that a probe be limited to that incident. Syrian soldiers were reportedly killed and injured in the incident, which the rebels blame on Syrian forces.

Ban is insisting on a broader investigation, including a December incident in Homs raised by Britain and France. He appointed Swedish chemical weapons expert Ake Sellstrom to lead a U.N. investigation. Syria has refused to allow his team into the country. "We continue to inform the secretary-general and Mr. Sellstrom of any information as and when we get it," Lyall Grant told several reporters. "I sent a further notification to the secretary-general last week."

The U.K. Foreign Office said the letter was meant to draw Ban's attention to three further allegations of chemical weapons use and ask that those be included in the U.N.'s investigation. Those allegations relate to incidents which reportedly took place in March and April of this year and which have been reported in the media, the Foreign Office added. "The U.K. is extremely concerned about the ongoing allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria," it said in a statement.

A senior U.N. diplomat said last week that Ban has received new information about alleged chemical weapons incidents since the beginning of April. The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, refused to give any details. The confirmed use of chemical weapons could escalate the international response to the more than two-year-old conflict, which has killed more than 70,000 people, according to the United Nations. "Our view is that all the attacks are by the government," Lyall Grant said. "We have no information that the opposition has access, let alone used chemical weapons."

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[Harry Dresden]

More of your Tax Dollars flushed down the Interventionist Toilet.


UN accuses Syrian rebels of carrying out sarin gas attacks which had been blamed on Assad's troops

UN investigators suspect that chemical weapons attacks in Syria were carried out by the country's rebels and not forces loyal to the regime. Former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte told Swiss TV that a UN commission has 'strong, concrete suspicions' that rebels had used the nerve agent sarin gas. 'This was use on the part of the opposition, the rebels, not by the government authorities,' she said.

Her comments came as fierce fighting continued in Syria, where rebels in the east claimed to have shot down a military helicopter, and government forces defended a military air base in the north for the second straight day. The comments by Ms Del Ponte, a member of the U.N. panel probing alleged war crimes in Syria, contradict claims by Britain and the U.S. that intelligence reports showed Syrian soldiers had used chemical weapons. She said that the United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria has not yet seen evidence of government forces having used chemical weapons, which are banned under international law.

'Our investigators have been in neighbouring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated,' said Ms Del Ponte...

Read more: UN accuses Syrian rebels of carrying out sarin gas attacks which had been blamed on Assad's troops | Mail Online
DRUDGE REPORT 2013®

so what are they going to do about it?.....they will have lunch and talk about it.....for months.....

 

[ScienceRocks]

It doesn't fucking surprise me.

 

[paulitician]

Yeah, and John McCain needs to just retire and go away. WTF's up with his love affair with Syrian Rebels? Most of em have close ties with Al Qaeda. The man really has lost it.

 

[High_Gravity]

Yeah, and John McCain needs to just retire and go away. WTF's up with his love affair with Syrian Rebels? Most of em have close ties with Al Qaeda. The man really has lost it.

He did the same thing with the Libyans too, if he was President we'd be even more involved with the Syrians.