What is Obama's Priority? Syria or NY/NJ Hurricane Victims

[Desperado]

What is Obama's Priority? President Obama announces new $155 million humanitarian aid package in video message to Syrian people. He does this while the Hurricane Sandy Victims are still living in horrendous conditions. Seems the Syria is more important than the people in New York and New Jersey that still need help.

Read more: President Obama announces new $155 million humanitarian aid package in video message to Syrian people  - NY Daily News

 

[waltky]

Surely the Arab states can pay for this out of the oil money they make gougin' us whilst we fight their wars for `em...

UN seeks major aid boost for Syrian 'catastrophe'
Jan 29,`13 -- International aid officials are framing their latest gathering on Syria's humanitarian crises in terms not seen in the region since the height of the Iraq war: Refugee numbers possibly swelling toward 1 million, more than double that number in need of help inside the country and political policymaking among Bashar Assad's foes torn between the battlefield strategies and the civilian costs.

The urgency for a dramatic increase in international relief funds for Syria - seeking total pledges of $1.5 billion - will be the central message Wednesday in Kuwait from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other leaders such as Jordan's King Abdullah II, whose nation is struggling with more than 320,000 refugees and more arriving every day. The meeting also seeks to reorient some of the political calculations among Western nations and allies supporting the Syrian rebels. With the civil war nearing its two-year mark and no end in sight, U.N. officials and others are pressing governments to recognize the potential long-term humanitarian burdens and spread resources and support to both the Syrian opposition and the millions of people caught in the conflict. "The crisis is not easing on any front," said Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. office in charge of coordinating humanitarian affairs. "It's relentless."

The venue in Kuwait also highlights the increasingly high-profile role of Persian Gulf nations in Syria's civil war. The Gulf states, led by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have been key backers of the political opposition against Assad and have urged for stepped up arms shipments to rebel fighters - a call that has met resistance from the U.S. and Western allies fearing that heavy weapons could reach Islamist militant factions that have joined the rebellion. Now, the wealthy Gulf nations may come under direct calls to significantly boost contributions for U.N.-led humanitarian efforts in addition to their own pledges, including $100 million promised by Saudi Arabia in December for Syrian relief and $5 million from the United Arab Emirates this month for the refugees in Jordan.

Representatives from more than 60 nations are expected at the one-day conference, possibly including envoys from Assad's main allies Iran and Russia. They are unlikely to be put under specific diplomatic pressures, but could face uncomfortable descriptions of civilian deaths in a nearly 2-year-old civil war that the U.N. says has claimed more than 60,000 lives. Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Syria's bombardment of citizens should be declared a war crime and aid groups must be given greater access to help displaced or suffering people inside the country. Relief groups, however, have struggled in Syria because of shifting front lines and risks of kidnapping or convoys commandeered. The U.N. also has pulled back some staff in Damascus as fighting intensified in the capital.

Also in Davos, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, called the Syrian humanitarian situation "already catastrophic." "What we are seeing now are the consequences of the failure of the international community to unite to resolve the crisis," she said before heading to Damascus for a two-day visit that included talks with Syrian officials. While the Kuwait meeting is certain to showcase the strong international coalition against Assad's regime, it also will underscore the shortfall in nailing down funds for humanitarian relief.

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Syria crisis: Brahimi warns horror is 'unprecedented'
29 January 2013 - The conflict in Syria has reached "unprecedented levels of horror", peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has told the UN Security Council.

The UN-Arab League envoy said Syria was being destroyed "bit by bit" with grave consequences for the wider region. He was speaking hours after evidence emerged of a fresh massacre in the northern city of Aleppo. At least 71 bodies were found by a river in the western Bustan al-Qasr district, opposition activists said. Most had their hands tied behind their backs and gunshot wounds to the head. Mr Brahimi has been trying to find a solution to the crisis based on a peace plan approved at an international conference in June 2012. The UN says the conflict has left more than 60,000 people dead.

Some city districts, including Haresta in the capital Damascus, lie in ruins

The BBC's Barbara Plett at the UN says Mr Brahimi delivered a blunt assessment of the situation in Syria that reflected his frustration with the deadlock in the Security Council. "Unprecedented levels of horror have been reached. The tragedy does not have an end," Mr Brahimi told a closed meeting of the 15-member council, according to diplomats. "The country is breaking up before everyone's eyes. Only the international community can help, and first and foremost the Security Council."

Speaking later to reporters, Mr Brahimi said the Syrian government and the opposition were, between them, destroying Syria "bit by bit". "The region is being pushed into a situation that is extremely bad," he said. "That is why I believe the Security Council simply cannot continue to say: 'We are in disagreement, therefore let's wait for better times.' I think they have to grapple with this problem now."

Gruesome discovery

The UN Security Council has been divided over Syria for months. The US, UK, France and other Western powers have pushed for resolutions that threaten sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's government. However, Russia and China have vetoed such resolutions three times. Moscow - a close ally of Syria - also refuses to back calls for Mr Assad to step down.

Earlier, video footage of the gruesome discovery in Aleppo was posted by activists on YouTube. It showed a large number of bodies strewn in and around the banks of the Quwaiq river, which skirts the western side of Aleppo. The bodies were caked in mud and showed signs of rigor mortis. There were also signs of blood having poured from many of the heads. The government and opposition have blamed each other for the killings. The district of Bustan al-Qasr has been hotly contested since fighting broke out in Aleppo last July, correspondents say.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21255536

 

[TruthSeeker56]

What is Obama's Priority? President Obama announces new $155 million humanitarian aid package in video message to Syrian people. He does this while the Hurricane Sandy Victims are still living in horrendous conditions. Seems the Syria is more important than the people in New York and New Jersey that still need help.

Read more: President Obama announces new $155 million humanitarian aid package in video message to Syrian people* - NY Daily News

To answer your original question.........

Barack Obama's PRIORITY is............Barack Obama.

 

[S.J.]

When are Americans gonna realize he doesn't care about Americans?

 

[Votto]

I guess that's what happens when you attain more and more power. Eventually everyone looks to you to wipe their arse. In fact, do we still have a Congress?

 

[waltky]

Assad got Obama in his back pocket...

White House opposed plan backed by Pentagon, State, CIA to arm Syrian rebels
February 7th, 2013 - The White House knocked down a proposal last summer from top national security leaders, including then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and CIA Director David Petraeus, to arm Syrian rebels, according to U.S. officials, one of whom said the issue appears dead for now.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey said in testimony to a Senate committee on Thursday that they also backed the plan to provide weapons to opposition fighters. But officials, who requested anonymity to speak freely about a sensitive subject, said the White House rejected the idea. "The reason we have not armed them is because the White House has no appetite for it," a U.S. official familiar with the deliberations told CNN. The official said the ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, was among those in the State Department who "advocated for it pretty strongly." The issue of arming the rebels "is dead in the water for now because folks are resigned to the fact that White House will not budge," the official added.

The Obama administration has resisted arming the rebels, citing concerns about the infiltration of extremists groups who could possibly use those weapons against other targets. For now, the U.S. government has provided millions in humanitarian aid to the rebels fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The CIA has also sent agents to vet the opposition group to try to better understand its composition. The United States in December designated a key Syrian rebel group, the al-Nusra Front, as a terrorist entity. U.S. officials argued it was a necessary step that would not weaken the ability of other rebels to combat the Syrian military.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Panetta and Dempsey were asked by Arizona Sen. John McCain, the leading Republican proponent of a more aggressive backing of Syrian rebels, whether they supported the idea of arming them. "We do," answered Panetta. "We did," answered Dempsey. They did not get a chance to explain as McCain moved on to another topic.

But McCain used the brief answers to urge President Barack Obama to consider the plan, saying in a statement that "the time to act is long overdue, but it is not too late." "The crisis in Syria represents a graphic failure of American leadership. I urge the president to heed the advice of his former and current national security leaders and immediately take the necessary steps, along with our friends and allies, that could hasten the end of the conflict in Syria," McCain said in the statement.

State Department Victoria Nuland declined to comment when asked about the matter, calling it an internal policy deliberation. The White House also refused to comment. Obama spoke last month about hesitation to get more involved in the civil war in Syria. "Syria is a classic example of where our involvement, we want to make sure that not only does it enhance U.S. security, but also that it is doing right by the people of Syria and neighbors like Israel that are going to be profoundly affected by it. And - and so it's true sometimes that we don't just shoot from the hip," he told CBS News.

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