Did Kerry Just Ad-Lib His Way Out Of A War?

OOPS:  Swift boat traitor makes obvious gaffe that could cost White House criminals their next illegal war

FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE
09/09/2013

Secretary of State John Kerry said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avoid an American military strike by giving up his chemical weapons, an unscripted and off-handed remark that triggered a mad day of diplomatic scrambling and raised the first real prospect of a peaceful end to the Syrian crisis. 

 

 

Kerry:  "Did I just say that?"

Speaking in London this morning, Kerry said Assad had one way, and one way only, of preventing the Obama administration from launching a military intervention into his country.

"Sure, he could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week -- turn it over, all of it, without delay and allow the full and total accounting," Kerry said. "But he isn't about to do it, and it can't be done."

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki tried to walk back Kerry's comments almost immediately after he uttered them, describing the remarks as a "rhetorical argument about the impossibility and unlikelihood of Assad turning over chemical weapons he has denied he used."

By then, though, Kerry's ad lib had taken on a life of its own. A few hours after Kerry spoke, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that Russia would support putting Syria's chemical weapon storage sites under international control before "their subsequent destruction."

 

 

Lavrov immediately latches on to the Kerry's blurted BS

"We don't know whether Syria will agree with this, but if the establishment of international control over chemical weapons in the country will prevent attacks, then we will immediately begin work with Damascus," Lavrov said.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, appearing with Lavrov in Moscow, said his country welcomed the Russian proposal and was prepared to act on it "to avert American aggression against out people."

The Obama administration reacted much more cautiously, noting that Lavrov had provided no timetables or details about how his idea would work in practice, but White House officials didn't dismiss the Russian plan out of hand. 

 

 

Moon:  "We have sorrrution?  Sure!  Anything!  ANYTHING!!!

"We're going to take a hard look at this," Deputy National Security Advisor Tony Blinken told reporters at the White House. "We'll talk to the Russians about it."

The relatively warm U.S. response came in spite of the fact that the Russian proposal appeared to take the Obama administration by surprise. Lavrov spoke to Kerry by phone before his press conference in Moscow, but State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said she didn't know whether Lavrov had given his American counterpart any advance notice that he was about to float the idea of putting Syria's chemical weapons under international control.

Either way, the Russian proposal could give the White House a face-saving way to pull back from launching a military intervention into Syria that has almost no public or Congressional support. President Obama and his top aides have spent days arguing that failing to punish Assad for using chemical weapons against his own civilians would threaten U.S. national security by making American adversaries believe that they could develop and use weapons of mass destruction without repercussions. Obama himself will make the case for striking Syria in a television address Tuesday night.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waded into the Syria debate for the first time on Monday and expressed strong support for the administration's handling of the crisis. She said it would be an "important step" if Assad placed his chemical weapons under international control but said the Russian proposal only came about "in the context of a credible military threat by the United States to keep pressure on the Syrian government."

So far, though, the Obama administration's growing public relations push appears to be having little impact. A new CNN/ORC International poll found that 70 percent of Americans oppose a U.S. strike on Syria, and lawmakers from both parties say legislation giving Obama the power to use force against Assad doesn't currently have enough votes to make it through Congress.

The broad opposition has left the White House in a box. Obama has called Assad's use of chemical weapons a "red line" and said he wanted to carry out strikes designed to degrade Assad's military and dissuade him from using the chemical weapons again. In recent days, though, the president has been facing the very real prospect of watching a majority in the House -- and potentially in the Senate -- vote against even a small-scale American military intervention. That type of humiliating legislative defeat would decimate Obama's standing at home and abroad.

Now, the Russian proposal could give the White House an out. If Assad puts his weapons under international control, Obama could claim that his threats of a strike were what caused the Syrian dictator to blink. That would allow the administration to claim victory without having to fire a shot.

For now, Washington is basically in wait-and-see mode as momentum builds for a proposal that wasn't on anyone's radar screen even twelve hours ago. Influential Senator Dianne Feinstein issued a statement saying she would "welcome such a move." On Monday afternoon, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon effectively endorsed the Russian plan and called for Assad to place his chemical weapons "in a safe place" before they could be destroyed. The next move, whenever it happens, will be made in Damascus.

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This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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Syria Agrees To Put Chemical Weapons Under International Control

Putin pulls the plug on any Obama excuse for illegal airstrikes; in the face of zero evidence Assad responsible for gassing and mounting evidence Obama's CIA/FSA is, Congress cowards blink at upcoming vote as CIA approved Iraq chemical weapons use comes to light

PRESS TV
09/09/2013

Syria has welcomed Russia’s initiative to put its chemical weapons stockpile under international control in a bid to avert US military intervention.

"Sorry Benny, maybe next time around..."

The offer was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday during talks with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem in Moscow.

Muallem said he welcomed the proposal, which calls on Syria to hand over control of its chemical weapons to the international community and then have them destroyed.

"I state that the Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the Russian initiative, motivated by the Syrian leadership's concern for the lives of our citizens and the security of our country, and also motivated by our confidence in the wisdom of the Russian leadership, which is attempting to prevent American aggression against our people," Muallem said through an interpreter.

Congress clowns now pretend to "debate" airstrikes

The Russian initiative came shortly after US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in London that the only way for Syria to avoid military action is to hand over its entire stockpile of chemical weapons within the next week.

But, US officials later said that Kerry was making a "rhetorical argument" rather than a serious offer.

Washington is struggling to secure support for military action against Syria over the accusation that the Syrian government was involved in a deadly chemical attack near Damascus on August 21.

The White House, however, has admitted it has no "irrefutable" evidence of Syrian government's use of chemical weapons, but said a "strong common-sense test irrespective of the intelligence" suggested the Syrian army was responsible for the August poison gas attack.

Obama and his entire criminal crew going to prison along with their "mainstream media" lackeys that shilled and covered for their crimes and illegal wars

The US Senate will vote on authorizing military intervention in Syria later this week.

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned of massive retaliation if the United States launches a military strike against his country.

Assad told CBS Television on Monday that Washington should "expect everything" if US forces attack his country.

HM/SS

Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The 5^th Estate.

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

 

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Assad Denies Ordering Chemical Attack And Warns Of Retaliation Against Any U.S. Strikes

Obama looney propagandist, U.S. traitor and disgrace to the military Mark Kimmet, along with ludicrous Benghazigate whore Susan Rice now on the CIA Al-Jazeera war-drum talking head parade; Americans paying for entire circus shill for WWIII - stand by for 9/11 "scarefest" from White House criminals

THE IRISH TIMES
By Michael Jansen
09/09/2013

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has denied ordering an alleged chemical weapons attack said to have killed hundreds of civilians in the Damascus countryside on August 21st.

Attention-seeking, illiterate Obama war-whore does not have enough sense to keep mouth shut, adds yet more war crimes to her prison resume

He also warned that US military operations designed to degrade his forces could change the course of the war in favour of rebels and radical jihadis, causing regional chaos, and that his allies could retaliate.

Dr Assad’s government has blamed the attacks on rebels seeking to draw in the US and its western allies at a time when the military has gone over to the offensive.

His denial coincided with yesterday’s report in Germany’s Bild am Sonntag saying that he repeatedly refused to authorise the deployment of such weapons, quoting German intelligence sources who said commanders had been requesting authorisation for more than four months.

Bild said intelligence on the strikes had been based on radio intercepts by a German naval ship sailing off the Syrian coast.

Entire Syria "crisis" concocted by Obama criminals to distract from continuing Snowden revelations that will land them all in prison

In his weekly radio address, US president Barack Obama called on US citizens to back an attack on Syria, promising that such strikes would not constitute a full-scale war like those in Iraq or Afghanistan.

US secretary of state John Kerry, in Paris to secure Arab League support for US military action against Syria in retaliation for its purported use of chemical weapons, said he and Arab foreign ministers agreed that “Assad’s deplorable use of chemical weapons crosses an international, global red line”.

He said an “unbelievably small, limited” military strike will be enough to halt Syria’s use of chemical weapons and hasten a political settlement to the civil war. As Congress got set to debate a US intervention, Mr Kerry sought to reassure the public that the Obama administration won’t let a Syrian campaign evolve into a years-long commitment with ground troops, such as in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

U.S. traitor, drooling Senate doofus Harry Reid now parrots massa Obama's pro-WWIII propaganda; next elections - if there are any - will be a bloodbath for Obamaites

“We’re not talking about war, we’re not going to war,” Mr Kerry said in a press conference in London today after a three- day mission to Europe.

He spoke of a “limited, very targeted, very short-term effort.” Syria’s bid to frustrate that effort took foreign minister Walid al-Muallem to Moscow today, seeking a joint approach with Russia to defuse Western assertions that the Syrian regime is using chemical munitions against its own people.

The two allies called for a peace conference instead of US strikes.

Mr Kerry’s tour yielded a European Union appeal to work through the United Nations, French determination to side with the US, support from as-yet undisclosed Arab countries and denunciations of Dr Assad from Britain, the American ally in prior Middle Eastern wars which will stay out of this one.

There is no Arab consensus on proposed US military action. While the Gulf monarchies back strikes, Egypt, Algeria and Syria’s neighbours, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan, oppose them. Consequently, discussions apparently focused on possible deferral of military strikes until after UN experts report on the findings of their investigations in Syria and after a possible recourse to the UN Security Council.

Pathetic White House propaganda machine now completely discredited, kicked out of Egypt, Syria, Iraq as U.S./CIA spies, "national security threat"

Mr Kerry said the US had agreed to provide evidence to ministers unconvinced that Dr Assad was responsible for the chemical attacks.

Mr Kerry also acknowledged that there must be a political rather than a military solution to the Syrian crisis.

Plan for Strikes

The Los Angeles Times reported that the Pentagon has made contingency plans for 72 hours of intense strikes not only designed to deter Syria from using chemical weapons.

In Syria, rebels and jihadi fighters remained in control of the heights above the ancient Christian town of Maaloula, 60km (37 miles) north of Damascus, while government forces continued to fight for possession of the town, a proposed Unesco world heritage site.

Zionist Kerry continues "war tour" strong-arm tactics, is now laughing stock of the world along with master Obama as sane world leaders tell him to shove his phoney "limited strikes"

Maaloula is built into the cliffs of rugged mountains where Christians constructed the churches of St Sergius and St Takla. In the vanguard of the campaign to wrest control of the town is Jabhat al-Nusra, the most effective fighting arm of the local al-Qaeda franchise.

Rami Abdel Rahman of the Britain-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said: “The army pulled back to the outskirts . . . and [rebel and jihadi fighters] are in total control of Maaloula now.”

However, video from news channel Russia Today showed government forces at the town’s entrance arches being fired upon by jihadi snipers on buildings. A resident of the town said these forces, largely composed of Tunisians, Moroccans, Chechens and Libyans, attacked both civilian homes and churches as many townspeople fled. One church has been torched and two others have been pillaged, the resident said.

Jihadis were said to have forced Christians to convert to Islam or face beheading.

Syrian state news agency Sana, however, reported that military operations were ongoing and the churches were “safe”.

‘Warmongering’

In Baghdad, Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif expressed concern about “warmongering in this region”, while Iraqi parliamentary speaker Osama al-Nujaifi warned that any “military strike will not be beneficial for Syria and will ignite a fire that will possibly engulf Iraq and nearby countries”.

Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The 5^th Estate.

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

 

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