Good news for Peace from President of United States of America, Barack Obama, in an interview (9-9-2013) said:
«(...) you know, I think it's certainly a positive development when, the Russians and the Syrians both make gestures toward dealing with these chemical weapons. This is what we've been asking for not just over the last week or the last month, but for the last couple of years.
If we can exhaust these diplomatic efforts and come up with a formula that gives the international community a verifiable, enforceable mechanism to deal with these chemical weapons in Syria, then I'm all for it, (...). But we're going to have to see specifics, (...). And I think it is reasonable to assume that we would not be at this point if there were not a credible military threat standing behind the norm against the use of chemical weapons.»
«In an interview for CBS (...), Assad denied using chemical weapons to attack his own people (...). Syria has denied launching the attack Aug. 21, insisting along with its ally Russia that the attack was launched by the rebels to drag the United States into war. Assad told CBS his troops were attacked by chemical weapons and were not the aggressors.
"Our soldiers in another area were attacked chemically, (...). "Our soldiers. They went to the hospital — as casualties because of chemical weapons."»
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/09/russia-syria/2785703/
Before in the same day:
«If the establishment of international control over chemical weapons in that country would allow avoiding strikes, we will immediately start working with Damascus (...) We are calling on the Syrian leadership to not only agree on placing chemical weapons storage sites under international control, but also on its subsequent destruction and fully joining the treaty on prohibition of chemical weapons» said the Russian Minister Lavrov
«(...) full cooperation with Russia to remove any pretext for aggression» said the Syrian Minister Al-Moallem.
Christians in Syria: we hope that war will finish for all persons in Syria and future peace will permit the return of 2 millions Syrians to them Country.
The Life and Freedom of all Persons are sacred!
Church in al-Duwair near Homs (image from Syria Report): «The surrounding Christian villages were destroyed and all the faithful who were caught were killed, according to a logic of sectarian hatred… For decades, Christians and Muslims lived in peace in Syria. If criminal gangs can roam and terrorize civilians, is this not against international laws? Who will protect the innocent and ensure the future of this country? … Young people are disappointed, because foreign powers dictate their agenda. Moderate Muslims are worried, because Salafists and fundamentalists want to impose a totalitarian dictatorship of religious nature. The citizens are terrified because they are innocent victims of armed gangs.» Belgian Catholic priest, Fr. Daniel Maes (http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org, September 11, 2013)
«A former resident of Maaloula, an historic
Christian town to the north of Damascus, has told the BBC her family was
forced to leave their home after it was captured by rebels at the
weekend.
Antoinette Nassrallah said she didn't know if she would ever return after rebels "stole everything".
She said the United States should stop sending weaponry to the rebels, and that any military action against Syria would be based on a "big lie".» 9 September 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24022511
Antoinette Nassrallah said she didn't know if she would ever return after rebels "stole everything".
She said the United States should stop sending weaponry to the rebels, and that any military action against Syria would be based on a "big lie".» 9 September 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24022511
«A BBC correspondent in Syria has said the battle for an ancient Christian town is continuing, despite reports that government forces had retaken it.
Jeremy Bowen said that a heavy gunfight with rebels was continuing in Maaloula, with smoke rising into the sky.
He added that he had not seen evidence confirming religious sites had been damaged by al-Qaeda-linked jihadists.
Fighting over the town, 55km (34 miles) north of Damascus, began last week after rebels attacked a checkpoint.
Free Syrian Army (FSA) units and members of the jihadist al-Nusra Front occupied Maaloula for several hours on Thursday before withdrawing when their positions were bombed by government warplanes.
Then on Sunday, activists said government soldiers and pro-government militiamen had been forced to pull back to the outskirts following a fresh rebel assault.
Since then, most of the town's 3,300 residents have fled to safer parts of the country including Damascus, where some told the BBC that three people had been killed and six kidnapped.
They said al-Nusra fighters had desecrated churches and statues.
However, our correspondent in Maaloula has seen statues in churches which were left undamaged.
Withdrawal offer
Maaloula has several churches and important monasteries, including Deir Mar Takla, which is visited by many Christians and Muslim pilgrims.
Inscriptions found in some of the caves in the mountainside on which the town sits confirm it as one of the earliest centres of Christianity in the world, and some residents can still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ.
The rebels declared on Tuesday that they would withdraw from Maaloula provided that pro-government forces did not take their place.
"To ensure no blood is spilt and that the properties of the people of Maaloula are kept safe, the Free Syrian Army announces that the town of Maaloula will be kept out of the struggle between the FSA and the regime army," a spokesman said in an online video.
But heavy fighting was continuing on Wednesday afternoon when our correspondent arrived in Maaloula.
He said both government soldiers and local members of the National Defence Forces, a pro-government militia, were still exchanging fire with al-Nusra fighters inside the town. He also saw half a dozen government casualties being taken away for treatment.
The fighting in Maaloula has highlighted the delicate position of Syria's Christian minority.
When the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March 2011, many Christians were cautious and tried to avoid taking sides.
However, as the crackdown by security forces intensified and opposition supporters took up arms, they were gradually drawn into the conflict.
Many fear that if the secular government is overthrown, they will be targeted by Sunni jihadist rebels calling for the establishment of an Islamic state and that Christian communities will be destroyed, as many were in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003.» http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24051440
RT’s reporter Maria Finoshina
«Maaloula, Syria: view of the St. Thecla monastery from the top of the rock. In the cove above the monastery there is a shrine of St. Thecla» photo by Heretiq (Wikipedia) Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
«Maaloula» in a photo by Yuba (Wikipedia)
MAALOULA in Latin language «from the Aramaic word maʿʿəlā (מעלא), meaning 'entrance'. Until recently, the village was dominated by speakers of Western Neo-Aramaic.» Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%27loula)
«Convento de Santa Tecla» photo by André Luís Vieira (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/44529661)
«Statue of Saint Thecla in the gorge of Saint Thecla» by Bernard Gagnon (Wikipedia) Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
NASA satellite picture of Earth
«U.S. weapons reaching Syrian rebels» -
The arms shipments, which are limited to light weapons and other munitions that can be tracked, began arriving in Syria at a moment of heightened tensions over threats by President Obama to order missile strikes to punish the regime of Bashar al-Assad for his alleged use of chemical weapons in a deadly attack near Damascus last month.
U.S. officials hope that, taken together, the weapons and gear will boost the profile and prowess of rebel fighters in a conflict that started about 21 / 2 years ago.
Although the Obama administration signaled months ago that it would increase aid to Syrian rebels, the efforts have lagged because of the logistical challenges involved in delivering equipment in a war zone and officials’ fears that any assistance could wind up in the hands of jihadists. Secretary of State John F. Kerry had promised in April that the nonlethal aid would start flowing “in a matter of weeks.”
The delays prompted several senior U.S. lawmakers to chide the Obama administration for not moving more quickly to aid the Syrian opposition after promising lethal assistance in June. The criticism has grown louder amid the debate over whether Washington should use military force against the Syrian regime, with some lawmakers withholding support until the administration committed to providing the rebels with more assistance.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who has pressed the Obama administration to do more to help the rebels, said he felt embarrassed when he met with Syrians along the Turkish border three weeks ago.
“It was humiliating,” he said in an interview Wednesday night. “The president had announced that we would be providing lethal aid, and not a drop of it had begun. They were very short on ammunition, and the weapons had not begun to flow.”
The latest effort to provide aid is aimed at supporting rebel fighters who are under the command of Gen. Salim Idriss, according to officials, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because part of the initiative is covert. Idriss is the commander of the Supreme Military Council, a faction of the disjointed armed opposition.
U.S. officials, speaking about the provision of nonlethal aid, said they are determined to increase the cohesion and structure of the rebel fighting units.
“This doesn’t only lead to a more effective force, but it increases its ability to hold coalition groups together,” said Mark S. Ward, the State Department’s senior adviser on assistance to Syria, who coordinates nonlethal aid to rebels from southern Turkey. “They see their leadership is having some impact.”»
«Syria situation further strains Obama’s relationship with the antiwar movement» - Zachary A. Goldfarb
The debate over whether to intervene militarily in Syria is the final break in a long-splintering relationship between Obama and the antiwar movement. Antiwar activists played an important role in the president’s 2008 campaign, helping Obama defeat Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primary and Republican nominee John McCain in the general election.
“This moment around Syria is a high-water mark for progressives speaking out on military policy or foreign policy under Obama,” said Anna Galland, the executive director of MoveOn.org. “We strongly and publicly broke with the president on foreign policy for the first time.”
A surprise Russian proposal that Syria turn over its chemical weapons this week provided Obama a way out of a potential embarrassing defeat on Capitol Hill, where both Republicans and Democrats were prepared to reject his request for the authority to strike the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Yet it’s unclear whether diplomatic negotiations will ultimately resolve the standoff, meaning that Obama may again choose to turn to lawmakers for support. Obama’s second term could include similar debates over military interventions in other countries as well, including Iran and North Korea.
The Syria experience suggests that Obama would face not only skepticism from Republicans, who have attacked him for his handling of the situation, but also strong opposition from the left as well. It comes as part of a growing list of grievances among liberals about Obama’s national security policy.»
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