Syria warns West against intervention

US House of Representatives speaker John Boehner says he will support President Obama's call for action in Syria. http://bbc.in/14VrryF
With more than 2 million people fleeing the Syrian war,
camps like #Zaatari in Jordan are struggling to cope. Explore the camp with our interactive guide.
http://bbc.in/14nyjBh

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151569966262217&set=a.10150618575207217.382392.228735667216&type=1&theater

AnnaEsse wrote:

US House of Representatives speaker John Boehner says he will support President Obama's call for action in Syria. http://bbc.in/14VrryF
With more than 2 million people fleeing the Syrian war,
camps like #Zaatari in Jordan are struggling to cope. Explore the camp with our interactive guide.
http://bbc.in/14nyjBh

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151569966262217&set=a.10150618575207217.382392.228735667216&type=1&theater

What a powerful photo, Anna.

Syria Defector 'Exposes Assad Chemical Attack'At least 24 people are said to have died in Aleppo as the opposition claims three military convoys are moving chemical weapons.5:02pm UK, Tuesday 03 September 2013 The apparent attack took place in Aleppo in March
EmailA former Syrian forensic medicine expert has provided evidence that the Assad regime used chemical weapons, opposition forces say.

Abdeltawwab Shahrour, head of the forensic medicine committee in Aleppo, claims there was a chemical attack in Khan al-Assal, Aleppo, on March 19, said Istanbul-based opposition coalition spokeswoman Sarah Karkour.

Mr Shahrour, who has defected to Turkey, has documents proving the attack took place and eyewitness accounts from police authorities that contradicte the administration's version of events, a second opposition official said.

Both the government and rebels have blamed each other for what they say was an attack involving chemical weapons. More than two dozen people died


=======================================================

The Defector was supposed to give his evidence to the US yesterday but mysteriously it didn't happen. Russia warns the West must not take one sided action against Syria, but Putin doesn't exclude supporting a UN Resolution on punitive strikes if proved Regime used poison gas..

Syria Crisis Dominates End Of G20 SummitWorld leaders remain divided over how to deal with the civil war in Syria as Russia dismisses Britain as a "small island".1:31am UK, Friday 06 September 2013 Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin and David Cameron at the St Petersburg summit
While world leaders fall out over the use of chemical weapons in Syria, the reality on the ground is that both sides in the conflict are engaged in bitter clashes that make the situation increasingly intractable, reports Sky's Stuart Ramsay.
Video: Fighting Continues In Syria
Enlarge EmailThe Syria crisis is expected to dominate the final day of the G20 summit in Russia as international tensions continue over how to deal with the conflict.

Relations among world leaders have become heated over possible US military action against President Bashar al Assad's regime following a deadly chemical weapons attack on August 21.

The US and Russia have been unable to agree on a way forward and President Barack Obama said he had "hit a wall" with his counterpart Vladimir Putin, who has warned the use of force without UN approval would be "aggression" and a violation of international law.

Russia, a staunch ally of Syria, also reportedly dismissed Britain as a "small island no one pays any attention to" as relations boiled over at the summit in St Petersburg.


Syrian refugees head across the border into Turkey

The alleged comments, thought to include a reference to Soviet oligarchs "buying Chelsea" and attributed to President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, were later denied by Russian officials.

US Ambassador Samantha Power told a news conference in New York that Russia has held the UN Security Council "hostage" over Syria, and Mr Obama's administration did not expect that to end.

"Even in the wake of the flagrant shattering of the international norm against chemical weapons use, Russia continues to hold the council hostage and shirk its international responsibilities," she said.

"What we have learned, what the Syrian people have learned, is that the Security Council the world needs to deal with this crisis is not the Security Council we have."


US Ambassador Samantha Power accused Russia of holding the UN "hostage"

Earlier, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he would push world leaders at the summit to agree more aid for the estimated two million Syrian refugees left homeless by the civil war.

He told Sky News: "Every 15 seconds there is another Syrian refugee. Millions of people are homeless and they need our help.

"Britain will be leading the charge at this summit to make sure they get the help they need."

The summit was tasked with fostering strong, sustainable growth through encouraging long-term investment among nations, but has been overshadowed by the Syria crisis.

Scientists at Porton Down, in Wiltshire, found further evidence on Thursday that deadly sarin gas was used in the Damascus attack.

But the discovery, alongside evidence from France and the US, is unlikely to cause Russia to change its position.

On Thursday, the Syrian government wrote to the US Congress urging its members not to support the use of military force.

The letter, seen by Sky News, urged Congress to "communicate with us through civilised dialogue rather than the language of fire and blood".
===========================

On the latest news it is reported that Obama and Putin are at daggers drawn, Putin apparently called Britain " a little Island" and Cameron has no sway although he says Britain had evidence of sarin from rags in Aleppo containing Sarin.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10266878/Syria-Q-and-A-objectives-targets-and-what-happens-next.html

This is an indepth report with photos but I don't do photos so if someone wants to show the full report . feel free. 

I think the UN have been spineless Merkel sat on the fence, about 9 other Countries voted for action and I think just as many against. Both Britain and America will vote No so if it is proved beyond doubt that Assad's Regime did use sarin on innocents , what happens next?

RAF Scrambles Typhoons Amid Syria TensionsThe RAF sends up two Typhoon jets in Cyprus as warplanes, thought to have come from Syria, enter international airspace.6:45am UK, Sunday 08 September 2013 Video: Two Typhoons soared into the sky from RAF Akrotiri
Enlarge EmailTwo RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled from their base in Cyprus to investigate unidentified aircraft in international airspace amid mounting tensions over Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Reports suggest the rogue aircraft, which were spotted on radar by the British and Turkish air forces on Monday, came from Syria.

An MoD spokesman said: "Typhoon Air Defence Aircraft operated from RAF Akrotiri on Monday, 2nd September 2013, to investigate unidentified aircraft to the east of Cyprus; the aircraft were flying legally in international airspace and no intercept was required."

The Sunday Mirror quoted a military source as saying: "This is a clear sign of the tension boiling over because of Syria. Everyone is on edge.

"It is a pretty serious move to send up Typhoons - one of their roles is to intercept any possible enemy strike."

A week ago, six RAF Typhoon jets were sent to Cyprus in what the MoD called a "prudent and precautionary measure".

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the number of countries ready to take military action against Syria was now in the "double digits" after holding talks in Lithuania with EU foreign ministers.


Mr Kerry met French foreign minister Laurent Fabius on Saturday

Following the meeting on Saturday, the EU ministers issued a call for action against Syrian President Bashar al Assad's regime.

The EU did not explicitly back military action, but Mr Kerry said he was encouraged by the "very powerful statement" made by the bloc.

"There were a number of countries, in the double digits, who are prepared to take military action," he said.

"We have more countries prepared to take military action than we actually could use in the kind of military action being contemplated."

The US accuses the Assad regime of gassing to death 1,429 people, including 426 children, in an August 21 attack outside Damascus.

In his weekly address, US President Barack Obama warned of the dangers of "turning a blind eye" to chemical attacks.

"I call on members of Congress, from both parties, to come together and stand up for the kind of world we want to live in," he said on his return from a deadlocked G20 summit in St Petersburg.


My Kerry says support for airstrikes is mounting

Mr Obama has asked for Congress to authorise strikes on Syria. Congress reconvenes on Monday and the president is set to address the nation on Tuesday about the US response.

Mr Kerry said Mr Obama had made no decision about whether to wait for the release of a UN investigation into the alleged August attack before taking action.

Prime Minister David Cameron has ruled out bringing the issue of intervention back to the Commons and he has the support of the public, according to a new poll.

The ICM survey found voters opposed MPs voting again on British involvement - even if the UN inspectors concluded chemical weapons were used, by 46% to 36%.

But almost a quarter (24%) accepted that the decision to stay out would encourage other dictators to use chemical weapons, the poll for The Sunday Telegraph showed.

Related Stories

President Barack Obama enters one of the most pivotal weeks of his presidency, as he makes a final push to persuade Congress and the American public to support air strikes against Syria.





Enlarge image









President Barack Obama meets with members of Congress in the cabinet room of the White House on September 3, 2013 in Washington, DC. Photographer: Dennis Brack-Pool/Getty Images




22:01

Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative Gerald Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, talks about President Barack Obama's efforts to gain congressional support for limited military action in Syria and the outlook for budget negotiations. U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray talks about his confirmation and the outlook for the agency. Bloomberg's Heidi Przybyla and Loren Duggan discuss the outlook for Congress's vote on President Obama's call for military action against Syria. They speak with Peter Cook on Bloomberg Government's "Capitol Gains." (Source: Bloomberg)




5:24

Sept. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Jeremy Shapiro, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former member of the State Department's policy planning staff, talks about possible U.S. military action against Syria. He speaks with Betty Liu on Bloomberg Television's "In the Loop." (Source: Bloomberg)
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With U.S. lawmakers increasingly lining up against the president, the looming congressional vote threatens to undermine Obama’s domestic agenda and weaken his clout internationally. Bashar al-Assad disputed U.S. allegations he used chemical weapons against civilians in an interview broadcast today with CBS News correspondent Charlie Rose.

A failure in Congress could reverberate through Obama’s second-term agenda, heightening the difficulty he’ll face in winning congressional support for domestic initiatives and hampering his foreign policy making during his final three years in office.

“The president’s asking a lot for Republicans to support him on Syria,” Tom Davis, a former Republican representative from Virginia who was head of his party’s campaign operation, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “To go back again on immigration or on the budget is going to be very tough.”

Foreign Leaders

Already, Obama’s inability to persuade foreign leaders at last week’s Group of 20 summit to back a military strike in response to a chemical weapons attack has left the administration with weak international support. While aides say the president has the authority to act without congressional approval, such action would isolate him domestically and could prompt a backlash from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

“The reality is, I think it’s very hard for him to act if Congress votes it down,” former White House senior adviser David Axelrod said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” yesterday.

Assad in the CBS interview said Syrian troops weren’t in the region where the attack occurred. “In the area where they said the government used chemical weapons, we only had video,” Assad said. “We only have pictures and allegations. We’re not there. Our forces, our police, our institutions don’t think this.”

Congressional leaders and the White House intended to use this month to negotiate immigration legislation, the farm-policy bill and a series of budget issues, including government funding and increasing the federal debt limit.

Persuading Congress

Instead, the president and his allies are spending much of September persuading Congress to give him authority to launch missile strikes against Syria for chemical weapons attacks that U.S. intelligence has blamed on Assad’s regime.

Yet, after a week-long lobbying effort by the White House, with aides offering briefings, phone calls and hours of public testimony to dozens of hesitant lawmakers, passage of Obama’s proposal remains a challenge. A coalition of small-government Republicans wary of U.S. involvement overseas and Democrats who warn of the risk of entering another Middle Eastern war have said they will vote no.

“I think it’s an uphill slog from here,” Representative Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican who supports a military action against Syria, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” yesterday. “It’s very clear he’s lost support in the last week.”

Vote Count

In the House, 26 members publicly support military action and 202 are opposed or leaning against the resolution as of Sept. 8, with 205 undecided. In the Senate, where 60 votes are needed, 22 members favored the measure, 26 were opposed and 52 were undecided.

Obama will meet on Capitol Hill tomorrow with Senate Democrats, according to a Senate aide who requested anonymity because the meeting hasn’t been publicly announced. The Senate is expected to vote on the resolution by the end of the week. In a sign of the obstacles facing Obama, the Senate’s top Republican, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, hasn’t said whether he will back a military strike. McConnell, like other congressional Republicans, is in a vulnerable position: A yes vote could bolster the campaign of his Tea-Party-backed primary opponent, Louisville investor Matt Bevin.

In the House, which won’t take up the proposal until the week of Sept. 16, the chamber’s top two Republicans -- Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia -- have endorsed military action in Syria, and the chamber’s top Democrat, California’s Nancy Pelosi, has sent a series of letters urging members of her caucus to back the effort. Passage there is expected to be even tougher, given the reservations expressed by lawmakers from both parties who say their constituents overwhelmingly oppose the resolution.

Not Lost

“If I were the president, I would withdraw my request for authorization at this particular point,” said Massachusetts Democratic Representative Jim McGovern on CNN’s “State of the Union” yesterday. “People view war as a last resort. And I don’t think people think that we’re at that point.”

Top White House officials say the vote is far from lost.

“It’s too early to come to any conclusion,” Obama’s chief of staff Denis McDonough said yesterday on “Fox News Sunday.”

The White House, he said, isn’t focused on the broader political impact of a possible congressional failure.

“We are approaching this question simply for the national-security implications that it entails,” he said. “Politics is somebody else’s concern. The president is not interested in the politics of this.”

G-20 Meeting

Yet there’s little question that the vote on Syria has overwhelmed all other issues for the president. Obama spent the end of last week in St. Petersburg, Russia, trying to build support among world leaders at the G-20.

He left without an international consensus for military action. Instead, the administration released a joint statement with the U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Spain calling for a “strong international response” to the chemical weapons attack east of Damascus last month.

Yesterday, Secretary of State John Kerry said Saudi Arabia backs a strike to punish Assad for the use of chemical weapons. Speaking in Paris after a meeting with Arab foreign ministers, he said other nations will declare their support within the next 24 hours.

Obama is turning his focus back to the American public, with plans to lay out his case for the strike in a speech from the White House tomorrow evening at 9 p.m., an administration official said. Today, he’s participating in interviews with six television networks.

Lobbying Effort

The lobbying effort, which rivals the campaign Obama’s team mounted in 2009 to win passage of the Affordable Care Act, has involved scores of current and former top administration officials. In the past two weeks, the White House has held discussions with at least 85 senators and more than 165 House members, according to an administration official. The president spent much of the weekend calling lawmakers individually to make his pitch, according to the aide.

Obama joined Vice President Joe Biden to press the issue over dinner with Republican senators last night at the Naval Observatory in Washington. National Security Adviser Susan Rice will address the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan public policy institute, today, according to the group’s website, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to lend her backing during an address in Philadelphia tomorrow.

‘Limited, Targeted’

In London today, 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, like the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We’re not talking about war, we’re not going to war,” Kerry said in a briefing after a three-day mission to Europe. He spoke of a “limited, very targeted, very short-term effort.”

Kerry, Rice and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel plan to return to Capitol Hill for another round of bipartisan congressional briefings in the Senate and House, as other officials reach out to smaller groups. McDonough is scheduled to meet with House Democrats tomorrow and Rice with the Congressional Black Caucus.

If Congress doesn’t support the relatively limited strikes on Syria, administration officials and their allies warn that it will make it politically difficult for him to move forward with any broader type of military action -- effectively limiting his foreign policy for the remaining three years of his term.

Administration allies say foreign leaders are aware that this week is a test of the president’s power that will affect his ability to act on the world stage.

“Once the administration made this call, I think there is a real need for us to back it up or America becomes a paper tiger,” Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, told reporters on Sept. 5.

I think if Obama goes ahead with strike action he will have to face Syrian, Russian and Iran response .What I can't understand is John Kerry doing the rounds , he had Mr Self Important Haig all set to commit British forces if the vote in Parliament agrees to take action . Yet with all this going on Kerry refuses to tell how he is so positive that Assad knowingly used Sarin on his own people.

I don't think Congress would sanction a limited strike against Syria unless they are convinced of Assad's guilt. Apparently two thirds of Syrian housing has been bombed , refugees are being fed and sheltered but there are 2 million of them and the Host Countries won't keep them forever.You have to feel sorry for these innocent people and their children.

Panda wrote:

I think if Obama goes ahead with strike action he will have to face Syrian, Russian and Iran response .What I can't understand is John Kerry doing the rounds , he had Mr Self Important Haig all set to commit British forces if the vote in Parliament agrees to take action . Yet with all this going on Kerry refuses to tell how he is so positive that Assad knowingly used Sarin on his own people.

I don't think Congress would sanction a limited strike against Syria unless they are convinced of Assad's guilt. Apparently two thirds of Syrian housing has been bombed , refugees are being fed and sheltered but there are 2 million of them and the Host Countries won't keep them forever.You have to feel sorry for these innocent people and their children.

Absolutely tragic what is happening to the people of Syria. Who is to blame for the chemical weapons? First of all it was Assad, then the rebels. It keeps changing. How on earth are we to know? If Obama goes in, who is he fighting?

It seems the Russians are already in, one way or another!! If the US goes in followed by others, who knows where it will end. WW3 probably, which would be quite short given the weapons these days.

It is such an explosive situation. It will take very little on the part of other countries and the whole thing will blow up and everyone will be very seriously involved and it will solve absolutely nothing. Sometimes I wonder if it is what certain countries want!! Just imo

fuzeta, it is a virtual timebomb. Many people are loyal to Assad and are ready to fight to keep Syria as it is. There are all sorts of rumours, that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are funding a couple of the Rebel tribes , the West helping Free Syria fighters and if America starts bombing Syria, Russia and Iran will take action. I have a feeling that the reason John Kerry will not say how he obtained the info is because Israel has a very sophisticated Defense system and may well have filmed the evidence but if Brown broadcasts this he is jeopardising Israel's safety.

If Congress votes to stay out which the American people want, Obama will be weakened as a PM and there will be nothing to stop more sarin being used by other Countries However, Russia is softening it's stance knowing the repercussions if this atrocity is allowed to go unpunished.

US open to Russian proposal for Syria to hand over chemical weapons

Russia's suggestion for Syria to place weapons under international control made after apparent stumble by John Kerry

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Dan Roberts in Washington and Julian Borger in London

theguardian.com, Monday 9 September 2013 21.30 BST

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US deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken said 'it would be terrific', but 'the [Syrian] track record does not inspire confidence'. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters


The White House gave a cautious welcome on Monday to a Russian proposal for Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control, opening up the first real chance of a political settlement to the crisis since hundreds of civilians died in an attack on a Damascus suburb last month.

Russia's suggestion, made as a result of an apparent stumble by the US secretary of state, John Kerry, set off a diplomatic scramble in Washington as administration officials sought to assess whether it offered a way out for Barack Obama from what has become an increasingly intractable problem.

US deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken said "it would be terrific" if Syria followed through the proposal advance by the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, to put its chemical stockpiles under the control of international observers.

But he nevertheless expressed scepticism over whether it would do so. "Unfortunately, the track record to date does not inspire a lot of confidence," Blinken said.

The White House said it would work with the Russians to explore the deal, in discussions that would take place "in parallel" with continued efforts in Washington to persuade US lawmakers to authorise the use of military force against Syria.

A day of intense diplomatic activity began in London, where Kerry suggested that the only way for Syria to avoid the threat of a US attack would be for it to hand over all its chemical weapons within a week. The remarks were characterised as a blunder by some Washington commentators, and the Department of State at first attempted to play down their significance, saying Kerry had been speaking "rhetorically" about a situation that was unlikely to materialise.

But the comments were immediately seized on by Lavrov, who raised the prospect of international observers supervising such a handover. "If the establishment of international control over chemical weapons in that country would allow avoiding strikes, we will immediately start working with Damascus," Lavrov said.

"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," Lavrov said after a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Moallem.

Intentional or not, Kerry's comments opened up a chance to defuse the crisis at a moment when Obama was already struggling to persuade Congress of the need for US intervention. The president was recording a round of primetime TV interviews in the US on Monday evening before delivering a direct address to the nation on Tuesday.

A key legislative ally, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee, said that she would welcome a move by Syria to put chemical weapons beyond use. "I believe that Russia can be most effective in encouraging the Syrian president to stop any use of chemical weapons and place all his chemical munitions, as well as storage facilities, under United Nations control until they can be destroyed," Feinstein said.

The former US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, speaking after a hastily arranged meeting with Obama at the White House, where she was due to speak at an event about illegal wildlife trafficking, said the move could represent an "important step". In her first comments about the Syria crisis, Clinton warned that it could not make "another excuse for delay or obstruction".

Kerry later spoke to Lavrov by phone and Washington scrambled to place its own spin on the unexpected developments. Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, insisted that the offer by Russia and Syria had only come about because of "sustained pressure" from the US.

"It is our position, and has been for some time, that the Syrian regime should not use and also not possess stockpiles of chemical weapons, and we would welcome any proposals that would result in the international control and destruction of that chemical weapon stockpile," he said at a White House briefing.

"There is no question that we have seen some indications of an acceptance of this proposal [from the Syrians], but this is a very early stage and we approach this with scepticism," he added.

The proposal was welcomed by the UN and a number of European governments. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said he would propose the security council unite and vote on an immediate chemical weapons transfer, placing weapons and chemical precursors in a safe place within Syria for international destruction.

Earlier, Ban said that he hoped that a forthcoming report by UN inspectors on the 21 August attack on a rebel-held area east of Damascus called Ghouta, which the US says killed more than 1,400 people, would spur the international community into action.

"Two and half years of conflict in Syria have produced only embarrassing paralysis in the security council," Ban said at a press conference.

The French government has said it would wait for the UN report, being prepared by a Swedish scientist, Åke Sellström, before making a final decision on taking part in military action.

The Sellström report is unlikely to come before the end of this week, diplomatic sources said. The samples brought back from a two-week visit are being studied in four European laboratories, to ensure that the result is conclusive.

In the British parliament, David Cameron responded positively but cautiously to Russia's move, saying if it was a genuine offer, it should be regarded as a big step forward.

Downing Street initially indicated that the Kerry proposal was not serious, pointing out that the idea had not been raised during the lengthy discussion on Syria at the G20 dinner in St Petersburg. They added that the focus should be on Assad's record with chemical weapons.

But in a Commons debate on the G20 and Syria, Cameron said it would be "hugely welcome" if the Assad regime were to hand over its chemical weapons stockpile.

Susan Rice, the US national security adviser, said that "even greater barbarism" would follow if the US did not take military action against Assad.

"The decision our nation makes in the coming days is being watching in capitols around the world, especially in Teheran or Pyongyang," Rice told an audience at the New America Foundation in Washington on Monday.

Rice, the former US ambassador to the UN, did not address Russia's offer for Assad to relinquish his chemical stockpiles.

Breaking News......both sides have denied access to Medical Staff to treat injured and sick Patients according to the Red Crosss.

Putin has put before Obama his plan for the guarding of the store of WDM's , sceptics are suggesting that Assad will not reveal ALL the storage cites .

Panda wrote:Breaking News......both sides have denied access to Medical Staff to treat injured  and sick Patients according to the Red Crosss.

Putin has put before Obama his plan for the guarding of the store of WDM's , sceptics are suggesting that Assad will not reveal ALL the storage cites .

Putin probably wants them for himself to top up his own. Who would trust him? He is brutal to his own

fuzeta wrote:

Panda wrote:Breaking News......both sides have denied access to Medical Staff to treat injured  and sick Patients according to the Red Crosss.

Putin has put before Obama his plan for the guarding of the store of WDM's , sceptics are suggesting that Assad will not reveal ALL the storage cites .

Putin probably wants them for himself to top up his own.  Who would trust him?  He is brutal to his own

I agree fuzeta, he probably supplied most of the Sarin to Assad. I am not sure this plan will be enough to stop any attack. The rebels are attaacking Christians now.

The UN is giving it's report on Monday and it will confirm that chemical weapons were used in the massacre.

Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the Cold War. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis together. The universal international organisation - the United Nations - was then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.

The United Nations' founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America's consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.

No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorisation.

The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the Pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria's borders.

A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilise the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance.

Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country. There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government.

The United States State Department has designated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organisations. This internal conflict, fuelled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition, is one of the bloodiest in the world.

Mercenaries from Arab countries fighting there, and hundreds of militants from Western countries and even Russia, are an issue of our deep concern. Might they not return to our countries with experience acquired in Syria? After all, after fighting in Libya, extremists moved on to Mali. This threatens us all.

From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future. We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law. We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today's complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos.

The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defence or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack - this time against Israel - cannot be ignored.

It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America's long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan "you're either with us or against us".

But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes.

No matter how targeted the strikes or how sophisticated the weapons, civilian casualties are inevitable, including the elderly and children, whom the strikes are meant to protect.

The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. We are left with talk of the need to strengthen non-proliferation, when in reality this is being eroded.

We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilised diplomatic and political settlement.

A new opportunity to avoid military action has emerged in the past few days. The United States, Russia and all members of the international community must take advantage of the Syrian government's willingness to place its chemical arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction.

Judging by the statements of President Obama, the United States sees this as an alternative to military action.

I welcome the president's interest in continuing the dialogue with Russia on Syria. We must work together to keep this hope alive, as we agreed to at the Group of 8 meeting in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in June, and steer the discussion back toward negotiations.

If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States' policy is "what makes America different. It's what makes us exceptional".

It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal

Assad guilty of crimes against humanity, says UN chief Ban Ki-Moon
Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations secretary-general, has accused Bashar al-Assad of committing crimes against humanity as he said a UN report next week would provide “overwhelming” confirmation that chemical weapons had been used in Syria.
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By Damien McElroy in Geneva and Alex Spillius
9:38PM BST 13 Sep 2013
Mr Ban did not say that Syrian government forces had carried out the suspected chemical arms attack near Damascus last month that was investigated by UN experts, but chose to point out that the Syrian leader had “committed many crimes against humanity”.

“Therefore, I’m sure that there will be surely the process of accountability when everything is over,” he said on Friday, in remarks that will increase the pressure on the Syrian regime and could even hamper high-level negotiations.

A UN team is expected to send its report on the Aug 21 attack to Mr Ban on Monday. He stressed that he still did not have the report, but predicted: “I believe the report will be an overwhelming report that the chemical weapons were used.”

He also gave a UN estimate that 1,400 people were killed in the attack at Ghouta, east of Damascus.

The secretary-general apparently thought his speech to the Women’s International Forum and response to questions were not being broadcast, but they were shown on UN television.

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The US, Britain and France blame the Syrian leader’s forces for the attack. Damascus, backed by Russia, says opposition rebels used a banned gas.

In a report on Friday, Human Rights Watch accused Syrian government forces and pro-regime militias of carrying out mass killings of at least 248 people in two predominantly Sunni Muslim towns along the Mediterranean in May.

The New York-based group said its report on the killings in Bayda and Banias on May 2 and 3 was based on accounts of witnesses who saw or heard government and pro-government forces detain and then kill their relations. It said 167 people were killed in Bayda and 81 in Banias. The two towns are predominantly populated by Sunni Muslims, who dominate the revolt against Assad.

Meanwhile, Russia and the United States on Friday declared that a breakthrough on Syria’s chemical weapons could revive attempts at ending the civil war, as the two sides sought to narrow their differences on the second day of talks.

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, said discussions with Russia about putting Syrian weapons under international control in order to avert US air strikes had been “constructive”.

After a summit with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, and Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations special envoy, Mr Kerry said the date for Geneva II – a much delayed peace conference on Syria – would be set at their next meeting on Sept 28 in New York.

“We are committed to trying to work together, beginning with this initiative on the chemical weapons, in hopes that those efforts could pay off and bring peace and stability to a war-torn part of the world,” he said.

He hoped a date might be set for peace talks, but added: “Much will depend on the capacity to have success here in the next hours, days, on the subject of the chemical weapons.”

Failure to secure Syria’s chemical weapons would probably wreck the chances of securing the bigger prize of a broader settlement. The difficulties posed by the negotiations were highlighted by reports that a secretive military unit had dispersed the estimated 1,000 tons of nerve and biological agents such as VX, mustard gas and sarin possessed by the regime around as many as 50 sites.

US officials told the Wall Street Journal that Unit 450 had ordered the removal of stocks from several large facilities in the west of the country, to smaller ones in order to evade detection.

Meetings between experts from both sides were heading on Friday night for a third day, as they tried to work out safe ways of disposing of Syria’s biological arsenal.

“We would both agree that we had constructive conversations regarding that, but those conversations are continuing,” Mr Kerry said.

Experts believe any effort to secure chemical weapons in a war zone would be enormously expensive and could take several years.

“It will be very costly, these are cheaper to make than destroy,” said Dieter Rothbacher, a director of Hotzone Solutions and a former chemical weapons inspector in Iraq.

The French presidency announced that the US, French and British foreign ministers would meet in Paris on Monday for talks on Syria.

As rebels behead Assad's thugs (in front of children) the awful pictures that pose the question: Should we REALLY take sides in Syria's bloodbath?



GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: As a cheering crowd of fighters look on, an executioner - believed to belong to the Al Qaeda-linked faction ISIS - lines up his sword in a practice run before delivering the final blow. Moments later, the headless body lies in the dirt in the village square of Keferghan, north of Aleppo, as young boys watch.

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Syria Has One Week To Detail Chemical WeaponsUS and Russia reach a deal on disarming Syria of chemical weapons as President Obama says the threat of military action remains.2:42pm UK, Saturday 14 September 2013 Video: US: Syria Has One Week To Comply
Enlarge President Obama says he will maintain a military threat against Syria, as the US and Russia reach agreement over chemical weapons.
Video: Obama To 'Maintain Military Threat'
Enlarge EmailThe US and Russia have given Syria one week to submit a "comprehensive list" of its chemical weapons stockpiles - otherwise the US will seek a UN resolution that could authorise military action.

On the final day of talks in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov announced that once the details had been handed over the Assad regime would have until November to allow UN inspectors access to the sites.

The destruction of the regime's chemical weapons must then be complete by mid-2014.

"We have committed to a standard that says, 'verify and verify'. Providing this framework is fully implemented it can end the threat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people but also their neighbours," Mr Kerry said.

"Because of the threat of proliferation, this framework can provide greater protection and security to the world.

"The world will now expect the Assad regime to live up to its commitments ... there can be no room for games. Or anything less than full compliance by the Assad regime ... Syria must allow immediate, unfettered access to chemical sites".


Chemical weapons experts could return to Syria in November

Mr Lavrov and Mr Kerry also told journalists their teams of experts had reached "a shared assessment" of President Bashar al Assad's existing stockpile.

The United States has estimated that Syria possesses around 1,000 metric tonnes of various chemical agents, including mustard and sarin gas, sulfur and VX.

The Russian estimates were initially much lower, according to US officials, but Mr Kerry said the two countries had reconciled their different assessments.

A US official later told reporters that Washington believed there were 45 sites across Syria linked to the country's chemical weapons programme.

"Roughly half have exploitable quantities of chemical weapons materials," the official said, adding that all of the sites were currently under the control of the government.

Syria has previously said it will take a month to hand over details of the chemical weapons stockpile.


Fighting in Syria has left more than 100,000 dead over two years

In his weekly address to the nation, President Obama said the threat of military action still hung over the Assad regime while diplomatic solutions were being pursued.

"We need to see concrete actions to demonstrate that Assad is serious about giving up his chemical weapons," he said.

"And since this plan emerged only with a credible threat of US military action, we will maintain our military posture in the region to keep the pressure on the Assad regime.

"And if diplomacy fails, the United States and the international community must remain prepared to act."

In Geneva, Mr Kerry acknowledged that Syria's civil war, which has killed more than 110,000 people in just over two years, could only be ended through negotiations between the warring parties.

"There is no military solution to the conflict in Syria, it has to be political," Kerry said. "And we together remain committed to getting there."


The US estimates more than 1,000 people died in a gas attack in Damascus

France welcomed the chemcial weapons deal deal as an "important step forward" and said that talks on Monday in Paris would focus on its implementation.

"The draft agreement reached in Geneva about eliminating the Syrian regime's chemical weapons is an important step forward," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement shortly after the deal was struck.

However, Syria's opposition rejected the US-Russian initiative.

Speaking from Istanbul, the Free Syrian Army's chief said the move would not solve the crisis, claiming Assad's forces had been moving their chemical weapons stockpiles to Lebanon and Iraq over the last few days.

"We in the Free Syrian Army are unconcerned by the implementation of any part of the initiative ... I and my brothers in arms will continue to fight until the regime falls," General Selim Idriss said.

Britain's foreign secretary William Hague said: "Have spoken to Secretary Kerry. UK welcomes US-Russia agreement on #Syria chemical weapons. Urgent work on implementation now to take place.

"The priority must now be full and prompt implementation of the agreement, to ensure the transfer of Syria's chemical weapons to international control.

"The onus is now on the Assad regime to comply with this agreement in full. The international community, including Russia, must hold the regime to account

Syria: nearly half rebel fighters are jihadists or hardline Islamists, says IHS Jane's report
Nearly half the rebel fighters in Syria are now aligned to jihadist or hardline Islamist groups according to a new analysis of factions in the country's civil war.

Opposition forces have fragmented into as many as 1,000 bands Photo: Rex Features
By Ben Farmer, Defence Correspondent, and Ruth Sherlock in Beirut
7:17PM BST 15 Sep 2013
Opposition forces battling Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria now number around 100,000 fighters, but after more than two years of fighting they are fragmented into as many as 1,000 bands.

The new study by IHS Jane's, a defence consultancy, estimates there are around 10,000 jihadists - who would include foreign fighters - fighting for powerful factions linked to al-Qaeda..

Another 30,000 to 35,000 are hardline Islamists who share much of the outlook of the jihadists, but are focused purely on the Syrian war rather than a wider international struggle.

There are also at least a further 30,000 moderates belonging to groups that have an Islamic character, meaning only a small minority of the rebels are linked to secular or purely nationalist groups.

The stark assessment, to be published later this week, accords with the view of Western diplomats estimate that less than one third of the opposition forces are "palatable" to Britain, while American envoys put the figure even lower.

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Fears that the rebellion against the Assad regime is being increasingly dominated by extremists has fuelled concerns in the West over supplying weaponry that will fall into hostile hands. These fears contributed to unease in the US and elsewhere over military intervention in Syria.

Charles Lister, author of the analysis, said: "The insurgency is now dominated by groups which have at least an Islamist viewpoint on the conflict. The idea that it is mostly secular groups leading the opposition is just not borne out."

The study is based on intelligence estimates and interviews with activists and militants. The lengthy fighting has seen the emergence of hundreds of separate rebel bands, each operating in small pockets of the country, which are usually loyal to larger factions.

Rebels from Jabhat al-Nusra at Taftanaz air base, Idlib, in 2011 (AP)

Two factions linked to al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) - also know as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) - have come to dominate among the more extremist fighters, Mr Lister said. Their influence has risen significantly in the past year.

"Because of the Islamist make up of such a large proportion of the opposition, the fear is that if the West doesn't play its cards right, it will end up pushing these people away from the people we are backing," he said. "If the West looks as though it is not interested in removing Assad, moderate Islamists are also likely to be pushed further towards extremists."

Though still a minority in number, ISIL has become more prominent in rebel-held parts of Syria in recent months. Members in northern Syria have sought to assert their dominance over the local population and over the more moderate rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The aim of moderate rebel fighters is the overthrow of their country's authoritarian dictator, but jihadist groups want to transform Syria into a hard-line Islamic state within a regional Islamic "caliphate".

These competing visions have caused rancour which last week erupted into fighting between ISIL and two of the larger moderate rebel factions.

A statement posted online by Islamists announced the launch of an ISIL military offensive in the eastern district of Aleppo which it called "Cleansing Evil". "We will target regime collaborators, shabiha [pro-Assad militias], and those who blatantly attacked the Islamic state," it added, naming the Farouq and Nasr factions.

Al-Qaeda has assassinated several FSA rebel commanders in northern Latakia province in recent weeks, and locals say they fear this is part of a jihadist campaign to gain complete control of the territory.

As well as being better armed and tougher fighters, ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra have taken control of much of the income-generating resources in the north of the country, including oil, gas and grain.

This has given them significant economic clout, allowing them to "win hearts and minds" by providing food for the local population in a way that other rebel groups cannot.

ISIS has also begun a programme of "indoctrination" of civilians in rebel-held areas, trying to educate Syria's traditionally moderate Sunni Muslims into a more hard-line interpretation of Islam.

In early September, the group distributed black backpacks with the words "Islamic State of Iraq" stamped on them. They also now control schools in Aleppo where young boys are reportedly taught to sing jihadist anthems.

"It seems it is some sort of a long-term plan to brainwash the children and recruit potential fighters," said Elie Wehbe, a Lebanese journalists who is conducting research into these activities.

Ban K Moon has confirmed that sarin was used in Damascus and it must be treated as a War crime. However, Putin is unlikely to vote to take action against Assad and there is a theory that it was the jihadists who were responsible.

Syrian chemical attack used sarin and was worst in 25 years, says UN

Chemical attack on rebel-held areas of Damascus involved rockets known to be in Syrian regime's arsenal, say experts

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Julian Borger, Diplomatic editor

The Guardian, Tuesday 17 September 2013



A UN inspector takes samples at a site in Damascus of what the UN has called the worst chemical weapons attack since Hallabja. Photo: Erbin News/Demotix/Corbis


The UN has confirmed that the worst chemical weapons attack in 25 years took place in eastern Damascus last month, involving specially designed rockets that spread sarin nerve agent over rebel-held suburbs of the Syrian capital.

The report did not assign blame for the attack but the US, Britain and France said the details on the sarin, the rockets used and their trajectories all proved that Bashar al-Assad's regime was responsible.

However, Russia argued that the western powers had "jumped to conclusions" and said claims of rebel use against their own supporters to provoke foreign intervention "should not be shrugged off".

There was also sharp disagreement about what kind of UN resolution was needed to implement the agreement struck by the US and Russia on Saturday in Geneva on dismantling the Assad regime's chemical weapons programme.

The differences – on whether an initial resolution should include the threat of punitive measures for Syrian non-compliance – were a reminder that the Geneva agreement could still unravel before it is put into force.

Presenting the report, the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said: "This is the most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them in Halabja in 1988. The international community has pledged to prevent any such horror from recurring, yet it has happened again."

However, Ban did not say who was responsible for the attack, noting that was not in the mandate of the UN investigation.

"It is for others to pursue this matter further to determine responsibility. We will all have our own thoughts on this," the secretary general said.

Presenting their arguments afterwards, western diplomats said the head of the UN investigation team, Åke Sellström, a Swedish scientist, had observed that the quality of the sarin used in the attack on western and eastern Ghouta suburbs on 21 August was higher than that used in the 1995 terror attack on the Tokyo underground or Saddam Hussein's attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja.

Sellström also said the rockets used were professionally made. His report said they were fired from the north-west, and western officials said the details of the trajectories confirmed that they came from an area held by government troops.

"All of that confirms in our view there is no remaining doubt that it was the regime that used the chemical weapons. It confirms that the regime was responsible," Mark Lyall Grant, the British envoy to the UN, said.

His American counterpart, Samantha Power, singled out evidence in the UN report on the calibre of rocket used, saying that in "thousands of videos" from the Syrian conflict there was no indication that the rebels had such weapons. Nor was there any evidence that the rebels possessed sarin, she added.

"The technical details of the report make clear that only the regime could have carried out this chemical weapons attack," Power said. The French ambassador, Gerard Araud, echoed her conclusions.

However, the Russian ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, complained: "Some colleagues jumped to conclusions when they said the attack was by government forces. We have not even had a chance to look at the report. We have just had a quick glance. The allegations that it was the opposition cannot be simply shrugged off."

The Sellström report noted the kind of rockets used and pointed out that they had been fired from the north-west in the early hours when the air was moving downwards, maximising casualties.

"Chemical weapons use in such meteorological conditions maximises their potential impact as the heavy gas can stay close to the ground and penetrate into lower levels of buildings and constructions where many people were seeking shelter," it said.

The report said that one of the rockets analysed was an M14 rocket, which had been fired by a multiple rocket launcher. The second was a 330mm rocket.

Peter Bouckaert, a weapons specialist at Human Rights Watch, said: "The rocket systems identified by the UN as used in the attack – truck-launched 330mm rockets with around 50 to 60 litres of sarin, as well as 140mm Soviet-produced rockets carrying a smaller sarin-filled warhead – are both known to be in the arsenal of the Syrian armed forces. They have never been seen in rebel hands."

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is expected to meet in the coming days to endorse the Geneva agreement on the disarming of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.

Syrian Helicopter 'Shot Down' By Turkish ForcesUnverified video emerges as Russia said it still suspects last month's Syrian gas attack was carried out by rebels.3:56pm UK, Tuesday 17 September 2013 Video: Syrian Helicopter Brought Down
Enlarge Russia's foreign minister has said his country still suspects the chemical gas attack in Damascus was carried out by rebel forces.
Video: Russia Not Convinced By UN Report
Enlarge EmailPictures have emerged which appear to show a Syrian government helicopter shot down by Turkish forces.

The pictures, obtained from a social media website, are said to have been shot in Lattakia in the Al Akrad mountains. They have not been verified.

On Monday, Turkey said its warplanes had shot down another Syrian helicopter after it crossed into Turkish airspace.


The moment the helicopter hit the ground

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign minister has said his country still suspects the chemical gas attack in Damascus was carried out by rebel forces.

Speaking after talks with his French counterpart, Sergey Lavrov also said that a report by UN inspectors does not answer all of Russia's questions about the incident.

The meeting came a day after the UN inspectors submitted their report on the Auguest 21 attack that killed hundreds of people.

Although the report confirmed chemical weapons were used, it did not say who used them.

The US, UK and France insist the report shows it was the Syrian government, which in turn claims it was rebel forces.


Mr Fabius: 'UN report shows Syrian regime is guilty'

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said after the meeting with Mr Lavrov: "The report exposes the regime.

"On the basis of the information of our external agents, we consider that the report proves the responsibility of the regime for the chemical weapons attack of August 21."

But Mr Lavrov said "We have serious reason to suggest that this was a provocation by the rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al Assad's regime".

On the use of force against the regime, however, Mr Lavrov appeared to suggest that the issue could be reconsidered if Syria violates an agreement on abandoning its chemical weapons.

France and the US say a military option remains on the table and are pushing for a UN resolution to reflect that.


A victim of the chemical weapons attack

Mr Lavrov said Russia "spoke clearly" about rejecting the use-of-force clause when the chemical weapons agreement was worked out in Geneva.

But if signs emerge that Syria is not fulfilling the agreement or there are reports of further chemical weapons use, "then the Security Council will examine the situation".

Meanwhile, a high-ranking Syrian security source has claimed rebels possess ground-to-ground missiles and sarin nerve gas, and that the UN report shows they carried out attacks near Damascus.

"I categorically deny that we have used sarin gas, for the reason that we had no interest in doing so. We were winning in the battlefield," the official told AFP.

"It is generally the losers who adopt such a suicidal attitude. On the contrary, the army was winning."

EmailSyrian leader Bashar al Assad has pledged to destroy his stockpile of chemical arms - but warned it would take a year to do so.

In an interview with Fox News, Mr Assad said: "I think it's a very complicated operation, technically. And it needs a lot of money, about a billion.

"So it depends, you have to ask the experts what they mean by quickly. It has a certain schedule. It needs a year, or maybe a little bit more."

++++++++++

Obama's not going to like this!!!

Assad 'Is At Stalemate And Wants Ceasefire'A stalemate in Syria will lead to a ceasefire call by Bashar al Assad's regime, according to the country's deputy prime minister.6:25am UK, Friday 20 September 2013 President Assad is said to want a ceasefire with the rebels
Bashar al Assad has promised to destroy his chemical weapons arsenal within a year - at a price. Dominic Waghorn reports.
Video: Syrian President In Weapons Pledge
Enlarge EmailBashar al Assad's forces are at a stalemate with rebels and the government will soon call for a ceasefire, Syria's deputy prime minister has said.

Speaking on behalf of the Government, Qadri Jamil told The Guardian that neither side was strong enough to win the two year conflict.

"Neither the armed opposition nor the regime is capable of defeating the other side," he said. "This zero balance of forces will not change for a while."

He added that the Syrian economy had lost about $100bn (£62bn) during the war, which has killed more than 100,000 people.


Qadri Jamil said the Syrian economy has collapsed due to the war

Mr Jamil said a ceasefire would be called for at a long-delayed conference in Geneva.

However, leaders of the armed opposition have repeatedly refused to go to what it called Geneva Two unless Mr Assad resigns.

His comments came as US Secretary of State John Kerry said "It is a fact" Mr Assad was responsible for August's chemical weapons attack in Damascus.

He said a UN report was "unequivocal" in its conclusion that the sarin gas attack bore the trace of the regime.

Last week the US and Russia hammered out a deal for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons, which America, France and the UK now want enshrined in a United Nations resolution.


A member of the Free Syrian Army holds an RPG launcher

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he cannot be 100% certain that Syria will carry out its commitments to destroy its chemical weapons stockpiles.

"Will we be able to accomplish it all? I cannot be 100% sure about it," he told a news conference.

"But everything we have seen so far in recent days gives us confidence that this will happen ... I hope so."

Mr Putin, who has been Mr Assad's staunchest ally, said he had strong grounds to believe the chemical attack outside Damascus on August 21, which is believed to have killed 1,400 people, was staged by opponents of the Syrian government.

Syria Completes Chemical Weapon List Handover12:40pm UK, Saturday 21 September 2013 Chemical weapons inspectors in Syria last month
EmailSyria has completed the handover of its chemical arsenal inventory, the world's chemical weapons watchdog says.

Confirmation of the handover came ahead of the Saturday deadline issued to Syrian president Bashar al Assad's regime in a US-Russian disarmament plan.

The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in an email: "OPCW has confirmed that it has received the expected disclosure from the Syrian government regarding its chemical weapons programme.

"The Technical Secretariat is currently reviewing the information received."

It came as the chief of staff for Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country could abandon support for the Assad regime if it learnt Syria was not committed to handing over its chemical weapons.

Sergei Ivanov reiterated Russia's longstanding opposition to western military intervention in Syria, saying such action would only aid militants linked to al Qaeda.


Around 1,400 people were killed in the chemical attack on August 21

"In the event of external military interference the opposition ... would entirely lose interest in negotiations, considering that the US would bomb the regime to its foundations as in Libya, giving them an easy path to victory," he said.

Mr Ivanov made the comments reported by Russian media to a Stockholm conference organised by the British-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

He said Russia expected to know the whereabouts of all the Assad regime's chemical weapons within a week, although it would take two to three months to decide how long would be required to destroy them.

"I'm talking theoretically and hypothetically, but if we became sure that Assad is cheating, we could change our position," he said.

United Nations inspectors released a report this week saying there was "clear and convincing evidence" that chemical weapons were used in an attack in Damascus on August 21. It said 1,400 people were killed in the attack.

The attack prompted an international diplomatic crisis over Syria, with US airstrikes appearing likely before a plan to prevent military action was put forward by Russia.