LA TIMES: Putin on Patriot Missile System

Although still available in Google Cache, LA Times apparently  deleted Putin remarks on Patriot Missile Systems!

On the Russian stance over the deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey, and if there are guarantees that Syria will not use “nuclear weapon”, President Putin added “is there any nuclear weapons in Syria.. maybe there was a mistake in the translation.. Syria is not a nuclear country.” “Regarding Patriot missiles, I want to say that they are not of ideal systems, they are not of the best systems for the air defense in the world, but they are from the old generation,” Putin said, adding that Russia has reservations on the situation on the Syrian-Turkish borders and the deployment of Patriot missiles, but it calls for the self-restraint as this leads to escalation in the stance. He considered that the fall of mortars on the Turkish lands constitutes a new moral burden on Turkey and Syria, saying ‘Syria will not attack turkey.. we will contact with the Turks to settle this issue.”

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Wikileaks 2006: USA plans for Syria

This cable summarizes our assessment of these vulnerabilities and suggests that there may be actions, statements, and signals that the USG can send that will improve the likelihood of such opportunities arising. These proposals will need to be fleshed out and converted into real actions and we need to be ready to move quickly to take advantage of such opportunities. Many of our suggestions underline using Public Diplomacy and more indirect means to send messages that influence the inner circle.

Wikileaks:06DAMASCUS5399

Ministry of Truth: How ABC edited the interview with Syrian President

Syria: Watch the weather forecast

Ankhar Kochneva, writer and sole foreign journalist permanently living in Syria, tells RT what is really up in the country, who funds the opposition, how international media fake images of unrest and why it is so important to watch weather forecasts.

Syria: Watch the weather forecast

Secretary Clinton on Qatar-US collaboration

SECRETARY CLINTON: Qatar is and remains a very valuable American partner. As we look back on the year just finished, I’m not sure there was any one like it. It was an extraordinary time, and during it, our partnership evolved to address new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities, including the unprecedented joint operations with NATO over the skies of Libya.

Secretary of State Clinton Remarks With Qatari Prime Minister After Their Meeting

Terrorists target international journalists in Syria

A Mistaken Case For Syrian Regime Change

Al-Jazeera has, and continues, [18] to provide technical support, equipment, hosting and "credibility" to Syrian opposition activists and organizations. Reports show that as early as March 2011, al-Jazeera was providing messaging and technical support to exiled Syrian opposition activists [19] , who even by January 2010 were co-ordinating their messaging activities from Doha. Nearly 10 months on, however, and despite the daily international media onslaught, the project isn't exactly going to plan: a YouGov poll commissioned by the Qatar Foundation [20] showed last week that 55% of Syrians do not want Assad to resign and 68% of Syrians disapprove of the Arab League sanctions imposed on their country. According to the poll, Assad's support has effectively increased since the onset of current events - 46% of Syrians felt Assad was a "good" president for Syria prior to current events in the country - something that certainly doesn't fit with the false narrative being peddled. As if trumpeting the success of their own propaganda campaign, the poll summary concludes: The majority of Arabs believe Syria's President Basher al-Assad should resign in the wake of the regime's brutal treatment of protesters ... 81% of Arabs [want] President Assad to step down. They believe Syria would be better off if free democratic elections were held under the supervision of a transitional government. [21] One is left wondering who exactly is Assad accountable to - the Syrian people or the Arab public? A blurring of lines that might perhaps be useful as two main Syrian opposition groups have just announced [22] that while they are against foreign military intervention, they do not consider "Arab intervention" to be foreign. Unsurprisingly, not a single mainstream major newspaper or news outlet reported the YouGov poll results - it doesn't fit their narrative.

A Mistaken Case For Syrian Regime Change

Deadly suicide bomb attack rocks Damascus

Russian warships heading for Syria

The Russian Navy's warships patrolling the eastern Mediterranean Sea were heading for a Syrian port, the state-owned Itar-Tass news agency reported on Friday. The warships were scheduled to arrive in Tartus, a point of logistics supplies of the Russian navy on Saturday, according to preliminary information. "It is planned that the port of Tartus will be visited by a big anti-submarine ship of the Northern Fleet 'Admiral Chabanenko' and an escort ship 'Yaroslav Mudry'," Itar-Tass quoted a source with the Russian Navy as saying. "Our ships are supposed to stay in Syria for several days," the source said, without giving more details about the warships' mission in the country. Russian Navy dispatched their warships to the Mediterranean sea in November, and claimed the move was part of scheduled exercises and had no connection with the situation in Syria. The warships, led by "Admiral Kuznetsov", the country's only aircraft carrier, have started their patrol missions in the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea since Dec. 6 to "ensure the security of the sea navigation and other Russian maritime economic activities," according to Russian Navy.

Russian warships heading for Syria

What exactly is The Syrian Free Army (SFA) ?

SFA is an umbrella name for armed groups and opposition militia in Syria. It serves as a pretext under which smuggling weapons and arming civilians can be justified (civilians would be called “volunteers”, as mentioned clearly by Captain Ibraheem Majbour in his Alarbiya interview above, or even claim to be army defectors like the school teacher in the video above). But the more important role SFA plays is providing a pretext for imposing foreign military intervention in Syria, whether in the form of a no-fly zone (as requested by SFA leader himself), or other scenarios that have been proposed by other parties, such as the Alain Juppe’s infamous “humanitarian corridor”.

What exactly is The Syrian Free Army (SFA)?

Thierry Meyssan on the war propaganda against Syria

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) appeared on the media scene suddenly. This association has no significant track record and only one of its members is known. He is a Syrian Muslim Brotherhood official, holder of three passports, Syrian, British and Swedish. This gentleman announces daily the number of "repression victims," without ever substantiating his claims. His assertions are unverifiable and therefore worthless. Yet, they are taken up by all those whose interests they serve. The High Commissioner for Human Rights appointed three commissioners to investigate the events in Syria. Their mission oversteps the competence of the UN, that provides for regular inspections to which Syria submits in accordance with the relevant treaties. As in the Hariri case, the United Nations goes on the assumption that the local authorities (Lebanese or Syrian) are either incapable or dishonest and must be replaced by foreign investigators. Under such conditions, it can not reasonably expect the local authorities to cooperate. The UN has therefore worked from Switzerland and Turkey. The appointment of the three commissioners is no guarantee of impartiality, as all three originate from States which advocate military action against Syria. Their method is equally unacceptable: under pressure from the Turkish commissioner, who is an activist committed to the fight against violence against women, the Committee considered that the testimonies of prosecution witnesses did not need to be cross-checked and verified. It would be for the accused to demonstrate their innocence when brought before a court. This inquisitorial procedure allows for anyone to be accused of just about anything, but proves nothing.

"The decision to attack Syria was made at a Camp David meeting on 15 September 2001"

Edinburgh U's 55-Page 'Gay Damascus' File Omits Results of Investigations

The Records Manager for Edinburgh University on December 23 emailed me a two-page letter and fifty-three-page file in response to my Freedom of Information request, seeking the results of their two investigations into the Gay Girl in Damascus hoax perpetrated by their student Tom MacMaster (pictured), and what is clear from the records is that the institution was never committed to releasing the results. Emails between university officials shows an overriding effort to avoid creating an email or paper trail, with the preferred method of any communication about the matter being personal chats, and a full understanding of FOI requirements regarding destruction of records to better cover the institution's ass.

Edinburgh U's 55-Page 'Gay Damascus' File Omits Results of Investigations

The March to War: Iran and the Strategic Encirclement of Syria and Lebanon

For half a decade Washington has been directing a military arms build-up in the Middle East aimed at Iran and the Resistance Bloc. It has sent massive arms shipments to Saudi Arabia. It has sent deliveries of bunker busters to the U.A.E. and Israel, amongst others, while it has upgraded its own deadly arsenal. U.S. officials have also started to openly discuss murdering Iranian leaders and military officials through covert operations. What the world is facing is a pathway towards possible military escalation that could go far beyond the boundaries of the Middle East and suck in Russia, China, and their allies. The Revolutionary Guard have also made it clear that if conflict is ignited with Iran that Lebanon, Iraq, and the Palestinians would all be drawn in as Iranian allies.

The March to War: Iran and the Strategic Encirclement of Syria and Lebanon

Angry Syrians bury Damascus bombing dead

The funerals on Saturday turned into pro-Assad rallies in which mourners called for revenge and condemned Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani whose country, once an ally of Assad, is now one of his main critics. The crowd, carrying posters of Assad and Syrian flags, chanted "We want your head, Hamad" and "We sacrifice our souls and blood for you Bashar" and "God, Syria and Bashar only." The coffins, wrapped in Syrian flags, were lined up inside the city's historic gilded 8th century Umayyad Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites. Many were marked "unknown." Both Muslim and Christian clerics attended the funerals which were led by senior Sunni Muslim cleric Said al-Bouti. Syria's state television aired live footage of the funeral processions.

Angry Syrians bury Damascus bombing dead

"Free Syrian Army" commanded by Military Governor of Tripoli

In the wake of the "Arab Spring" and NATO interventions, both official and secret, Qatar seeks to impose Islamist leaders wherever possible. This strategy has led it not only to fund the Muslim Brotherhood and to hand Al-Jazeera over to them, but also to support Al Qaeda mercenaries, who will henceforth oversee the Free Syrian Army. However, this new scenario raises serious concerns in Israel and among the supporters of the "clash of civilizations."

Free Syrian Army commanded by Military Governor of Tripoli

Zawahri, Al Qaeda’s New Leader, Praises Syrian Protesters

In what appeared to be his first video message since succeeding Osama bin Laden as the leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri expressed strong support for antigovernment protesters in Syria, claiming that their movement to topple the country’s authoritarian leader was rooted in a wider regional conflict with the United States and Israel.

Zawahri, Al Qaeda’s New Leader, Praises Syrian Protesters

Lebanon defense minister documents Qaeda activities

“There is information that militants from al-Qaeda are entering Lebanon pretending they are members of the Syrian opposition and smuggling arms into the country,” Ghosn said in an interview covered by the London-based al-Hayat.

Lebanon defense minister documents Qaeda activities;

Analysis: Russian oil the winner from Syria, Iran sanctions

"The strength of Urals relative to Brent in recent weeks is due to a combination of factors: uncertainty over the impact of sanctions on Iran and the loss of Syrian production and exports," Roy Jordan with consultancy Facts Global Energy said. Forced to pay higher Urals prices, European refiners have been losing money, which could discourage the EU from moving ahead with a proposed ban on Iranian oil. Urals is typically sold at discounts to Brent, because it contains about 1.3 percent of sulfur with API gravity of about 32, making it heavier and more sour than the crudes that go into setting the North Sea benchmark. Most Iranian and Syrian crudes are similar to or heavier than Urals. All of these crudes require extra refining. Syria exported most of its 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) of heavy sour crude to the Mediterranean before sanctions were imposed earlier this year following repression of civil protest against President Bashar al-Assad's 11-year rule. Syrian heavy crudes were typically the alternative to Urals crude, when the Russian prices were high.

Analysis: Russian oil the winner from Syria, Iran sanctions

The Syria Crisis: Assessing Foreign Intervention

Outside training and intelligence support would lead to an increase in the strategic impact of attacks by armed opposition groups, such as the FSA. The opposition claims to have conducted several strikes against targets like the Syrian Directorate for Air Force Intelligence in suburban Damascus, but such attacks do not appear to have been very meaningful. To date these attacks have served more of a propaganda function than as a means to pursue military objectives. We are carefully monitoring alleged FSA efforts to hit oil and natural gas pipelines to see if they become more systematic and tactically effective. We have heard rumors of American, Turkish, French and Jordanian special operations forces training FSA personnel in Turkey, and if these rumors are true, we should begin to see results of the training in the near future. As we watch videos and photos coming out of Syria we are constantly looking for evidence of the FSA possessing either an increased weapons supply or signs of external weapons supply. This not only includes a greater quantity of weapons, but different types of weapons, such as anti-tank guided missiles, mortars, mines, MANPADS and improvised explosive devices. We have yet to see either increased weapons or external weapons; the FSA appears to be using the weapons with which they defected.

The Syria Crisis: Assessing Foreign Intervention | STRATFOR

Outspoken Egyptian cleric in Qatar guides Arabs on revolution

From his base in Doha, the Egyptian-born Qatari citizen has long been one of the most influential religious authorities in Sunni Islam, an influence derived partly from an unlikely standing as a media celebrity. His weekly show on Qatar’s Al Jazeera draws millions of viewers from across the Muslim world.

Role in Revolution

Victory Speech in Egypt: