Putin: Only UNSC Can Sanction Military Action Against Syrian Government

President Vladimir Putin says Russia will wait for rock hard evidence before deciding who carried out an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria last month. He says all options remain on the table - but facts and international authorisation should come before intervention. RT's Sean Thomas reports.

'Future Historians: Why Did Obama Missile & Torpedo Syrian Peace Deal?'

The Syrian crisis and the threat of a military strike are forcing an increasing number of people to flee the war zone. The number of refugees now in neighboring countries is already exceeding two million - with the UN calling the exodus the 'humanitarian calamity' of the century.RT contributor Afshin Rattansi says the war rhetoric is further exacerbating the plight of the refugees.

Rush Limbaugh: "What If Bashar al-Assad Is Being Framed?"

Read the Real Clear Politics short article here | Tuesday, September 03, 2013
PJ MEDIA: Yossef Bodansky: ‘Did the White House Help Plan the Syrian Chemical Attack?’ » | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Nidal Hasan's Beard Shaved Off by Force

THE GUARDIAN: Death row jailers dispense with concession that let army major keep facial hair during Fort Hood massacre court martial

The army psychiatrist sentenced to death for the Fort Hood shooting rampage has been forcibly shaved, an army spokesman has said.

Major Nidal Hasan began growing a beard after the November 2009 shooting that left 13 dead and 30 wounded. The beard prompted delays to his court martial because it violated army grooming regulations. He was convicted of all charges in August at his court-martial at the central Texas army post and sentenced to death.

Hasan, 42, who was born in America, is an inmate of the US detention barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, home to the military death row. Lieutenant Colonel S Justin Platt, an army spokesman, said in a statement on Tuesday that Hasan had been shaved. He did not specify when or provide details. » | Associated Press in Fort Leavenworth | Wednesday, September 04, 2013

Vladimir Putin Warns US over Syria 'Aggression'

In an interview ahead of the G20 summit in St Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin warns that military action against the Syrian regime without UN Security Council backing would be considered an "aggression".

Syria: John Kerry Stumbles on Use of US Ground Troops

John Kerry stumbled as he made the White House's case for war, first saying that US ground troops could be deployed if Syria "imploded" before hastily insisting there "will not be American boots on the ground".

Read the article and comment here | Raf Sanchez, Washington and Jon Swaine in New York | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark

The story of the Arab revolution that was abandoned by the Arabs, forsaken by the West and forgotten by the world.

8 Outrageous Pat Robertson Remarks

On the heels of his statement that gays are spreading AIDS through infected rings, here are some other provocative things Pat Robertson has said in the past.

Is the Special Relationship Over?

After British Prime Minister David Cameron's reversal on Syria, is the 'special relationship' between the U.K. and the U.S. over? On Tuesday's 'Morning Joe,' Tina Brown offered her take on Cameron's next move should Assad strike again.

The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!

THE DAILY BEAST: Congress’s upcoming vote on Syria could bring to a close decades of incessant American meddling and bullying around the world. It’s about time, says David Stockman.

Next week Congress can do far more than stop a feckless Tomahawk barrage on a small country that is already a graveyard of civil war and sectarian slaughter. By voting “no,” it can trigger the end of the American Imperium—five decades of incessant meddling, bullying, and subversion around the globe that has added precious little to national security but left America fiscally exhausted and morally diminished.

Indeed, the tragedy of this vast string of misbegotten interventions—from the 1953 coup against Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran through the recent bombing campaign in Libya—is that virtually none of them involved defending the homeland or any tangible, steely-eyed linkages to national security. They were all rooted in ideology—that is, anti-communism, anti-terrorism, humanitarianism, R2P-ism, nation building, American exceptionalism. These were the historic building blocks of a failed Pax Americana. Now the White House wants authorization for the last straw: namely, to deliver from the firing tubes of U.S. naval destroyers a dose of righteous “punishment” that has no plausible military or strategic purpose. By the president’s own statements, the proposed attack is merely designed to censure the Syrian regime for allegedly visiting one particularly horrific form of violence on its own citizens.

Well, really? After having rained napalm, white phosphorous, bunker busters, drone missiles, and the most violent machinery of conventional warfare ever assembled upon millions of innocent Vietnamese, Cambodians, Serbs, Somalis, Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis, Yemeni, Libyans, and countless more, Washington now presupposes to be in the moral-sanctions business? That’s downright farcical. Nevertheless, by declaring himself the world’s spanker in chief, President Obama has unwittingly precipitated the mother of all clarifying moments.

The screaming strategic truth is that America no longer has any industrial state enemies capable of delivering military harm to its shores: Russia has become a feeble kleptocracy run by a loud-mouthed thief, and the Communist Party oligarchs in China would face a devastating economic collapse within months were they to attack their American markets for sneakers and Apples. So the real question now before Congress is, how is it possible that the peace-loving citizens of America, facing no industrial-scale military threat from anywhere on the planet, find themselves in a constant state of war? The answer is that they have been betrayed by the Beltway political class, which is in thrall to a vast warfare state apparatus that endlessly invents specious reasons for meddling, spying, intervention, and occupation. » | David Stockman | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Op-Ed: Europe Deserves Islam

ARUTZ SHEVA: The anti-gender radicalism of Europe would be hilarious if it weren't so tragic, says the writer.

On the 7th of June, the elementary school "Yves Codou", in the municipality of La Mole, France, celebrated the "Holiday of the Parents" instead of Mother's Day, so as not to upset the homosexual couples of France, where gay marriage is legal.

Now, when the new school year,begins in Mid-September, on the facade of the 55,000 educational buildings of France will be posted two pages divided into seventeen points and two chapters: "La République est laïque" and "L'école est laïque".

It is the long-awaited paper of secularism desired by the Minister of Education, Vincent Peillon. A sort of manifesto of the "révolution douce" or soft revolution, the French political correctness of extreme secularism and gay culture.

Peillon advanced the struggle "against any kind of determinism", family, ethnic, social, intellectual. He also wants to fight "homophobia" at school (read that, opposition to gay marriage and gender theory).

Peillon's ministry has just sent to all schools in the country a circular to "strongly encourage educating children about gender equality". The text recommended by the Snuipp, the main teachers' union, is titled "Daddy wears the skirt".

Some municipalities have already changed the enrollment form for schoolchildren by eliminating the words "father" and "mother", replacing them with "legal manager 1" and "legal manager 2". » | Giulio Meotti | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Indonesian Muslims Hold Anti-Miss World Protest

ABC NEWS: Indonesian Muslim hard-liners staged a protest Tuesday in the country's capital to try to stop the holding of the Miss World pageant this weekend on the resort island of Bali.

More than 200 members of several Muslim hard-line groups organized by the Islamic Society Forum staged a rally and march on the MNC Tower, the building that houses the local organizer of the contest.

They held up banners with "Reject Miss World that exploits women" and "Go to hell Miss World" on them, and shouted "Allah akbar," or God is great, outside the building, which was guarded by 300 police.

"This is an insult and humiliation of women," Muhammad Al Khathath, an Islamic Society Forum leader, told the crowd. "Muslims should reject the Miss World contest," he said.

The demonstration was peaceful and broke up after protest leaders met with the pageant organizers. » | AP | Jakarta, Indonesia | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Radical Islam Is, In Truth, the Normative Islam

THE JERUSALEM POST – BLOG: When will we believe the threat in the words of Mohammed? When will we believe the Muslims’ word when they proclaim their intention to kill us? When will we believe that they proclaim their intention to wipe Israel off the face of the map? When will we believe that they want to see the entire world including Europe and America, under submission to Islam and Muslim law?

After the Fort Hood killings of a dozen innocent people by a Muslim traitor, the Boston Marathon killings by two Muslim immigrant brothers and the beheading of a British soldier in May by two Muslim men in broad daylight, we have got to ask, what is there about Islam that stirs up these horrendous murderous actions?

We cannot forget the unbelievably horrible 9/11 destruction of the twin towers in New York or the destruction on the Pentagon in Washington, when more than 3,000 innocent people were killed. We cannot forget the bombings of the train stations in Spain and England when scores of innocents were killed. It is difficult for those of us who practice true Christianity to believe that human beings could be so blatantly murderous to plot and kill so many innocent people with no second thought or regrets. They show joy when these murderous deeds are carried out.

Then too, we have to wonder why all the rest of the Muslim world heartily supports all of these incredible Muslim killings with massive demonstrations or at least with broad smiles. It appears that not many Muslims disagree with what the murderers have done. We cannot ignore how so many Muslim leaders keep loudly and unashamedly declaring their intentions to take over Europe and to “wipe Israel and the United States off the face of the Map”.

Why do so many Western political leaders keep trying to tell us that Islam is a “religion of peace”? Bombings, explosions and mass killings are certainly not demonstrations of peace. Do our leaders support them or are they so afraid of them that they continually insist on “political correctness” most often at the expense of Christians. Will they insist on PC all the way to the grave?

According to true Christian values, peace means love, kindness and compassion. The Islamic definition of peace is to see the entire world controlled by Islam and cruel Islamic Sharia law. Their kind of peace has most of the world in anxiety today and our Western leaders are doing little to counteract it. » | Earl Cox | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Churches' Leader in Plea to USA over Attack on Syria

THIS IS SOUTH WALES: A WELSH Christian leader has called on politicians in America to follow their peers in Parliament and steer clear of military intervention in Syria.

The Reverend Ron Williams, president of the Union of Welsh Independent Churches, said he felt "sanity prevailed" in the House of Commons when MPs defeated a Government motion for the principle of military action .

Mr Williams urged all diplomatic measures to bring about a ceasefire.

On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said America had evidence the nerve agent sarin has been used by the Syrian regime. President Barack Obama is seeking authorisation from Congress for a military strike.

"I sincerely hope that the USA will also step back from the brink and recognise that an attack on Syria could have devastating consequences throughout the Middle East — or even globally," said Mr Williams. » | Richard Youle | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Split Congress Mulls Denial of Military Force Request

BLOOMBERG: No U.S. president has ever been turned down by Congress when asking to use military force.

President Barack Obama doesn’t want to become the first. To avoid that with a request for military action in Syria, he’ll have to win over war-weary Democrats, Tea Party members who don’t see a threat to U.S. interests and other lawmakers who want more details and more time.

Obama has supporters on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. Senate, where he’ll need a handful of Republican votes. It’s a tougher path in the House, where an alliance of Tea Party members and left-leaning Democrats is coalescing against using force in Syria. » | Michael C. Bender & Roxana Tiron | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

First Syria Rebels Armed and Trained by CIA 'On Way to Battlefield'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The first cell of Syrian rebels trained and armed by the CIA is making its way to the battlefield, President Barack Obama has reportedly told senators.

During a meeting at the White House, the president assured Senator John McCain that after months of delay the US was meeting its commitment to back moderate elements of the opposition.

Mr Obama said that a 50-man cell, believed to have been trained by US special forces in Jordan, was making its way across the border into Syria, according to the New York Times.

The deployment of the rebel unit seems to be the first tangible measure of support since Mr Obama announced in June that the US would begin providing the opposition with small arms. » | Raf Sanchez in Washington | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Syrie - Hollande "renforcé dans sa détermination"

LE POINT: Le chef de l'État a tenu mardi à l'Élysée une conférence de presse commune avec le président allemand Joachim Gauck sur l'éventuelle intervention en Syrie.

François Hollande a déclaré mardi qu'il était "sorti encore renforcé dans (sa) détermination" de la lecture de l'interview dans Le Figaro du dirigeant syrien Bachar al-Assad. "J'ai lu dans un journal français l'entretien accordé par Bachar al-Assad" et publié mardi, a indiqué le chef de l'État lors d'une conférence de presse commune à l'Élysée avec le président de la République d'Allemagne, Joachim Gauck. "La différence entre une dictature et une démocratie, c'est que dans une démocratie un dictateur peut s'exprimer dans un journal, y compris pour insulter ses dirigeants, proférer des mensonges, notamment sur le chimique, laissant croire qu'il ne disposait pas de stock, et menacer le peuple français", a-t-il lancé. » | Source AFP | mardi 03 septembre 2013

Eingreifen in Syrien: Merkel bekräft Nein zu Militärschlag

In der letzten Bundestagsdebatte vor der Wahl bekräftigte Kanzlerin Merkel, dass sie einen Militärschlag gegen das syrische Regime ablehnt.

Aktion im Syrien-Krieg: Assad-Treue bilden menschliches Schutzschild

"Über unsere Leichen" - so nennt eine Gruppe von Assad-Anhängern ihre Kampagne. Als menschliche Schutzschilde in Zeltlagern wollen sie ihr Land vor einem Militärschlag der Amerikaner schützen.

John Kerry and Bashar al-Assad Dined in Damascus

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Photographs showing John Kerry, the US secretary of state, dining in splendour with President Bashar al-Assad have emerged, as Mr Kerry likened the Syrian ruler to Hitler.

Mr Kerry visited Damascus in February 2009, when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He said in a press conference during the visit: "President Barack Obama's administration considers Syria a key player in Washington's efforts to revive the stalled Middle East peace process.

"Syria is an essential player in bringing peace and stability to the region."

Mr Kerry met with Mr Assad at least six times, and on one occasion – seen in the photographs – dining with the two men's wives at the Naranj restaurant in central Damascus.

The restaurant, in the heart of Damascus's Old Town, is on a marble paved avenue named Straight Street, which was built by the Romans and mentioned in the Bible. » | Harriet Alexander | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Former Mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa: The Sharia Allows Police to Fire at a Crowd; Qaradhawi Has Alzheimer's | CBC TV (Egypt) - August 23, 2013

On Syrian TV, Threats to Annihilate U.S. Forces and Israel with Chemical Weapons, by Swedish-Algerian Journalist Abu Zakariya | Syrian TV - August 25, 2013

Hizbullah Secretary-General Nasrallah Vows to Defend Syria: We Can Send Tens of Thousands of Mujahideen | Lebanon’s Al Manaar TV, May 25, 2013

Bashar Al-Assad – 'The West Will Pay' | BBC News, April 17, 2013

"The country is subjected to another type of imperialism. Forces are coming of different nationalities using different tactics. It's like the American occupation of Iraq. There are two directions. Whether Syria will be subject to lean on this pressure. The other way is to get Syria out of this pressure, to live the liberation in its real meaning. We do not accept that there are other countries interfering in our affairs, considering us as a third world country. These imperialist countries are playing a role here in interfering in our internal affairs. Giving material and logistic support to oppositions, whether Arab or non-Arab countries. These countries have created an avenue for themselves in the Arab world. Here the Syrian role comes. It's a matter of rights and honour. It's a matter of life or death. They tried to abolish Syria as a country and as a people."

Christians under Siege

YNET NEWS: Op-ed: For some reason, West accepts suffering of Christians in Muslim countries as an internal problem that does not warrant intervention

In Egypt churches are being burned again. This happens there from time to time when there is a national crisis or when a member of the Coptic minority is in a dispute with someone from the Muslim majority. Why? Because being a “true” Arab means being Muslim. In the eyes of many in Egypt (and other Muslim countries) Islam is the cultural-national glue of Egyptian society, just as Judaism is the cultural-national glue of Israeli society. Those who do not belong to the ruling religion still have civil rights, but in the deeper sense they are considered foreign.

This viewpoint is paradoxical, as in both countries the “foreigners” are the members of the majority. In Egypt, just like in Israel, the religious minority was there before the majority. Christianity was the dominant religion in Egypt before Islam. The Copts are part of an ancient population that was already there when the Muslim conquerors arrived in the 7th century. Coptic Christianity did not arrive with the colonialists. It is ancient and deep-rooted, like the non-Western Christian movements in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. In all of these countries, the Christians are in a bad situation. In other Muslim countries their situation is very bad (according to estimates, close to a million Christians were murdered in Sudan).

Things weren’t always like this. Historically speaking, Islam is a more tolerant religion than Christianity. Until the 20th century a Christian who lived in an Islamic country was far better off than a Muslim who lived in a Christian land. All this changed in the modern age. The West adopted a standpoint of religious tolerance and blurred its Christian identity. The Muslim world, on the other hand, tightened the bond between nationalism and Islamism. » | Aviad Kleinberg | Sunday, August 25, 2013

Bashar al-Assad on Turkish TV – Full Interview

Bashar al-Assad latest interview on Ulusal Kanal, a Turkish television station.
Full interview with English voice-over.

An RT Exclusive Interview with Bashar Al-Assad (November 2012): “I Am Not a Western Puppet, and I Will Live and Die in Syria”

In an exclusive interview with RT, Syrian President Bashar Assad said that Syria is not going through a civil war, but rather a different kind of war – terrorism through proxies

Syria crisis: Assad Warns France over Intervention

BBC: France says the chemical attack near Damascus last month "could not have been ordered and carried out by anyone but the Syrian government".

A report presented to parliament by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault says the assault on 21 August involved the "massive use of chemical agents".

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has again denied carrying out the attack, telling the French newspaper Le Figaro it would have been "illogical".

He also warned that foreign military action could ignite the "powder keg" of the wider region.

Gavin Hewitt reports. Watch BBC video » | Monday, September 02, 2013

Australia Ready for Gay Marriage, Says Kevin Rudd

THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister, a practising Christian, hits back at religious right by saying Bible preaches universal love among all people

The Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has launched an impassioned defence of same-sex marriage just days before the general election, telling a current affairs programme that his position is compatible with his Christian faith and the New Testament's message of universal love.

Challenged by a pastor on a Q&A programme on Monday night as to why as a Christian he did not follow the teaching of the Bible, that marriage was between a man and a woman, Rudd replied: "If I was going to have that view, the Bible also says that slavery is a natural condition because St Paul said in the New Testament 'slaves be obedient to your masters', and therefore we should all have fought for the confederacy in the US civil war." » Lenore Taylor in Canberra | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Related video »

France: Syrian Régime behind Chemical Attack

Declassified report says government launched "coordinated assault" as Assad says Middle East is a "powder keg".

All-out War? Iran Vows 'Immediate Destruction' of Israel If Syria Attacked

The likelihood of military strikes around Syria has put its neighbors on high alert, and as RT's Paula Slier reports, some worry it could be the catalyst for a large-scale regional war.

Chemical Clues: German Intel Has 'Evidence' to Back US War Push in Syria

Berlin has joined the clamour to convince the world that it was Syria's President who ordered a chemical weapons attack outside Damascus last month. German media reports suggest the country's spies have intercepted calls and communications which point directly at the Syrian leadership. RT's Peter Oliver reports on the evidence. Also, RT spoke to German journalist Manuel Ochsenreiter who finds it hard to believe that Berlin's allegations have nothing to do with America's push to justify military action in Syria.

'I Didn't Join Navy to Fight for Al-Qaeda': US Servicemen against Syria Strike

Images have emerged on social media purporting to show U.S. servicemen speaking out against a looming strike against Damascus. People wearing military uniform are seen posing in front of cameras with posters saying they did not join-up to fight with al-Qaeda in Syria. Those pictures cannot be verified but the Pentagon is reportedly already looking into the identities of those involved. RT speaks to Gordon Duff, a marine veteran and the editor of the independent news website Veterans Today.

Veterans Today »

Syrians Want Rid of President Assad, But without US Bombs

THE GUARDIAN: There's little trust in America's motives, and an airstrike would not stop the brutal slaughter of civilians. Far better to help the rebels directly


The Arab world has longed to get rid of the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad for years. In their minds it represents absolute evil. Future generations will remember the savage massacres perpetrated by the Syrian regime and the images of women and children who were slaughtered. But this strong desire to eradicate the regime will, for the most part, never be translated into support for American military intervention. That is because of misgivings and mistrust concerning US motives.

President Obama's address last Saturday was loaded with emotions. He used the phrase "moral responsibility" to justify punishing the Syrian regime for using chemical weapons against civilians. That, however, did little to convince many Arabs. Few have felt this moral responsibility in their dealings with the US, which has been losing credibility with the Arab public for decades. An entrenched image of American double standards and political bias against Arab interests has taken root; especially with regard to US bias towards Israel and America's longstanding support for tyrannical Arab regimes. This image was reinforced even more strongly after Washington's "war on terror" and its invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.

While Obama's election initially seemed appealing, with his promises of new policies in the Middle East, he missed the opportunity in his very first test in dealing with the Palestine question. He retreated from his demands for an end to Israeli settlement of Palestinian land – a demand he had personally made – and backtracked on a promise to close Guantánamo detention facility. And under Obama the US continued to cause heavy civilian casualties through its use of drones against targets in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen, quashing Arab hopes of any serious change in policy. Read on and comment » | Wadah Khanfar | Monday, September 02, 2013

Life of Pope Francis to Be Turned into a Film

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An Argentine director is planning a biopic of Pope Francis' life from his upbringing in Buenos Aires to his surprise election as leader of the world's Roman Catholics

Alejandro Agresti, who directed "The Lake House", will direct the film entitled "Historia de un cura" (A Priest's Tale), according to Variety.

Fellow Argentine Rodrigo de la Serna, known internationally for his interpretation of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's travel companion in "The Motorcycle Diaries," will play Pope Francis. » | Reuters | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Kevin Rudd Launches Passionate Defence of Gay Marriage

Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, a devout Christian, has stared down a pastor on live television and cited scripture while delivering a stirring defence of gay marriage.

Read the Telegraph article here | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

US General Says Syria Action Could Be 'More Substantial Than Thought'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A former US army chief has claimed that Barack Obama is eyeing intervention in Syria that would go beyond a mere deterrent against chemical weapons to damage the military capacity of the Assad regime.

General Jack Keane, a former vice chief of staff of the US Army, told BBC Radio 4 that he had spoken to senior Republican senators who had been briefed by the US president on Monday, and had been assured that Mr Obama planned to do significant damage to the forces of Bashar al-Assad.

The Obama administration has previously said that military strikes would not be aimed at toppling Assad's government nor altering the balance of the conflict. Instead, the White House has suggested, they would be intended to punish Assad for the alleged gas attack in Damascus on Aug 21 and to reinstate Washington's "red line" against the use of chemical weapons.

But Gen. Keane said he understood Mr Obama was planning a more substantial intervention in Syria than had previously been thought, with increased support for the opposition forces, including training from US troops.

He said the plans could involve "much more substance than we were led to believe". » | Hannah Strange, agencies | Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Now the truth is coming out! So it is becoming apparent that Barack Obama is preparing to do Saudi’s bidding. The Saudi king hates Bashar Al-Assad with a vengeance. Doesn’t have the will to get Saudis to fight their own battles; so Americans will be used as mercenaries to fight Saudi’s battles in return for oil and contracts. First it was the Obama bow to the Saudi king. Now this! How disgusting! – © Mark

Syrie : Bachar el-Assad menace la France

LE POINT: Le président syrien s'est confié au quotidien "Le Figaro". Il menace de "répercussions" sur les intérêts français en cas d'intervention.

Le président syrien Bachar el-Assad a mis en garde lundi contre le risque d'une "guerre régionale" en cas d'action militaire occidentale, alors que Washington et Paris tentent de convaincre leurs opinions de la nécessité de frapper le régime syrien accusé d'avoir utilisé des armes chimiques. "Le Moyen-Orient est un baril de poudre et le feu s'en approche aujourd'hui. (...) Tout le monde perdra le contrôle de la situation lorsque le baril de poudre explosera. Le chaos et l'extrémisme se répandront. Le risque d'une guerre régionale existe", a déclaré le président syrien au journal Le Figaro. » | Le Point.fr | mardi03 septembre 2013

Syrien-Krise: Assad droht Westen mit regionalem Krieg

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die USA und Frankreich bereiten einen Militärschlag gegen das syrische Regime vor - und Diktator Assad warnt den Westen. Im Fall eines Angriffs drohe ein Krieg im Nahen Osten. Die Region sei ein "Pulverfass", das explodieren werde.

Paris - Der syrische Präsident Baschar al-Assad wählte ausgerechnet eine französische Zeitung, um seine Drohungen zu verbreiten. In einem Interview mit "Le Figaro" warnte er Frankreich, die USA und andere Staaten vor einem Militärschlag gegen sein Land. "Der Nahe Osten ist ein Pulverfass", sagte der Chef des syrischen Regimes. Niemand könne wissen, was nach einem Militäreinsatz passieren werde.

"Die ganze Welt wird die Kontrolle über die Situation verlieren, wenn das Pulverfass explodiert. Chaos und Extremismus werden sich verbreiten", so Assad. Es bestehe die Gefahr eines regionalen Krieges.

Der syrische Präsident forderte die USA und Frankreich auf, nur "einen einzigen Beweis" für den Einsatz von Giftgas durch Syrien vorzulegen. Gleichzeitig lehnte er es ab, über die Existenz solcher Kampfstoffe in seinem Land zu sprechen. "Ich sage gar nichts dazu, ob die syrische Armee solche Waffen hat oder nicht."

Nicht nur Washington, auch Paris ist der Ansicht, dass das syrische Regime über Chemiewaffen verfügt und am 21. August Giftgas auch gegen die Zivilbevölkerung einsetzte. Hunderte Menschen starben in einem Vorort von Damaskus, unter den Opfern waren viele Kinder. » | kgp/dpa | Montag, 02. September 2013

Barack Obama 'Does Not Deserve' His Nobel Peace Prize Say Angry Syrian Refugees in Zaatari Camp

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syrian refugees who have fled to camps in neighbouring countries are furious with President Barack Obama, and some say he should have his Nobel Peace Prize withdrawn.

Before Mohammad Dallah fled his home in Ghouta in the aftermath of the chemical weapons attack on the Damascus suburb, he sealed a band of brothers pact with two elder siblings.

After an arduous trek through his war-torn country, the 22-year old reached the vast Jordanian refugee camp Zaatari on Sunday but his mood was one of bitter disappointment.

He proclaimed himself trapped as he squinted against the harsh glare of the sunlight on the grey gravel flint of the camp. News that President Barack Obama had put military intervention on hold pending Congressional approval was a hammer blow.

Showing an awareness of international policy that belied the destitution of a newly arrived refugee, he called for the Nobel Prize committee to relieve the US president of his 2009 peace prize.>br />
"America has a responsibility to launch strikes to prevent the killing by Assad. Obama has a Nobel Prize but he does not deserve it because he has not responded to so many deaths," he said. » | Damien McElroy, Zaatari, Jordan | Monday, September 02, 2013

Bashar al-Assad Interview: 'Show Me the Proof of Regime Chemical Attack'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bashar al-Assad challenged the West to provide "the slightest proof" he has used chemical weapons against his people in his first reaction to allegations that his forces killed more than 1,400 people in a gas attack on August 21.

The Syrian president issued a dire warning that any Western military intervention could lead to "regional war" and would harm "the interests of France".

"Whoever accuses must provide proof. We have challenged the United States and France to provide the slightest proof. (US President Barack) Obama and (French president François) Hollande have been incapable (of doing so) even to their own people," Assad told French newspaper Le Figaro in an exclusive interview.

He questioned the "logic" of claims that his forces carried the August 21 attack outside Damascus, which the US said killed 1,429 people.

"Supposing our army wishes to use weapons of mass destruction. Is it possible that it would do so in a zone where it is located and where (our) soldiers were wounded by these arms, as United Nations inspectors have noted during visits to hospitals where they were treated? Where is the logic?," he asked.

Describing the Middle East as a "powder keg" whose "fuse is getting shorter", he warned it would "explode" if Western forces struck Syria. "Nobody knows what will happen (after such strikes). Everyone will lose control of the situation when the powder keg explodes. Chaos and extremism will spread. The risk of a regional war exists," he warned. » | Henry Samuel, Paris and Jon Swaine in New York | Monday, September 02, 2013

LE FIGARO: La mise en garde d'Assad à la France » | Par Georges Malbrunot | lundi 02 septembre 2013

My comment:

All this talk of war, and absolutely no convincing proof of who perpetrated this crime against humanity in the first place. Cameron and Obama et al continue with their 'conviction' that it was Bashar Al-Assad. But was it? It could just as easily have been the rebels.

If Obama launches a war against Syria without convincing proof, and it turns out in years to come that it wasn't Bashar Al-Assad after all who perpetrated this crime, then Obama will be the war criminal.

It seems to me that we in the West need to step back from the brink, and assess the whole thing with a cool head.

What is to be achieved by striking Syria? What is to be achieved by toppling Bashar Al-Assad? I'll guarantee you now, if Bashar Al-Assad is toppled, Syria will become a haven of Islamic fundamentalists. It will be turned into a theocratic state à l'Iran, and the Christian community there will suffer greatly. Hasn't the West inflicted enough damage on the Christian communities of the Middle East already?

Then there is the problem of the possible escalation of conflict. The whole region will be turned into a war zone. And what guarantees do we have that this regional conflict won't spread westward, eastward, northward, and southward? World wars have been started by far less aggression.

Moreover, it seems to me that we need to listen to our senior military men. Some of them have come out firmly against military aggression already. – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

One Third of Syrians Have Fled Their Homes, Reports United Nations

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Almost one third of Syria's population have abandoned their homes to escape the conflict under the Assad regime, according to a new United Nations estimate.

As a result, international aid to Syrians uprooted by civil war is a only "drop in the sea" of what is needed, according to Tarik Kurdi, the representative of the UN's refugee agency in Syria[.]

He said the UN estimated that five million Syrians have been displaced inside the country. A further two million have fled to neighbouring countries, according to previous UN figures. The total, of about seven million, amounts to nearly one third of Syria's population of about 23 million when the conflict began.

Syria's brutal two-and-a-half-year-old conflict has also claimed more than 100,000 lives, including hundreds who - according to the US and others - were killed in chemical weapons attacks by the Syrian regime near Damascus on Aug 21.

The government of Syria's President Bashar Assad's government has denied involvement, instead blaming rebels for the attacks. » | Associated Press | Monday, September 02, 2013

Inside Story: UK's War Fatigue and 'Special Relationship'

As British parliament rejects military intervention in Syria, we ask how it will affect its relations with the US.

Arab League: Only UN Can Stop Syria Crimes

Secretary general insists military action "is out of the question" unless United Nations gives green light.

Rebel Rousing: Possible US Military Strikes Leave Syrians Unfazed

The strike group's expected to team up with several ships already in position in the Mediterranean, off the Syrian coast. The combined fleet could pummel Damascus from a safe distance, dealing massive damage to the country. Maria Finoshina has the reaction from the Syrian capital

Assange's Thousand Days: 'Careless Crackdown on Whistleblowers Won't Stop'

Monday marks one thousand days of confinement for WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange, most of it under house arrest. But since June 2012 the whistleblower has been holed up in London's Ecuadorian embassy attempting to avoid extradition to Sweden where's he's wanted on sex crime allegations. Assange fears should he step out of the embassy he will be arrested, and ultimately handed over to the U.S. to face life imprisonment. Wikileaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson told RT why they're so worried.

Lavrov: Rebels in Syria Inspired by American Actions

The White House is chasing ghosts by building a case for war in Syria based on inconclusive evidence. That's according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who reiterated the Kremlin's stance against intervention in Syria without UN backing. Let's get more from RT's Sean Thomas