SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 Syria opposition accuses regime, warns against strike An opposition group tolerated in Damascus on Monday accused the regime of responsibility for an alleged chemical weapons attack outside the Syrian capital but spoke out against any punitive strike.
"The use of chemical weapons against civilians is a key turning point in the bloody conflict," the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change said in a statement. "All of those who contributed to this horrendous crime should be punished. The regime holds primary responsibility," the group added. "The crime was carried out in an area controlled by armed members of the opposition and during bombing of the area by government forces," added the statement, read out by members of the group at a Damascus press conference. The group, which includes nationalist Arab and Kurdish parties, said however it was opposed to "any military aggression" by the United States or its allies in response to the attack. "Military aggression would be in the interests of extremist forces taking part in the bloody conflict and would not serve to bring about democratic change or to build a civil and democratic state," it said. The group called instead for international efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict, which began in March 2011 with an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Hundreds of people were killed in alleged chemical weapons attacks on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21. The United States has accused the Syrian regime of carrying out the attacks, and President Barack Obama has said he will ask Congress to approve military action in response to the attacks. https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nowsyrialatestnews/syria-opposition-accuses-regime-warns-against-strike ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://eaworldview.com/2013/09/syria-audio-analysis-the-real-story-is-not-obamas-sideshow-with-us-congress/ [image: OBAMA PENSIVE --- USED 31-08-13] Published on September 2nd, 2013 | *by Scott Lucas* 1 Syria Audio Analysis: The Real Story is Not Obamas Sideshow With US Congress I had an interesting discussion with BBC Radio this morning about President Obamas decision to seek authorisaton from Congress for a response to the August 21 chemical weapons attacks by the Assad regime. Listen to interview from 2:09:19 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03903kx> The interviewer focused on the domestic implications of the Presidents decision, e.g., Does this show Obama as a consensual politician?. My concern given that it will be at least two weeks before Congress might give approval for even an airstrike limited in scope and duration was on the significance for the situation inside Syria. Take-away points: 1. This isnt about domestic politics. This is about not only an incident in which 1400 people died in a chemical weapons attack last month but also a conflict in which 80,000 people have died in 2 1/2 years. Having a nice image at home is one thing; doing something effective about a crisis for Syria and the region is another. 2. The bigger question is whether you support insurgents, not with airstrikes but with military supplies to overthrow the Assad regime. 3. At the end of the day, I think Obama will get Congressional authorization for a fairly weak mandate, whether or not he chooses to use it. I dont think thats going to resolve the wider issues. We are probably going to be here three months from now, six months, a year from now still talking about Syria and President Obamas steps, and what Congress does about them, in the next two weeks are going to be peripheral. Share this: - - - Email<http://eaworldview.com/2013/09/syria-audio-analysis-the-real-story-is-not-obamas-sideshow-with-us-congress/?share=email&nb=1> - Print<http://eaworldview.com/2013/09/syria-audio-analysis-the-real-story-is-not-obamas-sideshow-with-us-congress/#print> - - digg - - - More<http://eaworldview.com/2013/09/syria-audio-analysis-the-real-story-is-not-obamas-sideshow-with-us-congress/#> - Tags: Barack Obama <http://eaworldview.com/tag_base/tag_name/barack-obama/> , Chemical Weapons<http://eaworldview.com/tag_base/tag_name/chemical-weapons/> , US Congress <http://eaworldview.com/tag_base/tag_name/us-congress/> About the Author <http://eaworldview.com/author/eaworldview/> Scott Lucas <http://eaworldview.com/author/eaworldview/> Scott Lucas is a professor of American Studies at the University of Birmingham and editor-in-chief of EA WorldView. He is a specialist in US and British foreign policy and international relations, especially the Middle East and Iran. Formerly he worked as a journalist in the US, writing for newspapers including the Guardian and The Independent and was an essayist for The New Statesman before he founded EA WorldView in 2009. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
