Syria: 'We will help US fight terrorism'

[webfact]

Syria will help US fight terrorism, says Walid Muallem

Syria's foreign minister has offered to help the US fight the Islamic State (IS) militant group, which has seized swathes of land in Iraq and Syria.

Walid Muallem said Syria was "the centre of the international coalition to fight Islamic State".

The US has already bombed IS fighters in Iraq and has hinted it would be willing to take action in Syria.

Western powers generally shun Syria's government, accusing it of carrying out atrocities in its three-year civil war.

But Mr Muallem warned that the US must co-ordinate with the Syrian government before launching any air strikes on its territory.

"Anything outside this is considered aggression," he said.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28927246


-- BBC 2014-08-26

[bunnydrops]

Enemies of our enemies are our friends

[Loptr]

Oh the irony... This is what happens when you create Frankenstein, but fail to keep him on a leash...

[johna]

"Obama proposes $500 million to aid Syrian rebels"

http://online.wsj.com/articles/obama-proposes-500-million-to-aid-syrian-rebels-1403813486

The aid will be going to moderate rebels, who will at some point become our enemies.

[Loptr]

"Obama proposes $500 million to aid Syrian rebels"

http://online.wsj.com/articles/obama-proposes-500-million-to-aid-syrian-rebels-1403813486

The aid will be going to moderate rebels, who will at some point become our enemies.

You mean like Al Qaeda and ISIS?

[rickirs]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

"Obama proposes $500 million to aid Syrian rebels"

http://online.wsj.com/articles/obama-proposes-500-million-to-aid-syrian-rebels-1403813486

The aid will be going to moderate rebels, who will at some point become our enemies.

Let's put the whole story out here. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10929457/Barack-Obama-seeks-500m-to-fund-moderate-Syrian-rebels.html

Obama proposed the funding for "vetted elements of the Syrian armed opposition to help defend the Syrian people, stabilise areas under opposition control, facilitate the provision of essential services, counter terrorist threats, and promote conditions for a negotiated settlement." The funds will also "bolster stability in Syrian neighbors Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, and to support communities hosting refugees." The funding request still needs to be approved by the US Congress that remains split over the degree of US involvement in the regional civil wars.

Using Asaad's need for self-preservation, the US may be able to leverage political concessions towards a more stable Syria that would include participation of the moderate rebels in its governance without having to put troops on the ground. So there is a much bigger strategic picture involved than worrying who in the future might no longer be a friend to the US.

[coma]

I said that this would be the case six months ago. And the reason for it is how powerful ISIS has become. The sheer scope and size of this battle for Tabqa airport shows that Syria needs some form of assistance in fighting terrorists.

Interestingly, UAE conducted unilateral air strikes against terrorist targets in Libya last week. Maybe they could, along fellow Arab nations, commit to the Syrian model.

.Beirut (AFP) - More than 500 Syrian soldiers and Islamic State fighters died in a six-day battle for Tabqa airport

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-more-than-500-dead-in-battle-for-syrias-tabqa-airport-ngo-2014-8#ixzz3BSiepQJU

[godden]

The lesser of two evils!!!

[AlexRRR]

Here we go again.....let the Russians help Syria plzzzzzz

[konying]

Personally I like the demands.

He first begging for help but then states if US does not coordinate with government then it's aggression.

Got to love the blackmail and plea for help all in the same statement

[ggt]

Is this a screwed up world...or what...can not believe all the folks who have been enemies for years...now lining up to suck each others fingers...

[Steely Dan]

Of course Gadafi claimed his regime would be replaced by terrorists if he was toppled, and so it proved. Assad may be a bastard, but better if he is our bastard. I suspect he is ridiculing the current US policy which supposes the Muslim brotherhood represents a moderate Islam, but looking for unicorn eggs would be more fruitful. In a vaguely related incident the UAE bombed rebels outside Tripoli airport having taken off from Egyptian bases, the ex-world policeman knew nothing of it, after all they originally supplied the Libyan rebels as they did the supposed Syrian rebels.

[sanuk711]

Is this a screwed up world...or what...can not believe all the folks who have been enemies for years...now lining up to suck each others fingers...

I don't know why there is so much confusion----its simple really...........:

Let me explain...We support the Iraqi government in the fight against ISIS.

We don’t like ISIS, but ISIS is supported by Saudi Arabia who we do like.

We don’t like Assad in Syria. We support the fight against him, but ISIS is also fighting against him.

We don’t like Iran, but Iran supports the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS.

So some of our friend’s support our enemies, some enemies are now our friends,

and some of our enemies are fighting against our other enemies,

who we want to lose, but we don’t want our enemies who are fighting our enemies to win.

If the people we want to defeat are defeated, they could be replaced by people we like even less.

And all this was started by us invading a country to find WMDs that were never there & drive out terrorists who were also not actually there until we went in to drive them out, but now they are there.

Hope that has clarified things for you all...............................

[Asiantravel]

Is this a screwed up world...or what...can not believe all the folks who have been enemies for years...now lining up to suck each others fingers...

I don't know why there is so much confusion----its simple really...........:

Let me explain...We support the Iraqi government in the fight against ISIS.

We don’t like ISIS, but ISIS is supported by Saudi Arabia who we do like.

We don’t like Assad in Syria. We support the fight against him, but ISIS is also fighting against him.

We don’t like Iran, but Iran supports the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS.

So some of our friend’s support our enemies, some enemies are now our friends,

and some of our enemies are fighting against our other enemies,

who we want to lose, but we don’t want our enemies who are fighting our enemies to win.

If the people we want to defeat are defeated, they could be replaced by people we like even less.

And all this was started by us invading a country to find WMDs that were never there & drive out terrorists who were also not actually there until we went in to drive them out, but now they are there.

Hope that has clarified things for you all...............................

and who knows maybe USA will become mates with Vlad once again

Last year around this time ( see reuters report ) Vladimir Putin very publicly warned against the scenario we are seeing unfold in the Middle East now

“If Assad goes today, a political vacuum emerges – who will fill it? Maybe those terrorist organizations. Nobody wants this – but how can it be avoided? After all, they are armed and aggressive.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE95K17J20130621

[khunken]

Is this a screwed up world...or what...can not believe all the folks who have been enemies for years...now lining up to suck each others fingers...

I don't know why there is so much confusion----its simple really...........:

Let me explain...We support the Iraqi government in the fight against ISIS.

We don’t like ISIS, but ISIS is supported by Saudi Arabia who we do like.

We don’t like Assad in Syria. We support the fight against him, but ISIS is also fighting against him.

We don’t like Iran, but Iran supports the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS.

So some of our friend’s support our enemies, some enemies are now our friends,

and some of our enemies are fighting against our other enemies,

who we want to lose, but we don’t want our enemies who are fighting our enemies to win.

If the people we want to defeat are defeated, they could be replaced by people we like even less.

And all this was started by us invading a country to find WMDs that were never there & drive out terrorists who were also not actually there until we went in to drive them out, but now they are there.

Hope that has clarified things for you all...............................

and who knows maybe USA will become mates with Vlad once again

Last year around this time ( see reuters report ) Vladimir Putin very publicly warned against the scenario we are seeing unfold in the Middle East now

“If Assad goes today, a political vacuum emerges – who will fill it? Maybe those terrorist organizations. Nobody wants this – but how can it be avoided? After all, they are armed and aggressive.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE95K17J20130621

Absolutely correct. NATO did a similar 'forget about the aftermath' job in Libya. What Afghanistan will look like after 'democracy' was installed there & the troops leave doesn't bear thinking about.

Where is the money coming from to finance the well armed ISIS fanatics? Probably the same source as the Al Qaeda financiers.

[Bwanatickey]

Hold on a minute, over a year ago Assad was a bad guy, the West helped rebel fighters by sending in advisors, Cameron wanted the RAF to help them bomb their way to victory.

It was the British public who resisted, Camerons proposed air strikes , he backed down.

A year later this same Cameron is declaring this same group of fighters is a threat to Europe.

[submaniac]

The thing is Assad, Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi--dictators yes, but the dictators were oppressing the Jihadist ultra religious nutters. In comparison to the Jihadists, these dictators were rational secular leaders. All this meddling has just made things worst. How bad must ISIS be that both Syria and Iran want to join forces with the U.S. to fight them?

[MJP]

Of course Gadafi claimed his regime would be replaced by terrorists if he was toppled, and so it proved. Assad may be a bastard, but better if he is our bastard. I suspect he is ridiculing the current US policy which supposes the Muslim brotherhood represents a moderate Islam, but looking for unicorn eggs would be more fruitful. In a vaguely related incident the UAE bombed rebels outside Tripoli airport having taken off from Egyptian bases, the ex-world policeman knew nothing of it, after all they originally supplied the Libyan rebels as they did the supposed Syrian rebels.

Yup.

What should have happened in all of these conflicts is the West stays out, does not provide arms to anyone (in fact prevents the influx of further arms) and only provide vast quantities of humanitarian aid and properly run refugee camps across the neighbouring borders.

This I will happily pay yet even more tax for. No problem.

It's how to stop cycles of violence and how to win hearts and minds.

[Richard W]

How bad must ISIS be that both Syria and Iran want to join forces with the U.S. to fight them?

This can be construed as a continuation of the Moslem civil war between the supporters of the family of the Caliph Ali (Shiites) and the Umayyads (Sunni). The US has been dragged in because Iraq has a Shiite majority.

[Seastallion]

Personally I like the demands.

He first begging for help but then states if US does not coordinate with government then it's aggression.

Got to love the blackmail and plea for help all in the same statement

I don't support Assad at all, but there was nothing "blackmail" about the Foreign Minister's statement. It was sheer common sense regarding their self-preservation;

"We need help, we have a common enemy, but you don't have carte blanche to enter our airspace or put your boots on our ground, You need to work with us if you want to come into our territory."

Reasonable, I'd say.

[submaniac]

How bad must ISIS be that both Syria and Iran want to join forces with the U.S. to fight them?

This can be construed as a continuation of the Moslem civil war between the supporters of the family of the Caliph Ali (Shiites) and the Umayyads (Sunni). The US has been dragged in because Iraq has a Shiite majority.

I agree with you that this is yet another extension of the Islamic split that began after Muhammad died. That is a schism that probably never will heal, meaning that the fighting will always continue regardless of whether the U.S./U.K./West intervene or not.

[Bwanatickey]

Of course the average citizen of the U.K does not want our soldiers involved in the Moslem part of the Middle East, including Afghanistan.

They can see that it has been a waste of time, in fact the situation has become far worse.

But the hidden faces who make money out of arms sales out of conflict zones, don't give a dime what the public want.

[konying]

Personally I like the demands.

He first begging for help but then states if US does not coordinate with government then it's aggression.

Got to love the blackmail and plea for help all in the same statement

I don't support Assad at all, but there was nothing "blackmail" about the Foreign Minister's statement. It was sheer common sense regarding their self-preservation;

"We need help, we have a common enemy, but you don't have carte blanche to enter our airspace or put your boots on our ground, You need to work with us if you want to come into our territory."

Reasonable, I'd say.

Oh wow, that you find reasonable but Hamas firing rockets into Israel and Israel responding is not?

Good to see you do not have double standards

[Publicus]

Is this a screwed up world...or what...can not believe all the folks who have been enemies for years...now lining up to suck each others fingers...

I don't know why there is so much confusion----its simple really...........:

Let me explain...We support the Iraqi government in the fight against ISIS.

We don’t like ISIS, but ISIS is supported by Saudi Arabia who we do like.

We don’t like Assad in Syria. We support the fight against him, but ISIS is also fighting against him.

We don’t like Iran, but Iran supports the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS.

So some of our friend’s support our enemies, some enemies are now our friends,

and some of our enemies are fighting against our other enemies,

who we want to lose, but we don’t want our enemies who are fighting our enemies to win.

If the people we want to defeat are defeated, they could be replaced by people we like even less.

And all this was started by us invading a country to find WMDs that were never there & drive out terrorists who were also not actually there until we went in to drive them out, but now they are there.

Hope that has clarified things for you all...............................

and who knows maybe USA will become mates with Vlad once again

Last year around this time ( see reuters report ) Vladimir Putin very publicly warned against the scenario we are seeing unfold in the Middle East now

“If Assad goes today, a political vacuum emerges – who will fill it? Maybe those terrorist organizations. Nobody wants this – but how can it be avoided? After all, they are armed and aggressive.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE95K17J20130621

I thought I'd provide this concise graphic to help you illustrate your final conclusions......

[Seastallion]

Personally I like the demands.

He first begging for help but then states if US does not coordinate with government then it's aggression.

Got to love the blackmail and plea for help all in the same statement

I don't support Assad at all, but there was nothing "blackmail" about the Foreign Minister's statement. It was sheer common sense regarding their self-preservation;

"We need help, we have a common enemy, but you don't have carte blanche to enter our airspace or put your boots on our ground, You need to work with us if you want to come into our territory."

Reasonable, I'd say.

Oh wow, that you find reasonable but Hamas firing rockets into Israel and Israel responding is not?

Good to see you do not have double standards

You're lack of logic is astounding.

You bring Israel and Hamas into a discussion of Syria and the US.

You bring it up, not because it's relevant, but to bait.

Your comparison holds no water and makes no sense. There is no comparison.

If I was to allow a foreign force into my territory then it will be on my terms. Reasonable. More than reasonable, it should go without saying. Where's the blackmail? Blackmail? May I suggest in future you use words that you know the meaning of. Even simple words such as "blackmail" you have not yet got a grasp on.

So, stop your silly baiting, especially when it doesn't even make sense.

[konying]

Personally I like the demands.

He first begging for help but then states if US does not coordinate with government then it's aggression.

Got to love the blackmail and plea for help all in the same statement

I don't support Assad at all, but there was nothing "blackmail" about the Foreign Minister's statement. It was sheer common sense regarding their self-preservation;

"We need help, we have a common enemy, but you don't have carte blanche to enter our airspace or put your boots on our ground, You need to work with us if you want to come into our territory."

Reasonable, I'd say.

Oh wow, that you find reasonable but Hamas firing rockets into Israel and Israel responding is not?

Good to see you do not have double standards

You're lack of logic is astounding.

You bring Israel and Hamas into a discussion of Syria and the US.

You bring it up, not because it's relevant, but to bait.

Your comparison holds no water and makes no sense. There is no comparison.

If I was to allow a foreign force into my territory then it will be on my terms. Reasonable. More than reasonable, it should go without saying. Where's the blackmail? Blackmail? May I suggest in future you use words that you know the meaning of. Even simple words such as "blackmail" you have not yet got a grasp on.

So, stop your silly baiting, especially when it doesn't even make sense.

Ohhh, i know not much makes sense to you when it does not suit your agenda

[Seastallion]

I don't support Assad at all, but there was nothing "blackmail" about the Foreign Minister's statement. It was sheer common sense regarding their self-preservation;

"We need help, we have a common enemy, but you don't have carte blanche to enter our airspace or put your boots on our ground, You need to work with us if you want to come into our territory."

Reasonable, I'd say.

Oh wow, that you find reasonable but Hamas firing rockets into Israel and Israel responding is not?

Good to see you do not have double standards

You're lack of logic is astounding.

You bring Israel and Hamas into a discussion of Syria and the US.

You bring it up, not because it's relevant, but to bait.

Your comparison holds no water and makes no sense. There is no comparison.

If I was to allow a foreign force into my territory then it will be on my terms. Reasonable. More than reasonable, it should go without saying. Where's the blackmail? Blackmail? May I suggest in future you use words that you know the meaning of. Even simple words such as "blackmail" you have not yet got a grasp on.

So, stop your silly baiting, especially when it doesn't even make sense.

Ohhh, i know not much makes sense to you when it does not suit your agenda

Instead of futile baiting, why not try to show how your illogical non-reason makes sense?