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Post by Daniel on Sept 18, 2015 11:04:49 GMT -5
Russia and America Must Jointly Confront Islamic State
David Singer
September 18, 2015
The possibility that Russia and America may at long last be seeking common ground on confronting Islamic State has been increased with US Secretary of State John Kerry revealing that his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov has approached America proposing military talks over Syria.
Kerry told reporters:
"The Russians proposed in the conversation I had today and the last conversation specifically that we have military-to-military conversation and meeting in order to discuss ... precisely what will be done to de-conflict with respect to any potential risks that might be run, and to have a complete and clear understanding as to the road ahead and what the intentions are.”
Russia is concerned to ensure that America will not take the opportunity to use any jointly agreed action against Islamic State as a pretext to try and oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or weaken his hold on power.
America suspects that Moscow’s motives in sending 200 Russian naval infantry soldiers, seven tanks, a portable air traffic control station and components of an air defense system to an Assad-stronghold airbase near Latakia on the Mediterranean coast is part of an ongoing military build-up to support Assad’s continued hold on power.
Russia would also not have been too impressed with White House spokesman Josh Earnest reportedly stating a few days earlier...
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www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/17575
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Post by Daniel on Sept 18, 2015 11:16:09 GMT -5
Russian defense, Pentagon chiefs agree to restore military contacts, discuss Syria
18 Sep, 2015 RTNews
Leaders at the Russian Defense Ministry and the Pentagon have agreed to restore military contacts and continue consultations, Russia’s military officials said in a statement.
Russia’s Minster of Defense Sergey Shoigu and his US counterpart Ashton Carter talked by phone on Friday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the Syrian crisis, among other issues. They agreed to restore contacts between the ministries.
"The ministers noted the restoration of military-to-military contacts and agreed to continue consultations," spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said.
The “detailed” discussion that lasted over an hour revealed that Moscow's and Washington's views “are close or coincide” on most of the issues considered, Konashenkov added.
The ministers also talked on the need to coordinate "bilateral and multilateral efforts to combat global terrorism".
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www.rt.com/news/315869-russia-us-military-restore/
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Post by Daniel on Sept 30, 2015 9:41:38 GMT -5
First US-Russian air clash builds up as Moscow orders US planes to exit Syrian air space
DEBKAfile Special Report September 30, 2015
A day after the White House said that “clarity” on Russian intentions in Syria had been achieved at the Obama-Putin summit in New York, the Russian President Vladimir Putin notched up the military tensions around Syria Wednesday, Sept. 30. A senior US official said that Russian diplomats had sent an official demarche ordering US planes to quit Syria, adding that Russian fighter jets were now flying over Syrian territory. US military sources told Fox News that US planes would not comply with the Russian demand. "There is nothing to indicate that we are changing operations over Syria," a senior defense official said.
Earlier, Putin sought from the Russian upper house, the Federation Council, authorization for the use of military force abroad. He did not specify the country or region, but the only part of the world where Russia is currently building up its ground, air and naval forces outside the country is Syria.
A short time after the request, the Federation Council announced that it had unanimously authorized the use of Russian military force in Syria. The last time Putin sought this authorization was in early 2014 when he decided to annex the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. His action now contradicts his assertion to CBS on Sept. 28: "Russia will not participate in any troop operations in the territory of Syria or in any other states. Well, at least we don't plan on it right now.”
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www.debka.com/article/24915/First-US-Russian-air-clash-builds-up-as-Moscow-orders-US-planes-to-exit-Syrian-air-space
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Post by Daniel on Oct 1, 2015 8:25:49 GMT -5
Kerry: US prepared to work with Russia and Iran
The Guardian
September 30, 2015
The United States is “prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran” in resolving the Syrian crisis, Kerry says, but he re-asserts that Bashar al-Assad must step down.
“The vast majority of states around this table know that the Isil forces, Isil itself, cannot be defeated so long as Bashar al-Assad remains [in power] in Syria.”
“It cannot happen because of who has lined up with whom,” he continues, and because of how the conflict began.
“This fight began when young people, young Syrians, looking for nothing but a future,” Kerry says, went out to demonstrate “and Assad sent his thugs out to beat them up.
more
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/sep/30/russia-syria-air-strikes-us-isis-live-updates#block-560c0ad1e4b025318eb6e00d
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Post by Daniel on Oct 1, 2015 8:35:44 GMT -5
Kerry: US prepared to work with Russia and Iran |
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Post by Daniel on Oct 1, 2015 8:49:42 GMT -5
Russia, Syria, the US & Israel
By Skip Ash 16 hrs. ago
...To understand what’s happening, let’s take a moment to understand the situation in Syria and how it evolved. Syria has been ruled by the al-Assad family since the early 1970s. The family adheres to the Alawite branch of Islam (a branch similar to Shiite Islam, the main religion in Iran).
Yet, the majority religious faith in Syria is Sunni Islam. Sunni Islam makes up about 85% of all Muslims around the world. As such, Syria has been ruled since the 1970s by a family from a minority Islamic sect. The Regime has retained power by ruthlessly suppressing the majority Sunni population. Hence, when the so-called “Arab Spring” arose, Sunnis in Syria thought that the time had come to throw off the Alawite yoke and establish a Sunni Arab state.
That uprising morphed into a vicious civil war in Syria where hundreds of thousands have been killed, where millions of refugees have fled to nearby countries (and, more recently, to the European Union), where chemical weapons have been used on the Syrian civilian population, and where jihadist terrorist organizations have arisen and are flourishing.
Let’s identify the key actors in this conflict and who supports whom and why:
Iran: Iran supports the al-Assad regime based on the similar religion of the al-Assad family, the influence Iran exercises over al-Assad, and because of Syria’s proximity to Israel
Iran’s Shiite proxy Hezbollah: Hezbollah supports the al-Assad regime for the same reasons as Iran and because Iran, its primary financial backer, has asked it to
Russia: Russia supports the al-Assad regime to curry favor from al-Assad in the future, to oppose U.S. interests in the region, to raise Russian standing in the region, and to protect its military bases in Syria
Iraq: Iraq’s Shiite-dominated central government is quietly supporting the al Assad regime because of its dependence on Iran and because it is absolutely opposed to a Sunni Syrian state
United States: The United States is supporting “moderate Syrian forces” (whoever they are) against the al-Assad regime; U.S. interests have turned to the destruction of ISIS as well
Israel: Israel is officially neutral in the sense that whoever wins will not be friendly to Israel; in some Israeli circles, people are saying “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” (which would suggest a preference for al-Assad rather than ISIS or some other jihadist group—especially since Assad is being significantly weakened by the ongoing civil war); Israel remains concerned, however, by Syria’s movement and actual use of chemical weapons and by the increasing presence of Iranian Quds forces on the Golan Heights
Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States: These states support the U.S.-organized “international coalition” and its goals (which are aimed primarily at defeating ISIS)
It seems to me that the Russians, the Americans, and the members of the coalition have only one goal in common—all of them wish to see ISIS destroyed. It is in the pursuit of their competing goals where problems may arise.
The recent introduction of Russian forces may, in fact, be a serious game changer in the region. The Obama Administration has no stomach to do what is necessary to defeat ISIS, much less roll back Iranian influence throughout the region (including Iraq and Yemen in addition to Syria) or challenge the Russian presence. To do so would require the expenditure of significant resources that this Administration would rather spend on social programs in the United States, in addition to a vision of the U.S. as a true leader in the world.
read full article
aclj.org/national-security/russia-syria-the-us--israel
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Post by Daniel on Oct 26, 2015 9:20:20 GMT -5
U.S. pilots told not to react to aggressive Russian jets in Syria... as the Pentagon signs 'memorandum of understanding' with Moscow to avoid clashes in the air
By Khaleda Rahman
20 October 2015
U.S. pilots have been told not to react to aggressive Russia military aircraft flying above Syria, according to a U.S. official.
It comes after recent reports that Russian jets had flown so close to U.S. planes that pilots were able to see each other.
But the official, who is said to be familiar with the incident, told CNN that pilots have been instructed to proceed with normal aviation safety procedures.
The official said Russian planes had flown extremely close to U.S. planes twice in the past two weeks – one flew within 500ft and another, on Thursday, came within 1,500 feet of two U.S. jets.
However, there was no suggestion of hostile intent or action in either incident.
And today, the United States and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding that includes steps their pilots should take in order to avoid inadvertent clashes in the air over Syria as the two countries conduct separate bombing campaigns.
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www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3281644/U-S-pilots-told-not-react-aggressive-Russian-jets-Syria-Pentagon-signs-memorandum-understanding-Moscow-avoid-clashes-air.html
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Post by Daniel on Dec 20, 2015 13:08:42 GMT -5
McCain flabbergasted that Kerry supports Russia's bombing
By Arutz Sheva Staff
12/18/2015
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) ripped US Secretary of State John Kerry to shreds on Thursday during an address at the Senate floor, over the latter's stated support of Russia's role in trying to end Syria's internecine war.
McCain, who serves as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, began by slamming the massive human rights violations committed by Syria's Bashar al-Assad's regime against his own people since the war started in 2011, including "barrel bombs, chemical weapons, slaughtering women and children."
According to McCain, the autocratic Syrian leader who is now being military propped up by his ally Russia allowed Islamic State (ISIS) to come to power in the first place due to the fury over his rights violations, and Assad "fuels them still," reports the Washington Free Beacon.
“Secretary Kerry seems not to understand that fact,” McCain said. “While in Moscow searching for ‘common ground’ on Russia with Syria and Ukraine, Secretary Kerry said - and I’m not making this up now, I’m telling my colleagues, I am not making this up - 'Russia has been a significant contributor to the progress.'"
"Was Russia making progress when it bombed US-backed Syrian forces fighting the Assad regime?," said McCain of the attacks on opposition forces directly supported by America. "Or was that when it took a brief pause from bombing Syrian moderates to indiscriminately drop dumb (unguided) bombs in ISIL (ISIS) territory in eastern Syria, killing untold numbers of civilians? Is that the significant Russian contributions?"
The senator quoted Kerry as saying "the United States and our partners are not seeking so-called regime change" in Syria, and that the focus now is "not on our differences about what can or cannot be done immediately about Assad."
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www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/205132
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