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| Syria says it will let UN inspect alleged chemical-attack sites - Los Angeles Times Posted: 25 Aug 2013 09:11 AM PDT BEIRUT — The Syrian government agreed Sunday to allow United Nations inspectors to visit the sites of suspected chemical-weapon attacks outside Damascus, the official Syrian news agency said. Syrian officials and the U.N. "have agreed to a mutual understanding that enters into force immediately allowing the U.N. inspection team to investigate" the sites of the recent alleged attacks, the state media outlet said in a statement. The reported accord comes as U.S. officials were said to be preparing for a possible military strike on Syria in retaliation for the government's alleged use of chemical weapons. President Obama met with his top security advisers this weekend about the Syria crisis. A 20-member contingent of U.N. inspectors is already on the ground in Damascus, but the team's official mandate was limited to looking into three previous allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria. Sunday's agreement would seem to open the way for the experts to visit several areas near the capital where chemical weapons allegedly struck last week. The U.N. and individual member nations, including the United States and Russia, have been pressing Damascus to allow the experts to visit the disputed sites. The U.N. staff "should coordinate with the Syrian government on the date and time of the team's visit to the sites agreed to by the two sides," the state news media said. There was no immediate confirmation from the U.N. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons in a series of alleged attacks that occurred early Wednesday against opposition strongholds outside of Damascus. Opposition representatives have accused the government of mounting poison-gas bombardments, killing hundreds, including women and children. Unverified footage said to be of the victims has caused global outrage and prompted calls for an independent inquiry. Experts have said the images are not conclusive but could indicate the deployment of a nerve agent of some kind and have stressed the need for on-site inspection and the taking of samples from the area and from purported victims. Officials have said time is of the essence as some of the suspect substances may dissipate in a few days, making detection more difficult. Syrian authorities have said that any chemical attacks were carried out by rebels in a bid to discredit the government and prompt international retaliation against Syria. The Syrian opposition has denied unleashing any chemical strike. No details were immediately available about the logistics of the planned inspections. The areas allegedly hit by chemical gas attacks are in conflict-ridden suburbs of Damascus where government troops and armed rebels have repeatedly clashed. Officials would have to agree on some kind of security regimen and possibly a cease-fire to permit the U.N. presence. Opposition activists have said they are willing to facilitate the entry of U.N. personnel. The agreement to allow U.N. access came Sunday during a meeting in Damascus between the Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, and the U.N.'s top disarmament official, Angela Kane, the government said. In a statement, the Syrian foreign minister said his government was ready to cooperate with the U.N. to "expose the false allegations of the terrorist groups accusing the Syrian forces of using chemical weapons." Syrian authorities routinely refer to armed rebels as terrorists. |
| King's 'Dream' not yet realized, says March on Washington speaker - NBCNews.com Posted: 25 Aug 2013 09:13 AM PDT By Michael O'Brien, Political Reporter, NBC News The "dream" of racial equality described by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 50 years ago at the March on Washington has not yet been fulfilled, the last living speaker from the original march said Sunday. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a civil rights icon who spoke at the original rally where King delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech, said more must be done to meet King's vision. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the only living speaker from the original March on Washington, reflects on his experience at the momentous event 50 years ago. "We have a lot of work to do. The dream is not yet fulfilled," Lewis said during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." Following a rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Saturday — where Lewis, Attorney General Eric Holder, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and others spoke — Lewis lauded what he called a "nonviolent revolution" since 1963 that has changed race relations in America. That rally sets the stage, as well, for a more formal ceremony on Wednesday where President Barack Obama, the country's first African-American president, will mark King's speech with one of his own. Lewis has spoken with Obama ahead of those remarks, but the Georgia congressman said that it's important to be mindful of the context for the president's speech. "The president is the president. He's not a civil rights leader," Lewis said. Watch the Aug. 25, 1963 edition of Meet the Press, featuring interviews with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and NAACP executive secretary Roy Wilkins. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped lead a later generation of civil rights leaders, said that addressing economic inequality, the effects of gun violence and voting rights should be the focus of contemporary civil rights leaders. And Sharpton said he hoped this week's anniversary would help spur a renewed focus on those issues. "Marches are not set to solve a problem. They're set to show the problem, and force someone to solve it," he said. Booker, a Democratic candidate for Senate in New Jersey, said the original March on Washington's message was that "the power of the people is greater than the people in power." The favorite in this fall's special election, Booker said he hoped to break the partisan gridlock in Congress to secure actual achievements. "We as a people can not allow our inability to do everything … to undermine our willingness to do something," he said. |
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