Rabu, 28 Ogos 2013

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Syria: Who wants what after chemical weapons horror - CNN

Posted: 28 Aug 2013 08:39 AM PDT

A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position behind sandbags in the old city of Aleppo, Syria, on Tuesday, August 27. Syria has warned Western leaders against taking any military action after international outrage over the country's suspected use of chemical weapons. Tensions in Syria began to flare in March 2011 and have escalated into an ongoing civil war. Click through to view the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.

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Syrian civil war in photos

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Fallout from the use of chemical weapons is being felt in world capitals
U.S. thinks Syria responsible but retaliation is a tricky balance
Russia doesn't trust U.S. intentions
Iran is supporting its strategically key regional ally

(CNN) -- The ripple effects of an alleged chemical attack in Syria are being felt across the globe. The rhetoric is ratcheting up with talk of punishing Syria, even though Syria denies using chemical weapons. Allies of President Bashar al-Assad accuse the rebel forces of carrying out the chemical strike.

Meanwhile rebel forces, who also deny responsibility for the strike, say 1,300 people died in the attacks on the outskirts of Damascus. CNN correspondents and experts explain the different positions of some key nations involved in preparing for -- or warning against -- international military attacks on Syria.

United States

As the guarantor of international order the United States has to do something after the large scale use of chemical weapons, and the United States believes the Assad regime was responsible for the attacks.

But it faces something of a quandary. Launching the kind of large-scale campaign necessary to topple Assad would be lengthy and whoever replaces Assad could be even worse for U.S. interests than Assad himself, given the fact that the most successful opposition groups on the ground are aligned with al Qaeda.

So, the military intervention has to be large enough to punish Assad but not so large as to actually overthrow him. For U.S. policymakers this is the least bad decision they likely feel they can make.

For the U.S. , Syria is a problem from hell

China

It is a long-time ally of Syria and wants to keep its influence.

China says it is firmly opposed to the use of chemical weapons and supports the U.N chemical weapons inspectors. It wants the inspectors to be able to do their job and has warned against prejudging the results.

It also says it wants peace and suggests continuing with the second Geneva Conference on Syria, an initiative which is currently in doubt.

Russia

It doesn't want a repeat of Libya or Iraq.

Much has been said about Russia trying to protect the Syrian government because of its military and economic interests in the country but Russia's key policy goal is blocking American efforts to shape the region.

Russia doesn't believe revolutions, wars and regime change bring stability and democracy. It often points to the Arab Spring and the U.S.-led war in Iraq as evidence.

Russia also doesn't trust U.S. intentions in the region. It believes humanitarian concerns are often used an excuse for pursuing America's own political and economic interests.

Russia has maintained influence throughout the conflict by using its veto in the U.N. Security Council to shield Syria from international pressure. But that influence has now declined because the U.S. and its allies are not seeking a U.N. mandate to launch a military strike.

Iran

For Iran, Syria is a strategically key ally

Iran's position, as outlined by Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and new President Hassan Rouhani, is that the Syrian government is a victim of international plots.

Iran believes the West and almost all Arab countries are in cahoots in an effort to implement regime change in Syria. Iran says the main objective of this plot is to make the region safer for Israel.

Syria was also Iran's only Arab ally during its eight-year war with Iraq, and Syria together with the Hezbollah-controlled areas of Lebanon are considered to be Tehran's first line of defense in case of an attack on Iran by Israel or the West.

So, Iran's interest in Syria is motivated by its longtime friendship as well as Syria's strategic importance for Tehran.

Iran says a U.S. military strike would spark disaster

Jordan

It wants to stay out of trouble.

Jordan wants a diplomatic solution but it was also host to a military meeting involving the United States, European nations, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. Despite that meeting, Jordan does not want to be seen as hosting the meeting where it is decided there will be intervention in Syria.

Jordan feels that would put them in a dangerous situation with possible missile strikes from Syria and terror strikes precipitated by the Syrian regime.

It is an open secret that Saudi Arabia is using Jordan to smuggle weapons into Syria for the rebels. Jordan says it is doing all it can to prevent that and does not want to inflame the situation in Syria.

Jordan is feeling vulnerable, buffeted by the Arab Spring and internal tensions such as allegations of official corruption and a less popular king, and it wants to stay out of trouble.

United Kingdom

Prime Minister David Cameron is pushing for a vote in parliament on taking part in military action in response to the Syrian attacks. He says any response needs to be proportionate, legal and aimed at deterring the use of chemical weapons.

France

President Francois Hollande says France has a duty to protect civilians in Syria and will increase military aid to opposition groups. He also says France is "ready to punish those who made the decision to gas these innocent people."

Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it is ready for any scenario and is warning Syria he will respond with force if Israel is attacked.

Saudi Arabia

Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal says the Syrian government has lost its Arab identity and has called for "firm and serious" action.

CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen, CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson, Beijing Bureau Chief Jaime FlorCruz, Moscow Correspondent Phil Black, and CNN's Shirzad Bozorgmehr in Tehran contributed to this report.

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Selasa, 27 Ogos 2013

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US stocks slump on Syria concerns

Posted: 27 Aug 2013 04:43 PM PDT

NEW YORK: US stocks closed sharply lower on Tuesday as the West moved closer to punitive military action against Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons in a devastating attack on civilians.

Warnings stepped up from the United States, France and Britain that Damascus would be held accountable for the August 21 attack, sparking market worries of a possible broader conflict.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 170.33 points (1.14 percent) at 14,776.13.

The broader S&P 500 index fell 26.30 points (1.59 percent) to 1,630.48, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 79.05 points (2.16 percent) at 3,578.52.

Odds grew that a strike would occur against al-Assad's forces for a chemical weapons attack against civilians as a number of nations and groups - including Britain, France, Canada and the Arab League - joined Washington in urging a firm response to Assad. Adding to the tension, Russia has supported Assad Syria's civil war.

"This (stocks) move is as much about the potential spillover effect in the region as it is the potential for a U.S. strike," said Leo Grohowski, chief investment officer at BNY Mellon Wealth Management, adding that because geopolitical risk had been "ratcheted up," portfolios would need to be reallocated away from riskier investments like stocks.

"Doing that in a market that was already acting sloppy is cause for further weakness," he said. -- AFP, Reuters

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Assad remains defiant as US mulls missile strike - MSNBC

Posted: 27 Aug 2013 08:16 AM PDT

A rebel fighter takes aim at regime forces in the northern city of Aleppo on August 26, 2013. (Photo by Louia Abo Al-Jod/AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to continue the fight that has killed more than 100,000 Syrians in the last two and a half years even as the United States huddles with allies to prepare a military response in reaction to suspected chemical weapons use by the regime.

Senior U.S. officials told NBC News that it may launch limited missile strikes against Syria "as early as Thursday."

"Failure awaits the United States as in all previous wars it has unleashed, starting with Vietnam and up to the present day," Assad warned the U.S. in an interview with a Russian newspaper published Monday.

Assad called U.S. claims that his regime launched a chemical attack outside a Damascus suburb last Wednesday "nonsense and "an insult to common sense." He charged the West with drumming up the charge as a politically motivated attack.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said Tuesday that "the options are there, and the United States Department of Defense is ready to carry out those options," noting that any action would occur "in coordination with international partners."

Given what Secretary of State John Kerry called "undeniable" evidence that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against its own citizens, "there has to be a response" from the United States, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday. Carney said the public will hear the decision as soon as President Obama has made it, and he emphasized that all options are open–except boots on the ground.

"I think you can expect to hear [President Obama] speak on it again as he evaluates the potential options and responses, and as he makes a decision about a potential response," Carney said during Monday afternoon's press briefing.

The United Nations reported in June that the Syrian death toll had risen to more than 100,000 dead, which is likely a conservative estimate.

More than one million children have fled to neighboring countries, the U.N. said Friday, representing half of all refugees in an ongoing crisis that has spilled into Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt–straining limited resources.

More than four million people, including more than two million children, have been displaced within their home country, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the U.N. Children's Fund. The figures only include registered persons and are thought to be much higher.

In an impassioned press conference Monday, Kerry called the alleged chemical attack that killed hundreds and injured thousands more "a moral obscenity" and said there is no doubt the attacks were perpetrated by Assad's regime.

"By any standard, it is inexcusable," Kerry said, "and despite excuses and equivocations, it is undeniable." Kerry said the U.S. would be sharing evidence proving Assad's culpability in the coming days.

It appears to be the worst chemical weapons attack in a quarter century, since former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein launched chemical weapons strikes in 1988, killings thousands of Iraqi Kurds.

The use of chemical weapons in Syria violates a "red line" delineated by Obama more than one year ago. While the U.S. has weighed its military and diplomatic options, the death toll in Syria has steadily climbed and thousands of Syrians have been displaced, primarily to Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq.

Reporting contributed by NBC News' Courtney Kube.

Watch a report from NBC's Jim Miklaszewski:

Cooler temps expected to aid Yosemite firefight - Northwest Cable News

Posted: 27 Aug 2013 08:12 AM PDT

TUOLUMNE CITY, Calif. (AP) — Officials say a massive wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park grew overnight, but they are still making progress in containing it.

The Rim Fire remained 20 percent contained on Tuesday morning. Officials said the fire grew to about 280 square miles, up from about 252 square miles the previous day, but back burning by crews was responsible for at least part of that increase.

California fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said crews are anticipating cooler temperatures and higher humidity this week that could allow them to gain the upper hand.

The fire is threatening thousands of structures, the main reservoir serving San Francisco and historic giant sequoias.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Crews are finally gaining ground on a massive wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park as fire officials expressed optimism even as the blaze grew larger while containment jumped to 20 percent.

As flames lapped at the edge of the main reservoir that supplies San Francisco, fears that the inferno could disrupt water or power to the city diminished.

"It looks great out there. No concerns," Glen Stratton, an operations section chief on the blaze, said of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

Nearly 3,700 firefighters battled the roughly 252-square-mile fire, the biggest wildfire on record in California's Sierra Nevada.

Weather conditions forecast for Wednesday may bring challenges in the morning as heavy smoke settles low to the ground, limiting visibility, but higher humidity was expected in the afternoon which could help dampen the flames, said Matt Mehle, a National Weather Service meteorologist assigned to the fire.

Crews remained confident they could protect hydroelectric transmission lines and other utility facilities at the reservoir, the chief source of San Francisco's famously pure drinking water.

"I don't foresee any problems," Stratton said.

Utility officials monitored the basin's clarity and used a massive new $4.6 billion gravity-operated pipeline system to move water quickly to reservoirs closer to the city.

So far the ash that has been raining onto the reservoir has not sunk as far as the intake valves, which are about halfway down the 300-foot O'Shaughnessy Dam. Utility officials said the ash is non-toxic but that the city will begin filtering water for customers if problems are detected.

Power generation there was shut down last week so firefighters would not be imperiled by live wires. San Francisco is buying replacement power from other sources to run City Hall and municipal buildings.

It has been at least 17 years since fire ravaged the northernmost stretch of Yosemite that now is under siege.

Park officials cleared brush and set sprinklers on two groves of giant sequoias that were less than 10 miles away from the fire's front lines, said park spokesman Scott Gediman. While sequoias have a chemical in their bark to help them resist fire, they can be damaged when flames move through slowly with such intense heat.

The fire has swept through steep Sierra Nevada river canyons and stands of thick oak and pine, closing in on Tuolumne City and other mountain communities. It has confounded ground crews with its 300-foot walls of flame and the way it has jumped from treetop to treetop.

Crews spent Monday bulldozing firebreaks to protect Tuolumne City, several miles from the fire's edge.

Stratton said they would continue working to burn vegetation in the fire's path to slow its march toward town. He said that while the community remains in harm's way, "I'm pretty optimistic."

Meanwhile, biologists with the Forest Service are studying the effect on wildlife. Much of the area that has burned is part of the state's winter-range deer habitat. Biologist Crispin Holland said most of the large deer herds would still be well above the fire danger.

Biologists discovered stranded Western pond turtles on national forest land near the edge of Yosemite. Their marshy meadow had burned, and the surviving creatures were huddled in the middle of the expanse in what little water remained.

"We're hoping to deliver some water to those turtles," Holland said. "We might also drag some brush in to give them cover."

Wildlife officials were also trying to monitor at least four bald eagle nests in the fire-stricken area.

While it has put a stop to some backcountry hiking, the fire has not threatened the Yosemite Valley, where such sights as the Half Dome and El Capitan rock formations and Yosemite Falls draw throngs of tourists. Most of the park remained open to visitors.

The U.S. Forest Service said the fire was threatening about 4,500 structures and destroyed at least 23.

Rugged terrain, strong winds and bone-dry conditions have hampered firefighters' efforts to contain the blaze, which began Aug. 17. The cause has not been determined.

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US stocks end firmly in the red

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 04:31 PM PDT

NEW YORK: US stocks closed lower on Monday after Secretary of State John Kerry warned that the United States would demand "accountability" after an "obscene" chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 64.05 points (0.43 percent) at 14,946.46.

The broad-market Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 6.72 (0.40 percent) to 1,656.78 and the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.22 (0.01 percent) to 3,657.57.

The markets ended firmly in the red after trading solidly higher for most of the day, but volumes were very low.

The sell-off came immediately after Kerry said the US was still examining evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria but left no doubt that Bashar al-Assad's regime would be blamed.

The top US diplomat said President Barack Obama would demand accountability for this "moral obscenity."

Stocks were under modest pressure after the Commerce Department reported new orders for durable manufactured goods plunged 7.3 percent in July, much sharper than the 5.0 percent drop expected.

"Traders continue to grapple with whether the US economy is strong enough to facilitate tapering of asset purchases by the Federal Reserve, which is set to meet in September," said Charles Schwab & Co. said.

But a spate of corporate activity sparked investor interest in the last week of summer before the long Labor Day weekend.

Shares in biotech giant Amgen soared 7.7 percent after it announced a US$10.4 billion deal to buy cancer-drug specialist Onyx Pharmaceuticals. Amgen sweetened its prior bid by US$4 per share to US$125. Onyx leaped 5.6 percent to US$123.49.

Chinese software firm Qihoo 360 Technology jumped 7.8 percent after reporting breakneck growth in second-quarter profits and revenues.

"Our PC security products already cover nearly 95 percent of Chinese PC Internet users, and our mobile security solutions cover approximately 70 percent of Chinese smartphone users, making Qihoo the indisputable leader in Internet security in China," Hongyi Zhou, the firm's chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

Home-improvement retailer The Home Depot gained 2.1 percent, the strongest of the 30-stock Dow's four gainers.

Procter & Gamble was the laggard, falling 1.8 percent. Microsoft shed 1.7 percent, paring its 7 percent-plus gain Friday on news that chief executive Steve Ballmer will retire in 12 months. -- AFP

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Snipers fire on UN chemical weapons team in Syria - USA TODAY

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 08:10 AM PDT

A vehicle carrying U.N. chemical weapons investigators came under sniper fire Monday as it was heading toward the site of an alleged chemical attack last week that killed hundreds of people.

There were no reported injuries in the sniper attack in the Damascus suburb of Moadamiyeh, although one vehicle was disabled.

The Syrian government accused the rebels of firing at the team, while a rebel representative said a pro-government militia was behind the attack.

The shooting comes as U.S. naval forced move closer to Syria and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any military intervention in Syria without a mandate from the U.N. would be a grave violation of international law.

The attack by snipers took place in the buffer zone area between rebel- and government-controlled territory.

"The first vehicle of the Chemical Weapons Investigation Team was deliberately shot at multiple times by unidentified snipers in the buffer zone area," saied Martin Nesirky, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

"As the car was no longer serviceable, the team returned safely back to the government checkpoint," the spokesperson said.

The eight-vehicle convoy included six vehicles carrying the U.N. experts, one with security forces and one ambulance.

Wassim al-Ahmad, a member of the Moadamiyeh local council, said five U.N. investigators eventually arrived at a makeshift hospital in the suburb, where doctors and about 100 people still with symptoms from the alleged chemical attack were brought in to meet with the U.N. team.

"They are late, they came six days late," he told the Associated Press via Skype from Moadamiyeh, referring to the time it took the U.N. team to arrive. "All the people have already been buried."

He also claimed that members of a pro-government militia known as the Popular Committees fired at the U.N. team.

Syrian activists and opposition leaders have said that 322 to 1,300 people were killed in the alleged chemical attack in the capital's western suburbs.

Syria agreed Sunday to allow a U.N. investigation into the alleged chemical weapons attack last week. A White House official said the offer comes too late.

The White House has concluded that there is "very little doubt" that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons in the attack, increasing the chances of a U.S. military strike.

The chemical weapons assessment is based on a variety of evidence and represents a broad consensus, according to a statement from a senior administration official.

The official requested anonymity; deliberations are ongoing and no decision has been reached about what to do.

U.S. defense officials told the Associated Press that the Navy had sent a fourth warship armed with ballistic missiles into the eastern Mediterranean Sea but without immediate orders for any missile launch into Syria.

Navy ships are capable of a variety of military actions, including launching Tomahawk cruise missiles as they did against Libya in 2011 as part of an international action that led to the overthrow of the Libyan government.

In his remarks at a news conference Monday, the Russian foreign minister appealed to the U.S. and other Western power to avoid "past mistakes" with any intervention in Syria. Lavrov said he had spoken by telephone with Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday about the Syrian crisis.

President Obama was presented with a range of military options as he huddled with his national security team Saturday to discuss Syria.

Military analysts say the likeliest option would be a punitive strike designed to send a message to the regime of Bashar Assad but that would not be designed to decapitate the regime or dramatically alter the course of the civil war raging there.

"Behavior modification would be the main objective rather than decisively shifting the situation on the ground or removing the regime," said Jeffrey White, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former Defense Intelligence Agency official.

Administration officials have been wary of any military intervention that would draw the United States into a lengthy commitment, and they have also expressed concerns that the collapse of the regime might lead to a failed state or the emergence of al-Qaeda affiliates.

Contributing: Jim Michael and Oren Dorell in Washington; Associated Press

Rim Fire sweeping toward Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy reservoir - San Jose Mercury News

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 08:37 AM PDT

With scant cooperation from Mother Nature, fire crews waged a battle with few gains Sunday against the giant Rim Fire, which voraciously consumed dry brush and trees as it marched toward the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park.

As of Sunday evening, the fire had burned 224 square miles -- more than the area occupied together by San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Campbell. It remained only 7 percent contained. Nearly 2,850 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire and numerous local agencies were battling California's largest wildfire. Southerly afternoon winds up to 20 miles per hour pushed the fire north, said Cal Fire Captain Mike Mohler.

If there was any good news, it was that the

A contractor prepares to load a bulldozer onto a trailer as a smoke plume from the Rim Fire rises near Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013. With winds gusting and flames jumping from treetop to treetop, hundreds of firefighters have been deployed to protect this and other communities in the path of the Rim Fire raging north of Yosemite National Park. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ( Jae C. Hong )

predicted gusts up to 30 mph didn't materialize. But the bad news is that high temperatures, in the mid-80s Sunday, are expected to rise Monday.

"With the size of the fire and amount of ground we still have to cover, it's still a difficult fire," Mohler said. "We need Mother Nature to cooperate. Hopefully we'll turn the corner soon."

The Rim Fire also threatened communities to the south of Highway 120 in Mariposa County, with evacuation orders issued at 5 p.m. In addition, recommended evacuation remained in place for several mountain communities in Tuolumne County, including Camp Mather and San Jose Family Camp. The Red Cross was operating a shelter at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora, said Carole Logue, a volunteer with the Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services.

Bay Area threat

Aside from the rugged and hard-to-reach terrain, another difficulty is the blaze's tendency to burn the tops of trees, creating a "crown fire" with long, intense flames that skip across forested land faster than a wildfire that creeps along near the ground.

Courtesy of southerly winds, Yosemite National Park remains open and is relatively smoke-free, according to the park website. But the entrance from Highway 120 on the west side of the park, the White Wolf campground, the Hodgdon Meadow campground and the Hetch Hetchy backpackers' campground were closed as of Sunday evening.

Popular areas in the park such as Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, Wawona, Mariposa Grove, Crane Flat and Tuolumne Meadows were open Sunday.

Although the Rim Fire is more than 100 miles from the Bay Area, it still could threaten San Francisco's electric supply if it damages the power system originating in O'Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy reservoir. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has been forced to shut down two of its three hydroelectric power stations near Hetch Hetchy, and Gov. Jerry Brown has extended a state of emergency to include San Francisco because the reservoir is a major source of electricity and water for the city.

As fire leapfrogs across the vast, picturesque Sierra forests, moving from one treetop to the next, residents in the fire's path are moving animals and children to safety.

"Left everything"

The fire moved through San Jose Family Camp last week, consuming an outbuilding and 10 tents, said camp recreation Supervisor Art Catbagan. He said he was hoping that a group from Maybeck High in Berkeley, which evacuated on 15 minutes' notice, could return early this week to recover belongings.

"They left everything -- books, clothing, things on their beds. They even had food in the cafeteria they were getting ready to prepare," Catbagan said.

The fire has burned northeast away from Groveland, where smoke gave way to blue skies Sunday. But at Tuolumne City's Black Oak Casino in Tuolumne City, the slot machines were quiet as emergency workers took over nearly all of the resort's 148 hotel rooms.

"The casino is empty," said casino employee Jessie Dean, who left her four children at relatives' homes in the Central Valley. "Technically, the casino is open, but there's nobody there."

Hundreds of firefighters were deployed Sunday to protect Tuolumne City and other communities in the fire's path. Eight fire trucks and four bulldozers were deployed near Bunney's ranch on the west side of Mount Baldy, where two years of drought have created tinder-dry conditions.

The Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact Sharon Noguchi at 408-271-3775. Follow her at Twitter.com/NoguchiOnK12.

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Ahad, 25 Ogos 2013

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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.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

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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Rabu, 28 Ogos 2013

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Selasa, 27 Ogos 2013

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Isnin, 26 Ogos 2013

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Ahad, 25 Ogos 2013

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