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  • Post al-Assad: handling Syria's WMD's

    Foreign Policy....

    Exclusive: State Department quietly warning region on Syrian WMDs

    Friday, February 24, 2012 - 3:03 PM

    The State Department has begun coordinating with Syria's neighbors to prepare for the handling of President Bashar al-Assad's extensive weapons of mass destruction if and when his regime collapses, The Cable has learned.

    This week, the State Department sent a diplomatic demarche to Syria's neighbors Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, warning them about the possibility of Syria's WMDs crossing their borders and offering U.S. government help in dealing with the problem, three Obama administration officials confirmed to The Cable. For concerned parties both inside and outside the U.S. government, the demarche signifies that the United States is increasingly developing plans to deal with the dangers of a post-Assad Syria -- while simultaneously highlighting the lack of planning for how to directly bring about Assad's downfall.

    Syria is believed to have a substantial chemical weapons program, which includes mustard gas and sophisticated nerve agents, such as sarin gas, as well as biological weapons. Syria has also refused IAEA requests to make available facilities that were part of its nuclear weapons program and may still be in operation.

    The State Department declined to provide access to any officials to discuss the private diplomatic communication on the record, such as the author of the demarche Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Tom Countryman. In a meeting with reporters earlier this year, Countryman expressed confidence that the United States knows where Syria's WMD stockpiles are, but warned that they could become a very serious security issue for Syria and the region going forward.

    "We have ideas as to the quantity and we have ideas as to where they are," Countryman said. "We wish some of the neighbors of Syria to be on the lookout... When you get a change of regime in Syria, it matters what are the conditions -- chaotic or orderly."

    Today, in response to inquiries from The Cable, a State Department official offered the following statement:

    "The U.S. and our allies are monitoring Syria's chemical weapons stockpile. These weapons' presence in Syria undermines peace and security in the Middle East, and we have long called on the Syrian government to destroy its chemicals weapons arsenal and join the Chemical Weapons Convention," the State Department official said. "We believe Syria's chemical weapons stockpile remains under Syrian government control, and we will continue to work closely with like-minded countries to prevent proliferation of Syria's chemical weapons program."

    The demarche made four specific points, according to other U.S. officials who offered a fuller account to The Cable. It communicated the U.S. government's recognition that there is a highly active chemical warfare program in Syria, which is complemented by ballistic-missile delivery capability. It further emphasized that that any potential political transition in Syria could raise serious questions about the regime's control over proliferation-sensitive material.

    Third, the State Department wanted Syria's neighbors to know that should the Assad regime fall, the security of its WMD stockpile -- as well as its control over conventional weapons like MANPADS (shoulder-fired rocket launchers) -- could come into question and could pose a serious threat to regional security. Lastly, the demarche emphasized that the U.S. government stands ready to support neighboring countries to provide border-related security cooperation.

    "It's essentially a recognition of the danger to the regional and international community of the stockpiles that the regime possesses and the importance of working with countries, given the potential fall of the regime, to prevent the proliferation of these very sensitive weapons outside of Syria's border," one administration official said. "It's an exponentially more dangerous program than Libya. We are talking about legitimate WMDs here -- this isn't Iraq. The administration is really concerned about loose WMDs. It's one of the few things you could put on the agenda and do something about without planning the fall of the regime."

    The administration is also working closely with the Jordanians on the issue. A Jordanian military delegation was at the Pentagon Thursday to meet with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

    In addition to the danger of proliferation, there is a concern that Assad could actually use his WMDs if his situation becomes desperate.

    "The WMD program is in play now, and that's important because it highlights the innate danger that the existence of this regime poses to U.S. security and regional interests," the administration official said. "[The demarche] puts Syria's neighbors on notice and it reflects the recognition that a dangerous Assad regime is willing to do anything to save its own skin. If they are willing to kill the country to save the regime, they might be willing to do a great deal more damage throughout the region."

    Some officials inside and outside the administration see the WMD activity as helpful, but lament that such a high degree of planning is not taking place on the issue of how to precipitate the downfall of the Assad regime as quickly and as safely as possible.
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    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

  • #2
    Here we go again, Iraq²

    Syria is believed to have a substantial chemical weapons program, which includes mustard gas and sophisticated nerve agents, such as sarin gas, as well as biological weapons. Syria has also refused IAEA requests to make available facilities that were part of its nuclear weapons program and may still be in operation.
    Who replaces Colin Powell?
    Brian (the devil incarnate)

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    • #3
      Sec. of State Hillary Clinton no doubt.

      Sec. Clinton, UN Ambassador Susan Rice and Samantha Power, a senior aide at the National Security Council, are known as Obama's 'Female Hawks' and largely responsible for getting the US involved in Libya.

      They support a policy initiative by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty known as Responsibility to Protect

      Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 25 February 2012, 01:41.
      Dr. Mordrid
      ----------------------------
      An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

      I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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      • #4
        "Americuh, F**k Yeah!!" ;-)

        Getting more and more like reality every day.

        PC-1 Fractal Design Arc Mini R2, 3800X, Asus B450M-PRO mATX, 2x8GB B-die@3800C16, AMD Vega64, Seasonic 850W Gold, Black Ice Nemesis/Laing DDC/EKWB 240 Loop (VRM>CPU>GPU), Noctua Fans.
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        • #5
          Anyone heard of this place called Africa, where supposedly people are dying every day due to hunger, and violence ? There was apparently a genocide or two there also.

          Oh wait, they have no natural resources to pillage in exchange for "Freedom".

          A fraction of what our Governments have given the banks would have set them up for life, literally.
          Priority is Money, not life. Shame on the human race.
          PC-1 Fractal Design Arc Mini R2, 3800X, Asus B450M-PRO mATX, 2x8GB B-die@3800C16, AMD Vega64, Seasonic 850W Gold, Black Ice Nemesis/Laing DDC/EKWB 240 Loop (VRM>CPU>GPU), Noctua Fans.
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          +++ : FSP Nano 800VA (Pi's+switch) + 1600VA (PC-1+Nas)

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          • #6
            I appreciate the sentiment but factually it is just not correct. Africa has many natural resources. China is moving in because of them. How much have we given banks you think and how much do we spend on aid in Africa? I'm sure we could have done better but we can not save Africa (unless we allow free trade and it may be to late for that).

            OT: I love how Syria is a threat to the US.... Who would have thought, amazing really. I submit the proposal that we should simply name all future US Presidents "Bush" and ministers of defence "Powell".
            Join MURCs Distributed Computing effort for Rosetta@Home and help fight Alzheimers, Cancer, Mad Cow disease and rising oil prices.
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            • #7
              Syria is a threat to the degree it is a weapons, logistics and funding conduit between Iran, Hezbollah (who has set up shop in S. America's Tri-Border region and is connected to the Mexican Los Zetas Cartel) and Hamas. The Justice Dept. recently filed indictments in a case where a Lebanese man was laundrring the proceeds from 85 tons of cocaine between Los Zetas and Hezbollah/Syria/Iran through Lebanese banks.

              Originally posted by Evildead666 View Post
              Anyone heard of this place called Africa, where supposedly people are dying every day due to hunger, and violence ? There was apparently a genocide or two there also.
              >
              Special Forces attached to the US Africa Command are already in South Sudan, Uganda, the Central Africa Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo going after the regions terror threats and gangs, and we have conventional forces & drone bases - especially in the Horn and the Seychelles. USAC also works with, and provides logistics for, relief agencies.
              Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 26 February 2012, 12:22.
              Dr. Mordrid
              ----------------------------
              An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

              I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

              Comment


              • #8
                Got put back in my place by my parents, who say that as far as they can remember the west has been funneling money and aid to Africa, only to watch it get diverted, and misused, time and time again.

                I should do a little more thinking/research before spouting bollocks.

                I need to put my blinkers on and concentrate on whats in front of me.
                Metro-Boulot-Dodo. (Commute-Work-Sleep)

                (I'm still unhappy about the Billions the banks have been given, but nothing I can say or do will change that. Sharpen the pitchfork, and get the torches ready.)
                PC-1 Fractal Design Arc Mini R2, 3800X, Asus B450M-PRO mATX, 2x8GB B-die@3800C16, AMD Vega64, Seasonic 850W Gold, Black Ice Nemesis/Laing DDC/EKWB 240 Loop (VRM>CPU>GPU), Noctua Fans.
                Nas : i3/itx/2x4GB/8x4TB BTRFS/Raid6 (7 + Hotspare) Xpenology
                +++ : FSP Nano 800VA (Pi's+switch) + 1600VA (PC-1+Nas)

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                • #9
                  AFAIK Syria has very few natural resources, so it would't be economically viable to conquer.
                  If the United States were after Oil, they have many African countries far easier to conquer. Reasons and excuses are plentiful too, so all this crap about oil is just that, crap.
                  "For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism."

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                  • #10
                    But it may have gas (E. Med. basin), other than the gas coming from Bash'em Assad's gob.
                    Brian (the devil incarnate)

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