The truth about Syria

[Yervant1]

European Parliament Recognizes ISIS's actions as Genocide

February 5, 2016 09:49


Yerevan /Mediamax/. The European Parliament unanimously passed a
resolution recognizing the Islamic State militant group's (ISIS)
systematic killing and persecution of religious minorities in the
Middle East as genocide.

According to Europe.newsweek.com, for the first time European
Parliament recognized the ongoing conflict situation as genocide.

The resolution states that those who intentionally commit atrocities
for ethnic or religious reasons be brought to justice for violations
against international law, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Lars Adaktusson, Swedish member of the European Parliament, who tabled
the resolution, called the vote a `historic decision' that represented
a further step towards recognition of ISIS crimes at the United
Nations.

ISIS has systematically persecuted religious minorities in Iraq and
Syria, kidnapping hundreds of Christians in Syria, forcing Christians
to live under its radical strand of Islam, enslaving and raping Yazidi
women and children in northern Iraq.


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[Yervant1]

TURKISH GAMBIT: STANDOFF OVER SYRIA AGGRAVATES BETWEEN ARMENIA'S ALLY MOSCOW, FOE ANKARA

Region | 08.02.16 | 10:48

By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent

In northern Syria, in Latakia, which is home to a compactly residing
Armenian community, everyone is awaiting a settlement of the conflict
that may come through a ground operation. Russian warplanes already
bomb the neighborhood of Aleppo, which is home to an estimated 60,000
ethnic Armenians. Turkey and Saudi Arabia have also expressed their
readiness to take part in a ground operation.

Ankara is trying to take control of territories in Syria bordering
on Turkey and densely populated by Kurds and Armenians. It is afraid
that an autonomous Kurdish entity will emerge in the territory of
Syria and Iraq, which may spread to the territory of Turkey itself.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin, essentially calling him an occupier. At
the same time, he accused the United States of supporting the Kurds.

Erdogan urged Washington to choose as an ally either Turkey or the
party of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD), Associated Press
reports.

Judging from his statements, Erdogan intends to provide to the United
States its territory for operations in Syria, but on condition that
Washington will help neutralize the Kurds.

"We do not want to make the same mistake in Syria as in Iraq," the
Turkish president said, reminding that in 2003 the Turkish parliament
rejected a U.S. request to use Turkish territory to invade Iraq.

Washington supports the warring Kurds in Syria. At the same time,
Turkish government forces are carrying out a bloody operation against
Kurds in the southeast of Turkey. A state of emergency has been
introduced in Diyarbakir and a number of cities and towns in Eastern
Anatolia. There are also ethnic Armenians, including crypto-Armenians,
in these parts of Turkey.

Meanwhile, a representation of the party of Syrian Kurds has opened
in Moscow, and Russia openly supports the Kurds on the basis of its
hostile attitude towards Turkey.

The threat of direct Russian-Turkish clashes grows, and experts do
not exclude that the collision will not be on the territory of Turkey
or Syria, where Ankara has strong positions.

Well-known Armenian political scientist, head of the New York
representation of the Russian Institute of Democracy and Cooperation
Andranik Mihranyan in an interview with Tert.am, in fact, said that the
Russian troops stationed in Armenia are on high alert for a Turkish
aircraft to violate the Armenian border in order to be able to shoot
it down.

(Turkey shot down a Russian military plane at the Syrian border in
a November 2015 incident that marked the start of the current bitter
standoff between Moscow and Ankara).

Judging from what the informed analyst says, Russia does not exclude
that its forces stationed in Armenia may also be involved in the
conflict.

No one now dares to predict how Syria will be divided in the future.

But many experts do not exclude that the future division of this Middle
Eastern country will mean an end to the local Christian communities,
including the Armenian community.

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[Yervant1]

SYRIA TROOPS MAKE MORE GAINS IN ALEPPO, NEAR TURKISH BORDER

18:00, 08 Feb 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Syrian army troops recaptured a new village north of Aleppo Monday,
bringing troops and allied militiamen to within a few kilometers
of the Turkish border as part of a major Russian-backed offensive
in the area, the Syrian government and opposition activists said,
the Associated Press reports.

State-run news agency SANA said army troops took control of the village
of Kfeen in the northern countryside of Aleppo "after wiping out the
last group of terrorists there."

Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV and the pro-Syrian, Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen
station also reported Kfeen's capture and aired live footage from
the village.

The government offensive around the city of Aleppo has sent tens of
thousands of Syrians fleeing toward the border with Turkey. Turkish
authorities say up to 35,000 Syrians have massed along the border,
which remained closed for a fourth day on Monday.

Turkey has come under mounting pressure to open its border to assist
the fleeing Syrians, many of whom have been sleeping in cold weather
in open fields near the Bab al-Salameh border crossing.

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[MosJan]

[Yervant1]

'THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO LEAVE.' WHY THIS PASTOR WON'T ABANDON HIS COUNTRY

CBN News - The Christian Perspective
Feb 7 2016

WASHINGTON -- We hear a lot about the refugees fleeing Syria, but
what is life like for the Syrian people still inside the country?

Rev. Harout, an Armenian evangelical pastor, refuses to move away
from his church in Syria because he believes now more than ever
it is so important for Christian leaders to be there for all those
struggling inside the country. His full name has been withheld for
security reason.

"Our life became so dangerous and we are feeling more responsible
towards the people that we are serving," Harout said. "This torn apart
nation needs people that are filled with the spirit and with love and
compassion, and we are trying to be there as long as the war is there."

***CBN News Reporter Abigail Robertson sat down with Rev. Harout while
he was in Washington, D.C., for the National Prayer Breakfast. Click
play to watch his full interview.***

Rev. Harout's church serves as a center for the whole community,
Christians and Muslims, and provides relief to all of those struggling
with the side effects of war in Aleppo.

"Our church and our church courtyard is located in a Muslim dominated
region and everybody comes to our poli-clinic, and they come to our
social service action center, and we try and stretch hands and help
especially when the water cuts off from Aleppo," Harout said.

"We feel so good that whatever we have from richness or possibilities,
accessibilities, we try to share it with the community without any
discrimination," he said. "This is our teaching, this is our faith,
and this is how to be a Syrian in Syria."

Many churches have been destroyed in Syria, but Harout said as soon as
places of worship are destroyed, they begin repairing the facilities
because the people need to feel some sense of stability amongst all
the destruction around them.

No matter what destruction surrounds Harout and his family, he is
determined to remain in his country.

"We have to be there, we have to be protective to our churches,
our schools, and our social clubs," he said.

Harout said despite the dangerous conditions inside Syria, he hears
reports from people who have fled who are now living as refugees in
situations not much better than what they left behind.

"We are very much concerned about all those who went out because
we are hearing so many stories that they are not in good shape," he
explained. "Many still are living in social halls of the churches in
Toronto, in other places."

"And some families also they are calling us in Aleppo and Syria and
saying, 'Pastor, if you can manage something, we are planning to come
back with our family, to come back home to Aleppo, because we don't
want to stay like this all these years,'" he continued.

The people of Harout's congregation stay calm because of their firm
belief God is protecting them.

"My spirit is calm, we are very much trusted to God and every day we
feel that God is protecting us and God is stretching his hand over
Syria," Harout said.

No matter what happens, Harout has no plans on leaving Syria.

"I don't want to leave, I have to be with my people, with the
community," he said. "As the head of the Armenian Protestant churches
in Syria, God called me to be here, and being a pastor is not for
good days only, it's for all the time, it's for all days."

"Faith should be tested, and Satan is surrounding us, it's not that
we should leave the desert and go and leave the place for Satan,"
he said. "Jesus stayed there, and we are going to stay there, and we
are going to say to the Satan, 'Stay back.'"

"If the Christian faith is not tested, we will not see how real it is,
and how powerful it is," he continued. "The power of the Christian
faith always comes during the test, and how are we going to be tested?

By fire. And the fire is all the time, all over the community so we
have many challenges, and today I believe that our Christian faith
is challenged as well."

"This is not the time to leave, this is the time to stay and give
testimony to the marvelous work that God is doing in our lives,"
he said.

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[Yervant1]

SYRIA INVASION PLAN? TURKEY WILL DEFEND ITS 'ALEPPO BROTHERS,' SAYS PM DAVUTOGLU

Published time: 10 Feb, 2016 05:04

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Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu © Eric Vidal / Reuters
1.5K1
Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu pledged to return a "historical debt" to
Turkey's "Aleppo brothers" who helped defend the country in the early
20th century, just days after Russia warned of Ankara's intentions
to invade Syria as the rebels there falter.

"We will return our historic debt. At one time, our brothers from
Aleppo defended our cities of Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras,
now we will defend the heroic Aleppo. All of Turkey stands behind its
defenders,"Davutoglu said at the meeting of the Party of Justice and
Development parliamentary faction, which he heads.

READ MORE: Syria accuses Turkey of shelling northern Latakia province

Davutoglu was apparently referring to World War One and subsequent
events in the Turkish War of Independence, seemingly glorifying the
defense and retaking of Turkish cities from the Allied forces. Yet, he
failed to mention that the Turks had been drawn into the war by Ottoman
imperial ambitions. Turkey had entered the conflict by shelling the
Russian port of Odessa from the sea. It then suffered a humiliating
defeat at the hands of Russian troops in the war's southern theater,
before the Ottoman Empire was occupied and divided by the Allies. At
the time, the three cities Davutoglu named saw thousands of Armenians
and other minorities slaughtered by Turkish nationalists as part of
the Armenian Genocide, which Ankara denies to this day.

Alarmingly, the statement comes less than a week after Russia's Defense
Ministry warned that Turkey was preparing a military invasion of
Syria and is trying to conceal illegal activity on its Syrian border.

Read more Turkey trying to conceal illegal military activity on Syrian
border - Russian military

"We have significant evidence to suspect Turkey is in the midst of
intense preparations for a military invasion into Syria's sovereign
territory," Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov
told reporters in Moscow.

Konashenkov also stated that Turkey had canceled an agreed upon Russian
observation flight that had been scheduled over its territory because
of its illicit activities."So if someone in Ankara thinks that the
cancelation of the flight by the Russian observers will enable hiding
something, then they're unprofessional."

Moreover, Konashenkov pointed out that Turkey has already been
supplying terrorists in the Syrian cities of Idlib and Aleppo with
manpower and weaponry.

The spokesman showed the media a photo of the Reyhanli checkpoint,
saying that "through this very border crossing - mainly at nighttime -
the militants, who seized the city of Aleppo and Idlib in northwestern
Syria, are being supplied with arms and fighters from Turkish
territory."

The alarming new developments come as jihadi forces fighting President
Bashar Assad's army in northern Syria are suffering losses and
retreating to the Turkish border.

Moscow had provided the international community earlier with video
evidence that Turkish artillery had fired on populated Syrian areas
in the north of Latakia Province.

READ MORE: Turkey shuts off YouTube after 'Syria invasion plan' leak

Meanwhile, Turkey has denied any plans to invade Syria. "Turkey
doesn't have any plans or intentions to begin a military campaign
or ground operations on Syrian territory," Reuters cited a senior
Turkish government official as saying.

This is not the first time alleged plans by Turkey to invade Syria
have been reported. In 2014, Turkey shut off access to YouTube after
an explosive leak of audiotapes revealed that its ministers had been
discussing how to stage a provocation that could justify a military
intervention in Syria.

In one of the leaked recordings, a top government official mentions how
an attack on the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the Ottoman
Empire's founder, could do the trick. The monument is located in the
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)-embattled Syrian province of
Raqqa, which is just over 30 kilometers from the Kurdish border town
of Kobane and 1.5 hours' drive from Aleppo.

US-Turkish rift over Syria plans?

Allegations that Ankara is planning an invasion of Syria come amid
what would appear to be growing disconnect between Turkey and the
US over their respective ambitions for the region. Notably, Turkey
considers the US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria to be terrorists
akin to the Kurdish rebels fighting in eastern Turkey, and has recently
been sending diplomatic signals to Washington that it is unhappy with
America's support of Kurds.

"We don't recognize the PYD [Kurdish Democratic Union Party] as a
terrorist organization, we recognize the Turks do," US State Department
spokesperson John Kirby said at a briefing.

Turkey summoned the US ambassador in Ankara after Washington announced
that it does not consider Kurdish fighters in Syria to be terrorists.

The Kurds, however, are not the only issue where Ankara's ambitions
appear to clash with the desires of the White House, and this includes
a possible unilateral military intervention in Syria.

Read more Terrorists' supply routes from Turkey cut off during army
offensive in northern Syria

At a press briefing, the US State Department chose not to reveal
what was discussed at the ambassador's meeting, but when RT's Gayane
Chichakyan pressed Kirby with a question regarding Davutoglu's
statement on "defending Aleppo," here is the vague response she
received:

"You should talk to the Turks about what they are implying or inferring
or suggesting in that statement," Kirby said. "We continue to believe
two things. One, there isn't going to be a military solution to this
conflict. The second thing, we do look for Turkey's assistance on
the military front when it comes to fighting Daesh [iS]."

Kurdish fighters have been known to closely coordinate their actions
with US forces in the fight against IS in both Iraq and Syria.

While this is far from the first time in the civil war that Turkey
seems to be threatening Syria with an incursion, Middle East specialist
Ali Rizk warns that Ankara has been behaving "irrationally" and
anything can be expected.

"Turkey very much wants to achieve a goal ... they have dreams and
aspirations about the Ottoman Empire. Those dreams are very much linked
to what happens in Syria. Particularly, the northern city of Aleppo,
which is considered to be, by the Turkish leaders, part of the former
Ottoman Empire ... It's always possible that you might see illogical
or otherwise irrational policies being resorted to, be it a ground
invasion or be it any military intervention," Rizk told RT.

[Yervant1]

Bad days for ErDOGan!

WHAT'S NEXT FOR TURKEY IF ALEPPO FALLS?

Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 9 2016

by Yavuz Baydar

"If Aleppo falls," predicted Natalie Nougayrede, a former editor with
Le Monde and currently a columnist with The Guardian, "Syria's vicious
war will take a whole new turn, one with far-reaching consequences
not just for the region but for Europe too."

We are not far from that point and those consequences, if any, will
first be tested in Turkey before rippling further. Russia-backed
Syrian regime forces advanced further in the latest offensive and it
seems only a matter of time before the strategically important town
of Tell Rifaat, only 20 kilometres away from the Turkish border, falls.

If so, the takeover of Aleppo will have been complete; the presence
of rebels in the north will be made devoid of any efficiency and
replaced by troops from the Syrian-Russia axis in the key area.

Nougayrede strongly argues: "A defeat for Syrian opposition forces
would further empower Isis [the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL)] in the myth that it is the sole defender of Sunni Muslims -
as it terrorises the population under its control. There are many
tragic ironies here, not least that western strategy against Isis
has officially depended on building up local Syrian opposition ground
forces so that they might one day push the jihadi insurgency out of
its stronghold in Raqqa. If the very people that were meant to be
counted on to do that job as foot soldiers now end up surrounded and
crushed in Aleppo, who will the west turn to?"

After utilizing every hesitation or erratic move by the West and
Turkey, Russia is now pulling the strings, not only nullifying the
opposition out of peace talks, not only moving to reassert itself
in the Middle East, but also raising all the stakes for a war, if
deemed necessary.

We can no longer dismiss the idea that, with Damascus's consent,
Russian presence at the Turkish border - as with the Turkish-Armenian
line - will be permanent.

Also, the latest announcement by Moscow that a massive military drill
is to take place in the Black Sea region is a clear sign that the
crisis between Turkey and Russia will only deepen.

At that point, all eyes are on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as to
what's next.

How the Turkish leader will choose to react is another western
headache," wrote Nougayrede, underlining the element of
unpredictability and mistrust laid within the alliance.

"If Turkey now turns into a troublemaker for Nato on its Middle Eastern
flank, that serves Russian interests. Similarly, if Europe sees a new
exodus of refugees, Russia will stand to benefit. The refugee crisis
has sowed deep divisions on the continent and it has helped populist
rightwing parties flourish - many of which are Moscow's political
allies against the EU as a project."

Waking up to the Syrian reality soon after hopes of a Baathist
collapse faded, we pundits had warned time and time again that the
worst decision was to remain undecided. We now know precisely which
power(s) will emerge as the winners, which ones (like Israel and Egypt)
remain solid and which ones lose.

American analyst Henri Barkey in his recent essay in Foreign Policy
elaborates on the subject and sees only trouble ahead with Turkey in
the Western constellation under Erdogan.

"The deterioration of the Syrian situation promises not only to
exacerbate the Kurdish conflict at home but also weaken relations
with the United States, as Washington strengthens its ties with the
Syrian Kurds," he wrote.

"Turkish foreign policy is no longer about Turkey but about Erdogan.

.... There is no one who can challenge him. The systematic approach of
the early years has given way to indulgence; this more than anything
explains the ups and downs of Turkish foreign policy."

Like in Vladimir Putin's land, war drums are beating furiously in
Turkey. With the pro-government Yeni Safak reporting of a Saudi-Turkish
axis planning to enter Syrian territory, backed by the arguments
that it is a battle for "life or death" for Turkey, we may all have
to prepare for the "Aleppo effect" - sooner than we fear.

For Erdogan sees little doubt that the Syrian advances only double
the enemy picture across the border. But fighting simultaneously
against the Democratic Union Party (PYD) - backed by the US - and
Bashar al-Assad's troops - backed by Russia - might prove to be a
"mission impossible," making the downing of the Russian jet only a
blip in the whole mess. Once in, you get stuck in Syria, bleeding.

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[Yervant1]

SULTANIC RITES: ERDOGAN THREATENS EUROPE OVER REFUGEE CRISIS

© REUTERS/ Ints Kalnins
EUROPE
19:06 10.02.2016Get short URL
647301

The Turkish president has seized the opportunity presented by the
migrant crisis to behave like a sultan who issues threats to Europe,
German magazine Der Spiegel reported.

© AFP 2016/ ACHILLEAS ZAVALLIS Syrian Kurds to Continue Working With
Russia to Halt Illegal Oil to Turkey Turkish president Recep Tayyip
Erdogan's threats to open the borders with Europe to millions of
refugees and migrants unless Brussels accedes to his demands is
proof that he is exploiting the crisis and blackmailing Europe,
German magazine Der Spiegel reported.

On Monday Greek website Euro2day published confidential EU documents
that reveal threats Erdogan made during a meeting with President of the
European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European commission
Jean-Claude Juncker in Antalya on November 16 during the G20 summit.

"We can open the doors to Greece and Bulgaria anytime and we can put
the refugees on buses," Erdogan said when Juncker told him Turkey
would get 3 billion euros from the EU over two years rather than 6
billion as the Turkish government was demanding, according to the
minutes of the meeting.

"So how will you deal with the refugees if you don't get a deal? Kill
the refugees?" the Turkish president asked Tusk and Juncker.

"Erdogan says that the EU will be confronted with more than a dead boy
on the shores of Turkey. There will be 10,000 or 15,000. How will you
deal with that?" the minutes record the Turkish president as saying.

Among the tense exchanges were when Erdogan told Juncker that
"Luxembourg is just like a town in Turkey," and responded to Juncker's
observation that "We treated you like a prince in Brussels," by saying,

"Like a prince? Of course, I'm not representing some third world
country."

The minutes also reveal that the EU acceded to Erdogan's request to
delay a progress report on Turkey's accession to the EU in order to
help Erdogan's AKP party win elections.

Germany's Der Spiegel magazine reported on Tuesday that the transcript
shows the extent to which the EU is being blackmailed by Erdogan.

"The document shows once again that the Turks have not been coming
to Brussels as petitioners for a long time," the newspaper wrote.

"Erdogan is the gatekeeper for more than two million refugees who
are currently living in Turkey, so he can make demands that until
recently were poison to the Europeans."

© AP PHOTO/ BUNYAMIN AYGUN Wrong Answer: Turkish Former Envoy
Explains Why NATO Can't Police Migration "The minutes are not the
first indication of how robust Erdogan is behaving in the refugee
crisis. His visit in early October 2015 is still well remembered by
top figures in the EU," when he met with Juncker, Tusk and European
Parliament President Martin Schulz.

"Erdogan, the guest, left no doubt about who was in charge. After
some chat he invited the others to the table with a gesture 'like a
sultan,' recalled one person who was there."

The magazine also quoted leading members of Angela Merkel's cabinet,
who are "under no illusions when it comes to the intentions of the
Turkish president," and said it was conceivable that the three billion
euros already promised to Erdogan may soon have to be increased.

"Everyone knows that he can blackmail us," a cabinet source told
Spiegel.

"And we will pay it."

Read more:
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[Yervant1]

US IGNORES ERDOGAN'S CALL, INSISTS ON PARTNERSHIP WITH SYRIAN KURDS

11/2/16

US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner. (Source: Cihan)

WASHINGTON (Today's Zaman) -- The United States has insisted on backing
Syrian Kurdish militias in their fight against the Islamic State in
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), dismissing the Turkish president's demand
that Washington end its relationship with Syrian Kurds and recognize
them as terrorists.

US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner avoided responding
directly to the comments of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
repeatedly highlighted the importance of Turkey, a major US ally, in
efforts to destroy ISIL. Toner, who spoke to reporters in Washington,
reiterated that the US has not changed its position in viewing Kurdish
militias as their partners and not terrorists.

The war of words between the US and Turkey has continued for a third
day straight, with Erdogan bashing Washington for refusing to recognize
the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the People's
Protection Units, (YPG) as terrorists. The intercontinental squabble
was kicked off after US President Barack Obama's envoy Brett McGurk
visited Kobani -- a Syrian border town that was a symbol of Kurdish
resistance to ISIL's advance -- and met with Kurds there.

Erdogan asked the US to choose between his country and the "terrorists
in Kobani." He questioned Washington's alliance with Ankara when they
refuse to recognize the PYD, the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK), as a terrorist organization.

He continued his criticism on Thursday. Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) Spokesperson Omer Celik also directed criticism toward
Turkey's ally over its relation to PYD.

The PKK is considered a terror group by Turkey, the European Union
and the US. It has escalated a recent violent campaign against
Turkish security forces, digging trenches, setting up barricades and
attempting to carve out autonomous areas. At least 280 members of
Turkish security services have been killed since last summer when a
cease-fire was broken, forcing tens of thousands of civilians out of
their homes in the country's restive Southeast.

Toner demanded that the PKK immediately cease its "campaign of
violence," saying that the latest bout of violence in the region has
undermined all that was achieved during the Kurdish peace process. He
noted that Turkish authorities have the responsibility to respond to
PKK attacks but urged both parties to de-escalate the situation and
return to the negotiating table.

Turkey has been alarmed by recent Kurdish gains in northern Syria and
fears that the growing Kurdish footprint in neighboring Syria could
risk separatist sentiments among its sizeable Kurdish minority.

The spokesman said the US understands Turkey's concern about the
perceived threat the YPG poses to Turkey, but it does not agree with
its ally that the YPG is a security threat to Turkey. He stressed that
the US believes the Syrian Kurdish militants are focused on fighting
ISIL within Syria.

Toner specifically avoided commenting on the sharpened rhetoric by
Erdogan, who accused the US of being one of the culprits in the "sea
of blood" in Syria. While journalists grilled the spokesman on what
concerns Turkey might have about Syrian Kurds who have been fighting
ISIL, Toner's response was curt, saying Turkey is an ally and they
appreciate the role they have played in anti-ISIL efforts.

Turkey says the PYD is another extension of the PKK, which has been
attacking Turkish security forces since last summer. It claims that
Kurds from both countries are crossing the borders to fight in both
countries and that weapons provided to Syrian Kurds somehow ended up
north of the border. The US previously said it has no evidence to back
up that claim and said they only provided ammunition, not weaponry,
to the Kurds.

"They clearly make the link between the PKK and the YPG. We don't,"
Toner told the daily press briefing. "The Turkish government has
expressed concerns about the YPD [PYD] and their connection with the
PKK. We don't make that connection, period."

While Erdogan escalated the tensions between the two countries over
the PYD, the State Department played down the rhetoric and highlighted
the significance of the partnership with its NATO ally.

"Our commitment to the US-Turkey partnership and alliance, we take that
very seriously and we're in constant communication with the Turkish
government to address any concerns they may have. They're a critical
partner in the anti-Daesh or anti-ISIL coalition, and we coordinate
closely with them across a variety of fronts and all lines of effort,
and we're going to continue those discussions moving forward, but
I think no one should question our commitment to our alliance with
Turkey," Toner noted.

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[Yervant1]

PUTIN'S ALEPPO GAMBLE PAYS OFF

[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]

By Mike Whitney

February 10, 2016 "Information Clearing House" - "Counterpunch" -
Last week's game-changing triumph in northern Syria has moved the
Russian-led coalition to within striking distance of a decisive
victory in Aleppo. After breaking a 40 month-long siege on the
cities of Nubl and Zahra, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has encircled
the country's industrial hub and is gradually tightening the
noose. Crucial supply-lines to the north have been cut leaving the
Sunni extremists and anti-government militias stranded inside a vast,
urban cauldron. It's only a matter of time before these disparate
renegades are either killed or forced to surrender.

A victory in Aleppo will change the course of the war by restoring
government control over the densely-populated western corridor. This
is why the Obama administration is frantically searching for ways
to either delay or derail the Russian-led juggernaut and avoid the
impending collapse of US policy in Syria.

Recent peace talks in Geneva were convened with one goal in mind,
to prevent Syrian President Bashar al Assad and loyalist forces
from retaking Aleppo. The negotiations failed, however, when
Washington's mercurial allies, the so called "moderate" rebels,
refused to participate. According to the Wall Street Journal, the
Syrian opposition withdrew "under pressure from Saudi Arabia and
Turkey, two of the main backers of the rebels." The WSJ's admission
was later confirmed by Secretary of State John Kerry who according
to a report in the Middle East Eye "blamed the Syrian opposition for
leaving the talks and paving the way for a joint offensive by the
Syrian government and Russia on Aleppo."

"Don't blame me," Kerry said, "Blame the opposition.

It was the opposition that didn't want to negotiate and didn't want
a ceasefire, and they walked away."

None of this will surprise readers who followed the talks closely.

The meetings were surrounded by confusion from the very onset. The
US delegation headed by Kerry was focused entirely on reaching an
agreement that would involve a ceasefire and stop the government-led
onslaught. The Saudis, Turks and opposition leaders, however, were
on a different page altogether. They seemed oblivious to the dire
situation on the ground where their jihadist foot soldiers were
taking heavier losses by the day. Kerry, the realist, was looking
for a way to stand-down and save US-backed militants from certain
annihilation. But the Saudis and Turks felt they had a strong-enough
hand to make demands. The clash in viewpoints was bound to produce
disappointing results, which it did. The meetings were cancelled
before they even began. Nothing was settled. Here's more from the WSJ:

"About a half-dozen cities and towns targeted in the new regime
offensives have one thing in common: All were held by a mix of
Islamist and moderate rebel groups funded and armed by Saudi Arabia
and Turkey. Complicating the picture is that some, but not all, of
these groups collaborate with the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. That
gives the regime and its allies fodder for their claim that they are
fighting terrorism."

("Saudi Arabia, Turkey Pushed Syrian Opposition to Leave Talks",
Wall Street Journal)

This should dispel any illusion that that the fighters that are
trying to topple the government are merely disgruntled nationalists
determined to remove an "evil dictator". That is not the case
at all. While there are a fair amount of indigenous insurgents,
the bulk of fighters are Sunni extremists bent on removing Assad
and creating an Islamic Caliphate. This is why Moscow refused to
implement a ceasefire during the talks in Geneva. Russia adamantly
opposes any remedy that allows internationally-recognized terrorists
from escaping their eternal reward.

Kerry has deliberately misled the public on this matter. Just last
week, he said, "Russia has indicated to me very directly they are
prepared to do a ceasefire... The Iranians confirmed in London just
a day and a half ago they will support a ceasefire now."

This is false and Kerry knows it. Moscow has tried to be flexible about
other so called "moderate" opposition forces, but when it comes to
ISIS, Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group), Jaysh Al-Mujahiddeen,
Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Russian
leaders have repeatedly said that that they will not relent until
the jihadists are either killed or captured. This is why Russia's
airstrikes continued during Geneva, because most of the fighters in
Aleppo are dyed-in-the-wool terrorists.

It's worth noting that the Russian-led military offensive clearly
hews to UN resolution 2254 which states:

... for Member States to prevent and suppress terrorist acts committed
specifically by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Al-Nusra Front
(ANF), and all other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities
associated with Al Qaeda or ISIL, and other terrorist groups, [...] and
to eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant
parts of Syria, and notes that the aforementioned ceasefire will not
apply to offensive or defensive actions against these individuals,
groups, undertakings and entities, as set forth in the 14 November
2015 ISSG Statement."

(Thanks to Moon of Alabama)

In other words, Moscow is not going to comply with any ceasefire that
spares homicidal jihadists or undermines UN resolution 2254. Russian
military operations are going to continue until ISIS, al Nusra and
the other terrorist militias are defeated.

Even so, Kerry has not abandoned the diplomatic track. In fact, Kerry
plans to meet Russian Foreign Minsiter Sergei Lavrov in Munich on
February 11 for a meeting of the International Syria Support Group
(ISSG) to discuss "all the aspects of the Syrian settlement in line
with the UN Security Council resolution 2254."

The emergency meeting underscores the Obama's administration's utter
desperation in the face of the inexorable Russian-led military
offensive. It's clear now that Obama and his lieutenants see the
handwriting on the wall and realize that their sinister plan to use
proxy armies to remove Assad and splinter the country into three
powerless regions is doomed to fail. Here's how the ISW summed it up
on the Sic Semper Tyrannis website:

"Battlefield realities rather than great power politics will determine
the ultimate terms of a settlement to end the Syrian Civil War. Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad and his allies in Russia and Iran have
internalized this basic principle even as Washington and other Western
capitals pinned their hopes upon UN-sponsored Geneva Talks, which
faltered only two days after they began on February 1, 2016. Russian
airpower and Iranian manpower have brought President Assad within five
miles of completing the encirclement of Aleppo City, the largest urban
center in Syria and an opposition stronghold since 2012. ...The full
encirclement of Aleppo City would fuel a humanitarian catastrophe,
shatter opposition morale, fundamentally challenge Turkish strategic
ambitions, and deny the opposition its most valuable bargaining chip
before the international community." ("ISW recognizes reality in
western Syria", Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Last week's fighting in northern Aleppo has transformed the battlespace
and shifted the momentum in favor of the government, but it has not yet
dampened support for the jihadists in places like Ankara or Riyadh. In
fact, the Saudis have offered to deploy ground troops to Syria provided
they are put under US command. As for Turkey, according to The Hill:
"Moscow's Defense Ministry (has) accused Turkey of planning a military
invasion of Syria."

Here's more from the same article:

"The Russian Defence Ministry registers a growing number of signs of
hidden preparation of the Turkish Armed Forces for active actions on
the territory of Syria," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said
in a statement....Russia claimed (to) have "reasonable grounds to
suspect intensive preparation of Turkey for a military invasion"
of Syria." (The Hill)

Turkish officials have denied that they are preparing for an invasion,
but at the same time, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has admitted that
Turkey will not stay on the sidelines if it is asked to participate
in a future campaign. This is from Bloomberg News:

"President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country should not repeat
in Syria the same mistake it made in Iraq when it turned down a
U.S. request to be part of the coalition that toppled Saddam Hussein.

"We don't want to fall into the same mistake in Syria as in Iraq,"
the president said, recounting how Turkey's parliament denied a
U.S. request to use its territories for the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

"It's important to see the horizon. What's going on in Syria can
only go on for so long. At some point it has to change," he told
journalists on the return flight from a tour of Latin America,
according to Hurriyet newspaper." ("Erdogan Signals Turkey Won't Stay
Out of Syria If Asked to Join", Bloomberg)

While it's impossible to know whether Turkey, Saudi Arabia or the US
will actually invade Syria, it's clear by the panicky reaction to the
encirclement of Aleppo, that all three countries feel their regional
ambitions are more closely aligned with those of the jihadists than
with the elected government in Damascus. This tacit alliance between
the militants and their sponsors speaks volumes about the credibility
of Washington's fake war on terror.

Finally, in less than five months, loyalist forces aided by heavy
Russian air cover, have shifted the balance of power in Syria,
forced thousands of terrorist insurgents to flee their strongholds
in the west, cleared the way for the return of millions of refugees
and displaced civilians, and sabotaged the malign plan to reshape
the country so it better serves Washington's geopolitical interests.

The war is far from over, but it's beginning to look like Putin's
gamble is going to pay off after all.

Mike Whitney ives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless:
Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless
is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at
fergiewhitney@msn.com.

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[Yervant1]

Bitter Pill for Erdogan: Russia Leaves Turkey a Helpless Spectator in Syria

© AFP 2016/ ADEM ALTAN
MIDDLE EAST
15:40 11.02.2016Get short URL


It is Moscow which is running the game in Syria: nailed to the ground
by Russia's S-400 air defense systems and state-of-the`art SU-35
fighters, Turkey is now left in the role of a helpless spectator,
while the Kremlin is playing yet another of its cards, according to
the French newspaper Le monde.

© AFP 2016/ SAFIN HAMED
Ultimatum Not Met? US, Turkey Not on the Same Page in the Middle East
Turkey is already unable to get in the way of Russia's strategy in Syria.

`Ankara has been left in the role of a helpless spectator of the final
phase of the Russian plan to help its ally Bashar Assad to remain in
the saddle, which it began in September 2015,' says the newspaper.

`Turkey is suddenly being ousted from Syrian land,' it states.

The recent gains of the Syrian government forces have come as a severe
blow to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made the ousting of President Assad
the `alpha and omega' of his policy in Syria.

The pill is even more bitter for Erdogan, as, devoid of any leverage
on the ground, he is forced to watch its protégé, the Turkmen of
Bayirbucak and the jihadists of Al-Nusra Front are being shelled by
Russian Forces.

© AFP 2016/ SANA
The Aleppo Pocket: Turkey Running Out of Time for Its Plans to Invade Syria
Meanwhile, Ankara has been nailed to the ground by Russia's S-400 air
defense systems and its state-of-the-art SU-35 jet fighters, deployed
to Syria after the downing of its SU-24 bomber above Syrian territory.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin is playing yet another of its cards: the
leadership of the Syrian Kurds has opened their first foreign office
in Moscow, preferring Russia over Washington and Western Europe.

Moscow can now `kill two birds with one stone', the newspaper says, as
it stokes the fire in Turkey, which considers the Syrian Democratic
Unity Party (PYD) as an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK), its major adversary since 1984.

And it is driving a wedge into the Turkish-American relationship,
which is soaring over the PYD issue following Erdogan's ultimatum to
the US to choose between Turkey and PYD as a partner on the ground in
Syria.

The Kurds are striving to unite their territories in Syria, and Moscow
`the current master of the Syrian game' could hardly turn them down,
the newspaper concludes.



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[Yervant1]

Shadow CIA Warns Russian Air Power Would Stop Any Foreign Invasion of Syria

© Photo: Russian Defence Ministry
MILITARY & INTELLIGENCE
21:34 12.02.2016(updated 23:19 12.02.2016) Get short URL


Stratfor, the US-based intelligence think tank often called the
'Shadow CIA', has released satellite photos showing a buildup of
Russian air power at the Hmeymim Airbase in Latakia, northwest Syria.
The think tank bluntly warns that if Turkey or Saudi Arabia were to
attack Syrian forces, they would be "met with significant Russian air
defenses."

In its report, Stratfor points out that "when Turkey downed a Russian
Su-24 warplane on November 24, it did not just sour relations between
Ankara and Moscow: It gave Russia a reason to build up its air defense
capabilities in Syria."

And build up they did. "Before the incident, the Russian air cover
burden depended on four deployed multirole Su-30 aircraft - clearly
visible in a ready position near the runway in the recent imagery
obtained by AllSource Analysis - that escorted strike packages."

© PHOTO: STRATFOR.COM
Air Superiority Fighters at Bassel al Assad Air Base [Hmeymim] Feb. 4, 2016
© SPUTNIK/ DMITRI VINOGRADOV
Russian Su-30 jets landing at the Hmeymim Air Base.

However, "a week after the downing, Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers in
Syria were spotted carrying R-27 air-to-air missiles. Russia also
rushed advanced surface-to-air missile systems to Syria, including Buk
systems and the long-range and highly capable S-400 system. The S-400
launch vehicles can be seen in a well-protected portion of the Bassel
al-Assad air base [Hmeymim] near Latakia."

"Preparation for combat mission by a Su-34 armed with air-to-air missiles"

© PHOTO: STRATFOR.COM
Defensive Positions at Bassel al Assad Air Base [Hmeymim] Feb. 4, 2016.

"Russia," Stratfor's analysis warned, "has enhanced its air defenses
to prevent other countries from entering the Syrian conflict. There
are increasing reports that Turkey could be considering direct
military intervention in Syria. Even some Arab countries, such as the
United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have made statements about
possibly sending troops into the country."

"So, in mid-January, Russia reportedly began operating A-50 airborne
early warning and control aircraft, which provide better situational
awareness and bolster air responsiveness, over the country.
[Moreover,] over the past weekend, four of Russia's advanced air
superiority Su-35 fighter jets also arrived in Syria and began
conducting combat air patrols."

"Su-35S at the Russian Air Base in Syria"

© PHOTO: STRATFOR.COM
Russian Ground Attack Aircraft at Bassel al Assad Air Base [Hmeymim]
Feb. 4, 2016

"Finally," the analysis noted, "recently built Pantsyr-S2 systems,
which combine missiles and anti-aircraft guns, were spotted in Russian
media footage shot at Bassel al-Assad air base, likely replacing or
complementing Pantsyr-S1 systems that were delivered earlier in the
campaign."

Ultimately, Stratfor warns, "with such an extensive presence, Russia
will be able to obstruct the war efforts of those opposed to Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad. The United States and its allies can still
fly airstrikes against the Islamic State [Daesh], but the prospect of
changing targets to include loyalist forces advancing on rebel
position is greatly hindered by active Russian air support."

"Turkey and Saudi Arabia, for example, have long sought to oust the
al-Assad government, but any attempt to unilaterally support the
rebels with their own assets would be met with significant Russian air
defenses."

For its part, the think tank suggests, "the United States is even more
averse to escalating tension with Russia. Wishing to avoid losing
focus on the fight against the Islamic State, the United States has no
desire to confront Russian air power in the skies above Syria."



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[Yervant1]

Russian PM warns of new Syrian war in case of Arab troops' invasion

15:20 ¢ 12.02.16


As Turkey and Saudi Arabia edge closer to sending ground forces into
Syria at the behest of the United States, Russian Prime Minister
Dmitry Medvedev has warned that an escalation of the conflict could
lead to another war in the world.

During an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, Medvedev
warned of dire consequences if the United States and its allies
abandon Syrian peace talks in favor of deploying ground forces.

"All ground operations, as a rule, lead to permanent wars," he said.
"Look at what is going on in Afghanistan and a number of other
countries. I don't even mention the ill-fated Libya.

"The Americans must consider ' both the US president and our Arab
partners ' whether or not they want a permanent war."

All sides should instead focus on implementing peace talks.

"We must make everyone sit down to the negotiating table, and we can
do it by using, among other things, the harsh measures that are being
implemented by Russia, the Americans, and even, with all reservations,
the Turks, rather than start yet another war in the world."

Any direct involvement by foreign players on behalf of the Syrian
opposition will only worsen the violence.

"We may differ in our opinions of certain political leaders but it is
not a good enough reason to begin intervention or to stir up unrest
from within."

Moscow has long-stressed the need to support the legitimate government
of President Bashar al-Assad in the fight against terrorism. Working
alongside the Syrian Army, Russian airstrikes have had a severe impact
on Daesh, also known as IS/Islamic State.

"¦We must sit down at the same table, but our partners avoid this,"
Medvedev said. "That is, there have been some occasional meetings,
telephone conversations and contacts between our militaries. But in
this situation we should create a full-scale alliance to fight this
evil."

The Prime Minister also criticized Europe's handling of the migrant
crisis. The continent is facing an increased risk of terrorist attack
because of its decision to open its borders, and this only highlights
the need for international cooperation against terrorism.


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[Yervant1]

WHY ASSAD'S ARMY HAS NOT DEFECTED

Kamal Alam, The National Interest, 12 February 2016

Four years ago, Turkey's then prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
said that within in a few weeks he would be praying in Damascus's
Umayyad Mosque, as Assad was about to fall. Similarly, Israel's most
decorated soldier, former Defense Minister Ehud Barak, predicted that
Assad and his military would be toppled within weeks. That was at the
beginning of 2012, when there were no Iranian soldiers on the ground
or Russian planes in the skies.

As another round of Geneva peace talks collapses and the world wonders
what's next for Syria, it is time to begin with the warnings of Henry
Kissinger and Zbignew Brzezinski. Kissinger and Brzezinski, the most
seasoned and influential U.S. policymakers on the Middle East since
World War II, have gone against popular opinion and stated that
President Bashar al-Assad has more support than all the opposition
groups combined.

It is no secret that the Saudis and Qataris, with full U.S. support,
have tried to bribe some of Assad's innermost circles to defect. The
all-important professional military cadre of the Syrian Arab Army,
however, has remained thoroughly loyal.

The Syrian Arab Army was mostly a conscript force with only about
eighty thousand professionals in its ranks. At the start of the war,
much was made of the "defections" of thousands of officers, but these
were mere conscripts who never wanted to be in the army in the first
place, and would also have done anything to escape conscription in
peacetime. The professional ranks, meanwhile, are still very strong
and religiously pluralistic. When the Syrian opposition talks about
a future pluralistic Syria, they fail to realize that while they may
theoretically be pluralists in Geneva, Washington and Vienna, their
representatives on the ground are allied with the most sectarian
terrorist groups the Middle East has ever seen.

The Syrian Arab Army has held its own for more than five years. Its
numbers might have been depleted, as is normal for any wartime
military, but a close glance at its military reveals that its core,
perhaps unexpectedly to many, is Sunni. The current minister of
defense, Fahd al-Freij, is one of the most decorated officers in
Syrian military history and hails from the Sunni heartland of Hama.

The two most powerful intelligence chiefs, Ali Mamlouk and Mohammad
Dib Zaitoun, have remained loyal to the Syrian government--and are both
Sunnis from influential families. The now-dead and dreaded strongman of
Syrian intelligence, Rustom Ghazaleh, who ruled Lebanon with an iron
fist, was a Sunni, and the head of the investigative branch of the
political directorate, Mahmoud al-Khattib, is from an old Damascene
Sunni family. Major General Ramadan Mahmoud Ramadan, commander
of the Thirty-Fifth Special Forces Regiment, which is tasked with
the protection of western Damascus, is another high-ranking Sunni,
as is Brigadier General Jihad Mohamed Sultan, the commander of the
Sixty-Fifth Brigade that guards Latakia.

The history of the Syrian Army that Hafez al-Assad built is instructive
today. As president, the elder Assad brought senior members of
the Syrian Air Force into the military high command. Naji Jamil
(another Sunni) served as air force chief from 1970 to 1978 and was
promoted to the General Staff committee overseeing defenses on the
Iraqi border. Another air force commander was Muhammad al-Khuli,
who until 1993 held coveted logistical positions between Damascus
and Lebanon. Other prominent officers above the rank of Brigadier
in military and civil defense positions post-2000 were Sunnis,
including Rustom Ghazaleh, Hazem al Khadra and Deeb Zaytoun. Since
1973, the strategic tank battalions of the Seventieth Armored Brigade,
stationed near al-Kiswah near Damascus, have had rank-and-file Alawis
under the command of Sunni officers. As well, two of the most decorated
officers who rose to be Chief of General Staff under Bashar al-Assad
were Sunnis: Hassan Turkmani and Hikmat Shehabi.

>From the 1970s until the 1990s, the Syrian Arab Army had a mandate to
stabilize Lebanon. During these years, it worked to outmaneuver both
the IDF and the U.S. Marines by supporting various proxies in Lebanon.

In post-Saddam Iraq, the Americans could never understand which
elements of both the Sunni and Shia insurgencies were supported by
Syrian military intelligence, much of this owing to the stealth with
which the Syrian Army controlled various Iraqi agents dating back to
the Lebanese civil war.

The Syrian Arab Army is also the only Arab army with multiple
Christians serving as generals. The most famous of these was Daoud
Rajha, the Greek Orthodox army chief of staff. The two most influential
Lebanese Christian leaders, now on the verge of becoming the next
president of Lebanon, are Michel Aoun and Suleiman Franjieh, who are
also allies of the Syrian Arab Army and President Assad. Deir al-Zour
is an entirely Sunni city which has held out against ISIS encirclement
for two years--and is commanded by the Druze General Issam Zahreddine.

The fact remains: The moderate Syrian opposition only exists in fancy
suits in Western hotel lobbies. It has little military backing on the
ground. If you want to ask why Assad is still the president of Syria,
the answer is not simply Russia or Iran, but the fact that his army
remains resilient and pluralistic, representing a Syria in which
religion alone does not determine who rises to the top. The military
also represent as challenge against the spread of terrorism, which
is why three of the top British generals of the last five years have
openly called for the recognition that the Syrian Arab Army, loyal
to President Assad, is the only force capable of defeating ISIS and
Al Qaeda in the Levant.

Kamal Alam is a Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
in London and a Syrian Military Analyst advising several Damascus-based
family offices.

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[Yervant1]

TURKEY TO BEGIN WAR ON SYRIA IF SYRIAN PRO-GOVERNMENT FORCES CAPTURE AZAZ

Wed Feb 17, 2016 3:2

TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkey will officially launched military invasion of
Syria if the strategic town of Azaz in the Northern province of
Aleppo is won back by the Syrian Kurds, senior political analyst
warned on Wednesday.

"If Kurdish forces succeed in retaking Azaz region, Turkey
will officially enter the war on Syria," Hassan Hassan told the
Arabic-language al-Ray al-Youm news website on Wednesday.

"Azaz is an important town and has a complicated situation; therefore,
Turkey will not allow Kurdish forces to take it," he noted.

Arguing that Azaz is important to all sides in Syria, Hassan said,
"The town is important to Iran and Russia since they seek to block the
supply routes of the terrorists from Turkey to Aleppo. Kurdish forces
want to link under-their-control regions to each other through Azaz.

And the ISIL terrorist group which has seized control of the town
since two years ago, attaches great importance to its continued grip."

Earlier reports on Wednesday said the Turkish artillery have opened
fire at the Kurdish fighters' bases near the city of Azaz in Northern
Aleppo.

The Kurdish "People's Protection Units" (YPG), who have recently
allied with the government, continued advancing in the Northern part
of Aleppo province on Tuesday and seized back one more key village
in the Southern side of the newly-liberated city of Tal Rifat.

The YPG forces alongside other Kurdish fighters, including the Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF), drove the militant groups back from the
village of Kafr Naseh in a several-hour battle.

The Kurdish fighters are now engaged in a tough battle in some parts
of Kafr Naseh to hunt the rest of the terrorists.

Scores of the militants have been killed or severely wounded in the
battle in Tel Rifat region - that includes a strategic city and tens
of villages - in the last several days.

The Kurdish fighters also are trying to persuade the militant groups
to lay down their arms and turn in themselves to the YPG or SDF forces.

With the capture of Tal Rifat and its nearby lands and villages,
including Kafr Naseh, the Kurdish fighters have approximately
reached the ISIL-held territories in the Northeastern regions of
Aleppo province.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__en.farsnews.com_newstext.aspx-3Fnn-3D13941128000906&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=8iQipHFF0LrgvIHQ8yf9M_Ket9sJfx3WPuhQuySv1is&s=iPEPE87rZc_0ON5-hSa9HlqXBUQDyp9pT1cl-NA2n08&e=

[Johannes]

Էրդողանի բարբաջանքը պղպջակ է։ Էնքան դուխ չունի միայնակ գործելու, թաքնւում է ԱՄՆ փէշի տակ։

Ամենայն դէպս նրանց անհամբեր սպասողներ կան։

[Yervant1]

VATICAN DIPLOMACY: POPE'S ENVOY PRAISES RUSSIA'S ROLE IN ALEPPO LIBERATION

© Sputnik/ Vladimir Astapkovych
Middle East
18:44 17.02.2016(updated 19:01 17.02.2016) Get short URL
51702270

A representative of Pope Francis in Aleppo welcomed Russia's military
involvement in Syria, saying that the humanitarian situation in the
country significantly improved due to Moscow's assistance, DWN wrote.

According to Bishop Georges Abou Khazen, the local population supports
Russian military activities, as liberated parts of the city have
finally received electricity and water.

"With Russia's support, the Syrian army went on the offensive and
liberated parts of the city again have water and electricity. The
schools are being reopened," the cleric said.

According to him, there are signs of reconciliation between various
groups in the country. The Russian operation strengthened the Syrian
Army and contributed to the improvement of the situation in general,
Khazen said.

© REUTERS/ Abdelrahmin Ismail Russia Now Dominant Power in Syria -
Analyst Earlier, Pope Francis met with the Russian Orthodox patriarch
Kirill in Havana, Cuba. Both clerics signed a joint declaration in
which they called on all sides to stop the expulsion and persecution
of Christians in Syria.

The meeting marked a "big step forward" in Catholic-Orthodox ties
as it was the first time when leaders of the Catholic and the
Russian Orthodox Church had directly talked to each other in almost
a millennia.

After the meeting, Pope Francis became subject to criticism from
US-neocons who blamed the cleric for his "naivety" and said he was
influenced by Russian propaganda, the newspaper wrote.

The Syrian Army managed to achieve significant success in the fight
against terrorists, destroying several key supply routes of terrorists
in an area of Aleppo province. In particular, the Syrian Army and the
National Defense Forces (NDF) have managed to cut off several main
supply lines of al-Nusra Front militants in the town of Mayer located
between the city of Aleppo and the country's border with Turkey.

Germa media earlier noted that after the Syrian troops backed by
Russian forces regain full control over the western regions of Syria,
the anti-terrorist operation can be continued in the eastern regions
of the country.

Read more:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__sputniknews.com_middleeast_20160217_1034914784_vatican-2Dsyria-2Dapproves.html-23ixzz40RgO9rBG&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=JYSgxkzCahKTkW26Ui90L0iJxF417OZgJ_cAkBID_L4&s=pqcLvqxyzPaqzqG71BIV7kKHTNqKkAub20H04_08bOE&e=

[Johannes]

Համայնավար հողի վրայ Ուղղափառ եկեղեցւոյ Պատրիարքն ու Հռովմէական Կաթողիկէ եկեղեցւոյ Աբբահայրը Սուրիոյ ազատագրութեան խնդրով համաձայնութիւն յայտնեցին։

[Yervant1]

TURKISH FORCES ESCORT 2,000 MILITANTS TO SYRIA: MONITOR

Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:52AM

New recruits take part in a shooting training session on Feb. 16,
2016 at a camp in Syria's northern city of Aleppo. (Photo by AFP)

Turkish forces have escorted at least 2,000 militants back to Syria
over the last week in a covert operation to reverse the loss of
terrorist groups, sources say.

"We have been allowed to move everything from light weapons to heavy
equipment mortars and missiles and our tanks," Abu Issa, a commander
of the militant group Levant Front, which runs the border crossing
of Bab al-Salam, told Reuters on Thursday.

The militants, then, headed into the embattled border town of A'zaz
in Syria's northern Aleppo Province, he added.

The route across Turkey has become the only path for militants
to enter Aleppo, after the Syrian army recently captured the main
lifeline into the militant-held territory.

Another militant source said the Turkish army had stepped up delivery
of arms and heavy military hardware in the last two days to reinforce
militants facing a major offensive by Syrian forces.

Syrian troops have come within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of the Turkish
border for the first time in over two years.

Tanks of the Turkish army shoot toward the positions of Kurdish
fighters inside Syria from the Oncupinar crossing gate in the Turkish
border city of Kilis, Feb. 15, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

On Thursday, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
confirmed that hundreds of militants had crossed from the Turkish
territory into A'zaz under the supervision of Turkish authorities in
the last few days.

Ankara has been targeting YPG positions in northern Syria over the last
few days in an attempt to stop Kurdish forces from reaching the Syrian
border with Turkey, while Syrian forces have been making steady gains.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced that Turkish
forces will continue to shell Kurdish positions on Syrian soil.

Turkey regards the YPG and its umbrella group the Kurdish Democratic
Union Party (PYD) as an ally of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK),
which has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey
since the 1980s.

The YPG, which controls nearly Syria's entire northern border with
Turkey, has been fighting against the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.

Turkey has been among the main supporters of the militant groups
fighting to topple the Syrian government.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.presstv.com_Detail_2016_02_18_450990_Turkey-2DSyria-2Dmilitant-2DAleppo-2DAzaz_&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=s7WTXBg6F7b3xEnriHGgQSKYpeG4ujDk2JciFENzY0U&s=teqp6_LW4V__nFD8o7C2lZx6PAsSXYqHIXctGcZhEJE&e=

[Yervant1]

'WANT TO HELP CIVILIANS? HELP SYRIA DEAL WITH TERRORISM!' - ASSAD ADVISOR

© REUTERS/ Khaled al-Hariri
MIDDLE EAST
14:48 19.02.2016(updated 15:28 19.02.2016) Get short URL
320941

The US, Europe, and Turkey have accused the Syrian government and
Russia of causing civilian casualties during the operation to liberate
the country. Bouthaina Shaaban, a political advisor to the Syrian
President, suggests that if the West is truly concerned about the fate
of civilians, it should unite with Damascus to put an end to terrorism.

Speaking to Russian foreign broadcaster RT Thursday evening, Shaaban
recalled that while Moscow and Damascus have joined efforts to fight
terrorism in Syria, the Western media and Turkey have taken up a
campaign to accuse them, without offering any substantive evidence,
of causing civilian casualties. In her opinion, instead of hostility
and empty accusations, other countries must join Syria in the struggle
against terror, since it is a phenomenon which poses a threat to the
entire world.

Earlier this week, Western media picked up on an accusation levied
by Turkish Prime Minister Mehmet Davutoglu that Russian air forces
had destroyed a school and a hospital in the northwestern Syrian
town of Azaz (which the Turkish military itself has been accused of
shelling recently).

Commenting on the accusations, Shaaban recalled "that there are so
many unfounded claims that have been made in the Western media about
what the Russians and the Syrian Army are doing; briefly I can say
that what the Syrian Army, in cooperation with Russian aircraft are
doing is fighting terrorism in Syria. And what we hope for is for
other countries to join in, because this terrorism is a threat to
the entire[ty of] humanity."

Focusing on Turkish allegations specifically, the official suggested
that "it is very clear that once the Syrian Army, in cooperation with
the Russians, [began] achieving great success against terrorists,
some countries in the region like Turkey and Saudi Arabia [started]
going crazy, because they are the ones who [have been] supporting
terrorism in Syria right from 2011 until [the present]."

Ultimately, Shaaban said that "the best way to save innocent civilians
is to put an end to this terrorism, and there are all the means
available, if there is a real will to put an end to terrorism. There
is the Security Council Resolution 2235, which should force countries
to stop financing, arming, facilitating and sending mercenaries and
terrorists into Syria."

"Unfortunately, there is no international will to implement that
resolution. We would wish that Russia, and America, and all countries
in the world would join forces in fighting terrorism; this is the
only way - instead of exchanging accusations which lead nowhere,
and which have no effect on the ground; and it is the Syrian people,
unfortunately, who are suffering the end result of this terrorism."

© REUTERS/ STRINGER Syrian Kurds Have 'Nothing to Gain' From Terror
Attacks in Turkey As for the Turkish government's accusations that
Syrian Kurds, 'backed by the Assad government' were responsible
for the wave of terror plaguing Ankara in recent days, Shaaban told
the broadcaster that Turkey has repeatedly "accus[ed] the Kurds of
things that they are not doing," adding that she hoped "that Western
viewers would realize" that Turkey was responsible for starting the
war on Syria, and for helping "to bring in so many terrorists from
83 countries from all over the world into Syria."

"And now, at the moment when the Syrian Army is making real advances
and liberating our cities and villages, Turkey is attacking our
cities and villages directly, because these terrorists were the means
for Turkey on the ground in Syria, and once Turkey saw that these
terrorists are failing or are being defeated, Turkey jumped in to
save them and to help them."

Commenting on Turkey's role in the refugee crisis which has hit Europe,
Shaaban emphasized that she sincerely hopes "that the Western world
will stop looking at Erdogan's government as the means to help them,
whether in fighting terrorism, or in stopping the refugee crisis. It
is Turkey who started the refugee crisis four years ago. It is Turkey
who put tanks on the borders well before any Syrian refugee was at
any border. Turkey dismantled our factories, stole our heritage,
had ambitions to recreate the Ottoman Empire in the Arab World,
and Europe has no interest in following this example."

"The refugee crisis, believe me - has been created, manipulated and
used by Turkey against Europe and against Syrian, and the only way I
can see...is for Europe and Syria to speak together, and believe me,
the refugee crisis would be solved, and terrorism would be eradicated
from Syria," the official added.

© SPUTNIK/ DMITRIY VINOGRADOV Praying for Peace: Russian Campaign
Offers Best Chance to Save Syria As for Western officials' repeated
suggestions that Western-backed rebels are 'moderate' opposition,
Shaaban answered bluntly: "Anyone who carries arms against civilians,
against the government, against institutions is a terrorist. Political
opposition should be dealing with politics, should be an opposition
against a government but by political means - without using arms,
without killing people, without beheading people."

"You remember the person who ate the heart of a Syrian soldier - [he]
was from the Free Syrian Army, and the FSA is considered to be moderate
by some Western countries - as 'moderate opposition'. Can terrorism
be 'moderate'? Can somebody who is beheading people, killing people,
destroying, and raping women and attacking minorities in the country
be considered moderate? Can those [people] be considered moderate
opposition?"

"I want to talk to you in a Western frame of mind," Shaaban noted,
posing an interesting hypothetical. "Can Britain or France or the US
accept any opposition that carries arms, attacks schools, and kills
people? Why do they apply terminology [in relation to] us, that does
not apply anywhere in the world? This is unacceptable."

Read more:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__sputniknews.com_middleeast_20160219_1035030321_syria-2Dcivilian-2Dcasualties-2Drefugees.html-23ixzz40cHnneNO&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=lLbhuzFQSP3yk61hewqLQNUQgcmP5FWBc5sPFJG9FHM&s=DzcUIBMkdtjMQN5rV5aVaQaN6huNbY8j4MnutxYzLwI&e=

[Yervant1]

Syrian Army Takes Control Over Town of Kessab in Latakia

© Sputnik/ Ilya Pitalev
Middle East
12:40 18.02.2016(updated 12:52 18.02.2016) Get short URL
31815260

Syrian government forces broke through the militants' defense and
gained control over the town of Kessab, one of the last terrorist
strongholds in the country's Latakia region, accoridng to Lebanon's
media.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) ' Syrian government forces have gained control over
the town of Kessab, one of the last terrorist strongholds in the
country's Latakia region, Lebanon's Al Mayadeen television reported
Thursday.

Local media reported earlier in the day that the Syrian Army had
broken through the militants' defense and were carrying out an
offensive.

Read more: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__sputniknews.com_middleeast_20160218_1034951656_syria-2Dkessab-2Dterrorism.html-23ixzz40WIqdD5l&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=rsRJVxo9TVkeqUR7ynmFidYR63Vb7XkgIs-1HwxH2A0&s=xABUO7V1phDCD3f0c4_YAukC3fI46w4-Z6OKeDX_xZk&e=

[Johannes]

Not Kessab. It's Kansabba

 

Syrian Army Takes Control Over Town of Kessab in Latakia

© Sputnik/ Ilya Pitalev

Middle East

12:40 18.02.2016(updated 12:52 18.02.2016) Get short URL

31815260

Syrian government forces broke through the militants' defense and

gained control over the town of Kessab, one of the last terrorist

strongholds in the country's Latakia region, accoridng to Lebanon's

media.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) ' Syrian government forces have gained control over

the town of Kessab, one of the last terrorist strongholds in the

country's Latakia region, Lebanon's Al Mayadeen television reported

Thursday.

Local media reported earlier in the day that the Syrian Army had

broken through the militants' defense and were carrying out an

offensive.

Read more: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__sputniknews.com_middleeast_20160218_1034951656_syria-2Dkessab-2Dterrorism.html-23ixzz40WIqdD5l&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=rsRJVxo9TVkeqUR7ynmFidYR63Vb7XkgIs-1HwxH2A0&s=xABUO7V1phDCD3f0c4_YAukC3fI46w4-Z6OKeDX_xZk&e=

[Johannes]

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kinsabba,+Syria/@35.7439831,36.1640441,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x15243bcd84d53fab:0xe19c5a4fe3196579?hl=en

[Yervant1]

SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES LIBERATE 47 VILLAGES FROM ISIS

17:32, 19 Feb 2016
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Photo: Sputnik/ Mikhail Voskresenskiy

Russian-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have advanced against Islamic
State positions in Eastern Syria, and have moved to cut the group
off from access to strategically important roads to Deir ez-Zor,
Sputnik News reports.

Units of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have retaken some 47
villages in an advance on the city of ash-Shaddadi in northeastern
Syria, a source told al-Mayadeen television.

Ash-Shaddadi is a key town for ISIS, which allows the group to
transport forces to fight both Syrian army and SDF positions in Hasakah
province, and transfer more forces to Deir ez-Zor, where the Syrian
army battles the terrorists. It is also a major oil-producing area.

"Syrian Democratic Forces liberated 47 villages in southern al-Hasakah
province and are nearing ash-Shadadi," the source said.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__sputniknews.com_middleeast_20160219_1035030434_sdf-2Dhasakah-2Dsyria-2Ddaesh.html&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=o8qjBGHSlYqe8XKqIfrQSWu4Cj5pObibId_qWdUWxMw&s=jB-My62d-3d9Dsq7oycDzCPSyXGbaeHvAcg8sVmZdqY&e=

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.armradio.am_en_2016_02_19_syrian-2Ddemocratic-2Dforces-2Dliberate-2D47-2Dvillages-2Dfrom-2Disis_&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=o8qjBGHSlYqe8XKqIfrQSWu4Cj5pObibId_qWdUWxMw&s=gVTtPEmp-LjkP5uKZK5rAnbfXFtVbRI7vl1I9230DQg&e=

[Yervant1]

NATO WARNS TURKEY IT WON'T SUPPORT ANKARA IN CONFLICT WITH RUSSIA

© AP Photo/ Burhan Ozbilici, File
WORLD
00:04 20.02.2016(updated 00:09 20.02.2016) Get short URL
62685370

As tensions escalate between Turkey and Russia, NATO has warned Ankara
that it will not take part in a war provoked by the Turkish government.

Last November, Turkey shot down a Russian jet flying through Syrian
airspace. While many feared that the incident would plunge both
countries into war, conflict was avoided, though relations between
Moscow and Ankara have remained chilly.

As Turkey pushes to deploy ground forces across its border to remove
the legitimate government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the
Turkish government is, again, threatening the world with war.

"The armed forces of the two states are both active in fierce fighting
on the Turkish-Syrian border, in some cases just a few kilometers
from each other," one NATO official told Der Spiegel.

Ankara's aggression seems partially based on the assumption that,
should conflict erupt, Turkey will be supported by its NATO allies.

According to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, the collective defense
clause would be invoked if any member state is attacked.

© AP PHOTO/ LEFTERIS PITARAKIS Whatever It Takes: Turkey Seeking
Any Excuse to Invade Syria

But European leaders have made it abundantly clear that they have no
interest in participating in a war of Turkey's making.

"NATO cannot allow itself to be pulled into a military escalation with
Russia as a result of the recent tensions between Russia and Turkey,"
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told Der Spiegel.

Of Article 5, Asselborn stressed that "the guarantee is only valid
when a member state is clearly attacked."

Germany appears to agree.

"We are not going to pay the price for a war started by the Turks,"
said a German diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

NATO leadership made similar warnings soon after Turkey's downing of
the Russian bomber last year.

© AFP 2016/ ADEM ALTAN Turkey Blames Kurds for Ankara Attack to
Justify Sending Troops to Syria - Turkish Lawmaker

"We have to avoid that situations, incidents, accidents spiral out
of control," NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said at the
time. "I think I've expressed very clearly that we are calling for
calm and de-escalation. This is a serious situation."

On Friday, French President Francois Hollande stressed the need to
prevent conflict between Moscow and Ankara.

"There is a risk of war between Turkey and Russia," he said in an
interview with France Inter radio.

As Turkey calls to escalate the violence in Syria, Russia has called
for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address its
concerns over the rising tensions.

"The situation is becoming more tense due to increased tensions on
the Syrian-Turkish border and Turkey's stated plans to send troops to
northern Syria," reads a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Read more:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__sputniknews.com_world_20160220_1035066264_NATO-2Dturkey-2Drussia-2Dsyria.html-23ixzz40eX98eJW&d=CwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=BPRKWf_p8bTk3NhpZn3eK7aiRDG3NXRfuPlNwyG4joI&s=dJM4zF3HA0v8Y564QYLrv19ZLimydEi7RiL-LANoTv8&e=