04/12/12

By Kaveh L Afrasiabi

NEW YORK - If there is anyone in Damascus contemplating the use of chemical weapons as a means of political survival he is utterly mistaken. Saddam Hussein tried that with the Kurds and look where he ended up - in the dustbin of history. No better destiny will await the embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if he resorts to the large stockpile of chemical weapons to stave off the advancing rebels.

Sure, he may strike a temporary blow, but it is a given that this will be tantamount to digging his own grave, as the opposition will be ever more determined to dislodge him forcefully and the international community will back them all they can.

In turn, this calls for a stern warning from Tehran to its traditional ally in Damascus that Syria should refrain from even contemplating, let alone preparing, the use of chemical weapons, otherwise it will be nearly impossible for Tehran to continue supporting Damascus. To do so would blemish Tehran and stigmatize it in the region for a long time, a heavy price no politician in Tehran is prepared to pay.

The growing fear that Assad may use his chemical canisters against ferocious opponents bent on the destruction of the Alawite-led regime has elicited a warning from US President Barack Obama regarding the “dire consequences”, one of which would be a more interventionist approach by the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), perhaps leading to a “no-fly zone” in parts of Syria.

For its part, Tehran must also make clear to Assad that it does not wish to be associated with a regime that commits the taboo of mass carnage, since there are hundreds if not thousands of innocent civilians who are sure to die as a result of any use of chemical weapons. Iran prides itself for its high moral standards, which was reflected in its refusal to emulate Saddam Hussein’s chemical attacks during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, and therefore it cannot compromise its norms and principles so easily for the sake of a troubled ally.

The reason a public statement by the Iranian leaders regarding this matter is necessary and called for is that it can act as a break on Assad’s chemical warfare plans and simultaneously build confidence with aspects of the Syrian opposition. Tehran recently hosted a meeting for the more “loyal” Syrian opposition groups and the circle of its contact group with the Syrian opposition can grow if the latter are convinced that Iran behaves according to certain guidelines that are inspired by its Islamist world view.

On the contrary, should the news break out that Assad has used his chemical weapons without much concern about the plight of civilians, then it will be doubly difficult for Tehran to stand by that regime and continue to support it - even domestically this will become problematic in the light of presidential elections to be held in Iran next June.

Iran’s ethical behavior during the war with Iraq, mentioned above, can be a good point of reference for Assad, who should do much more to rein in his military to refrain from committing atrocities and let the other side further tarnish its own image - it has already come under fire because of multiple gruesome video images of their cold-blooded murder of their prisoners - thus allowing him to make some gains in the battle for the hearts and minds of Syrians.

That battle, already going badly for Assad’s regime, will undoubtedly spiral toward oblivion if the government uses chemical weapons, irrespective of whatever are the short-term gains. Nothing good in the long-term can come about as a result of such a decision. At present, Assad can still count on elements of the world community, for example Russia, China, Iran, some Latin nations, defending him, yet it will be doubly difficult for those regimes to sustain their support once the red line on chemical and biological weapons is crossed. In Iran in particular, the news will alienate many young and educated Iranians from any politician preaching solidarity with the Assad regime.

Still, chances are that Tehran may miscalculate the backlashes that the Assad regime will face if it is accused and found guilty of using chemical weapons. The reason behind an Iranian silence, on the other hand, is rather easy to understand; that is, a tendency to overlook a close ally’s misconduct and simply hope for the best.

This is a very short-sighted of and definitely not in line with either Iran’s national interests nor its Islamist self-understanding. This is why Tehran must act now, and publicly, by putting aside any and all hesitation and remind Assad that its support is not a bottomless pit and there are certain limits, one of which pertains to chemical and biological weapons.

The Ba’athists in Damascus may not like it, yet few in their ranks may have the foresight to realize that Iran has Damascus’s best interest in mind by pre-empting any use of chemical weapons through a forceful denunciation, one that is not predicated on political and military contingency and is, instead, categorical.

01/10/12

• Hugh Tomlinson
• From: The Times
• October 02, 2012 12:00AM

17/09/12

Iran confirmed on Sunday what has long been suspected: It is providing assistance to the Syrian government in its war against an uprising. Iran’s Qods Force is also operating in Lebanon.

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard officially confirmed that is organization is assisting the Syrian government side of that country’s civil war. The statement is the first public confirmation of Iran’s involvement in the Syrian conflict.

Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari told a press conference in Tehran Sunday that members of the Qods Force, the Revolutionary Guards’ international branch, are currently operating in Syria and Lebanon, Haaretz reports.

Members of the force are not currently providing military assistance, but give advice and “opinions” in a number of areas in which Iran has experience, Jafari said. He added that they were also assisting on the financial level.
 
If Syria were attacked militarily however, Jafari said, his troops will provide support, although he did not provide any further details.
 
Jafari told reporters, “We are proud to defend Syria, which constitutes a resistance to the Zionist entity,” adding that Iran provides advice based on its expertise, while other countries support terror organizations.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and most of his top regime officials are Alawites, a religion that began as an offshoot of Shia Islam, Iran’s predominant religion. But Alawites are a minority within Syria, where the majority of the country is Sunni, including many of the rebels.

Iran’s involvement in Syria has long been rumored, and General Jafari’s confirmation gives credence to other reports detailing Iran’s role in the civil war. Iraqi fugitive Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi claimed on Sunday that Iran is ferrying supplies to Syria through Iraqi airspace, reports Lebanon’s The Daily Star.

“My country is unfortunately becoming an Iranian corridor to support the autocratic regime of Bashar Assad, there is no doubt about that,” Hashemi told Reuters in an interview in Istanbul.

“It is not only the airspace. It is thousands of militia now inside Syria, supporting Bashar Assad and killing Syrian innocent people,” he said, citing reports he had received from Iraq’s Anbar province, which borders Syria, and from members of the Syrian opposition.

An adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki denied Mr. Hashemi’s accusation, and said that Iraq was not taking sides in the Syrian conflict. Hashemi, a vocal critic of Mr. Maliki and his government, was recently found guilty of murder in absentia and sentenced to death by an Iraqi court, and has been in de facto exile in Turkey.  Hashemi claims that the charges against him were fabricated for political advantage.

Iran is just one of several Middle Eastern nations involved in the Syrian conflict; Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been aiding the rebel forces. Agence France-Presse reports that foreign ministers from all three nations, along with Egypt, are set to meet in Cairo today to attempt to resolve the conflict in Syria, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

The gathering of the “contact group” on Syria – an initiative by [Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi] – follows preparatory talks a week ago in the Egyptian capital by lower-ranking officials from the four countries’ foreign ministries.

[Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi] told the ISNA news agency before leaving Tehran on Monday that Iran would be setting out its “clear” position on its ally Syria.

“We are very hopeful given that four important countries of the region are gathered to discuss one of the sensitive issues of the region,” he was quoted as saying.

AFP adds that United Nations envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is scheduled to attend the meeting. Mr. Brahimi said on Saturday that the Syrian conflict was “getting worse” and that the crisis “has serious consequences on the Syrian people, the region and the entire world.” Bloomberg News reports that Brahimi spoke with several rebel leaders on Sunday, including Colonel Abdel Jabbar al-Ageidi, the rebels’ top military commander in Aleppo, who said that Brahimi “didn’t have any solutions to offer.”

16/09/12

DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syrian troops on Sunday fought rebel fighters in the country’s two main cities Damascus and Aleppo, as Iran acknowledged for the first time it has elite forces present in Syria and Lebanon as “counselors.”

The relentless violence affected the start on Sunday of the educational year, with activists saying few schools opened in flashpoint areas, including Aleppo, and the UN reporting more than than 2,000 schools damaged or destroyed countrywide since the uprising began 18 months ago.

Pope Benedict XVI added his voice to calls for an end to the bloodletting, urging Arab countries to propose workable solutions to the conflict, while celebrating mass in neighbouring Lebanon.

Violence that raged from early Sunday killed another 20 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that 115 had died the previous day.

Troops pounded districts in Damascus, Aleppo in the north, Daraa in the south, Hama and Homs in the centre and Deir Ezzor in the east with aerial bombardments and heavy artillery, the Britain-based Observatory said.

Among those who died were four men killed in shelling of the rebel southern Damascus suburb of Al-Hajar Al-Aswad and seven others when a bus was bombed in Daraa province, cradle of 18 months of insurgency against the central government.

A child and a media activist meanwhile were killed in Aleppo, where the army and rebels have fought fierce battles since July to control Syria’s second city and commercial hub.

In a rare news conference, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in Tehran on Sunday that members of his elite special operations unit, the Quds Force, are present in Syria and Lebanon.

He insisted however that they were only there to provide “counsel.”

“A number of Quds Force members are present in Syria and Lebanon… we provide (these countries) with counsel and advice, and transfer experience to them,” Guards commander Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Jafari said.

“But it does not mean that we have a military presence there,” he added.

Several Western and Arab countries accuse Iran of giving military aid to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime as the Syria conflict becomes increasingly bloody.

The latest violence comes as UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi prepared Sunday to meet with leaders of the opposition tolerated by the government, anti-regime forces said.

The talks come after he met Assad on Saturday and warned that the conflict threatens both the region and the world at large, on his first visit to Damascus since taking over as envoy from ex-UN chief Kofi Annan earlier this month.

“The crisis is dangerous and getting worse, and it is a threat to the Syrian people, the region and the world,” said Brahimi, a veteran troubleshooter and 78-year-old Algerian diplomat.

He stressed, however, that he currently has “no plan” to tackle the thorny mission which Annan quit after a hard-sought peace deal he had brokered became a dead letter.

Assad, meanwhile, insisted that dialogue between Syrians was the key to a solution and urged foreign countries to stop supplying arms to his foes.

“The success of political action is dependent on putting pressure on the countries that finance and train the terrorists, and which bring weapons into Syria, until they stop doing so,” Assad said.

As fighting raged in Damascus and Aleppo, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday celebrated mass in neighbouring Lebanon, praying that leaders in the Middle East work toward peace and reconciliation.

“In a world where violence constantly leaves behind its grim trail of death and destruction, to serve justice and peace is urgently necessary,” Benedict said to an estimated 350,000 faithful at open-air mass in Beirut.

“May God grant to your country, to Syria and to the Middle East the gift of peaceful hearts, the silencing of weapons and the cessation of all violence,” the pope said.

He also appealed to Arab countries that, “as brothers, they might propose workable solutions respecting the dignity, the rights and the religion of every human person.”

Syrian’s violence has spilled over into Lebanon where supporters and opponents of the Damascus regime have squared off in often deadly clashes over the past months.

On Saturday the 85-year-old pontiff had words of praise for young Syrians, saying: “I want to tell you how much I admire your courage.”

Despite the disruption to schooling in Aleppo and other flashpoint areas, Syrian state media on Sunday announced that “more than five million students and 385,000 teachers and employees” went back to school.

“Nine hundreds schools are open in the capital,” the head of the Damascus prefecture Ammar Qaloo said, but added that 13 schools are being used as shelters for civilians displaced by the violence.

A UNICEF spokeswoman, Marixie Mercado, described the return to school as an “immense challenge.”

“For children, being back at school is one of the most effective ways of giving them a sense of stability, hope and normality,” said Mercado.

“It really is a hugely important way of enabling children who have gone through a nightmare to see that they do have a future.”

The death toll from 18 months into the Syrian conflict has risen to more than 27,000 people, according to the Observatory, which relies on activist accounts from the ground. The United Nations puts the toll at 20,000.

10/10/12

#Syria,

08/09/12

Iran is intensifying its support for the regime of Bashar al-Assad by sending 150 senior Revolutionary Guards commanders to Syria to help repel opposition attempts to overthrow the government.

By Con Coughlin, Defence Editor

07/09/12

OTTAWA — Canada closed its Tehran embassy on Friday and ordered Iranian diplomats be expelled, in a damning severance of ties in which it accused the Islamic Republic of being the biggest threat to world peace.

Canada did not cite a specific incident that caused the breakdown, but issued a strongly worded attack on Tehran’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s pariah regime and Iran’s “incitement to genocide” against Israel.

In announcing the action, Ottawa cited concerns for the safety of its staff at the diplomatic mission in Tehran and also attacked the failure of Iran’s rulers to account for the nation’s disputed nuclear program.

“Canada views the government of Iran as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement.

“Diplomatic relations between Canada and Iran have been suspended. All Canadian diplomatic staff have left Iran, and Iranian diplomats in Ottawa have been instructed to leave within five days,” he added.

Baird also warned Canadians, including dual nationals, that Ottawa will not be able to provide assistance to them if they travel to Iran, and advised any Canadians in Iran to contact the Canadian mission in Turkey if needed.

Canada’s action did not prompt an immediate reaction from Tehran, but Iran had threatened “reciprocal action” in May, when Canada closed the visa section in its Iranian embassy, one used by thousands of Iranians with ties to Canada.

Ottawa’s move has gotten support from some of its allies in the West, who allege that the nuclear program aims to give Tehran a nuclear bomb, and have accused the “Iranian regime” of promoting international terrorism.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Canada for cutting diplomatic relations, calling the decision “courageous” and “an example to the international community.”

The US State Department said it “shared Canada’s concerns” regarding Iran’s support for the Syrian regime, its human rights record and its nuclear program.

“We want all countries to join us in isolating Iran as they see appropriate,” added State Department deputy spokesman Patrick Ventrell, adding “there are many different ways they can do that.”

An estimated 120,000 people of Iranian origin or descent live in Canada, according to official 2006 census data, and thousands of their relatives in Iran visit them every year.

Despite worsening relations, however, Ottawa’s decision to cut all ties was surprising, Houchang Hassan-Yari, a Royal Military College of Canada professor, said, noting that as recently as the 1990s, Iran was Canada’s main commercial partner in the Middle East.

Friday’s move “is a sign of the very pronounced rapprochement between Canada and Israel,” and of an ever-stronger shift away from Iran, he added.

In July, Ottawa warned Iran not to recruit agents in Canada after an Iranian envoy was quoted urging Iranian-Canadians to “occupy high-level key positions” and to “resist being melted into the dominant Canadian culture.”

Ties have also been strained by Tehran’s treatment of Iranian-born Canadians who traveled to visit their homeland. Iran does not recognize dual nationality and authorities have denied Canadian detainees consular protection.

An Iranian opposition group in Canada, the National Council of the Iranian Resistance, welcomed Ottawa’s decision to sever ties with what she called “the religious fascism ruling Iran,” accusing Tehran of exploiting its diplomatic relations “to justify suppression, crime, acquiring advanced technology, in particular nuclear technology, and exporting terrorism.”

Iran, which has been ruled by an Islamic theocracy since the 1979 uprising against the former Persian monarchy, is locked in a diplomatic stand-off with the West over its nuclear activities.

Tehran insists it has a right to enrich nuclear fuel to power civilian nuclear energy and research, but Washington, Israel and their allies claim it is seeking nuclear weapons capability.

In recent years, the stand-off has led Canada and the international community to implement a series of sanctions against Iran.

Israel, which has an undeclared nuclear weapons program of its own, has made it clear that it would launch military strikes sooner than see its main enemy in the Middle East attain such a goal.

Iran’s leaders in return regularly issue threats to destroy Israel or to disrupt oil shipping in the Gulf. Tehran is also the main foreign backer of Assad’s regime in Damascus.

07/09/12

By Elad Benar

Western intelligence officials told the British Telegraph on Thursday that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has personally sanctioned the dispatch of the experienced officers to ensure that the Assad regime survives the threat to its survival.

According to the report, Iran has also shipped hundreds of tons of military equipment, including guns, rockets, and shells to Syria through the regular air corridor that has been established between Damascus and Tehran.

Intelligence officials believe the increased Iranian support has been responsible for the growing effectiveness of the Assad regime’s tactics in forcing anti-government rebel groups on the defensive.

In the past few weeks, the Telegraph noted, pro-Assad forces have seized the offensive by launching a series of well-coordinated attacks against rebel strongholds in Damascus and Aleppo.

The Iranian operation to support Assad is being masterminded by Qassem Suleimani, the head of the Guards’ Quds force which is responsible for overseeing Iran’s overseas operations. The decision to increase Iran’s support for Syria was taken after the Syrian defense minister and Assad’s brother-in-law were killed in a suicide bomb attack at Syria’s national security headquarters in July, together with a number of other senior defense officials.

The Revolutionary Guards officers were flown to Damascus in chartered Iranian aircraft which were given permission to fly through Iraqi air space, said the report. Iranian military equipment is said to have been shipped to Syria by the same route.

A spokesman for the National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI) told the Telegraph that some of the Iranians being held by Syrian opposition groups included several brigadier-generals and a number of colonels who had many years of experience serving in the Revolutionary Guards.

“Iran has taken a strategic decision to deepen its involvement in the Syrian crisis,” a senior Western security official told the newspaper. “The Iranians are desperate for their most important regional ally to survive the current crisis. And Iran’s involvement is starting to pay dividends.”

Iran publicly confirmed last week that its government has sent elite Revolutionary Guards to support the troops of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in that country’s civil war.

Commander General Salar Abnoush told a group of volunteer trainees during a speech, “We are involved in fighting every aspect of a war – a military one in Syria, and a cultural one as well.”

On Saturday, a senior official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards threatened the United States and its allies that the Islamic Republic would respond harshly to a “stupid” attack on Syria.

The quotes, which were published on an official government-linked news agency, were removed a few minutes after being posted, but not before the BBC’s Persian-language website copied them and republished them.

The comments were made by Mohammad Ali Assoudi, the deputy for culture and propaganda of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“If the United States carries out the stupid act and attacks Syria, Iran and Syria’s allies in the world will react strongly and will turn America into a fiasco,” Assoudi said.

He did not specify what courses of action Iran would take, but stressed that there is a military alliance between the two countries that would require Iran to respond.

05/09/12

BEIRUT – Turkey accused Syria of “state terrorism” Wednesday after a sharp spike in the death toll from the Syrian civil war, and Iran came under new scrutiny with the U.S. alleging that Tehran is flying weapons to President Bashar Assad’s regime across Iraqi airspace.

With violence escalating in the nearly 18-month-old crisis, strains rippled across the region as Egypt’s president urged Assad to take a lesson from the Arab Spring uprisings that deposed other leaders and step down.

There appears to be no end in sight for the conflict, however. Neither side seems to be able to gain a significant advantage in the fighting that has killed 23,000 people, according to activists’ estimates.

Turkey has become one of the strongest critics of Assad and is host to Syrian opposition groups as well as about 80,000 of the more than 200,000 refugees who have fled to surrounding countries to escape the bloodshed.

“The regime has become one of state terrorism,” said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Syria is going through a huge humanitarian saga. Unfortunately, as usual, the international community is merely watching the slaughter, massacre and the elimination of Muslims.”

The Syrian government’s crackdown has led to worldwide condemnation and sanctions, weakened the economy and left Assad an international pariah just as he was trying to open up his country and modernize the economy. His few remaining allies include Iran, Russia and China.

The New York Times reported that U.S. officials believe Iran resumed shipments of military equipment to Syria via Iraqi airspace in July after a three-month hiatus.

Ali al-Moussawi, media adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, confirmed that Iranian planes are flying over Iraq to deliver goods to Syria. But he said Tehran has assured al-Maliki that the flights are carrying only food and other humanitarian aid for victims of the civil war.

“The Iraqi government is carefully monitoring this issue both in the sky and ground,” al-Moussawi told The Associated Press. He said Iraq has warned Iran against flying weapons though its airspace.

“The Iranian government has said that it respects our decisions,” he said. “Until now, there is no evidence of any violation in this regard, and if anyone has any evidence, they should bring it to us and we will take the needed measures.”

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said Iraq’s failure to stop the flights could threaten the long-term relationship with the U.S. as well as aid Iraq could receive as part of a 2008 strategic pact between the two nations.

“Bottom line, this kind of problem with these Iranian overflights can make it more difficult to proceed with the Strategic Framework Agreement in the manner that the prime minister and we would like to see happen,” Lieberman told reporters in Baghdad. “So I hope this is cleared up quickly.”

Tommy Vietor, the National Security Council spokesman at the White House, said Tehran “will stop at nothing to support a Syrian regime that is murdering its own people,” adding that Iraq, like all other nations, must block Iran from exporting arms.

The United States and other countries are also upset that China and Russia have repeatedly used their veto powers in the U.N. Security Council to block actions that could have led to sanctions against Assad’s regime. China says the civil war needs to be resolved through negotiations and not outside pressure.

“I think history will judge that China’s position on the Syria question is a promotion of the appropriate handling of the situation,” Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said at a news conference in Beijing with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “For what we have in mind is the interests of the people of Syria and the region and the interests of peace, stability and development in the region and throughout the world.”

The comment was a direct rebuke to Clinton, who has said the Chinese and Russian vetoes have put those nations “on the wrong side of history.”

She responded bluntly to Yang by saying the violence was boiling over into other countries like Jordan and Turkey and that the Security Council has to act.

“It is no secret that we have been disappointed by Russia and China’s actions blocking tougher U.N. Security Council resolutions and we hope to continue to unite behind a real path forward to end the violence in Syria,” she said.

At a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi warned his Syrian counterpart that “it’s too late to talk about reform. This is the time for change.”

“The Syrian regime must learn from recent history,” Morsi said, alluding to the authoritarian regimes that fell in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen in the Arab Spring uprisings.

His strong comments followed an address last month during a summit meeting of the nonaligned movement in Tehran, where the Egyptian leader gave a hearty call for world support of Syria’s rebels.

In new reports of fighting, the rebels said they shot down a government MiG jet and a helicopter.

The commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army, breakaway air force Col. Riad al-Asaad, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Turkey that the aircraft was downed in Abu al-Dhuhour, an area in the northwestern province of Idlib, five days ago.

A video posted online by the opposition showed the wreckage of a jet and the body of a pilot. The AP could not independently confirm the rebel claims or the video.

The narrator of the online video said the MiG was downed Tuesday. The discrepancy could not be immediately reconciled.

Al-Asaad said the rebels used anti-aircraft missiles captured from Syrian army bases. Rebels have claimed before that they have shot down government planes. The regime has acknowledged crashes in the past, but blamed them on mechanical failures.

Still, observers say the country is in for a bloody stalemate.

“It is evident that the regime’s increasingly violent crackdown has failed to break the will of the opposition, as robust resistance continues across the country,” said James Petretta, an analyst at Maplecroft, a British-based risk analysis company.

“At the tactical level, the regime retains the advantage although not to the extent that it is able to deal a decisive blow to the armed opposition,” he said

01/09/12

Last week, Iran reportedly dispatched more of its Revolutionary Guard shock troops to Syria to prop up its ally. And with that the Obama administration lost another of its justifications for sitting by idly as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad runs his countrymen through a meat grinder. The death toll is approaching 25,000. The White House has feared arming the Syrian opposition would only make the conflict bloodier and give the Iranians cause to commit to force. Well, the civil war has grown bloodier, and the Iranians have joined in—not because of what Obama did but because of what he didn’t do.

For Tehran, Assad’s survival is a vital national interest. That in itself should be reason enough for the White House to seize an opportunity to weaken Iran by helping remove Assad. With the Assad regime’s troops steadily depleted by defections, the White House might have moved in for the kill. Instead, the Iranians are stepping in to protect Assad. And from Tehran’s perspective, the American president virtually held the door open for them.

When Obama announced last month that Assad’s movement or use of chemical weapons was a red line that “would change my calculations significantly,” he gave the regime in Damascus and its allies carte blanche to do anything short of that to put down the uprising. Assad no doubt already understood that if he used chemical weapons against any of Syria’s neighbors, including Israel, he’d be finished. All Obama did in drawing his so-called red line was to confirm that, short of such a suicidal attack, Assad would have nothing to worry about from this administration.

31/08/12

UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday told Syria’s prime minister in Tehran on Friday that fighting must stop in Syria “with the primary responsibility resting on the government to halt its use of heavy weapons.”

In the meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, Ban said he set out “my demands for all sides to cease all forms of violence,” with Damascus bearing the greatest responsibility.

“What is important at this time is that all the parties must stop the violence. All those actors who may be providing arms to both sides… must stop,” Ban said at a news conference broadcast live on Iranian television.

The UN secretary general held his meeting with Halaqi on the sidelines of a two-day Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran that was to end on Friday.

Ban said he had asked Iran to support his call on Syria, “and I have a strong assurance from Iran that it will do so.”

He also said he had a series of meetings with joint UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who has taken over from Kofi Annan international efforts to broker peace in Syria.

The bloody conflict in Syria has claimed more than 26,000 lives since it began in March 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Iran, the principal ally of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has accused the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey of arming Syria’s rebels.

The Syrian opposition and US officials in turn allege that Iran is giving military help to Assad.

-AFP

30/08/12

Mohammed Morsi delivers his speech as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks with his foreign minister and a sound technician. Picture: Getty

AN IRANIAN attempt to win positive publicity by hosting a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement backfired when two of the most prized guests made hard-hitting opening speeches.

Mohammed Morsi, Egypt’s new Islamist president, urged member states to support ordinary Syrians battling to overthrow the “oppressive regime” of Iran’s ally president Bashar al-Assad.

Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations’ secretary-general, then denounced his Iranian hosts for their “racist” rhetoric against Israel and “outrageous attempts” to deny the Holocaust.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, opened the stormy two-day Non-Aligned Movement (Nam) summit with a speech blasting the United States as a hegemonic meddler and Israel as a regime of “Zionist wolves”. He also declared the Islamic republic would never seek nuclear weapons, which he branded a “major and unforgivable sin”.

But he insisted Iran would keep pursuing peaceful nuclear energy. “Our motto is nuclear energy for all and nuclear weapons for none,” he told some three dozen heads of state from the 120-member movement of mainly developing nations.

He also criticised the UN Security Council as an “illogical”, unjust and defunct relic of the past used by the US “to impose its bullying manner on the world”. The Council has an “utterly undemocratic structure” and is an “overt dictatorship”.

The Nam has long championed a reform of the UN to take power away from the Security Council and bolster that of the 193-member UN General Assembly, where its members are better represented.

With Mr Ban looking irritated in the audience, Ayatollah Khamenei continued: “They [Americans] talk of human rights when what they mean is western interests. They talk of democracy when what they have is military intervention in other countries.”

Next it was the turn of Mr Khamenei and Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to look stony-faced as Mr Morsi took to the podium. To their dismay, he likened the struggle of ordinary Syrians to that of Palestinians ­living under decades of Israeli occupation.

“The Palestinian and Syrian people are actively seeking freedom, dignity and human justice,” he said. The Syrian delegation, led by prime minister, Wael Nader al-Halqi, promptly walked out of the conference hall. They missed Mr Morsi adding that, “Egypt is ready to work with all to stop the bloodshed”.

He described the conflict in Syria as a “revolution” in the mould of the uprisings that ousted long-ruling autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

That narrative clashes with Iran’s assertions that the Syrian conflict is not part of the Arab Spring, but consists largely of foreign-backed “terrorists” acting on behalf of the US and its allies.

One Iranian state television channel mistranslated Mr Morsi’s remarks into Persian, giving the impression that he was actually speaking in support of Mr Assad.

Mr Morsi’s visit to Tehran was the first by an Egyptian leader since Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, signalling his determination to reclaim Egypt’s role as a key regional player. Like Mr Ban he went in defiance of Washington, which is trying to isolate Iran.

But the Egyptian’s leader’s speech in Tehran indicated he is committed to pursuing a fiercely independent path, belonging to no political axis in the region or beyond.

* Tehran positions itself as peacemaker for Syria

* Non-aligned summit chance to flex diplomatic muscle

* Lawmaker visiting Syria says Assad has “defeated” rebels

By Marcus George

DUBAI, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Iran will ask developing nations attending a summit there to back its call for a ceasefire in Syria, an official said on Wednesday, as Tehran seeks to be seen as a peacemaker in a region where its Arab neighbours often view it with suspicion.

Iran says the 120-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in its capital proves U.S. efforts to isolate it have failed. A resolution on Syria would help Tehran argue that its ties with Damascus are benign.

“Iran’s proposal to the meeting of members of the Non-Aligned Movement to solve the Syria issue is to recommend a ceasefire and the implementation of national reconciliation talks in the country,” deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

Tehran has steadfastly backed Assad since an uprising began last year, describing the president as a key part of its “axis of resistance” against Israel and Western influence in the Middle East.

Shi’ite Muslim Iran denies accusations it has helped Assad crush his opponents - mostly from the majority Sunni community. Assad is a member of the Minority Alawite faith, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.

Tehran blames the West and Sunni Muslim Gulf countries of fuelling Syria’s civil war by supporting the rebels.

Iran supported a failed U.N.-Arab League peace plan and says it should be involved in future international efforts to end the bloodshed in Syria.

“Bashar al-Assad said that any step that comes from Iran in order to solve the problem in Syria is trustworthy and acceptable,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a senior parliamentarian visiting Syria this week.

“Any plan without Bashar al-Assad is destined to fail, just like up until now it has failed,” Boroujerdi told Iran’s Fars news agency, saying Assad had “defeated” the uprising.

Iran had an important role to play in regional issues, particularly regarding Syria, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told Iranian journalists on his arrival in Tehran on Wednesday. He was due to meet both President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later in the day.

Iran’s proposal for a 3-month ceasefire has been presented for discussion by NAM foreign ministers, Abdullahian said, and its outcome will be presented at the end of the summit on Friday.

Egyptian president Mohammad Mursi - who is due to attend the summit as the first Egyptian leader in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution - is also expected to lay out further details of his own plan for Syria.

Last week, he spoke of forming a contact group comprising Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to resolve the crisis, an initiative the Iranian leadership is keen to pursue.

“When Mr. Mursi comes to Tehran we’ll see whether there will be other initiatives by NAM. We’ll have to cross our fingers and see how things move,” foreign ministry official Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh told state television on Tuesday.

But speaking to Reuters earlier this week, Mursi made a call for Assad to be removed from power, something Tehran would oppose.

Mursi’s message could also prevent the normalisation of relations between Cairo and Tehran. Diplomatic relations between the countries broke down over Egypt’s support for the Shah and its peace agreement with Israel.

In the interview, Mursi avoided answering a question on whether he intended to upgrade Egypt’s relations with Iran but indicated he would pursue a more balanced foreign policy in general.

29/08/12

By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, August 29, 7:08 AM

22/08/12

Iran appears to be supplying arms to Syria - U.N.

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Iran appears to be supplying Syria with weapons, the United Nations said on Wednesday, as the 17-month conflict that began as a popular uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad slides deeper into civil war.

The U.N. accusation backs charges by Western officials that Iran is providing funds, weapons and intelligence support to Assad in his bid to crush the opposition. Syrian rebels also say Tehran has sent Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah fighters.

“The Secretary-General has repeatedly expressed his concern about the arms flows to the two parties in Syria, which in some cases appear to violate resolution 1747 passed by this council banning arms exports under Chapter 7 authority,” U.N. political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman told the U.N. Security Council.

In a prepared copy of his speech, Feltman noted that the ban was on Iranian arms exports. Resolution 1747 bans arms exports by Iran under Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter, which allows the Security Council to authorize actions ranging from diplomatic and economic sanctions to military intervention.

The resolution was passed in response to Iran’s defiance of U.N. demands that it halt its nuclear enrichment program. Iran rejects allegations by Western nations and their allies that it is developing nuclear weapons.

Next week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will attend a summit meeting of leaders of non-aligned developing nations in Iran. He will also meet with senior Iranian officials to discuss “Iran’s nuclear program, terrorism, human rights and the crisis in Syria,” his spokesman said.

Feltman also reiterated U.N. concerns at weapons being smuggled between Lebanon and Syria.

“Both the government and the opposition are focusing on military operations and the use of force, with government forces using heavy weapons on population centers,” Feltman told the Security Council during a regular briefing on the Middle East.

“The Syrian people are suffering grievously from the appalling further militarization of this conflict,” he said.

A U.N. Security Council panel of independent experts that monitors sanctions against Iran has uncovered several examples of Iran transferring arms to Syria’s government. Damascus has accused Qatar and Saudi Arabia of arming rebels determined to topple Assad’s government.

The United Nations has said more than 18,000 people have died and some 170,000 people have fled the country as a result of the fighting in Syria. U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos has said that up to 2.5 million people in Syria needed aid.

“This conflict has taken on a particularly brutal and violent character,” Amos told a news conference in New York on Wednesday after visiting Syria and Lebanon last week.

“We face problems with access to people in need, particularly where there is intense and ongoing fighting, but funding is also holding us back. If we had more resources, we could reach more people,” she said.