There is a reason I like Mr Lavrov- Lavrov: West may use ISIS as pretext to bomb Syrian govt forcesThe West absolutely is using ISIS as a pretext to justify bombing Syria's army and it's sovereign territory- You have all been reading that from me for a while now. Same as they used ISIS as a pretext for regime change in Iraq...Sergei LavrovFlashback! August 28/14- ISIS = Smoke & Mirrors. Giving cover now for strikes on Syria Lavrov from RT
If the West bombs Islamic State militants in Syria without consulting Damascus, the anti-ISIS alliance may use the occasion to launch airstrikes against President Bashar Assad’s forces, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
“There are reasons to suspect that air strikes on Syrian territory may target not only areas controlled by Islamic State militants, but the government troops may also be attacked on the quiet to weaken the positions of Bashar Assad’s army,” Lavrov said Tuesday.
Such a development would lead to a huge escalation of conflict in the Middle East and North Africa, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow after a meeting with the foreign minister of Mali. Moscow is urging the West to respect international law and undertake such acts only with the approval of the legitimate government of a state, Lavrov said.
“Not a single country should have its own plans on such issues. There can be only combined, collective, univocal actions. Only this way can a result be achieved,” he said.
"Moscow has repeatedly voiced its readiness to cooperate with Washington in countering terrorism, Lavrov said.
Secretary of State John Kerry, in response, has proposed that the US, Russia and countries in the region cooperate to work out “a balance of interests so that they could eliminate terrorism threat,” he added. “However, this hasn’t got beyond words,” Lavrov said.
"We have repeatedly suggested to the US, the EU and leading European states to realize the extent of this threat. We have called on the UN to resolutely condemn terrorist attacks staged by Islamists in Syria. But we were told that it was Bashar Assad’s politics that gave rise to terrorism, and that denouncing such acts was possible only alongside with the demand for his resignation,” Lavrov said.
In Moscow’s view, this represents “a double standard” and an attempt to justify terrorism.
Up until the Syrian conflict, Russia and the West were unanimous that terrorism cannot be justified “no matter what motive was behind them,” Lavrov said. But in case with Syria the West had a “different, two-faced stance.” It was only when the terrorism threat which originated in Libya crept to Lebanon and then Iraq that Western countries realized it was time to deal with that, Lavrov said.
“Having admitted it with a huge delay, western partners for some reason think that this threat should be eliminated on the territory of Iraq, while on the territory of Syria it might be left to the consideration of those who conduct the operation,” Lavrov said.
The US agreed its airstrikes against Islamic State militants on Iraqi territory with Baghdad, Lavrov said. However, “it was rumored… no such permission was required from the government of Syria because they claim ‘Assad should resign and his regime should be overthrown’.”
O-bomba: Noble Peace Prize winner- Prime Time war mongering-readiness to strike Syria Obombin' everything in sight
President Obama appears prepared to authorize U.S. military airstrikes in Syria as part of a more intensive campaign to defeat the Islamic State, and the White House does not believe it needs formal congressional approval to take action, according to people who have spoken with the president in recent days.Obama discussed his plans in a dinner with a bipartisan group of foreign policy experts Monday night at the White House and made clear he believes he has the authority to attack the militant Islamist group on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border in order to protect U.S national security.
"This is not an organization that respects international boundaries," said Flournoy, who left the Obama administration in 2012 and now serves as chief executive of the Center for a New American Security. "You cannot leave them with a safe haven. ... I expect him to be very candid."
Not an organization that respects international boundaries? ISIS? Or NATO led by the US?Applicable in both instances And here is a thought left by a commenter - Obama's speech 9:00 EST- what time and date will in Syria?It will be September 11/14, in Syria, if the bombs begin dropping as Obama speaks or shortly thereafter.
AnonymousSeptember 9, 2014 at 11:23 AMSomething else. Obama speech 9pm local NY DC time is 4am 9-11-14Libya strikes circa 1986 2am strike time local
Recall I had said it bugged me that Obama was waiting for Sept 10 to make his speech?9/11 reinforcement was my concern.OK, lots of news ongoing Don't miss, please- I have been grabbing as much news as I possibly can since yesterday morningNATO- Global Terrorizer & Pepe catches up to Penny on NATO's jihadists Russian threat with an MH-17 update Obama said to push Syrian no fly zone with prodding from the fox at the hen house,Turkey.From "cancer" to "House of Blood". NATO media is meme generating for yet more war!