Saturday, August 31, 2013

David Cameron becomes the first British Prime Minister in history to lose a vote on war. As the US and Russia deploy Battleships to the Med. Accompanied by dire warnings from Russia and China

US sends fifth destroyer to eastern Med: official

August 29, 2013

The US Navy has deployed a fifth destroyer to the eastern Mediterranean, a defense official told AFP on Thursday, as expectations grow of an imminent strike on Syria.
The USS Stout, a guided missile destroyer, is "in the Mediterranean, heading and moving east" to relieve the Mahan, said the official, who said both ships might remain in place for the time being.
Other destroyers in the region -- the Ramage, the Barry and the Gravely -- criss-cross the Mediterranean and could launch their Tomahawk missiles toward Syria if so directed by US President Barack Obama.

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Syria: Obama Meets National Security Team

The talks come as the US considers options after Britain's retreat and prepares to release intelligence on Syria's gas attack.

5:18pm UK, Friday 30 August 2013

Guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage operating in the Arabian Gulf

Video: US May Act Alone Against Syria

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President Barack Obama has been meeting his senior national security advisers at the White House to discuss plans for possible military action against Syria.

The meeting, which included US Secretary of State John Kerry, was expected to be followed by the public release of a report on intelligence the US has gathered about last week's alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria.
Washington may proceed with military action against President Bashar al Assad's regime even without allied support, US officials have said.
But they stressed no final decision has been made on America's response to the Syrian government's suspected poison gas attack, which is said to have killed hundreds of people, including civilians.
Veto-holding members of the United Nations are at odds over a draft Security Council resolution that would authorise "all necessary force" in response to the alleged gas attack.
The UK's traditional role as America's most reliable military ally was called into question when David Cameron became the first British prime minister in history to be blocked by MPs over the prospect of military action.
A chastened-looking PM, struggling to make himself heard over calls of "resign" from the opposition benches, told them "I get it" as he abandoned hopes of joining any US strike on Syria.

US President Barack Obama — Mr Obama is under pressure to provide a legal rationale for military action

Speaking after the historic defeat, the White House said Mr Obama would decide on a response to chemical weapons use in Syria based on US interests, but that Washington would continue to consult with Britain.
British chancellor George Osborne acknowledged that the inability to commit British forces to any American-led operation against Assad would damage the special relationship between Westminster and Washington.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think there will be a national soul-searching about our role in the world and whether Britain wants to play a big part in upholding the international system, be that big, open and trading nation that I like us to be, or whether we turn our back on that."
Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said the relationship between Britain and the US was "bruised but not broken". "I don't think there's a divorce on the cards, a bit of bickering perhaps," he added.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, speaking on a trip to the Philippines, said: "It is the goal of President Obama and our government ... whatever decision is taken, that it be an international collaboration and effort."
America is mulling whether to strike Syria without UN backing despite some of the more hawkish figures in the US cautioning against military action.
Former president, George W Bush, told Fox News Mr Obama had a "tough choice to make" but would not be drawn on what he should do.
He added: "I was not a fan of Mr Assad. He's an ally of Iran and has made mischief."

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Syria: Osborne Defends Cameron After Vote

The Chancellor hails the decision to recall Parliament, despite it leading to a major defeat as MPs rejected military action.

11:01am UK, Friday 30 August 2013

Video: Osborne denies vote hurt Cameron

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The UK has ruled out military action against Syria as David Cameron became the first British Prime Minister in history to lose a vote on war. Jon Craig reports.

Video: David Cameron loses the Syria Commons vote

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George Osborne has defended David Cameron's decision to recall Parliament after the Prime Minister's shock defeat over Syria.

The Chancellor hailed the move despite it leading to the rejection of the principle of military action and a serious blow to Mr Cameron's authority.
The Prime Minister had urged MPs to support intervention, calling last week's atrocity in Damascus "abhorrent" and the cause of "sickening human suffering".
But he was left humiliated after 39 Tory rebels and nine Liberal Democrats joined with Labour to oppose the Government and won by 285 votes to 272.
Mr Osborne admitted the surprise result would prompt "national soul-searching" about Britain's role on the world stage.
But he insisted talk of significant damage to Britain's special relationship to the US was "hyperbole", saying the White House had shown a "lot of understanding".

Protesters outside Parliament as MPs debate action — Anti-war protesters outside Parliament during the debate

"David Cameron is, I think, pretty much the first prime minister who would ever have gone to the House of Commons to get consent for this kind of limited military action," he said.
"There are plenty of prime ministers before him who didn't. He didn't have to, constitutionally, but he wanted to.
"That partly reflects the world we live in, post-Iraq, it's a political reality, but it also reflects David Cameron's very strong belief in the importance of Parliament and the importance of trying to achieve some kind of consensus rather than trying to divide opinion."
Mr Osborne added that he understood the "deep scepticism" about intervention but said: "I hope this doesn't become a moment where we turn our back on all of the world's problems."
One of the Tory rebels, former minister Crispin Blunt, described the effect on Mr Cameron's reputation as a "temporary blip".
"He has done a huge amount to repair the reputation of the institution of Parliament, having learned the lessons from Tony Blair and the experience of 2003 and Iraq," he said.
"He exposed himself to the potential for defeat last night because of the way he manages Parliament. That is to his eternal credit."

U.N. chemical weapons experts wearing gas masks carry samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighbourhood of Damascus — UN inspectors investigating the attack this week

Former British Army chief General Lord Dannatt called the vote a "victory for common sense" and said the "drumbeat for war" had dwindled among the British public in recent days.
But a despondent Lord Ashdown told Sky News: "I fear as I wake up this morning that our country is a hugely, hugely diminished country.

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Syria: Russia And US Send Warships To Med

Russia is said to be deploying warships as the US boosts its military capacity in the region with a guided missile destroyer.

8:07pm UK, Thursday 29 August 2013

Video: Syria: Talks As Military Prepares
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The USS Stout is seen in Georgia's Black Sea

The USS Stout is 'in the Mediterannean'

Russia and the US have sent further warships to boost their military capacity in the Mediterannean as expectations grow of an imminent strike on Syria.
Syria's ally Russia is sending an anti-submarine ship and a missile cruiser to the Mediterranean, according to Russian news agency Interfax.
An armed forces source reportedly said the planned deployment was in response to the "well-known situation" - a clear reference to the conflict in Syria.
The navy has denied the deployment is linked to events in Syria, saying it is part of a planned rotation of its ships in the Mediterranean.

U.N. chemical weapons experts wearing gas masks carry samples collected from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack while escorted by Free Syrian Army fighters in the Ain Tarma neighbourhood of Damascus — UN inspectors continue their investigations but will leave on Friday

In the US, a defence official has said a fifth destroyer, the USS Stout, has been deployed to the Mediterranean and is "heading and moving east".
The guided missile destroyer is due to relieve the Mahan, but both ships might remain in place for the time being, the official said.
Other destroyers in the region - the Ramage, the Barry and the Gravely - criss-cross the Mediterranean and could launch their Tomahawk missiles toward Syria if so directed by US President Barack Obama.

President Assad of Syria — President Assad was shown on state TV meeting Yemeni politicians

As military action inched closer, Syrian President Bashar al Assad's forces removed several Scud missiles and dozens of launchers from a base north of Damascus, possibly to protect them from bombardment, opposition sources claimed.
The White House said it is on track to release an unclassified intelligence report on Syria this week, although the information is not a "slam-dunk" that will make an open and shut case for military action.
A spokesman added that what the US is contemplating in terms of its response is "very discrete and limited".
Russia and the US have taken part in an "urgent" meeting of the five permanent UN Security Council members in New York - the second such meeting in two days.
Russia is strongly against any military intervention in Syria, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believing it would seriously destabilise the region.

Sergei Lavrov — Mr Lavrov has warned against an attack without Security Council approval

Mr Lavrov has said any attack without UN Security Council approval would be a "crude violation" of international law.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has spoken to German leader Angela Merkel by phone, with the pair agreeing the Syrian conflict can be solved politically, the chancellor's spokesman said.

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