Friday, September 13, 2013

U.N. Team Finds No Proof of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria, Sec-Gen Claims Otherwise.

The report of a U.N. weapons inspection team finds that Assad forces have plenty to answer for but can't be shown responsible for chemical attacks.

"On the evidence currently available, it was not possible to reach a finding about the chemical agents used, their delivery systems or the perpetrators," the team probing human rights violations in Syria said in its latest report on Wednesday.

It was clear however that "the majority of casualties result from unlawful attacks using conventional weapons," the Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in a statement.

 Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad's regime "have continued to conduct widespread attacks on the civilian population, committing murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearance as crimes against humanity," according to the report, which covers the period from May 15 to July 15.

But wait, there's more.  BBC News is reporting that U.N. Sec-Gen Ban Moon now says that a report due next week will "overwhelmingly" confirm that chemical weapons were used in Syria last month.


Mr Ban said the UN findings would be "an overwhelming report that chemical weapons were used".

Mr Ban made no comment on blame but did say that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had "carried out many crimes against humanity".

"Therefore, I'm sure that there will be surely the process of accountability when everything is over," Mr Ban said.

8 comments:

Lorne said...

How inconvenient, Mound, for the American war machine.

Anyong said...

Oh well. Killing them all off (Middle East) is the answer no doubt. Let's make the ME even more desirous of revenge. Then, we can defeat them (how and with what?)and be in a position of exclaiming how great we are.

The Mound of Sound said...

Except, Anyong, that our existing efforts to defeat them haven't worked out all that well.

Anyong said...

What can I say in reply to your reply to my comment. You are quite right. These days I find myself gritting my teeth due to the stupidity of not only we but that bunch in Russia...they don't have a head nor leg to stand on....China, also without heed toward the human race...and the Middle East, pandering to get its way through religious exploitation. Returning to Mexico to teach is going to do it for me either.

Anyong said...

is Not going to do it for me either.

Purple library guy said...

The Russians have little choice. The only thing I fault them for lately is their domestic politics--gay bashing, union busting and so on and so forth.

But in terms of geopolitical stuff, the US has been doing its best to encircle Russia since the Yeltsin years when Russia was ready, no eager, to be special lapdog friends. The Americans made assurances that NATO wouldn't expand eastwards, then busily expanded NATO so much they were threatening to have their military alliance right up against Russia's borders. There was talk of bringing Georgia in, for crying out loud! And then there's the ongoing saga of "missile defense", AKA "We want to be able to do an unanswerable nuclear first strike on Russia".

So Russia woke up and got some people running the place with some intent to preserve Russia as an independent power, and that required pushing for multipolarity and generally getting back in the game. If the Americans had been able to restrain their urge to try to dominate the whole damned world enough to keep their word for even a few years and let the Russians feel a little secure in their back yard, they wouldn't be having this problem.

The Mound of Sound said...

We're on the same page, PLG. Bush/Cheney were so intent on marching NATO right up to the Russian border that they were heedless of the inevitable, eventual response. If there is any country with reason to be paranoid about security of its frontiers it has to be Russia.

Now the SCO is moving to fill the geopolitical voids created by America's decline. They're looking for an alliance that will stretch from the Arctic to the Mediterranean via the Pacific, the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. It's a New World Order alright.

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iiv-6fMKyY