World leaders pressure Obama over Syria at G-20
Published: Friday, 6 Sep 2013 | 1:50 AM ET
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101013458
U.S. President Barack Obama faced growing
pressure from Russia's Vladimir Putin and other world leaders on
Thursday to decide against launching military strikes in Syria, which
many of them fear would hurt the global economy and push up oil prices.
At a summit of the Group of 20 (G-20)
developed and developing economies in St. Petersburg, Putin greeted
Obama with a thin smile and a businesslike handshake, a clear sign of
the strains between them over how to respond to a chemical weapons
attack in Syria.
Obama also wore a stiff smile before talks began over dinner on the world economy and then on Syria, and there was none of the arm clutching or hugs between the two presidents that is typical of such occasions.
(Read more: Together again, Obama and Putin are "odd couple" at summit)
The rift over Syria overshadowed the discussions on how to revive growth but not before splits emerged within the group over a U.S. plan to wind down an economic stimulus program. The G20 accounts for two thirds of the world's population and 90 percent of its output.
The first round at the summit went to Putin, as China, the European Union, the BRICS emerging economies and a letter from Pope Francis all warned of the dangers of military intervention in Syria without the approval of the U.N. Security Council.
"Military action would have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price - it will cause a hike in the oil price," Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon later told the leaders over the dinner in a tsarist-era seafront palace that any military action must have the Security Council's backing.
"Let us remember: every day that we lose is a day when scores of innocent civilians die," his office quoted him as saying. "There is no military solution."
(Read more: G-20 sets sights on corporate tax evaders)
Obama blames forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the August 21 poison gas attack in the Damascus suburbs that killed up to 1,400 people. Moscow says Obama has not proven that claim and says rebel forces may have carried it out.
In New York, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power left no doubt that Washington had given up trying to work with the U.N. Security Council over the attack.
She said there was "no viable path forward in this Security Council" and accused Russia of holding it hostage. Moscow has signaled it would veto any resolution on the use of force unless Washington produced stronger proof.
Obama has asked the U.S. Congress to approve military action and France has said it is ready to support U.S. intervention.
Showing he was undeterred by the criticism, Obama said before talks with Japan's prime minister on the sidelines of the summit that using chemical arms was "not only a tragedy but also a violation of international law that must be addressed."
Obama also wore a stiff smile before talks began over dinner on the world economy and then on Syria, and there was none of the arm clutching or hugs between the two presidents that is typical of such occasions.
(Read more: Together again, Obama and Putin are "odd couple" at summit)
The rift over Syria overshadowed the discussions on how to revive growth but not before splits emerged within the group over a U.S. plan to wind down an economic stimulus program. The G20 accounts for two thirds of the world's population and 90 percent of its output.
The first round at the summit went to Putin, as China, the European Union, the BRICS emerging economies and a letter from Pope Francis all warned of the dangers of military intervention in Syria without the approval of the U.N. Security Council.
"Military action would have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price - it will cause a hike in the oil price," Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon later told the leaders over the dinner in a tsarist-era seafront palace that any military action must have the Security Council's backing.
"Let us remember: every day that we lose is a day when scores of innocent civilians die," his office quoted him as saying. "There is no military solution."
(Read more: G-20 sets sights on corporate tax evaders)
Obama blames forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the August 21 poison gas attack in the Damascus suburbs that killed up to 1,400 people. Moscow says Obama has not proven that claim and says rebel forces may have carried it out.
In New York, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power left no doubt that Washington had given up trying to work with the U.N. Security Council over the attack.
She said there was "no viable path forward in this Security Council" and accused Russia of holding it hostage. Moscow has signaled it would veto any resolution on the use of force unless Washington produced stronger proof.
Obama has asked the U.S. Congress to approve military action and France has said it is ready to support U.S. intervention.
Showing he was undeterred by the criticism, Obama said before talks with Japan's prime minister on the sidelines of the summit that using chemical arms was "not only a tragedy but also a violation of international law that must be addressed."
Alexei Danichev | Host Photo Agency | Getty Images
Aides said he would set out his views at the leaders' dinner and hoped to build support for military action, although they acknowledged a consensus might be hard to find.
(Read more: Grip and grin: Obama, Putin in awkward handshake)
Long after midnight, there was still no word from officials on how the dinner discussion had gone.
Putin was isolated on Syria at a Group of Eight meeting in June, the last big summit of world powers, but could now turn the tables on Obama, who recently likened him to a "bored kid in the back of the classroom" who slouches at meetings.
Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, portrayed the "camp of supporters of a strike on Syria" as divided, and said: "It is impossible to say that very many states support the idea of a military operation."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel saw no chance of agreement between Putin and Obama on Syria. U.S.-Russian ties have long been strained by political differences but went into free fall when Russia harbored Edward Snowden, a former spy agency contractor who leaked details of U.S. intelligence programs.
Any G20 decision on Syria would not be binding but Putin would like to see a consensus to avert military action in what would mark a significant - but unlikely - personal triumph for the Russian leader.
Loss of harmony
The G20 achieved unprecedented cooperation between developed and emerging nations to stave off economic collapse during the 2009 financial crisis, but the harmony has since waned.
Member states are at odds as the U.S. recovery gains pace, Europe lags, and developing economies worry about the impact of the Federal Reserve's plans to stop a bond-buying program that has helped kick-start the U.S. economy.
"Our main task is returning the global economy towards steady and balanced growth. This task has unfortunately not been resolved," Putin said. "Therefore systemic risks, the conditions for an acute crisis relapse, persist."
(Read more: Selling Syria: White House makes its case to Congress for an attack)
The BRICS agreed to commit $100 billion to a currency reserve pool that could help defend against a balance of payments crisis, although the mechanism will take time to set up.
There is likely to be an agreement on measures to fight tax evasion by multinational companies at the summit in the spectacular, 18th-century Peterhof palace complex, built on the orders of Tsar Peter the Great.
An initiative will be presented on refining regulation of the $630-trillion global market for financial derivatives to prevent a possible blow-up.
Steps to give the so-called "shadow banking" sector until 2015 to comply with new global rules will also be discussed.
Syria: Obama calls for backing, as Europe urges delay
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101017045
Sergey Guneev | Getty Images
U.S. President Barack Obama
President Barack Obama urged Americans on Saturday to back him in launching an attack on Syria, as diplomatic pressure grew on the United States to wait for a U.N. report expected in a week's time before beginning military action.
Fresh from a European trip in which he failed to forge a consensus among global leaders, Obama plunged into a campaign on radio and television to try to convince a skeptical U.S. public and Congress of the need for a military strike on Syria.
In Europe, pressure increased for delay. European Union foreign ministers meeting in Lithuania on Saturday blamed the August 21 chemical weapons attack in Syria on President Bashar al-Assad's government. But they did not endorse military action and made clear the bloc wanted the United Nations to have a role in agreeing on an international response.
Pope Francis, who two days ago branded a military solution in Syria "a futile pursuit," led the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in a global day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria, the Middle East and the world.
Obama, clearly still the reluctant
warrior who rose to political prominence on his opposition to the Iraq
war, emphasized he favored limited strikes on Syria to deter future
chemical weapons attacks - not another costly and protracted conflict.
"This would not be another Iraq or Afghanistan," Obama declared in his weekly radio address, previewing arguments he will make in a nationally televised address on Tuesday.
(Read more: Obama insists Syria 'not another Iraq or Afghanistan')
"I know that the American people are weary after a decade of war, even as the war in Iraq has ended, and the war in Afghanistan is winding down. That's why we're not putting our troops in the middle of somebody else's war," Obama said.
Obama will give interviews on Monday to the three network news anchors, as well as PBS, CNN and Fox News, more evidence of a "full-court press" strategy before pivotal congressional votes on military strikes in Syria.
The interviews will air during each network's Monday evening news broadcast, the White House said.
Lawmakers returning to Washington after a summer break say many of their constituents have told them they do not think the United States should respond militarily to the August chemical weapons attack that Washington blames on Assad's government.
The Obama administration says over 1,400 people were killed by the poison gas, hundreds of them children. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll said 56 percent of Americans believed the United States should not intervene in Syria; 19 percent backed action.
Obama is seeking congressional approval for a strike, but early vote-count estimates do not look encouraging for the president, with scores of lawmakers still undecided. The Senate is expected to take action next week. The House of Representatives will vote later, but the time is not set.
As the White House cranked up its campaign, CNN showed excerpts on Saturday from the gruesome aftermath of the attack taken from a DVD shown to lawmakers and compiled from publicly available videos on YouTube and other internet sites.
Pressure rises for delay in Europe
Many EU governments have expressed reservations about using military force to punish Assad, now fighting a 2-1/2-year battle against rebels in which more than 100,000 people have died.
In a carefully worded message, the foreign ministers of 28 EU governments stopped short of endorsing possible U.S. and French military action against Syria ahead of the U.N. report.
(Read more: Obama steps up campaign to sway Congress on Syria)
French President Francois Hollande said the report could be made public at the end of next week and he suggested that France might then wish to take the matter to the U.N. Security Council, a step that could further delay any action.
"When the (U.S.) Congress will have voted on Thursday or Friday and when we will have the inspectors' report, likely at the end of the week, a decision will have to be made, including after possibly referring the matter to the United Nations (Security Council)," Hollande said, speaking from the southeastern city of Nice after a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart.
An iFop poll published in Le Figaro on Saturday found that 64 percent of the French opposed any kind of international military intervention in Syria, up 19 percentage points in just one week, with even more - 68 percent - opposing a French intervention in the war-torn country.
A senior Obama administration official suggested on Friday that the White House could wait for a U.N. inspectors' report on chemical arms use in Syria before ordering U.S. naval forces gathered in the Mediterranean to hit Syria.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who was also in Lithuania, said later that Obama had made no decisions about waiting for the U.N. inspectors and was keeping options open.
Apart from anything else, delay in attacking Syria might help the White House gather more support in Congress and among public opinion.
The senior official told reporters that during Obama's discussions with other G20 leaders in Russia on Friday on the timing of any military response to the Syrian crisis, it was apparent that "a number of countries feel it's important that the U.N. inspectors have time to report back their findings first.
"That's entirely consistent with our timetable," the official said. Final votes in Congress could come after the U.N. report is announced.
Scrambling for votes
Supporters of military action scrambled for votes in Congress. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Saturday sent her fifth letter to Democratic lawmakers urging them to back Obama, noting that Congress had voted overwhelmingly to condemn Syria's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction a decade ago.
(Read more: Syria focus will fan flames of September volatility)
The influential pro-Israel group AIPAC said it planned a major lobbying effort next week to try to round up support for military action, with about 250 activists in Washington to meet senators and representatives.
But it was unclear whether the effort was working.
Senator Mark Pryor, a member of the president's Democratic Party, who is running for re-election next year, said on Saturday he would not support action against Syria at this time.
Pryor said that before U.S. military action is taken, the administration must prove a compelling national security interest, define the mission and build a "true" coalition of participating allies - criteria he said had not been met.
Outside the White House, about 200 opponents of U.S. action in Syria gathered on Saturday, chanting, "Hands Off Syria" and waving signs that read: "Tell Congress: no war on Syria."
"The American people are tired of war. The government is not," said retired teacher Andra Sufi, 66, of northern Virginia, who was dressed in white and carried a rainbow "Peace" flag.
In New York, tourists entering St. Patrick's Cathedral said they were frightened and depressed by events.
Beth Alberty, a 72-year-old retired museum curator taking part in a Times Square protest against U.S. military action, said she was disappointed in Obama. "This is completely against what he campaigned on in regard to Iraq. And the arguments are very much the same it seems to me in this case. We are creating a reason to go in," she said.
Democratic congressional aides said Obama's planned speech to the nation on Tuesday and briefings that top members of Obama's national security team will give to the entire House on Monday would prove pivotal in the thinking of many lawmakers.
But Republican Representative Justin Amash, who opposes U.S. intervention in Syria, suggested classified briefings would make no difference. "If Americans could read classified docs, they'd be even more against Syria action," he tweeted.
"This would not be another Iraq or Afghanistan," Obama declared in his weekly radio address, previewing arguments he will make in a nationally televised address on Tuesday.
(Read more: Obama insists Syria 'not another Iraq or Afghanistan')
"I know that the American people are weary after a decade of war, even as the war in Iraq has ended, and the war in Afghanistan is winding down. That's why we're not putting our troops in the middle of somebody else's war," Obama said.
Obama will give interviews on Monday to the three network news anchors, as well as PBS, CNN and Fox News, more evidence of a "full-court press" strategy before pivotal congressional votes on military strikes in Syria.
The interviews will air during each network's Monday evening news broadcast, the White House said.
Lawmakers returning to Washington after a summer break say many of their constituents have told them they do not think the United States should respond militarily to the August chemical weapons attack that Washington blames on Assad's government.
The Obama administration says over 1,400 people were killed by the poison gas, hundreds of them children. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll said 56 percent of Americans believed the United States should not intervene in Syria; 19 percent backed action.
Obama is seeking congressional approval for a strike, but early vote-count estimates do not look encouraging for the president, with scores of lawmakers still undecided. The Senate is expected to take action next week. The House of Representatives will vote later, but the time is not set.
As the White House cranked up its campaign, CNN showed excerpts on Saturday from the gruesome aftermath of the attack taken from a DVD shown to lawmakers and compiled from publicly available videos on YouTube and other internet sites.
Pressure rises for delay in Europe
Many EU governments have expressed reservations about using military force to punish Assad, now fighting a 2-1/2-year battle against rebels in which more than 100,000 people have died.
In a carefully worded message, the foreign ministers of 28 EU governments stopped short of endorsing possible U.S. and French military action against Syria ahead of the U.N. report.
(Read more: Obama steps up campaign to sway Congress on Syria)
French President Francois Hollande said the report could be made public at the end of next week and he suggested that France might then wish to take the matter to the U.N. Security Council, a step that could further delay any action.
"When the (U.S.) Congress will have voted on Thursday or Friday and when we will have the inspectors' report, likely at the end of the week, a decision will have to be made, including after possibly referring the matter to the United Nations (Security Council)," Hollande said, speaking from the southeastern city of Nice after a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart.
An iFop poll published in Le Figaro on Saturday found that 64 percent of the French opposed any kind of international military intervention in Syria, up 19 percentage points in just one week, with even more - 68 percent - opposing a French intervention in the war-torn country.
A senior Obama administration official suggested on Friday that the White House could wait for a U.N. inspectors' report on chemical arms use in Syria before ordering U.S. naval forces gathered in the Mediterranean to hit Syria.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who was also in Lithuania, said later that Obama had made no decisions about waiting for the U.N. inspectors and was keeping options open.
Apart from anything else, delay in attacking Syria might help the White House gather more support in Congress and among public opinion.
The senior official told reporters that during Obama's discussions with other G20 leaders in Russia on Friday on the timing of any military response to the Syrian crisis, it was apparent that "a number of countries feel it's important that the U.N. inspectors have time to report back their findings first.
"That's entirely consistent with our timetable," the official said. Final votes in Congress could come after the U.N. report is announced.
Scrambling for votes
Supporters of military action scrambled for votes in Congress. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Saturday sent her fifth letter to Democratic lawmakers urging them to back Obama, noting that Congress had voted overwhelmingly to condemn Syria's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction a decade ago.
(Read more: Syria focus will fan flames of September volatility)
The influential pro-Israel group AIPAC said it planned a major lobbying effort next week to try to round up support for military action, with about 250 activists in Washington to meet senators and representatives.
But it was unclear whether the effort was working.
Senator Mark Pryor, a member of the president's Democratic Party, who is running for re-election next year, said on Saturday he would not support action against Syria at this time.
Pryor said that before U.S. military action is taken, the administration must prove a compelling national security interest, define the mission and build a "true" coalition of participating allies - criteria he said had not been met.
Outside the White House, about 200 opponents of U.S. action in Syria gathered on Saturday, chanting, "Hands Off Syria" and waving signs that read: "Tell Congress: no war on Syria."
"The American people are tired of war. The government is not," said retired teacher Andra Sufi, 66, of northern Virginia, who was dressed in white and carried a rainbow "Peace" flag.
In New York, tourists entering St. Patrick's Cathedral said they were frightened and depressed by events.
Beth Alberty, a 72-year-old retired museum curator taking part in a Times Square protest against U.S. military action, said she was disappointed in Obama. "This is completely against what he campaigned on in regard to Iraq. And the arguments are very much the same it seems to me in this case. We are creating a reason to go in," she said.
Democratic congressional aides said Obama's planned speech to the nation on Tuesday and briefings that top members of Obama's national security team will give to the entire House on Monday would prove pivotal in the thinking of many lawmakers.
But Republican Representative Justin Amash, who opposes U.S. intervention in Syria, suggested classified briefings would make no difference. "If Americans could read classified docs, they'd be even more against Syria action," he tweeted.
Obama will address country on Syria; calls crisis 'threat to global peace'
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/06/20354377-obama-will-address-country-on-syria-calls-crisis-threat-to-global-peace?lite
President
Obama announced that he will address the nation on the eve of the 12th
anniversary of 9/11 to explain why he thinks the U.S. should intervene
in the Syrian civil war. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
ST.
PETERSBURG, Russia — President Barack Obama, facing hardened
international opposition to a strike against Syria and returning home to
a skeptical American public, will address the country Tuesday to make
his case.
Obama made the announcement Friday at a press conference
before leaving a summit of the Group of 20 world powers in Russia. He
said that Syria’s use of chemical weapons “isn’t just a Syrian tragedy.
It’s a threat to global peace and security.”
Obama cast military action in Syria as critical to upholding the world’s prohibition on chemical weapons.
“I want people to understand that gassing innocent people, delivering
chemical weapons against children, is not something we do,” the
president said. “It’s prohibited in active wars between countries. We
certainly don’t do it against kids.”
The United States says that Assad, more than two years into a civil
war, gassed 1,400 people to death, including more than 400 children,
in a rebel-controlled neighborhood Aug. 21.
“Obviously, my
preference would be against to act internationally, in a serious way,
and to make sure that Mr. Assad gets the message,” Obama said. “I’m not
itching for military action.”
Obama said that he would tell
Congress and the public in coming days that any American strike would be
“limited and proportionate.” He did not directly answer a question
about whether he would go forward with an attack without the approval of
Congress.
President
Obama has ordered the military to come up with a wider range of options
to hit Syria harder than originally planned. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski
reports.
Military officials on Friday told NBC News that the
White House asked the Pentagon for an expanded list of potential
targets in Syria, and one senior official warned that it could represent
“mission creep.” Asked about the report in St. Petersburg, Obama called
it “inaccurate” and declined to elaborate.
The G-20 gathering was
meant to focus on economic matters but overshadowed by the crisis in
Syria. Obama said that most leaders agreed with him that Assad launched a
chemical attack but were divided about whether to respond with force.
As
the summit concluded, the Turkish prime minister said “almost all” the
leaders there agreed on the need for some action against Syria. And the
French president said he backed Obama’s call for an American-led strike.
But
there were no signs of any broad consensus. Obama met with Russian
President Vladimir Putin, an Assad ally, for 20 minutes on Friday, but
Putin said their positions had come no closer.
“We understood each
other, we listened to each other,” Putin said. “We didn’t agree with
each other's arguments, but we could hear them. We tried to find an
agreement towards a peaceful settlement of this crisis.”
The
Italian prime minister suggested that Obama’s pitch had failed to break
the deadlock over the issue, posting on Twitter after dinner that “the
divisions about Syria were confirmed.” And China repeated its
opposition.
“A political solution is the only right way out for
the Syrian crisis, and a military strike cannot solve the problem from
the root,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping said, according to state news. “We
expect certain countries to have a second thought before action.”
Ben
Rhodes, a White House spokesman, said as the summit concluded that
Obama never expected consensus “if Russia, for instance, is at the
table.” He said that the goal was still to get the most nations possible
behind a response.
“We believe that there are a majority of
countries here who understand the importance of the issue, understand
who is accountable for the use of chemical weapons, and appreciate that
there needs to be international response,” he said.
U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power says, "We assess that
although Assad used more chemical weapons on Aug. 21 than he had before,
he has barely put a dent in hisenormous stockpile.''
In
Washington on Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha
Power said that Assad had barely dented his stockpile of chemical
weapons.
"We assess that although Assad used more chemical weapons on Aug. 21 than he had before, he has barely put a dent in his enormous stockpile,'' she said at the Center for American Progress think tank in Washington.
"We
have exhausted the alternatives'' to military action, she said, adding
that Assad must have weighed the fact that Russia would back him in the
controversy over his alleged use of chemical weapons and it was naive to
think Russia would change its stance.
Obama returns to face a
deeply skeptical public and an uncertain future for any vote by the
full houses of Congress on authorization of military action. The Senate
Foreign Relations Committee narrowly passed authorization earlier this
week.
Both liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans have
come out against intervention, and polls show that the American public
has strong reservations about further U.S. involvement in the Middle
East.
“I knew this was gonna be a heavy lift,” Obama said in St.
Petersburg. “For the American people, who have been through over a
decade of war now, with enormous sacrifice in blood and treasure, any
hint of further military entanglements in the Middle East are gonna be
viewed with suspicion.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was one of the yes votes in the
Foreign Relations Committee, faced hostile questions from constituents
at a town hall-style meeting on Thursday.
Sen. Harry Reid,
majority leader in the Democratic-controlled Senate, told reporters he
believed a resolution to strike Syria would get 60 votes — the necessary
number to overcome a filibuster — but said it was “a work in progress.”
He invoked the gassing of tens of thousands during World War I, the
catalyst for world opposition to chemical weapons.
“That’s why the
international community, rarely agreed on anything, but they agreed
that this was wrong,” he said. “If this doesn’t call for a response, I
don't know what does.”
The United States has essentially given up
on winning approval for a strike from the United Nations Security
Council, where China and Russia are permanent members and each hold veto
power.
Meanwhile, the State Department withdrew all non-emergency
Embassy workers and their families from Beirut, Lebanon, a step it said
it was taking “given the current situation in Syria” and potential
threats to American interests.
The State Department also gave
Embassy workers in part of Turkey the option to leave. The department
issued a warning on Thursday against all non-essential travel by U.S.
citizens to Iraq because of concern about kidnapping and terrorist
violence.
Kasie Hunt, Claudio Lavanga, Kelly O’Donnell and
Chuck Todd of NBC News and Reuters contributed to this report. Erin
McClam reported from New York and Alastair Jamieson from London.
MENGAPA OBAMA "MENGKERET"?
http://cahyono-adi.blogspot.com/2013/09/mengapa-obama-mengkeret.html#.Ui3P71IxVkg
Setelah berkoar-koar tentang kepastian serangan militer terhadap Syria,
Presiden Amerika Barack Obama tiba-tiba saja "mengkeret" dengan
mengatakan bahwa keputusan menyerang Syria harus mendapat persetujuan
terlebih dahulu dari badan legislatif (Congress).
Apa yang sebenarnya terjadi? Bukankah dahulu Amerika tidak memerlukan dukungan Congress untuk menyerang Afghanistan, Irak dan Libya? Bahkan persetujuan DK PBB pun tidak diperlukannya. Jawabannya tidak lain adalah keteguhan sikap sekutu-sekutu Syria Hizbollah, Iran dan Rusia untuk membela Syria mati-matian.
Ceritanya terjadi sebelum peristiwa serangan senjata kimia di pinggiran Damaskus tgl 21 Agustus lalu yang diduga kuat dilakukan oleh agen-agen Israel dan Saudi, atau setelah kemenangan beruntun pasukan regim Syria di Qusayr, Homs dan Latakia dan tengah dalam posisi offensif terhadap posisi-posisi pemberontak di sekitar Damaskus.
Melihat ancaman kekalahan total pemberontak yang sudah di depan mata, para diplomat Amerika, Eropa dan Saudi pun sibuk melakukan pendekatan kepada Rusia dan Iran untuk membujuk mereka menghentikan dukungannya kepada pemerintah Syria. Kepada Rusia, kepala inteligen Saudi Pangeran Bandar menawarkan konsesi ekonomi yang menggiurkan ditambah ancaman pengerahan teroris untuk mengacaukan keamanan domestik Rusia. Sementara kepada Iran, Jeffrey Feltman, mantan diplomat senior Amerika yang bekerja untuk PBB menawarkan penghentian sanksi ekonomi dan imunitas bagi program nuklir Iran.
Kepada Rusia juga ditawarkan untuk menentukan sendiri pengganti Bashar al Assad sebagai presiden jika yang bersangkutan berhasil digulingkan. Namun bujukan-bujukan yang disertai ancaman itu tidak menggoyahkan sikap Rusia dan Iran. Maka Amerika dan sekutu-sekutunya beralih ke rencana alternatif, yaitu serangan militer.
Untuk memberi jalan bagi pilihan tersebut, dilakukanlah operasi inteligen yang oleh senator Amerika Ron Paul, disebut operasi "false flag", berupa serangan senjata kimia di Ghouta dan beberapa kawasan lain di luar kota Damaskus. Hanya satu jam setelah serangan itu, media-media massa barat sudah mengekspos insiden tersebut disertai tuduhan regim Syria sebagai pelaku serangan disusul kemudian oleh kecaman bertubi-tubi oleh para pejabat barat kepada regim Syria, ketika penyelidikan bahkan belum dimulai.
Pada saat yang sama Amerika pun kembali mengirimkan diplomat-diplomatnya untuk membujuk Rusia dan Iran sebelum rudal-rudal ditembakkan. Namun lagi-lagi gertakan itu gagal menggoyahkan keduanya. Bahkan meski Amerika meningkatkan gertakannya dengan mengirim kapal-kapal perangnya mendekati Syria. Rusia justru membalas dengan mengirim 3 kapal perangnya ke Syria. Sementara Hizbollah dan Iran tidak berhenti mengingatkan keseriusan mereka membela Syria. Syria sendiri meyakinkan sekutu-sekutunya bahwa mereka siap mempertahankan dirinya mati-matian.
Pada kondisi ini Amerika justru terjebak dalam situasi sulit. Menyerang berarti harus menghadapi resiko yang tidak diinginkan, yaitu perang yang meluas yang tidak bisa lagi dikendalikan Amerika. Namun mengumumkan pembatalan serangan tentu akan mempermalukan Presiden Obama dan para pejabat Amerika. Maka Amerika berusaha meyakinkan Rusia dan Iran bahwa yang akan dilakukan hanyalah "serangan terbatas" untuk mencegah militer Syria kembali menggunakan senjata kimia. Dan yang terakhir adalah pengumuman Obama untuk menunggu keputusan Congress.
Apa yang membuat Amerika "kecut" adalah sikap teguh sekutu-sekutu Syria. Selain mengirim kapal-kapal perang ke Syria, Rusia sejak bulan Mei lalu telah meningkatkan pasukannya dalam kondisi siaga perang regional, dan bahkan akan meningkatkannya menjadi siaga perang global jika Amerika dan sekutu-sekutunya menyerang Syria. Bocoran-bocoran informasi inteligen (kemungkinan sengaja dibocorkan Rusia untuk memberi peringatan kepada musuh) juga mengungkapkan bahwa Rusia telah bersiap melakukan serangan besar-besaran terhadap Saudi Arabia. Sementara Hizbollah memobilisasikan kekuatannya sembari melakukan persiapan guna terciptanya koordinasi militer yang efektif dengan militer Syria.
Terbukti sudah bahwa ternyata kini Amerika bukan lagi kekuatan yang ditakuti.
Apa yang sebenarnya terjadi? Bukankah dahulu Amerika tidak memerlukan dukungan Congress untuk menyerang Afghanistan, Irak dan Libya? Bahkan persetujuan DK PBB pun tidak diperlukannya. Jawabannya tidak lain adalah keteguhan sikap sekutu-sekutu Syria Hizbollah, Iran dan Rusia untuk membela Syria mati-matian.
Ceritanya terjadi sebelum peristiwa serangan senjata kimia di pinggiran Damaskus tgl 21 Agustus lalu yang diduga kuat dilakukan oleh agen-agen Israel dan Saudi, atau setelah kemenangan beruntun pasukan regim Syria di Qusayr, Homs dan Latakia dan tengah dalam posisi offensif terhadap posisi-posisi pemberontak di sekitar Damaskus.
Melihat ancaman kekalahan total pemberontak yang sudah di depan mata, para diplomat Amerika, Eropa dan Saudi pun sibuk melakukan pendekatan kepada Rusia dan Iran untuk membujuk mereka menghentikan dukungannya kepada pemerintah Syria. Kepada Rusia, kepala inteligen Saudi Pangeran Bandar menawarkan konsesi ekonomi yang menggiurkan ditambah ancaman pengerahan teroris untuk mengacaukan keamanan domestik Rusia. Sementara kepada Iran, Jeffrey Feltman, mantan diplomat senior Amerika yang bekerja untuk PBB menawarkan penghentian sanksi ekonomi dan imunitas bagi program nuklir Iran.
Kepada Rusia juga ditawarkan untuk menentukan sendiri pengganti Bashar al Assad sebagai presiden jika yang bersangkutan berhasil digulingkan. Namun bujukan-bujukan yang disertai ancaman itu tidak menggoyahkan sikap Rusia dan Iran. Maka Amerika dan sekutu-sekutunya beralih ke rencana alternatif, yaitu serangan militer.
Untuk memberi jalan bagi pilihan tersebut, dilakukanlah operasi inteligen yang oleh senator Amerika Ron Paul, disebut operasi "false flag", berupa serangan senjata kimia di Ghouta dan beberapa kawasan lain di luar kota Damaskus. Hanya satu jam setelah serangan itu, media-media massa barat sudah mengekspos insiden tersebut disertai tuduhan regim Syria sebagai pelaku serangan disusul kemudian oleh kecaman bertubi-tubi oleh para pejabat barat kepada regim Syria, ketika penyelidikan bahkan belum dimulai.
Pada saat yang sama Amerika pun kembali mengirimkan diplomat-diplomatnya untuk membujuk Rusia dan Iran sebelum rudal-rudal ditembakkan. Namun lagi-lagi gertakan itu gagal menggoyahkan keduanya. Bahkan meski Amerika meningkatkan gertakannya dengan mengirim kapal-kapal perangnya mendekati Syria. Rusia justru membalas dengan mengirim 3 kapal perangnya ke Syria. Sementara Hizbollah dan Iran tidak berhenti mengingatkan keseriusan mereka membela Syria. Syria sendiri meyakinkan sekutu-sekutunya bahwa mereka siap mempertahankan dirinya mati-matian.
Pada kondisi ini Amerika justru terjebak dalam situasi sulit. Menyerang berarti harus menghadapi resiko yang tidak diinginkan, yaitu perang yang meluas yang tidak bisa lagi dikendalikan Amerika. Namun mengumumkan pembatalan serangan tentu akan mempermalukan Presiden Obama dan para pejabat Amerika. Maka Amerika berusaha meyakinkan Rusia dan Iran bahwa yang akan dilakukan hanyalah "serangan terbatas" untuk mencegah militer Syria kembali menggunakan senjata kimia. Dan yang terakhir adalah pengumuman Obama untuk menunggu keputusan Congress.
Apa yang membuat Amerika "kecut" adalah sikap teguh sekutu-sekutu Syria. Selain mengirim kapal-kapal perang ke Syria, Rusia sejak bulan Mei lalu telah meningkatkan pasukannya dalam kondisi siaga perang regional, dan bahkan akan meningkatkannya menjadi siaga perang global jika Amerika dan sekutu-sekutunya menyerang Syria. Bocoran-bocoran informasi inteligen (kemungkinan sengaja dibocorkan Rusia untuk memberi peringatan kepada musuh) juga mengungkapkan bahwa Rusia telah bersiap melakukan serangan besar-besaran terhadap Saudi Arabia. Sementara Hizbollah memobilisasikan kekuatannya sembari melakukan persiapan guna terciptanya koordinasi militer yang efektif dengan militer Syria.
Terbukti sudah bahwa ternyata kini Amerika bukan lagi kekuatan yang ditakuti.
REF:
"The Full Story on Why Obama Backed Down on Syria"; Ibrahim al-Amin; Al Akhbar; 2 September 2013
3 komentar:
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abu bakar mengatakan...
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2 utusan dikatakan dihantar ke iran
feltman, utk merasuah iran agar jgn mendukung syria, balasannya sekatan terhadap iran akan dicabut,
sultan qaboos yg kedua..tak tahu apa yang dibuatnya, feltman musuh sejati hizullah,pecinta israel...rasuah lagi -
Herwin Irawan mengatakan...
- analisa praktis tetapi tepat
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abu bakar mengatakan...
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betulkah?
Raptor f22 ditembak kerana menguji sistem pertahanan syria
www.southlebanon.org/?p=87063 INSIDEN SERANGAN "FALSE FLAG" ISRAEL YANG GAGAL
http://cahyono-adi.blogspot.com/2013/09/insiden-serangan-false-flag-israel-yang.html#.Ui3ehlIxVkg
(RUSIA KIRIM LAGI 2 KAPAL PERANG)
Maju mundurnya Amerika untuk menyerang Syria rupanya membuat Israel jengkel. Dalam kegalauannya itu Israel pun meluncurkan 2 rudal jelajah atau ballistik (berita running text TVOne menyebutkan sebagai rudal ballistik, yaitu rudal yang ditembakkan ke angkasa dan jatuh ke sasaran dengan gaya gravitasi. Adapun rudal jelajah adalah rudal yang sejak ditembakkan hingga mencapai saaran digerakkan dengan mesin roket atau jet dan terbang dalam ketinggian rendah dan kecepatan di bawah kecepatan suara) dengan maksud untuk memicu peperangan. Namun rudal-rudal tersebut ditembak jatuh oleh Amerika.
Satu-satunya berita yang saya dapat dari media-media Indonesia adalah running text di TVOne, hari Selasa (3/9) sebagaimana tersebut di atas. Lebih jelasnya berita tersebut berbunyi sbb: "Syria mendeteksi peluncuran 2 rudal ballistik di Laut Mediterania."
Tidak ada penjelasan tentang siapa yang meluncurkan rudal-rudal tersebut dan dalam rangka apa? Hanya diketahui kemudian Israel mengaku telah meluncurkan rudal pertahanan udara "Sparrow" sebagai bagian dari program latihan militer bersama dengan Amerika.
Klaim Israel tersebut sangat aneh.Pertama, tidak ada pengumuman sebelumnya tentang adanya latihan militer Israel-Amerika di Laut Mediterania.Kedua, peluncuran rudal "Sparrow" sama sekali bertentangan dengan spesifikasi rudal yang dideteksi oleh radar Syria dan Rusia. "Sparrow" diluncurkan oleh kapal di permukaan laut dan berdaya-jangkau jarak pendek, sementara saat itu tidak ada satupun kapal Israel berada di sekitar lokasi penembakan.Jadi jika Israel mengaku telah meluncurkan rudalnya, maka satu-satunya kemungkinan adalah peluncuran rudal balistik atau jelajah dari kapal selam "Dolphin" buatan Jerman yang dimiliki Israel.
Amerika sendiri awalnya diam seribu bahasa tentang insiden tersebut meski dipastikan dengan keberadaan kapal-kapal perangnya di kawasan itu Amerika juga mengetahui peluncuran tersebut. Amerika awalnya bahkan menolak klaim Israel tentang program latihan militer bersama, meski kemudian mendukung klaim tersebut. Namun Rusia memberikan komentar keras atas insiden tersebut meski tidak secara tegas menuduh Israel.
“Saya sangat tidak mengerti bagaimana seseorang bisa bermain-main dengan senjata dan rudal-rudal di kawasan ini, saat ini," kata wakil menhan Rusia Anatoly Antonov kepada media massa, Selasa (3/9), merujuk pada ketegangan antara Syria-Rusia dengan Amerika di Laut Mediterania (Laut Tengah).
"Saya ingatkan bahwa Laut Mediterania berdekatan dengan perbatasan Rusia," tambah Antonov.
Saat ini di kawasan Laut Mediterania Amerika telah menempatkan 5 kapal perusak, 3 kapal selam nuklir, 4 frigat, 1 kapal angkut ampibi, dan beberapa kapal pendukung. Sementara Rusia memiliki 1 kapal jelajah berat, beberapa kapal pendukung, 2 kapal selam nuklir dan 1 kapal pengintai. Dalam waktu dekat beberapa kapal perang Amerika dan Rusia juga bakal berkumpul di kawasan itu, termasuk kapal induk USS Nimitz milik Amerika.
Sementar itu di kawasan tersebut Israel juga menempatkan 3 kapal selam "Dolphin" buatan Jerman yang memiliki kemampuan meluncurkan rudal-rudal jelajah dan balistik nuklir. Satu "Dolphin" di antara ketiganya tenggelam oleh torpedo buatan Rusia yang ditembakkan dari helikopter Syria awal bulan Mei lalu. Bangkai kapal dan awaknya tidak pernah ditemukan sampai saat ini.
Baik kapal-kapal Amerika maupun Rusia dilengkapi dengan sistem pertahanan udara dan laut yang canggih. Sistem pertahanan kapal-kapal Rusia didukung oleh satelit-satelit dan radar-radar canggih yang mampu menjangkau kawasan Laut Mediterania dari wilayah Rusia. Amerika pun didukung oleh sistem yang sama ditambah pesawat-pesawat mata-mata AWAC yang mampu memonitor lalu-lintas udara dari Iran hingga Italia.
Lalau bagaimana "nasib" rudal-rudal yang diluncurkan Israel tersebut?
Kapal-kapal perang Amerika yang berada pada titik terdekat peluncuran rudal Israel tersebut tentu dengan cepat mampu mendeteksi rudal-rudal tersebut, dan tentu juga memiliki kemampuan menembak jatuh rudal-rudal tersebut. Patut diduga rudal-rudal tersebut ditembak jatuh oleh Amerika, meski baik Amerika mapun Israel tidak pernah mengakuinya. Penembakan tersebut tentu didasarkan pada 2 hal. Pertama, karena rudal-rudal tersebut terbang di kawasan yang berada dalam kontrol militer Amerika sehingga dianggap membahayakan kapal-kapal perang Amerika. Kedua, ada kemungkinan Amerika mengetahui peluncuran rudal-rudal Israel tersebut ditujukan untuk memicu perang yang sampai saat ini belum disetujui Amerika, dan karenanya rudal-rudal tersebut ditembak jatuh.
Keberhasilan Amerika mengatasi insiden rudal Israel tersebut adalah satu poin yang patut diapresiasi, karena di masa lalu Amerika seringkali gagal mengantisipasi insiden-insiden semacam itu.
* Tahun 1967 Amerika gagal menghentikan serangan udara dan laut oleh Israel terhadap kapal USS Liberty yang mengakibatkan 40 lebih pelaut Amerika tewas dan puluhan lainnya mengalami luka-luka. Insiden ini dilandasi motif Israel untuk menyeret Amerika ke dalam perang melawan Mesir.
* Tahun 1986, Irak menembakkan rudal anti-kapal yang ditembakkan dari pesawat terbang, menghantam kapal perang USS Stark, menewaskan beberapa pelaut Amerika dan nyaris menenggelamkan kapal tersebut.
* Tahun 1987, kapal perang USS Vincennes menembak jatuh pesawat komersial Iran dan menewaskan 290 penumpangnya.
* Tahun 1996, pesawat penumpang TWA-800 ditembak jatuh di lepas pantai New York, Amerika oleh kapal perang Amerika.
* Tahun 2000, 2 teroris meledakkan bom di haluan kapal USS Cole yang tengah bersandar di pelabuhan Yaman, mengakibatkan kerusakan hebat dan menewaskan belasan pelaut Amerika di dalamnya.
* Tahun 2001, gedung Pentagon yang dilengkapi sistem pertahanan udara canggih gagal mengantisipasi serangan pesawat teroris (atau rudal jelajah) yang menghancurkan salah satu sisinya.
RUSIA KIRIMKAN LAGI 2 KAPAL PERANG
Di tengah-tengah ketegangan antara Rusia dan Amerika terkait rencana serangan militer Amerika terhadap Syria, Rusia kembali mengirimkan kapal-kapap perangnya ke kawasan Laut Mediterania yang berdekatan dengan Syria. Kali ini Rusia mengirim 3 kapal perangnya termasuk kapal jelajah berpeluru kendali "Moskva", yang akan menjadi kapal komando satuan laut Rusia di kawasan tersebut.
"Kapal jelajah Moskva tengah berlayar menuju Selata Gibraltar. Dalam waktu sekitar 10 hari akan memasuki kawasan Timur Mediterania dimana kapal itu akan mengambil alih komando gugus tugas laut di kawasan itu," kata seorang pejabat militer Rusia yang tidak bersedia disebutkan namanya kepada para awak media massa di Moskow, Rabu (4/9).
"Moskva" akan didampingi oleh 2 kapal perang lainnya, sebuah destroyer dari armada Laut Baltik dan sebuah frigat dari Armada Laut Hitam yang diperkirakan tiba di kawasan tersebut hari Jumat (6/9).
Pada tgl 1 September lalu Rusia telah mengirimkan kapal pengintai "Priazovye". Minggu lalu menhan Rusia mengumumkan pengiriman kapal-kapal beberapa Rusia termasuk "Moskva" ke Laut Mediterania untuk "tugas rutin".
REF:
"'Schlock and Awe,' Israel missile test fraud"; Gordon Duff; Veterans Today; 4 September 2013
"Russian defense official warns Israel on missile launch in Mediterranean"; Press TV; 4 September 2013
"Russia sends missile cruiser to Eastern Mediterranean"; Press TV; 4 September 20133 komentar:
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abu bakar mengatakan...
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begitu inginkan perang
-Rudal israel dilancar ke timur mediteranean jatuh ke laut
-sistem russia mendeteksi
-israel mengaku...sedang berlatih perang dengan us
-namun itu semua dalih israel
-Jurucakap us dihubungi menyatakan mereka tak tau apa-apa
-demikian dalih inginkan perang
The US denies reports that it has carried out a joint missile test with Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. The US Navy announced that it did not fire any missiles from ships in the region.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/09/03/321878/us-rejects-mediterranean-missile-launch/
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abu bakar mengatakan...
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begitu ceritanya
TEHRAN (FNA)- An urgent action report prepared by the Russian Defense Ministry for President Putin said that the two Israeli ballistic cruise missiles which were fired by an Israeli Dolphin-class submarine in the Eastern Mediterranean, near the Syrian waters, on September 3 were destroyed by the US Navy, adding that Tel Aviv was about to start the war on Syria on that day.
A new urgent action report prepared by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) for President Putin stated that specialized forces operating the highly advanced Vityaz air defense system in the Southern Military District detected the launching of two Popeye Turbo SLCM ballistic cruise missiles from an Israeli Dolphin-class submarine patrolling in the Eastern Mediterranean whereupon they were “nearly immediately” destroyed by a US Navy Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer operating in the same region
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920616001062 -
cahyono adi mengatakan...
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To abu bakar
Terima kasih atas informasinya. Terkonfirmasi sudah berita itu.
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