U.S. will give Syrian rebels medical, food aid, not arms

[Omaha Steve]

Source: REUTERS

- The United States will send non-lethal aid directly to Syrian rebels for the first time, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday, disappointing opponents of President Bashar al-Assad who are demanding Western weapons.

More than 70,000 Syrians have been killed in a devastating conflict that began with peaceful anti-Assad protests nearly two years ago. Some 860,000 have fled abroad and several million are displaced within the country or need humanitarian assistance.

Kerry, speaking in Rome after a meeting of the mainly Western and Arab "Friends of Syria" group said his country would more than double its aid to the Syrian civilian opposition, giving it an extra $60 million to help provide security.

The United States would now "extend food and medical supplies to the opposition, including to the Syrian opposition's Supreme Military (Council)," Kerry said.

FULL story and photos at link.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/28/us-syria-crisis-us-idUSBRE91R0KM20130228

[dipsydoodle]

1. "demanding Western weapons" ?

.

[leveymg]

2. We have some nice Littoral Patrol Ships and F-35C VSTOLs we can let them have for our cost.

Come and get 'em. Over there in the cut-out bin with the irregular size lumber. Take your pick.

[Adsos Letter]

4. That's the first thing that struck me about this piece. n/t

[dipsydoodle]

5. Maybe an out use submarine or two would suit their purpose.

[leftynyc]

3. Demanding western weapons?

Demanding? I wish we wouldn't get involved at all...it's bound to bite us in the ass. Let Europe send whatever they want, Russia, Saudi Arabia. We should stay out of it.

[bullwinkle428]

6. And we know these rebels have nothing to do with Al Qaeda, etc....how?

[TwilightGardener]

7. Johnny Walnuts is going to throw a fit, but glad to see we're still not sending weapons.

They're getting weapons anyway. We don't need our fingerprints on that.

[Myrina]

8. Hmmm, and I just heard on NPR that we're hosting 'training camps'

for the 'rebels' in hopes of fueling a 'post Assad Syria'.
Sounds like an outright overthrow attempt, to me.

"... an extra $60 million to help provide security" No arms huh? Riiiiiight.

[Arctic Dave]

9. We're not arming them, we are letting the suadis do that for us.

This is nothing more then a proxy war for us, the sauds, Iran and Russia.

[Alamuti Lotus]

10. a recent US President famously said "if yah feed a tourist, yerrrr ah tourist!!!!!"

I'm not sure why he was railing against the tourism industry, but I believe he meant to say "terrorist". Barry Obama's people have maintained and expanded upon almost all Bush-era foreign policies, why backtrack on this particular one? Oh right, because it's convenient to now and the rules don't matter when considering the actions of the US government.

Now, I'm not too terribly interested for that whole "terrorist" distinction, the beehive of phony discussion surrounding it, or the aggression it is used as an excuse for, but the government most certainly is: the rampant hypocrisy and crass opportunism of these arrogant adventurers is on full display and warrants mention.

[rachel1]

11. And the possibility of them turning on the US because of its foreign policy?

Just as the mujahideen in Afghanistan which became al-Qaida & Taliban turned on the US because of its foreign policy?

Hmm...

[dipsydoodle]

12. Syria crisis: European countries expected to start arming rebels

Some European countries are expected to break with Washington and start supplying the Syrian rebels with weapons in the next few months, the representative of the Syrian opposition in Britain has told the Guardian.

The National Coalition's London representative, Walid Saffour, predicted that by the next meeting of the western and Arab Friends of Syria group in Turkey, due in late spring or early summer, "there will be a breakthrough that will end the restrictions of the European countries".

"This would be for the ammunition we require, the quality weapons we need to deter the Syrian regime from using aeroplanes and Scud missiles to bomb villages and bakeries," Saffour said. "We on the ground are advancing steadily but we are suffering from a lack of ammunition. We expect that to change at the next Friends of Syria meeting in Istanbul."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/01/syria-crisis-european-countries-rebels

"representative of the Syrian opposition in Britain has told the Guardian".......well it must be true then