Syria warns U.S. against bombing ISIS without permission

[DonViejo]

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Zeina Karam, Associated Press

BEIRUT — Syria’s foreign minister warned the U.S. on Monday not to conduct airstrikes inside Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham group without Damascus’ consent, saying any such attack would be considered an aggression.

Walid Al-Moallem’s words appeared timed to try to pre-empt any U.S. military action in Syria. U.S. President Barack Obama has resisted ordering military action in Syria for three years, even after a deadly chemical weapons attack a year ago near Damascus he blamed on President Bashar Al-Assad’s government. But now, Obama faces pressure from his own military leaders to go after the Islamic State group inside Syria.

Obama remains wary, however, of getting dragged into the bloody and complex Syrian civil war that the United Nations says has killed more than 190,000 people.

Al-Moallem’s remarks at a news conference in Damascus also marked the first public comments by a senior Assad official on the threat posed by ISIS, which has captured large swaths of Iraqi and Syrian territory.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/08/25/syria-warns-u-s-against-bombing-isis-without-permission/

[TwilightGardener]

1. I'm really fine with just chasing them back into Syria and letting Assad deal

with them. We'll never permanently eradicate them, we still haven't done that to AQ or the Taliban. Just get them out of Iraq, should be the goal.

[daleo]

17. What if they take over Syria?

Then, they would have the resources and legitimacy of state status.

[TwilightGardener]

18. Russia and Iran would prevent that. It would be THEIR fight.

[Fred Sanders]

2. The World Police Force, self appointed, does not obey national sovereignty, WTF, Syria?

The mighty morphin power rangers laugh at your so called " borders ".

[Ash_F]

7. So when they supported these people, not last year, were they the world's mob boss? /nt

[cosmicone]

3. Assad wants to collaborate

and be in the good books of the US. In exchange for the "permission", Assad will gain assurances that are priceless to him.

[Bragi]

4. Assad better than a power vacuum in Syria

The west now needs to prop up Assad. Not an inspiring outcome, but a power vacuum in Syria will likely just increase the size of IS-ruled territory. Or would we prefer to see IS take down Assad, and then go to war in Syria? No good alternatives here that I can see.

[Fred Sanders]

8. Sisi better than Morsi...? Dictators better than the wrong kind of folks...you get it.

[pampango]

12. IMO, if he wants to collaborate with the US, he will have to wait for a republican president.

If a republican becomes president in 2017, he might well decide that the "GWOT" requires a collaboration with dictators against the terrorists. I don't think Obama will want to collaborate with Assad for the remainder of his term. Or he can turn to Russia if he ever wants to permit direct foreign intervention to save himself.

Besides Assad's military did not attack ISIS for 3 years. (That just ended with the battle for the airbase in northern Syria.) Apparently he is not overly worried about them as a threat to his rule. Plus in his view, if ISIS is the main alternative to his rule in Syria, he looks pretty good. If his military had the capability to wipe out ISIS (the most repulsive of his opponents) and did so, that would leave less repulsive opponents. He might not look like such a 'necessary evil' versus them. In his view, it was better to eliminate the 'less repulsive' opponents first (assuming he sees ISIS as no immediate threat to his rule) and maintain a cease-fire with ISIS for as long as possible.

[Bragi]

14. Triple layer chess! /nt

[Purveyor]

5. When the failed hostage rescue attempt was made, Syria allowed it to

proceed without even locking on the aircraft used in the attempt.

I'm pretty certain the US and Syria having been cooperating secretly for sometime.

[LloydS of New London]

6. Oh yeah, like that's stopped us before!

[Fred Sanders]

9. But America accepts the rule of law and national sovereignty and the right to defend oneself, right?

Syria, Iran and Turkey collaborating with America, with Israel as the wild card, the coalition of the confused.

[LloydS of New London]

10. LOL!

[YoungDemCA]

19. Obviously every country looks after its own interests

America included. Why is this a surprise?

[beaglelover]

11. What could Syria possibly do to retaliate if the US

went ahead with the air strikes without their permission. I doubt the US gives two shits about this 'warning' from Syria. LOL

[pampango]

13. Syrian Foreign Minister: "Syria could work with West against 'terror'"

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has said that his country is ready to work with the international community to battle against "terrorists" within the framework of a recent UN resolution.

"Syria is ready for co-operation and co-ordination at the regional and international level to fight terrorism and implement UN Security Council resolution 2170," Muallem said. He confirmed, in response to a question, that the country's willingness to do so would extend to co-operating with the US and the UK.

The UN Security Council passed a rare unanimous resolution on August 15 intended to weaken armed groups in Iraq and Syria by choking off their funding and stemming the flow of foreign fighters. The resolution targeted both the Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front, which is al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate.

Syria's government considers not only these two groups, but all those fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad to be "terrorists".

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/syria-ready-co-operate-against-terrorism-20148251196801654.html

[GOLGO 13]

15. What do you expect Syria to say?

It's standard operating procedure to "warn" the great Satan about the consequences of facing Syrian might.

But yeah, Assad would be delighted to have the US to ask for help with ISIS.

[Fred Sanders]

20. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, SOP.

[roamer65]

16. The lid is off this "can of worms" now.

The regional ME war is underway and Assad will not stand in the way of central bankers making money.