WORLDNews 'Syria diplomacy a priority, despite EU arms vote' . . .

Syria keutamaan diplomasi, walaupun senjata undi EU

by YongKyrol | Suara Rakyat @1WORLDCommunity May 29, 2013

WORLDNews ‘BEIRUT (AP) - Rusia pada Selasa keras mengkritik keputusan Eropah untuk membenarkan melengkapkan pemberontak Syria, berkata ia melemahkan usaha-usaha antarabangsa untuk berunding menamatkan perang saudara, dan umum pemberontak berkata dia "Sangat Kecewa" senjata tidak akan datang cukup cepat untuk membantu pejuang pembangkang mempertahankan bandar strategik Syria.'

Keputusan Kesatuan Eropah, diikuti dengan ikrar Rusia diperbaharui untuk membekalkan rejim Presiden Syria Bashar Assad dengan peluru berpandu canggih, boleh mengubah perang sivil yang sudah kejam melawan proksi Timur-Barat.

Israel, Sementara itu, mengancam untuk menyerang pertahanan udara seperti sistem peluru berpandu jika dihantar ke Syria, menggambarkan mereka sebagai ancaman kepada negara Yahudi dan meningkatkan risiko kebakaran serantau.

Kemungkinan perlumbaan senjata di Syria dibayangi percubaan oleh Amerika Syarikat dan Rusia untuk membawa wakil-wakil rejim Assad dan pembangkang Syria untuk rundingan damai di sebuah persidangan antarabangsa di Geneva, mungkin bulan depan.

Rundingan, walaupun dilihat sebagai pukulan yang panjang, membentuk pelan sahaja masyarakat antarabangsa bagi menamatkan konflik yang bermula lebih daripada 2 tahun lalu dan telah membunuh lebih daripada 70,000 orang.

Di Syria, komander kumpulan payung yang disokong Barat briged pemberontak utama memberitahu The Associated Press dia amat memerlukan anti-kereta kebal Barat dan anti-pesawat peluru berpandu untuk mengelakkan kekuatan rejim lagi di medan perang. Senjata pemberontak 'adalah tidak setanding dengan kereta kebal moden dan pesawat pejuang rejim Syria, beliau berkata.

"Kami amat kecewa," Kejadian Salim Idris, ketua tentera Free Syria Army, berkata keputusan jelas Kesatuan Eropah untuk tidak menghantar senjata, jika pada semua, sehingga selepas persidangan Geneva. "Kami tidak mempunyai apa-apa kesabaran (sebarang) lagi."

Dalam mana-mana kes, Eropah mungkin berfikir 2 kali untuk menghantar senjata itu ke dalam zon perang huru-hara di mana mereka cepat boleh disita oleh pemberontak militan Islam, sesetengah daripada mereka telah berikrar setia kepada rangkaian pengganas al ‘Qaeda.

Britain, yang bersama-sama dengan Perancis telah menolak untuk menamatkan sekatan senjata EU, mahu menggunakan ancaman mempersenjatai pemberontak sebagai pengaruh untuk memastikan bahawa Assad berunding dengan niat yang baik.

Pembangkang Syria, yang belum komited kepada rundingan Geneva, juga boleh terjebak ke meja jika kehadiran dikaitkan dengan menerima senjata sekiranya rundingan gagal. Para pemimpin parti pembangkang telah berkata mereka hanya akan mengambil bahagian dalam perbincangan jika Assad lepaskan dari kuasa mendahului agenda, permintaan Assad dan penyokong Rusia beliau telah menolak.

Setiausaha Luar British William Hague berkata rundingan damai adalah keutamaan dan bahawa "kita bekerja untuk persidangan Geneva, kami tidak mengambil apa-apa keputusan untuk menghantar senjata kepada sesiapa pun." Walau bagaimanapun, Menteri Luar Rusia Sergey Lavrov memberi amaran bahawa tindakan baru-baru ini oleh Barat "dengan sukarela atau terpaksa akan melemahkan idea persidangan itu."

Beliau mengecam mengangkat senjata sekatan EU sebagai "Keputusan yang tidak sah," mengatakan bahawa membekalkan senjata kepada kumpulan-kumpulan bukan kerajaan "Bertentangan dengan norma-norma undang-undang antarabangsa."

Pada masa yang sama, Timbalan Lavrov itu mengesahkan Selasa bahawa Rusia tidak akan meninggalkan rancangan untuk menghantar jarak jauh S-300 sistem pertahanan udara peluru berpandu ke Syria, walaupun kritikan Barat dan Israel yang kuat.

Ianya tidak jelas jika Rusia telah menghantar beberapa peluru berpandu, yang akan menjadi rangsangan utama untuk keupayaan Syria pertahanan udara, termasuk terhadap negara-negara jiran yang menentang rejim Assad.

Duta PBB Rusia Vitaly Churkin berkata bahawa "Setakat sistem tersebut, jika ditempatkan di Syria, boleh menghalang campur tangan tentera asing, saya fikir ia akan membantu minda memberi tumpuan kepada penyelesaian politik."

Churkin, bercakap kepada CNN, Assad berkata telah memberi jaminan bahawa Rusia delegasi kerajaan akan menghadiri persidangan damai Rusia dan Amerika Syarikat telah dipanggil. Masalah yang paling sukar, beliau berkata, "akan menganjurkan pembangkang."

"Kami berpendapat bahawa terdapat peluang dengan usaha bersepadu kami bahawa persidangan itu mungkin mula dan mungkin menghasilkan akhirnya keputusan untuk menamatkan konflik itu," kata Churkin. jurucakap Jabatan Negara Amerika Syarikat Patrick Ventrell berkata Washington mengalu-alukan keputusan EU sebagai tanda sokongan untuk pembangkang Syria dan sebagai mesej kepada rejim Assad bahawa sokongan itu hanya akan berkembang.

Beliau berkata pentadbiran Obama akan terus memberi bantuan bukan maut kepada pemberontak dan belum membuat keputusan sama ada untuk melengkapkan mereka.

Ventrell mengutuk keputusan Moscow untuk tidak menggugurkan rancangan untuk menjual peluru berpandu S-300 ke Syria. "Kami bercakap tentang rejim yang sanggup pergi berpanjangan untuk menggunakan kekerasan terhadap orang awam secara besar-besaran, termasuk peluru berpandu Scud dan jenis lain," katanya. "Kami mengutuk semua sokongan senjata kepada rejim."

Lagi meningkatkan risiko perang serantau, Israel memberi amaran bahawa ia akan bersedia untuk menyerang mana-mana penghantaran peluru berpandu itu. Pertahanan Israel Moshe Yaalon berkata Israel percaya peluru berpandu Rusia belum dihantar, tetapi tentera Israel "akan tahu apa yang perlu dilakukan" jika ianya dihantar.

Awal bulan ini, serangan udara Israel yang disyaki memukul penghantaran peluru berpandu Iran maju berhampiran ibu kota Damsyik Syria yang panggilnya bertujuan untuk Assad sekutu Hizbullah, militia Lubnan yang berjuang di samping tentera rejim Syria.

Israel telah berkata ia tidak akan teragak-agak untuk menyerang sekali lagi untuk mengganggu aliran senjata permainan berubah mengancam keselamatan. Perancis dan Britain setakat ini telah tidak dinyatakan apa senjata mereka yang mungkin dihantar. Tetapi strategi mengancam untuk melengkapkan pemberontak sebagai satu cara mengukuhkan diplomasi dengan mudah boleh jadi gagal.

Rejim Assad telah disediakan tanda-tanda apa-apa niat untuk menyerahkan kuasa di Syria, permintaan pembangkang penting sebelum memasuki mana-mana perbincangan.

Sementara itu, pihak pembangkang boleh cuba untuk membuat persembahan awam kesediaan untuk menghadiri perbincangan, hanya untuk menuntut penghantaran senjata dari Eropah memulakan segera jika berharap untuk proses Geneva rosak.

Rejim dan pembangkang kedua-duanya masih cuba untuk memenangi ketenteraan. Kedua-dua pihak kekal sebahagian besarnya buntu, tetapi dalam beberapa minggu kebelakangan ini rejim telah menjaringkan beberapa kejayaan medan perang yang mungkin menjadikan ia kurang cenderung untuk berunding.

Kementerian Luar Syria berkata keputusan EU mendedahkan "Penghinaan" tuntutan Eropah akan menyokong penyelesaian politik untuk krisis berdasarkan dialog kebangsaan, manakala "Pengganas menggalakkan dan memperluaskan senjata mereka."

Sebaliknya, Idris, komander pemberontak, berkata pejuang itu boleh hilang kawalan ke atas sebuah bandar strategik di barat Syria pada hari-hari akan datang jika dia mendapat senjata dengan cepat. Beliau berkata, beribu-ribu pejuang Hezbollah menyertai serangan terhadap Qusair yang bermula 19 Mei, dan pejuang beliau mengatasi lebih daripada 3-kepada-1.

"Masa adalah faktor yang sangat penting kini pertempuran dalam Qusair," katanya. "Apabila mereka menunggu selama seminggu (untuk menghantar senjata), mungkin Qusair akan berada di bawah kawalan Hizbullah. Kemudian kita tidak memerlukan mereka bantuan (Barat), kita tidak memerlukan sokongan mereka."

Jika Assad mengambil kembali bandar, beliau akan menyokong beliau memegang darat di koridor yang menghubungkan kubu kuat beliau di Damsyik dengan kawasan setia di sepanjang pantai Mediterranean. Bagi pemberontak, kehilangan Qusair bermakna kehilangan talian bekalan berdekatan Lebanon.

Pada Isnin, Idris disertai Senator Amerika Syarikat John McCain ke kawasan pemberontak-diadakan di utara Syria untuk mengadakan pertemuan dengan kira-kira sedozen komander tempatan. Dalam komen di Twitter, Republikan Arizona pada hari Selasa memuji "Pejuang berani" Assad berjuang dan diperbaharui panggilan bagi pentadbiran Obama untuk bergerak secara agresif ketenteraan untuk membantu pembangkang.

Michael Clarke, pengarah pemikir Royal United Services Institute di London, berkata keputusan EU akan bermakna sedikit di atas darat buat masa sekarang. Beliau berkata ia adalah satu mesej kepada Assad bahawa "Proses Geneva adalah peluang terakhir yang baik pernah anda perlu untuk keluar daripada keadaan ini tanpa perang saudara jauh lebih teruk - dan dalam satu bahagian."

Beliau berkata, ia juga memberitahu Rusia bahawa "kita tidak akan takut dengan banyak kepenatan Rusia pada masa ini."

Keaten dilaporkan dari Brussels. Associated Press penulis Matthew Lee di Washington dan Edith M. Lederer di PBB menyumbang kepada laporan ini.

Photo: image kewartawanan APCitizen disediakan oleh Aleppo Media Center AMC yang telah disahkan berdasarkan kandungannya dan laporan AP lain, penunjuk perasaan anti-rejim Syria memegang poster dalam bahasa Arab yang berbunyi, "Untuk rakyat Lubnan yang besar menyelamatkan kanak-kanak daripada kumpulan Hezbollah , mereka membunuh di Syria, "Semasa demonstrasi, di Aleppo, Syria, Selasa 28 Mei 2013. Lelaki bersenjata membunuh beberapa tentera Lubnan ketika memandu dengan menembak di pusat pemeriksaan kerajaan berhampiran sempadan Syria Selasa, tentera Lebanon berkata, ketegangan yang semakin meningkat di negara dibahagikan oleh perang saudara bersebelahan dan takut yang menyelubungi oleh konflik.

Photo: APCitizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, an anti-Syrian regime protester holds a poster in Arabic that reads, "to the great Lebanese people save your children from Hezbollah gangs, they kill in Syria," during a demonstration, in Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday May 28, 2013. Gunmen killed several Lebanese soldiers in a drive-by shooting on a government checkpoint near the Syrian border Tuesday, Lebanon's military said, escalating tensions in a country deeply divided by the civil war next door and fearful of being engulfed by the conflict.

Syria diplomacy a priority, despite EU arms vote

WORLDNews 'BEIRUT (AP) - Russia on Tuesday harshly criticized Europe's decision to allow the arming of Syrian rebels, saying it undercuts international efforts to negotiate an end to the civil war, and a rebel general said he's "very disappointed" weapons won't come fast enough to help opposition fighters defend a strategic Syrian town.'

The European Union decision, coupled with a Russia's renewed pledge to supply Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime with advanced missiles, could transform an already brutal civil war into an East-West proxy fight. Israel, meanwhile, threatened to strike such air defense missiles systems if delivered to Syria, portraying them as a threat to the Jewish state and raising the risk of regional conflagration.

The possibility of an arms race in Syria overshadowed attempts by the U.S. and Russia to bring representatives of the Assad regime and Syria's political opposition to peace talks at an international conference in Geneva, possibly next month.

The talks, though seen as a long shot, constitute the international community's only plan for ending the conflict that began more than two years ago and has killed more than 70,000 people. In Syria, the commander of the main Western-backed umbrella group of rebel brigades told The Associated Press he urgently needs Western anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to prevent further regime gains on the battlefield. The rebels' weapons are no match for the Syrian regime's modern tanks and warplanes, he said.

"We are very disappointed," Gen. Salim Idris, military chief of the Free Syrian Army, said of the European Union's apparent decision not to send weapons, if at all, until after the Geneva conference. "We don't have any patience (any) more."

In any case, Europe might think twice about sending such weapons into a chaotic war zone where they could quickly be seized by Islamic militant rebels, some of whom have pledged allegiance to the al-Qaida terror network.

Britain, which along with France had pushed for ending the EU arms embargo, wants to use the threat of arming the rebels as leverage to ensure that Assad negotiates in good faith.

Syria's fractured opposition, which has not yet committed to the Geneva talks, could also be lured to the table if attendance is linked to receiving weapons in the event that talks fail. Opposition leaders have said they will only participate in talks if Assad's departure from power tops the agenda, a demand Assad and his Russian backers have rejected.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said peace talks are a priority and that "as we work for the Geneva conference, we are not taking any decision to send arms to anyone." However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that recent actions by the West "willingly or unwillingly are undermining the idea of the conference."

He denounced the lifting of the EU arms embargo as an "illegitimate decision," saying that supplying weapons to non-governmental groups "goes against all norms of international law."

At the same time, Lavrov's deputy affirmed Tuesday that Russia won't abandon plans to send long-range S-300 air defense missile systems to Syria, despite strong Western and Israeli criticism. It is not clear if Russia has already sent some of the missiles, which would be a major boost for Syria's air defense capabilities, including against neighboring countries that oppose Assad's regime.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that "to the extent those systems, if deployed in Syria, can deter foreign military intervention, I think it will help focus minds on a political settlement."

Churkin, speaking to CNN, said Assad has assured Russia that a government delegation will attend the peace conference that Russia and the U.S. have called. The most difficult problem, he said, "is organizing the opposition."

"We think that there is a chance with our concerted effort that the conference might start and might produce eventually results to end the conflict," Churkin said. U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said Washington welcomes the EU decision as a show of support for the Syrian opposition and as a message to the Assad regime that such support will only grow.

He said the Obama administration will continue to provide non-lethal assistance to the rebels and hasn't made a decision on whether to arm them.

Ventrell condemned Moscow's decision not to drop plans to sell S-300 missiles to Syria. "We're talking about a regime that's willing to go to enormous lengths to use massive force against civilians, including Scud missiles and other types," he said. "We condemn all support of arms to the regime."

Further raising the risk of a regional war, Israel warned that it would be prepared to attack any such missile shipments. Israeli Defense Moshe Yaalon said Israel believes the Russian missiles have not yet been shipped, but that the Israeli military "will know what to do" if they are delivered.

Earlier this month, Israeli airstrikes hit suspected shipments of advanced Iranian missiles near the Syrian capital of Damascus that were purportedly intended for Assad ally Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia that is fighting alongside Syrian regime forces.

Israel has said it would not hesitate to attack again to disrupt the flow of game-changing weapons threatening its security. France and Britain so far have not specified what weapons they might send. But the strategy of threatening to arm the rebels as a way of bolstering diplomacy could easily fail.

Assad's regime has provided no sign of any intent to cede power in Syria, a key opposition demand before entering any talks.

Meanwhile, the opposition could try to make a public show of willingness to attend the talks, only to demand that weapons deliveries from Europe start right away if the hoped-for Geneva process breaks down.

The regime and the opposition are both still trying to win militarily. The two sides remain largely deadlocked, but in recent weeks the regime has scored a number of battlefield successes that might make it less inclined to negotiate.

Syria's Foreign Ministry said the EU decision exposes the "mockery" of European claims to be supporting a political solution to the crisis based on national dialogue, while "encouraging terrorists and extending them arms."

On the other hand, Idris, the rebel commander, said his fighters could lose control of a strategic town in western Syrian in the coming days unless he gets weapons quickly. He said thousands of Hezbollah fighters are participating in an offensive against Qusair that began May 19, and that his fighters are outnumbered by more than 3-to-1.

"Time is a very important factor now in the battle in Qusair," he said. "When they wait for a week (to send weapons), maybe Qusair will be under the control of Hezbollah. Then we don't need their (the West's) help, we don't need their support."

If Assad retakes the town, he would shore up his hold on the land corridor linking his stronghold in Damascus with loyalist areas along the Mediterranean coast. For the rebels, losing Qusair would mean losing a supply line to nearby Lebanon.

On Monday, Idris accompanied U.S. Sen. John McCain into a rebel-held area in northern Syria for a meeting with about a dozen local commanders. In a comment on Twitter, the Arizona Republican on Tuesday praised the "brave fighters" battling Assad and renewed his call for the Obama administration to move aggressively militarily to aid the opposition.

Michael Clarke, director of London's Royal United Services Institute think tank, said the EU decision will mean little on the ground for now. He said it is a message to Assad that "the Geneva process is the last good chance you're ever going to have of getting out of this situation without the civil war getting considerably worse - and in one piece."

He said it's also telling the Russians that "we are not going to be intimidated by a lot of Russian huffing and puffing at the moment."

Keaten reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.