| BRICS stands up to form own $100bn bank + currency reserves!

BRICS establish $100bn bank and currency reserves to cut out Western dominance ~ RT.

The group of emerging economies signed the long-anticipated document to create the $100 bn BRICS Development Bank and a reserve currency pool worth over another $100 bn. Both will counter the influence of Western-based lending institutions and the dollar.

The new bank will provide money for infrastructure and development projects in BRICS countries, and unlike the IMF or World Bank, each nation has equal say, regardless of GDP size.

“BRICS Bank will be one of the major multilateral development finance institutions in this world,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday at the 6th BRICS summit in Fortaleza, Brazil.

The big launch of the BRICS bank is seen as a first step to break the dominance of the US dollar in global trade, as well as dollar-backed institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, both US-based institutions BRICS countries have little influence within.

“In terms of escalating international competition the task of activating the trade and investment cooperation between BRICS member states becomes important,” Putin said.

Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa account for 11 percent of global capital investment, and trade turnover almost doubled in the last 5 years, the president reminded.

Each BRICS member is expected to put an equal share into establishing the startup capital of $50 billion with a goal to reach $100 billion. The BRICS bank will be headquartered inShanghai, India will preside as president the first year, and Russia will be the chairman of the representatives. Each country will send either their finance minister or Central Bank chair to the bank’s representative board.

Membership may not just be limited to just BRICS nations, either. Future members could include countries in other emerging markets blocs, such as Mexico, Indonesia, or Argentina, once it sorts out its debt burden.

BRICS represents 42 percent of the world’s population and roughly 20 percent of the world’s economy based on GDP, and 30 percent of the world’s GDP based on PPP, a more accurate reading of the real economy. Total trade between the countries is $6.14 trillion, or nearly 17 percent of the world’s total.

The $100 billion crisis lending fund, called the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), was also established. China will contribute the lion’s share, about $41 billion, Russia, Brazil and India will chip in $18 billion, and South Africa, the newest member of the economic bloc, will contribute $5 billion.

The idea is that the creation of the bank will lessen dependence on the West and create a more multi-polar world, at least financially.

“This mechanism creates the foundation for an effective protection of our national economies from a crisis in financial markets,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

The group has already created the BRICS Stock Alliance an initiative to cross list derivatives to smooth the path for international investors interested in emerging markets.

Russia has also proposed the countries come together under an energy alliance that will include a fuel reserve, as well as an institute for energy policy

“We propose the establishment of the Energy Association of BRICS. Under this ‘umbrella’, a Fuel Reserve Bank and BRICS Energy Policy Institute could be set up,” Putin said.

Documents on cooperation between BRICS export credit agencies and an agreement of cooperation on innovation were also inked.

Bringing emerging economies closer has become vital at a time when the world is guttered by the financial crisis and BRICS countries can’t remain above international problems, said Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff.

She cautioned the world not to see BRICS deals as a desire to dominate.

“We want justice and equal rights,” she said.

“The IMF should urgently revise distribution of voting rights to reflect the importance of emerging economies globally,” Rousseff said.

(L to R) Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, China’s President Xi Jinping and South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma join their hands during the official photograph of the 6th BRICS summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, on July 15, 2014 (AFP Photo)

| Putin’s soft power: Russia not aspiring to be superpower, or teach others how to live!

Putin: Russia not aspiring to be superpower, or teach others how to live ~ RT.

Russia does not seek the role of a regional or global hegemony, but will defend its core values and interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. All attempts to impose on other nations have failed, he added.

The Russian leader gave an assurance that Russia wants to respect the sovereignty and stability of other countries, as he was addressing the Federal Assembly, the collective of the two houses of the Russian parliament.

“We will seek leadership by defending international law, advocating respect for national sovereignty, independence and the uniqueness of peoples,” Putin said.

“We have always been proud of our country, but we do not aspire to the title of superpower, which is understood to be pretense for global or regional hegemony. We do not impinge on anyone’s interests, do not impose our patronage, do not attempt to lecture anyone on how they should live,” he added.

Putin did not directly mention the United States in his speech, but the reference to Washington’s military actions in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya was hard to overlook.

Those and less direct interventions, like the support of the rebel forces in Syria, have led to regress for the respective nations, Putin stated.

On the other hand Russia’s approach, which rejects the use of force and promotes political dialogue and compromise, have been fruitful in both Syria and Iran, the Russian president said.

 

The audience listen to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin as he gives his annual state of the nation address at the Kremlin in Moscow, December 12, 2013. (Reuters / Sergei Karpukhin)

 

“In Syria the world community had to make a joint and fateful decision. It was either the continuation of the degradation of the world order, the rule of the right of might, the right of the fist, the multiplication of chaos. Or to collectively take responsible decisions,” Putin explained, praising the world, Russia included, for taking the second path.

It was Russia’s involvement that to a large degree helped to prevent military intervention in Syria and paved the way for the deal involving the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal.

If this hadn’t happened, the Syrian conflict might have escalated and impacted countries far away from the Middle East, Putin said.

“We acted in a firm, thoughtful and measured manner. At no time did we endanger either our own interests and security or global stability. I believe that this is the way a mature and responsible nation should act,” he stated.

The Syrian precedent was reinforced by the recent breakthrough in the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program.

“We need to continue a patient search for a broader solution, which would ensure the inalienable right of Iran to develop its peaceful nuclear energy industry and the security of all countries in the region, including Israel,” Putin said.

Iran and the P5+1 group have signed an interim agreement, which lifts some of sanctions issued against Iran over its controversial nuclear program in exchange for a temporary slowdown of Tehran’s nuclear development.

The deal is hoped to lead to a permanent accord, which would settle the decades-long conflict.

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| Upbeat Putin calls Rouhani as powers gear up for Iran talks!

Upbeat Putin calls Rouhani as powers gear up for Iran talks ~ The Daily Star.

VIENNA: World powers and Iran geared up Monday for fresh nuclear negotiations, with Russian President Vladimir Putin telling Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani he was upbeat about prospects for a landmark accord.

Speaking two days before the talks resume in Geneva, Putin “stressed that a real chance has now emerged for finding a solution to this long-standing problem,” the Kremlin said.

But U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “every right” to voice his opposition to a potential nuclear deal with Iran. However, he added, he believed Netanyahu was wrong to say the deal would hurt Israel’s security.

He said he had great respect for Netanyahu and his concerns that a deal with Iran would heighten the risk to the Jewish state, but that rather than make Israel less safe, a pact with Iran would actually reduce the country’s risk.

Rouhani, who has raised hopes for an end to the decadeold standoff, told Putin that “excessive demands could complicate the process toward a win-win agreement,” an Iranian government website said.

The comments came a day after French President Francois Hollande laid out in Israel the “essential” steps that Tehran must agree to with the U.S., China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, known collectively as the P5+1 group.

These included stopping the enrichment of uranium to 20-percent purity, reducing enriched uranium stockpiles, and stopping construction of a new reactor at Arak, Hollande said.

It remains to be seen, however, whether the minor and reversible sanctions relief that the P5+1 is offering in return will be enough to persuade Tehran to play ball.

“I confirm here that we will maintain the sanctions as long as we are not certain that Iran has definitively renounced its military [nuclear program,” Hollande said Monday. “France will not let Iran arm itself with nuclear weapons.”

His remarks were made in an address to the Israeli parliament.

Iran’s economy has been punished by a string of international sanctions. U.S. and EU restrictions have more than halved its oil sales, sent the currency plummeting and inflation soaring.

One potential sticking point is Iran’s previous demand that the powers recognize its “right” to enrich uranium.

“No agreement will be reached without securing the rights of the Iranian nation,” Iran’s lead negotiator Abbas Araqchi said Sunday, predicting “difficult” talks.

Iran says it is enriching uranium to purities of up to 20 percent for civilian purposes. When further enriched to 90 percent, uranium can be used as fissile material in a nuclear bomb.

Iran’s ability to enrich to 20 percent is of particular concern because this is most of the way to what is needed to producing weapons-grade uranium.

Its stockpile is already large enough in theory to make several bombs.

At present, the U.N. atomic watchdog would detect any attempt to enrich to weapons-grade. But the fear is that soon this may no longer be the case as Iran adds to its 19,000 centrifuges, thus shortening its “breakout” time.

Even though it would only be a first phase initial deal, an accord in Geneva would be a major breakthrough after a decade of rising tensions and failed diplomatic initiatives.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said last week that since Rouhani took office, Iran had put the brakes on expanding its program.

But watching with a skeptical eye will be hard-liners in the United States and Iran, as well as Israel.

Any deal deemed too soft on Iran will make it harder for U.S. President Barack Obama to dissuade Congress from passing more sanctions, which might scupper the negotiations.

Rouhani, meanwhile, risks losing the backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei if the relative moderate’s “charm offensive” since taking office fails to bear fruit soon.

“If Rouhani is not getting anywhere, the conservatives are going to make a strong comeback,” Trita Parsi, author and president of the National Iranian American Council, told AFP.

The toughest to please could be Israel, which sees its very existence threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran allied with Hezbollah and Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal itself, Israel has refused to rule out bombing Iran’s facilities, as it reportedly did with an Iraqi reactor in 1981 and a Syrian facility in 2007.

“Iran’s dream deal is the world’s nightmare,” Netanyahu said Sunday.

Hollande’s trip to Israel was partly to try to ease Netanyahu’s concerns.

Kerry, who was expected in Israel Friday in what would have been his second visit in two weeks, said Monday he would try to make the trip after the Nov. 28 Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S..

Netanyahu will also meet Putin in Moscow Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made clear Monday, however, that he felt some of Israel’s concerns were “divorced from reality.”

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Related articles

• Putin tells Iran’s Rouhani he sees a chance to end nuclear row (dailystar.com.lb)
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• Hollande to Israel: France Will Keep Sanctions on Iran (voanews.com)
• Putin tells Iran’s Rouhani he sees a chance to end nuclear row (worldbulletin.net)
• Iran warns West over nuclear demands (bbc.co.uk)
• Nuclear talks expected to be difficult (skynews.com.au)
• France assures Israel it will stand firm on Iran deal – Reuters (reuters.com)

 

| Syria: Al-Qaeda as the black operations wing of the US!

Syria: Al-Qaeda as the black operations wing of the US ~ John Robles, Voice of Russia.

Plausible deniability, questionable “legal authority” cleverly inserted and obfuscated in appropriations bills and the like, lawmakers who are more interested in their own political well being, a terrified, disinterested, apolitical and pliable populace and a media that they fully control are just some of the things that the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the CIA’s National Clandestine Service (NCS) and the Black Operations Group under the Special Activities Division (SAD) of the CIA, the Psychological Operations Directorate (POD) and the Shadow Government controlling everything, count on to get away with everything they do.

At the end of July Saudi Prince Bandar met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and with the full support of the United States of America first attempted to bribe President Putin to pull Russian support for Syria and President Bashar Al-Assad and then threatened the President and the Russian Federation with terrorist acts during the Sochi Olympic Games.

The fact Bandar admitted that the Saudis control Chechen terrorists and Al-Qaeda elements in Syria (ties between the Saudis and the US Black Operations Community have been suspected and known about for years, as President Putin stated to Bandar during the conversation) was a watershed moment, but the fact that he threatened Russia, a sovereign nation, with a terrorist attack was an event of such magnitude that it would have served as a legitimate self-defense pretext for leveling Saudi Arabia had President Putin so desired.

This admission I would argue is the key to unlocking the events of 9-11 and showing who was actually involved in the murder of 2,999 civilians on that autumn morning in September of 2001. Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, the Saudis, MOSSAD, the CIA, the NSA and the Shadow Government controlling the United States are all clearly aligned and working together in efficient unison to bring about their goals.

The well documented fact that Al-Qaeda is now, as it was during the war in Afghanistan, operating under the command of JSOC and the Black Operations Command and in unison with the US Government should be causing heads to roll and a public outcry in America, but with a subservient government controlled media, little is being heard and the story of Bandar and Saudi Arabia actually being revealed for the true terrorist state that it in fact is, have gotten little attention.

Since 9-11 the US Shadow Government has used the bogeyman of terrorism to strip away the rights and liberties of its citizens and create the largest police and security state in history, so to learn that the very same terrorist bogeyman is being armed, funded, trained, supported and instructed by the government should, as I said cause an outcry. It has not.

Like the Mujahideen-e-Khalq, an Iranian “opposition” group known in the West as the M.E.K., Al-Nusra and Al-Qaeda affiliated groups in Syria are doing the dirty work for the CIA, JSOC and the Shadow Government. However plausible deniability has kept them secure until now.

The fact that these animals, who are under the direction of the US and their staunch “special” ally the Suadis, killed 426 children in Damascus on the eve of the arrival of a United Nations chemical weapons inspection team, and the fact that Obama and the Shadow Government were ready carry through with a long planned attack of Syria, are crimes on an international scale as was the invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. The difference in Syria is that they are getting more and more obvious and their nefarious methods are becoming more and more well known.

According to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in an interview with American media yesterday 80-90% of the tens of thousands of “rebels” in Syria are Al-Qaeda linked affiliates and terrorists. These are the same “fighters” that the US is supporting with billions of taxpayer dollars and ready to send American Forces in to support, this fact alone should be making the American people scream and even revolt, but the reaction has been almost zero.

Fortunately for the Syrian people the US has been stopped from invading Syria for the time being, but just when the world thought it could rest for a minute from the fear of yet another US act of aggressive war, the greatest aggressor the world has seen since hitler (sic) has now set its gun sights on it next target, the Islamic Republic of Iran. As I have been saying for years, next the Arab Republic of Syria, then the Islamic Republic of Iran, then the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea with a couple South American countries thrown in when convenient, then the Russian Federation and final the People’s Republic of China, to cement complete and total global domination.

Syria did not work out so well for the Nobel-Peace-Prize-launcher-of-aggressive-wars-and-extra-judicial-terror-Tuesday-executioner-in-chief so with almost no pause he has moved on to the next target and the rhetoric, disinformation, lies and demonization has begun at a heightened rate against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

A website called tabletmag.com (Jewish News and Politics) is one of those on the cutting edge of beginning the propaganda campaign for the next US act of aggression against another country that follows an independent foreign policy line and is on good terms with Russia. In an article dated September the 18th and titled “How Iran Uses Terror Threats To Successfully Deter U.S. Military Action” the publication makes a good effort at starting the psychological operations against Iran and blames Iran for everything under the sun, from the war in Iraq to attacks in Beirut.

The Jewish News cites a “senior official at a Washington, D.C.-based pro-Israel organization” as saying: “The staffers left those briefings with the blood drained from their faces.” Regarding briefing on an attack on Syria. Could it be they understood that their government had just killed 426 children and was backing Al-Qaeda cannibals?

The recent seizure of a building in Manhattan also points to a government desperate for funds and on the verge of attacking the country. In an article on gawker.com, the US lays its case for the seizure of a skayscraper supposedly owned by Iran by saying the funds from its sale and liquidation will be used to provide funds for the “victims of Iranian terrorism”. What victims they are talking about is completely unclear and as the article does not list a single terrorist act carried out by Iran this is highly suspicious but then again they need their funding somehow and stealing it is one of the best ways to get it.

The fact that Iran, Libya, Iraq and Syria all fought against and refused to work with Al-Qaeda is also important to note. If the US Government were really engaged in a war on terror they would be providing support for the government of Bashar Al-Assad and cutting all ties with the Saudis. But that would be against the true nature of those in control of the US Government including the ex-Islamic President Barrack Hussein Obama.

We saw after 9-11 how the US helped the Bin Laden family and the Saudis leave the country and how they have not prosecuted anyone for 9-11 and this is now obvious why. One would not prosecute oneself now would one? Nor would one prosecute ones doing ones dirty work.

In another article by Seymour Hersh detailing how the US supports terrorists in Iran Hersh wrote: “Allan Gerson, a Washington attorney for the M.E.K., notes that the M.E.K. has publicly and repeatedly renounced terror. Gerson said he would not comment on the alleged training in Nevada. But such training, if true, he said, would be “especially incongruent with the State Department’s decision to continue to maintain the M.E.K. on the terrorist list. How can the U.S. train those on State’s foreign terrorist list, when others face criminal penalties for providing a nickel to the same organization?”

Did you know that Iran is not a nation but a terrorist organization according to the US Government in justifying their actions against the country. From a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Section 215 and the PRISM/702 programs I offer the following: “The Section 215 Business Records provision was created in 2001 in the PATRIOT for tangible things: hotel records, credit card statements, etcetera. Things that are not phone or email communications. The FBI uses that authority as part of its terrorism investigations. The NSA only uses Section 215 for phone call records — not for Google searches or other things. Under Section 215, NSA collects phone records pursuant to a court record. It can only look at that data after a showing that there is a reasonable, articulable that a specific individual is involved in terrorism, actually related to al Qaeda or Iran. At that point, the database can be searched.”

So while America is pointing the finger at the world for defending itself or having independent foreign policies or being allied with Russia and saying such things as everyone is ready to use violence against America, and all countries are terrorist, maybe they should start looking in the mirror and doing some soul searching, if in fact they have souls.

Their friends the Saudis just threatened the Russian Federation with terrorist acts and they are supporting Al-Qaeda while attacking every country that has been against Al-Qaeda in the Middle East and their violence and aggression is spreading with act after act of aggressive war. Are we getting the picture now?
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| “What about Israel’s nuclear weapons?” asks Putin!

“What about Israel’s nuclear weapons?” asks Putin ~ MEMO.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked the big question that has been the elephant in the corner as the debate continues about Syria’s possession and use of chemical weapons: What about Israel’s nuclear weapons?

Putin was speaking in defence of Moscow’s position on the Syrian crisis, in particular the chemical weapons issue. Observers were surprised by the reference to Israel’s nuclear arsenal, which is normally off-limits in such international forums, and Putin’s attempt to link the caches of weapons of mass destruction in both countries. The Russian president pointed out that Syria’s chemical weapons have served as a counter to the threat posed by Israel’s nuclear weapons; he called for the Middle East to be a nuclear-free zone.

Continuing to deny the Syrian regime’s responsibility for the chemical weapons attack last month, Putin presented “technical” evidence collected by his advisers. “The attack used an old Soviet shell of a kind no longer used by the Syrian army,” he claimed.

As the war of words between Russia and the US continued on this issue, Secretary of State John Kerry tried unsuccessfully to persuade his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to back a “binding” UN Security Council resolution to remove the Syrian chemical. Nevertheless, Kerry praised China’s support for a political solution, “the only available and possible solution”. The Secretary of State also urged the UN Security Council to vote as soon as possible on the text of a possible resolution that would oblige Syria to respect a plan to dispose of its chemical weapons.

President Bashar Al–Assad has vowed to hand over his regime’s chemical weapons but warned that this could take many months and millions of dollars before the process is complete. In an interview with Fox News, Assad stressed that the ideology of the rebels in his country should be a cause for serious concern not only in Syria but also in neighbouring countries and even the United States. It is not a civil war, he insisted, but “an attack by Al-Qaeda”. Up to 15,000 Syrian soldiers have been killed so far, claimed Assad, but he expressed his government’s willingness to offer an amnesty, “even for those whose hands are stained by Syrian blood”, as an act of national reconciliation. Commentators have pointed out the significance of Assad’s offer, coming as it has after a spokesman for his government said that the conflict is at an “impasse”.

In an interview with Britain’s Guardian newspaper, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Qadri Jamil, said that the Syrian authorities will ask for a ceasefire in the event that the “Geneva 2 Conference” goes ahead. He added that neither side in the conflict is able to win but insisted that there would have to be international monitors for any ceasefire.

The easing of the threat of military action against the Syrian regime has had a positive effect on Lebanon already, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister has claimed. Heading back to Moscow after talks in Damascus, Sergei Ryabkov noted that the flow of refugees across the border into Lebanon appears to have slowed. “If there is a war, however, it will have a negative effect not only on Syria but Lebanon and other neighbours,” he said.

 

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| Putin: We will help Syria – chemical attack is ‘rebels’ provocation in hope of intervention!

Putin: Syria chemical attack is ‘rebels’ provocation in hope of intervention
~ RT.

The alleged chemical weapons use in Syria is a provocation carried out by the rebels to attract a foreign-led strike, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the G20 summit.

There was no 50/50 split of opinion on the notion of a military strike against the Syrian President Bashar Assad, Putin stressed refuting earlier assumptions.

Only Turkey, Canada, Saudi Arabia and France joined the US push for intervention, he said, adding that the UK Prime Minister’s position was not supported by his citizens.

Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Italy were among the major world’s economies clearly opposed to military intervention.

President Putin said the G20 nations spent the “entire” Thursday evening discussing the Syrian crisis, which was followed by Putin’s bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister David Cameron that lasted till 3am Moscow time.

Russia “will help Syria” in the event of a military strike, Putin stressed as he responded to a reporter’s question at the summit.

“Will we help Syria? We will. And we are already helping, we send arms, we cooperate in the economics sphere, we hope to expand our cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, which includes sending humanitarian aid to support those people – the civilians – who have found themselves in a very dire situation in this country,” Putin said.

 

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin gestures during a press conference at the end of the G20 summit on September 6, 2013 in Saint Petersburg (AFP Photo)

 

Putin said he sat down with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit and talked for about half an hour in “a friendly atmosphere”.

Although the Russian and the American leaders maintained different positions regarding the Syrian issue, Putin said they “hear” and understand each other.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry will continue discussing the situation in Syria “in the short run,” Putin said.

Meanwhile, President Obama reiterated in his summit speech that the US government believes Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces were behind the chemical weapons use.

Obama pledged to make a good case on the issue for both the international community and the American people, saying many nations are already “comfortable” with the US’ opinion.

While admitting “a number of countries” at the summit stressed any military action plan should go through the UN Security Council, Obama said the US is in a different “camp” that questioned the UNSC effectiveness.

“Given the Security Council’s paralysis on this issue, if we are serious about upholding a ban on chemical weapons use, then an international response is required and that will not come through the Security Council action,” Obama said.

‘A dangerous precedent’

Both presidents stressed that the situation in Syria could create a dangerous precedent, but supported their points with contrasting arguments.

Obama stressed his “goal” and US “responsibility” was to maintain international norms on banning chemical weapon use, saying he wanted the enforcement to be “real.”

 

US President Barack Obama answers a question during a press conference in Saint Petersburg on September 6, 2013 on the sideline of the G20 summit (AFP Photo)

 

“When there is a breach this brazen of a norm this important, and the international community is paralyzed and frozen and doesn’t act, then that norm begins to unravel. And if that norm unravels, then other norms and prohibitions start unraveling, and that makes for a more dangerous world,”Obama said.

Putin, on the contrary, stressed that setting precedents of military action outside a UN Security Council resolution would mean the world’s smaller countries can no longer feel safe against the interests of the more powerful ones.

“Small countries in the modern world feel increasingly vulnerable and insecure. One starts getting the impression that a more powerful country can at any time and at its own discretion use force against them,” Putin said, citing the earlier statement made by the South African President.

Such practice would also make it much harder to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear program, Putin pointed out.

The meeting of the leaders of the major world economies – G20 – took place in St. Petersburgh, Russia. The participants of the summit focused on economic issues during round-table talks, including unemployment, the lack of global investment, and better international financial regulation. While on the sidelines the conversation shifted to the issue of the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria and the possibility of military action in the war-torn country.

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| Putin: We’re not defending Assad, we’re defending international law!

Putin warns against ‘illegal’ military action in Syria, bypassing UNSC ~ RT.

Russia needs convincing proof, not rumors, from UN experts that chemical weapons were used in Syria, said the Russian president in an interview with First Channel and AP. It is up to the UN Security Council to decide on the next course of action, he said.

Speaking to journalists from Russia’s state Channel 1 television and Associated Press, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a number of decisive statements regarding the supposed use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, which evoked a threat of a US-led strike on Syria.

“We believe that at the very least we should wait for the results of the UN inspection commission in Syria,” Putin said, adding that so far there is no information about what chemical agent exactly was used in the attack in Damascus’ suburbs and who did it.

“I’ve already said I find it absolutely ridiculous that [Syrian] government’s armed forces, which today are actually on an offense mission and in some regions have already encircled the so-called rebels and are finishing them off, that the Syrian army has used prohibited chemical weapons,” Putin said.

“They know all too well that this could become a cause for sanctions and even for a military operation against them. That’s stupid and illogical.”

“We proceed from the assumption that if anyone has information that chemical weapons were used by the Syrian regular army, then such proof must be presented to the UN Security Council and the UN inspectors,” Putin said, stressing that the proof must be “convincing” and not based on “rumors” or any sort of “eavesdropped intelligence data,” conversations etc.

“Even in the US there are experts who question the reliability of the facts presented by the administration. These experts do not exclude the possibility that the Syrian opposition has conducted a pre-planned provocation in order to give their sponsors a reason for military intervention,” he acknowledged.

YouTube: http://youtu.be/JcQX3SLMcnM

Putin: We are not defending Assad, we are defending international law.

Putin later leveled criticism at US Secretary of State John Kerry as he spoke to human rights activists on Wednesday, saying Kerry “lied” by claiming there was no Al-Qaeda militants fighting in Syria and that the military strike against President Assad will not boost the terrorist network’s presence in the region.

“They lie, plainly. I watched the Congressional debate. A congressman asked Mr. Kerry: “Is there any Al-Qaeda [in Syria]? There are reports they have been growing stronger.” He [Kerry] replied: “No. I say with all responsibility: there is no [Al-Qaeda] there,” Putin explained.

The Russian President then said the Al-Nusra Front terrorist organization, which pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, has been at the forefront of the rebel groups fighting Assad’s forces, and that the US is well aware of that.

“Well, he [Kerry] lies. And he knows that he lies. This is sad,” Putin remarked.

Speaking of Kerry’s confidence in that Assad’s forces used chemical weapons, Putin recalled former US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s rhetoric on the eve of American invasion in Iraq.

Powell even brandished some test tube with a white powder as he attempted to persuade the international community that Iraq has chemical weapons, Putin said, stressing that it later turned out that “all these arguments did not hold water.”

Putin says he “does not exclude” that Russia may agree with a military operation if it is proved that the Syrian government is behind the attack, however he emphasized that in accordance with international law a decision of the UN Security Council is needed for that.

“All other reasons and means that excuse using military force against an independent sovereign state are unacceptable and cannot be classified otherwise but as an aggression,” Putin noted.

“We would be convinced by a detailed investigation and direct evidence of who exactly used chemical weapons and what substances were used. Then we’ll be ready to take decisive and serious action,” said the president.

Answering a question about video records of dead children that allegedly died in the chemical attack in Damascus, Vladimir Putin called the material with dead children “horrible”.

“The questions are what exactly was done and who is to blame. This video does not answer these questions,” Putin said, sharing an opinion that this video is a compilation made by the militants who – even the US acknowledges – have links with Al-Qaeda and are notorious for extreme atrocities.

Putin recommended to pay attention to the fact that in the video with dead children there are no parents, children’s relatives or even medical personnel, while people who do appear in the video remain unidentified. However terrible the picture could be, it cannot be proof of anybody’s guilt, Putin said, and called for investigation of the incident.

Russia is fulfilling arms contracts with Syria “because we believe that we are working with the legitimate government and we are violating neither international law, nor our obligations,” assured Putin, stressing that the UN had imposed no sanctions on the export of weapons to Syria.

He confirmed that Moscow has a signed contract with Damascus to deliver S-300 air defense missile complexes to Syria. The S-300 system is kind of outdated, said Putin, “though they might be a little better than Patriot missiles.”

Russia already has deployed S-400 and forthcoming S-500 systems, “[and] these are all certainly very efficient weapons,” Putin noted.

“We have a contract to supply S300 missiles, and we’ve already supplied some parts, but not all of it, because we decided to suspend the supplies for a while. But if we see international law being violated, we will reconsider our future actions, including supplies of such sensitive weapons to certain regions of the world,” he promised.

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| Putin presses US Congress over Syria, says Kerry lied!

Putin presses US Congress over Syria, says Kerry lied ~ Reuters.

(Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday the U.S. Congress had no right to approve the use of force against Syria without a decision from the U.N. Security Council, and that doing so would be an “act of aggression”.

He said “anything that is outside the U.N. Security Council is aggression, except self-defense. Now what Congress and the U.S. Senate are doing in essence is legitimizing aggression. This is inadmissible in principle.”

In remarks that could raise tension further before he hosts President Barack Obama and other G20 leaders on Thursday, Putin also said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry lied to Congress about the militant group al Qaeda’s role in the Syrian conflict.

“They lie beautifully, of course. I saw debates in Congress. A congressman asks Mr Kerry: ‘Is al Qaeda there?’ He says: ‘No, I am telling you responsibly that it is not’,” Putin said at a meeting of his human rights council in the Kremlin.

“Al Qaeda units are the main military echelon, and they know this,” he said, referring to the United States. “It was unpleasant and surprising for me – we talk to them, we proceed from the assumption that they are decent people. But he is lying and knows he is lying. It’s sad.”

Putin did not give any more details.

In an exchange with a senator, Kerry was asked whether it was “basically true” that the Syrian opposition had “become more infiltrated by al Qaeda over time. Kerry said: “No, that is actually basically not true. It’s basically incorrect”.

In another sign of tension, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that since August 31, the U.S. State Department had repeatedly asked for a telephone call between Kerry and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov but Kerry had been unavailable and declined to set a time for the call.

(Reporting by Darya Korsunskaya,; Writing by Steve Gutterman, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an interview at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow September 3, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin

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| Saudi bribe to Russia of $15bn arms deal to drop Assad!

Saudi Arabia dangles lucrative arms deal in front of Russia in exchange for dropping Assad – report ~ RT.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly offered to buy arms worth up to $15 billion from Russia, and provided a raft of economic and political concessions to the Kremlin – all in a bid to weaken Moscow’s endorsement of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The diplomatic initiatives were anonymously voiced to Reuters by multiple Gulf state diplomats and senior leaders of the Syrian opposition, in the wake of last week’s meeting in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi National Security Council chief Prince Bandar bin-Sultan. The Saudi politician has orchestrated his country’s foreign policy in recent months.

“Bandar offered to intensify energy, military and economic cooperation with Moscow,” a senior Syrian opposition figure told Reuters.

“Bandar sought to allay two main Russian fears: that Islamist extremists will replace Assad, and that Syria would become a conduit for Gulf, mainly Qatari, gas at the expense of Russia.”

The $15 billion figure was touted by a representative of the anti-Assad opposition, which Saudi Arabia has strongly backed throughout the rebellion in Syria which has lasted more than two years. Meanwhile, a Gulf source claimed that no specific figure was involved.

Moscow and Riyadh, which traditionally acquires its arms from the United States, have had a massive contract on ice since 2008. Under Saudi Arabia’s terms, Russia would supply a huge assortment of equipment, including 150 T-90 tanks and more than 100 attack helicopters.

In the past, Moscow has supplied billions of dollars worth of weapons to Assad, as well as maintained a naval base in Syria.

Together with China, it has consistently blocked UN Security Council resolutions, saying they do not place any demands on the opposition – only on Assad.

 

Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence and Secretary-General of the National Security Council of Saudi Arabia, during his Moscow visit (RIA Novosti / Aleksey Nikolsky)

 

Sources indicate that Bandar asked Putin to not oppose any future Security Council resolutions on Syria.

Bandar also reportedly assured Putin that Gulf states will not challenge Russia’s dominant position in the European gas markets, and assured him that extremist Islamic forces – which have gained prominence in the conflict – will not attempt to monopolize power in a future Syrian state.

While diplomats involved in the talks described them as “inconclusive,” one Lebanese emissary close to the delegation said its Saudi members were “elated.” There has been no comment from the Kremlin on the outcome of the visit, other than to say that the delegates discussed a “wide range of issues” with President Putin.

A Western diplomat told Reuters that Russia’s position was more a matter of prestige and geopolitics, and that the country was unlikely to publicly back down for the sake of mere economic incentives.

A long-scheduled peace conference in Geneva, proposed by Russia and the US, has been pushed back and is currently under threat of cancellation. The meeting was supposed to achieve an immediate ceasefire and govern a political transition in Syria.

The conflict has largely hinged on whether President Bashar Assad will be banned from playing any political role in post-conflict Syria – a condition the opposition has demanded before it sits down at the negotiating table.

More than 100,000 people have perished in the conflict, according to UN estimates.

T-90 tank – like one of 150 Russia previously planned to supply to Saudi Arabia (RIA Novosti / Valeriy Melnikov)

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| Snowden’s father praises son in letter for summoning Americans to confront ‘tyranny!’

Snowden’s father praises son in letter for summoning Americans to confront ‘tyranny’ ~ Associated Press, Washington Post.

McLEAN, Va. — The father of NSA leaker Edward Snowden, frustrated by his inability to reach out directly to his son, on Tuesday wrote him an open letter, extolling him for “summoning the American people to confront the growing danger of tyranny.”

The letter was written jointly by Lon Snowden and his lawyer, Bruce Fein.

Video

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Edward Snowden will have to stop leaking U.S. secrets if he wants to stay in Russia.

 

Edward Snowden stays hidden in Moscow as asylum options narrow

After flirting with sanctuary in Russia, the leaker of secrets changes his mind, and so do several countries.

It comes a day after Edward Snowden issued a statement through WikiLeaks ripping the Obama administration for leaving him “stateless” and revoking his passport. Snowden is in Russia and has been seeking asylum in multiple countries.

Snowden’s father has expressed concern that WikiLeaks supporters who have been helping his son seek asylum may not have his best interests at heart. The father has said he’d like his son to be able to return to the U.S. under the right circumstances. Wikileaks is an anti-secrecy website that has published several documents deemed classified by governments.

In the letter, Fein and the father tell Snowden that “(w)hat you have done and are doing has awakened congressional oversight of the intelligence community from deep slumber” and “forced onto the national agenda the question of Whether the American people prefer the right to be left alone from government snooping absent probable cause. … You are a modern day Paul Revere: summoning the American people to confront the growing danger of tyranny and one branch government.”

On Friday, Lon Snowden told NBC News that his son had technically broken the law but was not a traitor and was motivated by legitimate concerns about the programs. He also expressed frustration that WikiLeaks may not be giving his son the best advice. WikiLeaks has been helping Snowden apply for asylum in a variety of countries. Snowden has applied for asylum in Venezuela, Bolivia and 18 other countries, according to WikiLeaks,

Lon Snowden and Fein have been trying to arrange for the younger Snowden to be able return to the U.S. under circumstances that they believe would guarantee fair treatment and a fair trial, including a promise that he would not be detained prior to trial and would not be subject to a gag order. Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency systems analyst, released sensitive documents on U.S. intelligence-gathering operations.

Fein said in a phone interview Tuesday that he received a call Saturday, after Lon Snowden’s televised interview, from Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange. In it, Assange purported to deliver a message from son to father asking that elder Snowden keep quiet. Fein, meanwhile, said he is continuing to work to establish a direct link between father and son that does not require WikiLeaks as an intermediary.

The letter Tuesday was written by Fein but signed by both he and Lon Snowden. It goes on to say: “Irrespective of life’s vicissitudes, we will be Unflagging in efforts to educate the American people about the impending ruination of the Constitution and the rule of law unless they abandon their complacency or indifference. Your actions are making our challenge easier.

We encourage you to engage us in regular exchanges of ideas or thoughts about approaches to curing or mitigating the hugely suboptimal political culture of the United States. Nothing less is required to pay homage to Valley Forge, Cemetery Ridge, Omaha Beach, and other places of great sacrifice.”

Fein said he hopes the letter can help focus the public on the debate that Snowden initially hoped to foster when he leaked details about the surveillance programs. That debate over the proper role of surveillance in American society “is being obscured by the debate on where to seek asylum.”

The asylum debate, meanwhile, is one of keen interest to Assange, who has said repeatedly that he expects to face criminal charges in the U.S. and has been seeking asylum from Ecuador.

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