Syria Crisis: Russia And China Step Up Warnings

Today's articles focus on the predictable aftermath of U.S. involvement in Syria and not surprisingly, it all lines up with biblical prophecy:

Syria Crisis: Russia And China Step Up Warning Over Strike

Russia and China have stepped up their warnings against military intervention in Syria, with Moscow saying any such action would have "catastrophic consequences" for the region.

Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich has called on the international community to show "prudence" over the crisis and observe international law.

"Attempts to bypass the Security Council, once again to create artificial groundless excuses for a military intervention in the region are fraught with new suffering in Syria and catastrophic consequences for other countries of the Middle East and North Africa," he said in a statement.

Late on Monday, the US said it was postponing a meeting on Syria with Russian diplomats, citing "ongoing consultations" about alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.

On Monday, Mr Cameron spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin who said there was no evidence yet that Syria had used chemical weapons against rebels, Mr Cameron's office said.

The official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, said Western powers were rushing to conclusions about who may have used chemical weapons in Syria before UN inspectors had completed their investigation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters on Monday the West had not produced any proof that President Assad's forces had used chemical weapons.

He was responding to suggestions from some Western countries that military action against the Syrian government could be taken without a UN mandate.

Mr Lavrov said the use of force without Security Council backing would be "a crude violation of international law".

Expert: U.S.-Led Attack On Syria Leads To Increased Russian Cooperation With Iran

Russia warned Western powers on Monday against any military intervention in Syria, saying the use of force without a United Nations mandate would violate international law. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow had no plans to be drawn into a military conflict over the civil war in Syria and that Washington and its allies would be repeating “past mistakes” if they intervened in Syria.

Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow at the US think tank the Heritage Foundation, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview on Monday that in response to an attack on their Syrian ally, Russia could “expand supply of dual use nuclear technology” to Iran as its nuclear energy company, Rosatom, is anxious to sell more reactors.

If the Syrians have the Russian P-800 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile or the advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system or other sophisticated equipment deployed, “they may use them to shoot at NATO or Western forces involved in these operations,” said Cohen.

Furthermore, such a Western operation against Syria would strengthen Russia’s commitment to deploy a permanent naval squadron in the Mediterranean and accelerate the search for naval bases and anchorages, such as Tartus and Latakiyeh in Syria, he said.

Russia may encourage Hezbollah as a payback and because Israel is a US ally, the conflict could trigger something that drags Israel into it.

“Whenever the Russians cannot do anything direct against the West they use proxies – that has been their strategy for a long time,” said Geifman.

Russia 'Regrets' U.S. Decision To Shelve Syria Talks

Moscow has voiced “regret” over a US decision to put off bilateral talks over Syria. Russia has sought to placate calls for military action over the alleged use of chemical weapons, saying there is no evidence of the Assad regime’s complicity.

The US government announced it was postponing bilateral talks with Russia late Monday, citing “ongoing consultations” over the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons. 

Russian and American officials had been scheduled to meet in The Hague on Wednesday for bilateral talks on the Syrian conflict. 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov tweeted a response to the move Tuesday morning, expressing concern over Washington’s decision. 

“It is a pity that our western partners have decided to cancel the bilateral US-Russian meeting to discuss calls for an international conference on Syria,” Gatilov wrote on Twitter. He added in a later post that discussing terms for a political solution were needed now more than ever in the face of possible military intervention in Syria. 

Syria 'Chemical Weapons': Live Updates

Syria FM: Foreign Strike 'Would Not Stop' Fight Against Terrorists

Despite threats of international intervention, Damascus will continue its military efforts against the rebels, Syria’s Foreign Minister has said. Decrying plans for a foreign strike as “deluded,” he said any attempt to hinder the Syrian army would fail.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, Muallem condemned western allegations that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons on its own citizens as “a lie.” 

“No country in the world uses weapons of mass destruction against its own people,” said Muallem. 

He also rejected claims that the government had delayed the UN inspectors’ probe of the Ghouta site.

“The UN team did not ask to go to site until Saturday,” said Muallem, stressing that government permission was granted Sunday. Muallum went on to say that the UN team's mission had been temporarily put on hold until Wednesday as a safety precaution after unidentified snipers opened fire on the inspectors on Monday.

U.S. Attempts To Sabotage UN Chemical Weapons Investigation

Desperate to maintain a narrative that will justify a cruise missile attack on Syria, the Obama administration is seemingly trying everything within its power to sabotage the UN chemical weapons investigation in Syria.

The reason is obvious – the last time the United Nations investigated claims of chemical weapons use in Syria, its inspectors concluded that it was the rebels and not Assad’s forces who were likely behind the sarin gas attack.

Eager to avoid a repeat that would completely derail the march to war, the White House in concert with Britain has repeatedly attempted to scupper the UN investigation or render it meaningless.

In the latest example, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Obama administration told UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon that “there wasn’t adequate security for the U.N. inspectors to visit the affected areas to conduct their mission,” a clear warning (or a blatant threat) that inspectors should pull out entirely.

This warning followed an incident, almost certainly the work of US-backed rebels, where a convoy of UN vehicles was fired upon by a sniper, causing the inspectors to temporarily suspend their work. Rebels have repeatedly acted with hostility against UN workers and peacekeepers, with one FSA group kidnapping 21 peacekeepers back in March.

While discouraging the UN from completing its investigation, the US and Britain have already declared that last week’s attack involved the use of chemical weapons and that it was the work of Bashar Al-Assad’s forces, despite numerous other examples where rebels have prepared and used chemical weapons themselves.

Also see:

American Paranoia Sets In - Big Time

Mideast Nuclear Holocaust

Hugging The Brotherhood To Death