Would American direct intervention in Syria be about justice? Can its purpose be clearly defined? Is this a way to send a message to Iran? And has 
President Obama backed himself into a corner this time? CrossTalking with Pepe Escobar and Stephen Schlesinger.
Turkey still eyeing US raid despite UK blow, Turkish desire to march on Syria
ANKARA
Rabid in its desire to march on Syria, Turkey banks on Washington’s support for an invasion despite a ‘no-war’ vote by Britain’s Parliament
“The Americans, like us, are sure that a response should be given to the use of chemical weapons. We are of the opinion that the U.S. will go into action following internal deliberations,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Aug. 30.
» Will Obama Doom Himself As A War Criminal — Paul Craig Roberts
Will Obama Doom Himself As A War Criminal
Paul Craig Roberts
Obama, pushed by his Israeli and neocon masters, especially his National Security
Advisor, Susan Rice, who, in effect, functions as an Israeli agent, crawled far out on the limb, only to have it sawed off by the British Parliament.
In response, the “socialist” president of France, Hollande, who lacks French support for
France’s participation in a US/Israeli orchestrated military attack on Syria, has crawled
back off the limb, saying that, while everything is still on the table, he has to see some evidence first.
As Cameron and Obama have made clear, there is no evidence. Even US intelligence has declared that there is no conclusive evidence that Assad used chemical weapons or even has control over the weapons.
Even the US puppet government in Canada has disavowed participating in the Obama/Israeli war crime.
This leaves Obama with support only from Turkey and Israel. Recently, the Turkish government shot down in the streets more of its own people–peaceful protesters, not
imported mercenaries trying to overthrow the Turkish government–than were killed in
the alleged use of chemical weapons by Assad.
As the entire world is aware, the Israeli government has been committing crimes against the people in Palestine for decades. A distinguished Jewish jurist concluded in an official report that the Israeli government committed war crimes in its attack on the civilian population of Gaza.
No country regards the criminal states of Turkey and Israel as cover for a war crime. If Obama is pushed by Susan Rice and the evil neocons, who are strongly allied with Israel, into going it alone and conducting a military strike on Syria, Obama will have made himself an unambiguous War Criminal under the Nuremberg Standard created by the US Government. Unprovoked military aggression is a war crime under international law. That is completely clear. There are no ifs or buts about it.
If Obama now strikes Syria, when he has no cover from the UN, or from NATO, or from the American people, or from Congress, having ignored the House and Senate, Obama
will stand before the entire world, starkly, as a War Criminal. Unless the world is
prepared to flush international law, arrest orders for the War Criminal will have to come from the Hague. Obama will have to be handed over and put on trial. He will have no
more leg to stand on than did the Nazis.
The evil neocons are telling Obama that he must prove that he is a man and go it alone.
If Obama does, he will prove that he is a War Criminal.
Saudi Prince Bandar behind chemical attack in Syria: PressTV Report
Syrians in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta say Saudi Arabia provided chemical weapons for an al-Qaeda linked terrorist group which they blame for the August 21 chemical attack in the region, a report says.
The article co-authored by a veteran AP reporter, said interviews with doctors, residents, anti-government forces and their families in Ghouta suggest the terrorists in question received chemical weapons via Saudi spymaster Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud.
The report quoted the father of a militant as saying that his son and 12 others were killed inside a tunnel used to store weapons supplied by a Saudi militant leader, known as Abu Ayesha.
The man described the weapons as having a “tube-like structure” while others were like a “huge gas bottle.”
Anti-government forces, interviewed in the article, complained they were not informed of the nature of the weapons they had been given, nor did they receive instructions how to use them.
“When Saudi Prince Bandar gives such weapons to people, he must give them to those who know how to handle and use them,” said one militant.
Another militant accused the Takfiri militants of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front of refusing to cooperate with other insurgents or sharing secret information. “They merely used some ordinary rebels to carry and operate this material,” he said.
“We were very curious about these arms. And unfortunately, some of the fighters handled the weapons improperly and set off the explosions,” he added.
The authors noted that the doctors who treated the chemical weapons attack victims cautioned interviewers against asking questions regarding who exactly was responsible for the deadly assault.
Also more than a dozen militants interviewed said their salaries came from the Saudi government. They reportedly said Prince Bandar is referred to as “al-Habib” (the lover) by al-Qaeda militants fighting in Syria.
According to Independent, it was Prince Bandar’s intelligence agency that first accused the Syrian government in February of using sarin gas in a bid to rally support for Riyadh’s efforts to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
And The Wall Street Journal has reported that the Saudi spy chief is considered by the CIA as “a veteran of the diplomatic intrigues of Washington and the Arab world [who] could deliver what the CIA couldn’t: planeloads of money and arms, and…wasta, Arabic for under-the-table clout.”
SF/MRS/KA
Turkey: BDP rallies to force Ankara to take steps, gov’t balks at threats
Two Kurdish women make “V” signs in front of a line of riot police in Dağlıca on Thursday during a protest organized by the BDP against mobile 
security outposts. The BDP is expected to hold many rallies in September. (Photo: İHA)
AYDIN ALBAYRAK, ANKARA
The rallies the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) is preparing to hold at the beginning of September are seemingly meant to force the government’s hand into taking steps to the BDP’s liking as part of the settlement process launched to settle the country’s decades-old Kurdish issue.
The government is taking it slow, however, after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the military wing of the BDP, did not withdraw all of its armed militants from Turkey as agreed and the first stage of the settlement process has not been completed yet.
The PKK military commanders have issued threatening statements in recent weeks, setting the deadline for the beginning of September for the government to launch steps they claim are required for the process to move forward. The government balked at the threats, with Interior Minister Muammer Güler saying that “these are empty threats.”
“They [the PKK and the BDP] may encourage a popular uprising to reach their goals declared in the announcement of the Kurdish Communities Union [KCK],” Atilla Sandıklı, head of the İstanbul-based Wise Men Center for Strategic Studies (Bilgesam), has said.
The BDP has long criticized the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government for dragging its feet on the introduction of the democratization package, and signaled that it may encourage popular protests in the fall, should the government fail to come up with a package as expected. An autonomous Kurdistan and education in mother tongue are two of the major demands of the KCK’s announcement this summer.
Russia to deploy ‘star wars’ missile system in 2017
MOSCOW
Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to deploy in 2017 a sophisticated new air missile defense system that can hit targets in space, a senior ministry source told Russian news 
agencies on Aug. 30.
“The promising S-500 air defense missile system is at the development stage. It’s planned to be deployed in 2017,” the source was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
The long-range system will be able to destroy targets even if they are in space and cover the whole Russian territory, the source added. Russia is developing more and more effective missile defense systems for use as a deterrent while opposing plans by the United States to build a missile defense shield in Europe.
Russia says its most advanced anti-aircraft and anti-missile system currently in use, the S-400 Triumph, has a range of 400 kilometers. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last year that Russia’s armed forces would acquire around 28 S-400s over the following decade.
Syria’s Armenians Brace for US Attack
ALEPPO—The Armenian community is Syria is bracing itself for a possible strike by the US, which is posturing to attack after claiming that the Syrian regime is responsible for an alleged chemical attack near Damascus last week.
Life in Aleppo continues to worsen as roads leading into he city remain closed due to clashes between government and rebel forces vying for control. This has resulted in further scarcity in food and fuel, explained Zarmig Bighikian, a writer at the Aleppo-based Gandzasar Magazine.
“Only three central bread making bakeries are operating in the city, with long lines. The price of fruits and vegetables are skyrocketing with limited quantity and variety. Same can be said about dairy and meat products,” explained Boghikian, who added that an effort by the authorities to provide fuel to residents has been halted due to the escalation of clashes.
Despite these obstacles, Boghikian reported that Armenians in Aleppo are continuing to find a semblance of life. School in Aleppo, including all Armenian schools, have announced dates for re-opening.
“Enrollment of students has already begun and efforts are under way to organize the reopening of Armenian schools, including enrollment procedures and procuring of textbooks for the students,” said Boghikian.
The Gandzasar contributor told RFE/RL on Wednesday that the community is worried about a possible US strike on Syria.
“We are neutral but concerned because those strikes will target the whole country. Leaders of the Armenian community are telling people to be cautious and don’t leave their homes too often for the next few days,” Boghikian told RFE/RL.
“Many people are thinking about fleeing but that’s impossible to do in Aleppo now because the roads are closed,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan announced that Armenia’s diplomatic missions—the Embassy in Damascus and Consulate in Aleppo—are continuing to operate. He, however, did not indicate any government plans regarding the possibility of US attacks.
Turkey: Historic Armenian Houses in Mush to Be Demolished
YEREVAN (Armenpress)—Historical Armenian houses that remain standing almost a century after the destruction of Armenian towns in Turkey’s Mush Province are set to be demolished for new construction, with the exception of three to five houses, which may be formally taken under state protection, according to Turkey’s 
Aykiridogrular.com news website, reports Armenpress.
According to the website, Turkey’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture aims to reconstruct the three to five of the Armenian houses and take them under state protection.
As reported earlier by the Turkish media, Turkey’s Housing Development Administration (TOKI) intends to build some 864 residential houses and 107 offices in the place of Armenian houses in the Kale District of Mush. The TOKI says it has garnered the support of 85% of the local population to carry out reconstruction work on the territory, which makes up about 15 acres
Many of the local population of the Kale District refuse to take the money offered by the Housing Development Administration to leave their homes. However, TOKI representatives have announced that they will demolish the houses in any case and that, if the population does not vacate voluntarily, their goods, too, will remain under rubble.
An electronic petition has been organized against the demolition of the historic Armenian houses in the Mush Province, the initiators of which wish to prohibit the destruction of the last Armenian historical traces in Mush.
“Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians are being subjected to genocide. The process, launched by the genocide in 1915, is currently continuing as a cultural and economic genocide. To kill a culture means to kill a part of mankind. It is a historical genocide,” says the petition’s statement.
The confiscation of properties from minority communities dates back to the early days of the Turkish Republic. The 1936 Law on Foundations, known as the 1936 Declaration, ordered all communities to submit a property declaration, listing immovable and other properties owned by each and every foundation in the community. Following the death of the nation’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, those property declarations were forgotten.
When the Cyprus problem escalated in the 1970s, the General Directorate of Foundations expropriated all immovable property from community foundations acquired after 1936. These expropriation acts were in violation of both the Lausanne agreement and property rights.
Russia’s Javakhk Diaspora announces Genocide Memorial contest
August 30, 2013 – 17:25 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Russia’s Javakhk Diaspora announced an architectural project contest for construction of a memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims.
All of the participating projects will be published, with the winner to be honored by Javakhk and Armenian people.
The initiative is timed to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.
DW: International Relations Support for Muslim Brotherhood isolates Turkey
Turkey risks endangering ties with the international community because of its support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. But an Erdogan aide says Ankara faces not isolation but a “precious loneliness.”
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s criticism of the July 3 coup and the bloody crackdown in Egypt has sparked an angry diplomatic row between Ankara and Cairo.
Egypt accused Turkey’s Islamic-conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) government for interfering in its internal affairs. Extending strong support to the Muslim Brotherhood, members of the AKP government accused the military-backed regime in Egypt of committing crimes against humanity.
The two countries recalled their ambassadors for consultations, the latest sign of worsening relations between two strategically important countries in the Muslim world.
Disagreeing diplomatically
Former Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis, a founding member of the AKP and its first foreign minister, expressed concern for the future of Turkish-Egyptian ties. Yakis, who also served as an ambassador to the Cairo during the 90s, said continuation of diplomatic ties with Egypt is critical for Turkey’s ability to influence developments in the country.
“I think Turkey was right to define the situation as a coup from the very beginning and to strongly condemn it in the international arena,” Yakis told DW. “One can criticize anti-democratic developments, but there is no need to be at loggerheads with the current regime in Egypt.”
Erdogan angers all
Erdogan has been a vocal opponent of the military regime in Egypt that ousted his close ally, former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. Over the last two years, Erdogan’s AKP government extended its support to Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, not only due to their ideological closeness, but also due to Turkey’s aspirations of gaining clout in the region. After Morsi’s removal from office, however, Ankara saw its influence in Cairo decline.
On Tuesday, Erdogan accused Western countries as well as the Islamic world, of failing to stand against the coup and the bloody crackdown in Egypt. He also said he had documents showing Israel had a hand in events in Egypt.
Erdogan’s remarks angered not only the Israeli and the Egyptian governments, but also sparked a strong condemnation by the US government.
“We strongly condemn the statements that were made by Prime Minister Erdogan,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. “Suggesting that Israel is somehow responsible for recent events in Egypt is offensive, unsubstantiated and wrong.”
Isolation or “precious loneliness”?
According to international relations professor Ihsan Dagi, Turkey’s foreign policy is unlike that of any other country in the region and is troubling Turkey’s relations with other countries. “Even among the Muslim nations, there is no country that has a similar position to us on Egypt,” he wrote in his column for the daily “Zaman.”
Dagi said Turkey should return to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s “no problems with the neighbors” policy and focus on dialogue and cooperation.
But despite the criticism, the Turkish government does not seem willing to alter its approach.
If critics were correct, then Turkey’s current position in the Middle East should not be seen as “isolation,” but rather as a “precious loneliness” that comes from sticking to Turkey’s morals and principles, tweeted Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan’s chief foreign policy advisor.
Former foreign minister Yakis’ said the weeks ahead will be difficult for Turkey.
“We are likely to face serious differences with the Gulf states, the US and other Western countries,” he said.
DW.DE