Seymour Hersh’s bizarre new conspiracy theory about the US and Syria, explained

December 21, 2015 by administrator

Seymour-Hersh

Day by day Syria getting more and more convoluted ,

The investigative journalist says Pentagon leaders conducted a secret alliance with Assad and Putin to undermine Obama.

Seymour Hersh, an investigative journalist famous for uncovering the 1968 My Lai massacre and the mid-2000s Abu Ghraib scandal, says there’s another scandal afoot, and it’s bigger than anything he’s previously reported. Perhaps even bigger than his story from this May alleging that the US staged its mission to kill Osama bin Laden.

The Pentagon deliberately subverted American policy toward Syria, sabotaging US efforts to aid Syrian rebels and even sending US intelligence to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to journalist Seymour Hersh.

In a nearly 7,000-word piece in the London Review of Books, Hersh says that the Joint Chiefs of Staff, America’s top military leaders, decided to deliberately subvert American foreign policy and form a secret alliance with Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As his source, Hersh cites one anonymous “former senior adviser” to the Joint Chiefs.

In summer 2013, the Joint Chiefs discovered that Turkey had “co-opted” the CIA’s program to arm so-called “moderate” Syrian rebels. Ankara decided to redirect US aid to extremists, including Daesh and al-Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front, Hersh writes.

The Joint Chiefs also discovered that viable moderate Syrian rebels did not exist and that the opposition consisted nearly uniformly of extremists.

So, in the fall of 2013, the Joint Chiefs decided to start secretly “providing US intelligence to the militaries of other nations, on the understanding that it would be passed on to the Syrian army,” Hersh writes. They sent US intelligence to Germany, Russia, and Israel, which sent it to Assad.

The goal of their secret alliance with Assad was to subvert Obama’s Syria efforts, prop up Assad, and aid him in destroying Daesh and other extremists, according to Hersh.

In return, the Joint Chiefs asked that Assad “restrain” Hezbollah from attacking Israel; renew negotiations with Israel over the Golan Heights, a territory that Israel had seized from Syria decades earlier; agree to accept any Russian assistance; and hold elections after the war ended.

In summer 2013, the Joint Chiefs tricked the CIA into shipping obsolete weapons to Syrian rebels, Hersh writes. The journalist says this was intended as a show of good faith to Assad, to convince him to accept their offer.

The secret Joint Chiefs alliance with Putin and Assad, Hersh writes, ended this September when its chief architect, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey, retired.

Source: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151221/1032114120/pentagon-passed-intelligence-assad.html

US Congressman Pallone & Schiff Slam OSCE Ambassador’s Praise for Turkey

December 18, 2015 by administrator

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ)

WASHINGTON—Just hours after U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Daniel Baer’s statement citing Turkey’s “valuable” role in Nagorno Karabakh mediation efforts was released, Members of Congress began to express serious concerns about the top diplomat’s controversial assessment, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) explained he is “troubled by the recent statement praising Turkey’s role in the Minsk Group peace process made by our U.S. Representative to the OSCE. Turkey’s active and overt support of Azerbaijan with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been apparent from the beginning. A statement like this will only serve to polarize the negotiations.”

House Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Democrat Adam Schiff (D-CA) argued that “given Turkey’s behavior and longstanding support for Baku, they cannot be considered — in any way — a neutral broker in what has become an increasingly intense conflict along the Line of Contact.” Congressman Schiff went to place focus on concrete mediation steps the OSCE can take in helping stop the escalating violence in the region, suggesting, “instead of stacking the table against Nagorno Karabakh, all nations should insist upon the deployment of monitoring technology along the border, a step that Armenia has readily agreed to but has been resisted by Azerbaijan, doubtless because it would demonstrate their unprovoked aggression.”

Congressman Pallone and Schiff’s statements follow remarks by Ambassador Baer on December 17, made public earlier today, in which he praised Turkey’s role in OSCE Minsk group facilitated Karabakh negotiations, stating “Turkey has been a valuable member of the Minsk Group and has worked cooperatively with the Co-Chairs on finding a way forward in peace talks.”

ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian immediately spoke out against the statement, noting “Ankara makes no secret of its pro-Baku bias, and long ago abandoned any pretense of neutrality. Look at the facts: The Erdogan government actively supports Aliyev’s virulent anti-Armenian positions, openly providing military aid and training to the Azerbaijani military, while, at the same time, blockading Armenia, contrary to international law, and seeking to isolate Yerevan in the international arena. Turkey’s strategy — and the international community’s unwillingness to call them out on it — has emboldened an aggressive and intransigent Azerbaijan to increase its attacks – leading to over 43 Armenian deaths in 2015 alone.” Hachikian concluded that “tearing down the firewall between Turkey and the Karabakh talks would only result in adding more fuel to the fire, setting back the cause of lasting peace.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)- Ranking Democrat, House Select Committee on Intelligence

Rep. Schiff’s calls for the deployment of monitoring technology is an important element of a three pronged plan, advanced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), supported by Rep. Schiff and over 80 House colleagues, that calls on the top U.S. Karabakh negotiator, Ambassador James Warlick, to secure the withdrawal of snipers, bring in additional OSCE monitors and put in place a gun locator system to identify the parties initiating cease-fire violations.

Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh have agreed to the Congressional proposal, as has the Obama Administration. Azerbaijan remains alone in refusing to implement the life-saving measures.

Chairman Royce, at the Capitol Hill Celebration of Karabakh Peace and Freedom last week, announced that his committee will be hosting a briefing with Amb. Warlick to follow up on the implementation of the Royce-Engel proposals for peace.

The Royce-Engel Letter for #NKPeace signed by 85 U.S. House Members is available at:

https://anca.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Royce_Engel_Karabakh_Peace.pdf

here is the United States Ambassador to the OSCE, Daniel B. Baer

US Ambassador to OSCE Praise Turkey’s Role in Minsk Group

VIENNA—The United States Ambassador to the OSCE, Daniel B. Baer on Thursday praised Turkey’s role as a Minsk Group member in remarks delivered the organization’s permanent council.

“We note recent statements that have called into question Turkey’s constructiveness as a Minsk Group member and disagree with that assessment. Turkey has been a valuable member of the Minsk Group and has worked cooperatively with the Co-Chairs on finding a way forward in peace talks,” Baer said in defense of Turkey whose role was deemed as destructive to the Karabakh talks earlier this week by Russia’s Ambassador to the OSCE, Aleksandr Lukashevich.

The Russian diplomat on Monday deplored Turkey’s unconditional support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, calling Ankara’s pro-Azerbaijani position “destructive.”

“There is a strict understanding that the three co-chairs [of the OSCE Minsk Group] — Russia, France and the U.S. — carry the main burden, as do other members of the Minsk Group,” said Lukashevich. “Turkey, by the way, is also a member. But the leading role [in the Karabakh peace process] is reserved for the three co-chairs.”

“Therefore, attempts to defend one of the parties to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh are absolutely destructive and cannot have any continuation,” added the diplomat.

Armenian National Committee of America Chairman Ken Hachikian responded Friday to U.S. Baer’s statement.

“In the wake of Ambassador Baer’s recent reckless statement, it is clear that the leadership of our State Department needs to exercise considerably greater caution and thoughtfulness regarding officials who encourage a direct Turkish role in the Nagorno Karabakh peace process,” said Hachikian.

“Ankara makes no secret of its pro-Baku bias, and long ago abandoned any pretense of neutrality. Look at the facts: The Erdogan government actively supports Aliyev’s virulent anti-Armenian positions, openly providing military aid and training to the Azerbaijani military, while, at the same time, blockading Armenia, contrary to international law, and seeking to isolate Yerevan in the international arena. Turkey’s strategy — and the international community’s unwillingness to call them out on it — has emboldened an aggressive and intransigent Azerbaijan to increase its attacks – leading to over 43 Armenian deaths in 2015 alone,” added Hachikian.

“Why then, do U.S. officials allow themselves to be used as props in Erdogan’s farce, pretending that the Turkish government will – against all evidence – play the role of some sort of impartial mediator?” asked Hachikian.

“Why is it that U.S. leaders can’t seem to find our moral compass when its comes to Turkey – on issues ranging from justice for the Armenian Genocide and a peace for Syria to freedom for Nagorno Karabakh?” emphasized Hachikian.

“This Administration’s shameful legacy of endlessly caving in to Turkish threats – at the expense of our own values and interests as a nation – is truly a national disgrace – an embarrassment beneath the dignity of the American people,” commented Hachikian.

“Tearing down the firewall between Turkey and the Karabakh talks would only result in adding more fuel to the fire, setting back the cause of lasting peace,” concluded Hachikian.

US Congress overwhelmingly approved a fiscal package with $1.15 trillion in spending and $620 billion in tax breaks

December 18, 2015 by administrator

Congress on Friday morning overwhelmingly gave final approval to a sweeping, year-end fiscal package that includes a $1.15 trillion spending measure as well as $620 billion in tax breaks for businesses and low-income workers.
The bill now goes to the White House, where President Obama has said he will sign it.

BREAKING NEWS: Federal Reserve Hikes Key Interest Rate by 0.25%, Signaling Confidence in Economy

December 16, 2015 by administrator

New-Breaking-News-gagrule-2 by Reuters and The Associated Press

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will raise its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percent — the first hike in nearly a decade.

The rate hike will affect consumers on numerous fronts, ranging from interest rates on credit cards and mortgages to the returns on investments and savings accounts, but experts say the impacts will be modest to begin with.

It was the first increase in the federal funds rate — the percentage that banks charge one another for short-term loans — since June 2006.

The move shows that the Fed is confident that the U.S. economy has improved a great deal since the financial crisis. Investors will pay close attention to what the Fed says about its future plans on interest rate policy.

Most observers expect the Fed will forecast a series of gradual rate hikes over the next year that will not significantly crimp strong consumer demand, or cool a housing market that has also propped up recent growth.

US court gives Gülen 21 days to present his defense

December 14, 2015 by administrator

CİHAN photo

The extradition of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen was “unofficially” demanded in a civil suit filed last week by lawyers hired by the Turkish government, while a judge who accepted the appeal has given Gülen 21 days to respond to accusations filed against him.

The lawsuit cited three citizens of the Republic of Turkey as plaintiffs who say they have been victimized by the Gülen Movement. Although it hired the lawyers of the case, the Turkish government is not named as a plaintiff in the suit, which was filed on Dec. 7 at a district court in Pennsylvania.

Gülen was one a close ally of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but relations have soured in recent years.

In order for an extradition to take place, the subject of the case must have committed a crime.

“This lawsuit will display that the Gülen Movement does not have immunity in the U.S.,” Robert Amsterdam, the founder of U.K.-based firm Amsterdam and Partners LLP which filed the suit, told Hürriyet.

Amsterdam and Partners LLP filed the suit along with Pennsylvania-based law firm Fox Rothschild LLP, as Gülen has lived in Pennsylvania since 1999. In statement to Hürriyet, Amsterdam underlined that their appeal was not linked to a separate request for extradition said to have been filed by the Turkish government.

According to information obtained by Hürriyet, Judge Robert Mariani, having put Amsterdam’s petition in process with file number “3:15−CV−02354−RDM” also wrote a document addressed to Gülen on Dec. 7, asking him to respond to the allegations within 21 days.

In a separate document dated Dec. 9 and sent to the attorneys of the complainants, Mariani announced that he would hold a meeting concerning the file within four months.

The eighth article of the petition asking for a jury trial refers to an “unofficial request by the Turkish government for Gülen’s extradition.”

“Mr. Gülen has since been formally charged in Turkey with infiltrating key state institutions in order to overthrow the lawfully elected government. The Government of Turkey has informally requested his extradition to Turkey to stand trial, although Mr. Gülen presently remains in the United States and is residing within this jurisdiction,” said the petition.

When asked whether his company was involved in any stage of the Turkish government’s request for extradition of Gülen, Amsterdam declined to elaborate and briefly said: “The extradition issue is a matter between the governments.”

“My client is the Turkish government but we are defending three victims aggrieved by the Gülen Movement,” he also said, while not making clear whether they were being paid any fee by those three Turkish citizens.

In line with the principle of privacy, the U.S. administration doesn’t make any comments on cases of extradition. However, a U.S. official who previously spoke to Hürriyet on the issue said no application had yet been made at the Department of Justice.

“The main counterpart on this issue is the Justice Department. So far, no official application has been filed to the Justice department. The U.S. Justice Department will look into what can be done when Turkey files its official application, along with documents,” the official said.

The same U.S. official had stressed that Gülen’s involvement in a crime must be proven by a U.S. court in order for his extradition to be possible.

Amsterdam and Partners LLP, meanwhile, stated that its “efforts are both a legal struggle against the Gülen Movement and a political struggle and investigation at the same time. We will present a report about preliminary results of our efforts either in March or April.”

It said accusations against Gülen go beyond the subject of the lawsuit filed, as they include “human smuggling, tax fraud and violation of the migration law.”

The claims against Gülen have been filed under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), an 18th century law that has been used to try human rights cases from around the world in U.S. courts.

In 2006, Charles “Chuckie” Taylor Jr., the son of Charles Taylor, the former President of Liberia, who was commander of the infamously violent Anti-Terrorist Unit during his father’s presidency, was sentenced for torturing five people in Liberia in a civil suit filed on behalf of five victims pursuant to the ATS.

December/14/2015

Source: hurriyetdailynews

US congressmen urge their government not to turn blind eye to Azerbaijan aggression

December 12, 2015 by administrator

US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) called on the US, Russian, and French mediators to press Azerbaijan to accept major safeguards against intensifying ceasefire violations in the Karabakh conflict zone while speaking at the 24th anniversary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) independence celebration on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Ed Royce also said the US administration must not shy away from blaming Azerbaijan for deadly fighting along “the line of contact” around Karabakh.

During the “Freedom and Democracy of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic” event on Capitol Hill, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) expressed his concern with Azerbaijan’s aggressive and dangerous military provocations, as well as current U.S. policy.

“I also raised my dismay that the response from the United States has been to draw a false equivalence between Azeri and Armenian behavior,” Rep. Schiff said. “As we pursue a peaceful settlement, we cannot ignore the bellicose rhetoric and provocative military actions by Azerbaijan. Our silence only emboldens them.”

US & Russia to present joint anti-terror finance UNSC resolution

December 8, 2015 by administrator

The United States and Russia will soon be ready to present a draft UN Security Council resolution aimed at crippling the sources of Islamic State’s income, as well as other terror groups. The new text will also finally single ISIS out as a separate terror entity.

“We are working together with the US delegation on a joint project,” Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin told reporters. “This is a grand resolution to fight terrorism. We are quite confident that we will achieve this, that this resolution would be ready by December 18.”

The new resolution against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) would be based on a similar resolution passed back in 1999 to target the financing of Al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden.

The new text, according to Churkin, will “expand the sanctions regime,” finally “singling out the Islamic State as a separate anti-terrorist structure.”

But most importantly, the new resolution will contain a clause that would enforce the stricter implementation of Resolution 2199, which “forbids illegal oil trade with terrorist groups, [and] objects of cultural value.”

The new document is a follow-up to Russian-sponsored Resolution 2199, which was adopted by the UN on February 12 to put a stop to illicit oil deals with terrorist groups, using the UN Security Council’s sanctions toolkit.

The latest analysis of ISIS profits conducted by IHS Conflict Monitor revealed that Islamic State functions under a model that enables the group to finance its activities using the “inner” resources of the territories under its control.

Illegal oil trade on behalf of jihadists contributes to about 43 percent of revenues while taxation from occupied lands brings in as much as 50 percent of all income.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Turkey of profiting from lucrative trade deals with IS in neighboring Syria. He put forward the allegation after Turkey downed a Russian bomber which Ankara accused of having briefly crossed into its airspace in late November.

Turkey: HDP co-chair blasts EU, US for relations with Turkish gov’t

December 8, 2015 by administrator

The co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)
AA photo

Rifat Başaran – ANKARA

The co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has chastised both the European Union and the U.S. administration for their approach to the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) style of governance, accusing the EU of covering up the Turkish government’s crimes and U.S. President Barack Obama of recognizing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s de facto change of the country’s regime.

“The EU has marketed its own principles. The EU is now in a position to be questioned about human rights and the Copenhagen Criteria,” HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş told a group of journalists on Dec. 8, referring to developing relations between the EU and Ankara after the EU agreed at a summit on Nov. 29 to a three-billion-euro ($3.2 billion) aid deal to stem the flow of migrants from Turkey, which is hosting over two million Syrian refugees.

In the first days of December, it was revealed in a statement signed by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that the EU had provided a commitment to Ankara to launch necessary procedures on five accession chapters currently under veto by Greek Cyprus.

Demirtaş’s remarks came when he was asked whether recent progress in Turkey-EU relations would serve as leverage for addressing the deterioration of human rights and freedoms in Turkey.

“Just to have the refugee problem resolved, the EU has covered up all crimes of the AKP government by turning a blind eye to all violations of human rights. It has made human rights an issue for bargaining in international relations,” he said. “Even if the negotiations are opened, no move such as pressing the AKP should be expected from the EU. The EU is powerless; it can’t even find a remedy for its own problem,” he added.

Demirtaş was in Washington last week to participate in a Middle East Institute (MEI) conference as a keynote speaker. He also held meetings with officials from the U.S. State Department, yet made no bones about his reservations on Obama’s Nov. 9 call to Erdoğan to “congratulate the Turkish people on the Nov. 1 elections.”

“It is a situation which stems from Erdoğan’s dominant and magisterial personality in Turkish politics. What would he tell [Prime Minister Ahmet] Davutoğlu if Obama had called Davutoğlu? Davutoğlu didn’t win the election anyway. The one who won and lost the election is Erdoğan. This way, he [Obama] has accepted Erdoğan’s dominant position and his position of de facto changing the regime. Normally, he should have called the prime minister,” Demirtaş said.

December/09/2015

America Should Be Grateful to Russia – US Presidential Candidate

December 5, 2015 by administrator

2016 GOP US presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee

A 2016 GOP US presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said that US should thank Russia for its actions in the Middle East.

The US should welcome Russia’s efforts in fighting the Daesh military group, also known as ISIL/Islamic state, he said. If Putin wants to get rid of Daesh, America shouldn’t hinder his endeavor.

“If Russia is willing to help us kill some of these savages, then I’m more than willing to at least recognize that on this issue…they are with us, not against us” Huckabee said.

As for the allegations that Turkey’s top political leadership, including President Tayyip Erdogan and his family are directly involved in Daesh’ illegal oil trade and personally benefit from it, the candidate said that he trusts Turkey less than he trusts Russia.

“Erdogan is one of those people that has said one thing publicly but done something else privately. If we find out that in fact he is helping to finance ISIS, then he’s got to go,” the candidate said. “We are not going to be partners with and be a part of helping to arm him to protect him if he in turn is loading barrels of guns pointed at us.”

Huckabee believes that Islamic Jihad is the primary threat for the US, and it is essential to focus on Daesh, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram and domestic terrorism, putting differences with Russia on hold.

He added that if he were president of the US, he would increase air strikes on Daesh supply lines.

“You don’t go over and fly over and just wave,” Huckabee said, as cited by Breitbart News, arguing it is important to stop terrorist supplies from moving and to shut off their access to social media.

According to the politician, Bashar Assad’s presidency isn’t what America should be concerned about at the moment, for he is not the one who kidnaps and kills US citizens.

Source: sputniknews.com

US General Paul Vallely: Turkey Should Be Kicked Out of NATO

November 27, 2015 by administrator

Turkey pursues its own interests in the Syrian conflict and it is not cooperating with NATO or other forces in the region, a retired US Army Major General Paul Vallely said in an interview with RT.

The downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber by the Turkish air force will hardly be the last act of provocation by Ankara, so NATO should kick Turkey out of the alliance, Vallely said.

He believes that the attack on the Russian aircraft had nothing to do with protecting national borders. It was aimed at demonstrating to Russia that Turkey is the dominant power in the region and that it’s not going to give ground. The president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been involved in the conflict in the area for quite some time, and this incident isn’t the first of its kind: a few years ago Turkey shot down a Syrian jet.

According to Vallely, the Su-24 incident was a clear provocation. And since Turkey seeks to control the situation in the region and lays claim to being a regional leader, it is going to continue to commit provocative actions in the future.

NATO should consider this incident a red flag, the retired Major General stressed. Turkey unilaterally made a decision to down a Russian plane and showed that it is not going to agree its actions with the alliance. This has been Ankara’s policy for a long time.

“They want to recreate their own Ottoman Empire to a great degree, and of course Erdogan is moving more towards a controlled Islamic State [ISIL]. So they have the wrong agenda there in Turkey and that’s what they are following”, — Vallely noted.

NATO member states should build up steam and push Turkey out of the alliance, because Ankara is not “cooperating against ISIS, not cooperating at all with some of the forces inside of Syria, they want to see Assad removed or replaced by another government,” Vallely said.

Turkey only uses NATO when it needs something and tries to benefit from the membership as much as it can. The country gets operational guides, techniques, new weapons and equipment, new tactics and strategies. Yet Erdogan continues to pursue only his own interests, he argued.

The incident is not a good omen for Europe, or for the Middle East, or for NATO, Vallely concluded.