Assad welcomes U.S. Talks & Action

Many think tanks, Strategists, COIN experts, and others have for the past few months started to wake up to the reality that Syria would be better of with Assad than without Assad. Lessons from Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia, are being drilled home more and more, as ISIS expands in those vacuums we can expect the West to wake up to some of their mistakes.

However  it is going to take a while longer before the US Public and Government can side with Assad. The main reason is the western media has so distorted things that it will take citizens around world showing them it is time to wake up and stop the BS. The present plan for Syria 2016 is talk of training new FSA?? 5k ? now I hear 5.5k new moderate rebels???? ok so u give some rebels (terrorists) new boots a uniform and ? watch them go to Nusra? what kind of plan is that and its not like its 5.5k more fighters for the FSA its 5.5k FSA getting new boots and ak47? and some training in Qatar? So maybe they think they will use Turkeys boots on ground? I think they maybe think that is a possible thing. there was a mention recently that a coalition partner was willing to put boots on ground for the Syrian campaign against ISIS (backdoor to attack Syrian gov? hell I hope not) so the fight against the West is not over yet. - Ian Bach

Syria Awaits US 'Actions' to Decide: Al-Assad

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said Monday "he was waiting for action from Washington" after Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged talks with Damascus were necessary to end the country's conflict.

The weekend remarks by the top US envoy were quickly clarified when his spokeswoman said Washington's policy was unchanged and Assad had no role in Syria's future.

But in Damascus, local media touted Kerry's remarks as a reversal of US policy, even though Assad said he was waiting to see whether they would followed by action.

"We are still listening to the comments and we have to wait for the actions and then we'll decide," the Syrian leader told Iran television in remarks carried by Syrian state media.

Assad has long accused Washington of "supporting terrorism" because of its backing for the Syrian opposition, and repeated Monday that any shift in policy required an end to that.

"We have no choice but to defend our country," he added.

"Any international changes that come about within that framework are something positive, if they are honest and have an effect on the ground."

He was speaking after Kerry said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Washington could negotiate with Assad.

"Well, we have to negotiate in the end," he said, when asked by CBS television if he would negotiate with Assad.

Kerry stressed that any negotiations would be in the context of the Geneva communique, a document produced after a first round of talks between government and opposition that calls for a transitional governing body with full executive powers, but makes no mention of Assad's future.

 

""This is a new recognition of President Assad's legitimacy, his key role and his popularity, and the resulting necessity of negotiating with him," the daily said."

Syria's government insists Assad's departure from office is not up for discussion, while the opposition and its backers have long insisted he can have no role in the country's future .

In the interview, Kerry made no reference to Assad's future, but said pressure was being applied on the leader to bring him to the negotiating table.

Kerry's spokeswoman insisted his comments were consistent with US policy, but Syrian media said they underlined the "failure" of Washington's policy towards Syria and acknowledgement that Assad will not be ousted militarily.

"Facing a fait accompli, the American administration has backed down and recognised the need to reposition its policy on the Syria crisis," wrote Al-Watan.

This is a new recognition of President Assad's legitimacy

"his key role and his popularity, and the resulting necessity of negotiating with him," the daily said.

The newspaper suggested Kerry's comments could pave the way for American participation in talks on the conflict hosted by Russia next month.

Kerry's comment drew consternation from some in the Syrian opposition.

Kerry's remarks come after CIA head John Brennan also warned that Washington feared that a chaotic collapse of Syria's government could usher in an Islamist takeover.

On the ground, activists said Kerry's remarks came as no real surprise.

- See more at: http://en.alalam.ir/news/1685736#sthash.Tu5dIPX1.dpuf

Anarchist or Journalist

I just read an article about a guy who had a Blog that was anti American and described as anarchistic. This guy twists stories into lies. he is not a reporter. He is a person that creates propaganda and creates mistrust among Americans and their Government. In my opinion we need a new law that will create some help to the court system and enable the government to shut down these anarchist and terrorist supports and people who create propaganda and lies to create an unstable environment and protests and who knows what else. I think they should try him on Treason but the journalists have shown they care more about Complete freedom of speech (even in times of war). This man is a threat and menace to our people, the facts, truth, justice, and a threat to our freedoms and Nation. I vote we hang the nut job. - Ian Bach

Here is part of the story I read with a link to the full story and a video about it.

The tape catapulted him into the spotlight, igniting a fierce debate over the nature of journalism.

At the same protest, a San Francisco policeman had his skull fractured in a clash with protesters. Protesters also allegedly attempted to torch a police car.

He ended up being approached by FBI to show whole video and to testify in court against the assailants.

The court didn't see it that way, and he was sent to jail, where he remained for 226 days on contempt of court charges. That's longer than any journalist has suffered in similar cases.

But was Wolf really a journalist? On his Web site, he called himself an activist and an anarchist.

Wolf says "My role is to uncover the truth to deliver to the public," he said. "That is my No. 1 accountability."

However his version of the truth is at a minimum skewed and twisted and his supposed News is filtered through his own political convictions.

He was asked if he filmed selectively and would he turn off his camera to protect activist friends? He was noncommittal, saying that the decision would have to be "made in the moment," but he challenged the idea of pure journalism vs. activism, citing American independence advocate Thomas Paine. "Would you not say that Thomas Paine was an activist? I see that advocacy has a firm role within the realm of journalism." What a crock of dung. This guy is doing these things to draw attention to himself by undermining the Nation.

Forty-nine states have some type of protection for journalists, called shield laws, which keep criminal investigators from compelling reporters to turn over their notes or tapes, or from testifying unnecessarily.

However, Wolf's case was in federal court, where there are no shield laws. So the very debate he ignited over the definition of a journalist meant nothing without some kind of federal shield law protection.

After almost eight months in jail, Wolf struck a deal with prosecutors, agreeing to post his video outtakes on his Blog, which he says didn't show anything anyway. He would not have to testify.

Click here for unedited full story

Iran agrees to join talks on insurgents

From staff and wire reports

BAGHDAD — Iran agreed to participate with the United States and other countries in a conference about Iraq this week that aims in part to get surrounding countries to stop aiding the insurgency with bombs, guns and terrorists.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told an Iranian envoy that the persistent violence in Iraq — some of it carried out by the Shiite militias that Iran is accused of arming — could spill over into neighboring countries.

It was al-Maliki's office that announced that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had telephoned to say a delegation from his country would attend the conference.

Iraq's other neighbors, as well as Egypt, Bahrain and the five permanent U.N. Security Council members have agreed to attend the meeting Thursday and Friday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik.

The conference will include U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In Washington, Rice did not rule out a meeting with the Iranians.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Iraq | Baghdad | Iran | Shiite | Sunday | Condoleezza Rice | Egypt | Karbala | Baqouba | Samarra | Imam | Central Command

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE