Britain in secret talks with Syrian rebels

If it were such a secret then why do we know about it?????

reply to post by chrismicha77


My interpretation was that the fact that the talks are being held aren't secret, but the topic of discussion is supposed to be secret. That's my take on it at least. I think it's safe to say that part of the talks were on how to overthrow Assad from power.

from this article,

it looks like there is a hugh difference between the Syrian Rebels and the OWS'ers.


Nov 16, 2011 - Voice of America

Syrian opposition activists say army defectors have attacked a government base near the capital, Damascus, as Turkish officials and Arab League members met to discuss ending bloodshed of an eight-month uprising against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The activists say rebels of the Free Syrian Army fired rockets and machine guns at an air force intelligence complex in the Damascus suburb of Harasta early Wednesday.

A Germany-based spokesman for Syria's Local Coordination Committees said the Free Syrian Army has established a temporary military council whose goal is to weaken Syrian security forces. The Free Syrian Army previously had no announced central command.

Syrian Rebels Attack Damascus Military Base, Form Council


and,


orig Aug 11, 2011 - Arutz Sheva

Syria has accused Lebanon of smuggling weapons across the border for use by rebels who are seeking to unseat Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.....

Hizbullah, which is squarely on the side of Assad and his forces, has accused the opposition March 14 Coalition of smuggling the weapons and trying to turn Lebanon into a forward attack position in the war to unseat Assad. Hizbullah said that the government officials in Lebanon are behind the smuggling.

Report: Syrian Rebels Getting Weapons from Lebanon

Hmmmmm ...

reply to post by xuenchen


I never knew the uprising in Syria was that serious until I heard of that attack on the military base by the rebels.

Right away I figured that American and Israeli intelligence had to be involved somehow.

England using terrorists to attack other countries?

I hate my father land county.
and in the past you have all be quick to criticise
countries like Ussr and China.
at lest they do it all in the Open.
All the things that happen in China
happen in England and US.
they just do it very secretly.
and give a pretence of freedom.

Here is the latest update:

Arab League deadline for Syria action passes

A deadline for Syria to accept a peace plan put together by the Arab League has passed, at the end of a day marked by more violent deaths.

Originally posted by xuenchen


orig Aug 11, 2011 - Arutz Sheva

Syria has accused Lebanon of smuggling weapons across the border for use by rebels who are seeking to unseat Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.....

Hizbullah, which is squarely on the side of Assad and his forces, has accused the opposition March 14 Coalition of smuggling the weapons and trying to turn Lebanon into a forward attack position in the war to unseat Assad. Hizbullah said that the government officials in Lebanon are behind the smuggling.

Report: Syrian Rebels Getting Weapons from Lebanon

I don't know about you, but I find it to be poetic justice that Lebanon is now paying back the Assad dynasty for all it's meddling in Lebanon's affairs. Karma paybacks are a b****.

Originally posted by Corruption Exposed
In no way, shape, or form am I defending Assad's murderous regime but I'm very confident that not all the dead were "innocent" protesters. I wasn't there and neither were you so none of us know for sure.

Reports that we have coming from Syrian sources other then the Government seem to contradict your claim. The vast majority of people killed so far have been unarmed protesters, some of them killed while attending funerals of others slain during the protests. Syria keeps a tight reign on weapons and on the opposition, they have had a hard time arming themselves within Syria. The arms they are getting are coming from abroad, that's a pretty safe assumption.

It kinda saddens me that we just kind of turn a blind eye to it since our media can't get in there and report like in all the other Arab Spring uprisings. If we don't see the killings on TV, it's like they don't even happen, even when the sheer number deaths dwarf any other Arab Spring uprising. I would guess that Assad has killed more of his fellow countryman than any of the other deposed Arab leaders, probably more than all of them combined.

Hopefully Syria can have a peaceful overthrow of yet another "ruler for life" in that part of the world. Assad will chicken out and flee before things totally deteriorate. Either that or the military will whack him before he gets a chance to flee.

Originally posted by pavil

Originally posted by xuenchen


orig Aug 11, 2011 - Arutz Sheva

Syria has accused Lebanon of smuggling weapons across the border for use by rebels who are seeking to unseat Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.....

Hizbullah, which is squarely on the side of Assad and his forces, has accused the opposition March 14 Coalition of smuggling the weapons and trying to turn Lebanon into a forward attack position in the war to unseat Assad. Hizbullah said that the government officials in Lebanon are behind the smuggling.

Report: Syrian Rebels Getting Weapons from Lebanon

I don't know about you, but I find it to be poetic justice that Lebanon is now paying back the Assad dynasty for all it's meddling in Lebanon's affairs. Karma paybacks are a b****.

and if it really gets ugly and Hezbolla launches a few rockets in Israel, Lebanon could again be destroyed by Israeli over reaction.
i would think a lot of people in Lebanon will send their children to school with relatives in Europe and America.

since the poor are mostly Shiites, they will be left with living in Lebanon.

reply to post by citizen6511


I wouldn't doubt that, especially if Hezbollah's Rockets are accurate. With the turmoil going on in Syria, Hezbollah's supply line from Iran would be in jeopardy. Israel would love a chance to wipe out Hezbollah. The last time around they fought with one hand tied behind their back. I doubt they do that a second time.

Israel, however, probably has bigger fish to fry...... They could wait to take out Hezbollah.

As usual, the citizens of Lebanon will probably suffer the most, all from the actions of other nations around them. They (Lebanon), I think got dealt the worse hand in the Middle East, even more so than the Palestinians or Iraqis. they get blasted from all sides of the conflict. First, themselves and then the PLO, then Syria and Israel and now Iran backing Hezbollah. They just can't buy a break.

I m not saying it is whats best but I smell a drone coming on. In all seriousness, I hope this doesn't get too ugly too fast.. It doesn't look good. s/f op

Originally posted by Corruption Exposed


This is starting to look just like the lead up to the Libyan mission. Pretty soon NATO countries will be arming these rebels whether directly or indirectly if it's not already happening.

NATO will need to be more careful with Libya though especially since the Russians are also making their presence felt in the region militarily and politically.

At lease Assad has agreed to allow observers into Syria which hopefully will calm some of the tensions.

www.independent.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

This is starting to look just like the lead up to the Libyan mission. Pretty soon NATO countries will be arming these rebels whether directly or indirectly if it's not already happening.

Yes it sound more like Libya they arent taking out the military opition either the russians wont like it, if the west does anything stupid you can bet the Russians will get in After all you all heard what that swine John McCain said

reply to post by pavil


i worked for a couple years with a young Lebanese, his family sent him to america because he couldn't keep his opinions to himself.
they considered him too dangerous to have around, he had to leave.

he said you had to watch every word you said in public, cause you never knew who was listening.

i've known a few other Lebanese, and they are not going back.

ASSad has to go.2011 is kill your dictator year.

reply to post by citizen6511


As do I. All the sane people, at least those with the money to do so, left Lebanon a long time ago. Some of the stories my Palestinian coworkers told me were crazy. It wasn't the Israel only bashing that I was expecting. They let loose, blasting everyone over there for ruining Lebanon. Every group at one time or another, basically double crossed each other. You had to watch your mouth and where you went in Beirut, for example. God forbid you had a Romeo/Juliet kind of relationship over there, it was likely to get both killed.

Originally posted by Corruption Exposed
reply to post by MegaCurious

 

That's an aspect a lot of people are not thinking about. I know Assad is a dictator but I have a feeling that a lot of these rebels are part of foreign intervention. A lot of the dead (3,500) were probably armed rebel mobs who were also using violence.

You have a 'feeling'? On what is that based?

Why is it that just because Western (i.e. northern hemisphere industrialised) governments are applying diplomatic pressure, the rebellion can't be a genuine expression of an oppressed people? The attacks on Assad's military have only happened after months of slaughter of unarmed civilians.

Originally posted by pavil

Originally posted by Corruption Exposed
In no way, shape, or form am I defending Assad's murderous regime but I'm very confident that not all the dead were "innocent" protesters. I wasn't there and neither were you so none of us know for sure.

It kinda saddens me that we just kind of turn a blind eye to it since our media can't get in there and report like in all the other Arab Spring uprisings. If we don't see the killings on TV, it's like they don't even happen, even when the sheer number deaths dwarf any other Arab Spring uprising. I would guess that Assad has killed more of his fellow countryman than any of the other deposed Arab leaders, probably more than all of them combined.

No, it's more like when we see such violence on TV, the "reporters" are really only providing us with what fits in their agenda. You can act like Syria is doing such evil things all that you want, but realistically, who is stupid enough to really believe that what is happening in Syria now is something different than the travesty in Libya? Syrian government isn't stupid enough to believe it and obviously they know what is going on. What do you expect them to do when foreign mercinaries and "military advisors" conduct terrorism, incite civil war and generally distabilize their country? Hand them flowers for the "democracy" that they are bringing? Please.

Originally posted by Corruption Exposed

This article discusses some of the claims by Assad that the US is intervening.

Syria regime accuses US of 'bloody events'

To coin a phrase "Well he would say that, wouldn't he?". No dictator is going to put his hands up and say 'yep, my bad, I'm being such a c*** to my people that they've finally overcome their fear and begun to fight back against my oppression'.

My point is the odd, self-serving narratives that ATS throws up, where apparently there's no such thing as a people's revolt, and even worse, that no dictator is worse than The Powers That Be in the West, therefore there's no reason for a people's revolt anywhere.

reply to post by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi


Syria and Iran, in particular, keep tight controls over any foreign media in their countries. Journalists that can make it into those countries aren't allowed the freedom to report on events there. Just google foreign journalists in Syria, if you doubt me. The Syrian Government knows full well what it is doing and tries to limit the bad press that gets out.The trouble for them, is that they haven't been able to isolate the Syrian Citizens from the rest of the world like they used to, reports and videos are getting out. Governments can't impose the total media blackouts like they used to, but they still try to.

Originally posted by pavil
reply to post by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi

 

Syria and Iran, in particular, keep tight controls over any foreign media in their countries. Journalists that can make it into those countries aren't allowed the freedom to report on events there. Just google foreign journalists in Syria, if you doubt me. The Syrian Government knows full well what it is doing and tries to limit the bad press that gets out.The trouble for them, is that they haven't been able to isolate the Syrian Citizens from the rest of the world like they used to, reports and videos are getting out. Governments can't impose the total media blackouts like they used to, but they still try to.

Considering how the "free media" is really nothing more than another instrument of neo-liberal imperialist policy, I can't blame them for their tight media controls. Did you not watch CNN (or any other MSM) coverage of the "liberation" of Libya or Iraq? Sometimes I watch it just to see how long I can stand the torture that regular people somehow choose to live under by watching such garbage. It's not "free press" or "neutral", nor are they even reporters; they're just talking heads reading lines from a pre-written agenda, an agenda that has NO room for the nationalism of any country OTHER than the MSM network's very own.