Puppet MastersS


Quenelle

Turkey & Iran held secret Syria transition talks - report


RT
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 18:41 UTC
Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul (R) and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
© Umit Bektas / ReutersFormer Turkish President Abdullah Gul (R) and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
Iran and Turkey held at least two rounds of secret high-level talks on a ceasefire and political reform in Syria, but failed to agree, as Ankara wanted President Bashar Assad to step down and unexpectedly entered the Syrian conflict, a think tank claims.

The low-key discussions took place in 2013 and as recently as this year, according to a new report from the International Crisis Group (ICG), which features in-depth interviews with top officials in Tehran and Ankara.

Entitled 'Turkey and Iran: Bitter Friends, Bosom Rivals,' it says that, in September of 2013, three months after the election of moderate Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, Tehran offered Ankara a roadmap to peace in Syria. Highlights from the report have been published by The Guardian.

The peace proposal was allegedly drafted in consultation with General Qassem Suleimani, the head of the powerful Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It included measures intended to pave the way to a ceasefire in Syria, which was to be followed by constitutional reforms aimed at limiting presidential powers. Notably, the roadmap also included presidential and parliamentary elections held with UN oversight.

Comment: Turkish Foreign Minister stated that Turkey is in constant contact with Russia on the situation in Syria's Aleppo, the reported talks on Wednesday have been scheduled.
Earlier in the day, media reported that Russia and Turkey were planning to meet Wednesday to hold talks on Syria.

"We are constantly discussing this issue with Russia, Iran and other countries. We meet constantly with Russia, this process is taking place ceaselessly. Tomorrow's talks with Russian representatives are not a special meeting, this information was leaked to the media and everyone decided that it was something serious and extraordinary," the minister told a press conference.


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Chess

Between East and West: Egypt walks a precarious geopolitical line

Ulson Gunnar
New Eastern Outlook
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 17:03 UTC
arab srping egypt
A 'home-grown' Egyptian protestor, with a sign conveniently written in English.
In 2011, the United States successfully overthrew the government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak amid the regional so-called Arab Spring. In place of President Mubarak's government, rose the Muslim Brotherhood, a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-backed political front that has served their, and their Western sponsors' interests for nearly a century post-Ottoman Empire.

The Muslim Brotherhood was also instrumental in setting the stage for destabilization and eventually war in Syria.

To no one's surprise then, under the post-Arab Spring government led by the Muslim Brotherhood's President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt immediately severed ties with allies including Syria, and immediately backed US-GCC regional projects including the overthrow of the Syrian government.

In 2013, amid widespread street protests against the government, a military coup spearheaded by Egyptian army chief General Abedl Fattah el-Sisi, ousted President Morsi. In addition to a nationwide effort to liquidate the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's new government immediately restored ties with the legitimate government of Syria.

Comment: Further reading:

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Cupcake Pink

Latvia withdraws from world championships over manfactured anti-Russian doping scandal


RT
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 14:27 UTC
Latvia bobsledding team
© Arnd Wiegmann/ReutersLatvia's pilot Oskars Melbardis (R) and his teammates wait for transportation after completing a heat at the Sochi Winter Olympics, February 23, 2014.
Latvia has become the first nation to confirm it will boycott the bobsleigh and skeleton world championships in Russia.

The decision by Latvia to withdraw its athletes from the championships comes amid pressure on the authorities to move the event away from Sochi. The second part of a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report - led by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren and published last Friday - claimed that more than 1,000 Russians benefited from state-sponsored doping between 2011 and 2015.


Comment: Evidence please?


"Enough is enough," the Latvian skeleton team said in a statement, as reported by the BBC. "While our international federation is still going to 'read and digest the report,' we will do what we can.

"We will be glad to race in World Championships at any track of the world, but we are not participating in World Championships in Sochi, Russia — a place where Olympic spirit was stolen in 2014."

Comment: Doping is a widespread problem with professional athletes in all countries, not just Russia. This is just more propaganda in the 'blame the Russians' witch-hunt. See:

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Attention

Rocking the boat: US senator says ISIS used as tool by Saudis, US and Turkey when it suits their interests


RT
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 17:07 UTC
Richard Black
© RT
Speaking to RT on the advance of ISIS militants from Mosul toward Palmyra, Virginia Senator Richard Black (R) expressed doubt that the US-led coalition could have overlooked such a regrouping, pointing to possible interests of the US and regional players.

Given that the territory between areas occupied by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and Palmyra is a "very barren" rocky desert, "it is unconceivable that the American-led collation could not have seen this massive army moving towards Palmyra," Senator Black told RT.

"I was surprised that ISIS was able to attack Palmyra. It's important to recognize that the distance from ISIS-held territory [to] Palmyra is approximately 100 miles," added the senator, who has repeatedly voiced support for Syrian President Bashar Assad in battling the jihadists.

Comment: Good to hear a sane voice in Washington!

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Jet4

Airstrike by US-led coalition kills three Daesh leaders involved in Paris attacks


Sputnik
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 18:04 UTC
This photo released on Sunday, Sept.27, 2015 by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) shows French army Rafale fighters jets flying towards Syria as part of France's Operation Chammal launched in September 2015 in support of the US-led
© AP Photo/ French ArmyThis photo released on Sunday, Sept.27, 2015 by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) shows French army Rafale fighters jets flying towards Syria as part of France's Operation Chammal launched in September 2015 in support of the US-led coalition against Islamic State group
A coalition airstrike carried out in Syria's city of Raqqa on December 4, has killed three Daesh leaders who facilitated external attacks and were involved in the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, US Department of Defense spokesperson Peter Cook announced on Tuesday.

"The three were working together to plot and facilitate attacks against Western targets at the time of the strike," Cook stated.

The Defense Department said two of the killed, Salah Gourmat and Sammy Djedou, were behind the Paris terror attacks, while the third individual, Walid Hamman, was convicted "in absentia" in Belgium for another terror plot disrupted in 2015.

In addition, the Daesh operatives participated in recruitment of foreign fighters, according to the release.
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Eye 1

Fiery British MP: If politicians want Aleppo airdrops, they should be on the planes themselves


RT
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 16:52 UTC
Bob Stewart
© RT
Fiery former army colonel-turned-MP Bob Stewart has told MPs lobbying for military intervention in the ruined Syrian city of Aleppo that if they want airdrops, they had better volunteer to be on the planes.

He was speaking at an emergency Commons debate on the question of how the UK should respond to the end of the four-year siege of the city by the Assad government.

The debate was called by Tory MP Andrew Mitchell to "to explore with the Government how Britain's immense diplomatic muscle, the finest foreign service in the world, can do more to secure a deal that will ensure a ceasefire for at least 24 hours to enable innocent civilians to be rescued."


Comment: Wow, such bravado. Meanwhile ignoring the fact that Russia and Syria are doing the rescuing despite the West's efforts to stymie the operation.


Comment: As usual, just a bunch of hot air being wasted and chest beating since Britain refuses to help Russia and Syria in the first place.

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Chess

U.S. foreign policy & the Electoral College vote: Engineering a December 19 surprise?

Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 16:16 UTC
Putin Trump
© YouTube
In a previous article entitled Constitutional Crisis, Movement to Undermine President-elect Donald Trump's Accession to the White House? I focussed on the process of confrontation between the Trump and Clinton factions leading up to the Grand Electoral College Vote on December 19th.
While the Hillary Clinton faction supported by mainstream media propaganda is accusing Moscow of intervening in the US elections on behalf of Trump, they are also intent upon shifting the Electoral College vote in favour of Clinton with a view to blocking president-elect Trump's accession to the White House.

If this were to succeed, the U.S. would be precipitated into a deap-seated political crisis. It should be noted that this process is also coupled with extensive anti-Trump protests across America, organized by the Clinton faction.

What is a stake: "are fundamental rivalries within the US establishment marked by the clash between competing corporate factions, each of which is intent upon exerting control over the incoming US presidency." (Ibid)

Comment: No doubt that behind the scenes, all the stops are being pulled out to save the crumbling Empire, not to mention the astronomical profits of the military-industrial complex.

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Quenelle

CNN lambasted online for 'absurd' fake news on Ghana


RT
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 16:34 UTC
CNN sign
© Reuters
CNN is in hot water with some of its Ghanaian audience, who have accused the news channel of over egging economic challenges in the African nation by describing it as a place where people "struggle to obtain food and day-to-day services."

Coverage CNN's website regarding Ghana's recent presidential election provoked outrage, with many readers incensed by the number of inaccuracies in the article.

Entitled 'Ghana election: Incumbent concedes to Nana Akufo-Addo', the December 9 piece detailed Ghanaian President John Mahama's defeat at the polls.

The article explained how Ghana's newly-elected president Nana Akufo-Addo had previously failed at "three runs for the presidency - in 1998, 2008 and 2012."
CNN article
© Via RT
However, readers have correctly pointed out that no such election was held in 1998.
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Info

Iran wants to develop nuclear propulsion for maritime use, cites US 'violation' of deal


RT
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 16:46 UTC
Iran submarine
© Stringer Iran / ReutersIranian military personnel stand on a submarine during a naval parade on the last day of the Velayat-90 war game in the Sea of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian president has ordered the national nuclear agency start developing nuclear propulsion capability for marine transportation. Hassan Rouhani said the move is in response to US 'violation' of the nuclear deal with Iran.

Rouhani's Tuesday order to Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, says the agency must prepare a project for development of both reactors for maritime use and fuel production for this purpose in three months.

Nuclear propulsion uses a nuclear power reactor to generate electricity on a vessel. Such systems are best known for their use on strategic nuclear submarines, which allow them to stay submerged for weeks avoiding detection. Nuclear propulsion is also used on some big surface ships like aircraft carriers or icebreakers.
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Megaphone

Kellyanne Conway defends Trump's criticism of CIA hacking report - video

Leon Wolf
The Blaze
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 16:34 UTC
Kellyanne Conway defended Trump
President-elect Donald Trump spent the weekend criticizing a CIA report that suggested Russian interference in the United States presidential election in his own inimitable fashion. Of course, Trump can hardly be blamed for defending his election victory as legitimate, but his strident tone and unfiltered tweeting style left him defending a new charge: that he does not respect the intelligence community.

In an interview Monday morning, Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway defended Trump's criticism of the CIA report and his respect for the intelligence community as a whole. Speaking with George Stephanopolous on ABC's "Good Morning America," Conway claimed that Trump did not dispute the finding that Russians likely participated in the hack of former Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta's emails but merely the conclusion that this changed the election result in America. She also stated her belief that these arguments are being made solely due to the fact that people did not like the election results:
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