(KLTV) - East Texas representatives said Tuesday’s developments only make them more confident that military action is not the solution in Syria. Texas leaders in Congress have been vocally opposed to the use of force in the region over the last few weeks, many promised to vote no if taken to a vote.Tyler Liberty Alliance president Joseph Yazdanpanahi believes the deal between Russia and Syria is one the government should be considering.“We should be skeptical,” he said. “But at the same time, we should do what is in America's best interest and sending a bomb over to Syria and killing more people doesn't seem like a solution.”Yazdanpanahi lead a rally last week against US intervention in Syria. “If we do send a bomb over there, how is that going to stop more chemical weapons from being used?” he said. “What about retaliation? Is Iran going to retaliate? They are allies with Syria”Local leaders in Washington agreed. US representative Jeb Hensarling held a telephone town hall Monday night. He said after talking with East Texas residents, “It is clear that the American people are not convinced of the need to move forward with the President’s plan.”“This is a very bipartisan issue,” said US Representative Louie Gohmert. “The people on both sides of the aisle, I’d say a majority, are not supportive of the President striking in Syria.”Yazdanpanahi, who still has an aunt living in the region, said it comes down to bigger problems to tackle here at home.“With all of the conflicts, with the national debt crisis, with the economic situation, why would we want to have any more involvement that's not in our absolute best interest and an absolute necessity?” he said.The president has scheduled an address to the nation on the issue for Tuesday at 8 p.m.Copyright 2013 KLTV. All rights reserved.
Showing posts with label Syria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Syria. Show all posts
Monday, 23 September 2013
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
U.S., Russia, other big powers to meet on Syria in New York
UNITED NATIONS | Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:02pm EDT
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Envoys from the five permanent U.N. Security Council member states will meet in New York on Wednesday to discuss plans to place Syrian chemical weapons under international control, diplomats said.
Among the topics to be discussed by U.S., British, Chinese, French and Russian diplomats is a French draft resolution that would give the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad an ultimatum to give up its chemical arsenal or face punitive measures, a text that Russia has said is unacceptable.
It was not immediately clear at what time and where the diplomats would meet. The meeting comes a day before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet in Geneva in an attempt to break the deadlock on the 15-nation Security Council over Syria.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; editing by Jackie Frank)
Netanyahu says Syria must be stripped of its chemical weapons
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 8, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Uriel Sinai/PoolJERUSALEM | Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:32am EDT
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday Syria must be stripped of its chemical weapons and that the international community must make sure those who used weapons of mass destruction pay a price.
Netanyahu said Syria had carried out a "crime against humanity" by killing innocent civilians with chemical weapons and that Syria's ally Iran, who is at odds with the West over its nuclear program, was watching to see how the world acted.
"It must be ensured that the Syrian regime is stripped of its chemical weapons, and the world must make sure that whoever uses weapons of mass destruction pays a price for it," Netanyahu said. "The message that is received in Syria will be received loudly in Iran."
(This story was refiled to fix translation in quote in third paragraph to read "It must be ensured ... " instead of "We must make sure ... ")
(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Alison Williams)
Red Cross urges U.S. and Russia to help unblock aid delivery in Syria
GENEVA | Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:43am EDT
GENEVA (Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on the United States and Russia to also address the obstacles to delivering aid in Syria at talks on Thursday focusing on the use of chemical weapons.
Syrian government forces and opposition rebels are both preventing medical assistance in particular from reaching the sick and wounded, ICRC President Peter Maurer said on Wednesday.
"We need political and diplomatic support for independent humanitarian action," Maurer told reporters in Geneva a day before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov meet in the Swiss city.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alison Williams)
Netanyahu says Syria must be stripped of its chemical weapons
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 8, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Uriel Sinai/PoolJERUSALEM | Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:32am EDT
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday Syria must be stripped of its chemical weapons and that the international community must make sure those who used weapons of mass destruction pay a price.
Netanyahu said Syria had carried out a "crime against humanity" by killing innocent civilians with chemical weapons and that Syria's ally Iran, who is at odds with the West over its nuclear program, was watching to see how the world acted.
"It must be ensured that the Syrian regime is stripped of its chemical weapons, and the world must make sure that whoever uses weapons of mass destruction pays a price for it," Netanyahu said. "The message that is received in Syria will be received loudly in Iran."
(This story was refiled to fix translation in quote in third paragraph to read "It must be ensured ... " instead of "We must make sure ... ")
(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Alison Williams)
Russian Duma warns U.S. against Syria strike
By Steve Gutterman
MOSCOW | Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:55am EDT
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian parliament on Wednesday urged the United States not to strike Syria, warning that military action could be a "crime against the Syrian people" but stopping short of threatening countermeasures.
Air strikes would "lead to new civilian deaths, further destruction of vital infrastructure and, in the end, an irreversible humanitarian catastrophe," the State Duma, the lower chamber, said in a declaration adopted by unanimous vote.
The non-binding declaration by the Duma, dominated by the Kremlin-controlled United Russia party, echoed the vociferous opposition to U.S. military action of President Vladimir Putin and his government.
"Those who are prepared to give an order for such an attack should understand that such actions could be qualified as a very crude violation of international law and as a crime against the Syrian people," it said.
It warned that a strike could "place nuclear and chemical security in the region under threat", a reference to Syria's chemical weapons stocks and a small reactor that contains radioactive uranium.
Russia has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful backer during the civil conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people since 2011, delivering arms and - with China - blocking three U.N. resolutions meant to pressure Assad.
The Duma expressed support for Russia's proposal to place Syria's chemical arsenal under international control, which Putin said on Tuesday would only succeed if the United States and its allies abandoned plans for possible military action.
The vote followed debate in which lawmakers proposed Russia consider taking action to punish the United States if it does strike - such as withdrawing from the New START nuclear arms control pact, increasing weapons sales to Syrian ally Iran or curtailing cooperation with the United States on Afghanistan.
No such measures ended up in the declaration, but lawmakers said they could be included in a second statement that could be put to a vote if the United States strikes Syria.
The Duma criticized the U.S. Congress for allegedly refusing to see Russian lawmakers who offered to travel to Washington for talks on Syria, saying it "could place interaction on key issues on the Russian-American agenda in question".
(Editing by Andrew Roche)
Red Cross urges U.S. and Russia to help unblock aid delivery in Syria
GENEVA | Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:43am EDT
GENEVA (Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on the United States and Russia to also address the obstacles to delivering aid in Syria at talks on Thursday focusing on the use of chemical weapons.
Syrian government forces and opposition rebels are both preventing medical assistance in particular from reaching the sick and wounded, ICRC President Peter Maurer said on Wednesday.
"We need political and diplomatic support for independent humanitarian action," Maurer told reporters in Geneva a day before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov meet in the Swiss city.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alison Williams)
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