Syria says will use chemical weapons if attacked...

[Zulu Cowboy]

Here we go...I hope you're ready.

Zulu Cowboy
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Syria says will use chemical weapons if attacked - LINK
By PAUL SCHEMM and BEN HUBBARD
Associated Press

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- The Syrian regime threatened Monday to use its chemical and biological weapons in case of a foreign attack, in its first ever acknowledgement that it possesses weapons of mass destruction.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi vowed, however, that Damascus would not use its unconventional arms against its own citizens. The announcement comes as Syria faces international isolation, a tenacious rebellion that has left at least 19,000 people dead and threats by Israel to invade to prevent such weapons from falling into rebel hands.

Syria's decision to reveal the long suspected existence of its chemical weapons suggests a desperate regime deeply shaken by an increasingly bold rebellion that has scored a string of successes in the past week, including a stunning bomb attack that killed four high-level security officials, the capture of several border crossings and sustained offensives on the regime strongholds of Damascus and Aleppo.

"No chemical or biological weapons will ever be used, and I repeat, will never be used, during the crisis in Syria no matter what the developments inside Syria," Makdissi said in news conference broadcast on Syrian state TV. "All of these types of weapons are in storage and under security and the direct supervision of the Syrian armed forces and will never be used unless Syria is exposed to external aggression."

While the statement Makdissi read out promised not to use the weapons against the Syrian people, he later noted that Syria is not facing an internal enemy in the rebellion, which the regime has described as being funded from abroad and driven by foreign extremists.

Syria is believed to have nerve agents as well as mustard gas, Scud missiles capable of delivering these lethal chemicals and a variety of advanced conventional arms, including anti-tank rockets and late-model portable anti-aircraft missiles.

Israel has said it fears that chaos following Assad's fall could allow the Jewish state's enemies to access Syria's chemical weapons, and has not ruled out military intervention to prevent this from happening...(snip)..."

LINK
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[CGTech]

yeah, and have a look at this post in dutch's thread....

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showt...72#post4496472

[gawarriorqueen]

Why is anyone surprised to hear that Syria has chemical and biological weapons? That's where Saddam sent his when Iraq got too hot.

[KKC]

Why is anyone surprised to hear that Syria has chemical and biological weapons? That's where Saddam sent his when Iraq got too hot.

Exactly. And this time instead of shipping them off somewhere they’ll use them before they LOSE them.

[Countrymouse]

Why is anyone surprised to hear that Syria has chemical and biological weapons? That's where Saddam sent his when Iraq got too hot.

You know this will start an argument with some, gawarriorqueen (though personally we all are going to think what we like despite the arguers, as are they as well)---

but I read a while back some tweets from Syrian citizens that said that China and North Korea had been helping Assad with his chemical weapons program.

REGARDLESS OF WHERE HE GOT THEM----HE IS NOW ADMITTING THEY ARE THERE, AND THAT HE IS WILLING TO USE THEM.

[Countrymouse]

While the statement Makdissi read out promised not to use the weapons against the Syrian people, he later noted that Syria is not facing an internal enemy in the rebellion, which the regime has described as being funded from abroad and driven by foreign extremists.

Zulu:

I cannot find the above statement at all in the article at the link. Either they've already edited it out, or...?

Can you tell me if this is the correct link for the article you found?---
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...07-23-08-06-13

[Zulu Cowboy]

Zulu:

I cannot find the above statement at all in the article at the link. Either they've already edited it out, or...?

Can you tell me if this is the correct link for the article you found?---
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...07-23-08-06-13

It appears this story has been edited...the link is the same.

Zulu Cowboy

[Jeffrey Thomason]

Why is anyone surprised to hear that Syria has chemical and biological weapons? That's where Saddam sent his when Iraq got too hot.

It's not that they have them, it's that they're admitting to having them.. and admitting to being willing to use them.

[Countrymouse]

bttt

[Hfcomms]

"All of these types of weapons are in storage and under security and the direct supervision of the Syrian armed forces and will never be used unless Syria is exposed to external aggression."


If WE were threatened by an external aggressor and didn't have our nuclear stockpile would we threaten to use any existing stocks of chemical weapons? The answer is obvious.

[Giskard]

Yeah, Assad's old lady already fled to Russia. I could see him settin' the timer before he walks out the door.

[My Adonai]

All Syria needs is a trigger point to use their WMDs. Anyone have any ideas on what it might be?

[Zulu Cowboy]

"All of these types of weapons are in storage and under security and the direct supervision of the Syrian armed forces and will never be used unless Syria is exposed to external aggression."


If WE were threatened by an external aggressor and didn't have our nuclear stockpile would we threaten to use any existing stocks of chemical weapons? The answer is obvious.

The whole thing smells like a setup to me...

Zulu Cowboy

[Countrymouse]

It appears this story has been edited...the link is the same.

Zulu Cowboy

Now THAT is very interesting.

And HFComms, it isn't what "we" would do---it's what an irrational madman who would rather SEE HIS OWN COUNTRY DESTROYED WITH HIM THAN GIVE UP HIS HOLD ON POWER would do....

[Hfcomms]

Now THAT is very interesting.

And HFComms, it isn't what "we" would do---it's what an irrational madman who would rather SEE HIS OWN COUNTRY DESTROYED WITH HIM THAN GIVE UP HIS HOLD ON POWER would do....

Like it or not Assad is the head of Syria. The Syrian people [not to mention the huge Christian population in Syria] have it a lot better under Assad [a secular government] than they would under an Islamic brotherhood regime which will come to power if Assad is overthrown exactly like what is happening in Egypt.

And we would do exactly what Assad is threatening to do if a foreign power demanded of us under threat of military action to depose of our leaders and we didn't have nuclear weapons. We would indeed threaten and actually deploy WMD at the threat of a foreign invasion and you know we would. It's just that quite often Americans expect others to roll over and play dead when we threaten but we take great offense if someone else would threaten us like we threaten them.

[Countrymouse]

Like it or not Assad is the head of Syria. The Syrian people [not to mention the huge Christian population in Syria] have it a lot better under Assad [a secular government] than they would under an Islamic brotherhood regime which will come to power if Assad is overthrown exactly like what is happening in Egypt.

And we would do exactly what Assad is threatening to do if a foreign power demanded of us under threat of military action to depose of our leaders and we didn't have nuclear weapons. We would indeed threaten and actually deploy WMD at the threat of a foreign invasion and you know we would. It's just that quite often Americans expect others to roll over and play dead when we threaten but we take great offense if someone else would threaten us like we threaten them.

As I understand it, the Alawites (the sector that supports Assad) is a MINORITY of the population in Syria.

Would you really want a situation here in America where a minority that WANTS to retain a repressive government--because it gives them perks---gets to KEEP that government over the objections of the MAJORITY of the citizens of the country?

I wouldn't.

But we may be about to experience just that, here in America.

Questions of who will take over after him aside---I think it is for the majority of the citizens of a country to decide who rules them and what kind of government they will have.

Think about what you're espousing, if you disagree with that statement.

What keeps a country SANE--given those conditions---is the moral strength of its people.

Which is what led to us--here--developing the Constitution.

They don't have that in Syria.

Which is why--you're right---it will probably devolve into anarchy, then into a Muslim religious "Brotherhood" type government.

But I just can't honestly say, "Oh sure, it doesn't matter if 80% of the citizens of Syria hate and despise Assad, they HAVE to keep him because the other 20% like him and besides it's more to our interests for him to be in than not."

[SSTemplar]

hearsay