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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Sept. 16th Statements on Syrian Reports

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posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 05:53 PM
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New York, 16 September 2013 - Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council on the report of the United Nations Missions to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons on the incident that occurred on 21 August 2013 in the Ghouta area of Damascus



It is with a heavy heart that I submit to the Security Council the report of the United Nations Missions to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons on the incident that occurred on 21 August 2013 in the Ghouta area of Damascus.



Survivors reported that following an attack with shelling, they quickly experienced a range of symptoms, including shortness of breath, disorientation, eye irritation, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and general weakness. Many eventually lost consciousness. First responders described seeing a large number of individuals lying on the ground, many of them dead or unconscious.



Due to the security situation and other limitations, the Mission was unable to document the full extent of the use of chemical weapons on 21 August or to verify the total number of causalities. The results are overwhelming and indisputable. The facts speak for themselves.


Although I was expecting a shocking revelation by the Secretary General today, it is hardly a pleasant report that he gave in response to the Syrian crisis both before the attacks on Aug. 21st, and on the fateful day where it is now without a doubt proven sarin gas was used against innocent civilians the likes of which we have not seen since 1988 with Saddam Hussein.

This report is well worth the read and leads me to wonder where this will take all of us in the future as negotiations turn to action in dissembling the chemicals from a region that is in the midst of a civil war.



www.un.org...



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 06:06 PM
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It's a damning indictment of absolute inhumane treatment of innocent people. Civilians, unharmed, untrained and unaware!!

Despicable business, wherever it came from.



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 06:15 PM
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reply to post by antar
 


I am still unconvinced it was the Syrian Army and believe it was most likely the rebels. Notice they are always just trying to convince the public chemical were used despite the fact 99 percent of the population believes it. What we don't believe is that was for sure the Syrian Army and the best report on the attacks come from Russia, it is very detailed and fingers the rebels as the guilty party with a lot of evidence to support the suggestion.



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 06:22 PM
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GogoVicMorrow
reply to post by antar
 


I am still unconvinced it was the Syrian Army and believe it was most likely the rebels. Notice they are always just trying to convince the public chemical were used despite the fact 99 percent of the population believes it. What we don't believe is that was for sure the Syrian Army and the best report on the attacks come from Russia, it is very detailed and fingers the rebels as the guilty party with a lot of evidence to support the suggestion.


Can you provide the evidence?

I'm still not entirely convinced who fired the CW's but I feel the U.N report is pointing the finger of suspicion in Assad's direction.



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 06:31 PM
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reply to post by GogoVicMorrow
 


Vic as you know I am not one of the heavy hitters in the war discussion topics, but like yourself it just feels wrong to me. While reading about the reports I found out that the numbers of causalities from this civil war are so shameful they will only say "Over 100,0000 Killed", sound familiar? I guess they figure 100,000 is as high as we the world can tolerate, or count to. Not sure where I saw the numbers but I did read that there were some sixty thousand dead from this civil war prior to the chemical attack and that those numbers will rise once the inspectors are able to access more areas.



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 06:44 PM
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reply to post by Cobaltic1978
 


I am not sure which was worse the time before the spotlight came to showcase the atrocities against humanity through the illegal use of chemical weapons or the Torture, Rape, Kidnapping and Disappearances and Murder of innocents by hatchet's, machetes, and anything else you can imagine. NONE of it was lawful or going to be accepted according to Secretary general Ban Ki-moon. Lets hope that this will help the people, not further harm them.

It would not surprise me to discover that the chemicals were used because they are so illegal it brought the spotlight to the world so that the Syrian people could get the help they so very much are in need of. One more point from the OP link:


The humanitarian situation is desperate. Food supplies are dangerously low in some places. We lack access to many people in need. People are living under siege. Families face intolerable choices between the risk of remaining in place and the risk of taking flight. Communities that once lived in relative harmony are now torn with sectarian tension. One third of the country’s people have fled their homes -- the largest flows of refugees and internally displaced persons in many years, causing instability across the region. We need to do everything we can to bring the parties to the negotiating table. This is the only path to a durable solution. I stand ready to convene the International Conference on Syria in Geneva as soon as possible. I look forward to meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov and Secretary Kerry on 28 September. I hope we will be able to set a date for the conference at that time. I also hope that this Council will provide full support to the efforts of Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi to prepare the ground for its launch.


Once again,
www.un.org...



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 09:02 PM
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reply to post by antar
 
A couple things to point out that are getting... overlooked.

The old Soviet M14 rocket they found did not test pos. for sarin. The impact site did not test pos. So it can be ignored.

That leaves only the more... primitive 330mm rockets testing pos. for sarin.

The payload they are trying to claim those rockets had(15 gallons) seems way too much and the warhead scraps we have seen are way smaller than three five gallon buckets, stacked.

Also, the only one we have seen that was a dud was full of high explosive or fuel/air material.

Also problems with the sampling. No background sampling that I know of. No way to know if they would get the same results from other places. No testing of dead people. Only three hair samples and all neg.

A lot of problems really.

Brown Moses Blog sucks, but the readers/commenters are picking up on some things.



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 09:16 PM
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reply to post by Cobaltic1978
 


I posted some other evidence, but I think the UN's lack of curiosity about the 330mm rockets is kind of telling.
Actually the whole report seems to say more with omission than it does with admission.

It puts certain rockets on a trajectory, but when you look, those rockets tested neg. for CW. And the ones that tested pos. had no trajectory assumptions.

Just a lot of carefully crafted bull# if you ask me. From start to finish, really.



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 09:21 PM
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To me it looks like a report, on a report, crafted to encourage the reader to draw a false conclusion. From the reports on the report on the report I have read, it seems to be working.



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 09:51 PM
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reply to post by doitalready
 

So you land here and dismiss the UN findings just_like_that.

What, did you conduct your own investigation over there on the ground? Your credentials and test results seem to be missing from your two posts on ATS.

On the other hand... from UN link...


Let me turn now to the handling and analysis of the materials that were collected by the Mission.

The samples were sent for analysis to four laboratories designated by the OPCW. The Mission’s factual findings are as follows.

(a)The environmental and biomedical samples demonstrate the widespread nature of the attacks. Eighty-five per cent of the blood samples tested positive for sarin. Biomedical samples were taken from 34 of the 36 patients selected by the Mission who had signs of poisoning. Almost all tested positive for exposure to sarin.

(b)These results were corroborated by the clinical assessments, which documented symptoms and signs consistent with nerve agent exposure. A number of affected patients were diagnosed with intoxification by an organophosphorous compound, and clearly showed symptoms associated with sarin, including loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, blurred vision, eye inflammation, vomiting and seizures.

(c)A majority of the environmental samples confirmed the use of sarin. The samples were taken from impact sites and surrounding areas – locations where survivors were also found to have been affected by sarin.

(d)The team was also able to examine impacted and exploded surface-to-surface rockets that are capable of carrying a chemical payload. These were carefully measured, photographed and sampled. A majority of the rockets or rocket fragments recovered were found to be carrying sarin.

Indeed samples were taken, ordnance was inspected by accredited labs. The results are in.

Except for what type of Sarin was used. Was it industrially manufactured? Or made in a garage? Considering it was sarin (easiest to produce), non standard military weapons were employed, and the casualties were mostly civilian, it leads to conclude without actual forensics here, that the insurgents were responsible.

Further that the rebels did it and blamed Assad while the UN team was in the capitol. Imagine that?

Further saddened this information from the UN is open ended without conclusive information about what type of Sarin or actual chart results or photographs. Truly censored.



posted on Sep, 16 2013 @ 11:40 PM
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reply to post by intrptr
 


If in fact Sarin was used by the rebels why would Assad be prepared to surrender, his chemical weapons arsenal??



posted on Sep, 17 2013 @ 01:19 AM
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intrptr
reply to post by doitalready
 

So you land here and dismiss the UN findings just_like_that.

What, did you conduct your own investigation over there on the ground? Your credentials and test results seem to be missing from your two posts on ATS.

On the other hand... from UN link...


Let me turn now to the handling and analysis of the materials that were collected by the Mission.

The samples were sent for analysis to four laboratories designated by the OPCW. The Mission’s factual findings are as follows.

(a)The environmental and biomedical samples demonstrate the widespread nature of the attacks. Eighty-five per cent of the blood samples tested positive for sarin. Biomedical samples were taken from 34 of the 36 patients selected by the Mission who had signs of poisoning. Almost all tested positive for exposure to sarin.

(b)These results were corroborated by the clinical assessments, which documented symptoms and signs consistent with nerve agent exposure. A number of affected patients were diagnosed with intoxification by an organophosphorous compound, and clearly showed symptoms associated with sarin, including loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, blurred vision, eye inflammation, vomiting and seizures.

(c)A majority of the environmental samples confirmed the use of sarin. The samples were taken from impact sites and surrounding areas – locations where survivors were also found to have been affected by sarin.

(d)The team was also able to examine impacted and exploded surface-to-surface rockets that are capable of carrying a chemical payload. These were carefully measured, photographed and sampled. A majority of the rockets or rocket fragments recovered were found to be carrying sarin.

Indeed samples were taken, ordnance was inspected by accredited labs. The results are in.

Except for what type of Sarin was used. Was it industrially manufactured? Or made in a garage? Considering it was sarin (easiest to produce), non standard military weapons were employed, and the casualties were mostly civilian, it leads to conclude without actual forensics here, that the insurgents were responsible.

Further that the rebels did it and blamed Assad while the UN team was in the capitol. Imagine that?

Further saddened this information from the UN is open ended without conclusive information about what type of Sarin or actual chart results or photographs. Truly censored.


Wow, what a nice welcome. I haven't read the forum rules, so I'll just move on.

I didn't dismiss them and I don't really doubt the integrity of the UN team. But I know that one can select, omit, and manipulate data to say anything one wants. Thanks for [i.][u.][b.]-ing those parts of the report that have # all to do with the points I made.

Funny that we both have come to the same conclusion, and I didn't even go to Syria with my team like you must have.
edit on 17-9-2013 by doitalready because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 17 2013 @ 01:23 AM
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Kashai
reply to post by intrptr
 


If in fact Sarin was used by the rebels why would Assad be prepared to surrender, his chemical weapons arsenal??




I don't think he will. Being defenseless just invites democracy bombs.



posted on Sep, 17 2013 @ 08:18 AM
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Since sarin can be made by the beans of the Castor plant, how readily available is this plant tree in Syria? If it is not natural to Syria then what neighboring country does it grow in abundance? I know India has Castor Bean growing like weeds, but I cannot see India being part of the supply chain for potential sarin to Syria. Where does it grow and who supplied it to the Syrian Armies/Rebels?



posted on Sep, 17 2013 @ 03:26 PM
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Kashai
reply to post by intrptr
 


If in fact Sarin was used by the rebels why would Assad be prepared to surrender, his chemical weapons arsenal?

Because... he doesn't want the US to openly invade his country?

Because the Russians told him to comply in order to prevent that?

Its actually a little more complex than simply surrendering any defensive weapons he may have. I heard him say he would agree to surrendering his chemical stocks only if the US stops arming the "opposition" (Insurgents) and stops threatening Syria. Like thats ever going to happen. This whole chemical dog and pony show is merely an excuse to get in there and conquer Syria. Its a different angle of approach is all.

Not that it matters ultimately. US finally has its UN Mandate under Chapter 7. Just like in Iraq and Libya the inspections will "go badly" and the US will declare "non compliant" and under that very UN charter, they will be "forced" to establish the "No Fly Zone" they have been clamoring for for over two years. However they get that ultimate goal they don't care how many have to die or long it takes.

"Like Hillary Clinton said, "Assad must go". Notice the date?

edit on 17-9-2013 by intrptr because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 17 2013 @ 03:31 PM
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reply to post by doitalready
 


I haven't read the forum rules, so I'll just move on.


okay...

Don't come off like you didn't trounce on every point made by the UN summary submitted by Ban Ki Moon. Without a single verifiable link either. Thats all I meant and I stand by it. Trying to turn it in to a personal attack just digs a deeper hole.



posted on Sep, 17 2013 @ 09:34 PM
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reply to post by intrptr
 


For me anyway it seems very strange that 100% of Syria is ruled by 15%. It means that when it comes to that 15%, they get the best jobs, the best homes in the best living conditions.

The same would also apply to Saddam Hussein and Kaddafi.

During the fall of the Soviet Union the leaders ordered the Russian military to engage the protestors.

The reason there is a Russian Federation today is because the Military refused.

In consideration if you want to suggest what potentially has influenced the Muslim uprising and its
subsequent effect? Is the fall of the Soviet Union and a what today is a stable Russian Republic.

In all probability there will be a conflict between the US and Syria. This agreement over what Assad
must do within a year is in principle impossible between the US and Russia.

Any thoughts?



posted on Sep, 17 2013 @ 09:55 PM
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reply to post by Kashai
 

Whatever the conditions in the countries of Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, its a poor comparison to Russia. Russia was never invaded and destroyed by a conquering Army. A better comparison might be when it was invaded by the Nazis during WWII. What was the result then? How better off are the countries in the Middle East invaded by the US today?

Lets not even be that limited. Look at Vietnams legacy. And a dozen or two other countries the United States has meddled in.


In consideration if you want to suggest what potentially has influenced the Muslim uprising and its subsequent effect?

Except that the uprising as you call it is really an insurgency by guerrilla style tactics from outside the country and that is a whole other scenario.


In all probability there will be a conflict between the US and Syria. This agreement over what Assad must do within a year is in principle impossible between the US and Russia.

In all probability there already is, by Proxy. In fact I am sure of it. And I see the conflict as you call it an invasion by the US into Syria, (by whatever means) with the intent to destroy Syria's ability to resist, and putting the country back to the stone age for all intensive purposes.

Look at Libya and Iraq, I say again, Libya and Iraq.



posted on Sep, 17 2013 @ 10:19 PM
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reply to post by intrptr
 


Back in the 1960's the US had a lot of problems with riots. There was a situation in Alabama where the Governor ordered the National Guard to intervene. That did not happen, what did happen was that the
President of the United States intervened. The issue that caused the Governor in question to order
military support was not allowed. This. because the Federal government, sent forces to enforce a Presidential order that was the opposite of what the Governor in question wanted.

So the question is why???

After World War 2 Stalin killed 40 million of his own people and Mao killed about 60 million. Today the Russian Republic exist because the resident military refused to follow the orders of the leaders of the Soviet Union.

It is possible that the exact same thing occurred in the United States of America during the 1960's?

Any thoughts?



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 03:30 PM
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doitalready

Kashai
reply to post by intrptr
 


If in fact Sarin was used by the rebels why would Assad be prepared to surrender, his chemical weapons arsenal??




I don't think he will. Being defenseless just invites democracy bombs.

Yah, okay, sorry about the "democracy bombs" as you call them. I was a little rough in welcoming you. I apologize for that.







 
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