Shorab airbase attack, a complete report

WORLD-TYRANT WORLD 12 04 14 2 

Dec 3, 6:29 PM EST 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_MILITARY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-12-03-18-29-27

OBAMA HOSTS PENTAGON BRASS AT TIME OF UNCERTAINTY [Excerpts] 

The sit-down comes at an awkward time for Obama, whose strained relationship with the Pentagon has been on full display since Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned last month under pressure from the president. 

[ WILL THE BRASS OPENLY TAKE OVER ? ] 

Dec 3, 6:20 PM EST 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MILITARY_SEXUAL_ASSAULT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-12-03-18-20-35

APNEWSBREAK: MILITARY SEX ASSAULTS UP 8 PERCENT [Excerpts] 

Two years ago, the anonymous survey found that about 26,000 services members said they had been the victim of unwanted sexual contact or assault 

This year, that number dropped to about 19,000 - including about 10,500 men and 8,500 women. 

Shorab airbase attack, a complete report

Tuesday, 02 December 2014 09:46 

http://www.shahamat-english.com/index.php/news/51314-shorab-airbase-attack,-a-complete-report

[ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Bastion

] 

HELMAND, Dec. 02 – At around 08:00 pm local time on 27th of November 2014, a group of 10 Mujahideen from the martyr unit of Islamic Emirate penetrated inside one of the most important bases of foreign invaders and their stooges, Shorab airbase (Camp Bastion), and engaged the enemy inside *for 4 days straight* before the last Mujahid attained martydom 

Latest information arriving from the area suggests that Mujahideen who entered the base utilizing a special technique, took up positions at key junctures followed by targeting and besieging the enemy inside their barracks. 

The Martyrdom seekers were divided into 4 units; a group with highly flammable equipment to set fire to the infrastructure and parked vehicles, second group tasked with targeting the unaware foreign invaders and another with their stooges and the fourth group tasked with taking up positions to counter any reinforcements from reaching the sites under attack. 

Shortly after the operation began, 2 Mujahideen who contacted via phone said that one had torched 20 tanks and the second 15 while others [were] said to have set fire to the enemy fuel depots and wooden barracks/infrastructure. 

The martyrdom seekers in contact with [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] officials stated that during the fighting, a group of 80 soldiers surrendered themselves and handed over all their weaponry after which they were locked into a basement and information was extracted from 4 soldiers about the location of barracks, American personnel and information about secret areas from where the enemy’s back was broken and the fighting prolonged. 

The information led to the capture of 30 American soldiers at one point who had taken refuge in a restaurant, *immediately shooting dead all of them* at point blank range.  Mujahideen also used the captured soldiers as shields while maneuvering through the enemy ranks as they thought the martyrdom seekers were also soldiers which confused the enemy aircraft as they were unable to distinguish the targets and points of attack.  The captured soldiers gave wrong coordinates to the invaders and their stooges for counter attacks, forcing them into the trap of the Mujahideen which caused the enemy heavily losses each time and this tactic was used 6 times. 

Details from the operation suggest that on top of PKM machine guns and rifles, Mujahideen also used RPGs; FI, M-46 and RGD5 grenades as well as snipers and M16 rifles that were taken as spoils. 

Sticky bombs made of TNT, C3 and C4 were also used to destroy aircrafts, infrastructure and tanks/vehicles 

while to keep in touch with each other and the command center, mobile phones as well as Kenwood TH22 and iCOM IC-V8 radios were used. 

This successful attack resulted in the enemy sustaining heavy human and material losses; hundreds of soldiers were killed and wounded while aircrafts, armored tanks, APCs, wooden rooms and fuel depots were destroyed. 

After putting up fierce resistance for several days, the invaders finally used *internationally banned chemical weapons fired from air on 01/12/2014* from which the last Mujahid attained martyrdom 

It should be mentioned that this was the longest face to face group martyrdom operation against American invaders and their agents and despite thousands of soldiers with every military equipment at its disposal, they failed to subdue the attack of a small group of heroic Mujahideen. 

President al-Assad: We won’t be a puppet state for the West

WORLD-TYRANT WORLD 12 04 14 1 

President al-Assad: We won’t be a puppet state for the West 

03/12/2014 

http://www.sana.sy/en/?p=20381

Damascus, SANA, President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to “Paris Match” Magazine, following is the *full text* of the interview: 

Question 1: Mr. President, three years into this war, and considering how things have turned out, do you regret that you haven’t managed things differently at the beginning, with the appearance of the first signs of the revolution in March 2011?  Do you feel that you are responsible for what happened? 

President Assad: Even in the first days of the events, there were martyrs from the army and the police; so, since the first days of this crisis we have been facing terrorism.  It is true that there were demonstrations, but they were not large in number.  In such a case, there is no choice but to defend your people against terrorists.  There’s no other choice.  We cannot say that we regret fighting terrorism since the early days of this crisis. 

However, this doesn’t mean that there weren’t mistakes made in practice.  There are always mistakes.  Let’s be honest: had Qatar not paid money to those terrorists at that time, and had Turkey not supported them logistically, and had not the West supported them politically, things would have been different.  If we in Syria had problems and mistakes before the crisis, which is normal, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the events had internal causes. 

Question 2: Your army is blamed for its excessive use of force during this war.  Why are civilians shelled? 

President Assad: When a terrorist attacks you with weapons, how do you defend yourself and your people, with dialogue?!  The army uses weapons when the other side uses them.  For us in Syria, it is impossible to have our objective as shelling civilians.  There’s no reason to shell civilians.  If we are killing civilians, in other words killing our people, fighting terrorists at the same time, and fighting the states which stand against us and which support terrorists, like the Gulf countries, Turkey, and the West, how could we stand for four years?  If we haven’t been defending the people, we wouldn’t have been able to stand all this pressure.  Consequently, saying that we are shelling civilians doesn’t make any sense. 

Question 3: Satellite imagery of the cities of Homs and Hama show completely destroyed neighborhoods; and the United Nations, of which your country is a member, talks about 190,000 people having been killed in this war.  Were all the people in those neighborhoods terrorists? 

President Assad: First of all, you need to verify the figures provided by the United Nations.  What are the sources of these figures? The figures being circulated in the world, particularly in the media, are exaggerated and inaccurate.  Second, images of destruction are not only obtained through satellite images, they are there actually on the ground, and they are accurate.  When terrorists enter a certain region and occupy it, the army has to liberate it, and there is a battle.  So, naturally, there is destruction.  But in most cases, when terrorists enter a certain area, civilians flee from it.  In fact, the largest number of victims in Syria is among the supporters of the state, not the other way round; and a large number of those were killed in terrorist attacks.  Of course, when you have war and terrorism innocent people die.  This happens everywhere in the world.  But it is impossible for a state to target civilians. 

Question 4: According to the United Nations too, there are three million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, what amounts to one eighth of Syria’s population.  Are all those allied with terrorists? 

President Assad: No, no. Those who left Syria are generally people who left because of terrorism. There are those who support terrorism, and there are those who support the state but left because of the security situation.  There is also a significant number of those who do not support any side. 

Question 5: From a military perspective, do you have the means which enable you to win this war? 

President Assad: Now we are fighting states, not only gangs.  Billions of dollars are spent on those gangs. They receive arms from different countries, including Turkey.  So, it is not an easy war from a military perspective.  Nevertheless, the Syrian Army is winning in many places.  On the other hand, no one can say how this war will end or when.  But the major war for them in the beginning was how to win the hearts of the Syrians; and *they have lost this war*.  The communities which embraced terrorists have become very small, and that is the reason why the army is winning.  So, we have to look at this war militarily, socially, and politically. 

Question 6: But they haven’t lost yet, since half your territories are out of your control. 

President Assad: The Syrian Army doesn’t have a presence everywhere, and it’s impossible for it to be everywhere.  Consequently, in any place that the Syrian Army doesn’t have a presence, terrorists cross the borders and enter that region.  But the Syrian Army has been able to regain control over any region it [the terrorists] decided to enter.  This is not a war between two armies where you can say that they took a certain part and we took another part.  The war now is not like that.  We are talking about terrorist groups which suddenly infiltrate a city or a village.  That’s why it’s going to be a long and difficult war. 

Question 7: Many people say that the solution lies in your departure. Do you believe that your departure is the solution? 

President Assad: The president of any state in the world takes office through constitutional measures and leaves office through constitutional measures as well.  No President can be installed or deposed through chaos.  The tangible evidence for this is the outcome of the French policy when they attacked Gaddafi.  What was the result?  Chaos ensued after Gaddafi’s departure.  So, was his departure the solution?  Have things improved, and has Libya become a democracy?  The state is like a ship; and when there is a storm, the captain doesn’t run away and leave his ship to sink.  If passengers on that ship decided to leave, the captain should be the last one to leave, not the first. 

Question 8: This means that the captain is prepared to die.  You talked about Gaddafi.  Do you fear facing the same fate and to meet your death like Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi? 

President Assad: A captain doesn’t think of life and death, he thinks of saving his ship.  If the ship sinks, everybody will die, so we would rather save the country.  But I want to stress an important point here.  Remaining president had never been my objective, before, during, or after the crisis.  But we as *Syrians will never accept that Syria become a western puppet state*.  This is one of our most important objectives and principles. 

Question 9: Let’s talk about ISIS. Some people say that the Syrian regime encouraged the rise of Islamic extremists in order to divide the opposition.  How do you respond to that? 

President Assad: In Syria we have a state, not a regime.  Let’s agree on the terms first.  Second, assuming that what you are saying is true, that we supported ISIS, this means that we have asked this organization to attack us, attack military airports, kill hundreds of soldiers, and occupy cities and villages.  Where is the logic in that?  What do we gain from it?  Dividing and weakening the opposition, as you are saying?  We do not need to undermine those elements of the opposition.  The West itself [The World Tyrant / NATO] is saying that it was a fake opposition.  This is what Obama himself said.  So, this supposition is wrong, but what is the truth?  The truth is that ISIS was created in Iraq in 2006.  It was the United States which occupied Iraq, not Syria.  Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was in American prisons, not in Syrian prisons.  So, who created ISIS, Syria or the United States? 

Question 10: The Syrians we meet in Damascus talk about sleeping Jihadi cells in the West more than they talk about the war against ISIS.  Isn’t that strange? 

President Assad: Terrorism is an ideology, not an organization or a structure; and ideology doesn’t acknowledge any borders.  20 years ago, terrorism used to be exported from our region, particularly from Gulf countries, like Saudi Arabia. *Now, it is coming to our region from Europe, especially from France*.  The largest percentage of the European terrorists coming to Syria are French; and you had a number of incidents in France.  There was also an attack in Belgium against a Jewish museum.  So, *terrorism in Europe is no longer asleep, it is being awakened*. 

Question 11: The Americans [The World Tyrant], in their war against ISIS, are tactical (temporary) allies.  Do you still think that their intervention constitutes a violation of national sovereignty? 

President Assad: First, you said that it is tactical, and this is an important point.  You know that *tactics without a strategy do not produce results*, so it will not defeat terrorism.  It is an illegal intervention, first because it is not authorized by a Security Council resolution, and second because it did not respect the sovereignty of a state, Syria, in this case.  So, it is an illegal intervention, and consequently constitutes a violation of sovereignty. 

Question 12: According to Agence France Presse, your air forces made at least 2,000 sorties in 40 days, and this is a huge number.  When your aircraft cross the alliance’s aircraft, for instance on their way to shell Raqqa, do you coordinate or do you have a non-aggression agreement? 

President Assad: There is no direct coordination.   We attack terrorism everywhere, regardless of what the United States [The World Tyrant], or the alliance it leads, is doing.  You might find it strange that the number of daily Syrian air strikes against terrorists is larger than that launched by the alliance.  There’s no coordination; and at the same time you need to realize that *the alliance’s airstrikes are merely cosmetic*. 

Question 13: But these airstrikes are helping you, and one reason why U.S. Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel resigned is that he believed that they support your government and your positions. 

President Assad: Don’t you see that this question contradicts the earlier question, in which you said that we support ISIS?  This means that we are ISIS’s enemies. 

Journalist: I said that some people say, sometimes, that you have supported ISIS to divide the opposition. 

President Assad: And I didn’t mean “you” by my remark, I meant “those” people. 

Journalist: Since one result of the alliance’s airstrikes, from an American perspective, was Chuck Hagel’s resignation, do you think that the alliance’s airstrikes are helping you? 

President Assad: Terrorism cannot be destroyed from the air, and you cannot achieve results on the ground without land forces who know the geographical details of the regions and move in tandem with the airstrikes.  That’s why, and after two months of the alliance’s airstrikes, there are no tangible results on the ground in that direction.  And that’s why saying that the alliance’s airstrikes are helping us is *not* true.  Had these airstrikes been serious and effective, I would have said that they would be certainly useful to us.  But we are the ones fighting the battles against ISIS on the ground, and we haven’t felt any change, particularly that Turkey is still extending direct support to ISIS in those regions. 

Question 14: On July 14th, 2008, you stood on the presidential podium in the Champs Elysees on the sidelines of the Mediterranean summit.  Today, the French government considers you an outcast.  How do you feel about that? 

President Assad: The good relationship which extended from 2008 to 2011 was not based on a French initiative.  It had two sides: the first was an American effort to make the French government influence the Syrian role, particularly in relation to Iran.  The second side was a result of Qatar urging France to improve relations with Syria.  So, the good relations with France had American and Qatari motives and were not the product of an independent will.  Today, there is no difference since both administrations, I mean those of Sarkozy and Hollande, are *not* independent. 

Question 15: Francois Hollande still considers you an opponent.  Do you believe that you can revive relations with him some time in the future? 

President Assad: The issue has nothing to do with personal relations, for I don’t know him to start with.  It has to do with relations between states and institutions, relations based on the interests of two nations.  When there is any French official, or French government, seeking mutual interests, we will deal with them.  But this administration is acting equally against the interests of our people and against the interests of the French people.  As for him considering me a personal enemy, I don’t see the logic of that.  I’m not competing with Hollande for anything.  I believe that Hollande’s competitor in France now is ISIS, because his popularity is close to that of ISIS. 

Question 16: Are there chemical weapons in Syria today, yes or no? 

President Assad: No. When we announced this, it was a clear announcement, and when we decided to abandon chemical weapons, our decision was final. 

Question 17: But U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accuses you of violating the agreement because you used chlorine.  Is that true? 

President Assad: You can find chlorine in any house in Syria.  Everyone has chlorine, and any group can use it.  But we haven’t used it because we have traditional weapons which are more effective than chlorine, and we do not need to use it.  We are fighting terrorists, and using traditional weapons without concealing that or being shy about it.  So, we don’t need chlorine.  These accusations do not surprise us; for when did the Americans [The World Tyrant] say anything true about the crisis in Syria? 

Question 18: Have you used chemical weapons? 

President Assad: We haven’t used this kind of weapons; and had we used it anywhere, tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people would have died.  It’s impossible for these weapons to kill, as it was claimed last year, only one hundred people or two hundred people, particularly in areas where hundreds of thousands, and maybe millions, of Syrians live. 

Question 19: In your latest visit to Paris in November 2010, I conducted an interview with your wife, Mrs. Asmaa al-Assad.  Do you miss traveling outside the borders of your country? 

President Assad: Traveling is not one of my hobbies anyway; and my visits were not for tourism, but for work.  What I truly miss is Syria as it was.  This is what we miss.  And of course we miss the existence of a different world, a world which has logical and moral relations.  At that time, we used to have great expectations for the development of our region, for more intellectual openness.  We used to believe that France, with its cultural heritage, is the country which is most capable of playing this role with Syria in the Middle East. 

Question 20: Your wife used to consider herself an ambassador of modernity.  How does she live in Syria, and how does she feel about what is happening in Syria, particularly that she hasn’t left the country? 

President Assad: Like all Syrians, she feels pain. Both of us feel pain for the destruction and the blood we see in Syria, to see Syria going backwards decades and not years.  It’s painful to see the country which used to be one of the top five countries in the world in terms of security become a safe haven for terrorists.  It is also painful for both my wife and I to see our belief that the West [The World Tyrant / NATO] will help us in our bid for development and openness go in the opposite direction, and what is even worse, to see the West having allies among these *medieval states* in the Gulf, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar. 

Question 21: People describe you as being very close to your children.  How do you explain to them what is happening to your country when you return home in the evening? 

President Assad: Of course, this discussion goes on in every Syrian house now; and the most difficult thing in this discussion is when you deal with children whose social consciousness has developed during this crisis.  There are two basic questions asked, not only in our family but in many families.  The first question: how can people who believe or say they are defending God and Islam kill and murder?  This is a case which is not easy to explain, and children ask whether these people know that they are wrong.  And the answer here is that there are those who know but make use of religion for private purposes, and there are ignorant people who do not know that religion is good. They think, instead, that religion means killing. 

The second question: why does the West launch an aggression against us, and why does it support terrorists and destruction?  Of course, they do not say the West in general, they specify certain countries, including the United States [The World Tyrant], France, and [Poodle] Britain.  Why do they do that?  Have we done anything to hurt them?  We also explain to them that people are something, and states are something else. 

Journalist: Thank you. 

President Assad: Thank you.

[Putin's] News conference following state visit to Turkey

WORLD-TYRANT WORLD 12 03 14 1 

Al-Laham: Any support to armed terrorist organizations in Syria a violation of UN charter 

03/12/2014 

http://www.sana.sy/en/?p=20324

[ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore

]

Lahore, SANA- Speaker of the People’s Assembly Mohammad Jihad al-Laham called for mobilizing efforts to fight terrorism according to a comprehensive strategy and with the participation of all countries. 

Al-Laham, speaking at the 7th conference of Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) in Lahore, said that no issue deserves to be a main topic on the Assembly’s agenda more than the issue of the international terrorism which spreads as cancer in the Middle East, particularly in Syria and Iraq. 

“Any support to the armed terrorist organizations in Syria is a flagrant violation of the UN charter and Security Council’s resolutions,” al-Laham added. 

He affirmed that Syria warned, a year ago, at this platform, that the acts of some countries which politically differ with Syria and the support offered by the neighboring countries to the armed terrorist groups will take the region and the whole world into a dark tunnel and destabilize the Middle East for long decades. 

“Syria has drawn the world attention that the disaster, which will take place at the hands of terrorist organizations who receive support form regional and western countries, will affect all” al-Laham said, adding that terrorists have posed a threat, not only to Syria and Iraq, but also to the international peace and security. 

He wondered “how long the world will remain going in the wrong way as a follower to the US [World Tyrant] policy which has brought nothing but destruction and disasters.” 

PA Speaker warned against the danger of the US[World Tyrant-led coalition’s disregard of the International Security Council’s resolutions No. 1373, 2170, and 2178 which call for the necessity of the international cooperation to counter terrorism and dry its sources. 

Al-Laham also warned of exploiting that coalition to strike Syria’s infrastructure and impose “no-fly zone” and other malicious intentions which have no purpose, except to fight the Syrian state and the Syrian Arab Army which has confronted terrorism for 4 years. 

He referred to the Russian efforts to revive the track of political solution through bringing the Syrian sides to the dialogue table, adding that Syria welcomes any sincere efforts to stop the bloodshed of the Syrians, but *not* at the expense of Syria’s unity and sovereignty. 

Al-Laham also appreciated the efforts exerted by Pakistan to host the conference, hoping it reaches resolutions and recommendations that would help enhance cooperation among the Asian States to tackle the issues of the continent. 

Al-Laham: Need for unifying international efforts to combat terrorism  

On the sidelines of the conference,  al-Laham discussed with Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, the current president of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari bilateral relations between Syria and Pakistan and ways to develop them in all fields. 

Talks during the meeting dealt with the situation in the Middle East, particularly the terrorist war against Syria and Iraq. 

Al-laham affirmed the necessity of unifying the international and regional efforts to combat extremism and terrorism according to the UN Security Council resolutions. 

For his part, Bokhari expressed hope that the Syrian people will overcome the current ordeal. 

He asserted Pakistan’s support to the national reconciliation efforts being carried out by the Syrian government. 

Turkish party leader confirms his country’s involvement in Ayn al-Arab explosion launched by ISIS 

02/12/2014 

http://www.sana.sy/en/?p=20247

Ankara, SANA, Leader of the Turkish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) unveiled Monday that there are photos [and] video outlets [that] proves that the explosion in the Syrian northern city of Ayn al-Arab a couple of days ago was launched by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) starting from the Turkish lands. 

More than 17 members of ISIS terrorist organization were killed Saturday in fierce clashes with the popular units defending Ayn al-Arab city, northeast of Aleppo, following the explosion of a car bomb at the city’s northern crossing and following the explosion, ISIS terrorists launched several attacks and clashed with the popular defense units. 

“In spite of Turkish premiership and general staff’s denial, there are some photos and video outlets proves that ISIS members launched the attack on Ayn al-Arab on Saturday from wheat storages which are located in the Turkish side of the border,” 

Selahattin Demirta, co-chairman of (HDP) said during his party’s conference in Gazi Antep. 

[ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaziantep

] 

Demirta pushed for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to clarify how ISIS terrorists reached that point of the Turkish soil and use Turkish borders freely, while Turkish Police fight demonstrators in town of Serouj close to the border since 70 days ago. 

On the other hand, locals in the village Kutchock Kinderji told Cumhuriyet daily that ISIS terrorists who exploded the booby-trapped vehicle in Ayn-Arab sneaked to a storage house of agricultural products in Serouj through mined border areas. 

One of the vehicles moved from the mined area towards storages in the early morning while the other one entered Ayn Al-Arab via border crossing which links both cities of Serouj and Ayn Al-Arab, the locals added, unveiling Turkey’s police warning peoples there to move away from the border line before the two explosions 

In the relevant context, Democratic Union Party (known as PYD) Co-Chairwoman Asia Abdulla confirmed that ISIS used Turkish lands in executing the attack on Ayn Al-Arab since there is no road linking the explosion site and the city (Ai-Al-Arab) except from the Turkish side. 

Abdulla expressed, in a press statement, confidence that the “the bobby-trapped vehicle entered Ayn Al-Arab from Turkey a hundred percent”, confirming that ISIS has already committed such crimes against Tal –Al-Shair to the west of Ayn Al-Arab as videos and photos prove that. 

Turkey’s decision not to participate in the coalition against ISIS raises questions, particularly when ISIS launch aggression against Ayn-Al-Arab by using Turkish lands as lunch pads for their attacks, Abdulla said. 

Since September 16, Ayn al-Arab has been under continuous attacks by ISIS, supported by Turkey, to seize control of the city, attempts that have so far failed due to the locals resistance. 

[Putin's] Meeting with Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu 

1 December 2014, 21:30, Ankara 

http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/news/23324/print

Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu following the High-Level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council’s meeting. 

Various issues in bilateral relations and on the international agenda were the subject of discussion. 

PRIME MINISTER OF TURKEY AHME TDAVUTOGLU:  Mr President, I want to once again extend my welcome.  I am very happy that we have the opportunity to meet. 

Our relations have gained new momentum since the High-Level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council was created. We have established a good tradition and today’s meeting was already our fifth.  I hope that after today’s meeting, we will continue our work at an accelerated rate. 

Russian-Turkish relations are historical and strategic. In the future, they will become an example for others.  Again, I welcome you. 

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN:  I fully agree with your assessments.  We are in the same region, we are neighbours. 

Indeed, as we already said at the news conference, our assessments of certain situations in the world do not always align, but *our mutual interests are so deep that they do not leave us any other opportunity than to broaden our cooperation*.  And this will surely be a very powerful factor in our mutual development. 

Thanks to your efforts as Foreign Minister, thanks to the efforts of the current President and the former Prime Minister, a great deal has been done to create the necessary atmosphere for cooperation.

[Putin's] News conference following state visit to Turkey 

1 December 2014, 20:55, Ankara 

http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/news/23322/print

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, 

I would like to confirm that the talks during my state visit to Turkey were held in an exceedingly friendly and cooperative atmosphere.  We had a substantive discussion with Turkish President Mr Erdogan and then held a rather productive session of the High-Level Cooperation Council. 

We had a detailed conversation about a wide range of issues in Russian-Turkish cooperation, which has taken the form of a productive, multidimensional partnership.  As you saw, a solid package of documents was signed. 

Turkey is one of Russia’s leading trade partners.  In turn, our nation is in second place among Turkey’s foreign trade partners after Germany.  Trade turnover is growing, and we have overcome the negative trends of the last year.  Although it was small (half a percent), our trade nevertheless grew this year. 

Mutual investments are also growing. We agreed that our governments will work on specific measures to bolster mutual trade flows. 

We consider energy an important area in our bilateral cooperation.  Our relations in this sector have reached a truly strategic level.  Russia is currently the biggest fuel exporter to the Turkish market, as Mr President just stated.  We supply not only gas, but significant volumes of oil and petroleum products as well.  We have reached an agreement on the expansion by Gazprom of the Blue Stream pipeline’s capacity to meet the growing energy demands of the Turkish economy.  Following our Turkish friends’ request, we will soon increase supplies to the Turkish market by another 3 billion cubic metres. 

Now, a few words about the major South Stream project on the bottom of the Black Sea. We are grateful to our Turkish friends that although Turkey did not benefit directly from this project, it nevertheless gave all the permits necessary to build this pipeline system through Turkey’s exclusive economic zone in a timely manner. 

At the same time, taking into account the European Commission’s position, which is not conducive to implementing this project, taking into account the fact that we have only recently received permission from relevant authorities in the Netherlands – granted, it was a positive decision, and taking into account that we still have not received permission from Bulgaria, we feel Russia cannot continue implementing this project under the existing circumstances. 

I mean that we now need to start the construction of this pipeline in the Black Sea, but we cannot do that until we have Bulgaria’s permission.  I think it’s clear to everyone that it would be ridiculous to start the construction in the sea, reach the Bulgarian shore and stop.  So we are forced to reconsider our participation in this project.  But given Turkey’s growing demand, we are ready to not only expand the Blue Stream pipeline, as I just said, but also build another pipeline system in order to cover the growing needs of the Turkish economy.  And if it is deemed expedient, we can build an additional gas hub for the South European consumers on Turkish territory, near the border with Greece. 

In addition, President Erdogan and I agreed that following a request from our Turkish partners and given the expansion of cooperation in the oil and gas sector, we will reduce prices for the “blue fuel” from January 1 for our Turkish consumers by 6%.  And we will be ready to reduce these prices further as we implement our major joint projects. 

Cooperation to construct a nuclear power plant has already been mentioned.  In this regard, I would like to note that the Russian company Rosatom is not only building a facility in Turkey – a nuclear power plant – but is creating an entire sector.  This concerns scientific research and training Turkish personnel. Even now, two hundred students from Turkey who are pursuing relevant areas of study are training in Russia.  And in the future, of course, it will be possible to train personnel for this sector in Turkey. 

We are developing our relationship in the credit and financial sector and feel that broadening trade using national currencies is quite important: we will strive to achieve this in various ways and promote operations of corresponding financial institutions both in Turkey and Russia. 

We are also working in the high-tech sector and modern economy: Yandex, the Russian search engine, is broadening its online presence in Turkish.  

We are working in the iron and steel industry, the automotive industry and the consumer goods industry. 

Russia and Turkey are interested in creating promising joint ventures in transport and infrastructure.  Turkish companies have been successfully working in the Russian construction market for over two decades.  In implementing the Winter Olympics project in Sochi, Turkish companies performed construction works worth in total over $3 billion.  We expect that the Turkish companies’ experience will be used in building sports facilities and infrastructure in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 

We are strengthening contacts in the culture and humanitarian sector. We will promote public forums on both sides as we consider them very important.  Direct contacts between our people are achieved through the growing flow of tourists from Russia to Turkey.  Russian tourists are now in first place among Turkey’s visitors, with 4.5 million people visiting this country every year.  I am sure the figures will only grow – and these are not even the most recent figures. 

We plan to hold reciprocal Years of Tourism in our nations in 2016, first in Turkey and then in Russia.  We feel that this is exceedingly important. 

We will support interregional cooperation in various ways. 

Mr President just discussed our talks with regard to cooperation on the international arena, and I have nothing to add here.  There are matters that we still approach and assess differently. But *we have a common, very clear desire to settle all acute crises and we will certainly coordinate our work*.  

Thank you for your attention. 

QUESTION: Mr President, with regard to Blue Stream, could you please give more details, since this news was unexpected ?  What will happen to this project as a result – is it being suspended?  What are its further prospects: will it become a bilateral Russian-Turkish project? What other options are there? 

And if I may, a second, specific question about the nuclear power plant.  Why has the implementation of this project been delayed?   Will the complicated financial and economic conditions affect its implementation?  Thank you. 

VLADIMIR PUTIN: First of all, with regard to Blue Stream. We feel that the European Commission’s position was unconstructive. It’s not that the European Commission has helped implement this project – it’s that we see obstacles being created in its implementation.  If Europe does not want to implement it, then it will not be implemented. 

We will focus our energy resource flows on other regions of the world, including through promotion and accelerated implementation of liquefied natural gas projects.  We will promote them in other markets, and Europe will not receive those volumes – at least, from Russia.  We feel that this does not correspond to Europe’s economic interests and is detrimental to our cooperation. 

But that was our European friends’ choice; there’s nothing special about this; ultimately, they are the buyers and it is their choice.  But it makes no sense to start this project now, while we still have not received permission from Bulgaria to bring this project into Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, onto its territory, as you yourself understand. 

Would we invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a project, move across the Black Sea, and stop in front of the Bulgarian border?  How do our colleagues  imagine this?  So we will not implement anything.  Though the company that was supposed to build it is ready to start works already today, or even yesterday, and everything is ready for it. 

Incidentally, my Bulgarian colleagues have always told me that whatever happens, they would certainly implement South Stream, because this corresponds to their national interests.  But here, unfortunately, this did not come to pass.  If Bulgaria is deprived of the opportunity to act as a sovereign nation, then they should at least demand money from the European Commission to compensate for their lost profits, because direct revenues to Bulgaria’s budget alone would have been no less than 400 million euro a year.  But ultimately, this is also the choice of our Bulgarian partners; it seems they have certain obligations.  Still, that’s not our business – it’s our partners’ business. 

As for Turkey, its consumption is growing.  Our Turkish partners generally understand how Turkey’s economy will grow and how much energy it will need.   We are ready to provide for it.  Moreover, we are ready to expand supplies through Blue Stream and by constructing an additional supply line. 

As I already said, if needed, if our relevant agencies and economic actors – BOTAS on the one side and Gazprom on the other – see this possible (and they just signed a memorandum on this very matter today), then they will create a gas hub for southern Europe at the Turkish border with Greece.  And everyone who is interested in receiving energy resources from there can go there and buy them. 

I repeat, this work requires additional analysis and review. I feel this project is entirely realistic. As we expand our cooperation, we will lower the price for Turkey, as our strategic partner. The first step toward this is lowering the price by 6% from January 1, 2015, and then even more – perhaps by an equal amount, or maybe even greater.  This will all depend on how we build our relationship with our partners in this area. 

The way we built relations with Germany is that Gazprom has gained access to the network there, so the gas prices are lower than in other European nations.  This is a natural choice by our partners.  I am confident that we will reach the same level of cooperation with Turkey. 

As for the nuclear power plant, this project is unique in that it was the first to be built according to the build-own-operate principle.  In other words, Russia, a Russian company, will be the owner of this station.  Of course, this is a large investment volume, 20 billion.  Russia is not abandoning this project.  On the contrary, if the Turkish authorities feel it is expedient and want more than just a power plant, if they want to create a modern sector, then we will be ready to implement that project.  We do not see any problems with the deadlines or financing, everything will be implemented as we agreed, and at the highest possible level in terms of safety, because we are providing *post-Fukushima* safety enhancements. 

QUESTION: I have a question to both presidents.  You already stated briefly that you discussed the Syrian issue during the talks.  It is known that Moscow and Ankara have rather divergent views on settling the Syrian issue, the Syrian problem.  Could you tell us in more detail about what you discussed and whether you were able to reconcile your positions? 

And another question. You set an ambitious goal to reach $100 billion in bilateral trade turnover by 2020.  But can the turbulence of the global economy hinder the political will in reaching this goal?  Thank you. 

VLADIMIR PUTIN: We agree that the situation in Syria cannot be considered normal.  We agree that we do not want to allow chaos to reign there and do not want to allow terrorist organisations to grow stronger, as happened in Iraq where, as Mr President stated, nearly 40% of the territory has already been captured by a terrorist organisation.  Nobody wants that. 

The question is how to create conditions wherein all people living in Syria will have equal access to running the country and will cooperate.  Here, of course, we need to find an absolutely acceptable solution, first and foremost, acceptable for the Syrian people themselves, and all the nation’s political forces.  We will certainly be in contact with all participants in this process, including our friends in Turkey. 

As for trade volume, I can tell you right now that this is not a simple objective given the existing conditions.  We have a trade turnover of $33 billion. We spoke about the need to reach $100 billion.  Today, our economic development ministers signed corresponding documents and held talks on the conditions that need to be created for further broadening trade and what else can be done to reach a free trade zone agreement.   Achieving this status in our trade relations is not easy, but it is possible. 

Moreover, we definitely have large reserves even today in areas that have not been developed properly, and unfortunately, are currently up against some bureaucratic hurdles, including on the Russian side.  One example is broadening trade in agricultural production. Russia is interested in this, and today, we are ready to open our markets, but there are many current bureaucratic problems that we need to overcome.  Naturally, we will work on this.  Here, too, we have very large reserves, although these are not investment flows. 

I already stated that we have built an iron and steel plant here; Magnitka [Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works] invested $2 billion.  Our Turkish partners are opening a timber processing plant in Russia.  We have launched an SKD assembly of our vehicles.  We have work to do, and all this creates good conditions for us to reach, at minimum, the trade level I mentioned. 

QUESTION: I have a question for Mr Putin. You already touched on the Syrian issue, and there are differences in Turkey and Russia’s positions.  You had a meeting with the Syrian foreign minister, following which certain comments were made.  It is said there may be a new phase in the Syrian issue.  Can we talk about the start of a new phase?  Do you insist that Mr Assad should remain in power? 

VLADIMIR PUTIN: I have already outlined our approach to the situation in Syria. I want to redirect your question on whether we insist that Mr Assad stays in power to the Syrian people.  After all, they had elections; people can have different opinions about them, but they showed that *Acting* President Bashar Assad has fairly significant support among the Syrian people.  But *we* do not feel that the situation is normal.  And we talk with the Syrian foreign minister and other Syrian officials about the need to find ways of cooperation that are acceptable to all participants in the political process and all political forces in the nation, ways to stop the bloodshed and civil strife [not The World Tyrant's proxy terrorist war] and to join efforts to develop their own nation.  That is what we are striving for. 

Furthermore, I must say that there are certain technical complications related to the fact that our contacts with the Syrian leadership are limited, for obvious reasons, and we cannot directly affect all these processes, but we will try to do so. 

Thank you. 

Meeting of High-Level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council

WORLD-TYRANT WORLD 12 02 14 2 

Meeting of High-Level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council 

1 December 2014, 20:50, Ankara 

http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/news/23321/print

Vladimir Putin and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part in the fifth meeting of the High-Level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council (HLCC). 

The Council meeting’s agenda focused on bilateral cooperation in trade, the economy, and the energy sector. 

The two presidents witnessed the signing of a package of cooperation agreements following the talks. 

The newly signed bilateral agreements include memorandums of understanding on energy efficiency, energy conservation and renewable energy sources, training personnel for the nuclear energy sector, the small and medium business sector, cooperation on labour, social welfare and employment, and a memorandum of understanding between Gazprom and Turkey’s Botas Petroleum Pipeline Corporation. 

A bilateral agreement on reciprocal legal assistance in criminal cases and extradition was also signed.   

Mr Putin and Mr Erdogan also held a joint news conference. 

1 December 2014 Last updated at 12:52 ET 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30278028?print=true

India Maoist rebels kill 14 policemen in Chhattisgarh [Excerpts] 

The rebels attacked members of the Central Reserve Police Force in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh state. . .280 miles. . .from state capital Raipur. 

[ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhattisgarh

]

Last updated at 09:22 ET 

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30279644?print=true

Japan downgraded by Moody's amid rising fears over debts [Excerpts] 

The decision by the ratings agency sent the yen to a seven-year low against the US dollar. 

Tom Byrne, regional credit officer of Moody's, said the downgrade was closely linked to Mr Abe's decision to delay a sales tax rise due to be implemented in 2015. The move would make it more difficult for Japan to cut its budget deficit by 2020. 

The Moody's downgrade brings the agency's Japan rating into line with that of Fitch and one notch below Standard and Poor's. 

Supreme Leader's Speech in Meeting with Members of Supreme Council of Basij-e Mostazafin 

27/11/2014 

http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1986

[ 

Basij = "The Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed"): 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basij

] 

Myth of "World's Only Superpower" Bound to Be Shattered

WORLD-TYRANT WORLD 12 02 14 1 

President al-Assad: Palestinian cause most affected by ongoing events 

01/12/2014 

http://www.sana.sy/en/?p=20173

Damascus, SANA-President Bashar al-Assad received Monday members of the general secretariat of the Union of Palestinian Communities in Europe who wrapped up a recent conference in Damascus. 

The secretariat’s chairman Dr. Radi al-Shoaibi led the delegation. 

President al-Assad stressed during the meeting that the secretariat choosing Damascus to hold the conference, despite circumstances in Syria and the region, carries significant implications, especially the Palestinians’ appreciation for Syria’s key role in championing the Palestinian cause. 

It also signifies, added the President, that the Syrian people remain committed to supporting the Palestinian people whatever the challenges as “the Palestinian cause is the most affected by the events unfolding on the Arab arena.” 

Palestinian communities in Europe have a pivotal role in explaining Arab causes and the dangers posed by Western  [World Tyran / NATO] policies in the region and the world, the President said, affirming Syria’s support for these unions and gatherings that reflect the pulse of Palestinian and Arab peoples. 

The secretariat’s members thanked Syria for its support for the Palestinian people, vowing to remain faithful to Syria that has made great sacrifices in support of their cause. 

The war against the Syrian people is due to their national and pan-Arab stances, they added. 

The General Union of Palestinian Communities in Europe on Sunday wrapped up the 3rd general conference in Damascus with a closing statement pledging unlimited support for the Syrian people, army and leader. 

The statement expressed utter rejection of foreign interference in the Syrian internal affairs. 

Putin: President al-Assad has mass, popular support by the Syrians 

01/12/2014 

http://www.sana.sy/en/?p=20189

Ankara, SANA-Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that President Bashar al-Assad has a mass, great support by the Syrians, adding “we will disallow domination of the terrorist organizations in Syria or Iraq because we don’t accept chaos on those lands.” 

“We have similar stances with Turkey that the situation in Syria is unnatural. . .there is a difference in a number of issues, but our stance is common regarding the solution of the crises and how to deal with terrorism,” President Putin said at a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

He added elections in Syria have showed that President al-Assad possesses a mass, popular support and “we have discussed the situation with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and many others who say it is possible to find solutions that are accepted by all political sides in the country. 

Mikdad: Eliminating weapons of mass destruction is a collective responsibility 

01/12/2014 

http://www.sana.sy/en/?p=20185

The Hague, SANA- Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad affirmed Monday that eliminating weapons of mass destruction and preventing terrorist organizations from capturing them is a collective responsibility for which all should work with full seriousness. 

“That purpose requires [a] serious international move to make the Middle East an area free from weapons of mass destruction, a matter that won’t be achieved without *forcing* [Puppet] Israel, the sole part in the region which didn’t join any relevant international treaties, to join them,” Mikdad said in a statement at the opening session of the 18th Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons’ Convention (CWC). 

He added that Syria participates in this conference for the second time after its “historic decision” to join the organization of the prohibition of chemical weapons following exceptional efforts to destroy the Syrian chemical weapons, an issue which reflects the joint success of Syria and the CWC. 

Mikdad affirmed that the decisive political directives of President Bashar al-Assad and the great efforts of the Syrian authorities have made the basic factor to achieve that huge work which formed brilliant evidence on Syria’s adherence to carry out its commitments with responsibility and seriousness. 

“Since accessing to CWC, Syria has sought to offer all forms of cooperation and dealt with transparency and flexibility to implement its commitments according to the treaty in spite of the big challenges and difficult security conditions [which] resulted from hostile behavior of some regional and international sides,” Mikdad said. 

He expressed Syria’s appreciation for the countries which rejected the logic of blackmail and submission and blocked any attempt to exploit the CWC as to achieve “hostile political agendas.” 

Mikdad called on the countries and sides which impose an economic embargo on Syria to lift this inhuman economic siege that led to the killing of large numbers of the Syrian people who carry on a war against terrorism and destruction at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organizations. 

He underlined that Syria condemns the use of any chemical or mass destruction weapons in any place and by any side, clarifying that Syria has repeatedly warned against the possibility of supplying the terrorists with chemical weapons to use them against the Syrian people *in order to accuse the Syrian government*, but the policy of those sides has been unveiled. 

Earlier, the 18th Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons’ Convention (CWC) opened its works with a statement delivered by Director of CWC  Ahmet Üzümcü who appreciated the cooperation between Syria and the international organization. 

Russia, China, Malaysia, Brazil and other member states welcomed the efforts exerted by the Syrian government to eliminate the chemical weapons during a short time. 

Dec. 1, Juche 103 (2014) Monday 

http://www.rodong.rep.kp/en/index.php?strPageID=SF01_02_01&newsID=2014-12-01-0004&chAction=T

Myth of "World's Only Superpower" Bound to Be Shattered 

The U.S. [World Tyrant] war chariot pushed by its poor servants is inching close to the territory of the DPRK every hour. 

But the DPRK remains unfazed. The increased frenzy on the part of the enemies is a clear proof of steady advance of the DPRK and its victory. 

The U.S. [World Tyrant] finds itself tight-cornered as the days go by. 

In fact, the DPRK provided the U.S. [World Tyrant] with several opportunities 

to cool its head overheated by confrontation and hostile policy toward it and 

judge the gravity of the situation with reason. 

It was not long ago that the DPRK showed magnanimity to the U.S. high-ranking officials who visited it with a personal letter of the boss of the White House.  Besides, it also showed humanitarian leniency to the U.S. criminals who were sentenced to heavy penalties for seriously breaching the DPRK law. 

The U.S. [The World Tyrant], however, responded to them with hostile acts. 

This goes to clearly prove that the hysteria of the U.S. [The World Tyrant] to stand in confrontation with the DPRK to the last out of its inveterate repugnancy and bad blood towards the ideology and social system chosen by the Korean people has gone *beyond* the danger line. 

The present situation proves once again the truth that 

*it is necessary to settle accounts* with the U.S. imperialists who regard the jungle law as the law governing their existence 

through physical counteraction, *not* by talking. 

Should the U.S. [The World Tyrant], obsessed with strength-all-powerful theory, recklessly use military force against the DPRK, 

the arrogant "myth of the world's only superpower" that it is allowed to hit others 

but is free from any punishment 

is bound to be shattered to smithereens. 

The army of the DPRK knows no mercy.

Pae Kum Hui

Dec. 1, Juche 103 (2014) Monday 

http://www.rodong.rep.kp/en/index.php?strPageID=SF01_02_01&newsID=2014-12-01-0003&chAction=T

S. Korean Authorities' Unchangeable Ambition for Confrontation 

The south Korean puppet regime is getting evermore frantic with its moves for confrontation, pursuant to the U.S. anti-DPRK "human rights" racket.  Witnessing this reality, the fellow countrymen keenly realize that its wild ambition for confrontation remains unchanged and *it can never change*. 

The successive south Korean conservative groups having not an iota of consciousness of independence have faithfully served the purpose of the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK, kowtowing [to] it. 

They, obsessed with the illusion and idea of submitting to the U.S., that everything is OK when depending on it, have unhesitatingly sold out the dignity and interests of the nation. 

The south Korean puppet regime has thrown the inter-Korean relations into the evil cycle of confrontation by prioritizing outside forces and cooperating with them.  

It remains unchanged in its bad habit of fostering distrust and antagonism between fellow countrymen in violation of the north-south agreements. 

The reckless acts of the present south Korean authorities are putting the preceding puppet ruling quarters into the shade. 

They are a group of traitors who stoop to any infamy to escalate the confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north and they cannot live even a moment without hurting the fellow countrymen. 

It is by no means fortuitous that the puppet group has frantically kicked up its confrontation racket, challenging all the efforts of the DPRK to improve the north-south relations and achieve peace and prosperity common to the nation through dialogue and cooperation. 

This has become clearer at present. 

Whoever truly hopes for the independent development and prosperity of the nation and reunification of the country should actively turn out in a patriotic struggle irrespective of ideology and ism to eliminate the group of traitors from the arena of history. 

Ho Yong Min 

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