Published since 02/04/2000
Published on June 16, 2012
THE TELEGRAPH: SYRIA INTERVENTION NOT A QUESTION OF 'IF' BUT 'WHEN'
- Syrian rebels have held meetings with senior U.S. government officials in Washington as pressure mounts on the U.S. to authorize a shipment of heavy weapons, including surface-to-air missiles to combat the Assad regime, the Daily Telegraph reports.
A senior Free Syrian Army representative met in the past week at the U.S. State Department with the U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford and Frederick Hoff, special coordinator for the Middle East, sources have confirmed.
The rebel emissaries, armed with an iPad showing detailed plans on Google Earth identifying rebel positions and regime targets, have also met with senior members of the National Security Council, which advises President Obama on national security policy.
FSA representatives in Washington have compiled a "targeted list" of heavy weaponry, including anti-tank missiles and heavy machine guns that they plan to present to US government officials in the coming two weeks.
The consultations come ahead of next week's G20 meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico where British and U.S. officials are expected to make a last-ditch attempt to get the Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene in the Syria crisis.
Privately, western diplomats admit they now harbor scant hopes of forcing a change of heart on Russia, which has steadfastly refused to bow to U.S. and British pressure to do more to arrest Syria's slide into sectarian civil war.
While there remains little appetite for direct western military intervention, the Daily Telegraph has learned that advanced contingency plans are already in place to supply heavy weapons to the rebels, including sophisticated anti-tank weapons and surface to-air-missiles.
The move towards what was described as a "Libya lite" intervention in Syria is expected to gather force following the anticipated failure of the Annan peace plan and the meeting of the Syria Contact Group scheduled for June 30 in Geneva.
Senior Middle Eastern diplomatic sources said that Libyan-supplied weapons, paid for by Saudi Arabia and Qatari government funds and private donations, had already been stockpiled in anticipation of the "inevitable" intervention needed to end the Assad regime.
"The intervention will happen. It is not a question of 'if', but 'when'. The Libyans are willing to provide the anti-tank weapons, others are prepared to pay for it," the source said.
He added, however, that Turkey would "not open the floodgates" of acting as a conduit for the arms without NATO and U.S.-backing that would guarantee them support in the event of a Syrian backlash, possibly mobilizing Syrian Kurdish groups against Turkey.
Middle Eastern diplomatic sources said that the Obama administration was fully aware of the preparations being made to arm Syrian opposition groups.
The U.S. has also agreed to be part of a group of countries that coordinates assistance to the rebels, the sources said, but was still deliberating over the time frame for escalation.
Headlines for June 16, 2012
PAPER: 69 THOUS. PEOPLE EMIGRATED FROM ARMENIA BY PLANE FOR PAST 5 MONTHS
According to Haykakan Zhamanak daily, about 69 thous. people emigrated from Armenia by plane over the past five months.
The data are based on RA civil aviation general administration's publications. ...HURRICANE CARLOTTA SLAMS INTO MEXICO'S PACIFIC COAST
Hurricane Carlotta slammed into Mexico's resort-studded Pacific coast late Friday, June 15, toppling trees and lashing hotels while authorities evacuated people from low-lying areas, according to ...CANON INTRODUCES EOS REBEL T4I DSLR
Canon rolled out a new flagship model in its EOS Rebel mainstream DSLR series, tomsguide.com reported.
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During reappointing Tigran Sargsyan as Prime Minister, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan instructed him to ensure 7% economic growth this year, 168 Zham daily reports.
In conversation with the paper's ...JAPAN ORDERS NUKE REACTORS RESTART DESPITE PROTESTS
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...U.S. SAYS RUSSIAN MILITARY SHIP HEADS FOR SYRIA CARRYING WEAPONS
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U.S. intelligence believes ...EGYPTIANS VOTE IN RUN-OFF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
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Following party leader Gagik ...PRINCE CHARLES AWARDED HIGHEST MILITARY RANK
The Prince of Wales has been awarded the highest rank in all three military services by the Queen, BBC News reported.
Prince Charles becomes a Field Marshal, Admiral of the Fleet and Marshal of the Royal ...THE TELEGRAPH: SYRIA INTERVENTION NOT A QUESTION OF 'IF' BUT 'WHEN'
Syrian rebels have held meetings with senior U.S. government officials in Washington as pressure mounts on the U.S. to authorize a shipment of heavy weapons, including surface-to-air missiles to combat ...SAM KBUSHYAN TO RUN FOR LA CITY COUNCILMEMBER
Armenian community activist Sam Kbushyan declared his candidacy to become the next Los Angeles City Councilmember, Asbarez reported.
The bid to represent the Los Angeles City Council district 13 neighborhoods ...REP. JEAN SCHMIDT GOT $105K FROM TURKISH COALITION OF AMERICA IN 2011
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A bomb ripped through a market area in a northwest Pakistan tribal town near the Afghan border on Saturday, June 16, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 20, officials said, according to ...YOUTUBE LAUNCHES NEW SOCIAL VIDEO FEATURE IN GOOGLE+ HANGOUTS
Likely an attempt to encourage more people to join the Google+ social network, the YouTube development team has launched a new social video feature in Google+ Hangouts, Digital Trends reported.
Detailed ...KINECT ADVERTS TO DEBUT ON XBOX IN FALL
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The technology giant has announced that adverts, which allow the viewer to interact and ...ARMENIAN FM TO MEET WITH HIS AZERI COUNTERPART IN PARIS
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will depart for France to meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov on June 18.
The meeting will be held through mediation of OSCE Minsk Group ...KATE WINSLET HONORED BY QUEEN FOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE ARTS
Kate Winslet has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II for her titanic contribution to the arts, AP reports.
The actress, who won a best actress Academy Award in 2009 for "The Reader" and made ...32 PILGRIMS KILLED IN INDIA BUS CRASH
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The pilgrims ...5 ARMENIAN MEN CHARGED WITH ID THEFT IN U.S.
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Henry Kerali has been appointed as the new head of the World Bank (WB) regional office in the South Caucasus.
Kerali will replace Asad Alami.
Kerali told journalists in Tbilisi that he will continue ...ASTRONAUTS TO STAGE OLYMPIC GAMES IN SPACE
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NASA astronaut ...1000 CASES OF AZERI CEASEFIRE VIOLATION REPORTED JUNE 10-16
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Azerbaijan fired over 5500 shots from various ...VITAMIN D- CALCIUM COMBINATION MAY EXTEND LIFE, STUDY SAYS
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However, only the combination of the two appears to be effective; ...ARMENIA'S DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER AWARDS U.S. MILITARY ATTACHÉ
On June 16, Armenia's First Deputy Defense Minister David Tonoyan met with acting U.S. military attaché, Assistant Army Attaché, Major Justin Budd upon completion of his mission in Armenia.
...INDIAN PM URGES EUROPEAN LEADERS TO TAKE ACTION TO TACKLE CRISIS
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged European leaders to take "resolute action" to tackle the financial crisis in the eurozone as he departed on Saturday, June 16, to attend the G20 summit ...REP. SCHIFF HAILS U.S. ADMINISTRATION'S DECISION ON YOUNG IMMIGRANTS
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) hailed the Obama administration's announcement that the government will stop deporting young illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and who do not pose ...SIMA TRIO WINS 2012 INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC ENSEMBLE COMPETITION
Sima Trio has won the first prize and the gold medal of the 2012 International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition.
Praised for their "powerful" and "heartfelt" interpretations of classical and ethnic ...BBC WORLDWIDE LAUNCHING MENTORING SCHEME FOR DIGITAL STARTUPS
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According to Eduard Hovhannisyan, ...WOZNIAK SAYS SIRI WORSENED SINCE APPLE BOUGHT IT
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According ...SAUDI ARABIA'S CROWN PRINCE DIES IN GENEVA
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Nayef, interior minister since 1975, was the heir ...NZ COURT ORDERS FBI TO COPY OVER 150TB OF MEGAUPLOAD DATA
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Today, June 16, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan appointed new government members.
By President Sargsyan's decree, Sergo Karapetyan was appointed as Agriculture Minister, Tigran Davtyan was appointed ...MERKEL HOPES GREEK NEW GOVT. WILL KEEP PROMISES
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The party head noted readiness to do the utmost under the law ...JORDAN TO HOST ARMENIAN CULTURE DAYS
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An agreement on cultural ...
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Today in Armenian history- 1795 Birth of Alexander Griboedov (Russian ambassador to Persia). He worked for the return of Armenians from Persia to Armenia. He died in 1829.
- 1870 The Tsar publishes the statutes on towns.
- 1895 Start of the first defence of Van (until June 20).
- 1915 Ambassador Morgenthau explicitly described to the United States Department of State the policy of the Young Turk government as a campaign of "race extermination", and was instructed, by United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing, that the "Department approves your procedure ... to stop Armenian persecution".
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