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Kaieteur News
Tuesday April 10, 2018
Syria ‘chemical attack’: Russia U.S. wants U.N. vote on Syria and US in fierce row at UN gas attack inquiry today
(BBC) The US and Russia have traded barbs at a UN Security Council meeting on the alleged chemical attack in Syria. Russian representative Vassily Nebenzia said the incident in Douma was staged and that US military action in response could have “grave repercussions”. US envoy Nikki Haley said Russia - a Syrian military backer - had the “blood of Syrian children” on its hands. Earlier, the UN human rights chief said world powers were treating chemical weapons use with a “collective shrug”. US President Donald Trump pledged later on Monday that the incident would “be met forcefully”, adding that the US had a lot of mili-
tary options and a decision on a response would be taken “tonight” or “shortly”. Calling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a “monster”, Ms Haley said that if the UN Security Council acts or not, “either way, the United States will respond”. “Meetings are ongoing, important decisions are being weighed even as we speak,” she said.Washington has not ruled out military strikes. In April last year, the US fired cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase after a Sarin nerve agent attack on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun killed more than 80 people. International investigators held the Syrian government responsible.The Syrian-American Medical Society said more than 500 people
were brought to medical centres in Douma, in the Eastern Ghouta region, near the capital Damascus, with symptoms “indicative of exposure to a chemical agent”. It said this included breathing difficulties, bluish skin, mouth foaming, corneal burns and “the emission of chlorine-like odour”. Neither the death toll nor what exactly occurred can be verified as the area is blocked off with access denied. The estimates of how many people died in the suspected chemical attack range from 42 to more than 60 people, but medical groups say numbers could rise as rescue workers gain access to basements where hundreds of families had sought refuge from bombing.
Trump vows quick action on ‘barbaric’ Syria chemical attack WA S H I N G T O N / UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday promised quick, forceful action in response to a “barbaric” suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, appearing to suggest a potential military response. Speaking at a meeting with military leaders and national security advisers, Trump said he would make a decision by Monday night “or very shortly thereafter” on a response, adding that the United States had “a lot of options militarily” on Syria.
“But we can’t let atrocities like we all witnessed ... we can’t let that happen in our world ... especially when we’re able to because of the power of the United States, the power of our country, we’re able to stop it.” The suspected chemical weapons attack late on Saturday killed at least 60 people, with more than 1,000 injured in several sites in Douma, a city near the capital, Damascus, according to a Syrian aid organization. Two days later, the White House was still only able to say that the attack fit the pat-
tern of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapon use. Initial U.S. assessments have so far been unable to determine conclusively what materials were used in the attack and could not say with 100 percent certainty that Assad’s government forces were behind it. Asked at a Cabinet meeting earlier on Monday if Russian President Vladimir Putin bore any responsibility for the attack, Trump said: “He may, yeah, he may. And if he does, it’s going to be very tough, very tough.” On Sunday, the U.S. president who had sought warmer relations with Russia criticized Putin by name on Twitter as he castigated Russia and Iran for backing “Animal Assad.” The U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said Washington “will respond” to the attack regardless of whether the U.N. Security Council acts or not.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States plans to call for a U.N. Security Council vote today on a proposal for a new inquiry into responsibility for use of chemical weapons in Syria after reports of a poison gas attack on a rebel-held town, diplomats said. After President Donald Trump warned on Monday that there would be a “big price to pay” for the suspected attack over the weekend, the United States circulated to the 15-member council a revised draft resolution to establish an international inquiry, which it initially suggested on March 1. If the U.S. text, which was seen by Reuters, is put to a vote, diplomats said it would likely be vetoed by Syrian ally Russia. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, France, Britain or the United States to pass. The council met publicly on Monday over the latest suspected chemical weapons attack. In closed-door discussions that followed, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said she planned to put the draft reso-
lution to a vote on Tuesday, said diplomats, who requested anonymity. At the public meeting, Haley said, “The world must see justice done,” adding that the United States would respond to the chemical weapons attack in Syria regardless of whether the Security Council acted or not. “This is basically a diplomatic set-up,” said Richard Gowan, the U.N. expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Russia will inevitably veto the U.S. resolution criticizing Assad, and Washington will use this to justify military strikes,” he said. “A breakdown at the U.N. will also make it easier for France to justify strikes.” Washington bombed a Syrian government air base last year over a toxic gas attack.A Syria medical relief group said that at least 60 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured at several sites in the attack on Douma on Saturday. Russia and Syria said there was no evidence that a gas attack had taken place.Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States, France and
Britain of stoking international tensions by engaging in a “confrontational policy against Russia and Syria.” He told the council, “A broad arsenal of methods is being leveraged - slander, insults, hawkish rhetoric, blackmail, sanctions and threats to use force against a sovereign state. “Russia is being unpardonably threatened. The tone with which this is being done has gone beyond the threshold of what is acceptable, even during the Cold War.” A previous joint inquiry of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had found the Syrian government used the nerve agent sarin in an April, 2017 attack and has also several times used chlorine as a weapon. It blamed Islamic State militants for mustard gas use. That inquiry ended in November after Russia blocked for the third time in a month attempts by the U.N. Security Council to renew its mandate for another year. Moscow slammed the joint U.N. and OPCW inquiry as flawed.
Trump brands raid on lawyer Michael Cohen’s office ‘disgraceful’ (BBC) US President Donald Trump says the FBI raid on the offices of his personal lawyer was a “disgrace” and an “attack on our country”.“I have this witch hunt constantly going on,” he told White House reporters. Officials in New York seized “privileged communications” between Michael Cohen and his clients, his lawyer said after the raid on Monday. Documents regarding a payment to a porn actress were also seized, US media say.Law enforcement acted on a “referral” from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 election.Mr Trump criticised the investigation and described Mr Mueller’s team as “the most biased group of people”.Mr Cohen has come under increasing public scrutiny since he admitted to making a $130,000 (£92,000) payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, just days before the 2016 presidential election.Ms Daniels claims she had a sexual encounter with Mr Trump shortly after his wife Melania gave birth to their son and says she was
President Trump (left) called the raid of Mr Cohen’s office “a disgrace” paid to keep quiet about the affair.“Today the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York executed a series of search warrants and seized the privileged communications between my client, Michael Cohen, and his clients,” Mr Cohen’s lawyer Stephen M Ryan said in a statement.“I have been advised by federal prosecutors that the New York action is, in part, a referral by the Office of Special Counsel, Robert Mueller.”Mr Ryan called the raid “completely inappropriate and unnecessary”.“It resulted in
the unnecessary seizure of protected attorney client communications between a lawyer and his clients. These government tactics are also wrong because Mr Cohen has co-operated completely with all government entities, including providing thousands of non-privileged documents to the Congress and sitting for depositions under oath,” the statement said.Mr Trump, who has denied having an affair with Ms Daniels, said he was unaware of Mr Cohen’s payment to her and referred questions to the lawyer.