Syria - No-Fly Zone?

Very mixed messages

White House rules out 'no-fly zone' in Syria; says its difficult, dangerous and costly

The statement has come after US officials had vowed to bolster military aid to the Syrian rebels and were expected to send some arms for the first time.

DNAIndia,

15 June, 2013

United States government has declined mounting ‘no-fly zone’ in Syria saying that it is difficult, dangerous and costly and will not be correct for halting close quarters ground battles.

The statement has come after US officials had vowed to bolster military aid to the Syrian rebels and were expected to send some arms for the first time, News 24 reports.

Deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes admitted that vaulting a ‘no-fly zone’ in Syria will bring several logistical and strategic challenges along and will make the defence even tougher as Syria does not possess a strong air defence system such as that in Libya.

Rhodes further claimed that certain rebels and forces had been fighting ‘block by block in cities’ with Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime in a bid to make targeting particular forces difficult, adding that strategic approaches such as ‘no-fly zone’ will not stop an intense sectarian conflict, although Washington is not ruling out options.

The advisor also said that US is not promoting its national interest in pursuing an open-ended military engagement through a no-fly zone in Syria.

State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki has however rejected reports that a ‘no-fly zone’ had been decided upon, though he said that US President Barack Obama can still consider the option.

White House had earlier announced US aid to Syrian rebels after concluding that Assad's forces had crossed a US ‘red line’ by using chemical weapons.

Obama will tackle the issue of scope of the assistance provided to Syrian rebels at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland as the true nature of the new US military aid still remains unclear, the report added.

Morsi says Egypt cuts all ties with Damascus, calls for Syria no-fly zone

Egypt has decided to cut all ties with Syria, close the embassy in Cairo and withdraw the Egyptian envoy from Damascus, said Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. He also urged the international powers to impose a no-fly zone over Syria.

RT,

15 June, 2013

"We have decided to close down the Syrian embassy in Cairo," said Morsi during a conference of Sunni Muslim clerics in support of the Syrian uprising at Cairo Indoor Stadium, according to local newspaper Ahram online. "The Egyptian envoy in Damascus will also be withdrawn."

The decision comes into effect Saturday.

The President added that Hezbollah, the Shiite Islamic militant group based in Lebanon.

"We stand against Hezbollah in its aggression against the Syrian people," Morsi said. "There is no space or place for Hezbollah in Syria.”

Hezbollah fighters have reportedly been fighting alongside Syrian pro-government troops against the opposition forces in the ongoing conflict.

Addressing the massive crowd at the stadium, the Egyptian president said "the Egyptian people support the struggle of the Syrian people, materially and morally, and Egypt, its nation, leadership ... and army, will not abandon the Syrian people until it achieves its rights and dignity."

Morsi urged the international powers not to hesitate to enforce a no-fly zone over Syria. His supporters chanted: "From the free revolutionaries of Egypt: We will stamp on you, Bashar!"

The US has been giving consideration to the issue of setting up a no-fly zone across Syria and possibly along Jordan’s border after claims that nerve gas was used by the Syrian government, sources told Reuters.

“Washington is considering a no-fly zone to help Assad's opponents,” a senior diplomat told the agency.

But Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has stressed that any attempt to establish the no-fly zone would be a violation of international law.

"There have been leaks from western media regarding the serious consideration to create a no-fly zone over Syria through the deployment of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and F-16 jets in Jordan," Lavrov said. "You don't have to be a great expert to understand that this will violate international law."

G8 Summit: David Cameron pushes for no-fly zone over Syria

The Prime Minister will use this week’s G8 summit to convince world leaders to step up action

the Independent,

15 June, 2013

David Cameron will support US plans to impose a no-fly zone over parts of Syria, as he attempts to convince world leaders to act against the “dictatorial and brutal leader” President Bashar al-Assad during the G8 summit in Northern Ireland this week.

The Prime Minister is expected to discuss the dramatic escalation of international involvement in the Syrian civil war at a meeting with Mr Assad’s ally, Vladimir Putin, in Downing Street on Sunday.

He will press the Russian President to sanction a catalogue of further measures against the Syrian regime, leading up to a possible no-fly zone, marshalled by US and allied jets and Patriot missiles operating from across the border in Jordan.

The push for action comes after Barack Obama said he would give “direct military aid” to Syrian rebels, citing evidence that Mr Assad’s forces had used chemical weapons.

Two years ago, the Prime Minister committed RAF aircraft to policing a no-fly zone over Libya, arguing that “if Colonel Gaddafi uses military force against his own people, the world cannot stand by”. Mr Cameron will insist that President Assad “is now guilty of the most appalling crimes against his people”, in an interview to be televised today.

The US made it clear that it would join with Britain and France to urge President Putin to drop his political and military support for the Syrian leader. “It’s in Russia’s interest to join us in applying pressure on Bashar al-Assad to come to the table in a way that relinquishes his power and his standing in Syria,” said Ben Rhodes, Mr Obama’s deputy national security adviser. “We don’t see any scenario where he restores his legitimacy to lead the country.”

Whitehall sources said yesterday the Government hoped the summit would produce a “route map” towards a solution to the crisis, with staging posts including economic sanctions, a no-fly zone – already discussed at a number of international summits – and direct military intervention. All of these would require United Nations – and Russian – support, so the arming of Syrian rebels is seen as a more direct first step.

But Russia underlined its determination to prevent an escalation of the conflict after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov questioned claims that Syria had used chemical weapons – and warned that a no-fly zone would “violate international law”.

Mr Cameron has pledged that the Syria crisis will be “up front and centre” when leaders of the world’s most powerful economies meet for the G8 summit of world leaders in Enniskillen this week. As he prepares his diplomatic offensive, however, a poll for The Independent on Sunday today shows that only a third of the British public thinks Mr Cameron has shown strong leadership in his dealings with other countries.

The Prime Minister also faced growing unrest from opponents and within his own party over the wisdom of committing Britain to any military involvement in Syria. Senior Liberal Democrats warned that a move to involve the armed forces in another conflict would effectively destroy the coalition. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has repeatedly stressed that any initiatives must be aimed at producing a political solution to the crisis. The Lib Dem leader said the Government would use the G8 “to work out with international partners how to respond to the evidence of the use of chemical weapons”.

But his predecessor, Sir Menzies Campbell, told The IoS: “The idea that a no-fly zone constitutes non-intervention is difficult to justify. You may not have boots on the ground but you would most certainly have wings in the air. The political reality here is that, so far, there is no sign of a majority in the House of Commons for the supply of arms in any form to the rebels. A decision of this kind would not only be difficult in Parliament, but it would undoubtedly strain the coalition.”

Tory MP John Baron, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “We must guard against ‘mission creep’. The more we edge closer to direct involvement, the more we become responsible for events on the ground. And the more we would find it difficult to extricate ourselves.”

Mr Cameron was central to the development of the international no-fly zone over Libya in 2011, which resulted in thousands of sorties and strikes against military targets on the ground. Ministers have previously judged that a similar operation over Syria was not so urgent, as Mr Assad’s air force has been less active than Gaddafi’s, but they maintain that “all options remain on the table”.

US sources have in recent days confirmed that a no-fly zone is under discussion. The US has already moved Patriot missiles and fighter jets into Jordan as part of an annual exercise, but made clear that the military assets could stay on.

Mr Cameron backed the lifting of an EU arms embargo on Syria in May, but says he has made no decision to send arms to the Syrian opposition. In an interview with Dermot Murnaghan on Sky News today, he will stress the need to work with the Syrian opposition, “because, after all, they are trying to defend their communities against appalling attacks, including, let’s be clear, chemical weapon attacks”.

The rhetoric of war

“The participation of Shia militias in Syria under the pretext of protecting holy shrines is a sectarian project endangering the whole region.”

Hamid al-Mutlaq, Iraqi opposition Sunni lawmaker

“The Syrian mayhem is turning into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shias that is ripe to explode and impact the whole region. This war will bring forward centuries-old grievances.”

Abdullah al-Shayji, Kuwait University

“The danger of sectarian violence in Syria is bound to destabilise the entire region.”

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

“Syria has become the battlefield for an international war.”

Abulhassan Banisadr, former president of Iran

“This is no longer a civil war between fractions within Syria. We should be taking a more interventionist line.”

Tony Blair, former British prime minister