[quote]
(CBS/AP) A Russian ship carrying small arms and ammunition and possibly a small contingent of troops is on its way out of the Black Sea and into the Mediterranean bound for Syria, CBS News correspondent David Martin reports. U.S. intelligence believes the weapons are intended to re-supply or beef up the defenses at Russia's naval base in Syria.
The move, while not necessarily an indication of new military support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, comes amid increasingly tense U.S.-Russia relations regarding the Syria crisis.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton this week issued harsh words over Russia's refusal to take tougher measures on Syria, though her accusation that Russia "dramatically" escalated the crisis in Syria lost steam Thursday when the State Department acknowledged the helicopters she accused Moscow of sending were actually refurbished ones already owned by the Assad regime.
The claim had complicated the Obama administration's larger goals for Syria and U.S.-Russia relations.
Russia: No talks on Syria's future without Assad
Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that Moscow is only providing Syria with defensive weapons, adding that the refurbishment of the helicopters supplied many years ago had been planned in advance.
Also Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied Thursday's statement by State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland that Moscow and Washington "are continuing to talk about a post-Assad transition strategy," saying that Moscow isn't discussing Syria's future without Assad.
Lavrov, who met with the State Department's No. 2 official William Burns in Kabul on Thursday, maintained that Russia believes it's up to the Syrians to determine their country's future and said foreign players shouldn't meddle.
"It's not true that we are discussing Syria's fate after Bashar Assad," Lavrov said following talks in Moscow with his Iraqi counterpart. "We aren't dealing with a regime change either through approving unilateral actions at the United Nations Security Council nor through taking part in some political conspiracies."
Despite pressure from the West, Russia, along with China, has twice shielded Syria, its last remaining ally in the Arab world, from international sanctions over Assad's violent crackdown on protests that have left 13,000 people dead, according to opposition groups.
Lavrov argued that an international conference on Syria that Russia has proposed should focus on persuading the Syrian parties to sit down for talks. He said that a June 30 meeting on Syria in Geneva proposed by U.N. and Arab League envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, should pursue the same goal, warning that Russia would oppose any attempt to use the conference to determine Syria's future.
"This meeting should be aimed at mobilizing resources that foreign players have to create conditions needed to start an all-Syrian political process, not to predetermine its direction."
He warned against using the conference to "justify any future unilateral actions."
Lavrov said that Russia believes that a conference on Syria it's proposing should bring together the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council along with all Syria's neighbors, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Arab League, the European Union and Iran.
In an apparent reference to the U.S. objections against Iran's participation, Lavrov said the conference organizers should be driven by a desire to settle the conflict, not "ideological preferences."
In an opinion piece posted Friday on the Huffington Post, Lavrov insisted that "Russia is not a defender of the current regime in Damascus and has no political, economic or other reasons for becoming one."
He also reaffirmed criticism of Assad, saying that "the main responsibility for the crisis that has swept over the country lies with the Syrian government, that has failed to take the course of reform in due time or draw conclusions from the deep changes unfolding in international relations."
But Lavrov also argued that a push for an immediate ouster of Assad would plunge Syria into an all-out war. "Pressing for an immediate ousting of Bashar al-Assad, contrary to the aspirations of a considerable segment of Syrian society that still relies on this regime for its security and well-being, would mean plunging Syria into a protracted and bloody civil war," Lavrov wrote.
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[url]http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57454266/u.s.-russian-military-ship-en-route-to-syria/[/url]
Thank you Comrade GenPol for another article about Russia :v:
On topic, this isn't surprising. I'm sure there will be more ships leaving for Syria.
They have warm water port there, after all.
[QUOTE=Strongbad;36348267][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WqwFhX6Cqg[/media]
Soon.[/QUOTE]
Although I fucking love that song... no.
When the US supports a despotic regime, not a fuck is given.
But when a RUSSIAN does it...
[QUOTE=The golden;36349371]Unzip your pants and extract your penis from your underwear. Firmly grasp your penis in your hand and approach a nearby relative and begin to vigorously shake your penis back and forth.
You are now Russia.[/QUOTE]
Never realized being Russia could be so much fun!
[QUOTE=IliekBoxes;36349315]Russia why?[/QUOTE]
did you not read the article? they have a base there and they are sending shit to it.
Warm water ports=Happy Russia.
Why do you think Russia had a massive Tzaristic boner for Constantinople aside from the Patriarch?
[QUOTE=Apache249;36349063]Didn't they already send the Kuznetsov a long time ago?[/QUOTE]
Kuznetsov is my last name
It took me a while to realize that you are not psychic and are talking about the "admiral kuznetsov"
I am an idiot
[QUOTE=tyanet;36349364]When the US supports a despotic regime, not a fuck is given.
But when a RUSSIAN does it...[/QUOTE]
What?
People call the US's military decisions dumb all the time.
[QUOTE=IliekBoxes;36349315]Russia why?[/QUOTE]
Because they don't want the US in their backyard. If bashar assad falls, then syria becomes just another US ally.
[QUOTE=SoaringScout;36349678]What?
People call the US's military decisions dumb all the time.[/QUOTE]
I think he's stuck in the Cold War era.
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS AHOY!
[QUOTE=aydin690;36349719]Because they don't want the US in their backyard. If bashar assad falls, then syria becomes just another US ally.[/QUOTE]
Sometimes it's about money. Selling weapons is a big time business. The US defense industry makes billions selling weapons around the world.
Syria is a buyer...but from Russia. If the Syrian government falls, one of the outcomes will be the next government will turn their backs on Assad's allies(ie Russia) and start buying from the West.
I don't see why people are surprised that Russia sold weapons to Syria, Russia has been selling weapons to tyrants for years.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;36352443]I don't see why people are surprised that Russia sold weapons to Syria, Russia has been selling weapons to tyrants for years.[/QUOTE]
I think it's because this time we actually care a bit instead of not at all.
I believe its sad in today's day and age that human life has been dashed on the ground for mere greed and money
Turd ------> Fan
God I hope this doesn't escalate
[QUOTE=Strongbad;36348267][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WqwFhX6Cqg[/media]
Soon.[/QUOTE]
At least post the original from Red Alert 1.
[QUOTE=IliekBoxes;36349315]Russia why?[/QUOTE]
Their base is in a country that is falling into civil war, of course they will reinforce their base there just in case like any other country would.
[QUOTE=smeismastger;36355061]Their base is in a country that is falling into civil war, of course they will reinforce their base there just in case like any other country would.[/QUOTE]
Except the weapons aren't for their base, its for the Syrian Army. So, yeah, Russia is effectively support Assad's army.
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