Update: Just as suspected, Syria promptly complies with the Russian check: SYRIA WELCOMES RUSSIA'S PROPOSAL FOR DAMASCUS TO PUT ITS CHEMICAL WEAPONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL CONTROL- FOREIGN MINISTER WALID AL-MOUALEM.
Mate next?
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In a time when Obama is pitching his entire campaign around one core, if strawman, theme - preventing future chemical weapon attacks by the Assad regime, Putin once again shows why when playing geopolitical chess, it is safe to bet on the pesky Russian. Moments ago, Russia suggested that Syria skip straight to step 2 of the US military campaign, and hand over its chemical weapons to "international control" which would immediately obviate the US campaign completely, whose entire premise for public consumption is just that - to put Syrian chemical weapons under adult supervision and third party control.
- RUSSIA SAYS WILL URGE SYRIA TO PUT CHEMICAL WEAPONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL CONTROL IF THAT WILL AVERT MILITARY STRIKES
- SYRIA SHOULD GIVE UP WEAPONS IF IT WILL AVOID STRIKE: RUSSIA
- LAVROV SAYS SYRIA’S CHEMICAL WEAPONS COULD BE DESTROYED
More from RIA, google translated [5]:
Moscow calls on Syria to transfer chemical weapons under international supervision if it is to avoid military attack by the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"If the international control over chemical weapons in the country to avoid strikes, we are immediately involved in a job with Damascus" - Lavrov said.
"We call on the Syrian leadership not only agree on a statement of storage of chemical weapons under international supervision, but also the subsequent destruction, as well as about the full accession to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons," - said the Minister.
According to him, Russia has already submitted its proposal to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria, who is currently in Moscow. "And look forward to a quick and hopefully for a positive response," - concluded Lavrov.
Earlier, the head of the U.S. Department of State, John Kerry said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad can avoid foreign military intervention, if over the next week will give all chemical weapons the international community. At the same time the head of the State Department added that the Syrian president is not going to transfer chemical weapons and to ensure full accountability. Later in the words of the State Department Kerry called "rhetorical argument."
And now the ball is in Obama and Kerry's court following this surprising move of appeasement by Russia, and implicitly by Syria.
Because if the underlying motive behind the intervention is gone, then there is no need for an "Unbelievably Small [6]" strike. Or any strike. In other words, should the US proceed with agitating for, and engaging in, war, it becomes very clear that the only goal behind US actions is not to contain Assad's weapons arsenal, but to destabilize the region, overthrow the Assad regime, escalate the conflict to involve Iran and Israel as final outcomes, boost the US deficit, facilitate the Untaper, and allow the trans-Syrian natgas pipeline originating in Qatar.
Finally, Putin also kills two birds with one stone, as any further and future chemical strike, in a case where there is supervision of the official arsenal, will automatically mean it was launched by the Qatari mercenaries with the intent of concocting yet another false flag.