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August 05, 2012

Syria: US clears way for Americans to start donating money to rebels

The US government has quietly cleared the way for Americans to start donating money to buy weapons for Syria's rebels, even as the White House continues to refuse to arm the forces opposed to Bashar al-Assad.


Free Syrian Army member takes position while people flee after hearing shelling at Aleppo's district of al- Sukkari.

The Syrian Support Group (SSG), a Washington-based organisation with close links to the opposition, has been granted a license by the US Treasury to begin fund-raising on behalf the rebels.

Supporters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) hailed the move as a "game-changer" in the effort to equip the rebellion with modern weapons capable of matching those of the regime's forces.

Meanwhile, as Mr Assad's troops continued their attack on the strategic city of Aleppo, William Hague described the situation in Syria as "bleak" and conceded there was now little chance of a peaceful resolution to the 17-month crisis.

The Treasury license, allows the SSG to supply the rebels with "financial, communications, logistical and other services otherwise prohibited" by American sanctions on Syria, although it does not permit the group to directly purchase weapons. 

"This is a game-changer in terms of funding and a sign of a gradual policy shift by the US government," said Brian Sayers, the SSG'S Director of Government Relations. "We are optimistic that it will help change the situation on the battlefield in a positive way for the FSA."

By allowing American dollars to flow to the secular FSA, the US may also be trying to counterbalance Islamist elements within the opposition, who are building large-scale fund-raising operations in Qatar and other Sunni Arab nations. Some secular rebels complain that by refusing to provide arms and money, the US has ceded influence to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist organisation.

However, Mr Sayers warned that even a reliable stream of modern weaponry would not be enough to allow the rebels to turn the tide against Mr Assad's troops.

"It's not going to be sufficient – even if we raised $50 million for fantastic weaponry it's not going to allow the FSA to defend a safe zone from Assad's fighter aircraft," he said.

The SSG would not reveal how much money it has raised since the Treasury granted the license in late July. It must also file regular reports documenting what money it has passed on to the FSA.

As well as fund-raising, the SSG is actively lobbying the US government to intervene in Syria by establishing a no-fly zone and destroying Syria's Russian-made air defence systems.

The White House remains deeply opposed to such an intervention during an election year and last month The Telegraph disclosed that administration officials had warned the rebels not to expect any US action until after the inauguration in January 2013.

The Treasury's decision to grant the license also creates an unusual situation where private American citizens can help equip an army that the US government is still reluctant to fully back.

The US has so far committed only $25 million of "non-lethal" aid such as communications equipment. The State Department said it had "no position" on individual Americans donating to the rebel cause.

Mr Hague on Sunday said the West did not "want the situation to be resolved by violence" but that it had proved impossible to persuade Russia and China to back international efforts to find a diplomatic path to peace.

"Sadly, we do not have the unity in the [UN] Security Council to put the decisive pressure on the Assad regime," the Foreign Secretary said. He also did not rule out the possibility that Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, could replace Kofi Annan as the UN-Arab League envoy on Syria.

The resignation of Mr Annan has left hopes of a diplomat solution to the crisis in tatters.

Abdelbasset Seida, the head of the Syrian National Council, sought to fill that void on Sunday stating that the council is ready to negotiate with certain regime officials after President Assad leaves.

“Bashar and his gang must leave and after that we will move to negotiate with other officials whose hands were not stained with Syrian blood and who were not involved in big corruption cases."

15 comments:

  1. Yes, by all means let us donate money to the hired mercenaries murdering Christians in Syria!

    Think you will get into heaven after an insult like that?

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  2. Why would we Americans support the same Arab Al Queda members that have been killing US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last ten years?

    I hope Assad wipes this American killing scum out of existence,

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  3. We can send our own money for terrorists to buy guns, but we can't buy guns for ourselves???

    Wacky!

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  4. There's something Wall Street and the defense contractors can get behind. I wonder how much Adelson is pitching in? AIPAC anyone?

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  5. Just great!! Everyone that donates will be arrested for providing material support to a terrorist organisation.

    Steve-in-Iowa

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    Replies
    1. Which is why I'm sending my money and weapons to the
      legitimate government of Bassar Al Assad.

      Delete
  6. Supporting Terrorism by US government. dejavo - Afghanistan 1980 again.

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  7. But, but, eehh wasnt eeeehhh Al Queda your/ours uuuhh enemy, or something somewhere around what statements we are feed thru an entire decade. And now they are suddenly becomed our allied, when did that uhuuh change uuhh happened.

    And how the fu... do they in the MSM then talk about people that is arrested, charged with aligations about cooperating og been isnpirated by Al Queda, goes in Jail, all over the world, and now the USA wants their own people/goverment to Finnace and Help Al Queda to ruin a new counrty.
    Libya/Iraq/afganistan/Pakistan/Jemen/Africa(mali a.s.o.), more than anouf.

    peace

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  8. This is tragic. People should be donating money to the Syrian Government to help them eliminate these foreign terrorists, who have invaded their country.

    Virtually everything that is reported in the mainstream media is complete propaganda...all Lies. For instance, it has now been objectively determined that those who were murdered in Houla were all Assad supporters, killed at close range, with knives, and pistols, while the Syrian army was surrounding the area, but not inside the area where the massacre took place.

    The Rebels commit atrocities, the west blames Assad, which encourages the Rebels to commit more atrocities. Syria is fighting for her life. Most the people support Assad, because he represents SECULAR stability. The Rebels, most of them want an Islamic form of government.

    If the Rebels (mostly foreign terrorists) win, the Christian minority will be wiped out.

    Why is the U.S. supporting radical Islamic militants, and actively pursuing regime change against a stable, secular government? it makes no sense, unless the US is setting the stage for a future war..."to eliminate the Radical Islamic Regime in Syria, who threatens Israel". Why else would we support Al Queda types? Set them up, only to knock them down later.

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  9. Everyone who donates will be subject to:
    a. Extraordinary Rendition for supporting a Terrorist Organization..."with global reach"
    b. Subject to being attacked by a drone, for...Supporting a Terrorist Organization...etc.
    c. Obviously not "standing with us, but with....the Terrorists"

    I sure hope most American's can see through this....Libya is still fresh in all our memories. Notice you don't hear much news from that country...now that its been totally destroyed. Libya went from being the African nation with the highest standard of living and education to being a totally failed state, in total turmoil...only the oil companies are happy with the way things turned out there...(and of course Hilary Clinton and the State Department are thrilled, and perhaps the NGO's....like USAID, and all the other phoney baloney intellegence operation covers)

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  10. i say we send John MaCain and his children and grand children to fight along side our new friends AL-Quaida.
    Rambo-Caine anyone!!!!

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  11. Its not what is moral or legal...Its what is good for zionist israel and what it needs to conquer the middle east and create the greater israel,and damn everything else. Americans have alowed the U.S. to become no more than a colony of israel. lets face it the jews own you,they have taken over Amerika....the gov. the monetary system, the media,ect. just try to buy anything at the grocery store that doesnt have a kosher mark on it....all that from people who make up around 2% of the population. Amerikans...a bunch of suckers that have been duped and still dont know it.

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  12. This is so obvious ... Obama is encouraging anyone to pay to get Muslims foundamentist to go to Syria to be slaughtered !!! Just before his invasion of Iran.

    Now how on earth can ANYONE BELIEVE that ragtags can take on a standing army , armed to the teeth all these years in preparation to take on Israel to claim back their Golan Heights.

    Now by sending them to Syria to be slaughtered they achieve

    1. Weaker Syria and if broken up a bonus..

    2. When war breaks out with Iran , these Islamic fighters would be long time dead , and would not attack US/israel forces.

    It is just like the iran and /Iraq war ...Iraw before was among the most powerful .. after the war , it was easy cake.
    A walkover without a fight and another trohpy of bluff for the Americans on its power..

    Now to take on Iran, others like Syria must be weakened.

    The fools aka .. Rebels are just plain silly to be played out by Western Powers. The rebels have practically no chance of succeeding. Not with Russia says "Nyet" as Nato cannot take on powerful nations ...only weak ones.

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  13. Just watch, thousands of the sheep are going to gleefully send their financial support to animals who are not only killing young Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, they also were financed to destroy Libya by the organized criminal syndicate occupying Capitol Hill. Which they did. Destroyed a sovereign nation that was at peace at the time. The average American has the attention span of a god damn gold fish. Sorry gold fish.....

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  14. Everyone talking about the US ary as if its innocent lets not forget since end of ww2 the US has killed over 10 million people. These rag tag rebels are killing Sunni's,shia's christians their main job is to create a climate of fear. I didn't see people complain when the US was wiping out christians and sunnis in iraq.

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