CL Redux

Syria Evacuates Most Army Buildings In Damascus In Preparation For Western Military Strike: Residents

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/28/syria-evacuates-army-buildings_n_3829847.html

- AMMAN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad's forces appear to have evacuated most personnel from army and security command headquarters in central Damascus in preparation for a Western military strike, residents and opposition sources said on Wednesday

- Army units stationed near the capital have confiscated several trailer trucks, apparently to transport heavy weaponry to alternative locations, though no significant movement of military hardware has been reported, possibly due to heavy fighting near major highways, one of the sources added.
 
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/28/syria-crisis-labour-cameron-commons

William Hague plays down imminence of Syria attack as UN seeks more time

Talks could take days, foreign secretary says as pressure mounts on west to let weapons inspectors finish their job

- William Hague has played down the prospects of an imminent attack on Syria, saying talks about the crisis could go on at the United Nations "over the coming days".

Speaking after a meeting of Britain's National Security Council, the foreign secretary said the UN security council should "shoulder its responsibility" over Syria; if it failed to do so, however, Britain and and its allies would act on their own.

"This is the first use of chemical warfare in the 21st century," he said. "It has to be unacceptable. We have to confront something that is a war crime, something that is a crime against humanity."

- "We have put forward to them a draft resolution which condemns the use of chemical weapons, which demands that the Assad regime cease to use such weapons and which resolves to do what is necessary to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people affected by chemical weapons attacks and to try to prevent the further use of the chemical stockpiles of the Assad regime.

"I expect there will be further discussions in New York over the coming days but we have started those discussions about a UN resolution, because by far the best thing would be if the United Nations could be united, unlikely as that seems in the face of vetoes from Russia and China that we have had in the past. But we have to try to do that.

"We are clear that … if there isn't agreement at the United Nations, then we still have a responsibility; we and other nations still have a responsibility."
 
we did not quite get 110.50 but we got mid way 110.25 from 109.70 levels not bad ..

Quote from InvestVision:

reasons for higher close

1/ Gasoline futures (RBOB) up 1.6% where as crude 0.7% ( at 109.70 ), divergence shows we are headed to 110.50 close today

2/ if big short FUND traders are trying to close their SHORT positions today ( people who still did not close yet ) ,that is time we see this push to 110.50+ at close

3/ Also all the SHORT DAYTRADE positions will come to close their positions at pit close ( who wants open SHORT to night ?) , that should also push this bit high ... let us see
More...
 
U.S. rejects Syrian request that U.N. inspectors stay longer, possibly delaying military strike

President Obama said that “there need to be international consequences” for the Aug. 21 chemical strikes he said he has concluded were carried out by the Syrian government.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...855348-1008-11e3-85b6-d27422650fd5_story.html


“I have no interest in any kind of open-ended conflict in Syria,” Obama said in an interview with the PBS NewsHour, stressing that he has not decided to order a military attack.

“But we do have to make sure that when countries break international norms on chemical weapons they are held accountable,” he said.

A closed-door meeting of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, called to consider a British-drafted resolution authorizing the use of force to prevent any further use of chemical weapons in Syria, adjourned without action after Russia and China opposed the measure.
 
Quote from InvestVision:

U.S. rejects Syrian request that U.N. inspectors stay longer, possibly delaying military strike

President Obama said that “there need to be international consequences” for the Aug. 21 chemical strikes he said he has concluded were carried out by the Syrian government.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...855348-1008-11e3-85b6-d27422650fd5_story.html


“I have no interest in any kind of open-ended conflict in Syria,” Obama said in an interview with the PBS NewsHour, stressing that he has not decided to order a military attack.

“But we do have to make sure that when countries break international norms on chemical weapons they are held accountable,” he said.

A closed-door meeting of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, called to consider a British-drafted resolution authorizing the use of force to prevent any further use of chemical weapons in Syria, adjourned without action after Russia and China opposed the measure.
More...

i'm willing to bet. Obama doesn't use force..
 
see the series of events involved for next 4 days ..

Syria crisis: UK puts forward UN proposal
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23864124

1/ The UK has put a suggested resolution to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council "authorising all necessary measures to protect civilians" in Syria.

<b>2/ But Russia has said the UN must finish its investigation into the claims before discussing any resolution</b>

3/ A team of UN weapons inspectors is currently investigating the sites of the attack. UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon said the experts were <b>expected to finish their investigation in four days and would need more time after that to analyse their findings.</b>

Mr Ban appealed for the team to be given "time to do its job".

4/ And in a phone conversation with Mr Hague, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a draft resolution should not be considered until the inspectors had reported

5/ In a separate development, Syria's ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, asked for the inspectors to investigate three cases of the use of chemical weapons in the last week against "dozens" of government troops in Damascus suburbs.

6/ On Thursday, British MPs are set to vote on a government motion condemning the attack, but the vote will not authorize direct UK involvement in military action.
<b>The motion says UN weapons inspectors should be allowed to report to the Security Council, after which a further vote on military action may be taken. </b>
 
U.S. Stock-Index Futures Advance Before GDP Report
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...-futures-advance-before-gdp-jobless-data.html

1/ “We’re back to focusing on economic data, specifically out of the U.S. and Europe, and the Fed tapering, as the market is coming around to believe the Syrian conflict poses only a short-term risk,” said Manish Singh

2/ “I am of the opinion that tapering will happen in September, regardless of data. I expect GDP revision to be positive, and positive data will be good news.”


3/ <b>The prospect of imminent military strikes on Syria receded as the U.K. and France said they favor waiting for the results of a United Nations investigation </b> into alleged use of chemical weapons. The U.S., which says it has evidence that Syria’s government was responsible, <b>won’t act without allies, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today</b>.
 
White House On Syria Response: If 'Legal Justification Is Required.. We'll Produce One'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/29/white-house-syria-response_n_3838377.html

WASHINGTON, Aug 29 (Reuters) - The United States is looking at a response to Syrian use of chemical weapons that is "very discrete and limited" and not open-ended, the White House said on Thursday, as President Barack Obama consulted German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone.

The Obama White House rejected any attempt to compare U.S. plans for Syria to Republican President George W. Bush's long-running war in Iraq that was justified on claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, which were never found.

At the same time, the White House made a nuanced argument to suggest the United States might be willing to act on its own to enforce an international ban on the use of chemical weapons and protect U.S. national security interests.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama's potential response to Syria's Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack stood in stark contrast to the Iraq experience.

<b>"What we're talking about here is something very discrete and limited," he said, and not an open-ended conflict aimed at regime change.</b>

As senior U.S. officials prepared to brief congressional leaders on the latest Syria information, Obama spoke by phone to Merkel to update her on the situation. He has also spoken in recent days to British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande.

Amid questions abroad about whether other nations would join the United States if a decision is made to launch military action, Earnest noted that a variety of world leaders and organizations such as the Arab League have voiced outrage at the chemical weapons attack and want a response.

"The opinion of other world leaders in this situation matters," he said.

Earnest said the United States would provide its own legal justification for an eventual response to chemical weapons use in Syria if necessary once Obama decides how to proceed."

<b>"When the president reaches a determination about the appropriate response ... and a legal justification is required to substantiate or to back up that decision, we'll produce one on our own," Earnest said. </B>

<b<Earnest said the Obama administration is still on track to release details of an intelligence report aimed at showing why Washington is certain the Syrian government was behind the chemical weapons use. </b>
 
Obama Weighing Syria Strike Without Allies, Aide Says

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/29/obama-syria-strike_n_3838922.html?ir=World&ref=topbar

The United States Thursday implicitly reserved the right to strike Syria, alone, in its own national interest, without waiting for allies to join an operation or for global approval.

The White House said President Barack Obama prized the United Nations and closely consulted allies, but that in the end, his first duty was to US national security, which he sees threatened by a Syrian chemical weapons attack.

<b>"We certainly are interested in engaging with the global international community on this issue," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

"But at the same time, the president's chief accountability is to the American people that he was elected to protect.

"The president believes strongly in making the kinds of decisions and taking the kinds of steps that are necessary to protect our core national security interests that we've acknowledged are at stake in this situation." </b>

The comments came as Britain, Washington's closest European ally struggles for a political consensus over Prime Minister David Cameron's plans to join expected US-led military action in Syria.

<b>"It's not within the mandate of those UN inspectors to assess the responsibility for the use of those weapons -- it's just within their mandate to assess whether or not they were used," Earnest said.

"That's no longer an open question." </b>

On Wednesday, the Obama administration said that it did not see any future in a British bid to secure a mandate from the UN Security Council for attacking Syria, due to Russian opposition.

Administration officials have said that Obama sees perils for US national security in the belief that Syria shattered international norms by using chemical weapons, and that US interests and allies could be threatened.

<b>"The Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons against their own people presents a situation where, yes, US national security interests are threatened," said Harf. </b>
 
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