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Subscribe to RSSIn villages across Syria there is great concern for the city of Aleppo, where the violence seen in the last few days could be nothing compared to what's coming. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
Even as the United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning the Syrian regime for unleashing its military might against its people, Syrian forces stormed the last rebel stronghold in the capital Damascus, using tanks and armored vehicles, and blasted rebels in the commercial city of Aleppo with artillery.
The UN resolution condemned "the increasing use by the Syrian authorities of heavy weapons, including indiscriminate shelling from tanks and helicopters, in population centers and the failure to withdraw its troops and the heavy weapons to their barracks …"
It called for "an inclusive Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, pluralistic political system'' and expressed "concern at the threat by the Syrian authorities to use chemical or biological weapons.''
The resolution, designed to highlight the Syrian regime’s isolation, was approved by 133 members, with 31 abstentions.
But the vote, coming two weeks after the Security Council failed to agree on collective action to stop the bloodshed, also highlighted the breakdown of diplomacy as 12 countries, most notably China and Russia, voted against the non-binding text, which included calls for political transition.
China and Russia are permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
Moscow condemned the document as "harmful" and tantamount to supporting rebels that are fighting to oust Assad, Reuters reported.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his regret over the divisions that have paralyzed action in the Security Council, said the U.N. news center’s account of the meeting.
"The conflict in Syria is a test of everything this organization stands for," it said Ban told the U.N. meeting. "I do not want today’s United Nations to fail that test."
Ahmad Gharabli / AFP - Getty Images
A vandalised mural depicting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R), his late father and predecessor Hafez al-Assad (C) and his late brother Bassel al-Assad in the northern city of Aleppo on Friday.
Ban said that despite repeated verbal acceptances of the six-point plan presented by Kofi Annan, the Joint Special Envoy for the UN and the League of Arab States for the Syrian Crisis, both the government and the opposition continue to rely on weapons, not diplomacy.
Annan resigned as envoy on Thursday, underlining the failure of mediation efforts in the conflict.
Meantime, a senior U.N. official said a long-expected army onslaught to take Aleppo, Syria's largest city and economic hub, was imminent following a buildup of army reinforcements, Reuters reported.
Rebels poured into Aleppo in July after being largely driven from the capital, Damascus, where they had launched an offensive that coincided with July 18 a bomb blast that killed four top security officials.
Fighting in the two main cities has continued to intensify in the weeks since.
Rebels told Reuters journalists inside Aleppo on Friday that they had captured a large police station after days of clashes.
Rebel commander Abu Zaher said fighters had taken several police officers prisoner and seized weapons and ammunition.
Other rebels said heavy fighting was taking place in Saleheddine, the main battleground district. They say 50 of their fighters have been killed there in the last several days.
In the capital, Syrian troops entered Damascus's southern district of Tadamon with dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in a push to win back the last rebel stronghold there, a witness and activists said.
Activists said most of the district was under the control of government forces by early Friday evening. The army had been trying to enter Tadamon for more than a week but was pushed back by fierce resistance from the rebels.
"As we meet here, Aleppo ... is the epicenter of a vicious battle between the Syrian government and those who wish to replace it,'' Ban told the meeting on Friday.
"The acts of brutality that are being reported may constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes,'' he said.
"Such acts must be investigated and the perpetrators held to account.''
Both sides accuse the other of summary executions and mass killings in Aleppo.
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- Palestinian official under fire over Auschwitz visit
- Poland confronts its role in Jewish deaths
- Obama authorizes secret US support for Syrian rebels
- London's funny, zip-lining mayor taken very seriously
- Good, bad or ugly? Street artists weigh in on Olympics
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Time to find a way to choke off the Syrian regimes financial aid, and supply lines. even if it means sanctions against their allies China, and Russia.
Sanctions against China?......ha.......ha Ha.........Ha Ha Ha........... BWAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Be careful. China might stop loaning America money to operate its Navy.
The Chinese and the Russians are no better than North Korea - congenital liars, cheats, and two-faced greedy thieves and hypocrites. Pity we need the Chinese to buy our bonds. But we (personally) do not have to buy their goods.
Why all the laughter? We sanction China when it suits us. We did so just recently:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/china-protests-us-sanctions-chinese-bank-16902298#.UBx0opFAUTw
Why are we even part of the UN? We need to get out and create a new "UN" with our friends. Who needs Russia!
You don't sanction your bank...........................
and, wmg.. those sanctions accomplished what? Oh. That's right. China didn't even notice.
Hello Shandril and Maureen, you ladies are absolutely right. Don't piss off the landlord or they may foreclose on the ole US of A. The sheeple who spout the warmongering rhetoric will be the first to dodge signing up to fight and not put their money where their big mouths are.
If the warmongers even remotely believe in Karma they are just as complicit as those who pull the triggers and drop the bombs. Hopefully their karmic repercussions will be more humane then the atrocities we perpetrate against innocent men, women and children of sovereign countries.
China is already feeling the sucking presence of, "Not enough trade now".
The Russians are the most corrupt Democracy on the planet!
The Chinese still haven't figured out their problem, but they don't care.. That's why every city in America has, "China Town". They always travel in huge groups and stick together, like, "Sheep". They follow one another. The Japanese do it too. What's wrong with these people following each other like sheep?
Their main problem: "They don't think outside of the box". Their manners are some of the worst on the planet, along with the Japanese and their facial sucking of bowls of soup with noodles..
When you act like a pig, civilized society has a tendancy to notice it rather completely.
They think they are normal, or perhaps glorious, but the truth is, "They look like pigs to others".
I can't travel with the Chinese anymore. It becomes disgusting to me.. You'd have to be there to see it. Hotels where the Chinese basically take over and don't honor anyone's privacy or liberty.
The huge groups are disgusting and totally self serving. They don't care about other cultures right now. They love their own too much and they don't even understand it. They have to love it.
I hope they finally find true freedom and decency one day. I've changed hotels 3 times on 3 different trips trying to get away from their presence. I find it to be truly ego-centric, and lacking understanding for others. They don't tip and they leave big messes and think the little person should clean it up.. It's disgusting to me and I'd rather be around kind human beings with true honor for others!
But mostly, I can't stand the fact that they don't even understand what they look like to others. If you don't care, you're a socio-path just waiting to evolve.. That must be where Communism fails. The people don't see themselves as who they are in other peoples eyes. The Commies think they're great and the rest of the world loathes them for their lack of decency!
Sounds like Communism that has failed all over the planet to me!
Wait a minute!
Did the puppets of Sunni Saudi barbarians and bigoted Islamic religious Nazis, oil companies, lobyyists, some extremist Jewish lobbys not repeat similar songs, dances and dramas before each Iraqi wars?
Where were the chemical and biological weapons? Where were the WMDs?
At least a million have been killed in Iraq. Why is that none of these cheap agents are talking or even looking at Iraq now?
Followers of Islamic cult, especially Sunni Saudi inspired Islamic radicals and militants (al-Qaida, Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB and other label ones), are fast marching backwards to their seventh century desert tribal days.
Hope people by now know that these Islamic radicals and militants used different labels in different places just like their Trojan horses in our nations.
They are indulging in rapings, lootings, killings and genocides of non-Muslims (Darfur, S. Sudan, Nigeria and spreading like wild fire in many regions and Muslims (Mali, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other places.
Sunni Saudi backed Salaffi and MB new chapters are opening up in Egypt. Just watch the fate of Christians, women and Israel as the time goes by.
Even in Syria, if Assad is overthrown by Sunni Islamic religious Nazis like al-Qaida, MB, the conditions of Christians will be unbearable just like Iraq.
Are we not committing hara-kiri by supporting our enemies and killers?
I am sick of the Islamic cult.. They are 200 years behind humanity! They preach a religious beautiful world, but they react as a bitter and foolish culture of dissent from logic, reason and rationale.
They are basically incapable of understanding other cultures because their culture is basically a religious cult of personality. Yes, "Cult of Personality".. I haven't heard anything good from a muslim regarding my life as a person without "Their God"..
If you can't respect a person who believes in, "Social Responsibility", you don't deserve to be respected yourself!!!!!
You're a terrorist, a no-good-nic, and a "KILLER" in most parts of you're neolithic world!
I'm disgusted with the Muslim religion. They don't care about human beings. It is a political being now, ruled over by NOT A POPE, BUT BY SOME IDIOT WHO LIVES NEARBY YOUR STUPID CITY, WITH SOME STUPID UNDERSTANDING ABOUT BEING STUPIDLY CRUEL TO WOMEN AND NEVER BEING FAIR TO ANYONE EXCEPT THE MEN IN YOUR SOCIETY!
Well done Middle East (some regions almost exempt), you've become the dumbest and most foolish land in the world!!
75% of us look at you and see a bunch of male fools trying to run a society (sometimes into the ground) whereby nobody is truely happy. THe women hate you. I had to push one Jordanian away because she wanted to ditch her deadbeat husband. Only problem was: She was afraid she'd be killed if she was caught coming on to me.. I just left the situation because I knew it was stupid! I felt sorry for her, but I felt completely numb for women in the Middle East! What a terrible way to treat the most beautiful gender on the planet!! Shame on you MUslims!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.
You call that a sanction? Bwaaaaaaaaahahhahahahahahahaha!
Uh, yeah. It's a sanction. WTF do you think sanctions are?
This one is obviously limited in scope, singling out only a single bank that dealt with Iran, but it's still a sanction. Generally speaking, when we sanction any country, we hit their monetary institutions first, making it difficult (or impossible) to operate with trading partners. The sanction above obviously ticked off China. Their diplomats are scrambling to have it lifted.
Sanctions against one of the most powerful economic powers on the planet? You're an idiot. The US would be hurt more than China.
I agree, Cpt. Porkchop, but as the link at comment 1.4 shows, we have sanctioned China, so it's not a matter of whether you think it's an idiot move or not. At this point, it is a matter of record. Unless the bank changes its practices (or diplomatic pressure prevails), then the bank is sanctioned.
The Middle East has been the bread basket for Russia and China since the Cold War began. America is no Angel and has also used the region as a place to sell arms supplies. Here we are again with the big three playing political games with us supporting the rebels that are probably worse enemies to us than the current regime. The Taliban is probably the Rebels. Today we give them arms and tomorrow we blow them up. How about we just pull all our money back and feed our homeless and poor.
Lazarus
YES!!!
You have posted sense.
Even the Russia and China bugaboo were whipped before Iraqi wars!
After Iraqi wars and Afghan war, China is our biggest lender.
Iraqi wars and Afghan war don't appear to have taught a lesson to many.
We lost from all sides due to Iraq wars.
Anyone going near the Islamic religious Nazis is going to be badly hurt.
Here Sunnis are the worst and are responsible for 80 percent of world problems in non-Muslim and Muslim nations.
Hope Russians have learnt their lessons in Afghanistan.
If Russia and China meddle too much in ME Muslim nations, they will get badly hurt just like us.
What are the problems for some if Russia and China badly get burnt due to these Islamic religious Nazis in the long run?
Let them sing, dance and do dramas as much as they want in the ME Muslim nations.
So what is it, are al-Qaeda fighting alongside the Syrian Rebels? Is the U.S. backing al-Qaeda, as was the case when Bush Senior backed Bin Laden during the Afganistan War with the USSR?
The reason Russia and China are not supporting the measure is that they see their possible future in the revolt of the Syrian people. Totalitarian regimes all eventually fall to the will of the people.
don't you wish someone at the UN had the balls to just say that at the podium?
You bet!
The question is, who will be first: Saudis & co or Assad, the best among the bad lot.
If atrocities and barbarism on girls, children and women are the criteria, then the most despotic, autocratic and bigoted Sunni Saudi ruler with his 5000 princes and princesses, Kuwaiti, UAE and other Arab League Sunni rulers and their rich sheiks are the biggest culprits in the history.
Through the Muslim immoral trafficking gangs, these barbarians have assembled all varieties of poor and helpless girls and women from all over the world in their harems and brothels.
In killing of opponents again, these people have established world records.
If the US, Britain and others support such Sunni barbarians and beasts who treat girls and women as cheap sex slaves, then one can only conclude that Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists determine what to see, how to lecture and where and when to act.
In Bahrain, the situation is exactly reverse of what is in Syria.
No one is looking there or doing their songs, dances and dramas as they are doing in Syria.
It appears that many love the seventh century Sunni Saudi & co directed desert songs, dances and dramas!
Russia is a democracy. Putin was just reelected. However I don't expect all you flag wavers to understand that. Anything that doesn't fall under your narrow view of a democracy is touted as being totalitarian. Meanwhile the USA has over 100% debt while Russia has under 10%. In addition China will be the #1 economy in a few short years. The US is gong to crash and burn because people here have grown lazy. Enjoy the ride down.
The U.S will crash but it won't be because of people growing lazy. Its because of a president who has destroyed any future possibility for getting this country back to what it was before he came along and destroyed it. Take your ignorant liberal views and shove them. MORON!
Oh and who was that Reagan? Bush I, Bush II, Clinton? maybe even Obama? The problem with you Neanderthals is that you blame the debt and all other problems that have been developing for the last 30 years on the last guy in office. But hey, it's not going to be my problem since I'm moving out this year. Have fun wallowing in the toilet.
Those Syrians think they have big problems and want our help. Don't they realize that the President of Chick-Fil-A came out against gay marriage? We are way to busy with bitching about one man's opinion, which he is entiteld to, to worry about anything as trivial as people being killed.
Because the media is stupid and Syria is not our war
Russia and China are just showing their complicity. Their regimes have similar intentions and attitudes towards their citizens as the Assad regime. Birds of a feather, flock together.
Russia and China continue to show what they really want for the world.
No worries, the Admin will support the terrorists and Al Queda.
What a stupid comment!
Wow another UN vote condemning something with nothing really being done. Diplomats and politicians hide behind the UN as an excuse for inaction? The UN raises corruption and waste to a new highs each year helped by the generous US taxpayer.
Time to kick these idiots from China and Russia out of the UN. Better yet, why doesnt the US leave the UN?
The UN is a worthless piece of crap. Better to put our share into someother piece of crap like Solyndra.
I hate to tell you this Rick but at over $1,000,000,000,000.00 in debt to them, we're China's b**ch!
If we even tried leave the UN, China'll grab us by the hair, slap us around, and tell us to go wait in the car. Then they'd convince us to tell everyone that we got the black eye because we "fell down".
hehe.. so.. Rick wants to start a war with a country with more industrial production capacity than ourselves.. You do know how we won the Civil War, WWI and II don't you? We went from a standing start and less raw military strength and technology than the enemy to outproducing the enemy, and therefore winning. Now, we are not guaranteed that advantage. Yeah, that'll turn out well. Plus, they'll be Russia go deal with.
I for one am glad that so far we've been able to avoid getting involved in yet another Middle Eastern quagmire. For that, we might even have to give the Russians and Chinese some credit.
yur an idiot mike. it doesn't matter how much $ we "owe" the chinese. we could instantly shut down their whole economy with no trade. and which chinese person is big enuf to come knock on my american door to collect the $???
you can be a bitch if you want to...we'll let you answer the door. america is noones bitch. you are very misinformed.
..and btw...we do not need any technology or mass production to win any war within the next 20 years...they will never catch up.
if you look at the facts of what u know, and then think about what you don't even know...it's probably more like 50 years.
shut down china's economy with no trade? where have you been shopping? everything we have here is made in china. no trade with china will shut us down.
World War 2 called. They want their stupid ideas back.
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
Nothing demonstrates to the world more than Russia and China--the only two staunchly communist countries other than Cuba--that communism is still a huge worry to the world. Even though the USSR fell apart in the 90's--Russia is still and always has been commies. And China is even worse. So beware world when the commies strike back.
Actually you are wrong. The Russian people want to live their live same as Americans but unfortunately they are governed by a thug (Putin) who is trying to drive the country back in authoritarianism and he is not shy of get people murdered which may be in his way. It is never good to generalize and put everybody in the same basket. I would rather look at our policies in dealing with the world: We have a bunch of Neo Cons that at every occasion trying to cut out another war, Republicans that consider the US superior to the rest or the world when it is perfectly documented that other countries are much better organized then the US and with better infrastructure. Unfortunately two unpaid wars have rendered the US almost powerless and we do not have the respect and standing that we had in the past. Too many times have we been in bed with dictators when it suits us and when we felt is was to our benefit. People do not forget these things and so will the Arabs when it goes to award contracts in the future. Perhaps we should look to deal with other nations a bit more respectful.
UN condems Syria?
Bet they're shakin' in their boots!
[Both sides accuse the other of summary executions and mass killings in Aleppo.] They are both probably correct. When the dust settles and Assad is no longer in power those who replace him will simply be the other side of the same coin. As far as the UN is concerned they are like a barking dog with no teeth. Without the USA to back their plays they are worse than useless. They are too expensive and ineffective to continue to exist. We should quit wasting our time on them and remove them from our country.
orb1943... '...congenital liars, cheats, and two-faced greedy thieves and hypocrites.'
If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were describing the criminals in control of our own government.
Obama, Putin and the Chinese Regime all believe that Syrians must die. The three world powers do not respect life. The US has now joined the club of tyranny, murder, and the destruction of human freedoms. Obama has taken the US back 1500 years! We are now savages, killers, torturers, criminals and one of the low life countries. One corrupt Chicago Democrat has made the US people look like a Chicago Drug Gang!
You're an idiot.
I like the vandalized mural picture. Their graffiti is lame.
End the UN! Create the Democratic League instead--only free societies get any votes on any actions. China should have no vote on anything, and certainly shouldn't have veto power (lol) over what the world does. Russia can still have a vote, provided Putin's apparent popularity is the real reason he wins elections, which seems to be the case. They're some kind of democracy at least.
um.. you do realize that Russia is the one of those two that's really backing the Syrians don't you? The Chinese are just doing the same thing they always do. I don't think they really care about Assad one way or another. Oh... and just because they bother to stage sham carnivals they call "elections" (and then arrest anyone who complains) doesn't make them a democracy. You also do realize that China has "elections" after a manner too, don't you? They even have an elected congress.. it meets once every five years for a few hours. Neither Russia nor China are recognizably democratic, in any meaningful sense of the term.
China's are all fake, they're still commie vermin. Russia is post-commie vermin. From all reasonable estimates, Putin really is popular in Mother Russia.
And a democracy is different than a dictatorship.
Would somebody please explain to me why it is our responsibility to get rid of the same odious regime that our last president outsourced the torture of our enemy combatants to? So, using the very same tyrannical tactics, they were our best pals in 2002 and our enemies in 2012? When nothing's changed but our president? Come on.. get real.
I for one do not want to be involved in yet another Middle Eastern Quagmire. Unless y'all want to arrest Rummy and Cheney for paling it up with Assad, I have no desire to see the US involved with either side. This war is not our problem.
And it only took 16 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days. The UN is a bargain at twice the price isn't it?
This is yet another conflict the US should stay out of. Stay out, before we get sucked in. I don't think the taxpayers can afford supporting another war.
last time i checked, we were out of $ before the iraq war started...don't stop me now!!!
Just a few things things to ponder, and I am off to bed. *6 days work is US norm these days, if you want to keep your job. Maybe it's just me.
When did Russia (the wall) fall ? Nice to see them in the "democracy mode" selling guns to anybody with a buck.
China. Yeah, we owe them MUCHO $$$'s, but what will they do if we start sending checks in Slooowly ?
China: "We will stop shipping our products to Walmart, etc, etc, and make you ROUND EYES start paying for American worker's to make them. Sooner or later, you will see why 0.12 cents / HR. (US) is better.
Talk about stimulating OUR economy if it comes down to it? Bring it on China !
They will be tied up in court for decades for their $$$$, and what judge (US Corporate lawyers aside) will give in when thousands protest outside the court rooms, as their lives were off shored?
Crap !!!...... Forgot! Corporations are people, and MY CORPORATION is getting a colonoscopy next week.
ALL 1200 acres !
Gonna take a long scope !
China and Russia barking ??????
How did that work with Japan and Germany in WWII ?
Maybe a 2nd US manufacturing age might come from all this "chest thumping" by these two, as Russia has no (some) nukes (sold and stolen when the wall went down), and China has ALL IT'S EGGS in the US market basket by hawking their 0.12/hr crap here. *Their #1 importer.
Slow down payments, and they will be like Iran now with fiscal problems.
@!$%#!!!! Again! 2 same countries helping them out too with $$$$.
Maybe I have "pie in the sky" dreams for America, as any WASHINGTON politician (right or left) won't allow this to happen, and cut off $$$ to get back in office.
Meanwhile normal American gets the proverbial "weenie".
GN America !
The Security Council has outlived its use. It is time to get rid of the Security Council a relic of the post war era. Russia is governed by a thug and China by a criminal regime that plunders the whole world and they protect their thugs in Syria and North Korea because of their weapon sales. They are not blinking by dead bodies and will deny as long as they can sell a tank to Assad. Time for courage for nations with a consciousness for human life.
Kick that left wing organization (UN) out of New York. Put them in Switzerland.
What a bunch of cowards Shiites are? They talk big, act big and show their bravery before unarmed minorities like Jews, women and others. Then they add their dances when they stone them.
Shiites of Iraq should side with Kurds and should stop oil supplies to Turkey for supporting the Sunni Islamic extremists like al-Qaida, MB in Syria.
Shiites of Bahrain should overthrow their autocratic, corrupt and despotic Sunni ruler.
As they have been taking blows and killings by Sunnis, these Sunnis are able to act as they like to Shiites.
Shiites of Iran should side with Assad and see that all the Sunni rebels are eliminated.
What are the brave Hezbollah doing?
They should do suicide bombings in Mecca and Medina. Or else Shiites genocides just like the genocides of non-Muslims by the Sunni Islamic religious Nazis will continue.