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Muzaffar Salman / REUTERS
Demonstrators hold a giant opposition flag during a protest against Syria's President Bashar Assad in Bustan al-Qasr district in Aleppo, Feb. 22, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman
The main Syrian opposition grouping has said it turned down invitations to visit Washington and Moscow to protest what it described as international silence over destruction of the ancient city of Aleppo by Syrian missile strikes.
A statement late on Friday by the Syrian National Coalition, an umbrella group of opposition political forces, said it also had suspended participation in a Friends of Syria conference of international powers due in Rome next month to protest the attacks it said have caused many civilian casualties.
"Hundreds or civilians have been killed by Scud missile strikes. Aleppo, the city and the civilization, is being destroyed systematically," the statement said.
"The Russian leadership especially bears moral and political responsibility for supplying the regime with weapons," it added, referring to Moscow's status as a leading ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"In protest of this shameful international stand, the coalition has decided to suspend its participation in the Rome conference for the Friends of Syria and decline the invitations to visit Russia and the United States."
The invitations had been extended to opposition coalition leader Mouaz Alkhatib after he met the Russian and U.S. foreign ministers in Munich this month.
The invitations were made shortly after Alkhatib offered to negotiate Assad's departure with members of the Syrian government who were not tainted by having participated in the crackdown on the 23-month-long revolt.
Rocket attacks on eastern districts of Aleppo, Syria's industrial and commercial hub, killed at least 29 people on Friday and trapped a family of 10 in the ruins of their home, opposition activists in the city said.
On Tuesday activists said at least 20 people were killed when a large missile hit the rebel-held district of Jabal Badro, also in the east of the contested city.
Reuters
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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So let me get this straight... they're protesting the fact that the Russians are helping the Syrian goverment AND that the US isn't doing enough?? I thought all of Syria hates the US of A??? They sure don't do much to show they like us.
So... my questions is... why do we care??
because Aleppo is a beautiful city.
Self-reliance is always better.
The US doesn't have monopoly over truth. US intervention can sometimes have unintended (and often bad) consequences.
Syria is a great ancient civilization with proud traditions. The Great Assyrian Empire lasted from 1365BC-609 BC).
The latest version of the powerful Assyrian Empire is the Apple, Inc., created by Steve Jobs, son of a Syrian immigrant.
""Hundreds or civilians have been killed by Scud missile strikes. Aleppo, the city and the civilization, is being destroyed systematically," the statement said."
I would like to ask: how many were killed and injured in 9/11?
All over the world there were terrorist attacks by Sunni Islamic haters and killers.
Can Sunni Islamists, liabilities and curses on earth, give us an account of innocents including children and women killed?
Syria is an exmple: Sunni Islamic madness of different flavors wearing different labels have no limits!
How can you group every muslim together? Christian killed hundreds of thousands of pagans, jews and islams. We are no better than them. We forced every jew and muslim out of the iberian peninsula. We killed pagans from spain to russia. We killed each other (catholics of protestant and reformists). Then protestant of indians. Christians enslaved africans and started a huge slave empire. You are racist and a prime example of the hate that infects this world. How can we say that the world is peaceful and preach that we are all equels when we have racists and hate coming from people like you.
Imbecile, do you realize how many of those blood worshipping brutes have tortured Christians and everyone else including their very own women and children all in the name of their satan worshiping prophet mohammed? To say that Islam is the cancer of the earth is NOT "racist" it is TRUTH. This disgusting cult INFECTS the world. If you love it so much why don't you move to the middle east and see how "peaceful" it is.
.
The U.S. preaches loves and its citizens worship war. The U.S. complains about this or that when it is their fault in the first place. All islamic people are not evil. Just becuase one is evil doesn't mean the others are. If they are hurting their own women and children does that mean that they are also evil cultists? Christains are far from innocent and are probably worse in some ways. The reason they hate us is because we hate them. How can you expect them not to attack us when we hate them so blatently. You are racist and your "truth" is a deluison made because you can't accept the views of a religion that is so similar to your own.
we've shown we don't care enough about this disaster in the US to stop it. Certainly the Russians were an obstinate obstacle to stopping the carnage. The opposition Syrians have shown some real balls telling us both where to get off...first action by Middle Eastern people gaining my respect
the U.S. citizens do not worship war, its the american corporations that like war so they can make billions of dollar with all the government contracts.
@walterk123 The US citizens, American corporations and American Governmet are all one and the same.
Russia's anti-west propaganda in the region is why they don't like or trust the U.S. The Soviet Union (just call it what it is) doesn't want good relations between the Middle East and Uncle Sam...they fight anything that smells of Democracy, especially in their own country.
And then of course you have the super powers fighting for resources in an oil rich region of the world. Thanks to big oil we''ll never find an alternative.
Mr. Sadden America: I don't know why you should or should not care. But i care because I am a human. Because I love humanity. because I believe that god created all people. I pray they find peace.
Nathan1237,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_and_the_slave_trade
@Star-2521762 not true, I'm not part of the government or corporations, you think i can do anything about what our government does.
So, the Syrian opposition turned down an invitation to come to the US? Okay, thanks for saving us taxpayers your 1st class airfare, room, and board (i.e. paid vacation out of the hell in Syria).
I happen to agree with the Syrian opposition here.
For the US, we are making the right moves for ourselves, maybe. But it is a horrible revolution and why should people we are not helping give two s**ts about us? And I find it entirely fair. Why is the US worse than Russia, who is actually supplying Asad with weapons?
The Syrians are helped by nobody. So when they win their revolution, they should ignore the US and Russia as much as they can when deciding their future. Probably a good idea, anyway, but particularly in this circumstance.
And people wonder why the opposition turns to insanity like Al Quaeda....
This is a planted story and not a real one. Wherever there is conflict - only two parties are capable of supplying weapons to the "rebels". Russia+China or US+western Europe. Syria is clearly protected by Russians and Chinese. So it is very clear who is providing weapons to "rebels" who apparently just killed 56 innocent people in a car bomb two days back.
@6dogs I don't see your point. Your saying Jews had slaves, well okay so they aren't innocent either. This just furthers my point that you can't group all muslims together and call them evil when all the religions have commited atrocities. A great point of this is the Bosnian genocide. Where Bosnian serbs killed Bosnian croats and Bosnian Muslims. They call it "ethnic cleansing" I call it racist genocide. America is falling to hate, we don't care about the world outside our continent, which is dumb. WW2 and WW1 could have been stopped earlier if the American people would've wanted to join the war sooner. We decided WW2 was a European problem and it wouldn't affect us. We wouldn't have even got involved if Pearl Harbor wasn't attacked.
@nathan
"How can you group every muslim together?"
I'm going to guess you were replying to Jonathan.
You realize of course he limited his truthful rant to ISLAMIST SUNNIS. Not all muslims.
@Nathan; Reference your 2.5 post in which you state we should not lump all Muslims together, and you are right, we shouldn't. That said, you immediately go about lumping Christians togehter. Jews were forced out of Spain, a very Christian country to them in - Greece. Christians enslaved Africans, Muslims did that to Africans centuries earlier.
It's easy to see why we tend to ignore our past, if many even know about it, and focus on the here and now. Our history classes did little to enlighten us about the sins of our religion. But, in this global world, with its global media, nothing escapes our attention, and you must admit, these Islamist extremists are getting a lot of air time - negative air time. So, many people generalize and put all Muslims into the same optic. It is faulty I know. Most Muslims abhore the actions of these extremists, but maybe that is a fault of theirs. Why don't Muslims leaders and politicians of Muslim states do more and act out more in protest against these people staining the Islamic religion? These extremists deserve our derision and the hatred just comes with the package.
I noticed your comment 2.19 above referring to WWI & WWII ending earlier had America intervened earlier, let's examine that: Your statement strongly suggests Europe's dependence on the U.S. to settle its hostilities, it also points out that Europe, and not America, launched the two bloodiest conflicts the western world has ever known.
Good for them! I hope this grabs someone's attention, who can do something about it.
All they want is suitcases full of American cash. Assad needs to get serious if he want to get rid of the radical Muslims trying to destroy Syria; he's not being aggressive enough.
Well, the Pig Bashar is already using Scud missiles against civilian neighborhoods in Aleppo, how more serious do you want that faggot to be? The only weapons he did not use yet are WMD "Chemical & Biological Weapons"..
Get your facts right idiot.
Justin Cais : Well, if the terrorists, backed by the USA undercover, weren't trying to overthrow the Syrian government, Assad would not have to use weapons. Assad didn't start this war, the terrorists did; foolishly thinking the USA and it's NATO puppets would come to the rescue with cruise missles and massive bombings like they did in Libya. The American people are fed up with their politicians committing violence against every country they disagree with.
Zheng He,
You may be right, and members of the opposition may indeed be terrorists.
However, how would you feel if a dictator were sitting on the thrown of your country for 42 years and showing no signs of ever wanting to step down? I believe that if you lived in Syria, you would've had enough of the old regime, and would want to try something, anything new.
You are viewing the scene in Syria through the lenses of a disinterested spectator. But, if you could see yourself in the shoes of a Syrian national for a second, what would your feelings about the conflict be?
Don't support a dictator only to spite the US. Pleae use your own judgment and common sense.
Doesn't the Syrian Opposition realize that the Russians, who supplied all the weapons to Asswad, are the "ursine majors" in that part of the world? Their statement says that or else they used a pun.
The US does not need to partake in the "Teddy Bears Picnic" anymore.
@Justin Cais, quoting you. 'the only weapons he did not use "yet" are WMD" And it's only a matter of time
because as you say Assad is serious. I am convinced Saddam's WMDS are in Syria, syriously.
I
Depends which flavor you are drinking. Doesn't it?
They're probably too busy planning their next series of car bombings, anyway.
They must have had a huge ammo stockpile.
I would love to see some satellite photos of Syria.
try google maps
Terrorists gain nothing from a brokered peace.
Russia is their chief trading partner. US should have plenty to keep itself busy, why be offering financial aid and security. Russia is taking care of it. Don't forget USA is $16 trillion in debt and climbing.
opposition didnt go because they are all talk say they want stuff done but backs out when the time comes they care ust as little for there people as the regime does they say they wanted intervention israel attacked the regimes bases and first thign the oppositioon does is condem attacks ont he regime when they are asking vfor intervention lol to me that makes no sense and if us or any other soldiers come in first thing the opposition will do is say hopw bad it was that they came even tho they asked for it then turn there guns on the soldiers that helped them and once asaads out the opposition will turn there guns on eachother fact of the matter is the opposition clains the regime is killing there people yet the oppositoion goes into places not effected by the war bringing the bombings and stuff with them look at aleppo wasnt effected untill the oppositioon went in and thats when the bombings and killings started there th opposition is jsut as bad as the regime soon as the opposition starts comming into towns thats when u ehar reports about killings and rapes in places not effected by war and they are trying to do the same to damascus sayoing they arnt terrorists yet they blow up buildings killing civilains they target airports full of civilians and yet they blame it all on the regime when they are jsut as bad yes people died when it was jsut protests if the opposition didnt get weapons and try to take on the regime over 70,000 people wholdnt of died niether side gices a crap about the innocent people in syria they want pother coountries to give them weapons look at aleppo thats wha thappens when the opposition gets there hands on weapons more people die the oppositioon is worthless and is just as bad as the regime and people are idiots if they think the opposition is any better and for who ever said why are the condemning russia the people who are condemning russia are the opposition russia is for the regime opposition is the anti regime thats why they are protesting against russia for helping the regime
"A statement late on Friday by the Syrian National Coalition, an umbrella group of opposition political forces, said it also had suspended participation in a Friends of Syria conference of international powers due in Rome next month to protest the attacks it said have caused many civilian casualties."
Look, who is talking?
The biggest irony is that Sunni Islamic haters and killers are talking about "morals" and "civilian casualties."!
Sunni Syrian rebels are supported by Sunni Islamic killers like al Qaida, Muslim Bloodhounds, Salaffi and others.
Keep miles away from them.
If we help these Sunni Islamic killers, then Benghazi will not be far off!
In hating and killing "infidels", all Muslim sects and tribes join hands!
Poor bastards. Just more suffering for the regular people. We can't save them from themselves.
and that too shameless liabilities to normal humans and curses on earth!
There was rebellion of Shiites against the despotic and highly corrupt Sunni ruler of Bahrain.
Brave Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwaiti, UAE and other Arab League nations sent their forces and just quelled the Shiites rebellion in no time.
All of a sudden, these seventh century fountainheads of Sunni Islamic haters and killers, remembered “human rights violations” in Syria.
So the Sunni rulers of Arab League sent “human rights” group to Syria.
The head of the Saudi and their Arab League observers to Syria was a Sudanese Gen. The brave Gen was responsible for the genocides of at least 300000 Christians in Darfur!
Still House of Saud ruler and his 5000 princes and princesses and other Sunni rulers seventh century desert dances did not work.
How can the world tolerate and some shamelessly dance and act as directed by the bigoted, barbaric and beastly seventh century House of Saud?
Later oil rich Sunni rulers outsourced their dirty work to Turkey.
You see: Turkey is a strategic NATO ally and too much of Turkey’s seventh century Islamist Erdogan’s dances mean US, Britain and other NATO forces members have to pitch in.
What a way to outsource their dirty jobs to NATO forces just like Iraqi wars to save Kuwaiti, Saudi and other “oil rich” rulers!!!
Not going as a way to protest the lack of international support?? Then (they and we) have nothing to talk about.. And we have no reason to get involved..
What are "brave" Hezbollah, Shiites killer gangs in Lebanon, doing to help their boss, Assad?
Even beasts are more brave these Islamic killers. Here Shiites' one are proving most worthless!
These shameless Shiites' Hezbollah should chain themselves and saw each others throats next time on their holy days.
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.
Followers of Islamic cult, especially House of Saud and other Sunni ME rulers inspired and funded Sunni Islamic radicals and militants (al-Qaida, Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB, Taliban and other label ones), are fast marching backwards to their seventh century desert tribal days.
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 (Libya, Yemen, Mali, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other places).
In Egypt, the Sunni extremists with labels like Salaffi and MB (Muslim Bloodhounds) are opening up new chapters of Islamic bigotry. Morsi is just a front for them.
Just watch the fate of sane Muslims, minority sect/tribe people, Christians, women and Israel as the time goes by.
Pakis and Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and other Sunni Arab League nations are responsible for 80 percent of world problems including economic ones.
Examine the devastations with Iraqi wars and now sanctions on Iranian oil and the resultant oil price manipulations.
They are making the lives of their own people also miserable by their Islamic religious madness to the intolerable levels.
who cares, we need to stay out of this.
While I am in general agreement, if the terrorists get close to the WMDs (nerve gas, etc.), we need to step in...fast.
let them continue to fight it out and then the western powers and chinese can enter at the right moment and recolonize the territory.
Of course, after all of ME starting from Saudi Arabia including Mecca and Medina become desert clean again!
Do you mean "every" single country in the Middle East? Because there is one country in the ME that has nukes and would most likely object to your idea.
the only people Syria are hurting are themselves -all these countries and religions have so much pride but should not let it stop them from asking for help-they would rather fight amongst themselves -I don't understand their philosophy as I have rarely been exposed to certain countries but apparent suicide of a country does not make sense in any stretch of the imagination-how hard is it to dispose of dictators they always seem to be able to hang on to the bitter conclusion-look at Iraq
could you do an article on the scientists from this area and there contributions to our civilization
they are also destroying history not making it-these areas should be concentrating on what they have got and developing-these areas have the most sun they should say screw you and build solar farms and then sell the tech to other countries-I thought someone would have come up with a better containment unit for solar power
we maybe envious yet-the future is not that far away
Most, if not all of the Muslim countries are about 400 yrs behind the civilized Western countries. Most, if not all of the Muslim countries need foreigners to run their power plants, water plants, etc. They themselves don't have the brain power and the intellegent people to do so.
Most of the Muslims cannot read or write. Why is that? Does their pagan God Mohammad require the people to be illerate and stupid with the written word? Sure seems like it. And why do the stupid rabble rousing mullah's tell their illerate people that the Koran promises virgin's when it clearly says 'grains of white rice?'
Let them keep killing each other off, because sooner of later the Western Countries will have to take care of these terrorists. Weather it be bombing them back to the stone age, or educating them into the 21st Century. But rest assured, the Western countries have the power to do so.
Forget about educating followers of Islamic cult!
Sometimes, after some lull, followers were back to square one to their routine business: hating and killing.
@SallyAnn: Though your view of Muslims, as expressed in #17 above, is somewhat crude and stereotypical, it indicative of how the West, in general, has come to see the Muslim world today.
History sometime repeats its self. The English Civil war with Cromwell, 1650s. It took 11 years and then the revolutionary round-heads were hunted down and killed. Later, all Cromwell's supporters that were buried in Westminster Abbey, were hauled out side and dumped in a pit. You must have 100% of the people in support. The middle East will soon fall in to a massive blood bath. They will all organize and go after their enemies, the West and Israel. Their just stirring up a snake pit.
The middle east had better learn how to manufacture war machines that are as efficient at killing as ours, otherwise they are just cannon fodder. Up till now the middle east can only purchase our military equipment and need extensive training provided by us, before they can even get a jet fighter off of the ground. They also lack most of the industries which would enable then to even remotely challenge either the USA, Europe or China. At least for the USA, we have two very large bodies of water to protect us from these states, they have no means to transport men and material to engage us in any type of battle, no less a world war. Finally, if they are to be locked in massive blood letting, they most certainly will not be able to unite and build industries to supply themselves. That just doesn't seem possible in our lifetimes.
It takes a big snake dictator to beat down all the little snakes. It is a joke trying to spread Western Political systems when their is still a fudal system of disenfranchised people with no future or jobs. How stupid can you get. Millions and Millions will die and their will be no end to the roaming bands of killers and looters. The only way to stop it is to cut off the ammo supply in the middle East and by then Western Europe and France other countries with Muslim population will be in turmoil.
There is a big difference......for many yrs the US has left the Assad family rule with iron hand that country....repression, massacres.....and now when the locals raise against it, the US wants to go there and pose conditions....wake up gringo....there is a world out there....and it doesn't need you......and the majority of it......doesn't want you....jejejeje
@Deckie...Noooooooooo... How can you say such a thing???
Some of the world's worst dictators were set up by the US....somthing we seem to (conveniently) forget...and rather continue to play this holier that thou game.....jejejejejeje
@Deckie: Get out much or just stay in your basement with the lights off? America didn't just let Assad rule, the Soviets were allied with Assad, with the repression and massacres. I guess you (conveniently) forgot that little fact. But, never mind the facts, let's blame America.
Hey, when we set up and supported dictators it was the Cold War and there was no holier than thou. We set up and backed dictators so we could keep out the Soviets. Dirty, huh? But necessary.
Hey, buy a flashlight for down there, your stumbling in the dark!
they don't want to be sold down the river
The worst dictator in history has been elected right here in America by Americans. "YOU KNOW" by the people , for the people! America is a shame and a discrace. The world is watching and laughing.
Right Virgle.
Martial rule has been declared and there are troops in the street.
All free elections have been cancelled.
People are being loaded into rail cars and hauled away.
All key industries have been nationalized.
Right?
What a bigoted idiot you are!
"Life is tough, it's even tougher when you're stupid." John Wayne.
What a mess.
I feel sad for the regular people and innocent children there. What a Horror!
So all we need now is an American, Russian, and Chinese spring, with a sprinkling or nuking of Iran and North Korea, and the world can go back to being in balance. Ahh Spring is in the air.
When has the world ever been in balance jackass?
You obviously no NOTHING about history.
You idiots talk about "nuking" without considering for one second the consequence. Right wing babble.
Inappropriate response to verbal threat's and you forgot the gulf emirates and the house of saud, they are the root of most sunni terrorism. Iran is only a concern to the Likudniks. It really isn't in the interest of the Russian and Chinese to get too involved, since once the Mullahs were removed the Chinese and Russians would be given Junior partner status and quickly pushed aside by the traditional Western Business interests to control the hydrocarbon money cycle. So Russia and China would be wise to just sit back and see what evolves. For them the "tipping point" has not been reached.
@MikeO76: Whoa! Switch to decaf!!
Fight your own damm war.
The USA is sick and tired of fighting everybody else's wars and fights.
The USA is war weary, even the crooks in congress are getting sick and tired of being the worlds policeman.
Stay away from Washington, we don't care.
We would prefer that you and the rest of your sick ilk stay out of the USa and just murder, bomb and kill the women and children in your own country.