BREAKING: Kerry | Lavrov Reach CW Syria Deal

24 Comments

1. 

   Don Durito on September 14, 2013 at 1:21 pm

   This came very close to being a massive clusterf*ck. Good to read that something far worse was averted. Quickly perused your diary at Eurotrib. Some good points there. One of these days I am going to have to finally set up an account there.

2. 

   Marie2 on September 14, 2013 at 2:11 pm

   Most interesting State Dept. walkback:

   The US is confident that the results of the report will “reaffirm that chemical weapons were used in Syria” without assigning blame on any of the conflicting sides in the Syrian civil war, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Friday.

   While the US media (including blogs) waits with baited breath to see that UN report charging the Assad regime had used chemical weapons.  Wonder if the report will even definitely identify what chemicals were found.  

   • 

     Oui on September 14, 2013 at 3:50 pm

     .
     Admission by Kerry, it is possible rebels possess CW. Fair is fair, also in the by rebels controlled areas if there are chemical weapons present, the US will push for access!

     Secretary of State Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Press Remarks After Their Meeting In Geneva

     QUESTION: David Lerman from Bloomberg. Sir, just five days ago in London, when you first floated this idea publicly, you seemed to dismiss it at the time by saying Assad would never do it and, quote, “It can’t be done, obviously.” My question, sir, is how did the impossible suddenly become possible? And why is it credible to think that you can send these inspectors in on the ground in the middle of a civil war?

     SECRETARY KERRY: Sure.

     QUESTION: And, as a practical matter, if you really want to get thorough, verifiable inspections in all corners of the country, don’t you have to stop the fighting first?

     SECRETARY KERRY: … One of the reasons that we believe this is achievable is because the Assad regime has taken extraordinary pains in order to keep control of these weapons. And they have moved them, and we know they’ve moved them. We’ve seen them move them. We watched this. And so we know they’ve continued to always move them to a place of more control.

     Therefore, since these weapons are in areas under regime control predominantly, Sergey raises questions that maybe the opposition has some here or there, and absolutely, fair is fair. Both sides have to be responsible. If they do, that also – and that may present a larger challenge. But those of us who have been supporting the opposition have a responsibility to help create access there, and the regime has responsibility where we believe the – the measure – in fact, we believe the only weapons are – ought to be accessible because the Assad regime controls the access.

     • 

       Marie2 on September 14, 2013 at 5:00 pm

       Oops –

       But those of us who have been supporting the opposition have a responsibility to help create access there, …

       An admission of outside control of anti-Assad opposition forces?

     • 

       Marie2 on September 14, 2013 at 5:40 pm

       There’s this from Reuters.

       …
       Qassim Saadeddine, a rebel commander in northern Syria, told Reuters: “Let the Kerry-Lavrov plan go to hell. We reject it and we will not protect the inspectors.”
       …

       (Wonder what Saadeddine’s weapons stores look like.)

       But also this:

       In Istanbul, the head of the Syrian rebel Supreme Military Council, General Selim Idris, called it a blow to opposition hopes of overthrowing Assad and accused the Syrian president of circumventing any disarmament by already sending chemical weapons to allies in Lebanon and Iraq in recent days.

       Maybe Idris could move his ass from Istanbul and see the war from the ground.

3. 

   Oui on September 14, 2013 at 3:03 pm

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   SG Ban Ki-moon did NOT refer to the UN Inspection report or did he leak ANY substantial information ahead of time! Ban Ki-moon did say there was overwhelming evidence of chemical warfare. The SG did not point fingers and it’s not the inspectors to put blame on a side. The scientific evidence may be sufficient to reach a conclusion. The UNSG got the report probably on Saturday and it will be published on Monday.

   As all of you know, another UN Commission is investigating serious war crimes and will document these for a future referral to the ICC where at all possible. Ban Ki-moon spoke about those conclusions – U.N. Rights Panel Cites Evidence of War Crimes by Both Sides in Syria. The allied nations UK, France and the US will have a summit in Paris on Monday. Secretary Kerry will meet PM Netanyahu on Sunday in Jerusalem. The US have communicated with Iran and newly elected President Rouhani via the Swiss consulate.

   Updates and analysis in my new diary @EuroTrib – Chemical Weapons and Moral Hypocrisy.

   ○ JPost Op-Ed: Ditch the Analogies

4. 

   Oui on September 14, 2013 at 6:47 pm

   .
   UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon send a tweet about Syria and the OPCW …

   Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Syria’s instrument of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention

   New York, 14 September 2013 – The Secretary-General, in his capacity as the depositary of the 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, has today received the formal instrument of accession to the Convention by the Syrian Arab Republic.

   Pursuant to the Convention, any State may accede to the Convention at any time. The Convention will enter into force for the Syrian Arab Republic on the 30th day following the date of deposit of this instrument of accession, namely on 14 October 2013.

   The Secretary-General welcomes the accession of the Syrian Arab Republic to this Convention.

5. 

   Oui on September 15, 2013 at 7:40 am

   .
   The daily comments to articles in the Jerusalem Post are filled with disdain for America and outright hate or anti-Americanism. Often articles and opinion pieces are authored by Jews living in the US. PM Netanyahu has kept silent on the repositioning of US policy on Syria. Today John Kerry will visit Jerusalem, let the fireworks begin. Links added in article are mine – Oui.

   Washington watch: Syria, who cares?

   (JPost) – Not long after the 1982 slaughter of upwards of 25,000 Syrians at Hama on orders of then-president Hafez Assad, I asked a top US State Department official why we heard so little outrage from the US or other governments. He shrugged and told me, “No one cares when Arabs kill Arabs.”

   Today Hafez’s son Bashar is making daddy look like a piker, with more than 100,000 of his fellow Syrians killed over the past two-and-ahalf years, most recently 1,400 by poison gas, including over 400 children, in a Damascus suburb last month. Another two million have become refugees.

   After several smaller Syrian chemical attacks, an angry American president finally decided to punish Bashar Assad for this crime against humanity by lobbing a few cruise missiles at some Syrian targets, careful to avoid the chemical weapons depots.

   But after initial resistance, he decided to seek permission from a Congress he is known to scorn, and where the feeling is mutual among many. That’s when the real trouble began. He faces a humiliating defeat from anti-war Democrats on the left, skeptics in the center and rabidly anti-Obama Republicans, isolationists and xenophobes on the right.

   So he turned to two nemeses for help: Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Neither has been very good at concealing his disdain for Obama – nor he for them – and each now has an opportunity to put the American president in his debt.

   … Obama turned first to Israel and the Jewish community for help in selling his case. He didn’t just call Netanyahu [and Peres – Oui] for help but also enlisted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other Jewish groups to lobby the Congress. Rather than keep a low profile, AIPAC announced how it was sending 250 citizen lobbyists to the Hill to build support for an Obama policy that it saw as sending a message to Iran not to build a nuclear weapon.

   … Netanyahu reportedly was even making personal phone calls to friends in Congress, at Obama’s request. I can’t think of a better way to tell the world that the Jews and Israel are pushing the United States to go to war in Syria. When Mearsheimer and Walt and their band of Israel haters accused Israel and the Jews of pushing us to war against Iraq after 9/11 they were totally wrong, but who can say that this time?

   [Author: Douglas M. Bloomfield, a former staff member of AIPAC, writes about the Mideast and politics of Jewish life in America.]

   ○ Douglas Bloomfield on Iran and new president Rouhani – The Times, Are They A Changin’?.

6. 

   Oui on September 16, 2013 at 6:45 am

   .
   The piece by Marcy Wheeler could have been written by McCain/Graham based on mistrust of the political effort and agreement put in place by the CWC teams of John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov. Both President Putin and Obama have committed themselves to the deal. The inspection regime and the destruction of the CW arms and facilities will be performed by the OPCW. I suggest everyone take note of the press conference, it provides clarity. As the Russian newspapers wrote headlines: Chemistry between Kerry and Lavrov. But the good understanding has been there all along. Diplomacy is on the front burner in the White House.

   As I have written, a political solution on Syria will be put on the table and agreed upon by Russia and the US within a 90 day period. A backchannel is opened with President Rouhani of Iran for talks on the nuclear issue with the US. The “humanitarian hawks” in the Obama administration have taken a back-seat to diplomacy and the effort of Secretary Kerry.

   Marcy Wheeler doesn’t get it.

   ○ The World after the Kerry-Lavrov accord on Syria by Juan Cole
   ○ Kerry after briefing PM on Syria accord: Diplomacy preferred solution, but ‘no option off the table’ Jerusalem visit

   • 

     Oui on September 16, 2013 at 6:47 am

     .
     I too love Marcy Wheeler’s great investigative work!

     My main argument is, emptywheel based her analysis on distrust of the deal with the Russians and the inability for the OPCW to do its task. In the press conference of Kerry and Putin, this point had been adressed and answered. Syria has ratified the CWC treaty and as such has committed itself to the process of CW disarmament. A UN Security Council resolution will be agreed upon in the coming days, supported by Russia and the US. To write this analysis, you don’t believe a word that was said nor value the agreement signed. This is very similar to words and statements by McCain amd Graham. It’s their lifeline.

     The following statements by emptywheel are just not true …

     ○ US Negotiating Position in Lavrov-Kerry Deal Depends on Expansive Commander-in-Chief Claims
     ○ just agreed to does allow the US to demand a UN resolution backing use of force in case Assad does balk
     ○ US does expect Russia would still veto such a resolution
     ○ because we exercise little leverage over them [rebels] , we may not be able to prevent them from scuttling the disarmament process

     Her last paragraph is  basically wrong:

     “In any case, I’m pretty sure I know what the Russians — who, after all, won this round — intend: that’s to protect Assad’s hold on power, via whatever means. And frankly, that’s what we are — explicitly, at least — seeking as well, even while we continue to arm rebels trying to overthrow him.”

     Step 2 of this process will be vigorous talks between Russia and the US to iron out a political solution to the conflict. Just as in step 1, there will be a minimum of consultation with partners, the FSA and the Assad crowd.  I’m certain there is already a basic agreement on the outline of these talks – Geneva 2. Assad and his henchmen will not be part of a future regime in Syria. If you read between the lines, Putin and Russia already implied such a year ago. If the UN Inspectors point to Assad for the Ghouta gas attack, Assad is definitely out. The meeting between Kerry and Lavrov proceeded in good faith, Obama wil support a diplomatic solution. This is completely new for Obama, a reversal of his decision to attack the Assad regime a fortnight ago.

     See my earlier post – US Confusion Setting Policy On Syria, other progressives tell the tale PBO knew all along what he was doing setting policy on Syria, a masterful coup to play out diplomacy.

     “For the neo-cons, our Syria policy was rather explicitly about preventing Russia (and also Iran) from having any influence in Syria. The same can be said for our Sunni allies in the region. The same can be said for Israel. The president doesn’t think that and never has thought that.”

     This writer in Israel gets it!
     Analysis ||  U.S.- Russia agreement on Syrian chemical weapons, is, theoretically, a godsend for Israel  by Chemi Shalev

     • 

       Oui on September 16, 2013 at 6:49 am

       .
       FM Laurent Fabius, FM William Hague and Secretary Kerry explain the agreements in Geneva on CW in Syria. This confirms for 100% my assessment of the process from Geneva to the next step, working towards a political solution of the civil/sectarian war. On the first question, how Kerry will provide protection for the Christian minority in Syria as in Iraq the consequences were dire and most Christians have fled the country. Will there be an option similar to the 1975 proposal on Lebanon, an opportunity for transfer of minorities to Canada. Kerry answer in short, he doesn’t agree the persecution of Christians in Iraq was a consequnce of US/UK invasion and occupation. Conclusion: the allies have yet no idea how to protect minorities once the Assad regime is overthrown. All three speak in strong terms of the moderate opposition, IMHO that is non-existent as we have witnessed the last 30 months.

       The Chapter 7 sanction has already been incorporated in the Geneva agreement between the US and Russia.

     • 

       Oui on September 16, 2013 at 9:16 am

       .
       For me there were no surprises at the press conference in Paris. All the harsh statements by Fabius, Hague and Kerry were to safe face after being outmaneuvered by Putin last week. Kerry tried his best to present the three as a strong coalition having identical goals. I found nothing disturbing in their statements, as all three had to backtrack from earlier war rhetoric and having their credibility undermined.

       It doesn’t seem Russian FM Lavrov appreciated the hard talk by the three and gave a rebuttal from Moscow.

       Force rebels to talk peace – Russia

       (RT) – Meanwhile Lavrov said it may be time for the West to force the Syrian opposition to attend the planned Geneva conference. He was speaking in Moscow after meeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy. He added that the plan that Russia agreed to follow did not involve any automatic use of military force against Syria unless sanctioned by the UN Security Council.

       Lavrov stressed that the exact details of the terms for the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile are yet to be determined by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), while the future UNSC resolution is to endorse the decision of that organization rather than enforce particular terms on its own. This is part of the agreement the US and Russia reached, he said.

       The destruction of the stockpiles would be the responsibility of the Syrian government and the CWC [meant to say OPCW in The Hague – Oui], the Russian minister pointed out, but international community may be required to provide “additional international personnel” to provide security at the sites where the weapons would be scrapped.

       ‘Best way to get rid of Assad’: France urges strong UN resolution

       ○ UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria probing 14 cases of alleged chemical weapon attacks
       ○ Ban Ki-moon will present UN Inspection Report to Security Council members at 15:15GMT today

7. 

   Oui on September 16, 2013 at 12:39 pm

   .

   Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council on the report of the United Nations Missions to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons on the incident that occurred on 21 August 2013 in the Ghouta area of Damascus

   NEW YORK Sept. 16, 2013 – The team interviewed more than 50 survivors, medical personnel and first responders. It applied a rigorous and objective selection process designed to identify survivors who may have been exposed to chemical agents. It assessed these individuals’ symptoms and collected biomedical samples, including from hair, urine and blood.

   The samples were sent for analysis to four laboratories designated by the OPCW. The Mission’s factual findings are as follows.

   (a) The environmental and biomedical samples demonstrate the widespread nature of the attacks. Eighty-five per cent of the blood samples tested positive for sarin. Biomedical samples were taken from 34 of the 36 patients selected by the Mission who had signs of poisoning. Almost all tested positive for exposure to sarin.

   (b) These results were corroborated by the clinical assessments, which documented symptoms and signs consistent with nerve agent exposure. A number of affected patients were diagnosed with intoxification by an organophosphorous compound, and clearly showed symptoms associated with sarin, including loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, blurred vision, eye inflammation, vomiting and seizures.

   (c) A majority of the environmental samples confirmed the use of sarin. The samples were taken from impact sites and surrounding areas – locations where survivors were also found to have been affected by sarin.

   (d) The team was also able to examine impacted and exploded surface-to-surface rockets that are capable of carrying a chemical payload. These were carefully measured, photographed and sampled. A majority of the rockets or rocket fragments recovered were found to be carrying sarin.

   On the basis of its analysis, the Mission concluded that it – and I quote – “collected clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used in the Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah and Zalmalka in the Ghouta area of Damascus.”

   Due to the security situation and other limitations, the Mission was unable to document the full extent of the use of chemical weapons on 21 August or to verify the total number of causalities.

   The United Nations Mission has now confirmed, unequivocally and objectively, that chemical weapons have been used in Syria.

   This is a war crime and a grave violation of the 1925 Protocol and other rules of customary international law.  I trust all can join me in condemning this despicable crime. The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never re-emerge as an instrument of warfare.

   The accession of Syria to the Chemical Weapons Convention and Syria’s belated acknowledgement that it possesses chemical weapons are welcome developments that come with strict obligations.

   [Read on …]

   • 

     Oui on September 16, 2013 at 3:10 pm

     .
     Attack was on a massive scale with multiple surface-to-surface artillery rockets with characteristics of type BM-14. Relative positions of two impact sites are fully congruent with the dispersion pattern with rockets launched from a single, multi barrel launcher. Amount of sarin gas used in attack estimated at 360 liters. Experts will need to investigate which party is to blame, it’s a war crime and the UN Security Council will be asked to bring justice to the perpetrator. CNN had shown in a documentary the OPCW research lab in The Hague, location remains secret. Nearly all experts on the ground in Syria were from the OPCW, from other countries than the five permanent members of the Security Council. Even Iran has an official OPCW-designated Laboratory.

     ‘Clear and convincing’ evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria, UN team reports

     (UN News Centre) – The report, delivered to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday and made public today, concludes that on the basis of evidence obtained during the investigation of the Ghouta incident, “chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in [Syria], also against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale.”

     The team, lead by Swedish scientist Dr. Åke Sellström, also concludes in particular that the environmental, chemical and medical samples collected provide “clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-air- rockets containing the nerve agent Sarin were used in Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah, and Zamalka, in the Ghouta area of Damascus.”

     United Nations Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic
     Report on the Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons in the Ghouta Area of Damascus on 21 August 2013

     ○ Earlier experts were wrong about payload volume of sarin gas – Rockets in Syrian Attack Carried Large Payload of Gas

8. 

   Oui on September 17, 2013 at 4:12 am

   .
   Indiscriminate bombing of cities or the use of chemical agents. Not all war crimes are equal! Was the Treaty of 1925 based on the use during war or because Churchill had adopted chemical agents on cities to suppress uprisings in Mesopotomia? When was the term “teargas” coined, need restraint on the deadly mixture as used in Bahrain and Turkey today! Made in Israel btw.

   WWI 1914-1917
   Churchill Iraq 1920
   WWII Nuremburg Trials
   Rotterdam-London-Coventry bombing, but Dresden?
   Israel 1948 – BW typhoid
   Hanoi 1972 – carpet bombing / agent orange
   South Africa 1980s – Project Coast
   Iraq-Iran War 1980s
   Halabja 1988
   Japan – sarin
   US – anthrax
   Fallujah 2004
   Damascus 2013

   Cross-posted from a brief discussion @EuroTrib

   • 

     Don Durito on September 18, 2013 at 12:36 am

     Always good to be reminded of the history.

9. 

   Oui on September 17, 2013 at 3:37 pm

   .
   From the UN Report

   Information about munitions:
   23.    Information gathered about the delivery systems used was essential for the investigation. Indeed, several surface to surface rockets capable of delivering significant chemical payloads were identified and recorded at the investigated sites. These were carefully measured, photographed and sampled. Samples later confirmed to contain Sarin werr recovered from a majority of the rockets or rocket fragments. For more detailed information and assessments see Appendix 5.

   Environmental samples collected in Zamalka / Ein Tarma on 28 August 2013
   Between 14:14 and 14:38 a number of samples were taken from the rockets and fragments.

   Limitations:
   The time necesary to conduct a detailed survey of both locations as well as take samples was very limited. The sites have been well travelled by other individuals both before and during the investigation. Fragments and other possible evidence have clearly been handled/moved prior to the arrival of the invetigation team.

   Limitations:
   As with other sites, the locations have been well travelled by other individuals prior to the arrival of the Mission. Time spent on the sites was well used but limited. During the time spent at these locations, individuals arrived carrying other suspected munitions indicating that such potential evidence is being moved and possibly manipulated.

   U.N. report photo shows confirmation of sarin in Syria attack

   (Reuters) – The U.N. investigators studied five impact sites and were able to determine the likely trajectory of the projectiles at two sites: Moadamiyah and Ein Tarma.

   Eliot Higgins, who blogs under the name of Brown Moses and has been tracking videos of weapons used in the Syria conflict, wrote that he has not seen the opposition using the munitions identified in the report: a variant of the M14 artillery rocket and a 330 mm caliber artillery rocket.

   But Amy Smithson, a chemical weapons expert at Monterey Institute, said the August 21 attack bore “so many hallmarks of a military trained in chemical warfare doctrine” and not an untrained force. She said the army has chemical delivery systems the rebels lack.

   Brown Moses: Who Was Responsible For The August 21st Attack?

   ○ Mapping the Sarin Flight Path from UN report

   The HRW report also mentions the use of artillery shells Soviet era BM-14 launchers for 140mm rockets. These have been around a very long time and used extensively in the Algerian civil war, Egypt and Sudan (etc.). IMO these 140mm rockets could be launched from homemade artillery. There are videos of rebel forces launching this diameter rocket, see one here.

10. 

    Oui on September 18, 2013 at 4:10 am

    .

    Defense Analyst Report: Islamic extremists have indeed heavily influenced the Syrian rebel opposition

    (Jane’s Defens Weekly) – According to IHS’s numbers, Syria’s opposition is overrun with extremists and nearly half take up the entire fighting force. Overall, an estimated 100,000 are taking arms against Assad and of that 100,000, there are a reported 10,000 jihadists, which include the foreign fighters. Adding to the extremist factions are 30,000 to 35,000 hard-line Islamists, allied to al-Qaeda.

    Together with the 40,000 to 45,000 fueled Islamists are the likely 30,000 moderate rebels, most of which are still aligned with Islamic rule. These numbers would leave estimates very slim in terms of the fighters representing a nationalist Syrian opposition. Shockingly, IHS Jane’s study finds that around 1,000 different factions or groups are fighting inside Syria, showing a diverse and wide-ranged opposition to Assad. If anything, groups like al-Nusra are making up the core fight force in Syria.

    Jason Ditz of AntiWar wrote, “What’s left is the secularist component, a pretty small minority in the grand scheme of things, made doubly so by the fact that the al-Qaeda run forces like Jabhat al-Nusra have been dramatically more formidable in fighting.” Charles Lister, author of the IHS study believes with fighting entering its third year in Syria, most factions or groups are seeing some sort of Islamic influence.

    Israeli General: Syria War Creating Foreign Jihadist Hub On Our Border

11. 

    Oui on September 20, 2013 at 11:16 am

    .

    Press statement: Confirmation of Syria Disclosure

    THE HAGUE (OPCW) – 16:00 CEST. The OPCW has received an initial disclosure from the Syrian Government of its chemical weapons programme, which is now being examined by the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation.

    ○ Huff Post: Syria Declares Inventory In Initial OPCW Submission
12. 

    Oui on September 26, 2013 at 5:44 am

    .

    A Chemical Weapons Expert Responds To The Article “Questions Plague UN Report on Syria”

    It is true in respect to the fact that no actual Sarin was found in the 13 environmental samples taken from Moadamiyah. But the samples show DIMP, IMPA, and MPA, all of which are strong indicators of Sarin. The environmental samples are clear indicators that Sarin was used because of the clear presence of chemicals that are clearly decomposition products (IMPA, MPA) and impurities (DIMP), all of which persist longer in the environment than Sarin itself.

    There are several plausible reasons why the UN team did not collect a sample of actual Sarin at the Moadamiyah. Any or all of the following explanatory or contributory factors may have applied to this circumstance.

    “One of the chemical weapon experts quoted in the article is Dan Kaszeta, who has responded to the article with a FAQ <strike>he’ll be publishing online shortly</strike&gt he has published online.”

    Dan Kaszeta is NOT an UN Inspector of the team that visited Ghouta in Syria.

    In an interview with Truthout, Dan Kaszeta, a specialist on chemical, biological and radiological weapons who has advised the White House on those issues, pointed out that a nerve gas attack would have been accompanied by a pattern of symptoms that are not shown in the videos posted online.

    Chemical agents containing traces of sarin: DIMP, IMPA, and MPA. Some info in the role of photochemical and microbiological transformation processes in determining the environmental fates of diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP) and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) was investigated in 1979.

    A Pesticide Containing DIMP

    Nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal made the Environmental Protection Agency’s first Superfund list. Colorado residents learned that 750 chemicals were bubbling in that toxic soup. Among them was diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP), a chemical unique to the Army’s manufacture of GB nerve gas, or sarin.

    … a draft of a new toxicological profile being done on DIMP that suggested the chemical was far more deadly than previously suspected–and that was already plenty deadly. Specifically, the profile noted that this derivative of sarin has a half-life of 530 years, affects the nervous system, and results in animal mortality with a single dermal application.

    U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland (1979)
    STUDIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL FATES OF DIMP AND DCPD (pdf)

    Aquatic Animal Health and IMPA Isopropyl methylphosphonic acid

    Research Project:   EVALUATION OF COMPOUNDS AND STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING AQUATIC ANIMAL HEALTH
    Location: Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center

    ATT’N: The title of the research project and the location has been deleted on September 25, 2013. Can still be found on 2009 version Wayback Machine archive!

    MPA Methylphosphonic acid – Supplier Safety Data Sheet

    See my recent diary @EuroTrib – Chemical Weapons and Moral Hypocrisy.

    • 

      Oui on September 26, 2013 at 5:49 am

      Link to Fort Detrick report:
      U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland (1979)
      STUDIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL FATES OF DIMP AND DCPD (pdf)

13. 

    Oui on September 27, 2013 at 11:41 pm

    .
    The aggressive rhetoric of FM Laurent Fabius and British FM William Hague has been muted by the reality of the Kerry/Lavrov agreement reached in Geneva.

    Lavrov: Syria resolution to be submitted to UNSC in line with Geneva deal

    (RT) – A Syria resolution drafted by Russia and the US and submitted to the UN Security Council does not suggest immediate military action under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, Russia’s FM Lavrov said. A vote on the measure could take place Friday evening.

    The Council has begun consultations on the draft and may vote on the resolution on Friday evening, as soon as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons makes its own decision on the submitted draft, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said.  

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov might slightly extend his visit to New York to take part in the vote, and his counterparts from the Security Council member states are considering similar moves, Churkin added.  

    The resolution which was submitted to the UN Security Council is fully in line with the Geneva framework on the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria, Sergey Lavrov told the press earlier on Thursday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 68th session.

    “There will be no enforcement in line with Chapter 7,”

     he emphasized.

    The draft resolution backs the agreement reached in Geneva regarding Syria’s commitment to place its chemical weapons stockpile under international control. If there is any violation by any party – as the resolution  also calls on the opposition to assist in the disarmament process – the Security Council will convene again and will be ready to take enforcement measures in line with Chapter 7, Lavrov said.

    “We have finalized the draft which will be submitted at the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Hague any minute now,” Lavrov said in a short statement on Thursday evening. “We have also agreed on a US-Russian draft resolution which will be submitted to the Security Council later tonight.”

    The draft resolution emphasizes the need to rely on the professionalism of the OPCW experts and calls on the UN Secretary General to assist the experts in the implementation of the reached agreements.

    Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction

    See my earlier post – A Clean Break with Israel and KSA.

    • 

      Oui on September 27, 2013 at 11:42 pm

      .

      UN Security Council unanimously adopts Syria resolution

      (RT) – The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution outlining the details of taking under international control and ultimately destroying Syria’s chemical arsenal.

      “Today’s historic resolution is the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the council immediately after the vote.

      The Syrian sides must engage constructively in the upcoming Geneva 2 conference, which would be a significant step towards the “creation of a democratic state that guarantees the human rights of all in Syria,” Moon said in his address to the Council.

      “The regional actors have a responsibility to challenge those who will actively undermine the process and those who do not fully respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.”

      … The Council’s vote came shortly after a consensus had been reached earlier on Friday by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in regards to the proposal. The draft resolution is fully in line with the Geneva framework on the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria.

      The five veto-wielding members had agreed upon the text on Thursday before presenting the draft to the full 15-member body during overnight discussions.

      Director-General’s Statement on Executive Council Decision on Destruction of Syria Chemical Weapons

14. 

    Oui on October 5, 2013 at 3:50 am

    .
    Of course, all Obama loyalists call it a masterpiece of 11th Dimensional Chess, he can do no wrong. What a bs. Remember, France and the US were just hours away from a devastating military strike on Syria that would have destroyed any Obama “legacy.”

    It’s not 11th Dimensional Chess, just a lucky hand at poker when Secretary Kerry set up a one-two rebuttal with his Russian colleague Lavrov and secured the CW removal option in Syria. Left AIPAC look like fools and empty handed, so did the hawks in the White House, Capitol Hill and Jerusalem. Not even speaking of Ankara, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.

    Here is how the blog community reacts on poor brinkmanship from the Oval Office:
    ○ It’s At Least 11-Dimensional Chess   BooMan on Sept. 25, 2009
    ○ Russia’s chess game trumps Obama’s checkers (with video)   Sept.11, 2013
    ○ Obama Wins 11th Dimensional Chess Match: Agreement with Russia to Remove Syrian Chemical Weapons  Daily Kos on Sept.14, 2013

    My earlier comment – Regime Change for Syria Was Never A Secret.