US, Turkey plan for worst-case scenarios in Syria
US, Turkey plan for worst-case scenarios in Syria – Israel News, Ynetnews.
US Secretary of State, Turkey’s foreign minister meet in Istanbul in bid to devise strategy that would end bloodshed in Syria; plan for possibility Assad may use WMDs on rebels
News agencies
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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkey’s foreign minister said Saturday that their countries are creating a formal structure to plan for worst-case scenarios in Syria, including a possible chemical weapons attack on regime opponents.
Clinton and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that their two nations would set up a working group to respond to the crisis in Syria as conditions there deteriorate.
They said the group will coordinate military, intelligence and political responses to the potential fallout in the case of a chemical attack, which would result in medical emergencies and a likely rise in the number of refugees fleeing Syria.
Clinton said the group was needed in order to explore the “real details” of potential new crises.
The visit comes after Washington on Friday announced sanctions on Syrian state oil company Sytrol for trading with Iran, in a bid to starve the regimes in both Tehran and Damascus of much-needed revenue.
The US Treasury also said it was adding the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which has close ties with Iran and Syria, to a blacklist of organizations targeted under Syria-related sanctions.
Washington already classes Hezbollah a “terrorist organization” and it is under US sanctions, but Friday’s move explicitly ties the group to the violence in Syria, where Assad is attempting to put down a 17-month revolt.
Anti-Assad protest in Turkey (Photo: AFP)
The sanctions are designed to increase pressure on the Assad regime as the conflict escalates sharply after the failure of former UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan‘s peace plan and his dramatic resignation.
In Istanbul, Clinton will have “lengthy and in-depth conversation” with Turkey’s president, prime minister and foreign minister to discuss a three-pronged strategy, a US official said.
The first aspect is “how we judge the effectiveness of what we are doing in terms of supporting the opposition,” the official said, adding that pressure and isolation of the regime was part of the strategy.
Clinton is expected to discuss with Turkey’s leaders ways to effectively enforce sanctions against Damascus.
Turkey, once a close ally of Syria, has become a vocal opponent of the regime since it launched a brutal crackdown on dissent in March last year.
Relations hit an all-time low after a Turkish fighter jet was shot downby Syrian fire in June, killing its two-man crew and leading Ankara to brand Damascus a “hostile” opponent.
In November, the Turkish government joined Arab Leaguesanctions, freezing Syrian government financial assets, imposing a travel ban on senior Syrian officials and cutting off transactions with the country’s central bank.
The second part of the strategy, according to the US official, would be to extend humanitarian assistance to Turkey as it copes with an influx of refugees from Syria.
In Istanbul, Clinton is expected to announce an additional $5.5 million in aid for those fleeing fighting that monitoring groups say has now claimed over 21,000 lives.
Turkey is currently home to more than 50,000 refugees living in camps along the Syrian border.
The third strategy, the US official said, is built on a transition plan out of the “strong conviction” that Assad’s days are numbered and that the international community needs to be prepared to support Syrians.
US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoganagreed at the end of July to work on political change in Syria, including Assad’s departure.
Turkey is also providing sanctuary to forces defecting from Assad’s army to link up with the opposition Free Syrian Army, some of whose leaders are based on Turkish soil near the border.
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WarSclerotic 
August 11, 2012 at 7:18 PM
Reblogged this on TeMe.
August 12, 2012 at 12:58 AM
The worst case scenario is already happening, the “rebels” are losing, are not getting any support from the population and the Assad government as well as the army is firmly in control
August 12, 2012 at 8:39 AM
The rebels are not losing, there is a fierce guerrilla warfare now in Syria and Assad is no more in control of the events in his country.
And you, Renbe, stop quoting the official syrian TV on this site.