U.S., UK and France agree that the UN discuss the Russian proposal on Syria

U.S. President Barack Obama agrees that the Russian proposal to put Syria chemical weapons under international control to be discussed at the UN, sources tell AP.

A White House official said Obama discussed the proposal on Tuesday with French President Francois Hollande, and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, announced that his country will propose a resolution on Syria in the Security Council of the UN on Tuesday.   Cameron added that the Russian proposal on Syria should be tested as well as being subject to a deadline.

The talks on the Russian proposal at the UN will begin today, according to an official NBC News White House. In the early hours of Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia and Syria are currently developing one concrete plan of how to perform the transfer of Syrian chemical arsenals to international control. 

A video showing the brutal execution of Syrian soldiers at the hands of rebels

A video shows how Syrian rebels executed seven soldiers of the Government of Bashar al Assad. In the recording, released by the newspaper " The New York Times ', is a group of rebels pointing guns at naked bodies and wounded seven soldiers who were previously tied up and thrown to the ground.

Just before the murder, the ringleader of the group, Issa Abdul Samad, reciting a poem in which notes that "his duty is to take revenge". At the end of the video the rebels throw the bodies into a well. The scene, filmed in April 2012, was provided to the newspaper by a repentant rebel in order to show the brutality of his companions then.

According to the source, Issa, 37 years before the war was a businessman and pastor. Currently leads a rebel group which has about 300 fighters. According to the exrebelde, Issa's motivation to join the insurgents was, as explained in the poem he recited, revenge.

These images come to light while in Russia celebrated the G-20, which is discussed, among other issues, the serious situation in Syria. The U.S. secretary of state, John Kerry, Congress recently said that only 15% or 20% of the Syrian rebels are aligned with Al Qaeda or extremist factions. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin branded as "lies "Kerry's statements. It's not the first time that video is broadcast atrocities committed by Syrian insurgents. Last May the recording showed a biting rebellious heart, liver or lung slice a government soldier.

Venezuela at the crossroads populist

 Venezuela's economic crisis hits the poorest sectors, and not shaping political change, except from within the ranks of Chavez, says expert. After a large-scale blackout to stop the dark part of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, as well as 19 of the 23 states of the central and western regions of the country on Tuesday, September 3, President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro , chose to blame the "right unpatriotic" of having committed a "electric shock" to destabilize the country. "Active Alerts and beat them," said Maduro in his Twitter account. Electricity Minister Jesse Chacon did not rule out sabotage.

Klaus Bodemer, political scientist at the Institute for Global and Regional Studies (GIGA), Hamburg, considers, however, that the causes of the blackout was due, among other things, the nationalization of large sectors of the U.S. economy, which has resulted in a lack of investment and hence a massive deterioration of infrastructure supply services. The ability to generate electricity is far outweighed by demand, which causes frequent rationing. The country's infrastructure is also many years in a sorry state, especially concerning the transport. A crisis that affects all Government after 14 years of the late Hugo Chavez, oil country records the highest inflation rate Latin America, about 25 percent, surpassed analysts say only by that of Argentina, which, according to unofficial data, is 26 percent. It is estimated that by the end of 2013, inflation in Venezuela could become one of the highest in the world.

The country is suffering from an economic downturn makes scarce commodity and is also confronted in a situation of increasing dependency, to swings in oil prices. "Almost three years ago the government of Venezuela was forced to import staples at extremely high prices, and that hits harder, of course, to the poorest sections of the population," says Bodemer. As a result of the crisis also increased unemployment, and insecurity remains a serious problem, says expert: "In 2012, Caracas recorded the highest crime rate in the world". Among other reasons, this is because, according to him, to a deficient training of law enforcement and the low salaries paid and corruption within its ranks. To Bodemer, "Venezuelan educational sector also reflects the ambivalence of government measures. Although conducted literacy programs, these do not cover the huge deficits that has that area. Similarly, there has been a leak brain and qualified personnel abroad. “Rich country, poor country.

One wonders how a country rich in oil as Venezuela goes through a situation so bleak in regard to infrastructure. Bodemer Klaus explains: "As always, and as happened during the Chavez government and previous development depends on a decisive factor, i.e. the income from the sale of oil." In the medium term, it is expected that lower oil prices, taking into account international demand, but increase, says Bodemer. But that does not mean that the oil price does not oscillate down temporarily due to the situation. "Another problem, more structural in nature, is to Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), which is underfunded for years, in large partly because oil revenues were not invested in modernizing it, but on social programs for the poor’s i.e. not invested in the development of the oil industry, and it became heavily dependent on foreign companies in the form of credits, among other countries, China ", explains the expert. Maduro will continue the legacy of Chavez? "The great debt of Chavez's economic success", said recently the minister of Finance of Venezuela, Nelson Merentes. According to Klaus Bodemer, that success is not shaping up as plausible medium term: "For example, the Bolivarian project subsidies for oil supplies are in place, but Maduro had to cut them." Mature does not have the charisma of Chavez, adds, and failed to continue the style of the late president. "On the other hand, his attempt to counteract the impetus given his rival, Capriles, foreign policy through improving Venezuela's diplomatic relations with other countries did not work". At Maduro Venezuela become more visible socio-political problems, of which Hugo Chavez distract knew through his leadership style, says the analyst.

What direction does Venezuela? "Right now we cannot speak of a specific address. Rather has lurched, and the model is no longer articulates Chavez efficiently but rather is in the process of dissolution. Depends Chavism mature figure. In that sense, I have my doubts about whether Chavez can survive in the medium term, "says Bodemer. Regarding whether the result of the municipal elections, to be held in December 2013, could pave the way for a profound change in Venezuela, Bodemer believes that "while Capriles has gained ground, does not have much chance of being a threat to mature". Rather, it could be a change from within the ranks Chavez, if they decide that Maduro is not the man to continue governing Venezuela. That is, to be outlined in order of Chavez, that surely will result from the inability to mature to continue giving support to the model following in the footsteps of Hugo Chavez.  

G20: great stage for tough issues

The Russian city of St. Petersburg is ready to host the G20 summit. Besides treating the ailing state of the world economy, the Syrian conflict threatens to break into the agenda. As if it were an omen, sun illuminated St. Petersburg on the Baltic. It is the city that gave birth to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and shortly before the G20 summit, shining in its entire splendor to host a key meeting between emerging and industrialized countries. A scenario almost perfect if not for the difficult situation in which the world finds itself.

 

Will Syria on the agenda?

You could say that the book is something of destiny. When the G8 met in St. Petersburg in 2006, began to escalate the conflict in the Middle East with the second Lebanon war. In the meeting, they spent a lot of time talking about this conflict. But in the end, the result was only one sterile paper and war continued.

As then, now is the Syrian conflict which threatens to dominate the agenda. Something that the Russian president will try to avoid. Get this forum in a line unit in view of the conflicting positions on Syria seems impossible. With Russia, China, USA, Britain and France in the G20 are five countries with veto power in the Security Council of United Nations. But it will be Turkey, which fears for his safety, and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, relations between Putin and Barack Obama are not at their best, with patent cooling since the Snowden case.

Before the summit Obama had scheduled a visit to Moscow, appointment subsequently canceled by the White House. So far there is no evidence of a bilateral meeting in the framework of the G20. Although Putin has already made clear its position following recent differences on Syria. If U.S. President provides convincing evidence of the use of poison gas by Syrian troops, will rethink their position and adopt the UN mandate for intervention, Putin recently declared to the Agency AP and First Russian channel.

Ailing Economy

Syria interfere on the agenda, will not prevent the global economy is the main issue for attendees. A state economy that shows little hope. While some improvement is recorded, and processes are sighted take new risks. While at the last summit in Los Cabos (Mexico) the European crisis was in the spotlight, now both the U.S. as the European Union suggests a positive trend. However, the U.S. announcement of the end of cheap money may cause investors to flee emerging countries with serious consequences drastically devalue currencies and a boom that threatens to end, in addition to having to face serious internal problems.

With these issues in the first order for the participants, the agenda will not leave much room for debate. While dinner on Thursday will be devoted to new strategies for development, as a final document is provided an action plan for growth and jobs. Finally, will also be world trade, an issue that, as always, end with demands to remove protectionist measures. Interestingly, under the protection measures maximum security forces of President Putin, with a sealed city by land, sea and air.

Syrian Christians could be condemned to extermination

An Islamist regime post-Assad after an attempted attack on Syria by the U.S. could recreate a Christian as genocide suffered by the Armenians nearly a century ago. An attack on Syria by the U.S., France and get some allies to weaken the government of  Bashar al-Assad  and even overthrow, says an article in the magazine The American Conservative '.

"From the ruins emerge radically anti-Western regime that might kill or expel millions of Christians and Alawites. This would be a political catastrophe, religious and humanitarian unprecedented since the Armenian genocide of nearly a century ago, "he adds.

According to the publication, it is puzzling that the U.S.  Seems to be determined to eradicate Christianity in one of its oldest cores on a sensitive historical moment. And, although Syria has a Sunni Muslim majority, also hosts major minority communities as Christian and Alawite, among others, which together represent more than a quarter of the population. These communities have for centuries in Syria, where the Muslim and Christian were always closely linked to each other. However, the current crisis represents a serious threat to these minorities.

Although Christianity originated in Galilee and Judea, soon spread to Syria . After the First World War, Christians concentrated increasingly in the Arab country, which benefited from French protection. Since the 1960s, Syria has been a Baathist state, which in practice has meant the hegemony of religious minorities, who dominate the country's military and intelligence apparatus. Hafez al-Assad, president from 1971 to 2000 and father of the current president, was Alawite, but during the 1990s, five of his seven closest advisers were Christians.

The country, says the website of the magazine, it has remained a "genuine refuge for religious minorities," which does not happen in the rest of the region, and today many Christians fear that in the future a strictly Islamist or Salafist abrupt end to the era of diversity. Worsens As the conflict in Syria increases the number of Christians fleeing en masse from their homes by threats, kidnappings and killings carried out by the rebels. This Wednesday extremist group members Nusra Front attacked the Christian village of Maalula old, located northeast of Damascus.

'Murderer' Russian aircraft carrier sets sail towards the Mediterranean

 The Russian missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet by NATO nicknamed 'carrier murderer', was sent to the eastern Mediterranean rather than the port of Mindelo (Cape Verde), where he was initially saturate.

 "The plans of the naval task force under the banner of Admiral Valery Kulikov had to be modified. Instead of calling at the port of Cape Verde, the cruiser Moskva will go towards the Strait of Gibraltar. After about ten days, enter the Mediterranean east, where replaced as flagship of the group of Russian Navy operating the large anti-submarine ship Pacific Fleet Admiral Panteleev, "a Russian official told Interfax on condition of anonymity.

Cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Fleet Russian Black Sea, sailed from Sevastopol on July 2 to the North Atlantic, where he led a Russian naval group comprising vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, North and Baltic. In early August, the ship visited the port of Havana and Cuban August 13 entered the Nicaraguan port of Corinto, after crossing the Panama Canal. On August 27 Russian Fleet visited the Venezuelan port of La Guaira. In the Atlantic Ocean the cruise conducted test launches of its main weapon: the anti-ship missiles   P -1000 Vulcan (Volcano).

The cruiser Moskva (Moscow) 1164 project was built in 1983. Its main armament is made up 16 twin launchers (4 facilities on both tacks) missile anti-ship system P -1000 Vulcan. 3m70 missiles are equipped with system startup accelerators with nozzles vector and its range is increased from 550 to 700 kilometers. To remove a carrier is required impact, at least three of such missiles.

Putin warns west not to take unilateral action on Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin warns West not to take unilateral action on Syria in an interview with Russian television channel Pervy Kanal and AP. During the interview the Russian president reiterated that there is not "accurate" about the alleged chemical attack in Syria. "We believe that at least have to wait for the results of research conducted by the commission of UN inspectors," he said.

Also insisted that considers "absurd" Assad forces, which are currently attacking and scoring victories, began to use chemical weapons knowing that this could lead to new sanctions and even military action against them. "We convince thorough research and the presence of data are evident and demonstrate clearly who used [chemical weapons] and what substances were used," said Putin. "After this we would be willing to act in the most firm and serious" he added.

Possible U.S. attack stances against Syria and other countries

The president did not rule could accept U.S. military operation if there was irrefutable evidence that the Government of Al Assad who used chemical weapons. Nevertheless, he emphasized that "under existing international law, only the Council Safety of United Nations can authorize military action against a sovereign state. " "Any other cause, pretext to justify the use of force against a sovereign independent state are unacceptable and can only be described as an assault," he said. "And if it is determined that it was the rebels who use weapons of mass destruction, what will the U.S. do with them? What will make these sponsors with the rebels? Will they stop supplying arms? They begin? Military action against them? "Asked the Russian president. Putin praised the decisions of certain countries not to participate in the military operation against Syria.

 "Honestly I was surprised because I thought that in the Western community and is all done according to the principles of uniformity, but it turned out that it is not". "It turns out there are people who value their sovereignty, analyze the situation and have the courage to make decisions in the interests of their own countries, to defend their point of view, "said Putin. "That's very good, it shows that the world really is strengthened in its multipolarity" he added.