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State Dept. 'unable' to determine if Syria used chemical weapons in recent attack
The Hill ^ | 8/22/13 | Julian Pecquet

Posted on 08/22/2013 4:39:11 PM PDT by Libloather

The Obama administration said Thursday it was “unable to conclusively determine” whether chemical weapons were used in an attack on civilians last week in Syria and pressed for a United Nations probe.

“The president has directed the intel community here in the United States to urgently gather additional information. That is our focus on this end,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

“At this time, right now, we are unable to conclusively determine [chemical weapons] use, but we are focused every minute of every day since these events happened yesterday on doing everything possible within our power to nail down the facts,” she added.

Psaki demanded that Syrian President Bashar Assad's government allow U.N. investigators already in the country to visit the site of the latest reported attack.

The Syrian opposition says more than 1,000 people were killed in five attacks on the outskirts of Damascus, alleging that Assad’s forces used rockets with chemical weapons.

Psaki said the administration is weighing further steps if the reports are true.

The White House announced two months ago that it would be arming rebel forces seeking Assad’s ouster after concluding the Syrian strongman had used poison gas previously. But some lawmakers are demanding greater involvement, such as enforcing a no-fly zone over areas occupied by the opposition.

“If these reports are true, it would be an outrageous and flagrant escalation of the use of chemical weapons by the regime, so our focus is on nailing down the facts,” Psaki said. “The president, of course, has a range of options that we've talked about before that he can certainly consider and, of course, discuss with his national security team.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; Israel; News/Current Events; Russia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: attack; chemical; chemicalattack; cnemicalattack; iran; israel; jordan; kerry; lebanon; littlebrotherdidit; maheralassad; pestcontrol; randsconcerntrolls; russia; syria; turkey; waronterror; wmd
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Effin' Kerry - on the job.
1 posted on 08/22/2013 4:39:11 PM PDT by Libloather
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To: Libloather

we now know where Saddam’s WMD’s are...


2 posted on 08/22/2013 4:42:37 PM PDT by Rumplemeyer (The GOP should stand its ground - and fix Bayonets)
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To: Libloather

“The president has directed the intel community here in the United States to urgently gather additional information. That is our focus on this end,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

“At this time, right now, we are unable to conclusively determine [chemical weapons] use, but we are focused every minute of every day since these events happened yesterday on doing everything possible within our power to nail down the facts,” she added.

Oh right Jen, we know, focused like a friking laser beam.


3 posted on 08/22/2013 4:43:01 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: Libloather

Another GayMuzzie set-up, he’s using the same play book, more or less. F&F, MuzzieMissiles, now nerve gas.

The common themes that bring them together are covert action, lying, blaming some crisis on some other entity.

Even Oprey-flying Bo probably doesn’t believe GayMuzzie when he’s called to come.

I’m not on Assad’s “side” I just know you can’t trust ANYTHING the Obama Regime does or says.


4 posted on 08/22/2013 4:44:40 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: Libloather

Of course there was no chemical weapons attack. Just some people getting excited over an internet video.


5 posted on 08/22/2013 4:53:06 PM PDT by ought-six ( Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule.)
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To: Libloather

All those dead bodies aren’t a clue.


6 posted on 08/22/2013 4:56:15 PM PDT by svcw (Stand or die)
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To: Libloather

Delivered by rocket? Surely we have imagery on that. If not, someone needs to get fired.


7 posted on 08/22/2013 4:57:56 PM PDT by NonValueAdded ("When there is no penalty for failure, failures proliferate." George F. Will)
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To: Libloather

From the video I have seen, I don’t see much evidence of the type abrasive wounds a person writhing about on the pavement in agony could be expected to receive.


8 posted on 08/22/2013 4:58:46 PM PDT by fso301
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To: Libloather

Yeah and they have never been able to find their own arse with both hands and a mirror.

LLS


9 posted on 08/22/2013 5:12:09 PM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: tet68

Won’t rest until.........


10 posted on 08/22/2013 5:12:43 PM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: Libloather

The only chemical weapons that have been used are the ones Obama gave to the rebels.

Obama surely does not want any investigation, since all arrows point to him.


11 posted on 08/22/2013 5:14:03 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: fso301
Look at what saddam did to the Kurds and look at the result and look at this. Looks like mb and al qaeda wearing a sheet wrap... a few dead amongst a sea of actors. If there were wide scale deaths... assad probably did not cause them.

“Hey achmed... what is in the barrel? Shoot it and let us see”

12 posted on 08/22/2013 5:16:41 PM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: Libloather

It’s hard to prove that the Syrian Army is using the chemical weapons because the insurgents (aka AQ) are the ones actually using them. They are losing and this is a last ditch effort to draw the stupid Western governments into assisting them. To them, the civilians killed are nothing more than “involuntary” martyrs that rate no virgins.


13 posted on 08/22/2013 5:19:41 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (Progressives are never accountable for "unintended consequences" .... just for causing most)
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To: Libloather

She is one of the least believable in govt.


14 posted on 08/22/2013 5:23:02 PM PDT by ully2
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To: Libloather

Would Ms Powers please pick up the white courtesy phone? Ms. Powers, the white courtesy phone?


15 posted on 08/22/2013 5:25:55 PM PDT by blackdog (There is no such thing as healing, only a balance between destructive and constructive forces.)
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To: svcw
To date, I have not seen any proof of a bunch of dead bodies of people killed by sarin. Staged photos are pervasive in that region.

Assad is supposedly “winning”.
Why would he order WMDs?

I do believe the “rebels” would certainly use any weapon they could get their hands on, if they could, in their PR games.I don't believe much of anything a group of liars say about anything.

I also know neither side would bat an eye at killing a large number of their “fellow citizens” for the “cause”.
But it is possible there was a mass killing.
To date, the victims have not been identified as “Christians”, which would be believable.
But which side killed them, would still be up in the air.

When there are no “good guys” to back, best to let them kill each other at will, and stay out of it.

We will be fighting whoever “wins” anyway.

16 posted on 08/22/2013 5:34:38 PM PDT by sarasmom (The obvious takes longer to discover for the obtuse.)
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To: Libloather

I saw the video on CNN yesterday and a “dead” kid blinked. This is Pallywood bs.


17 posted on 08/22/2013 5:38:36 PM PDT by Dalberg-Acton
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To: Libloather

Breaking - State Department unable to confirm Syria exists.


18 posted on 08/22/2013 5:42:03 PM PDT by Thud
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To: editor-surveyor
That was Desert Storm 22 years ago. We gave Saddam's Iraq some chemical weapons, via Jordan, to test on Iran the Iran-Iraq war. Some of those were still around in 1990-91, and could have been used on us. The clean-up of those was embarrasing.

"The only chemical weapons that have been used are the ones Obama gave to the rebels."

19 posted on 08/22/2013 5:45:39 PM PDT by Thud
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To: svcw; gaijin

There may be many different pictures out there but the ones I saw looked fake. C’mon, nobody over there tells the truth even in good times, let alone during a war.

Other than trying to get Christians out of Syria and Egypt (which I’m sure Obama won’t do), we have no business getting involved.


20 posted on 08/22/2013 5:53:44 PM PDT by Pining_4_TX (All those who were appointed to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48)
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