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View Full Version : Russia Sending Warships on Maneuvers Near Syria



jimnyc
07-11-2012, 07:14 AM
I'm surprised this hasn't been posted, or maybe I missed it. I suppose it's not a lot different than the US or others sending in ships for exercises, but I just can't fathom anyone going to "help" Syria. And being an ally, I can't imagine Russia is there to indicate they are there to stop Assad.


MOSCOW — Russia said on Tuesday that it had dispatched a flotilla of 11 warships to the eastern Mediterranean, some of which would dock in Syria. It would be the largest display of Russian military power in the region since the Syrian conflict began almost 17 months ago. Nearly half of the ships were capable of carrying hundreds of marines.

The announcement appeared intended to punctuate Russia’s effort to position itself as an increasingly decisive broker in resolving the antigovernment uprising in Syria, Russia’s last ally in the Middle East and home to Tartus, its only foreign military base outside the former Soviet Union. The announcement also came a day after Russia said it was halting new shipments of weapons to the Syrian military until the conflict settled down.

Russia has occasionally sent naval vessels on maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean, and it dispatched an aircraft-carrying battleship, the Admiral Kuznetsov, there for maneuvers with a few other vessels from December 2011 to February 2012. There were rumors in recent weeks that the Russians planned to deploy another naval force near Syria.

But the unusually large size of the force announced on Tuesday was considered a message, not just to the region but also to the United States and other nations supporting the rebels now trying to depose Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad.

Tartus consists of little more than a floating refueling station and some small barracks. But any strengthened Russian presence there could forestall Western military intervention in Syria.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/world/middleeast/russia-sends-warships-on-maneuvers-near-syria.html?_r=1

Shadow
07-11-2012, 07:21 AM
I read that article...and was getting ready to post another ...so I will add it to this.


Syria's opposition appeals for Russian support

A delegation of Syrian opposition
figures is visiting Moscow to discuss international efforts to find a political
solution to the violence.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is holding talks with Abdulbaset
Sayda, head of the Syrian National Council.

Mr Lavrov's deputy said Russia wanted to move the opposition "towards
realistic and constructive positions".

Later, international envoy Kofi Annan will brief the UN Security Council on
how he plans to revive his peace plan.

Mr Annan held talks with officials in Baghdad and Tehran on Tuesday, and
reiterated his view that Iran - Syria's closest ally - had a role to play in
resolving the conflict, despite US objections.

The former UN secretary general also said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
had proposed altering his peace initiative so the most violent areas would be
pacified first.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18793760

Related quote...



In a separate development, Russia said on Tuesday that it had dispatched a
flotilla of 11 warships, led by the anti-submarine warfare destroyer Smetlivy,
to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Some of the vessels would dock at the Russian
naval base outside the Syrian port of Tartus, it added.


It will be the largest display of Russian military power in the region since
the uprising against President Assad began in March 2011.


But a spokesman for the US National Security Council said it had "no reason
to believe this move is anything out of the ordinary".


The announcement came a day after Russia said it was ending new shipments of
weapons to the Syrian military until the violence had decreased. It had
previously rejected calls to end shipments.