Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

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European leaders, notably the French, are privately warning Vladimir Putin that if he permits Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to turn an expected capture of Aleppo into a military victory across most of the country, it will be up to Russia to foot the bill for reconstruction.
“What Russia breaks is what Moscow will have to fix,” said one western diplomat, adding that the EU in reality was the only player with the resources to restore the fabric and infrastructure of a country torn apart by a five-year-long civil war.
Estimates of the cost of reconstructing Syria range from a World Bank projection of $180bn, made in April, to far larger sums. Russian reports have suggested Putin wants to internationalise a kind of Marshall plan for Syria, with responsibility shared between the EU, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...an-leaders-say

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

Russian media

Russia hopes Syria’s Aleppo situation can be resolved by end of 2016


https://www.rt.com/news/368677-alepp...ssia-bogdanov/

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

US legislation proposes new committee to counteract Russian 'covert influence'

A provision in intelligence legislation that is going through Congress would create a new high-level body aimed at thwarting covert Russian political interference around the world, potentially placing it at odds with the incoming Donald Trump administration.
The measure, tucked into the fiscal 2017 House and Senate bills authorizing US intelligence operations, would create a powerful new committee across the security services to oppose Russian destabilization measures and propaganda domestically and worldwide.
Its mission – defined broadly and without geographic limitation – is to “counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence over peoples and governments”, according to the texts of both the House and the Senate bills, both of which have won the approval of their intelligence committees.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...-ensnare-trump


Trump team in contact with Moscow on Syria: Russian diplomat

Moscow is in contact with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team about the crisis in Syria, a senior Russian diplomat said Wednesday

"These are different people whom we have known for a long time already," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said, declining to name individuals, according to the TASS news agency.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Washington Post that he was unable to “to confirm information about contacts” between the Kremlin and the Trump transition team.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-s...-syria-russian

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

At the same time...
Russia, Europe need each other — foreign intelligence chief

"In principle, the so-called single Europe needs Russia no less than Russia needs Europe," Naryshkin told a forum devoted to the heritage of late Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov.
At the same time, the Russian foreign intelligence chief said that Moscow also had "alternative options of cooperation" and could choose between both "big Europe and big Eurasia."
"This is an advantageous situation for Russia that the center of gravity in world politics and the world economy continues gradually shifting from the West to the East, first of all, towards our great neighbor and strategic partner China," Naryshkin said

http://tass.com/politics/915603

Russia positions 55,000 troops by its border with Ukraine in latest sign of aggression by Putin as fears grow he is preparing for war 


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...aring-war.html

Near The Russian Border, U.S. And NATO Beef Up Their Presence

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallel...their-presence

Russia and Ukraine on brink of WAR: Kremlin warns neighbours of 'FRIGHTENING' conflict

Ukraine plans to conduct missile-firing drills over the Black Sea in territory that Russia now claims as its own following the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
But Ukraine and Western powers refuse to recognise Russia now controls the peninsula.
The standoff escalated further late last week when Kiev announced plans to test fire missiles near the town of Simferopol in central Crimea on December 1 and 2.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...rns-neighbours

Reminder from post above...

Russia hopes Syria’s Aleppo situation can be resolved by end of 2016

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

Like it or not, since Trump was pushing his agenda, Russia has been threatening Europe. Was it any wonder Russia was pulling for Trump and Brexit????

First of all Europe's foot dragging(and assisted by Russian propaganda), then Trump's refusal to sign on to TPP and TTIP has opened a door and Russia is using the time to their advantage.

This is an advantageous situation for Russia that the center of gravity in world politics and the world economy continues gradually shifting from the West to the East, first of all, towards our great neighbor and strategic partner China," Naryshkin said

Reminder??

The reason for TPP and TTIP was to get a firm control of the new weapons of warfare, the political and economic system of the world order. The international laws and the reign of democracy etc.

Putin Seeks To Include China, India, Iran In Fledgling Eurasian Union

http://wedg.millenniumweekend.org/fo...eurasian+union

The condition of man has gone waaay to far to stop the new order, and all we are seeing is a battle for control and the ideology.

The new cold war started some time ago, and was bombarded by Russian propaganda and those confusing news stories.

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

Russia threatens to shoot down missiles test-fired by Ukraine

Russia's air defense network on the Ukrainian border was placed on its highest level of alert on Wednesday evening following Ukraine's announcement that it will conduct missile tests on Thursday and Friday near Crimea, an area that Russia annexed in 2014. Kiev claimed that the missiles are to be launched towards the Black Sea, west of Crimea. Russia's TASS news agency quoted official Russian sources as saying the tests are an unnecessary provocation, and that the Russian military views them as a serious threat and will respond with the 55,000 troops based in Crimea and with ships equipped with means to shoot down the missiles. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the tests a "provocation designed to prompt a tough response".   

http://www.debka.com/newsupdate/1908...red-by-Ukraine

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

Ukraine says missile tests will avoid Crimea, mollifying Russia

Ukraine's military said its two-day missile drill starting on Thursday would avoid the airspace over Crimea, sidestepping a possible confrontation with Russia which annexed the peninsula in 2014.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-uk...+World+News%29


Putin curbs anti-Western rhetoric, says wants to get on with Trump

President Vladimir Putin struck an unusually conciliatory tone in his annual state of the nation address on Thursday, saying Moscow wanted to get on with the incoming U.S. administration and was looking to make friends not enemies.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ru...+World+News%29

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

Battle of Aleppo ends after years of fighting as rebels agree to withdraw

Rebel resistance in Syria's Aleppo ended on Tuesday after years of fighting and months of bitter siege and bombardment that culminated in a bloody collapse of their defenses this week, as insurgents agreed to withdraw in a ceasefire.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mi...+World+News%29

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

Syrian rebels say Aleppo ceasefire deal made with Russia

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2...fe-to-run.html

Turkey and Iran held secret Syria transition talks, says report

Talks between the two regional powers were derailed by disagreement over Assad's role in a transition government

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/tu...port-824404444

Iran might have hit Turkish soldiers, Pentagon says

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ira...&NewsCatID=352


Iran’s catch 22: Syria and the Aleppo offensive

Even if the Iranians and the Assad troops seize eastern Aleppo, Syria will not stabilize and the regime, which has been fighting for five years now, will not settle because it would still need years to impose its existence and this is quite doubted. This makes us wonder about the point of the practices of Assad’s allies, i.e. Iran and Russia. Do they intend to continue supporting the regime on the ground for years in this same momentum and with all these losses just to keep the regime in power? Do they prefer to resume war for more years over achieving a political solution in which all parties make concessions and a hybrid regime, of the old regime and of the opposition but without the regime’s current command, is formed?

The Iranians are more aware than the Russians that they are involved in this failed war, which even if they win its current battles, will go on and eventually force them to accept what they oppose and what they are fighting against, a political solution. Their Russian allies, who view fighting in Syria from the perspective of an international struggle, will find nothing wrong with withdrawing all of a sudden, just like they entered Syria all of a sudden; thus without paying attention to how this will affect Damascus and Tehran.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/view...offensive.html

Syrian rebels say Aleppo ceasefire deal made with Russia

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

Is the focus now shifting to Damascus itself?????

Explosion in Damascus, casualties reported: monitor

http://www.timesofisrael.com/explosi...orted-monitor/

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

Interesting wording...

Francois Delattre said the meeting would take place Friday and that if an agreement can't be reached on safely evacuating civilians and enabling humanitarian aid under the watchful eye of international observers, members could call for an emergency special session of the 193-member General Assembly.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/the-late...sion-1.3205990

France's Ambassador to the United Nations says his country and Germany have called an emergency meeting of the Security Council to consider the situation in war-torn Aleppo.

The word "if". Lately it has been to get an agreement. This time it is "if" they don't.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

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Re: Russia should foot Syria reconstruction bill, European leaders say

Side note???

Things aren't going well on many levels..

Russia challenges US to prove campaign hacking claims or shut up

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/16/europe...claims-peskov/

Prove it or shut up, Russia tells CIA: Putin's spokesman accuses US of being 'extremely scurrilous' over hacking allegations

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...cusations.html