Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY SEPT 8

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U.S. NEWSTuesday 8 September 2015

Russian President Putin jockeying for deal with US on Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks during a meeting with his supporters in Moscow, His main goal: the lifting of looking at various options.”
Russia, Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. Western sanctions and the The Russian leader is set to
normalization of relations attend the United Nations
(Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA-Novosti, via AP with the United States and General Assembly later this
the European Union, which month, and some analysts
V. ISACHENKOV weighing various options, a warn, however, that Pu- have sunk to their lowest say a proposal to deploy
point since the Cold War troops to Syria could be the
Associated Press statement that has fueled tin would likely find it hard amid the Ukrainian crisis. In focal point of his visit.
addition, the Russian lead- Since the Soviet times, Rus-
MOSCOW (AP) — Signs of suspicions about the Krem- to sell his idea to a skepti- er may be angling to make sia has had close political
the West more receptive to and military ties with Syr-
an ongoing Russian mili- lin’s intentions. cal U.S. and risks potentially Moscow’s involvement in ia, which hosts a Russian
Ukraine, while retaining in- navy facility in the Medi-
tary buildup in Syria have Observers in Moscow say catastrophic repercussions fluence in Syria. terranean port of Tartus in-
Early this summer, the Krem- tended to service and sup-
drawn U.S. concerns and the Russian maneuvering if he opts for unilateral mili- lin put forward a peace ply visiting ships. While the
plan for Syria that envi- Soviet-era facility has just
raised questions of whether could be part of a plan to tary action in Syria. sions enlisting Syrian gov- a couple of floating piers
ernment forces and Iran in along with a few rusting
Moscow plans to enter the send troops to Syria to fight By playing with the possibil- the anti-IS coalition. A few repair shops and depots, it
rounds of negotiations with has symbolic importance
conflict. President Vladi- the Islamic State group in ity of joining the anti-IS co- the Americans and Saudis as the last remaining Rus-
have brought no visible re- sian military outpost outside
mir Putin has been coy on the hope of fixing fractured alition, Putin may hope to sults, and now Moscow ap- the former Soviet Union.
pears to be testing the wa- Moscow has staunchly
the subject, saying Russia is ties with the West. They win a few key concessions. ter for a next move: beef- backed Syrian President
ing up its military presence Bashar Assad throughout
in Syria. the nation’s 4 ½-year civil
While Putin said Friday war, providing his regime
there is no talk “just yet” with weapons and keep-
about Russian troops join- ing military advisers in Syria.
ing the fight against the Is- Putin said again Friday that
lamic State, he seemed to Russia is providing the Syr-
keep the door open for the ian military with weapons
possibility, saying “we are and training.q

German intelligence has evidence IS used mustard gas in Iraq

FRANK JORDANS tard gas in northern Iraq.” confirm that the BND col- and norms is reprehen- ern Syria on Aug. 21. It said
Associated Press Schindler told the paper lected blood samples or sible,” Smith said, using an the parents and their two
BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s that the mustard gas either discuss the agency’s meth- alternative name for the daughters, arrived at a
foreign intelligence agen- came from old Iraqi stock- ods. U.S. Defense Depart- militant group. hospital run by the group
cy BND has collected evi- piles produced under Sad- ment spokeswoman Cmdr. Activists said last month that one hour after the attack,
dence of mustard gas use dam Hussein’s rule or was Elissa Smith said “while we IS attacked the northern suffering from respiratory
by the Islamic State group. manufactured by IS after it will not comment on intelli- Syrian town of Marea with difficulties, inflamed skin,
German daily Bild reported seized the University of Mo- gence or operational mat- poisonous gas although it red eyes, and conjunctivitis
Monday that BND intel- sul. ters, let us be clear: any use was not clear if chemical and their conditions wors-
ligence agents collected A senior German intelli- by any party ... of a chemi- weapons were used. ened later.
blood samples from Kurds gence official, speaking cal as a weapon of any Doctors Without Borders The Britain-based Syrian Ob-
who were injured in clashes on condition of anonymity kind is an abhorrent act. said that four patients ex- servatory for Human Rights
with IS. because he wasn’t autho- “Given the alleged behav- hibiting symptoms of ex- and Turkey-based activist
It quoted BND chief Ger- rized to discuss the mat- ior of ISIL and other such posure to chemical agents Abu al-Hassan Marea said
hard Schindler as saying ter publicly, confirmed the groups in the region, any were treated at a hospital it wasn’t independently
that the agency has “in- comments attributed to such flagrant disregard run by international medi- confirmed if the attack was
formation that IS used mus- Schindler. He declined to for international standards cal organization in north- with chemical agents.q