MOSCOW (AP) — Signs of an ongoing Russian military buildup in Syria have drawn U.S. concerns and raised questions of whether Moscow plans to enter the conflict. President Vladimir Putin has been coy on the subject, saying Russia is weighing various options, a statement that has fueled suspicions about the Kremlin's intentions. Observers in Moscow say the Russian maneuvering could be part of a plan to send troops to Syria to fight the Islamic State group in the hope of fixing fractured ties with the West. They warn, however, that Putin would likely find it hard to sell his idea to a skeptical U.S. and risks potentially catastrophic repercussions if he opts for unilateral military action in Syria. By playing with the possibility of joining the anti-IS coalition, Putin may hope to win a few key concessions. His main goal: the lifting of Western sanctions and the normalization of relations with the United States and the European Union, which have sunk to their lowest point since the Cold War amid the Ukrainian crisis. In addition, the Russian leader may be angling to make the West more receptive to Moscow's involvement in Ukraine, while retaining influence in Syria. Early this summer, the Kremlin put forward a peace plan for Syria that envisions enlisting Syrian government forces and Iran in the anti-IS coalition. A few rounds of negotiations with the Americans and Saudis have brought no visible results, and now Moscow appears to be testing the water for a next move: beefing up its military presence in Syria. While Putin said Friday there is no talk "just yet" about Russian troops joining the fight against the Islamic State, he seemed to keep the door open for the possibility, saying "we are looking at various options." The Russian leader is set to attend the United Nations General Assembly later this month, and some analysts say a proposal to deploy troops to Syria could be the focal point of his visit. Since the Soviet times, Russia has had close political and military ties with Syria, which hosts a Russian navy facility in the Mediterranean port of Tartus intended to service and supply visiting ships. While the Soviet-era facility has just a couple of floating piers along with a few rusting repair shops and depots, it has symbolic importance as the last remaining Russian military outpost outside the former Soviet Union. Moscow has staunchly backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nation's 4 ½-year civil war, providing his regime with weapons and keeping military advisers in Syria. Putin said again Friday that Russia is providing the Syrian military with weapons and training. Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Britain-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said there have been reports since mid-August of Russian troops in the capital's airport and another airport in the coastal city of Latakia. "We don't know if they are troops or transporters of weapons and ammunition," he said, noting an increase in the flow of Russian weapons arriving in Syria since July. "The fact that (military cooperation) is not new is one thing, but there is a noticeable increase," said Abdurrahman, who has a large network of activists on the ground in Syria helping him monitor the situation. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry signaled Washington's concern in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov over the weekend. The State Department said that Kerry made it clear that if reports of an imminent Russian military build-up in Syria were accurate, "these actions could further escalate the conflict, lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows and risk confrontation with the anti-ISIL Coalition operating in Syria." According to a U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive issue, the U.S. has seen an increasing number of Russian transport planes seeking diplomatic approval for flights into Syria. He said it's not clear what is in the aircraft or what their purpose is. Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Constantinos Koutras said the U.S. has asked Greece to cancel overflight permission given to Russia September 1-24, for flights headed to Syria. He said they are examining the request. The U.S. officials, who declined to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the issue, said they also have seen the movement of some prefabricated housing in Syria, although they haven't seen any troops moving in or becoming involved in actual combat activities, as some media reports suggested. Sergei Karaganov, the founder of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, a leading association of Russian political experts, said that Russia was considering the possibility of joining the anti-IS coalition, but the West so far has been unwelcoming. "They are reluctant to accept proposals from Putin, whom they want to contain," he said. Karaganov, who has good connections among the Russian officials, said he doesn't expect Russia to opt for unilateral military action in Syria if it gets the cold shoulder from the U.S. and its allies. "It would involve enormous risks," he said. Igor Korotchenko, a retired colonel of the Russian military's General Staff who is now editor of the National Defense magazine, also said that while Russia has supplied Assad's government with weapons, it has no intention to send its troops to Syria. "Russia will not send its troops to the Middle East, it's absolutely excluded," he said. "It's the U.S. problem. Russia will not pay for that with its soldiers' lives." Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, said Putin sees joining the anti-IS coalition as a chance to reach rapprochement with the West. "Russia has found itself in isolation, which has been increasingly felt," he said. He said the latest reports about the movements of troops and military cargos to Syria appeared to demonstrate Moscow's readiness to join the coalition, falling short of a big-size deployment. Pavel Felgenhauer, a Moscow-based analyst who specializes in military and security issues, said that the apparent increase in the Russian presence in Syria could be part of Kremlin efforts to raise the pressure on the U.S. to accept Putin's plan. "Such a coalition ... would allow Assad's regime to survive and allow Russia to maintain its presence in the Middle East," he said. If Russia ends up sending its military contingent to Syria, it will likely include a few combat jets along with support personnel and some troops to guard them, Felgenhauer said. Staying away from ground action would allow Russia to avoid any significant losses. Alexei Malashenko, a Middle East expert with the Carnegie Endowment's Moscow office, was skeptical, saying that Putin's apparent plan to use Syria to improve ties with the West will be unlikely to succeed. He warned that if Russia fails to strike a deal with the U.S. and tries to do it alone alongside Assad's forces, it would further damage its relations not just with the U.S. but regional powers. It will also likely trigger a negative public response, providing a painful reminder of the botched Soviet war in Afghanistan. "It will not be received with joy here in Russia; everyone will compare it to Afghanistan," he said. "If they do it, it would be a very stupid thing. It's very simple to get in, but it could be quite difficult to get out." Malashenko also warned that deploying Russian soldiers to fight the IS would draw risks of retaliation and raise the terror threat for Russia. While launching unilateral action would be extremely risky, it's difficult to predict how Putin will act if his offer of joint action against the IS is rejected by Washington, Malashenko said. "Putin is unpredictable, and he is very emotional," he said. ___ Lolita Baldor in Washington, Sarah El Deeb in Cairo and Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report. Join the conversation about this story »
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Monday, September 7, 2015
France and Britain raise stakes on Syria
Paris (AFP) - France said Monday it had ordered preparations to begin for air strikes on the Islamic State in Syria while British Prime Minister David Cameron said he would seek parliament's approval to hit at the jihadists. Cameron confirmed that Britain had carried out a first drone strike in Syria in August, killing three jihadists, two of them from Britain. The RAF drone strike that killed Reyaad Khan and another Briton was "entirely lawful" because Khan had been planning and directing "specific and barbaric" attacks in Britain, Cameron said. "Is this the first time in modern times that a British asset has been used to conduct a strike in a country where we are not involved in a war? The answer to that is yes," he added. Britain is already carrying out airstrikes on IS targets in Iraq, but Cameron said he wanted Britain to able to extend its anti-IS bombing campaign to Syria. He stressed that he would return to parliament for formal authorisation to do so, two years after suffering a humiliating defeat on the issue. In Paris, Hollande said he had ordered surveillance flights to begin over Syria to lay the ground for air strikes on IS targets. "I have asked the defence ministry that from tomorrow surveillance flights can be launched over Syria, allowing us to plan airstrikes against Daesh (the Islamic State group)," Hollande told a press conference. France has been targeted by a series of jihadist attacks this year, most recently when a heavily armed suspected extremist tried to attack a train on French soil only to be overpowered by passengers. Coupled with the migrant crisis, which is partly fuelled by refugees fleeing the chaos in Syria, the political pressure has been building on Hollande to take action. "What we want is to know what is being prepared against us and what is being done against the Syrian population," he added. Hollande however ruled out sending French ground forces into Syria, saying it would be "unrealistic." "It's for regional forces to take their responsibilities. France, however, will work to find political solutions," he said. He said finding a political "transition" that sidelined Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was "essential". - 'Late in the game' - France, like Britain, is currently only participating in missions against IS in Iraq. Analysts were lukewarm about Hollande's strategy shift. "It's above all else a domestic political gesture, with in the background the message 'look, we're doing something'," retired French general Jean-Claude Allard, director of research at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), said. Myriam Benraad, of the Centre of International Research (CERI) in Paris, said: "It's a direct response to this disaster, but it comes a little late, and airstrikes are not enough to solve this problem." Cameron cited the risk of terror attacks in saying he believed there was "a strong case" for Britain taking part in airstrikes in Syria. "I believe that case only grows stronger with the growing number of terrorist plots," he told parliament, adding that six plots against Britain had been disrupted over the past 12 months. The defeat that Cameron suffered on taking military action in Syria in 2013 was one of the most damaging foreign policy blows to his previous coalition government. The prime minister needs opposition support to win parliamentary approval for the air strikes, because of his slim parliamentary majority and because some of his own lawmakers are against the move. Jeremy Corbyn, the favourite to win the leadership of the main opposition Labour Party later this week, is a founder of the Stop the War coalition. Corbyn repeated his opposition to air strikes on Monday, saying: "My view is that it would create more problems than it would solve." The initiatives come at a time of growing concern in the West over reports that Russia is toughening its military stance in Syria. Moscow has been a bulwark of military and diplomatic support to the Assad regime, and is promoting an expanded coalition against IS that includes countries in the region as well as the regular Syrian army. A Greek foreign ministry official said Monday that the US had asked Greece to bar Russian supply flights to Syria from its airspace. "We received the (US) request on Saturday and are examining it," a Greek foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity. Join the conversation about this story »
Portugal instructed to take in 4,775 refugees
The latest plan from the European Commission shows Portugal’s refugee total intake increasing to 4,775 as the figures are reworked due to rapidly increasing numbers and the inability of Greece and Italy to cope with boatloads of refugees arriving each day from north Africa. Germany, France and Spain will receive the lion’s share of the 160,000 that member states are to accommodate, according to the latest proposal from the European Commission.
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Online Networks Rule Social Life of Greeks
Half the Greek population has an account on at least one social media platform, according to a recent publication in the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. Greeks spend more than 80 minutes per day on social networks. Facebook is the favorite platform among Greeks while it also shows the highest activity rates.The largest activity growth was recorded
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Athens Mulls US Request To Deny Russian Flights To Syria
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New poll gives leftist Syriza narrow lead in snap election
Greece's leftist Syriza party has a 0.5 percentage-point lead over the conservative New Democracy party ahead of a snap election on Sept. 20, according to a poll published on Monday. Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras's Syriza was on course to win 27 percent of the vote, while New Democracy would get 26.5 percent, the poll by Pulse for the bankingnews.gr website found. Tsipras started out as the frontrunner in the race but the two parties have been neck-and-neck in recent polls, making the election unexpectedly close.
AP PHOTOS: Children are vulnerable in 24 hours of migration
PARIS (AP) — In the human tide of Arabs, Asians and Africans seeking refuge from war and poverty in Europe — it's often the children that suffer the most. As French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agree on a plan for spreading the migrant load across the continent, many thousands of children have already arrived on the European mainland, often suffering from lack of water, food, and unpredictable weather conditions. Associated Press photographers captured 24 hours of a crisis that shows no sign of ending — such as a Syrian boy, lying semi-naked on a concrete floor suffering from the effects of a heat wave on the Greek island of Lesbos. The boy was at a protest by migrants and refugees demanding faster processing by authorities and the issuing of travel documents. Another young Syrian boy was pictured wrapped with a thermal blanket after arriving on Lesbos with others aboard a dinghy from Turkey. Volunteers helped the dozens of dripping and shivering children from the dinghy to the safety of the European shore. Greece's caretaker government says at least two-thirds of the estimated 15,000 to 18,000 refugees and economic migrants are stranded in "miserable" conditions on the Aegean island and will be ferried to the mainland in the next five days. In Germany, one photo painted quite a different picture — one of optimism. Two young boys arrive at Munich's train station, smiling and clutching cuddly toys in brightly-colored clothes. They're perhaps at the end of their journey — poised to get first registration as asylum seekers in Germany. Join the conversation about this story »
Tensions high on Greece-Macedonia border with thousands of ...
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Romania says can take maximum 1,785 refugees, rejects EU quotas
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Passenger ferry sends lifeboats to rescue 61 refugees whose packed dinghy was just seconds from sinking off Lesbos, as Greek immigration minister says island is 'on the verge of explosion'
The Blue Star 1 ferry took 35 of the survivors aboard and carried them to safety on Lesbos, where they joined the rest of the group, who were picked up by the port police on speedboats.
2015 Glendi GREEK Festival preview
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Lesbos 'on verge of explosion' as refugees crowd Greek island
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Polls show SYRIZA, New Democracy neck & neck, yet Tsipras targets ‘majority government’
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GREECE mulls shutting airspace to Syria-bound Russia flights
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Migrants and Refugees Protest in Large Numbers on the Island of Lesvos
Migrants and refugees on the East Aegean Greek island of Lesvos took to the island’s streets on Monday to express their frustration with the current living conditions on the island. Migrants and refugees staying at the islands Kara Tepe reception facility, left the facility in the morning and headed to the port of Mitilini. Another
Greek Migration Minister: ‘Jihadists Passed Through Greek Borders’
Greece’s current Migration Minister; Dimitris Mouzalas admitted that jihadists were able to pass through the Greek border along with the thousands of refugees arriving in the country daily. The migrants and refugees are arriving on the Greek islands close to the Turkish coast in an attempt to travel to northern Europe and escape their conflict-hit
The High Price of a Ticket to Europe for Migrants and Refugees
The increasing number of migrants and refugees reaching the shores of Greece, Italy, and other European countries has done more than just create a collective action problem for Europe. “The only ones who benefit from the lack of a common European response are the smugglers and traffickers who are making profit from people’s desperation to reach safety”
Head of the ESM Believes IMF Will Be Part of Greek Bailout
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Alexis Tsipras looking for an absolute majority in GREEK elections
Greece's former prime minister says he is seeking an absolute majority for his radical left Syriza party in upcoming early elections. But Alexis Tsipras ...
GREEK FinMin sees no economic rebound on horizon
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Bavaria authorities say they are 'pushing their limits' amid refugee influx
The southern German state of Bavaria expects 10,000 refugees and migrants to arrive on Monday after about 20,000 arrived over the weekend. As more reach Greece, Britain pledges to take 20,000 Syrians from refugee camps.
Greeks evacuate refugees from Lesbos as island overflows
… evacuation of refugees from the Greek island of Lesbos has begun … fleeing the war there. The Greeks have called for extra EU … obtaining ID papers and police. Greece is highly vulnerable to refugees …
UK to re-settle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees
Meanwhile, Italy retrieves 60 bodies from shipwreck and Greece moves thousands from "miserable" conditions on island as crisis deepens
Denmark takes out ads telling refugees to leave their families behind
The Danish government has taken out ads in the Lebanese press bluntly telling many refugees they are not welcome in the country. According to the Wall Street Journal, the ads were released in four Lebanese newspapers on Monday. “Foreign nationals granted temporary protection in Denmark will not have the right to bring family members to Denmark during the first year,” said the text posted by the Ministry of Immigration, Integration & Housing. The Local Denmark notes that migration experts believe the campaign, which has already cost taxpayers 252,000 kroner ($37,650), is not an effective measure for dealing with the refugee crisis. "As the refugee pressure looks in Europe right now, I don't think one will redirect many by giving out this kind of information," Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, a migration researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told Jyllands-Posten. Here is the full ad posted by The Local Denmark Editor Justin Cremer. > #Denmark’s advertising campaign to deter refugees out today in > ten languages. Here is the English version. #dkpol > pic.twitter.com/7pk7dvo1aA — Justin Cremer (@justinCPH) September > 7, 2015 SEE ALSO: GREECE IS RUNNING OUT OF PLACES TO SHELTER ITS REFUGEES Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: We unearthed Donald Trump's Vine account from 2013 and it's incredible
ATHENS, Greece: Greek former PM Tsipras seeks absolute ...
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European Commission plans to ask Spain to take at least ...
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GREECE man to compete in American Ninja Warrior finals
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Merkel: Serbia especially affected by refugees crisis
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Greece's Lesbo island 'near explosion' with refugees
Boats taking refugees to mainland Greece will start using second port to ease pressure on Lesbos, minister said.
Britain, France join Germany to pledge help with migrant wave
Britain and France Monday joined Germany in pledging to accept tens of thousands of refugees as Europe's record influx of people fleeing war and misery sparked warnings that one Greek migrant chokepoint was "on the verge of explosion".
The refugee crisis is going to blow Britain out of the European Union
The refugee crisis engulfing Europe is putting David Cameron's Conservative government into an impossible position. It may even trigger Britain leaving the European Union. Long before the refugee crisis erupted, migration was one of the biggest factors in how people were going to vote in the EU referendum. In May this year, ING Senior Economist James Knightley warned that the 3.8 million people who voted for the UK Independence Party in the General Election could be a massive threat to Britain's membership. One of the central planks in UKIP's manifesto is to stop the flow of migrants – whether immigrants, refugees, or asylum seekers – coming to the UK. Furthermore, the party blames Britain's membership in the EU for opening the doors to mass migration. ING said we should not underestimate how much this could translate into a Brexit. A Eurobarometer public opinion survey earlier this year showed that just 23% of Britons have a “generally positive” view of the EU, with only Greece having a lower rating (22%). Furthermore, immigration topped the list of voters' concerns in the monthly Economist/Ipsos MORI poll, in which people were asked: “What do you see as the most important issue facing Britain today?” Immigration/immigrants was the top answer at 37%, with the economy on 33%. Cameron may have the support of big businesses, who want to stay in the EU, but immigration is bigger with voters. On top of that, critics are saying Cameron's pro-EU support is in tatters after he told business leaders to "shut up" about speaking in favour of Britain staying part of the 28 nation bloc. He is worried that if EU officials believe his business supporters ultimately favour staying in the union it will hurt his ability to renegotiate the country's pact with the EU (because they know he will ultimately be forced to go along with his supporters). WHY THE REFUGEE CRISIS WILL SPELL THE END FOR CAMERON Last week, David Cameron bowed to immense pressure for Britain to take on more refugees from Syria, after the now iconic picture of the body of a drowned three-year-old Syrian boy was published across the world. Today, he will outline how the government plans to resettle more refugees. The United Nations warned in July that more than four million Syrians have become refugees over the last 10 months. Cameron said today he will allow another 20,000 Syrian refugees into Britain, second only to Germany which is taking 35,000. Cameron is damned if he does let in more refugees, and damned if he doesn't: * Those who are scared of more migration will see this as the norm for the EU – being forced to take more people in. * Those who sympathize with the refugees will see it as not enough. Cameron's government pledged, prior to the General Election, to cut net migration by "tens of thousands." Yet the Office for National Statistics revealed last month that in the year to March, net migration (the difference between those leaving and entering the UK) has already hit an all-time high. If he brings in more refugees, this could drive net migration higher than it was under the last Labour government. UKIP leader Nigel Farage said last month that the "figures reflect a 'Borderless Britain' and total impotence of the British government." Furthermore, Cameron risks his own party politicians defecting to UKIP, and with it voters for immigration curbs and to leave the EU. The Conservatives have just a 12 seat majority in the House of Commons, so any defections would be a huge blow. Citi said that some anti-Europe Conservative MPs could defect to UKIP in the runup to the referendum, which could wreck the government's slim majority: If five or six Conservative MPs defected to UKIP during or after an EU referendum – perhaps in protest at a perceived inadequate deal for the UK – then the Conservatives would lose their parliamentary majority. That would not trigger a rerun of the EU referendum, but might throw the government back into the minority government/hung parliament scenarios that seemed likely before the Conservatives' surprise election win. So,really, how this plays out is out of Cameron's hands. At every point, he faces alienating voters and Tory party members, and in turn risks a big, fat exit from the EU. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: How billionaire Michael Jordan makes and spends his money
Germany wins hearts with warm response to refugee crisis
Vilified as a heartless penny-pincher during the Greek crisis, Germany is winning plaudits at home in the other great challenge facing Europe this year through the warm welcome it has given to refugees.
GREEK budget revenue beats August target
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Egypt billionaire says 'stagnation' stops him investing
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Greek Cyprus ‘prefers’ max 300 Orthodox Christian migrants
European Union member Greek Cyprus said Sept. 7 that it would be willing to take in up to 300 migrants fleeing upheaval in the Middle East under new EU quotas, but would prefer them to be Orthodox Christians
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