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Editorial See other Editorial Articles Title: US acknowledges Russian helicopters going to Syria are refurbished, not new, but still deadly US acknowledges Russian helicopters going to Syria are refurbished, not new, but still deadly Manuel Balce Ceneta, File/Associated Press - FILE - In this June 13, 2012 file photo, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the State Department in Washington. Clinton’s accusation that Russia “dramatically” escalated the crisis in Syria lost steam Thursday when the State Department acknowledged that the helicopters she accused Moscow of sending were actually refurbished ones already owned by the Assad regime. Smaller Text Larger Text Text Size Print E-mail Reprints By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, June 14, 2:49 PM WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s accusation that Russia “dramatically” escalated the crisis in Syria lost steam Thursday when the State Department acknowledged that the helicopters she accused Moscow of sending were actually refurbished ones already owned by the Assad regime. The claim had complicated the Obama administration’s larger goals for Syria and U.S.-Russia relations before a key meeting of the nations’ two leaders. 2 Comments Weigh In Corrections? Personal Post In answering a question at the Brookings Institution on Tuesday, Clinton omitted the detail that the helicopters were not new when she said the U.S. was “concerned about the latest information we have that there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria.” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland insisted that the nuance meant little, even as she refused to explain why the department didn’t divulge the information earlier. “Whether they are new or they are refurbished, the concern remains that they will be used for the exact same purpose that the current helicopters in Syria are being used, and that is to kill civilians,” Nuland told reporters. “These are helicopters that have been out of the fight for some six months or longer. They are freshly refurbished. The question is simply what one expects them to be used for when one sees what the current fleet is doing.” “When you look at the Soviet- and Russian-made helicopters that are in use in Syria today, every helicopter that is flying and working is attacking a new civilian location,” she added. “So the concern is when you add three more freshly refurbished helicopters to the fight, that is three more that can be used to kill civilians.” Clinton’s accusation prompted a stern Russian denial and countercharges of hypocrisy against the U.S. for selling military equipment, including jet engines and harbor patrol boats, to Bahrain despite that Arab country’s civil strife. And the secretary of state’s tough talk and evident frustration even took some in the Obama administration by surprise, with the White House opting for softer language in the following days to outline U.S. concerns about Russia’s role. “The fact that we have disagreements with Russia on some matters, Syria being one of them right now, does not mean that we cannot move forward with the Russians on areas where we agree or areas where we see more eye to eye,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday, noting that there was “nothing new” in the intelligence report that Clinton based her charge on. He brushed aside questions about whether the U.S. might yank support for Russia’s membership in World Trade Organization if Russia refuses to help on Syria. The United States fears Syria is sliding into a violent sectarian free-for-all and that if there is any window left to negotiate a deal with President Bashar Assad, it is slamming shut. Russia is seen as a key go-between, although its influence over Assad is far from total. And up to now, Moscow has shown little willingness to help in the U.S.-led effort on a political transition plan that would end the Assad family’s four-decade dictatorship. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
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Intentional disinformation by the USSOS. Liars all.
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