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UN to inspect Syria gas attack site today
UN to inspect Syria gas attack site today (Reuters) / 26 August 2013 The United Nations said on Sunday its experts would start their probe of an alleged Syrian chemical weapons site on Monday after Syria agreed to allow the inspection even as a US official said it was already too late. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “has instructed the mission … currently in Damascus, to focus its attention on ascertaining the facts of the August 21 incident as its highest priority,” the UN said in a statement. “The mission is preparing to conduct on-site fact-finding activities, starting tomorrow, Monday, 26 August.” The UN announcement came shortly after Damascus gave the green light for the inspectors to carry out the probe into the alleged use of chemical weapons near the Syrian capital on Wednesday. “The Secretary-General would like to reiterate that all relevant parties equally share the responsibility of cooperating in urgently generating a safe environment for the mission to do its job efficiently and providing all necessary information.” Foreign powers have been searching for a response from the Syria regime since many hundreds of people were killed by poisonous gas on Wednesday in the suburbs of Damascus in what appears to have been the world’s worst chemical weapons attack in 25 years. There were increasing signs that the United States and its allies were considering taking action, a year after President Barack Obama said the use of chemical weapons was a “red line” that would prompt serious consequences. A senior US official said there was very little doubt that the Syrian government had used a chemical weapon against civilians on Wednesday and that Washington was still weighing how to respond. The official also said any decision to grant access to the UN inspectors would be “too late to be credible” because evidence had been corrupted by government shelling and other actions. Syria’s information minister said any US military action would “create a ball of fire that will inflame the Middle East”. He also said Damascus had evidence that chemical weapons were used by rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Al Assad, not by his government. Western countries say they believe the rebels do not have access to poison gas. Opposition activists in Damascus said the army was using surface-to-surface missiles and artillery to strike eastern Damascus on Sunday, including neighbourhoods where the mass poisoning occurred. US President Barack Obama met his top military and national security advisers on Saturday to debate options. US naval forces have been repositioned in the Mediterranean to give Obama the option of an armed strike. “Based on the reported number of victims, reported symptoms of those who were killed or injured, witness accounts, and other facts gathered by open sources, the US intelligence community, and international partners, there is very little doubt at this point that a chemical weapon was used by the Syrian regime against civilians in this incident,” the senior US official said. President Bashar Al Assad’s closest ally Iran, repeating Obama’s own previous rhetoric, said the United States should not cross a “red line” by attacking Syria. “America knows the limitation of the red line of the Syrian front and any crossing of Syria’s red line will have severe consequences for the White House,” said Massoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of Iran’s military, Fars news agency reported. The Syrian opposition says between 500 and well over 1,000 civilians were killed this week by gas in munitions fired by pro-government forces. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said three hospitals near Damascus had reported 355 deaths in the space of three hours out of about 3,600 admissions with nerve gas-type symptoms. The head of the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front rebel group has pledged to target communities from Assad’s Alawi sect with rockets in revenge for Wednesday’s incident, according to an audio recording published on YouTube. “For every chemical rocket that had fallen on our people in Damascus, one of their villages will, by the will of God, pay for it,” Abu Mohammad Al Golani said in the recording. Continue reading
UAE gets thumbs up as top expat location
UAE gets thumbs up as top expat location Chris Ferguson (Opinion) / 25 August 2013 Dubai has become a centre of financial sophistication “Where in the world do I want to be?” For many expatriates that dream location will be the UAE. Indeed, the recent NatWest International Personal Banking Quality of Life Index survey has confirmed that this year the UAE is in third place, up from 10th position in just three years. This move up the ladder is no surprise to those of us already enjoying the benefits of tax free, above average salaries which are the norm for expats working here. For a ‘quality of life’ index to stand up it has to encompass the categories ‘employment prospects’ and ‘financial status’. These are the parmount considerations for any would-be expatriate. The expanding network of expertise to be found in Dubai’s International Finance Centre provides a vital opportunity for expatriates to maximise their full wealth potential during their time here. — KT file photo And so it will be no surprise to learn that a major theme emerging from GWM’s discussions with our private clients concerns the universal need for professional advice on effective money management; the kind that both protects and builds wealth. In this context, Dubai’s story is an inspirational one. It has emerged from the desert sands to become one of the world’s most sought after locations. It achieved this status because it had the determination to protect its natural resources and the foresight to build upon them for future generations’ prosperity. Any location hoping to remain a universal favourite must build the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the levels of sophisticated financial planning today’s expatriates require in order to protect and build their private wealth. This infrastructure must offer a level of protection that safeguards existing savings and investments as well as the necessary regulatory gumption to licence only bona fide financial management companies, proficient and skilled in all areas of investment advisory and management work. Great strides have been taken by the UAE’s financial regulators to oversee the growth and development of a finance sector that is capable of meeting and matching its counterparts in the global arena. The recent opening in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) of the first FTSE office in this region is an example of how this approach is bearing fruit. Dubai is increasingly recognised as a centre of financial sophistication that can offer global players, such as the index provider, a gateway to this high-growth region. The expanding network of expertise to be found in Dubai’s International Finance Centre (DIFC) provides a vital opportunity for expatriates to maximise their full wealth potential during their time here. As an indication of how successful the DIFC has been over its first nine years in operation it now employs over 14,000 people and is home to 940 companies. The DIFC has confirmed that it continues to receive active interest from companies from the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East all keen to set up shop. The recent news that Abu Dhabi is to set up its own financial free zone will surely set the UAE bar even higher. Another high quality international finance centre will attract even more major players increasing the tiers of expertise and experience in all areas of investment and money management. As with the DIFC, the Abu Dhabi World Financial Market is expected to mature into a significant financial hub with its own legal structure, regulator and courts. Such developments are in keeping with both Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s declared intent to diversify their economies so they are less oil-dependent. The financial services industry is a global market growth area, and paving the way now with the necessary infrastructure to house international finance centres of excellence will ensure its continuing attraction to the world’s best workforce. Indeed, it may not be long before we see the UAE at the top of the indices for most favoured expatriate location. The writer is the managing director of the UAE, Guardian Wealth Management. Views expressed by the author are his own and do not reflect the newspaper’s policy Continue reading
Obama, Cameron weigh Syria chemical weapons response
Obama, Cameron weigh Syria chemical weapons response (AFP) / 25 August 2013 US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed their grave concern on Saturday about the ‘increasing signs’ of a major chemical weapons attack in Syria. A White House statement said the two leaders vowed during a telephone call to “continue to consult closely” regarding the alleged attack near Damascus on Wednesday, as well as potential international responses. But Downing Street went further, noting that Obama and Cameron “are both gravely concerned by… the increasing signs that this was a significant chemical weapons attack carried out by the Syrian regime against its own people.” “The fact that President Bashar Al Assad has failed to cooperate with the UN suggests that the regime has something to hide,” the British statement said, stressing that “significant use of chemical weapons would merit a serious response from the international community.” Cameron also spoke separately with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Another White House statement regarding Obama’s meeting with top aides in his National Security Council appeared to give credence to reports of the chemical attack on rebel-held areas near the Syrian capital. “In coordination with international partners and mindful of the dozens of contemporaneous witness accounts and record of the symptoms of those killed, the US intelligence community continues to gather facts to ascertain what occurred,” it said. “The president also received a detailed review of a range of potential options he had requested be prepared for the United States and the international community to respond to the use of chemical weapons.” The meeting came a day after US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel said the military had presented options to Obama and was moving forces into place ahead of any possible decision. Obama has so far voiced caution, warning that a hasty military response could have unforeseen consequences, including embroiling the United States in another prolonged Middle East conflict. But he is under mounting pressure to act following reports of the alleged chemical weapons attack, which Doctors Without Borders said had killed 355 people, due to “neurotoxic” symptoms. Opposition groups say the reported attack was carried out by Assad’s forces and that it killed more than 1,000 people. Continue reading
