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Updated 23:08
US SECRETARY OF State John Kerry has said the use of chemical weapons in Syria is a “moral obscenity” which “defies any code of morality” – and issued a direct warning to the Assad regime.
“What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of the world,” Kerry told the press at a specially-convened briefing this evening.
In his strongest statement yet, Kerry said that there “must be accountability” for the use of chemical weapons – but did not go into detail on the type of intervention being discussed.
He repeatedly emphasised that there were definite evidence that chemical weapons were used, saying:
Make no mistake. President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world’s most heinous weapons against the world’s most vulnerable people.
Kerry said that Obama’s entire national security team has been reviewing the situation in Syria in recent days – and said that the Obama administration has “additional information” about the attack which it will make public in the coming days.
He spoke of the “indiscriminate slaughter” caused by the use of the weapons, which he said was both inexcusable and undeniable.
“This is about the large scale indiscriminate use of weapons that the civilised world long ago decided must not be used at all – a conviction shared even by countries that agree on little else,” he said.
There is a reason “why this international norm cannot be violated without consequences,” he said.
He spoke of how he had looked at many videos and photographs which had emerged from Syria of the alleged attacks, and cited reports about victims as being evidence “that everything these images are already screaming at us is real. That chemical weapons were used in Syria”.
“Moreover we know that the Syrian regime maintains custody of these chemical weapons,” he said.
Earlier today snipers shot at UN inspectors who were beginning their investigation into whether chemical weapons were used in a Damascus suburb last week.
Doctors Without Borders said 3,600 people turned up at hospitals within three hours of each other displaying “neurotoxic” symptoms consistent with the effects of chemical weapons. Of these, 355 people died, the group said.
Originally published 20:05
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Can I have my money back now
It’s like’…..burning your furniture – to keep warm!
Why are PwC saying this instead of IBRC and NAMA?
As property prices start to rise nama , ibrc start to dump property
Can someone explain why?
Dumping loans philip, not property. They’re Dumping the loans as they’re non-performing and want to get them off the balance sheet.
If they had the patience, they’d put arrangements in place to allow the properties to return to positive equity and then seek a sale, this recouping more of the tax payers money.
Unfortunately, they’ll sell the loans for a discount and allow the new purchasers to do this and net a tidy profit.
The article outlines that IBRC (IBROKE would probably be a better name) will offload € 15 billion in loans.
Yet the linked article tells us that IBROKE have already offloaded 90% of its loanbook, € 19.8 billion out of € 21.7 billion leaving just € 1.9 billion on hand.
This can only mean, if the previous article is correct, that it is NAMA that is offloading the majority of the loans.
Why the subterfuge?
Why make people think that this is some kind of joint enterprise when it is NAMA that is leading the charge?
Have the shiny suit brigade from the canal something to hide?
Given their obsession with secrecy it would not surprise me if they have, perhaps selling the loans to some preferred customer with an inside track at a serious discount.
The way things go it will all be wrapped up before we know anything, plus ça change.
Who in their right mind would buy this junk?
It might only be worth 30% of face value but if you buy it for 20% it’s a good deal. For the buyer anyway.
@ Irish Revolution
The Banks?
Hedge funds bought it. They will now sell off all the ghost estates etc at a lower price so people that have houses for sale at the min will eventually have to sell for half or take them off the market.
Fab house here in drogheda asking price €325. Hilarious. You could now nearly get a house for that on raglan road or ailsbury road!! So that house is realistically worth less than €150 really.
People and notions ha
What about Bank of Scotland selling on my mortgage & others in their Irish portfolio to a company called Tanager Ltd.
I’m in a tizzy all day because I don’t know what it means for us.
have your say