MESOP : QUOTATIONS BY CHAIRMAN OBAMA (I) – U.S. HOUSE APPROVES PLAN TO TRAIN & ARM SYRIAN REBELS

The U.S. House of Representatives approved President Barack Obama’s plan to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels in the fight against Islamic State militants. The amendment, which does not include funding, is part of a stopgap spending bill that is expected to be passed by the Senate as early as Thursday. Some lawmakers have criticized the measure over concerns that weapons will get into “the wrong hands” while others claim it doesn’t go far enough, saying the president should consider sending U.S. ground forces into Syria and Iraq. In a speech at the United States Central Command Wednesday, Obama insisted he would not send U.S. troops into direct combat in Iraq. Meanwhile, over a hundred Muslim groups and leaders across Britain signed a letter condemning the killing of British aid worker David Haines by Islamic State militants and calling for the release of another British aid worker, Alan Henning.