ISTANBUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that the United States would double its non-lethal aid to opposition forces in Syria to $250 million and that foreign backers had agreed to channel all future assistance through the rebels' Supreme Military Council.
Kerry stopped short of a U.S. pledge to supply weapons to insurgents fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that the rebels have sought.
But he said that the rebels' foreign backers were committed to continuing support to them and "there would have to be further announcements about the kind of support that that might be in the days ahead" if Syrian government forces failed to pursue a peaceful solution to the crisis.
Speaking after a meeting of the Syrian opposition and its 11 main foreign supporters in Istanbul, Kerry said the United States would provide an additional $123 million in non-lethal assistance to the rebels, bringing the total of this kind of U.S. help to $250 million.
Kerry urged other foreign backers to make similar pledges of assistance with the goal of reaching $1 billion in total international support.
A U.S. official said on Friday that new non-lethal U.S. aid could include for the first time battlefield support equipment such as body armor and night-vision goggles. U.S. officials have said in the past that the equipment could include armored vehicles and advanced communications equipment, but Kerry gave no specifics.
He said the United States would work with the Syrian opposition to determine how the money would be spent and added that Washington would also provide nearly $25 million in additional food aid.
Kerry said the foreign supporters had "all committed that the aid and assistance from every country will go through the (rebel) Supreme Military Command."
"Today, it's safe to say that we are really at a critical moment," Kerry said. "The stakes in Syria couldn't be more clear: Chemical weapons, the slaughter of people by ballistic missiles and other weapons of huge destruction. The potential of a whole country, a beautiful country with great people, being torn apart and perhaps breaking up into enclaves (with the) potential of sectarian violence which this region knows there is too much of.
"What we are trying to do is to avoid all of that. And we committed to - we recommitted - because we think there are some people who don't believe that we believe it, or are in fact are committed to it," he said.
Kerry referred to a statement issued after the meeting by Syria's main opposition National Coalition in which it pledged not to use chemical weapons, rejected "all forms of terrorism" and vowed that weapons it attains would not fall into the wrong hands.
In its declaration outlining its vision of a post-Assad Syria and issued following the "Friends of Syria" meeting with Western and Arab backers, the coalition also said it would not allow acts of revenge against any group in Syria.
The latest U.S. expansion of non-lethal aid follows Kerry's announcement in Rome in late February that Washington would shift policy to provide medical supplies and food directly to opposition fighters, an option it had previously rejected.
Despite pressure from some members of Congress and recommendations even from among his own advisers, U.S. President Barack Obama has refused to supply arms to the rebels, reflecting concern that such weapons would fall into the hands of Islamist militants in the ranks of the fractious insurgency.
However, even the limited new steps under consideration suggest that the White House, amid difficult internal debate, is continuing to move slowly toward a more direct role in bolstering the Syrian opposition.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar are among Arab states believed to be arming rebel factions.
(Editing by Robin Pomeroy, Eric Walsh and Paul Simao)
One of the largest financial institutions in the state of California is Union Bank. In fact, this financial institution used to be named Union Bank of California before you recently changing. For those that are looking to reduce a home loan payment it may be worth it to research Union Bank FHA streamline refinance rates in 2013. By completing the refinance process some homeowners end up saving hundreds and possibly even thousands of dollars a month on a mortgage payment. Luckily, there were many options available when it comes to refinancing a home loan.
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Streamline Refinance vs a Second Mortgage or Reverse Mortgage
It is important for all homeowners to recognize that streamline refinance is much different than a second mortgage or a reverse mortgage. When going through the streamline refinance process individuals will simply refinance their current home loan while not taking out a second loan. The refinance will likely have a much lower interest rate which in turn will push monthly mortgage payments down. When taking out a second mortgage or a reverse mortgage there will be a second home loan that is created which could cause financial problems.
Something else that is very common is a cash out refinance. A cash out refinance is also different from a second mortgage or reverse mortgage in that the refinance will create a new loan that replaces the first mortgage. No matter which refinance process you choose it is strongly suggested to do a significant amount of research which will help you understand what options are available. Also note that Union Bank has refinance options but they are not the only financial institution in the state of California that offers FHA home loans.
By using the FDIC search tool most borrowers of money will find at least 100 financial institutions in the state of California. Make a mental note that some of these financial institutions may not offer home loan products. The only way to find out if these particular banks offer home loans is to look at their website or contact them at a branch location. This is becoming much easier with the advancement of the Internet and smart phones.
Union Bank FHA Streamline Refinance Rates 2013
While it would be very useful for me to update refinance rates at all banks it is simply not possible. There are over 7000 financial institutions spread throughout the United States and I do not have the time to update 15 and 30 year fixed mortgage rates. Even though this is true I still update some of the larger financial institutions. Make sure to check out the Wells Fargo FHA page which has daily, weekly and monthly interest rates for home loans.
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There is a very good possibility that I will only update weekly and monthly in the near future as life does call. With this being true I would suggest individuals who are looking for daily rates to use use Zillow or BankRate.com. These web entities offer local interest rates for anywhere in the United States. If you do not find local interest rates on these pages you may want to contact some local banks.
With the advances in technology it is often the case that homeowners can use their smart phones to get financial information. Some of the larger financial institutions offer apps for the iPhone and Android phones. You may also find independent apps that help homeowners find out mortgage interest rates today. Make certain to recognize that there are some apps that may not be 100% accurate. To test the validity of these apps look at the reviews and understand who is providing the data.
Refinancing with a Bad Credit Score
Refinancing a home loan with a very low credit score can be quite difficult. In fact, there some financial institutions that will not allow homeowners to refinance if they do not have a credit score above a certain number. Whether you have a credit score of 500 or 650 there could be problems if you do not improve your financial standing. One of the best ways to do this is to make 100% certain all bills are paid on time and in full. By doing this you will be telling financial institutions that you are responsible with your money and you will take the necessary steps to pay bills on time.
It should come as no surprise that some individuals are looking for bad credit home loans or bad credit refinancing in April 2013 and beyond. Rather than trying to refinance with a low credit score it may be a good decision to create a strong weekly or monthly budget and save money. By saving money and paying bills on time it will be a natural progression for a credit score to increase. By obtaining a credit score in excess of 750 homeowners will have many more financial opportunities than those who have a credit score under 700.
There are home loan lenders that help those with bad credit. In fact, the government has worked very hard to help those who have seen the value of their home drop. Most of these individuals are underwater in their mortgage meaning that they own more than their home is worth. The federal government has created the whole affordable refinance program (HARP) which allows homeowners who are underwater to refinance. If your loan to value ratio is above 100% the home affordable refinance program may be right for you.
Unfortunately, understanding all the ins and outs of the home affordable refinance program can be quite difficult. In fact, it has taken me several hours and even days to understand what refinance opportunities are available to all. When looking to refinance through HARP I would suggest looking at the making home affordable government page. This page has several hundred pages of documents that will help explain how refinancing works and how it could help you save money.
With 30 year fixed mortgage rates below 3.5% many homeowners stand to benefit from the refinance process. Unfortunately, some of these homeowners have made poor financial decisions in the recent past which makes it very difficult to lock in these low rates. This is one of the many reasons it may be a good choice to look up government programs that help individuals who are struggling with their money. It may also be wise to look at many financial lenders and banks to see if they can help bad credit borrowers.
Refinancing a Home Loan in California
As mentioned at the beginning of this article Union Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in California. Most of us recognize that home values have dropped in the state of California during and after the credit crisis. This can make it extremely difficult to refinance a home. If homeowners currently owe more than the home is worth many banks will not allow them to refinance. This is unfortunate because it could end up saving the homeowner a significant amount of cash each and every month.
Understand that there are financial institutions that will be more than willing to help when it comes to taking out a home loan at low interest rates. Even if you find that several lenders are unwilling to help do not give up. Below are some of the largest financial institutions in the state of California that can help when it comes to taking out an FHA home loan:
Bank of the West
First Republic Bank
City National Bank
OneWestBank
East West Bank
Silicon Valley Bank
Wilshire State Bank
Opus Bank
Hanmi Bank
Community Bank
West America Bank
Remember that these are not the only names that just the larger names that have headquarters within the state of California. This list also does not include banks that have headquarters elsewhere but do have a presence in California. Some of these financial institutions include Citibank and Bank of America. If you are looking for something local I would strongly suggest using Google maps on a computer or a smartphone. Google maps makes it much easier to find something that is very close to you.
By typing in bank loan or home loan and then your address or zip code you will find the lenders in your area that are willing to create some type of financial product. It is also true that individuals on a smart phone will be able to call these lenders from the Google maps mobile app. This is much different than in years past as we used to have to write the number down and then punch it in the phone.
No matter what you decide when it comes to refinancing home loan always think about the long-term outcome. Some people may want to refinance with adjustable mortgage interest rates as ARM rates tend to be lower. Unfortunately, they are also adjustable so they could end up coming back to haunt you in the future. Those with adjustable mortgage interest rates could end up seeing much higher interest rates in five or seven years.
