Thread: Syria News and Editorials

^^Sorry, 16th March.
Still took you a while for it to sink in.

You were asking what Assad's missus' shopping spree had to do with the situation in Syria.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Roughly speaking, every Sunni will take this as an insult and, contrary to what you think, will want blood in return.

This is the new order which you are supporting?

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/03/eg....html#comments

"Egyptian Muslim cleric: killing Assad is a duty for every Muslim
Thought experiment: when was the last time you heard of a Christian cleric saying that killing anyone for any reason was every Christian's duty? When was the last time you heard a Jewish rabbi call for Jews to kill anyone? A Hindu? A Buddhist? We report here at Jihad Watch with mind-numbing frequency about Muslim clerics calling for blood and death, and no one bats an eye. It is the soft bigotry of low expectations. Stop the Islamophobia: hold Muslim clerics to the same standard as all other clerics!

"Egyptian cleric issues death fatwa against Al Assad," by Ramadan Al Sherbini for Gulf News, March 16 (thanks to Wimpy):

Cairo: Egypt's prominent Muslim cleric Safwat Hejazi has said that the killing of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is a duty for every Muslim.
"He who has the chance to kill Al Assad and does not do this is a sinner," Hejazi told a rally held in Cairo in support of a popular revolt against Al Assad's rule.

"Hadn't I been a known face, I would have gone myself and killed him," added Hejazi, who had a high profile during an uprising that forced long-serving Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to step down last year.

Hejazi added that his anti-Al-Assad fatwa (a religious edict) has been echoed by many Muslim clerics....

So many Misunderstanders of Islam even among clerics! How does this happen?"

Do you live in a hole?

Commentators remarked weeks ago that it's notable that both the West and Al Qaeda finally agree on something.

Do try and keep up.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Commentators remarked weeks ago that it's notable that both the West and Al Qaeda finally agree on something.

The question was asked of you harry, not Al Qaeda or "the west".

No, I don't really think having a radical extremist Islamic government is a good way to go, but Assad could have avoided that by not turning it into a blood bath.

I'm afraid now he's almost made it inevitable.

Desperate, angry people are incredibly easy to radicalise.

Did you not know that?

Islam is a political religion and has been since its inception.
Divisive extremism is its characteristic method of developmental progress and promotion.

Internicene conflict and war decides its political stance, and inter-sect family and tribal loyalties influence the changeover of power bases.

The least radically extreme sect of Islam are the Druze, who are now attempting to broker a smooth transition towards a shared and more just power structure.


Jumblat Warns Syria
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat urged on Monday Syria’s Druze population to abandon the ruling regime, warning them against “getting their hands covered with the blood of the Syrian people.”

He told France 24 television: “I caution the Druze against getting embroiled in any sectarian strife with the Sunnis because that will spell their end.”

The Arab world is dominated by the Sunni sect and “therefore beware of getting involved in strife,” the Druze chief added.

This also applies to Christians and all other sects, he said.

Jumblat Warns Syria

He's really going for his Dad's record, isn't he?

But fucking hell, look what the Russians are now saying? Quite a surprise to me that is; it implies to me that they are worried now that he's going to lose.

Syria: Damascus suburbs come under renewed attack

Two large suburbs of Damascus came under heavy tank bombardment on Wednesday following renewed Free Syrian Army attacks on forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, opposition activists said.



A Syrian army checkpoint in the restive Damascus suburb of Saqba Photo: AFP/Getty Images

8:03AM GMT 21 Mar 2012


Artillery and anti-aircraft gun barrages hit the suburbs of Harasta and Irbin, retaken from rebels by Assad's forces two months ago, and army helicopters were heard flying over the area, on the eastern edge of the capital, the activists said.

Assad's forces reasserted their control of Damascus suburbs in January after days of tank and artillery shelling that beat back rebels and lessened street protests against the 42-year rule of Assad and his father, the late President Hafez al-Assad.

The suburbs are a linked series of towns inhabited mostly by members of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, who have grown increasingly resentful at the domination of the Assads, who belong to the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Islam.

The Damascus assault and rebel fighters' flight on Tuesday from the eastern city of Deir al-Zor mark the latest setbacks for the armed opposition, which also faced accusations of torture and brutality from a leading human rights body.

But as Assad made advances on the ground, he appeared to suffer a setback on the diplomatic front, with key-ally Moscow adopting a new, sharper tone after months of publicly standing by his government.

"We believe the Syrian leadership reacted wrongly to the first appearance of peaceful protests and ... is making very many mistakes," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian radio station Kommersant-FM.
"This, unfortunately, has in many ways led the conflict to reach such a severe stage."

Lavrov also spoke of a "future transition" period for Syria but continued to reject calls from most Western and Arab states for Assad to resign, saying this was "unrealistic".
It was not immediately clear if the change in language would translate into a tangible difference in the way international powers, hitherto divided on Syria, might deal with the crisis.
"The change in the Russian position is one of tone, not of substance. Moscow still sees its support of Assad as part of a regional game, but it is losing the support of the Syrian people, which could backfire on it if the Syrian regime falls," said Najati Tayyara, a prominent Syrian opposition figure.
The uprising started with non-violent demonstrations last March, but the situation deteriorated rapidly amid a ferocious army crackdown and there are now daily clashes between rebels and security forces around the country.
The United Nations says more than 8,000 people have been killed so far, but the toll is rising rapidly, with at least 31 men, women and children killed on Tuesday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Lightly armed rebel forces have been forced into retreat across the country in recent weeks, with the army using heavy weapons to chase them from towns and cities, chalking up its latest victory in Deir al-Zor.
"Tanks entered residential neighbourhoods, especially in southeastern areas of Deir al-Zor. The Free Syrian Army pulled out to avoid a civilian massacre," a statement by the Deir al-Zor Revolution Committees Union said.
After failing to hold significant stretches of land, analysts say the rebels appear to be switching to insurgency tactics, pointing to bloody car bomb attacks in two major Syrian cities at the weekend and the sabotage of a major rail link.
Car bomb attacks in the capital Damascus and second city Aleppo killed at least 30 over the weekend, while rebels also destroyed a railway bridge linking Damascus to Deraa, according to official Syrian media.
Diplomats warn the fighting could develop into a civil war pitching Assad's Alawite sect and its minority allies against the majority Sunni Muslim population.
Assad may also be facing pressure from inside his government. Documents described as leaked from inside Syria's embattled government show it trying to dissuade the president's allies from defecting.
The government says 2,000 members of the security forces have been killed by foreign-backed "terrorists" and denies accusations of brutality and indiscriminate violence.
In a new twist, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch said the rebels were guilty of serious crimes, citing cases of kidnapping, torture and killings in cold blood.
Washington said it would "absolutely denounce" human rights violations by the rebels, but stressed that most of the abuse was being carried out by pro-Assad forces.
Russia has previously vetoed two Western and Arab-backed U.N resolutions condemning government violence, arguing that the actions of rebels should also be criticised.
In a fresh effort to form a united international front, France has circulated a Western-drafted statement for the sharply divided U.N. Security Council deploring the turmoil and backing peace efforts by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.
Russia announced it would back the text on two conditions – that there was no ultimatum imposed on Assad and that Annan release full details of his peace plan.
Annan dispatched a team of five experts to Damascus on Monday to discuss ways of implementing the peace drive, including a mechanism to let international monitors into the country. Syria has questioned the value of such a mission and talks continue.
Lavrov also dismissed media reports of Russian warships entering Russia's naval facility in the Syrian port of Tartous as "fairy tales". Some reports had said Russian ships were delivering weapons or special forces troops.
Lavrov said a Russian tanker with fuel for Russian warships involved in antipiracy operations in the Gulf of Aden was docked at the port. Russia has repeatedly said its arms sales to Syria violate no laws and it sees no grounds to suspend them.
Source: agencies

And for what it's worth there may be no "Double Veto" this time (it's quite a wishy washy resolution):

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In a bid to win Russian and Chinese support, France has watered down a proposed UN Security Council statement calling on the Syrian government and the opposition to immediately implement proposals by international envoy Kofi Annan to end the yearlong bloodshed.

The original draft presidential statement would have called on the council to review implementation of Annan’s six-point proposal in seven days and consider “further measures” — which could include sanctions or military action — if there wasn’t sufficient progress.
But a revised draft circulated late Tuesday and obtained by The Associated Press drops this threat and instead asks Annan to update the council regularly on the progress of his mission. “In the light of these reports, the Security Council will consider further steps as appropriate,” the new draft said.
Security Council ambassadors discussed the text behind closed doors Tuesday and then sent it back to their capitals. If there are no objections by 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) Wednesday, diplomats said the statement will be read by the council president, Britain’s UN Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, at an open meeting later in the day, signifying its adoption.
A presidential statement, which needs approval from all 15 Security Council members, becomes part of the council’s permanent record. But unlike a council resolution, it is not legally binding.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that the Syria crisis is the most pressing issue facing the world.
“We have no time to waste, no time to lose. Just one minute, one hour delay will mean more and more people dead,” Ban told reporters in the Indonesian city of Bogor, his first stop on an Asian tour.
The revised draft was discussed hours after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is ready to support a UN resolution endorsing Annan’s plan for settling the Syrian crisis. But Lavrov warned that a resolution shouldn’t turn into an ultimatum to the Syrian government.
Russia and China have twice vetoed European and U.S.-backed resolutions condemning President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on protesters, in which more than 8,000 people have died. Moscow and Beijing called the resolutions unbalanced because they demanded an end only to attacks by government troops but not by opposition forces. Russia also argued that the resolutions promoted regime change in Syria.
The Kremlin has offered strong support to Annan, a former UN secretary-general who is the joint UN and Arab League special envoy on Syria. Lavrov said over the weekend that Annan’s plan doesn’t contain a demand for Assad to step down.
One of the sticking points between Russia, Syria and the West is the sequencing of a cease-fire. Syria says the opposition must lay down its arms first. Russia says the government and opposition must stop fighting simultaneously. Western countries insist that since Assad’s forces started the fighting and are responsible for most of the killings, they must stop first.
The revised draft resolution would require the Syrian government to immediately stop troop movements and halt the use of heavy weapons in populated areas. As these actions are taking place, it says the government should work with Annan to bring about a halt to violence under UN supervision.
The draft says Annan should seek similar commitments from the opposition — with no mention of a time frame.
It would commit Assad’s government to work with Annan “in an inclusive Syrian-led political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people,” and both sides “to work in good faith with the envoy towards a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis.”
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

A terrible consequence of the escalating violence - the good guys turn bad. But it's as right to report this as to report the government violence and abuse.

The other story: Syrian rebels accused of torture
Published: Wednesday, Mar 21, 2012, 12:24 IST
By Richard Spencer | Agency: Daily Telegraph

Syrian rebels have kidnapped, tortured and executed suspected supporters of the Assad regime and members of its militias, according to the fullest study yet of abuses by the opposition.

The report by Human Rights Watch provides some balance to the worldwide denunciation of the crimes against humanity of which the regime has been accused since the start of the uprising, although there is no suggestion that opposition abuses are as regular or on anywhere near the same scale.

They also suggest that the longer the conflict continues, the worse abuses will become. The report says the protest movement was largely peaceful until September, while many of the abuses described occurred in the last two months as fighting has intensified.

Among the startling admissions recorded by researchers is a statement by a "media co-ordinator" for the Farouq Brigade, a militia with Islamist tendencies operating separately from the rebels' Free Syrian Army in and around the city of Homs.

The co-ordinator said it had executed at least one captured intelligence officer. "The death of the member of the Air Force Intelligence was an act of revenge because the branch is responsible for horrific killings in Homs," he told the researcher. In a video, another member of Air Force Intelligence is seen confessing to firing on protesters and then being offered a last request before his execution.

The admission adds weight to claims made by one opposition activist in the countryside near Homs last month that four men seen by The Daily Telegraph in a mass grave, who appeared to have been shot with their hands tied behind their backs, had been killed by the Farouq Brigade. The four, who were in an advanced state of decomposition, were snipers with the Shabiha, or Assad regime informal militia, who had been captured and subsequently killed, the activist said.

HRW took care in the report to distinguish between atrocities by disparate volunteer militias such as the Farouq Brigade and the Free Syrian Army, a force largely consisting of army deserters who are supposed to be under the central command of a former regime colonel, Riad al-Assad, now based in Turkey. Most such militias claim to be part of the FSA but are only tenuously under its control.

Another FSA-linked militia, the Kafr Takharim battalion, is thought to have been responsible for the execution of a man shown in another video hanged from a tree, and also said to be a member of the Shabiha.

However, a man named as "Samih" also claims in the report that the FSA itself is kidnapping people to exchange for prisoners or for ransom.

The report takes the form of a letter addressed to the Syrian National Council, seen as the main exiled opposition political leadership. "Leaders of Syrian opposition groups should condemn and forbid their members from carrying out abuses," the group said. It said there were indications that some attacks were motivated by sectarianism - much of the opposition is Sunni, while Alawis and to a lesser extent Shia are accused of supporting the regime.

There was no initial response from the SNC.

The overwhelming and indiscriminate force used by the regime has won the opposition worldwide sympathy. But as it prepares for a longer guerrilla war, lasting a year or more, the opposition risks playing into the hands of the regime which has sought to portray its activists from the beginning as "terrorists".

Wednesday, March 21, 2012 Assad ‘wants to starve his people to death’


Syrian refugee Imad Abdallah: “Besides killing civilians by bombing, President Assad wants to kill people by sta


Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

• 

Syrian doctors have been caught on film executing wounded protesters in government-secured hospitals, an outraged Syrian activist who called for military intervention claimed yesterday.



“Our greatest weapon is our camera,” Imad Abdallah said as he described the dire situation in his home country, where starving civilians are desperate for food, water and medi-cal supplies.


Mr Abdallah, a member of the NGO Spring, is in Malta to thank the public for filling five containers with clothes and other supplies to be shipped next week via Egypt to Aqaba in Jordan, which is accommodating 80,000 fleeing Syrians.
The collection was coordinated by the General Workers’ Union with the help of the Civil Protection Department.


The regime in Syria is so corrupt that activists are having to “smuggle” goods across the border, including money so soldiers can be bribed into giving protestors food. Mr Abdallah emphasised the necessity of foreign assistance:



“Those who have left Syria are called ‘guests’ and are not seen refugees.” While refugees are given legal rights such as access to medical aid, water and food, guests rely [at]solely on donations from generous hosts or NGOs. This makes donations such as those collected by the GWU even more pertinent.


Supplies are being forcibly blocked within Syria itself, so ensuring civilians receive aid once they managed to escape to surrounding countries was essential. Mr Abdallah explained that the geographical location of Syria itself made it difficult for aid to be received, and NGOs were furthermore banned from entering the city of Homs.


“Besides killing civilians by bombing, President Assad wants to kill people by starvation,” he said.


Mr Abdallah spoke engagingly about his escape from Homs, but his voice faltered when asked about the family he had left behind. “So many family and friends have been killed. It’s easier to count those who remain,” he said quietly.
Activists are desperate for food, baby milk and even the most basic of medical supplies like thread to stitch up the injured.


“We need something organised and controlled by governments to halt the killing of children by machetes and the torture of civilians,” Mr Abdallah said.


However, the lack of intervention by the UN is significantly slowing progress within the region. Until this happens, the Syrian people must rely on generous donations such as those collected in Malta. GWU general secretary Tony Zarb thanked the Maltese for their kindness and said medicine will continue to be collected for future shipments.

The whole scenario here is extremely complex, involving far more than a simple regime change.
The domino effect can knock on to Lebanon and Iran, while both Saudi and US promote the change, but not power sharing.

Arming the rebels.
"Saudi Arabia is delivering military equipment to Syrian rebels in an effort to stop bloodshed by President Bashar Assad's regime, a top Arab diplomat said on Saturday.

"Saudi military equipment is on its way to Jordan to arm the Free Syrian Army," the diplomat told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity.
"This is a Saudi initiative to stop the massacres in Syria," he added saying further "details will follow at a later time."
The announcement came two days after the kingdom said it had shut down its embassy in Syria and withdrawn its entire staff.

However, Jordan rejected the report.
"Jordan categorically denies the report," government spokesman and Information Minister Rakan Majali told AFP. "This is completely baseless.""

More:
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/33717



The above report must be seen in the light of Syria's previous backing of Lebanon's government at the time of Hariri's assassination and the assassination of Walid Jumblat's father, a prominent Druze leader in Lebanon



Syrian conflict destabilizes Lebanon
By Niall Green
27 February 2012
Lebanon’s defense minister met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Sunday for talks focusing on the escalating conflict in Syria. The official Iranian news agency reported that Ahmadinejad told Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn to “resist the plots” of “domination-seeking powers” who were working to remove the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
The Lebanese minister reportedly replied, “Lebanon will never forget that Iran stood by us in times of great difficulty.” Ghosn also met with Iran’s defense minister, General Ahmad Vahidi, who stated that Tehran would work to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces.

More;
Syrian conflict destabilizes Lebanon


Then we get this shift in policy also, this time by France.

"French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé on Thursday rejected a request by the Syrian opposition to transfer weapons to the rebels fighting President Bashar Assad’s regime.
Juppé explained the decision by explaining that arming the rebels could lead to an outbreak of “a catastrophic civil war” in Syria."

More;
France Rejects Request to Arm Syrian Rebels - Latest News Briefs - Israel National News


The British viewpoint, not a policy, I emphasise, it's not written in stone!

Hague: Arms to Syrian rebels might go to Al Qaeda
March 8, 2012

Last night’s comments from Leon Panatta, the US defence secretary, that the US was considering equipping Syrian rebels, triggered interest on this side of the Atlantic too.
Panetta insisted, as has the UK, that taking military action against Syria without agreement from the UN would be a “mistake”, but he acknowledged the Obama administration was considering providing communications equipment and other “non-lethal” support – something that has not previously been given.

So when William Hague was quizzed by the foreign affairs select committee this morning, it was the perfect chance for the MPs on that committee to ask if Britain would so the same. We have always ruled out arming the rebels – Philip Hammond repeated the view today that to do so would be illegal – but could we provide any “non-lethal” equipment?
Hague revealed that the UK is actually already doing so – to an extent:

More;
Hague: Arms to Syrian rebels might go to Al Qaeda | Westminster blog | Jim Pickard and Kiran Stacey share their views on the UK


UK stepping in time with US policy, with France joining in.

A couple of weeks ago the call was for armed intervention and a possible UN strike.
Don't foget that the UN has been pretty much neutered by US foreign policy for decades, so a UN failure is a US failure in world wargames, IMO.

Let's just say there is nothing stopping "independent" arms dealers selling weapons to third party countries that might just accidentally drop them into the hands of Syrian freedom fighters.

In the same sort of way Russian ships full of weapons accidentally make their way through the Straits of Bosphorus and into a Syrian port, obviously completely without any member of the Russian government being aware.

It's called a Proxy War. No-one wants to lose, but no-one wants to win either.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Let's just say there is nothing stopping "independent" arms dealers selling weapons to third party countries that might just accidentally drop them into the hands of Syrian freedom fighters.

In the same sort of way Russian ships full of weapons accidentally make their way through the Straits of Bosphorus and into a Syrian port, obviously completely without any member of the Russian government being aware.

It's called a Proxy War. No-one wants to lose, but no-one wants to win either.

There is a great difference.

There are UNSC and UNGA resolutions banning the arming of terrorists, anywhere in the world.

There are no UNSC or UNGA resolution banning the sale or delivery of weapons to the government of Syria or in fact training the Syrian forces to use them.

A radio, a bullet or a pair of boots are lethal weapons if used by the terrorists in the carrying out of terrorism, or the planning of terrorism. The discussion of a terrorist act has been used as evidence to jail terrorists in the western courts. This points to the leaders of the "free" world, since they are discussing assisting terrorists to charges, of being a terrorist themselves.

Or are you suggesting there are two different sorts of terrorists, those that are with us and those that are not?

^ I think the Syrian people and the FSA have a genuine right to be armed and fight back.

But this sectarian violence (and that's what it is now) can be, and is being exploited by others.

Hence my comment pages back, of which I had to remind you again today, that many people have commented that it's almost laughable that the West and Al Qaeda both have the same aim in Syria - to get rid of Assad.

Who would have thought Uncle Sam and Al Qaeda would agree on anything?!

It would have been infinitely better if he'd just gone earlier and allowed a smooth transition of power and free and fair elections.

But of course, the Russians and - especially - the Iranians were never really going to let that happen anyway.

Assad's apologists cling to the lies of a crumbling regime

Ali Khaled
4bc17e0a9ff26310VgnVCM200000e66411acRCRD



It was the moment when, I would imagine, most right-minded people's irony meter ceased to function.
Last week, as the world once again watched helplessly as Israel pounded Gaza and killed 25 people, support for Palestinians came from an unwanted (perhaps the only unwanted) source. Syria "roundly condemns Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and urges the international community to undertake urgent steps," said a foreign ministry statement from Damascus. It went on to reaffirm "Syria's support for the people of Gaza".
Every Palestinian should be offended by the statement. Indeed, Hamas, Syria's long-time Palestinian ally, has already turned its back on the regime.
And yet, the Syrian ministry's absurd statement fits a long-standing pattern. Damascus has always tried to portray itself as a defender of Palestinians, exploiting their grievances to mask its own injustices against the Syrian people.
It is only in the past year that this narrative has fallen apart. On Tuesday, high level defections included two generals and Abdel Majid Barakat, a senior Baathist adviser. Mr Barakat has leaked extensive documents from within the regime to Al Jazeera, exposing a paranoid regime bent on repression by any means and a leader in Bashar Al Assad deluded by the lies of his own security chiefs.
Those revelations followed leaked emails published in The Guardian showing the Assad family and a narrow inner circle completely out of touch, or at least turning a blind eye to what is happening in Homs, Hama and, increasingly, on their own doorstep in Damascus.
We see how deluded the leaders in Damascus are, but how do we explain the support they still receive from those outside that cocoon?
Foreign military intervention, or the arming of the opposition, is fraught with complications, both morally and tactically. Most Alawites, and many from other minority groups, support the Baathist regime for fear of what comes after.
The example of post-Qaddafi Libya shows that if and when the rebels topple the Assad regime, forgiveness for its supporters, at home and abroad, is unlikely to be in plentiful supply.
There are reasons why many inside Syria have remained quiet. Support from sections of the middle class, who fear economic turmoil if the regime collapses, is understandable from a narrow pragmatic point of view. Indeed, many Syrians, regardless of class or religion, rightly fear for their own and their families' safety.
But what of Syrian expatriates, and indeed the other Arabs, who continue to support the regime despite undeniable evidence of massacres and atrocities?
Their shameful narrative is one Arabs used to justify tyrannical regimes for the last five decades: "Better the devil you know," some still argue.
The cost is a betrayal of Syrians. One of my acquaintances, a 30-something Arab woman, believes the shelling of Homs, like the 1982 Hama massacre, was necessary for the long-term stability of the country. The sooner "terrorists" are dealt with, she says, the sooner Syria can get back to normal.
An elderly Syrian writer in the UAE has justified the massacres by saying they were necessary to avoid sectarian strife spilling over into neighbouring countries.
Another elderly Syrian was happy to perpetuate the tired myth that protests are the work of sinister western forces. There are many others.
Some of this is fear, or old loyalties and enmities. In other cases, it is a belief in the Assad lies. While social media are dominated by anti-Assad sentiment, both Facebook and Twitter are home to posts that blame Arab leaders for ignoring the Palestinians to focus on Syria.
These apologists are complicit in the regime's violence by excusing it. But the tide is turning. The recent defections show that even some of the president's closest allies can no longer stand by and watch the murders.
This may lead to more violence, as nine generals have now joined the Syrian Free Army. Better by far however would be for observers to stop parroting the regime's lies.
The delusion plays into the hands of a regime that demands unconditional trust, but trusts no one. Perhaps the apologists are simply hedging their bets as they wait for an eventual winner. Or maybe it's just moral cowardice. Either way, their support of the murders of men, women and children comes at a heavy price: their humanity.
Assad apologists should acquaint themselves with the words of Martin Niemöller, the German Lutheran pastor who criticised intellectuals in his country for their passivity following the Nazis rise to power:

First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.

This regime will almost surely fall. Only then, will those who are quiet about Mr Al Assad's crimes realise the monster they have tacitly supported.

China supports UN call for Syrian democracy


Thursday, March 22, 2012 -- 9:38 am
China has joined Russia and other UN Security Council member states in calling for a peaceful end to Syria’s civil conflict, Reuters reported. While the statement China signed did not explicitly demand Assad step down, it did call for an end to Syrian military troop movements against rebel fighters and to “facilitate a Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, plural political system.” The statement also threatens “further steps” if the regime of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad fails to comply with a six-point peace proposal laid out by Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy to the benighted country. China’s support marks a departure from earlier vetoes on UN resolutions which condemned Syrian government assaults on protesters. The UN says Syria’s de-facto civil war, which began early last year, has killed over 8,000 civilians.

China's hypocrisy shines in the light of their present advocacy for " a democratic plural political system" while she continues to beat up Uighur and Tibetan political activists.

What a two faced load of bollocks!!

China's only reason for spouting that latest bit of mealy mouthed politically correct jargon is to ensure her ability to access more oil wealth in the region.

Well the Qataris at least don't seem best pleased....

Syria: West hands Russia diplomatic coup


By Jonah Hull in

• Europe

on Thu, 2012-03-22 12:47.

Photo by EPA

In resisting two previous UN resolutions on Syria, Russia's position was that the texts were unbalanced and aimed at regime change. It insisted both sides should cease fire and begin negotiations, without preconditions or ultimatums.

Western powers, demanding Assad step down, lambasted Russia for this. It cost them a show of diplomatic unity against Assad, in the absence of will to take concrete steps on the ground.

WEDNESDAY's presidential statement includes the following:

- calls on BOTH sides to cease fire, and for negotiations to begin.
- no preconditions, timeline or ultimatum.

Western powers have sacrificed conviction for a show of (toothless) unity.

In so doing, they have handed Russia (and China) a diplomatic COUP - a statement that actually endorses Russia's position, for which it was previously villified.

It essentially leaves the way open for talks with Assad at the table.

REACTIONS have been muted at the security council. Few are crowing about this one. The US calls it a "modest step forward". Russia welcomed a document that "does not contain any ultimatums, threats or assertions who is guilty."

Activists and analysts have greeted it with grim mirth and sarcasm. Here are some tweets posted on the Guardian's live blog:

@false_dawn - UN says #Assad should pull back troops and allow demonstrations. What a FANTASTIC idea Kofi. Please come again.
21 Mar 12

@LeShaque - The "international community" has become a joke. And not a funny one. #Syria
21 Mar 12

Also on twitter, there was this from the director of the Brookings Doha centre;

@Salman_Shaikh1 - I am a hardened #UN-phile. That is why it pains me to say latest UN Presidential Statement on #Syria is not worth the paper it is printed on

Syria's state news agency, meanwhile, carried a report headlined, ""No warnings or signals in the statement".

The message to Assad: CARRY ON.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Well the Qataris at least don't seem best pleased....

Assuming that Al Jazeera is a Qatari mouthpiece. Perfidious Albion springs to mind. Hung out to dry by the crusader coalition.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Well the Qataris at least don't seem best pleased....

Assuming that Al Jazeera is a Qatari mouthpiece. Perfidious Albion springs to mind. Hung out to dry by the crusader coalition.

I can only assume whatever you were drinking was quite potent.

Assuming Al Jazeera is Qatari? That's like assuming Press TV is Iranian.

Clashes in Syria’s north, regime foes eye capital
(AFP)

23 March 2012
DAMASCUS — Rebels and troops clashed in northern Syria as regime foes set their sights on the capital as the rallying cry for weekly protests on Friday, while the EU prepared to slap new sanctions on Damascus.
“Damascus, here we come” was the slogan for anti-regime demonstrations on the day of weekly Muslim prayers, as posted by activists on their Facebook page, The Syrian Revolution 2011.
The army and rebels clashed in the Aazaz region near the Turkish border, killing at least three soldiers, and troops bombed a district of the flashpoint city of Homs in central Syria, opposition activists and monitors said.
In fierce clashes on Thursday, rebels and government forces both went on the offensive, after President Bashar al-Assad’s foes branded as toothless a UN Security Council call for peace.
The latest violence came a day after the regime launched attacks on a string of towns, while rebel fighters struck military posts in several provinces and announced a command structure to coordinate hit-and-run strikes in and around Damascus.
A bus, with women and children on board, was shot up close to the town of Sermin in the northwestern province of Idlib, near the border with Turkey, and 10 people died, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Opposition activist Milad Fadl said the civilians were headed for Turkey to escape when regime forces opened fire.
Government troops backed by tanks launched an assault on the northern border town of Binesh, sending thousands into flight towards the nearby towns of Taftanaz, Al-Maara and Sardana.
The escalation came just hours after the Security Council on Wednesday adopted a statement urging Assad and the opposition to implement “fully and immediately” a peace plan by international envoy Kofi Annan.
Annan’s plan calls for Assad to pull troops and heavy weapons out of protest cities, a daily two-hour humanitarian pause to hostilities, access to all areas affected by the fighting and a UN-supervised halt to all clashes.
Monitors say more than 9,100 people have been killed in the unrest that started with peaceful protests in March 2011 before turning into an armed revolt, faced with a brutal crackdown which has cost dozens of lives each day.
Adding to pressure on Damascus, Assad’s wife Asma, a Western-educated former banker and style icon, was expected Friday to face a European Union travel ban and asset freeze along with other family members, diplomats in Brussels said.
Asma al-Assad is on a list of 12 Syrians, including a handful of the president’s relatives, to be put to EU foreign ministers for a decision to bar them from travel and freeze their accounts across the 27-nation bloc.
The ministers, who in 12 previous rounds of sanctions against the Assad regime have already blacklisted some 150 firms and people, will also decide whether to add two extra firms to the list.
Assad himself was targeted by EU restrictive measures as far back as May. His wife, however, is a British national, and officials in London said an EU travel ban could not prevent her from entering Britain.
The Syrian National Council, the main opposition coalition, meanwhile, has dismissed the UN statement, saying it offered “the regime the opportunity to push ahead with its repression in order to crush the revolt by the Syrian people.”
Before the evening offensive, 62 people were killed across the country on Thursday, including 35 civilians, the Observatory said, adding that 18 soldiers and nine army deserters also died in fierce clashes.
The reports could not be confirmed due to restrictions on the movements of foreign media.
On the rebel side, the Free Syrian Army said it had set up a military council to coordinate hit-and-run strikes around the capital, so far largely spared the worst violence.
After intense negotiations between major UN powers, Russia and China signed up to the Western-drafted text which also calls on Assad to work toward a democratic transition.
The Security Council on Friday still awaited a formal response from Syria to its call.
With a veiled warning of future action, it called on Assad and the opposition to work “towards a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis and to implement fully and immediately (Annan’s) initial six-point proposal.”
European countries want to press for a full, binding resolution, with French envoy Gerard Araud calling the statement “a small step by the Security Council in the right direction.”

Clashes reported near Syrian capital

23 March 2012, 11:43 (GMT+04:00)


Syrian troops and opposition rebels clashed Friday near the capital Damascus, activists said, as opposition groups called for nationwide protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, dpa reported.

Rebels attacked at dawn an army checkpoint in al-Qaboon, in the suburbs of Damascus, sparking a clash between the two sides and heavy shelling on the nearby area of Arbeen, activist Haytham al-Abdullah told dpa.

"Tanks were seen heading to the region and especially to the area of Harasta, in a move aimed at storming the whole region by (President Bashar) al-Assad thugs," al-Abdullah said.

The clashes could be heard across the capital since the early hours of the morning, witnesses said.

Using the slogan "Damascus we are coming," opposition websites called for fresh protests across the country.

In the northern province of Idlib, near the Turkish border, similar clashes erupted between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and regular troops in Maaret al-Nouman.

In Aleppo, government troops shelled the area of Azaz, while in the central province of Homs, the shelling continued on the areas of Bab al-Sibaa and al-Khalidiyeh, activists said.

Meanwhile, the opposition local Coordination Committee (LCC), which documents violence across Syria, said Thursday's death toll had reached 90, with most of the casualties reported in Homs and Idlib.

News out of Syria cannot be verified as independent journalists are banned from entering the country's restive areas.

The London-based Syrian observatory for Human Rights says more than 9,100 people have been killed since the start of the unrest a year ago. dpa wh nes npr Author: Weedah Hamzah