Hi Ehsani,

From what I understand, the website you mention – with the map of the air defences, is a fake site: https://twitter.com/rallaf/status/120937876778254336

The real site seems to be this one: https://twitter.com/rallaf/status/120937438544797696

Sasa.

Dear SASA,

Is the website of the Syria National Council a fake? If it is , then I stand corrected. My information was directly obtained from that site

Dear Haytham,
I read your article. It is very well written and to the point. I think we should cut the opposition some slack. You have articulated quite well, the state of affairs of the Syrian opposition and explained why they are where they are today. Not only did the government suffocate any real opposition, it also perpetuated a culture of submission through the “educational” system. We teach our kids countless hours of “Socialist education”, waste their time with “talae’ and shabibeh, and kill their ambitions with Itihad altalabeh. Based on these “preparations” by our regime, We should not expect anything less than what we have today. I said it before and I will say it again: this regime can write the book in how to destroy a nation.

US bans telecoms sales to Syria: Treasury
3 October 2011
14:16
Agence France Presse
AFPR
.
The US Treasury Department on Monday moved to block the sale of telecommunications equipment to Syria, the latest in a series of sanctions aimed at isolating Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
According to a Treasury document signed on Monday, US firms will now be barred from selling the Syrian government, or anyone in the country, telecoms equipment or technology, “including satellite or terrestrial network connectivity.”
Washington has slapped sanctions on a series of top Syrian government officials amid a deadly crackdown on protestors across the country.
On August 17 President Barack Obama signed an executive order authorizing sanctions against the Syrian regime because of what the White House termed a “continuing escalation of violence against the people of Syria.”
The sanctions froze all Syrian government property in the United States and banned US citizens from doing new business with the country, or importing petroleum products.
Speaking in Tel Aviv on Monday, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said it was “a matter of time” before the Syrian regime headed al-Assad is ousted from power by the uprising.
According to the United Nations, the crackdown has killed at least 2,700 people.
Throughout the crackdown, Syrian state-backed television channels have broadcast pro-government accounts of events in the country.
Syrian news networks have also been used to broadcast messages from Libya’s Moamer Kadhafi and the remnants of his regime.
The order was signed by Adam Szubin, director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

@ Sheila@3.

That will be done shortly.

“Syria Comment asked Mr. Rosen for his personal view on what he sees as the primary motivation of the opposition and how much of the discontent stems from economic versus sectarian issues. Set below is his reply which he agreed to share with SC readers:”

The Syrian Sunnis shouldn’t be ashamed to be sectarian and of course their is a sectarian impetus to their uprising, just like the Iraqi and Bahrani Shi’ites weren’t just opposed to the oppression meted out to them, but because they were ruled by a Sunni minority, and many of the Iraqi Shi’ites collaborated with the Jewish Neocons in planning the Iraq War and rode in on American tanks, with nary a word from any of those hypocritical pro-regimes who rant about mumaana’a. If the Nusayris don’t want to be ruled by the Sunnis, then the feeling is mutual. Like one poster mentioned, even if the protesters go back to their houses, the regime will still come after them and the biggest mistake of this uprising was that it wasn’t armed from day one. The regime and its propagandists might strike a confident tone and boast about opening many fronts, but their enemies can also do the same thing and they are surrounded on four sides.

Dear SASA & Ehsani:

Although the website http://www.syriannc.org/ is the website of the old council, I think http://www.nationalcouncilofsyria.com/index.html seems to be is a fake one.

Radwan Ziadeh, founder and director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies in Syria, at a recent talk at Portland State University, said that the international community could do a number of things to assist protesters and precipitate the fall of the al-Assad regime. The UN Security Council could indict Assad in the ICC, pass economic sanctions, supervise an arms embargo, and enforce a no-fly zone. Ziadeh, a member of the opposition’s Syrian National Council, said that these types of measures would serve to protect civilians against the brutality of the Assad regime while at the same time encourage more members of the security forces to defect.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/1849/it-s-time-for-international-intervention-against-assad-in-syria

Radwan Ziadeh, another council member, said one proposed scenario for a no fly-zone would cover a 10-kilometer (six-mile) area inside Syria’s northern border with Turkey that would serve as a safe haven for defected soldiers. It would be modeled on the U.N.-mandated safe haven in northern Iraq in 1991.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, citing a lack of consensus among the Syrian opposition, said the U.S. believes most of the opposition doesn’t want foreign military intervention of any kind. “The number one thing that we can do to help them is to get international monitors in there,” Ms. Nuland said. “We need witnesses so that we can hold Assad to account.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203405504576599150728062020.html

While protesters are increasingly supportive of NATO assistance, many exiled opposition figures remain opposed to any foreign interference. Radwan Ziadeh, a Washington-based dissident on the council, said the decision on whether to call for foreign intervention “will be the most difficult decision for the council to take.”

http://axcessnews.com/index.php/articles/show/id/22147

1- You cannot ask Syrian the question you asked of Rosen, you will get lost, the data will as varied as how many street corners in a neighborhood. The oppositions failed to:
A- %*#^%(I%$%@$(I)*&*%&#$#U*^$#*^#&^%#&^*%$&%#&^#&^#^#&^#&^$#&.
B- O*&%($#&%^$^@#&^@#&$^%@*)(*_)&(&*%&%$&^%#%^$@^%$@^%.
C- &$^@^%$@&%^#&%$#&%#&%$#%^$#&%$@$.

2- “…The Syrian National Council was formed on Sunday as an umbrella coalition….” They are not and can never be: قوّة ضاربة . In Libya, NATO used foreign mercenaries to attack the country. Because natives will not kill each others. In Syria, they made limited use of foreign mercenaries but they tried to use Sectarian means in an attempt to get the natives killing each others.

3- “……..The National Council of Syria’s official website is rather telling….” Sure is telling “TRAITORS”. Imagine Israeli or American citizens publishing online locations of strategic assets for enemy to see, how long those responsible will be free or not thought after by intelligence units and national Security Laws.

4- “…..Is a No Fly zone consistent with No foreign intervention?…..” Here again cookie cutter and boiler plates will not work in Syria. The country maintains hardly any Air force of significant rating, but it maintains one of the most powerful land forces on earth, highly trained, and notoriously stubborn. In Addition to Tanks it maintains massive missile and artilerary armament to last a real war for a while, most of it now under domestic production. If you to try to bomb those assets and where they are deployed Syria will be leveled to dust, and still tanks will be roaming, missile flying.

5- The oppositions (some are for sure mercenaries) made serious mistake in confronting not just the government of Baath party but Syrian public with a dilemma that they have to choose, and being sober and not drunk with cash and delusion, they chosen the safe and obvious.

6- That on top are not computer keyboard errors, it was deliberate, not telling a thing, not giving any hint or clue.

الهيئة العامة للثورة السورية
بيان دعم وتأييد للمجلس الوطن…ي السوري

تعلن الهيئة العامة للثورة السورية عن دعمها وتأييدها للمجلس الوطني السوري، وتبارك للشعب السوري الثائر تشكيل هذا المجلس وتوحد معظم القوى السياسية المعارضة على ثوابت الثورة، وأهمها إسقاط النظام الاستبداي المجرم من رأسه إلى أصغر بناه القمعية.
الهيئة العامة تدعو المجلس للإسراع في المهمة التي يتطلّع إلى تحقيقها الشعب السوري، وأن يكون على قدر المسؤولية تجاه الشهداء والمعتقلين.

عيون الثوار ترنو إلى من يعطي تضحياتهم قيمتها, و يساعدهم ليجنوا ثمار النصر التي بذرها ورواها شعبنا بدمائه, لننعم جميعاً بسورية لكل أبنائها..
بوركتم وطاب مسعاكم

الهيئة للعامة للثورة السورية
دمشق، 2 تشرين أول 2011

على ذمة الراوي{صفحة شباب حلب الأحرار}:
حلب :: مصدر أمني :: تم التخطيط لقتل سارية حسون بين أنس الشامي وأحد أبناء صهيب الشامي وبعض ضباط المخابرات رداً على تقرير كتبه حسون ببعض هؤلاء الضباط وأرسله للقصر الجمهوري ، والجدير بالذكر أننا نشرنا سابقاً أن أبناء الشامي وأبناء حسون تشاجروا في يوم تشييع الشيخ السلقيني في حرم الجامع الكبير في حلب وهددوه أمام الجميع بتصفيته.

وقال حسن عبد العظيم لـ”دي برس”: “إن مؤتمر اسطنبول الذي ترأسه الدكتور برهان غليون وحد ثلاثة أو أربعة أطراف من المعارضة، ما يعني أن المعارضة أصبحت طرفين هما (المجلس الوطني وهيئة التنسيق)”، معتبراً أن الخطوة “مفيدة وليست سلبية”.

وأضاف عبد العظيم “إن هذه الخطوة قللت من فرقة المعارضة واختلافها”، مشيراً إلى أن “أغلب أطراف المعارضة مجمعة على ضرورة التغيير الوطني الديمقراطي، وتوحيد المعارضة هدفنا جميعاً، لكن التوحيد يحتاج إلى رؤية سياسية وآلية تنظيمية لنستطيع دعم الحراك الشعبي حتى يحقق أهدافه بالحرية والعدالة وبناء الدولة الوطنية الديمقراطية”

فيسترفيلله: صور المظاهرات في العالم العربي اليوم تحرك مشاعرنا

برلين (3 تشرين الأول/أكتوبر) وكالة (آكي) الايطالية للأنباء
قال وزير الخارجية الألماني غويدو فيسترفيلله أن “صور المظاهرات في العالم العربي اليوم تحرك مشاعرنا، حيث يخرج الناس بشجاعة إلى الشوارع للمطالبة بالحياة بحرية” حسب تعبيره

… وأكد رئيس الدبلوماسية الألمانية في بيان بمناسبة ذكرى توحيد بلاده “إن المنطقة بأسرها تعيش مرحلة تحول، وألمانيا تدعم الناس في شمال أفريقيا في عملية توسيع هياكل دولة القانون وإنفاذ حقوق الإنسان وتعزيز الديمقراطية” على حد قوله

وتابع “لقد شيد سور برلين قبل خمسين عاما، وأسقط بعدها بثمان وعشرين عاماً أشخاص كرسوا أنفسهم بشجاعة من أجل حريتهم” وأضاف “لم تزل حاضرة في ذهني الصور المؤثرة للثورة السلمية لعام تسعة وثمانين وتسعمائة وألف حيث جاب مئات الآلاف من المتظاهرين الشوارع هاتفين : نحن الشعب” وأردف “لقد انتصرت رغبة الناس في ألمانيا الشرقية في الحرية واحتفلت ألمانيا بنهاية الانقسام، وصعد جمهور مهلل فوق السور عند بوابة براندنبورغ، وبعد مرور عام، تمت الوحدة الألمانية على المستوى السياسي” حسب تعبيره

An update: https://twitter.com/davidkenner/status/120961668892196865

An update on that website: https://twitter.com/davidkenner/status/120961354457821185

Syrian Nationalist Party
Syrian Nationalist Party
Dude…
I see you did not quite smoking the good smoke !

Yeah I am too poor to afford the good smoke. I guess the majority 99.8 % of Syrians are also poor and cannot afford it.

The part related to the possible fake site was deleted from the article. Thanks sasa

“In essence, this council succeeds are uniting all of the opposition outside the country and is now open to those inside to join it.”

It’s far too early to say if it is a ‘success’ or just a photo-op for the EU, the US and Turkey who have been pressing the opposition to come up with anything that looks like a united front.

If the Syrians protesting in Hama wanted for president a good moslem who believe in God, I am not sure Burhan Ghalioun is the prime choice.
In addition it is hard to imagine Burhan Ghalioun discussing the Sharia law with the MB’S and other Islamist sunnis who seem to form the majority of that ‘united’ council, except for that lonely Assyrian (why Assyrian?).

They have announced a full council in one month, let’s wait and see

Arab Spring breeze reaching to Islamists

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Monday, October 3, 2011
Islamic movements are softening their tone to avoid scaring off
potential voters, with many pointing to Turkey and PM Erdoğan’s ‘neo-

Emerging into the open following the overthrow of authoritarian regimes throughout the Arab world, Islamic movements are now wrestling with the idea of how to apply Islamic precepts to societies that are demanding democracy as one of the fruits of the Arab Spring.

Many such movements, such as the Tunisian Islamist Ennahda Party, are preaching a moderate line in an effort to avoid scaring off parts of society that are wary of parties with Muslim roots.

“We are not cut off from our environment … All the values of democracy and modernity are respected by Ennahda. We are a party that can find a balance between modernity and Islam,” Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahda Party, said in a recent interview with Reuters.

Western powers and governments in other Arab states are watching Tunisia’s election closely, worried that democratically elected Islamists might impose strict Islamic law and turn their back on Western allies. But Ghannouchi, who returned to Tunisia from exile in Britain after Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s fall, said Western countries and Tunisian liberals had nothing to fear from a victory for his Ennahda party.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=arab-spring-breeze-reaching-to-islamists-2011-10-03

No fly zone must extend over an area from Turkey to Homs,protective zone can be 14 mile x 20 mile and must include Edlib
ICC inditement of Assad and his family is next

This is the most thorough description and analysis of the present state of the opposition inside and outside Syria, including “the Third Way” group in Syria.

Syrian opposition at home voices rejection of armed uprising, calls for peaceful change
2011-10-04
DAMASCUS, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) — Syrian opposition groups at home voiced vehement rejection of the idea of armed uprising while other moderate groups stressed on a compromise between adamant opposition groups outside Syria and the ruling leadership to salvage the country from menacing dangers.

Syrian dissidents agreed in principle Sunday to form a seven- member executive committee for their national council, an idea that was cautiously welcomed by some parties and rejected by others, following three days of deliberations behind closed doors in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul.

Some Syrian opposition figures in Syria said it’s the right of Syrians at home and abroad to convene conferences to unite their future perspective and agree on a united work plan.

Burhan Ghalyoun, a Syrian activist and dissident living aboard, who presided over the Istanbul meeting, said Sunday that the opposition outside Syria has agreed on the necessity of establishing a democratic system.

Abdul-Aziz al-Kheir, member of the executive committee’s politburo, said Istanbul meeting was a “big crack in the efforts of uniting the opposition.”

He stressed that the committee is against military intervention and is backing a democratic change with peaceful means.

He told Xinhua that the opposition groups outside should have better coordinated stance with the opposition inside Syria, adding that “the Istanbul meeting is not the end.”

The general coordinator of the committee, Hassan Abdul-Azim, brushed aside speculations that the Istanbul meeting would have dire repercussions on the opposition inside Syria, saying that the conference is “a step on the road of uniting the opposition inside and outside Syria.”

“Uniting the opposition requires a common political vision focusing on four main issues: ending the current security regime, rejecting military intervention, rejecting all aspects of armament inside Syria and all sectarian rifts.”

Some opposition figures on Sunday accused the Istanbul meeting of giving a blow to all efforts aiming at uniting the opposition, adding that invitations were sent to some individuals in the opposition but not to the Coordination Committee for the Forces of National Democratic Change.

Louay Hussein, a prominent Syrian opposition figure, said the Syrian opposition in Syria didn’t boycott Istanbul meeting, however, he personally didn’t receive any invitation to participate.

He told Xinhua by telephone, “it’s normal to have differences in points of view among all opposition political parties either inside or outside Syria due to the size of challenges they are encountering.”

The major point of difference, he said, is the call for arming the opposition in Syria and the issues of foreign military intervention and overthrowing the leadership.

Meanwhile, the recently formed “Third Way” movement that groups around 40 politicians and intellectuals deplored Monday the absence of appropriate climates to launch national dialogue to solve the current crisis in Syria, saying a compromise between the opposition and the government could salvage the country.

During a press conference, members of the movement voiced their support to the process of reforms announced by the Syrian government and called for the cessation of all kinds of violence.

They said the government should listen to the protestors’ ” righteous demands in a democratic homeland,” noting that the Syrian army units should immediately return to their barracks along with all armed groups.

They recommended that special offices should open to receive peoples’ complaints, hold accountable for all criminals, rioters and wrongdoers, as well as lay foundations for a supreme council for human rights “to protect the Syrian lives.”

The movement said the sole way to end the crisis in the country is to launch a dialogue among all Syrians whether they are from the opposition and the leadership’s supporters.

Mohammad Habash, one of the founders of the movement, urged the newly formed national council to put forward “logical and possible suggestions and genuine program to rescue Syria.”

“We in the Third Way work for building bridges between the state and the opposition,” he said, reasserting the movement’s absolute rejection of any military intervention in the country’s affairs.

Habash said the security solution would never solve the problem, saying the government is to be partially blamed for the emergence of armed resistance “that jeopardizes our security and safety.”

Syria has been wracked by six-month-old unrest it blames on foreign conspiracy and foreign thugs.

Syrian president’s political and media adviser Buthayna Shaaban recently put the number of army officers and law-enforcement troops killed since the eruption of protests in Syria in mid March at 800, while a recent UN tally put the number of civilians who were allegedly gunned down by security forces at 2,700.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article511049.ece

Media not allowed at retrial of 17 militants

JEDDAH: A special criminal court has begun the retrial of 17 terror suspects — 16 Saudis and a Yemeni — after the appeals court judge overturned the previous verdicts and ordered a fresh hearing of the charges against the suspects.

The suspects are being tried again after the public prosecutor had moved the appeals court for a reassessment of the charges and punishments of the suspects.

The 17 suspects were tried for just traveling to Afghanistan and Iraq in the first trial and were serving out their jail terms, when the prosecutor found out that these suspects were involved in major terror activities, and were not just visiting these troubled countries.

He then appealed the sentences to be overturned and the 17 suspects to be charged with fresh indictments. The appeals court upheld the prosecutors’ plea and ordered the suspects back to trial in the special criminal court.

The new charges against the 17 militants include the forming of an Al-Qaeda terror cell and making plans to attack oil installations in the Kingdom.

Abdullah Al-Saadan, spokesman of the Justice Ministry, said the militants were acting on the directives of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahri. “They also plotted to assassinate prominent personalities in the Kingdom to destabilize the country,” he added.

The defendants are also accused of holding boot camps for terror activities in the Kingdom and Iraq, coordinating with agents in Syria to enter Iraq and providing weapons and funds for terrorist operations.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=48373

Trafficking Iraqi women for sex report lacks professionalism

I have received by email a 3 page ” Executive Summary” entitled “An Investigation into the sex trafficking of Iraqi women and girls in Syria”, issued by Karamatuna, SCEME – Head Office, in London, that describes its aims as interested in Social Change through Education in the Middle East, 2011. I have few comments on the report that I believe they need addressing.

My first comment is about the report claiming that:

“Approximately 4,000 Iraqi women, one fifth of whom are under 18, disappeared between 2003 and 2007. Many of these are believed to have been nationally and internationally trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation”.

Even though the report said nothing about the source of such statistics or the method of collecting the data considered as “evidence”, it is still inaccurate to claim that those who disappeared were trafficked for sexual exploitation or that they were “many”, or to claim they were Iraqi women.

A considerable percentage of those who left to Syria, the subject of this investigation, were from the Roma communities who were living in Iraq before the 2003 USA invasion of Iraq because they found it difficult to continue earning their living in their field of entertainment and prostitution following the emergence of militant Islamist groups which harassed the Roma communities on claims of virtue concerns.

Those women were not trafficked by force; they migrated with their own full well in open day light through the borders to neighbouring countries such as Syria, Jordan and UAE. They were not exploited as such; they left Iraq by choice to earn their living the way they know best since they have no education, training or other skills, besides the poverty factor that struck all the Iraqis, including those who used to be the Roma clients who can no more afford the cost of entertainment and sexual pleasures’ services.

It is worthwhile to remind the researchers that EU countries received a percentage of those women as asylum seekers on humanitarian grounds and granted them refugee status such as in Sweden and Norway.

I am not clear to the composition of the SNC. No. 7 listed as Christian 1 (Assyrians). What does that mean? Does that represent the Christians in general or the Assyrians who happen to be Christians? I hope it meant the Assyrians and there are Christians in the other groups listed.

http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011100314631/editorial/us-opinion-and-editorial/counter-terrorism-common-sense-and-words-of-wisdom.html

The new regime in Egypt and the recently recognized government of Libya have both stated that sharia (Shar’ia) law will apply in the future governing of their countries. It is not possible to determine exactly how rigorously sharia will be implemented but Islam will remain the dominant religious force and very little has been said about tolerance of other religions. It would appear that freedom of religion does not enter the equation at present and the change in the balance of forces in the Middle East is still ongoing and there are few certainties in sight. It could well be that Syria, which so far has held out against domestic unrest will fall and there are intriguing signs of a rift between Damascus and its principal supporter in Tehran. If any certainty can exist, it will be that scores will be settled and the different strains of Islam will continue to fight one another as well as the common enemy, which happens to be the US and its allies, especially Israel, and there has been some disconcerting speculation in the media about war between Israel and Iran before the latter obtains too many nuclear weapons and more than a little doubt about US support for Israel. The call for the recognition of Palestine as an independent state is currently before the UN and while the US might use its veto, it would appear that the leaders of Palestinian organizations (Hamas and Hizbollah) and Israeli PM Netanyahu are on a collision course. [1]

A “reassuring boost” from Ausama Monajed in Foreign Policy for the ones who are having some doubts about the present health of the opposition.

The Opposition Position

The Syrian revolutionary movement now has officially formed a national council. And it’s not as fragmented or weak as you think.

BY AUSAMA MONAJED | OCTOBER 3, 2011

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/03/syria_civil_war_opposition_position

They have an Assyrian I’n the national council???? Wow that’s great. Assyrians are from Iraq and make up 1% of the christian community I’n Syria. Another brilliant idea by the extremists

Dear Mr. Ehsani
I believe that from the democratic process point of view so far Mr. Gallioun and company ( SNC ) only represent them self, unless they go to Syria and follow the rules on applying for a new Political Party, having member’s and elected Representatives via popular vote in the Parliament, they should considered only their own vote and no one else, and they should not be allowed to talk on behalf of anybody , they should be only considered as opposition figures / critics and treated accordingly.

I believe that, the moment they have been appointed by foreign power they lost their case in front of the Syrian people

Thanks for allow me to comment

Bassma Kodmani’s failed strategy in the NYT: Reassure and convince the key Alawites to withdraw support to Bashar Al Assad.

To Topple Assad, It Takes a Minority
By BASSMA KODMANI

Paris July 31, 2011

AFTER four months of popular demonstrations and ferocious repression, including a bloody crackdown on the central city of Hama on Sunday, the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, still refuses to step down, insisting that he can reform his regime.

What is keeping Mr. Assad in power is the extensive security apparatus that was engineered by his father, Hafez al-Assad, and is dominated by their fellow Alawites, a minority Shiite sect.

Alawites, who constitute just 12 percent of Syria’s population, have mostly thrown their support behind Mr. Assad, fearful that if he is overthrown they will be massacred. If the democratic opposition in Syria is going to succeed, it must first convince the Alawites that they can safely turn against the Assad regime.

This is not as improbable as many observers believe. As the bodies have piled up — security forces have killed around 1,500 civilians since March — Alawite leaders have not been blind to the rapid erosion of the government’s power and its inability to restore control.

If they are assured of their safety, key Alawite leaders might begin to withdraw their support for the Assad family and cast their lot with — or at least tacitly assist — the opposition. A signal from them could persuade powerful Alawite army commanders to defect and take other officers with them.

Alawites have dominated Syria since Hafez al-Assad came to power in 1970. But unlike his father, Bashar has never been able to bring the country’s security apparatus fully under his control since taking power in 2000. Instead, he has tried to cultivate a gentle and humane image and broaden the base of the regime by reaching out to the Sunnis, who make up most of Syria’s population. He married a wealthy Sunni woman whose family is from Homs — a stronghold of the current revolt — and actively encouraged the building of Sunni mosques and Koran schools.

But he hasn’t altered the total domination of Syria’s security forces by his Alawite clan. In the last decade, Bashar left his brother Maher al-Assad to organize the security sector with the support of his uncle and cousins, who control the ubiquitous secret police.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/opinion/to-topple-assad-it-takes-a-minority.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Amnesty International Exposes the shabeeha branches around in the World. They call them Syrian Embassies

The cowardly regime knows that the moment it dares to ask Ambassador Ford out, its Shabee7a chiefs (AKA Ambassadors) around the world, along with their enforcers will be shown the highway to the nearest Airport. I hope they will be content with Embassies in BRICS, albeit Brazil is no longer sure about Betho.

Most embassies have cultural and economic attaches, Syrian Embassies have tashbee7 attaches.

Majedoglu
Tekram enak.It will be no fly zone all the way up to Homs,except on wensdays:Homses fly on wensdays any way,Nato can not stop them.

it is clear that the new Syria is going to be a theocracy…. it is well planned for the middle east by the USA and Israel to keep the Arabs countries behind the pigs! even the revolutions started for freedom but the end result is backward exactly like what happened to Iran after the revolution.
Although the internal opposition has very legit demands and has suffered the regime brutality over years of oppression and suppression but it is evident that the P(B)ig boys are playing the cards to their advantage, by having 4 members of the Kurds, 5 members of the MB, I don’t see the Alawites has any member, and the christian has one member only!!! I read the Alawites represent 12% of the population and the christian represent 10% at least of the population add them together that’s more than 20% of the population add to that the Drouz minority you come up with more than 25% of the population and still many minorities are not even represented… so the answer here is to throw these minorities out of Syria; to the ocean for the alawite and send the Christians to the west as Sarkozi suggested.
it is clear that the importance issue to this council is to please the Turks and the MB, so Kurds will have a piece of Syria at the expense of the Asyrians who are leaving their lands in the northern east of Syria because of the Kurds, oppression and persecution and that will please the Turks because the Kurds won’t bother turkey.
That’s why we have large support for the ASSAD regime inside Syria, it is not because people have not suffered the regime brutality over the years, but people inside see the dirty work is being planned by the pigs of Israel, Turks and with the blessing of the USA and the EU all under fake slogans of freedom and democracy.

@TARS 24:

There is no racial or religious co-partition in the council. The council is a coalition of political forces. There is one political force in Syria called ” The Democratic Assyrian Movement” and this person represent this political movement. There is no specific representation for Christians.

Comment 28 is not only detached from reality, it is hypocritical.

Ghlyoun’s brother and his son were arrested (second time for the brother).

His female cousin was recently beaten up by Military Security. And the regime loyalists here lecture us about democracy under the gangster family’s rule.

Haytham@ 33

Thanks. It is Tara. Sorry for the typo.

@ Anton# 28:

Dr. Ghalioun represents the opposition and consequently he represents the revolution. He is not waiting for the confirmation or even the support from any of the regime supporters.

“……….I believe that from the democratic process point of view so far Mr. Gallioun and company ( SNC ) only represent them self, unless they go to Syria and follow the rules on applying for a new Political Party,….”

That was a comment by someone that has experience in power transfer protocols. Please don’t explain to these revolutionaries too much, keep it quite. Don’t teach them the ropes and the walking steps. Let them stumble as they already did. Next, they will fall flat on their faces with the No Fly Zone step. But President Assad also made a stumbling step by passing a party law that preclude any chance SNP can set shop in Syria. Hint, how about passing a presidential decree permitting SNP operation in Syria and exempt it from the set of rules that are designed to keep MB and similar companies out.

OTW

It is a very serious accusation. Do you understand why the US and Canada and other countries involved are not sending the Syrian Ambassador back to Syria as Turkey did with the Israelis for much less than that? Why are they allowing such abuses in their own countries?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcIRaySvCxQ
Al Aziziyeh Aleppo sometime ago.

Dear Mr. Joshua

How can some one like Mr. Radwan Ziadeh consider himself as Human Rights activist, and calling for a foreign intervention in Syria in the same time. Is that calling for keeling 2-3 million people, destroying the whole Syria’s infrastructure , destroying the whole Syrian army called human right activities.

Instead I am expecting from a real human right activist, calling for a halt on all kind of violence, starting a national dialogue, ensure Syria stability and the well being of Syrian people.

Thank you for allowing me to comment

H khouri
You rally think that what is happening in syria can be similar to the German experience and the fall of Berlin wall?.Simple analysis of events so far will tell you that this road is leading syria into syrias,and many walls between this once great country.
you really are an interesting case.you remind me with the christian guys joining MB in Egypt and Jordan.You as you claim to be christian have no problem joining post friday prayers and start shouting ALLAH AKBAR.you have no problem supporting killers of your army soldiers?.I think as a good Syrian citizen you should condem crimes committed by ANY ONE,regime or opposition.you using christianity to cover up ISLAMIC TERRORIST ACTS makes you someone who is acting against the best intersts of his country.

Anton,you are mixing Syria with Asad-Shaleesh-Makhlouf system.

Haytham

“There is no racial or religious co-partition in the council”

You mean the Kurds and the Assyrians are not ethnic groups and the Moslem brotherhood not a religious group. I am confused.

If there were really “no racial and religious co-partition”, there should have been just a list of names without their ethnic and religious background mentioned.
As they have mentioned it, they should have mentioned Sunnis, Alawi, Tcherkess, Kurd etc… for every single member.
By avoiding that, they just show they don’t know how to deal with religious and racial minorities.
Most of the leaders have a double nationality, that does not help either… It is a wishy-washy Council.
Remember: The devil is in the details

Scattered Syrian Opposition Forms United
Front,what a freak show?!ha.

so sad to see what happened to Burhan ghalioun!?he began to look like Victor Hugo’s classic persona,the”Hunchback of Notre-Dame”

Syria’s diverse opposition freaks has finally come together in an official original coalition of Les Miserables,a move that should help the bozos movement gain international support&money to pay for their 5 stars caves.
so so so,The new Syrian National Council punkers brings together Syria’s banned Muslim Brotherhood,and others to ignite the inferno!!!!

The fact that Islamists&secular figures are now on one council is a significant nothing.so many times these losers demonstrated that they could be politically UNsavvy and UNable to fill any political vacuum.The council has called for nonviolence Bullsheet,I like to note that the MB Fascists had brought the country“to the edge of civil war” and are “inviting foreign interference” to torch the ground of syria,as a tax payer I call on Barack Hussein Abu Ammama to rebuild American streets rather waisting my money on efff-16 the streets of syria,and you MR;Bashar al-Assad’s regime,end this venomous and dangerous”anarchy”Pronto,by all means without delay.

@SNK#41:

Before the revolution started, I wished it would not have started. That was because I expected it to be bad. Once the security forces pulled out the nails of the children and army entered Dara’a, I said to myself Bashar brought it to himself.
I do not see this revolution as a sectarian struggle. This revolution is about freedom and dignity.

Haytham and Zoo @43

Agree with the first half of Zoo’s post. It should not have listed item 7 as Assyrians (Christian). It should’ve listed it by the name of the political movement and avoid the religion reference. Same for item 6: they should’ve come with something other than just Kurds as it made it confusing.

Dear Mr, Shami

If you do not follow the rule of law and apply a real democracy’s process you will ended by getting only the same problem in different color maybe worse !!!!!

Thanks for your comment

@Zoo #43:

Both the Assyrian and Kurds have their own political parties and their representation in the council reflects their political forces participated in the coalition and not the percentage of their respective populations in the Syrian society. For this reason, the Kurds and Assyrians in the council represent their political parties rather the Kurds and Assyrian populations.

@39

those illterate mobs shouting Allah wa Akbar are not from Al Aziziyesh and YOU know it

# 38 Zoo

I think the reason why the US is tolerating Imad Mustaoha ‘s criminal behavior is that the US does not want to risk a similar counter action by the Syrian regimr asking Ambassador Ford to leave as Ford is being valued in his role as a witness of the regime’s brutality in the absence of free press as well as his other role engaging the opposition.

Dear Mr. HAYTHAM KHOURY

Can you please define ” the opposition ” ?

Suppose you’re a journalist, and you’ve received a certain report from a certain source, and you uncritically pass it onto your readers in the form “According to [_name_the_source_]… [_repeat_what_the_source_said_].” You don’t try to independently verify what’s said is true. If the report is completely untrue, it can’t reflect very poorly on you, because you were just telling your readers what the source was saying. There is a certain jargon word for this in the journalists’ profession. I can’t remember the word. Can somebody please tell me the word. Here are two examples of it in practice. The first is a fictitious one to clarify what I’m talking about.

********************Today’s soccer match between Syria and Lebanon ended in a 1-1 draw. It is not clear how the ball ended up in the net for the equalizing goal for Lebanon. According to Wadih and Katia Shalhoub from Jounieh in Lebanon, who had good seats at the match, the Virgin Mary came down onto the field in a light blue robe and deflected the ball into the net.********************

Al-Jazeera reported that there was a staged sit-in against the government by a group of lawyers in Aleppo, citing a local resident in Aleppo. (Al-Jazeera is not able to confirm the report because its journalists are barred from working in Syria).

Here’s another:

SANA reported today 3 Oct 2011 that the Head of the Aleppo Branch of the Lawyers Syndicate said that Al-Jazeera’s report of a lawyers sit-in in Aleppo is “completely untrue”. He added that the priority among lawyers in Aleppo at the current stage is preserving Syria’s stability and security, which means respecting current law and the government’s reforms process. http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/10/03/373236.htm

From a technical journalistic point of view, that report from SANA may be said to be structured the same way as the other two reports above, with the difference that the source has got credentials and credibility.

Al-Jazeera’s and Reuters’ reportage about Syria operates according to this journalistic concept, except that the source is left unnamed, and once again I ask you to tell me the journalists’ jargon-word for it please if you know it.

“Journalistic honor includes not broadcasting any news story before verifying its authenticity.” — the great H. Sabbagh

Revolution is never a democratic process. It may instill a democratic process, but in the end it is primarily a non-democratic process aiming to diminish oppression. This is when they are dealing with the external factor, which is the oppressive regime.

On the inside, revolution could be totalitarian or democratic. The fact that diverse opposition groups managed to form a unified front is a good sign. It says that the groups are able to make compromises, to share responsibilities, and to seek consensus s a best option and majority voting as a second best.

The atrophied gangsters, on the other hand, want uniformity. They can not tolerate uncertainty and hence their utter chaotic behavior. Think about what they have been doing over the past few months, and the way things are evolving in their own circles, if you are a regime loyalist, you will have a lot more than the opposition to be depressed about.

الدم السوري حرام
http://www.baladnaonline.net/ar/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56452&Itemid=55

52 introduces a logically flawed example. One of the many flaws

Notoriety does not equal credibility.

Dear #40. Anton,
Do not worry. The Syrian regime is well on its way to killing 2-3 million Syrians, the Syrian army is on its way to total destruction and Syria’s infrastructure has already been ruined. Every time a tank rolls on an asphalted street, that street is ruined. Every time a tank enters a small town with narrow streets, all the sidewalks are pulverized and all the street lights get knocked down. Every time the army is set loose in a city, village or town, these places get bullet holes in their walls and burnt down stores and buildings. You get the picture.
So, do not worry about NATO, the Syrian regime can accomplish with simple means the exact ruin that takes NATO a lot of fire power to reach.

Tara,
Syria needs a better rep in the US and a better rep in Damascus too,but what criminal behavior are you talking about?
He was accused of spying on Syrians in the US but the issue was never raised again by the US government and no legal action or a written complaint was filed,please give us any info you may have,our addresses,names and phone numbers are all accessible to the Syrian embassy staff which is now anemic to the bone and can not even return phone calls.

Ghufran

Read OTW link in# 30. There is a complete section on the Criminal behavior of the Syrian embassy staff and the names of multiple people who complained to Amnesty International.

Talking about embassy staff not returning phone calls, I called once the Iranian mission in Washington DC to protest the IRG’s support of the Syrian regime. They kept me on hold for ever. I literally stayed on hold for 29 minutes then gave up…

@ Anton @51:

The opposition is the political farces that want the regime change.

@ TARA #46

I agree. That was a wrong wording.

To #52. Ya Mara Ghalba,
Really?
You said: “ From a technical journalistic point of view, that report from SANA may be said to be structured the same way as the other two reports above, with the difference that the source has got credentials and credibility”. “Al-Jazeera’s and Reuters’ reportage about Syria operates according to this journalistic concept, except that the source is left unnamed”.
I do not know where to start. So the person talking to SANA is under no pressure from the regime to tell them what they want to hear?, and the people in Syria can freely give their names to Aljazeera or Reuters without any fear of being thrown in jail and tortured to death?.
By the way and for your information, the lawyers sit-in in Aleppo is absolutely true. I happen to know two of the lawyers who participated.

Haytham

I would have liked to see you part of the SNC as ” independent”. I know you expressed no interest in running for a future political position as your life may be more fulfiling as a doctor but so Bourhan Ghalioun. I wish you reconsider.

Dear Off The Wall,
You have been very kind to 52. The logic, or lack there of, is beyond belief. Then he quotes: “Journalistic honor includes not broadcasting any news story before verifying its authenticity.” — the great H. Sabbagh
Can you please tell me if journalistic honor includes fabricating stories?.

Dear Mr. HAYTHAM KHOURY

In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government (or, in American English, the administration), party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country. The degree of opposition varies according to political conditions – for example, across authoritarian and liberal systems where opposition may be repressed or welcomed.

According to the above definition Mr Gallioun and Company can be only in the opposition if he decided to establish party in Turkey or France and act to remove Mr. Erdogan or Mr. Sarkouzy from power

Thanks for your comment.

True

I second Majedkhaldoun’ s voice. We lose the battle when our voice get silenced. Your contribution is important on SC and I would like to see you back.

Dear Sheila
Thanks. I am not really trying to be kind. I Just am not talkative today. Norman will be happy. He has been telling me to cut my posts short. And I am not joking, you may not believe it, but I do listen to Norman.

@TARA #63

Thank you Tara for the trust. However, they needed people who will return to the country soon after the regime falls and I can’t.

Dear Tara
I think Burhan’s group should in fact be called independent. So independents are there and they are playing a key role. Granted, Haytham would be a good complement, but to each his or her role in due time.

59. Tara said:

“Talking about embassy staff not returning phone calls, I called once the Iranian mission in Washington DC to protest the IRG’s support of the Syrian regime. They kept me on hold for ever. I literally stayed on hold for (((29 minutes))) then gave up…”

?

1-800-get-help

It has officially been confirmed , “RIAD AL ASSAD” has been captured. Down goes another traitor.

Dear Anton @65

The definition that I put @60 applies to the current Syrian situation.
The formal definition of opposition is the political parties that differ with the government policies. Since in Syria the political system is dictatorship and opposing the government means persecution, the only choice for the opposition is regime change.

http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-ferocious-and-unrelenting-war-with.html

HAYTHAM

I think Ehsani should look at this as he posted the announcement.

– Kurds have 6 political parties listed in wikipedia ( which one are represented)
– Assyrians have 3 parties ( same question)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Syria

– Moslem Brotherhood is one party but which “tribes” are associated to it.
– What does it mean ‘Borhan Ghalioun group’
– Local coordination committees: Husseyn Louai is excluded

If this is the official announcement, it looks very messy to me

Remember: The devil is in the details

Dear John @71:

Shortly, we will establish no fly zone.

Afram

Thanks. I don’t need help waiting 29 minutes on the phone. I was doing 2 other things at the same time. Did not achieve the goal of the call but my tame was not wasted. Thank you for your offer anyhow. You are pretty thoughtful.

Dear OTC

Good comment in #53.

Dear Mrs. SHEILA

For no reason we can justify the destruction of Syria by a foreign power , I believe in change in Syria like every one, not only in this forum but in Syria too, and if you believe and honest in your calling for change then if you permit me I would like to suggest to you either join MP Mohammed Habash who form the Third Way party gathering just announced in Syria which I believe he sound very honest and very reasonable, or a similar movement.

we need to avoid any violence and ensure the wealth of all Syrian regardless.
Thanks for your comment

@ Zoo #73:

I do not know which Kurdish opposition groups are represented in the council. However, the Assyrian group comprised in the council is the Assyrian Democratic Movement.

Burhan Ghalioun group are the liberals in Europe who met recently in Paris.

Local co-ordination committees are group of youth, who are not professional politicians, but participating in the organizing the youth inside the country.

Regarding the Muslim Brotherhood, there is only one group

HAYTHAM – can you show me one single video showing a helicopter gunship or plane attacking citizens in syria???? I constantly hear rubbish of planes bombing cities and towns etc etc, but have yet to see one CREDIBLE video proving it. Only a traitor to his country will call for foreign intervention. The majority of Syrians in syria and expatriots have already figured out your islamic extremist agenda, and beleive me it will fail. They have tried multiple times since your PRESIDENT DR BASHAR AL ASSAD came to power in 2000, and they FAILED. It must really hurt you everynight before you sleep to face these facts. Anyways here is another friendly reminder why you and your extremist fanatics are all alone in their lost cause.

http://www.youtube.com/user/HananNoura#p/u/1/M6-_-4GFBQI
http://www.youtube.com/user/HananNoura#p/u/0/0n5qd1U6NKA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbUDV3ULirc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id8cygeQ5ow

keep repeating your post it doesn’t make you legit and many time being in the minority doesn’t make you on the wrong side!
it is clear that individuals who are trying to force their views on others here are plenty and it doesn’t make them special but it makes them sound like barking dogs.
I think people should be respected for their view regardless! I see the attacks on each other and sometimes it is like tit for tat and pickering at each others.
Arabs amaze me to some extent!
They can’t agree to disagree, and still respect each other, it is always either with us or against us! that’s why they has been ruled by many dictatorships for the last centuries…
Civilization built on cooperation of the forces not on the fight of the individuals, the latter is the dictatorships and oppressive regimes are built on.

Hans

For intellectuals integrity, you must credit ” you are either with us or against us” to GWB. No? Otherwise I agree with most of your post.

Haytham Khoury,

With the capture of yet another traitor, it won’t be long before the rest will follow. Regardless whether or not you endorse a no fly zone.

One arrest leads to another.

The only chance for the opposition is to join the political process that is underway in Syria,

Zoo, Galion group are the ones associated with France, probably .

Any no fly zone over Syria is an act of war that Syria will respond to overwhelming force on the opposition and everybody who support them, and no i is not chemical weapons ,

If adults are not found in Syria to reach a political system and road map for free election, Syria is going down a civil war,

For all the people that think that there is any chance for defeating the government, the Baath party and the army are dreaming, after what happened in Iraq there is no chance for the Baath party or the army to relinquish power under pressure and through violence , the army is protecting Syria from a civil war and they take that very seriously as the Syrian Arab nationalistic army.

Anton

Anti-regime activists consider that the president Bashar al Assad, his army and his government occupy Syria illegally or with no legitimacy.

Therefore they see themselves not as a democratic “opposition” but as a “Resistance” movement in exile, like the French Resistance operating from England to liberate France from the German.

Their strategy is to instigate revolts through peaceful local demonstrations or if this fails through a cold war using violence or a real war if they are able to get countries to help them, like what happened in Libya.

There is nothing democratic about their approach and they act from the unproven assumption that all the Syrian people are in agreement with their approach. They get active support for some western countries who have their own agenda in mind.

The “illegality” of the present government has been expressed unilaterally by a couple of Western countries who, for years, have already been sanctioning the Syrian government for its active support of the legitimate resistance of the Palestinians to the Western-supported Israeli occupation. This “deligitimization” is contrary to the chart of the UN and has been rejected by the Arab League, and most countries in the world.
By using videos of violence and demonstrations, the western media has played an important role in trying to convince the international community that the majority of Syrian are violently oppressed and that they all consider the current government as illegitimate.

Yet, unless there is a valid and reliable confirmation that the Syrian people are in majority in support of this so called “resistance’, all its acts are considered illegal and should be condemned as terrorist acts against a state and a government that is recognized and represented at the UN and all international institutions. Embassies of the countries that consider the present government as illegitimate are still in the capital.

I hope it clarifies (?) the situation of the crisis in Syria

@ Tara 79.
I didn’t Google the phrase to see if GWB is the first person ever said that statement! but regardless GWB is a hated man in the Arab world, probably he wasn’t the most brilliant president the USA had! Especially after a president like Clinton who is a lawyer and talk in many faces, GWB has one face, either you like it or not, people blame bush for the economical crisis but it was not caused by his spending, he was just doing with the Jews told him to do as exactly what Obama is doing right now in the Arab world.

This is what the opposition is opposing

I read the section about the US in the PDF file about Syrian embassies questionable and potentially unethical activities. The report reminds us of a well-known fact about most totalitarian regimes embassies,they are an extension of the police state. Mustapha,,like all other officials,is powerless when faced with almukhabarat appointees who exist in every Syrian embassy and monitor every high ranking officer in the government and the army.
For the sake of fairness,I would not call Mustapha a criminal without a proof of a direct involvement in a criminal activity.I hope to see a day when our embassy in the US is a place all of us can be proud of and expect real help from.

John Khouri
You said Colonel Asaad was arrested, can you prove this,I just saw a report on Arabieh said he was not,so you either prove it or we will say that you are lying.

Norman
You said that creating protective zone is an act of war.
It is
Syria will respond violently with force
I like to see that.I doubt it.
To remove assad and Baath party you said it is only a dream
That was what Saddam said.

Ghufran
You said syrian blood is forbidden
I agree, tell that to your God Bashar.

Ghufran

I wonder how proud the US citizens are proud of their US embassies in some countries that have often been a nest of CIA agents plotting and protecting friendly dictators. Just remember the US embassy in Iran before 1976: nothing to be proud of.

Dr. Haytham Khoury:
—————————————————-
“Before the revolution started, I wished it would not have started. That was because I expected it to be bad.”

“I do not see this revolution as a sectarian struggle. This revolution is about freedom and dignity.”

“However, they needed people who will return to the country soon after the regime falls and I can’t.”

“Shortly, we will establish no fly zone.”
————————————

You have no shame to write those contradicting comments and call yourself a ‘politician’ consular?

Dr. You don’t deserve to be a politician, neither a preacher, not even a teacher, you are an opportunist.
You knew that it will be bad, you knew that violence will erupt, you knew that many lives will be lost, you knew that the west, the radicals and the scums of Syrians will take advantage of this uprising, and now you shamelessly call for Syria to be bombed affecting and killing thousands maybe millions of your Syrian brothers and sisters you pretend to write for them, yet you keep preaching to Syrians to listen to you and to that dr boring ZiBALEH calling for death and destruction, on top of that you want to stay in your comfortable safe Toronto chair telling the Syrians how to die…SHAME ON YOU….stop using the word ‘WE’ you represent only yourself.
You reminded me of the ‘Art Director’ of this short movie:
Fallen Art
http://youtu.be/F7HMz1WKkso

يبدو ان الامور لا تسير باتجاه الحل العسكري و لكن باتجاه مرحله طويله من الاضطراب الأمني مع محاولات للتوسط بين المتحاربين تشمل انشاء حكومة وحده وطنيه و انسحاب تدريجي لرموز النظام
الفلتان الأمني و الاغتيالات و التدهور الاقتصادي يذكرون بمرحلة الثمانينات
يراهن كل طرف في ان اهل حلب و دمشق سينحازون لصفهم و لكن الحقيقه ان اهل دمشق و حلب سيقفون مع المنتصر
انها لعبة شد حبال أبطالها الكبار يشربون الشاي بينما اللاعبون الصغار يموتون
الدم واحد و الجريمه واحده رغم فذلكة المتفذلكين

The National Council, the UN vote on Tuesday

“France has publicly supported the National Council, but it has not yet won endorsement from the United States or from Syria’s powerful neighbor Turkey, which has been enraged by what it describes as brutal killings of Syrian civilians.

Assad has relied on Russia and China, which have major oil concessions in Syria and do not want to see Western influence in the Middle East spread, to block any U.N. sanctions on Damascus.

European members of the U.N. Security Council are trying to persuade Russia to accept a watered-down resolution that would threaten “targeted measures” against Damascus if it failed to end its crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, without explicitly threatening U.N. sanctions, Council diplomats said.

European envoys say that they hope the Council will vote on the Syria resolution Tuesday.”

http://www.realclearworld.com/news/reuters/international/2011/Oct/03/syrian_forces_raid_town__assad_s_foes_unite.html

Zoo,
كل الامم تستعمل سلاح التجسس و لكن سفاراتها في العاده تراقب الأجانب و ليس ابناء البلد
أيضاً من حق المواطن سماع رد عندما يقصد سفارة بلده بسؤال و من حقه ان يعامل باحترام

Tread Carefully in Syria
Posted on Monday, October 3, 2011
by Ed Husain

http://blogs.cfr.org/husain/files/2011/10/syropp570x352.jpg

Members of the Syrian opposition fronts argue among themselves during a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2011 (Stringer Turkey/Courtesy Reuters).

It is fashionable in Western capitals to call for regime change in Syria, but with what consequences? The two overarching arguments to remove Syrian president Bashar al-Assad are that his regime is a bastion of anti-Americanism and that he is an Iranian proxy. Recent reports of civil war in Syria and opposition demands of a no-fly zone will only lead to more violence from the Assad regime.

I have nothing but profound admiration for the courageous protestors who risk their lives daily in some of Syria’s major cities, organizing protests through networks of local coordination committees. This weekend’s opposition meeting in Istanbul, though fractious and acrimonious, is a sign of attempts at unity among Syrian democracy activists. However, the lesson from Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya is that this generation does not possess the political networks or clout to mobilize the masses after the overthrow of a regime—the revolutionary booty almost always goes to Islamist and salafist movements, at least for now.

Yesterday evening at Brookings Doha Center, a Syrian Muslim Brotherhood leader, Ali al-Bayanouni, blamed the United States for supporting Assad from 2005 onwards, naming former secretary of state Madeleine Albright as a particular backer of Assad. Interestingly, he also acknowledged that it was in Israel’s interests to keep the Assad regime in power—an observation that, while made with negative intent, is nonetheless valid.

On balance, Assad has been good news for Israel’s security and borders. His anti-American rhetoric is almost always linked to the United States’ unstinting support for Israel. A Syrian population raised without Israel on their school geography maps and accustomed to shouting “amen’’ in response to Friday mosque prayers calling for Israel’s destruction will not be warm towards Israel, either.

No future regime in Syria will be less hostile towards Israel, and therefore the reduction in animosity toward the United States is inconceivable. Bayanouni, a politician, is speaking to that widespread Syrian sentiment against Israel, and by extension, the United States.

It is particularly noteworthy that the grandmaster of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political theology, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, was also in attendance last night and spoke in support of the Muslim Brotherhood. Qaradawi is a Brotherhood cleric who is banned from entering the United Kingdom and United States for several reasons, not least encouraging Palestinians and others to become suicide bombers. Hamas draws scriptural justification for terrorism from Qaradawi, who argues that all Israelis undertake military service and are therefore legitimate targets, including women and children.

With such figures openly touting themselves as a crucial element of Syria’s opposition movement, can the United States continue to wish for a post-Assad regime that will be any friendlier towards the United States or Israel? And if the opposition is broader than the Muslim Brotherhood’s Islamists, can the rest of the Syrian opposition publicly commit to peace with Israel? I doubt it. Without such transparency, who is the U.S. Department of State supporting?

As I argued in my Financial Times op-ed last month, Assad, however distasteful, still remains our least worst option in Syria.

Tomorrow, I will address the argument that a new regime in Syria will be inherently less friendly towards Iran.

http://blogs.cfr.org/husain/2011/10/03/tread-carefully-in-syria/

Majedkhaldoun,

I suggest you ask Al Arabia to cross live and prove he has not been captured.

Dear ZOO.

Your explanation very appropriated, hope others appreciate it too

Thanks again

Ghufran,

I needed a graduating paper from Damascus university for a hospital after many years out of the country, The hospital contacted the Syrian embassy, they went to work and got the paper for me from Syria without me asking , i thought that was a great service,don’t you think?

Ghufran

موافق معك

طائرات نظام الاسد تقوم برشّ مواد كميائية تؤثر على الأعصاب والجلد لا تُعرف طبيعتها

أكد نائب قائد “الجيش السوري الحرّ” مالك عبد الحليم كردي أنَّ “عدد المنشقين (عن الجيش السوري) يتزايد، ويتركّز وجودهم في مدينة الرستن، حيث قامت كتيبة منهم هناك بالدفاع عن المتظاهرين”. وفي إتصال مع قناة “أخبار المستقبل”، كشف أنه “منذ 4 أيام تقوم قوات الجيش (السوري) بتطويق المدينة، وبقصفها بالمدافع والطائرات التي قامت برشّ مواد كميائية تؤثر على الأعصاب والجلد لا تُعرف طبيعتها”.

ورداً على سؤال عن مصدر الإمدادات اللوجستية “للجيش السوري الحرّ”، أجاب كردي: “حتى الآن يعتمد الامداد اللوجستي على العناصر المنشقة الذين ينشقون ومعهم سلاحهم، كما يتم الاستيلاء على بعض الغنائم، وهناك الكثير من الشرفاء الذين باعوا بيوتهم، والنساء اللواتي باعوا حليّهم لشراء الذخيرة، لكننا لم نتلقَّ أي مساعدة خارجية”. وبشأن عدد المنشقين، أكد كردي أنّ “عدد المنشقين يزيد عن 10 آلاف، وقد يتخطّى الـ15 ألفاً، وهو في تزايد مستمر”، وأضاف: “في كل منطقة تخرج مظاهرات، تقوم قوات الأمن والشبيحة بقمع المتظاهرين، ويقوم الجيش السوري الحرّ بالتصدي لهم وهذا يتكرر في كافة المدن”.

وعن عمليات الاغتيال التي حصلت والتي يُتهم بها “الجيش السوري الحرّ”، أشار كردي إلى أنَّ “النظام منذ اليوم الأول للثورة بدأ بالاغتيالات لإثارة النعرات الطائفية، وما جرى في مدينة اللاذقية في هذا السياق هو مسرحية ستكون مادة جيدة للممثلين مستقبلاً”، وختم بالقول: “من المتوقع إنشقاق وحدات بكاملها من الجيش، لكنهم بحاجة للحماية الجوية لأن وحدات عدّة حاولت الانشقاق وفشلت حتى الآن لغياب الحماية الجوية

Norman,
Unlike some thawrajiyyeh here ,I am willing to say yes,what the embassy did was good and we want that to be the norm not the exception.
Our angry fellow,majed,decided that Bashar was my god,I wonder who is your god,Norman,or may be we should ask our outstanding surgeon to assign you a god like me.
راس الحكمه مخافة الله
دم السوريين حرام
الشهاده العلميه بدون أدب ورقة تين تغطي عورة صاحبها و لا تخفي جهله

Please note the personal apology above and also the changes made to the section dealing with the formation of the Syria National Council.

Dear Ehasani:

There is still a confusion as regard to SNC. The names that you posted the link to are the the names of the council that was announced in Sept. 15, not the new one.

Dear Jad:

You can clarifications of my position as to the current Syrian problem in the following links:

http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/response-to-national-initiative-for.html
http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-ferocious-and-unrelenting-war-with.html
http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/strategies-to-fight-regime.html
http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/illusion-of-dialogue.html

I just talked to a reliable person who just returned from Syria, he informed me that many of the video clips sent out of Syria are being doctored and not much true to stories reported in the gulf or the western media. it is basically meant to spread their propaganda.
Same fabrications I am hearing from SOME of the Doctors who are on this blog, although there are too many Doctors on this blog, but I never asked anyone to doctor me! please you doctors go to work and leave me alone I don’t need your medicine or you doctoring!….
Most of the doctors I know have no common sense, book smart and many never life smart.
Going to medical school doesn’t make you know or meet or be god to tell me who, where, what, is good for me.
Therefore, stick your opinion to yourself and try not to force it on me otherwise I would asked for a dictator doctor.

طائرات نظام الاسد تقوم برشّ مواد كميائية تؤثر على الأعصاب والجلد لا تُعرف طبيعتها

[deleted by admin]

Who are you trying to sell this crap to, the Syrians? They are too smart, no one listen to you, that is why you resorting to lies and terrorism out of frustration. If you are trying to sell it to Americans, Brits, European people, they all sides with Kaddafi and Bashar. They are hoping you get a beating.

They are mad at this kind of lies the Media and government lied to them and they have not only smarted up, but they right away considers you an enemy. You are a Johnny come lately in these shenanigan deceit and fabrications, 3 decades behind, it is going to win you nothing more than animosity.

Dear Anton

You’re welcome. Just let me mention two complementary points.

The only real democratic opposition today is represented by the Third Way group and the political parties that have been created since the new law on political parties has been enacted. They are Syrians and live in Syria.

The so called “National Council” is made of several persons who have Swedish, French, American, Australian and other nationalities.
For example, Mr Ghalioun and Mrs Bassma are French citizen.

In order to be part of a “Syrian resistance” with a legitimate political role, I expect them to officially renounce to their foreign nationality. Otherwise they have a conflict of interests. No politician worldwide is allowed to have a double nationality.

Until they announce their intention to renounce to their foreign nationality, any of their declaration should be considered by Syrian nationals as originated from a foreigner therefore illegitimate and void.

83. NORMANSAID:

“……….The only chance for the opposition is to join the political process that is underway in Syria,…”

How you can do it with an obsolete Political Party law, Obsolete Elections Laws and Obsolete,,, hell everything obsolete.

“….Any no fly zone over Syria is an act of war that Syria will respond to overwhelming force on the opposition…”

And he will get away with it because then the Public in Syria will pretty much have it and can see that this an IRAQ redoes with all the lies, fabrication and end game.
“………and no i is not chemical weapons….”

Yes there is, all the poisons are stored in the brains of those non-Syrians sabotaging yet another Spring and turning it to a devastation.

“……………If adults are not found in Syria to reach a political system and road map for free election, Syria is going down a civil war,…….”

The opposition are so small in numbers you can count them by the head. They are too dumb to be able to become a critical mass. They will never be able to mass the population around them, especially for a violent end like Civil War. Syrians are smart people and will not be dragged to that end. That said… Bashar Assad is making serious mistakes not advancing real reforms. He had plenty of times to do it, and did practically nothing other than reform that suited his Baathist buddies. If you want to blame anyone for all the mess now, you can blame him in my opinion.

“……….For all the people that think that there is any chance for defeating the government, the Baath party and the army are dreaming…….”

Worse than that, they are killing the dream of all Syrians, killing their dreams and hope, opportunity for change. But that is what this is starting to look more like it, a deliberate tactic to hijack the Syrian Spring, supplant it and hijack it with a bunch of sadistic neocon OGER trained bloody Shreks, the dumbest people on earth.

“………they take that very seriously as the Syrian Arab nationalistic army……..”

They are foreigners; they are clueless and dumbfounded why Syrians are not listening to them. Not aware that the message and tactic are obsolete, culturally reject able or plain stupid in the eyes of Syrians.

ADMIN- Thanks, why ruin a good comment with that line anyway.

“Only in Syria”

http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=2&cid=20&frid=23&seccatid=20&eid=29826

Ya Mara Ghalba,

Sorry, I’m not aware of any blogs in Australia that comment on Syria in English at the moment. If I come across any, I’ll let you know.

Haytham Khouri,

Pure propaganda, the same type of propaganda and lies we have become accustomed to during this revolution of terror.

By the way,Future news employees have only just recently been paid their July wages. Their reports are as bankrupt as the network.

GOD BLESS THEIR SOULS

http://www.youtube.com/user/HananNoura#p/u/1/0n5qd1U6NKA

http://www.youtube.com/user/HananNoura#p/u/2/M6-_-4GFBQI

http://www.youtube.com/user/HananNoura#p/u/0/DA3Wu9WQxQ0

A MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR IN SYRIA – ROBERT FORD

http://www.youtube.com/user/SyrianNPF#p/u/3/g0ayHlOeCJA

Everyone should watch this. A resident of Hama curses sheik arour for the misery he brought upon the people of that city

http://video.l3.fbcdn.net/cfs-l3-snc4/356127/23/243538505696195_41817.mp4?oh=354c457ce876e93746eaa9712154b288&oe=4E8D1800&l3s=20111003194248&l3e=20111005195248&lh=0659cdde9893a9939dfae

@ 107. Zoo about Third Way and Foreign Nationalities:

By what means is “third way” democratically legitimized? Has anyone voted for them? Are they especially democratic as they mostly are current or actual regime members?

If you denounce the political legitimacy of persons with double citizenship, then you have to ask the majority of the Syrian regime and so called “elite” to step down from office and functions as they have the habit of aquiring at least one additional nationality – just in case something happens and life could be more comfortable somewere else.

Finally, it is complete nonsense that no politician worldwide is allowed to have dual nationalities. If the countries laws allow for dual nationalities, then it would be unconstitutional to hinder someone from aquiring a political office.

Dear Ehsani,

You don’t have to apologize. Gathering information on Syria is extremely difficult, and the propaganda machines on both sides, the regime and the opposition, are working full time. It’s not your fault. You’re doing great work. Thank you for that!
.

Zoo @ 107

You said:

“The so called “National Council” is made of several persons who have Swedish, French, American, Australian and other nationalities.
For example, Mr Ghalioun and Mrs Bassma are French citizen.

In order to be part of a “Syrian resistance” with a legitimate political role, I expect them to officially renounce to their foreign nationality. Otherwise they have a conflict of interests.”

Has Asmaa Assad renounced her British citizenship before becoming the first lady?

What would it take for a Menhebak to turn against Athad NewZ

That’s why we have large support for the ASSAD regime inside Syria, it is not because people have not suffered the regime brutality over the years, but people inside see the dirty work is being planned by the pigs of Israel, Turks and with the blessing of the USA and the EU all under fake slogans of freedom and democracy.

Hans,

So correct me if I am wrong, but are you saying Syrians should continue to “suffer the regime brutality” because some perceived “dirty work is being planned” from other countries?

Syrian government abolishes the widely criticized import-control law

Alternative?
وزير الاقتصاد: بديل القرار السابق..المصرف المركزي لن يمول الجزء الأكبر من مستوردات القطاع الخاص
http://www.aliqtisadi.com/index.php?mode=article&id=15156

This means that now, everyone will go the ‘illegal’ black market, and the true price of the USD against SYP will be finally revealed. I bet it will be much more than 1:50…

This also means that if you’re importing in Syria, you’re pretty much always breaking the law trying to get foreign currency.

What implications do you guys think this will have on the Syrian economy?

if you wonder why Homs look and sound sad here is a sample, of the news from the last 24 hours only, that is the daily course homes had to bear since the start of the revolution .

FB
اليوم في الساعة الخامسة صباحاً تم اطلاق سراح الفتيات الأربعة و الشابين الذين تم اختطافهم بالأمس (ركاب السرفيس المخطوف ) و قد وصلوا جميعهم سالمين إلى منزل ذويهم في الساعة السادسة صباحاً

و لا صحة لما قاله مراسل شام إف إم في حمص بأن الشابين اللذين كانا مخطوفين ضمن ركاب السرفيس قد عثر على جثتيهما

الجثتين اللتين تكلم عنهما هما الجثتين اللتين تم إلقاءهما ليل أمس أمام مستوصف الباسل في الإسكان العسكري و لم يتم التعرف على هويتهما حتى الآن
أما بالنسبة لموضوع تحرير الشابين المخطوفين الذي سبق و نشرناه فقد قمنا بعد تضارب الأخبار عن تحرير الشابين بالتحري الدقيق عن الموضوع فتوجهنا إلى منزل أحد الشابين المحررين و يدعى أحمد العلي الذي أخبرنا أن الشاب الآخر يدعى وسيم قد تم اقتياده إلى جهة مجهولة من قبل المسلحين قبل عملية تحريرهم و ما يزال مفقوداً حتى الآن ، والشاب أحمد العلي روى لنا كيف تم تعذيبه و ضربه حيث تم إسعافه للمشفى بعد تحريره مع البنات الأربعة و لكن الحمد لله هو بحالة جيدة الآن و في منزله بين أهله،
نأكد أن الجثتين اللتين تكلمت عنهما شام إف إم لا تعودان لأي من الشابين المخطوفين بالسرفيس و إنما هي نفس الجثتين اللتين تم إلقاءهما أمام مستوصف الباسل في الإسكان العسكري يوم أمس و مازالت هوية الجثتين مجهولة حتى الآن
خاص شبكة أخبار حمص الاولى

العثور على الشاب عامر عجمية الذي خطف البارحة مساء مستشهدا بطلقين بالصدر بالقرب من جامع خالد ابن الوليد S

مجموعات مسلحه تخطف بنتين من الزهره في منطقة وادي السايح في حمص S

تم قنص اليوم ابن احد افراد قوى الامن العامله في مخفر حسياء . الابن الشهيد في الصف الثامن كان واقف على السطوح في منزله الواقع في قرية الدرداء S

وصول اليوم الى المشفي الوطني بحمص جثامين اربع شهداء و جريح خامس من موظفي مجلس مدينة حمص بعد ان تم استهداف قلاب كان يقلهم الى اماكن سكنهم من قبل مجموعه مسلحه في منطقة المشرفه بالقرب من كازية المكحل S

https://www.facebook.com/homs.news.network

John Khouri
You still did not come with a proof that Ryad Asaad was arrested.
Colonel Asaad was on TV saying that these rumors are lies,I think you should admit that you were dead wrong.
John Khouri, go back to the corner.

Aleppo one, the government Zero,

2011-10-04 12:57:11

الحكومة تلغي قرارها بتعليق المستوردات التي تزيد رسومها الجمركية عن 5 %

اصدرت الحكومة يوم الثلاثاء قرارا يقضي بالغاء قرارها تعليق المستوردات مؤقتا على السلع والمواد التي تتجاوز رسومها الجمركية 5 %.

وكانت الحكومة أصدرت في 22 أيلول الماضي قرارا يقضي بتعليق المستوردات التي يزيد رسمها الجمركي عن 5 % وتشمل السيارات والاجهزة الكهربائية والالبسة فيما تم استثناء اكثر من 50 مادة تشمل مواد طبية والخضروات الطازجة والغزول وغيرها..

وياتي الغاء قرار تعليق المستوردات بعد يوم على تصريحات لوزير الاقتصاد والتجارة قال فيها أن الوزارة شارفت على وضع اللمسات الأخيرة لمنعكسات قرار تعليق الاستيراد للمنتجات التي تزيد رسومها عن 5%، ووضع الاقتراحات المناسبة للحفاظ على مصلحة المواطن, ومنها ما يتعلق بعدم ارتفاع أسعار المواد الغذائية الأساسية

وأثار قرار الحكومة منذ أيام تعليق استيراد بعض السلع جدلا في سوريا، إذ توقع اقتصاديون أن يلحق القرار مزيدا من الأضرار بالاقتصاد السوري خاصة في ظل فرض عقوبات من دول غربية، في حين رأى آخرون في القرار خطوة لدعم المنتج المحلي والارتقاء به من حيث الجودة والأسعار والقدرة التنافسية.

وقال حاكم المصرف المركزي السوري، الثلاثاء الماضي، إن خفض الواردات سيتيح لسوريا توفير 6 مليارات دولار سنويا لمواجهة العقوبات التي فرضتها كلا من الولايات المتحدة والاتحاد الأوروبي ردا على ما وصفوها بـ”قمع المظاهرات”.

وأدى قرار تعليق الاستيراد إلى قيام بعض التجار السوريين باحتكار كافة المواد منها المواد الغذائية، ما أدى إلى ارتفاع أسعار معظمها منذ صدور القرار، ما أثار جدلا كبيرا بين المواطنين.

يشار إلى أن الاقتصاد السوري تأثر إلى حد كبير بالأحداث التي تشهدها البلاد منذ أكثر من 6 أشهر، حيث تضررت عدة مجالات فيه، أهمها السياحة، التي انخفض مردودها إلى الصفر، إضافة إلى ركود يسود الأسواق التجارية.

سيريانيوز

شوكوزال 2011-10-04

Norman

What a confused government!

الخارجية الروسية : لن تدعم مشروع قرار ضد سورية في مجلس الامن اليوم

Norman
The time to think about any decision is before not after,this proves the incompetence of the current goverment headed by Bashar,this proves that Bashar is not fit.

98. Norman,
Youd said: “Ghufran, I needed a graduating paper from Damascus university for a hospital after many years out of the country, The hospital contacted the Syrian embassy, they went to work and got the paper for me from Syria without me asking,
i thought that was a great service, don’t you think?”

Your concluding statement betrays the originality of your anecdote.
What do I think?!
Not even funny! But I ran this virtual test:

I, Revlon, dialed the Syrian Embassy in DC.
– I told Mr Mustapha that I was in charge of SC Hospital.
– I told him that Mr Norman, who claims to be a non-Baathist, self-made Syrian citizen had applied for a job at the hospital and that I needed a copy of his MD/transcript of record/ certificate of Good Conduct to be sent to our hospital for processing his papers!
– Mr Mustapha gave me a big smile and nodded in agreement!

SURPRISED!
– He did not say that the person himself needed to speak to the Embassy in person.
– He did not say that such documents were considered highly confidential, and that the concerned themselves should appear in person or send in lieu, a signed and witnessed related affidavit.
– He did not say that procuring personal documents from Syrian educational facilities is the responsibility of the individuals.
– He did not say that the Embassy’s mail goes only to the Ministry of Foreign affairs and that the Embassies can not officially address any other ministry!
– He did not say that even if he sent the request to the FM, the Dewan would not know what to do with it because there were no related procedures and that it would end in the waste basket.
– He did not say that such a request was very very special. And that it could only be done for the die hard, regime-connected-supportive persons or if reciprocated for defined favours. And that the Ambassador would have to reciprocate the favour to the Obliging crook in Syria.

STUNNED!
A few hours later, a courier knocked on my door and handed me a note!
It read:
You are not Norman!
You are Revlon; we are watching you!

WHO ARE YOU, NORMAN?
WHO ARE YOU KIDDING!

Tara
#110

If Asma Al Assad becomes a political figure and/or a party leader, it is rightly expected that she should renounce to her British nationality.

Do you imagine Obama or Hilary Clinton, or Alain Juppe having a Kenyan or Russian nationality? If Carla Bruni or Mrs Cameron is Italian, no one cares. A political figure with double allegeance has a zero credibility.

Norman

Many governments rescind laws just after having emitted them if they realize they are not well received. I think that is a valid move as they consulted with business groups and got convinced it was ultimately going to harm the country’s economy.
Egypt changed their election law just a few days after they published it when they were protests from the political parties. It is not uncommon at all.

Cute how the resident Zionists parrot the terminology used by the “revolutionaries” here.

Zoo

You seem to agree with every decision the regime makes even if you end up contradicting yourself. If I remember correctly, you supported the ban and selective protectionism to encourage local industry. Just saying…

Zoo
To carry a citizenship,means you are loyal to that country, Asama,by keeping her british citizenship,must be loyal to England,being the first lady in Syria, how could she be loyal to England and loyal to Syria,if there is conflict between England and Syria, would she side with England or Syria?.
Asma must decide which citizenship to hold,and she must expose her loyalty.
The truth is that she kept her british citizenship,she did it to hide the billions her husband Bashar stole from the syrian ,and deposit them in England.

مقابلة التلفزيون الألماني مع الجندي السوي المنشق عمار شيخ عمر

Russia says will not back U.N. resolution on Syria

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44770130/ns/world_news-europe/

MOSCOW — Russia will not support a European-drafted U.N. resolution on Syria, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, calling the draft “unacceptable” but not saying whether Moscow would veto it.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told Interfax news agency that Russia refused to back the text because it opened the door for punitive sanctions against Syria.

“We cannot support such a text,” Gatilov was quoted as saying. “It is unacceptable because it includes the possibility of imposing sanctions against Syria.”

The 15-nation U.N. Security Council is due to vote on Tuesday at 5 p.m. EDT on the resolution condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s six-month-old crackdown on protesters demanding an end to his 11-year rule.

The United Nations says at least 2,700 civilians have been killed in the unrest, which Syria blames on foreign-backed armed gangs who it says have killed 700 security forces personnel.

Gatilov said Moscow also opposes the draft resolution because it fails to include a clause calling on powers not to become involved in internal Syrian affairs and calling for a dialogue between Assad and demonstrators.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whose country has already imposed an arms embargo on Syria, said on Tuesday he would set out Ankara’s plans for further sanctions after he visits a Syrian refugee camp inside Turkey in the coming days.

Revlon Said,

WHO ARE YOU, NORMAN?

Just somebody who loves Syria without conditions or expectation of rewards,

You should at a job writing for the theater, i can see Ghawar having a show about that,

Majid,

Don.t you think that the opposition is as incompetent with all these councils

Norman
You may be right, but it is too early to judge them

Tara

#127 I still support the ban of foreign cars, that for sure and I hope that ban is still on! But I am not a Syrian businessmen or an economist to appreciate whether it is good or bad for the Syrian economy to make it a systematic ban on many other products.
I am certainly in favor of selective protectionism, but I am not qualified to decide what is the selection.

I guess it will also depend on the sanctions Erdogan is threatening Syria with as it may change the picture of the trading between the two countries and maybe cancel the free trade with impact on both countries.

Zoo

I respect your answer.

Always pertinent to recall what “a special people” consider the distinct differences between them and “other different people”.

“JEWISH SUPREMACY”
* “If a ‘goy’ (Gentile) hits a Jew he must be killed.” (Sanhedrin 58b)

* “If a Jew finds an object lost by a ‘goy’ it does not have to be returned.” (Baba Mezia 24a)

* “If a Jew murders a ‘goy’ there will be no death penalty.” (Sanhedrin 57a)

* What a Jew steals from a ‘goy’ he may keep.” (Sanhedrin 57a)

* “Jews may use subterfuges to circumvent a ‘goy.’” (Baba Kamma 113a)

* “All children of the ‘goyim’ (Gentiles) are animals.” (Yebamoth 98a)

* “Girls born of the ‘goyim’ are in a state of ‘niddah’ (menstrual uncleanness!) from birth.” (Abodah Zarah 36b)

* “The ‘goyim’ are not humans. They are beasts.” (Baba Mezia 114b)

* “If you eat with a ‘goy’ it is the same as eating with a dog.” (Tosapoth, Jebamoth 94b)

* “Even the best of the ‘goyim’ should all be killed.” (Soferim 15)

* “Sexual intercourse between the ‘goyim’ is like intercourse between animals.” (Sanhedrin 74b)

* “When it comes to a Gentile in peace times, one may harm him indirectly, for instance, by removing a ladder after he had fallen into a crevice.” (Shulkan Arukh, Yoreh De ‘ah, 158, Hebrew Edition only)

BLASPHEMIES AGAINST JESUS CHRIST, THE VIRGIN MARY,
& ALL CHRISTIANS
* “‘Yashu’ (derogatory for ‘Jesus’) is in Hell being boiled in hot excrement.” (Gittin 57a)

[’Yashu’ is an acronym for the Jewish curse, ‘May his (Jesus) name be wiped out forevermore.’]

* Yashu (Jesus) was sexually immoral and worshipped a brick.” (Sanhedrin 107b)

* “Yashu (Jesus) was cut off from the Jewish people for his wickedness and refused to repent.” (Sotah 47a)

* “Miriam the hairdresser had sex with many men.” (Shabbath 104b, Hebrew Edition only)

* “She who was the descendant of princes and governors (the virgin Mary) played the harlot with carpenters.” (Sanhedrin 106a)

* “Christians who reject the Talmud will go to hell and be punished there for all generations.” (Rosh Hashanah 17a)

الاستقواء بالخارج و قانون العقوبات السوري
فراس السواح

هنالك مسألة تغيب عن أذهان الكثيرين في خضم الاحداث الراهنة ، و هي الفرق بين النظام السياسي و الدولة. فالنظام السياسي عبارة عن بنية تتحكم بالدولة و تدير شؤونها بتفويض مفترض من الشعب، و بالتالي فإنه ليس بمقدس ولا دائم، و يمكن لهذه المعارضة او تلك ان تطالب بتغييره، كما يمكن لهذه الموالاة أو تلك ان تؤيده و تتمسك به. أما الدولة فإنها الهيكل المادي للأمة، و على تماسك هذا الهيكل تتوقف حياة الأمة و وجودها التاريخي. من هنا أقول لبعض الذين ينساقون الآن وراء دعوات التدخل الخارجي، بأن هذا التدخل لن يكون له إلا شكل واحد على ما علّمنا الغرب حتى الآن،وهو العدوان العسكري الشامل الذي يبتدئ بتدمير الجيش السوري نيابة عن اسرائيل، و ينتهي بتدمير البنية التحتية للاقتصاد. فهو و الحالة هذه عدوان على الدولة لا عدوان على النظام، و المطالبون به ممن جعلو أنفسهم أقطابا للمعارضة الخارجية، إنما يرتكبون جرما ضد الدولة السورية، و يمكن محاكمتهم وفق قانون العقوبات السوري الفقرة 264 منه التي تنص على ما يلي:

كل سوري دس الدسائس لدى دولة أجنبية او اتصل بها ليدفعها إلى مباشرة العدوان على سوريا أو ليوفر لها الوسائل إلى ذلك، عوقب بالأشغال الشاقة المؤبدة. و إذا أفضى فعله إلى نتيجة عوقب بالإعدام

@51

hi mister Tara

you say “Imad Mustaoha ‘s criminal behavior ”

do you have any evidence to support this assertion ?

My personal apologies to the readers as I fell victim to the tremendous amount of disinformation that I will have to be more aware of in the future.

Yes, and thank you for admitting this this:)