It is not just the opposition that lacks leadership, the regime has the same problem. After 11 months of bloodshed it is clear to an increasing number of Syrisns that Mr Assad is not qualified to be president but many Syrians , especially non Sunnis , who think so are not ready to change camps because they do not trust the opposition.
The use of violence by the opposition is playing in the hands of the regime and is making it harder for people in the middle to defect. Syrians may be ble divided and difficult but they are not stupid. Giving your head to a new barber requires a level of comfort that many Syrians do not have yet. As of now, the politics of violence are now taking lead, thanks to a brutal and incompetent regime and a fractured and inflexible opposition. Until there is an effective leadership on one or both sides, the only game in town will be violence and economic hardship, thanks for making sure that Syria becomes a hybrid of north Korea and Iraq,the country is being destroyed while most Syrians are either helpless,like me,or busy throwing mud at the other side.

You wahabbi/fake-liberal idiots better hope this dragged out joke of a show is over by the end of this week or we’re going to get ugly in your Gulf abodes.

Your little nest in Homs is finished.

[This account is banned from Syria Comment ]

A glaring misrepresentation:

The YT clip above is not the whole bbc interview with Col. al-Ass3ad and nowhere in the segment above does he use the word kha’in/khawana=traitor(s) as claimed in the title phrase and the note in English below the clip, that in addition to the error of naming him 3dnan in stead of Riad. Moreover, in the title given by the original poster on YT, the changing of the col.’s name to Riad al-at3as which means riad the (most) miserable clearly indicates that the poster does not wish either the FSA or the SNC well. Why wasn’t the whole interview posted? Why the insertion of the word “traitors”?

Here is the whole phone interview as posted by the BBC themselves on YT on 5 Feb. as part of a news bulletin on Syria.

@1 Ghufran

It is that way by design. That is why the CIA and Arabs as well as Turkey, plotted for months in secret to help the Moslem Brotherhood and ex-regime Baathists exclusively, they wanted Syria to crumble to pieces, but in orderly fashion, so that it will not spill into the neighbors. That is Israel ultimate plan, rolling back Syria. At this point, let it happen that way for the good of all Syrians, much better than being ruled for 40 more years by Baathists. In the end, after this weak and corrupt regime collapses and division is made, a strong organization will move in and assemble it back all together.

حلب تاج سوريه

About the Asma Assad story, here is where I heard it last night. The show started on the Syrian story (after the headlines @ 5 min).

Asma Assad story @11min 30 sec.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bmsz8

Alternatively here is an AFP article on google news:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5igUk3pFWj6mw7qWtQZGwB_CpyKZA?docId=CNG.77b1b670e5cbe723680ebc880cd29da6.21

Aww how cute! How romantic! The fairy princess gives her prince charming the perfect valentines gift in his hour of need. Menhabeks/Shabeeha everywhere all teary eyed. {Excuse me while I puke}.

Perhaps Assad will return the affection by building a Taj Mahal over Homs after he’s done with it. The princess will be so delighted and swept of her feet.

As long as these are in the way, the U.S. will have to rely on silly tricks to advance the new world order. They found the Moslem Brotherhood recently to be useful, usable to try the latest bag of tricks, now left a large part of the Middle East un-livable, just as they tried before in Chechnya and left the people and the Caucasus region to this very day in shamble. In Iraq, they found a small timer they built into a dictator excelsior that they used to turn Iraq into well… into AIRAQ, an example to the world to remain for a century.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rLwb7Ug970&feature=related

Dear SNK
That was horrible, especially when they asked the young kid where is your brother he replies ‘in heaven’.
————————————

The armed militia chief Al as’ad described SNC in his priceless interview as a:
‘Fashel’ = a Failure
‘Mouta2amer’ = Collaborator = Traitor
‘SNC Stands against the Syrian people’
So he did imply that the SNC is a Traitor twice in his interview, I don’t understand the drama about it!

LOL & LOL and LOLROFL…. arm chair generals in Deeceeland, built up some ego by pissing on dead Afghan civilians and shooting dogs in the Iraqi desert for fun, relying on rag tag Moslem Brotherhood, Al Qaida /Alciada assets, SNC and SFA, Hariri, Khaddam and Bandar and other Casino Gamblers, all that, in the hope to pass the above two armies and get to meet this one:

Uzair
thank you for sharing the reports by BBC, its always a longer and more indepth view on the events.

DER SPIEGEL on SERGEI LAVROV and his upcoming visit to Syria.

Russia’s Foreign Minister in Syria
Lavrov on the dark side of power

By Benjamin Bidder in Moscow

Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s self-confidence embodied in foreign policy. Resolutions against Western attempts in Syria the conflict, the chief diplomat, struggles as well as in the past against a smoking ban at the UN. Now he just travels on intermediary mission to Damascus.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is capable of a “nyet” to intone quite different: Laconic, stubborn as at Moscow’s rejection of the NATO missile shield in Europe, as angry as the No. of the Kremlin to the Syrian resolution at the weekend (the West stand at the “borders on hysteria “), with a wink, or as it was when the chain-smoking chief Kofi Annan’s UN resisted suggestion, which was planning a ban on smoking at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Sometimes not even Lavrov can say no : In early February, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unsuccessfully tried to call Russian colleagues because of the conflict in Syria , Lavrov made his respects to the Fiji Islands, a mini-state in the South Pacific. Russia wants to expand its influence in Asia and Oceania. And so it was done without complaint Lavrov, as he was put by the hosts in a Hawaiian shirt and colorful necklace. At his feet they led to peculiar rituals that require a bare torso and shouting. The face of Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s otherwise very personalized foreign policy confidence adorned beads of sweat and an unusually timid smile.
On Tuesday Moscow’s chief diplomat goes on a mission which is significantly more sensitive: Lavrov travels to Syria. Moscow at the weekend has in common with his old ally China Bashar al-Assad again retained a veto in the Security Council of a resolution. Since then, the Russians stand in the pillory.

Russia and China have veto with the words of Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi, lost its prestige. The rejection was the wrong message to the Syrian government . Now they have the impression that she could do anything without it coming to conclusions. Pressure also comes from the part of the UN. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has shown appalled by the increasing attacks by the Syrian government troops on regime opponents. The violence against civilians was “absolutely not acceptable for humanity.”

Now the world is watching Lavrov: Will Moscow make a serious proposal for mediation? Or only strengthen Assad’s back?

The international criticism of Russia’s veto showed the diplomat back already sharp. The UN Security Council was hastily voted on the draft, said Lavrov. “Russia is determined in cooperation with other States to achieve a stabilization of the situation in Syria, on the path of fast implementing urgent democratic reforms”, said the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. Lavrov himself would not comment on the objectives of his mission, when he accompanied the chief of foreign intelligence, Mikhail Fradkov.

Russia’s march, he has been given earlier this year with his big press conference. “Foreign policy is based on the firm ground of national interest, free from ideology,” he was saying. Moscow’s foreign policy battles has beaten the career diplomat in the past three decades at the forefront. In the eighties, Lavrov was in Moscow’s Mission to the UN in New York. 1994 to 2004 he headed the Russian mission. Between 2002 and 2003 he was Washington’s courtship of drain support for Russia’s war in Iraq. Vladimir Putin finally made him foreign minister in 2004.

In the Russian government Lavrov has always been exceptional. While other minestrial colleagues reduced their contacts with journalists at a minimum, he invites correspondents once a year on New Year’s reception. Then he can venture even to chat with the guests and is available to answer questions.

Foreign Minister Lavrov colleagues appreciate him not only because of his experience. The foreign minister, who in their free time enjoys playing football with government colleagues and with university friends to go rafting, has talent as an entertainer. As an alumnus of Russia’s respected diplomat school MGIMO, he wrote an anthem of his alma mater, which states: “. Learning to tip over and drink until the end Do not rush, stubborn to go to the targets.” In 2005 he appeared at the colorful evening of a meeting of foreign ministers in purple robes and hooded cape on stage in his hand he carried lightsaber like the heroes of the “Star Wars” films. Lavrov’s appearance in the costume of the Jedi was the highlight of the event.
Russian power and influence that he uses different as the “keepers of peace and justice in the galaxy”, more as a defender of earthly dictators and despots, has reasons: He also urged that “our Western partners at last abide from the illusion of the eternity of their approved domination, “Lavrov has once said. The guideline of the Russian foreign policy is also at the Kremlin, the veto vote, and nuclear power status as a pawn in the struggle perceives almost exclusively to national interests.

During his tenure as UN ambassador, Lavrov did produce a passionate artist and self-ironic observer of his own guild. The time during long meetings, he sometimes amused himself by scribbling. One of the drawings, it was probably during a session on an Iraq resolution, he left ten years ago, his German colleagues, Hanns Schumacher. “Diplomacy” was standing there in quirky words, followed by the adjectives “deep (profound)”, “low (run down)” and “messy”, which may mean confused. Or dirty.

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,813702,00.html

Jad

Thanks for your courtesy, but dont worry i keep a good distance to any ideology, thats kind of an inheritance from my upgrowing under the communists. I wasnt aware that AL Quaida publishes magazines. Whats their name Al Quaidas Vogue?
Here is the most funny salafi to my taste who is german. He is now in Egypt i hope Mina has not met him yet to further study the Quran. I hear he has hard times learning the sharia, that may be a late cause of his boxing career prior to become the most talked about salafi in my country. Here is a video of him in arabic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhBU66HLlLg

or about the arab spring:

The disgusting work of the Hawks new club just started.
Bahia Mardini is doing her job through the saudi media to spread the ‘joy’ and ‘peace’, here are the steps this ‘club’ is doing:
The first step is to have the blessing of BHL, (DONE! through Lamma Attasi)
Step two, visit the French politicians to get their blessing too.
Step three, kiss the boots of the NATO to bomb the hell out of Syria…Mission Accomplish!

المعارضة السورية تطرق الأبواب الفرنسية
بهية مارديني

أثار الإعلان عن تيار التغيير الوطني في اسطنبول يوم السبت الماضي اهتمام المحافل الدولية ودوائر صنع القرار، وخاصة أنه ترافق مع تصاعد مجازر النظام السوري والفيتو الصيني الروسي في مجلس الأمن الدولي، هذا ويتوجه وفد من تيار التغيير الوطني الى مسؤولين فرنسيين وغربيين مطالبين بسرعة التحرك لنصرة الشعب السوري .

وفي العاصمة الفرنسية باريس وبناء على طلب رئيس الجمعية الوطنية الفرنسية (البرلمان ) برنار أكويير لمعرفة رؤية المعارضة السورية ومطالب الشعب السوري عقب الفيتو الروسي والصيني والتصعيد الأمني الخطير في سوريا، يلتقي ايمانويل لوريو المستشار السياسي والدبلوماسي لرئيس الجمعية الوطنية الفرنسية وفدا من تيار التغيير الوطني وسيؤكد فهد المصري العضو المؤسس في التيار على ضرورة الإسراع في تفعيل المبادرة الفرنسية حول تشكيل مجموعة أصدقاء سوريا التي أعلن عنها الرئيس الفرنسي نيكولا ساركوزي.

وسيعقد اللقاء بعد ظهر يوم الخميس المقبل في مقر الجمعية الوطنية في قصر بوربون بباريس.

وقال فهد المصري في اتصال هاتفي مع “إيلاف” من باريس أن “هناك اتصالات تجري حاليا لعقد سلسلة لقاءات مع عدد من رؤساء الدول والمسؤولين الغربيين لحضهم على اتخاذ اجراءات سريعة لوقف حمامات الدم في سوريا ونصرة الشعب السوري أمام آلة القتل والدمار التي تستخدمها عصابة الأسد”حسب تعبيره.

وأضاف”لمسنا اهتماما كبيرا عقب الاعلان عن إنشاء تيار التغيير الوطني الذي حظي باهتمام العديد من الدول لا سيما وأن التيار يطرح روحاً وآلية جديدة في العمل المشترك بين كل مكونات المجتمع السوري على قاعدة الشراكة في الوطن والتساوي في الحقوق والواجبات “،
مشدداً على أن “الديمقراطية الحقيقية هي التي تمنح كل مكونات المجتمع حقوقها وواجباتها كاملة دون أي انتقاص في دولة المواطنة والقانون الكميع سواسية كأسنان المشط” .

وشدد العضو المؤسس في تيار التغيير الوطني على “ضرورة الترفع عن الخلافات الشخصية أو الفكرية والإيديولوجية” .

ورفض الدخول في مناورات ومناوشات إعلامية مع عضو المكتب التنفيذي للمجلس الوطني السوري أحمد رمضان الذي هاجم التيار في تصريحات صحافية فور الإعلان عنه وقال “نحن نترفع عن الدخول في معارك جانبية لا قيمة لها لأن معركتنا الحقيقية هي مع النظام السوري وعملنا ومجهودنا مركز على دعم ومساعدة الشعب السوري ولا وقت لدينا للمهاترات”.

وحول دعوة الرئيس الفرنسي لإقامة ناد لأصدقاء سوريا قال المصري” نحن نقدر لفرنسا وللشعب الفرنسي الموقف المتميزفي نصرة الشعب السوري”، وتمنى” أن يرى هذا الائتلاف الدولي النور بالسرعة الممكنة لأن الوضع في الداخل السوري بات خطيرا للغاية” .

وعبّر المعارض السوري عن اعتقاده أن “الانسجام الفرنسي الألماني حيال سوريا سيعجل بالأمور لانخراط دول أخرى في تكتل دولي للتدخل في سوريا فورا ووضع حد للمجازر وجرائم الإبادة الجماعية .”

وحول مطالب التيار التي سيقدمها للمسؤولين الفرنسيين والأوربيين قال المصري ” مطالبنا هي مطالب الشعب السوري الثائر الذي طالب بالحظر الجوي والمناطق المحمية الآمنة ودعم المنشقين عن الجيش النظامي وتوفير كل أنواع الدعم اللوجستي والعسكري للتقدم نحو تحرير المدن”. وأضاف”هناك وقبل كل شئ ضرورة إنسانية وأخلاقية بضرورة إدخال منظمات الإغاثة الدولية إلى المناطق المنكوبة في سوريا لتقديم العون والمساعدات الطبية فهناك نقص حاد في الدواء ومواد ومعدات الاسعافات الأولية وبالتأكيد نقل الدماء”.

لكن المصري شدد وتحدث عن وجهة نظره الخاصة ” بأن الحل الوحيد لنهاية الأزمة في سوريا هو التدخل الدولي عبر حلف الناتو بضربات جوية محددة ومركزة وواضحة الأهداف ودعم المنشقين العسكريين” معتبراً أن”النظام السوري كشقيقه الليبي لاحوار ولا تفاوض معه وإنما يقتلع بالقوة اقتلاعاً” وقال “علينا أن نتخيل لو أن المجتمع الدولي لم يتدخل في ليبيا ماذا كان حدث للشعب الليبي؟”.

وأكد المصري” أن هناك سلسلة لقاءات ستجري في الأيام القليلة القادمة مع مسؤولين فرنسيين وغربيين كبار من الصف الأول والثاني من أجل حشد كل أنواع الدعم للشعب السوري”.

جدير بالذكر أن تيار التغيير الوطني تأسس في استطنبول مطلع فبراير الجاري وضم في هيئته التأسيسية أكثر من 80 شخصية سورية معارضة لنظام الأسد.

وأكد التيار في بيانه التأسيسي أنه “بعد مرور قرابة العام على انطلاق ثورة الحرية والكرامة وفي خضم الظروف المأساوية التي يمر بها الشعب السوري, وبعد مشاورات ولقاءات مكثفة اعتمدت على البحث والدراسة لما يفيد الحاضر والمستقبل, نعلن تأسيس تيار التغيير الوطني” .
وأشار الى “ضرورة الانتظام ضمن أُطر واضحة الملامح، تسعى الى نصرة الشعب السوري وثورته حتى اسقاط النظام بكل رموزه و أركانه، وترسخ أهداف الثورة التي تستمد قوتها من إرادة الشعب وتضحياته والمشاركة في بناء دولته القائمة على العدل والمساواة واحترام الحقوق والحريات , تكون فيها المواطنة هي الركيزة التي يُبنى عليها ونعمل لأجلها، متجاوزين كل الآثار السلبية للاختلافات الدينية والمكونات الطائفية والعرقية، منطلقين بذلك نحو بناء مستقبل ينتفي فيه الظلم والفساد ,وتذوب فيه الفوارق بين أبناء الوطن الواحد, وتُصان فيه الحريات المدنية والسياسية والاقتصادية والثقافية والدينية”.
وخلص الى تشكيل مجموعة من اللجان المختصة التي ستمارس عملها فورا لحين الدعوة الى مؤتمر عام للتيار.
http://www.elaph.com/Web/news/2012/2/714828.html?entry=homepagemainmiddle

SNP,

YOu are a funny guy. Just a week ago you were cursing the same Iranians and now you are extolling them.

Btw, about that Iranian army, the same dogs of the Iraqi desert held off that Army for 8 long years in the 1980s.

I heard an interesting interview with Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, about the current Russian role in Syria on the BBC World Service a few hours ago. I’ve sat here waiting a couple of hours for it to become available. Finally it’s here.

“Syria was a Soviet ally, not a Russian ally….”

Listen from 1 min 35 sec (about 5 min long).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nb3gj

News
German police has arrested two alleged syrian spies in Berlin.
The government will inform the press shortly. The two alledged spies are suspected to have spied on syrian opposition members in Germany.

Two suspected Syrian spies arrested in Berlin

Karlsruhe – the Attorney General investigators have arrested two suspected agents on Tuesday the Syrian government. The 47-year-old Mahmoud El A and the 34-year-old Akram O. are suspected of having spied for the regime in Damascus. They are scheduled to Syrian opposition figures have been conducting research in the Federal Republic.

The two arrested were observed for some time by the intelligence services and should be brought before the investigating judge on Wednesday. According to federal prosecutor is investigating six other defendants who were supposedly involved in phishing. Findings, the investigators hope to gain from ongoing searches of homes. While about 70 officers are in use.

In the uprisings against the Assad regime were to UN stated that he has killed more than 5,400 people. A conviction by the Security Council did not materialize so far, because China and Russia have vetoed.

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,813799,00.html

This post has nothing of substance I am sorry to say.
I do not think that what the last lady of Syria posted and whether she is with him or not.
It should be about the revolt against corruption graft nepotism oppression brutality sectarianism and terrorism practiced by the mafia.

Better translation to English

Two Alleged Syrian Spies Arrested in Germany

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,813806,00.html

I guess the German government is sending a message of who it supports.

February 3
BERLIN — Berlin police say 20 people forced their way into Syria’s embassy in the German capital and damaged offices there.

Police say the men — all of them Syrian or of Syrian origin — destroyed furniture in the building Friday afternoon and sprayed slogans on the facade.

They were briefly detained as they left the embassy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/group-forces-its-way-into-syrian-embassy-in-berlin-damages-furniture/2012/02/03/gIQACkqGnQ_print.html

قررت دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي، اليوم الاثنين، طرد سفراء سوريا المعتمدين في عواصمها واستدعاء سفرائها من دمشق.
وفي بيان له، أكد المجلس أن الدول الخليجية تتابع “ببالغ الأسى والغضب تزايد وتيرة القتل والعنف في سوريا الذي لم يرحم طفلاً أو شيخاً أو امرأة في أعمال شنيعة أقل ما يمكن وصفها به بالمجزرة الجماعية ضد الشعب السوري الأعزل دون أي رحمة أو شفقة أو حتى مراعاة لأية حقوق أو مشاعر إنسانية أو أخلاقية”.
ويضيف البيان أن المملكة العربية السعودية، رئيسة الدورة الحالية لمجلس التعاون، أعلنت أن دول المجلس قررت سحب جميع سفرائها من سوريا والطلب في الوقت ذاته من جميع سفراء النظام السوري مغادرة أراضيها وبشكل فوري وذلك “بعد أن انتفت الحاجة لبقائهم بعد رفض النظام السوري كل المحاولات وإجهاضه كافة الجهود العربية المخلصة لحل هذه الأزمة وحقن دماء الشعب السوري الشقيق”.

[Link added by Moderator: http://www.alarabiya.net/mob/ar/193199.html ]

Thank you GCC!

Nicholas Noe- New York Times
( bargaining with the devil)
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=nicholas%20noe%20syria&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEIQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2012%2F02%2F07%2Fopinion%2Fin-syria-we-need-to-bargain-with-the-devil.html&ei=-TUxT-SePMyEtgfK9enlBg&usg=AFQjCNFXLGTrvoQoFPH3h_KSxq1-pmXW9w

I just read in an new DER SPIEGEL report that the EU wants to further sanction the regime. On the table is now a sanction against the Central Bank of Syria, the plan forsees that no european bank should be allowed to trade with the bank. Also a plan is considered by the german government to implement an flight ban of all regular european flights to Syria. Those sanction could be agreed on and put in order by the end of february when the next scheduled meeting of the european foreign ministers takes places. But such meetings can be scheduled on short notice also if the events on the ground call for immediate action.

Also there are news about the 11 iranian pilgrims, who have been held by the FSA. They have been handed over to the Turkish so that they can return to Iran. Iranian officials have promised to pedition for imprisoned women and children by the syrian regime.

Also there is a new number of syrian refugees in southern turkey. There are now 9749 refugees under turkish custody.

Command and control center of Assad army in Rastan fell in the hands of FSA forces.
الرستن 5-2-2012 تحرير اكبر ثكنة عسكرية من قبل الجيش
الحر.mp4
05/02/2012

I am happy that the Iranian pilgrims are released. Syrians will not target civilians no matter how atrocious their government towards us. I hope ordinary Iranians worship god in their own homes rather than in Syria for the time being. And I also hope that Aystolla Roholla, and other …ollas will always remember the lesson taught to them this time by the noble Syrian people.

JNA

If you watch the video which I have posted about the attack you will see that the embassy was against claims by pro assad supporters protected by 2 police men. Why they could not stop 25 men to enter the embassy is not known to me. I heard by those who entered the embassy that they talked with the police men while the others have entered. Thank God the regime did not have armed guards in the embassy, in a similar attack on the israeli embassy some years ago the security offered an hearty welcome to those intruders, leaving a couple of them dead.

Anyway, i am quite optimistic that the days of the syrian embassy are numbered here, i think we will see soon some narration of persona non grata here in Europe.

@26 REVLON,

Just looking at the streets of Rastan, How many decades it is going to take to undo this Baathist landscape and how many billions will be needed. More important, where do these billions going to come from? It is going to need a national effort, my worry, Syrians are not apt at anyting nationalist.

Operational Assad army units that has been entrusted to restoring control over restive SUNNI areas are virtually limited to three combat units, all of which commanded and field commanded by ALAWI officers, including Assad clan:
– 4th division under general commanded by Ali 3ammar and field command of Maher Al Assad.
– Unit 549 dedicated to guarding Damascus commanded by Ghassan Al Assad
– 90th Brigade 10,000 combatants commanded by Zuhair Al Assad
– 2012/02/06
جيش ام عصابة الاسد : اسماء الفرق وضباطها المكلفة بحسم وتدمير حمص وادلب وريف دمشق
مراسل المحليات : كلنا شركاء
http://all4syria.info/web/archives/51074

وردت إلى كلنا شركاء من القصر الجمهوري أن من يتولى قرار الحسم العسكري الآن في المناطق المشتعلة هي:
_ الفرقة الرابعة: التي يقودها اللواء علي عمار ومن يتولى القيادة العملياتية الآن من هذه الفرقة في الزبداني وحمص وإدلب هو ماهر الأسد ويساعده من ضباط الفرقة…. ملهم ميهوب وأحمد عبد لله وداوود اسبر وغسان بلال..
أما باقي ضباط الفرقة فهم تحت المراقبة على مدار الساعة من عملاء ماهر الأسد ولا يستطيعون القيام بأي تصرف غير السكوت وتنفيذ الأوامر…
_ الوحدة(549) (سرايا الصراع): والمسؤولة عن حماية العاصمة، هي التي تهتم حالياً بإسكات المعضمية وداريا وقائدها ( اللواء غسان الأسد) وينسق مباشرة مع اللواء جميل حسن في المخابرات الجوية.
_ اللواء 90(مشاة ومدفعية): وهذا اللواء الذي يتألف من أكثر من 10000 عنصر يقوده العميد زهير الأسد وهو من الألوية على الجبهة وريف القنيطرة.
يكون العمل العسكري كالتالي:
_ تقوم وحدات المشاة والمدفعية بالقصف والتمهيد ويساعدها في ذلك المروحيات في المناطق مثل داريا وكفر بطنا وحرستا ودوما…
_ بعد ذلك تقوم وحدات الاقتحام والتدخل السريع وأغلبها من الفرقة الرابعة وسرايا الصراع باقتحام الأحياء وتمشيطها وتوزيع القناصة على أعالي المباني والأماكن المستورة..
وظيفة هؤلاء القناصة قتل كل من يتحرك…
أما وحدات الاقتحام فوظيفتها أخذ كل الشباب الذين تكون أعمارهم أكثر من عشر أعوام
وتجميعهم في احدى المدارس أو الملاعب أو حتى مراكز حزب البعث ..
_ بعد وحدات التمشيط يكون دور المخابرات الجوية والعسكرية وأفرع الأمن باختيار من هو مطلوب من هؤلاء الذين تم تجميعهم في أماكن سيئة التهوية وصعبة وغالباً ما تأخذ أفرع الأمن كل هؤلاء على دفعات للتحقيق فيها في مراكزها.
_ يصاحب هذه الوحدات عادة مراسلو التليفزيون السوري وقناة الدنيا من أجل عمل لقاءات تلفزيونية مع عدد من المعتقلين ليتحدثوا عن الإرهابيين والمسلحين وحوادث اغتصاب وهذه اللقاءات تكون بعد ايصال المعتقل من التعذيب أو التهديد بالقتل إلى حالة تجعله يتكلم بما يريدون…

Here is the peoples\’ response to Russian veto. Any Syrian that would invite foreigners into his own country to destroy it is nothing but the worst kind of traitor. Like the nightmare unfolding the last century in USA; an Arab AIPAC for Muslims.

Some comments leaked out of what Lavrov has said to Assad. According to the russian news agency Interfax Assad has pleaged to end all violence in Syria( quite a sybillian sentence-that could also mean to crack all resistance with all means necessary). Lavrov added:… “it does not matter from where the violence is coming from.”
Both have agreed that the arab leaque mission should continue. Assad is willing to publish soon a date on which the referendum for the new constitution is taking place.

Lavrov has said that the implementation of the Arab League mission goals is aim of the russian policy towards Syria. Lavrov referred to the meeting with Assad as very useful.
“Every leader in every country should be aware of his responsibilities. You are aware of your responsibility.”

15. ANTOINESAID:
“…SNP, YOu are a funny guy. Just a week ago you were cursing the same Iranians and now you are extolling them…”

Never cursed Iranians, SNP protested Iranian support to the Baathists. Called them “Munafekeen”, and they are, I will tell them that to their face as well. They are just as guilty in the crimes committed in Syria as the Arab ones.

Lavrov praises Assad for showing responsibility

At the opening of today’s meeting with Bashar al Assad, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said every leader should be aware of their responsibilities, adding that the Syrian president proved to know that.
“Every leader of every country should take their share of responsibility. You are aware of yours,” Lavrov said, addressing the Syrian strongman.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Foreign Intelligence Chief Mikhail Fradkov have set out to Bashar al Assad’s residency after a short conversation with Syrian delegates in the Damascus airport, who received them early Tuesday.
A meeting between Lavrov and Assad will take place later today.
Police officers were stationed along the 20-kilomteter motorcade route to Damascus. Helicopters were patrolling the area.
Downtown Damascus was almost paralyzed. Police could hardly contain the large mass of Syrians, following the procession and holding their hands, VOR correspondent in Syria, Olga Denisova, reported.
The crowds were chanting ‘Russia, Russia!” “Welcome, Russia!” and slogans in support of Bashar al Assad.
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012/02/07/65519913.html

4. Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships

Thanks for the BBC post.

The FSA’s leader Ryad Al Assad confirms what we all know but that many in this site still deny:

“The SNC is a total failure and works against the interests of the Syrians”

Juergen

“i think we will see soon some narration of persona non grata here in Europe.”

Why does the German embassy starts by recalling its ambassador?

In my opinion Germany is conservative and overcautious over its foreign policy. Contrary to France and the UK, it prefers to stay rather neutral and make business with China while Alain Juppe and Cameron vociferate and want to change regimes all over their previous colonies instead of concentrating their energy on their crumbling economy.

29. Dear Aldendeshe:
((@26 REVLON, Just looking at the streets of Rastan, How many decades it is going to take to undo this Baathist landscape and how many billions will be needed. More important, where do these billions going to come from?
It is going to need a national effort, my worry, Syrians are not apt at anyting nationalist.))

Syria’s most crippling ailment has been the corrupt, brutal political, tyrannical system.
Syria has been on a decline on all levels since Baath party took over, and plunged to its lowest levels in Assad-Makhloof clan era.

It has not been the lack of resources.
Just to cite one example, Syria’s income from oil and Gas since the beginning of production in 1970 has been estimated at USD 240 Billion. It is worth mentioning that income from oil and gas has been entered in the Syrian budget for the first time in 2011!!!!
Where has the money gone?

More important than natural resources is the most valuable and special one; the human resource.
You do not need nationalism to stimulate people to work harder to in return for betterment of their lives.
You do not need nationalism to bring out the God-given goodness to help their neighbours and the needy; leave that to the human values that are cherished by local culture, tradition, and religions.
All you need is to give people back and safeguard their freedom to express, act and create and enable them with needed skills to achieve their goals.

Cheers!

الرياض- (د ب أ): أصدر العاهل السعودي الملك عبدالله بن عبدالعزيز أمرا بالعفو عن السجين السعودي هادي آل مطيف الذي قضى في السجن أكثر 18 عاماً بعدما قام بالتلفظ على النبي محمد.
ونقلت صحيفة (الشرق) السعودية في عددها الصادر الثلاثاء عن أمير منطقة نجران مشعل بن عبدالله بن عبدالعزيز قوله إنَّ “آل مطيف سيخرج من السجن بعد يومين بعد إنهاء إجراءات الخروج”.
وكان هادي آل مطيف، وهو من الطائفة الإسماعيلية، اعتقل منذ نحو 18 عاما بتهمة إطلاق تجاوز لفظي على النبي محمد.

[Link added by Moderator: http://goo.gl/o2vjD ]

Reposted from previous thread.

Lavrov has a plan for Syria as the GCC retaliate to the veto by expelling Syrians ambassadors in their countries and the Army determined to defeat the armed rebels in Homs and Idlib.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/world/middleeast/syria-renews-bombardments-after-us-embassy-closes.html
..
The Russians said they had a proposal that could end the crisis but declined to divulge its substance.
“We have had a very productive visit with the leadership of Syria,” Mr. Lavrov said, according to Russia’s Ria Novosti news service. “We have confirmed our preparedness to facilitate a rapid end to the crisis based on the positions set out in the Arab League initiative. In particular, the president of Syria gave assurance that he is fully committed to an end to violence, no matter its source.”

Mr. Lavrov also said that Mr. Assad was prepared to hold talks with representatives of Syria’s opposition. “It is clear that efforts for ending the violence should be accompanied by dialogue between political forces,” he said. “Today we received confirmation from the president of Syria that he is prepared to cooperate in this effort.”

There was no immediate comment on the meeting from Mr. Assad or from the voices of opposition in Syria, who have already made clear they do not trust the government and want Mr. Assad to step down.
…
Syria’s Interior Ministry said that the assault on Homs would continue until all resistance is defeated, in a sign that the government believes that it can crush the opposition by force. Since the start of the uprising, the government has maintained that it is battling armed groups financed from abroad who have killed thousands of police officers and soldiers.

The government was also pressing ahead with crackdowns in the suburbs of Damascus and a restive region in northern Syria near the town of Idlib. The fighting in the suburbs has driven hundreds, perhaps thousands, to seek refuge in the capital, residents said.

“If we knew things were headed toward war, we would have prepared shelters,” said a resident in the hard-hit town of Zabadani, near Damascus, who gave his name as Zein.

Funny; Ayman Abd Alnour keeps posting stories that end up to be either fabricated or simply not true.
The hacked email FP and Ayman went crazy about ends up not being the email of Bashar or Asma but of two employees one of them called Sam Dalleh, which the one they claim it’s of Bashar.
The man who hacked it is claimed to be Fadi Mqayed, the funny part is that the FP published it (probably paid lots of money for another hoax of Ayman) as the email of Bashar I wonder how are they going to explain it now….All4syria doesn’t have any problem since standards doesn’t apply on it.

عن حظ بشار الأسد الذي “يفلق الصخر” : بين حمير “فورن بوليسي” و أدعياء “كلنا شركاء”!؟

هاكر سوري نصّاب يقرصن بريد وزارة رئاسة الجمهورية ويأكل حلاوة بعقل المجلة الأميركية وعقل ” أيمن عبد النور” على أنه بريد بشار الأسد!؟

واشنطن ، دبي ـ الحقيقة ( خاص) : نشرت مجلة ” فورن بوليسي” الأميركية اليوم تقريرا ذكرت فيه أن البريد الإلكتروني لرأس السلطة في سوريا ،بشار الأسد ، تعرض للقرصنة من قبل “هاكر” . وأرفقت بالتقرير عددا من الرسائل قالت إن القرصان استولى عليها من البريد. ومن الرسائل المقرصنة المنشورة واحدة من النائب البريطاني السابق جورج غالاوي إلى المستشارة الرئاسية بثينة شعبان صيف العام 2010 ، وعناوين بريدية تخص موظفين زعمت أنهم يتبادلون الرسائل معه. وزعمت المجلة أن البريد الإلكتروني للأسد هو sam@alshahba.com ، أما بريد زوجته ، بحسب زعمها ، فهو fl@mopa.gov.sy !!؟

المجلة ، وبسبب ذكائها المفرط ( وهو ذكاء يدعيه الرجل الأبيض دائما في مواجهتنا نحن “الهنود الحمر” الأغبياء!) نشرت في نهاية تقريرها اسم الشخص الذي أرسل لها هذه المعلومات ، شاكرة له مساهمته ( ونحن نشكرها بدورنا على أنها عرفتنا على الهاكر!!). أما الشخص فليس في الواقع سوى Fadi Mqayed ! وعندما تنقر على االاسم تذهب مباشرة إلى صفحته على موقع ” تويتر” ، وهناك تكتشف من ” زقزقاته” مع أصدقاء له أنه هو “الهاكر” وليس أي شخص آخر! ( لن نقول الآن من هو هذا الشخص ، المقيم في الإمارات العربية ، وسنكشف عنه لاحقا!).

الأطرف من هذا هو أن القرصان، وفي سياق حديثه مع أحد أصدقائه عما قام به ، يخبره بأن الأنطباع الذي خرج به من قرصنته هو أن هؤلاء ( بشار الأسد المزعوم وبثينة شعبان .. إلخ) عبارة “قطيع يدير البلد وهو لا يعرف أن يدير مطعم كنتاكي”!؟ حسنا ، هذا قد لا يختلف عليه اثنان في سورية. ولكن أيهما ” أجحش” ، هؤلاء الذين يصفهم بالقطيع أم حضرته هو القرصان المتعلم الذي لا يعرف حتى أن يقرأ الرسائل التي يسرقها ، ويقول عن بريد سام دلة إنه بريد بشار الأسد؟ وأيهما ذيله أطول وحوافره أكبر!؟

ما يهمنا في هذا الخبر ليس ما قالته المجلة الأميركية ، فأمر طبيعي أن لا تعرف مجلة غربية البريد الخاص لبشار الأسد، ولكن التقرير الذي سارع أيمن عبد النور إلى نشره في موقع ” كلنا شركاء” عن القصة ، بالتزامن تقريبا مع نشر تقرير ” فورن بوليسي”!؟ ( هل لهذا التزامن أي مغزى خاص!؟ ).

في التقرير الذي نشره موقع ” كلنا شركاء” تكرار لادعاء المجلة الأميركية نفسه ، وهو أن العنوان البريدي المذكور يخص بشار الأسد! وهذا يثير الأسئلة / القضايا التالية:

ـ في الرسائل المقرصنة ثمة رسالة من صاحب البريد المذكور (سام) يبلغ فيها الوزيرة شعبان بلقائه(مع آخرين) السفير التركي في دمشق في تموز / يوليو الماضي والحديث معه حول موضوع اللاجئين السوريين في تركيا وقضايا أخرى.

ـ أليس من المفترض منطقيا ، إلا بالنسبة للحمير طبعا ، أن رئيس الدولة لا يمكن ـ من الناحية البروتوكولية ـ أن يذهب إلى سفارة دولة أجنبية في بلاده ويتحدث في موضوع من هذا النوع ثم يقدم تقريرا لوزيرة عنده عن لقائه مع السفير ، وأن العكس هو ما يمكن أن يحصل!؟

ـ لن نطيل عليكم في الأحجيات والألغاز ، فالبريد يخص الدكتور سام دلة ، الناطق باسم ” لجنة إعداد الدستور الجديد” و عميد المعهد الإداري للإدارة ، وليس بشار الأسد. أما البريد الآخر ، الذي قيل إنه لأسماء الأسد ، فهو ليس لها ، وإنما لموظف آخر في شؤون رئاسة الجمهورية.

أما الآن فمن حق أي سوري يقرأ موقع ” كلنا شركاء” أن يتساءل : كيف بمكن تصديق ما ينشره أيمن عبد النور من قصص في موقعه عن قضايا وخبايا إدارية وأمنية ، إذا كان لا يعرف التمييز بين بريد الدكتور سام دلة وبريد صديقه وسيده ومشغله وولي نعمته سابقا بشار الأسد !؟ كيف يمكننا أن نصدق أنه كان فعلا مبعثوه الخاص في قضايا سرية ، وفق ما قاله ذات مرة ، إذا كان لا يعرف حتى بريده الإلكتروني ولا يعرف أن يميزه عن بريد شخص آخر نشر “القرصان” رسالة من رسائله بالعربية الفصحى تشير إلى أن صاحب الإيميل هو سام دلة !؟

تبقى الإشارة إلى أن قضية القرصنة انتشرت كالنار في الهشيم في صفحات ” فيسبوك” ، حيث تراكض المعارضون الأميركيون ـ الإسلاميون إلى تناتشها مثلما يتراكض قطيع من الجراء المكلوبة إلى تناتش عظمة جافة ظنها قطعة من ” الهبر” الأحمر!؟

http://www.syriatruth.org/news/tabid/93/Article/6649/Default.aspx

About the battle in Baba Amr:

حرب تكنولوجية “عالمية” دارت أمس في “بابا عمرو”: تقنيات غربية نادرة في مواجهة الجيش السوري!؟

مسلحو رياض الأسعد استخدموا قذائف فوسفورية إسرائيلية لضرب المدرعات السورية ، و”قناصات حرارية” لا تقتنيها إلا أرقى جيوش العالم ، فيما الروس ” أداروا” المعركة بالأقمار الصناعية!؟

دمشق ، الحقيقة ( خاص من مازن ابراهيم + حسين كردي): عندما نشرنا الشهر الماضي تقريرا لمراسلتنا في إسرائيل الرفيقة ليا أبراوفيتش ، نقلا عن أحد الباحثين المشاركين في الدورة العاشرة لمؤتمر هرتزليا للأبحاث الأمنية في إسرائيل، حول وصول قواذف ” شيبون 300″ إلى أيدي مسلحي “الجيش الإسلامي الحر” في سوريا ، استغرب الكثيرون الأمر ، وربما استهجنوه واعتبروه دسا على هذا”الجيش” الذي يقوده العميل رياض الأسعد. فهؤلاء ، ورغم عشرات التقارير الغربية التي صدرت حتى الآن ، وعن مراكز أبحاث شهيرة مثل ” ستراتفور”، تكشف علاقة هذا التكوين العسكري الإجرامي بدوائر الاستخبارات الأجنبية، لا يزالون يعتقدون أنه ” ثوار تشي غيفارا” الذين كانوا يقاتلون في جبال ” سييرا ماستييرا” في الخمسينيات ضد قوات الديكتاتور باتيستا! ولمن لا يصدق ، بإمكانه مراجعة الهذيانات التي كتبتها إحدى الكاتبات السوريات قبل أيام على صفحتها في موقع “فيسبوك”!

ما حصل يوم أمس في ضاحية ” بابا عمرو” في حمص ، وفي حي الانشاءات المتاخم له ، لم يؤكد هذه المعلومات فقط ، بل كشف أن ما دار هناك في ساعة مبكرة جدا من صباح أمس ، رغم أن معظمه لم يزل طي الكتمان، ليس أقل من مظاهر “حرب عالمية” تكنولوجية مصغرة بالمعنى الحرفي للكلمة ، لاسيما لجهة ما يتعلق باختبار وتجريب تكنولوجيات غربية وإسرائيلية لم تزل قيد التطوير. علما بأن بعض ما استخدم من تقنيات حديثة ، ورغم أنه أصبح مستخدما من قبل بعض الجيوش ، لا يزال محصوا امتلاكه بعدد من الدول تعد على أصابع اليد الواحدة! إلا أن ما علمته “الحقيقة” من مصادر ميدانية وروسية متطابقة ، يتعلق فقط بنوعين من التقنيات التي جرى تجريبها واستخدامها.

مصادر”الحقيقة” كشفت أن السلطة ، وبعد أن قررت “الحسم العسكري” في المنطقة المشار إليها ، دفعت عند الساعة الثالثة فجرا بالتوقيت المحلي سرية مدرعات خفيفة ( عربات BMP و BRDM ) كانت مهتمتها تنفيذ ما يسمى في التكتيك العسكري “استطلاع بالنار” ، إلا أنها فوجئت ـ مجرد أن تقدمت بضع عشرات من الأمتار في أحد المحاور الرئيسية في الحي ـ بقذائف صاروخية موجهة أصابت واحدة منها إحدى تلك العربات إصابة مباشرة ، ما أدى إلى انصهارها وتحولها إلى أثر بعد عين خلال ثوان! وكان واضحا منذ اللحظة الأولى أن القذائف ليست قذائف تقليدية من النوع المتعارف عليه (أر بي جي) ، بل قذائف فوسفورية. ويعتبر احتراق الفوسفور من أكثر أشكال الاحتراق تميزا.

هذه “المفاجاة”عرقلت عملية السلطة لبضع ساعات ، وتحديدا إلى أن أحضرت دبابات “تي 72″ من الجيل الجديد المدرع ضد نوع معين من الحشوات الفوسفورية. وبعد قدوم كتيبة من هذه المدرعات فقط تمكنت القوات المهاجمة من التوغل في الحي!

يشار في هذا السياق إلى أن القذائف الفوسفورية المضادة للدبابات كانت إسرائيل طورتها خلال الأعوام الأخيرة استنادا إلى تكنولوجيا ألمانية من أجل استخدامها في قواذف “شيبون” من الأجيال الجديدة! وكان الجيش الإسرائيلي سرّب في العام 2010 شريطا يظهر عملية اختبار لهذه القذائف الفوسفورية على دبابة سورية مفترضة ( شاهد الشريط جانبا).

مفاحآت المسلحين في “بابا عمرو” لم تقف عند هذا الحد. فقد كانت المفاجأة الثانية من العيار الثقيل ، إذ تبين أنهم استخدموا في العتمة ( عند الثالثة صباحا) أسلحة نارية متطورة جدا كانت قادرة على اصطياد العسكريين المهاجمين بدقة متناهية حتى وهم في قمرات المدرعات ولا يظهر منهم سوى رؤوسهم وخوذاتهم ، بما في ذلك اختراق الخوذات الفولاذية نفسها! ولم تعرف ماهية هذه الأسلحة إلا لاحقا ، حين تمكنت “القوات الخاصة”، التي جرى استدعاؤها لتولي عملية الدهم والاقتحام إلى جانب كتائب الدبابات الأخرى، من الوصول إلى أحد الأماكن التي كانت تطلق منها النيران في إحدى البنايات و السيطرة عليها. وتبين أن النيران التي كانت تصطاد العسكريين في العتمة ليست سوى قناصات تعمل بنظام ” الرؤية الحرارية” Thermal Sniper Scope! ويعتمد هذا النوع من القناصات ، كبقية أنواع ” الأسلحة الحرارية” ، على تحديد الفرق في درجة الحرارة بين الهدف المقصود (هنا الجندي المستهدف) والبيئة المحيطة به ، بما في ذلك الأشياء والأجسام الأخرى . وذلك مهما كن الفرق صغيرا ، وفي مختلف الظروف المناخية ومختلف الأوقات ( حرارة الصيف ، الليل الدامس ، النهار ، الثلج ، العواصف .. إلخ). كما أنها تستطيع التمييز بين أعضاء الجسم نفسه ( القلب ، الرئتين ، الأوعية الدموية .. إلخ) . وغني عن البيان أن عددا محدودا جدا من جيوش العالم يستحوذ على هذا النوع من القناصات ، أبرزها الجيش الأميركي الذي استخدمها على نحو واسع في العراق ، و شركة ” بلاك ووتر” الأمنية الأميركية. علما بأن الشركة المذكورة تعمل الآن تحت اسم Xe Services LLC في الإمارات العربية ، وتقوم بتدريب مسلحين لصالح ” الجيش الحر” و “المجلس الوطني السوري” في منطقة صحراوية سرية تابعة لإمارة ” أبو ظبي”. ويتولى رجل أعمال كردي سوري ( شقيق أحمد رمضان ، عضو قيادة “المجلس الوطني السوري”) ترتيب هذه العملية ، مستفيدا من خبراته السابقة في العمل مع الشركات الأمنية الإسرائيلية شمال العراق! ( تقوم “الحقيقة” الآن بإعداد تحقيق عن دور “بلاك ووتر” في تدريب المسلحين السوريين و القيام بعمليات أمنية في العمق السوري).

فصول ” الحرب العالمية التكنولوجية” لم تنته هنا. فقد أكدت مصادر مطلعة لـ”الحقيقة” أن كومبيوترات دبابات القيادة في الوحدات العسكرية التي تولت عملية اقتحام ” بابا عمرو” كانت خزنت منطقة حمص ومحيطها كلها بنظام ” جي بي إس” ، فضلا عن جميع مخططات خدمات البنية التحتية للمدينة (مخططات شبكات الصرف الصحي ، شبكات المياه، شبكات الهاتف والكهرباء .. إلخ). وأكدت هذه المصادر أن هذه المعلومات ، وتحديدا منها الأبنية التي تستخدم من قبل المسلحين كمتاريس وتحصينات لإطلاق النار ، يجري تحديثها لحظة بلحظة عن طريق أحد الأقمار الصناعية العسكرية الروسية ، فضلا عن أن خبراء عسكريين من خبراء “قوات التدخل السريع” الروسية ( Spetsanz ) متخصصين في ” مكافحة الإرهاب” يقدمون استشاراتهم في الميدان للوحدات العسكرية المشاركة في العملية. إلا أن هذا لم نستطع التثبت منه بشكل كامل.

تبقى الإشارة أخيرا إلى أن السلطة أعلنت منذ فجر يوم أمس مدينة حمص “منطقة عسكرية” يمنع الدخول إليها أو الخروج منها إلا بموجب إذن مسبق من النقاط العسكرية التي تتولى إحكام إغلاق جميع الطرق والمحاور المؤدية إلى المدينة والخارجة منها. كما أن قوات كبيرة انتشرت في جميع البساتين والكروم والمناطق الزراعية المحيطة بالمناطق التي تشهد عمليات عسكرية لمنع المسلحين من الفرار خارج المدينة ، وفق ما قاله مصدر ميداني لـ”الحقيقة”. المصدر أكد أن ما لا يقل عن مئة مسلح قتلوا يوم أمس ، فيما جرى أسر واعتقال ما يقارب هذا العدد . كما أن المئات منهم يحاولون الفرار باتجاه مناطق أخرى ، لاسيما نحو وسط المدينة القديمة ( الخالدية ، البياضة ، باب السباع .. إلخ) للتحصن فيها. وتقدر أعداد المسلحين ما بين 1500 إلى ألفي مسلح في منطقة حمص وحدها ، قسم كبير منهم مقاتلون سابقون في العراق وعادوا إلى سوريا بعد إنشاء نظام “الصحوات” على أيدي الجيش الأميركية والمخابرات السعودية والأردنية.
http://www.syriatruth.org/news/tabid/93/Article/6648/Default.aspx

Assad’s wife ‘defends’ Syria crackdown
AFP – 14 hrs ago
http://news.yahoo.com/assads-wife-defends-syria-crackdown-024247987.html
The British-born wife of Syria’s president has spoken in support of her husband for the first time since the 11-month uprising against his regime began, a British newspaper reported Tuesday.

“The President is the President of Syria, not a faction of Syrians, and the First Lady supports him in that role,” The Times quoted Asma al-Assad as saying in an email sent via an intermediary from her office.

The email is her first communication with the international media since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime began, The Times said.

“The First Lady’s very busy agenda is still focused on supporting the various charities she has long been involved with and rural development as well as supporting the President as needed,” the email reportedly continued.

“These days she is equally involved in bridging gaps and encouraging dialogue. She listens to and comforts the families of the victims of the violence.” it added.

The statement came after Syrian forces pounded protest hubs with rockets and shells, killing 79 civilians on Monday, according to activists, and as Britain recalled its ambassador to Syria “for consultations”.

Unlike her husband, a minority Alawite, the 36-year-old First Lady is a Sunni Muslim who originally hails from Homs — the central Syrian city rocked by some of the worst carnage since the revolt began in March last year.

Stylish and charismatic and with a degree from King’s College in London where she was raised, the former investment banker had helped promote the soft side of an iron-fisted regime.

But she has virtually disappeared from the public eye since the revolt broke out and had drawn criticism for her silence on a crisis that has left more than 5,000 people dead in her country.

Last month she appeared with two of her children to support her husband of 12 years as he spoke at a pro-regime rally, but did not speak herself.

Juergen

My expectations for Germany’s posture in the Middle East have for a long time not been high ever since you started giving nuclear weapon capable subs to Israel who have plenty of weapons to place on them.

An article by Jurgen Todenhofer talking about the Arab uprisings and questioning why it took Arabs 222 to catch the western revolutions and the suspicious and some how political roles of the media in the uprising:

Peoples in Uprising
The Denied Freedom

After the explosive eruption of the French Revolution in 1789 and the countless bloody setbacks, France needed 80 years to become a real democracy. In the case of Germany 130 years had to pass. And it took 222 years until the French Revolution reached the Arab world.

Freedom, equality, fraternity, and the introduction of democracy into the Arab world were never part of Western objectives. “Freedom” never meant “freedom from us”. When the West could no longer colonize Arabia, it started to support monarchies and authoritarian rulers who were willing to adapt their foreign policies in exchange for weapons and money; governments that nipped every democratic movement in the bud. Until the beginning of 2011 the West has shamefully helped Arab dictators in oppressing their own people.

The West further used their security apparatus as torture outposts. Terror suspects – often innocent – were secretly transferred to North Africa as the respective dictators were considered better torturers. The dungeons of Muammar Qaddafi were until recently particularly popular torture sites. In return for his torture-services some of Qaddafi’s fanciest desires were satisfied. Sarkozy supplied him with the dream vehicle of all mafia bosses, an armored, stealth-like Mercedes. Tony Blair sent a Libyan regime-opponent to his doom, and Germany equipped him with the latest weapons; as did other NATO countries and also Russia. One of these weapons transformed our car in Libya into a fireball and killed my friend Abdul Latif.
{…}

The Influence of the Media

The speed and impact of revolutions get greatly accelerated by the modern media. Even during the French Revolution hundreds of mushrooming newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, posters, wall posters and cartoons played a major role. Already back then there was talk about the age of the press.

{…}

The Tough Process of Democratization

The revolutionaries rarely succeed in the first attempt to realize their dreams of freedom, dignity, employment and prosperity. Only rarely they realize that for that a revolution at the top of the state is not sufficient, but a revolution in people’s minds is also required.

It takes decades, centuries, to learn true democracy, rule of law, separation of powers and human rights – and often much longer to reap its fruits. Revolutions are only a small step on the long road to a democratic constitutional state. Democrats of the West are even today still searching for the “true democracy”.

{…}

The Syrian Knot

With the generous support from Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, the Arab revolution has reached all of Syria. The Syrians have discovered their right to political participation and they are not going to abandon it again. The triumph of democracy is unstoppable; also in Syria. And that is good.

The need for democratic transformation is essentially accepted, even amongst the government and the insurgents. The ultimate and only question is, whether there will be democracy with or without Assad.

Also, Assad meanwhile refers to the democracy for Syria as “compulsory”. He wants to, as he told me, introduce it gradually, “from scratch”. This would be by means of parliamentary elections in spring, and the development of a new constitution and subsequent presidential elections. The insurgents, however, want democracy immediately and without Assad.

The President´s chances to reshape the country from the top have diminished in the last months due to the slowness of his reforms and the harsh actions of the security forces. The support for Assad was considerably greater during my visit in June compared to my following one in November.

Nonetheless, the Syrian Revolution differs fundamentally from the ones in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya:
{….}

http://www.juergentodenhoefer.de/presse/english-articles-interviews/

JNA

I agree on your assumption.

@REVLON
What I meant for Syrian nationalism, for Syrians, is “Working Together”. If we can do that, that will be great first step accomplishment. It is more than USD 240 Billion, it used to be held in Swiss banks in the name of the Assads personally, never entered the Syria budget. Assad used to respond to that by claiming he did not want Israeli to know how much he is spending on weapon. I would not be surprised if not most of it is in fact in Israeli banks in Tel Aviv. Grabbing all the central bank heads and finance and oil ministers responsible for this laundering and cover up should be done now, what are you waiting for?

@Tara
I know you aspire higher moral value (than what a Munafek would), but it is a war, and should Iranian, Iraqi and Lebanese Shia’s continue to take and support one side, to provide financial and military aid to the Baathists, they would be a fair game.

Since the only 2 thumb up on Yanni, yours and that of Ayatollah Khemenei, here is another one for you two, and I hope one day the Mahdi will return and turn Iran into something like that, and soon, I know the Ayatollah said expect big news on this front.

JAD

I was always fond of his stand, given by his cv one would not assume a political right wing politician would be as pacifistic as he is. I have since his reports about Syria some doubts about his motivation. He clearly speaks out against tyranny and oppression, but in the case of Syria he neglects this tremendous part almost completely. He claims to have visited Syria since the last 30 years, and surely he did visit Syria through travelling to Iraq since 2003 he has written 2 books on Iraq.

He has describes in his book : Why do you kill Zaid? the motivation for islamic fighters and iraqui resistance through terroristic means. He wrote about an young Zaid whose brother was killed in front of his eyes by the US army.He joins the fight then, and Todenhöfer tried to show that the west is the biggest terrorist in this game. If he has so much insight and can feel like how ordinary iraqui men would become an terrorist how come he can not imagíne that after Hama 1982 the same applies for Syria? He claims that injustice will always create more injustice and violence at the end.

If he knows Syria that well, how come he thinks he can walk around in the public in Hama and ask a young guy for his opinion about the President. He does that all the time, its may be part of his mentality to sit with the people and ask them all kind of questions, but seriously Jad, how can you expect in Syria an honest answer from a Syrian in public in this matter. I always thought that this man is brave and couragous to say the ugly truth, but how come he is so naive in this matter? Rafik Schami opposed his article about Darraa bitterly, calling him an tremendous vain personality, i dont know but sometimes i think vainity is part of the show with this otherwise great author.

Irritated

You are right that the government is conservative but very weak. The junior partner is almost nonexistant and their nonvote for the Libyan mission led to big confusion, most Germans were against this hesitation, the majority supported the UN vote. I know some conservative politicians from the ruling party, they were outraged that Merkel and Westerwelle made such a move. I believe in regard for Syria, Merkel does not want an other embarrasment ( since we look for an constant seat in the Security Council) so she carefully tries to get all Europeans in the boat. I heard that the government considers closing the embassy as well, its not communicated yet, but i know that some high officals of the embassy like the head of the consulate have left already, and emergency mode is already applying. But whatever is done, there will be a european move alltogether.

Public opinion also sugggest ( in my opinion ) that a majority of Germans would agree on an international solution for Syria.

Juergen

“I always thought that this man is brave and couragous to say the ugly truth, but how come he is so naive in this matter?”

How you ever wondered that you maybe wrong? Why isn’t your own vanity instead of his?

In Syria, We Need to Bargain With the Devil
By NICHOLAS NOE
Beirut
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/opinion/in-syria-we-need-to-bargain-with-the-devil.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
ALMOST one year after anti-government protests began in Syria, a disaster of enormous moral and strategic proportions is fast approaching. Full-scale civil war is now likely. And a multifront, conventional and possibly unconventional war ignited by events in the Levant is also increasingly plausible.

However, many in the West, in some Arab governments and even in the Syrian opposition still think a “controlled collapse” of Bashar al-Assad’s government is possible.

According to this view, increasing pressure from all around will, at some point, fracture the government and its supporters both at home and abroad. Any resulting death and destruction, as well as regional blowback, will be within acceptable limits.

Unfortunately, there are at least three problems that make a controlled collapse unlikely.

First, the Assad government, which still enjoys substantial support from the army, the elite and other segments of the population, may be able to prolong its bloody denouement, with help from outsiders. Russia, which sees Syria as an indispensable strategic asset, joined China on Saturday in vetoing a United Nations resolution against the Assad government.

Iran has staked its own vital interests on Mr. Assad’s regime, which is a crucial conduit for Tehran’s support for the militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah in their common struggle against Israel.

Second, the violence from any drawn-out collapse will most likely exceed the limits of moral or strategic acceptability for the West and its allies — not to mention the Syrian people. Sectarian conflicts that divide the Alawites and other minority communities from the majority Sunni population will accelerate, compounding tensions in neighboring Lebanon, where Sunni fighters are now staging attacks into Syria, and also in Iraq, where sectarian violence has sharply increased in recent weeks.

Third, the resulting movement of refugees will add yet another destabilizing element to a humanitarian crisis. After all, Syria already hosts millions of Iraqi and Palestinian refugees who are likely to experience further anguish and loss.

Far from controlled collapse, a likelier scenario is a bloody last-ditch effort by Mr. Assad, Iran and Hezbollah to save the Syrian government, which they have the means to do.

These “axis of resistance” forces would most likely project their formidable military power — which includes chemical weapons in the case of Syria — against their enemies in a fight for their collective existence. Conveniently for all three of them, there are multiple ways Israel could be goaded into a major conflict without it seeming as if Mr. Assad or Hezbollah were responsible, in the eyes of their supporters. Indeed, a lone rocket attack from southern Lebanon that kills a large number of Israeli civilians is a distinct possibility.
…
It is not enough, then, to blame Russian and Chinese vetoes at the Security Council or even the murderous Assad regime for the danger that is gripping the region right now — even if they deserve much of the blame.

Instead, Washington should adopt a realistic, albeit distasteful, strategy that seeks to steadily defuse the conflict rather than watch it explode in everyone’s face. And that means dealing with Mr. Assad.
…
America must therefore dispense with the inconsistent maxim that bargaining is morally prohibited when a leader is deemed to have gone beyond the pale — especially when bargaining could actually mitigate future fallout, while eventually securing one’s interests and values.

The main reason for making a deal with Mr. Assad right now — even one where he is initially offered more carrots than sticks — is precisely that a Western-led process that steadily undermines his ability and desire to use violence would stabilize a quickly deteriorating regional situation, gradually opening up Syria’s political system and reducing repression over time.
….
Negotiations now, rather than war later, could lead to a far better outcome for all parties — even if that means Syrians’ aspirations for freedom might be met much later than anyone would like.

Nicholas Noe is a contributing writer for Bloomberg View and the editor of “Voice of Hezbollah: The Statements of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.”

Some months ago, the west returned all their ambassadors to Syria to “increase pressure on the regime.” Today they’re withdrawing all their ambassadors to Syria to “increase pressure on the regime.” I hope they don’t also lift their sanctions on Syria because that would definitely “increase pressure on the regime” and surely make it collapse!

Russian FM says Syrian leader ready for dialogues – 2012-02-07

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-02/07/c_131396790.htm

MOSCOW, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready for a dialogue with all political forces in Syria, visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Damascus Tuesday.

“It is clear that efforts to end violence must be accompanied by the starting of a dialogue among all political forces. Today we have received from the Syrian president a confirmation of his readiness to facilitate such work,” Lavrov was quoted by Interfax news agency as telling journalists in Damascus after talks with Assad.

Lavrov added that Assad has reassured Russia that he is fully committed to the goal of ending violence wherever it is coming from.

He said that Assad confirmed that the National Dialogue Commission would hold the dialogue, but “the opposition groups have so far been reluctant to start a dialogue”.

Moreover, the Syrian leader will announce the date for a referendum on a new constitution in the near future, said Lavrov.

“President Assad said that he plans within the next few days to meet with a commission that has prepared a draft of a new constitution. The work has been finished, and now the date for a referendum on this important document for Syria will be announced,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov said he held “very useful meetings” with the Syrian leaders Tuesday, as both sides reaffirmed their readiness to facilitate a swift exit from the crisis based on the position set in the Arab League’s initiative.

Russia will also continue working with various Syrian opposition groups, the Russian diplomat promised.

“The goals are simple and clear: we must prevent civilian deaths. The region needs peace, Syria needs peace,” Lavrov was quoted as saying.

Lavrov and Mikhail Fradkov, director of Foreign Intelligence Service, arrived in Syria Tuesday for talks with Syrian leaders.

53. Shabbi7

Any thing will “increase pressure”..
I thought the Arab countries ambassadors left months ago.
Now it is announced they are leaving. Did they sneak in back without the media reporting it and now leaving again to ‘increase pressure’

Arming the Opposition Is Wrong Way to Unseat Syria’s Assad: View
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-07/arming-the-opposition-is-wrong-way-to-unseat-syria-s-assad-view.html
..
That temptation to arm the opposition, however, should be resisted. Syria is not Libya. High on the list of differences: the fault lines in Syrian society are sectarian. If the Arab League, the U.S. or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization were to arm the rebels, that could accelerate the downfall of Assad, but it would also ensure a much broader civil war. Syria’s Sunni majority might mark its victory by taking revenge on the minority Alawites and Christians who have largely stood with the regime. Those who armed them would bear some of the responsibility.

Moreover, although Syria doesn’t have a significant amount of oil, it is far more strategically important than Libya. Syria borders not just Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey — countries that have important Sunni-Shiite, or Sunni-Alawite divides — but also Israel and Jordan. It has close ties to Hezbollah and Iran, and hosts a Russian naval base at the Mediterranean port of Tartus.

In other words, unlike Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi, Syria’s dictator has powerful allies. It’s why NATO and the U.S. have long ruled out direct Libya-style military intervention in Syria. It’s why Turkey has been reluctant, despite fervent prompting from the Syrian opposition, to create a buffer zone on its border with Syria. Opposition activists in Syria think Assad’s military would disintegrate as soon as deserters knew they had a safe place to go, but for the Turks that would mean either arming the Syrian opposition or sending the Turkish military to war to maintain the zone. There are also practical concerns: The Syrian rebels, unlike in Libya, are widely dispersed and don’t control a geographic area, meaning that Western air support would be of little efficacy
{..}

Jurgen
I’m sorry but I agree with Irritated reply to your comment.
I think when someone take one side regardless of how wrong or right it is he/she can’t see well what’s happening around him/her, this is why we all become blinded by the ‘reality’ we have in our heads and forget to look outside the window to recognize other ‘reality’.

This is an older report by Jurgen Todenhofer, however, his conclusions are still correct:
‘The civil war in Syria can be prevented only when both sides stop the violence and the regime conduct a democratic election.’

http://mediathek.daserste.de/sendungen_a-z/329478_weltspiegel/8887720_syrien-reise-durch-ein-zerrissenes-land

Sorry that it is in German, I will check if some Syrian Germans translated it.

Irritated

I would not have a problem to say that i am wrong in any assumption or analysis. So here you go: I was wrong to believe for years that Assad is a reformer.

The pitiful face of Syria’s suffering: Terribly injured girl whose brother was killed in bombing of Homs could now lose sight

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097014/Syria-Injured-girl-brother-killed-Homs-massacre-lose-sight.html#ixzz1liffP4dc

there is a video of her just in german, click on the player in the article:

http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/syrien-krise/syrisches-maedchen-klagtan-was-haben-wir-dir-getan-assad-22499408.bild.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097014/Syria-Injured-girl-brother-killed-Homs-massacre-lose-sight.html

“………Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready for a dialogue with all political forces in Syria, visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Damascus Tuesday….”

Г-н Лавров,
Знаете ли вы что-то сказать г-н Лавров? Дайте нам знать, когда Асад готов уйти, пожалуйста.

Iran calls on India to give more attention to realities in Syria – 2012-02-07

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-02/07/c_131396470.htm

NEW DELHI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) — Iran Tuesday called on India to ” give more attention to realities of the present” in Syria after New Delhi backed an Arab League draft resolution at the UN Security Council last Saturday.

“India should give more attention to realities of the present. They should go by their own experience. We expect that India should help other democracies of the world (during troubled times), ” Iran’s Ambassador to India Seyed Mahdi Nabizadeh told the media here.

India voted for an Arab League draft resolution on Syria, in a clear shift of its stand on the Middle East, last weekend at the UN Security Council in New York.

Playing down the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the envoy said also Iran is prepared to ” defend” itself in case of that eventuality.

“We think the possibility of attack is weak. Today is not the day when people go to war. But we are ready to defend ourselves. We have experience in defending ourselves. We hope that eventuality will not take place,” he said.

Jurgen
Your reply to Irritated and the abuse of emotions to agree with your previous assumption about Jurgen’s view is very cheap.

Jad

I dont rule out that this Syria is for all of us not just an mere conscious matter but an very emotional one. Just answer me this fact: can you expect an honest answer from any syrian on the street on a question like this: Do you love your President? If one is new and foreign to Syria it might be ok to be so naive, but with his knowledge of Syria and its society its a big no go.

I dont have a problem in that he still likes Assad or belives that only through him democracy is coming, thats his opinion which i respect.

Jurgen
“I dont rule out that this Syria is for all of us”
‘us’!!! Who the Germans?
NO! Syria is ‘ONLY’ and ‘EXCLUSIVELY’ for Syrians.

“can you expect an honest answer from any syrian on the street on a question like this: Do you love your President?”
How many news channels asked the same questions and had the answer you want, isn’t all the demonstrations broadcated allover the world curse the soul of Hafez publicly and using the worst word to describe Bashar! Were forced to say such words out of ‘fear’.

What you are forgetting that Bashar has supporters and you can’t deny them the right to speak out in favor of him to make your side happy that is not how democracy works, this is why I point out that some people don’t live in reality, they just want to impose their views and judgment on everybody else and they justify every mean to do so, even using fake pictures of kids to promote ‘sectarian’ messages

بيان إدانة من أبناء حمص والساحل(العلويون) لمجازر النظام
http://nidaasyria.org/ar/?p=3191

The original picture is in the UK!
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4013586/Three-year-old-Katie-Ann-Guttridge-is-battered-by-nursery-girl-aged-two.html

“I dont have a problem in that he still likes Assad or belives that only through him democracy is coming, thats his opinion which i respect.”
It’s not what he said, he said that only through ‘DEMOCRACY’ change and peace may come not through BASHAR. We need stability to conduct any proper change in a volatile region like Syria, otherwise it’s the same chaos the ‘west’, Germany included, is promoting allover our region.

The terrorists plan to ‘open’ Damascus with the help of the ‘usual suspects’

الجيش السوري الحر ….هكذا أراد أن يدخل دمشق فاتحا
كتب خضر سعيد – دمشق – عربي برس

قبل أسابيع وتحديدا نهار الثلاثاء في الثالث من كانون الثاني – يناير من العام الحالي أعلن الضابط المنشق رياض الأسعد عن بشارة للثوار السوريين ولداعميهم من وهابيي العرب وإخوانهم ، وجاء في تصريح الأسعد ما نصه :

إنه غير راض عن مدى التقدم الذي يحققه المراقبون العرب في وقف الحملة العسكرية ضد المحتجين وهدد بأنه لن ينتظر سوى أيام قليلة فقط قبل ان يصعد العمليات بأسلوب جديد في الهجوم.
وابلغ العقيد رياض الاسعد “اذا شعرنا انهم (المراقبون) ما زالوا غير جديين في الايام القليلة المقبلة او على الاكثر خلال اسبوع سنتخذ القرار وسيكون مفاجأة للنظام ولكل العالم”.

وقال الاسعد “على الارجح سنصعد العمليات بشكل كبير جدا”.
واضاف ان التصعيد لن يكون اعلان حرب صريح ولكن “ان شاء الله ستكون نقلة نوعية والشعب السوري كله سيكون خلفها”.
هذا التصريح (الغبي من الناحية الإستراتيجية والعسكرية) لم ينطلق من فراغ بل إستند (الكلام المتبجح ) على عمل إستخباري كبير قامت به على مدى أشهر ماضية كل من الولايات المتحدة ومخابرات تركية السعودية (ومعهما دزينة ونصف من مخابرات الدول المعادية للرئيس بشار الأسد عربيا وأوروبيا).تجدر الإشارة إلى أن حديث رياض الأسعد لا يعني أنه المسؤول حقا عن تحركات المسلحين في سورية ، فدوره رمزي والمحرك الأساس للعمل المسلح في سورية دول كبرى على رأسها الولايات المتحدة وأما المنفذين فخليط من مسلحي الإخوان الأكثر تنظيما بين المعارضين لناحية التنظيمات المسلحة التي ترافقها في العادة هيئات تنظيمية للمجتمع وأما التكفيريين فهم الأكثر شراسة ولكنهم ليسوا الأكثر عددا ، وهناك المرتزقة الذين يبيعون الولاء وهناك بالطبع متحمسون ومنتقمون ومصابون في قريب أن حبيب خرجوا ثائرين لكن الكثرة الغالبة من المسلحين الفاعلين أتت من الخارج وتحديدا من وهابيي سورية الذين قاتلوا في العراق وآخرين جائوا مؤخرا من معسكرات التدريب الغربية في الدول المجاورة ولا يممن لعاقل أن يصدق بأن تركيا والسعودية ومن خلفهما أميركا وفرنسا سيتركون لضابط منشق ذو شخصية سطحية على كل الصعد مهمة قيادة معركة إستراتيجية يخوضها العالم الخاضع لأميركا بأجمعه ضد الأسد وأنصاره.
المعلومات المتوفرة من مصادر في العاصمة السورية دمشق ومن مصادر عربي برس في إسطنبول أشارت إلى أن الأتراك وجهوا تحذيرا شديد اللهجة إلى الضابط المنشق – الأسعد – بعد تصريحه ذاك ، وقد منعت الإستخبارات التركية (التي تشرف بشكل كامل على عمل رياض الأسعد وتسيطر عليه ) الأسعد من التواصل مع شخصيات – مفاتيح المسلحين في الداخل السوري ، حيث أن بعضهم يتوهم بجهل أن الأسعد حقا هو القائد العملي للحراك المسلح لمعارضي النظام في سورية.
مصادر المعلومات في العاصمتين السورية والتركية أشارت إلى أن المفاجأة التي تحدث عنها الأسعد كانت تتمثل في عملية أمنية عسكرية صاعقة كان يطمح الأميركيين ،ومعهم الأتراك والسعوديين ،من خلالها لتطويق دمشق من الجهات الأربع، ومن ثم دفع الجيش السوري إلى شن عمليات عسكرية واسعة تسبب أنهرا من الدماء المدنية، ما كان برأي المخططين الغربيين سيشعل المدن الرافضة للحراك كما أشعل سقوط قتلى في درعا نيران الحراك المعارض في حمص وفي ريف دمشق في بداية الأزمة، كما أن الخطة العسكرية – الأمنية تلك كانت تلحظ سيطرة للمجموعات المسلحة على أرياف دمشق الشرقية والغربية ، ومن ثم التمدد منها إلى داخل العاصمة وخاصة في أحياء وقرى القدم والميدان وجوبر وزملكا والديماس وداريا وعربين ودوما وحرستا.
تلك المناط تشهد حراكا مسلحا منذ أشهر ولكن إعلان السيطرة عليها له وقع آخر وله دلالات اقوى، كما إن الإنطلاق منها إلى كفرسوسة وإلى وسط العاصمة كان مقدرا له أن يتسع ليقتطع جزءا من العاصمة ويسقطها في يد المسلحين في تكرار بابا عمرو ودوما بحسب المخططين الغربيين. على أن تثور في الوقت عينه قرى محيط المطار القريبة من دمشق وكذا قرى محافظتي درعا (تمتد إلى ريف دمشق) وحمص وحماة (تمتد إلى ريف دمشق) فيصبح للعاصمة ممر واحد إلى خارجها هو السماء ، هنا تلحظ الخطة تنفيذا متصاعدا لحصار غرضه فرض العطش والجفاف الخدماتي على العاصمة وإرهاق القوات المسلحة السورية في جوارها بالهجمات على طريقة الأغوار (كما حصل في الديماس مرتين) .
لهذا أدخل الأميركيون عبر عملاء للسعوديين وللأتراك كميات هائلة من السلاح وأعدادا كبيرة من المسلحين الذين تلقوا تدريبات متطورة جدا في لبنان وفي تركيا وفي الأردن وإشترى أثرياء بتمويل قطري سعودي – منذ أشهر – شققا وعمارات لم تسجل عمليات بيعها علنا في مناطق إستراتيجية من دمشق، وقد سكنتها بشكل معلن عائلات مهجرة من حمص وحماة وريف دمشق، ولكن فعليا كانت تلك العائلات غطاء لمجموعات من المسلحين الذي جرى إدخالهم إلى دمشق للمشاركة في الإنتفاضة المسلحة حين تحين اللحظة .
مصدر ديبلوماسي مطلع عامل في دمشق قال لعربي برس :
تلك الخطة كانت معروفة على نطاق واسع بين الثوار وبين قيادات التنسيقيات.
لماذا فشلت الخطة إن كانت محكمة إلى هذا الحد وممولة بشكل جيد، وجرى تحضير كل مستلزمات نجاحها ؟
علما بأن من ضمن خطوات ضمان النجاح ما كان مفترضا أن يحصل من عمليات إنشقاق واسعة جدا في صفوف العسكريين داخل العاصمة وفي محيطها بناء على إتصالات مخابراتية سعودية – أميركية – تركية – قطرية – لبنانية (فرع صهاينة لبنان) مع بعض المصادر العسكرية في سورية وهو ما لم يحصل لأن المنشقين المفترضين كانوا أدوات لدهاة الأجهزة الأمنية السورية.
المعلومات المتقاطعة بين مصادر في دمشق وأخرى في تركيا كشفت لعربي برس التالي:
معاوية مات، ولكن في سورية اليوم من هم أشد دهاء من رمز الدهاء في العالمين العربي والإسلامي، فما حصل لا يمكن كشفه اليوم بالتفاصيل لأن ذلك سيبدو عملا مخابراتيا منحازا لطرف المعارضة السورية وداعميها، ولن يكون عملا صحافيا مجردا من الغايات، لذا سنكتفي في عربي برس في عرض ما نراه مناسبا للحظة الحالية حيث لا تزال المعارك مستمرة مع المسلحين في عدد من المناطق السورية ، ولكن هناك بعض الإشارات التي يمكن الحديث عنها أولها :
لماذا لم يدخل الجيش السوري إلى ريف دمشق الشرقي بقوة إلا بعد سيطرة المسلحين عليه بشكل علني وإعلانه مناطق محررة يسيطر عليها الجيش الحر ؟
ولماذا لم يتمكن الجيش السوري من حسم المعركة قبل اسابيع في مدينة الزبداني وجوارها بعد إعلان المسلحين سيطرتهم عليها وإعلانهم أن الزبداني وجوارها منطقة محررة وعازلة وتخضع للجيش الحر ، وكيف حسم الجيش السوري المعركة في الزبداني نفسها خلال ساعات ليل أول من أمس ولم يحسمها في ايام خلال المعركة الماضية ؟
وإذا كانت الولايات المتحدة والمستعمرات العربية التابعة لها وحلفائها الأوروبيين يمكرون للنظام ويخترقون صفوفه ، فهل إخترق النظام صفوف مخترقيه وضيّع جهودهم وجعل من أحلامهم هباء ؟
الأهم هو المعلومات التي توفرت للأجهزة السورية عن الخطة المعدة لدمشق أصابت بعض ضباط الأمن بـ”الحكاك الأمني” ومع ذلك لم يحصلوا على الإذن من القيادة العليا لضرب أوكار المعارضين المسلحين في العاصمة وجوارها.
الأمر تغيّر حين بدء معركة كسر العظم في مجلس الأمن، فكسر الجيش السوري عظام عملاء المعارضة المسلحة السريين والعلنيين في العاصمة وجوارها وفي حماة ومنها إنطلق إلى حمص، في حين تولت روسيا مهمة القضاء على الشق الدولي من المعركة في مجلس الأمن.
هل إنتهت المعركة وحسم الرئيس بشار الأسد المعركة لمصلحته بالدعم الشعبي الكبير الذي لا يزال يتمتع به وبالجيش والأمن السوريين ؟
الرئيس الأسد قال يوما في لقاء تلفزيوني ما مفاده :
” حين نكون في خضم المعركة مع الغربيين نشعر بالراحة لأننا نعرف ما الذي يخططون له فنواجههم ، ولكن حين لا يعلنون العداء ضدنا نشعر بالحاجة إلى الحذر لأننا لا نعرف حينها ما هي خططهم القادمة للعدوان علينا ”
المعركة مستمرة مع سورية وحولها منذ إستقلالها، والسؤال لا يجب أن يكون عن موعد نهاية المعركة مع الغرب، لأنها ستكون طويلة جدا وقاسية جدا ، السؤال يجب أن يكون كيف يمكن خوض المعركة العسكرية والأمنية والديبلوماسية الشرسة مع الخارج وفي الوقت عينه تحقيق إصلاحات جذرية وقاسية حتى على النظام تنزع من يد الخارج حججا ظاهرها حق ولكن باطنها هو وقود تفتيت سورية بالتحريض الإعلامي والسياسي والمذهبي . المعركة الأقسى هي كيف نعيد اللحمة إلى الشعب السوري وكيف نقضي على التفسخ والآفات الإجرامية التي ضربت بعض أوساطه فأصبح الأطفال يحتفلون بقتل المخالفين لذويهم في شعائر جنونية .

http://arabi-press.com/?page=article&id=21665

From Sana:
The delegation accompanying Minister Lavrov consists of Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Mikhail Fradkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Vladimir Zimakov, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department of Russia’s Foreign Ministry Sergey Vershinin, and Russia’s Ambassador to Damascus Azamat Kulmukhametov.

Hopefully all readers will accept the list is correct. Look at list and ask yourself why all these people, beside Lavrov, came in Syria. Certainly not to give weak statements that have been released at the end of meeting.

Lebanese security officials seize suspicious cargo from US, Brazil

Lebanon’s security officials say suspicious cargo from the US and Brazil containing huge amounts of US dollars, guns, special passports and credit cards have been seized upon arrival in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The items, packed in a number of chests and delivered via airmail, were discovered at Beirut’s airport, the Lebanese security officials said.

The chests also contained a list of both well-known and ordinary Lebanese citizens including a figure related to Salafi extremist groups. The security officials have summoned a number of the individuals, whose names were on the list, arresting some of them.

Beirut has redoubled security surveillance across the country following remarks by some Lebanese factions as well as widespread rumors about the presence of al-Qaeda in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese defense minister earlier confirmed that members of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have entered Syria through Lebanon.

Over the past few months, reports have circulated that caches of weapons have been smuggled to armed gangs in Syria through the Lebanese border.

[Link added by Moderator: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/225422.html ]

Germany arrests two alleged spies for Syria – 2012-02-07

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-02/07/c_131396670.htm

BERLIN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) — German police arrested two men suspected of spying for years on Syrian exiles and opposition groups living in the country, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

The two were detained earlier Tuesday in Berlin, while another six alleged confederate were under investigation, the Karlsruhe-based Federal Prosecutors’ Office said.

One suspect is a 34-year-old Syrian and the other is a 47-year-old German-Lebanese double national. Both of them have been observed for a period by German domestic intelligence and will be brought to court on Wednesday, prosecutors said.

Earlier in the day, some 70 police raided on apartments of the suspects for further evidence.

Assad says to cooperate with any effort that supports Syria’s stability – 2012-2-8

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.asp?id=49174

DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed Tuesday his country’s determination to cooperate with ” any effort that supports Syria’s stability,” state-run SANA news agency reported.

Assad’s remarks were made during a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who arrived at Syria earlier in the day to deliver a message from the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Assad.

Assad stressed his country’s determination to achieve a national dialogue with the participation of representatives from the government, opponents and independent figures, said SANA.

According to the report, Assad had briefed Lavrov on the course of events in Syria and the terrorism practiced on the Syrian people and the governmental institution by “terrorists who are supported by external parties.”

Assad stressed that his country had welcomed all efforts aiming at supporting a solution to the crisis and fully cooperated with the Arab League (AL) observers despite the obstacles caused by some Arab countries, according to SANA.

Lavrov said that the meeting was “important,” during which he voiced his country’s readiness to help Syria to get out of the current unrest in accordance with the AL initiative, according to SANA.

He said that Syria needs peace and that a national reconciliation should be achieved away from foreign interference.

“President al-Assad affirmed his commitment as per the Arab plan to the task of putting an end to violence regardless of its source. To this end, Syria affirms its interest in continuing work with the Arab League observer mission and increasing observers’ number to cover all points and verify any breaches or violations to the principle of not allowing violence regardless of source,” he said.

Russia and China on Saturday vetoed an Arab-European draft resolution that backs an Arab League plan to promote a regime change in Syria. Russia said the draft contains imposition of conditions on the dialogue and called for measures to influence not only the government but also armed groups.

Dutch foreign ministry recalls ambassador from Syria – 2012-2-8

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.asp?id=49171

THE HAGUE, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) — The Dutch Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador from Syria on Tuesday, following similar steps by several nations to ramp up pressure against Damascus.

The Netherlands follows France, Italy and Spain which announced they were bringing back their envoys after Britain, Belgium and the United States took similar moves.

“I have decided to bring the Dutch ambassador back from Damascus for consultations,” Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal told parliament. “He’ll probably travel back to the Netherlands today.”

The Dutch embassy will stay open to keep in touch with the Syrian opposition and with Dutch citizens remaining in Syria.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have also decided to withdraw their ambassadors in Syria, and in the meantime demand Syrian ambassadors in the Gulf countries to leave, according to a GCC statement issued Tuesday.

Russian envoy slams reports of his meeting on Syria as “blatant lies” – 2012-2-8

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.asp?id=49172

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) — Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin on Tuesday slammed some news reports for being “dishonest”, “dirty” and “provocative” about his meeting with Qatari foreign minister here on Syria, calling them “blatant lies” that aimed to “drive a wedge into the relationship between Russia and the Arab world.”

Fmr. Russian Joint Chiefs of Staff: Russia Is Ready to Use Military Power to Defend Iran and Syria

[WARNING: Do NOT make personal attacks on Syria Comment commentators ]

Russia says Syria committed to seeking an end to violence – 2012-2-8

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=493889&type=World

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad is ready to accept an expanded Arab League mission in his violence-torn country and schedule a constitutional referendum, Russian news agencies quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying yesterday.

After talks in Damascus, Lavrov also said Assad had assured him he was “completely committed” to seeking an end to violence by all sides, 11 months into a revolt against his rule, and was ready to seek dialogue with all political groups.

“The president of Syria assured us he was completely committed to the task of stopping violence regardless of where it may come from,” Interfax quoted Lavrov as saying after what he called “very useful meetings with the leadership” of Syria.

Opposition activists have dismissed similar pledges made by Assad in the past because he continued trying to eliminate unrest with tanks and troops and branded his adversaries terrorists and armed gangs.

On Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution in the United Nations Security Council that supported an Arab League call for Assad to step down.

Russia said the draft would have put too little pressure on armed opponents of the government, which Moscow says must share responsibility for nearly a year of bloodshed that has killed thousands of people.

On the referendum, Lavrov said: “President Assad informed (me) that he will meet in the coming days with the commission that prepared a draft of the new constitution,” state-run Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported. “The work is finished, and now a date will be announced for a referendum on this important document for Syria.”

Lavrov said: “Syria is informing the Arab League it is interested in the league’s mission continuing its work and being increased in terms of quantity,” Interfax reported.

“Russia is convinced of the need to preserve and expand (the mission), which is a serious stabilizing factor in Syria,” he said.

There are now only about 110 monitors in the sprawling country of 23 million people, following the departure last month of Gulf Arabs from the mission in despair at continued bloodletting despite their presence.

China says it is considering sending envoys to relevant countries over Syria violence
By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, February 7, 3:12 AM

BEIJING — China says it is considering sending envoys to discuss ways to end the violence in Syria.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin reiterated Tuesday that China wants the violence resolved through dialogue and said Beijing was considering sending officials to West Asian and North African countries to push forward a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
China has already defended its veto this past weekend of a U.N. vote on Syria, saying the vote was called before differences in the resolution were bridged.

China and Russia drew the wrath of the United States, Europe and much of the Arab world for the veto. The U.S. and others say the veto blocked a U.N. attempt to end the bloodshed and raises fears the violence will escalate.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Link added by Moderator: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/china-says-it-is-considering-sending-envoys-to-relevant-countries-over-syria-violence/2012/02/07/gIQATZOjvQ_story.html ]

Russia May Sell Syria Advanced Weapons as NATO Prepares to Attack
October 7, 2011
On Thursday, the Associated Press reported that Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution on Syria because they feared NATO would use the move as an excuse to bomb the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow said it opposes any resolution against Syria because of the way the United States, Britain, and France interpreted the resolution against Libya and used it as an excuse to invade the country and depose its leader Gaddafi under the cover of protecting civilians.

NATO exploited language in the resolution that authorized U.N. members to take “all necessary measures … to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack” while excluding any “foreign occupation force” in Libyan territory.

[Link Added by Moderator: http://www.infowars.com/russia-may-sell-syria-advanced-weapons-as-nato-prepares-to-attack/ ]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46291395/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
JERUSALEM — Israeli defense officials say they are increasingly concerned that Lebanese militants could get their hands on weapons from violence-wracked Syria.

The officials say their main worry is that with the chaos in Syria mounting, Hezbollah guerrillas could acquire Syrian military S-125 anti-aircraft missiles, which could hinder operations by the Israeli air force.

The officials say they are also worried Hezbollah may acquire Syrian chemical weapons and an array of Syrian missiles able to strike deep into Israel.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss confidential security discussions.

Israel fought a monthlong war with Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, in the summer of 2006.

🙂 Funny yet true comment:
عون: عن اغلاق السفارات في سوريا: كانت تعمل ضده بالداخل والآن ارتاح’ الرئيس السوري منها’
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While SNC’s Ahmad Ramadan busy in his nonstop smear campaign against Haytham Mannad and the NCB, Haytham is actually busy doing some real diplomatic and political work in China:

هيئة التنسيق الوطنية في الصين

بعد أن استعرض صورة عن أهم المخطوطات التي نقلت للعربية من الصينية والكتب التي ترجمت إلى الصينية من العربية وتحدث في فلسفة الطب الصيني القائمة على النظرة الشاملة والمناعة الذاتية ومعالجة السبب وليس العرض عند وقوع المرض، انتقل الدكتور هيثم مناع رئيس وفد هيئة التنسيق الوطنية لقوى التغيير الديمقراطي إلى بكين إلى تذكير محدثيه في وزارة الخارجية الصينية بأن الأمم المتحدة التي ظلمت طويلا الصين الشعبية بتسميتها جزيرة فورموزا (الصين الوطنية) عضوا دائما في مجلس الأمن، لم تغير بموقفها غير التاريخي لا في مسيرة الثورة الصينية ولا من مكانة جمهورية الصين الشعبية في العالم. من هنا، لم يأت أول وفد للمعارضة السورية يزور الصين منذ انقلاب حافظ الأسد في 1970 ليناقش الفيتو الصيني والروسي، فهيئة التنسيق الوطنية لم تعول ولن تعول يوما على التدويل، لا تحت سقف مجلس الأمن أو الجمعية العامة ولا في ظل أي تجمع قائم (كالناتو) أو قادم (تحالف على طريقة احتلال العراق). “هيئة التنسيق الوطنية تدرك أن التغيير بالإمكانيات الذاتية وحده كفيل بشرف السيادة للدولة الديمقراطية المدنية الجديدة التي يطمح لها الشعب السوري بكل مكوناته، سورية المواطنة الكاملة والحقوق الثابتة لكل أبنائها أشخاصا ومكونات قومية، مواطن حر وشعب سيد قادر على بناء دولته المدنية الحديثة واسترجاع الأرض المحتلة، سورية جديدة صديقة لكل الدول الحرة وحركات التحرر في العالم” كما عبر رئيس الوفد هيثم مناع في مداخلته.
درجة الحرارة خمسة تحت الصفر ولكن الأجواء جد إيجابية ويؤكد نائب وزير الخارجية لشؤون المنطقة العربية شيه هانغشنغ على ضرورة الفصل تماما بين الفيتو الصيني وموقف الصين من السياسة الأمنية العسكرية للسلطات السورية. فالصين تدعم مطالب الشعب السوري العادلة وتحترم التوافق الوطني الأوسع على سيناريو المرحلة الإنتقالية وتؤيد خطة العمل العربية لكنها لا تعتبر مجلس الأمن المكان الأنسب لإنجاحها، خاصة عندما “تضطرنا بعض الدول على التصويت قبل حوار جدي وكاف حول قرار مقترح، خاصة ونحن نرى ما أعطى تغيير الأوضاع قسريا في ليبيا”.
يتكون وفد هيئة التنسيق الوطنية بالإضافة إلى مناع من ثلاثة قياديين من الداخل (المحامي رجاء الناصر أمين سر الهيئة والأستاذ بسام الملك والسيدة ميس كريدية عضوا المكتب التنفيذي للهيئة، ومن المحتمل أن يلتقي أهم مسؤولي وزارة الخارجية والحزب الشيوعي الصيني ومسؤولي جمعية الشؤون الخارجية للشعب الصيني ومعهد الدراسات الدولية والأكاديمية الصينية للعلوم الاجتماعية ومعهد العلاقات الدولية المعاصرة.
كانت اجتماعات اليوم الأول الثلاثاء 7/2/2012 مكثفة واستمرت أثناء الغداء والعشاء، وقد أسهمت كثيرا في تقارب وجهات النظر بين المعارضة الوطنية الديمقراطية الممثلة بهيئة التنسيق الوطنية وكبار المسؤولين والأكاديميين الصينيين. وإن كان من الصعب تقدير النتائج السريعة لهذا اللقاء، فإن أول وفد للمعارضة السورية يزور العاصمة الصينية قد حمل معه صورة أمينة عن ثورة وبطولات شعب، وعن ضرورة بلورة برنامج سياسي يشق طريق الثوار إلى مرحلة انتقالية تبعد البلاد عن مخاطر دوامة العنف وأهوال الصراعات المسلحة الأهلية والتدخل العسكري الخارجي. وتمنى أن تكون الصين في صف الثورة والتغيير الديمقراطي وأن تعبر بحزم عن موقفها من كل الجرائم التي يدفع المواطن السوري ثمنها منذ 18/3/2012 تاريخ سقوط أول شهداء الثورة السلمية ضد الاستبداد والفساد. ومن المتوقع أن تنتهي زيارة الوفد للصين الخميس 9 شباط/فبراير.

http://syrianncb.org/2012/02/07/%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%A6%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%86/

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29126
SYRIA: CIA-MI6 Intel Ops and Sabotage
for anyone in two minds about what is really going on in Syria, and whether President Assad, hailed a decade ago as “A Modern Day Attaturk”, has become the latest megalomaniacal despot, to whose people a US-led posse of nations, must deliver “freedom”, with weapons of mass, home, people, nation and livelihood destruction, here is a salutary tale from modern history.

Have the more recent sabre rattlings against Syria* been based on US-UK government papers, only discovered in 2003 – and since air brushed (or erroneously omitted) from even BBC timelines, on that country?(i)

In late 2003, the year of the Iraq invasion, Matthew Jones, a Reader in International History, at London’s Royal Holloway College, discovered “frighteningly frank” documents:1957 plans between then UK Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, and then President, Dwight Eisenhower, endorsing: “a CIA-MI6 plan to stage fake border incidents as an excuse for an invasion (of Syria) by Syria’s pro-western neighbours.” (ii)

At the heart of the plan was the assassination of the perceived power behind then President Shukri al-Quwatli. Those targeted were: Abd al-Hamid Sarraj, Head of Military Intelligence; Afif al-Bizri, Chief of Syrian General Staff: and Khalid Bakdash, who headed the Syrian Communist Party.

The document was drawn up in Washington in the September of 1957:

“In order to facilitate the action of liberative (sic) forces, reduce the capabilities of the regime to organize and direct its military actions … to bring about the desired results in the shortest possible time, a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals.

“Their removal should be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention, and in the light of circumstances existing at the time.”

In the light of President Assad’s current allegations of foreign forces and interventions, cross border incursions (as Colonel Qadafi’s before him, so sneered at by Western governments and media – and, of course, ultimately proved so resoundingly correct.) there are some fascinating, salutary phrases:

“Once a political decision has been reached to proceed with internal disturbances in Syria, CIA is prepared, and SIS (MI6) will attempt to mount minor sabotage and coup de main (sic) incidents within Syria, working through contacts with individuals.

“Incidents should not be concentrated in Damascus … care should be taken to avoid causing key leaders of the Syrian regime to take additional personal protection measures.”

Further : a “necessary degree of fear .. frontier incidents and (staged) border clashes”, would “provide a pretext for intervention”, by Iraq and Jordan – then still under British mandate.

Syria was to be: “made to appear as sponsor of plots, sabotage and violence directed against neighbouring governments … the CIA and SIS [Her Majesty’s Secret International Serivce, MI6] should use … capabilities in both psychological and action fields to augment tension.”

Incursions in to Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, would involve: “sabotage, national conspiracies, and various strong arms activities”, were, advised the document, to be blamed on Damascus.

In late December 2011 an opposition “Syria National Council” was announced, to “liberate the country”, representatives met with Hilary Clinton. There now seems to be a US – endorsed “Syrian Revolutionary Council.”

The Eisenhower-Macmillan plan was for funding of the: “Free Syria Committee” and “arming of political factions with paramilitary or other actionist capabilities”, within Syria.

CIA-MI6, planned fomenting internal uprisings and replacing the Ba’ath-Communist-leaning government, with a Western, user-friendly one. Expecting this to be met by public hostility, they planned to: “probably need to rely first on repressive measures and arbitrary exercise of power.”

The document was signed off in both London and Washington. It was, wrote Macmillan in his diary: “a most formidable report.” A Report which was: “withheld even from British Chiefs of Staff …”

Washington and Whitehall had become concerned at Syria’s increasingly pro-Soviet, rather than pro-Western sympathies – and the Ba’ath (Pan Arab) and Communist party alliance, also largely allied within the Syrian army.

However, even political concerns, were trumped by Syria then controlling a main pipeline from the Western bonanza of Iraq’s oil fields, in those pre-Saddam Hussein days.

Briefly put: in 1957, Syria allied with Moscow (which included an agreement for military and economic aid) also recognized China – and then as now, the then Soviet Union warned the West against intervening in Syria.

Syria, is unchanged as an independent minded country, and the loyalties remain. It broadly remains the cradle of the Pan Arab ideal of Ba’athism, standing alone, since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

In 1957, this independent mindedness caused Loy Henderson, a Senior State Department official, to say that:“the present regime in Syria had to go …”

Ultimately, the plan was not used, since, British mandate or not, neighbouring countries refused to play. However, the project, overtly, bears striking similarity to the reality of events over the last decade, in Syria – and the region.

In a near 1957 re-run, Britain’s Foreign Minister, William Hague has said President Assad “will feel emboldened” by the UN Russia-China vote in Syria’s favour.

Hilary (“We came, we saw, he died”) Clinton, has called for: “friends of a democratic Syria”, to unite and rally against the Assad government:

“We need to work together to send them a clear message: you cannot hold back the future at the point of a gun”, said the women filmed purportedly watching the extrajudicial, illegal assassination of may be, or may be not, Osma Bin Laden and others – but certainly people were murdered – by US illegal invaders – at the point of lots of guns.

Supremely ironically, she was speaking in Munich (5th February) historically: “The birth place of the Nazi party.”

The Russia-China veto at the UN on actions against Syria, has been condemned by the US, varyingly, as: “Disgusting”, ‘shameful”, “deplorable”, “a travesty.”

Eye opening, is the list of US vetoes to be found at (iii). Jaw dropping double standards can only be wondered at (again.).

Perhaps the bottom line is: in 1957, Iraq’s oil was at the top of the agenda, of which Syria held an important key. Today, it is Iran’s – and as Michel Chossudovsky notes so succinctly: “The road to Tehran is through Damascus.”(iv)

Syrian President to Send Delegation to Russia

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120207/171202926.html

23:17 07/02/2012

MOSCOW, February 7 (RIA Novosti) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday confirmed his readiness to send an official government delegation to Moscow to hold talks with the Syrian opposition, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

Lavrov on Tuesday held talks with Assad in Damascus to seek resolution of the Syrian crisis. He also said after the talks that Assad will declare a date in the near future for a referendum on a new constitution for his country.

Lavrov’s visit, together with Foreign Intelligence Service chief Mikhail Fradkov, comes three days after Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria, backed by the Arab League and Western nations, to prevent the repetition of “the Libyan scenario.”

Russia is one of Assad’s firm supporters during the uprising against his regime.

Ahead of the visit, Lavrov said the UN Security Council was too “hasty” in bringing the resolution to a vote and described Western condemnation of Moscow’s veto as “hysterical.”

The talks between Assad and Lavrov came as Syrian authorities continued to bombard the city of Homs, a center of resistance to his regime. The Syrian government denied targeting civilians and say security forces killed “dozens of terrorists” in Homs on Monday.

Russia is one of Syria’s main arms suppliers. In December, Russia signed a $550 million contract to sell Syria 36 Yak-130 combat trainer jets, and a Russian-owned ship reportedly carrying ammunition docked at a Syrian port last month.

78. ZOO
Don’t warry. These are prostitutions dance!

[WARNING: Syria Comment Rules and Regulations note several types of commentary that will not be tolerated:

–Provocations designed to derail discussions away from substantive debate into dead-end arguments ]

Jad

When I say us i talk about us on this forum here on SC. You should know that nationality doesnt matter much too me, on occasions i have told you guys here that nationalism is for me a dangerous good, it has to be handled with the utmost care.

I do know and respect that there is a big number of Syrians who believe in Bashar Al Assad and who trust him. But i disagree stringly Jad and you should know it better. I have syrian friends who told me that they have always 2 opinions, one for the outside and one for the family and the trusted friends. Now you claim that the outspoken truth in public is the only one which counts. If every syrian could express his or her opinion without being persecuted than i would agree to your statement. But you know that that is not the case. I do have friends and people whom i know like Bassam Al Kadi who hold up to now a different opinion. And i will fight till death that you and others can have their opinion. But tell me if someone like Bassam is not invited in state tv shows, or very rarely and even is imprisoned what kind of message is that sending to the world? If you neglect that there is no fear from ordinary syrians towards their government, then sorry either you are among the priveledge holders of this regime or you have lost the touch with the normal syrians. I have a friend who just moved to Germany. He was having problems with one man who assaulted him of being an arab. I took him to the police station to file charges against this man. My friend was very upset to go to the police, he told me afterwards that he would have never gone by himself to the police, he was simply afraid of them. He told me that in Syria you would never go to the police if you dont have to do it, its just too dangerous, you never know what they do with you he told me.

Sorry i come to an different assumption about what Todenhöfer thinks of Assad.

He said in one interview:
“i belive that he is the most powerful man in the country. And he has become even stronger through the crisis.” The word crisis for this revolution, is quite an euphemism to me. Then he went on to state that it is proven that Assad was not behind the Hariri murder. I sent him an email asking him what does that mean? Does it mean that he has a proof that Assad was not involved or was it may be Shawkat and Mahers dirty work? Of course there is no answer until now.

He went on in the same interview to conclude:

“In Syria, there will be a democracy in the Arab world. Violence against the peaceful demonstrators are unacceptable. But when I asked Assad, why not – at least for a certain time – could there be a ceasefire with the armed rebels, he asked me if I could call him a western country that authorizes it, that every day 20 and 30 of his soldiers would be killed.

He asked me: If Ms. Merkel would accept that? I had no answer. I told him that he must still have a dialogue, even with the extreme forces. Only through dialogue can there be a ceasefire. He had to be at the forefront of the democracy movement in order to achieve peace and democracy.”

So all of that tell me that he still believes in Assad as the one who is the only one who could bring democracy and peace.

here is the full interview in german:

http://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article13829324/Auslaendische-Kraefte-unterstuetzen-den-Aufstand.html

#79 Jad

After Ryad al Assad’s dismissal of the SNC and the defections in the rank of the Turkish-US-Qatar balloon, it seems that the SNC is on the way to the often celebrated “dustbin of history” more prematurely than Shalabi.

Alamr Balaroof in SA analysis of Soccer Tragedy:
في موقف صادم لمشاعر العالم العربي كله، وفي محاولة لإلباس الحق بالباطل، خرجت هيئة “الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر” ببدعة جديدة
لتفتي فيما ليس من اختصاصها مؤكدة أن الأحداث الدامية التي وقعت في بورسعيد وراح ضحيتها 75 قتيلاً إنما هي عقوبة من الله أصابتهم بسبب ارتدائهم زي غير شرعي، في إشارة إلى الشورت الذي لا يستر الفخذ!!

وأشارت هيئة الأمر بالمعروف بالمملكة العربية السعودية على صفحتها بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”، إلى أن ما حدث في بورسعيد هو عقوبة من الله لللاعبين لأن لباسهم كان غير ساتر للعورة.

وتأتي هذه الفتوى في حين أن كل الفرق العالمية يرتدون نفس الملابس منذ مائة سنة..! كما أن من حلت بهم الكوارث شباب المشجعين الذين يرتدون البنطال الساتر..! أو ربما هذا عقابهم لأنهم لا يغضون البصر ويشاهدون اللاعبين بالشورت الفاتن!

قالت الهيئة في صفحتها: “لو أن لاعبي الأفارقة في بورسعيد كان لباسهم محتشم (كأن يستبدلوا الشورت الفاتن بالبنطال الساتر) لما حلت بهم العقوبة والكوارث”.

وأضافت الهيئة: “رحم الله من يستحق الرحمة من ضحايا بورسعيد.
المصدر : وكالات

[Link added by Moderator: http://arabic.rt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150325&p=541627&viewfull=1#post541627 ]

“…………..At the heart of the plan was the assassination of the perceived power behind then President Shukri al-Quwatli. Those targeted were: Abd al-Hamid Sarraj, Head of Military Intelligence; Afif al-Bizri, Chief of Syrian General Staff: and Khalid Bakdash, who headed the Syrian Communist Party.

The document was drawn up in Washington in the September of 1957:….”

Siighhhhhhhhhh, dammmmmmmm, why they did not do it? Syria, the Middle East would have been spared so much bloodshed. No generation of destructive Socialist Baathists, no Saddam, No Lebanon civil wars, No 1967, 1973 wars, no Iran-Iraq wars, no Palestinian conflict lingering now, the Middle East would have been at par with Germany. And it does not take a genius to know why it did not happen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y06NSBBRtY

“Syrian President to Send Delegation to Russia.”

Is he and his

[Edited for hateful sectarian language ]

An early list of the candidates to Egyptian presidential elections mid march, what is your bet?

– Amr Mussa
– Abdel Moneim Abul Fotuh, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
– Ahmad Shafiq, the last prime minister to serve under Mubarak
– Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, a Salafist leader
– Hamdeen Sabahi, the Nasserite head
– Salim al-Awwa, an Islamist independent figure

Mohamed ElBaradei will not be a candidate

http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=28391

Next meeting of the Arab FM according the KSA mouth piece:
Nabil Al Araby gets the blame for the failure of the UNSC resolution(?) and the GCC wants to go back to the UNSC, and/or expels Syrian ambassadors and/or recognize the SNC and/o increase sanctions.

What can the Gulf do for the Syrians?
07/02/2012
By Tariq Alhomayed
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=2&id=28395
….
Regarding this, a Gulf minister said: “Everyone is unsatisfied with Nabil el-Araby!” There is also resentment at the way in which el-Araby addressed the issue of going to the Security Council, which was considered hasty and without “being equipped with the groundwork for success”, according to the Gulf official.

Thus, according to high level sources, the Gulf’s options are to return to the Security Council again, especially after having considered the details of the Russian visit to Damascus today. According to a Gulf official, the Russian veto was merely an attempt to buy time for this visit. Another option is to expel al-Assad’s ambassadors from the Gulf States, taking two things into account: “Should we then recognize the Syrian National Council? Who will look after the interests of the Syrians in the Gulf?” The third option is to intensify sanctions, taking into account how to address the problem of Lebanon and Jordan, and the issue of Egyptian gas being exported to Syria.
{..}

US not considering arming Syrian opposition

(AP) – 8 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says the U.S. is not considering arming opposition groups in Syria amid calls from some lawmakers to consider such an option.

Spokesman Jay Carney says that at this point, U.S. efforts are focused on exploring the possibility of providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian people. And he says the U.S. continues to look for ways to ratchet up the pressure on the Syrian government.

Carney says pressure on President Bashar Assad’s regime is having an impact. But he says that pressure must ultimately result in Assad stopping the violence in Syria and leaving power.

Earlier Tuesday, some lawmakers, including Arizona’s Republican Sen. John McCain, called for the U.S. to considering arming the opposition in Syria.

[Link added by Moderator: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-us-not-considering-arming-syrian-opposition-but-is-exploring-humanitarian-aid/2012/02/07/gIQAsoO1wQ_story.html ]

Ales

I would say that Lavrov surely had an important message to Assad. What they have issued as the outcome of the talks is the usual diplomatic blabla.The russian delegation most likely evaluated the surrounding of the President. I argue that Russia may wants to see who could replace Assad in the event he no longer is tolerable. And that would then pave the way for the russians not too loose Syria if someone from the 2nd row would become president. Because they know now that the opposition when they come to power will remember well who was on their side and who wasnt.

Irritated

Thank you for sharing the picture. You are lucky i dont post my picture i have in mind when i read some of your posts.

I have news regarding the spies:

– the foreign office was informed by the federal police prior to the arrest of the two alledged spies

-70 agents arrested Akram O. a 34 year old Syrian and the 47 year old german lebanese Mahmoud el A.

-5 other apartments were raided which belonged to two syrian nationalities and 2 german-syrian nationalities as well as one lebanese

-both will see the judge tomorrow, both are suspected to have worked since years for the syrian muhabarat

-the german Verfassungsschutz-kind of the federal intelligence service has observed them for a longer period, according to them they both intensified their actions with the outbrake of the revolution in Syria

-for both men the government holded warrants since the end of january- so its quite interresting why the government acted now

-Foreign minister Westerwelle is reported on having a clear stand towards Syria, he has before the arrest called the syrian amabassador in for an offical note calling for an end of violence against civilians in Homs

-experts say that such a verbal note is the utmost an foreign ministry could come up with

-the ambassador was called in after the arrest, and again Westerwelle himself explained to him why this arrest is so severe in the eyes of Germany

– Westerwelle stressed that Germany would not tolerate any persecution of syrian opposition members in Germany

-there are reports that Akram O. worked for the syrian embassy and has worked in the consulate, he was responsible for the visas for journalists, he was officially not accredited with the embassy

– journalists have said that Akram O. was known for being very curious how journalists operate in Syria and especially how they gather information in Syria. He also asked journalists if they know other Journalists working in Syria without an journalist visa.

-experts say that the syrian regime is gathering information about the opposition especially in foreign countries, because most opposition members are living outside of Syria

Juergen

“Irritated

Thank you for sharing the picture.”

Sorry, which picture? I never posted any picture.

Egypt’s islamists:”Taking Revenge on Comedy and St Valentine’s Day
06/02/2012
By Dr. Amal Al-Hazzani
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=2&id=28383
…
Egyptian society is currently preoccupied with debates regarding the legitimacy of marking St. Valentine’s Day, and wearing red for the occasion. It is preoccupied with determining whether wearing a veil should be a religious obligation or an option, and whether or not women should shake hands with men. Maybe we will hear about record shops being set on fire in the near future. Some might even come out and label ancient Egyptian antiquities as idols, and suggest that they be destroyed, just like the Taliban did in Afghanistan.

Does Egypt need these kinds of debates now? Will the Islamists – who have risen to power and control of the country at “no cost”, at the expense of the noble young revolutionaries – fall into the trap of dealing with doctrinal issues and attempting to impose their own beliefs on other people?

Showdown in Syria: All roads lead to Tehran – 07 February, 2012

http://rt.com/news/syria-tehran-us-uk-677/

While Israel believes that the road to Tehran is a straight “pre-emptive” military attack super-highway, the US and UK seem to believe that the road to Tehran runs through Damascus.

­This might explain the growing turmoil in Syria that’s being used to try to promote a Libya-like UN Security Council resolution which, if passed, would certainly have Libya-like results…

In recent days, there has been horrific violence in the Syrian city of Homs, as more than 200 people have died in gunfights and bombings. For the Western mainstream media, all the blame lies with Bashar al-Assad’s government, with President Obama spelling out the official line: “Assad must halt his campaign of killing and crimes against his own people now. He must step aside and allow a democratic transition to proceed immediately.” The Western Allies’ strategy of encroachment on Syria and Iran seems to run in parallel and sequentially. Its logic is: if Syria falls, Iran will follow.

As with Iraq and Libya, the US, UK and France tried to impose a UN Security Council resolution laying all the blame on the government, and calling for its immediate resignation. Only this time they’ve been vetoed by Russia and China, who are standing up to the west’s global bullying tactics.

No small matter indeed! For it hinges on how the western allies on one side, and the Russians and Chinese on the other understand the root causes of violence and turmoil in Syria and, by extension, throughout the region. On Syria, the official US/UK/French/Israeli line is that the “Arab Spring” has finally reached Syria. In their usual Hollywoodesque boxing match-like “Good Guys versus Bad Guys” worldview, they seem to tell global public opinion, “in this corner we have heroic freedom-fighters trying to bring “democracy” (US brand, of course!) to Syria; in that corner, we have the mean, fundamentalist antidemocratic Assad regime repressing the people”. It might sound like a great script for some teary-eyed Stephen Spielberg thriller, but the real world isn’t like that…

[ . . . ]

UK ex ambassador to syria, Basil Eastwood (1996-2000), was on BBC radio this morning. I caught the end of it and found it a good listen. Just listened to it in full online.

Listen from just after 1 hr 29 min 30 sec.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bn80w

Sorry Irritated
it was Alan who posted the pic

very nice song by Marcel Khalife

http://www.wat.tv/audio/marcel-khalife-tosbihouna-1pskk_2gj8j_.html

http://english.alarabiya.net/views/2012/02/05/192651.html

….In the meantime, the Assad regime is reportedly preparing for a full-scale civil war and building a fortress for the Syrian ruler and his family, in addition to the loyal generals in the northwestern Al Enseriah Mountains, in the event of the situation getting out of control in Damascus.

Syrian engineering corps crews are reportedly working speedily to build what is described as “a fortified encampment, partly inside caves and tunnels, on the wooded slopes, in addition to another Eagle’s Nest on top”.

The perimeter of the fortress is enclosed with anti-tank defences armed with anti-air batteries and it is expected to be one of the three most heavily fortified strongholds in the Middle East.

A press report says that large groups of Alawite families have already moved in to new homes in the encampment and fortified facilities, while supplies are being provided for Alawite families unable to leave their towns and villages.

The “mass relocation”, says the report, will involve around a million Alawites, or about a third of the 3.5 million members of the sect, which numbers just over one-tenth of Syria’s entire population.

From Wiki:

…there is a large northeast-southwest strike-slip fault which separates An-Nusayriyah Mountain from the coastal Lebanon Mountains and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains of Lebanon, in a feature known as the Homs Gap.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An-Nusayriyah_Mountains

🙂 Homs will haunt you forever.

Uzair

i asked you before, but may be you did not see it, do you know a man called Salim Spohr? He is living in Levke as well.

@96 Jeurgen.

Dear Jeurgen

Oh yes I’m sorry. I did see your question and forgot. I haven’t heard of this person. I was intending to google the name.

Levke? I’m in UK.

Anyway. Keep up the good work. You’re a good addition to the forum. I’m assuming you’re new. It’s the same propaganda v counter propaganda on here which can get stale and it’s good for new voices to freshen things up.

EDIT Googled the name. Oh Levke, Cyprus! I was thinking of somewhere in scandinavia lol ..duh! I see it’s a Sheikh Nazim connection. I’m interested. Thanks.

That statement by the FSyA colonel is made in frustration, and weakness.

We hear a lot of claims on civilian casualties and even SyA/security forces losses. But it would be interesting to get a figure on FSyA casualties and POWs.

Comparing this effort to the Iranian revolution, I keep looking for signs of entire SyA units crossing over, with their vehicles, and defecting over to the protesters. This is what happened in Iran. Instead, we see a situation where the SyA remains engaged in security operations.

I know you are in the UK. He is among the followers of Sheikh Nazim, i met him here while he still lived in Germany. He is kind of the one who brings out many books about the sheikh.

Is Sheikh Salim Spohr a convert? Is it a German surname?

I’m an admirer of Sheikh Nazim and always keep an eye out for the Sheikh’s recent comments especially regarding the current Arab and Syrian situation.

After being angered by the assault on Homs I was meaning to dig out the Sheikh’s comment about Alawis/Baathis (the criminal ones) fleeing in terror in the near future and posting it here. It’s been posted before. See next comment.

yes he is a convert, let me see if i find a pic of him.

Here is his site, most books he translates or publishes, he made great translation of Martin Lings book about Muhammad

http://www.spohr-publishers.com/books?category_id=2

here is a picture of him: http://www.islampress.de/sohbets

You will find him on facebook, you can contact him, he has quite a good connection with the Sheikh himself to my knowledge.

https://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=12822&cp=all#comment-285145

Sheikh Nazim warned in a speech from the beginning of August:

“Allah Almighty will put fear in the hearts of Ba’thiyyin (ruling Alawis). When that fear is put in their hearts, none of them can stay in there anymore.

How to say? Even if you look for them to give them (emergency) medical treatment you still won’t be able to find even one of them. They will be gone…They will run so fast that their heels will hit their bottoms. They will not run at day time, but at night time. They won’t wait the day time. Just put some fear in their hearts, no guns nor cannons needed then.”

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sheiknazimforum/message/7098

I just got off the phone with a friend in Syria who works as a teacher. She told me that they talk about what is going on with the children. I asked her how does she approach the subject, she told me they read Alf Leila wa Leila. I was quite amazed, but then it made sense to me, Ali Baba and the 40 thieves….

Just seen this. Sheikh Nazim (M) was asked by a guest (G) about Assad (29/09/2011):

G: Is Assad an oppressor or is he right in his claim?

M: His tribe is forcing him. That his family may rule it. That they may keep the power in their hands.

Dunya… If he does not die today, tomorrow…If he does not die this month, next month. If he does not die this year, he will die next year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZT7Tkfv4UQ
English subtitles.

Sorry moderator for @83. I am just very upset today at what I am getting from Homs and that, the U.S. will not provide military aid to the opposition side, while Russia and Iran keeps on pouring it in even higher quantity and quality. And that tone is reflected in all my comments today.

The first set of the match was for the Revolution, the second set has been for Assad after recent events. So, now they are matched 1-1. Following set is ready to start. It promises to be very long. Assad is in a better physical condition but Revolutionaries are psicologically more powerfull.

Came across this posted on AJE Live Syria blog comment section. Hope it’s true but I doubt it. I’m skeptical:

BREAKING: #FSA destroyed more than 30 tanks of the #ASSad-Regime which attacked #ZABADANI. #Syria #Mar15

3 hours ago 19 Likes

#56 Juergen

If the FSA and the armed gangs are supposed to ‘protect’ the citizens in Homs and Edlib, you must admit they are failing lamentably in view of the civiians death tolls they claim.

Instead of using the civilians as human shields and videotaping when they are wounded and dying and sending this videos to Youtube to alert the international press, they should have the courage to lay down their weapons and surrender. That would be a more effective and heroic way to protect the innocent women and children.
We all know hey have no chance to win, but they are encouraged by some people to fight until death. I have no problem with that, but it is their death, not the death of civilians trapped in the area.
These civilians should not pay for the armed gangs martyrdom desires.

“I just don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. “I think both sides have made up their minds. There is nothing to compromise about — they’re going for broke.” 7/2/2012

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-02-07/homs-syria-assad-uprising/53001028/1

The most pressing problem these days: there is no independent news source about Syria.

All you see are lies and exaggerations from EVERYONE starting with CNN, BBC, al-Duniyah…etc

I watched al-Jazeera today and you could count about one hundred lies about Syria.

I watched al-Assad’s news outlet and it is the same.

I tried to read CNN and forget about it.

But, al-Arabiyah today takes the cake with this article that says 15000 Iranians are now on the ground in Syria:

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/02/07/193194.html

Who could tell the truth?

Mjabali

The truth is the first victim in a conflict as they say, may be your relative or friend in Syria have their truth for you.

The Surreal World of Asma al-Assad
February 7, 2012 – 2:43 am – by Claudia Rosett

In 2009, the Huffington Post featured a spread of her top fashion looks. A year ago, Vogue profiled her as a “Rose in the Desert,” with her Chanel necklace and Louboutin silk handbag. And just last March, she was patroness and keynote speaker at a Damascus conference of the Harvard Arab Alumni Club.

Then Syria erupted in revolt against the dynastic dictatorship of her husband, Bashar al-Assad, and Syria’s First Lady, Asma al-Assad, pretty much vanished from view. More than 5,000 Syrians have died, as the government has descended to the brute depths of shooting and shelling its own people, in its own cities — this brutality abetted by the Quds Force of Iran. For the past 11 months of mass protest and bloody repression, Asma al-Assad has been an elusive figure, rumored to be in London, then perhaps back in Syria, then reported last month as in Damascus but trying — unsuccessfully — to escape.

Now the Times of London is reporting having received an email from Asma, or at least from an intermediary in her office, saying her husband “is the President of Syria, not a faction of Syrians, and the First Lady supports him in that role.” The Times is a subscribers-only site, but the Telegraph reports on the Times’s story, quoting the unverified email as saying that Asma’s “very busy agenda is still focused on supporting the various charities she has been involved with” as well as “supporting the President as needed,” and “bridging gaps and encouraging dialogue” as she “listens to and comforts the families of the victims of the violence.”

What to believe? Did Asma al-Assad actually author that email? Or authorize it? Did someone in her husband’s office decide it was time to put the First Lady on the record, again — for the first time in quite a while — as supporting the dictator?
{…}

[Link added by Moderator: http://pjmedia.com/claudiarosett/the-surreal-world-of-asma-al-assad/ ]

My family in Syria could tell me the truth about one area, probably two areas if they have reliable sources, but, no one knows what goes on in areas that are a little far from them. Their “truth” may also be affected by their stance, but, still you can ask them about the real incidents, for example.

روسـيا انتصـرت فمـاذا عـن سـوريا؟

سامي كليب
حصل وزير الخارجية الروسية سيرغي لافروف على وعود سياسية من الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد تفتح المجال واسعا للتغيير والإصلاح. ما كان ليحصل على ذلك لولا رفع السقف إلى أقصاه في الأمم المتحدة وتسليف الأسد فيتو ثانياً مقرونا بفيتو صيني في أقل من 4 أشهر.
لم يقل لافروف كل شيء أمام الصحافيين بعد لقاء الأسد. قيل الكثير على الأرجح في الداخل. وصل الوزير الروسي إلى دولة تغلي على نار الحسم العسكري وتغلي على وقع المسيرات المرحبة بالزائر الكبير. شاهد بأم العين ما كان يعرفه عن بعد. سوريا منقسمة ولكن شعبية الأسد لا تزال حاضرة بوضوح. لا بد من الدفع إذاً باتجاه تسريع عجلة الإصلاحات لأن الحسم العسكري وحده لا يضمن المستقبل. سوريا القوية مهمة للأسد ولكنها مهمة أيضا لروسيا ولافروف. السلاح وحده ما عاد يصنع القوة، من المهم إذاً إغراء الغاضبين بأن الانفتاح السياسي جدي، وان السعي لحكومة وحدة وطنية أكيد، وان الانتخابات هي التي تقرر من يحكم البلد.
الأسد يتقدم بالحسم العسكري، وروسيا أعطت الضوء الأخضر. تدرك القيادة الروسية أن التفاوض باسم دولة قوية أهم من التفاوض على دولة ضعيفة. لم تكتف بالضوء وإنما قدمت مساعدة عسكرية وأمنية عنوانها طرطوس، وتفاصيلها لا يعلمها إلا رئيس الاستخبارات الروسية الذي رافق لافروف إلى دمشق. ما كانت موسكو لتقدم كل هذا الدعم لو أنها تشك بانهيار النظام. وما كانت لتقدمه لولا أنها تعيش أكثر لحظاتها زهواً بعودتها قوية إلى ساحة الصراع الدولي منذ تفكك الاتحاد السوفياتي.
جاء لافروف يؤكد دعمه للأسد. قال له ذلك على الأرجح في الجلسة المغلقة، ثم قاله على طريقته في الخارج. بدا الرئيس السوري أكثر من مرتاح. كلمات الود والترحيب والشكر اختصرت العنوان الأول. جاءت أنباء حمص تؤكد أن الجيش لا يزال قادرا على الضرب بيد من حديد، ولا يزال موحدا. وصلت تقارير أمنية تعزز موقف موسكو ودمشق القائل بأن السلاح والمسلحين خطيرون.
زائر كبير استقبلته دمشق أمس وحاولت أن تفهمه انه زائر كبير. كيف لا وهو الذي صارع العالم ليحافظ على تحالفه مع سوريا (حتى ولو كانت الأهداف أكبر بكثير من سوريا). باتت عاصمة الأمويين، كما كانت أكثر من مرة في التاريخ، محوراً لتجاذبات دولية ربما لم تبلغ يوماً ما بلغته اليوم. ولان المصالح الدولية تتقدم عادة على المبادئ، فإن الأسد أراد الإفادة إلى أقصى حد من الدعم الروسي وأعطاه ما يعزز موقفه في مجلس الأمن. وموسكو فهمت أن مصلحتها العالمية حاليا تكمن مع النظام السوري الحالي وليس مع نظام يأتي به الغرب فيقضي على آخر موقع روسي مهم في المنطقة.
ولأن الصراع الدولي في أوجه حول الأزمة السورية، لا بد من البحث عن تدعيم المستقبل. قال لافروف ووافقه الأسد بأن الحل السياسي هو حامي القوة العسكرية وليس العكس. حصل الوزير الروسي على وعود مهمة من الرئيس السوري بشأن الإصلاحات والدستور ومستقبل حزب البعث، وثمة تواريخ محددة ستظهر تباعا. قال الرجل أيضا إن الدول الغربية لن تسكت على الهزيمة وانه لا بد من الانتباه كثيرا. فصّل رئيس الاستخبارات الروسية ميخائيل فرادكوف ما ينبغي الانتباه له.
مجرد مجيء لافروف إلى دمشق حدث بحد ذاته. منذ بداية الأزمة السورية قبل 11 شهرا تجنّب الروس تكثيف اللقاءات الرسمية مع القيادة السورية منعا للإحراج. كانوا يريدون لعب دور الوسيط مع الحفاظ على تحالفهم الاستراتيجي مع الأسد. فتحوا الأبواب أكثر من مرة علانية أو في السر للمعارضة. تقاربوا كثيرا مع بعض أعضاء «هيئة التنسيق». حاولوا فتح خط جدي مع «المجلس الوطني». تبين لاحقا أن الضغوط الغربية والخليجية أقوى من كل محاولاتهم. كان المطلوب من هذه الأطراف إسقاط النظام. كانت كلمة السر عند قطر وأنقرة، لكن التنسيق السعودي ـ القطري لاحقا دفع الدوحة للعب الدور الأخطر بينما بقيت الرياض تحرك خيوطاً خلف الكواليس.
ما حصل في دمشق أمس ليس أمراً عابراً. الخطوط العريضة للتفاهم الأمني والسياسي بين البلدين صيغت بدقة قبل جلسة الفيتو المزدوج. حصلت اتصالات بعيدة عن الأضواء مع الإيرانيين والأتراك والمعارضة. وصل بعض هذه الاتصالات إلى قطر نفسها عبر طرف ثالث. كان المطلوب إيجاد قواسم مشتركة لإنجاح مهمة المراقبين العرب.
نصح الروس مرارا الأسد بتأخير الحسم العسكري والإبقاء على علاقة جيدة مع الجامعة العربية. قالوا أكثر من مرة لحليفهم السوري: نحن نضمن لك مجلس الأمن وأنت حافظ على مرونة مع الجامعة. قبل الأسد بروتوكول الجامعة برغم رفض سابق لأي تدخل في سوريا ورفض آخر لعقد أية لقاءات مع المعارضة خارج الأراضي السورية.
النقطة المفصلية كانت في آخر جلسة للجامعة العربية. تم الحصول على تسجيلات صوتية تؤكد أن رئيس الوزراء القطري الشيخ حمد بن جاسم آل ثاني قال بالحرف الواحد لنظرائه العرب: «مهما فعلتم سوف أنقل الملف السوري إلى مجلس الأمن». تبين للجانبين السوري والروسي أن الهدف الخليجي والدولي هو تحميل النظام السوري كل المسؤولية الجنائية والجرمية عما حصل واستصدار قرار إدانة من أعلى سلطة دولية مع ما يعنيه ذلك من فتح الأبواب أمام محاكمات دولية، وفرش السجاد الأحمر أمام تدخل عسكري حتى ولو لم يحصل.
كانت المعلومات الاستخباراتية الروسية والسورية تؤكد أن السلاح انتشر على نحو خطير. تبين أن ثمة خططا أمنية ستنفذ في مراحل متلاحقة وفي وقت واحد لإحداث بلبلة كبيرة. تم العثور على أنواع من الأسلحة والمتفجرات معدة لعمليات واسعة. جرى الحديث عن لائحة للاغتيالات تطال شخصيات مهمة. ظهر من تبادل المعلومات بين دمشق وموسكو وطهران أن ما يحصل على الأرض ليس مجرد تمرد مسلح جزئي. بعض هذا الملف حمله رئيس الاستخبارات الروسية.
يؤكد المقربون من الأسد ان «الفيتو» الروسي الأول لم يحصل بتفاهم مسبق مع دمشق. فوجئت القيادة السورية وبسعادة كبيرة بالفيتو المزدوج الروسي ـ الصيني آنذاك، أما هذه المرة فكان الاحتمال معروفا مسبقا. قال الروس بوضوح للسوريين قبل الجلسة الأخيرة لمجلس الأمن: إما أن يتم التوصل إلى قرار خال من أي إشارة إلى تنحية الأسد والى حل عسكري ويؤكد وجود سلاح ومسلحين، وإلا فإن الفيتو جاهز.
منذ عدة أشهر، أدرك الأسد أن القرار الروسي بدعمه ليس أمرا عابرا بل هو جزء من استراتيجية روسية واسعة تحفظ مصالح روسيا بقدر ما تدعم سوريا. هذا ما يفسر ثقته الكبيرة بالنفس أمام كل الذين زاروه في الأشهر القليلة الماضية. كان الرئيس السوري يدرك أن هزيمة الولايات المتحدة في العراق والانهيارات الاقتصادية العالمية والخوف من القدرات العسكرية في المنطقة من إيران إلى «حزب الله» لن تسمح للغرب بمغامرة عسكرية. ولكن كان يدرك خصوصا أن الموقف الروسي هو استراتيجي وليس تكتيكيا.
رسخت زيارة لافروف أمس هذا التحالف الاستراتيجي بين البلدين. ارتاح الأسد. وارتاح أيضا فلاديمير بوتين، فرئيس الوزراء الروسي يدرك أن تحديه العالم في مجلس الأمن عزز الشعور القومي الروسي قبل أسابيع قليلة على الانتخابات الرئاسية في آذار المقبل.
«الباروميتر السوري» في السياسة الخارجية الروسية نجح. ولكن المشكلة أن ثمة مرشحين آخرين للرئاسة في العالم. الرئيس الأميركي باراك أوباما قد يخسر الانتخابات لو بقي الأسد في السلطة، والرئيس الفرنسي نيكولا ساركوزي كذلك. كيف سيواجه الرئيس الأميركي ناخبيه وهو الذي وعدهم منذ شهر نيسان الماضي بأن النظام السوري سقط؟ لا بد إذاً من تكثيف الضغوط، ليس مقبولا في الوقت الراهن نجاح أي مبادرة تعزز الأسد وتقوي محور إيران ـ سوريا ـ «حزب الله».
الأمر خطير على الاستراتيجية الأميركية. أميركا التي خرجت مهزومة من العراق شاهدت بأم العين قبل أيام تظاهرة لـ«حزب الله» في العراق، وتظاهرة أخرى للحوثيين يمتدحون إيران في قلب اليمن، أي في قلب الخليج، ورئيس الحكومة العراقية نوري المالكي يستعيد زمام الكثير من أمور الحكم والحكومة ويبعث بإشارات مقلقة للأميركيين بشأن تحليق طائراتهم فوق أراضي العراق، بينما مملكة البحرين تموج غضباً برغم القبضة الحديدية السعودية والغطاء الغربي الواسع.
لم يكن مفاجئاً والحالة هذه أن تتحرك آلة سحب السفراء. لم يكن غريباً أن يتزامن استدعاء سفراء أميركا وفرنسا وبريطانيا وبلجيكا وايطاليا وغيرها من دمشق، مع قرار دول الخليج بطرد سفراء سوريا من أراضيها. ولم يكن غريباً أن يسارع ساركوزي ومعه المستشارة الألمانية أنجيلا ميركل لتدشين مجموعة اتصال للضغط على سوريا، وعاد رئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب اردوغان يتحدث عن خطة ضد الحكومة السورية. وبذلت قطر جل جهودها لجمع محمود عباس وخالد مشعل برعاية أميرها في الدوحة.
ما كل هذه التحركات إلا تعبير عن خسارة حقيقية أمام الروس والصينيين في الملف السوري. هي هستيريا وفق وصف لافروف.
في أوضاع كهذه يبقى احتمالان، فإما أن تنجح القيادة الروسية بجذب الغرب إلى صفها لحل الأزمة السورية فتحفظ ماء وجه الجميع، وإما أن تشهد سوريا تطورات أمنية خطيرة قد تدفع إلى مواجهة أوسع لن تستثني هذه المرة إيران.
لا شك بأن لافروف حصل من الأسد هذه المرة على ما يدعم كلا الخيارين، وتستطيع موسكو الآن التفاوض باسم دولة قوية. لا بد من صدمة سياســية كبــيرة تحمي الحسم العسكري؟ الأسد سيقرر شكل ذلك ومضمونه… أما التنحي بالقوة فقد صار من الماضي.

http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?EditionId=2071&ChannelId=49275&ArticleId=834&Author=%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%20%D9%83%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A8

108. MJABALI

Who can tell you the truth? What about asking Homs population?

I know people in Daraa, Zabadani and Rastan. All of them explain the same situation(when I could talk by phone). Surrounded by the Syrian Army, no electricity, no water, no diesel, no phone coverage. They are totally against the subjugation of the regime. Ready to fight until death for their freedom and dignity. Men, women, children, all against the power in Damascus. I think we could consider at least 80 % of the population clearly against the regime.

Omar the Syrian’: journalist-activist killed in Homs
http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/-omar-the-syrian–journalist-activist-killed-in-homs_206799.html

“Omar the Syrian” was the pseudonym of Mazhar Tayyara, a stringer for Agence France-Presse and activist killed in overnight shelling of the city of Homs, where regime forces stand accused of having carried out a “massacre.”

The 24-year engineering student left his home in Inshaat district in the middle of the night and went to the protest stronghold of Khaldiyeh that was bearing the brunt of an onslaught last Friday, activists said.

“He was trying to help some people wounded in the bombardment when a second volley of shells fell and he was hit,” a friend told AFP.

“He was hit in the head, the stomach and in a leg and died of his injuries three hours later in hospital,” early Saturday, the friend, who lives outside Syria, said requesting anonymity.

Tayyara was stringing for several media including the AFP video service, the British daily The Guardian, and the German newspaper Die Welt. He also appeared on the satellite networks Al-Jazeera and CNN.

“Last April, just after the start of anti-regime protests, he told me that something had to be done, that the revolution would not stop at Syria’s borders,” his friend said.

“He then started to take part in protests and then to help foreign journalists who had managed to make their way to Homs,” in central Syria.

“He found his calling and bought a new camera,” he said. “He died doing what he believed was right for his country.”

The very first video footage he provided AFP was of a tank entering the city of Homs back in December.

The Syrian army has surrounded Homs for several months, laying siege to the country’s third largest city and hotbed of anti-regime dissent.

Opposition groups and activists reported a “massacre” overnight Friday in Homs, saying more than 230 civilians were killed during a heavy tank and mortar bombardment by regime forces.

The Syrian government which has launched a lethal repression on democracy protests since mid-March blamed the violence on “armed terrorist groups.”

Tayyara’s friends have set up a Facebook page to pay tribute to the young man.

They have posted pictures of Tayyara smiling to the camera and show a lighter side of the young man and his passion for football and basketball.

Tayyara was a keen fervent supporter of the Homs football team, Al-Karama (Dignity).

“Dignity is what he wanted for the Syrians. He wanted their lives to be less bitter,” said a childhood friend who has now left Syria and who also did not wish to be identified.

Video footage of his funeral has been posted on the Internet that shows a crowd carrying his body inside Omar bin Khattab mosque in Homs. In the background the crowd is chanting: “The people demand the fall of the regime.”

French journalist Gilles Jacquier was killed in bombing of Homs on January 11.

If you ask Homs population you will hear different versions of the same incident. As for me I know of three people who got killed in Homs. I see videos from Homs and have an idea and could tell you this: all made mistakes and there is lots of blood and things are spiraling out of control and no one cares to be rational and stop this.

هل ينام زعماء روسيا والصين بعد حرد وليد جنبلاط منهم ؟ جواد الصايغ-عربي برس-بيروت

على عكس الأسابيع المنصرمة، عاود رئيس جبهة النضال الوطني وليد جنبلاط استخدام الخطاب العالي اللهجة تجاه السلطات السورية، ولم تسلم روسيا والصين من انتقاداته هذه المرة على خلفية استخدامهما للفيتو بوجه مشروع القرار العربي الغربي في مجلس الأمن، جنبلاط وللمرة لأولى اتهم شبيحة من قرى جبل لبنان بالذهاب الى جبل العرب في سورية للقتال الى جانب الجيش السوري.
مصادر مطلعة اكدت لعربي برس ان احجام وليد جنبلاط عن مهاجمة السلطات السورية في الأسبوعين الماضيين لا يتعلق فقط بالكلام الذي سمعه خلال جولته الخارجية التي شملت روسيا وقطر، حيث سمع جنبلاط من لافروف كلاماً لم يسبق ان سمعه في زيارته الى موسكو في تموز من العام 2011، بينما طلب منه امير قطر ما لا يمكن له ان يقوم به ويتعلق الموضوع بمحاولة التأثير على دروز سورية وتحيدهم عن طبيعة الصراع القائم.
المصادر اشارت الى ان مرجعية دينية درزية بارزة لها تأثير يشمل ابناء الموحدين الدروز في سورية والأردن وفلسطين المحتلة بعثت برسالة الى جنبلاط طالبة منه عدم مهاجمة السلطات السورية انطلاقاً من امرين اولهما: النأي بالنفس وعدم التدخل في شؤون سورية الداخلية، وثانيهما توافر معطيات كاملة لدى المرجعية تؤكد بما لا يقبل الشك ان دروز سورية يدركون ان ما تتعرض له بلادهم مؤامرة ابطالها دول لها مصلحة في اضعاف سورية ودورها المحوري في المنطقة، والأهم بحسب المصدر يكمن في ان ابناء الطائفة الدرزية يعتبرون ان ما يحصل اليوم عبارة عن معركة وجود فإما ان تنتصر سورية وتعود الى ما كانت عليه سابقاً، أو تدخل في اتون مجهول لا احد يعرف خواتيمه.
المصادر تلفت الى ان الدروز شأنهم شأن باقي شرائح المجتمع السوري يؤيدون البرنامج الإصلاحي في سورية الذي بدأه الرئيس بشار الأسد، مضيفةً “كان لافتاً خلال الزيارة التي قام بها رئيس حزب التوحيد العربي وئام وهاب على المرجعيات الروحية في الطائفة الدرزية الكلام الذي صدرعنهم واكدوا خلاله انهم يؤيدون الرئيس بشار الأسد ويدعون له لأنه يحافظ على رجال الدين من مختلف الطوائف في سورية، غامزين من قناة من حاول بعد اتفاق الطائف نزع الهالة التي يتمتع بها رجال الدين الدروز تارة بتوقيفهم على الحواجز، وطوراً بالتأليب عليهم”.

http://arabi-press.com/?page=article&id=21617

Syrian emails say American psyche is ‘easily manipulated’
Anonymous cyber group hacked messages believed to be giving advice to Bashar al-Assad ahead of an interview on ABC News

Harriet Sherwood
The Guardian
Tuesday 7 February 2012 15.01 EST

Bashar al-Assad was advised that the “American psyche can be easily manipulated” when he was preparing for a television interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters in December, according to leaked emails reported to have come from within the Syrian regime.

In an insight into the contempt shown for international public opinion by those advising the Syrian leader, one of his media aides suggested “the American audience doesn’t really care about reforms. They won’t understand it and they are not interested to do so”.

Sheherazad Jaafari, a Syrian press attache based in New York, listed points for Assad to consider in preparing for the high-profile interview and urged him to quash “the idea” of violence being perpetrated by the regime against the Syrian people. The US media “think that bloodshed is done by the government to attack the ‘innocent civilians’ and ‘peaceful demonstrators’,” she wrote. References by the president in the interview to “armed groups” … “is extremely important”, she added.

During the interview with Walters, Assad repeatedly denied the regime was killing its own citizens. “We don’t kill our people … no government in the world kills its people unless it’s led by a crazy person,” he said.

The emails were hacked by the cyber group Anonymous and leaked to the Israeli news organisation Haaretz. More than 70 inboxes of aides were accessed. Jaafari, a press attache at the Syrian mission to the UN, sent the memo to aides in Damascus.

According to Haaretz, she wrote: “The idea of violence has been one of the major subjects brought up in every [US media] article. They use the phrases ‘the Syrian government is killing its own people’, ‘tanks have been used in many cities’, ‘airplanes have been used to suppress the peaceful demonstrations’ and ‘security forces are criminals and bloody’.”

It went on: “Bloodshed is another subject brought up in the American media. There is no mention of how many ‘soldiers and security forces have been killed’.”

Jaafari advised mentioning “the huge economical and political transformation” in Syria in the past 11 years, and said Assad should acknowledge mistakes made at the beginning of the uprising. “American psyche can be easily manipulated when they hear that there are ‘mistakes’ done and now we are ‘fixing it’.”

Comparison should be made with the way US police dealt with protests against Wall Street. In the US, she wrote, “there are courses and schools that specialises in teaching police men and officers how to torture criminals and ‘outlaws’…. We can use Abu Ghraib in Iraq as an example.”

[Link added by Moderator: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/07/syria-email-hacked-america-manipulated ]

Want some depressing and alarming insights into what drives Putin and his team? Listen to Richard Roxburgh, a former Kremlin adviser and BBC journalist.

A review of his recent book on Putin: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/13/strongman-putin-angus-roxburgh-review

And listen to an excellent talk Roxburgh gave at the LSE last month: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/videoAndAudio/channels/publicLecturesAndEvents/player.aspx?id=1295

Poor Syria.

“American psyche is ‘easily manipulated’”
How rude!!
The American public is so very ‘sophisticated’ and care so much about anything happening outside the ‘hood’.
I still don’t see the big deal of an ‘adviser’ ‘advising’ a ‘politician’ on his ‘interview’. Every politician in the world should have an ‘Adviser’ so what’s the ‘NEWS’ in that!! I wonder if the next article will talk about Bashar’s ‘farting’ habits!

Russia UN envoy denies threat to Qatar over Syria
07 Feb 2012 20:12
By Patrick Worsnip
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/russia-un-envoy-denies-threat-to-qatar-over-syria

* Report said Churkin threatened Qatar with annihilation

* Churkin sees bid to drive wedge between Russia, Arabs

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Russia’s U.N. Ambassador on Tuesday denounced as lies a report that he had threatened Qatar with annihilation during an argument with the Gulf state’s prime minister over a draft Security Council resolution on Syria that was vetoed by Moscow.

“There is a lie, there is a blatant lie. One has to come up with some different, stronger description,” envoy Vitaly Churkin said of the report circulating on the Internet. “It’s just dishonest and dirty and provocative.”
…..

35 killed by the regime in Syria on Tuesday. The report did not say how many women and children.
….

Since March 15, total of 400 children killed in Syria and another 400children arrested, torture, or sexually molested.

#122 Tara

During the siege of Bani Walid, the fighters inside the town allowed the civilians to leave and look for safety.

To effectively protect the civilians as they claim they want to, I believe the FSA should let the civilians leave the areas that they are occupying in Homs and Edlib.
They should not allow the civilians to be used a human shields and their death and sufferings exploited for political gains.

Fawtas for sale
يا أمة ضحكت من جهلها الامم
أفتى 107 من كبار علماء المسلمين في بيان لهم بضرورة دعم الجيش السوري الحر وعدم جواز الاستمرار في وظائف الأمن داخل الجيش السوري النظامي في ظل تصاعد القمع ضد المتظاهرين السوريين، وبوجوب الانشقاق عنه والوقوف ضده ولو أدى ذلك إلى التضحية بالنفس.

وطالب العلماء في بيانهم أيضا المواطنين السوريين بالانضمام إلى صفوف الجيش السوري الحر ودعمه دفاعا عن المدنيين.
ودعا البيان المسلمين والعالم الحر إلى دعم تشكيلات هذا الجيش بكل الوسائل المادية والمعنوية.
دعم الثوار
من جهة أخرى أكد العلماء المسلمون على وجوب دعم الثوار في سوريا بكل ما يحتاجونه، ليتمكنوا من إنجاز ثورتهم والمضي في سبيل نيل حريتهم وحقوقهم.
وطالبوا الدول العربية والإسلامية باتخاذ مواقف جادة إزاء نظام الرئيس بشار الأسد من قبيل طرد سفرائه وقطع كل أشكال التعامل معه ومع الدول المساندة له، خاصة روسيا والصين.
كما حث البيان ثوار سوريا والمجلس الوطني السوري وأي تشكيلات أخرى إلى توحيد صفوفهم وتجاوز خلافاتهم الجانبية خدمة للثورة وأهدافها.
يذكر أن من بين الموقعين على البيان المذكور رئيس الاتحاد العالمي لعلماء المسلمين الدكتور يوسف القرضاوي، ومفتي مصر الشيخ علي جمعة، وكلا من العلماء راشد الغنوشي وصادق الغرياني وعبد المجيد الزنداني وعائض القرني وسلمان بن فهد العودة ومحمد حسان وأحمد هليل وعلي الصلابي وعشرات من كبار علماء المسلمين.

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Bronco

You are portraying it as of there are 2 warring parties. The truth of the matter is, it is mostly a unilateral revengeful military assault on civilian neighborhoods in Homs. The FSA are army ranks and files who were sickened by killing their own people so they defected and stayed within the neighborhood to protect it from the killing machine of Bashar al Assad.

Bronco
How could terrorists have sympathy if they don’t use civilians as human shields, if you take away the civilians hostages they surround themselves with they will be exposed as the terrorist militia they are, so letting civilians to leave is not an option.

#117. Tara

Sheherazad Jaafari – what a wonderful helper and supporter to the people of Syria she is. Smugly living in the US on their money, harvesting lowgrade tricks and ideas from spin doctors to help Assad with his lies.

Note the name and what happens when she tries to defect to stay safe in the US.

# 113. SANDRO LOEWE

And every day the citizens of fresh towns and suburbs wake up to face the situation you describe. Every day more Syrians desperately hating what he has brought upon their lives and wanting him gone to get relief from their current hell.

# SC Moderator

You’re a hero! Thanks for making our dream come true.

Syrialover

Is Sheherazad Jaafari the daughter of Bashar Jaafari?

I have seen an adult daughter with him in several functions in Nj. I don’t remember her name.

The lack of independent news reporting is mostly due to the regime’s decision to limit access to troubled areas,the excuse given is protecting reporters and the claim that many media outlets are biased. This policy helped the opposition a lot more that the regime,whose stupidity and inflexibility never ceased to amaze me. Take the numbers of those who died in Homs in recent days for example,according to opposition sources,15-20% of the casualties were women and children. We all know that around 65% of Syria’s population are women and children. What would you get when there is random bombing of houses? You typically get a sample of the population divided by gender and age.
It is obvious that the regime killed scores of women and children,but it is also clear that many of those were killed in the cross fire between regime forces and anti regime militias.
I heard about using civilians as human shields but I do not have enough info to take a position on that subject.any dead innocent Syrian who gets killed is one too many,but this high toll of fatalities is screaming at our face that this is insane and must be stopped.
The Russian delegation said nothing about the regime’s assault on Homs and may also stay silent when Idleb comes under fire,their message to Assad was: you have the right to get rid of armed groups but you do not have the option to control political life in Syria anymore. We do not know if Russia has asked Assad to leave but I hope that he does it anyway for the sake of the country.

#126 Tara

“stayed within the neighborhood to protect it from the killing machine of Bashar al Assad.”

In view of the death toll the activist claim, it does not seem they are very successful in protecting them at all. In the contrary they are exposing them for even more danger.
In any case they were supposed to protect them while they demonstrate not while they are terrified and living in shelters and basement and are probably eager to find a safe place to stay.
The FSA must call for a truce in the fights and allow the civilians to leave in a safer location.

Please could avoid repeating after the Qatari the term ‘killing machine’, it reduces that whole tragedy into a sci-fi TV movie.

Swaida is revolting against Bashar al Assad. The Syrian Druze are declaring it loud and clear. The Druze are also with the Syrian revolution. Bashar’s propaganda machine always wanted to portray the revolution as Sunnis against minorities.. It appears not. It is the people against Assads.

I have a problem taking this piece of news at its face value,but if it was true,it will creative a PR nightmare for Turkey:
http://www.alquds.co.uk/index.asp?fname=latest%5Cdata%5C2012-02-07-17-42-01.htm
(here is the link mr moderator 🙂 )

134. Tara

Please put a reference about the druzes( how many) turning against Bashar.

HE’S TALKING ABOUT YOU, SPAMMIE ANNIE. AND YOU TOO, BAD jAD

[The moderator is addressing all Syria Comment commentators. The account ‘Dale Andersen’ has twice tried to evade restrictions put on his account. This account is now permanently banned from Syria Comment.]

Tara,
I would be the first to celebrate a popular revolution that represents all Syrians,but the news from Swaida is not true. I yet have to see any evidence that this uprising managed to unite Syrians,all Syrians. One reason why it did not was the use of violence which made,even those who hate the regime,wonder whether they can give their necks to armed militias.

Ghufran

Report: Talks Ongoing to Free 49 Turkish Officers Held in Syria
by Naharnet Newsdesk 9 hours ago
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/29252-report-talks-ongoing-to-free-49-turkish-officers-held-in-syria

Syria and Turkey are negotiating the conditions for the release of 49 detained Turkish intelligence officers, a radio station close to the government in Damascus said on Tuesday.

Sham FM said the officers had been detained while operating undercover, although there has been no word from Ankara on any such arrests.

The radio said Syria had laid down three conditions for any release: an exchange of the Turkish officers for rebel Free Syrian Army members in Turkish territory, for Turkey to halt infiltrations by the FSA, and for Turkey to stop training its members.

The radio said Damascus wanted its ally Tehran to be the witness of any accord with Ankara.

Turkey, which once had close ties with its neighbor Syria, has called for President Bashar al-Assad to step down and condemned his crackdown on dissent that opposition activists say has cost at least 6,000 lives since March.

Leadership of the FSA, made up mostly of Syrian army deserters, has been based in Turkey across the border from northwestern Syria.

A view inside an Israeli think tank brain
http://www.alquds.co.uk/index.asp?fname=today%5C07qpt961.htm&arc=data%5C2012%5C02%5C02-07%5C07qpt961.htm

137. Ghufran

The recourse to aggressive vs defensive violence has annihilated the half-hearted acceptance of the SNC by many hesitant Syrians.

The SNC is is now trying the mend the issue, but I guess it is too late. They actually fell into a trap.

Row in Egypt parliament over call for prayer

Member of parliament walks out in protest against refusing his request to call for prayer
* By Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent
* Published: 18:28 February 7, 2012
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/egypt/row-in-egypt-parliament-over-call-for-prayer-1.977368

Cairo: An Islamist lawmaker plunged Egyptian parliament on Tuesday into a row when he insisted on making a call for prayer during a heated debate over the violent clashes between security forces and anti-military protesters in central Cairo.

MP Mamdouh Esmail from the radical Salafist Al Asala, ignored a warning from Speaker of the legislature Saad Al Katatni and recited the call for the afternoon prayer (Asr) inside the chamber.

“You are not more pious than us,” Al Katatni reproached Esmail. “You hamper the process of the debate. If you want, you can go to the mosque outside the hall to announce the call for prayer.”
{…}

Wadi Khaled: The Free Syrian Army Base in Lebanon (II)
By: Radwan Mortada
Published Wednesday, February 8, 2012
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/wadi-khaled-free-syrian-army-base-lebanon-ii
The second part of Al-Akhbar’s exclusive series on the Free Syrian Army in Lebanon delves into the organization’s shaky command structures, casualty smuggling, and political convictions.
Part II: One Mission, Many Loyalties

Members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) active in northeastern Lebanon belong to a number of distinct groups.
Each controls its own cross-border access routes. They do deals with local smugglers to help them bring wounded people into Lebanon, and to buy weapons and take them into Syria.

They also enjoy the support of powerful political forces in the areas where they operate, as well as popular backing bolstered by ties of kinship and sectarian solidarity.

Al-Akhbar met with the officers and men of three of these groups.

Though united in their commitment to supporting the “Syrian revolution” by any means, they rival each other for control and influence, and contact between these group’s commanders is minimal. They find fault in each others’ performance, and trade charges of exploiting the “revolution” for personal gain.
{..}

Nasrallah Calls for Unconditional Dialogue in Syria
Published Tuesday, February 7, 2012
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/nasrallah-calls-unconditional-dialogue-syria

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reiterated his party’s solidarity with the Assad regime on Tuesday, accusing Western-backed powers and Arab autocracies of using the protests to try to force President Bashar Assad out of power to undermine resistance forces in the region.

In a wide-ranging televised speech to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Mohammed, Nasrallah also explicitly stated that his party receives financial support from Iran, without which, he said, the resistance in Lebanon would not have persisted and triumphed.
(..)

Bronco

There was a full report on Alarabya.

Here is the FB page of al Swaida revolution against Bashar al Assad.  You can view the demonstrations in Shahba today.

http://en-gb.facebook.com/alswaida.revolution

Tara

Sorry I distrust Alarabya and FB pages even more than SANA. Any other reference?
Also I don’t look at any video posted, it’s enough that I see “Ugarit” amateur videos on CNN and BBC and presented as the irrefutable proof of the event.

Tara

Maybe you meant this? How much of the Syrians Druze they represent?

Anti Syrian regime Druze: Assad’s fall coming soon
February 8, 2012 ⋅ 4:00 am ⋅ Post a comment
Filed Under Assad, Druze, Lebanon, Syria
http://www.yalibnan.com/2012/02/08/anti-syrian-regime-druze-assads-fall-coming-soon/
The anti Syrian -regime Druze in Jabal al Arab who call themselves ” Free people of Jabal al Arab” told Syrian president Bashar al Assad in a statement on Tuesday that his fall is coming sooner than later and that he will see in Souweida and the rest of Jabal al Arab something he has never seen before .

“The hour of the fall of the tyrant is closer than some traitors have ever imagined ”

The statement added, “We the Free people of Jabal al Arab” are no longer afraid and declare our solidarity with our people in Homs, and want to denounce the complicity of some of the people of Jabal al Arab including some religious leaders with the cruel regime of Bashar al-Assad.. .these people think they are political leaders, but the are nothing but mercenaries.”

11 Iranian pilgrims freed in Syria: Tehran
February 07, 2012 10:33 AM
Agence France Presse

TEHRAN: Eleven Iranian pilgrims recently abducted in restive Syria have been freed, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday without speaking of the fate of more than a dozen other captive Iranians there.

“With the aid of friendly countries… 11 pilgrims have been released,” foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in his regular weekly briefing, without giving further details.

The 11 were among 22 Iranian Shiite pilgrims who were kidnapped in Syria since late December.

Separately, another seven Iranians, described as engineers, were abducted near the central flashpoint city of Homs, also in December.

The rebel Free Syrian Army last month claimed it was holding five Iranian military officers in Homs. It was not clear whether the five referred to were among the seven abducted engineers or were a separate group.

Mehmanparast gave no indication as to the conditions of these other captive Iranians.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-07/162445-11-iranian-pilgrims-freed-in-syria-tehran.ashx#ixzz1lkv54q9p
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

Bronco

Sorry but if the ex-eternal leader of Syria allows free press, we would have had multiple references otherwise. Did you forget that Syria don’t allow free press unless minded by the Mukhabarat.

Additionally, I love it that you try to shelter yourself from seeing videos posted by the revolution, yet at times you comment on some videos posted by the propaganda machines What do we call that? Selective viewing? I do that too.

I was very skillful growing up sheltering myself from watching the evil, the scary, and the ugly. I tried to avoid any and all encounters, until..

Bronco @ 147

Yes, that what the Al Arabya was reporting in addition to the demonstration in Shahba, Swidaa.

149. Tara

Sorry, Tara I don’t or very seldom comment on any amateur videos, pro or con. I think they are not reliable anymore as they have been abused.
In any case, there are foreign journalists in Syria as from time to time one pops up on BBC or CNN. I wish the media would divulgate the list of their journalists in Syria instead of repeating the mantra that journalists are not allowed. When Jacquier was killed there was a crowd of journalist with him, belges, british etc.., what happened to them? They got frightened and left or are they still there.. silence… until they pop up on a foreign TV with a scoop report from ‘inside Syria’.

Pretty solid report from CBS in Syria. Of course it’s not from Syria Truth, so I can’t guarantee that it’s a fake.

http://youtu.be/y-4xbZuNCOY

Bronco

Politics aside, don’t you think you are setting yourself up to a biased perception of events if you did not actually watched all the atrocities that have been committed. Please don’t tell me you have not watched the elderly woman in Banias gunned down, her denture fell off and rolled over. I wish there is some hypnotic therapy that can erase this image from my memory..

Talking about sheltering oneself from the evil, ugly, and the scary. I am not looking forward to this Valentine’s day. I hope that Mnhebaks have a trace of decency and spare us from public display of affection. It was laughable in North Kora but it feels painful in Syria. While I enjoy watching public display of affection between 2 people, public display of cult emotions is repulsive.

Conclusion of author-Guardian:
If the opposition can’t shoot its way to power and the regime doesn’t implode, the only way out of deepening civil war is a negotiated political settlement leading to genuine elections. To stand any chance of success, that would now need to be guaranteed by the main powers in the region and beyond. The alternative of western and Gulf-dictator intervention could only lead to far greater bloodshed – and deny Syrians control of their own country.
This is the link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/07/syria-intervention-escalate-killing

# 131. Tara

Yes, the reports are saying Sheherazad Jaafari is Syrian UN rep Bashar Jaafari’s daughter.

How wonderfully Baathist to put his daughter on the public payroll in a plush job in NY.

Let’s wonder why she couldn’t manage to get a job elsewhere.

This link could be her – or someone with the unfortunate coincidence to have the same name.

http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/profile/SJafari

If it IS her, wow. To do that “lies briefing” against the Syrian people plus this other guise would make her a world class hustler and hypocrite, and there will be a lot of people embarrassed and angry to have been associated with her.

كوميديا سوداء في مجلس الشعب المصري

Bronco@133

“The FSA must call for a truce in the fights and allow the civilians to leave in a safer location.”

Bronco, can we use the same logic and fault HA and Hassan Nasrallah during Lebanon warJuly 2006 for using civilians as human shield. Should’ve not Nasrallah called for a truce and allowed civilians to leave the south suburb of Beirut to a safer location so they do not get bombarded by the Israelis?

Kindly defend your opinion.

So what happened to the claim that those 11 Iranians were members of Iran’s RG?
بهدلتونا الله يهديكم

Mr. Ghufran:

I was just watching the video you linked to about the man calling for prayer in the Egyptian People’s Assembly. This delegate belongs to al-Nur Salafi Party that was funded by the money of Qatar.

Speaking of the money of Qatar: it either goes to grooming Salafis all over the place or to but things like this Yacht of the wife of the ruler of Qatar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ1hFQVosIM

I forgot, they may spend that money on buying some weapons and mercenaries too.

The menhebak obsession with and jealousy of the Gulf monarchies and sheikhdoms is hilarious. They are called king, sheikh and emir, and have organized their political societies as absolute or near absolute monarchies. They own the land and resources, are entitled to hereditary rule and their people are subjects.

The Syrian revolution isn’t calling for that system of government.

Now bring it back to reality. How much money does the Assad family have? They take pride in coming from poverty, and I don’t think any of them work in the private sector. Syria is a poor country, so lets say that Hafez collected a salary of $100,000 a year for each of his thirty years in office, which is a huge amount of money compared to Clinton who made $225,000 a year in the 1990s.

I want to say that Hafez saves that salary, but we all know that Bassel crashed a Benz that probably cost around $100,000 at the time ($400,000 for normal Syrians who have to pay taxes), so there’s a year’s salary. (He also has a famous picture with his Ferari). Lets say Bashar got a raise to $200,000 a year. Maher, as a general, should probably be making around $1,500 a month, although I am sure that many of his peers have lower salaries.

You get the idea. How much money does the Assad family have? $20 million? $500 million? Who knows? We do know that they didn’t work for it, and they always remind us that they aren’t kings.

But Hamad is profligate. And fat. So Syrians shouldn’t be free.

Robert Fisk: From Washington this looks like Syria’s ‘Benghazi moment’. But not from here
Look east and what does Bashar see? Iran standing with him and Iraq refusing to impose sanctions

President Bashar al-Assad is not about to go. Not yet. Not, maybe, for quite a long time. Newspapers in the Middle East are filled with stories about whether or not this is Assad’s “Benghazi moment” – these reports are almost invariably written from Washington or London or Paris – but few in the region understand how we Westerners can get it so wrong. The old saw has to be repeated and repeated: Egypt was not Tunisia; Bahrain was not Egypt; Yemen was not Bahrain; Libya was not Yemen. And Syria is very definitely not Libya.

It’s not difficult to see how the opposite plays in the West. The barrage of horrifying Facebook images from Homs, and statements from the “Free Syrian Army”, and the huffing of La Clinton and the amazement that Russia can be so blind to the suffering of Syrians – as if America was anything but blind to the suffering of Palestinians when, say, more than 1,300 were killed in Israel’s onslaught on Gaza – doesn’t gel with reality on the ground. Why should the Russians care about Homs? Did they care about the dead of Chechnya?

Look at it the other way round. Yes, we all know that Syria’s intelligence service has committed human rights abuses. They did that in Lebanon. Yes, we all know this is a regime in Damascus, not an elected government. Yes, we all know about corruption. Yes, we watched the UN’s humiliation at the weekend – although why La Clinton should expect the Russians to click their heels after the “no-fly zone” in Libya turned into “regime change” is a bit of a mystery.

The destruction of the Alawite-led government in Syria – which means in effect, a Shia regime – will be a sword in the soul of Shia Iran. And look at the Middle East now from the windows of the massive presidential palace that overlooks the old city of Damascus. True, the Gulf has turned against Syria. True, Turkey has turned against Syria (while generously offering Bashar exile in the old Ottoman empire).

But look east, and what does Bashar see? Loyal Iran standing with him. Loyal Iraq – Iran’s new best friend in the Arab world – refusing to impose sanctions. And to the west, loyal little Lebanon refusing to impose sanctions. Thus from the border of Afghanistan to the Mediterranean, Assad has a straight line of alliances which should prevent, at least, his economic collapse.

The trouble is that the West has been so deluged with stories and lectures and think-tank nonsense about the ghastly Iran and the unfaithful Iraq and the vicious Syria and the frightened Lebanon that it is almost impossible to snap off these delusional pictures and realise that Assad is not alone. That is not to praise Assad or to support his continuation. But it’s real.

The Turks, after much Clinton-style huffing and puffing, did not follow through on their “cordon sanitaire” in northern Syria. Nor did King Abdullah II follow through on the Syrian opposition’s call for a Jordanian “cordon sanitaire” in the south. Oddly, I repeat yet again, only Israel has remained silent.

As long as Syria can trade with Iraq, it can trade with Iran and, of course, it can trade with Lebanon. The Shia of Iran and the Shia majority in Iraq and the Shia leadership (though not majority) in Syria and the Shia (the largest community, but not a majority) in Lebanon will be on Assad’s side, however reluctantly. That, I’m afraid, is the way the cookie crumbles. Crazed Gaddafi had real enemies with firepower and Nato. Assad’s enemies have Kalashnikovs and no Nato.

Assad has Damascus and Aleppo, and those cities matter. His principal military units have not defected to the opposition.

The “good guys” also contain “bad guys” – a fact we forgot in Libya, even when the “good guys” murdered their defected army commander and tortured prisoners to death. Oh yes, and the Royal Navy was able to put into Benghazi. It cannot put into Tartous because the Russian Navy is still there.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-from-washington-this-looks-like-syrias-benghazi-moment-but-not-from-here-6612093.html

The Turks are back to barking:

أنقــره لا تســتبعد الســيناريو الليبــي أردوغـــان: وصيـــة أخيـــرة للأســـد

أعلن رئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب اردوغان، أمس، أن أنقرة ستطلق «مبادرة جديدة» دولية بشأن سوريا بعد استخدام الصين وروسيا الفيتو ضد قرار في مجلس الأمن.
وقال اردوغان، لنواب حزب العدالة والتنمية في البرلمان، «سنطلق مبادرة جديدة مع الدول التي تقف إلى جانب الشعب وليس الحكومة السورية. نحن نعد ذلك»، من دون أن يوضح طبيعة هذه المبادرة. وأضاف إن حكومته «تستخدم كل السبل الدبلوماسية للفت انتباه الأسرة الدولية» إلى الأزمة السورية.
وانتقد اردوغان الفيتو الروسي ـ الصيني المشترك في مجلس الأمن السبت الماضي. وقال «العملية التي جرت في الأمم المتحدة بشأن سوريا مهزلة للعالم المتحضر». وأضاف «مرة أخرى يأسر مجلس الأمن ضمير المجتمع الدولي. امتلاك سلطة النقض مسؤولية كبيرة. استخدام هذه السلطة يمنح الضوء الأخضر لاستمرار القمع».
ومن المقرر أن يتوجه وزير الخارجية التركي احمد داود اوغلو إلى واشنطن اليوم حيث سيبحث مع نظيرته الأميركية هيلاري كلينتون الملف السوري.
واعتبر اردوغان أنه لا يمكن لأنقرة أن «تبقى مجرد متفرج على أعمال العنف في سوريا» التي تتقاسم معها تركيا حدودا يفوق طولها 900 كلم. وقال للأسد «الطريق الذي تسلكه مسدود. وأوصيك للمرة الأخيرة بالرجوع عن هذا الطريق قبل إراقة المزيد من الدماء وقبل أن تزهق أرواح المزيد من الأبرياء». وأضاف «المسؤولون عن (أحداث) حماه لم يحاسبوا ولكن المسؤولين عن أحداث حمص سيدفعون الثمن عاجلاً أم آجلاً. من يتبعون طريق آبائهم سوف يحصلون على ما يستحقون».
وقال مسؤولون أميركيون إنهم يدرسون الآن إمكانية قيام مجموعة من الدول المتفقة في الرأي لتنسيق الدعم للمعارضة السورية. وقد يصاغ مثل هذا المسعى بشكل تقريبي على غرار مجموعة الاتصال التي أشرفت على الحملة الدولية التي أطاحت بالعقيد الليبي معمر القذافي العام الماضي.
وقال مسؤول رفيع المستوى في وزارة الخارجية التركية لوكالة «رويترز» إن «من الطبيعي» البدء في بحث خطة بشأن سوريا خارج إطار الأمم المتحدة ولكن من السابق لأوانه القول ما إذا كانت الدول ستشكل مجموعة اتصال على غرار ما حدث مع ليبيا. وأضاف «بسبب الفيتو نحن في وضع توجد فيه خيارات أخرى. علينا بحثها بعناية. من السابق لأوانه القول إننا بسبيلنا إلى تشكيل مجموعة اتصال كما حدث مع ليبيا، ولكن بالطبع هنـاك حاجة لمناقشة هذا».
إلى ذلك، قال الوزير التركي للشؤون الأوروبية ايغمين باغيش، بعد لقاء مع رئيس البرلمان الأوروبي مارتن شولز في بروكسل، «آن الأوان لان تعمل الأسرة الدولية معا لإقناع القادة السوريين بإجراء الإصلاحات اللازمة ليتمكن جميع الناس في سوريا من العيش بحرية ورخاء».
(«السفير»، ا ف ب، رويترز)

http://assafir.com/Article.aspx?EditionId=2071&ChannelId=49275&ArticleId=853&Author=

Unfortunately! 🙁

Ta-ta Qatar? A storm in a media teacup

Better keep checking your Google map the next couple of days just to see if Qatar continues to occupy its customary place on the Persian Gulf – because if certain media reports are to be believed, the chances of this happening seem decidedly slim!
However, it seems that doomsday for Doha was merely a scenario brewed up by a couple of Arab media outlets.
First, an Algerian news agency reported a contentious dialogue that supposedly took place between Russia’s Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, and the Qatari prime minister in New York last week.
According to the Algerian news agency ISP, while discussing the upcoming UN vote with Churkin on Saturday, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani told him:“I warn Russia, if Moscow uses the veto and does not support the UN’s resolution, it will lose all the Arab countries.”
“If you talk to me like that, there will be no Qatar today,” Churkin is alleged to have replied in a low voice according to the agency, which did not quote any source for this intriguing conversation.
No one was more surprised by the accusations levelled at him than the Russian envoy himself. The reported conversation could have become a real-life scenario for a pure thriller ‘based on a true story’ with a Hollywood star playing Churkin. But not this time, it seems.
“This is a very bizarre report clearly aimed at trying to create further problems in our relations with Qatar and with the Arab League,” Churkin said in an interview with RT.
“There is disinformation, there is a lie and there is a blatant lie. One has to come up with some different, stronger, description in order to characterize this kind of thing,” he continued.
“Even if I wanted to make some threats to the Qatari prime minister, which I had no intention of doing, that would not have been a good opportunity because you don’t say such things in the presence of other ambassadors, Arab League representatives and 20 other people,” Churkin pointed out.
On the contrary, the conversation was “very polite, as usual” and was related exclusively to the draft resolution, Churkin remarked, adding that he had not met with Sheikh Hamad in private.
So it seems that, contrary to some reports, Qatar will still be around this time next week after all.
So, there was one story made up by one news outlets. This was in turn quoted by a huge number of media resources all over the world. It created a stir with tens of thousands sharing the story online (in particular, RT received a number of demands from our viewers on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to post the video “where Churkin threatens to destroy Qatar”). It shows the story did have an effect. And as one may say: ‘the bigger the lie, the more it will be believed.’
What is really hard to say is how this would-be news story might have developed in some media tomorrow. Media sometimes exaggerate things – it would not be surprising if some news outlets had already got a picture of Churkin riding a tank into Qatar and leading an invasion. Who knows what they might have come up with?

https://rt.com/politics/russia-destroy-qatar-un-751/

About the hijacked email, funny stuff, I guess Ayaman will be very happy!
تلفزيون الدنيا – التضليل الاعلامي
http://youtu.be/GZOC8GG2GSE

اخر العلاج الكي

U.S. military beginning review of Syria options
By Barbara Starr

Although the U.S. focus remains on exerting diplomatic and economic pressure on Syria, the Pentagon and the U.S. Central Command have begun a preliminary internal review of U.S. military capabilities, CNN has learned.

The options are being prepared in the event President Barack Obama were to call for them. Two senior administration officials who spoke about the review to CNN emphasized that U.S. policy for now remains the use of non-military options.

The focus on diplomatic options was underscored by the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.

“Before we start talking about military options, we very much want to ensure that we have exhausted all the political, economic and diplomatic means at our disposal,” Ambassador Susan Rice said on CNN’s “Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

The president has also said that the U.S. is working on non-military options first.

“I think it is very important for us to try to resolve this without recourse to outside military intervention, and I think that’s possible,” Obama said in an interview with NBC News that aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday.

But the military is beginning to look at what can be done. One of the senior U.S. officials called the effort a “scoping exercise” to see what capabilities are available given other U.S. military commitments in the region.

Both officials pointed out that this type of planning exercise is typical for the Pentagon, which would not want to be in the position of not having options for the president, if and when they are asked for.

It would be Gen. James Mattis, head of U.S. Central Command, who would provide details on what U.S. military assets are available, what missions they could perform if asked, and what risks U.S. forces might face.

“The Pentagon is closely monitoring developments in Syria. It wouldn’t be doing its job if it didn’t put some ideas on the table,” one of the senior U.S. officials told CNN. “But absolutely no decisions have been made on military support for Syria.”

The two officials were not willing to be identified because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Typically those types of options are held by the Pentagon as very preliminary plans and not even forwarded to the White House unless asked for. If asked, plans are then fleshed out with specific units to support them.

In this type of analysis being done, the military would typically look at all options ranging from humanitarian relief, to support for opposition groups, as well as outright military strikes, although that is an unlikely option, both officials said.

“This remains a campaign to apply economic and diplomatic pressure,” the first official said.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Armed Services committee, told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. should consider “all options including arming the opposition.”

But U.S. officials said that adding weapons into the volatile and violent situation is not a viable option.

“We never take anything off the table. The president does (or) doesn’t. However, as the president himself made absolutely clear and as the secretary has continued to say, we don’t think more arms into Syria is the answer,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/07/us-military-beginning-review-of-syria-options/

158. GHUFRAN said:

You’re confusing the kidnapped Iranian engineers with the kidnapped Iranian pilgrims.

BTW: there is now an Iran government travel ban on Iranian citizens going to Syria, due to security concerns.

As to the claim of 15,000 IRGC soldiers currently deployed in Syria, I would think the audience here at Syria Comment to be better informed than to accept such an outrageous claim. Right?

Earlier someone on this thread was lamenting the scarcity of credible reporting on the Syria situation. So true.

Liar terrorists to the gave.
If this fire is due to rockets and not to tires,how come the building did not fall?
Stupid Smoky Terrorists

Different kind of detections :from easy life to nation protection.
سوريا رمز المحبه والتسامح

يلعن ابو هيك حريه

بانتظار جرثومة الحريه

Terrorists trying to get Syrians frozen this winter..
What they don’t get is that Syrians even the ones
Disliking the government hate them more a day
By day…they have been exposed and ريحتون فاحت

139. zoo said:

Ghufran

Report: Talks Ongoing to Free 49 Turkish Officers Held in Syria.

Mercenary terrorists should be put to death by a firing squad.

West pushes for “regime change” in Syria, further complicates crisis – 2012-02-08

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2012-02/08/c_131398388.htm

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) — During a UN Security Council meeting on Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution on Syria, which urged President Bashar al-Assad to hand over his power.

After the vote, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a statement saying that France will seek further international support of the Arab initiative on Syria through setting up a liaison group.

However, many international experts believed that forcing al-Assad to step down goes against both the UN Charter and may cause further turmoil in the Arab country stricken by protracted conflicts.

DIALOGUE URGED

George Gabbour, an international political analyst and former parliamentarian in Syria, said in a telephone interview with Xinhua that the vetoes from Russia and China were “a new invitation for all Syrian parties to embark on a dialogue, which is the best solution to the current crisis.”

Those who rejected the dialogue desired nothing but further violence and bloodshed, he added.

Gabbour also pointed out that a regime change imposed from outside was not in the interest of the majority of Syrians, especially when they were supporting a political reform rather than a regime change.

Abdelfattah Elsonoty, a Cairo-based expert on international relations, said even those Syrians who took to the street to call for reform were actually opposing Western powers’ intervention.

Elsonoty also said that a military intervention by the West and some Arab countries could bring great uncertainty to the situation in Syria.

INSTABILITY SPILLOVER

Syria is located in the center of the Arab-Islamic area in Western Asia, surrounded by Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. Due to its unique geographic location, analysts believed that a forced regime change in Syria would have a serious impact on the political situation in Iran, Lebanon and Palestine, and even change the political landscape in the whole Middle East.

Elsonoty said military interference in Syria would cause negative effects for its neighboring countries. A regime change in Syria would threaten regional and domestic stability in Lebanon, while a large amount of Syrian refugees will rush into the neighboring countries, putting more security and economic burdens on them.

HIDDEN AGENDA

Behind the excuse of “for democracy and liberty of the Middle East,” the real motive of the western countries is to change the political landscape of the whole Middle East area for their own benefit.

On one hand, bringing down the Syrian government will increase the West’s chips on the Iranian issue as Syria and Iran enjoy close relations.

On the other hand, the United States, a strong patron of Israel, also hopes to instill a new regime in Syria which distances itself from Iran and becomes less hostile to Israel and the West.

Gabbour said the main reason why the Western powers were pushing for a regime change in Syria was “Syrian didn’t sign the peace accord with Israel and it firmly supported the movement against Israel’s occupation in this area.”

Explaining its veto of the UN Security Council draft resolution, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that any resolution on Syria should be acceptable to all Syrian parties before it was brought to a vote at the UN Security Council.

A very interesting take on Russian thinking I heard on World Service a few hours ago. Alexander Nekrasov, a former adviser to the Kremlin and now a journalist based in London. A regular face on Sky News:

Listen from after 3 min:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ncfx6

Moving Syria to UN General Assembly Preempted by PGA, Churkin Rebuts Rumor, Araud

http://www.innercitypress.com/syria1arqat020712.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 7, updated — As the Gulf Cooperation Council announced Tuesday that its members will recall their ambassadors from Damascus, and tell Syria’s to leave, at the UN the Permanent Representative of a non-GCC Arab League member told Inner City Press it is a bad idea.

Of the Arab League pushing after its next meeting for a no fly zone, he shook his head and asked, “Again?” He said, we should wait and see what Lavrov can accomplish, referring to trip to Syria by Russia’s foreign minister.

On Tuesday morning, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin called a press conference, not on Lavrov’s trip but to address a story in the Arabic press that he had threatened Qatar. He answered Inner City Press that a General Assembly resolution on Syria would be complex, since the Security Council is “seized.”

Inner City Press also asked Churkin about his amendments, which Inner City Press exclusively obtained and published while the Council’s Saturday morning consultations took place, specifically the his proposal that Syrian armed forces pull out of cities “in conjunction with the end of attacks by armed groups against state institutions and quarter of cities and towns.”

French Ambassador Gerard Araud was quoted in Le Monde, and subsequently Diplomatie.gouv.fr, as rendered by Google Translate

“the Russians wanted to change the clause in the plan of the Arab League asking the military to withdraw from the cities, adding the condition: ‘when the [armed groups] recede.” In other words, the army would never have moved.”

Churkin maintained that the amendment has been misrepresented, and that But the point is, Araud has said publicly that Russia was proposing that Assad would only leave after the armed groups, which is not what “in conjunction” means.

Churkin said that no one in consultations questioned the word. So why the public claims?

In other Google Translate news, Churkin’s press conference was to rebut a story he said was in the Arab press and that he wanted to deny. Inevitably, this led Inner City Press to try to find the story, and this appears to be it. The first paragraph:

“New York – broadcast ‘France 2’ a record of the dialogue to the Security Council in which he said Hamad bin Jassim to delegate Russia Council, Vitaly Churkin, ‘I warn you from taking any veto in the Syrian crisis and only the promise of Russia all the Arab countries’, the individual Churkin said: ‘If I went back to talk with me in this tone will be there is nothing called Qatar after today.'”

Clearly the translation is clunky. But the (mis) reported threat is clear. In response, to those trying to “drive a wedge,” Churkin cited a Russian proverb,”don’t spit in a well, you may need it for a drink of water.”

While at least one correspondent took this too as a threat, Inner City Press heard in it a reference to Russia’s stated willingness to use its veto power to “protect minorities.” Click here for what Churkin told Inner City Press on this, two days before Saturday’s dual veto.

After the dual veto of the Syria resolution, the President of the General Assembly, Qatar’s former Permanent Representative to the UN Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser, issued a formal statement saying he

“was very concerned about the inability of the Security Council… to adopt the resolution that had been supported by the Arab League and favored by 13 members of the Council” and urging “the authorities in Syria to end the killings immediately” and “President Bashar al-Assad to listen to the voices and aspirations of his people.”

Even the Moroccan sponsors, Western supported resolution that was vetoed made reference to armed groups in Syria. But the Qatari PGA did not. So Inner City Press wanted to know, for whom was the PGA speaking?

From the UN’s February 6 transcript:

Inner City Press: is he speaking for the General Assembly?

Spokesperson: He is speaking for the General Assembly.

Inner City Press: Did they take a vote?

Spokesperson: What do you mean by take a vote? This is a press statement…

Inner City Press:Do you think that all Member States agree with that? All, including the two that cast vetoes on Saturday?

Spokesperson: ..The President of the General Assembly is speaking on behalf of the Member States, because he is the President of the body that includes all Member States, 193 Member States. Any more questions? Thank you.

So if the President of the GA can issue a statement, clearly consonant with the foreign policy of his country that he used to represent at the UN, and call it on behalf of all 193 Member States, why bother to try a resolution and vote in the GA?

In fact, Russia’s Churkin at this Tuesday press conference, when asked by Inner City Press about the move to try a GA resolution, called it complex, since the Security Council is seized of the matter,and there is “this [UN] Charter thing.”
.

BBC radio 5. An interview with a Turkey expert based in Washington. Role of Turkey in Syria crisis and the regional powerplay. Is the US behind Turkish actions?

Listen from after 27 min 40 sec:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bncfs

Mjabali

I do think in regimes like this one not even the President will get ti know the truth. My father used to tell me this story of our late communist president. My father worked as an civil engeneer in the government housing project. Every 4 years they made up a plan on how many houses they would finish. As always the situation on the ground was different, always you had to search for materials to finish the building. One time no cement was available, the other time no windows. So always they did not fulfill the plan. But everyone was afraid to admit that to the higher levels. In each working branch there was an political officer of the party. Usually those guys send the reports to the next level. So lets say one officer in the beginning saw that the plan was only 60% fulfilled, so he then would report 65% fulfillment. In the next level the officer was afraid to loose his position, his priveledges if he would give this low figures to his supervisor, so he added 5% again. By the time the report was on the table of the president the plan was over 110%, an 10% increase and a 40% lie. Now our president had one aristocartic hobby, he used to go to hunt in the forests nearby Berlin. On his way there near the motorway were housing projects. My fathers superiors were so afraid that the president would find out by not seeing the housing they proclaimed existed that they asked the east german filmstudios to reproduce housing dummies so he would not find it out.

See Fear is the most powerful weapon those regimes have and its also that fear which will at the end bring them to fall, because no one is left without this fear, not even the President. After the downfall we saw that the german muhabarat spied on him and his wife. So even he lived in fear.

I07 Irritated

see the funny thing is that opposition and government supporters alike want democracy now, and the president wants to be the biggest reformer, but unfortunatly those soup spitters ( i heard there is a word Syrians use ) wont let him finish the job.
I dont think you can proclaim democracy by a government or presidential order. Nor can you expect that an written constituition is accepted by the majority of people by a democratic referendum. Democracy needs not only grassroot teaching what it actually means but also it needs one simple thing: freedom.

In the state of Syria you have a lot of fear and almost no freedom. How do you expect people who have rosen up, who have lost loved ones and friends, who have been subject of torture to lay down their arms, or to stop protesting. You are smart enough to know what would await them, the regime made that crystal clear from day 1 of the Assads rule. I saw this Ajami researcher, as he has said, the people are fed up with the Assads( may not all but the number are growing), they see that Bashars son is called Hafez, so they are afraid that they never get rid of the Assads.

Sorry Irritated, i believe Assad had all the chances to make history for good, he and the regime choosed to write an other Hama chapter to Syrian history, but this time they will not survive it.

After doubts grow, a regime backer flees Syria

By BEN HUBBARD, Associated Press – 11 minutes ago

CAIRO (AP) — Younes al-Yousef rarely goes outside in Cairo, fearful that even here someone will recognize him and word will get back to Damascus. He stays in a simple, rented apartment with his wife and children, smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee and watching TV for the latest from the homeland he fled, Syria.

Al-Yousef is waiting for the fall of a regime that he once believed in. He served as a cog in its machine, as a cameraman for a pro-government television station that showed Syrians “the reality” of the uprising.

“I was a supporter and I benefited from the regime, I can’t deny it,” the 35-year-old told The Associated Press in an interview in his apartment. “I tell you the truth, I was with the regime heart and soul.”

But he said that as he watched security forces blast towns where protesters took to the streets to demand the ouster of President Bashar Assad, he could no longer believe the line he was helping bring to the public, that “terrorists” were tearing apart the country.

Read more:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iNejeNnotP3nZd47UI9q_urGT9qw?docId=d021ff9969e04e28b3659214b079f1ca

To get a feeling whether the tide is turning one way or the other in Syria, bbc World Service talked to US Based analyst Steven Heydemann. How important is it that we are hearing of more army defections in the senior level?

Listen from after 3 min:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ncfxd

While the isreali ambassadors enjoy their stay in Cairo and Amman,The Syrian
Ambassadors are being kicked out of many Arabic capitals!! While the Ambassador of the state of (sons of dogs and pigs) is enjoying his stay in عاصمة الكنانه,and while the parliament of Salfis and Ikwan enjoys elations with isreali
Parliament ,the are asking for freezing relations with the parliament of a country
Who fought tow wars with them against isreal,a country which if it was not for it’s scarifies ,Egypt would have never had Sinai.Kuait is kicking out the ambassador
Of a country which its forces participated in liberation kuait,a country which a different stand by Bashar’s father could have kept Saddam in kuait until now.
May be Antwan Saada was right and The Arabism is all a Myth.

Tara

DER SPIEGEL also wrote about the emailgate. Sheherazad Jaafari is according to the magazine the daughter of Syrias ambassador to the UN.

Haaretz has published the emails

here is part one:

http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/images/galery/assad/mail2.pdf

part two:

http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/images/galery/assad/mail2.pdf

The most funny thing for me, is that passwords of some topaides have used: 12345, i think they would need serious it support, i mean given the amount of enemies the regime has nowadays.

Syrian sugar refiner halts production due to poor security

Sunday, 05 February 2012

Syria’s National Sugar Co, a privately owned refiner with a capacity of 1 million tons a year, has halted production because of the poor security situation in the country, its chairman said on Sunday.

“Of course we have been greatly affected. We have stopped production now at the refinery due to the events,” Mohamad Najib Assaf told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Kingsman Dubai sugar industry conference.

“We stopped operations nearly two months ago,” he said.

The refinery, which used to produce around 2,500 tons of white sugar a day, is located 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of the city of Homs, where hundreds were reported killed over the weekend by shelling in one of the bloodiest episodes of the nearly year-long revolt against President Bashar Al Assad.

Read more:

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/02/05/192701.html

Bashar Al Assad. You were elected freely by the people of Syria. You are the legal president of the country. You have the right and the obligation of killing as many syrians as the situation requires in order to mantain order and security of the actual status quo.

The status quo must be kept. Syrian opposition must be crushed because they are undemocratic. They do not accept that Assad is the democratic president of Syria. And her wife is the most loved women in Syria and probably in the world. Syrian regime is the woser regime in the world. They did not chose Assad because he is the son of Hafez Al Assad. They chosed him because he is the best and her wife is the most charming in the world.

All victims under Assad fire are not human but dogs. They do not deserve to live in the woderfull land of Assads.

Sandro

i think we all should write those kind of emails to the top advisors, since the emailaddresses are out now, let them get some mails!

A glimpse of the skyline of Baba Amr as heavy artillery and rockets pound the residential neighbourhood; Notice the sudden rise of huge clouds of smoke upon impact.
06/02/2012

You can hear the high pitched sound of approaching projectiles, probably rockets in this video; Some may like to dismiss them as punctured, flying, burning tyres!!

Syrialover & Juergen

Soon we may find out that Jaafari’s wife is on the payroll too.

Can the UN ever expel an Ambassador? I would like him expelled.

153. Tara

Sorry Tara, I have not seen any of these. I saw one of the soldiers body dumped in the river and then I stopped watching these horrors videos as it only bring pain and desire of revenge in me, feelings that I do not like to entertain.
I have no problem with people expressing emotions publicly, even if they are theatrical as long as these emotions bring out good and loving feeling, not hatred. The need of rituals are not only natural but seem to be part of the human attempts to connect, to each other or to a higher entity.
In the modern consumer society, as the religious rituals have almost disappeared from the mainstream, they have been replaced by Santa Claus, Halloween, St Valentine and other commercially based manifestations of solidarity and love. So be it, as long as it bring people together in a positive and loving mood.
In the opposite I reject all public display of negative emotions, like asking for blood and revenge. I find this degrading for people to resort to that and they loose my respect.
Draw you own conclusions.

Debriefing by the battalion of AlHamza of Zabadani and Madaya on
ongoing confrontation with outlawed Assad forces.
05/02/2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9p8Ylqfjxw
بيان عسكري من الجيش السوري الحر – الزبداني ومضايا
1.As expected, the regime forces reneged on their agreement and attacked Zabadani
2.We reassure Zabadani civilians that we have decided to stand our ground and defend the city and civilians until victory.
3.Aside from minor local tactical withdrawal, our forces have succeeded in pushing back the outlawed forces.
4.None of the regime vehicles have managed to break into our zone as of this hour. We have achieved the following
a.Destroyed 6 armoured vehicles and tanks.
b.Captured several personnel carriers, and took the passengers as prisoners.
5.We hereby issue this 24 ultimatum to the regime: Withdraw your forces or else all of your sensitive and strategic positions in the regions shall be targeted and destroyed.

Tara
I bet there is a way to get rid of an ambassador. Personally i think this place is a madhouse, sure drugs are an issue and some wont pass their term.
I have seen that there is an fb petition to expel Jaafari.

Just read an funny remark by Akbar on 7eean:

“Just over a year ago arabs thought the Assads were the best thing since sliced bread.”

Great phrase.

183. Juergen

I find nothing unusual in the emails. I guess Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, CNN and BBC if hacked would have even more fascinating ones.
I guess this is the normal job of a professional PR.
In any case if Haaretz is the only reference , I would be a bit suspicious. In addition after the Gay Girl in Damascus, hoaxes, rumors and urban legends to discredit the syrian government have proliferated, example the balloon of Adnan Bakkour’s tempestuous defection, the Varennes- like escape of Asma Al Assad ( aka Marie-Antoinette) from the dungeon where she was kept locked by her tyrannic husband etc..etc..
If you enjoy living in fantasy, you must be very satisfied.

Juergen

“Just over a year ago arabs thought the Assads were the best thing since sliced bread.”

Now they are not able to decide if it is A’roor or HBJ.

Dear Bronco,

You are touching a tender tendon. I am working half a day today. I really want to explore this further after work so see you then.

#157 Tara

“Should’ve not Nasrallah called for a truce”

The people in south Lebanon were not besieged, they were free to leave and many went to Syria who sheltered them. The ones who stayed, chose to stay. I wish the FSA and the armed gangs would give that choice to be people trapped in the areas they are holding. But I guess they know it would be their end if they allow the civilians to go. That’s what people call heroism?

Israel wants the end of Syria as a prelude to the end of Iran

Iran’s Achilles’ Heel
By EFRAIM HALEVY
Efraim Halevy, a former Israeli national security adviser and ambassador, was director of the Mossad from 1998 to 2002.
Published: February 7, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/opinion/to-weaken-iran-start-with-syria.html?_r=1

THE public debate in America and Israel these days is focused obsessively on whether to attack Iran in order to halt its nuclear weapons ambitions; hardly any attention is being paid to how events in Syria could result in a strategic debacle for the Iranian government. Iran’s foothold in Syria enables the mullahs in Tehran to pursue their reckless and violent regional policies — and its presence there must be ended.

Ensuring that Iran is evicted from its regional hub in Damascus would cut off Iran’s access to its proxies (Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza) and visibly dent its domestic and international prestige, possibly forcing a hemorrhaging regime in Tehran to suspend its nuclear policies. This would be a safer and more rewarding option than the military one.

As President Bashar al-Assad’s government falters, Syria is becoming Iran’s Achilles’ heel. Iran has poured a vast array of resources into the country. There are Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps encampments and Iranian weapons and advisers throughout Syria. And Iranian-controlled Hezbollah forces from Lebanon have joined in butchering the Syrians who have risen up against Mr. Assad. Iran is intent on assuring its hold over the country regardless of what happens to Mr. Assad — and Israel and the West must prevent this at all costs.
{…}

NGO accused of inciting unrest in Egypt: A USA dilemma

Egypt: compelling evidence in US NGO case – Source
08/02/2012
By Mohamed Ahmed and Essam Fadl
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=28405

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – The Egyptian judicial authorities responsible for investigating nonprofit groups on accusations they illegally used foreign funds to incite unrest in the country have announced the names of 43 defendants who will be tried by the Cairo Criminal Court. The charges listed against the NGO workers, including 19 US nationals, include running an unlicensed organization and illegally receiving funds from abroad.

A judicial source informed Asharq Al-Awsat that investigations had obtained “compelling” evidence against the defendants, including against Sam LaHood, Director of the International Republic Institute [IRI] in Egypt and son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The source stressed that the Egyptian investigation into the NGO workers case is operating independently and is not subject to any political pressure, including from Egyptian Justice Minister Adel Abdel-Hamid.
{…}

“opposition’ is the new dirty word in Syria, how unfortunate for this word to be hijacked by ‘terrorists’ and ‘thugs’ in a society badly in need of a ‘smart’ opposition to move it forward:

هكذا إقترن مصطلح المعارضة بمفهوم الخيانة في سورية عربي برس – دمشق
سامي زرقة

يجلس الطفل أحمد في باحة مدرسته يجهش في البكاء وعندما يسأله أحدهم لماذا تبكي يجيب على الفور لقد رفض الأولاد اللعب معي لأن والدي معارض وهم ينعتونه بالعميل والخائن لسورية…
البكاء لدى أحمد أصبح واحداً من مفردات حياته اليومية لدى ذهابه إلى المدرسة وهو لا يستطيع التخلص منه إلا أيام العطلة، أو إذا كان مريضاً وعلى حد قول والدته: أن ابنها فكر ملياً بالتخلي عن مدرسته لأنه لم يعد يطيق الذهاب إلى مدرسة يوصف فيها أبوه بأنه خائن وعميل لأنه معارض….
مشكلة أحمد دفعتنا للسؤال فيما إذا كان يتحرك داخل كل إنسان سوري اليوم “مونولوج” داخلي حول أزمة المواطنة السورية وحول مفهوم الانتماء للوطن باتساع رقعته الجغرافية وهويته وإرثه الحضاريين إذ ما أكثر الكلمات التي تتناثر هنا وهناك حول هذه المفاهيم إضافة على العبارات الرنانة التي أصبح كل مواطن سوري (مهما كبر أو صغر عمره ) يرددها على مسامع الآخرين مثل: مُندس، عميل، خائن.. وغيرها… لتطرح تساؤلات كثيرة حول مفهوم الخيانة والأمانة وحب الوطن.
تقول أم أحمد إن زوجها المعارض نُبذ من الحي بأكمله لمجرد أنه تفوه بكلمات ضد النظام ورغم أنه لم يسب أو يشتم كما يفعل البعض وكل كلامه كان هادئاً غير أن هذا الكلام كان كافياً لإخراجه من المجلس الذي كان فيه، إضافة إلى نبذه من قبل عائلات الحي بأكملها… ولم يكتف بذلك بل رفضوا كذلك بيعه ما يحتاج اليه من سلع يطلبها من محلات الحي، وهنا تتساءل أم أحمد هل مفهوم المعارضة الشريفة يلغي مفهوم المواطنة لدى السوريين؟، ولماذا لا يبحث الجميع عن حل للخروج من هذه الحالة المستعصية بدلاً من تخوين بعضهم البعض لمجرد أن يتكلم أحدهم بكلمة حتى ولو كانت صحيحة؟؟..
بدوره يقول علي وهو عم أحمد: لقد أصبت بالإحباط عندما سمعت كلمة معارض تطلق على أخي وأحسست بأنها تهمة ملقاة عليه، بل تطاول الكثيرون في اتهامهم إياه بالجبن والعمالة، وهذا يدل على حالة قصور في فهم مدلول كلمة “معارض” لتأخذ بعداً سلبياً اتهامياً يتهافت البعض في إطلاقه على بعضهم، مزاحاً أو جداً، وتوازيها ألفاظ أكثر اتهامية مثل مندس وعميل وخائن.. ويسأل: أليس من يقوم برشوة موظفي الدولة وسرقة ونهب ممتلكاتها يعد خائناً؟؟

تسخر الطالبة هدى ( 23 عاماً) من كلمة “معارض” ومدلولها السلبي، قائلة: إنه ليس بالضرورة أن يكون المعارض أحد المخربين، ولا أحد الخونة بل هو شخص يرى الأمور بطريقة أكثر ديناميكية, يراها بدون تعقيدات يصطنعها الروتين البيروقراطي، ولكن الإرهابيون في بلدنا حولوا تلك الكلمة إلى مصطلح سلبي حتى أصبحنا نتصور أن كل معارض يحمل سلاحاً ويصوبه تجاه الموالين للنظام، وهكذا أصبحت الألفاظ تطلق جزافاً والحقيقة أن هذه الكلمات أحدثت شرخاً كبيراً بين المواطنين السوريين وعملية تطبيقهم لها.
ويقول زميلها سموءل إننا نجد في بعض الدول المتقدمة أحزاب معارضة تقف موقف الند وتشكل “حكومات الظل” تكون مهمتها الأساسية أن تراقب وتلاحظ أداء الحكومات التي تصل لسدة القرار عن طريق انتخابات حرة, وبهذا نجد أن هذا الحراك يفيد الوطن, ويشكل رقيباً ملاصقاً للأنظمة بشكل متواتر ويضمن حراكاً ايجابياً صحيح الاتجاه، بينما المعارضة في وطننا باتت تفهم على أنها موجودة للتخريب والقتل وسفك الدماء، وهذا ليس ذنب المواطنين بل ذنب بعض المعارضين الذين صوروا على أن الأمور لا يمكن أن تحل إلا عن طريق السلاح، وبهذا بات واضحاً للجميع أن المعارض يمكن أن يؤذي أي شخص لا يشاركه الرؤى والتصورات حول واقع الأمور.
بدوره المهندس بشار يقول “إنه لا يمكننا تفصيل الوطنية واختصارها بولاء المواطن لحكومته بل بولاء الحكومة ككل للبلد الذي تنتمي إليه، وما تقدمه من خدمات وحل للمشاكل حيث يجب عليها أن تعبر عن واقع الشارع الذي خرجت منه, ملبية لطموحاته, وداعية لرفعته بين الأمم…بهذه الأمور يتحقق مفهوم المواطنة الشريفة على أصوله لا كما يريد المخربون الذين يعيثون فساداً في مجتمعاتهم”.
تبكي الدكتورة إنصاف وتتألم كثيراً أثناء عندما تروي لنا كيف أن ولدها الوحيد ذهب ضحية من سموا أنفسهم بالمعارضة وتتساءل هل يمكن تسمية المعارضة بأنها شريفة ووطنية وهي تلوح باستخدام السلاح أو تستخدمه فعلاً؟، أو تلك التي تقوم برفع شعارات الطائفية والمحاصصة بالمناصب ولا تلك التي تستظل بإذكاء التنافر بين مكونات الشعب السوري المتنوع الأصول والأعراق.. لقد حوّلت هذه المعارضة “القذرة” سورية إلى حمام دم ومستنقع لتصفية الأحقاد الخفية والعصبيات المتراكمة منذ عقود..
من جهته يفكر الأب أحمد كثيراً قبل إجابته على أي سؤال ويجيب مستذكراً أن ولده قتل لأنه كان يدافع عن الوطن حيث تم ذبحه أمام بيته، ولكنه قال: إنه لا يجب ومن هذا الباب أن يتم إلصاق كل التهم الدنيئة والقبيحة بالمعارضة حين تطلب أن يستجاب لمطالب عادلة ومحقة، ولا يجب إلقاء اللوم على المعارضة وحدها لأن هناك مجرمين يسرحون ويمرحون في البلد ويلصقون التهمة بالمعارضة.
من جانب آخر يقول المواطن ماهر “إنه يطبق المعادلة التي باتت تتردد كثيراً أنا شبيح.. إذاً أنا موجود حيث يعتبر نفسه فوق أي قانون وفوق المحاسبة، حيث أنه فوضوي النزعة، يميل لاستخدام قبضته قبل إحكام عقله… ويضيف ماهر: أنا لا أعبأ بأي قانون طالما أن سلاحه يرافقه حتى في نومه، وهو يحب أن يقلد شخصية إيجابية هي شخصية “قبضاي الحارة” التي تمثل دور البطولة في المجتمعات, حيث ينصر الفقراء والمستضعفين حين لا يتمكن القانون من فرض هيبته بين المواطنين..
الحال نفسه مع جعفر صديق ماهر الذي يقول: إنه لن يتوانى عن حمل السلاح ضد الدولة نفسها إذا عجزت عن تحقيق مطالبه ورغباته وحجته في ذلك أن الدولة لطالما أخفتت أصوات من كانوا يطالبون مطالب عادلة فالبلطجة هنا هي أشبه بحالة أبكم عادت إليه نعمة الكلام والإفصاح فصوته العال سبقته ليال طويلة من السكوت والسكون وعلى عناصر السلطة الذين قاموا بممارسة هذا العنف لذا فالسلاح خير وسيلة لتحقيق المطالب”..
يهزأ خالد لدى سؤاله عن مفهوم المواطنة والولاء للوطن ويقول المواطنة الحقيقية هي ان يحصل كل فرد في هذا المجتمع على حقوقه كاملة دون أي نقصان، وإذا لم يحصل عليها فعليه أن يحصّلها بنفسه ولو عن طريق السلاح غير آبه بالقوانين والأعراف السائدة في مجتمعه…

وما بين معارضة النظام ومناصرته يأخذ مفهوم المواطنة أشكالاً متعددة ويأخذ تطبيقها أيضاً أشكالاً كثيرة يزيد بعضها من حجم الاضطرابات ويوسعها ويصعد حالة الغليان والفوران التي يعيشها أفراد المجتمع لتضيف أبعاداً أخرى لحالتنا الراهنة التي يلزمها الحوار ومد جسور الثقة لردم هذا الشرخ المتنامي في أبعاده وعمقه بعيداً عن حالة الفوضى والفلتان.

http://www.arabi-press.com/?page=article&id=21775

Syria: White House preaches peace as Pentagon preps for war

The White House is saying “no” to arming opposition and other military involvement in the Syrian conflict – for the moment. Pentagon and US Central Command launched a review of US military capabilities in case that “no” turns a “yes.”
The backdoor for military action was ajar with State Department, spokesman Victoria Nuland saying that US never takes any option off the table, even though they “don’t think more arms into Syria is the answer.” It appears the Pentagon has a similar view, as it has reportedly launched a full-scale review of its available military might.
Two senior administration officials told CNN that “options are being prepared in the event President Barack Obama was to call for them.” Support for opposition groups and outright military strikes are among the options being looked at.
This type of planning exercise is typical for the Pentagon, which would not want to be in the position of not having options for the president, if and when they are asked for, both officials told CNN. One of them called the effort a “scoping exercise,” with Pentagon looking into what capabilities are available given other US military commitments in the region.
US President Barack Obama said in an interview Sunday that he believes it is possible to resolve the conflict peacefully “without recourse to outside military intervention.” However, some congressional lawmakers, including Arizona’s Republican Senator John McCain, called for the US to explore the prospect of arming opposition forces in Syria.
“We should start considering options, arming the opposition,” McCain said. “The bloodletting has got to stop.”
The US and other Western powers are wary of engaging closely with would-be rebel forces without the legal protection of UN resolution, similar to the one that was passed in the case of Libya. But in the wake of Russia and China vetoing a Security Council resolution calling for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, they are forced to look for other solutions.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called Sunday for “friends of democratic Syria” to unite and rally against Assad’s regime. She has also vowed to strengthen existing sanctions against the Syrian regime and seek further ones to dry up funding and arms shipments.
“We will work to seek regional and national sanctions against Syria. They will be implemented to the fullest to dry up the sources of funding and the arms shipments that are keeping the regime’s war machine going,” Clinton told journalists. “We will work with the friends of a democratic Syria around the world to support the opposition’s peaceful political plans for change.”
Clinton did not specify who those “friends of a democratic Syria” are, but it could be that the United States proceeds to form a group of like-minded nations to coordinate assistance to the Syrian opposition.

http://rt.com/news/syria-pentagon-us-obama-781/

Three Libyans killed in Homs today.
What were they doing there, touring the city!

This young man is shown calling and searching frantically amidst the rubble for Adham; He was probably his son or little brother.

In the meanwhile, a friend drags the remains of a body of a lady who just perished in her house that collapsed as a result of shelling by outlawed, 3alawi forces.

The depicted death and destruction of civilian property was facilitated and encouraged by the latest Russian Green-light Veto, the Russian made shells supplied against international calls for arms embargo, and the Iranian logistical and operational support.

باباعمرو أشلاء عائلة بعد قصف منزلهم ج3 +18 8 2 2012

A cynical and direct statement by Lavrov about the Arabs who are in favor of the occupation of Syrian cities by armed militias.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/lavrov-says-syrians-should-decide-assads-fate.aspx?pageID=238&nID=13281&NewsCatID=359
…
Seeking to address Western criticism that Russia missed a chance to end bloodshed in Syria, Lavrov on Wednesday defended Russia’s veto, saying Moscow had not allowed the opposition’s armed units to take control of more cities.

“We have missed an opportunity to allow armed units which are fighting against government forces to take control of cities and villages,” Lavrov said in sarcastic remarks.

“Yes, we’ve missed this opportunity. If the authors of the resolution have this goal in mind, then you should directly say that we want the armed units to take control of cities in Syria.” “You need to speak honestly with your partners,” he added. “Half of the truth is worse than a lie.”

Scenes of a tragedy and despair; Courtesy of the indiscriminate shelling by outlawed Assad Alawi forces on Sunni civilian neighbourhoods.
A little girl undergoes hopeless attempts at resuscitation; her body looks riddled by shrapnel.
Her little sister, on the other stretcher with blood oozing from her eyes crys while calling for her mother.
+18 Baba Amr, Homs Massacre حمص بابا عمرو – جرائم وحشية بحق الأطفال 5-2-2012

Nobel Peace Laureate Barack Obama goes to War…by Stephen Lendman
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29148

Dispelling the Lies, Telling the Truth about Western Aggression in the Persian Gulf
Finian Cunningham and Michel Chossudovsky
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28675

Russia warns West against meddling in Syria – Wednesday, Feb 08, 2012

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20120208-326714.html

MOSCOW – Russia on Wednesday warned against outside interference in Syria, as Britain and France expressed strong doubt Damascus would live up to promises to end its violent repression of dissidents.

Meanwhile, UN rights chief Navi Pillay called for urgent action to protect Syrian civilians caught in 11 months of civil strife while the European Union made contingency plans in case it needed to evacuate its citizens from Syria.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned the West against behaving “like a bull in a china shop”, saying Syrians themselves should be allowed to decide their own fate.

“Of course we condemn violence from whichever side it comes, but we must not behave like a bull in a china shop. We need to allow people to decide their own fate independently,” Russian news agencies quoted him as saying.

Moscow sparked Western anger last week by joining Beijing in using its veto at the Security Council to block UN action against the Damascus regime following its latest military offensive on protestors in the city of Homs.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Wednesday pointedly sidestepped a question from a reporter who asked him whether Russia had asked Bashar al-Assad to go in his talks with the Syrian president the day before.

He too said the Syrian people themselves must decide their fate, while calling for Syrian opposition forces to enter into negotiations with Assad’s government to reach a solution to the conflict acceptable to all.

Turkey has offered to hold an international conference “as soon as possible” with regional players and world powers to solve the crisis, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.

The conference could take place in Turkey or in another country but it must certainly be “in the region” and “as soon as possible”, Ahmet Davutoglu said in a televised interview.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe dismissed promises made to Lavrov by Assad to end the bloodshed, terming them “manipulation”.

“I absolutely do not believe in the commitments made by the Syrian regime,” he told a radio programme jointly run by AFP. “This is a manipulation which we are not going to fall for.”

In London, British Prime Minister David Cameron also dismissed Assad’s promises.

“I think we have very little confidence in that,” Cameron told parliament.

Britain will now press for stronger EU sanctions and will increase support for opposition groups inside and outside the country, Cameron said.

Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Belgium have all recalled their ambassadors to Syria for consultations, while Germany decided to leave the vacant post empty for now.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd on Wednesday summoned the Syrian envoy to convey his “grave concerns” about the worsening crisis, his spokeswoman said.

In Geneva, Pillay, the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the Syrian army’s continuing shelling of the city of Homs, a centre of protest in the country.

“I am appalled by the Syrian government’s wilful assault on Homs, and its use of artillery and other heavy weaponry in what appear to be indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas in the city,” he said in a statement.

“The failure of the Security Council to agree on firm collective action appears to have fuelled the Syrian government’s readiness to massacre its own people in an effort to crush dissent,” he added.

And he stressed the “extreme urgency for the international community to cut through the politics and take effective action to protect the Syrian population” more than 6,000 of whom have died since the start of the upheaval that began with protests in March 2011 amid the Arab Spring.

European Union officials in Brussels said they were making contingency plans in case EU citizens had to be rapidly evacuated from Syria, while mulling a ban on flights in and out of that country.

“We’re trying to make things change,” a senior EU official said on condition of anonymity, voicing concern that the violence could last a long time. “We’re facing a wall, and we have to find a way of climbing over that wall and moving ahead.”

The 27-state bloc is also discussing whether to ban the import of phosphates from Syria, freeze the assets of the Syrian central bank and suspend trade in gold and other gems in order to dry up the regime’s funds, diplomats said.

Gulf foreign ministers said they would meet Sunday in Cairo, rather than Saturday in Riyadh, to discuss the crisis, a Gulf Cooperation Council official said on Wednesday.

Indiscriminate shelling of civilian neighbourhoods, killing, and looting: Hama massacre re-wind.
_________________________________________________________________
Syrian Dream . سوريا الحلم
‎#Syria
08/12/2012
https://www.facebook.com/TheSyrianDream

Eyewitness:
Evacuated neighbourhood of Inshaat undergoes systematic looting by Assad Para-militia; they are seen carrying refrigerators, TV’s, and furniture. They are behaving like occupiers.
Cars parked on the street are run over by tanks.
سوريا الحلم . حمص . رسالة من مواطن في حي الانشاءات
. دخلت لأنقل لكم التالي الآن نشاهد كتائب النظام تقوم بعملية نهب شديدة للمنازل الفارغة بحي الانشاءات(حي للأغنياء في حمص ) أقسم لكم أن كتائب النظام ينهبون كل مايستطيعون حمله البرادات الطاولات الكراسي الشاشات أنهم كتائب احتلال فعلي في الشارع الذي نتظاهر فيه بشكل يومي في الانشاءات هنا في حمص قامت الدبابات بهرس كافة السيارات الموجودة فيه هناك مناشدات فعلية بايصال الخبز والدواء للانشاءات

It’s a farce what media especially those channels: FOX, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, al Jazeera can do to perish innocent lives with simply telling lies using unverified tales and sources.
I’m glad certain Americans are aware of the absence of their country’s media credibility and trustworthiness

MSNBC Headlines Story Given to them by A Phony and a Liar:”Rami Abdelrahman” Does Not Exist According to the SOHR

http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/msnbc-headlines-story-given-to-them-by-a-phony-and-a-liarrami-abdelrahman-does-not-exist-according-to-the-sohr/#comment-33671

Watch Dr Mohammad sends a desperate SOS from Baba Amr in Homs to other countries, humanitarian organisations, and red crescent to intervene and enter Baba Amr to help the victims and stop the killing perpetrated by outlawed Assad forces.

He moved his patients to a make shift clinic in a couple of rooms attached to a mosque, after their better equipped clinic was shelled two times and finally destroyed.

40 deaths have been accounted for so far.
Many are still under the rubble.

باباعمرو الدكتور محمد داخل أحد المساجد ومناشدة للعالم
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DlGlwBqcpE
Uploaded by syriapioneer on Feb 8, 2012

Protecting the civilians…
Armed groups fire mortar shells at oil refinery in central Syria
2012-02-08
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-02/08/c_131398981.htm
DAMASCUS, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) — Armed groups fired mortar shells at an oil refinery in Syria’s central Homs province Wednesday, setting two fuel tankers on fire, state-run SANA news agency reported.

SANA did not give further details, while private Sham FM said that the fire caused by the attack has been extinguished.

A day earlier, armed groups fired mortar shells at the refinery, but no damage was reported.

Homs Refinery Company HRC, the first refinery in Syria, came into operation in 1959 with an annual production capacity of 1 million tons of light crude oil to satisfy the local market demands for petroleum derivatives and to export the excess.

The attack is the latest in a string of assaults carried out lately by armed groups against the Syrian oil sectors.

At least seven pipelines have been targeted since the eruption of unrest in Syria in mid March 2011. Syria held what it called ” saboteurs” responsible for the attacks.

Earlier in January, Syrian Oil Minister Sufian Allaw said that the terrorist acts carried out by armed groups against oil pipelines and other oil institutions, in addition to the EU sanctions on Syrian oil industry, have extremely damaged the country’s oil sector.

Allaw estimated the damage that befell the Syrian oil institutions at 2.1 billion Syrian pounds (about 35.7 million U.S. dollars), noting that 21 people working in the oil sector were killed and 24 others wounded, in addition to five others who were kidnapped during the past 10 months.

Syrian Minister of Electricity Imad Khamis has also said recently that recent attacks carried out by armed and terrorist groups have inflicted a big damage on Syria’s distribution networks and maintenance workshops.

Equus #207

Rami Abdel Raham is the masculine version of the Gay Girl in Damascus.
As far as the US main stream media, he is still a real person stirring the americans against the ‘brutal’ syrian regime.

#208 Revlon

“Watch Dr Mohammad sends a desperate SOS from Baba Amr in Homs to other countries, humanitarian organisations, and red crescent to intervene and enter Baba Amr to help the victims and stop the killing perpetrated by outlawed Assad forces.”

Who are ‘outlawed Assad Forces? the defectors?

In any case his address should be to the FSA and the armed gangs who are holding the area , so they call for a truce to allow the doctors, his patients and many others to leave the area for a safer place?
The civilians are totally under the responsibility of the FSA, it is the FSA duty to ask for a truce to protect them.

The situation in Homs according to Haytham Manna

203. Revlonsaid:
Scenes of a tragedy and despair; Courtesy of the indiscriminate shelling by outlawed Assad Alawi forces on Sunni civilian neighbourhoods.

208. Revlonsaid:
Watch Dr Mohammad sends a desperate SOS from Baba Amr in Homs to other countries, humanitarian organisations, and red crescent to intervene and enter Baba Amr to help the victims and stop the killing perpetrated by outlawed Assad forces.

Revlon, have the opposition leadership and the FSA in Homs proposed a mutual ceasefire, or initiated a ceasefire, in furtherance of protecting the civilians, women, children?

اكد عضو مجلس الشعب السوري خالد العبود خبر اعتقال عشرات الضباط الاتراك في سورية كانوا يعملون على ادخال مجموعات مسلحة الى سورية.
العبود وفي حديث مع تلفزيون المنار اشار الى ان اردوغان لا يستطيع الدخول في صفقة مباشرة مع سورية لأنها ستعتبر هزيمة لتركيا.
العبود أكد ان الخلافات اصبحت كبيرة بين الجيش الحر والمجلس الوطني”، مضيفاً “احد المنشقين هو عميل للإستخبارات السورية”.
عضو مجلس الشعب السوري توعد قائد ما يسمى الجيش السوري الحر رياض الأسعد بالإتيان به الى دمشق”.

http://www.arabi-press.com/?page=article&id=21715

Ryad Al Assad abducted? a rumor?

رياض الأسعد في قبضة الجيش السوري

2012-02-08 01:57:55

ذكرت صحيفة “دام برس” الالكترونية أن الجيش السوري ألقى القبض على رياض الأسعد العقيد السابق في الجيش السوري ومؤسس الجيش السوري الحر، وذلك ببلدة كفر تخاريم في محافظة إدلب.
ومن الجدير بالذكر أن عدة محطات ومواقع إلكترونية، كانت قد نشرت الثلاثاء خبرا مفاده أن القوات المسلحة السورية نفذت عملية عسكرية أمنية بالقرب من الحدود التركية.
ونقل موقع “دام برس” عن مصدر مطلع في العاصمة التركية بأن مجموع الضباط الذين تركوا الجيش العربي السوري والتحقوا بصفوف المعارضة لا يتجاوز 36 ضابطا وصف ضابط. وأكد المصدر أن هؤلاء مقيمون في جبل الزاوية في إدلب على الحدود السورية التركية.
من جانبه أكد خالد العبود عضو مجلس الشعب السوري خبر اعتقال عشرات الضباط الاتراك في سورية كانوا يعملون على ادخال مجموعات مسلحة الى سورية.
وكالات – عربي برس

http://www.arabi-press.com/?page=article&id=21746

What’s pathetic about the Syrian Revolution is it made every Joe Schmo a story teller, a Utube montage expert.

The exaggeration of the scenes and the dramatization of the stories made neutral people connectivity insensitive and immune. I feel sorrier for the Kuala bears road runs on discovery channel.

The phony revolution promo wants to convince healthy mind that the wolf wants to ally with the shepherd to protect the sheep. I have not found this book yet on Amazon.com; but soon perhaps.

Peace upon you all, going to work.

What’s happening in Homs is horrific and crimes against civilians from any sect or religion, that is barbaric and unhumane and it must stop immediatly.
There should be a truce between the Syrian Army and the armed militia to evacuate civilians. Children and innocent civilians have nothing to do in this conflict and they must be protected, and treated as Human for God sake. This barbaric killing and shooting is the worst strategy to use.
Keeping civilians as hostages for the armed militia to use as human shields is more barbaric than the criminal regime horrific actions in Homs.
Let the civilians out of those areas and stop the violence from both sides.

Friends in Damascus say Homs is the city of ghosts

FSA unit shows a group of outlawed Assad forces who committed crimes against civilians.
Compare the prisoners’ condition and the professional way they are introduced, with the counterpart in the next video
8 2 Idlib أوغاريت ادلب , الجيش الحر عملية اسر لجنود الأسد
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUgKpENmY0w&feature=youtu.be
Uploaded by UgaritNEWSChannel on Feb 8, 2012
__________________________________________________________________
Two of outlawed Assad forces alternate in physically and verbally insulting a dead FSA soldier!
The depicted Alawi soldiers’ attitude and behaviour is an embodiment of the brutality and lack of decency of the outlawed Alawi Assad army.
المجرمان اللذان قاما بالتشنيع بجثث الشهداء
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uid-WacyJbg&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL8193BE6251B06E23
Uploaded by MySyrianman on Feb 3, 2012

Zoo
I doubt that he was captured, he is in Turkey how could they capture him inside Syria.

JNA
The armed militia terrorists WANT to use civilians as human shields for propaganda reasons, a ceasefire and human protection is the least of their priorities.

213. jna,
((203. Revlonsaid:
Scenes of a tragedy and despair; Courtesy of the indiscriminate shelling by outlawed Assad Alawi forces on Sunni civilian neighbourhoods.
206. Revlonsaid:
Indiscriminate shelling of civilian neighbourhoods, killing, and looting: Hama massacre re-wind.
208. Revlonsaid:
Watch Dr Mohammad sends a desperate SOS from Baba Amr in Homs to other countries, humanitarian organisations, and red crescent to intervene and enter Baba Amr to help the victims and stop the killing perpetrated by outlawed Assad forces.))

You ask:
Revlon, have the opposition leadership and the FSA in Homs proposed a mutual ceasefire, or initiated a ceasefire, in furtherance of protecting the civilians, women, children?

I say:
Who is shooting at whom?

The Alawi army is shelling Homs Sunni neighbourhoods from 5 to 10 km distance!
Effective FSA army’s range of their Klashnikov is hundreds of meters.
FSA can not harm a soul in the coward Alawi aggressors who are sitting pretty in the safety of their tanks and behind their artillery to shell civilians, including women and children.

When FSA units withdraw from a neighbourhood and civilians flee, Alawi army loots the neighbourhood!

There is actually one way out of this!
First, All professional army units withdraw to their army bases.
Second, Alawi officers withdraw to the caves of the mountains where they belong.

When that is done you will not see a single pistol or rifle in the hands of city dwellers.

Moderator
Is the ugly sectarian language accepted now on SC?

Jad asked the moderator:

Moderator
Is the ugly sectarian language accepted now on SC?

We all want Syria Comment free from

— Personal attacks against other contributors;

— Racist, sexist, obscene, or otherwise discriminatory or hateful language;

— Provocations designed to derail discussions away from substantive debate into dead-end arguments;

Here are some suggestions for usage from recent comments and from Joshua Landis and Robert Fisk. Please do not use sectarian labels over-broadly in order to provoke angry reactions. Avoid broad and persistent sectarian generalizaions (avoid, please, “your terrorist friends”). If Alawites are to be mentioned, use reasonable language. Do NOT personalize discussion.

OK Joshua Landis: Hafiz was smart enough not to try to cross the religious establishment, as both his brothers frequently did. He understood the delicacy of religion in Syria. Rather than try to convert Sunnis to Shiism, which would have inflamed the Syrian population even more than it was already inflamed by having an Alawite president, he encouraged Alawites to Sunnify and become more main stream. He set the example himself by going to mosque, admonishing leading Alawite shaykhs to renounce publicly any exaggerated devotion to Ali, and to observe the five pillars of Islam. Even if many Alawites understood Hafiz’s religious observance to be motivated by politics, so what? The point is that he was not trying to take Sunnis out of the fold. On the contrary, he sought to make Alawites behave more like Sunnis.

OK Robert Fisk: The destruction of the Alawite-led government in Syria

XXX outlawed, 3alawi forces.

XXX shelling by outlawed Assad Alawi forces on Sunni civilian neighbourhoods.

XXX Alawi soldiers

CAUTION Alawi officers withdraw to the caves

XXX Alawi army loots the neighbourhood

XXX The Alawi army is shelling Homs Sunni neighbourhoods from 5 to 10 km distance!

CAUTION “She was used as a media emissary by the regime to the West because she grew up in London, and as an emissary for the Alawite rulers because she came from a Sunni family.”

CAUTION “The fact is you, like most Alawis will disbelieve what you fear to believe; the stigma of being associated with a community who perpetrated, supported, or acquiesced and benefited from decades of power abuse and crimes against humanity by the Assad-Makhlouf regime!

CAUTION “ Your Alawis mates monopolize its highest paid jobs and all of its proceeds.

OK I do not represent the Alawis so stop talking to me as if I am their chief.

العلماء المسلمون في سورية: بيان الاتحاد العالمي لعلماء المسلمين مسيس وينطلق بتأثير من قوى سياسية أجنبية ويدعو للفتنة والقتل
دمشق-سانا

أكد العلماء المسلمون في سورية أن بيان الاتحاد العالمي لعلماء المسلمين بخصوص الاوضاع في سورية مسيس وينطلق بتأثير من قوى سياسية اجنبية وليس لعلماء سورية أو أي من العلماء المسلمين الصادقين أي دور فيه.

واوضح العلماء في بيان لهم اليوم رداً على بيان الفتنة والقتل الصادر عن الاتحاد العالمي لعلماء المسلمين الذي صدر أمس وتلقت وكالة سانا نسخة منه أن الدور الحقيقي لعلماء الأمة يتمثل في العمل على درء الفتنة وحقن الدماء لا بتشجيع أسباب الشقاق والفرقة والاقتتال بين أبناء الوطن الواحد مطالبين علماء الأمة بالوقوف في وجه من يتأمر على الدين والعروبة والأمن والاستقرار ويتكالب على لقمة عيش أبناء سورية.

وأشار علماء سورية الى أن بيان الاتحاد العالمي لعلماء المسلمين لم يفاجىء الشعب السوري كونه صدر عن خلفيات باتت واضحة الهدف للقاصي والداني وإنه على الذين صاغوه أن يتحملوا مسؤولية الكلمة داعين هؤلاء أن يضعوا نصب أعينهم تقرير لجنة المراقبين العرب الذي وثق أن الأعمال الارهابية والعدوانية تمارس ضد الجيش والأمن والشعب والمؤسسات والبنى التحتية وتستهدف أنابيب النفط والغاز ومصادر الطاقة وتحرق عشرات المدارس ومقرات القضاء وأن الجيش والأمن يقوم بالرد على الأعمال الارهابية.

وأكد البيان إنه من الأجدر بالاتحاد العالمي لعلماء المسلمين أن يدعو الى حقن الدماء وادانة الارهاب والتخريب مبينا أنه لو كان هذا الاتحاد حريصا على الدم السوري وعلى مستقبل سورية كما يزعم ويدعي لما وجه سهامه وأدوات طعنه الى أبناء سورية يحثهم على قتل بعضهم بعضا وهم أخوة وأبناء عمومة ووطن واحد متسائلا ان كانت هذه دعوة الاسلام والشرائع كلها واخلاق الشعوب وفيما إذا كان هذا هو فهم وتطبيق حقوق الانسان.

كما أوضح علماء سورية أن عبارات وجمل وكلمات بيان اتحاد العلماء المسلمين تنطق كلها برغبة حقيقية لرؤية المزيد من دماء الأبرياء على الأراضي السورية ارضاء للقوى المتآمرة على سورية والمتمثلة في امريكا واسرائيل ومن وراءهما لافتين الى أنه كان من الأجدى والأحرى بدلاً من هذا التحريض المباشر واللهجة الدموية في الخطاب أن يذكر الاتحاد الناس جميعا في سورية وعلى مختلف فئاتهم وشرائحهم وطوائفهم وشرائعهم بأهمية الوحدة والائتلاف ونبذ التفرق والاختلاف وخصوصا ضمن ما تبثه قنوات الاعلام التي اصبحت مهمتها الوحيدة العمل على الهاب مزيد من الفتنة وسفك الدماء البريئة.

وأكد علماء سورية أن دعوات اتحاد العلماء المسلمين الى التمرد تحول علماء الاتحاد الى علماء فتنة حقيقية وتحريض مباشر على قتل الناس بعضهم بعضا مشيرين الى أن هذه الدعوة لم تراع أوامر الدين لمواجهة الفتن والتي تتضمن الأمر باغماد السيوف وعدم الخوض في الفتن التي تموج في مجتمع المسلمين.

وقال علماء سورية في ختام بيانهم انهم وشعب سورية بكل أطيافه وشرائحه ضد الفتنة والقتل والتدمير ومع الوحدة الوطنية والاصلاح والحوار لجمع الشمل والعفو عمن أساء من أبناء الوطن أن عاد الى رشده لأن الوطن للجميع.

http://www.sana.sy/ara/2/2012/02/08/399295.htm

Syrian Muslim Scholars: Statement of International Union of Muslim Scholars “Politicalized”, Calls for Sedition and Killing
http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2012/02/08/399309.htm

211. broncosaid:
((#208 Revlon
Who are ‘outlawed Assad Forces? the defectors?))
Ask your English teacher!

((In any case his address should be to the FSA and the armed gangs who are holding the area , so they call for a truce to allow the doctors, his patients and many others to leave the area for a safer place?
The civilians are totally under the responsibility of the FSA, it is the FSA duty to ask for a truce to protect them.))

FSA is regarded by the Outlawed Assad forces as terrorists.
As such Assad forces, the outlaws will not negotiate with the legal forces; the FSA.
The only time they did was in Zabadani when Jr’s forces ass was on the line.

FSA forces will neither be captured nor killed in this operation, they will effect a tactical withdrawal only to come back later to retake the re-installed Assad forces (the outlaws) checkpoints.

Regarding the Libyan ‘Tourists’ killed while fighting the Syrian Army in Homs…they are very ‘civilian’!

عشرات الليبيين من عملاء ” الناتو” يقاتلون في “بابا عمرو” وسقوط ثلاثة منهم قتلى يوم أول أمس

القتلى الثلاثة من الجماعات الإسلامية التي جندها ” الحلف الأطلسي” لاقتحام طرابلس وأرسلتهم وكالة المخابرات المركزية إلى سوريا بطلب من برهان غليون

دمشق ، طرابلس / ليبيا ـ الحقيقة ( خاص): في أول دليل مادي على مشاركتهم في القتال في عمق الأراضي السوري، اعترفت اليوم مواقع الإسلاميين الليبيين بسقوط ثلاثة قتلى منهم في القتال الدائر في منطقة ” بابا عمرو” بحمص منذ أول أمس بين الجيش السوري والإرهابيين الإسلاميين القادمين من الخارج. وعلم أن القتلى الثلاثة هم الأخوان” طلال وليد الفيتوري” و “أحمد وليد الفيتوري” ، أما الثالث فهو رفيقهما”أحمد جلال العقوري”. وأكد موقع ” قناة بنغازي” هذه المعلومات مشيرا إلى أن الثلاثة قتلوا أول أمس الإثنين عندما بدأ الجيش السوري عملية “الحسم العسكري” في حمص وضواحيها. كما وأكد موقع ” ثورة المختار ـ ليبيا” هذه المعلومات ، بينما أشار موقع ” ثورة 17 فبراير ـ شباب العواقير” الناطق باسم عشيرة العقوري نبأ مقتل ابن عشيرتهم “أحمد جلال العقوري” في حي ” بابا عمرو” ، مشيرا إلى أن أحمد وزملاءه ” ذهبوا للجهاد ونصرة لأخوتنا في سوريا منذ شهر ، وجاء خبر استشهادهم اليوم ( الإثنين)” ، كما ذكر الموقع.

“الحقيقة” اتصلت بإدارة موقع ” ثورة 17 فبراير ـ شباب العواقير” في العاصمة الليبية لمزيد من التفاصيل ، فأكد لها القائمون على الموقع أن ” الشهداء الثلاثة ذهبوا إلى سوريا عن طريق لبنان أواخر كانون الأول / ديسمبر الماضي مع حوالي مئة متطوع آخر معظمهم من منطقة بنغازي” ، حسب تعبير المتحدث. وقال أحد محرري الموقع ، راجيا عدم الإشارة لاسمه ، إن هؤلاء المقاتلين ” ينتمون إلى ” لواء طرابلس” الذي يقوده المهدي حاراتي ، الذي يتولى قيادة عمليات “الجيش السوري الحر” في منطقة “جبل الزاوية” بسوريا.

وكانت صحيفة ” إي بي سي” الإسبانية كشفت في كانون الأول / ديسمبر الماضي عن توجه المهدي حاراتي إلى سوريا عن طريق تركيا تنفيذا للاتفاق الذي أبرم بين برهان غليون و فاروق طيفور ورضوان زيادة مع رئيس “المجلس الوطني الانتقالي الليبي” مصطفى عبد الجليل خلال زيارتهم إلى ليبيا في تشرين الأول / ديسبمر الماضي. وكشفت صحيفة ” تلغراف” البريطانية من جهتها أن الاتفاق تضمن طلبا من غليون بإرسال سلاح ومسلحين إلى سوريا للمساهمة في القتال ضد النظام السوري. وتتابعت عمليات الكشف لاحقا من قبل الصحف الغربية إلى أن كشفت الحكومة الإرلندية أن المهدي حاراتي هو عميل وكالة المخابرات المركزية الأميركية الذي كان مكلفا بنقل الأموال من وكالة المخابرات المركزية إلى مسلحي “القاعدة” في ليبيا خلال القتال ضد نظام القذافي.

http://www.syriatruth.org/news/tabid/93/Article/6659/Default.aspx

The terrorists of Homs continues their mission of destroying the infrastructure, today they attack the refinery and the university (apparently those ignorant don’t like education).
Also the remake of the old story of baby death in hospitals which also turned out to be another lie….

المسلحون يستهدفون المصفاة والمدينة الجامعية بحمص
http://youtu.be/PsPK6fonCyc

ألسنة اللهب في مصفاة حمص بسبب قذائف الارهابيين 8/2/2012
http://youtu.be/RoyLVpQlpXM

مسلحو” كتيبة الفاروق” يقصفون مصفاة حمص بمدافع الهاون ويتسببون بحرق اثنين من خزاناتها

حمص ، الحقيقة ( خاص): استمرارا من قبلهم في عمليات تدمير وتخريب البنى التحتية ، لاسيما أنابيب النفط والغاز، أقدم مسلحو ” كتيبة الفاروق” في “الجيش الإسلامي الحر” الذي يقوده رياض الأسعد، على قصف مصفاة حمص بمدافع الهاون قبل نحو ساعتين من نشر هذا التقرير. وقالت مصادر ميدانية لوسائل الإعلام إن ثلاث أو أربع قذائف أصابت خزانين للنفط من خزانتها وأدت إلى اندلاع النيران فيهما. وبحسب هذه المصادر ، فإن فرق الإطفاء تمكنت قبل قليل من السيطرة على النيران قبل امتدادها إلى الخزانات الأخرى وبالتالي انفجارها والتسبب بكارثة كبرى في المحافظة. إلا أن المخربين عاودوا قبل قليل إلى استهداف “قسم الترحيلات” فيها . وقال مهندسون في المكان إن امتداد النيران إلى الخزانات الأخرى وانفجارها ، فيما لو حصل ، كان سيؤدي إلى كارثة كبرى تحتاج إلى مساعدة من الدول المجاورة للسيطرة عليها. وهي المرة الثانية التي يحاول فيها مسلحو ” كتيبة الفاروق” تدمير المصفاة. إذ سبق لهم قبل نحو شهرين أن استهدفوها بقذيفتي هاون من منطقة ” بابا عمرو”، إلا أن القذيفتين سقطتا في مكان خلاء من حرم المصفاة بعيدا عن المنشآت القابلة للاحتراق. وكان الناطق باسم المسلحين اعترف في مقابلة مع” تلغراف” البريطانية قبل أيام بأن “الجيش الحر” هو من يقوم بتفجير أنابيب النفط والغاز … ” نكاية بحزب الله وللضغط على لبنان”!!!؟

على صعيد متصل، استهدف مسلحو الكتيبة نفسها ” جامعة البعث” بقذائف الهاون و ” آر بي جي” ، إلا أن الخسائر اقتصرت على الماديات بالنظر لعدم وجود طلبة أو موظفين.

من ناحية ثانية ، وبخلاف ما أشاعته قناة ” الجزيرة” عن وفاة 17 طفلا رضيعا في قسم الحضانة بمشفى التوليد بحمص بسبب نقص الأوكسجين ، أكد طبيب في المشفى في اتصال مع”الحقيقة” أن الأمر لا صحة له مطلقا ، وهو يشبه تماما الخبر الذي أشيع الصيف الماضي عن موت أطفال في حاضنات مشفى الحوراني بحماة بسبب إقدام السلطة على قطع الكهرباء عنه. وتبين حينها أن ” المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان” هو من فبرك الخبر واستخدم صورا لأطفال متوفين في مشفى الإسكندرية بمصر!

http://www.syriatruth.org/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B1%D9%89/tabid/94/Article/6658/Default.aspx

Iran’s Battle, Our Battle
By: Amer Mohsen

…

Iran and the Arabs, Forgetting History

There is a real flaw in our Arab rhetoric on Iran. We find the Gulf’s media talking from a point of constant victimization about Iran – as if Iran is aggressing us and owes us apologies and assurances. Did the Gulf Arabs forget history? Did we forget that the Gulf states financed a bitter war on Iran, which cost its society over one million dead, and which was the most traumatic event in Iran’s modern history?

Hanna al-Razzouqi, one of Iraq’s senior technocrats since the days of the monarchy and until the 1980s, wrote in his memoirs that during the first year of the war with Iran, he headed a high-level Baathist delegation to the Gulf states to collect “donations.” Al-Razzouqi wrote that he returned to Baghdad after several days with pledges of more than US$20 billion for the Iraqi Central Bank. This amounts to around US$60 billion in today’s prices. If you put a gun to the head of a Saudi prince, you will not convince him to write a check for US$60 billion to solve Egypt’s development crisis, for example. But these funds were enthusiastically donated for a catastrophic fraternal war, which had absolutely no meaning, no matter how we look at it. No human being with a mind and a conscience would be capable of defending that war and its outcomes.

read all the article …
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/irans-battle-our-battle

Revlon

just read the account of one Homsi who fled to lebanon. he said that people in Homs suspect that the syrian army has mobile phone detecters which detect lebanese mobile phones or satellite phones and then target those areas where they detected such signals. I never heard that nowadays such detecters can work on a artillery scale, what do you think?

The opposition ‘peaceful’ ‘work’ is reaching the Syrian expats communities.
Be careful of what you write on Facebook/SC, some of the ‘oppositions’ don’t understand ‘words’ and they may shoot you!

To all Syrian expats,
If you receive any threat regardless how ridiculous might be, you may need to take it seriously, report it to your server company first if it came in an electronic form and if repeated report it to the police immediately.
My advice don’t take any chance.
—————————————————————-

Sydney shooting linked to Syrian politics

A YOUNG father who was shot three times in the leg in Sydney’s latest gun violence is refusing to assist police, even though he may never walk again.
Ali Ibrahim, 29, was shot three times in the leg outside his home on Christian Rd, Punchbowl, in an attack said to be linked to his views on the bloody crackdown in Syria.
Police say he answered a knock at the door about 12.45am (AEDT) today and spoke to at least one man before he was shot and his attackers fled.
His wife and young son and daughter were inside at the time.
He was rushed to hospital and underwent surgery, but there are fears he may be permanently disabled.
It was the 20th shooting in Sydney since January 1.
Assistant Commissioner Frank Mennilli said Mr Ibrahim could be charged if he was found to have lied to police.
“Once again, we’re faced with a victim of a serious crime who says that he does not know who the person is and he has no information that can really assist investigators,” Mr Mennilli said.
“But yet we have an individual that answers a knock at the door … and walks out and opens the door and speaks to this individual.”
Jamal Daoud from the Social Justice Network refugee support group, who spoke to the family, said Mr Ibrahim had been shot over a heated Facebook debate over his support for the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.
{….}

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/sydney-shooting-linked-to-syrian-politics/story-e6frfku0-1226264062192#ixzz1lof6bNEJ

19 members of three Sunni families were stabbed to death by Alawi Shabbeha in AlSabeel Neighbourhood, which is near Ikrima, the Alawi neighbourhood.
__________________________________________________________________
The Syrian regime has committed another massacre in this area by executing 3 families. This includes 8 members of the Terkawi family, 6 members of the Mheeni family and 5 members of the Alzamel family. Alsabeel neighborhood:
08/02/2012
http://www.facebook.com/SyrianRevCounUniHoms#!/photo.php?fbid=248143581931493&set=a.159071740838678.40760.158452524233933&type=1&theater

Just in: new Assad reform
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEnAMMbiYko&feature=player_embedded#!
.

229. Hi Juergen:
((Revlon, just read the account of one Homsi who fled to lebanon. he said that people in Homs suspect that the syrian army has mobile phone detecters which detect lebanese mobile phones or satellite phones and then target those areas where they detected such signals. I never heard that nowadays such detecters can work on a artillery scale, what do you think?))

I have no idea whether that is technically feasable.
But come to think of it, the death of the late French Journalist in Homs might actually be a case in support of that claim.
His targeting by a morter shell could have been guided by his own mobile phone signal!

The Russians have used mobile phone signals to target Checnian fighters.
An upgrade technology thereof as well as expert Russian assistance migh have been part of the latest Russian urgent campaign to rescue the regime by finishing off the activists.

Hilarious ….Forcing Azan on people inside meeting. Great democracy.

Revlon
Thank you for your reply.

230. jad, The opposition ‘peaceful’ ‘work’ is reaching the Syrian expats communities.
Be careful of what you write on Facebook/SC, some of the ‘oppositions’ don’t understand ‘words’ and they may shoot you!
…………
Assistant Commissioner Frank Mennilli said Mr Ibrahim could be charged if he was found to have lied to police.
“Once again, we’re faced with a victim of a serious crime who says that he does not know who the person is and he has no information that can really assist investigators,” Mr Mennilli said.))

You do not read what you post do you?
Your regime supporter Guy coud have staged the attack, like your “Truth activist nayouf” did in Europe, and could face the charge of lying to the Police!
Wait until the Police issues the report!

224. Revlon

Consult your international law teacher.
Until now the regular Syria army is the legitimate army in eyes of the whole world, a large number of syrians and the international law. The deserters are the outlawed soldiers.

Outlaws or not, at least instead of sending videos of wounded and killed people to Youtube to attract sympathy, they should make a public appeal for a truce to allow the civilians who wants to leave to have that chance. If it is not accepted, then they get a better boost to their declining international popularity.
I wonder if it even worth asking for that as obviously they have no leadership and it is far more convenient for them than to let the civilians die and blame the Syrian army.
In the areas they are occupying they are responsible for the safety and security of the civilians. If they don’t facilitate their departure, they are responsible for anything that happen to them.

Jerusalem,

I guess you don’t speak Arabic, because if you did you would have seen and heard what the speaker of the House had to say, and heard the support the speaker received while the fool MP was being made to sit down by his fellow party members.

So yes Democracy how great it really is.

227. ann said:

How many of these have recognized the skunk SNC?

#218 Juergen

“Friends in Damascus say Homs is the city of ghosts”

What were you expecting? One of these promised massive demonstrations under the protection of the FSA?

Syria at War: Free Syrian Army vs. Assad Loyalists and Oppo Group
By RANIA ABOUZEID | Time.com – Mon, Feb 6, 2012
http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-splintered-opposition-running-war-against-regime-181500950.html
…..
General Mustafa al-Sheikh, the highest-ranking breakaway to date, has gone further, telling a British newspaper that President Assad’s army is just weeks away from collapsing. Few would concur.

Perhaps that is because Sheikh and As’aad are rivals. On Sunday, the general announced the formation of the High Syrian Council for the Liberation of Syria, a move that is likely to cement a split within the armed opposition, given that the FSA’s deputy commander Colonel Malik Kurdi told TIME Sheikh’s move was nothing short of “a knife in the back of the revolution.”

“We were surprised by this,” Kurdi said by phone from Turkey. “General Sheikh defected and did not join us. He announced this council — it’s his business. We have nothing to do with it. We don’t know anything about it or its aims, but we question its formation at this point. We think it’s an attempt to split the armed opposition.”

It is debatable whether the FSA’s leadership in Turkey serves anything more than a p.r. function — a source for media and Western diplomats — without real command of FSA fighters on the ground. Now a separate and rival authority under General Sheikh is likely to confuse things in an already disunited opposition front, even as Assad escalates his attacks and takes an ever higher daily death toll.

….

Syrians don’t have to look far to see how militias, especially those with a sectarian hue, can ravage a country: neighboring Lebanon and Iraq are bloody examples of that. They are also examples of the price proxy wars can extract from a local population. The international battle lines over Syria are clearly drawn. Russia and Iran continue to politically back and arm Assad, while Qatar is leading the Arab charge against the regime, along with Turkey, the U.S., France and other Western powers.

There is much talk that Qatar — which financed, armed and trained Libya’s rebels — may do the same for Syria’s. Kurdi wouldn’t state whether that had moved from notion to fact, saying only that the FSA needed weapons to “at least make us on par with the regime.”

#236 makeup company name
You don’t even understand anything you read Shekihan, Do you?

[NOTE — please address commentators by Syria Comment nickname ]

Bronco
They wont stop, they want to see more people killed to use there miseries to promote more violence and blood.
‘Civilian’ don’t have any rights in those terrorists areas, they are merely means for propaganda use nothing more.

What could be the purpose of that visit?
Gaza Hamas chief to visit Iran this week: officials
AFP 6 hrs ago

http://news.yahoo.com/gaza-hamas-chief-visit-iran-week-officials-133607394.html
The Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismael Haniya, is on Friday to make a visit to Iran, which is celebrating the anniversary of its 1979 Islamic revolution, Iranian government officials said.

The Palestinian was to be received by Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the officials said, without giving other details or the duration of the visit.

Media said Haniya would hold talks with Iranian officials and receive an honorary degree from Tehran University.
{..}

Bronco @195

You evaded the question.  I am not talking about southern Lebanon.  I am specifically talking about theالضاحية الجنوبية in Beirut under Israeli air bombardment in July 2006.  Theالضاحية الجنوبية  is a civilian neighborhood in Beirut and it hosts the headquarter of HA.  

What is the difference between the air bombardment ofالضاحية الجنوبية  by the Israelis and the shelling and bombardment of Homs by Assad?  In both cases, there are no balance of power, a monstrous killing machine (please allow the phrase this time) targeting a civilian area that is defended by light weapon- equipped fighters.

The FSA fighters main goal is to protect the peaceful demonstration the Homsis chose to have.  The FSA is supported by the people as we all saw every Friday.  Bashar al Assad made a decision to subdue Homs, the capital of the Syrian revolution once and for all to silence the revolution.  He is indiscriminately shelling Homs.  He should’ve warned and provided shelter to the Homsi who want to escape in advance.  He carries full responsibility for yet another war crime.

The  FSA relation to the Syrian people is very similar to Hamas relation to the Palestinian in Gaza.  Survey of Palestinians in Gaza after Gaza war blamed Israel, not Hamas for war crimes and rightly so.  

I find one difference between Assad bombardment of Homs and the Israelis bombardment of Gaza and Beirut.  It is perpetrated by our own people.            

So this is what we’re not seeing in Syria today, but that which took place among Iran’s military during its revolution in early ’79:

http://www.farsnews.com/imgrep.php?nn=13901118001642

Note defecting Iran Army soldiers with their BTR-60 APCs, as well as Iran Air Force officers saluting the new regime figure head at the time, Imam Khomeini.

Today in Syria, what we continue to see are collections of military renegades engaged in acts of ambush and sabotage. Their rallying points appear, for the most part, to be on the periphery of the country. And I’ve yet to see any formation larger than platoon strength, or armored vehicles under their command.

@ 245 Tara: “The FSA relation to the Syrian people is very similar to Hamas relation to the Palestinian in Gaza. Survey of Palestinians in Gaza after Gaza war blamed Israel, not Hamas for war crimes and rightly so. ”

For crying out loud. How can you make this comparison? have you lost all decency?

The Israelis occupied all of Palestine and cornered millions of Palestinians in small territories like Gaza, stole their land, sanctioned and cut off their supplies and life lines and harassed them and bombed them with phosphorous.. The palestinians are trapped there with nowhere to go..

On the other hand.. the criminals in the so-called FSA have come from all over Syria to take Homs as their base. Not only from all over Syria.. but from as far as Libya as a Libyan facebook group clearly shows them morning their dead in Baba Amer today. These people have occupied OUR Syrian city and taken its people hostage. They have killed Syrian policemen and soldiers.. Yet for 10 months the Syrian authorities have practiced utmost restraint and allowed however wanted to leave to do so. What is left is now a fight with the terrorists.

Big difference. However compares this with Israel is nothing but an agent of this disgusting entity called Israel. no one else can make such an awful comparison.

#245 Tara

Most civilians who wanted to leave the Dahia,left. Nobody was held against his/her will and the roads that were not bombed by the Israelis were open. Civilians were encouraged to leave.
Your comparison does not work at all, drop it.
Also comparing the FSA to Hezbollah is a real insult.
You are making the fight in Homs appear like a fight between the good and the bad and heroic like Fort Alamo.
The FSA does not even control its militias in Homs, it is a shameful chaos and the civilians are paying the price.
The whole situation resembles much more the Nahr al Bared bombardment by the Lebanese army that latest a couple of months.

Let the FSA show they have guts and call for a truce (if they exist in Homs) to save the civilians they so wanted to protect, then we can discuss the matter again.
If they don’t, then they are fully responsible for the death of the civilians in the areas they control.

Drugged UAE terrorists from Homs

Erdogan black and white view of the choice for the Turks future generation:

Is your child a devout Muslim or a drug addict?
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/PrintNews.aspx?PageID=383&NID=13241
…
Therefore, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s now officially proclaimed objective of “raising devout generations… which embrace our historic principles” is no surprise to this columnist.

In response to criticism, Mr. Erdoğan asked: “Should we, instead, raise homeless drug addicts?” Sadly, in the prime minister’s world, a non-devout child is a homeless drug addict. But never mind.

Mr. Erdoğan’s goal is problematic on two grounds. First, how should the prime minister describe devoutness? Is it simply “what I, the prime minister, understand of devoutness?” But would a lady who abstains from pork, does not wear a headscarf, prays five a day, fasts during Ramadan but drinks alcohol qualify? Or a man who does not drink alcohol but eats pork?

Would a Muslim who observes all dietary prohibitions, prays regularly, fasts, has visited Mecca 10 times but cheats, steals and does injustice to others qualify? Who is authorized to judge? Which mortal could have the license to measure other people’s devoutness? How would the Muslim-meter respond to a query that spots no pork but finds immodesty? No alcohol but injustice? Or vice versa?

And second, “raising generations that will embrace our historic principles” may be even more problematic. Which historic principles does Mr. Erdoğan want to raise generations to embrace? Military raids and the occupation of other nations’ lands? Making non-Muslims second-class citizens in occupied territories? Sultans with harems? Alcohol-drinking caliphs? Endless wars? Generations who wholeheartedly believe in the supremacy of the Sunni Muslim Turk?

How, if Mr. Erdoğan’s declared social engineering works, would the devout generations who embrace our historic principles treat the not-so-devout generations who judge our historic principles in all objectivity? It’s not so hard to guess… It is precisely for these reasons why secular Turks have viewed Mr. Erdoğan and his ideology with deep suspicion.

Mr. Erdoğan has every right, as a father, to raise devout children who embrace our historic principles. But he has no right in setting social policy so that every Turkish child is raised to become devout and nationalistically conservative.

As Cem Toker, chairman of the Liberal Party, said: “The prime minister is paid to rule the country, not people’s hearts and minds… It is not a concern for those who run the country to see who is devout and who is an atheist.”
…..

Solitarius

I don’t remember you well. Have we talked before? I think you are the same guy who once told me I sound like a grandma who watches too much LBC or something. Yes?

Soli, a murderer is a murderer is a murderer no matter where he come from. A victim is a victim is a victim no matter where he lives.

Did Assad’s military give warning to civilians in Khalidia, Baba Amr and Inshaat to vacate the areas because they are going to start shelling them? Did they set up refugee camps for them to relocate to and transportation to get them out?

No. The regime said the violence, all the rockets and fire that’s killing dozens of people a day, is from armed gangs. The entire regime is a criminal organization which has supported terrorists abroad and tortured Syrians for decades.

Menhebaks are cheering the death and destruction, which is disgusting. From the first day you blamed the deaths of protesters on armed gangs and called them terrorists. Every day that you continue this position amplifies the hate and moves us further from a solution.

But the truth is we have different views of this solution. Menhebaks want the final solution, constantly calling for the hasm askari and striking with an iron fist. Assad is delivering on your demands. Our sole demand, freedom, is still deferred.

Bronco@250

Bronco, I am in my thirties. It makes me smile when you talk to me like a school child, especially when you use a monotonous emotion in the face of a boiling mixture of anger, rage, and sorrow. As a matter of fact, I am used to entirely the opposite where all sort of people from all sort of social strata take my opinion very seriously. Nevertheless, I don’t mind your style at all..

Anyhow, I will “drop” this particular conversation as you suggested. it is not going anywhere. I guess history when it pins down Homs massacre, it will validate either your opinion or mine… that of course if we believe in history.

I am still working on a reply to a previous post.

Halabi #254

“Did Assad’s military give warning to civilians in Khalidia, Baba Amr and Inshaat to vacate the areas because they are going to start shelling them?”

These areas have been under the illegal control (‘protection’) of the militias for a while, the regular army had no access to them and no way to evacuate the civilians trapped there unless the militias asked for it.
It is the responsibility of the militias to ask for a truce so they can vacate the civilians to a safer zone.
Did they even tried? Did they ever think about that?

By ignoring the civilian safety and keeping them as hostages and human shields they are acting not as noble revolutionist but as common terrorists.

#255

“As a matter of fact, I am used to entirely the opposite where all sort of people from all sort of social strata take my opinion very seriously.”

I am glad I had the privilege of challenging that.

Russia says it offers alternative path to peace in Syria
http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-offers-alternative-path-peace-syria-173229598.html
…..
Some Russian experts argue that the Russian initiative is doomed because key players – mainly the US and the Arab League – are determined to see Assad removed in order to destroy Syria’s alliance with Iran, and they will not accept any outcome that falls short of that result.

“Even if Lavrov and Assad could agree to a democratic transition, we will not see a favorable response from the opposition, and we’ll continue to see the US dismiss any chance of peaceful dialogue working,” says Dmitry Suslov, an expert with the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, an influential, independent Moscow think tank.

“The US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia see in this Syrian mess a chance to break Damascus’s alliance with Iran, and see that as an important precondition to isolating Iran. It’s much bigger than just Syria,” he says.

“This is very much the official Russian view of what’s going on, and that’s why Moscow holds out little hope that its diplomatic initiatives will succeed. The West will tell the opposition not to participate, and the violence will escalate. Ultimately, this is all about Iran,” says Mr. Suslov.

#257…Bronco

“I am glad I had the privilege of challenging that.”

Anyone can attempt…successfully or unsuccessfully!  Credit is not due unless we agreed on the success.

Do you not like the name Tara? Should I change it to another name.. say…Reem? or Hatahet?

Bronco

No one is trapped. I haven’t heard anything about people trying to leave Homs and being blocked by the “militias.” If you have evidence of this please post it.

Shelling cities to capture or kill lightly armed “militias” is what a terrorist army does. Collective punishment is not justified.

Egypt’s PM says US threats to cut aid won’t work – 1 hr 22 mins ago

http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-pm-says-us-threats-cut-aid-wont-151508098.html

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt refused to back down Wednesday in a dispute with the U.S. over Cairo’s crackdown on nonprofit groups despite Washington’s threats to cut aid, while the military deployed troops to the nation’s streets after a surge in violence and protests against its rule.

Egypt’s official MENA news agency said the army was deploying more troops to reinforce the police, restore security and state “prestige.” The move comes in the wake of a deadly soccer riot last week that sparked days of clashes between the police and protesters. At least 89 people were killed in a week of violence.

U.S. officials, analysts say Syria intervention unlikely, as Pentagon mulls options – 2 hrs 12 mins ago

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/envoy/u-policymakers-analysts-syria-intervention-unlikely-pentagon-mulls-185949542.html

Even as top American officials say they have no plans for military intervention in Syria, the Pentagon is reportedly reviewing its options for involvement as the death toll continues to mount in Syria’s country’s ten-month crackdown.

Still, American officials and analysts said talk of any Libya-style military intervention in Syria is highly premature.

“Obama, Rice, Clinton have ruled out military intervention,” former Pentagon Syria and Lebanon analyst David Schenker told Yahoo News Wednesday. Reports that the Pentagon is reviewing Syria options “make it sound like they are doing something. It doesn’t strike me as a serious threat” to use force, he said.

“The Pentagon is constantly reviewing plans, taking plans off the shelf, looking at them, honing them, updating them,” Schenker continued.

“Syria is a lot more complicated,” Schenker said, noting its borders with Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, and Israel, and its stockpile of anti-aircraft weapons.

“It would be a far more complex operation. And you have to take into account the concerns of whether this would complicate matters for Jordan’s King Abdullah,” among other factors, he added.
.

260. Halabi said:
“No one is trapped. I haven’t heard anything about people trying to leave Homs and being blocked by the “militias.”

You obviously have no clue or even imagination of what must be the terror of the civilians in the areas occupied by the militias. Unless there is a truce and they are protected, no one will attempt to move from where he/she is hiding. It is up to the militias to act.
They are not ‘blocked’ by the militias but the militias are not helping them to get out and ignoring them as they prefer to continue their ‘noble’ resistance at the costs of innocent lives.

Aktham Suliman the german correspondent of Al Jazeera made an interview with the german inforadio station.

I dont share his view, but i think its worthwhile to share that not all aljazeera reporters seem to have the same opinion about Syria.

In the interview he said that:

-there are deaths caused by both sides, and no political perspective is put out by the opposition nor the west
-it is true to 50% what the west is saying, but there is also an other 50% of what is not true, the west just shows the side they want to hear, the one which is against Assad
-same applies to the regime, 50% of what they say its a lie
-if the west wants to justify an war, then it is clear why we see all this violence and the killing
-why has the west tried on the backs of the syrians to get a vote in the security council if it was obvious that they would not get it through
-you have to include those countries with influence in syria to solve the problem, its China and Russia
-he hopes that Lavrov came to Syria with an solution which would include European and US views, he hopes that Lavrov does not make the same mistake the west did when they asked for an vote of just their version
-it does not matter if Assad stays or not, all this time we hear that if only Assad would step aside then there would be peace, and that is not true. In reality this country of 25 mio people is at the brink of an civil war.

the interview is in german

http://www.inforadio.de/programm/schema/sendungen/redezeit/201202/169738.html

Today we learned that terrorists don’t like ‘Education’ and now we are learning that they don’t like SPORT either, they blow up the gymnasium/sport arena in Alarastan:
“مجموعة إرهابية مسلحة تفجر مبنى الصالة الرياضية بمدينة الرستن في ريف حمص دون وقوع ضحايا”

#264 Juergen

That is generous of you to share exceptionally an opinion diametrally opposed to yours… is it because he is German?

Please don’t throw flowers on Al Jazeera yet. Let’s wait to see that correspondant making the same declarations on Al Jazeera TV.

Irritated

I know that he is Syrian, i dont know if he holds a german passport.

194. TARA said:

“Dear Bronco,

You are touching a tender tendon. I am working half a day today. I really want to explore this further after work so see you then.”

I may be late here as you may have already wasted this half day writing circular arguments, but I would like to suggest that you spend this half day or another half day for that matter, reading history and get to know your faith a bit more. I have a few suggestions if you are interested.

192. irritated wrote on the ruthless liar-adviser Miss Jaafari:

“I find nothing unusual in the emails. I guess Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, CNN and BBC if hacked would have even more fascinating ones. I guess this is the normal job of a professional PR.
In any case if Haaretz is the only reference, I would be a bit suspicious”

Two things. One, what’s the BBC and CNN etc got to do with what we are talking about? Jaafaari is another situation and planet altogether. We are talking about her role in the BIG LIE here, the historical denial on a world stage by a dictator, war criminal and probable genocidist, which is that the Syrian regime had not killed any Syrian people and there are no Syrians opposing the government, only foreign infiltrators.

Second, if those sickening emails were all an Israeli forgery, Miss Jaafari would have made vehement denials and the media would have trumpeted them. This revelation has permanently destroyed her credibility and acceptance in the west, and probably her right to live there. Plus helped seal her father’s post-Assad fate.

She now has the stain of the Syrian regime permanently on her face and passport, which will in future make her unwelcome in any civilized country. Again, if she was wrongly linked to those emails why isn’t she using her PR spin skills for front page denials and telling her story on TV to Barbara Walters?

BILD is the leading newspaper in Germany when it comes to sales, its a mix out of News of the world and sun, widely read sometimes a bit nasty. They have a writer who writes open letters to everyone and everything,so this time he choosed to address Asma Al Assad

Dear Asma al-Assad,
“Vogue,” described you as “A Rose in the Desert”, glamorous, young and very chic. You are the wife of the butcher of Syria.
You wear shoes and bags from Christian Louboutin (10 000 euros). You are befriended with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Her husband shoots his own people. Homs is the third largest city of Syria, it is supposed to be a lake of blood, even children were massacred.
I do not understand your love for the butcher. You are born in London, your father is a famous Syrian cardiac surgeon. You have studied French literature and computer science.
You have two degrees . You got your first job at Deutsche Bank. You are the most modern woman I can imagine, multilingual, English, German, French.
I wonder how one can a wise, wonderful woman embrace a murderer. How can you kiss a murderer.
Is love stronger than murder? I get sick by this thought. Eva Braun also kissed Hitler.
Sincerely,
F. J. Wagner

http://www.bild.de/news/standards/franz-josef-wagner/post-von-wagner-22536766.bild.html

Jeurgen

I get sick by the thought too.

Juergen

“F. J. Wagner”

I don’t know who this person is but she needs serious psychological help.
BILD is TABLOID. I congratulate you for your choice of readings.

107. SANDRO LOEWE said :

Obama doesn’t care shit what happens to Homs, anyway he is convinced by the pro-regime opposition that FSA is infiltrated by Al Qaida and that Homs is crawling with Al Qaida. Trust me, Obama is fully convinced that negotiations can start only after the FSA has been totally eradicated, which means not until the end of this decade atleast.

#265 Syria lover

“Two things. One, what’s the BBC and CNN etc got to do with what we are talking about? Jaafaari is another situation and planet altogether. We are talking about her role in the BIG LIE here”,

First I am exactly talking about the BIG LIE too that these medias are carrying that ALL syrians want Bashar out, ALL Syrians hate him, that ALL Syrians love the SNC etc.. etc…

Second please leave Mrs Jaafari manage her own life and career and don’t dump your hysteria on any one disagreeing with YOUR TRUTH

Juergen

Your favorite reading and the one that you say most germans enjoy is also in English, let your fans on SC enjoy it too.
Latest title:.
BILD LOVES NEW-YORK

http://www.bild.de/news/bild-english/bild-com/home-19858064.bild.html

[NOTE — please do not personalize discussion ]

In Egypt the American University is accused of being a tool in the hand of the USA to plot against Egypt

http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-wants-government-sacked-144416002.html

…
Just days before a general strike called by protesters goes into effect, another U.S.-affiliated institution, the American University in Cairo, came under scrutiny and accusation by the military rulers as an instigator of unrest.

A Facebook page affiliated with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces hinted that the university, operating in Egypt since 1919, was the latest tool of the U.S. administration and its security agencies to weaken Egypt. The site is not the official page of the council, but often reflects its views.

AUC students had announced they will be taking part in the rolling general strike starting Saturday. The Facebook page said university students are campaigning for the strike, implementing a foreign plot with Egyptian hands. Most of the university students are upper class Egyptians.

“Is the American University in Cairo one of the tools of the U.S. administration and its different security agencies to work inside the country and take part in the plot to topple Egypt and occupy it by 2015,” the statement said.

Lavrov expects Turkey to convince the FSA ( not the SNC ?) to enter into negotiations with Bashar Al Assad

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-last-ditch-efforts-.aspx?pageID=449&nID=13404&NewsCatID=425
….
Reading between the lines of a pile of rather confusing reports on the Erdoğan-Medvedev conversation and Lavrov’s talk with al-Assad, it becomes obvious that he asked Erdoğan and other Western leaders elsewhere to use their clout to convince both al-Assad and the rebel Free Syrian Army to engage in meaningful and probably proxy negotiations aimed at reaching a compromise resolution along the lines of the Arab League’s November plan.