Rebels in Syria suffer losses on two fronts

Taimur Khan
Mar 3, 2013

NEW YORK // The Syrian army claimed yesterday to have recaptured a vital motorway leading to Aleppo as Washington’s latest offer of support for the opposition has led to questions over its commitment to supporting the rebels.

The loss of the motorway, which links the city of Hama with Aleppo’s international airport, would be a major blow for the rebels and could alter the balance in the months-long battle for Syria’s largest city.

Troops carried out special operations in towns and villages along the road, restoring stability there and at the airport, the Syrian Army’s general command said in a statement on the Syrian state-run Sana news agency.

The setback for the rebels came after John Kerry, the US secretary of state, announced on Thursday that Washington would for the first time provide direct, non-lethal aid such as food and medical supplies to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) as well as increase by US$60 million (Dh220m) its efforts to help the western-backed political bloc provide services in rebel-held areas.

Far from being the game-changer he had promised, Mr Kerry’s announcement shows that the US still has no coherent strategy for breaking the war’s bloody stalemate, which may alienate its rebel allies, Syria observers said.

“What the US has done might make the situation worse,” said Marina Ottaway, a senior Middle East scholar at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center think tank. “He promised not to let the rebels dangle in the wind, but in reality he offered very little and the US is certainly going to pay the price for that.”

The FSA and its political wing, the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), could write off the US as a source of support, she added and “the US will have no influence in the end”.

– See more at: http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/rebels-in-syria-suffer-losses-on-two-fronts#sthash.9n4vnAq0.dpuf

Israel is using any opportunity to undermine Turkey’s relation with the USA so as to pressure Erdogan to return to Israel’s side.
Erdogan is so impregnated of his role of the defender of the oppressed Sunnis that he sometimes gets carried away…

Telephone conversation with US President Barack Obama
http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/news/5070

Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the United States of America Barack Obama on the American side’s initiative.

The Presidents engaged in a detail discussion on issues of bilateral cooperation, as well as a range of current international problems. Their discussion was constructive in nature. The two leaders stressed the fundamental significance of the cooperation between Russia and the United States in assuring stability throughout the world.

Both sides expressed readiness to work actively on developing mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in all areas. Vladimir Putin highlighted the importance of increasing trade and economic ties, whose levels do not correspond to the two nations’ potential.

The two Presidents agreed to work closely on hot-button international topics pertaining to Syria, the Middle East peace process, Iran, North Korea, and ballistic missile defence plans. In discussing the Syrian crisis, the President of Russia noted the need to rapidly bring an end to hostilities. The leaders instructed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry to continue active contacts and to focus on developing possible new initiatives aimed at a political settlement of the crisis.

The two leaders expressed a common desire to avoid any steps that could impact negatively on their bilateral relations.

Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his invitation for Barack Obama to come to Russia on an official visit.

The two sides came to an agreement that the Presidents would have a bilateral meeting during the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

Qatar taking advantage of bankrupted Egypt

Egypt’s finance ministry proposes renting out pyramids

http://rt.com/news/egypt-pyramids-renting-proposal-718/

The Gulf state of Qatar reportedly expressed interest in renting Egypt’s landmarks for five years for $200 billion, according to Al Arabiya.

 
Luckily, Russian communist bandits are here to save humanity.
 

Who is flying to Aleppo International airport?

I just checked Al Alam from Iran and they had a picture of the entrance of the airport with sandbags and blast walls around it and it is deserted.

The regime has lost the initiative some time ago. It remains reactive and has not had any strategy except to keep the road to the coastline open by concentrating on Homs Rastan Qusayr.

On the political front there is now a green light from the US to go ahead and arm the rebels. Everyone is hiding behind “non lethal” aid. That does not prevent the Turks and others from supplying them with real weapons.

Kerry is going to change things on the ground to show the stupid prethident that the time of escalating violence is over.

Russia is now desperate for talks. Iran is talking about Athad staying till 2014. This means he is gone after 2014 to them. He is no longer a viable option even to the Iranians.

The drummer boy in Tehran came begging for support and the boy prethident sent his witch to India as if India is going to give him any money or print his currency without dollars or gold.

I love it when Zoo grabs at straws. It reminds me of Hitler in his bunker conducting factitious armies on an imaginary battle field.

Other news now :
1. The regime is making new ID cards for the Alawi officers with their place of birth in Sunni villages

2. Alawi officers are negotiating with the FSA their safety and that of their families if they defect.

3. Darraya is still off limits and Jobar is gone.

4. Maliki is hollering for help.

5. The Kurds have negotiated the best deal for themselves with all the forces around them.

Ban and the Green man are offering to mediate. It is tooooooooooooooooo late.

As Saif Asdak anba’an min al kutubi fi haddih al hadd bayn al jadd wa llaibi

It smells good these days.

Observer don’t drink the rat Kool-Aid! Syrian army is winning!!

156. revenire said:

Juergen in the 2014 elections who do you see that might have a chance to beat Assad?

 
It’s beginning to crystallize that 2013 is the year that CNN will broadcast the horrific images of Assad’s corpse. So we only have to guess the date.

This means the 2014 election is canceled, much like Hugo Chavez’ presidential six-year term is a non-starter.
 

I would like to thank Dr. Landis for this invaluable interview in which he made it clear from the widely watched al-Jazeera media, and in plain Arabic, for all Syrians and Arabs to know first hand what I have been saying here on this forum all along that the US is playing a malicious and manipulative role in this global war against dictators that is being fought in Syria. After this interview with a pundit like Landis more and more Syrians and Arabs will know the truth about America and they will become dependent upon themselves and the Nusra, Ahrar and other holy warriors in order to achieve the goals of this sacred war. More and more Syrians and Arabs would want to become Nusra or Ahrar fighters after watching this candid interview of Dr. Landis.

On the other hand, despite the help of the majoosi-safawi stooges in Iraq, and despite the numeous crimes against humanity committed by the crimnal aircraft of the criminal regime occupying Damascus, our holy wariors of the Nusra and their helpers from the FSA retook the Ya’aroubia crossing at the border with Iraq after sending to the lowest pit of hell hordes of criminal thugs from both sides of the border. In addition, our brothers from the great Shummar (شمر) tribe across the border in Iraq have declared a general call to arms and sent a stern warning to the majoosi stooge (Maliki) declaring that his gangs of criminals will become the targets of their holy war if they do not get the hell out from their lands at the border close to Ya’aroubia.

In addition, our holy Nusra fighters are currently involved in hand to hand combat inside the police academy in Aleppo, housing 2000 criminal thugs, in an effort to cleanse the city of the last vestige of occupation by the criminal gangsters of the regime of thuggocracy. General commander, Idriss, has recently issued to these thugs a last plea to surrender in order to spare their lives warning them that the storming of the academy is imminent and he cannot guarantee their safety if they do not surrender. Since the fighting is now underway inside the academy, we must conclude this will be a fight to the finish and more of these thugs will be sent to Jahannam which we have been made, with good reasons, to assume is crying thus: هل من مزيد

The Americans haven’t made any fuss about their leader having had a telephone conversation with Putin. Russian agents on the forum can’t stop talking about it. Tactics of third rate powers showing they are important.

Here is a group of non Syrian Jihadis blowing up a religious shrine in a Syrian village. Notice how stupid they are when rocks from the blown building hit them. They are laughing and screaming Allahu Akbar while destroying ….

What comes around, goes around. No different then what the regime does.

With the whole respect to Joshua, the argument that islamists will fight Israel is not supported by facts, rebel leaders who made statements about Israel and Jerusalem did so out of political idiocy thinking that those statements will win them popular support, Islamist thugs have been on the rise since the 1980s and the only thing they did was to fight NATO troops where NATO was an occupying power and to kill thousands of Muslims in every country they have an access to, Israel was spared by every Islamist group except the few that are supported by Iran and Syria, the GCC in particular will not give a penny to any group that will direct its guns towards Israel. Islamists were also engaged in terrorism against civilians in the US and the EU, by the time islamists start to look at Israel the Arab and Muslim world will be a collection of failed states.
Islamist rebels were almost always used to attack political enemies of NATO but they will not be allowed to ascend to power, they are paid prostitutes who have a “job” to do but their clients do not want to take them as friends, even the GCC is starting to turn against them as soon as they start to get bigger.

Dearborn, Michigan shabi7a have way too much time on their hands…

Maliki is behaving stupid,he is supporting Assad militarily,by fighting the rebels in Yaaropiyeh,he is sending trucks loaded with Shiite soldiers to fight Syrians,Iran had 144 mig jets ,defected to Iran at the time of Saddam they were sent to Syria to replace what Bashar lost (downed by thr Rebels) .
I think agression by Iraq is going to backfire,Maliki is not ready for a fight,Sunnis in Iraq will cause him trouble,he is runing corrupt regime in Iraq,while his sect are prospering,most Sunnis are turning poor,if Iraqees revolt, he has no chance,Iraq is still under 7th chapter.
Arab League must convene and denounce Iraq agression, It is easy to arm Iraqees,

ذكر المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان أن “فلسطينيين اثنين شنقا على أيدي مقاتلين سوريين معارضين في مخيم اليرموك للاجئين في جنوب دمشق، بعد اتهامهما بالتعامل مع النظام السوري”.
وقال المرصد وفقا لوكالة الصحافة الفرنسية “اقدمت كتيبة مقاتلة في مخيم اليرموك على إعدام رجلين اثنين متهمين بالتعامل مع النظام السوري، وعلقتهما على الاشجار في دوار فلسطين في المخيم”.
فيما أوضح مصدر فلسطيني داخل المخيم، أن “عملية الشنق تمت في حارة الجبهة مقابل مقهى الأهرام بالقرب من دوار فلسطين”.
the rebels are now killing palestinians.
aksalser and other opposition sites confirmed the killing.

Majedkhaldoun ever heard the story of the Three Little Pigs?

“Little pig, little pig, let me come in.”
“No, no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.”
“Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down.”

That’s your story.

Iraq is fine. The US liberated it from Saddam remember? They had elections and the people have spoken.

Iran sent more than 144 old MIGs to its ally Syria. The US and their rats will never destroy Syria.

Sunday Times-UK:

AFTER 23 months of a conflict that has ripped his country apart, the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, was in no mood to contemplate giving up the fight and going into exile.
“No patriotic person will think about living outside his country. I am like any other patriotic Syrian,” he said in an interview last week, when I asked if he would leave to improve the prospects for peace. In any case, he said, it was nonsense to suggest that the conflict was about the president and his future.
“If this argument is correct, then my departure will stop the fighting. Clearly this is absurd, and recent precedents in Libya, Yemen and Egypt bear witness to this.”
(Assad’s departure will not end the war but his presence is making it harder to end the war, he needs to form a team to negotiate with the opposition and as soon as an agreement is reached and a PM is agreed on Assad should step down and allow Syrians to fight a political battle instead of killing each other)

His resignation would indeed end the war. Regimes like his don’t survive without the big kahuna. If Bashar abandoned ship, everyone else in the party would also fold.

Problem is, he doesn’t care to end the war. His idea of fun is: shoot some missiles into his own cities, and then be killed along with his family.

Same as Muammar & Sayf Qaddafi, they clearly had the option of retiring as millionaires.

Now 70,000 have died because 1 person didn’t feel like moving his ass out of a chair.

For more than eleven years, Israel has been wildly celebrating the success of its 9/11 operation against the United States of America. The latest example: Israeli children recently dressed up as the burning Twin Towers, complete with impaled exploding airplanes, to celebrate the bizarre Jewish holiday known as Purim. – See more at:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/03/01/291462/israel-celebrates-successful-911attacks/

1. ZOOZOOZOO

“Rebels in Syria suffer losses on two fronts”

You claim to be a Pakistani, zoo boy, and you don’t understand a single thing about chaos. Your so-called country was born in chaos. Sheesh!

Understand this! The Opposition doesn’t have to win a single battle to win the civil war. All they have to do is keep a force (or forces) in the field and compel the Regime to defend its territory. And as the regime does so, its troops get battered. Most of the time, they win these encounters. The Opposition troops melt away into the mist, leaving behind their dead and wounded.

But those dead and wounded get replaced for the next fight. There are lots of people who have a score to settle with the Assad Mafia. The Regime dead don’t get replaced. No one in Syria wants to fight for Bashar, Asma and their little brats.

One thing you and the other Regime toadies have not counted: the number of funerals in the Alawi villages in the hills above Latakia. All those body bags coming home for burial must be taking a heavy toll on the Bashar supporters on the ground in Syria…

A New Bashar Cartoon:

http://rampantfreedom.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/assad-corner2.gif

Assad is so confident he’s driving around without bodyguards and driving himself! He’s got BIG BRASS ONES boys!!

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/bullying-britain-fanning-the-flames-in-syria-warns-bashar-al-assad/story-fnb64oi6-1226589339545

I WAS waiting in a first-floor reception room at Al-Muhajireen palace, a relatively modest building where Assad often works, away from the grandeur of the main presidential palace, when I was told to look out of the window. An ordinary black saloon car with tinted windows was coming up the drive.

I realised it could be the president but I was surprised to see him emerging not from a rear door opened by a chauffeur, but from the driver’s seat. He was the only person in the vehicle and there was no sign of a security convoy.

It was explained to me that despite regular explosions, Assad insists on maintaining a normal lifestyle including – to his security chief’s dismay – driving to the office in the morning. He has apparently told his security men that if ever he has to wear a flak jacket to move around Damascus, he might as well step down.

I think you guys overestimate the power of Assad as an individual, I have no doubt that Assad supporters will find a replacement to him if he is gone, I indeed think that Assad’s stubbornness is more helpful for the opposition than his own supporters, anti Assad camp will have to find another target to stone as soon as the guy is gone and that will not be easy because Assad’s enemies focused too much on the man and personalized the conflict. Do you really think that Islamist rebels and Syrian army officers will suddenly fall in love as soon as Assad falls?
For two years the only theme was toppling Assad and killing as many regime supporters as possible as if the conflict is about who can kill more enemy troops than the other side, all calls for dialogue and compromise fell on deaf ears due to Assad’s family belief that the throne They stole is god given and the rebels belief that god wants them to kill their way out to reach the presidential palace.
كلكم بتحبوا سوريا ما شالله بس الحب تبعكم جحيشي كما يقول الشاعر

Apparently Christian missionaries should form militias armed with RPGs if they want to avoid being arrested by the Libyan authorities.
Somewhat significantly this is taking place in Benghazi, where the law enforcement authorities are supposedly helpless when it comes to Ansar Al-Sharia, which has returned to Benghazi, but are quite capable of arresting Christian Copts.
source: Front Page Magazine (less known right leaning site)
(killers of US Amb to Libya are still at large)

24. GHUFRAN

“missionaries should form militias armed with RPGs to avoid being arrested by the Libyan authorities”

What does this have to do with toppling Assad?

SOHR:
محافظة الرقة ::انسحبت القوات النظامية من سجن الرقة المركزي الواقع شمال مدينة الرقة وذلك بعد اشتباكات عنيفة استمرت لعدة ايام ووردت انباء ليل السبت عن سيطرة مقاتلين من جبهة النصرة وكتائب اخرى على السجن وتحرير مئات السجناء وتم نقل بعضهم الى مدينة تل ابيض ليتم عرضهم على الهيئة الشرعية وتتعرض مناطق عند اطراف مدينة الرقة للقصف من قبل القوات النظامية
aksalser said that 1600 prisoners were released. There is no way to verify who was released and what percentage of those were common criminals, rebels usually give guns and food to able men,regardless of their crimes, and ask them to join the fight, the regime in the past also released criminals under a “presidential pardon”, only political prisoners seem to be immune to those “good deeds”.

Here’s a piece of clear thinking on why a sectarian government in posd-Assad Syria would be a sure road to repeating the worst aspects of the regime.

The author Yaman Salahi does an informed analysis of the Sunni/Shia issue in Syria, its wider context and how it is being wrongly and damagingly inserted into the current conflict.

Article:”Sectarian narratives promote troubling agendas, not justice”

The sectarian “narrative” for Syria is political propaganda that is analytically unsound and morally problematic

EXCERPTS:

It is important to show the sectarian narrative’s many logical, historical and moral shortcomings. Not only is it unneeded for opposition to the Assad regime on principle, or for holding the regime accountable for its own history of sectarianism, but it is also antithetical to the values of freedom and equality. Assad’s planes, tanks and death squads – unable to quell popular opposition despite unspeakable violence – do not threaten the future of the Syrian uprising in the way the sectarian way of thinking will if left unchecked.
—
Most threateningly to the uprising and those who want to see a better future for Syria, the sectarian narrative makes two distinct but related claims: first, it implies that Syria properly belongs to “the Sunnis” (again imagined to be homogenous rather than divided by ideology and class among other things) because “Sunnis are a majority”; and second, it implies that a “Sunni” government ruling over a “Sunni majority” is less likely to be oppressive or unjust. Amayreh’s op-ed, for example, concludes that the lesson of the Syrian experience for all “Sunni Muslims” is that “Muslim states must never allow small minorities and esoteric cults to hold the reins of power in their respective countries”, as if this were enough to guarantee justice for all.

Look no further than Syria’s neighbours to see the absurdity of this claim. It takes much more than a particular state identity to curb government abuses and ensure fair and just governance; and often, the worst injustices are perpetrated in the name of purifying or maintaining a state identity. Moreover, the use of such simplistic identities to justify war or repression against “the Other” also often functions as a cover for authoritarianism and economic policies that advantage the few at the expense of the many.

In short, the sectarian narrative comes with clear costs. It is analytically unsound, and thus cannot be the basis for smart decision-making. It is morally problematic, and thus taints the stated values of the uprising and risks causing real harm to real people. It is political propaganda, and thus functions to enable agendas not necessarily in line with the uprising’s founding values.

The sectarian narrative is not, however, an excuse for inaction, in the style of some apologists for the Assad regime. It is not the natural, inevitable outcome of the Syrian uprising, but rather the product of human action tied to particular circumstances, and moulded by certain agendas. Now is the time for people who wish for an alternative that requires neither continued authoritarianism nor communal discord to do their part.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/02/2013225165410892976.html

The job at hand comes before talking about liberating al-Quds: prise Syria from the clutches of the AsMAA then al-Jolan from Israel’s, and if our Palestinian and other Arab brothers are willing to shed their blood for al-Quds and Palestine then Syrians will be willing to pitch in. But how about we develop our country and strengthen it, make it free and able to stand on its own legs first before we take up new fights?

“For two years the only theme was toppling Assad and killing as many regime supporters as possible as if the conflict is about who can kill more enemy troops than the other side”

Here we go again! Man, some people dont give up, do they? Who the hell told you the objective was the extermination of regime supporters? For goodness’ sake, stop spraying your poison. Toppling Assad and bringing to justice all of those who have abused their authority in a regimethat had no rule of law, yes. But killing as many as possible of his supporters? Buthaina Shaaban has had your ear for too long, Mr Ghufran. But I should not be shocked looking back at the bi-polar swings we have heard from you here.

The interview with General Salim Idris posted by Joshua Landis above hints at a general issue that’s going have to be faced in post-Assad Syria.

He gives a frustrating picture of leaders of rebel units demanding and receiving arms and supplies but refusing to be be accountable for what they do with it or coordinate their efforts.

His comment “We can’t work that way” will be a needed slogan when it comes to rebuilding Syria, setting up systems to run the country and organizing programs for reconstruction.

The future of Syria will rest on the backs of guys like Idris. They are willing to do the heavy lifting, and have competence, organizational experience and a vision that makes them determined to push on.

DOLLY BUSTER #19 said: “700,000 have died [and you could add a country has been burned] all because one person didn’t feel like moving his ass out of a chair”

And just look at the ass here on this interview with the UK Sunday Times! Like a weird alien from a sci-fi comic.

Note Bashar Assad’s lisp has grown worse, gestures more limp, head even smaller, ears longer and more donkey-shaped and mustache still struggling to grow. He sits there lisping outrageous statements and lies in a feeble manner that suggests he desperately needs a shot of testosterone.

The whole world will shudder at the creepy spectacle. Hey look everyone, that’s what a real-life monster looks like.

Video of interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRTsaIChOjQ&feature=youtu.be

No patriotic person will think about living outside his country.

Forgot about Aneesa (alkhaseesa)

yet an other Bashar show

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=125228827659674

Syrian Atheist Against Dictatorships,

How come you are against the NCB but pro Hassan Abdelazeem, abdelAziz al-Khayyer?

“ليس بغريب على تلك المجموعات الإرهابية التي تكفر من لا يرتدي زيها وتقتل من يستنكر ثقافتها الدامية وتمارس ارتكاب جرائم القتل والنهب واستباحة الحرمات وانتهاك الأعراض”، لافتا إلى أن هذه “الحالة التكفيرية لتلك المجموعات تستبيح أرواح الناس وتقطع رؤوس الأطفال والنساء دون أي سبب يذكر”

http://arabic.rt.com/news/609169/ :روسيا اليوم

http://youtu.be/qZZesWADJGw?t=9s

http://youtu.be/lifik6i85rs?t=4s

Thanks CITIZEN for images illustrating what I said in #31.

If you are trying to show your support for Bashar Assad you are making a mess of it by showing those interviews.

If you were smart you would keep them hidden and forgotten. He is clearly deteriorating and losing what feeble energy he had.

It’s interesting to note that the regime supporters were bragging a few days ago that they finally got armor plating for their tanks, now the FSA received a shipment of shiny brand new anti tank weapons. Lions of Damascus take aim.

I don’t think there was anything left of that armor plated tank afterwards.

I really would like Dr. Landis to post his views on what the interview means.

When asked about the 70 000 dead, he responded by asking for names and when confronted about the boy in the Jordanian refugee camp who lost a limb; he asked if he was Syrian.

Is this for real? Is he that much detached from reality or is he so full of his own version of events that he is not seeing what is going on? Is he in charge?

It seems to me that the very mind set of this regime is that it “owns” Syria. The destruction of the country is nothing less than disposing of the slaves that dared to revolt.

The regime will only go through its own logic.

Looks like Assad’s latest interview with The Sunday Times was a very successful diplomatic and PR self-defense against the latest development. He even managed to launch a counter-attack on the West and its policy especially UK.

Assad scored one this time. No wonder some people are very unhappy about it. Assad’s words and ideas will definitely have favorable impact on British people. That is quite an achievement considered the growing frustration and hardline thinking in UK government.

Now the question is will that spark ignite some momentum to help the regime to make some political gains?

On another note this is what he said about retaliation against Israeli aggression

Assad threatens retaliations against Israel over reported air strike
‘Retaliation does not mean missile for missile or bullet for bullet. Our own way does not have to be announced,’ the Syrian President tells The Sunday Times.

So at least on this count he seems to be connected to reality.

In the meantime the prison of Raqa is liberated and the School of Police is liberated and the so called achievement of the regime army in opening the road to Aleppo if you look on the map seems to be through a side road that requires a longer detour than the actual direct highway which is blocked at this time. It is not sustainable.

So the prethident does not seem to hear that the people want the regime to go and since he is the head of the regime only the people can tell him to go?

Does he think this is a video game?

Well today again I started with the Al Alam and Manar and Mayaadeen and RT and SANA and Cham Press and Addounia and again I am sorry to say the regime is not doing well.

Mortar rounds on the army HQ but what about the airports? Who is flying into Damascus except the IRGC and even at that.

Delusion indeed with some thinking that the interview of the stupid prethident is going to sway the British public after they have had months of reporting on the use of massive air power and SS missiles and aerial bombing and torture and detentions and summary executions do the regime supporters think that they are going to come his rescue lest Nusra wins.

Last but not least, Maliki the prime minister of Iraq and the leader of the Dawa party a fundamentalist religious party is afraid of fundamentalists in Syria so that proves to me one more time that every minority wants the majority Sunnis to be secular while each of them retains its particularity with exclusive rights.

No dice. Slow systematic death of this regime is what we are seeing day in day out

The truth is in mass media, if someone’s voice is heard by the public, then there ought to be some people get to attracted to that person. If that person happens to be articulate and confident, then lots of people would take that speaker seriously and share more agreement.

As far as for the future of Syria, majority of the rebel fighters are from the bottom of the Syrian society: poor, less educated and more conservative. The regime right now has more support from the middle class and upper class.

So yes, if the war drags on longer, the more damage to Syrian social structure. Just as much as loss of lives. But damage to social structure is more detrimental and it will have much longer negative effects to the future.

Brain drain, loss of capital and loss of entrepreneurs will not bode well with the future. Contrary to those wishful thinking, regardless who will be the ”winner” in the end, the damage and repercussion will be much big than anyone can handle.

Right now, out of consideration of stopping more human loss and suffering, stop the war and save what is left.

03.03.2013 Moaz al-Chatib in Aleppo/ Manbidsch

“Mortar rounds on the army HQ but what about the airports? Who is flying into Damascus except the IRGC and even at that. ”

The Army HQ is empty stupid. It is under renovation after you terrorists damaged it last year in the famous car bombing. The current HQ has been shifted to a top secret and highly secured location. All you are killing with your mortars are poor construction workers.

And we don’t need anybody more than the IRGC. IRGC, Hezbollah is all we need.

Hogwash.

Spreading sugar on death will not make it easier for the regime is dead.

There is no such thing as a middle class; there is 100 000 rich mafiosi connected business people and the rest are in dire poverty barely making a living.

There is private schools for the top 0.1% and illiteracy for the majority of Syrians.

There is monopoly on the economy by four or five families and corruption that lands Syria in the bottom of the heap on the world stage.

The list goes on. If people think that having a nice looking TV anchor equals modernity then this is the ultimate proof that this the most nouveau riche backward inferiority complexed mafia on the face of the earth.

PR my toe.

Syrian Hamster for President.

@ 37- Another camera was out there more than yours!
I don’t think there was anything left of that armor plated tank afterwards.
the answer to a stupid commentators opinion at 08 till 08:20

http://youtu.be/E5Rk_erL98E?t=8m48s

got rid of a mine explosion under engine hatch, firing rocket-propelled grenades damaged port screens.
after inspection the doctor promised to return the tank to the tank system in a few days! Allah Akbar!

Thank you Juergen for this video showing Mr.Khatib walking in Menbej,everyone wants to kiss him,he has no protection, and his dress looks he has no special vest, he is a likable person,common syrian ,we can only admire and love Muaz,.
Assad on the other side is hated obnoxious person,despicable,he can not walk among people freely without huge protection and secret service around him

“لوفيغارو”: قوات خاصة امريكية وغربية تدرب المعارضة المسلحة السورية على الاراضي الاردنية

أشارت صحيفة “لوفيغارو” الفرنسية الى ضلوع واشنطن وبعض الدول في دعم المعارضة المسلحة في سورية، موضحة أن مدربين أمريكيين يقومون بتدريب عناصر ما يسمى “الجيش الحر” على الاراضي الاردنية. ونقلت وكالة الأنباء السورية (سانا) عن الصحيفة الصادرة في 2 مارس/آذار التي استندت في مقالتها على معطيات لمصدر عسكري فرنسي في منطقة الشرق الاوسط قوله “إن هؤلاء يقومون بالتدريب والاشراف واعطاء النصائح للمتمردين السوريين مشيرا إلى أن هذا التدريب يجري منذ نهاية العام الماضي في أحد المراكز الخاصة شمال العاصمة الاردنية عمان”. وأوضحت الصحيفة أن عناصر القوات الخاصة الامريكية تشارك مع قوات غربية أخرى في هذا التدريب بهدف “تعزيز قدرات المعارضين” الذين يواجهون في الواقع تفوقا للجيش السوري. وبينت الصحيفة أن قوات خاصة بريطانية ومجموعة من الفرنسيين يساعدون “المتمردين السوريين” في المركز المخصص للتدريب. وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن القوات الخاصة الاميركية المنتشرة في الأردن تقوم باختراقات في الأراضي السورية للقيام بما تدعيه مراقبة “الأسلحة الكيميائية للنظام”، حسب وصف الصحيفة. إلى ذلك ذكرت الصحيفة أنها علمت أن القوات الخاصة الأمريكية “وحدات الدلتا” انتشرت في حريصا شمال العاصمة اللبنانية بيروت وإن الهدف الرسمي المعلن من انتشارها هو تدريب نظرائهم اللبنانيين ولكن في الحقيقة هذه الوحدات تقوم بالتسلل إلى الأراضي السورية لتنفيذ عمليات ارهابية مسلحة. ولفتت الصحيفة إلى أن الأمر يتم بمنتهى السرية وبصورة تتعارض بوضوح مع ما تعلنه الولايات المتحدة بأنها لا تدعم المجموعات المسلحة في سورية.

http://arabic.rt.com/news/609185/ :روسيا اليوم

Al Khateeb in Menbej?

A good omen I take it. From Menbej to the presidential palace inshallah and Allahu Akbar.

Majed

I remember well his freaked out look when the mhnbaks rallied him at the wall in the opera after his speech. This look among his employees tells alot. All this neverending love for the leader, its yet an other lie in the compendium of lies this regime holds.

The ‘Sunnification’ Of Turkish Foreign Policy

By: Semih Idiz for Al-Monitor Turkey Pulse. Posted on March 1.

When the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November 2002, one of its main plans was to use Ankara’s open channels of communication with practically all parties in the Middle East, together with Turkey’s growing “soft power,” to mediate in all kinds of regional disputes and contribute to stability in this turbulent part of the world.
…
What appears to have happened, particularly after the Syrian crisis, is that the Erdogan government’s Islamist orientation has gone a stage further, resulting in the “Sunnification” of Turkish foreign policy. This may be good for overall “Sunni solidarity” in the Middle East, of course.

It is clear that Ankara’s capacity to be an impartial stabilizing soft power in the region has been vastly reduced as a result of Turkey’s taking sides in disputes, some of which go back centuries. What is worse for its reputation, however, is the fact that the same Turkey that once hoped to be a peace broker in its region is now increasingly seen as inflaming sectarian divisions and fueling instability.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/03/akp-sunni-foreign-policy-turkey-sectarianism.html#ixzz2MUOqknSi

41. apple_mini said:

Brain drain, loss of capital and loss of entrepreneurs will not bode well with the future.

 
Yeah I know, that is because your Shia murderers insisted on having a war.
Since you took KGB’s side, Syria’s economy has been collapsing -15% a year.
 

#43 Juergen

The number of women cheering Al Khatib is impressive.

Well the ICG had already reported on the mismanagement of the water resources that led to the migration of 800 000 Syrians BEFORE the revolution and the link below with its wealth of data is enough to indict this regime for its utter incompetence and graft and corruption and total lack of accountability. One more nail in the coffin of this regime and its supporters.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/opinion/sunday/friedman-the-scary-hidden-stressor.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

53. Observer Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Juergen this feckless effort at a PR stunt reminds me of your 250 person circulation vanguard revolutionary newspaper.

Most of the people look like they have NO IDEA who Al Khatib is. Maybe 10-20 walk up to him and that’s it.

Sad.

I can’t wait for the 2014 elections.

“Last but not least, Maliki the prime minister of Iraq and the leader of the Dawa party a fundamentalist religious party is afraid of fundamentalists in Syria so that proves to me one more time that every minority wants the majority Sunnis to be secular while each of them retains its particularity with exclusive rights.”

Yeah?  And you still need help to know why is that?

OK!  Here you go,  search for naive Sunni ‘idiots’ like صلاح البيطار who ‘told’ them they can do it, and get away with it.  What do you expect when such idiots short sell in return for empty foreign ideologies that mean nothing to Syria?  It’s been going on for well over a century.  صح النوم

اما المتفلسف فلا يكون رئيسا لسوريا. بيكفي تفلسف مئة عام.  

Zoo
ever counted how many restaurants in old town Aleppo had rooftop terraces to enjoy an meal? 2 places out of more than 30 places. Aleppans are known for being top conservative( may be only topped by folks from Idlib), I remember one hotel owner describing for me the nightmare of building an cover for the courtyard, he had all the neighbors to inform when workers were up, so the women could properly dress.

Reve

The people would vote for an donkey if the name and the picture would be placed like Assad in every street and in every “newspaper”.And dont call the nationwide paperfolding ceremony an election, the last election worth this name in Syria was decades ago.

وراع صاحب كسرى ان رأى عمرا ×× بين الرعية عطلا وهو راعيها

وعهده بملوك الفرس أن لـــــــــها ×× سورا من الجند والأحراس يحميها

راّه مستغرقا في نومه …. فرأى ×× فيه الجلالة في أسمى معانيها
…
فوق الثرى تحت ظل الدوح مشتملا ×× ببردة كاد طول الدهر يبليها

فهان في عينه ماكــــــــان يكبره ×× من الأكاسر والدنيا بأيديها

وقال قوله حق اصبحت مثلا ×× واصبح الجيل بعد الجيل يرويها

أمنت لما أقمت العدل بينهمـ ×× فنمت نوما قرير العين هانيها

And not to be vulgar but reading Apple_mini’s post, one gets the conviction that Bashar could be doing a physiological bodily function and his supporters would hail it as a good PR.

Do you guys not see?

Dear Juergen,

Some would suggest money and Wall St. elects the president (and the entire Senate and Congress for that matter) of the United States but we must respect – as much as we dislike it – that Obama is the president.

Many have accused Putin of crooked elections but he is the president of Russia.

I suspect we could find – dare I say – corrupt politicians in Germany. What a shocker.

The voice of the Syrian people must be respected. Assad is the legitimate elected president until 2014. Then he will stand for the presidency again. I can’t see anyone beating him. Syrians love him.

Tara what we see is a venal, hateful woman calling for blood from the comfort of her Ottoman on the East Coast of the USA.

Anything Assad says you will deride. He could say the sky is blue and you would disagree.

I am enjoying watching you squirm as your rodents get pulverized into tiny pieces by our brave army.

#58 Juergen

A encouraging omen for the future of Syrian women in such hands.

Of course Moaz al-Khatib visited Aleppo to shut up ZOO, who has been criticizing him for not visiting Syria.

While there, he visited Menbej and Jarablos to view the situation of residents there and to discuss their living conditions.

Now let’s see the pinheaded prethidend go into devastated areas in Aleppo or Damascus to view the situation there and talk to “his people” about how the aerial bombing of homes, infrastructure, and bread and petrol queues has affected their living conditions.

No? He’s too busy meeting with his Iranian military advisers and playing on the internet?

Mostly gibberish comments still being posted !! Will check back in two months …..

William Hague says Assad is delusional, as if we don’t know,

http://www.aljazeera.net/news/pages/e70f65ca-fc14-4624-acc6-748146f4400b?GoogleStatID=1

عاجل و هام:
يقوم نسور الجيش العربي السوري الان بمسح مدينة منبج من على الخارطة السورية و ذلك بعد دخول معاذ الخطيب الى تلك المدينة و تجوله فيها.

اطلق نيراااااااااااااااااااانك….

Get him boys! To Hell!

@Badr #32

Whoever gave you that idea? Find one post of mine that says or implies I am against the NCB? I have stated repeatedly that I am for and with peaceful protests and against violence, but did/do not believe the regime would allow ANYTHING that threatened its total and absolute hold on power and wealth, and would literally burn the country down rather than let it slip out of their clutches. In other words the decision had been made for the people, and there was no choice other than fight or go back to living in fear and servitude.

#64 SL

Menbej, the future capital of the “liberate areas’ government?

AlKhatib’s visit to Menbej is a very excellent beginning: A few hours discreet visit in a small suburb of Aleppo, near the Turkish border surrounded by men giving their respect to a preacher.

Is Al Khatib testing the possibility that Menjeb be a candidate for the capital of the transitional mini-governement supposed to be announced on the 3rd of march?

There is still a long and lengthy way to go to reach Damascus presidential palace

Batta would not dare to kill Al Khateeb . It would be his end if he did.

A point for pro-regimists with their new found concern for women to consider.

Wouldn’t have thought it was safe for women to venture outdoors with all those shabeeha running around raping anyone they can get their hands on, in particular the more vulnerable members of society.

OBSERVER #40 accurately observed:

“Delusion indeed with some thinking that the interview of the stupid prethident is going to sway the British public after they have had months of reporting on the use of massive air power and SS missiles and aerial bombing and torture and detentions and summary executions do the regime supporters think that they are going to come his rescue lest Nusra wins.”

Exactly. The British government has been hyper-critical and hard line against Assad because they know their electorate wants to see that. The sight of freakish looking and sounding Assad in that interview will only confirm the British public’s view of him as a monster.

But the concept of collective public opinion and responsive, accountable government and all that goes with it is incomprehensible to Syria-hating Athad and his boosters.

They are used to Big Lies and dumb “arguments”, accompanied by crushing any questioning or debate.

Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi and Ben Ali were all exposed as pathetically delusionary about public opinion in their own countries and ignorant about how other countries, particularly western democracies, operated.

Bashar Assad’s brain is from the same dictator mould, but he’s making those guys look wise and moderate by comparison.

Do you think rebels have an accompanying engineering wing (perhaps civilian LCC) that immediately work on building extensive underground tunnel networks in no time in newly captured areas in order to help in holding the areas and make it difficult for regime to recapture such areas?

I’ve read this is one reason the regime has struggled against Daraya even though they’ve pounded it for some time. It must be difficult and costly to attempt to dislodge well entrenched rebels.

Well, I guess the truth really hurts.

I made a comment before. The regime has evolved to be more effective, pragmatic and rational.

The opposition needs to catch up. If one day we wake up with news that the opposition finally grows up and decided to accept the reality. Then we shall see a hope for peace.

Syrian Atheist Against Dictatorships,

Go over your own comment to Ghufran. Isn’t it a criticism of the nonviolent way the NCB is opposing the regime.

Thing is Assad is right about the role of the British in the Middle East going back maybe centuries.

Just look at the maps drawn by Sykes-Picot.

Hague is a clown. The British are broke many times over and their banks are only sustained by drug money and looting. They have no say in the world. It is funny to see Hague try to lecture anyone on human rights when he backs the Saudis etc. The UK has backed every dictator I can think of. They helped install the Shah of Iran.

Assad is a cool customer.

Terrible news 2 more bombings Shi’ite area #Karachi #Pakistan. Reports at least 25 killed, dozens injured.

P.S. I am really ashamed of what is being done in the name of my sunni creed.

APPLE-MINI said in #41 [worrying about what’s happening in Syria now] “Brain drain, loss of capital and loss of entrepreneurs will not bode well with the future.”

We can sure see the consequences of that in Syria’s past.

The loss of many bright Syrians to other countries and the failure to have open commercial opportunities and attract capital in the last 40 years has ensured Syria’s underdevelopment and spread of poverty.

The future at least holds hope of the tide being turned. Under the Assads, Syria’s potential as a nation with opportunities for its citizens has been steadily washed away like an eroded beach.

Iraqi soldier killed by fire from Syria: ministry – March 3, 2013

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130303/iraqi-soldier-killed-fire-syria-ministry

An Iraqi soldier was killed and three people including a soldier were wounded inside north Iraq in fire exchanged between Syrian forces and [rebels], the defense ministry spokesman in Baghdad said.

The casualties were caused by “fighting at the Yaarubiyeh border crossing inside Syria” on Saturday, Mohammed al-Askari told AFP by telephone.

“The Iraqi forces that were hit by the fire were about 600 metres (yards) away from the crossing” into Iraq’s Nineveh province, Askari said.

He also said that four wounded Syrian soldiers were treated at an Iraqi hospital during Saturday’s fighting.

Mohammed Rahim al-Shammari, the head of the Nineveh provincial council security and defence committee, told AFP that no one was controlling the Syrian side of the crossing on Sunday, and that there was no activity there.

[…]

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130303/iraqi-soldier-killed-fire-syria-ministry

Assad offered negotiations. He said put down the guns. If the opposition is so confident it has the support of the majority of Syrians then go for elections.

I can’t see anything wrong with that.

If the opposition position is that Assad and the entire Syrian government must go that isn’t going to happen with direct NATO intervention (arming the mercenaries won’t overthrow the government).

I believe the West’s puppets all realize they have zero chance without intervention. I think this is why they call for no-fly zones and humanitarian corridors over and over.

It is funny to see some say that the army should stop fighting. Why would they?

The enemies of Syria see the army is united. There is no way that Syria could keep fighting for two years without the support of the majority. If the majority didn’t support the Syrian government it would be all over by now.

حقيقة لم أجد أسخف وأحط من #الاسد عندما طلب أسماء ٧٠ ألف شهيد من الصحفية يعيش خارج الواقع وأبدا ما شعر بالانتماء الى #سورية او أحس بآلام السوريين ودموعهم

Juergen
وراع صاحب كسرى ان رأى عمرا ×× بين الرعية عطلا وهو راعيها

وعهده بملوك الفرس أن لـــــــــها ×× سورا من الجند والأحراس يحميها

راّه مستغرقا في نومه …. فرأى ×× فيه الجلالة في أسمى معانيها
…
فوق الثرى تحت ظل الدوح مشتملا ×× ببردة كاد طول الدهر يبليها

فهان في عينه ماكــــــــان يكبره ×× من الأكاسر والدنيا بأيديها

وقال قوله حق اصبحت مثلا ×× واصبح الجيل بعد الجيل يرويها

أمنت لما أقمت العدل بينهمـ ×× فنمت نوما قرير العين هانيها

Terrorism backed by UK and U.S. says Syria President – March 03, 2013

http://www.mideasttime.com/terrorism-backed-by-uk-and-u-s-says-syria-president/1067/

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria criticized harshly the British and U.S. aid given to rebels. He set strong terms for talks with his rebel opponents in an interview with a newspaper that was published Sunday, while fighting continued across the entire country.

In a Sunday Times interview, al-Assad took a hard line against opponents, rewinding his earlier hints of flexibility over peace talks. Assad said he would negotiate with anyone, which includes the militants, if they surrender their weapons. He said his government would not negotiate with terrorists who want to have weapons, to kills civilians, to terrorize and to attack private enterprise or public places, while destroying the country.

Assad says resigning or going into exile is not an option, saying that no one who is patriotic would live in any other country but his own.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met in Rome with Syria’s rebel leaders. He announced the U.S. would give a $60 million aid package to rebels that was non-lethal. However, Assad said the financial, communication and intelligence assistance the U.S. was giving the rebels was very lethal.

Assad also criticized British leaders saying instead of trying to push for peace talks, David Cameron the Prime Minister of Britain was trying to have an arms embargo of the European Union ended, so he can arm the rebels with new weapons.

[…]

http://www.mideasttime.com/terrorism-backed-by-uk-and-u-s-says-syria-president/1067/

79.MOSSIE

“The enemies of Syria see the army is united”

Of course, it’s united. It has no choice. As one by one, the Regime Army soldiers get bumped off and sent home to Alawitistan for solemn burial to cries of, “There is no god but Bashar and Maher is his prophet.”

Be sure to tell the last Regime trooper standing to flush the toilet, Mossie. On second thought, tell him to flush twice. It’s a long way to Qardaha.

A New Bashar Cartoon:

http://www.theeditorialcartoons.com/store/add_edit.php?iid=93417

I never bought the idea that rebels are a threat to Israel:
رأى وزير الشؤون الاستراتيجية الاسرائيلي موشيه يعالون ان “الثوار في سورية لا يملكون الوسائل لمواجهة اسرائيل”، وذلك بعد ان نشرت صحيفة اسرائيلية معلومات تفيد بأن لديهم صواريخ سكود.
وقال يعالون “لا اظن ان لديهم القدرة على اطلاق الصواريخ على اراضينا”
واكد ان “اسرائيل لا تريد التورط في الحرب الاهلية في سورية”. موضحاً “نحن نراقب عن قرب تطور الوضع، وطالما انه لا يهددنا فاننا لن نتدخل. وفي هذه المرحلة لا نرى اي تهديد”.
the current situation is ideal for Israel,when this is all finished and done,Israel will be stronger and its enemies weaker.

rebels are killing wounded army soldiers according to aksalser:
قال مراسل موقع عكس السير في مدينة حلب أن الكتائب الاسلامية سيطرت بشكل كامل على مدرسة الشرطة في ريف حلب، موضحا أن الانسحاب السريع لقوات النظام سهلت مهمتها.
و أشار إلى أن قوات الأسد تركت قتلاها و جرحاها في المباني، و أن كتائب المعارضة أعدمت الجرحى من جنود النظام.
و قال المراسل أنه شاهد عددا من جثث قتلى القوات النظامية مرمية في مراحيض مباني المدرسة.
this behavior indicates how rebels “respect” human life, I have for two years now watched rebels copying the behavior of the regime they are trying to topple.

The last soldier should flush? Sure. Even your jokes are pathetic. In two years you will still be here, under some name, claiming that soon Assad will be defeated.

Johannes De Silentio the only cartoon here is you.

But I will say I enjoy the spice you sometimes add to SC.

Thank you.

أجرت المعارضة السورية اليوم أول تجربة انتخابية محلية لها بانتخاب مجلسين محليين لحلب -ثاني أكبر المدن السورية- جرت في جنوب تركيا وشارك فيها أكثر من 170 سوريا من الهيئة العامة لحلب، بحضور دبلوماسيين عرب وغربيين.
ويضم المجلس الأول لمدينة حلب 25 شخصا، أما المجلس الثاني فللمحافظة ويضم 29 شخصا، وجرت الانتخابات في مدينة غازي عنتاب جنوبي تركيا بحضور أعضاء من الائتلاف الوطني لقوى المعارضة ورئيسه أحمد معاذ الخطيب
وقال الخطيب خلال كلمة له أثناء الانتخابات ‘إن هناك إرادة دولية تقضي بأن يبقى في سوريا طرفان يتصارعان ليضعف كلاهما وفي النهاية ثمة حل وفق ما ترتضيه هذه الإرادة الدولية’، مؤكدا أن ‘الحل سيكون بيد الشعب السوري’.
من جهته قال أحمد عزوز أحد الفائزين في مجلس مدينة حلب إن ‘التجربة في الانتخابات والتوافقات التي حصلت بين المرشحين كانت مثيرة للاهتمام
وأضاف ‘نحن مجتمعات محلية نحتاج لتغيير العقليات في التعاطي، لكن رغم الصعوبات اجتزنا منعطفات وخرجنا بمجلس لديه مسؤوليات وتحديات ليست قليلة ضمن الأوضاع الراهنة ونريد تحقيق الخدمات وإغاثة السكان والعمل قدر المستطاع على تلبية احتياجات الناس المتضررين’.
يذكر أن سكان محافظة حلب (مدينة وريف) يشكلون 25% من سكان سوريا الذين يقترب تعدادهم من 25 مليون نسمة، في حين تشكل المحافظة حوالي 40% من حجم الصادرات السورية و35% من الموازنة العامة للحكومة.
local elections for Aleppo city councils that took place in Turkey !!

Syrian state tv had one of their talk shows. This time a guy from the miltary ministry, telling the happy people of Assadistan that the glorious army has the trust of the people because it has been victorious against Israel, it is fighting tow wars now, against Israel and the terrorists.

Your point Juergen? Is it to be cynical and stroke yourself trying to appear clever?

Syrian TV is no worse than German TV.

Scud missile has just been fired on the Menbej area of Aleppo visited by Khatib.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6saP3X9oRCU&feature=youtu.be

Syria-hater Bashar Assad ordered that out of one side of his mouth while squeaking his demands for peace talks out of the other side.

Syrialover some would say that Scuds are something the president uses to nudge the opposition along.

I don’t agree that is why he uses them but if Khatib is hit they will find another stooge. No one knows who any of these people are outside of the virtual world.

Revenire, you’re a retard who wants to carpet bomb the country.

‘Nuff said.

Marigoldran feels so weak in his arguments he must lie.

I said to carpet bomb ENEMY positions. That’s all.

If lies comfort you my son please embrace them.

As I predicted in my comment 9, based on which Dr. Landis updated his original post which did not contain the Idriss interview, the Police Academy is now in the hands of the holy warriors of Nusra and their FSA trainees. More of the thugs of the regime of thuggocracy have been sent to the lowest pit of Jahannam which seems to be far away from getting filled as it continues to call for more of these thugs: هل من مزيد.
Our holy Nusra fighters are continuing their mop up operations in order to cleanse the filth associated with these thugs.

It looks like the so-called pyrrhic ‘victory’ of going to the extra effort to get a long, winding and tortuous side road from 7hama to Aleppo will not avail the crumbling regime from additional defeats. We are certain that our holy Nusra fighters, who are masters of the art of ambushing and severing supply routes, will now have an additional opportunity to deal the criminals additional blows along this route. We hope the regime will resort to more of these desperate attempts and expose itself to the relentless efforts of the holy warriors. It means more victories to Nusra presented to it on a silver platter.

غباؤكم اكبر حليف لقواتنا المؤزرة بالنصر المبين

beautiful tie

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia: an incubators of international terrorism!
Kerry in Riyadh for Gulf talks on Iran, Syria
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Mar-03/208663-kerry-in-riyadh-for-gulf-talks-on-iran-syria.ashx?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#axzz2MVai3SAm

Interesting to look at Moaz al-Khatib’s calm, friendly, strong demeanour in the video footage of his visit to Aleppo and contrast it with the freaky-looking Bashar Assad weakly lithping lies and delusions.

After looking at Bashar Assad, Moaz al-Khatib looks stunningly normal, intelligent and pleasant.

And Khatib’s focused, sincere, open manner among ordinary people = political charisma.

13. Ghufran said: With the whole respect to Joshua, the argument that islamists will fight Israel is not supported by facts,

so true. ignoring syria created the vacuum that is empowering islamists. the west set up this environment and created the very thing they claim to want to avoid.

islamophobia is used as a dodge to disguise the fact that american foreign policy is driven by monied interests. the west can’t very well admit syrians are being sacrificed for the sake of profit.

plus, what rafif argues makes sense. syrians are sacrificing all to unseat assad. even now, they are desperate for a sense of normalcy. after the war is over, people want to rebuild the country. who will have the appetite to wage more war after the regime is vanquished? everybody is exhausted already.

They talk tough, but Bashar Assad’s supporters must be sinking in private embarrassment every time he makes a public appearance.

Bashar looks like he’s been put together out of broken bits from toy monsters, with undersized batteries in his face muscles and voice box.

He is very bizarre, particuarly to foreign audiences who are used to articulate, confident and robust-looking leaders who competed their way into the job.

Bashar even looks like a fifth-rate reject next to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Here’s a nice morale boost for Bashar’s boys, coming from their boss’s controller!

Article: Iran’s Quds Force Commanding General Says Syria Lacks Exceptional Military Commanders

Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani said during a speech in Tehran that if the Syrian regime had a few commanders like the Iranian commander during the Iran-Iraq war, it would have been “insured” against current “incursions.”

“If Syria and its government just had one Haj Hemmat, One Hossein Kharazi, and one Kazemi (among martyred commanders of Iran-Iraq war), the country would have been insured; and the (current) incursions would have made no impact on the country. But their missing link is having such individuals who came to full being during the sacred defense (Iran-Iraq war),” Gen. Soleimani said. (Fars News Agency, 2 March)

Gen. Soleimani did not discuss the presence of Quds Force commanders in Syria today. The Force lost a general officer in the Syrian conflict last month.

http://www.uskowioniran.com/2013/03/quds-force-commanding-general-says.html#!/2013/03/quds-force-commanding-general-says.html

Serious people don’t need a boost from someone on an American message forum.

بعد “العوزي” في إدلب، وقواذف “شيبون” في حمص ودمشق، “العوزي” في مواجهة الجيش السوري في ضاحية”داريا” قرب دمشق …في وضح النهار!؟
http://www.syriatruth.org/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A3%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%80%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A9/tabid/93/Article/9313/Default.aspx

it’s obvious the west doesn’t want to unseat the regime. fear of islamists is used as an excuse for the west’s inaction. let’s take this argument at face value for a moment.

how many deaths does this excuse justify? does it still hold up after the regime has slaughtered 100,000 people? must a million syrians be sacrificed lest one israeli be made uncomfortable? why is muslim life so cheap?

israel isn’t even to blame here. the west is using it as a fig leaf to hide its own interests.

in summary, the west is not only enabling genocide, it is trading on islamophobia while stoking resentment against israel. a trifecta! this is so morally bankrupt on such a scale that its hard to even articulate. what are the long term consequences of such irresponsibility? the prospect screams of blowback.

REVENIRE #101, did you actually read the story in #100?

Imagine the loss of face and trust among Syria’s senior military ranks now they’ve been trashed in public by Iran’s military leader.

🙂 True friends of Syria.

HNN Homs News Network
https://www.facebook.com/homs.news.network.english?ref=stream
IRAQI ARMY DESTROYS CONVOY OF TERRORISTS !!

Iraqi Armed Forces targeted and destroyed a convoy of 7 cars equipped with Dushka Machine guns for “Al-Nusra Front” Terrorists, while heading for an attack on an Army Checkpoint near the Syrian Border, killing all NATO rats within the vehicles …

IRAQ, THE NEIGHBOURS GOD INTENDED, THANK YOU IRAQ … – J

Of course I read it at Fars and isn’t it odd how two men can read the same story and come away with different views? Perhaps you care to offer me some QUOTES that you believe proves your point?

My belief is you can’t do that. You make something of nothing.

Who recalls how a few years ago the US Govt. thanked the Syrian Govt. for having prevented an al-Qaeda attack on the US embassy in Damascus?

Saudi Arabia is a malignant player on the international arena. At each terror scene across the world is a signpost pointing towards Riyadh.

even that both sides are escalating their military assaults Moaz is still trying to push for a political exit, I have nothing but appreciation for his position:
قال “رئيس الائتلاف الوطني لقوى المعارضة والثورة” معاذ الخطيب، إنه “لم يتلقى أي جواب من قبل النظام، يتعلق بموافقته أو رفضه الحوار”، مجددا “استعداده الجلوس مع ممثلي النظام والتحاور معهم
islamists thugs esp Nusra will probably try to assassinate Moaz and accuse the regime, he has a brain and he cares about Syria, and that is a dangerous combination according to islamist playbook.
According to SOHR, more than 260 syrians were killed Sunday,most of whom were non civilians, the army and regime forces lost more than 100 fighters, the rebels suffered similar casualties, one front that was bloody is Latakia Reef near Turkey, the army is trying to take full control of the area.

“Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani said during a speech in Tehran that if the Syrian regime had a few commanders like the Iranian commander during the Iran-Iraq war, it would have been “insured” against current “incursions.”

Did this statement make Bashar feel humiliated? Or not ?
Or is feeling “humiliated” only conclusive to Qatar, Turkey, EU, the USA, and the AL?

government media is keeping quiet about Jobar but we all know that winning Jobar will be important:
(Source: CNN)
Free Syrian Army rebels traded gunfire for mortar rounds from President Bashar al-Assad’s troops along a critical fault line separating the suburb of Jobar from Damascus itself, said Baraa, a spokesman for the local Revolutionary Military Council, who gave only his first name for safety reasons.
“There are heavy ongoing clashes at Eight Azar. If we capture the area it means we have reached the heart of the capital. It means we can cross into Damascus,” Baraa told CNN.
Rebels appear to be inching closer to a decisive battle for the capital, al-Assad’s stronghold, but after nearly two years of fighting the opposition remains wary.
“We are still several hundred meters away and there are many snipers positioned on the buildings and tanks in the area. We expect very intense fighting over the next several days,” Baraa said.
(in addition to the battle in Jobar and Reef Latakia, there is heavy fighting near Iraq’s borders and also in Old Homs where the army is trying to enter alkhalidiyya ,again)

#103 OMEN said:

“It’s obvious the west doesn’t want to unseat the regime.”

I don’t find it at all obvious.

“…it is trading on Islamophobia…”

It’s not trading in Islamophobia – Bashar Assad is, and always has.

I agree it’s very frustrating that the west didn’t intervene and arm the revolution straight away.

But if you follow the news, there have been many powerful elements in the west who have pushed hard for that. A surprisingly strong push, right at the centre.

The fact they haven’t intervened comes down to their own domestic priorities and no doubt unease about confronting Iran and Russia.

If you are naming those who are “morally bankrupt” there are long queues ahead of the west for that title. They have at least taken a strong, consistent stance in condemning Bashar Assad and calling for him to step down.

Your anger is misplaced. It should be focused on Putin and the Mullahs.

I wonder if they were operating in democracies whether the people of Iran and Russia would have endorsed what their “leaders” are doing in Syria. I’d say definitely not – their actions would have to be weighed against domestic issues and also against the risk of militarily confronting the west.

The Mullahs aren’t accountable to their own people. Look what an economic disaster through sanctions Iran’s inept foreign policies have brought on Iran!

Guhfran wasn’t CNN the “news” organization that paraded around “Syrian Danny” on Anderson Cooper? I bet they have some real Syrian sources that are objective. Please don’t use CNNfor news. It is a silly propaganda organ.

105. revenire said:

https://www.facebook.com/homs.news.network.english?ref=stream
IRAQI ARMY DESTROYS CONVOY OF TERRORISTS !!

Iraqi Armed Forces targeted and destroyed a convoy of 7 cars equipped with Dushka Machine guns for “Al-Nusra Front” Terrorists, while heading for an attack on an Army Checkpoint near the Syrian Border, killing all NATO rats within the vehicles …

IRAQ, THE NEIGHBOURS GOD INTENDED, THANK YOU IRAQ … – J

 
Oh man. Don’t you remember Fallujah and the war in Iraq? The war was between: Nato and Shia on one side, and Zarqawi on the other.

So don’t insult our intelligence by suggesting that Nouri al-Maliki is some kind of anti-American guerrilla.

 
Saudi Arabia should intervene in Iraq to protect the Sunnis. I will put this forward to the King if I meet him.

#110. TARA

Defectors tell us Bashar’s loyalties and attention is more with his Iranian advisers than with the Syrians around him.

Among his delusions, he probably doesn’t identify with Syrian army commanders being criticized by Iran, he sees himself more as linked to the Iranian military.

Watch out Ya Batta.  The end is coming. 

Hague says UK could arm Syrian rebels if situation worsens
William Hague responds to ‘delusional’ Assad interview with promise to step up aid package with promise of more to come
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/03/hague-aid-syria-rebels-weapons

The Guardian, Sunday 3 March 2013 14.10 EST

The UK might start arming Syrian rebels if the death toll and humanitarian crisis continue to worsen, making it necessary to do “something new to save lives”, William Hague said on Sunday.

The foreign secretary is due to make a statement to parliament this week detailing a new package of aid to the rebels, following a relaxation last week of the EU rules on what can be sent to Syria. It is expected to include body armour and civilian vehicles reinforced to provide protection against shrapnel. Hague said the new aid would be non-lethal, excluding weapons and ammunition, but he stressed that policy could change as the conflict continues.

“I don’t rule out anything for the future. If this is going to go on for months, or years, and more tens of thousands of people are going to die, and countries like Iraq and Lebanon and Jordan are going to be destabilised, it is not something we can ignore,” the foreign secretary told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

“If ever we get into that situation [of supplying weapons to the opposition] the risks of arms falling into the wrong hands is one of the great constraints. And it is one of the reasons we don’t do it now. But these things are a balance of risk. You can reach consensus eventually when humanitarian need is so great and the loss of life is so great that you have to do something new to save lives. That’s why I don’t rule it out in the future.”
…

syrialover, of course i fault iran, russia and china (i’ve got plenty of blame for everyone. don’t worry, i wont run out.) but someone claiming to want to help but refuses to do so is more guilty of fraud, hypocrisy and betrayal than a sworn enemy.

who was it who said this?

All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

i hope saudi watchers didn’t overlook this story in an earlier thread:

BEIRUT — Just when they expected a flood of heavy weapons to help them make a major push against the forces of President Bashar Assad, rebel commanders in Syria say, arms shipments from outside the country have instead slowed, prolonging a conflict now nearing the end of its second year.

Though rebels have made gains in the north and east, seizing military bases and checkpoints, opposition figures who had made predictions of quick victory now say their arsenal is at a level that can support only a war of attrition.

[…]

The introduction of the heavy weapons has corresponded with gains in Dara, the birthplace of the Syrian revolution, which had mostly remained under tight government control until recently.

A few weeks after the shipments began again, they inexplicably stopped.

even if cynics dismiss this one report, it seems undeniable there has been an history of unexplained start/stop nature to whatever little military support rebels do get from abroad.

SOHR is not an independent source of news, it is clearly anti regime,but I still find it usable from time to time, look at how their site describe fatalities among army soldiers versus rebels:
محافظة الرقة ::استولى مقاتلون من الكتائب المقاتلة على حاجز للقوات النظامي الواقع عند اطراف حقل الصفيان النفطي وذلك إثر اشتباكات عنيفة مع القوات النظامية في المنطقة ,واسفرت الاشتباكات عن عطاب آليات عسكرية وسقوط قتلى وجرحى في صفوف القوات النظامية واستشهاد وجرح عدد من مقاتلي الكتائب المقاتلة, يشار الى ان الكتائب المقاتلة كانت قد استولت على حقل صفيان النفطي قبل نحو شهرين واعاد النظام السيطرة عيله بعد شهر إثر استقدام تعزيزات عسكرية الى المنطقة
so, poor soldiers who die are just “dead” but rebels,many of whom are foreign jihadists, who get killed are “martyrs” !!
we need to keep in mind that most of those who die are victims in a war that will only help bigger players settle their differences and push their agendas, I find the position some of you take when describing casualties from the “other side” unethical, remember that most of the dead are Syrians who did not have to die in the battle field fighting other Syrians.
(rev, thanks for the advice about CNN but no thanks)

I like SOHR even though I am a government supporter.

They called the SAA taking the road to Aleppo “strategic” and a game changer for the army. You don’t see many opposition sites reporting what the SOHR said.

….

من مآثر الشيخ مصطفى عبد الجليل

في زيارة مصطفى عبد الجليل لدولة قطر الأخيرة تسلّم هدية من دولة قطر وعند رجوعه لبنغازي استدعى المجلس الانتقالي وفتح الهدية أمامهم وكانت تحوي ميدالية و هدايا بسيطة أخرى ومعها مايعادل 100 ألف دولار فقالوا له : هذه لك ياسيد عبد الجليل فقال لهم : بل هي لليبيا لأن القطريين لم يأتوا لبيتي قبل أن أتولى رئاسة المجلس وقام بوضعها ضمن ممتلكات الدولة.

تحصل السيد عبد الجليل على سيارتين من النوع الفاخر من أحد اثرياء مصراتة واحدة له و الثانية لمرافقه حامد العمروني و سيارة فخمة نوع مرسيدس اعطت له من أحدى الدول الاجنبية فقام بتسجيلهم جميعا باسم المجلس الوطني الانتقالي.

في رحلته لتركيا تم تسليمه هدية قدرها 10000 دولار في ظرف و بعد عودته ارجع الظرف كما هو قائلاً اودعوه باسم المجلس فإن الدولة التركية قد تكفلت بكل مصاريف الرحلة.

90. Syrialover

A slight confusion on date?

February 14, 2013

Al-Arabiya: Regime shells Aleppo’s Darat Aazza and Menbej with Scud missiles

This guy toured Free Syria for about five minutes I hear.

Ahmad Mu`adh Al-Khatib
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2013/02/ahmad-muadh-al-khatib.html

It is rather hilarious that when the West picks a native puppet as a leader for some shop, Western pundits immediately rush to offer words of praise about the selected person, even if that person is Karzai or Chalabi or Sanyurah or Fayyad. The recent case is Ahmad Mu`adh Al-Khatib. I read several people (who don’t know Arabic) talk about how he is a great orator and that his speeches at the Umayyad mosque must have been mesmerizing. Well, no: appointment to senior clerical roles under the Asad regime are based on loyalty to the regime and not on talents or oratorical skills. In fact, Al-Khatib is a lousy speaker. But then again: who cares when the Cicero of Syria is cited right and left.

Excellent move from Iraq and very well timed to embarrass the US and the UK.

Iraq intervening in Syria: opposition March 03, 2013 11:25 PM

BEIRUT: A key Syrian opposition group on Sunday accused the government in Baghdad of intervening in the country and “attacking the Syrian people,” a day after clashes were reported near the border.

“After the Iraqi government headed by (premier) Nuri al-Maliki gave political and intelligence support to the Syrian regime… the Baghdad regime has moved on to a new level of intervention in Syrian affairs,” the Syrian National Council said.

– See more at: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Mar-03/208664-iraq-intervening-in-syria-opposition.ashx#axzz2MWbrwopk.

The lynching of two Palestinians in Yarmouk by the FSA

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Npc_EakpqDc/UTIgSrvJTKI/AAAAAAAAPTQ/O1uhtNNknQk/s320/644369_428280787260885_1580841808_n-762687.jpg

Badr #72

No, it is criticism of not explaining to us (those who don’t follow leaders and parties blindly) how their peaceful protest plan would work with this particular regime in these particular circumstances. There is a difference.

99. SYRIALOVELOVELOVE

“Bashar looks like he’s been put together out of broken bits from toy monsters, with undersized batteries in his face muscles and voice box. Very bizarre”

Kind of reminds you of one of those “monsters” in a cheap ’70’s science fiction film…

A New Bashar Cartoon:

Morsi begged Kerry and it worked, he got 250 Millions .. Wow!

Kerry says US releasing millions in aid to Egypt
By MATTHEW LEE | Associated Press – 5 hrs ago

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday rewarded Egypt for President Mohammed Morsi’s pledges of political and economic reforms by releasing $250 million in American aid to support the country’s “future as a democracy.”
…
U.S. officials said Kerry planned to stress the importance of upholding Egypt’s peace agreement with Israel, cracking down on weapons smuggling to extremists in the Gaza Strip and policing the increasingly lawless Sinai Peninsula while continuing to play a positive role in Syria’s civil war.

https://www.facebook.com/

The axis of evil that is formed by Iran, Iraq, and Lebanese HA against the Syrian people will only backfire. It exposed them for what they really are. They are coming off as the enemy of the Syrian people and the non Shiaa Arab. It is sad that their leaders my not reflect the average Shiaa but sure reflecting the current Shiaa in power. They were only successful in making the Arab masses their enemy.

Never in my life, I have ever imagined I would submit to a pathetic sectarian ideology or to bekieve in a Shiaa -Sunni conflict. The sad truth is it does exist and very much at play.

Erdogan finds it legitimate to have a dialog with the Kurd leader accused of killing thousands of people and called the ‘baby killer’, if this going to bring peace to the country.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-government-pledges-no-step-back-in-its-peace-bid.aspx?pageID=238&nID=42251&NewsCatID=338

Arınç also objected the criticisms questioning the legitimacy of talks with Abdullah Öcalan, referring to the fact that part of the media labels the jailed PKK leader a “baby killer.” “Call him the killer of 30, 40,000 people if you wish, or call him another name. However, he is still a central, important actor for those masses who love him,” he said.

130. In Syria, [erdogan] refuses the dialog with Bashar al Assad that could bring peace.

zoo, earlier you are argued the regime agreeing to negotiation would be a betrayal.

In other words you are asking the government to surrender itself to the opposition with nothing in return and to betray the trust of of large part of the population.
Why would it do that?

stop trying to have it both ways.

In a state of panic, the FSA is calling on the UN to stop the Hezbollah fighters to participate in the conflict.
There are Saudis, Tunisians, Libyans and Turks among the rebels crossing from Turkey and Jordan, why would fighters supporting the Syrian Army be prevented from participating?
What are the ‘grave’ consequences the FSA is invoking?

In any case it would an excellent idea that the UNSC convene to make a resolution asking officially Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to close their borders to armed rebels and Qatar and KSA to stop funding weapons..

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Mar-04/208703-charbel-france-warn-against-violating-disassociation-policy.ashx#axzz2MWbrwopk

Describing the alleged Hezbollah military buildup as “a declaration of an open war” on Syria and the Syrian people, the FSA urged the United Nations and the Arab League to convene an emergency session to prevent a military flare-up on the common border with Lebanon, according to Al-Arabiya.

The FSA warned of the “grave consequences” of Hezbollah’s military intervention in Syria and called for sending Arab or international troops to maintain security on the border.

…

#132 Omen

You are taking my writing out of context and therefore distorting my ideas. That’s cheating and manipulative.
It shows me that you are not worth my spending time explaining anything to you anymore.

Turkey: Womens’ rights increasingly in jeopardy

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/akp-seeking-to-create-own-womens-movement-lawyer.aspx?pageID=238&nID=42245&NewsCatID=339

I am very sorry. Actually, I am not that pessimistic in general, but I am very worried about women’s rights in Turkey. There is a sort of “women opening,” but in a reverse sense – we might call it a “women closing”! This is a very special period. I can almost say that the government has sort of started an operation against women.

That is a very striking claim. What makes you say that?

It is striking indeed, and I would really like to be proven wrong. The challenging of gender equality in the 21st century is really disastrous, but I think there is an operation against the concept of gender equality.

Ha ha the rats are very worried about Hezbollah.

134. zoo, enlighten me. how did i take your words out of context?

Erdogan’s hysteria increasingly ridiculed by the Turkish press

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/freedom-of-the-press.aspx?pageID=449&nID=42239&NewsCatID=425

The high, tall, bold, bald and ever-yelling man is fuming as always. He is yelling at the opposition leaders as well as the media, particularly that newspaper and journalist who – according to most – scored the journalistic score of many years with the “İmralı minutes” story.
…
We have to manifest, in all clarity, that it is not the business of a prime minister to yell in a bossy attitude and try to dictate what to report and not report in the media. Free press is not a right just for newspapers, TV and radio stations or newsmen, it is at the same time a requirement of the public’s right to be informed.

After all, free media is the backbone of free society and thus of “plain democracy” but in “advanced democracies,” such principles might be compromised.

#138 Omen

Go and read carefully my long posts to you. I have been all along in support of a negotiations as long as it is without the pre-condition of sidelining Bashar Al Asad. If the opposition sticks to that condition, then the Syrian Government would be foolish to accept it and enter in a negotiations in an unnecessary position of weakness.
Did you get it this time?

http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/opinion/comment/syria-the-spark-for-a-volatile-middle-east-1-2819353

Two years after popular uprisings began to convulse the Middle East, few people speak of an “Arab Spring” anymore.

Given Syria’s bloody civil war, the rise to power of Islamist forces through free elections, the ever-deepening political and economic crises in Egypt and Tunisia, increasing instability in Iraq, uncertainty about the future of Jordan and Lebanon, and the threat of war over Iran’s nuclear programme, the bright hope of a new Middle East has vanished.
All of us tend to make the same mistake repeatedly: we think at the beginning of a revolution that freedom and justice have prevailed over dictatorship and cruelty. But history contradicts this.

A revolution not only overthrows a repressive regime; it also destroys the old order, paving the way for a mostly brutal, if not bloody, fight for power to establish a new one.

Indeed, exceptions to this pattern are rare: South Africa is one, owing to the genius of a great statesman, Nelson Mandela.

Syria opponents vote for Aleppo council

GAZIANTEP
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/Syria-opponents-vote-for-Aleppo-council/-/1068/1710478/-/format/xhtml/-/b0y6iy/-/index.html

Opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad voted on Sunday to elect 29 provincial council members to run rebel-held areas in the northern province of Aleppo, organisers and participants told AFP.

“For the first time, Aleppo will have a freely elected provincial council. We hope the whole of Syria will have a free election soon,” candidate Yehia Naanaa from the bombed-out town of Hreitan told AFP.

The vote is being held in the Turkish town of Gaziantep because of security problems in Aleppo itself.

“The vote is full of challenges. Because of insecurity in Aleppo, we couldn’t hold the vote there. Also, no candidate could campaign properly,” Naanaa said.
…
Although the vote was held in Turkey, the future provincial council will be based inside Syria, Hajj said.

“The creation of a provincial council means that civilian affairs will be organised from now on at an institutional level, rather than by individual activists,” he said.

The recent escalation of HA involvement in the syrian fight, and the Iraqi attack on the FSA in Yaarubieh,it is clear that Iran is behind such involvements, Iran is getting worried as they see Assad contol in Syria is diminishing, and for all practical matter Assad troops has been retreating,and they are not advancing,Assad control is limited now to Damascus,and the city of Hamah,all other places he has only partial control, so what to negotiate about?,further he is clearly in delusion,his informations are lies ,based on his inner circles lies to him,he is in denial,as he asked the journalist to give him names of 70,000 dead.
The syrian revolution is too much for Bashar,he proved he could not handle it correctly, he is lost as to what he can do,he must be miserable now,he is moving his troops from one area to another,only to lose the area he is moving from,We heared one iranian general says the Assad commanders were not great,that is why he could not put the revolution down so far.
It is clear that US and England are closer to arm the rebels,we are going to see it on ground before they announce it, this means Assad is in real trouble, I am sure there will be good news in the near future

zoo, what is there to negotiate if you insist on bashar staying? your way is only a pretense at dialogue. somebody must be made to pay a price for all the people the regime has murdered. who is it going to be? why is your loyalty with one man instead of majority of the people or even to the future of the country?

you fault erdogan for supposedly not wanting to hold talks when it has been the regime who has been unwilling to give an inch that would lead it to the negotiating table. it would be very simple for them to release women political prisoners. they refuse to do so. is it a “weakness” to release innocent people?

Omen

Forget it!
You obviously understood nothing of why Bashar Al Assad’s presence is key to preserve the army and the institutions.

I am not going to repeat myself endlessly.

Thanks for the exchange. Good luck

From the Batta’s republican guards face book page
مساكن الحرس الجمهوري
2 hours ago ·
من مدرسة المشاة إلى مدرسة الشرطه … قصه قابله للتكرار بدون نهايه
هذه مقتطفات من حوار دار بيني و بين أحد العناصر التي حاولت مؤازرة مدرسة الشرطه البارحه …..للحديث تتمه
=============================================================
مدرسة الشرطة انباعت والاكاديمية عالطريق وماحدا عم يحرك ساكن بالشام….ولك المحطة الحرارية الها دهر محاصرة، وماحدا ازرها والقوة اللي فيا فخخت خزانات الوقود اذا وا فكو الحصار عنن رح يفجرو وعليهن وعأعدائن.
الجرحى بمدرسة الشرطة لموهن ولاد القحبة وحرقوهن وهنن عايشين
وضباط الاذمة قاعدة تسكر و***** صرلون الشباب من اسبوع موعودين بالمؤازره على اي اليوم و اي بكرى و اي اليوم و اي بكرى و ما يوصل شي و هالكلاب محاوطين المدرسه عددون فوق 1000 و يلي محاصرين بقلب المدرسة ما بيطلعو 200 و ما معون حشوات اربي جي .
اجينا لمينا بعض حوالي ٢٠٠ وطلعنا تطوع مبارح مؤازره طوعية من قيادة الشرطه عالمدرسة وساعدنا من مسافه معينه من المدرسه يلي قدر يطلع من العايشين منها، وطبعا رفض الجيش يتقدم معنا!!!
ليش ؟؟؟؟
وك خيااااااااااااااااانة….لان كيف بتفسر لامؤازرة ولا شي والمدفعية صارت تضرب بالمزارع حول المدرسة، وطلعت الطيارة ضربت بستان زيتون حد المدرسة وراحت مع العلم دبابات الكلاب كانت واضحة وجوا المدرسة و المسلحين مجمعين حالن باللالاف بخان العسل ومعن كلشي دبابات ومدفعية ورشاشات ثقيلة وصواريخ موجهة شو اسا بدك لقلك وعربات نقل جنود يعني بي ام بي..
لك نحنا كنا بدنا نكفي عالمدرسة طلبنا من العقيد ع. بس يغطينا بالدبابات وماقبل…
مين العقيد ع. ؟
العقيد ع. من القوات الخاصة رفض يتقدم وهوي كان مكلف بالتقدم والمؤازرة ومعو دبابات
ولما وصلنا لعندن طلبنا يغطونا قالولنا مالنا علاقة بيكفي راح بسبب الشرطة 15 واحد من عنا!!!!!!
طيب ليش ما تقدم؟؟؟
لانو قاعد بفيلا ومكيف ومو همو راحت حلب ولا ضلت*******
طيب حبيب اديش استشهد مبارح بالمدرسه
موجود 42 شهيدبمشفى الجامعة والعسكري وفي مفقودين كتير، هدول ال 42 استشهدو خلال انسحابن من المدرسة وفي جوا شي 80 شهيد كان بينن جرحى انحرقو عايشين ، يعني في شي فوق 100 شهيد .
هدوك فطايسون كتار و نحن قتلى منون منيح لمحل ما وصلنا بس ما قدرنا نتقدم اكتر لانو هالكلاب عددون فوق الالف و محاوطين المدرسه .
https://m.facebook.com/masakenalharasaljumhori?refid=59#!/story.php?story_fbid=218180711640060&id=144130852378380&__user=100003131418721

Rev.
you dubbed the words ” smoke the m.f.”over his voice and that will make him an American?
Again the stupidity of the regime and its supporters is our greatest weapon

you rarely hear this point acknowledged in media discussions about political solutions even though we all know it – that the regime used the pretense of seeking a settlement to further crack down on the opposition.

but this pundit is betting on the wrong horse. i doubt russia will ever cede to the west:

27 feb 2013 aje josh lockman usc law school

aje: how does the u.s. think it is possible to find some kind of common ground or to find some kind of peace, i guess, without having the other side involved?

lockman: we’ve obviously seen how international attempts at some type of political transition have played into the assad regime’s hands. when former secretary general kofi annan and lakhdar brahimi were un envoys trying to negotiate a political solution, the assad regime took advantage of that space, really, to brutally crack down on the syrian opposition and civilians in various regions throughout syria. so, i think, at this point, while we have seen rhetorically growing calls for assad to step down, there really isn’t faith in some type of negotiated political transition.

i think, really, the king maker in this game is russia. and i think the united states hopes that the kremlin – while at least, at some point, with pressure, with more decisive stand militarily from the syrian opposition – really takes the side of the west and the regional allies in the region such as saudi arabia, qatar and turkey – to put pressure to oust assad and his cronies from power. i think then we will see a negotiated political transition with senior alawi generals and the syrian opposition. but i think the assad regime itself, there is no faith or hope in a negotiated solution at this point.

the fastest way to get the regime to the table is to start firing patriot missiles at the presidential palace. or to announce nato or turkey is going to establish a no fly zone. these ****** will only respond to a show of force. until then, the regime continues on its killing spree.

146. revenire

Looks like his Libyan boyfriend was devastated!

Hagel, Syria, the P5+1 and Iran – Posted on March 3

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/03/chuck-hagel-secretary-defense-aid-syrian-rebels.html

On March 2, less than a week after the talks in Almaty, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi put down a marker on Syria when he said, at a news conference with Syrian Foreign Walid Muallem in Damascus, that “in the next election, President Assad, like others, will take part, and the Syrian people will elect whomever they want … [the] official position of Iran is that … Assad will remain legitimate president until the next … election” in 2014.

Iran proposed strengthening joint cooperation with the P5+1 on Syria and Bahrain in its five-point proposal to the group in August 2012. Tehran still considers that proposal as its basic framework for the talks.

As this column noted in December, Iran’s influence with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad begins where Russia’s influence ends. A political outcome for Syria will only come through the intervention of Iran, which remains the primary backer of the Syrian government and the ultimate broker of any deal between the regime and the opposition. On Feb. 3, Iranian Foreign Minister Salehi met for over one hour with Sheikh Moaz Al-Khatib, chairman of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, showing Tehran’s reach with both the government and the opposition.

If Iran is offering to help broker a deal for a ceasefire and transition, Washington should consider picking up Tehran’s offer. It is only nine months until 2014, when constitutionally mandated elections in Syria are scheduled to take place. For those who engage the fantasy that there is a deal to be done in Syria without Iran, it is worth considering how much worse would be the conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan if Iran did not recognize Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Hamid Karzai. If the objective is to stop the killing and try to shape what comes next in Syria, Iran, which is also threatened by the ascendance Sunni Jihadist terrorists in the region, has a role to play.

[…]

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/03/chuck-hagel-secretary-defense-aid-syrian-rebels.html

ghufran: what many of you fail to understand is that hating Assad and his regime, which is wide spread in Syria now, does not automatically translate to support for rebels, especially islamists.

this is why the opposition tries to hold elections assigning local representation after winning over control over a town or region.

see 141.

zoo: Syria opponents vote for Aleppo council

Opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad voted on Sunday to elect 29 provincial council members to run rebel-held areas in the northern province of Aleppo, organisers and participants told AFP.

The EU is considering to deliver not only military instructeurs but also weapons to the rebels. France and the UK have pushed foward an initiative in the EU for doing so. There is right now an debate in Germany inside the government about the involvement of my country to join this. Merkels party heads are for it, her junior partner the party of foreign minister Weesterwell is against any involvement. Daniel Cohn Bendit, a Green Party activist in the European parliament has said:

“The longer this conflict onholds, the more chances are lost that moderate forces will take over the power from Assad.

In Aleppo and other liberated areas, those with the better weapons will prevail.

Even if one is doing nothing, you will take a stand. There is an imminate danger that through an noninvolvement of the West this conflict will continue and the number of deaths will raise, and at the end islamists will take over.
Berlin should not think that its hesitation is the royal way out.”

Syria’s al-Assad: British leaders shallow, immature – Sun March 3, 2013

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/03/world/meast/syria-civil-war/?hpt=hp_t3

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad slammed British leaders as “shallow and immature” and accused the British government of trying to arm rebels seeking his ouster.

Al-Assad told The Sunday Times that the British government can’t play a useful role in stopping the Syrian crisis.

“We do not expect an arsonist to be a firefighter,” al-Assad told the newspaper.

“To be frank, Britain has played famously in our region (an) un-constructive role in different issues, for decades, some say for centuries. I’m telling you the perception in our region,” he said.

“The problem with this government (is) that they are shallow and immature. Rhetoric only highlight this tradition of a bullying hegemony.”

[…]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/03/world/meast/syria-civil-war/?hpt=hp_t3

144. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

“I am not going to repeat myself endlessly”

But that’s all you do, dude. You’re a single-message, Johnny-One-Note foghorn, blaring the same thing over and over ad nauseum ad infinitum. I really feel sorry for the chicks you date. I’ll bet they have to prop their eyelids open with toothpicks to keep from passing out from boredom.

A New Bashar Cartoon:

http://www.enduringamerica.com/storage/blog-post-images/SYRIA%2016-07-12%20NEYESTANI%20UN%20BLOODSHED.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1342420220995

Aleppo police academy captured.

Expert: Obama ‘uninterested’ in Syria intervention – 03/04/2013

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=305223

Prof. Eyal Zisser said that Syria is becoming the center for jihadists, taking the place of Afghanistan and Iraq. President Bashar Assad has surprised many by his resilience and ability to survive two years of rebellion, he said.

“There is no ‘opposition’ – it is media-made and it has no one leader or system that represents it,” he said, adding that there are many local uprisings coming from the periphery and there is chaos in places where the government has lost control.

The opposition is functioning like a cash machine and as long as the money keeps coming they can continue, Zisser added.

[…]

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=305223

I agree: we should be thankful that the regime and its supporters are delusional and stupid. It makes military progress easier.

Amjad of Arabia

Did the Saudi mthrfkr king renew your visa?

Soon you’ll see the Syrian Scuds glowing over Saudi Arabi to teach these illiterate animals a hard lesson to not play with big boys.

Mari:

“we should be thankful that the regime and its supporters are delusional and stupid”

Why such a statement?

160. ALI

“Why such a statement?”

It’s a typo, dumbass. He meant to say, “We should be thankful that douchebag Ali is so delusional and stupid”

Is The U.S. Funding Syrian Revolution Or Future Terror Attacks? – March 4, 2013 by Sam Rolley

“The al-Qaida groups and those services which conduct their operations in line with the U.S. interests will soon change track of their operations to other places and they will cause new troubles for the U.S. and Europe henceforth”

http://personalliberty.com/2013/03/04/is-the-u-s-funding-syrian-revolution-or-future-terror-attacks/

A NATO researcher explained last week why the growing al-Qaida presence is cause for concern, saying Syria’s uncertain future could make it a top al-Qaida stronghold.

“It’s now clear that Syria is not undergoing a violent transition from one regime to another,” noted NATO researcher Jean-Loup Samaan. “In fact, the country is enduring a process of disintegration of its state structures. Planners for a post-Assad Syria are no longer eyeing the potential successors of Assad but [are looking] at the bewildering landscape of non-state actors that fight each other over the conquest of what will be eventually left of the Syrian state.”

Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Massoud Jazayeri urged U.S. officials to rethink support of Syrian opposition forces earlier this month, warning that terror groups have gained heavy control of opposition forces. He warned that the al-Qaida mission, such as it is, will lead to the armed rebels continuing their terrorist activities in the other countries, including the West, in the near future.

“The al-Qaida groups and those services which conduct their operations in line with the U.S. interests will soon change track of their operations to other places and they will cause new troubles for the U.S. and Europe henceforth,” Jazayeri said.

[…]

http://personalliberty.com/2013/03/04/is-the-u-s-funding-syrian-revolution-or-future-terror-attacks/

Johannes de Silentio:

“We should be thankful that douchebag Ali is so delusional and stupid”

We should be thankful to your mother’s vagina to bless us with such a baby clown

a country in bliss, Syrian state tv should carefully consider inviting some retired sport stars for an hour long hand clapping ceremony. Who could be Battas “friend for live”?

Syria’s Assad is ‘delusional’ says William Hague

UK foreign secretary hits back at Bashar al-Assad after Syrian leader accuses Britain of resuming a ‘bullying’ colonial role

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/03/syria-assad-delusional-william-hague?INTCMP=SRCH

The US will not arm the opposition for the time being but it will allow others to do so. The statement made bu Kerry in a press conference with the Saudi is telling. Are we going to celebrate the New ear in Damascus?

Omen ,

“start firing patriot missiles at the presidential palace”

Or at least use them to shoot down those SCUD’s that keep hitting Aleppo, but that would be asking for too much wouldn’t it.

To gage the West’s actual willingness to be helpful towards the Syrian people one only needs to look at their blatant ineffectiveness at stopping the Russians from supplying the regime with spare parts and munitions to continue to slaughter the Syrian people.

#156 Joan of Arc

yawn.. zzzzz.

once a highly pro regime site, now a site where the ugly statues fall

even better version of the big salutation ceremony to Hafiz al Wahash today in Ar Raqa. Soon in all Syria.

A comment on the posting from _Enduring America_ about an Islamist group executing “prisoners of war” in Syria.

Technically, as this is not an international armed conflict, there is no “prisoner of war” status afforded to any of those directly involved in hostilities.