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Washington and Western capitals are making headway in establishing a “contact group” among the regional states on Syria. The orchestrated warnings to Damascus from all US allies in the region is a success for the State Department’s diplomacy. It puts Syria’s Muslim neighbors in the lime-light and keeps the US, Western Powers, and Israel in the shadows, where they believe they must remain lest they de-legitimizing the Syrian opposition with excessive muscle flexing.<\/p>\n
The Saudi Ambassador to Syria had invited guests to iftar at the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus in the hours before the King issued his recall. It would seem that the ambassador did not know his recall was to be announced. Al Watan newspaper says that the Saudi King’s letter appears to be an American letter that ignores the real events and proofs on the ground.<\/p>\n
Everyone awaits Iran’s reaction today. Will Tehran come out with a strong statement backing Damascus and promising greater support for Syria or will it instead remain quite or content itself with a pro-forma statement of support for its regional ally? The Saudi statement ups the ante considerably for Damascus and turns the struggle for Syria into a more sharply defined religious and geo-strategic match between SA and Iran. Iran’s response will be key. Damascus may wait to make its own response until it communicates with Tehran.<\/p>\n
Anthony Shadid writes today that “the business elite in Damascus has begun preparing for the government\u2019s fall<\/strong>.” I wish we knew Anthony’s source for this important bit of info. He is in Lebanon, where he can meet with Syrian businessmen traveling through. It is hard to know what this would mean. How united are Syrian businessmen and what does it mean to prepare for the government’s fall? Buying gold? Or more? Surely this will be a Shadid feature in the coming days. My appetite is whetted and I am eager for the details.<\/p>\n A new <\/a>Christian <\/a>defense\u00a0 minister <\/a>has been appointed by Assad. General Daood Rajha, who was the army’s chief of staff, replaces General Ali Habib in the post.<\/p>\n Syria’s neighbours building a coalition against Assad’s government<\/a> The Gulf Cooperation Council, a coalition of six Arab, oil-rich, Gulf states dominated by Saudi Arabia, then issued a statement asking for an end to the bloodshed in Syria.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, in the first such public speech, asked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end the military campaign against protesters and to enact sweeping reforms.<\/p>\n It is very likely that these various statements were coordinated, and that they form part of a process aimed at building a coalition against Syria’s government. The next step would likely be for other Muslim and Arab states, prompted by Turkey and Saudi Arabia, to become more vocal in their criticism of President al-Assad.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia, through its connections to insurgents and Sunni tribes in Iraq and to Sunni politicians in Lebanon, will likely provide additional financing for weapons smuggling operations into Syria.<\/p>\n Turkey is the only country with the military capability, national security interests and favourable geographic location that can intervene in Syria. Turkey is increasingly likely to receive international support, from Nato and the Arab League and possibly from the UN Security Council, to send troops into northern Syria. In its initial stages, this would likely involve the creation of a 10km-20km buffer zone in Hasaka, Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo Provinces.<\/p>\n Further, the statements by the GCC and Saudi Arabia indicate increased Arab support for Syria’s Sunni majority, which will likely lead to increased protests against the Ba’ath ruling party.<\/p>\n The risk of protests spreading to central Damascus and to Aleppo has therefore increased. Protests in Aleppo or in the Druse-dominated Suwayda province would increase the strain on the already overstretched Syrian Army and regime protection units, the Presidential Guard and the 4th Division, and making defections more likely and increasing the risk of an internal coup against President al-Assad.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Monday, August 8, 2011 Syrian president Bashar al Assad has succeeded where US and European diplomacy failed: five months into anti-government demonstrations demanding his resignation, Mr. Assad has united the international community in decrying the brutality of his failed effort to crush the protests. Syrian Military Mounts Assault on Another City<\/a> Other signs of pressure on the government have emerged, perhaps most importantly indications that the business elite in Damascus has begun preparing for the government\u2019s fall<\/strong>. That elite has long proved one of the most important pillars of the Syrian leadership, notably during the Islamist revolt in 1982.<\/p>\n \u201cThe regime is its own worst enemy, and it can\u2019t be saved from itself,\u201d said a Damascus-based analyst who asked to remain anonymous. \u201cIt is ripe for collapse, but the question remains what will trigger it and when.\u201d<\/p>\n Residents put the death toll in Deir al-Zour at 42, and one of them said a family of six trying to escape \u2014 a couple with four children \u2014 was among the dead. Activists said that many residents had left in recent days. A local man who gave his name as Maamoun said that pickup trucks packed with as many as 25 women and children each were fleeing down abandoned streets.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Syrian President Names New Defence Minister<\/a>, 2011-08-08<\/p>\n DAMASCUS (AFP)–Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Monday appointed a new defence minister, state television reported, amid mounting Arab condemnation of nearly five months of deadly crackdown on dissent. “President Assad has signed a decree naming General Daood Rajha as the head of the defence ministry,” the television report said. Rajha, who was the army’s chief of staff, replaces General Ali Habib in the post.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n DEBKA merrily admits that hama \u2018protestors\u2019 have \u2018anti-tank weapons\u2019<\/p>\n Turkey revives military threat as Syrian tanks storm Deir al-Zour<\/a> After capturing the northern town of Hama in a bloody military assault, on Sunday Aug 7 Assad sent a whole division of 200 tanks and dozens of armored vehicles to blast their way into another rebellious city, Syria\u2019s oil center of Deir el-Zour in the Euphrates Valley, a town of half a million inhabitants. At least 70 people were reported dead in one day. While Hama is a Muslim Brotherhood stronghold, Deir el-Zour is the urban center of some 2.1 million members of assorted nomadic Bedouin tribes. They too are Sunni Muslims though of different sects. The Baqqara tribal federation is the largest, numbering 1.2 million, followed by the Fadan Walad and the Fadan Kharsa of the Euphrates Valley and the al Shammar Karsah of Deir al Zour and its environs. Unlike the protesters of Hama, these tribesmen lack anti-tank weapons for battling Syrian armor and so their town may not hold out against the Syrian onslaught beyond two or three days. The tribesmen have meanwhile run for cover t!<\/p>\n o the dense papyrus groves of the river bank and the narrow wadis of the Iraqi al Anbar province just across the border. From these hiding places, our military sources expect them refugees to organize protracted guerrilla warfare against the Assad regime and Syrian army. These are the very tribes which from 2003 to 2006 joined al Qaeda in bloody warfare on US forces in central Iraq, preventing Anbar and the central Iraqi towns of Falujja and Ramadi ever being completely subdued and constantly convulsed by suicide attacks. It was only when Bush 43 agreed to implement the Awakening Councils plan put forward by Gen Petraeus, which involved substantial monthly payments to the tribal chiefs for warfare against al Qaeda, that Al Anbar was pacified.<\/p>\n Aware of the menace posed by these tribes, Syrian security services last week, ahead of the Deir el-Zour offensive, captured the Baqqara tribal chief Sheikh Nawaf al-Bashir as hostage against the tribes joining the uprising against the regime. Syrian military intelligence will find him a tough nut to crack, even for a heavy bribe. The upshot may well be that although the Syrian army finally subjugates Deir al-Zour and Abu Kemal on the Iraqi border, its forces will be cornered by Sunni tribes which control the road networks around the two eastern towns and prey to their raids. Assad\u2019s offensive against the two towns also places at risk Syria\u2019s small oil fields and pipeline system…..<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Kuwait Joins Saudis in Pulling Ambassador from Syria on Violence<\/strong> Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) — Kuwait recalled its ambassador from Damascus for consultations, following a similar move by Saudi Arabia today, amid a deadly crackdown by Syrian forces against protesters. Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sabah, speaking to reporters in Parliament, also said members of the Gulf Cooperation Council will soon meet to discuss Syria.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Bahrain recalls ambassador from Syria \u201cfor consultations\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Arab League: don’t expect “drastic” steps over Syria<\/a><\/p>\n 12 leading Aleppo Imams Condemning the Spilling of the Blood of Innocents<\/a>.\u00a0 al-Akhbar<\/p>\n They state that the regime is particularly responsible for the situation because it is the stronger.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n ?????, 07 ????? 2011 23:14<\/p>\n ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ???????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? \u201d ??? ??????\u201d? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ???? ??? ???????? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ?? \u201c?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ?????? ????????\u201d.<\/p>\n ???? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ???? 11 ?? ???? ????? ???? ????? ????? ??? ??????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ????? ???? \u201d ????? ??? ?? ????????? ??????? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??????? ????:<\/p>\n ???????? ?? ????????? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????? ??? ???????? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? ???????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ??<\/p>\n ???? ???? ????? ????????? ??????? \u2013 ????????? ????? ?????? \u2013 ??????? ?????? ?? ????????? ?? ???<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Shaykh Yaqoubi of the Ummayad Mosque States Support for Revolution<\/a> – Youtube<\/p>\n Syrian Shaykh Yaqoubi at the recent Istanbul Ulema (scholar) Conference. The Shaykh was twice dismissed from his position at the Ummayad mosque in Damascus. He gives a message to the regime and the protestors. He reassures his listeners that a successful revolution will not mean a change on the position regarding Israel. He reminds the Cities of Syria their religious duty to support a just revolution. The Shaykh calls for a dialogue on a peaceful transition of power in which all sects are respected and protected and the economy is preserved.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n ‘Lebanese parties inflame Syrian unrest’<\/a> Iran TV<\/p>\n Syrian ministry of defense site has been hacked http:\/\/t.co\/66nb90Y #Syria http:\/\/fb.me\/ujGVf6re<\/p>\n Syrian Opposition Leader: Israelis Can Remain in Golan<\/a><\/p>\n Wash Post<\/a><\/p>\n Like Hama, Deir al-Zour had effectively fallen under the control of the protesters, who had erected barricades to keep the military out, enabling them to stage massive rallies that routinely drew tens of thousands of people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Moreover, the city\u2019s remote desert location near Iraq gives it a special sensitivity because many of its residents have family ties to tribes in the Iraqi province of Anbar and, like their kinsmen, typically keep weapons, raising the specter of armed confrontations between the military and anti-government forces.<\/p>\n Austria suspends its delivery of bank notes to Syria<\/a> because of the brutal repression.<\/p>\n
\nTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that his country’s patience with Syria has run out, and that the events taking place in Syria constituted an “internal matter” to Turkey.
\nBy Exclusive Analysis – Telegraph
\n08 Aug 2011<\/p>\n
\nRelated Articles<\/p>\n
\nSyrian president unites international community in condemnation of his violence<\/a>
\nBy James M. Dorsey<\/p>\n
\nIncreasingly cornered, Mr. Assad failed in the past week to read the writing on the wall. His ferocious attack on Hama, Syria\u2019s fourth largest city and a symbol of resistance against his family\u2019s four-decade old iron-fisted rule, prompted the United Nations Security Council to call last Tuesday for a halt to the crackdown for the first time since the protests erupted….<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nBy ANTHONY SHADID, August 7, 2011<\/p>\n
\nDEBKAfile, Aug 7 2011<\/p>\n
\n2011-08-08, By Dahlia Kholaif<\/p>\n\n