Tunisian Revolution and the Middle East--And Now, The Withdrawal From Afghanistan (M.E.T.)

visionary · July 6, 2011

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hs8NW9UKxzXfG3xcYM1gbFvMtYMA

US urges Syria to withdraw forces from Hama
(AFP) – 6 hours ago

WASHINGTON — The United States on Tuesday called on Syria to withdraw its forces from the flashpoint city of Hama at the hub of an anti-regime revolt, where residents have mobilized to keep out troops.

"We urge the government of Syria to immediately halt its intimidation and arrest campaign, to pull its security forces back from Hama and other cities, and to allow Syrians to express their opinions freely so that a genuine transition to democracy can take place," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

She added Washington was "very concerned about the ongoing attacks against peaceful demonstrators in Syria."

"The government of Syria claims that it's interested in dialogue at the same time that it is attacking and massing forces in Hama, where demonstrations have been nothing but peaceful."

Activists told AFP that security forces killed at least 11 people on Tuesday while more than 35 were wounded in the city.

There was no independent confirmation of the reports from activists as Syrian authorities have curbed foreign media coverage.

One activist insisted that Hama, where as many as 500,000 people took to the streets for a demonstration on Friday against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, was putting up a "100 percent peaceful" resistance.

Residents are said to have been sleeping on the streets and putting up sand barriers and tires to try to block an assault by Syrian forces.

"A week ago, Hama was the positive example of a city in Syria where peaceful demonstrations were allowed, where people were meeting each other and organizing and talking," Nuland said.

"And today, we see Hama surrounded by Syrian security forces. So we're going in the wrong direction."

Assad, faced with a revolt since mid-March, sacked the governor of Hama province on Saturday, a day after the massive rally during which security forces kept out of sight.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/20117575942416758.html

Syrian forces in deadly assault on Hama
At least 16 people reported killed by Syrian forces in city that has become focal point for anti-government protests.

Last Modified: 05 Jul 2011 09:17

At least 16 people have been killed in the central Syrian city of Hama as government forces intensify their operations in the city, human rights activists have told Al Jazeera.

Sumer al-Said, a resident of Hama, told Al Jazeera by phone on Tuesday afternoon that security forces had shot people indiscriminately in the streets, and that water and electricity had been cut off.

"Two days ago, they arrested a lot of people in my area, and a lot of people were badly beaten," he said.

Troops and tanks have surrounded the city in recent days in an apparent attempt to quell protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

With tanks and armoured vehicles moving closer to the edges of the city in the early hours of Tuesday, residents said hundreds of youths had blocked roads leading to residential neighbourhoods with garbage containers, wood and metal to try to prevent a possible advance.

Al Jazeera's Rula Amin reported that by Tuesday evening, security forces had broken through many of the roadblocks that locals have been erecting.

Security forces, some in plain clothes and some in uniform, have set up checkpoints across the city, making arrests and preventing people from fleeing, she said.

UPDATE: 12:54 AM EST

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/syria

9 hours 31 min ago
Alain Juppe, France's foreign minister, who held talks in Moscow last week, said on Tuesday there were signs that Russia was beginning to question its Syrian stance after seeing President Bashar al-Assad continue a bloody crackdown on protesters.

Russia has opposed a French-led UN Security Council draft resolution, which condemns Assad's government and urges it to adopt speedy change, but stops short of imposing sanctions or allow military action.

France, unlike its European partners and the United States, says Assad has lost legitimacy to rule.

I think the point of no return has been crossed and the ability for Assad to make reforms today is zero in view of what has happened.

France has also failed to convince South Africa, India and Brazil to vote in favour, leaving the resolution short of the minimum 11 of 15 votes it feels it needs to submit the resolution and call Russia's bluff.

9 hours 25 min ago
Britain said Tuesday's deadly crackdown in the Syrian city of Hama would undermine the Damascus regime's legitimacy and ramp up international pressure on Assad.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the following in a statement:

Violent repression in Hama will only further undermine the regime's legitimacy and raise serious questions about whether it is committed to the reforms it has recently announced.
No meaningful political dialogue can take place while there is a brutal military crackdown.

The UK has made clear that President Assad must reform or step aside. If the regime continues to choose the path of brutal repression, pressure from the international community will only increase.

Hague was in Jeddah on Tuesday for talks with Saudi officials on the Arab Spring.

3 hours 34 min ago
The Syrian government's violent suppression of the revolt against its rule could amount to a systematic campaign of crimes against humanity, the human rights group Amnesty International has said.

London-based Amnesty International says it has gathered proof of such crimes by the government in the northern town of Tell Kalakh.

In a new report the organisation called for the UN Security Council to refer the Syrian government's massive repression, which has come in response to continuing protests against President Bashar al-Assad's rule, to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/07/05/syria.sniper/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Syrian deserter: 'It was like a war against your own people'
Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- Six months ago, a slender, soft-spoken 21-year-old Syrian worked in an ice cream factory. The young man's primary concern then: spending time with his girlfriend.

But last December, he was drafted into the Syrian army. A lot has changed since then.

A few weeks ago, the conscript, who asked not to be identified to protect his family from possible reprisals, deserted and fled Syria after he was repeatedly ordered to open fire on un-armed demonstrators who were protesting against the Syrian government.

"Our officer gave us the order to shoot at the people," the soldier said, in an interview with CNN. "It didn't matter how many people would be killed, the important thing was for the protest to be dispersed."

CNN cannot independently confirm the claims of the man, who said he was a sniper in the 14th Division of the Syrian army.

Edited July 6, 2011 by visionary

visionary · July 7, 2011

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/201177143420256530.html

Yemen president makes TV speech
This is Saleh's first appearance after he was wounded in a bomb blast at his palace last month.

Last Modified: 07 Jul 2011 17:11

Yemeni television is airing a recorded speech by President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In his speech, Saleh said he supports dialogue and welcomes power sharing "within the constitution".

He said he had undergone more than eight operations. Saleh's arms and hands were heavily bandaged.

Saleh has not appeared in public after he was wounded in a bomb blast at his palace last month.

He has been in neighbouring Saudi Arabia since then undergoing treatment.

Saleh has been hanging on to power despite international pressure and six months of protests against his 33-year old rule.

The speech was recorded in Riyadh.

Late last month, Deputy Information Minister Abdo al-Janadi told AFP news agency that a team from Yemeni television had headed to Riyadh to interview Saleh and that it would be aired after June 30.

"In this interview, Saleh will address the Yemeni people to reassure them about his health," Janadi said.

Uncertainty has prevailed over Saleh's health, given that he has not been seen in public since the attack amid conflicting reports about his condition.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/20117712589867939.html

Mikati government wins parliament vote
In Lebanon, the government of Hezbollah-backed prime minister secures its position in face of Western-backed opposition.

Last Modified: 07 Jul 2011 14:32

Lebanon's government on Thursday won a vote of confidence in parliament, after the country's Western-backed opposition walked out moments before the vote.

The government of Najib Mikati, Lebanon's prime minister, secured 68 out of a possible 128 votes in parliament, where the Iranian-backed Shia group Hezbollah and its allies hold a slight majority.

Earlier in the day, Mikati said his cabinet, which includes members of Hezbollah, would continue to cooperate with the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) into the murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri.

"The government confirms it will continue the path of the tribunal ... and continue to cooperate in this regard as per the UN Security Council Resolution which set up the tribunal to see justice served," Mikati said.

Last week, the STL issued an indictment in the assassination of Hariri, a powerful Saudi-backed Sunni billionaire and politician, and ordered the arrest of four Hezbollah members over the murder.

Thursday's vote capped three days of parliamentary talks on the government's political programme, which had triggered a heated debate between the majority and the opposition, led by Hariri's son and political heir Saad al-Hariri, who did not attend Thursday's session.

Mikati's programme includes an ambiguously worded clause stipulating that Lebanon will "respect" international resolutions as long as they do not threaten peace and stability.

"I am following my conscience, my ethics, my loyalty to [late] prime minister Rafiq Hariri," Mikati said when interrupted by a member of the opposition, prompting a round of applause from the audience.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/20117711451884870.html

'Hundreds flee' Syrian city of Hama
About 1,000 people have fled the city fearing another crackdown on protests, rights group says.

Last Modified: 07 Jul 2011 12:58

About 1,000 people have fled Syria's central city of Hama fearing another military crackdown on protests calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, a Syrian rights group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, said the residents had headed for Salamiyah, a town 30km from Hama, on Thursday, after security forces killed at least 23 civilians there and conducted mass arrests since Tuesday.

Hama, which saw about 500,000 people take part in an anti-government rally last Friday, has become the most recent flashpoint city of demonstrations that have rocked the country since March.

Ammar Qurabi, head of the National Organisation for Human Rights, said on Wednesday that an influx of troops following the massive Friday protest had brought a dramatic escalation of "killings and arrests in the city"

visionary · July 8, 2011

SYRIA

Big news today in Syria, as massive protests are held in Hama and supporting ones are held elsewhere. But even more important is the appearance of the US ambassador who stayed overnight in the city and watched the protests today, in direct defiance of the Syrian regime.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/syria

2 hours 29 min ago
Around 3,000 protesters have marched in the mountain town of Zabadani, 40km northwest of Damascus, chanting in solidarity with Hama despite a heavy security presence in the city, a local activist told Al Jazeera.

A video apparently shot in Zabadani this afternoon shows protesters holding signs, including one which reads “Hama we will not let you down again,” a reference to the 1982 massacre ordered by Assad’s father in response to an armed uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood in which 20,000 to 30,000 Syrians were killed.

The activist said a further 2,000 protesters in Madaya, a neighbouring town, were chanting for the toppling of the regime and for President Assad to leave.

“Usually these demonstrations join up with each other, but we are not sure that will be possible today with the heavy security presence,” he said.

2 hours 25 min ago
Local activists from the Local Coordination Committee SRCU have told Al Jazeera that the French ambassador, Eric Chevallier, has joined the US ambassador, Robert Ford, in his visit to Hama today.

2 hours 19 min ago
Local activists have told Al Jazeera that more than 500,000 protesters have taken to the street in Hama today, making it the largest protest so far since the uprising began in mid-March.

“Hama’s history has [many] tangible examples of the resistance to injustice in Syria,” the activist said.

“Since 1963 when the Baath party came to power, we have had corruption, an unjust law system and no freedom of speech and gatherings. Basically we had no state. And this is what we are going to change and the masses in the street are chanting for it", he said.

“Hama with all the support it is receiving from all over the country is becoming a role model for peaceful demonstrations and we are protesting here for all of Syria.”

1 hour 48 min ago
Video showing today's massive rally in Hama:

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1 hour 29 min ago
More citizen videos out of Hama show two central squares thronged with people, the first around the clock tower and the second outside a municipal building.

In the absence of security forces, the massive gathering appeared to have an almost carnival-like atmosphere, with protesters carrying a giant Syrian flag extended for hundreds of meters through the centre of the city, while the main clock tower has been draped in a purple banner reading, “Long live free Syria. Down with Bashar al-Assad”.

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1 hour 23 min ago
Anti-Assad protesters chant "Down with the regime" in the city of Qamishli in Al Hasakah province:

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1 hour 12 min ago
Additional unverified citizen videos from Syria depict protesters escaping attacks in Idlib, worshippers clashing with police as they are leaving a mosque in Damascus province, and demonstrators chanting in Al Kiswah in the Rif Dimashq governate.

And, a video reportedly showing a large pro-democracy protest in the Al Qaddam district of Damascus:

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1 hour 5 min ago
A new YouTube video purportedly shows an SUV belonging to Robert Ford, the US ambassdor to Syria, moving through the protests around Al Asi Square in Hama today:

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29 min 17 sec ago
Security forces opened fire on protesters in Homs today, killing one and wounding five others among a crowd of tens of thousands from the city and its surrounding villages, an activist in Homs told Al Jazeera.

Homs remains under heavy security presence, with the activist saying he had counted 20 tanks in central Homs’ Baab Saba neighbourhood alone.

Prevented from joining together into a single protest, residents held several separate protests across the city. One citizen video shows a protester holding a sign reading, “No to dialogue with killers”.

Security forces also fired tear gas and sound bombs at protesters, said the activist.

“We refuse dialogue with the criminal regime because we cannot talk to tanks and bombs – the calls for dialogue are false and aimed at misleading the international community while they continue killing us,” he said, referring to President Assad’s National Dialogue conference, scheduled to take place in Damascus on Sunday.

He said the protest movement is growing: “We are gaining more solidarity among soldiers and security forces. We have security elements now that are leaking information to us and we use this information to protect our field activists. This shows that the regime is slowly cracking.”

8 min 17 sec ago
Citizen journalists working with international rights group Avaaz have recorded the names of eight people killed on Friday by regime forces during protests in Dumair and Zabadani, towns near Damascus, in Banias on the coast, and in Midan, a neighbourhood of the capital.

At least 40 people have been wounded, mostly in Damascus and nearby Duma, as well as in Idlib in the northwest, Avaaz said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/2011780473138345.html

A US official said Ford left Hama on Friday afternoon so as not to be a distraction during the weekly demonstrations.
Diplomats said on Friday that French ambassador Eric Chevallier was also in Hama to show support for the city.

Damascus accused Washington of "interfering" in its affairs.

"The presence of the US ambassador in Hama without previous permission is obvious proof of a clear evidence of the United States' involvement in current events in Syria and its attempt to incite an escalation in the situation, which disturbs Syria's security and stability," the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement.

In response, the US state department said: "The fundamental intention was to make absolutely clear with his physical presence that we stand with those Syrians who are expressing their right to speak for change."

EGYPT

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/07/20117810134178303.html

Thousands fill Egypt's Tahrir Square
Demanding faster reforms and prosecution of Mubarak era officials, protesters gather to put pressure on military rulers.

Last Modified: 08 Jul 2011 12:06

Thousands of demonstrators again flooded Cairo's now-iconic Tahrir Square to demand faster reforms and swifter prosecution of former officials from Hosni Mubarak's toppled government.

Being dubbed the 'march of the Million', today's rally is expected to be the biggest demonstration since the fall of Mubarak on February 11.

Most political groups and parties including the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most organised political grouping, backed calls for the protest to be staged across Egypt.

The protests have not been limited to Cairo, hundreds of people also gathered in Suez and the coastal city of Alexandria.

Our correspondent Sherine Tadros reports from Suez: "The main frustration here is over the release of the officers accused of killing protesters during the revolution is the main focus of the people here.

"What people here are asking for is justice and faster trials of those responsible for the killings of protesters.

Our correspondent also added that the military is trying to maintain some control and show a visible presence there.

"However, they are careful not to overshadow the protesters to make it out in many ways that they are here to stop the protest," Tadros said.

This time Egyptians are protesting against the military rulers, who they say are dragging their feet on government reforms.

Five months after Egypt's revolution, many of the groups behind the protest say few of its goals have been achieved.

Edited July 8, 2011 by visionary

visionary · July 30, 2011

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/syria

Anti-government protesters carry a giant Syrian flag in the city of Hama on July 29. [Photo: Reuters]

21 hours 44 min ago
In Midan, a Sunni merchant-class neighbourhood of Damascus, some 3,000 protestors took to the streets following Friday prayers, residents told Al Jazeera.

Khalid, a 22-year-old protester, told Al Jazeera:

Whatever the regime does we will keep on with our demonstrations until see a new democratic state. The Assad regime couldn’t find a solution for the crisis and for four months the regime used all military and security means and couldn’t stop the democratic uprising.
In a few days, the regime will see big demonstrations every night and we can keep our uprising going for months, but the regime cannot keep the crackdown for another three or four months. Until today, the regime killed 2,000 and arrested 20,000 and couldn’t stop or frighten us. We want the silence majority now to stand with the peaceful democratic uprising.

21 hours 42 min ago -
Thousands also took to the streets in other suburbs and cities, residents told Al Jazeera.

This included Hajjar al-Asswad, a poor suburb of Damascus, Raqqa city, 400km northeast of Damascus, and Deir ez-Zor.

Abu Furat , 28, a protester from Deir ez-Zor city told Al Jazeera:

Today there was about 200,000 protesters and no security men. They only protect their buildings. I heard that the regime is preparing a large number of soldiers to send them to finish our uprising. Today, I saw ten helicopters flying over us while we were demonstrating to frighten us. The regime is so angry because some soldiers have joined us and began shooting at the security men.

11 hours 22 min ago -
With the holy month of Ramadan approaching in the next few days, the anti-government protests look set to escalate. Syrian activists say they will march every day after prayers.

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7 hours 43 min ago -
Syrian troops have stormed a suburb of the capital Damascus and a town near the Iraqi border, killing at least five people in the latest raids as the government intensifies its crackdown on protesters ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, activists told Associated Press on Saturday.

Activists expect anti-government demonstrations to escalate during Ramadan, which begins early next week.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four people were killed during a raid on the Damascus suburb of Kiswah on Friday night.

It also said that one person was killed when troops entered the eastern border town of al-Boukamal near Iraq's border.

1 hour 46 min ago
A Syrian army colonel said that he has defected with "hundreds" of soldiers and warned the regime against launching a crackdown on the eastern oil hub of Deir ez-Zor. The man, identifying himself as Colonel Riad al-Asaad, said in a telephone call to AFP news agency in Nicosia that he was speaking from inside Syria "near the Turkish border".

"I am the commander of the Syrian Free Army," he said. "We are hundreds," he added of the number of troops under his command. The claim could not be independently verified. But the caller warned the Syrian regime against carrying out any security operations in Deir ez-Zor, where activists said a massive military convoy, including tanks, deployed on Saturday.

"I warn the Syrian authorities that I will send my troops to fight with the (regular) army if they do not stop the operations in Deir ez-Zor," Al-Asaad said.

Earlier the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in Britain said soldiers shot dead three stone-throwers as a convoy of 60 military vehicles made its way towards Deir ez-Zor.

Rami Abdel Rahman, quoting witness in the city, said the troops deployed in Deir ez-Zor, with some of them taking positions near the offices of the governor. Deir ez-Zor is at the forefront of more than four months of anti-regime protests and scene of a deadly crackdown by the Syrian authorities against dissent.

15 min 58 sec ago
Abdullah Al-Furati, a member of Syria's local co-ordinating committees from Deir ez-Zor, told Al Jazeera that several soldiers joined demonstrators to protect them from security forces that have been trying to storm Joura district in Deir ez-Zor province.

Security forces have shelled Qisour district in Deir ez-Zor damaging the minaret of the Khaldid Bin al-Walid mosque. The security forces have been trying to enter the area but residents have fought them off, Al-Furat said.

http://twitter.com/#!/LeShaque

Deir Ezzor: Army launched assault in the past hour. It has already taken over a third of the city. 58 minutes ago

Deir Ezzor: Residents have set up barricades made of busted old cars and sandstones to hamper vehicle movement. 59 minutes ago

Deir Ezzor: The army invaded the city from its Western end under cover of tank fire and heavy machine guns. 58 minutes ago

Converging reports that Deir Ezzor is shooting back... 30 minutes ago

http://twitter.com/#!/SeekerSK

Deir Ezzor: Reports of casualties in Sunniya & Al Tob districts on road to Aleppo-Army invaded Tabani & Kharita villages 50 minutes ago

Deir Ezzor: Military, Air Force Intel, & Special Forces deployed Sueye Bridge-Hajjane-Bokamal Sq.-
Invaded hospital, no one allowed to enter 39 minutes ago

Deir Ezzor: Heavy gunfire at Natl Hospital-
2 Tanks positioned in front of hospital on Howeiqa St-

25 Soldiers defect & join citizens 34 minutes ago

Deir Ezzor: Grenades launched in residential area of Qusoor district-
Several fallen wounded in areas that can't be reached for treatment 33 minutes ago

Deir Ezzor: Snipers on roofs of Air Force Intel & Military Sec branches target ppl passing-
Large # of wounded arrive at Nur Hospital 25 minutes ago

visionary · July 31, 2011

Damn, I'd thought Hama was pretty much untouchable at this point.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/2011731183142996341.html

'Scores dead' as Syrian tanks storm Hama
At least 142 people reportedly killed in violence throughout the country, a day ahead of the start of Ramadan.

Last Modified: 31 Jul 2011 19:12

Syrian forces have killed nearly 142 people, including at least 100 when the army stormed the flashpoint protest city of Hama to crush dissent on the eve of Ramadan, activists have said.

Rights groups said it was one of deadliest days in Syria since demonstrators first took to the streets on March 15, demanding democratic reforms and the downfall of the government.

As reports of the brutal crackdown on Hama unfurled, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Turkey condemned the violence, while a US diplomat said it was "full-on warfare".

"It is one of the deadliest days" since the protests erupted, Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.

"One hundred civilians were killed on Sunday in Hama by gunfire from security forces who accompanied the army as it stormed the city," Abdel Karim Rihawi, head of the Syrian League for the Defence of Human Rights, said.

Rihawi said five other people were killed in the central city of Homs, and three more in the northwestern province of Idlib, when security forces opened fire on protesters who rallied in support of Hama.

"The number of those wounded is huge and hospitals cannot cope, particularly because we lack the adequate equipment," Abdel Rahman quoted a Hama hospital source as saying.

He said the crackdown on Hama came after more than 500,000 people rallied in the city on Friday following Muslim prayers during which a cleric told the congregation "the regime must go".

Activists also reported deaths in Deir ez-Zor, Syria's main gas- and oil-production hub in the east, which has become a rallying point for protests along with Hama.

At least 19 people were killed in Deir ez-Zor, six in Herak in the south, and one in Al-Bukamal in the east, said Qorabi, adding most of those shot in Deir ez-Zor were "hit in the head and the neck" by snipers.

visionary · July 31, 2011

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/syria

8 hours 6 min ago - Syria
Syrian forces have arrested Sheikh Nawaf al-Bashir, head of the main Baqqara tribe in rebellious Deir ez-Zor province and a prominent figure in the campaign against President Bashar al-Assad, opposition sources told Reuters news agency.

Secret police agents arrested Bashir, who commands the loyalty of an estimated 1.2 million Baqqara, in Ein Qirsh district of Damascus on Saturday afternoon, they said.

Hours before his arrest Bashir told Reuters he was striving to stop armed resistance to a military assault on the provincial capital of Deir ez-Zor and to convince inhabitants to stick to peaceful methods, despite killings by security forces.

I guess that worked out well....

That's pretty much what happened in Daara where the government killed the religious leader who was trying to get everyone to stop protesting so much and work with the government.

7 hours hours 37 min ago - Syria
At least 42 people were injured when Syrian forces threw nail bombs at a demonstration in the Damascus suburb of Harasta, where the army's ultra loyalist Fourth Division had deployed to subdue pro-democracy protests, two residents said.

Hmm, is that Assad's brother's division?

6 hours 13 min ago - Syria
JJ Harder, the press attaché of the US embassy in Damascus, told Al Jazeera that the Syrian government "has shown itself with its back against the wall".

"It is resorting to some desperate last ditch attempt, trying to save itself. It is full-on warfare on its own people," he said.

Asked if he accepted the Syrian government's contention that its forces were up against armed gangs, Harder said: "The Syrian government is completely delusional. They are making up fanciful stories that no one believes.

"Our ambassador Robert Ford was in Hama earlier this month, and he saw with his own eyes the violence that they are talking about. There was none. He maybe saw one teenager with a stick at a checkpoint, and the government is going on with these absolute fabrications about armed gangs running the streets of Hama and elsewhere.

"Hama has shown itself to be a model of peaceful protest. That was why our ambassador chose to go there. This is a coherent attack by the Syrian government. I think they must be thinking that the international community is not paying attention. But I think they are dead wrong," Harder said.

5 hours 53 min ago
The press office of former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri released the following statement on the violence in Syria:

Hariri condemns the massacre in Hama

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned the massacre that the Syrian city of Hama is being subjected to, and the bloody killings in Homs, Edlib, Deir ez-Zor, Deraa and several Syrian towns and areas on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan. He considered that such bloody events conflict with all intentions to see brotherly Syria and its proud people overcome the present ordeal.

Premier Hariri said: "Silence on the international and Arab levels about what is happening in Syria, and in Hama in particular, whose people witnessed the worst massacre in the 1980’s, does not establish the required solutions, but leads to the loss of more Syrian lives."

He added: "We in Lebanon cannot, under any circumstances, remain silent regarding the bloody developments taking place in Syria, and we call on all concerned parties to rectify their position in order to enable the Syrian people to define their choices freely and within their humanitarian rights, and to overcome the painful ordeal which they are presently experiencing, as soon as possible."

The current government there has been pretty quiet though some elements have vocally supported Assad.

Edited July 31, 2011 by visionary

twa · July 31, 2011

interesting

A Syrian Major-General has deserted Assad’s army along with a group of other officers and joined the rebels.

In an Arabic video clip posted on Youtube on July 29, 2011, the officer, Major-General Riad El As’ad is seen in the company of other officers, announcing the establishment of the “Free Syrian Army whose main goal will be to fight the army of oppression headed by President Bashar Assad”.

As’ad accused the Assad regime of crimes against the Syrian people and called on the officers and soldiers in the Syrian army not to aim their weapons at the people. He further called on them to join the Free Syrian Army.

The major-general warned that the Free Army will eliminate any soldier who acts to harm his own people. The present army commanders do not represent the army, he continued, they are acting for the criminal gang that controls the media and prevents the people from obtaining truthful information on what is happening.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/07/top-syrian-generals-defect-announce-formation-of-free-syrian-army-to-fight-assad-video/

much more @ link

visionary · August 1, 2011

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/syria

5 hours 17 min ago
Turkey's President Abdullah Gul has expressed horror over Syrian security forces' use of heavy weapons, including tanks, to quell civilian protests in the central Syrian city of Hama. The Turkish government has forged close ties with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in recent years. Turkey has become Syria's biggest trading partner, and the neighbours have established visa free travel.

In remarks reported by state-run Anatolian news agency, Gul said:

The recent developments in Syria have deepened our already existing concerns. The footage from yesterday's events has horrified us ... The use of heavy weapons in Hama against civilians has given me a deep shock.

4 hours 35 min ago
Bashar al-Assad faces mounting global condemnation of his regime's unrelenting violence against protesters. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called for a bold UN stance to stop the crackdown in Syria, as the 27-nation bloc tightened the screws on Damascus by beefing up sanctions.

It is time for the Security Council to take a clear stand on the need to end the violence.

37 min 31 sec ago
The Local Coordination Committees of Syria are reporting that the Syrian army started random shelling from tanks and shooting from heavy machine guns during the evening Maghreb prayer call.

Targeted areas include: Mezrab, Kousour, Janoub Malaab, Samak Neighborhood, 8 Athar street and Janoubieh Area. The activist group said:

Electricity generators are being struck currently as preparation to raid those neighborhoods. Snipers are being deployed on the post office in Baath neighborhood.

5 min 30 sec ago
Residents of Hama say the military resumed indiscriminate shelling and firing this evening as residents were breaking their daily dawn-to-dusk fast on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The attacks appeared aimed at preventing the mosque gatherings during special evening prayers, which security forces feared could trigger large anti-government protests.

Today's deaths bring the total number of people killed in Syria since Sunday to at least 150.

9 min 59 sec ago
Syrian security agents briefly detained opposition leader Riad Seif at Damascus airport on Monday and prevented him from travelling to Germany to seek treatment for cancer, opposition sources said.

Seif, who has prostate cancer, was seized together with his German wife minutes before he was due to board an Austrian Airways flight, a friend of Seif's told the Reuters news agency. They were released two hours after the flight departed.

1 min 59 sec ago
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there must be "international pressure" on Syria, "including from Arab nations" and from Turkey, in statements to BBC radio. But he stressed there was no prospect of achieving a UN mandate for military intervention such as in Libya: "It's not a remote possibility, even if we were in favour of that, which we're not".

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the lack of a UN mandate and regional support meant the conditions were not met for a Libya-style operation: "In Libya, we're carrying out an operation based on a clear UN mandate. We have the support of countries in the region. These two conditions are not met in Syria", Rasmussen told a French daily.

The UN Security Council meeting to discuss the Syrian situation this afternoon in New York could reopen bitter divisions within the 15-country body, which has been unable to agree even on a statement on Assad's crackdown. One diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AFP news agency:

There is outrage over the new deaths. Even Russia's foreign ministry has condemned it, but I am not sure it is going to be enough to change the council dynamics.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/2011811355629619.html

Egyptian tanks enter Tahrir Square
Army deploys soldiers and tanks to central Cairo square to evict demonstrators on first day of Ramadan.

Last Modified: 01 Aug 2011 14:24

The Egyptian army deployed troops in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Monday and fired shots in the air to disperse remaining pro-democracy protesters.

A few hundred demonstrators were staying put, state television reported, showing army vehicles in the square and people taking down tents and canopies.

Local authorities say they asked demonstrators to allow traffic to move through the square, after local shopkeepers clashed with protesters for interfering with their businesses.

Demonstrators reportedly refused, so the military and riot police moved in.

The protesters responded by throwing stones and rocks at the security forces and several protesters were injured in the clashes, officials said. Activists said several protesters had been arrested.

Members of the April 6th protest movement say the military did not just storm the square, but attacked the mosque where protesters had sought shelter.

Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Tahrir, said: "There was a split when it came to protesters who wanted to stay and those who wanted to move out.

"There were a good 200 to 300 people who were still camped out earlier. Now it's filled with tanks and army soldiers.

"They've essentially driven out all the people. There do seem to be some civilians moving around but the army is continuing to move out anyone trying to get back into the square."

"People have been telling us, 'They can do what they want but we will just come back once they leave'."

Egyptian protesters had said they would suspend their sit-in at the square during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Monday, but would return to the square to press for reforms after the month was over.

Edited August 1, 2011 by visionary

visionary · August 4, 2011

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/syria

7 hours 4 min ago
UN Security Council envoys have issued a statement condemning human-rights violations and use of force against civilians by the Syrian government, amid a tank attack on Hama, a city of 800,000 residents.

The text was adopted on Wednesday after three days of heated discussions by the 15-member body, as a council statement rather than as a resolution.

The statement "condemn widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities".

6 hours 53 min ago
The White House hardened its stance against President Assad on Wednesday. Spokesman Jay Carney said:

We do not want to see him remain in Syria for stability's sake and, rather, we view him as the cause of instability in Syria. We are looking at ways to increase the pressure. The images coming out of Syria, of the Syrian government's brutality against its own people, have been grotesque and appalling and they demonstrate the true character of the regime.

6 hours 46 min ago
In a statement, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said:

The Syrian people are calling for peaceful change. I call on President Assad’s regime to end its violence and to allow genuine political reform. Until it does, the regime will be discredited amongst its own people and facing increased pressure internationally.

6 hours 45 min ago
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has hailed the UN Security Council declaration condemning Syria's deadly crackdown on protestst:

[The statement] is a turning point in the international community's attitude ... It is up to Syrian authorities to stop using force against peaceful demonstrations and to implement the reforms needed to answer the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.

6 hours 11 min ago -
A video from Idlib last night shows a young boy leading anti-Assad chants to a large crowd of opposition protesters:

2sZKdBsuhtE

xfkErv6Iav8

twa · August 4, 2011

While they are issuing strongly worded letters, Assad is shelling everything in the North

maybe he can't read?

visionary · August 4, 2011

SYRIA

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/08/201184164827951693.html

Syrian troops have killed at least 45 civilians in a tank assault to occupy the centre of Hama, according to an opposition activist, as President Bashar al-Assad seeks to crush a five-month-old uprising against his rule.
Armed men in plain clothes are randomly shooting people in the city's streets, forcing families to bury their loved ones in gardens at home for fear of venturing out to cemeteries, a resident said on Thursday.

Phones, internet and electricity have been cut or severely hampered for days.

The resident, who spoke by phone on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, told the Associated Press news agency that people are being forced to ration food to get by during the holy month of Ramadan.

"People are being slaughtered like sheep while walking in the street," the resident said.

"I saw with my own eyes one young boy on a motorcycle who was carrying vegetables being run over by a tank."

He said he left Hama briefly through side roads to smuggle in food supplies.

The resident said around 250 people have been killed since Sunday.

The claims could not be independently verified as Syria has not been allowing journalists into the country. Hozan Ibrahim, of the Local Co-ordination Committees which tracks the crackdown on protesters, said up to 30 people may have been killed in Hama on Wednesday based on reports from fleeing residents. But neither of those numbers could be immediately verified.

Families have resorted to burying their loved ones in home gardens or roadside pits "because we fear that if we go to the cemetery, we will end up buried along with them", the resident said.

Against this backdrop of continued violence, Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, has called the situation in Syria "dramatic" and expressed "enormous concern" over the deadly violence in the country.
"Unfortunately, people die there in large numbers. This arouses enormous concern from us," he said in an interview given to Russian media in the southern resort Sochi on Thursday.

Al-Assad needs to "carry out urgent reforms, come to terms with the opposition, restore peace and create a modern state", Medvedev said as quoted by the Interfax news agency.

"If he cannot do this, a sad fate awaits him, and in the end we will have to take some decision. We are watching the way the situation develops. As it changes, some of our perspectives also change."

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Syria

9 hours 14 min ago
France has called President Assad's decree allowing opposition parties a "provocation", saying he should instead stop his deadly crackdown on democracy protests.

"In a manner that lacks credibility... the Syrian regime recently announced the authorisation of multi-party politics. This is almost a provocation," Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told French radio.

He said that "what we want is an end to the violence against the civilian population which is only defending its rights."

Juppe warned that "if nothing changes in Syria," France may seek further action from the UN Security Council, which on Wednesday condemned the deadly crackdown and said those responsible should be held accountable.

8 hours 25 min ago
In a section called "Comprehensive Reform Decisions and Decrees", the official SANA news agency is detailing the presidential decrees issued on a General Elections Law and a Parties Law.

It says a political party established under the new law should adhere to the following principles:

1-Commitment to the constitution, principles of democracy and the rule of law, respecting liberties, basic rights, world declarations of human rights and the agreements approved by the Syrian Arab Republic.

2-Preserving the unity of the homeland and bolstering society's national unity.

3-Making public the principles, goals, methods and funding of a party.

4-A party cannot be based on religious, tribal, regional, denominational, or profession-related basis or on the basis of discrimination due to ethnicity, gender or race.

5-A party's formation, selection of leadership and commencement of activities must be carried out using democratic basis.

6-A party's methods must not include establishing public or covert military or paramilitary formations, nor must it use violence of any kind, threaten with it, or instigate it.

7-A party cannot be a branch of a non-Syrian party or political organization, not can it be affiliated to one.

5 hours 8 min ago
The UN Security Council's response to the recent bloodshed in Syria is deeply inadequate, Amnesty International said, after the council released a statement condemning the Syrian government's deadly crackdown on protesters.

The UN statement called for an end to violence and said it "condemned the widespread violation of human rights by the Syrian authorities," but fell short of taking decisive action. The call was issued as a presidential statement, which is not legally binding.

"The UN's response is completely inadequate. After more than four months of violent crackdown on predominantly peaceful dissent in Syria, it is deeply disappointing that the best the Security Council can come up with is a limp statement that is not legally binding and does not refer the situation to the International Criminal Court," said Jose Luis Diaz, Amnesty International's representative to the UN.

"President Assad has allowed his security forces to carry out another bloody attack on civilians, with dozens killed in the city of Hama in recent days. It’s crucial that a UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission to Syria is able to investigate the situation as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the Security Council has also failed to provide support for such a mission," he said.

4 hours 11 min ago
EU states agreed to further extend sanctions on Syria but stopped short of targeting the oil industry and banks, which dissidents say would be the only way to choke off funds fuelling repression in the country.

EU officials said EU ambassadors meeting in Brussels agreed that more names should be added to a sanctions list that already targets President President Bashar al-Assad and 34 other individuals as well as military-linked firms associated with the suppression of dissent.

They also agreed that the possibility of extending sanctions to the oil industry should be considered, but stopped short of a decision, the officials said. How far the sanctions list should be extended would depend on recommendations from the EU delegation in Damascus and EU states, they said.

17 min 50 sec ago
Germany will ask the United Nations to send a special envoy to Syria to increase pressure on Damascus over its crackdown on civilian protesters, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said. The move would add weight to the UN Security Council's condemnation of Syria on Wednesday, when it urged the government to respect human rights and comply with its obligations under international law.

"Together with our partners, I will urge the U.N. to name a special envoy for Syria who will start work immediately, carrying the international community's clear message to Damascus and adding authority to the demands of the Security Council," Westerwelle said in a statement.

European Union states agreed on Thursday to further extend sanctions on Syria but stopped short of targeting the oil industry and banks, which dissidents say would be the only way to choke off funds that fuel repression in the country. A spokesman for Germany's UN mission in New York said the proposal has been put to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

"What matters now is to translate this into something meaningful on the ground," the spokesman said. "This is why the German government suggested to the (secretary-general) the nomination of a special envoy to Syria."

twa · August 5, 2011

http://www.debka.com/article/21176/

The Orontes River runs red as Syrian anti-aircraft guns pound Hama

Horrifying images of bodies and limbs floating in the Orontes River in Hama were aired by Syrian state television early Thursday, Aug. 4. Contrary to official claims that they belonged to Syrian soldiers torn to pieces by protesters, debkafile reports they are the victims of Syrian tank fire and ZU-23 automatic anti-aircraft artillery trained on residential buildings and streets in the last 48 hours as the dead pile up in the streets.

Citizens cowering in their homes are throwing the dead out of windows and off roofs into the river.

They are reliving the terrors of the massacre President Bashar Assad's father inflicted on this city of half-a-million in 1982 which left 30,000 dead.

Our sources report that the Syrian ruler decided to take advantage of three events for unleashing an all-out assault against rebellious Hama:

1. World attention was riveted on the deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's trial which opened in Cairo Wednesday. As Mubarak was stunningly wheeled into the courtroom on a stretcher and deposited in an iron cage, Syrian tanks thundered into central Hama, indiscriminately shelling buildings and torching them. Their anti-aircraft guns mowed down the rebels who were firing anti-tank weapons from roadblocks.

Buildings suspected of housing snipers at windows or on rooftops were flattened.

Casualty figures cannot be confirmed because the Syrian authorities have cut off all the city's ground and cell telephone and Internet links. Electrical current and water are also switched off. The dead are believed to be in the hundreds and rising all the time because the thousands of injured cannot be reached for medical care.

The satellite phones in the hands of some of the dissident leaders provide the only source of information on the situation in the embattled city.

2. The crisis between the Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the army after the entire top command resigned in a body,

visionary · August 14, 2011

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/201181475734965763.html

Syrian 'warships shell port city of Latakia'
Last Modified: 14 Aug 2011 20:34

At least 25 people have been killed and many others injured after Syrian warships and tanks opened fire on the port city of Latakia, activists said.

A resident in al-Ramel, one of the neighbourhoods which came under attack on Sunday, said at least three gunboats were taking part in the offensive.

"Many homes have been destroyed and the shabiha have broken into shops and businesses," he said, referring to pro-government thugs.

The security forces appear to be intent on crushing dissent in the neighbourhood, which has seen large anti-government protests since the Syrian uprising began in mid-March.

The National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria (NOHRS) provided a list of 26 victims, including two Palestinian men from the Ramel refugee camp in southern Latakia.

A spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNRWA, Chris Gunness, said reports from the Ramel camp spoke of "fire from tanks which have encircled the area as well as fire from ships at sea".

"Poor communications make it impossible to confirm numbers of those killed and injured," Gunness said in a statement.

Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said one of the dead was a two-year-old girl who was in a car with her father when security forces at a checkpoint opened fire.

The assault on Latakia began on Saturday, when tanks and armoured personnel carriers rolled into al-Ramel amid intense gunfire. Five people were reportedly killed in the offensive.

Canada said on Saturday that it had expanded sanctions on Syria to protest against the government's brutal crackdown on demonstrations.
The new sanctions include travel bans on four officials and freezing the assets of the state-run Commercial Bank of Syria, and Syriatel, the country's largest mobile phone company.

The US imposed sanctions on the two firms earlier in the week, and has joined European allies in sanctioning top officials close to President Bashar al-Assad.

Tens of thousands of people rallied in cities across the country on Friday in protest against the government and at least 17 people were reported killed.
The protests have grown dramatically over the past five months, driven in part by anger over the government's bloody crackdown in which rights groups say at least 2,000 civilians have been killed across the country.

A Latakia resident speaking to Al Jazeera on Saturday rejected the government's claims.
"There are no armed gangs here," he said. "We have been demonstrating peacefully for the last three months."

Edited August 14, 2011 by visionary

visionary · August 15, 2011

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/201181513582176372.html

Mubarak judge ends live television coverage
Trial against toppled Egyptian leader to resume next month, but judge says proceedings will no longer be televised.

Last Modified: 15 Aug 2011 16:06

The trial of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's former president, has been adjourned until next month, with Ahmed Riffat, the trial judge, ordering all cameras out of the court.

Rifaat said the court would reconvene on September 5 to hear evidence, ruling that the trial, which was being broadcast live by many channels and on big screens outside the court, should not be televised until sentencing.

"It [the broadcast ban] is in protection of the general interest,'' Rifaat said.

He also ordered that Mubarak's trial should be merged with proceedings against his former interior minister, Habib el-Adly, whose trial had already been adjourned until September 5.

Mubarak, 83, who has mostly been confined to hospital since he was toppled by mass protests in February, was wheeled into the Cairo court on a stretcher as the trial resumed on Monday morning.

Scores of lawyers representing some of those killed during the protests that toppled Mubarak are attending the trial and Refaat struggled to maintain order amid chaotic scenes as the court convened.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/2011815133431188.html

Syrian army intensifies Latakia crackdown
Activists say "thousands" have been rounded up in a sports stadium as military raids neighbourhoods in coastal city.

Last Modified: 15 Aug 2011 15:55

Syrian troops have kept up their assault on the coastal city of Latakia for a third day, reportedly killing three people.

Residents told Al Jazeera that the army was using heavy machine guns and tanks, and had rounded up thousands of people in a sports stadium in the city on Monday.

"As of 10GMT, the army instructed all residents in southern and southeastern Latakia to evacuate", Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh, reporting from the Jordanian side of the Jordan-Syria border, said.

"According to activists, most people started fleeing to the heart of the city and there Syrian troops arrested thousands.

"They transported them on buses to the sports city stadium and there they're being held captured, stripped of their IDs and mobile phones."

El-Shamayleh said residents called the assault the "most atrocious attack" since protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government began five months ago.

The Syrian Revolution Co-ordinating Union, a grassroots activists' group, said three people were killed by security forces on Monday, bringing the total killed since Saturday to at least 31 civilians

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said one of the three was killed after troops opened fire as a group of fleeing residents approached a checkpoint in the Ein Tamra district of Latakia.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Syria

1 hour 46 min ago -
More than 5,000 Palestinian refugees have fled a camp in Latakia, under fire from Syrian troops, a UN spokesman has said, calling for immediate access to the site.

"Thousands of the refugees have fled the camp. There are 10,000 refugees there and more than half of them have fled," Chris Gunness, spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency was quoted as saying by AFP.

"Between five and 10,000 people have fled," he said. "We need to get in there and find out what the hell is going on."

visionary · August 19, 2011

SYRIA

http://twitter.com/#!/LeShaque

I'm in a never-ending meeting. Just popping in here to alert you that Bashar opened the gates of hell on #Homs tonight. 3 minutes ago

http://twitter.com/#!/edwardedark

ok now this is really serious. consistent reports out of Homs of tanks going on the rampage and shelling neighborhoods. houses set ablaze 6 minutes ago

I'll see if I can find some more details and/or and article.

---------- Post added August-19th-2011 at 06:35 PM ----------

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/201181995242245885.html

Civilians 'shot dead' at Syria protests
At least 23 people reported killed, most in the south, as the EU lays out plans for possible oil embargo.

Last Modified: 19 Aug 2011 21:07

Security forces have killed at least 23 people in Syria, activists said, as protesters again took to the streets across the country.

The UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said 15 people were killed in the southern Deraa province on Friday, including an 11-year-old and a 72-year-old.

The group said security forces opened fire on protesters in the province's towns of Ghabagheb, Inkhil, al-Hirak and Nawa.

Activists said several of the casualties occurred when security forces attacked mosques in Inkhil.

SOHR also said six people were killed in the central city of Homs, and that two others were killed in the Damascus suburbs Harasta and Douma.

The official SANA news agency blamed the shooting in Deraa province on "armed men", saying a policeman and a civilian were killed in Ghabagheb and six security forces wounded.

The violence came the EU decided to add 20 new names to a list of Syrian individuals and businesses already subjected to sanctions.
"Today, the European Union has reached political agreement on the addition of 20 Syrian individuals or entities to the list of those targeted by an asset freeze and travel ban," Catherine Ashton, EU foreign affairs chief, said in a statement.

EU ambassadors also asked the bloc's diplomatic service, the EEAS, to prepare plans for further measures.

"Proposals are now being prepared for an embargo on the import of Syrian crude oil into the European Union," Ashton said.

A day earlier, the US and EU, for the first time, explicitly called for Assad to step down.

Still not much about Homs yet....

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Syria

1 hour 42 min ago -
The Local Co-ordination Committees report shootings in Homs, Douma and Inkhil in Deraa province. The group says one person has been killed in Palmyra.

In al-Hirak, activists said curfews have been imposed, and the call to prayers banned. "Tanks are concentrated on the main street and side roads; random gunfire is terrorising residents," the LCC said

visionary · August 20, 2011

SYRIA

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/2011820104836191642.html

'Syrian tanks enter Homs' after protests
Government continues crackdown in central province as opposition meets in Turkey to form a "national council".

Last Modified: 20 Aug 2011 19:38

Tanks have entered the central Syrian city of Homs, according to activists, in a sign that President Bashar al-Assad remains willing to put down ongoing protests with force despite the impending arrival of a UN humanitarian mission.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said troops wounded at least eight people on Saturday in Homs, where a general strike was under way in protest against the crackdown.

"We began to hear the sound of gunfire from early morning," an activist in Homs who gave his name as Abdul Al-Rahman told Al Jazeera.

"I also heard a big explosion from the Bab Amr district. Several armoured vehicles with hundreds of soldiers, security men and shabiha [regime thugs] entered Homs' Sunni districts of Khaldiyeh, Aanshat and Bab Sbaa."

Videos posted online by the Shaam News Network appeared to show armoured personnel carriers driving through the streets of the city at dawn, with automatic gunfire audible in the background.

SOHR also said two people were killed in Rastan, a town between Homs and Hama, as security forces opened fire to disperse a demonstration.

Meanwhile, opponents of Bashar al-Assad met in Turkey to launch a "national council".
Participants in two days of meetings in an Istanbul hotel, from both inside and outside Syria, planned to set up working groups and draft measures aimed at ousting Assad, organisers said.

"The Syrian national council will have between 115 and 150 members, more than half of whom are in Syria, with the remainder in exile," dissident Obeida al-Nahhas told AFP.

US-based lawyer and activist Yasser Tabbara said: "Our priority number one is to topple the regime" in Syria.

"This is a consultative meeting to discuss the establishment of a national council that would be a platform to bring together all different sections of the Syrian opposition and representatives from the pro-democratic movement in Syria"

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/08/20/syria.unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Assault on Syrian city: 'It's a real war'
(CNN) -- Violence engulfed the Syrian city of Homs on Saturday, the latest city to undergo a tough assault by security forces, witnesses said.

The security push in the western city of Homs follows tough crackdowns in other major cities, including Hama in the west, Deir Ezzor in the east, and Latakia on the coast. Anti-government sentiment is strong in Homs, as it is in the other towns.

The witness said tanks rolled into Homs early Saturday, snipers took positions and shots were fired. He said homes burned and phones lines were down in various neighborhoods.

The witness said he is able to move around and avoid detection because of his knowledge of the city. He said people in the city are close-knit, and many of those who've fled their homes have gone to other neighborhoods.

It was in Homs a few months back that the Syrian Revolution first started going national on a big scale.

At first it was spreading in Daraa, Baniyas, and Latakia on the outskirts, but then there was a huge protest in Homs where tens of thousands gathered in the city square all day waving olive branches and shouting for freedom, reform, and an end to the killings. Later that night the Syrian army moved into Homs and closed off the area. Gunfire was heard for hours, and some of it captured on video, as the protesters were dispersed and shot if they stayed.

visionary · August 22, 2011

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/22/us-syria-idUSTRE77D0LP20110822

Syrian forces shoot three during U.N. visit: activists
(Reuters) - Syrian forces shot dead three people in Homs on Monday as crowds welcomed a U.N. humanitarian team, activists said, and the United Nations said the death toll from President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on protests had reached 2,200.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces and loyalist gunmen known as "shabiha" opened fire on hundreds of people who had taken to the streets of Homs to greet the U.N. team, which has been granted access to assess humanitarian needs after five months of protest and repression.

Video footage broadcast on Al Jazeera television showed a crowd of people thronging around a car, chanting "The people want the overthrow of the regime" and holding signs saying "SOS" and "We will never give up until we get our freedom."

The footage appeared to have been filmed before shots were fired and it was not immediately clear whether the U.N. team witnessed the incident.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay accused Syrian soldiers and security forces of using excessive force, including heavy artillery, to crush peaceful protests.

visionary · August 23, 2011

SYRIA

5 hours 15 min ago - Syria Updates from the ground -
Homs: following evening prayer at the Fatima Mosque, protestors were fired upon by security forces. Resident Alaa Abdul Latif Abu al Laban and his five-year-old son Majid were killed. His daughter, who was standing on a nearby balcony, was seriously injured.

In total, five people were killed in Homs today, with over 80 wounded.

Abu Kamal: After evening prayer, security forces opened fire on a crowd of protestors killing a young Kurd, Kisra Sheikh-Moss. Two others were seriously wounded.

Kiswah: A campaign of detention was initiated near the Anas bin Malik Mosque. There were numerous arrests.

Dumair: There have been reports that army and security forces are patrolling the main road, intimidating residents and making arbitrary arrests.

- AVAAZ

There were also a lot of reports of the Syrian airforce being used to bombard the area of Rastan today. I'm not sure what the latest on that is though.

visionary · August 23, 2011

SYRIA

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Syria

3 hours 3 min ago - Syria Reuters news agency reports:
The UN Human Rights Council launched a new commission of inquiry into Syria's crackdown on anti-government protesters, including possible crimes against humanity, despite objections by countries including Russia, China and Cuba.

The 47-member forum adopted a resolution presented by the European Union and the United States. The vote was 33 countries in favour with four against and nine abstentions. Libya's membership in the council was suspended earlier this year so it has no vote.

"The resolution is adopted," said Laura Dupuy Lasserre, Uruguay's ambassador who chairs the council.

2 hours 52 min ago -
Syria Police say vandals threw scores of red paint bombs at the Syrian embassy in downtown Berlin and scrawled `"Free Syria" on its facade.

A police spokeswoman, speaking anonymously in accordance with department policy, said Tuesday there were currently no suspects in the attack, which occurred early Monday morning Police say a total of 26 paint bombs were thrown at the embassy building, and the damage was discovered at 4:20am..

Syrian President Bashar Assad has tried in vain to crush a five-month-old uprising against his rule.

About 2,200 people have died as a result of the crackdown, with 350 reportedly killed since the beginning of the month. - Associated Press

1 hour 50 min ago - Syria
The US Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, made a surprise trip to the town of Jassem in southern Deraa province on Tuesday, residents told Reuters.

The news agency reposrts that this is his second visit since July to an area rocked by pro-democracy demonstrations. One resident told Reuters:

He came by car this morning, although Jassem is swarming with secret police. He got out and spent a good of time walking round. He was careful not to be seen talking with people, apparently not cause them harm."

Edited August 23, 2011 by visionary

visionary · August 27, 2011

SYRIA

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/27/us-syria-idUSTRE77P12M20110827

Thousands march anew against Syria's Assad, 2 killed
(Reuters) - Syrian forces killed at least two protesters on Saturday as tens of thousands of people marched again to demand the removal of President Bashar al-Assad, activists and residents said.

The two were killed overnight when government forces fired live ammunition to disperse demonstrators who streamed out of mosques in the town of Qusair and in Latakia after al-Qadr prayers, the night when Muslims believe the Prophet received the Koran.

"Death but not humiliation," a YouTube video showed marchers shouting in the northwestern city of Idlib.

They carried the old Syrian green and white flag of the republic before the Baath Party took power in a 1963 coup, ushering in almost five decades of minority Alawite rule.

"The people want the execution of the president," was another slogan chanted during a protest in the Damascus suburb of Hajar al-Aswad, home to refugees from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Similar demonstrations were reported in other Damascus suburbs, such as of Douma and Qadam, districts inside the capital, in Homs, hometown of Assad's wife Asma, the ancient desert city of Palmyra, Hama, scene of a 1982 massacre by the military and a tank assault this month, in the southern Hauran Plain and the eastern province of Hasakeh.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Syria

Saturday, August 27, 2011 - 05:22 GMT+3
A protest broke out at a mosque in the Damascus district of Kafarsouseh after the morning prayer. An eyewitness just spoke to Al Jazeera, saying:

"Security forces and shabiha thugs arrived at the mosque, first using sound bombs and teargas to stop the protest. Protesters threw teargas canisters back at them and also used some rocks. Security forces responded with live ammunition, and 8 protesters were injured. One man was severely wounded after being shot in the chest.

"The Red Crescent arrived at the scene, but protesters refused to hand over the injured in fear that the Red Crescent would be forced to hand over the wounded to the security forces.

"Protesters were pushed back into the mosque, and the imam, Ousama Rifai, went out to negotiate with the security forces to let them leave. Rifai was then arrested, as well as many others who left the mosque when security forces said they were free to leave in groups of 10.

"There has now been a call for proetsters to head towards Abassen Square."

1 hour 5 min ago -
This video appears to show the besieged mosque in Kafarsouseh. Assad supporters are shouting pro-regime slogans.

-YNdVmLj7bU

ALGERIA

Deaths in suicide attack at Algeria base
The attack by two suicide bombers, 100km west of the Algerian capital, kills at least 18 people.

Last Modified: 26 Aug 2011 23:57

At least 18 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a suicide attack at a military academy west of the Algerian capital, according to security officials.

The bombers set off explosions a few seconds apart in front of the Cherchell military academy, 100km west of Algiers late on Friday.

The attack began when a bomb exploded just outside the entrance of the academy. Soldiers dining at a restaurant - which was within the base but near its perimeter - raced from their tables to see what had happened, according to security officials.

As a crowd gathered, a suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his body drove his motorcycle at them, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing policy. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Edited August 27, 2011 by visionary

visionary · August 31, 2011

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/201183184455223979.html

Fatal torture 'widespread' in Syrian jails
Rights group Amnesty International says it has documented the cases of 88 people who have died in custody since March.

Last Modified: 31 Aug 2011 12:08

Amnesty International says it has documented the cases of 88 people who have died in Syrian prisons since anti-government protests began in the country.

Citing footage of victims before burial provided by families and activists, the UK-based rights group said there was evidence of torture and abuse.

Injuries identified by forensic experts showed evidence of abuse, including broken necks, cigarette burns to the chest and face, electrocution to genitalia, fractures and whipping slashes.

According to the organisation's report, released on Wednesday, the victims were all male and include 10 children, some as young as 13.

The previous average annual death rate was five, the rights group said.

"Such an increase in deaths cannot be a coincidence," Reto Rufer, who heads the Middle East section for the Swiss chapter of Amnesty International, said.

"It appears to be the expression of the same brutal violence that is being shown daily in the Syrian streets."

visionary · September 1, 2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/31/bashar-assad-must-be-stopped?CMP=twt_gu

Syrians must contemplate foreign help - if not the west's
Assad knows rebels don't want the west involved.

Yet an Arab-Turkish force could stop the dictator

There is a consensus against any western intervention in Syria. The country has a proud Arab nationalistic character, and suffered greatly in the colonial era. The example of Iraq is fresh in our minds and the presence of its refugees a constant reminder of their tragedy. We are well aware, too, of the sensitivity of the central status of Syria in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
However, this refusal to contemplate foreign intervention has allowed the regime to do whatever it wishes, knowing it will escape punishment. In the absence of a genuine alternative, the Syrian opposition must reconsider its position on foreign intervention; it is now essential that we prepare for this eventuality before it is too late.

It has become clear to us from intelligence and political analyses that the Syrian regime is pushing the country to civil war and partition; especially after reports of the arrival of large supplies of weapons from Iran to Syria via Iraq. It seems the regime and its allies would prefer a sectarian civil war in which they would have the upper hand militarily to a peaceful handover of power.

A civil war in Syria and its potential partition is not in the interest of its people. Likewise, it is not in the interest of Arab states, Turkey or the west, because it would lead to an unprecedented chaos and uncertainty from which none of these blocs or states would be safe, particularly Turkey.

It is therefore important to find a solution that stops Assad in his tracks. Given that Syrians will continue to object to western intervention, the formation of an Arab-Turkish pre-emptive force to protect the people in Syria is perhaps the best option. It could preserve the unity of the country and prevent chaos and violence.

An interesting article, although it isn't exactly a new idea.

People in Syria seem to be leaning more and more towards asking for help.

That said, there are a number of considerations.

Does Turkey have the balls to take on Assad's forces?

So far they've given a lot of threatening statements, but have failed to follow through on anything.

Thye seem much more content to focus their military might on killing Kurds in Iraq right now.

Which brings up another point of concern.

How would Syrian Kurds take a Turkish intervention now?

I also haven't seen any real signs that any other Arab countries are even discussing getting involved in Syria, other than to offer some more mild rebukes.

And finally we have to wonder what Iran would do if this happened.

They seem to be pulling back from Assad at the moment.

Would they keep doing so if their enemies got involved?

I don't think they would be happy about GCC intervention in Syria.

I'm also not sure where Iraq would fall.

Maliki has been fairly friendly to Assad.

Edited September 1, 2011 by visionary

visionary · September 1, 2011

http://twitter.com/#!/JoneilCNN

Big news out of Syria... Attorney General in Hama defects, says Assad regime committed atrocities and forced him to cover it up. 24 minutes ago

visionary · September 2, 2011

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201192132336758932.html

'Many killed' in protests across Syria
Activists say at least 17 people shot dead by security forces, as the EU steps up pressure on the country's leaders.

Last Modified: 02 Sep 2011 16:56

Activists say at least 17 people have been killed by security forces across Syria, as protesters took to the streets under the slogan "death rather than humiliation".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said eight people were killed when security forces intervened to disperse protests in several suburbs of Damascus, including Douma and Arbeen, on Friday.

Three other people died in Homs province and three in the eastern city of Deir z-Zor, the UK-based group said.

Earlier on Friday, European Union governments agreed to ban imports of Syrian oil in a move to strengthen economic pressure on President Bashar al-Assad and his government.

EU foreign ministers met in Poland on Friday, where they discussed a plan first announced two weeks ago to impose sweeping new economic sanctions against Syria, including an embargo on oil imports.

David Cameron, the British prime minister, expressed his support for new sanctions against Damascus on Thursday following the "Friends of Libya" conference in Paris.

"We need tougher sanctions, more travel bans, more asset freezes, a clear message that the regime and what it is doing is unacceptable," he said.

The oil embargo marks a significant step for the EU, which has so far taken an incremental approach to sanctions against Assad as they try to force him to end a crackdown on anti-government protesters and relinquish power.

Friday's decision also expanded the list of entities subject to EU travel bans and asset freezes by seven, including four people.

"The sanctions have been agreed," an EU official told the Reuters hews agency. "They ban the import of Syrian oil and petroleum products to the EU. Four more people and three entities are also included."

The measures will go into effect on Saturday.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Syria

2 hours 59 min ago
Security forces opened fire on 5-7,000 protesters gathered for a sit-in after Friday prayers in the Damascus suburb of Douma, an activist tells Al Jazeera.

The activist said he had witnessed a uniformed police officer, who was standing between the protesters and security forces, being shot when the security forces opened fire on the protesters.

Al Jazeera could not verify this account and is working to find another source to confirm the shooting.

The activist, who stood around 100 metres from the police officer, said the incident happened around 4pm, an hour into the demonstration in Douma's main square.

"He was definitely shot from behind," the activist said. "Now we worry they will say the protesters shot him."

The activist also said that he had seen two wounded protesters.

He said that protesters were throwing stones at the security forces in the square, who were shooting back at them. Gun fire was audible as Al Jazeera spoke to the activist on the phone.

2 hours 23 min ago
The French foreign minister says France will develop its contacts with Syria's opposition, AP reports.

Alain Juppe said France is aiming to have a new UN Security Council resolution to "explicitly condemn the use of violence against the population and organise a sanctions regime."

Juppe said Friday that "It's a tough fight but we won't give up."

France and allies already want the Security Council to impose an arms embargo and other sanctions against Syria's regime, but permanent member Russia is reluctant to go so far.

2 hours 19 min ago
An activist says security forces and regime thugs who have surrounded al-Fateh hospital in Kafr Batna at the outskirts of Damascus are shooting at families gathered outside.

Families fear that security forces will storm the hospital and arrest their wounded relatives, who have been brought to the hospital from the Arbeen and Hamouria neighbourhoods after security forces there opened fire during protests earlier today, the activist told Al Jazeera.

He said more security personnel had arrived and set up a checkpoint by the hospital preventing wounded from accessing medical help inside and medical staff from leaving the hospital.

1 hour 15 min ago - Syria
In the Damascus district of Midan, protesters carried banners saying “S.O.S” and “We want international protection”. An eyewitness said protesters had called for the execution of President Assad.

“Ramadan and Eid are over, but our demonstrations are continuing to the end,” a protester in Midan told Al Jazeera.

“Today’s slogan 'Death not Humiliation' is the best answer to the regime. We want to tell the regime and the world that the Syrian people want freedom and dignity, not humiliation, under Assad’s regime.”

I saw the banners in a video on tv, they also said "No Fly Zone"

visionary · September 2, 2011

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14770123

UN 'growing concern' over Iran nuclear weapons plan
The UN nuclear watchdog says it is "increasingly concerned" that Iran is secretly working on components for a nuclear weapons programme.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) describes its information as "extensive and comprehensive".

In a report seen by news agencies, it also says Tehran is preparing to enrich uranium at a new location - an underground bunker near Qom.

Tehran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

Iran is subject to UN Security Council sanctions for refusing to freeze its enrichment programme.

Uranium enrichment can produce fuel for a nuclear reactor but can also be used to make a nuclear warhead.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/02/us-nuclear-iran-iaea-idUSTRE7814FH20110902

(Reuters) - The watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency is "increasingly concerned" about possible work in Iran to develop a nuclear payload for a missile, the IAEA said in a confidential report obtained by Reuters on Friday.
The U.N. nuclear agency report said it continued to receive new information adding to such worries. One diplomat familiar with the Iran probe said some information concerned activities allegedly carried out as recently as last year.

The developments highlighted in the IAEA's latest quarterly inspection report are likely to fan Western suspicions about the underlying nature of Iran's nuclear activity, which Western powers suspect is aimed at developing atom bombs.

It may provide additional arguments for the United States and its European allies to further tighten the sanctions pressure on Iran, one of the world's largest oil producers.

Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, dismissed what he called "baseless allegations" about Iran's program.

But he nevertheless described the report as a step in the right direction, saying it showed that Iran had fully cooperated with the IAEA by allowing a senior nuclear inspector full access to atomic sites during a five-day visit last month.

"This new trend of positive cooperation between Iran and the I

AEA should continue," Soltanieh told Reuters.

Western diplomats have dismissed Iran's attempt to show increased openness about its nuclear work, saying it is still failing to address core concerns about its aims.

In addition to addressing the issue of alleged military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program, the U.N. agency said Tehran had begun installing machines for higher-grade uranium enrichment in an underground bunker near the holy city of Qom.

Shifting enrichment activity to such a subterranean site could offer greater protection against any attacks by Israel or the United States, which have both said they do not rule out pre-emptive strikes to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons.

At a separate research and development site, the Vienna-based IAEA said, Iran had started enriching uranium experimentally with a more advanced model of centrifuge than the erratic, 1970s vintage machine it has been using for years.

Edited September 2, 2011 by visionary

Tunisian Revolution and the Middle East--And Now, The Withdrawal From Afghanistan (M.E.T.)

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