Hey everybody:

Please do your civic duty.

http://www.avaaz.org/ar/free_razan/?cl=1441439929&v=11485

Russia is behind Syria’s conditional approval of an observers’ committee

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/12/07/181311.html

Stalemate, it can last for a decade. The conspirators need to lay-off and give Assad a chance to prove that he will bring immediate reforms. As long as the foreigners sponsoring, funding and training Moslem extremist terrorists to commit heinous crimes in Syria, millions will keep on backing Assad and support will increase dramatically as time goes. It does not matter how negative the publicity is setup and promoted, in Syria only STRATEGY and STRATEGIC ASSETTS are counted in the game. Those unhappy can keep on barking for a decade or just admit to being brainless, miserable failures, and layoff and let real Syrian nationals negotiate the reforms. There aint any other way ahead. You can call it parallel Universe, you can tile the earth oceans and drink all its water if you like, this, appears to be a more realistic plot to accomplish. Basically, this interview is what Bashar is saying:
بلط البحر وشراب ميته

GOP candidates woo Jewish support – 2011-12-08

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2011-12/08/c_122391641.htm

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) — All but one major U.S. Republican presidential candidates on Wednesday attended the Republican Jewish Coalition’s forum to woo support of the group, touting their commitment to Israel.

Except for Texas Representative Ron Paul, main GOP candidates took turns to speak at the Washington forum to charm the group. Mitt Romney, who is facing a surging Newt Gingrich in polls less than a month away from the Iowa caucuses, repeated his pledge to make Israel the first destination of his foreign visit, should he win the White House next year.

Romney blasted President Barack Obama for being weak against Iran, whose nuclear program worries Israel. The Islamic state insisted its nuclear program is for civilian use only.

“I want the world to know that the bonds between Israel and the United States are unshakable. I want every country in the region that harbors aggressive designs against Israel to understand that their ambition is futile and that pursuing it will cost them dearly,” said Romney.

Jon Huntsman also said it is “unacceptable” for Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, saying for him, “all options are on the table” to stop that scenario from materializing.

Gingrich, who is emerging as a front-runner in the field, said he would support efforts of “regime replacement” in Iran and Syria, while Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is struggling in polls because of a series of blunders, promised to increase “strategic aid in all forms” to Israel.

Although small in number, the Jewish community has an outsized influence on politics thanks to their generous contribution to political figures. It is one of the most loyal voting bloc for Democrats, but its support for Obama has been waning.

US-Europe: signs of class struggle
The masters of Wall-Street now can see from their windows the people, who realize that they are those who will have to pay the price for “capitalism”. According to the recent report by Comptroller of the Currency Administrator of National Banks, if two years ago five banks held 80 % of the US secondary market, now only four banks own 95.9% of it. These four banks are: JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Secondary market plays the main role in the destruction of the global economy because it operates not with the real money but with their electronic (digital) fiction. According to “The Economist”, the price of the global derivatives (derivative of securities) amounts to more than $ 600 trillion while the real price of the global production (GDP) is not more than $65 trillion. That means that of bank speculations with derivatives crash there won’t be enough money in the world to save the global financial system.

Probably, not every protester at the Wall-Street understands sophisticated mechanisms the banks use to rob the countries and their people. But the fact that they have been occupying Wall-Street for more than two weeks, clearly shows that insatiate appetites of banks for profits have triggered unprecedented for prosperous America social protests against unemployment, corruption, excessive corporate power and expensive education. Everything started with the students, who on September 17 appeared with the slogan in the business center of New York in Manhattan. By now also Portland, Philadelphia, Miami have been “occupied”. Canadians are preparing the “occupation” of Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal. Today America is protesting against capitalism.

And not only America: thousands of citizens in dozens of big cities all over the world have gone into the streets, supporting “Occupy Wall-Street” campaign in New York, turning the campaign into “an international day of solidarity against greed and corruption of 1% of the richest people”… In Rome, up to 200, 000 people have taken part in such protests. The traffic in the center of the city was paralyzed. The radical elements seized the occasion and the demonstration grew into clashes between police and groups of aggressive young people dressed in black. The protesters were throwing bottles, stones and smoke bombs into the policemen and burnt several cars on their way. The policemen responded with tear gas and water cannons.

In London, about thousands of people tried to “seize” the stock exchange but after several attempts to break the cordon and to attract others’ attention to the demonstration the people marched further along the city. There were mainly young people among the protesters. Many of them were holding leftist slogans calling for the end of reduction of state expenditure and the resignation of the government of David Cameron.

Similar protest campaigns against the power of super-rich people have been held in Germany and France, Spain and other countries. Even Western journalists, who usually do not look for cause-and-effect relations, all as one say that the protesters went into the streets to express their discontent with the state of economy and the governments’ policy. Even the US has more than enough reasons for it: the unemployment rate does not go below 9%, among Afro-American young people it exceeds 46%, while Obama’s promises to resolve this problem have not been kept.

It is remarkable that people are protesting against “the growing power of the ruling class”, uncontrolled influence of corporations in politics, against banks, which filled up their purses before and during the crisis making poor people poorer and rich people richer. Taking the rap for someone else is always clearer to people than professional speculations of economists about a difficult nature of the financial crisis.

What evokes smile is that speculative trader George Soros, who is very sensitive to any changes in political situation, has upheld the protesters. He profoundly noted that the money of taxpayers is used not to maintain the society but to maintain the financial elite: banks, companies and corporations, which known only one way to “stabilize the economy”: on receiving billions from governments they give loans to citizens collecting their interests. They also give loans to companies, which have to sack people in order to minimize costs and to keep profits.

American experts note that the financial shocks of the last three years have exposed the contradictions of the capitalistic model. The stake on big corporations, protection of their interests against the interests of small and medium business, ignoring social processes in the society have led to mass protest campaigns in the US and those countries, which are trying to develop following the US model.

But no one can stop the financiers, who are so obsessed with speculations that the governments (including Russia) have to save them at the expense of tax payers. Bankers won’t share profits they made for the account of the governments in exchange for the threat of bankruptcy. In fact the situation we are observing now corresponds with the classic revolutionary situation (according to Karl Marx).

In Russia this situation is not so dramatic but not because our people lack the “rudiments of democracy”, but because the market of derivatives in Russia is much smaller than the Western one and the economic tools of robbing the population are poorly developed. But it will come with the time. In Eastern Europe, which kept many principle of the social policy from their socialistic past the protests of population do not spoil the general picture of well-doing. In Scandinavian countries, where the interests of citizens are traditionally the priority for the governments the situation is quiet. It is only at first sight the unrest in Greece, where the authorities are drastically cutting social programs, differ from the campaign in New York.

Greek people were the first to feel the price of rescuing the Western financial system, paying for bankers’ greediness with their pensions, scholarships, salary supplements. Italians come next. After that the risk-zone will cover Great Britain, where social revolts have become a regular thing in recent years. Than it will take France and Germany, for which account the euro is now being rescued. It is clear that bankers-swindlers are not sitting idly. They have a powerful system of political influence on society in their hands. Orders have been given, wheels are rotating, politicians and political parties have begun to work off the donations on their election campaigns and not only on them. Washington has already found a “whipping boy” an entrepreneur and a potential presidential candidate from the Republican Party Mitt Romney. In Europe socialists are hoping to strengthen their positions. But “Occupy Wall Street” campaign is not destined to shake the basis of the American society at least because this society won’t knock out bricks from the basement it is standing on.

http://www.strategic-culture.org/
David KERANS (USA) | 08.12.2011
All Dark on the Offshore Horizon: Capital Flight Accelerates as Austerity Looms
The strain Western state budgets have been experiencing in the aftermath of the financial crisis that exploded in 2008 has no parallel since the end of the Second World War, and has riveted attention everywhere to questions of taxation and budget expenditures. The measurement and assessment of income inequality has become a hot topic, and populations are becoming much more aware now of class divisions. Recent research has identified that inequality has intensified in recent decades, and that the consequences of inequality are significantly worse than expected. Inevitably, pressure to rectify the yawning wealth gap is building around the Western world…

http://www.csef.ru/studies/politics/projects/russia_future/articles/
U.S. bypass Russia on the flanks, but the real purpose of – preparing a land invasion of Syria
25.11.2011 7:46

A few days ago the U.S. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland has announced that Washington would suspend the operation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) in relation to Russia. The explanation is as follows: Russia declared a moratorium on the execution of the contract in 2007, all this time the U.S. tried to honestly convince Russia to change its position, but today the U.S. consider it necessary to move to more drastic measures of exposure.

Why Leaving Syria Alone Is A Good Idea – Posted: 12/ 7/11

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-wagner/why-leaving-syria-alone-i_b_1134029.html?ref=world

Last week’s combined victory by the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists in the first phase of elections in Egypt should have sent a shudder down the spine of every government opposed to the rise of radical Islam. That the two parties jointly received approximately two-thirds of the popular vote in Egypt should be all the evidence anyone needs that the likely near-term result of this year’s uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa will not be cookie-cutter western liberal democracies, but rather governments that may in the end prove contrary both to the interest of the people that fought for change, and the governments that supported such change.

In a visit to Cairo last weekend, I learned that Salafist support was strongest in Egypt’s rural areas, and that the Salafist vision of an Egypt that restricts individual rights, the rights of women, and basic freedoms struck a resonant chord with many throughout the country. As abhorrent as this may appear to liberals and westerners, the idea of living under an Islamic code is not anathema to everyone in Egypt. I dare say, the same is true throughout the region. Tunisia just elected an Islamist government, and Libya will undoubtedly do the same when they get around to having elections (presumably next year), given that the most popular politician there is an Islamic scholar.

So I find myself asking a basic question: given that all three of the countries that have so far experienced a change of government in northern Africa this year have either already elected conservative Islamist governments, or are poised to do so, is there any reason to believe that if more governments in the region fell, the result would be any different? Does anyone really believe that the government that will replace Saleh in Yemen will be a liberal democracy? Given the strength of the Islamist movement in Algeria, and Bouteflika’s support of the Gaddafi regime until its last day, can the electoral outcome of an overthrow of his government be in serious question?

Which brings me to Syria. The global community is firmly against the continuation of the Assad regime, reasoning that Assad must go by virtue of his family’s long dictatorial rule, its alliance with Iran, and its crackdown against demonstrators. In a perfect world, they may well be right. But my view is that this is simplistic and short-sighted. As reprehensible as many Syrians and others may find Mr. Assad, they fail to imagine what Syria and the region may be like in his absence. Is there any reason to believe that a radical Islamist regime wouldn’t in the end be the result of his departure?

Turkey has led the charge against Mr. Assad but appears not to have considered the possibility that an Iran-friendly, more radical regime may emerge in Syria. Despite proclamations to the contrary, Iran’s influence is growing throughout the region, which is why the West is now so desperate to contain it. Earlier this week, the Turkish and US government said they were considering next steps in the event Mr. Assad should go, but short of sending in ground troops, they are unlikely to be able to do much more than they have done elsewhere in the region — which is to watch events as they unfold. Sending ground troops to Syria seems a remote possibility, and would undoubtedly be unwelcome by Syrians in any event.

Should a radical government take over in Syria, Israel, which is already in its most precarious position since the 1967 War, would be virtually surrounded by Islamist governments. The only missing piece would be Jordan. Given this, the likelihood that Israel will feel it has no choice but to attack Iran’s nuclear program next year has surely risen. What would it be giving up by doing so, after all? Israel argues that it faces an existential threat from a possible nuclear attack by Iran — but it also faces a possible existential threat as a result of the new landscape taking shape around it. For that reason, the Israeli government surely prefers that Mr. Assad stay right where he is.

And I would argue that is exactly what the West should prefer, for it should now be apparent to all that rapid political change is not necessarily a good thing, and the results of that change in the region to date are not encouraging. As much as the West would like to believe that everyone in the world prefers western-style democracies, that is not in fact the case, and democratic elections often deliver results contrary to what the West would like to see. It would be nice if the world were simply a place where demonstrators demonstrate, dictators fall, and liberal democracies take their place — but that is not the world we live in. I subscribe to Mr. Assad’s argument that the West should be very careful what it wishes for in Syria, because it is unlikely to get what it wants.

One thing for sure: B. Assad seems to care much more about his image in the Western world than in the so called “arabo-islamic” one.

When was the last time he had an interview with an (non-loyalist) Arab journalist for example?

The Syrian and wider Arab audience should be much more important to him.

The thing is: You can’t really claim to be an anti-imperialist and arab nationalist leader and at the same time being so (seemingly) obsessed to appear as an “civilized”, “westerned” man in front of the “conspiring” part of the world.

(Compare with Saddam and Nasrallah for example – totally focused on the arab public and probably more popular among this group)

But I guess this just reflects a great deal of vanity and arrogance in B:s character.

I am a big Najwa Karam fan. According to my ears, Najwa Karam is the greatest musician of my generation on planet earth. You can’t be as great as Najwa Karam is without having great general brains. But having great general brains is no protection against having lousy presuppositions in a domain such as politics or religion — e.g. Isaac Newton had great brains in the domain of maths and physics but his writings on theology are rubbish.

Anyway, back on 30 Mar 2011 Najwa Karam was asked on Addounia TV to give her view of the political situation in Syria. Her answer, in the course of less than 90 seconds of talk, used the phrase “Shaab al-Souri” six times. Najwa’s view was that the question is all about the Shaab al-Souri, and the Shaab al-Souri is, to a first approximation, a monolith, and what happens in Syria is whatever the monolithic Shaab al-Souri wants and insists on. In the months since 30 March I’ve come across many other people who know Syria who say the same. The comments by Najwa Karam on 30 March are at http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150192074030973&oid=290925931282&comments

Bashar Assad is another observer who believes the Shaab al-Souri is for the most part a political monolith. Here’s Bashar on 16 Apr 2011: “The most dangerous thing is the existence of contradiction between the direction we [the government] are moving in and the direction the [monolithic] people are moving in…. What’s important at this stage is for us to reach a state of unity, unity between the government, state institutions and the [monolithic] people…. From my meetings with sections of the population last week, I found that there is a gap which started to appear between state institutions and the Syrian citizens. This gap must be closed…. What’s important is that we and the population are one party, not two parties.” http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/04/18/pr-341923.htm

Here’s how Bashar put it on 19 Nov 2011: “Most of the Syrians are unified, and what’s happening now is a minority of militants are killing Syrians on a daily basis.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkMTRU_j5H0

Here’s Walid al-Moallem in a press conference on 28 Nov 2011: “I take pride in the [monolithic] Syrian people…. I assure you that the [monolithic] Syrian people’s word is the Syrian leadership’s decision.” http://www.youtube.com/user/alikhbariasyria

Here’s the Syrian General Federation of Trade Unions (SGFTU), in an address to the Syrian people and workers on 7 Dec 2011: The SGFTU expressed confidence that the national unity of the [monolithic] Syrian people and their rallying around President Bashar al-Assad is the guarantee to preserve Syria’s steadfastness in the face of all challenges. http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2011/12/07/386766.htm

7 Dec 2011: Pro-regime rally in Deir Ezzor city today. As usual in Deir Ezzor, a large percentage of the attendees are women and the great majority of the women are wearing head coverings. Two women wearing head coverings tell the Syrian State TV cameras at the rally: “The people are united.” Those two observers are right (to a first degree approximation). The stupid foreigners are wrong. Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3YtMWPZqyg

On a different note, Farouq al-Sharaa said on 12 Jul 2011: “Our society will not be able to achieve freedom and civil peace without a democratic, pluralistic political system.” http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/07/12/357937.htm . My comment about that statement: The bulk of the people of Syria and especially the bulk of the better educated people want a pluralistic political system but at the same time almost all of them will vote for the Assad’s party in the democratic elections. An great monolith exists. The people want to be with the monolith. The dissidents can’t break up the monolith (and they can’t capture it whole either, needless to say).

Repeating myself from a previous post here, Joshua Landis said on 9 Aug 2011: “Syria’s great strength is that it has a deeply shared sense of political community.” I agree with that! Except, however, to be honest, Joshua’s exact words were: “Syria’s chronic failing is that it lacks a deeply shared sense of political community.” In the year 2000 national referendum on whether Bashar should succeed Hafez as president, almost all adults were eligible to vote, and 95 percent of them turned out to vote, and 97 percent of these voted “Yes” according to the official figures. In the year 2007 referendum on whether to renew Bashar as president for another seven years, 96 percent of the population voted, and 98 percent of these voted “Yes” according to the official figures. http://www.sana.sy/eng/141/2007/05/29/120564.htm Contemplating those results, Joshua Landis must be either (a) ignorant of those results or (b) believes the official figures were spectacularly fraudulent or (c) believes the results don’t demonstrate unity and shared political community. I regard each of (a), (b) and (c) as indefensible and so I am compelled to regard Joshua Landis is a shitty observer.

Joshua Landis also said on 9 Aug 2011: “In his two magisterial works, Patrick Seale catalogs the history of Syrian divisiveness and factionalism in the 20th century.” I’ve looked through one of those works, “Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East” (year 1988) (the other work was published in year 1965). It is not magisterial at all. As a history of Syrian divisiveness and factionalism it’s basically just a catalog of newspaper-type police reports of smallish-scale murder events and security counter-operations. Much harder to do — and almost completely missing from Seale’s book — is sociological, economic and antropological analysis of Syrian society, the factions, the size of the support for the factions, the breadth and depth of the support for the Establishment, the size and spirit of the politically passive classes, the difficulties of disseminating factionalist ideas, and so on. Moreover, most of that book of Seale’s is not about Syria. It’s about the foreign policies of the Syrian government, a subject matter which is relatively easy to treat from newspaper reports and a few top policymakers’ statements. Societal analysis, on the other hand, can’t be done from newspaper reports, or not straightforwardly anyway, and you need a lot more than newspaper reports to do it magisterially. On the basis of the small scale of the anti-Establishment violence in the late 1970s and early 1980s cataloged in Seale’s book, followed by the total victory of the Establishment from 1983 onward, I came away from Seale’s book believing that the divisiveness and factionalism was always small potatoes.

If you have a society where 80% have a shared sense of political community and where another 14% are fractious dissidents, then you can say that the society is a political monolith to a first approximation.

I just mentioned “the politically passive classes”. The percentage of people in those classes is smaller today than it was 30 years ago (due firstly to rising literacy rates and consumption of political content on TV). The great majority of Syrians today possess political ideas, and most of them will vote, and they will vote to support the Syrian Establishment, I say. Bashar Assad said yesterday 6 dec 2011: “We never said we are a democratic country…. We are moving forward in reforms, especially in the last nine months… It takes a long time. It takes a lot of maturity to be a fully fledged democracy.” But from all I can see, Bashar and the Syrian Establishment has got a super-majority of support in Syria and therefore it is as safe as milk for them to move to full-fledged democracy quickly. They have no serious democratic opposition and I can see none in the process of being born.

What did Assad really say, transcript word by word. Don’t believe media trolls.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/transcript-abcs-barbara-walters-interview-syrian-president-bashar/story?id=15099152#.TuAEtfJumJA

“Walters: How do you hope that you will be remembered?

Assad: By doing the best I can, can for, for this country. Whether you agree, or whether the people agree or don’t, don’t agree, but at– at the end, I was not a puppet. I care a lot about being independent president for independent Syria. And do my best, according to my convictions. That’s the most important thing. At the end, even if they disagree with you, they will respect you.”

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/12/07/61778834.html
Transparency International far from transparent
The latest Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International has moved Russia 11 notches up, from position 154 to position 143 in the TI’s league table of nations as ranked in accordance with graft aversion. Unfortunately, attempts by VOR experts to find out why just 11, after a year of relentless anti-corruption crackdowns in Russia, have encountered insurmountable difficulties. The TI simply refused to answer our inquiries about sociological and statistical methods involved in the CPI calculation. The impression was that of blacklisting in response to doubts voiced by some of our experts with regard to the validity of what the TI called the Bribe Payers Index.

The latter was based on polls, which were quite liberal in terms of the numbers and methods involved. Sometimes, the business people polled numbered as many as 10 thousand, and sometimes, as little as 3 thousand. Sometimes, they were selected on nomination by the World Economic Forum, and sometimes, based on an unspecified principle. The calculation of the CPI crunches the corruption perceptions of 3 thousand people in 28 countries. Unfortunately, the exact questionnaire at work is a closely-guarded secret of Transparency International. Moreover, a sample of a little over 100 people in a given country can hardly be seen as representative in a sociological study.

Accordingly, the CPI figures should be dismissed as conclusions based on flawed science.

7 Dec 2011. Sensible statement by Yousef Ahmad saying the Arab League must use reliable information sources about what is happening in Syria securitywise:

Syrian Ambassador to Cairo and Syria’s Permanent Representative to the Arab League, Yousef Ahmad, expressed concern and astonishment over the unbalanced press statement of the Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi on the situation in some Syrian regions, particularly Homs. “It is obvious that al-Arabi is still determined to receive information about the situation in Syria from one source of known media which practices political and media instigation against Syria, away from any criterion regarding credibility, professionalism and responsibility,” Ambassador Ahmad said Wednesday. “In this context, we remind AL Secretary General that Syria has documented in AL meetings the numbers of the Army, Security and civilian martyrs who were shot, and still are, by the bullets of the armed terrorist groups.” Ambassador Ahmad made clear that any positive and active role for the Arab League in solving the Syrian crisis must be based first on a commitment to use only reliable information. http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/12/07/386787.htm

The Arab League has a standing invitation to go to Syria to collect reliable information on their own behalf. They should not be delaying accepting this offer.

I see the current crisis as a failure on many fronts:
The regime failed the people
The Arabs failed Syria
Alawis failed to come up with a better rep than Assad
Sunnis failed to control rouge elements in their midst
Homsis failed to keep civil peace
The army failed to unite all Syrians
The opposition failed to win minorities
Expats With moderate views failed to form a political body that does not follow two failing bodies,the regime and the SNC and failed to support the motherland
Syria is our victim ,failure is the name of this Greek tragedy
This post will succeed in drawing angry responses but will fail to win enough green thumbs..

On more than one occasion the boy said that mistakes were made
He said so after the 2005 debacle in Lebanon, he said so after the killing of children in Deraa he said so after the revolt began he said so again to ABC. Yet no one was brought to justice, no one fired, no one reprimanded, no one resigned. The Minister of Foreign Affairs would not even apologize for showing false videos about so called terrorists. The boy president claims that the assertions of killings and torture are not true and that the UN has no credibility. Why not allow for the press to come in for the observers to come in for the red cross to visit the prisons?
According the constitution he is the President, the Head of the Armed forces, the Secretary general of the Party, and the head of the Supreme court. He can legislate and judge and execute all in one and yet he denies any responsibility for the atrocities and the descent of the country to hell? If the armed terrorists that are roaming the country and wrecking havoc is true then he is incompetent to say the least, if he is responsible for the repression then he is barbaric.
I am not sure who gave him advise on how to proceed with the interview but it is clearly a disaster of PR of a first order.
Flooding this site with clips about the rest of the world will not make this story go away any time soon.
I wonder what his wife is thinking as she watches ( if she is allowed ) the stories day in an day out and whether she watched him dig himself in with the ABC interview. What a pathetic stupid brutal egomaniac spoiled brat he turned out to be. He is truly with his entire entourage in the darkest of the dark ages.

“……Expats With moderate views failed to form a political body that does not follow …”

You cannot do that when millions of dollars spent by Syria’s enemy on creating a local genocide in an attempt at civil war and dissecting Syria. They have to stop first or as in SNP case, wait until they are totally defeated. At that point one can move. We know, in the end they will be defeated, we have not 1% doubt about that.

the latest US assessment of the blue-eyed isolated Doctor: Assad is either disconnected, disregard, or crazy

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/22557-u-s-says-assad-disconnected-from-reality-or-crazy

U.S. Says Assad ‘Disconnected from Reality’ or ‘Crazy’ 
by Naharnet Newsdesk 9 hours ago
 
The United States said Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was either disconnected from reality or “crazy” after he argued he was not responsible for killing thousands of protesters.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner reiterated the U.S. view that Assad has lost legitimacy and should step down after the Syrian leader said in a rare interview that “only a crazy person” would kill his own people.
“It either says that he’s completely lost any power that he had within Syria, that he’s simply a tool or that he’s completely disconnected with reality,” Toner told reporters.
“It’s either disconnection, disregard or, as he said, crazy. I don’t know,” Toner said.
“What we insist is that he has lost all credibility in the eyes of his people and needs to step down,” he said.
Toner challenged the Syrian strongman to allow in international monitors to verify his assertions. The Arab League, which has suspended Syria, has been pushing to send in observers.
“Just taking at face value his denial that there’s anything going on there,” Toner said, “why not let international monitors, human rights monitors — which is what the Arab League is proposing — into Syria as well as international media and allow them to report transparently on what’s happening there?”
Toner said there was “a clear campaign against peaceful protesters” and “accountability with that ultimately rests on Assad and his cronies.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney earlier said that Assad’s views were “not credible.”
Assad said in an interview with ABC News that no government in the world would kill its people “unless it’s led by a crazy person” and said he did not “own” the security forces carrying out the violence.
Assad said Syria’s security forces belonged to “the government” and not him personally.
“I don’t own them. I’m president. I don’t own the country. So they are not my forces,” he said.
On Tuesday, Toner sharply criticized Assad over the interview.
“I find it ludicrous that he is attempting to hide behind some sort of shell game but also some sort of claim that he doesn’t exercise authority in his own country,” Toner told reporters.
“There’s just no indication that he’s doing anything other than cracking down in the most brutal fashion on a peaceful opposition movement,” he said.
But the Syrian foreign ministry hit back, saying Damascus was astonished by Toner’s comments which it said “distorted” the views expressed by Assad in the interview.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Maqdisi said: “We regret and express our astonishment at the remarks by U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, who mocked the comments made by President Assad by distorting them.”
He told a news conference that Assad had not been seeking to shirk his responsibilities as head of state by telling ABC News that Syrian security forces did not belong to him personally.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/qatars-emir-visits-recovering-erdogan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=8702&NewsCatID=338

Qatar’s emir visits recovering Erdoğan
ISTANBUL / ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

 
Qatar’s ruler Al Thani (L) and Turkish PM Erdoğan are seen before their meeting.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani paid a visit to recovering Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at his Üsküdar home yesterday. 

Al-Thani is in Istanbul to attend an international conference on innovation. The visit lasted around 80 minutes. Later in the day, Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister İrsen Küçük also paid a visit to Erdoğan.

Erdoğan had to cancel a weekend visit to Qatar and will stay at his home as he continues to recover from a Nov. 26 intestinal surgery amid lingering uncertainty in Ankara about when he will return to his office. Yesterday marked the eighth day of Erdoğan’s convalescence.

There were conflicting statements, however, on why Erdoğan would miss the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations gathering in Doha between Dec. 10 and 12 where his planned attendance had been announced by the Directorate General of Press and Information (BYEGM).

Sources close to Erdoğan played down the directorate’s statement as a routine announcement, which did not mean the prime minister had strictly scheduled the trip, saying “it was already obvious he would spend the week resting.”

One official from Erdoğan’s office, however, said the trip to Doha “was cancelled on the advice of doctors because it was a long one.” He spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sources assured Erdoğan was well but would stay home “for some more time.” A decision is expected to be made on Dec. 11 as to whether he will return to Ankara next week. 

Erdoğan has already started working at home reading and signing papers and is eager to return to his office as soon as possible, the sources said.

The prime minister’s office is not planning to make a fresh statement on Erdoğan’s health. “There is nothing to worry about,” officials said, categorically dismissing speculation that he is not in good health.
The only official statement thus far was made Nov. 28, a few days after Erdoğan was operated on in Istanbul. It simply said the prime minister underwent successful laparoscopic surgery on his digestive system, without specifying what the illness was.

Few people have been allowed to see Erdoğan, although he did receive U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who visited him at home Dec. 5. The meeting with Biden was originally scheduled for 45 minutes but continued for two hours, according to a blog of the Wall Street Journal’s Washington Bureau. Biden recounted Erdoğan’s aides kept shuttling into the room to hand him notes saying “Your doctor says stop,” the blog said.

This is why sane people in Syria don’t listen to U.S. officials. America is asking the Country Leader who is doing a hell of a good job keeping the State and nation together to step down, but it keeps on politically supporting, financially funding and militarily training Moslem terrorists who are terrorizing the Syrian nation, never asks them to cease and desist. Now, who is crazy here? For majority of Syrians the foreigners are crazy and insane, being asked to surrender to Islamic terrorists who are now rampaging with tenth month of throat slitting campaign as we speak. So keep spinning a losing troll over your head.

وبالنسبة الى الاصلاحات قال الاسد: “لم نقل قط إننا بلد ديمقراطي.. نحن نتحرك قدما في الإصلاحات.. خاصة خلال الأشهر التسعة الأخيرة.. ويستغرق هذا وقتا طويلا. فالتحول إلى نظام ديمقراطي راسخ يتطلب قدرا كبيرا من النضج”.
واكد الاسد أنه سيدخل إصلاحات ويجري انتخابات لكنه قال إنه يجب عدم الاستعجال في التغييرات، مضيفا انه باق في منصبه لأن شعبيته في الداخل ما زالت مرتفعة، ومستطردا في نفس الوقت بأنه “عندما أشعر أن التأييد الشعبي تراجع لن أكون هنا”.
Finally we discovered why Bashar is refusing to step down or allow a transitional period,he is worried that his soaring popularity will lead to severe
depression among Syrians if he leaves office. Thank you for caring about our mental health,Dr Bashar.
My friend,a psychiatrist from Tunisia suggested pre-treating Syrians with Prozac to help them cope with the expected separation anxiety when the inevitable happens.
Until now,I thought elections,not personal convictions,are the civilized way to test a politician’s popularity.I would have called Bashar “Mr President” if Syrians had voted for him in free and fair elections,however ,it is too late now,and Syria can not afford the luxury of democracy until the blood shed stops.

The FSA obeys Erdogan and the MB, not the SNC and Burhan Ghalioun
Le Figaro By Georges Malbrunot
Posted on 01/12/2011 ( translated from french)

After eight months of a bloody crackdown that killed more than 3,500 people, the uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad is now at a crossroads. The revolt was less peaceful and more militarized. “At Homs, Idleb, in three or four cities around Damascus and in some localities near Daraa to the south, there are only armed clashes,” tells us Haytham Mana, the head of the National Coordination, one of Syrian opposition groups in exile. First consequences of this drift: the toll has dramatically risen in recent weeks. To the tortures certainly much more numerous committed by the henchmen of the regime we have now acts of revenge particularly bloody, as the recent attack on a bus driver (7 killed) near Homs. Sectarian clashes also are hardening in the mixed areas, where the seeds of a civil war are the most disturbing.

Second consequence: those responsible for the Coordination and their rivals of the Syrian National Council (SNC) are about to be overtaken by radicals on the ground but also in Turkey, where the Syrian army took refuge free (FSA) consisting of several thousand deserters, who now claims rocket attacks against buildings of the intelligence services of Bashar al-Assad. A delegation of the National Council, headed by its leader, Bouran Ghalioun, went to meet Monday with Colonel Riad al-Assad – no relation with the Syrian Rais, ed – who controls the FSA. But the meeting was rather cold. And it is not clear that the military had agreed to comply with the demands of policy.

Ghalioun, like the National Coordination, object to the FSA attacking the troops still loyal to Assad. For two reasons: it would precipitate a civil war that would benefit the regime, which would use it to crush the dissent. But more because the SNC and Coordination do not want to be overwhelmed by those who, behind the scenes, are pulling the strings behind the Colonel Assad.

The agenda of the Brotherhood may differ from that of the seculars

Who are they? “Some members of the Muslim Brotherhood out of Syria, including Turkey, and all those inside no longer believe in peaceful demonstrations and now want to do battle with weapons in hand,” said a member of SNC, who recognizes that they “are becoming more numerous.” The brothers are members of the National Council, but ultimately, their agenda could differ from that of “seculars”, who make up the main organization of the Syrian opposition.

A return to past events is necessary. From June, the first defections in the army led to the creation of the Movement of official free around the Colonel Hussein Harmoush. But from his camp in the Turkish province of Hatay, he refused to pass under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood who had approached him, says Haytham Mana. A few days later, Colonel Harmoush was mysteriously kidnapped by the Syrian intelligence services, thanks to an connection with of Alevis, a close branch to the ruling Alawites in Syria within the Turkish security apparatus. Several opposition leaders Syrian suspect in fact the Turks have simply delivered Harmoush the Syrians to make him pay for his refusal to cooperate with the Islamists. Recognizing their failure, they then turned to the Syrian Army Colonel Assad’s free, weaker, therefore less able to resist pressure.

Riad el-Assad, a blanket used by the Turks

For an official of the SNC, “Assad today is a cover used by the Turkish authorities” that he and his men are confined in a base of the province of Hatay bordering Syria. Turkish intelligence service (Milli Istibarat Teşkilat) controls its movements while an officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds to interview requests that journalists wish to have with the head of the FSA.

According to French intelligence services, the FSA is strong of 8000 men, but generally not used in combat, often coming from the administration of the army. The majority of its members are actually soldiers that are not returned to their barracks at the end of a permission. Locally, they would rely on militias that have decided to join the protest.

Under these conditions, we understand why the ASL needs much assistance and supervision: its support would be provided by Turkey and other Western countries. Much like the Libyan rebels at the beginning of the revolt against Gaddafi. Except that with Damascus, the risks of retaliation are far more higher than the late Colonel Libyan buffoon.

By Georges Malbrunot

http://www.collectifvan.org/article.php?r=4&id=59174

Ghufran,
president Assad is the only one that can transfer Syria to democracy as he as was his father the only one that can project safety for the majority of the Syrians, he does not represent the Alawat, he represent Syria,

for you to blame the army for not securing the country is at a minimum not fair, over the last 9 months the army has been fighting with his arms behind his back worry about causing significant death and at the same time taking attacks day and night

It is time for the army to take charge of Homs , declaring a militery zone, surrounding it asking to surrender all arms from everybody, then going house to house and bringing down any building that a bullet comes from as they did in Lebanon, it is time to assert it’s control.That is the only way.

نص الكامل لمقابلة بشار الاسد لمن فاته ذلك ||
س : ليس قبل وقت طويل كان ينظر اليك على انك قائد براغماتي جديد العهد طبيب كانت حياته لسماع الناس و الأن معظم العالم يعتبرك دكتاتور و طاغية ، ماذا تقول عن ذلك ؟
ج : المهم هو كيف ينظر السوريين اليك ، ليس كيف تنظر الى نفسك ، فلست مضطرا للنظر الى نفسي .
س : الاحتجاجات بدأت بعد اعتقال و تعذيب أطفال كانوا يكتبون عبارات عن سقوطك لقد رأيت صور مروعة لما حصل ، لماذا يحصل مثل هذا القمع القاسي ؟
ج : ماذا حصل ؟
س : سأعطيك أمثلة لما رأيت ,, طفل بعمر 13 سنة اعتقل في ابريل ، بعد شهر تم اعاده جثمانه الى عائلته يحمل اثار التعذيب ، كاتب كاريكاتور مشهور معروف بانتقاده لك اختطف و ضرب بشدة و كسرت ايديه ، مطرب مشهور كان يغني أغاني لرحيلك قتل و اقتلعت حنجرته ، لقد رأيت هذه الصور ، ألم ترها ؟
ج : لا ، و لكن
س : هل هذه أخبار جديدة عليك ؟
ج : لا ليست أخبار جديدة فلقد قابلت والد الطفل و قال أنه لم يعذب
س : الكاريكاتوري الذي كان ينتقدك و رأينا صور تم تكسير يديه و ضرب
ج : كثير من الناس ينتقدوني ، هل قتلتهم جميعا ؟ من قتل من ؟ معظم الناس الذين قتلوا من المفروض أن يخدموا الحكومة و ليس العكس
س : ماذا عن المغني الذي اقتلعت حنجرته ؟
ج : لا أعرف جميع المغنيين
س : المغني الذي غنى أغنية مشهورة عنك ، ألا تعرف عنه
ج : لا أعرفه
س : في بداية الاحتجاجات النساء و الأطفال كانوا يحملون أغصان الزيتون و لم يكن أحد في تلك المرحلة يطالبك بالرحيل و تصاعدت الأحداث ، هل تعتقد أن قواتك قامت بالقمع بشدة ؟
ج : انها ليس قواتي فهذه القوات تخص الحكومة ، أنا لا أملكهم ، أنا رئيس و لا أملك البلد .
س : لا و لكن لا بد من أنك أعطيت الأوامر .
ج : لا لا لا
س : ليس بأوامرك ؟
ج : لا لا لا انها ليست أوامر أحد ليس هناك للقتل أو للقسوة .
س : الناس يهربون من بيت لبيت و الأطفال يعتقلون ، لقد رأيت هذه الصور
ج : لنكون صريحين حتى تعتقدي ذلك و كيف عرفتي كل ذلك لا بد أن تكوني موجودة هنا لتري بنفسك ، نحن لا نرى ذلك ، و لذلك لا يمكنك الاعتماد على ما تقوله الأخبار
س : لقد رأينا ريبورتات عن هذه الصور .
ج : كيف تتأكدين من هذه الصور ؟ لهذا نتحدث عن تزوير و تشويه للحقيقة
س : الاسبوع الماضي أصدرت هيئة مستقلة من الأمم المتحدة أصدرت تقرير يقول أن حكومتك قامت بجرائم ضد الانسانية ، كانت هناك تعيب و اغتصاب و أشكال أخرى من العنف الجنسية ضد المحتجين بما فيهم الأطفال ، ماذا تقول عن ذلك ؟ هل تعترف بذلك ؟ هل تعترف بما تقوله الأمم المتحدة ؟
ج : ببساطة أقول لهم أرسلوا لنا الوثائق و الأدلة القوية و سنرى اذا كان ذلك صحيحا أم لا ؟ لم ترسلوا الينا شيئا .
س : ألم تستلموا أية وثائق ؟
ج : لا شيء على الاطلاق ، أرسلوا لنا الوثائق حيث انه طالما لم نرى الوثائق و الأدلة لا نستطيع أن نقول نعم ، هذا طبيعي ، لا نستطيع ذلك فقط لأن الامم المتحدة قالت ذلك ، من قال أن الأمم المتحدة مؤسسة ذات مصداقية .
س : ألا تعتقد أن الأمم المتحدة ذات مصداقية ؟
ج : لا
س : لديك سفير في الأمم المتحدة .
ج : نعم انه مجرد درو و لا يعني ذلك أن نصدقه .
س : أنت قلت أحيانا أنك لا تقوم بدور الرئاسة لحياتك ، أنت تقوم به من أجل بلدك ، مع كل ما يحدث في سوريا أليس ربما من الأفضل أن لا تبقى رئيس سوريا .
ج : أنا لا أملك القوة ، كل ما لدي هو الدعم الشعبي و هو أهم شيء ، و عندما أشعر أن الدعم الشعبي تناقص لن أكون هنا ، سواء طلبوا ذلك أم لا لا يجب أن أكون هنا اذا لم يكون هناك دعم شعبي ، هذا أمر قاطع .
س : ماذا تعتقد أن أكبر سوء فهم حصل مع بلدي ( أي الولايات المتحدة ) حول ما حصل هنا ، هذا اذا كان هناك سوء فهم ؟
ج : نحن لا نقتل شعبنا ، لا أحد يقتل شعيه ، ليست هناك حكومة في العالم تقتل شعبها الا اذا كان يقودها لاشخص مجنون ، بالنسبة لي كرئيس أصبحت رئيس بسبب الدعم الشعبي ، انه من المستحيل لأي دولة أن تعطى الأوامر بالقتل .
س : هل تشعر نفسك مذنبا ؟
ج : هه ، لقد فعلت أفضل ما عندي لحماية شعبي ، فلا يمكنك الشعور بالذنب عندما تفعل أفضل ما عندك ، تشعر بالأسف للأرواح التي فقدت ، و لكنك لا تشعر بالذنب عندما لا تقتل الناس

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-turkey-and-the-kurds-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=8667&NewsCatID=419

Syria, Turkey and the Kurds

Syria is not falling off the agenda of the world media and politicians. Everybody relevant keeps on commenting on the point the problem has come to and what will happen. However, the most important question to be answered is this: When Bashar al-Assad falls, what happens next? Of course, it is not possible to indicate a certain date and tell what will happen like a fortune teller. But, by following the Kurds’ road map in Syria, one can largely predict whether the problem has reached a critical threshold and what might happen with the Kurds in a post-al-Assad era.
Nowadays there is a deep silence on the Kurdish front despite the earth-shattering changes in Syria. Behind that silence is a neither political snafu, nor the desire to make the al-Assad regime’s work easier. Apparently, Kurds have learned their lessons from the past and are following a strategy which is quite shrewd. They are waiting for the “high time” at which point their rival will be weak in order to participate in the regime-change game.
One year after the Iraqi invasion, in March 2004, Syrian Kurds rose in rebellion. The al-Assad regime suppressed it by using violence. Kurds are waiting during this current phase in light of both their own experiences and advice. In the meantime, they are starting to accelerate their activities, as well as increase their diplomatic and psychological capacity. Both northern Iraqi leader Masoud Barzani and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is active among Syrian Kurds, have agreed and are active on the implementation of the current strategy. 
The PKK has been active for decades among the Kurds in Syria with the open consent of the Syrian regime. The formation of a political identity drove the militants that were recruited from among the Syrian Kurds into Turkey’s mountains. So much so that, 20-25 percent of the organization’s armed militants were recruited from that region. On the other hand, Barzani, not being idle, has improved his political network among Syrian Kurds. 
Syrian Kurds will enter the game as a well-organized, fresh force once the insurgency reaches a critical threshold. It is true that they are obtaining money, arms and personnel that they need for that purpose from Turkey and Iraq. While the Arabs are dealing with themselves, Syrian Kurds are planning to secure an advantageous position like their relatives in Iraq. There is no reason that won’t be able to realize this plan. In the course of events, certain regions will have the power to protect areas in which they achieved political autonomy against the worn-out Arabs. 
The Syrian Kurds’ new position will affect northern neighbor Turkey in the medium term, as well as the Arabs. The power vacuum and the Kurdish sovereign region that will emerge in the wake of the breakdown of the regime will mean the start of new problems for Turkey. The PKK will supposedly have arms from the al-Assad army, unlimited logistical capability, new personnel with high self-confidence and new safe havens on a strategic level. Above all is the superiority it will achieve on a psychological level. This situation is the moment that the superiority of political discourse disappears for Turkish governments. The Kurdish question will no longer be a domestic democracy problem for Turkey but will be rapidly transformed into an internationalized “national liberation movement.” 
Those who try to cope with the PKK problem in the political and security domain will see that their problem has gained a new dimension and that the paradigm has shifted. Henceforth, there will be a different regional picture. Everything belonging to the past will lose its meaning and function in the new phase. Those who poured compliments upon Turkey for its contribution to al-Assad’s removal will naturally be out of step in the new period. Even if not as severe as al-Assad, they will show a clearer and more encouraging manner toward Turkey on how to realize a political environment for the Kurds like in Syria.
December/07/2011

Tara #26

It looks that the Turks are freaking out about the future of their Kurdish population in the eventual aftermath of Bashar Al Assad. They are already feeling the bites of the counter sanctions Syria has imposed on the trade. They are on the defensive about accusations that they protecting the FSA manipulated by the MB (even by a french journalist usually critical of Bashar Al Assad). In brief, there are in an increasingly uncomfortable situation.
I am not surprised Erdogan is worried about Turkey’s aggressive policy toward Syria that seem to backfire and open the door to far larger internal problems for Turkey.
They are probably envisaging backtracking at the first opportunity that the Arab League will give them.

Haytham
What you post in Arabic is not the full interview, please check Ales@13 he linked the full transcript interview, it’s 8 pages long

#13 Ales
What did Assad really say, transcript word by word. Don’t believe media trolls.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/transcript-abcs-barbara-walters-interview-syrian-president-bashar/story?id=15099152#.TuAEtfJumJA

“Walters: How do you hope that you will be remembered?

Assad: By doing the best I can, can for, for this country. Whether you agree, or whether the people agree or don’t, don’t agree, but at– at the end, I was not a puppet. I care a lot about being independent president for independent Syria. And do my best, according to my convictions. That’s the most important thing. At the end, even if they disagree with you, they will respect you.”

Bronco

It does appear that Turkey is torn on what to do with Syria.  The potential of the PKK changing into a liberation movement should they succeed in establishing a future Syrian Kurdstan after the Iraqi Kurdstan can be pretty alarming to the Turks.  Additionally, I believe that Erdogan is too principled to allow foreign NATO intervention in Syria which really limits the ability of Turkey to be “ready for all scenarios”, contrary to what it has initially declared.

  
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-will-not-be-springboard-for-attack-on-syria-diplomat-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=8630&NewsCatID=338
Turkey will not be springboard for attack on Syria: diplomat
ANKARA – Agence France- Presse

Turkey said Wednesday it would not let its territory be used to launch attacks against other countries after Syria said it had foiled a bid by “terrorists” to infiltrate from the Turkish border.

“Turkey is not allowing any armed groups (to launch attacks) against other countries,” a Turkish diplomat who declined to be named told AFP, when asked about the Syrian news reports.

Syria’s official news agency SANA reported Tuesday that Syrian border guards had the previous night thwarted an attempt by “armed terrorist groups from Turkey” to cross into the country.
 
The guards had wounded an unspecified number of the 35 gunmen they had intercepted without suffering any casualties on their side, SANA reported.
 
“Cars were heard taking the wounded gunmen away on the Turkish side,” the report added.
 
“No military activity has been observed on the Syrian side of the border,” the Turkish diplomat said.
December/07/2011

هل من أجل هذا يموت السوريون؟

نهلة الشهال
حسناً فعل برهان غليون، رئيس “المجلس الوطني السوري” العتيد، إذ قطع الشك باليقين وأعلن بوضوح انحيازه للغرب، قوى ومخططات وأهدافاً وتصورات، وموضع نفسه ومجلسه في معسكر ذلك الغرب. وهذا على أية حال هو سر انتشار تصريحاته الاخيرة لصحيفة “وول ستريت جورنال”، التي لفَّت العالم، وتُرجمت الى كل اللغات، متفوقة في “أهميتها” على كل ما سبق له أن نطق به هو واترابه في ذلك المجلس.
تثير تلك التصريحات مجموعة مسائل متشابكة تتعلق بتحديد ما يطمح له السوريون، ويموتون من أجله يومياً، متحدين آلة القتل التي تفتك بهم. وأولى تلك المسائل وأبسطها بالتأكيد، أن السيد غليون يتصرف كحاكم سوريا المقبل، وكأن كل الكلام عن الديموقراطية التي ينبغي تأسيسها بعد عقود الاستبداد ليست سوى تنميق كلام، عدة شغل، بينما “يعرف” الرجل أنه ومجلسه سيحكمان البلد، بل والأفدح، أنهما قررا منذ اليوم برنامج ذلك الحكم ومنطلقاته. أين السيرورة يا بروفيسور، تلك التي تجعل السلطة حصيلة عملية صراعية جارية ومتغيرة وفق المعطيات، وتلك التي تخضعها لتوازنات القوى لحظة الانجاز؟ لا بأس، فلن نعيب على غليون في حمأة ما يعيش نسيانه، ما درَّس في قاعات الجامعات، وما كتب في مؤلفاته. ثم ان ذلك ليس بيت القصيد… وإن كانت أحلام رئاسية كهذه يبدو أنها راودت غليون قبلاً، كظهوره عشية عيد الاضحى على شاشة الجزيرة متأنقاً، وقوراً، يحيط به علم سوري عن يمينه وكتب مرصوفة عن يساره، مذكرة بأنه استاذ جامعي ومثقف. ومن فرط سوء الاخراج، وبينما هو يوجه خطابه الى “الشعب السوري العظيم”، كان ثمة ما يوحي بأنه سيتلعثم ويُخرج “يا شعبي العزيز” على عادة الملوك! مرَّ ذلك الخطاب مرور الكرام وسط السخرية التي أثارتها الوضعية المفتعلة، ولأن ما نطق به كان عمومياً مبدئياً مستخرجاً من بطون الكتب المرجعية المختصة، مما لا يقدم ولا يؤخر. بينما التصريحات الاخيرة سياسية بامتياز، تخاطب بشكل ملموس الغرب وإسرائيل والدول العربية التي تدور في فلكهما وتعلن انتماءها لهم.
لكن المسألة الأهم تتعلق بوظيفة هذا الكلام، ليس كبرنامج حكم مستقبلي، بل الآن. مؤدياته الوحيدة اليوم هي رفع سقف الاستنفار والاستقطاب المذهبيين المستعرين في المنطقة، والانخراط في الحرب الاستراتيجية الجارية في العالم، وأقطابها بلدان كروسيا والصين من جهة، والولايات المتحدة وفرنسا وبريطانيا من جهة أخرى، والحلفاء المتغيرين أحياناً، بحسب المواضيع والاماكن، لكل من المحاور.
وتتخذ تلك الحرب في منطقتنا عنواناً مبتسراً، فرضته الآلة الاعلامية والدبلوماسية الغربية، هو الصراع المفتوح حول إيران. لكنها تتضمن فعلياً، وعلى ذلك، طموحات الهيمنة على مصادر الطاقة والثروات في المنطقة بمجملها (اكتشف حديثاً مثلا أن في العراق أهم مناجم للفوسفات في العالم، وفيه وفي مواقع أخرى من المنطقة، يورانيوم ومعادن نادرة…)، وعلى الممرات الاستراتيجية والاسواق. وكما تقول الصين وروسيا، فثمة مخططات لمحاصرتهما وخنقهما تنفذ مباشرة اليوم، وهي تشمل أيضاً إحكام السيطرة على دول صاعدة ومنعها من التفلّت من سطوة وتحكم الغرب. وليست أزمة هذا الاخير الاقتصادية البنيوية سبباً في تراجعه عن ذلك، بل على العكس، فقد تكون دافعاً لمزيد من الشراسة بكل صورها. ولا يوجد غير ذلك كله ما يمكنه تفسير الصراع حول الدرع الصاروخية الاطلسية مثلاً، التي نوت واشنطن نشرها في بلدان أوروبا الشرقية، وانتهت الى وضع واحدة من قواعدها في تركيا مؤخراً، كما لا يوجد تفسير آخر لـ”العقد الآسيوي” الذي بشر به أوباما ووزيرة خارجيته، والذي يتضمن نشر قواعد عسكرية جديدة وابرام اتفاقات تعاون متنوعة مع بلدان تحيط بالصين من كل صوب.
هي إذاً الحرب الاستعمارية نفسها إنما بأدوات جديدة قد لا تتضمن ـ دوماً ـ الاحتلالات المباشرة، وتحمل فوارق هامة متعلقة بحلول خطاب قومي وليبرالي وتنافسي في آن، محل الايديولوجيات التي كانت تؤطر تلك المجابهة، ما قد يترك المجال لتصبح الصين مثلاً دولة استعمارية عظمى! وذلك تحديداً يعيد الاعتبار كما لم يحدث من قبل، للمسألة العامة، التي تخص كل البشر والامم، تلك التي تتناول نوعية الحياة المطلوب الدفاع عنها، ومنظومة القيم المفتقدة التي لا بد من العكوف على صقلها وإعادة بلورتها، كي ينتقل العالم بأسره من حالة الحروب المتجددة ابداً، ومن شرعنة استغلال واضطهاد أمم لأخرى، الى أفق آخر.
ولا يمكن لبرهان غليون أن يجهل كل ذلك، ولا يمكنه تبرير مواقفه بالاحتماء خلف حاجات لحظوية تكتيكية، وإلا تحوَّل هو ومجلسه الى أداة صغيرة في الصراع الفعلي الدائر في العالم وفي المنطقة، والذي قيض لسوريا، بحكم موقعها الجيواستراتيجي واشتباك مسارها مع معطيات أخرى، أن تحتل واحدة من نقاطه الاساسية.
سوريا اليوم نقطة تقاطع بالغة الاهمية، لا معادل لها في المنطقة. فإن جنحت الامور فيها الى الاحتراب الاهلي الطويل والتفكيكي، فسيلحق بها العراق الذي يعاني من اهتراء مديد في أحواله، ومن استقطابات مأزومة، وكذلك لبنان. وستجد تركيا نفسها في الدوامة ايضاً. ومشروع السيد غليون دفع مجلسه الى رفض المبادرة العربية نفسها عند اعلانها مخافة أن تكون حلاً لانتقال سلمي للسلطة، مشروعه الذي يتكلم ببراءة مصطنعة عن “ممرات انسانية” و”مناطق حظر طيران”، (وهو يعرف تماماً أنهما إعلان حرب ويتطلبان تدخلاً عسكرياً لفرضهما)، لا يوفر لا تصوراً لمرحلة انتقال سلمي للسلطة، تُبقي سوريا المجتمع والدولة موحدين، ولا شروط مثل هذه المرحلة، بل هو تأطير للاحتراب الأهلي الطويل. وهو مشروع ينتمي الى طينة ما يرتكبه النظام السوري نفسه، الذي يرد على مطلب التغيير بالقمع و”الحل الامني”، منظماً هو الآخر الاحتراب الاهلي الطويل، التفكيكي لسوريا والمنطقة برمتها. والتحجج بالنظام السوري وممارساته ليس تبريراً، فهذا النظام ينتمي الى الماضي، والمطلوب تجاوزه وليس إعادة انتاجه بصيغة معدلة.
ويبدو أنه ثمة من أسرَّ في أذن السيد غليون (وهو كان أفضل عناصر قيادة هذا المجلس، لأن معظم الآخرين من متصدريه مرتبطون أصلاً بصورة معلومة وموثقة بدوائر استخبارية غربية) بأن واشنطن عازمة على المضي في هذا الملف الى آخر أشواطه. وهو واترابه وضعوا ثقتهم بذلك، ما يفسر إقدامهم الشديد، الذي يرتدي أحياناً لبوس الحماقة المفضوحة، ويضع هذا الموقف المنحاز الى مشروع واشنطن وباريس ولندن وتل ابيب، ومعها عواصم محلية مستلحقة، بعضها يمد بالمال أو بالسلاح أو بالتغطية الاعلامية، يضع المجلس في مصاف الثورة المضادة، تلك التي تُهدد منذ اللحظة الاولى لفعلها آمال السوريين في الحرية والعدالة، وفي نظام سياسي تعددي وديموقراطي يدير مجتمعاً مزدهراً تُحترم فيه كرامات ابنائه وحقوقهم كافة. الثورة المضادة التي تتكلم محل السوريين فتضعهم في موقع المتواطئ مع إسرائيل مثلاً (عبر بلاهة”استعادة الجولان بالمفاوضات”)، والاخطر من ذلك، أنها تشطب كيانية بلدهم ومجتمعهم، وتقذف بهم الى اتون “حرب المئة عام” التي تهدد بالانفجار في المنطقة.
وتلك مفارقة: فالسيد غليون ومجلسه يدّعون قيادة الثورة. ولعله قد حان، بإلحاح شديد، وقت أن تستعيد الثورة السورية كلامها من هؤلاء.

http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?EditionId=2021&ChannelId=47931&ArticleId=660&Author=%D9%86%D9%87%D9%84%D8%A9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%84

Even Fox news manipulates videos to dramatize demonstrations.
Shots taken during Greece riots are simply re-named: Moscow.

FOX, lies & the wrong videotape: What’s NOT happening in Moscow
http://rt.com/news/fox-moscow-fake-riots-281/

Bronco

What are your thoughts in regard to the interview? Did you like it? Reading the transcript word by word, his English was broken, and his words reflected his actual IQ level. Do you agree?

Tara #29

It has been clear from the start that Syria’s stability is essential to keep in leach all these dark dividing forces of sectarism and ethnicity that have been brewing in the region for long.
The breakup of Syria could create “an earthquake”, in the sense of creating breaks in the area along ethnic and religious lines, that could ripple in neighboring countries with a destructive and irreversible effect.

If it is necessary to keeping Syria united, it will require painful compromises.

Sorry I have not read the script of the interview. As I told you before it does not bring anything new and it has received the praises and the critics I had envisaged.

Tara,

I think his English was quite good and his IQ did not show major problems.

The interview was really good in that Barbara really pressed him on hard issues and gave him very little room to escape.

I think this will be a shock to his system as he has been watching the world from TV screens, etc, but probably nobody said things like this to his face.

It might accelerate his downfall as he now understands that he can never face the world again with conjuring images of Hamza and Quashoush.

Barbara Walters, a featherweight, faded, fake celeb “journalist”.

She’s finally sunk to new lows for chequebook journalism.

Good to hear she and Assad have matching speech impediments.

Bad move by the Assad machine.

He’s neatly written himself into history as a stomach-churning idiot and world’s weakest liar.

Comedians, journalists and political leaders will now use the phrase “doing an Assad” as a term of mockery and contempt.

That aside, his voice and demeanour were VERY weird. Non-masculine and non-adult is a kind way to put it.

Scarce Syrian public funds were pissed away on the PR machine that arranged that interview. But it’s well spent because it helps his opponents and recruits new critics.

Norman
You sound radical in comment #24

Assad ,the BOOHA,is frowning, as if he did not have enough rest , or he did not sleep preparing for his test with Barbara Walter.

Did the syrian public watch this interview?

Ehsani
It has been long since we heared from you,Alex are you there?

((“I’m president. I don’t own the country, so they’re not my forces.”))

Assad’s Parallel Universe Suggests a Long Struggle
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
http://abcnews.go.com/International/bashar-al-assad-interview-defiant-syrian-president-denies/story?id=15098612#.Tt_c0vLO18A

Jr does own the country: he has absolute powers to issue and implement any decree to alter or retain any facet of the political, economical, and social activities in the country.
Jr has uncontestable powers not only over his forces but also over all Syrians: he can promote, demote, arrest, detain, torture, and kill whoever he regards as a threat to his will.

((“There’s a difference between having a policy to crack down and between having some mistakes committed by some officials. There is a big difference,”))

Jr did deliver a policy statement on how he intended to tackle the crisis as early as March 30, 2011. It was communicated in his first Speech to the Syrian Parliament on Wednesday, March 30, 2011
https://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=8917 . Here is the relevent excerpt:

((Burying sedition is a national, moral, and religious duty; and all those who can contribute to burying it and do not are part of it. The Holy Quran says, “sedition is worse than killing,” so all those involved intentionally or unintentionally in it contribute to destroying their country. So there is no compromise or middle way in this. What is at stake is the homeland and there is a huge conspiracy))

Here is how the Revolution according to Jr was:
– The nature of the uprising: Conspiracy
– The aim of the uprising: incitement of sedition.
– How sedition was to be confronted: Burying
– Why sedition was to be buried and not accommodated: God said sedition was worse than killing. So, killing in this context was both legitimate, and the lesser of the two evils as per divine discretion. Applying even worse techniques than killing, namely all kinds of torture would only then achieve complete justice!
– Who contributors to sedition were: those involved intentionally or unintentionally;
o Intentionally: demonstrators; no age or gender limits were set.
o Unintentionally: relatives, acquaintances, and friends of demonstrators and passers by in the street at times of demonstrations

As such, Jr himself, being Patriot One he felt he was, called upon himself to bury sedition.
Here are the capacities that Jr have been commanding since the start of the revolution:
– President of the Republic, who chose the cabinets, including the minister of interior and the head of the General Intelligence Directorate
– General Secretary of the Baath party and its related Para-militia / Lijan AlAmniyya (Shabbeeha)
– Commander of Chief of the Army and related Army and Air Force intelligence forces.

The rules of engagement of all Armed forces and related intelligence units are communicated to soldiers by their superiors, down all the way from their their supreme commander; Thug one.

Details of the executive plan for Wadulfitnah (Burying Sedition) were spelled out in a secret memo form the General Directorate of Intelligence in late march of this year.

Nafdik

He would’ve been at a better luck had he replied in Arabic. If you read the full scripts some of the answers made no sense or were incomplete sentences. I do see a major IQ issue when he tried to use a childish tactic “I did not do it (the killing), they (the security/army) did it. I don’t own them, therefore, I am not responsible. Since I am not responsible and as long as I am doing my best, I don’t feel guilty.”. This really reflects a mediocre IQ at best.

This interview being spontaneous is very much different than his organized threatening answers with the British Daily Telegraph, which apparently he prepared the answer in advance.

Additionally, if all what has been said, written, and aired across the universe did not give him reality check, I doubt Barbara Walter’s interview would. I agree with Joshua. I think we should ready ourself for a long struggle.

He must be forced out. He is not going to give up the power out of benevolence. He has shot all his senses and will never be able to believe that the problem lies in him.

Here is the english translation of the leaked document:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150567415020727&set=a.10150567414445727.656159.420796315726&type=3&permPage=1#!/photo.php?fbid=10150567414640727&set=a.10150567414445727.656159.420796315726&type=3&permPage=1

== PAGE 1/3==

Syrian Arab Republic
General Directorate Of The Intelligence Services
No. / /
Date / /
Without Record / Top Secret

General Directorate Of The Intelligence Services / Top Secret

Detailed Plan for implementation:

Subject:

There is a rising sentiment among a specific group aiming at imitating what happened in Tunisia and Egypt by making use of the current economic conditions in the state and the international environment, which is currently supportive of popular movments. This sentiment might increase after what happened in the city of Dar’aa a few days ago.

Evaluation:

It is imperative to make use of the previous experience in dealing with the hostile Muslim Brotherhood movement, and to learn from the mistakes of the Tunisian and Egyptian regime, especially since they neutralized the power of the army and Republican Guard from the beginning, and allowed media outlets to cover every movement until matters got out of control.

In the detailed plan, things won’t get to point where the regime or state is endangered or the current continuation [of rule] is under threat, and the final result will be passage of many tiresome months, and after that the regime emerge more powerful indefinitely.
The minature security panel consisting of A.S. [likely to be Asef Shawkat], M.N., H.K., A.M., H.M. covened at 23/3/2011 regarding opposition protests and discussed the matter from all its aspects (Security, Economic, Political) and has set the following measures: It is stressed that the treatment of the matter requires shared security-media-political-economic work in the least.

Detailed plan:

The plan depends on thee complementary factors: Media [PR], security and field perfroamnce, political and economic.

Media/PR factor:

– Connecting the protests with personalities who are detested among the Syrian public, such as known Saudi and Lebanese personalities [possibly alluding to March 14] and connecting all of them with Zionism and the USA. There is a plan prepared being prepared by a security cell, which will be introduced/implemented in a suitable, timed way on questionable sites under the name of “Bandar Sultan’s plan”, which is believable and convincing.

– Intense Media campaign accusing protesters and opponents of subservience to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the USA. In the case of killings, the security cell should repeatedly accuse armed or radical gangs, and claim that the security apparatus and army are contributing to the protection of order, stability and the people.

– Indirect media campaign on TV and privately-owned channels about sectarian strife/disorder, and instilling fear of the Muslim Brotherhood in Christians and Druze, warning them of the reprisals they might face by them if they did not participate in ending the protests. Enlisting the Alawites in the coastal regions so they can defend ‘their’ regime and lives, which are going to be threatend by Sunni radicalism.

– Instructing some security units in all security agencies to work within Facebook to respond to and disrupt the communication of the opponents, labeling them as opponents of the regime with fake names/nicknames, posting views/opinions which damage the reputation of the opposition, and possibly also exposing ‘schemes and plans’ hostile to the president and the state.

– Forbidding all media outlets from going to the places of unrest, and punishing anyone broadcasting any news which doesn’t serve the state – and not showing any tolerance in this matter.

– In case the opposition manages to take pictures or film any videos, the security cell should prepare scenes from the protests and insert loopholes in them, so they can broadcast on state media and subsequently exposed so as to remove credibility from the films/videos of the opposition

PAGE 2/3
– When being prevented from providing coverage or intervening, the media often relies on eyewitnesses, and we expect that a few of them would dare to call satellite channels to provide their testimony – therefore it is the responsibility of the ‘media/press intelligence’ cell to prepare some eyewitnesses from ‘professional security agents’ to contact satellite channels and provide them with exaggerated testimony, with the prerequisite that it should contain loopholes, so it can be directly exposed in our State Media and also on satellite channels in order to ‘damage the credibility of any eyewitnesses’.

– Instructing some members of the people’s assembly to respond to the ‘opponents’ and ‘vandalists’, and to provide them with some points and specifics on how to respond to them.

– Instructing some personalities from the state apparatus located in the place of the protests to respond to the protesters and ‘opponents’.

– In case the protests are too intense and hard to ignore, it is inevitable that the ‘opposition’ should be turned into local demands specific to the region only.

– Sending a convoy of cars carrying pictures of the president, with the possibility of adding the Syrian flag, with the help of security units, their friends, children of government officials and army officers inside cities, and providing these cars with sirens similar to those equipped on ambulances, to create awe within the spirits of bypassers and residents.

– Inviting some moderates within the opposition to [interviews] on State TV, with the possibility of using ‘shaming’ and some courtesy to persuade them, for this dilutes their demands and turns them to trivial, simple demands they’re asking the president to fulfill for them. This is also useful for creating splits in the protective and opposing factions within the oppostion.

– The announcement of strict instructions by the Ministry Of Education to ‘warn’ schools and pupils about the usage of the Internet and Facebook.

– Instructing some artists loyal to us or ‘captured’ by us to talk to [people in] the places where the protests are happening or the opposition in accordance to what we provide them with.

About the security cells and field performance:
_______________________________________________
– No tolerance of any harm to the image of the highest symbol [of the state] (possibly referring to the president), because this, if tolerated, will increase the opposition’s ability to cross all lines.

– It is expected that the opposition’s gatherings will be held in places with high population density in order to draw attention and encourage others to join them, and here it’s needed to ‘blockade/barricade’ and isolate the place as much as possible and to sneak in security units in civilian clothes in between the protesters to create disputes and foil/disperse the gathering as soon as possible, and also to arrest some of the ‘vandalists’ if needed.

– Instructing the ‘Information Security’ branch in the administration and in the centre for scientific studies to cooperate with the two mobile phone providers to monitor the cell- and landline phones of some expected and known ‘inciteful’ and opposition personalities.

– Calling and ‘summoning’ the youth to instill a fear of participation [in the protests] in them, arresting some of them and announcing a ‘general conscription’ in the armed forces in order to exhaust [the strength] of the youths and activists with visiting the recruitment offices.

– Exhausting the strength of the opponents and symbols of the opposition with lawsuits of all shapes and forms, slandering their moral and religious reputation, and it is possible to use some means prepared specifically for this purpose.

– Forbidding prominent members of the opposition from all travel, regardless of reason.

– Instructing the Military Security branch to monitor all mid- and high-level command in the army, especially Sunni ones.

– In the case of violent confrontations between army units and protesters, it is required to issue a clear order to cease all fire [from the side of the army], with the order not being applicable to trained Security Forces, and units belonging to the ‘serba’ and ‘souda’ companies, and to use snipers within these companies in a non-apparent way to prevent the localization of the source of the fire – also to increase cover: There is no problem in killing some units and officers of the army, as this is useful in increasing the animosity of the army towards the protesters.

– In any place the protests go out of control:
– Isolation of the place with security and army forces, and cutting off electricity, communications, and internet.
– Arresting some influential personalities from this place, and if the situation is critical – killing them.
– Making use of some smugglers and criminals, flooding the place with them and creating a state of chaos.
– Sending trained security forces in civilian clothing to the place of the protests, who should attempt to convince the protesters of using weaponary against the army and security forces.
– Deploying security forces and units from the ‘serba’ and ‘souda’ companies with snipers in organised campaigns during the protests, with the number of fatalities not exceeding 20 every time, because this might expose the matter and make a case for outside intervention.

The last page of the document leaked late March 2011

PAGE 3/3
– Depolying Druze and Christian units/officers in the army to the places of protest and tempting them to defend themselves, also depolying units of the army based in remote regions to prevent cases of refusal, rebellion, or hesitation.

– If a critical or potentially dangerous situation develops, getting everyone to choose between security and stability, or the freedoms they’re demanding, and here they will choose their security and safety. This can be implemented with some assassinations [of individuals] belonging to different sects and clans, or detonating some places of worship in regions with intense protests.

Economic factor:

– Planning/Sending out a massive demonstration in favour of the president before his speech in front of the people’s assembly, so his speech would be a response to the demands of the masses and nothing more. Strict instructions should be issued here to government institutions, syndicates, unions and schools to gather employees and pupils and issue new slogans/banners to them.

The president’s anticipated speech:

– Delaying the speech as much as possible, as this delay is an expression of the state’s power and its immunity to the current events – it also contributes to clearing the image and setting the amount of political movement needed. Any change we might be forced to make must be presented as if we were the ones who started it and called for it.

– Giving a picture stable impression of the regime.

Measures that can be presented in the president’s speech before the people’s assembly:

– Increasing the salary of government and public sector employees after consulting the minister of treasury and putting plans for returning the economic stability with 3 months, especially if this raise might destabilise the current economic interests.

– Promising to create new jobs to distribute among the governorates.

– Lowering the price of some essential goods.

– Partial governmental change and exposure of the corruption of some ministers – this requires one security panel to decide which ministers will be sacrificed.

– Lowering the price of mobile phone calls officially, with the possibility of reclaiming part of the losses through hidden costs.

– Giving personal and public privileges to some Muslim and Christian religious figures who are close to the regime and using them to slander the protesters and the opposition, and asking them to use convinsing verses from the Qu’ran or specific hadiths discouraging them from participating in the current events.

– Sending official figures acceptable to the people to talk with opposition and to ask them to accept the political leadership’s attempts to converse with them – some of them will accept immediately, some will accept with reservations, and some will reject the matter entirely. This is useful in creating disputes and splits within the opposition and preventing them from appearing as an effective, monolithic actor which can be influential in the protest movement.

– Responding to some of the Kurdish demands regarding citizenship, but only if that happens in a way that doesn’t change anything in the state and society or disrupts the current balances – and this response is only to conscript them and suppress their acceptance of foreign intervention if the opposition protests intensify – for the northeastern region is the only problem in regard to this issue as the other regions are not expect to accept such a thing.

– Instructing Syrian embassies overseas, as well as the foreign ministry to reassure the USA and the European states, and reminding that the Golan front might be suspectible to instability if the radicals succeed and gain control.

– Instructing the Syrian embassy in all states to monitor Syrians and their behaviour – the foreign ministry is to act in this matter.

– Preparing security and media teams for implementation as soon as possible and as secretly as possible.

Note: The entirety of the detailed plan is not to be put in the hands of anyone or any team of the operation, but should be split into branches and sections

LOLOLOL the famous shit covered document, again, after 8 months!
Is the make up dude this much bankrupted that he couldn’t bring anything more useful than dr. Zibaleh’s most famous fake document. Bunch of idiots!
For those who want to read this news in English use Google. My advice, don’t waste your time!

معارضون ينحطّون إلى درك انحطاط السلطة: النصاب رضوان زيادة يزور وثيقة باسم المخابرات العامة

الحقيقة تكشف بالأدلة كيف جرى تزييف وثيقة منسوبة للمخابرات العامة عن “خطة لإثارة الفتنة”، أما قناة” الجزيرة التي دخلت على خط نشر الأكاذيب ففضيحتها عن طالب كلية العلوم الذي ” قتل” .. لا تقل خزيا

دمشق ،واشنطن ـ الحقيقة ( خاص): منذ سنوات طويلة ونحن نكرر القول ونحذر من أن بعض فئات المعارضة السورية، وتحديدا الأصولية منها وتلك اليمينية المرتبطة بوكالة المخابرات المركزية والموساد ، أمثال عمار عبد الحميد ورضوان زيادة وفريد الغادري، لا تقل انحطاطا ودناءة وخسة عن انحطاط أجهزة مخابرات السلطة ، بل إنها تبزها وتتفوق عليها في أحيان كثيرة. فمثلما عمدت هذه الأخيرة إلى فبركة القصص والاتهامات لمعارضيها الحقيقيين ، بما في ذلك فبركة صور خلاعية لزوجات بعض هؤلاء لابتزازهم ( على غرار ما قام به العميد يحي زيدان من فرع المنطقة في المخابرات العسكرية ورئيسه آنذاك هشام بختيار في العام 1992 بتركيب صور خلاعية لزوجة المعارض السوري “ن.ن” السابقة ، السيدة نداء جورج شحود ، بتواطؤ من شقيقها الياس جورج شحود ، ومكافأته على ذلك ، وعلى إرشاد دورية الفرع المذكور إلى مكان تخفي صهره، بتعيينه في مناصب حزبية عليا) ، يقوم هؤلاء المعارضون بالعمل نفسه تماما. وهو ما يعني أن هذه الحثالات الحقيرة لم تشكل ، ولا يمكن أن تشكل بديلا أخلاقيا للسلطة التي تزعم أنها تعارضها، ناهيك عن أن تكون بديلا سياسيا لها. فالمعارض يجب أن يكون بديلا أخلاقيا للنظام الذي يعارضه ، قبل أن يكون بديلا سياسيا له. أما إذا كان صنوه ، فهذا لا يعني ـ في المحصلة ـ سوى أنهما ” خرية واحدة انقسمت إلى نصفين”!
مناسبة هذا الحديث اليوم “الوثيقة” المزيفة التي وزعها النصاب رضوان زيادة المقيم في الولايات المتحدة ، وأحد المرتبطين بضابط الاحتياط في الموساد نير بومس ، الأمر الذي كنا كشفنا عنه سابقا ( اضغط هنـــا).
رضوان زيادة ، هذا، الذي يسمي نفسه دكتورا وباحثا ، وفي وقاحة ممزوجة بالغباء لايحسد عليها ، تبنى اليوم هذه “الوثيقة” بشكل صريح لا لبس فيه في حديث مع قناة”الحرة”. ( لدينا رسالة رسمية من أحد الصحفيين العاملين في قناة”الحرة” تؤكد أن رضوان زيادة هو من زور الوثيقة ، وهو من أرسلها إلى القناة المذكورة وطلب منها لاحقا الإدلاء بحديث إليها حول الأمر).
“الوثيقة” المزعومة تتحدث عن خطة وضعتها المخابرات العامة لإثارة النعرات الطائفية والمذهبية ( إلخ) في سوريا ، وتحمل تاريخ 23 من الشهر الماضي. وهي بالمناسبة تكاد تكون نسخة محررة عن وثيقة مباحث أمن الدولة في مصر التي ضبطت خلال اقتحام المتظاهرين لمقرات هذا الجهاز في مصر الشهر الماضي!! ورغم أن تاريخ المخابرات العامة في سوريا حافل بهذا النوع من القصص الوضيعة (أبرزها قصة مديرها العام الأسبق اللواء محمد بشير النجار الذي فبرك أشرطة فيديو لمذيعات في التلفزيون ولوزراء وضباط ، وانتهى إلى السجن بتهمة الفساد ، قبل أن يموت فيه!)، فإن هذا لا يعني أن كل ورقة تحمل اسم المخابرات العامة يمكن أن تكون صادرة عنها بالضرورة.
ولكي لا نطول بالشرح ، نعرض أدناه “الوثيقة ” المزعومة ( اضغط عليها من أجل صورة مكبرة) ، ومكامن التزوير ، قبل أن نقارنها بوثيقة أصلية صادرة عن الإدارة نفسها.
مكامن التزوير:
أولا ـ في شكل “ترويسة” الورقة . فهي مكتوبة بطريقة عادية على الكومبيوتر ، بينما الأوراق الرسمية لإدارة المخابرات العامة مطبوعة بنظام “أوفست” المطبعي التقليدي ، مع وجود ” شعار الجمهورية” ( النسر) في أعلى ووسط الورقة. هذا مع الإشارة إلى أن الإدارة تستخدم الخط ” الثلث المشكل” والخط “الفارسي” حصرا في ترويس مطبوعاتها.( قارن مع نموذج عن الترويسة الحقيقية منشور جانبا).
نموذج من ترويسة لإحدى وثائق المخابرات العامة ، وقد امتنعنا عن نشرها كلها كيلا يستفيد النصابون منها مستقبلا لتزوير أوراق أخرى

ثانيا ـ كافة أختام المخابرات العامة وفروعها شكلها بيضوي ، وتتضمن اسم المخابرات العامة ( بالخط الفارسي) في الجزء العلوي من الخاتم ، بينما يتضمن جزؤها السفلي رقم الفرع ( الفرع 285 ، الفرع 251 .. إلخ). وهو ـ بالمناسبة ـ نظام موحد مع شعبة المخابرات العسكرية ، لأن المصصم والمصنّع جهة واحدة ( مطابع وزنغوغراف الجهة نفسها التي تطبع وثائق الدولة الخاصة وتصنّع أختامها). وحين تكون الوثيقة صادرة باسم قيادة الإدارة ، وليس باسم فرع من فروعها، يكون الجزء العلوي متضمنا اسم “الجمهورية العربية السورية” ، أما جزؤها السفلي فمكتوب عليه عبارة” إدارة المخابرات العامة”.
ثالثاـ جميع الأختام الرسمية العائدة لإدارة المخابرات العامة (والأجهزة لأخرى) تتضمن شعار الجمهورية العربية السورية في المنتصف ( النسر الذي يتجه رأسه نحو يمين الصورة).
رابعاـ و هو ما كان طرف الخيط الذي قادنا إلى اكتشاف التزوير عبر الفحص ببرنامج فتوشوب، فإن المزور( رضوان زيادة؟) ، الشديد الغباء كما يبدو ،عمد إلى قص الخاتم المستطيل المفبرك ولصقه على الورقات الثلاث . وما يؤكد ذلك أن درجة ميلان الخاتم واحدة ومتطابقة تماما في الورقات الثلاث!! وغني عن البيان أن أي إنسان لا يمكن له أن يمسك خاتما ويختم به ثلاث ورقات ، ولا حتى ورقتين، ويحافظ على زاوية ميلانه نفسها في عملية ختمها! فهذا مستحيل على أي بشري أن يقوم به ، إلا إذا كنا نتحدث عن عالم الجن والعفاريت!( ليجرب أحد منكم ذلك بنفسه). هذا فضلا عن أن درجة كثافة الحبر هي نفسها في الأختام الثلاثة ( كما أظهرها التحليل). وهذا مستحيل أن يحصل في الحالة الطبيعية!
خامساـ المخابرات العامة ، وغيرها من أجهزة المخابرات والمؤسسات المدنية والعسكرية ، لاتستخدم عبارة ” سري جدا” ، وإنما ” سري للغاية” ، وأحيانا ” سري للغاية يفتح بالذات” إذا كانت موجهة إلى جهة شخصية أو اعتبارية محددة دون غيرها.
سادسا ـ كافة وثائق إدارة المخابرات العامة ، وغيرها من الأجهزة، تتضمن عبارة فرعية في نهاية الوثيقة تقول ” المرسل إليهم” ، تليها الجهات التي أرسلت إليها الوثيقة.
سابعا ـ النص الذي صيغت به “الوثيقة” ليس مثيرا للسخرية والضحك فقط ، بل ويؤكد أن من كتبه لا يختلف عن الجحش في أي شيء ، وأنه لا يعرف شيئا عن أجهزة النظام ، ولم يطلع في حياته كلها على وثيقة داخلية عائدة لإحدى أجهزة مخابرات النظام . تصوروا أن جهاز مخابرات رسميا يستخدم في الحديث عن نفسه عبارة ” أركان النظام” كما لو أنه يكتب عن جهة معادية أو معارضة!! وهذا ما يدعم المعلومات التي تلقتها”الحقيقة” من واشنطن ، ومن داخل قناة”الحرة” نفسها ، عن أن رضوان زيادة هو من صاغها. ذلك لأنه سبق له أن نشر كتيبا عن” صناعة القرار في سوريا” يعتبر فضيحة غير مسبوقة ، ويستوجب سحب شهاداته منه دون تردد. وهو ـ إلى ذلك ـ يشبه في أسلوبه وأسلوب فهمه للنظام ما جاء في كومة الخراء هذه التي يسميها”وثيقة”!
ثامنا ـ لا تتضمن الوثيقة المزعومة اسم أي شخص مسؤول عن توقيعها، كما لو أنها مرسلة من عالم الجن إلى عالم العفاريت!
تاسعا ـ لعل الإشارة الأكثر بلاغة عن تفاهة رضوان زيادة ، ولا نعرف من أين أتى هذا الطفيلي على عالم حقوق الإنسان والديمقراطية والبحث فيهما، هو أنه يتحدث في وثيقته عن اللواء حسن خليل رئيس شعبة المخابرات العسكرية الأسبق باعتباره أحد أساطين عملية القمع الجارية . ومرد ذلك إلى أنه لا يعرف أن حسن خليل مصاب بشلل دماغي وشلل نصفي منذ أكثر من عام ونصف، ولا يستطيع الذهاب حتى إلى الحمام سوى محمولا أو أن يقضي حاجته في الفراش كأي مريض مقعد! ( عافى الله جميع المرضى ، الخصوم والأعداء قبل الأصدقاء).وهي في الواقع ـ وبالمناسبة ـ تشبه روايته ( في حديث آخر) ، ورواية آخرين غيره ، عن إعادة علي دوبا إلى القصر الرئاسي ليستعين النظام بخبراته الأمنية ! هل يعرف هؤلاء أين علي دوبا الآن ، وكم عمره ، وما هو وضعه الصحي هو الآخر!؟
عاشراـ ما لا يقل تأكيدا على أن من كتبها أحمق حقيقي ولا يختلف عن البغل في شيء ، هو أنه وضع لها تاريخ 23 آذار / مارس الماضي ، بينما يتحدث فيها عن “خطاب الرئيس الأسد” ، الذي كان بعد ذلك بأسبوع ( 30 آذار / مارس) ، ولم يتقرر إدلاؤه به إلا حين خرج نائبه فاروق الشرع بتاريخ 28 آذار / مارس ليقول لوسائل الإعلام “إن الرئيس الأسد سيتحدث إلى الشعب قريبا وسيطمئنه..إلخ”!!؟ فهل رأيتم في حياتكم بغلا على هذه الدرجة من الحيونة؟ نعم ، هناك من هو أكثر حيونة منه : وسائل الإعلام التي تروج لها!

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57337038/inside-syria-a-rare-look-into-the-uprising/

I wish that Ghalyoun along any body who promote and support starving Syrians to be subjected to the starvation they are calling for. Sadistic criminals.

مصدر في “المجلس الوطني” يكشف لـ”الحقيقة” تفاصيل المحادثات مع الوزيرة الأميركية

غليون لكلينتون: لا مجال لإركاع النظام السوري إلا بتشديد العقوبات والحصار وتجويع السوريين ودفعهم إلى الانتفاض جماعيا ، والتشويش على القنوات السورية!؟

جنيف ، بروكسل ـ الحقيقة ( خاص) : كشف مصدر وثيق الصلة بـقيادة “المجلس الوطني السوري” أن أعضاء “المجلس” و وزيرة الخارجية الأميركية الذين التقوا في جنيف “اتفقوا على وضع حد للمبادرة العربية واعتبارها بمحكم الميتة”. وقال المصدر لـ”لحقيقة” إن رئيس الوفد الدكتور برهان غليون وزملاءه ” طرحوا على الوزيرة الأميركية فكرة تجاوز المبادرة العربية باعتبارها مجرد وسيلة لإطالة عمر النظام السوري ، وأن أي تأخير في تحويل الملف السوري إلى مجلس الأمن لن يفيد منه سوى النظام” ، إلا أن كلينتون كانت صريحة جدا معهم ، إذ ورغم أنها وافقت على التقويم الذي قدمه أعضاء “المجلس” ، لم تتردد في إبلاغهم بأن ” إحالة الملف السوري إلى مجلس الأمن لا طائل منه طالما بقيت العقبة الروسية ( الفيتو الروسي) في الطريق ، وهي عقبة يبدو من شبه المستحيل تجاوزها على المستوى المنظور” . وهنا ، بحسب المصدر، اتفق الطرفان على اللجوء إلى الدول العربية من أجل “ممارسة الضغوط الاقتصادية والمالية على روسيا واستهداف مصالحها في العالم العربي من خلال تكوين لوبي ضاغط ، بما في ذلك دفع دول الخليج ، لاسيما السعودية وقطر، إلى رفع إنتاجها من النفط والغاز إلى أعلى مستوى ممكن بهدف ضرب أسعار النفط والغاز في السوق الدولية وتكبيد روسيا المزيد من الخسائر”!! ذلك فضلا عن العمل على ” دفع الجامعة العربية للتوجه إلى مجلس الأمن بطلب استصدار قرار دولي لإدانة سوريا وفرض المزيد من العقوبات “. المصدر أكد أن أعضاء “المجلس” بدوا في نهاية اللقاء”يائيسن جدا ومحبطين من إمكانية دفع النظام السوري إلى الركوع إلا عبر تطبيق حصار اقتصادي مشدد يؤدي إلى تجويع الشعب السوري ، الذي لن ينتفض بوجه النظام على نحو جماعي إلا إذا عضه الجوع و انهارت مؤسساته” وفق تعبير غليون للوزيرة الأميركية. وكشف المصدر أن غليون طلب صراحة من الوزيرة الأميركية ” استخدام التكنولوجيا العسكرية الأميركية ( الفضائية خصوصا) للتشويش على القنوات السورية والقنوات اللبنانية المؤيدة للنظام السوري ، لاسيما قناة المنار ، واستخدام نفوذها لمنع شركات الأقمار الصناعية العربية والأجنبية ( نيل سات ، عرب سات ، هوت بيرد .. إلخ) من بث برامج التلفزيون السوري وبرامج القنوات الأخرى المشار إليها ، أسوة بما حصل مع قناة الدنيا التي أخرجت من نطاق بث القمر الأوربي بعد العقوبات التي طالتها”.

على صعيد متصل ، ودائما حسب المصدر الذي رافق ةفد “المجلس” إلى جنيف ، فإن الوزيرة الأميركية أبلغت الوفد حين حديثه عن الاقتراح الفرنسي بفرض ” ممرات إنسانية” بأن هذا الاقتراح ” عديم الجدوى ولا معنى له وغير قابل للتطبيق دون موافقة مجلس الأمن ، وهذه مرهونة بدورها برفع الفيتو الروسي”. لكنها ” اتفقت مع الوفد السوري على إبقاء فكرة المنطقة العازلة على جدول الأعمال والبحث بشأنها مع الحكومة التركية ، بحيث يجري تطبيقها من قبل تركيا وحدها وبمبادرة منها ، الأمر الذي سيؤدي إلى مواجهة عسكرية مع سوريا يكون الحلف الأطلسي عندها مضطرا للتدخل في مرحلة من مراحلها انطلاقا من واقع أن تركيا عضو في الحلف ويحق لها طلب المساعدة العسكرية منه”!

يشار في هذا السياق إل أن هيثم المالح انضم رسميا إلى “المجلس الوطني” والتحق بوفده في جنيف ، لكنه وصل متأخرا إلى الاجتماع ، الأمر الذي لم يسمح له بأكثر من المشاركة في التقاط الصورة التذكارية!

Syria urges citizens to vote in municipal elections – 2011-12-08

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1781254

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday urged Syria”>Syrians to vote en masse in municipal elections to be held on Monday, while the crackdown on dissent showed no signs of abating.

“December 12 is an important moment. All citizens must take part in the municipal elections and vote for the candidates they consider best capable of defending the public interest,” wrote Al-Baath, the newspaper of the ruling party which has been in power since 1963.

Monday “is a crucial date and a very important step in the road to decentralisation and democracy,” it added, stressing that these elections are a means for Syria”>Syrians to “participate in decision-making and building the nation.”

“We are in a working process, during which everyone must redouble their efforts… so that Syria”>Syria remains a fortress of resistance and national unity,” the newspaper continued.

A special indelible ink will be used for the first time in the local elections “to prevent any fraud,” said the Syria”>Syrian local administration minister, Omar Ghalawanji.

On the ground, clashes between the regular army and a group of deserters shook the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province near the border with Turkey, a rights group said.

“A vehicle carrying army troops was destroyed,” said the Syria”>Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog based in Britain.

Also in Idlib, “military forces raided houses and arrested three militants,” in the vicinity of Saraqeb, while “some 50 armoured vehicles, including tanks and troop carriers, came under attack in the village of al-Rami,” it added.

Activist say more than 100 people have been killed in Syria”>Syria since Saturday and the UN estimates that at least 4,000 have died since March when anti-regime protests erupted.

President Bashar al-Assad in a US television interview released Wednesday questioned the UN’s toll and denied ordering the killing of protesters, saying that only a “crazy person” would do so.

لندن ـ ‘القدس العربي’ تقدم وفد ‘هيئة التنسيق الوطنية لقوى التغيير الديمقراطي’ السورية المتواجد حاليا بالقاهرة امس الاربعاء للجامعة العربية وللقوى السورية المعارضة بمشروع لانعقاد المؤتمر السوري العام، والذي شجعت الجامعة العربية على انعقاده لتوحيد صفوف المعارضة السورية.
وقالت هيئة التنسيق في مشروع القرار والذي اطلعت ‘القدس العربي’ على نسخة منه ان
مبادرة الجامعة العربية بالنسبة لهيئة التنسيق الوطنية، ‘فرصة بالغة الأهمية، لتحقيق حالة تجاوز وارتقاء إلى شكل قادر على وضع حد لتعدد أصوات المعارضة الديمقراطية، وضم كل الجهود والطاقات الجماعية والفردية في مؤتمر جامع يمثل بشكل مقبول ومعقول أغلبية تنال ثقة المجتمعين السياسي والمدني ـ الأهلي’.
واضافت الهيئة ان هذا المؤتمر ‘يجب أن يشكل النواة الأساس لجسم سيادي يناضل لإسقاط النظام بكل مرتكزاته ورموزه، ولوضع برنامج للإنتقال الديمقراطي وبناء الجمهورية المدنية الديمقراطية التعددية القائمة على دولة المواطنة والقانون واحترام حقوق الأشخاص والجماعات وضمان الحريات الأساسية والعدالة الاجتماعية في ظل وحدة التراب والوطن السوري كجزء من الوطن العربي’.
وقالت الهيئة من ‘مخاطر الشحن الطائفي والتسلح العشوائي واحتمالات اتساع مظاهر العنف وتراجع القدرة على الإعتصام والتظاهر الواسع الذي يسمح بالإنتساب الأكبر للحراك الاجتماعي المدني في البلاد، وهو الذي يجب أن يجري العمل المشترك بين الجميع ليكون القوة الكبرى للثورة والتغيير، حفظا لوحدة المجتمع والتراب’.
ورفضت هيئة التنسيق الوطنية مشاركة أي طرف يدعو للتدخل العسكري الخارجي، كما رفضت مشاركة أي شخص متورط في جرائم اقتصادية أو سياسية.
واكدت الهيئة على أن المشاركين في هذا المؤتمر متفقون على رفض ومقاومة أي شكل من أشكال الطائفية والتجييش المذهبي والعنف والعسكرة والإقصاء، وأن يكون المؤتمر محطة أساسية لتوحيد جهود قوى وشخصيات المعارضة، أو تنسيقها وتعاونها الواسع على الأقل، على طريق استكمال وحدتها التي تطلبها قوى الثورة.
واقترحت هيئة التنسيق الوطنية تشكيل لجنة تحضيرية من ثلاثة أعضاء من هيئة التنسيق وثلاثة أعضاء من المجلس الوطني وثلاثة أعضاء من الحراك الشعبي وممثل عن المجلس الوطني الكردي وممثل عن النشاط النقابي وثلاثة ممثلين عن الشخصيات العامة. تكون مهمة هذه اللجنة التحضيرية الإعداد لمؤتمر سوري عام يتحدد أعضاؤه بين 120 و140 عضوا على أن يكون توزيع الأعضاء المشاركين كما يلي: هيئة التنسيق الوطنية (35 عضوا، المجلس الوطني السوري (35) عضوا، الحراك الشعبي 20 عضوا، الأحزاب والشخصيات الكردية 10 أعضاء (رقم مرتبط بالمستجدات التنظيمية الكردية)، الشخصيات الوطنية العامة 20 عضوا.
ويعتمد المؤتمر الآليات التي يجدها مناسبة لإدماج مزيد من القوى والشخصيات التي يمكن أن تبرز في سياق الحراك الثورة والحرة الاجتماعية المدنية.

عبد الباري عطوان
امريكا والمانيا وفرنسا سحبت سفراءها لانهم تعرضوا للقذف بالبيض الفاسد والطماطم العفنة، عندما حاولوا اقامة جسور اتصال ببعض قيادات المعارضة السورية، واحتجاجا على عدم توفر الأمن للبعثات الدبلوماسية الأجنبية في دمشق. فماذا تغير، البيض الفاسد ما زال متوفراً بكثرة لدى الموالين للنظام، وسحب السفراء مرة أخرى لن يخيف السلطات السورية اذا ما تكرر، لأنها تعرف مسبقاً ان الغرب منافق وخائف، ولا يتسطيع تكرار السيناريو الليبي في سورية. فالتدخل العسكري الأجنبي محفوف بالمخاطر، وروسيا والصين تقفان بالمرصاد لأي محاولة في مجلس الأمن الدولي لاستصدار قرار بتشريع مثل هذا التدخل.
المعارضة السورية التي اجتمعت بالأمس مع السيدة هيلاري كلينتون في جنيف ستصاب بالاحباط حتماً، وكذلك وزراء الخارجية العرب، والصقور منهم على وجه الخصوص، الذين تشجعوا بالقرارات الغربية بسحب السفراء وحذوا حذوها، بل وذهبوا أبعد منها عندما أغلقوا السفارات.
‘ ‘ ‘
هل نفهم من هذه الخطوات ان الدول الغربية باتت تميل الى حل سياسي في سورية يقوم على مبدأ الحوار لا المواجهة، ام ان شن هجوم عسكري ضد ايران بات وشيكاً مع قرب اكتمال سحب القوات الامريكية من العراق، خاصة ان اكثر من مسؤول امريكي صرح بعدم استبعاد اقدام اسرائيل على مهاجمة البرامج النووية الايرانية، دون التشاور والتنسيق مع الأم الامريكية، مثلما كان عليه الحال في الهجوم على المفاعل النووي العراقي ‘تموز’؟
من المؤكد ان هناك ‘طبخة ما’ جرى اعدادها بهدوء، وباتت على وشك النضج، وما عودة السفراء الجماعية هذه إلا احدلى علامات اطلاق الضوء الأخضر لتطبيقها، سلماً أو حرباً.
انصار سورية في بيروت يتنفسون الصعداء، ويتحدثون بثقة عن استعادة النظام لزمام الأمور في الداخل، بل ان هناك من يتحدث بأن الرئيس السوري سيلقي خطاباً بعد أيام معدودة يعلن فيه انتهاء الانتفاضة، أو انهاءها كلياً. ونسألهم ولكن ماذا عن الشهداء، ماذا عن التغيير الديمقراطي، والقضاء المستقل والتعددية الحزبية؟. فيأتي الرد ابتسامة لها أكثر من معنى لا تسر المراهنين على هذه المطالب المشروعة.
ما نعرفه ان امريكا تتخلى عن حلفائها وتبيعهم بأرخص الاثمان اذا توافق ذلك مع مصالحها، والأكراد في شمالي العراق يملكون سجلاً حافلاً في هذا المضمار، ونخشى ان تكون الانتفاضة السورية هي الضحية المقبلة.

Turkish business community may be at odd with their government’s sanction decision
http://www.elaph.com/Web/Economics/2011/12/700988.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-06/clinton-meets-syrian-opposition-coalition-in-geneva-as-u-s-envoy-returns.html

Straight away as expected, the paid observers from the Assad machine were quick with the thumbs down on my comment #35 about the interview.

Come on, keep us entertained, tell us what you are paid to say was thumbs up about Assad’s creepy performance.

http://still4hill.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/secretary-clintons-meeting-with-syrian-national-council/

42.
You said:
((- Zibaleh’s most famous fake document.
– Bunch of idiots))

Your quoted scource said, in Arabic and English Translation):

(( من كتبه لا يختلف عن الجحش في أي شيء
He Who wrote it is “Jack Ass Donkey”

رضوان زيادة النصاب
The Cheat Radwan Ziyade

يشبه في أسلوبه وأسلوب فهمه للنظام ما جاء في كومة الخراء هذه التي يسميها”وثيقة”!
His style and understanding resembles the pile of shit that he calls document

من كتبها أحمق حقيقي ولا يختلف عن البغل في شيء ،
He Who wrote is is a true muel head

فهل رأيتم في حياتكم بغلا على هذه الدرجة من الحيونة؟ نعم
Have you ever seen more myuel than this one?))

You probably have more in common with your source than the vulgar taste for wards, it is who both of you are!

How about who your scource is/are and their rebuttal of the document?!
Later…

Syria is not allowed to even mention the PKK but Oglu pash and the Turkish government can support the terrorists, train them, armed them and send them into Syria to kill!

مصدر للسفير: اوغلو اعلن ان تركيا تعمل لإقامة منطقة عازلة مع سوريا

وقال مصدر دبلوماسي رفيع المستوى في بروكسل لـ«السفير» إن وزير الخارجية التركي احمد داود اوغلو ابلغ وزراء خارجية حلف شمال الأطلسي أن تركيا تواصل العمل واتخاذ الإجراءات الضرورية على حدودها مع سوريا، من أجل إقامة منطقة عازلة في المنطقة الشمالية، لاستقبال اللاجئين المدنيين، في ظل صعوبة العمل على إنجاز ممرات إنسانية إلى المدن السورية المحاصرة.
وقال المصدر الدبلوماسي إن الوزير التركي أبلغ نظراءه في الحلف أن الدبلوماسية التركية ماضية في بذل الجهود لتصعيد الضغوط على النظام السوري بكل الوسائل، وعبر التنسيق مع الجامعة العربية، لمضاعفة العقوبات الاقتصادية لتشديد الطوق على الحلقة المقربة من الأسد، لكنه استبعد لجوء بلاده إلى اي عملية عسكرية في سوريا.
ونقلت صحيفة «ميللييت» التركية عن سيبل ادموندس، أحد العاملين السابقين في مكتب التحقيقات الفيدرالي الأميركي «اف بي آي»، قوله إن «المعارضين من أعضاء الجيش السوري الحر يتلقون تدريبات سرية في مخيمات مدينة هاتاي الحدودية مع سوريا».
وأضاف إن «ضباط القوات الأميركية وحلف شمال الأطلسي يقومون بتدريب المعارضين السوريين في قاعدة انجيرليك لإعدادهم لإطاحة نظام بشار الأسد». وأضاف أن «المعلومات الواردة إليه من مصادر أميركية وتركية تشير إلى أن أعضاء الجيش الحر بزعامة العقيد رياض الأسعد يتدربون في قاعدة انجيرليك منذ شهر أيار الماضي، وأن أميركا تدرب المعارضين بالإضافة إلى تقديمها الدعم المالي والسلاح لهم».
البيت الابيض

Ghufran, Enjoy!

قصيدة للشاعر والاكاديمي
الفلسطيني الكبير
د. أحمد حسن المقدسي

elmaqdisi@hotmail.com
( خاص بعرب تايمز)
***
لا تـُـسقِطوا الشام َ يا أعـراب ُ ، واعتبِروا هـذي جـَهنم ُ فـي بغـداد َ تـَـسـْـتعِر ُ
اللعبة ُ ابـتدأت ْ.. واللا عـبون َ أتـَـوا وكاتـب ُ النــَّـص ِّ خـلف َ الـباب ِ مـُـستـَتِر ُ
والحرب ُ توشـك ُ أن ْ تـُـلقي مَعاطِـفـَها وَقــودُها الــنـفط ُ والـدّولار ُ والبـَـشـَر ُ

ماذا أقـول ُ ؟ وهل تـُـجْدي مـُـعاتـَبَتي
وعـُـصْبة ُ الـشَّر مــن ْ صـُهيون َ تأتـَـمِـر ُ

ماذا أقـول ُ لأعــراب ٍ تـُـحَرِّكـُهم
كـف ُّ العـمالة ِ والأحـقاد ُ والـبـَطـَر ُ

فـأي ُّ جامعة ٍ تـلك َ الـتي خــَـنـَعَت ْ
فــيها التـــَّـآمـُـر ُ بالأخلاق ِ يَـعْــتـَمِر ُ

قــرن ٌ وجامـعة ُ الأشـرار ِ في صَــمـَم ٍ
فالأرض ُ تـُنـْهــب ُ، والأعـراب ُ مـا نـَـفـَروا

والقـدس ُ تـُـذبح ُ مِــثل َ الطيْر ِ راعِـفة ً
فأطـْـرق ٌ القـوم ُ ، لا حِــس ٌّ ولا خـَـبَر ُ

كـم ْ قبـَّـلوا كــَـف َّ جـَـزّار ٍ يُـقـَـتـِّـلنا
وفـوق َ أشـلائنا يا ويْـحَهم سـَـكِروا

هــل تـِلك َ جـامعة ٌ أم تِـلك َ مَـزبلة ٌ يَسوسُها في زمان ِ العـُهْـر ِ مـَن ْ صَـغـُروا
هــذي الــزَّريْـبـَة ُ ما عـادت ْ تــُـمـَثــِّـلـُنا مـادام َ تـَسـكنها الثــيْران ُ والحـُــمُر ُ

اليوم َ أنعـي لأهـل ِ الخـير ِ جامعة ً
عـَـرّابـُـها الـدُّب ُّ والأفـّـاق ُ والــقـّذِر ُ

لـو ذرّة ٌ مـِــن ْ حـياء ٍ في وُجُوهـِهـِم ُ
لأشـعلوا النار َ فـي الإسـْـطبل َ وانتـحروا

***

لا تقتــلوا الــشام َ فالــتاريخ ُ عـَــلـَّمنا أن َّ العـُــروبة َ دون َ الــشام ِ تـَــندَحِـر ُ
فــأمـَّة ُ العـُــرْب ِ لا تـَــفـْنى بـلا قـَــطـَر ٍ لـكــنها دون َ رُمـْـح ِ الـــشام ِ تنكــسِر ُ
ولــن ْ نعيــش َ كأيتــام ٍ بــلا حـَــمَـد ٍ ولـن نمــوت َ إذا مــا أ ُلغِــــيَت ْ قــَــطـَر ُ

لكـننا دون َ سـَــيْف ِ الـــشام ِ جارية ٌ
يـَـلوطـُها التـُّـرْك ُ .. والرومان ُ .. والتـَّــتـَر ُ

قـبائـل ُ النـفط ِ باسـم ِ الــحُب ِّ تقتـُــلـُنا
فالـحُب ُ فـاض َ بـهم ْ، والعـِـشق ُ ينفجـِــر ُ

عـواصِـم َ المِلح ِ عـودوا عـن مَحَــبَّتِكـُم
فلـدغة ُ الحـُـب ِّ مــنْ أنيابكم سـَـقـَر ُ

يا مرحـبا ً بـِـدِمُــقــراطية ٍ هـَـبَطـَـت ْ
مِـن َ الـسماء ِ وقــد كانوا بـها كـفروا

هـذا الـــزواج ُ مــن الموساد ِ نعرِفـُــه ُ ولــيس َ يـُخـْــطِئه ُ سـَــمْـع ٌ ولا بـَــصـَر ُ
هـذي دموع ُ تماسـيح ٍ ، فـما ذ ُرفـت ْ لـشعْب ِ غـــزة َ والآلاف ُ تـُــحْتـَضـَر ُ
هـذا العـويل ُ علــى الأرواح ِ لـم نـَرَه ُ والناس ُ تـُـطـْبَخ ُ في قـانا وتنـْــصَهـِر ُ
وفـي العـراق ِ صـَـمَتـُّم ْ صـَــمْت َ مـَــقـْبَرَة ٍ وآلة ُ المـوت ِ لا تـُــبقي ولا تـَـذَر ُ

أمـَّا القـَـطيف ُ ، فـَـهُم ْ أبــناء ُ جــاريـَة ٍ
وقـَــتـْلـُهم طــاعة ٌ للـه ِ يُعـْـــتـَبَر ُ

فما رأيـْـنـَا عــيونا ً أدْمَعَـت ْ دُرَرَا ً
ولا قـُلـوبا ً علـى الأرواح ِ تـَنـْـفـَطِر ُ

***

لا تـقتـلوا الــشام َ إن َّ الـشام َ روضتـُنا دون َ الــشآم ِ يـموت ُ الضَـــوء ُ والــقـَمَر ُ
لا تـَـذْبحوها فــهذي الــشام ُ لوحـَــتـُنا لولا الـــشآم ُ لـمات َ الــشِّـعْر ُ والــــحَوَر ُ
يا شـام ُ صبرا ً ، فإن َّ الغـدْرَ دَيـْــدَنـُهم كـم مـرة ٍ لــتراب الـقـُدس ِ قــد غــدَروا !!

ظـَـنـُّوا الـزَعامَة َ دشـْـداشـا ً ومـِسْـبَحَة ً
ولـحْيـَة ً بـِــسـُموم ِ الـنفط ِ تـَخـْـتـَمِـر ُ

حَسِـبْـتـُهم ْ مـِـن ْ خطايا الأمس ِ قد فـَهِـموا
ظــَــننتـُهم فـَـهـِموا ، لـكنـَّهم بـَــقـَر ُ

***

يا رب ُ عـفوك َ، أنـْـقِذنا بمعجزة ٍ
تـُـزلزلُ الأرض َ فـيهم ، إنـَّهم فـجَروا

What Should the U.S. Do about Iraq’s Support of Syria?

December 8, 2011

http://www.iar-gwu.org/node/366

As the violence in Syria has increased dramatically in recent months, much of the international community has condemned the Bashar al Assad regime and imposed sanctions designed to cripple the Syrian economy. The United States has played a key role in denouncing and imposing sanctions on Assad. Many Middle East states, even Turkey, have similarly taken strong positions against Syria. Iraq, however, has consistently supported Bashar al-Assad’s government throughout the uprising, taking a stance similar to that of Iran. While it may initially appear that the United States should put pressure on Iraq to oppose the Assad regime, the reality is that the United States would be better off giving the Iraqi government freedom to determine its own relationship with Syria.

The relationship between Iraq and Syria has historically been contentious. However, in recent years there have been moves toward rapprochement between the two countries for a number of reasons. The growing friendship between Iraq and Iran has impacted Iraq’s relationship with Syria, Iran’s closest Arab ally. In the Iraqi parliamentary elections of 2010, Iran encouraged Bashar al-Assad to support Nuri al-Maliki for another term as prime minister of Iraq, likely contributing to strengthened relations between Iraq and Syria, The fact that Iraq and Iran have articulated many of the same lines regarding Syria suggests that Iraq’s relationship with Iran might be a factor in its support of Syria.

Today, while other Arab states have condemned Syria and called for the regime to step down, Iraq has demonstrated its support. Iraq has not called for Assad to relinquish power, but instead has advocated gradual reform. The Maliki government has made moves to strengthen its economic ties with Syria since before the violence broke out this year and has been strengthening those ties since. This past summer, Iraq hosted a tour of Syria’s top government and business leaders, a visit that led to a new pact to increase bilateral trade. Iraq is now Syria’s biggest trading partner.

The Iraqi government also supports Syria because it fears that if the Assad regime collapses, violence could spill over into Iraq and cause further instability. Sectarianism is another important reason: Maliki is a Shia Muslim who spent years in exile in Syria before returning to post-Saddam Iraq. Quite probably Maliki feels a sectarian affinity for Assad, a member of the Alawite sect of Shia Islam. Maliki and the Assad family both share a common fear of Sunni-led insurgencies.

Many U.S. policymakers think that after nearly a decade of American involvement, Iraq should support the United States by assuming a similar posture against Syria. However, there are important reasons why the United States should not put pressure on Iraq to do so. The American occupation and American influence have grown increasingly unpopular in Iraq. If the United States were to pressure Iraq to cease support of Assad, this would be seen in Iraq as an indication that the United States aims to exert long-term control over Iraq, thereby straining relations with the Iraqi government. American pressure on Iraq to change its stance vis-à-vis Syria would increase anti-American sentiment amongst the Iraqi population. The United States will maintain a diplomatic presence in Iraq even after American forces leave, and strained relations between Iraq and the United States will jeopardize the efficacy of diplomatic programs. Anti-American sentiment in Iraq could also put our diplomats in danger.

The United States is also anxious about Iraq’s support of Syria because it signals a deepening relationship with Iran. However fears of heightened Iranian influence should not lead the United States to tighten the reins on Iraq. Iran will undoubtedly hold some degree of influence over Iraq, but Iraqi leaders have no intention of handing their country over to Iran.

Iraq’s support of Syria is undoubtedly far from ideal. Its financial support will surely extend the life of the Assad regime while the bloodshed continues. But the United States must accept that Iraq will not cease its support for Syria. The United States must therefore continue economic sanctions against Syria without Iraq’s assistance. Pressuring Iraq to submit to American demands will strain our relations with Iraq and significantly compromise our leverage in the future. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta recently said that Iraq no longer needs the protection of the American military. If Iraq is ready to defend itself, then it is ready to choose its own friends.

Jad

And why wouldn’t they, they know the Syrian Army can only attack Syrian cities and unarmed civilians, in what your sorry excuse of a prisedent calls (individual mistakes).

Plus who said Syria is not allowed to mention the PKK, you must be busy these days digging worthless articles to copy and paste here that you’re missing the invaluable interviews your favorite channel (Al-Dounia) is airing, a few days ago Sharif Shahadeh pleaded prisedent Assad to open military camps to train the PKK so they can terrorize every Turkish city and show the Turks what Syria is capable of … which to be honest confused me a little because it sounded as if Syria “Al-Assad” can only fund terrorist groups and send them to commit terrorist acts in other countries!

NK
‘And why wouldn’t they’
They are waiting for someone brave like you to lead the way to occupy Syria.
‘you must be busy these days digging worthless articles’
I left the important stuff to someone smart like you to whine and bitch about since you are the queen of that.
7el 3anna yah!

I think the interview shows that he is ready to leave, but in an ordered way, and that the preparations are going on with the US.

Hamas was one big reason why Syria was blacklisted, so now that it will be Egypt and Qatar’s problem, we’ll see how long it takes for the West to denounce Qatar!

Still waiting to hear from the smart as…es here what they advise for Homs? Peace corps from the UN?

Haytham : the link in English for the petition in favour of Razan

http://www.avaaz.org/en/free_razan

Revlon, your input is priceless; that document is so close to reality it is incredible.

Bashar did it . Had he spoken in Arabic he could have said it better but it would still have been drivel.

A statement of appeal to all forces of democracy in Syria and around the world
par لجان التنسيق المحلية في سوريا, mercredi 7 décembre 2011, 22:26

To the national powers inside and outside Syria, to the human conscience, we – the students of the University of Aleppo – urge you to rescue our university after the campus was violated, scientific ethics humiliated, and the sanctity of universities violated by security forces and Assad’s gangs (shabiha). Hundreds of students were arrested, humiliated, savagely beaten, and intimidated, and many were wounded. In addition, many students were threatened with failing grades and expulsion from the university for having chanted for freedom and for seeking to assume a role in rebuilding the country.

As with all revolutions around the world, university students have always been at the forefront, and indeed the basis of, each and every democratic revolutionary change. The barbaric acts and atrocities carried out by the repressive Syrian regime have clearly demonstrated that it has lost legitimacy and its downfall is approaching.

We appeal to all forces of good conscience, worldwide, to consider our plight, and contribute in exposing the crimes of this corrupt regime in order to purge it from our universities and our beloved country, to build a new, democratic Syria.

The Union of Free Students in Syria – Aleppo Branch

How unfairly embarrassing for Syrians to have that weirdo parading on world media as their “leader”.

He looks and sounds like a cheap squeaky toy based on a sci-fi character.

You can easily imagine him wetting his pants if his mother reprimanded him.

His children are obviously an artificial insemination job.

Recommendation for Homs

From a smart a.. to a dumb a..

Force the boy-king betho to visit his in-laws house in homs as populist style as he likes to claim, driving his own car with no security detachment whatsoever. That would have a magic effect. don’t you think so. You can hide in the trunk and watch. And take SANA-boy with you, he likes to hear and read vulgarities, it gives him euphoria. I bet you there will be a lot of vulgarity to go around.

Mina #58, please a dose of reality. Instead of doing mental contortions analysing Assad’s intentions, look again at that interview, clear your head, think of the people in Syria you know and love and ask how the hell could such a creature (you can’t say “man”) get into that role.

He has zero legitimacy, is there because of the gun and torture and is busily trashing the lives, livelihoods and sanity of millions. A sick joke, time it was over.

Just celebrate the fact you aren’t there freezing without fuel, with no gas for cooking, a failing business and not enough money to eat properly, worried sick because you have young relatives in the army, frightened to travel outside your town, nervous when using the the phone or internet and dreading the collapse of the only country you have.

@ Syrialover

The only people more delusional than betho, are the people supporting him. For they have much more to lose, he can always run away to Russia or Iran, where can they run to?
All they can see after watching and reading the transcripts is that they believe he “wants” to step down. How screwed up and delusional is that.
The regime hand picked Baba Wawa because she vacationed with him, even with that they couldn’t make him seem half sane.

transcripts and video of Baba Wawa talking about Betho back in 2007, what a hack of a journalist and what a hack of a president.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/justin-mccarthy/2008/07/07/barbara-walters-syrian-dicator-charming-intelligent

You are a puppet, Mr. President.

Every country the size of Syria (including Israel) is a puppet of a bigger world power.

You are a puppet of Vladimir Putin. The only thing that stands between you, Mr president, and oblivion, is V Putin. If Putin decides that you go, you go.

Unlike in the US-Israeli relations, where it is not a single person’s decision, in Russia it is. Your presidency, your future and even your life and personal freedom depend on one person’s will. Putin.

You have only yourself to blame for putting yourself in this miserable and hopeless position.
.

If Hizballah openly supports the #Syrian regime , we openly and proudly support the #Syrianrevolution and the #Syrian people.
@haririsaad http://twitter.com/haririsaad
.

[…] […]

[…] • Syria viewer Joshua Landis, deliberate by some to be sensitive to a regime, pronounced Assad’s… Discussing Assad’s ABC talk on his blog, Landis wrote: Whether he stays assured of his rectitude, either his primary proclivity is to hang on to power, or either he is simply fearful of a consequences of agreeable management to his opponents, Assad gave no denote that he is carrying second thoughts about his position or is prepared to yield. One contingency interpretation that Syria’s quarrel will be a prolonged one. […]

الى من لديه مشكلة مع الفهم الصحيح
ميدفيديف: مواقفنا من الأوضاع الراهنة في سورية تستند إلى علاقاتنا التاريخية
08/12/2011

أكد الرئيس الروسي ديمتري ميدفيديف أن المواقف والتقييمات الروسية للأوضاع الراهنة في سورية تستند إلى علاقات الصداقة التاريخية والتعاطف المتبادل بين موسكو ودمشق إضافة إلى عدم السماح بانتهاك القواعد الأساسية للقانون الدولي ومبادىء العلاقات بين الدول.

وشدد الرئيس ميدفيديف خلال استلام أوراق اعتماد الدكتور رياض حداد سفيراً فوق العادة ومطلق الصلاحية للجمهورية العربية السورية لدى روسيا الاتحادية في الكرملين أمس على أهمية العمل للتوصل إلى استقرار الوضع في سورية دون أي تدخل خارجي.

وقال الرئيس الروسي إن الأمر الرئيسي في الوقت الحالي يتمثل في أن يتمكن السوريون بعيداً عن أي تدخل خارجي من وقف العنف وإعادة الاستقرار إلى البلاد وإجراء حوار وطني عام وفعال مؤكدا أن روسيا ستبقى إلى جانب سورية وستدعمها بكل الوسائل.

بدوره أعرب السفير حداد عن استعداد سورية للذهاب إلى أوسع تعاون استراتيجي مع روسيا على كل المستويات وإلى أبعد الحدود.

وقدم السفير حداد للرئيس الروسي شرحا للخطوات الملموسة التي تقوم بها القيادة السورية للمضي في تنفيذ الإصلاحات في جميع المجالات السياسية والاقتصادية والاجتماعية وإجراء حوار وطني عام في سورية.

وبحث الرئيس الروسي مع السفير حداد الأوضاع الإقليمية والدولية والأدوار المرسومة لبعض بلدان الشرق الأوسط في المرحلة القادمة على ضوء إقامة قواعد للدرع الصاروخية الأمريكية في المنطقة وما يحمله ذلك من تهديدات لأمن روسيا والبلدان الأخرى.

وزير الخارجية الروسي يؤكد رفض بلاده تحويل خطة العمل العربية إلى انذار للحكومة السورية
وأكد وزير الخارجية الروسي سيرغي لافروف رفض بلاده لان تتوجه الجامعة العربية إلى الحكومة السورية فقط بمطلب يتخذ شكلاً انذارياً لوقف العنف.
وشدد لافروف خلال مؤمر صحفي في العاصمة الليتوانية فيلنوس على رفض روسيا ان تتحول خطة العمل العربية إلى انذار لحكومة السورية موضحا في الوقت نفسه ضرورة وقف العنف فورا من قبل جميع الاطراف والعمل على اقناع السلطات السورية والمعارضة للبدء بالحوار حول سبل تسوية الوضع وتنفيذ الاصلاحات الناضجة في سورية.
من جهة اخرى جدد الوزير الروسي خلال لقاء مقتضب مع وزير الخارجية التركي أحمد داود أوغلو على هامش مؤتمر وزراء خارجية بلدان منظمة الأمن والتعاون في أوروبا رفض بلاده للانذارات والتهديدات باستخدام القوة ولاي تدخل خارجي مسلح في سورية.
وذكرت وزارة الخارجية الروسية في بيان اصدرته أن لافروف وأوغلو بحثا الموقف المحيط بسورية وتم خلال اللقاء الاعراب عن رأي مشترك حول اهمية استخدام خطة العمل العربية لجهة حل الأزمة في سورية.
سانا

Mina

“Still waiting to hear from the smart as…es here what they advise for Homs? Peace corps from the UN?”

Ah Mina..so “feminine”…..You have a highlighted sense of style….that only fits the character who forged the document in #42

bet your husband are so much envied.

[…] • Syria viewer Joshua Landis, deliberate by some to be sensitive to a regime, pronounced Assad’s… Discussing Assad’s ABC talk on his blog, Landis wrote: Whether he stays assured of his rectitude, either his primary proclivity is to hang on to power, or either he is simply fearful of a consequences of agreeable management to his opponents, Assad gave no denote that he is carrying second thoughts about his position or is prepared to yield. One contingency interpretation that Syria’s quarrel will be a prolonged one. […]

صحيفة: أنقرة تجمد أرصدة سورية بقيمة 110 ملايين دولار

ذكرت صحيفة “الزمان” التركية ان أنقرة جمدت أصول سورية بقيمة 110 ملايين دولار كانت مودعة في بنوكها.

المزيد
I did not know that Syria has so much money.

Syria’s Regime urges Syrians to vote in Municipal Elections
(DP-News – agencies)

DAMASCUS- Syria’s regime urged Wednesday Syrians to vote en masse in municipal elections to be held next Monday, while the crackdown on dissent showed no signs of abating.

“December 12 is an important moment. All citizens must take part in the municipal elections and vote for the candidates they consider best capable of defending the public interest,” wrote Al-Baath, the newspaper of the ruling party which has been in power since 1963.

Monday “is a crucial date and a very important step in the road to decentralisation and democracy,” it added, stressing that these elections are a means for Syrians to “participate in decision-making and building the nation.”

The LCC urge for a ‘dignity’ strike to “mobilize” the Syrians in large cities that will lead to the ‘sudden death of the regime”. Until now, all calls for strikes have failed and have been limited to two or three small towns that have remained restive. Note that ‘strike’ will be competing with the municipal elections day. Many shops will be closed for the election, not for the strike. We will see videos of closed shops “proving” the effectiveness of the ‘strike’.

Syrians launch civil disobedience campaign
http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-assad-says-no-orders-kill-demonstrators-112356741.html

Syrian activists on Thursday launched a campaign of civil disobedience to pile pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, after he drew a stinging rebuke from the US for denying he ordered a deadly crackdown.
…
The LCC, which organises anti-regime protests on the ground in Syria, appealed for citizens to mobilise for a “dignity strike … which will lead to the sudden death of this tyrant regime.”

The campaign would “snowball… and grow each day of the revolution to reach every home and anyone who wants to live delighted and dignified in his/her country,” said an LCC statement received in Nicosia.

It urged citizens to begin the action on Sunday — the first day of the working week in Syria — starting with sit-ins at work, and the closure of shops and universities, before the shutdown of transportation networks and a general public sector strike.

“The Syrian revolution is… a renaissance against slavery; a scream at the face of humiliation started from the first day as demonstrators cried ‘Syrians are not to be humiliated.’

“The echo of this scream will not vanish till it reaches all ears,” said the English-language statement, adding the strike was “the first step in an overall civil disobedience” campaign which will overthrow the regime.

[…] • Syria watcher Joshua Landis, considered by some to be sympathetic to the regime, said Assad’s … Discussing Assad’s ABC interview on his blog, Landis wrote: Whether he remains convinced of his rectitude, whether his primary motivation is to hang on to power, or whether he is simply frightened of the consequences of yielding authority to his opponents, Assad gave no indication that he is having second thoughts about his position or is ready to yield. One must conclude that Syria’s fight will be a long one. […]

Apparently some readers here think that when journalists make interviews they don’t send questions in advance and that the person interviewed does not “validate” the questions. This shows again the naivity of most people who thought an uprising launched on the internet by a few expats and a few leftists on the ground, but supposed to be carried on and achieved by the islamists and the kurds because they are the real numbers on the ground was bound to fail from day one.

#65 Yes Assad is a puppet. Especially to his gun-crazy brother and the others surrounding him. There’s evidence they keep him in a toy box and bring him out for special appearances.

But he is looking more and more like a shabby factory reject.

That unmasculine childish voice and bizarre ugly face!

They are even running out of scripts – they are recycling Gaddafi’s “I don’t run the country” line.

Do notice that no mnhebak complained or grumbled about the headline:
“Assad’s Parallel Universe”.

I feel a shadow of a doubt among the acute mnhebaks here.
.

Zoo,

Are all the political parties participating in the local election and are there quotas and set a side for the Baath party, what are the rules.?

Islamists face the test of incumbency
December 08, 2011 01:17 AM
By Rami G. Khouri
The Daily Star

The ongoing transformations across the Arab world have already ushered in several unprecedented developments – the birth of the empowered Arab citizen, of open political contestation, and of a nascent process of national self-determination. This month we witness yet another historic first: incumbent political Islamists who share executive power, dominate parliaments, enjoy populist electoral legitimacy, and are accountable to their fellow citizens. Electorally triumphant Islamists are no surprise, and thus not so significant or frightening, given their strong support in society. The really important phase of Arab political transformation is not the Islamists’ victories, but the fact that Islamists share executive power and are subjected for the first time to the unforgiving test of incumbency.

Now it really gets interesting, which is why now is also the time when those who have a tendency to panic should take some tranquilizers and calm down, if in fact they are truly committed to democracy as a universal right.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2011/Dec-08/156274-islamists-face-the-test-of-incumbency.ashx#ixzz1fx4TWABj
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

Norman

Sorry, I don’t know the law, would be useful to find out.

Mina

Sorry Mina, but I’d rather be naive than to be vulgar.

Syria says pipeline blown up by rebel saboteurs
By Dominic Evans

BEIRUT, Dec 8 (Reuters) – A Syrian pipeline carrying oil from the east of the country to a vital refinery in Homs was blown up on Thursday in what the official news agency SANA said was an act of sabotage by an armed terrorist group.

Opposition activists said flames and clouds of thick black smoke were seen at the site of the explosion in a suburb of the city, the epicentre of popular unrest against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in March.

“This is the main pipeline that feeds the Homs refinery,” said Rami Abdulrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The activist network also reported seven people killed in Homs on Thursday by snipers and in “random” shootings.

Popular protests began in Syria nine months ago, inspired by the wave of revolt across the Arab world. The ferocity of Assad’s crackdown on protests triggered desertions from the armed forces, and now thousands of army defectors have joined a guerrilla army staging hit-and-run attacks on security forces.

SANA said the pipeline was attacked in the Tal Asour area to the northwest of the refinery on the outskirts of Homs, a city of 800,000 where — activists say — about 1,500 people have been killed in the crackdown.

Video on the Internet of the purported blast site showed enormous billows of black smoke rising above a built-up area by a railway line. A Syrian army tank was seen close by.

The Homs refinery serves part of Syria’s domestic requirement for refined oil products. In July SANA said saboteurs blew up an oil export pipeline near Homs which carried oil from Syria’s eastern oilfields to the Mediterranean coast.

We are committed to enforcing Islamic Sharia law – Egyptian Salafist party leader

08/12/2011 By Mohamed Abdou Hasseinein

http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=27612

It’s funny when the usual empty heads come together just to defend an obvious lie of one valuable member of their herd.
Well, freaks, before you write your priceless whines you may need to take your heads out of each other asses to see reality and to be honest then write something meaningful, but I guess it’s too much to ask from an immature dump talking about vulgarity while his comment start with an A word (how polite) or from the most obvious pathological liar mom SC ever seen.

المعارض هيثم مناع: العقوبات الاقتصادية تؤثر سلباً على السوريين ويجب تقنينها

قال المعارض السوري هيثم مناع ان العقوبات الاقتصادية التي أصدرها مجلس وزراء الخارجية العرب ستترك أثرا سلبيا على المواطن السوري، لذلك يجب تقنينها لتقتصر على عقوبات شخصية تطول كل من ارتكب جرما سياسيا أو اقتصاديا.

ونقلت صحيفة (الرأي) الكويتية اليوم الخميس عن المعارض السوري هيثم مناع قوله ان “العقوبات ليست إجراءات سريعة للتغير السياسي”.

وأشار مناع الى أن “تعامل الجامعة العربية مع الملف السوري جيد في العديد من جوانبه, بل ويتضمن وسائل مبتكرة وجديدة للمرة الأولى تطرحها الجامعة ساهم الربيع العربي بدور مهم فيها”.

وقرر وزراء الخارجية العرب فرض عقوبات اقتصادية وتجارية بحق النظام السوري, بناءا على توصيات وزراء المال والاقتصاد العرب خلال اجتماعهم في القاهرة مؤخرا, وذلك على خلفية انتهاء المهلة التي حددتها الجامعة العربية لتوقيع مشروع بروتوكول خاص يقضي بإرسال مراقبين إلى سورية.

وتضمنت العقوبات تخفيض رحلات الطيران من والى سورية, ووقف التعامل مع المصرف المركزي السوري, ووقف المشاريع التجارية مع سورية, ووقف المبادلات التجارية الحكومية مع الحكومة السورية , بالإضافة إلى تجميد أرصدة مسؤولين سوريين ومنعهم من السفر إلى الدول العربية.

وطالب المعارض السوري بـ “تشكيل محكمة عربية لحقوق الإنسان من أجل الملاحقات الجنائية لجرائم الحرب والجرائم ضد الإنسانية والإبادة الجماعية”.

وقال مناع  ان “أعضاء هيئة التنسيق الوطنية لقوى التغيير الديمقراطي الموجودين في القاهرة ليسوا أغنياء كما يقول المعارضون الآخرون الذين رشقوهم بالبيض عند زيارتهم الجامعة العربية الشهر الماضي”، مضيفاً “نحن معارضة شريفة، هدفنا ليس المال أو المكاسب السياسية كباقي المعارضة، ونحرص على إرسال تبرعات للضحايا السوريين لأننا من يشعر بهم”.

وتابع  “لسنا في حاجة لورقة حُسن سير وسلوك نضالية من أحد، فتاريخنا يتحدث عنا”, مشيراً الى أن “هناك من دخل في قيادات المنظمات خلال الشهر الثاني من عمر الثورة السورية، ولم نكن نسمع بهم أو نعرفهم، وليس لهم تاريخ نضالي”.

واعتبر أن “هناك محاولات لتشويه سمعة المعارضة السورية الحقيقة”.

ويرى مناع إن “المشكلة هي الخلاف حول وجود اتجاه يدعو مباشرة للتدخل العسكري واتجاه يرفض أي تدخل خارجي ويعتبر أن التسليح والتدويل يخدم بعض العناصر وليس الثورة”.

وكان رئيس “المجلس الوطني السوري”، برهان غليون، حذر يوم الثلاثاء من أن الأحداث التي تشهدها سورية في الوقت الراهن، قد تؤدي إلى تدخل عسكري خارجي.

وكان عدد من الناشطين السياسيين والمعارضين السوريين في الخارج طالبوا بإحالة الملف السوري إلى مجلس الأمن, وذلك على خلفية ما أسموه “عمليات العنف والقمع والقتل” الذي تمارسه القوات السورية بحق المدنيين.

وأضاف المناع أن “سورية أمام ثورة ديمقراطية للقضاء على منظومتي الفساد والاستبداد”، مشيراً إلى أنها “قضية تمس كل مواطن سوري وليست قضية طائفية أو قومية ولابد من التمسك بالثورة المدنية الديمقراطية باعتبارها جهاز المناعة الذاتية ضد أي شكل من أشكال الصراع المذهبي أو الطائفي بالبلاد”.

http://syria-news.com/readnews.php?sy_seq=141109

Not we are naive instead the ones who still believe change and reform can be achieved with this leader in charge.
I can live knowing that there are really ones who take Assadism and Baschar as their sort of religion, their aim of hope, but obviously there are many other reasons which people have to follow still such an obvious leader in deny. I saw an nice picture the other day, one man holding up a sign stating, they say Baschar and no other, we choose : other! Its already that far, the people would most certainly elect anybody who is half decent, has no baath background, no previous government position and comes not from the Assadclan.

The desperate regime and Booha supporters are under five categories
Liars, , Delusional,, Naive,,obnoxious,,stupid

Assad Supporters – Syria
http://youtu.be/Zh7ksVJuseg

A rare look at Assad’s side of the Syrian story

To see more go to http://www.youtube.com/user/journeymanpictures

Follow us on Facebook (http://goo.gl/YRw42) or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/journeymanvod)

Despite forcibly threatening any nation that intervenes in Syria, the government continues to complain about the foreign media’s biased allegations. This striking report tries to cover their side of the story.

Assad has run Syria as a one-party state for decades. Fear and suspicion is endemic, with civilians scared that, “if I talk my throat will be cut”. Yet the Syrian government has complained bitterly about the international media bias towards the opposition, claiming they have been misrepresented and atrocities have been fabricated. They argue that the opposition are not as peaceful and idealistic as one assumes, having performed their own, less publicised, “massacres”. Ahmad Arnous, Deputy Foreign Minister, insists, “there’s external interference in our affairs…a conspiracy to topple the Government for the benefit of Israel. The majority of people support the leadership of this country”.

A Film By SBS
Distributed By Journeyman Pictures
October 2011

Syria closes border gate with Turkey – 2011-12-08

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2011-12/08/c_131296066.htm

ANKARA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) — Syria on Thursday closed one of its border gates with Turkey as relations of the two countries have been further strained, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

Syrian officials claimed that the closure of the gate at the Nusaybin town of Turkey’s southeastern province of Mardin was due to maintenance work.

“They have told us that they would open the gate once the maintenance was over,” said Murat Girgin, an official of the town.

A group of around 100 people including Syrian nationals were denied entry into Syria’s Kamisli town and was waiting on the Turkish side of the border, the official said.

On Nov. 30, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced a series of sanction measures against Syria, including a freeze on its government assets in Turkey, a blockade of weapons delivery through Turkey, a travel ban on Syrian leaders, and the suspension of relations between the Turkish and Syrian central banks.

Turkey, once a close ally of Syria, has gradually toughened its criticism of the Syrian administration for its alleged crackdown on protests. Turkish leaders have on many occasions called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end the crackdown and step down.

Dose the west finally came to the realizae that this uprising dose not reflect the majority of Syrians?

The ruling regime in Syria is fraying round the edges but removing Bashar al Assad from power will be a long game.
And there are few signs of defections politically or militarily and most have not yet chosen to move away from supporting the regime in any significant way.
The sense is that Syria’s uprising will be played out over a long period of time.
It is also believed the bulk of the Syrian population do not find the Syrian National Council (SNC) a credible alternative – and there is no question of the SNC gaining international recognition.
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16125849

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16094818

Jordan seeks exemption from sanctions on Syria – 12.08.11

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4159047,00.html

Jordan has asked the Arab League to be exempt from the bloc’s sanctions on Syria over concerns of the toll they will take on the kingdom’s already ailing economy, a senior government official said Thursday.

The Arab League imposed economic sanctions on Syria last month to try to pressure Damascus to end its bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters. (AP)

حمص|8-12-2011|تـقريـر | مضاعفات العمل التخريبي على خط نقل النفط

عشرات الأطفال و المسنين تم نقلهم الى المشافي و المستوصفات
في مناطــق السلطانية و تل الشور و بابا عمرو و كل المناطق القريبة
و المحيطة من مكان تفجير خط النفط .

و حالات من الاختناق و ضيق التنفـس تصيــب الأطفال و الحوامـل و كبـار
السن حتى الناس الأصحاء أصيبوا بحالات من التهيج التنفسي و أحمرار
في العينين و سعال حاد .

و تأخر وصول سيارات الاطفاء الى المكان بسبب استهدافها من
المسلحين أدى الى توسع دائرة اللهب و ازدياد الغمامة السوداء
و نواتج الاحتراق أصابت الجميع بأضرار صحية بشكل مباشر مما
أدى الى انقلاب السحر على الساحر .

فالذين فرحوا بداية الأمر حين سماعهم الخبر هاهم متواجدون
في المستوصفات و المشافي يستنجدون بشمة اوكسجين
و هناك حالة عارمة من الغضب بين السكان .

و قد أخبرنا أحدهم عن الناس و خصوصــا كبار الســن و الأمهات
يكيلون الشتائم علنا لاتباع العرعور بسبب ما أقدموا عليــه من
جريمة كانوا هم أولى ضحاياها.

هذا و حتى الأن لم تعرف الأضرار المادية المباشرة للأهالي
و لسكان المنطقة تحديدا .

After 9 months of Moslem genocides and atrocities by ALCIADA-ALARABIYA-ALJAZEERA-ALHARIRIYA paid mercenaries trying to remove Assad and sector Syria, a miserable failure and a dead end venture, all you hear from the loooooooooooooooooooooosers is this:

“…….The desperate regime and Booha supporters are under five categories,
Liars, , Delusional,, Naive,,obnoxious,,stupid…”

Which in fact words can be used to describe them loooooooooosers. They are threatened now that ALCIADA paycheck will not be coming in couple of months and they are contemplating the outcome of the mess they created and their future, flipping burger or will be back selling drugs on the street corner.

Looks like that show of democracy in Egypt was just that, a show. The confrontation between Islamists and the military council in Egypt is about to blow up…

From the New York Times
Military Flexes Its Muscles as Islamists Gain in Egypt

CAIRO — Egypt’s military rulers said Wednesday that they would control the process of writing a constitution and maintain authority over the interim government to check the power of Islamists who have taken a commanding lead in parliamentary elections.

In an unusual briefing evidently aimed at Washington, Gen. Mukhtar al-Mulla of the ruling council asserted that the initial results of elections for the People’s Assembly do not represent the full Egyptian public, in part because well-organized factions of Islamists were dominating the voting. The comments, to foreign reporters and not the Egyptian public, may have been intended to persuade Washington to back off its call for civilian rule.

“So whatever the majority in the People’s Assembly, they are very welcome, because they won’t have the ability to impose anything that the people don’t want,” General Mulla said, explaining that the makeup of Parliament will not matter because it will not have power over the constitution.

He appeared to say that the vote results could not be representative because the Egyptian public could not possibly support the Islamists, especially the faction of ultraconservative Salafis who have taken a quarter of the early voting.

“Do you think that the Egyptians elected someone to threaten his interest and economy and security and relations with international community?” General Mulla asked. “Of course not.”

The military’s insistence on controlling the constitutional process was the latest twist in a struggle between the generals’ council and a chorus of liberal and Islamist critics who want the elected officials to preside over the writing of a new constitution.

Just three weeks ago, Cairo erupted in a week of bloody protests set off in part by the military’s attempts to claim permanent powers to intervene in civilian politics and to enshrine in the constitution protection from public scrutiny. Under intense pressure, the military appeared for a time to back down.

But the setting of the general’s remarks — an extraordinary question-and-answer session for an invited group of eight American journalists and one British journalist, without any Egyptian news organizations — indicated that he was also talking to Washington. The Obama administration joined the calls of Egyptian activists for the generals to turn over power “immediately” to a civilian government, and the generals have expected that the threat of an Islamist takeover at the polls might now give Washington pause.

It was unclear if the council planned to ever deliver such a message to the Egyptian public or political parties. Egyptian activists were as incensed that the council laid out its plans to foreigners first as they were by its reassertion of control.

“This is an attempt to stage a coup, and nobody wants it — even the people who are against the Islamists,” said Negad el-Borai, a human rights activist in Cairo.

He accused the military council of playing liberals and Islamists against one another in an effort to preserve its own power. “This is madness,” he said. “They are deciding to push the country toward a broad civil war.”

Saad el-Katanti, secretary general of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, told The Associated Press that his party also believed that the constituent assembly should be broadly representative of all segments of the population. “Why does the council want to interfere?” he said.

General Mulla, for his part, insisted that he respected the fairness and integrity of the election, which began in November and will continue in stages until January. But, he said, “In such unstable conditions, the Parliament is not representing all the Egyptians.”

He also appeared to escalate a mounting confrontation with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that is Egypt’s best-organized political force, over control of the interim government.

The Brotherhood, whose political party emerged as the biggest winner in the early election returns, with about 40 percent of the vote, have demanded that the Parliament take over the right to name or dismiss a prime minister; General Mulla insisted that the prime minister would continue to report to the military council.

Although the military’s previous plans for the transition had called for Parliament to pick 100 members of a constituent assembly that would draft the constitution, General Mulla made clear that the military council no longer intended to allow that.

“The majority of the People’s Assembly will not be the only one represented in the constituent assembly,” he said, at times questioning the essential premise that an elected body could represent the general public. “We have a lot of other factions such as workers, farmers, engineers and doctors who are not in Parliament.”

General Mulla insisted that the military council would not intervene directly in the constitutional process, or name individuals to the drafting committee. Instead, he said the council would appoint a civilian advisory council of party representatives as well as artists and intellectuals. This group would make suggestions to the military council while also representing the military council to Parliament.

“They should represent all the Egyptian people, and no one can really oppose this demand,” he said.

He acknowledged that the military’s latest timetable for the transition left only about a month for the drafting of a constitution between the seating of a Parliament and the beginning of a presidential race. But he appeared to believe that the old Egyptian Constitution — built for one-party rule, lacking clear separation of powers or judicial independence, clogged with traces of Nasserite socialism — might not need much fixing.

“A lot of legislators are saying that we have a very good Constitution and a very unique one except for only Chapter 5, about the presidential elections, so we will only amend this chapter,” he said.

Asked if the military would eventually submit to public parliamentary oversight of its budget, General Mulla appeared to find the idea ridiculous, saying he knew of no military whose budget was public.

Asked if the military might intervene in civilian politics in the future, however, he was more circumspect. “The armed forces won’t intervene in the political life of Egypt since the people will consent in the parliamentary bodies,” he said. After the adoption of new government institutions, he said, “there will be no need to intervene.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/world/middleeast/egyptian-general-mukhtar-al-mulla-asserts-continuing-control-despite-elections.html

#83 Juergen

What about the millions of Egytians who claims: “Islam, nothing else”
and the Syrian protesters who say” We want a moslem president”

Don’t you think that they are also naive?

#87. louai

About official defections, no one talks about Adnan Bakkour who was on the headlines of the media, forecasting a snowballing in officials defections after the hoax of the Syrian Ambassador in France.

Adnan Bakkour has disappeared and no one cares about him anymore.

Majedalkhadoon promises weeks ago ‘revelations’ once Adnan Bakkour would be in a safe location, like Turkey. Maybe Turkey is not safe location anymore or these are more empty promises…

Irritated

If all Syrians would go through public schools i would really worry, but Syrians have always depended on private schools which do offer more than the usual baath and Assad lessons.
Syrians have a better knowledge of the world and especially they know their fellow syrians and their religion as well. I believe that you will not find easily an syrian christian who has not been to a mosque or vice versa a muslim who have not been to a church. I have met coptic in Egypt who never set a foot in a mosque, and such misunderstanding, ignorance and nonknowledge will easily led to unrest and rascism if the right person comes around.

In case of Egypt we see more illiterates than under Nasser now, and i believe that all sort of hate and religious extremism has roots in lack of education and most of all in rigid states like Egypt and Syria.

رياض الترك شيخ المعارضين
دعا المعارض السوري البارز رياض الترك، اليوم الخميس، ايران وحزب الله اللبناني، حليفي دمشق في المنطقة، إلى التوقف عن دعم نظام بشار الاسد مؤكدا ان سقوطه امر حتمي. وقال الترك في بيان تلقت وكالة فرانس برس نسخة منه “يفترض ان يكون العدو الاستراتيجي لحزب الله هو اسرائيل وليس الثورات العربية وبالاخص منها الثورة السورية”، معتبرا ان “اي تدخل لهذا الحزب في مجريات الثورة السورية لن يفيد في المدى البعيد لا الثورة السورية ولا الحزب نفسه ولا مستقبل العلاقات التي ستربطه بالدولة السورية”.

واضاف “كم كنت اتمنى على قيادات هذا الحزب بدلا من ان تمعن في تأييد سلطة مستبدة وساقطة حتما ان تلتزم الصمت ازاء الثورة السورية كما فعل حلفاؤها في قيادة حماس”. اما بخصوص الموقف الايراني المؤيد للاسد فقد القى الترك باللوم على “من يتعامى في السلطة الايرانية الحاكمة عن مطالب الشعب السوري المحقة ويمعن في دعمه غير المشروط للسلطة الديكتاتورية السورية وممارساتها الاجرامية بحق شعبها”.

وتابع الترك (82 عاما) الذي يعتبر احد المعارضين التاريخيين لنظام الاسد “يمكنني القول انه في اللحظة التي توقف فيها السلطة الايرانية ويوقف حزب الله دعمهما للسلطة الاستبدادية في سوريا ويحترمان ارادة ورغبات الشعب السوري، فليس هناك من مشكلة معهما، بل يمكنني القول أنه سيكون في صالح الدولة السورية الجديدة”.

كما اكد الترك ان الشعب السوري سيكون قادرا “عندما تؤول الامور لممثليه المنتخبين ديموقراطيا، على تحديد طبيعة العلاقات التي ستجمعه بمختلف الدول والأطراف الدولية والاقليمية، وفقا لمصالحه الوطنية ولموقف هذه الدول والأطراف من ثورته الوطنية”. وشدد على ان الشعب السوري قادر على التصدي “لاي مؤامرات تستهدف لحمته الوطنية ووحدة ترابه وسيادته واستقلاله” في اشارة الى المخاوف من نشوب حرب اهلية بين الاغلبية السنية والطائفة العلوية التي ينتمي اليها الاسد.

كما اكد ان الشعب السوري “لا تربطه اي علاقة عداء او نزاع مع اي من دول المنطقة” سوى اسرائيل وانه “من حق الشعب السوري وواجبه ان يناضل بكل الوسائل المشروعة لاعادة الجولان المحتل إلى الوطن الام”. وكان الامين العام لحزب الله حسن نصرالله انتقد في خطاب القاه الثلاثاء المعارضة السورية وجدد دعمه للنظام السوري.

واشار الى ان ما نقل عن رئيس المجلس الوطني السوري برهان غليون قبل ايام من ان المعارضة “ستقطع علاقاتها مع ايران وحزب الله وحركة حماس” في حال وصولها الى السلطة هي “اوراق اعتماد للاميركي والاسرائيلي، لان عدو حزب الله هو صديق اميركا واسرائيل”. وامضى الترك اكثر من 17 عاما في السجون السورية ابان حكم الرئيس الراحل حافظ الاسد وتم سجنه ايضا من 2001 الى 2003 بعد وصول بشار الاسد الى السلطة.

Naives are people who don’t admit that you can’t achieve democracy without establishing freedom of religion. And who don’t engage in a dialogue about freedom of religion with the Islamist currents.

Try to ignore the fact that Jihad Maqdisi works for the regime and watch him in the next few months,this guy is going somewhere.
انتقد الناطق الرسمي في وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين جهاد مقدسي أمس التصريحات الأميركية حول مقابلة الرئيس بشار الأسد مع قناة «أي.بي.سي.نيوز» الأميركية، موضحاً أن الناطق باسم الخارجية الأميركية مارك تونر قام «بالسخرية» من كلام الرئيس الأسد و«تحريفه»، موضحاً الوقت ذاته أن دمشق لم تتلق حتى أمس أي رد رسمي من الأمين العام لجامعة الدولة العربية نبيل العربي تجاه التوقيع على مشروع البروتوكول الخاص بإرسال بعثة مراقبين إلى سورية ونحن مازلنا ننتظر الدخان الأبيض من أروقة الجامعة.
(التفاصيل ص 4)
وفي مؤتمر صحفي خصه بالمجمل للرد على تونر قال مقدسي: إن «التصريحات التي سمعناها تتعلق بفحوى مقابلة لم تبث بعد للرئيس الأسد مع «اي. بي. سي» الأميركية أجرته باربرا وولترز، ونأسف ونستهجن ما ورد على لسان تونر عندما قام بالتحريف والسخرية من كلام لم يصدر بالسياق الذي ذكر وهو غير دقيق وغير مهني على الإطلاق.

Naive are the people that truly believe a dictator is really gonna bring democracy to his country.
Bashar is all for democracy, just like The Democratic Peoples Republic Of Korea is democratically for the people.

Mina
You are not naive
You and irritated and Ann belong to letter O

There is delay in the major decision in Syria, due to Mr. Erdogan sickness.USA believe this delay should not exceed two weeks

Read this article and see what yall think? if this is true what is preventing these key communities from breaking their support for Assad’s government and pushing for a genuine democratic process.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sami-moubayed/challenge-for-political-i_b_1129658.html

Nice song about Tahrir

[…] • Syria watcher Joshua Landis, considered by some to be sympathetic to the regime, said Assad’s … Discussing Assad’s ABC interview on his blog, Landis wrote: Whether he remains convinced of his rectitude, whether his primary motivation is to hang on to power, or whether he is simply frightened of the consequences of yielding authority to his opponents, Assad gave no indication that he is having second thoughts about his position or is ready to yield. One must conclude that Syria’s fight will be a long one. […]

irritated@94

its strange ,I was thinking about the poor guy Adnan bakour ,how could he ‘defect’ then disappear like that? I think his kidnapers are so stupid and disparate to kidnap him, force him to read the silly statement and then what???? They realized if they release him he will tell the truth so he would be a living trouble for them. his kidnapers they couldn’t care less about what people may think when after all this time they don’t see him anywhere , he was just disappeared like that !!!, I am sure they did the only think they can do which is getting rid of him . the stupid criminals they could just release him and they know that the Arab and international media will not cover any statement he would make but I think they were afraid as he might have recognized some of them .

it’s a moral question to those who still support the revolution and still think it’s a genuine one, where is Adnan bakour ??

Visit to Birthplace of Syrian Uprising Finds Pervasive Fear
by Alexander Marquardt

DARAA, Syria – The girl ran up to the camera, asking us to film her. But as soon as the mother saw it she violently yanked her young daughter away. The husband remained, eyes darting as he searched for words in English, then Arabic, finally not saying anything as the conversation drew the attention not just of passersby, but of the ever-present secret police.

This first failed interview at a busy intersection a short walk from this city’s courthouse set the tone for a day here, a deep fear of speaking to outsiders felt by the residents of Daraa, nine months after the Syrian uprising started here. Attempt after attempt to speak with residents on camera was turned down, as agents of the secret police loitered nearby. In a quiet conversation in a clothing store, a man who asked to remain anonymous for his safety, spoke of arbitrary arrests in the middle of the night and “many, many, many deaths.” Another, who dared to speak on the record, accused the Syrian regime of being “worse than animals.”

In an exclusive interview, President Bashar al-Assad promised ABC News that a team — and others, if they were granted visas — would be allowed to travel around the country freely to assess the ongoing “crisis,” as it’s called by the Syrian government.

“Did anyone tell you where to go or where not to go? Nobody,” Assad told Barbara Walters. “You are free to go wherever you want.”

After the interview, Assad’s office reiterated what he said and approved the request to visit the southern city of Daraa, just a few miles from the Jordanian border. It was here in March that a group of school children wrote on a school wall, “The people want to topple the regime.” The children — several in their teens — were rounded up, arrested and reportedly tortured by having their fingernails pulled out. The incident sparked large protests in Daraa that soon spread across the country. Both residents and the local governor say that no one has been arrested.

The road to Daraa is as one might expect during this time of unrest: lined with police cars, army checkpoints and roadblocks of barrels and rocks painted with the Syrian flag. The plan was to visit Dael, a village that has lately been one of the more restive parts of Daraa.

That would be impossible, Governor Mohammed Khalid al Hanous told us as we arrived in Daraa for a courtesy call. For your own safety. Armed gangs were roaming around, they just killed two policemen, he said. There have been widespread reports of attacks by the rebel “Free Syrian Army” of army defectors on security forces around Daraa.

Told of the president’s promise and offered a waiver of responsibility, he responded that “[Assad’s] the one who gives orders and we try our best to obey.”

“However, this is a security issue,” he continued. “Your safety first, period.”

What that meant became clear as we left the governor’s office. Not only would our team not be allowed to travel to Dael, but our car would be joined by eight others full of uniformed and plainclothes police, as well as Syrian state media, which filmed and photographed us all day. (Told of the restrictions and security detail, a presidential aide in Damascus seemed equally frustrated and suggested the waiver.)

Our hastily-assembled motorcade took us to the first stop on our tour, an elementary school. The outside walls were covered in graffiti, much of it painted over but the president’s name, “leave” and “freedom” still visible.

Inside, we happened upon the ribbon cutting ceremony for the students’ art exhibit. Sixth-grader Zain proudly showed off his colorful drawings of gunmen killing soldiers, of terrorists posing as peaceful protesters. Nearby, the logo of the television network Al Jazeera — perceived to be vehemently anti-regime — was painted on a bloody skull. Asked where the school is where the children were arrested in March, a teacher said the story was made up, that the school doesn’t exist.

Sheikh Ahmad al-Sayasna tells a different story. He was the imam of Daraa’s Omari Mosque, one of the oldest in the world. We had been taken there earlier in the day to counter reports in the Arab press that security forces had attacked it. In the sunny courtyard, it did appear undamaged.

When the children were arrested, he and others went to the authorities to ask for their release, he said.

“These are kids, you can’t blame them, make them responsible for writing such things,” said the sheikh. He is blind and hard of hearing; our escorts agreed to take us to see him after several requests. We insisted they stay outside, but with us in the living room were two heavy-set men in suits and ties who said they were family friends. It would soon become obvious they weren’t.

“We went to officials to do something about it but they were deaf,” the al-Sayasna said, sitting on a cushion. “I heard that their fingernails had been pulled out, that they were exposed to torture and beatings,”

Asked about Daraa today, he replied, “the use of force continues.”

At that point, one of the “friends” filming with his cellphone piped up.

“When one side provokes, the other retaliates,” he said. “Change the direction of the questioning.”

No one has been punished for the children’s torture, al-Sayasna continued. “We heard that they [the police officials] have probably been removed but up until now, things have been going in directions that nobody knows…”

In the wake of the children’s arrests, Assad visited Daraa. The old governor was replaced by al-Hanous who points to his appointment and police officials’ dismissals as evidence of accountability.

“I don’t know what else has happened,” he said.

Rising up in his chair, his face flush, Hanous said the unrest is a conspiracy by Israel, the US, the European Union and the Gulf Arab countries (i.e. Sunni Muslim-dominated Qatar and Saudi Arabia). Another request to go to areas of unrest only upset him more.

“Among some of the protesters are armed gangs that have been shooting at protesters and security forces,” he said, an argument made by the Syrian government since March.

We agreed to a stop at the courthouse which was firebombed by the armed militants, the district attorney said. He guided us through charred rooms with piles of burned paper. Criminal files, he says, not civil. Evidence that criminals were trying to erase their past.

Exhausted by the constant security presence, we insist that we be allowed to walk around town alone. Both the police and our Ministry of Information minder acquiesce.

But it’s to little avail, no one wants to talk. And as we walk past shop after shop, we spot the secret police that have been with us all day. The one with the white collar popped, the squat one with the mustache.

Just as the sun starts to set and our mission appears futile, a soft-spoken middle-aged man approaches, speaking accented but fluent English.

I want the regime to fall, Ahmad Abdulrahim says, adding that around thirty percent of Daraa supports Assad. Indeed, another man just passed us and said loudly, “God, Syria, Bashar only.”

Abdulrahim “got a minimum torturing,” but his nephew was killed when he came to Daraa to “open the [military] siege” earlier this year.

“I believe it’s our duty to open the eyes of the world about this regime,” he responds when asked why he was taking a risk in speaking with us as the police watched. “It’s more than evil.”

Eyes brimming with emotion, he switches to Arabic. “This regime is worse than animals, even animals have mercy.”

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/visit-to-birthplace-of-syrian-uprising-finds-pervasive-fear/

[…] […]

JMUMONEY

Its a very nice article, and i must say it again from a european point of view, the islamophobia we share here for postrevolutionary regimes is just obscene. We truly engage ourselves into the propaganda of the gone regimes. As the author puts it, 20-25 % of the votes in an monitored free election can be won by islamic parties. As i wrote earlier, Syrians are much more educated and do not follow just the next mufti who opens up a new party. Syrian society is far from extremism. Syrians will write a new constitution which will make unseen the atrocities this regime has committed over more than 40 years to make sure no one can come as Hafis and take over the country and suspend all freedom.

Juergen

Do you have any Syrian roots? You do not have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable. Your positive views of Syrians are pretty commendable.

Tara
No i dont have any roots, just good friends there. I know it may sound kitsch as can, but i fall in love with Syria, no rational approach yet found exactly why.

الحرب على خط العرض 33 .. سورية المفتاح
نادر عزالدين
أسئلة كثيرة تتبادر إلى الذهن عند التفكير بما يحدث في منطقة الشرق الأوسط، وعلى الرغم من محاولة بعض الأطراف الإقليمية والدولية حصر ما يحصل في إطار ضيق لا يتعدى مساحة كل دولة، إلا أن المخطط أكبر من ذلك بكثير. فالتأكيد مراراً وتكراراً بأن الأحداث في سورية مثلاً هدفها تحقيق الديموقراطية وهي نابعة من مطالب شعبية، لم يخف طابعها الإقليمي، خاصة بعد التصريحات الأخيرة لأطراف المعارضة السورية الذين أكدوا على قطع علاقاتهم مع حزب الله وإيران في حال وصلوا إلى الحكم، هذا عدا عن الدعم الأميركي-الأوروبي المطلق لهذه المعارضة.

وبالإضافة إلى الطابع الإقليمي للأزمة السورية، حملت هذه الأزمة طابعاً دولياً مع دخول روسيا والصين كطرف في الأزمة واستخدامهم حق التقض “الفيتو” في مجلس الأمن لدعم النظام برئاسة الدكتور بشار الأسد. ومنذ ذلك الوقت تغير المشهد وباتت المراهنات على إسقاط النظام في سورية تضعف، فما هي مصلحة هاتين الدولتين بحفاظهما على النظام الجمهوري العربي السوري؟ وهل ما يحدث في سورية تتعدى أبعاده الإطار الإقليمي المتعلق بالقضاء على قوى المقاومة التي تقف كحائط سد بوجه طموحات إسرائيل التوسعية ومخططات أميركا لإقامة الشرق الأوسط الجديد؟.. إنها تساؤلات تفرض نفسها بقوّة، خاصة وأن النظام الجمهوري العربي السوري الذي تسانده موسكو وبكين – وقد أرسلت روسيا إلى شواطئه قطعاً من سلاحها البحري وزودته بأنظمة صاروخية وأسلحة فائقة التطور – كل ذلك طرح مجموعة من الأسئلة على المستوى الاستراتيجي.

الجمهورية العربية السورية تتعرض في الوقت الراهن لأشرس حرب دولية هدفها الإطاحة بها والسيطرة على سورية. فما الذي يدفع إذاً روسيا والصين إلى مواجهة المنظومة الغربية الأطلسية وأتباعهم العرب في المنطقة الأميركية الوسطى أو الشرق الاوسط الجديد؟ وإنطلاقاً من الأسئلة المطروحة نبدأ تحقيقنا الذي سيستمر لعدة حلقات نشرح فيها الأسباب الخفية والكبرى للمشروع الذي تعمل أميركا وأوروبا بمساعدة تركيا وأنظمة عربية على تنفيذه انطلاقاً من دمشق وصولاً إلى بكين وموسكو. لا بد من العودة بداية إلى ساعة الصفر، إلى 11 أيلول 2001، حيث تعرضت الولايات المتحدة لعملية إرهابية بقيت أسبابها مبهمة حتى يومنا هذا، ولكن النتائج التي ترتبت عنها كانت كارثية حيث لم تخدم هذه العملية سوى المخطط الأميركي للسيطرة على ما تسميه واشنطن “المنطقة الأميركية الوسطى” أو الشرق الأوسط الجديد.

بداية قامت الولايات المتحدة بشن حرب على أفغانستان وسيطرت عليها بحجة وجود قائد تنظيم القاعدة أسامة بن لادن فيها، والذي أعلن عن مسؤولية تنظيمه عن أحداث 11 أيلول، والغزو الأميركي لأفغانستان كان بمساعدة النظام الحاكم في باكستان والذي خضع كي يكون صديقاً لأميركا لا بل أن برويز مشرف كان أول من أعلن حينذاك تحالفه مع البيت الأبيض في إطار “الحرب على الإرهاب” التي أعلن عنها جورج بوش الإبن. وهكذا استطاعت أميركا السيطرة على أفغانستان وخيراتها والتمركز عند الحدود الشرقية لإيران.

بعد ذلك، واستكمالاً لما أسمته “حرباً على الإرهاب” شنت إدارة بوش الإبن وحلفاءها حرباً ضروساً على العراق، بحجة امتلاكه لأسلحة دمار شامل، وقد أثبتت الأيام زيف الإدعاءات الأميركية وخلو هذا البلد العربي من هذا النوع من الأسلحة. هذه الحرب غطتها الأمم المتحدة وبعض الدول العربية كالسعودية والكويت والأردن التي كانت أراضيها نقطة انطلاق الإجتياح البري بالإضافة إلى استخدام القواعد الجوية الأميركية في البلدان المذكورة لشن غارات جوية سقط ضحيتها عشرات الآلاف من العراقيين.

وبعد احتلال العراق أصبحت القوات الأميركية متواجدة على الحدود الغربية لإيران، وغدت الجمهورية الإسلامية محاصرة من الجهتين الشرقية والغربية. واليوم أتى دور سورية، مفتاح المتوسط للمشروع الأميركي-الأوروبي، لأن سورية الحجر الأساس في محور المقاومة والممانعة في المنطقة، هي في الحقيقة المدخل الغربي لـ”المنطقة الأميركية الوسطى”، وذنبها الوحيد أن نظام الحكم القائم فيها معاد للطموحات الأميركية-الأوروبية. وفي الحقيقة فإن استهداف نظام الأسد لم يبدأ اليوم، بل بدأ مع القرار 1559 وما استتبعه من اغتيال لرئيس الحكومة الأسبق رفيق الحريري إلى حرب تموز يوم شنت أميركا بواسطة أداتها “إسرائيل” عدواناً على لبنان للقضاء على المقاومة تمهيداً لإسقاط سورية. فشل حينها هذا العدوان وتعرقل مشروع “الشرق الأوسط الجديد” بحسب تعبير وزيرة الخارجية الأميركية آنذاك كونداليزا رايس، وجرى استصدار القرار 1701.

بعد فشلها، بدلت أميركا استراتيجيتها وقررت استهداف سورية من الداخل، فعملت على إعداد عصابات مسلحة في الداخل، وزودتها بالأسلحة ووسائل الإتصال المتطورة كما قامت بتجنيد عملاء داخل القوى الأمنية السورية مثل رياض الأسعد تمهيداً للحظة الصفر، ولكن نظراً لفشلها في تحقيق اختراق كبير داخل الجسم الأمني، صبت جل تركيزها على إعداد العصابات من المهربين والخارجين عن القانون والتكفيريين.

وبناء عليه، نلاحظ بأن الدول التي احتلتها أميركا والأخرى التي تسعى إلى محاصرتها وتقسيمها، أي أفغانستان وإيران والعراق وسورية، بالإضافة إلى صديقتها باكستان، تقع في منتصف “المنطقة الأميركية الوسطى”، والأهم من ذلك وقوعها على خط “طريق الحرير” في العصور الغابرة و “خط العرض 33” في الاستراتيجية الاميركية للقرن 21، خط العرض هذا مفتاحه سورية يمر في العاصمة طهران وينتهي في بكين عاصمة الصين كما يعزل روسيا ويفككها جغرافيا واقتصادياً، إنه خط الإقتصاد العالمي الذي يربط الشرق الأقصى بالأوسط وصولاً إلى ضفاف أوروبا، إنه أساس الأزمة التي نعيشها اليوم… إنها “الحرب على خط العرض 33” وسورية هي المفتاح.

http://www.almanar.com.lb/adetails.php?eid=146716&cid=136&fromval=1&frid=136&seccatid=426&s1=0

[…] • Syria watcher Joshua Landis, considered by some to be sympathetic to the regime, said Assad’s … Discussing Assad’s ABC interview on his blog, Landis wrote: Whether he remains convinced of his rectitude, whether his primary motivation is to hang on to power, or whether he is simply frightened of the consequences of yielding authority to his opponents, Assad gave no indication that he is having second thoughts about his position or is ready to yield. One must conclude that Syria’s fight will be a long one. […]

We should honor and praise all of the shuhada that have died fighting for their rights and seeking freedom in Syria. It is only because of them that Syria will soon be free.

The Elections

The ballot boxes are already filled and sealed, guess Baathists and regime loyalists have this one in the bag!!!

http://all4syria.info/web/archives/40699

“………We should honor and praise all of the shuhada that have died fighting for their rights and seeking freedom in Syria. It is only because of them that Syria will soon be free……..”

We don’t…Hope they never ever rest in peace they died for that little payola and helping foreign powers stir civil war in Syria. The worst evil deed they managed is denying any chance for Syrians to have freedom from Baathism any time this decade. They sold their souls to the devil Amen-Marduk, rather than selling their brain to Jesus, he could have delivered them in 90 days to glorious Syrian Nation, but chose to die for one planned for by ALCIADA and the two humps slobbering Turkmen. Hope their souls will rot in hell forever. Where do decent Syrians will go from here, now that these bastard evil and vile ones fouled the road to a better future for Syrians.

how two desperate used the same tactics, the same language

Jurergen

Thx for your answer. I’m very familiar with Germans too. I have had live- in German au-pairs for the last 5 years and I am amazed with the cultural tolerance they display. They love Syrian food very much too. My little girl sings all the German children songs.

Do you live in Syria?

الحرب على خط العرض 33

my only contention is that Syria as it is now, is an Apartheid State, just like South Africa. the sooner the opposition highlights this, the better. The ANC and Nelson Mandela did not get the world’s attention until they highlighted the discriminatory policy of the regime.

When the ANC and Mandela were given black majority rule in South Africa, the World did not ask them for guarantees that the White minority will not be repressed.

When Saddam was toppled and elections were held in Iraq, the World did not ask Nouri al Maliki to guarantee that Sunnis will not be treated shoddily.

So why does the World always demand that the SNC guarantee such things ? Why is Hillary Clinton beating about the bush and harping on the issue of minorities ?

Tara

well we Germans had our lesson to learn. I was with my parents on the sreets when our east german regime broke apart, i can to some extent understand whats at stake, even though we never faced an outbrake of an civil war, but we too faced an brutal government with an overall muhabarat.there was always an private and public opinion, you never trusted anyone you did not know.

Seven reasons why Syrian protesters have so far failed to topple Assad

Syrian protesters have so far been unable to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in large part because physical repression has served as a powerful deterrent against their goals. The risk of death, torture, or imprisonment for life can shake even the most resolute, courageous, and determined demonstrator.

Yet physical repression is not the only reason why the protesters have suffered serious setbacks. Middle East expert Bilal Y. Saab of The University of Maryland gives us seven other factors that explain why things might get worse before they get better for the protesters in Syria.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2011/0610/Long-road-to-freedom-Seven-reasons-why-Syrian-protesters-have-so-far-failed-to-topple-Assad/Weakness-and-divisions-in-ranks

Khalid,

Mandela stood solid against racial revenge and because of his stature he was able to prevent a civil war,

Clinton wants to learn and not repeat the mistakes of the past , like Iraq, what happened in Iraq is a total discrimination against Sunni and the Baath party, it was just a collective punishment that should not be repeated, that is the reason that the army and the Baath party in Syria is still solid in the face of the protest, they saw Iraq, you do not want that repeated , do you?.

Whether Turkey will collect 30 % of the duty from the possible Syrian humanitarian help for Istanbul?
Istanbul in danger: earthquake possibility
By nacar on Nov 23, 2011 in Important, News of Turkey
In connection with an active seismic zone around a megacity of Istanbul, in Turkey there will begin work the special commission on carrying out of a mark of seismic stability of all buildings of a city and revealing of those structures which will not stand in case of earthquake.

«The commission structure will include members of municipality of Istanbul, state structures and public utilities. Representatives НПО and foreign experts also can take part in commission work. We suppose that each area will generate own model of work on protection against the earthquakes, thus all areas will be located in a priority order as it is impossible to transform 1,6 million buildings simultaneously. Besides, approximately 50 000 – 60 000 buildings in Istanbul will be taken down in the near future», – the mayor of Istanbul has declared Kadir Topbash.

Also for inhabitants of Istanbul various trainings will be carried out to teach them, how to behave during time and after earthquake. Besides citizens can address in a private order in universities and Bosporus building consulting corporation belonging to municipality to receive more information concerning stability of their houses to earthquakes.

The site command In Turkey wishes inhabitants of Istanbul, and also inhabitants of victim Vana that all seismic hardship has avoided these beautiful cities.

NORMAN, are you admitting that Sunnis were treated shabbily by the new Iraqi regime ? Do you admit that Sunnis were treated unfairly in Iraq and people were targetted solely on the basis of the sect ?

Also, Norm, you know that the Baath Party was viciously attacked by the New Iraqi Regime, however,

It is this same regime which is standing up for Bashar. What do you say about that ?

At #104 above an American Broadcasting Corporation news reporter, Alexander Marquardt, goes to Daraa and says he could only find two people who were willing to speak against the regime, after he spent nearly a whole day walking around town looking for anti-regime sentiment. I knew that anti-regime sentiment in Daraa was generally low, since there has been very little street protests in Daraa city for many many months now, but I’m pleased to hear from Alexander Marquardt that it’s even lower than I thought it was. It reminds me of the CNN News reporter who went to Aleppo last summer and spent the whole day walking about the streets looking for people with anti-regime sentiment to speak into his camera and couldn’t find any, except for one weirdo who wouldn’t speak his mind on camera. You know, it is 100% legal to have anti-government political opinion (provided it doesn’t go as far as advocacy of violent rebellion). Alexander Marquardt couldn’t find anybody to say, like, the government is at fault for the shortage of jobs, or at fault for not repealing the Emergency Law years ago, or for excessive use of force in Deraaa in March 2011 (which the government itself has said is true), or for any other faults. Alexander Marquardt stupidly suggests this is because people are afraid of being arrested by the police for having criticisms that are 100% legal, criticisms which the government itself says are valid. I could have told him that one of the key underlying factors behind this phenomenon is that there is serious peer-pressure, i.e. pressure from widely shared community values, to not bad-mouth the Syrian government into American TV cameras at the present time, even though such bad-mouthing doesn’t amount to treasonous behaviour.

Alexander Marquardt also asserts: “No one wants to talk”. I don’t believe that at all. I believe it’s a damn lie. I’d believe it’d be the truth if what he meant to assert was “No one wants to talk against the regime”. The one person who he could find to talk against the regime said “around thirty percent of Daraa supports Assad” and Marquardt adds that at the moment he said it “another man just passed us and said loudly, “God, Syria, Bashar only.”” The pro-regimers in Syria are very proud of the pro-regime stance and are not at all shy about talking about it. Countlessly many times this year I’ve seen Syrian people eagerly pushing themselves to get themselves on camera to say “God, Syria, Bashar only”. Here’s a typical example from Deir Ezzor where people at a pro-regime rally are fighting to grab a hold of the TV microphone so that they can proclaim their support for Bashar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KTkXRPBWdQo#t=118s

The same is true in Daraa. And the percentage of Bashar supporters in Daraa is a hell of a lot bigger than 30%.

@ Juergen

Whats not to fall in love with? Makes perfect rational to me, Syria has many aspects one can love.

Every country has things that you can’t find anywhere else that become very dear to you, for instance a white knuckled lap around the Nurburgring in a V8 Bavarian monster is one of my greatest joys.

JUERGEN,

Was their torture in East Germany ? How did the Stasi behave ?

Juergen and Henry

Henry, if the question was for me, No, I live in the US.

Juergen

Exactly. Yes, you learn double talks at very tender age living under these rotten dictatorships. Parents are afraid to discuss matters in front of their kids as innocent children might just repeat what they hear at home in school. You grow up trusting no one and have no real fiends unless you meet them through families. You carry this with you into universities. There are student informants who call themselves Itihad watani. I contrast that with the way kids are grown in the US confident and without fears. I think Syrians and all human beings for that matter deserve better.

Severe Testosterone deficiency? I do not like weak indecisive men.  Arrogance should be handled with more arrogance.  The AL has made a mistake.  Leaving the door open to Assad is only going to result in the killing of more Syrians.  I think Bashar misconstrued this behavior as the AL and the US want him to stay and do the reforms.  

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/arab-taskforce-on-syria-to-meet-saturday.aspx?pageID=238&nID=8748&NewsCatID=352
Arab taskforce on Syria to meet Saturday
CAIRO – Agence France-Presse

Arab League ministers will meet this weekend to mull a response to Syria which wants the bloc to lift sanctions as its price to allow observers to monitor deadly unrest, an Arab diplomat said Thursday.
A taskforce chaired by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani and comprising the foreign ministers of Algeria, Egypt, Oman and Sudan will gather in Doha with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi.
Syria said on Sunday it will allow observers into the country as part of an Arab peace plan to end months of violence, in a bid to avoid sweeping sanctions the bloc has decided to impose on the Damascus regime.
But Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, in a letter to Arabi, said Syria would accept the monitors under certain conditions.
According to the text, published in the Syrian press on Tuesday, Muallem demanded the complete overturn of sanctions approved by the Arab League on November 27.
“The government considers all decisions taken by the Arab League… including Syria’s suspension and the sanctions taken by the ministerial committee against it, to be null and void once Damascus signs the protocol” for observers, said the text.
The head of the pan-Arab organisation was in Iraq on Thursday to seek Baghdad’s help in trying to persuade Syria to allow observers into the troubled country.
 

If you’ve been following the Syria story this year, you know that Daraa was still beset with serious violence on 30 March, but Daraa has been orderly and civilized since May. Bashar Assad said in his speech to parliament on 30 mar 2011: “We and the whole Syrian population are with Daraa. The people of Daraa are people of genuine patriotism, magnanimity, and dignity. They will get hold of the few people who wanted to stir chaos and destroy the national fabric.” http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2011/03/30/pr-339334.htm

In Bashar’s statement above he demonstrates that he was well informed enough about Daraa to know that it is ultimately the good people of Daraa, not the national security forces, to whom the credit goes for the restoration of proper order.

Allah, Souria, Ash-Shaab, Al-Assad, ou bas. Hooray!

I am not a big fan of the USA’s Barbara Walters. Although she has had a long career and has met notables in sport, politics, media and glamour, she does not have the gravitas or sharp investigative teeth of CBC’s late journalist Barbara Frum.

That said, Frum died a long time ago, and when the media advisor(s) and the President decided to invite a well-known Western TV interviewer to Damascus, they made the choice, not ‘the West’ or ‘the Conspiracy’ or ‘instigating channels.’ Indeed, perhaps the President himself made the choice. Walters neither sought nor initiated the interview.

So, when I read this kind of language, I pause to consider my own position:

Barbara Walters, a featherweight, faded, fake celeb “journalist”.
Like her or not (like me), or perhaps expect her to have better rejected down the offer, is she really much different from Harry Reasoner, at the least a veteran media face with a current highly-rated program on USA TV (the awful View)?

I suggest also that she is not only a journalist of ‘fake celebs’ (her gushy primetime evening with the Obamas in 2008 notwithstanding). Even were that so, more fool Syria for picking her as their best or only USA media option at this crucial time…

Fact is she has had access to players in MENA and elsewhere for over thirty years. She has brought her ‘powder-puff’ journalism to this area before: a joint interview with Sadat and Begin (1977), the late King Hussein, with Bashar Assad (in 2007), the Shah of Iran, Boris Yeltsin, Jiang Zemin, Margaret Thatcher, Castro, Indira Gandhi, Václav Havel, Saudi kings, Chavez … she first did Gaddafi in 1989. She also moderated presidential debates in the USA. Fluffy at times and definitely past her height of journalism with ABC’s 20/20 and the nightly ABC news anchor desk, but not the very bottom of the barrel (Katie Couric or the blonded air-bubbles with boobs at Fox).

See this image from 2008: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Vladimir_Putin_with_Barbara_Walters-2.jpg

She’s finally sunk to new lows for chequebook journalism.

She is 82. She obviously felt she could not turn down the President’s offer. Even if she is the shittiest People-magazine style poodle-to-the-famous (like Couric), there she was in the Palace, and here are we talking about the performance she drew out of the Syrian President. She is not, I assume, the least aware that some nameless Syrians consider her (as I do) in some ways a lightweight. She has her scoop and the world’s English-speaking media is having a field day with the results. She leads international news with her Bashar catch.

Is there a corresponding Arabic media he should have allowed/invited? Or another, more hard-hitting USA journalist he should have give the scoop to? Are there even any Syrian journalists left to take up the job? I really do believe that the onus is entirely and utterly on Assad for the effects of this awful mumbling stumbling bizarre backfire of an interview. What results has he delivered from his own efforts?

And is it not there – the result — that matters? The glimpse into the President’s core rationales and perception of ‘reality’? His pronouncements, his evasion or forthrightness, his humanity, his wisdom, his ability to empathize and seize the moment, his boldness and gravity and firm command?

I get this result, me: the reality of a President witless and cornered inside the SANA bubble. He seemed stupefied by events and their consequences, like a man who cannot interpret the signs of the endgame.

I find the interview very sobering, even a little bit creepy. An elderly American woman, no longer at the height of her powers, face-lifted, groomed and coiffed to the Nth Western degree, a cream puff of a reporter, a reporter who has clinked champagne glasses with this man, and who has sat around with this man while he charmed her and blabbered about reform …

So, here is ancient stale creampuff Walters putting to the Palace the story that the instigating channels have spread all over the world.

And he fumbles.

Here is a President who seems trapped by his own carefully constructed Baathi wonderland of reality. Both his and Walter’s Syrian stories cannot be exclusively true, yet there he is calmly lisping his way through a fantasy comic-book tale of Terrorists versus Popular Leader … he is popular, he mumbles, the majority is in the middle, he asserts softly, there has been no harshness against the people, um civilians are always killed by terrorists, militants, the outside news reports are full of lies, the elections are coming, the isolation is a mirage, the opposition are fanatical criminals, all of them, deserving of the utmost violence and political purges to destroy them …

The only thing more horrifying than the President’s detachment and the haunted look in his eyes is the notion that he is a captive of forces he cannot perceive, a perfect figurehead prisoner of the Myth Machine: “The President does not order deaths. The military cannot shoot at civilians. The Constitution guides the Army. Security may have made mistakes, but all that is fixed by committees, I am the Baathi choice, my father chose me! not my stupid brother, he groomed me! you think I will go back to opthamology when I am replaced as leader? Are you insane?”

It is chilling that he has so completely sealed himself away from information that challenges what he is fed by the SANAtized regime built by his father. He is like a cornered rabbit king pretending he still holds all the symbolic power of the throne bequeathed to him by the Lion of Syria. His eyes betray his claims. He is haunted by his coming end, baffled, not understanding his own role in the House of Horror built by the regime. He cannot conceive himself as the Dracula figure, the Ceaucescu monster, the Stalin, the brute. He cannot grasp what some of his subjects truly think of when they think of him.

What deepens the horror for me is in the interpretation of the reality of these sobering events, as when a proud American like Norman — a doctor — with Syrian blood and pride and love and history in his veins, calling openly for the the Syrian state and its irregulars to intensify its death and destruction in Homs. This to me is stark horror, unleavened by humanity. The shutters have gone down on some minds. It is time for unmerciful war.

It is time for the army to take charge of Homs , declaring a militery zone, surrounding it asking to surrender all arms from everybody, then going house to house and bringing down any building that a bullet comes from as they did in Lebanon, it is time to assert it’s control.That is the only way.

Norman, are you there inside this statement? Is your heart still Syrian or has it become like Lukachenko’s? From your beloved America, you openly call for a kind of Hama solution in your distant homeland? Is that you, Norman, a man bound by his personal oaths to do no harm?

And who is this?

Well, freaks, before you write your priceless whines you may need to take your heads out of each other asses to see reality and to be honest then write something meaningful, but I guess it’s too much to ask from an immature dump talking about vulgarity while his comment start with an A word (how polite) or from the most obvious pathological liar mom SC ever seen.

Whoever this is, it does not resemble the man named JAD whom I remember from my earliest months here on Syria Comment. The JAD I recall did never personally denigrate commenters or accuse entire classes of folks as traitors and criminals. The JAD I remember had empathy and an enquiring mind — he listened to and attempted to understand concerns of his countrymen. He sought a rational, reasoned, peaceful discussion of the best road for Syria.

Now I do not recognize the personality I have watched very sympathetically over the months. I see a rage-filled contempt towards compatriots. I see a person who has let his prejudices and his hatreds overwhelm his reason. It leaves me troubled for JAD himself. How will he be able to understand events in Syria over the next five years if he is trapped in the hall of mirrors inside the House Of Assad? Will all future transitional leaders (as with Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, there will be many) receive his derisive contempt, his unabashed loathing, his militarism and his accusations of treachery and capital crimes? I am left wondering for Syria, wondering if an expat/non-citizen/Westerner like JAD will call for fire and vengeance against all his enemies, all those whom he has never met, never conversed with, never read, never entertained, never shared hopes with.

JAD, how are you going to adapt to the new reality coming to Syria? Will you emigrate from your Western home (or return to your Syrian home) to live and work and study? Will you remain anonymous in the West and curse your countrymen and countrywomen on this blog as Syria moves past the Assad era?

JAD, is it really you calling Tara an obvious pathological liar? Is it you who speaks this language of hate, who demonizes Revlon, who denounces and slurs Haytham, who loathes and despises Radwan Ziadeh, who sees only MB prostitution in the man named Ghalioun?

Syria needs you calm and rational, not half-mad with anger and impotence.

Sabri Ertekin is head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the province of Şanlıurfa in Turkey near the Syrian border. He says that Syrian demand for exports from Şanlıurfa to Syria continued as usual throughout the year until the end of October, but then exports dropped by fifty percent in November (and of course he also says he expects a further very sharp drop now). Meanwhile in the Turkish province of Hatay, exports to Syria fell from $16 million in October to $11 million in November, according to the head of the Antakya Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Southeastern Anatolia Exporters’ Union also reported drops in exports to Syria in November. http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=265099

On 17 Nov 2011 Turkey’s Minister for the Economy, Zafer Caglayan, reported that Turkish exports to Syria rose by 3.7 percent during in the first nine months of 2011, but declined by 10% in October compared to the same period the previous year, and kept on falling in November. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/17/c_131253807.htm
http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1763077

Question for all you experts: What caused the sharp drop in Syria’s imports from Turkey in November? Was it because the Syrian Central Bank was not making foreign currency available to buy imports with foreign currency? If not, then what was it?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/08/syria-bashar-al-assad

Assad the apologetic: the new face of the Syrian regime
Cracks may be starting to show as Bashar al-Assad desperately tries to head off sanctions from fellow Arab states

Thursday 8 December 2011 08.51 EST

Barbara Walters might think she has landed another scoop by interviewing Syria’s beleaguered president, but Bashar al-Assad is desperate for the attention. With its usual, dreadful regularity, the regime’s PR machine is once again in action.

But the Syrian government’s conditional “acceptance” of the Arab League protocols – along with the statements made by Assad in his interview with Walters on ABC News – is the biggest indicator yet that the regime is, at least diplomatically, on the back foot.

The Syrian regime’s counterproposal for the Arab League protocols is effectively a desperate, and last-minute attempt to stave off economic sanctions from its fellow Arab states and cripple the work of any observer missions that the league would send to Syria. Should the amendments be accepted, it is very likely that international observers in some form will be allowed into Syria, but what will ensue is not very hard to predict: a game of diplomatic cat and mouse.

In future, the observers might complain, the league will grumble and the regime might respond. Once this charade continues for far too many times, the Syrian regime might decide to “take offence” at the interference of these observers, and might even decide to find a spy in their midst. The observers might get expelled, a diplomatic standoff might ensue, and then a gradual climbdown would precipitate, allowing the observers back in.

In spite of the clear unacceptability of these amendments, and whether or not the league accepts them, it is very obvious how seriously the regime has taken both its suspension and the imminent economic sanctions it will face from its fellow Arab countries. Assad’s latest interview showed a clearly uncomfortable man trying to deflect the blame for the brutal repression of his fellow countrymen. At one point he said: “I am not in charge of the army” and when asked if he felt guilty, he said he did his best and that somebody who did their best could not feel guilty.

I’ve never seen the Syrian president speak this way before. We are used to Bashar the triumphant, when he called the Gulf Arab heads of state “half-men”. There is also Bashar the comedian, who cracked jokes and laughed at them when he addressed the Syrian people in his parliament at the start of the crisis. But I have never seen Bashar the apologetic. Listening to the autocratic ruler of the Middle East’s most repressive police state say that somebody else did all the bad things, and that he doesn’t own the country but is merely the president, reminded me an awful lot of Muammar Gaddafi, when he famously declared that if he held an official government position he would have waved his resignation letter in the face of the people.

Similarly, Gaddafi once threatened to set the Mediterranean on fire if Libya were attacked, while Assad also promised to unleash an earthquake that would “burn the Middle East” if Syria became a target for Nato. But in spite of the pompous military exercises the Syrian army has just carried out, the regime today has never been more isolated, or more worried.

Perhaps recognising the gravity of the situation that Syria’s regime finds itself in, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, deemed it sufficiently worth the risk to appear in public for the first time in years. Addressing his faithful regiments of followers, Nasrallah reiterated his group’s support for the Syrian regime in the face of what he believes is a foreign conspiracy.

As with the Syrian regime’s desperate attempts to provoke an Israeli reaction by sending unarmed men and women to the Golan Heights earlier this year, Hezbollah seems keen to provoke a reaction by Israel that would galvanise the people against their traditional enemy, thus stripping the Syrian revolution of its momentum.

Up to this moment, we have not seen any high-level cracks appearing in the Syrian regime, presumably because it still looked as if Assad might get away with it. After the events of the past week, this may no longer be the case.

Darryl

Sorry, I did not read your post until now.  Interesting.  I did not know Allepo was the music heart of the ME.  I always looked at Cairo as the leader in music and film production.  After all, it was, I think, Studio Nahas that produced the first color film in the ME.  I have eclectic taste in music as I find myself opened to all different tunes.  I recently can’t stop listening to Enigma’s Mea Culpa. 

Dear Norman#119.

The Iraq example won’t be repeated in Syria. The SNC is aware of that.

Indeed, I was charged by the SNC to devise a reconciliation plan. I already wrote about briefly in one of my articles.

و أما الموالين للنظام و أتباعه فيجب عدم الإنتقام منهم، إذ نعرف أن أكثرهم يتبع النظام بسبب مصالح وقتية أو خوفاً من النظام أو خوفاً من المجهول، إذ إننا لن نتبع سياسة مشابهة لسياسة “التطهير” التي أتبعت بعد سقوط “حكومة فيشي” في فرنسا أو سياسة “اجتثاث البعث” التي اتبعها الأمريكيون بعد غزو العراق، بل سنتبع سياسة مشابهة لتلك التي اتبعها “مانديلا” بعد سقوط حُكم “الأبارتيد” عندما أسس ما أسماه “هيئة الحقيقة و التراضي”، فكل من لم يثبت أنه تورط مباشرة أو أعطى أمراً صريحاً بقتل السوريين الأبرياء فلن يعاقب، أما من اقترف هذا الجرم فإن كان من مناصري النظام أو معارضيه فستتم محاكمته في محاكم رسمية و وفقاً للقانون.

http://haytham-khoury3.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-post.html

I do not share the view that Bashar was in denial or that he was delusional during the interview. Barbara Walters was picked by Bashar and his team to help him deliver a message to his none-Syrian audience. The main purpose was to show the following:

I am calm and relaxed. I can even crack a joke or two. Your sanctions don’t scare me. Neither does the isolation that you think you have engineered against me. The only thing that matters to me is the internal situation. “Some” of my people my not support me but the “majority in the middle” do. I am not stepping down. I am going nowhere. And by the way, I am not giving unilateral orders to the army. This task falls to my whole leadership (I called them government). In case you charge me with crimes against humanity, please watch this interview to hear my rebuttal to the charge. In the end, I know that my enemies want to bring me down on the cheap. This is not going to happen. If you want me, you need to come physically and get me. I believe that you will huff and puff but I am calling your bluff, for I know that you won’t dare bring your foreign boots to my country, the region’s fault line.

«حوار طرشان» بين المعارضة السورية في القاهرة:
الجامعة العربية تحاول توحيدها في إطار «المؤتمر العام»

الأمين العام للجامعة العربية نبيل العربي ووزير الخارجية العراقي هوشيار زيباري خلال مؤتمر صحافي في بغداد أمس
محمد بلوط
حوار سوري ـ سوري معارض في القاهرة يراوح مكانه. لا يبدو أن الدعوات العربية والدولية للمعارضة السورية لتوحيد صفوفها، لكي تنال على الأقل الاعتراف الناجز بها، قد وجدت صدى ايجابيا. ومن دون ضغوط الجامعة العربية، ما كان للحوار بين المعارضين السوريين أن يستأنف قبل يومين في القاهرة، بعد أكثر من أسبوع من انكفاء ممثلي «المجلس الوطني» إلى مهمات أخرى.
والحوار بين طرفي المعارضة، في «المجلس الوطني» و«هيئة التنسيق للتغيير الوطني والديموقراطي»، يدور منذ 20 يوما في العاصمة المصرية من دون أن يحقق أيا من طلبي الجامعة العربية لإنجاح مبادرتها: توحيد طرفي المعارضة في إطار جديد تحت مسمى «المؤتمر السوري العام» والخروج بورقة عمل سياسي أو برنامج مشترك يمهد لتحديد المرحلة الانتقالية. ويعد تحقيق هذا المطلب حيويا بنظر الجامعة لتنفيذ مبادرتها. إذ تربط الجامعة بين المبادرة وبين إشراك المعارضة السورية في بعثات المراقبين على الأرض، وهي مقدمة ضرورية لانتزاع اعتراف من النظام السوري بشرعية المعارضين وبلورة عناصر معارضة للمشاركة في حكومة انتقالية محتملة.
والحوار السوري مغلق، حوار طرشان، لأنه يجري في أجواء لا ثقة فيه لطرف بمن جاء يحاور، ويسود شعور لدى ممثلي «التنسيق»، كما قال احدهم لـ«السفير» بأن «المجلس الوطني يتعامل معهم وكأنه لا يحتاج إلى هيئتهم لكسب المعركة الدائرة في سوريا، وانه يستجيب في حضوره الاجتماعات لضغوط الجامعة العربية لا أكثر».
ويدور حوار الورقة السياسية وشروط الدخول معا في مؤتمر وطني موحد للمعارضة السورية بين وفدين قادمين من توترين متفاوتين. تفاوت توتر شرعيات الخارج والداخل في كل الثورات: التنسيقيون الذين يستمدون شرعيتهم وقوتهم، باستثناء هيثم مناع، من الداخل وسجونه الطويلة «رجاء الناصر، عبد العزيز الخير، وصالح مسلم محمد، سيف حجازي، ومحمود مرعي» وبين وفد الوطنيين الآتي من الخارج «احمد رمضان، وسداد العقاد، ومحمد الهاشمي».
قال احد التنسيقيين إن وفد «الوطني» رفض دعوة «التنسيق» إلى اعتبار «المؤتمر العام السوري»، إطارا جامعا للمعارضة. كما رفض دعوة إلى اعتباره مرجعية سياسية لجميع المعارضة السياسية. وقال إن «المجلس» يرى، كما قال ممثلوه في القاهرة، بأنه بات يتمتع بتلك الصفة، لاتساع قاعدته الشعبية وحصوله المتزايد على الاعتراف الدولي.
ويرى «الوطني» أن المؤتمر السوري لن يكون أكثر من لقاء هيئة تشاورية، تجتمع لإقرار ورقة سياسية وتصور للمرحلة الانتقالية، لكن لا صفة سيادية له كما يطالب التنسيقيون.
ويميل «التنسيق» إلى تكبيل «المجلس الوطني» في اطار موحد ينزع بشكل خاص إلى مراقبة التيار المطالب بالتدخل الخارجي في «المجلس»، والحد من تأثير الإخوان المسلمين في تقرير سياسته، ومنع القطريين من خلفهم من إملاء سياستهم على هذا الجناح الأساسي من المعارضة السورية. ويعتبر التنسيقيون أن الإخوان المسلمين أصبحوا القوة التي تقرر في النهاية ما يجب أن يقوم به المجلس الوطني. فبعد توقف في الحوار لمدة أسبوع اوفد المجلس الوطني «الإسلامي» أحمد رمضان للتفاوض مع التنسيق، (عوضا عن جبر الشوفي وأنس العبدة من إعلان دمشق)، الذي ينعته بأنه الرئيس الفعلي للمجلس الوطني.
وتقدم التنسيق بورقة تقترح تشكيل لجنة تحضيرية من ثلاثة أعضاء من هيئة التنسيق وثلاثة أعضاء من المجلس الوطني وثلاثة أعضاء من الحراك الشعبي وممثل عن المجلس الوطني الكردي وممثل عن النشاط النقابي وثلاثة ممثلين عن الشخصيات العامة. مهمة هذه اللجنة التحضيرية الإعداد لمؤتمر سوري عام يتحدد أعضاءه بين 120 و140 عضوا، على أن يكون توزيع الأعضاء بالطريقة التالية:
– هيئة التنسيق الوطنية 35 عضوا
– المجلس الوطني السوري 35 عضوا
– الحراك الشعبي 20 عضوا
– الأحزاب والشخصيات الكردية 10 أعضاء (رقم مرتبط بالمستجدات التنظيمية الكردية)
– الشخصيات الوطنية العامة 20 عضوا
يعتمد المؤتمر الآليات التي يجدها مناسبة لإدماج مزيد من القوى والشخصيات التي يمكن أن تبرز في سياق الحراك والثورة والحركة الاجتماعية المدنية.
وتكون مهمة المؤتمر إقرار أوراق أساسية تتناول:
1- تقييم الوضع الراهن والبرنامج السياسي المشترك
2- رسم معالم الفترة الانتقالية
3- إقرار المبادئ الدستورية الأساسية لنص مؤسس وجامع لبناء دولة المواطنة والقانون، بنظام ديموقراطي برلماني تعددي وتداولي، يكرس سوريا ديموقراطية مدنية تعددية ذات سيادة.
يختار المؤتمر هيئة رئاسية تتألف من 25 شخصا، تكون لها الصفة التمثيلية، ويناط بها قيادة المهمات التنفيذية المتعلقة بالفترة الانتقالية وفق ما يقرره المؤتمر.
يشكل المؤتمر بهذا المعنى مجلسا تأسيسيا، ويمكنه الاستعانة بخبراء في المهمات الدستورية والإدارية والدبلوماسية المناطة به. وهو ينطلق من مبدأ الديموقراطية التوافقية حرصا على وحدة مكوناته ووحدة الأداء والنضال في الفترة الانتقالية.
وكان المجلس الوطني قد عبر مرارا عن أنه لا حاجة لتوحيد المعارضة، بل أنه لا ضرر من تنوع المعارضة. وقد صرح بذلك أكثر من مرة رئيسه برهان غليون، محددا السقف الأعلى لأي تقارب مع هيئة التنسيق، وهو سقف يبقى بعيدا عن طموحات الهيئة، التي تسعى إلى الدخول في المؤتمر السوري المشترك مع المجلس الوطني، للتعامل معه ندا لند. إذ ترى قيادة المجلس أن تأثير هيئة التنسيق في الحراك الشعبي ضئيل أكثر من أي وقت مضى، وهي قناعة يعززها انضمام المزيد من المعارضين إلى صفوفها، وآخرهم وليد البني في أمانتها العامة، وهيثم المالح في مكتبها التنفيذي، وهي خطوة رمزية كبيرة من قبل احد مؤسسي مؤتمر إسطنبول المعارض. كما أن دخوله المكتب التنفيذي، يجعل من الإسلاميين القوة الرئيسة في المكتب التنفيذي الذي بات يضم 3 إسلاميين من بين 8 أعضاء.
واستنتج أحد قادة المجلس الوطني لـ«السفير» أنه «لا توجد قناعة لدى المجلس بأن عقد مؤتمر سوري جامع أمر ملح وعاجل، ولكنه من الممكن عقد مثل ذلك المؤتمر، بعد التوصل إلى اتفاق على برنامج سياسي مع هيئة التنسيق. وإذا لم نتوصل إلى اتفاق، فإن الهيئة ستضعف تدريجيا، ومع ذلك فإنها ترفض الانضمام إلى المجلس الوطني، وقد طلبت المناصفة في العضوية لتدخل المجلس، وهذا مستحيل».
وخلال الأشهر الثلاثة الماضية أضحت قيادة المجلس في مقدمة المشهد الإعلامي. فباستثناء اللقاء مع وزير الخارجية البريطانية مع «المجلس والهيئة» منفصلتين، يكاد المجلس الوطني ينفرد في التعبير عن توجهات الحراك الشعبي السوري في وسائل الإعلام العالمية، ويحتكر النطق باسمه في لقاءات مع الخارجيات الأميركية والفرنسية.
وتنبع قوة المجلس الوطني كواجهة الحراك الدبلوماسية من ضمه كوادر وأكاديميين معارضين منخرطين في مراكز تعليم وأبحاث غربية، من دون لافتات حزبية معلنة وحادة. وأضفى الإعلام على بعضها صفة الليبرالية الفضفاضة والمطمئنة. والأرجح، أن مسحة من وطنية سورية جامعة ومدنية ومغرية، أضفتها إستراتيجية الكتمان والتقية التي يتبعها الإخوان المسلمون السوريون، ووقوفهم في الظل، خلف الصفوف الليبرالية والعلمانية التي تفتقر إلى تمثيلية حقيقية، بسبب ما تباعد بينها وبين الداخل من تقادم عهد المنافي الطويل عليها أو حداثة بعضها بالمعارضة. وكثير منها يفتقر خبرة مماثلة للعمل في المنافي.
وقال أحد مسؤولي المجلس الوطني إنه يجب الاعتراف بأن «الإخوان» حاضرون في كل الأطر، وهناك «خمسون إخوانيا تجدهم في كل الاجتماعات واللقاءات والمؤسسات». ويشعر المجلس بأنه أضحى أقوى من جميع الأطراف مع تزايد لقاءاته بمسؤولي الدول الغربية، وما يرى إليه اعترافا ضمنيا بموقعه التمثيلي للثورة السورية، ووحدانية هذا التمثيل من دون غيره من أطراف المعارضة. ولكن المشكلة الأكبر للمجلس، كما يرى أحد قادة التنسيق، تبقى أن الإسلاميين هم العنصر الأساس والثابت فيه والليبراليين ليسوا سوى ملحق ضروري للعلاقات العامة «من هنا ما يتردد بقوة بأن المكانة التي حاول غليون أن يكتسبها من فترة رئاسته لم تعد مقبولة، وأن التحضير لما بعده في 15/12 قد بدأ فعلا».

http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?EditionID=2022&ChannelID=47951&ArticleID=909

Assad denied that there were many crimes committed by his goverment.

Assad denied that he is the president and holder of many top jobs, and that he is responsible for his goverment crimes.

Assad denied that the number of death exceeded 5000.
assad denied that he is extremely isolated.
Assad denied that the economy is deteriorating to dangerous level.
Assad denied that the revolution,involve half the country.

Denying all that proves that he is delusional, or he lack all credibilty

العربي: يمكن لسوريا توقيع بروتوكول المراقبين في أي وقت
دمشق والجامعة: رسائل متبادلة تستبعد إعلان فشل الحوار

زياد حيدر
استؤنف الحوار بين سوريا والجامعة العربية اللتين تبادلتا الرسائل الاستيضاحية حول بروتوكول المراقبين، قبيل الاجتماع المقترح للجنة العربية المكلفة بمتابعة الازمة السورية خلال الايام المقبلة، ما يوحي برفض الجامعة ضغوطا خليجية على الامين العام نبيل العربي لإعلان فشل الحوار مع دمشق، ولا سيما انه كرر أمس دعوته السلطات السورية للتوقيع على بروتوكول المراقبين بأسرع ما يمكن إذا أرادت وقف العقوبات العربية بحقها.
وتسلمت سوريا رسميا رسالة من العربي، تتضمن ردا على رسالة وزير الخارجية وليد المعلم، وفقا لما ذكرته مصادر رسمية لـ«السفير». وتضمنت الرسالة «استفسارات جديدة» طرحها العربي بناء على طلب الدول العربية، تتعلق برسالة المعلم الأحد الماضي. وقالت المصادر ان الرسالة لا تمثل ردا بالمعنى السياسي على موافقة سوريا التوقيع على بروتوكول التعاون بقدر ما تشكل استمرارا لعملية الاستيضاح المتبادلة بين الطرفين.
ووفقا للمتحدث باسم وزارة الخارجية السورية جهاد مقدسي فإن «الرد محل دراسة» من دون أن يكون واضحا ما إذا كانت الخارجية السورية ستجيب العربي قبل الاجتماع المرجح للجنة الوزارية العربية في الدوحة غدا. وعلمت «السفير» أن قطر طلبت أن يعقد الاجتماع الوزاري السبت خلال الزيارة التي يقوم بها العربي للدوحة، إلا أن الأمانة العامة للجامعة العربية طلبت أن يتم التحضير له بحيث لا يقتصر على اللجنة الوزارية المكلفة بالشأن السوري. كما امتنع العربي وفقا لمصادر دبلوماسية عربية عن «إعلان فشل الجهود مع سوريا» بناء على ضغوط من دول خليجية، طلبت منه إعلانا رسميا بذلك أمس الأول، خصوصا أن دولا عربية كبيرة كمصر والعراق والجزائر طلبت من العربي «الاستجابة» لرسالة المعلم بشكل رسمي، بما يمكن أن يساعد «على تذليل عقبة التوقيع من الجانب السوري».
وقال مصدر دبلوماسي عربي، في القاهرة، إن اللجنة الوزارية العربية المعنية بالأزمة السورية ستجتمع في الدوحة غدا.
ومن بغداد، قال العربي إن «الامر يتعلق بسوريا الآن، والكرة في ملعبها»، مضيفا «ان الامر يعود اليهم، اذا ارادوا وقف العقوبات الاقتصادية فعليهم ان يوقعوا» على بروتوكول المراقبين. واضاف «يمكنهم ان يأتوا ويوقعوا في اي وقت، وربما بعد 24 ساعة من ذلك سيكون المراقبون هناك»، في سوريا. وذكر ان «العنف مستمر وكل يوم يموت اناس، لكن السؤال عما اذا كان ما يجري في سوريا عبارة عن حرب اهلية لا يمكن طرحه هنا».
وقال العربي، في مؤتمر صحافي مشترك مع وزير الخارجية العراقي هوشيار زيباري في بغداد، إن «سوريا أرسلت ما يشير إلى قبولها المبادرة من حيث المبدأ، لكنها اشترطت إلغاء جميع العقوبات الاقتصادية التي كانت الجامعة قد أصدرتها ضد سوريا في وقت سابق». وأضاف إن الحكومة السورية أرسلت «قبول التوقيع على البروتوكول. والبروتوكول هنا هو الإطار القانوني لبعثة ومهام وفد الجامعة العربية الذي من المفروض أن يذهب إلى سوريا ويشاهد بنفسه» ما يجري على الأرض.
وأضاف العربي إن السوريين طالبوا باعتبار «جميع القرارات التي أصدرتها الجامعة العربية بحق سوريا لاغية بمجرد التوقيع هذا الموضوع». ولم يحدد العربي موقف الجامعة بخصوص المطلب السوري، لكنه أشار إلى أن الجامعة العربية عرضت هذا الموضوع على مجلس وزراء الخارجية العرب «لأنه الجهة التي أصدرت هذه القرارات».
ولم يفصح العربي عما إذا كانت الجامعة تضع موعدا نهائيا لتسلم الرد السوري بشكل رسمي، لكنه شدد على انه إذا كان السوريون يسعون إلى رفع العقوبات عنهم فإن عليهم قبول المبادرة «بأسرع وقت ممكن». وتوقع أن يكون هناك «اجتماع قريب» لمجلس وزراء الخارجية العرب لاتخاذ موقف بشأن الرد السوري. وأشار إلى أن الرد السوري تضمن مقترحا وصفه بأنه غير جوهري، ويدعو إلى أن يكون التوقيع على مبادرة الجامعة في دمشق وليس في مقر الجامعة العربية.
وقال زيباري، من جهته، إن «الحكومة العراقية أبدت مؤخرا رغبتها في الانفتاح على المعارضة السورية أيضا، هذا في سبيل دعم الجهود ودعم مبادرة الجامعة».

http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?EditionId=2022&ChannelId=47945&ArticleId=914&Author=%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%20%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%B1

MAJED,

It is your version against his. His reply would be show me evidence that I can verify. The dead is mostly my army personnel. As to the dead from the people side, they are simply mistake and “tajawuzat” and not ordered policies.

This is the way the charges in your comment will be challenged in Damascus. The interview made this clear.

My dear Ehsani
He is the president, and he should be aware his responsibilties, he should be aware of all those Tajawuzats and mistakes, there is a law which he must be fully aware of, that says all crimes by security forces are not to be punished, this clearly legaly means that he is responsible for those crimes since this law is signed by him.
Do you really believe that he can get away from all liabilities by saying that?

I am merely describing the play book. What I wrote is what I learned from the interview.

WSS,

“Syria needs you calm and rational, not half-mad with anger and impotence.”
Thank you, I agree, Syria needs every Syrian to be calm and rational not only me.

Now to business:
First, I’ll give you some time to do a homework: a research on every comment I wrote since the end of 2007 until today on SC before you write me back a proper and personal apology for each and every false accusation you wrote about JAD in your comment, specifically ‘Hatred’, ‘Vengeance’, ‘call for Violence’, ‘Acting against the freedom of speech’ and finally the ‘lack of Citizenship’, Thank you in advance.

Secondly: Out of respect, I’ll answer your last notes one by one:

– ‘is it really you calling Tara an obvious pathological liar?’
Since when calling out liars become immoral? Simply, don’t lie.

– ‘demonizes Revlon’
Seriously! Do you even read his outrageous comments calling for killing Syrians and sometimes by the name? I guess that you don’t read Arabic.
What’s up with people forgetting the act of lie itself and instead start defending the liar! Again, stop lying and nobody will bother him/her.

– ‘who denounces and slurs Haytham’
I may disagree on some of Haytham’s writings and I publicly criticize some of them but not against him personally as you claim, go read.

– ‘who loathes and despises Radwan Ziadeh’
Oh Please! First I’m not the only one who despise this ‘garbage’ of a politician, besides, let me see you writing about any Canadian in or outside Canada who may think to harm Canada or her Majesty in anyway before you defend this man. I’ll refresh your memory about treason, maybe you forget your country’s rules:

[High treason
(1) Every one commits high treason who, in Canada,
(a) kills or attempts to kill Her Majesty, or does her any bodily harm tending to death or destruction, maims or wounds her, or imprisons or restrains her;
(b) levies war against Canada or does any act preparatory thereto; or
(c) assists an enemy at war with Canada, or any armed forces against whom Canadian Forces are engaged in hostilities, whether or not a state of war exists between Canada and the country whose forces they are.

Treason
(2) Every one commits treason who, in Canada,
(a) uses force or violence for the purpose of overthrowing the government of Canada or a province;
(b) without lawful authority, communicates or makes available to an agent of a state other than Canada, military or scientific information or any sketch, plan, model, article, note or document of a military or scientific character that he knows or ought to know may be used by that state for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or defence of Canada;
(c) conspires with any person to commit high treason or to do anything mentioned in paragraph (a);
(d) forms an intention to do anything that is high treason or that is mentioned in paragraph (a) and manifests that intention by an overt act; or
(e) conspires with any person to do anything mentioned in paragraph (b) or forms an intention to do anything mentioned in paragraph (b) and manifests that intention by an overt act.]

– ‘who sees only MB prostitution in the man named Ghalioun?’
Ghalyoun is a representative of the SNC where the majorities are MBs. He is a public figure as Assad, they both have no choice but to be seen as prostitution of what they represent. Calling for the impoverishment of Syrians, for bombarding Syria, for occupying Syria is unacceptable by anybody regardless of the political position they take.
Should I not criticize the ill doing of anybody just because some people support them?! What logic is that?

Here are the bedouins at at their best:

Saudi Prince in Night Club spends one million dollar

Norman
Bashar said he is president and the crimes are done by his goverment, not by his orders,this clearly indicate that he is not in full control,this should anger those lower rank officials that Bashar is going to blame them for such crimes,in their place I would get angry of Bashar.

بيقتلوا القتيل وبيمشوا بجنازتوة

المجلس الوطني: أزمة انسانيّة حادّة

حذّرت المتحدثة الاعلامية باسم «المجلس الوطني السوري» المعارِض، بسمة قضماني، في مؤتمر لدعم المعارضة السورية في البرلماني الاوروبي، من «أزمة انسانية حادة بما أن هناك أكثر من مليون شخص يعانون الجوع الآن، وفي نهاية الشهر سيكون هناك 3 ملايين يفتقدون المواد الاساسية» في سوريا. وفيما أكّدت قضماني أن المجلس «لا يطلب تدخلاً عسكرياً ولا حظراً جوياً»، رأى القيادي الآخر في المجلس منذر ماخوس أن «لا حل آخر للازمة السورية غير التدخل الخارجي».
(أ ف ب)

Juergen

“If all Syrians would go through public schools i would really worry, but Syrians have always depended on private schools which do offer more than the usual baath and Assad lessons.”

Sorry, but you seem to only know Syrians who went to private schools and are savvy with twitter and Facebook and speak english fluently. I guess because you don’t speak arabic. These are a very small minority.
The large majority of Syrians went to public schools and public universities.
It is certain that Syrians are not illiterate as many Egyptians, and it is due to the history and geography as well as the secular ideology of the Baath party that you decried.
Yet the majority has a strong national Syrian and Arab national identity much stronger than any of its Arab neighbors.
Syrian nationalism is intimately connected to the Baath party as the Baath has tried to instillated this in the mind of Syrians of all ethnicity and religions for 40 years to ensure some kind of unity.
Many Syrians have been shocked and confused about the antagonism and ungratefulness they discovered in Arab countries and are now questioning their Arab identity. If the Baath falls abruptly and the chaos reign, it will with no doubts create another more serious identity crisis and a certain return to ethnicity and sectarism.
The naive are the ones who believe in the ‘constructive chaos’ if Bashar al Assad is toppled.

#117. Juergen

Come on Juergen, Damascus is a world away from East Berlin’s claustrophobic and police atmophere. I wonder if you have ever been to Damascus. It is relaxed, friendly and cheerful city.

Don’t bother JAD, they are all paid slime mercenaries they have no conscious or remorse, they feel no responsibility to being directly responsible for causing the death of more than 4000 Syrians, imprisoning 16,000 in atrocious condition, using them as expandable while they live in safety and earn millions in mercenary’s cash advances. They call Assad to task and held him accountable for shouting demonstrators, but they don’t account for own criminal action of calling on these demonstrator to rebel and kill other Syrians, slit the Syrians who disagree with them throats, cut off their heads, how many time did you read about those orders here on SC, command and even celebration about it on this blog, links to the actual video they proudly showing us, how many of these command given by other platforms and mercenaries leaders. Now, after losing, they are blaming it all on Assad, what a hog wash. If they are not just plain cowards and slimes out for money, they would have been in Syria, leading the demos they are calling from the safety of European capitals. They should be held accountable; they should be identified and reported as International Terrorists. Looooooooooooosers.

And some dude in here, is calling some having “Lack of Citizenship” trying to educate decent Syrians about “Civilities and Civil Responsibility”, Shove it up your ***** we don’t need your retarded crap, sound like U.S. State Department employee that lived all his life in Lala land. Dude check this link out, you need critical and urgent mental help:

#103. louai

Adnan Bakkour: I am so surprised by the silence around this guy. He has no family or friends who ask about him, worry about his disappearance??
Why this silence? It is very mysterious…

Will Hizballah’s Support for Syria Lead To Its Downfall?
By ARYN BAKER | @arynebaker | December 8, 2011 | 

http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/12/08/will-hizballahs-support-for-syria-lead-to-its-downfall/

World leaders are often obliged to walk a thin line between national interest and the projection of a state’s moral values. The Arab Spring effectively put an end to the West’s balancing act as Europe and the U.S. were forced to abandon many of their long-term, authoritarian allies for the uncertainty of the democratic process, buoyed by this year’s monumental uprisings. Similarly, Middle Eastern nations spared their own revolutions are not immune; nor are the regional militant groups that have long depended on the patronage of tyrants. So when Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, in his first public appearance in more than three years, stood up in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday, it surely induced a few schaudenfreude-laced chuckles in western capitals.

Hizballah formed as an armed anti-Israeli resistance group based in Lebanon, but it has come to stand as a stalwart against oppression of any kind in the region, be it Mubarak-era heavy-handed policing in Egypt or President Ali Saleh’s kleptocracy in Yemen. When the group celebrated the Arab revolutions last March, organizers flew Egyptian, Tunisian, Bahraini and Yemeni flags in solidarity alongside their own yellow banners. At that point Syria’s own revolution hadn’t quite gotten off the ground, but eight months, some 4,000 dead and an estimated 15,000 people detained later, Hizballah has yet to say a word against the regime. In fact, Nasrallah denounced the international sanctions, and repeated Assad’s tired canard about foreign influences (read the U.S. and Israel) driving the revolt.

That double standard doesn’t sit well with a new generation of Arabs who say Hizballah is doing exactly the same thing Nasrallah mocked U.S. President Barack Obama for at the beginning of the Egyptian revolution: supporting a tyrant just because of his stance on Israel. “They call themselves the party of resistance, of justice, but where is the justice?” asks Issa Hammoud, a documentary filmmaker who had been a decade-long member of Hizballah, until he left the group a few months ago in disgust over its pro-Syria policy. “By supporting Assad’s regime they are proving they have no morals.” Perhaps. But Hizballah is also demonstrating that self-interest often trumps values. While Iran is the group’s main financial and military backer, Syria provides a vital corridor for the transit of weapons and cash. Should the regime fall, Hizballah looses its strategic depth, says Thanassis Cambanis, author of A Privilege to Die: Inside Hizballah’s Legions and Their Endless War Against Israel. “Without cooperation from Damascus, they would no longer have an air bridge in case of war.”

It’s not so much hypocrisy as practicality, says Lebanese journalist and Hizballah-watcher Omar Nashabe. For Hizballah, resistance embodies both a stand against government oppression and the rejection of Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. And if Syria supports Hizballah’s principal goal, then the group has no choice but to stand with the regime, no matter the fallout. Says Nashabe, “Hizballah’s first priority is to combat Israeli oppression because it considers it more harmful and destructive.”

Hammoud says there are thousands more like him in Lebanon who have become disillusioned with Hizballah for its pro-Syrian stance. Still, it’s not enough to do any immediate damage to the group, which enjoys fanatic loyalty from a large swath of the country that reveres it for its role in ejecting Israel during the civil war. “They are being pragmatic. Even if they loose the support of 2000, 5000 people, they don’t care. What they get from Syria and Iran is far more important.”

That may be the case, says Cambanis, but over the long term it may spell an end to a group whose reputation for unceasing defense of oppressed and marginalized Muslims across the Arab world has transcended class, nationality, sect and even religiosity. In Lebanon, where a Hizballah-led government has been in power since January, it could mean that the group loses politically as coalition members defect. “Seculars, Christians—those who bought into the idea of Islamic resistance. Those folks will get disgusted. They will turn on Hizballah,” says Cambanis. As much as the Lebanese back Hizballah, many loathe Syria, which occupied the country militarily from the end of the civil war till 2005. Many blame Syria for the as-of-yet unsolved assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005.

A lessening of political power in Lebanon would be coupled with decreased relevance throughout the region. For years Hizballah was synonymous with defiance against Israel, particularly for the citizens of Egypt who decried Mubarak’s accommodation of the hated state. With Mubarak gone, and a new Israel policy in flux, Hizballah could find that it no longer dominates the anti-Israel space. “Hizballah is not the only game in town anymore,” says Cambanis. “As a result of the Arab Spring we now have authentic indigenous groups that oppose Israel. Egypt might be moving to a model where they challenge Israel politically without trying to start a war, where they can offer an alternative to armed resistance.”

For Syrians of course, the betrayal is even more sharply felt. During the wars with Israel, Hizballah members and their families sought refuge among Syrians across the border with Lebanon. In many cases they are the same Syrians who are now suffering so acutely from the regime crackdown. To see Hizballah repudiate the anti-Assad resistance is the worst kind of betrayal, says Ahmed Moussa, a spokesman for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. “Hizballah means ‘Party of God,’ but we don’t call them that any more. What Hizballah is doing now is Satan’s work, so now we call them Hezb-e-Shaitan [party of the devil].”

With reporting by Rami Aysha/Beirut

Aryn Baker is TIME’s Middle East Bureau Chief, based in Beirut. Find her on Twitter at @arynebaker. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIMEWorld.

For those of you who insist that sanctions would hurt Turkey more than Syria
 
http://www.todayszaman.com/mobile_detailn.action?newsId=265205

Turkey breaks historic record as exports reach $134 billion

There are some,who believe that the only way to remove Bashar is by foreign intervention,and blaming us that we encouraged such action, Their mental acuity is such low they believe themselves.
There are other ways to kick Booha out,it is called FSA,this is increasing in number that I am not surprised to see them count over 3000 person, they can easily get rid of Booha if they plan it well.

Booha and his father suppressed All parties,the only one that was capable of secretely continue to exist is the MB,that is why the islamists are the only one that can get more representatives in case there is free election, but this will be temporary, as more parties are allowed to exist,Islamists will loose seats and other parties will gain more seats

Memo To: MAJEDKHALDOUN

RE: “…There are some who believe that the only way to remove Bashar is by foreign intervention…”

There’s another way to remove him, Majie. The old-fashioned way. A single bullet to the back of the head. Twenty-three million Syrians will thank you…

Khalid,

It was the Arab gulf supported American Brenner who outlaws the Baath party and disseminated the army,it was not the Iraqi government, the US paid dearly for that mistake with American blood to restore security to the country and stop the civil war,

Majed, if you were a president and were told that there are demonstrations that are destroying public properties, wouldn’t you you ask your security to restore peace and security, i assume that you are as careful as president Assad not to ask anybody to kill the offenders but arrest them, in the field your security forces were shot at and some burned alive, would you be surprised if some demonstrators were killed by accident, would that be your fault or would you be not in control,

You know president Bush was not held responsible for what happened in Abu Ghraib and was not seen as not in control, the offenders were prosecuted and punished and that is what is going to happen in Syria when the crises passes.

#151 Dale Andersen

What don’t you do it yourself or you are too coward? Maybe you should ask you good friends at the Mossad, they would give you some good advices, they are expert in cowardly assassinations.

Norman
Did Bush killed his own people?can you see the difference?

Dale
it is possible

Maybe this is why Algeria is standing with Bashar al Assad

Insight: Algerian Islamists hope for “Arab Spring” revival
William Maclean
http://www.realclearworld.com/news/reuters/international/2011/Dec/08/insight__algerian_islamists_hope_for__arab_spring__revival.html
LONDON (Reuters) – Algeria’s Islamists, in the political wilderness since their last attempt to win power dissolved into civil war, are now trying again, galvanized by the success of their brethren elsewhere in north Africa in the wake of the “Arab Spring”.

Most Islamists in Algeria have been excluded from political life since the conflict, but in the past few months they have shown renewed signs of activity, much of it conducted from exile to dodge the attentions of the Algerian state.

They have set up a satellite television station based in Europe, sent delegations to Arab countries that saw revolutions this year, and made tentative forays into anti-government protests.
{..}

#154 Majedalkhaldoon

“it is possible”

You want to be an accomplice to a murder? If you live in the US or Canada, you could be sued for intent to homicide, you and your dear friend Dale.

Majed,

So it is OK to kill Iraqis by an American president,

anyway Lincoln did, do you see the similarity,

politicians are liers,and they think we are stupid
Clinton said he smoked but he did not inhale.
Corizone said he did not intend to break the law.
Bashar said he is president ,he is not the goverment,they did it.

How Turkish perceive women and religion: a revealing survey of modern Turkey.

“The findings of a 2011 survey by a team of academics from Istanbul’s Bahçesehir University revealed hints about the related Turkish mental paradigm: 33 percent of Turks think women deserve to be beaten; 60 percent (both male and female) think women should obey men and surprise, surprise, 81 percent identify themselves as religiously devout. A separate study in 2010 had found that 25 percent of Turks think it would amount to sinning if women and men worked in the same office.”

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/quit-work-when-married-.aspx?pageID=449&nID=8740&NewsCatID=398

Bahrain sentences 3 athletes for anti-government protests

Three Shiite athletes, national team goalkeeper Ali Said, bodybuilder Tareq al-Fursani and basketballer Hassan al-Dirazi, were sentenced to imprisonment for participating in anti-government protests in Bahrain
…
The three sportsmen were sentenced on charges of illegal congregation, incitement of hatred against Bahrain’s political systems and failing to obey orders banning their involvement in politics.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/bahrain-sentences-3-athletes-for-anti-government-protests.aspx?pageID=238&nID=8765&NewsCatID=364

Norman

How many people died in the London riots at the hands of British army/police ?
The answer is one, which caused the riots which resulted in 5 more deaths non of which at the hands of British security personnel, the riots caused around $400 million in property damage.

Also I’m not sure how the security forces managed to kill 4000 (some) civilians by (accident).

While what happened at Abu Ghraib was terrible, it was done by U.S soldiers to IRAQI prisoners, they were sent there to fight Iraqi’s and yet they were held accountable for their actions. Syrian soldiers are killing/torturing Syrian citizens, their job is to protect Syrians and still none have been held accountable thus far and none ever will as long as Bashar is prisedent. Sorry if I don’t take your word that they will be held accountable, you have no way of knowing that this will happen, or do you want us to take Bashar’s words for it, a proven pathological liar ?

By the way Lincoln fought an ARMY not civilians and he fought because the southern states did declare SECESSION which is not the case anywhere in Syria, HUGE DIFFERENCE … so you can put that sorry excuse to rest. Here freshen up on your American history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_Civil_War_battles

N.K

Wake up, most politicians lie, it does not make them “pathological liars”, it makes them shrewder politicians.

@IRRITATED

It could be that both Majdkhaldoon and Dale Andersen are in possession of this kind of document shown in this link, that is why they speak of killing with impunity. Click and learn:

Irritated

I’m not sure how does that help your case (or his) ? are you admitting he is lying, and that no one will be held accountable for killing more than 4000 Syrians ?

I mean you don’t have to admit it to me, I already know that is the case, but if you’re admitting this to yourself and still support him anyways, well I don’t have anything else to say to you except to starting taking Prozac, the effects should kick in just in time for the execution of blue-eyes.

The FSA and SNC “alliance” in deep trouble

December 8, 2011
Factional Splits Hinder Drive to Topple Syria Leader
By DAN BILEFSKY
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/world/middleeast/factional-splits-hinder-drive-to-topple-syrias-assad.html?_r=1&ref=global-home&pagewanted=print

ANTAKYA, Turkey — Even as the government of President Bashar al-Assad intensifies its crackdown inside Syria, differences over tactics and strategy are generating serious divisions between political and armed opposition factions that are weakening the fight against him, senior activists say.

Soldiers and activists close to the rebel Free Syrian Army, which is orchestrating attacks across the border from inside a refugee camp guarded by the Turkish military, said Thursday that tensions were rising with Syria’s main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, over its insistence that the rebel army limit itself to defensive action. They said the council moved this month to take control of the rebel group’s finances.

“We don’t like their strategy,” said Abdulsatar Maksur, a Syrian who said he was helping to coordinate the Free Syrian Army’s supply network. “They just talk and are interested in politics, while the Assad regime is slaughtering our people.” Repeating a refrain echoed by other army officials interviewed, he added: “We favor more aggressive military action.”

The tensions illustrate what has emerged as one of the key dynamics in the nine-month revolt against Mr. Assad’s government: the failure of Syria’s opposition to offer a concerted front. The exiled opposition is rife with divisions over personalities and principle. The Free Syrian Army, formed by deserters from the Syrian Army, has emerged as a new force, even as some dissidents question how coordinated it really is. The opposition inside Syria has yet to fully embrace the exiles.

Earlier this month, the Syrian National Council, and the rebel Free Syrian Army, which is waging an insurgency against the Syrian government, agreed to coordinate their actions. The move followed concerns by some opposition members that the rebel army was undermining the opposition’s commitment to nonviolence by carrying out high-profile attacks and feeding the narrative of the Assad government that it was being besieged by a foreign plot.

On Thursday, a pipeline carrying oil to a refinery in Homs was blown up, casting a huge pillar of black smoke over the city. The official news agency, Sana, placed blame for the attack on an “armed terrorist group,” the phrase the government uses to describe those behind the uprising. Some activists in Homs suggested that the government was responsible, as part of an effort to besiege the city.

The Syrian crisis has shifted geopolitics in the region, complicating an international response. Turkey, once a close ally, has turned emphatically against the Assad government. But Russia, which has close strategic relations with Syria, and China have blocked all attempts to negotiate a resolution against Syria at the United Nations. Meanwhile, Iran has been forging closer ties with Syria, fueling fears of regional unrest.

Turkish officials say they are hosting the rebel forces for purely humanitarian reasons. “We have no intention of sending arms or fighting groups from Turkey to any other country, including Syria,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said Thursday. “They are in Turkey for their own protection.”

But in recent days clashes at the Turkish-Syrian border between the rebels and the Syrian Army have been intensifying, rebel officials say. The Syrian government said Tuesday that it had prevented 35 gunmen from infiltrating Syrian territory from Turkey. The Free Syrian Army said wounded rebels had been taken across the border for treatment. Turkish officials said there were no military confrontations along the borders with Syria, but residents in the Turkish border village of Guvecci said that in recent days they had heard gunfights through the night.

Syrian activists say the Free Syrian Army is organizing a smuggling network to Syria from inside Turkey to supply soldiers, weapons and medical supplies. On a recent day in Gorentas, a rugged Turkish mountain village near the Syrian border, a group of smugglers was seen packing guns into empty flour sacks before speeding away on motorbikes. Asked where they were going, they replied, “Syria, Syria.”

The Syrian National Council insists that it is the only legitimate representative of the Syrian people, including its armed factions. Its leader, Burhan Ghalioun, met for the first time in early December with the Free Syrian Army chief, Col. Riad al-As’aad, in Hatay, where Colonel As’aad agreed to rein in attacks on Syrian government forces. The Turkish Foreign Ministry, which handles news media requests for meetings with Colonel As’aad, declined to make him available.

During an extensive interview with senior members of the Syrian National Council at its newly opened offices in Istanbul, Samir Nashar, a member of the eight-member executive board, said the Free Syrian Army was emerging as the armed force of the Syrian opposition. But he emphasized that the council’s support for it was limited to providing financing and humanitarian aid, not weapons. “We want them to stay within the limits of protecting civilians, not to attack the regime,” he said. “It is better to coordinate with them than to let them do what they want.”

The Free Syrian Army, which says it has about 10,000 fighters, is too small to fend off the brutal crackdown by the Assad government. Council members said the group was badly equipped, reduced to arming itself mostly with the guns of defectors.

One observer who recently spent two weeks in Syria shadowing the rebels described the army as a ragtag group of soldiers, some as young as 16, who wielded AK-47s and showed up at demonstrations to protect civilians. At least some have positions in caves near the Turkish border and smuggle weapons and supplies under cover of night.

Mr. Nashar said that while Turkey was providing a haven to the Syrian opposition, the Syrian National Council was financed with donations from Syrian supporters and from others in the Arab world. The council operates from a small office in Istanbul. “We don’t have a budget,” he said. “We haven’t even opened a bank account yet in Turkey.”

Senior members of the council said recent sanctions imposed by the Arab League, Turkey and the European Union had proved insufficient in the face of the escalating violence of the Assad government, which the United Nations says has killed at least 4,000 people since protests broke out in March.

A senior defector from the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in an interview that if outside countries armed the opposition rebels, it could inflict serious damage on the Assad government. The official, a former ambassador who fled to Istanbul from Syria last week, said Mr. Assad’s state security apparatus was operating in up to 50 locations in Syria. He argued that surgical strikes, in conjunction with a buffer zone inside Syria put into effect by Turkey, would prove fatal to the government.

Opposition officials said the Free Syrian Army, the Syrian National Council and the Turkish government had been engaged in talks in recent days over the formation of a buffer zone in the event of a huge number of refugees.

Since May, 20,201 Syrians have entered Turkey and 8,424 remain, according to the Ankara government.

But senior Turkish government officials said Thursday that a Syrian buffer zone was a “last resort” and that there were no imminent preparations for any kind of military action.

Mr. Nashar called for a buffer zone to be enforced by Turkey in coordination with the Arab League and the international community.

He said the zone was necessary to protect civilians and the growing ranks of defectors who were finding it difficult to find refuge in Syria. “Assad is running a killing regime, and the world is not doing enough,” he said.

The recent defector from the Syrian Foreign Ministry warned that the Assad government was deluded.

“The regime is living in a bubble and have no sense of reality,” he said. “Like Qaddafi, they will only realize it when the end comes.”

Sebnem Arsu contributed reporting from Istanbul, Daniel Etter from Antakya, and Anthony Shadid from Beirut, Lebanon.

N.K
“advice to start taking Prozac”

You already gave me this advice as if you were a regular user promoting its usage.
Contrary to you I am serene, and I don’t need any drugs.

المرشحون الجمهوريون يدعون إلى شن “حملات سرية” على سورية وإيران

طالب المرشحون في الحزب الجمهوري للانتخابات الرئاسية الأمريكية يوم الأربعاء بشن “حملات سرية” تتضمن أعمال “تخريب واغتيال” بحق سورية وإيران.

وذكرت وكالة الأنباء الفرنسية (ا ف ب) أن ” الجمهوريين الأمريكيين ضاعفوا دعواتهم إلى تنفيذ عمليات “سرية” ضد إيران وسورية, بما فيها أعمال تخريب واغتيال وتقديم مساعدات إلى المعارضة”.

وقال الرئيس السابق لمجلس النواب نيوت غينغريتش, أمام ناشطين, إن “سياسة الولايات المتحدة تجاه سورية يجب أن تقوم على “استبدال” الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد و”بذل كل الجهود بشكل مباشر وسريا لكن دون تدخل القوات الأميركية لمساعدة” المعارضة على قلب النظام”.

وفرضت الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية حزم من العقوبات على النظام السوري, لدفعه الى وقف ما أسمته “العف” بحق المدنيين, كما صعدت مواقفها من النظام حيث دعت الرئيس بشار الأسد إلى التنحي من منصبه, وذلك عل خلفية ما يجري في سورية, كما قام مسؤولون امريكيون بلقاء شخصيات من المعارضة السورية.

وفيما يتعلق بشن عمليات سرية على إيران, أعلن الرئيس السابق لمجلس النواب انه يمكن أن يلجأ إلى “وسائل سرية” ل”تغيير النظام” في إيران”.

بدوره, دعا حاكم ولاية ماساتشوستش السابق الذي بات في المرتبة الثانية بعد غينغريتش في ترتيب مرشحي الحزب للانتخابات الرئاسية المقررة في تشرين الثاني 2012، واشنطن إلى مساعدة المنشقين سرا في ايران”.

وتعتبر دمشق الضغوط التي تتعرض لها من واشنطن بانها جاءت بسبب مواقفها الداعم للمقاومة في المنطقة وتحالفها مع طهران, كما تمارس عدة دول غربية وعلى رأسها أميركا ضغوطات على إيران بسبب ملفها النووي.

وكانت إيران حذرت مؤخرا الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية من التدخل العسكري في شؤون أي دولة في المنطقة، خصوصا سورية.

وتخشى الولايات الأمريكية المتحدة من التحالف السوري الإيراني باعتبار هذا التحالف يشكل مصدر خطر بالنسبة لها ولمصالحها.

سيريانيوز
http://www.syria-news.com/readnews.php?sy_seq=141127

SNP,
Thank you!

Arab League backtracking from its ultimatum habits?

Arab League sanctions on Syria “temporary”
Published Thursday, December 8, 2011
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/arab-league-sanctions-syria-temporary
Sanctions on Syria would be “temporary” and come to an end as soon as Syria signed a protocol to allow observers into the country, Nabil Arabi, Secretary General of the Arab League, said on Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, Arabi said the lifting of sanctions was incumbent on Syria accepting the Arab League’s plan to send observers and end the violence.

“The ball is in the Syrian court. They can come and sign at any time, perhaps 24 hours after that, there will be the observers there. It’s up to them,” Arabi said. “They want to stop the economic sanctions, they sign.”

Arabi also met with Iraqi leaders, who said that they have made efforts to convince Syria to sign the protocol.

“We will exert efforts and discuss with the Syrian government how to remove all the obstacles facing this initiative,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said.

Iraq abstained from a vote on Arab League protocol that imposes sanctions on Syria.

Arabi did not set a new deadline for Syria to sign the protocol, which was initially passed on November 27. Instead, he announced that the League would convene in Qatar on Saturday.

Syria claims it sent a “positive response” to the Arab League’s proposal on Sunday night, allegedly meeting the most recent Arab League deadline of December 4.

The Syrian letter listed a number of conditions and amendments to the original Arab League plan.

Syria previously missed several deadlines imposed by the League that would have averted sanctions.

Nasrallah vows to stand by ‘ally’ Al Assad to the end
December 6 2011
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/lebanon/nasrallah-vows-to-stand-by-ally-al-assad-to-the-end-1.944687
Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday vowed to stand by his embattled ally President Bashar Al Assad to the end

The black-clad leader heaped criticism on the Syrian National Council, the main anti-Assad opposition coalition, slamming the council for aiming to “destroy Syria.”
“The so-called Syrian National Council, formed in Istanbul, and its leader Burhan Galiun… are trying to present their credentials to the United States and Israel,” Nasrallah said.

The Shiite leader’s comments came after Galiun was quoted as saying a Syria run by the country’s main opposition group would cut military ties to Iran, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

{..}

MB DUDES
You are so thrilled about Bashar interview you almost are going to need to pinch youself and come back to reality.you know that the facts on the ground are not going your way and you are trying to get high by smoking burned oil done by your terrorists friends.
MB and extremist islam will never get it right in Syria,one more time they are getting themselves into the same shate:terrorism.All of you Terrorists proxis know very well that your Revolutionists dudes are doing all kind of services:killing,abduction and necotiating release,killing police officers,collaborating with Turks and goat amirs.What you and your terrorists dudes missed is that you thought that by lying to the world and using billions of dollars from beduin money you will be able to convince the world.well you did except one thing:you failed the Syrian citizen one more time.Your opposition band is any thing but honest.They are as hungry for power as Qadafi and Mubark.The Syria citizen is very angry from every one:especially you opposition crooks.Every one failed the syrian citizen,he lost trust in every one,he even lost trust in himself.Turkey the 5 centuries occupier is suddenly turining from prostitute into virgin by plastic surgery.France the quarter century occupier is asking or safe accesses to make sure the old colony will be added to the basket on top of lybia.who really care about the Syrian citizen :no one.Qatar has been using the arabic blood as spiritual drinks to get its low self esteem to a level better than its size.
It is not about love for Assad,it is about hate for the way syria has become.The syrian citizens have seen it happen over and over again,they have seen the garbages dumped all over the middle east,they see it dumped over them,they smell it,they are asked to like it but they don not.Syrians are not Syrians any more,they are Alawi,Sunni,Kurds,christians and druz…Every day passes by Syrian
identity dissolve slowly into the sectarian sea and blood.Syrians are fed up,They hate democracy of death,they hate freedom to bleed..

Syria No Kandahar,

Are you okay?

# 133 – EHSANI2

Right on, Ehsani. You have recounted the sophisticated and cynical strategy the slick western PR agencies would have sold to Assad and co – and charged exorbitantly for, including the cost of securing Walters.

Maybe smart on paper. Except it’s drooping on the vine.

Assad looks unpleasant, weak and implausible. He’s saying confusing stuff. He’s too hard to look at and listen, to unless you’re interested in events in Syria. And non-Syrians who are interested in Syria know the reality.

Most of the rest who saw it would have forgotten it by the next day. All they would remember was how weird he was.

The non-Syrian audiences that matter (policy makers, opinion leaders, media etc) were just creeped out and annoyed by it.

Probably because they hired the same western PR agencies, Gaddafi and Gaddafi Jr said much the same things at various stages as Assad, but more articulately, looking stronger, more decisive, cooler and more confident than Bashar did. Not that that’s saying much – any 10 year old schoolgirl would beat Assad’s effort.

Despite the intention and strategy, Assad’s performance actually makes a sad joke of the meaning of the term Arab strong man.

How humiliating for Syrians to have such a person appearing in public with the name of their country.

Irritated

What kind of Damascus are you talking about? I have been many times almost 2-3 times a year since 2005. If you know what they look like youll see police and muhabarat employees averywhere. I can tell you that such presence is more obvious in Syria than i knew it from my upbringing in East Germany. You know in East germany they at least tried to mingle and played a low profile. In Syria they want to be seen, and ask any Syrian, if something happen they are the first on the street yelling at the folks.

Khaled

The Staatssicherheit or as we said Stasi was overall present, there were an app. 250.000 people working for it and about 180.000 people were working for them secretly. They were very sophisticated, i heard of one opposition women who was so important for them they trained a guy to fancy her, they married and he reported to the Stasi all she did. She found out about it only after the fall of the regime. We had about 18mio inhabitants, and almost for every one existed an folder about the person. You can still see and obtain permission nowadays to read the folder. My parents who had a reputation for being against the regime heistated for long, just this year they asked to see the papers, no appointment was given yet. Many fear that through reading you would be deeply disappointed about people you trust. They penetrated also the church and almost every school, factory had an informant working for the stasi. The interrogation techniques of the Stasi were famous, among the best. Torture was of course abondoned, we even carried the name democratic on our name of the country, but torture was done but i would say more in a smart way. They would keep people imprisoned for days with always a light on in the cell, waking the person up every 20 min so he could not sleep. If they came to the conclusion that you are an enemy of the state, they could alienate your surrounding, make sure you dont get to university or your children. They issued bans for certain people not to work in their field or their profession, and often they took the children away from such enemies in order to destroy the family.

Rafiq Schami is probably the most famous arab author here in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. No syrian knows him, he was born in Maalula and writes all his work about Syria. He wrote a story about Seydnaya prison. He said that Hafez soon after his takeover would invite the Stasi to come to train his muhabarat people in interrogation. So they came with a dozen of german shephard dogs. Schami said that soon after the first ever held prison revolt took place because the imprisoned did not want to be tortured by foreigner who have dogs with them, As a result they really left, but cooperation existed until the end of our regime. There were also fights between the two countries, there was a famous Nazi living in Damascus, and my regime wanted to get this men badly to make a Eichmann like tribunal. Syria hesitated and did not really want to say they hosted an wanted Nazi for many years, at the end they were willingly to hand him over, only the end of our regime prohibited that, so this Nazi could live on for some more years after he died in the early 90s.

There is a famous movie about the work of the Stasi called The live of the others. I am sure one could watch the whole movie in the net.

سومر حيدر – يا بشار يا حبيب الملايين – يا بشار متلك مين انت يا
علي الجبين

The best new pro-regime watan song this year according to my very own taste is by Sumar Haidar, a singer from Latakia who was unknown outside Latakia until he recorded this song. The title of the song is “Bashar is loved by millions”. Here’s his music video for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g4EojAICcg
Here’s a version of it sung at a pro-regime rally in Latakia in October: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J4nJUAMTjQ

The commenter above with the fraudulent name “Syrialover” doesn’t understand that Bashar has a lot of charisma in Syria and also among non-Syrians who support his politics. As it’s said in another popular song, Minhebak Ya Assadna = “We love you oh our Assad”.

Honestly, I think Bashar’s great. My view of Bashar is that he is a very good politician in terms of pure professional politics in Syria, sensitivity to public opinion, responsiveness to public opinion, and ability to sell policies to public opinion, while at the same time he is the figurehead of a vastly bigger government and set of government policies, which in turn is the expression of a bigger societal Establishment. If Bashar died suddenly tomorrow he would be missed, but he’s not indispensible. Vice President Farouq Al-Sharaa would take his place and the very same government policies would be continued. The government would have the same level of popular support as it has today for a few years forward at least, even though Farouq Al-Sharaa doesn’t have as much charisma as Bashar does.

The Syrian Central Bank has devalued its official exchange rate to US$1 = SYP 54.46 and €1 = SYP 73.07. The news is not reported by SANA. Many observers expect a further official devaluation because the Central Bank is still limiting the access of Syrian businesses to foreign currencies and the unofficial market rate is reportedly US$1 = SYP 62.
http://www.banquecentrale.gov.sy/forex/forex-ar/forex-today.htm

http://www.albawaba.com/business/syrian-central-bank-devalues-pound-404361

Bashar Assad is an honest man.

Mister Landis!
By participation rules on your blog unless it is not forbidden incitement to murder!in 151 article !!! directly mentioned the way of murder!

http://www.palestine-info.com/arabic/palestoday/readers/articles/frhanh/7_3_02.htm
مكونات العقل اليهودي :
تقديس شهوة القتل و المتعة في تدمير “الأغيار”

بقلم / الأستاذ عبد الرحمن فرحانة
فلسطين المحتلة

(إن اليهودي معتبر عند الله أكثر من الملائكة و إن اليهودي جزء من “الله” ، فإذا ضرب أممي “إسرائيليا” فكأنه ضرب العزة الإلهية ، و الفرق بين درجة الإنسان و الحيوان ، هو بقدر الفرق بين اليهود و غير اليهود) التلمود.

لا أظن أن تاريخ البشرية شهد نموذجا شبيها بالتكوين الذهني لدى لليهود ، فالبنية العقلية لديهم – سواء منها المستند على موروثهم باعتباره مقدساً أو تراثاً قومياً – مكتنزة بمفردات تطفح بروح العدوان و العنف … ليس ذلك فحسب ، بل فيها تعبير عن متعةٍ في تدمير الآخر و تقديسٍ لشهوة القتل و تحويل لمظاهر الإرهاب إلى طقس ديني .
و مرجع ارتكاز هذا الشر في الوجدان اليهودي يعود لكتبهم الدينية التي تدعو صراحةً لارتكاب الجريمة ضد الآخرين (الأغيار) . فمنظومة القيم اليهودية تعبر عن فطرة منكوسة مكتظة بمفردات تمتد من الادعاء بنقاء الدم اليهودي و قداسته (شعب الله المختار) و التمادي في العنصرية لحد الاعتقاد بأن الرب لهم دون سواهم و ما بقية بني البشر سوى خدم لهم (الغونيم) ، و تنتهي بوجوب قتل الآخرين و تغليف هذا الجريمة بمشروعية و قداسة مستمدة من أهم مصدرين دينيين لديهما : التوراة و التلمود .
و هذه القيم المنحرفة ليست منعزلة عن واقع الحياة في الكيان الصهيوني ، بل هي المادة الأساسية في البنية الثقافية هناك , فهذه المفاهيم الشاذة تدرّس في المدارس الدينية بشكل مكثف ، أما المدارس الحكومية فتدرج مقتطفات منها في مناهجها التعليمية و تبثها في معظم المواد حتى في المواد العلمية . و على امتداد خمسة عقود أنتجت هذه المفاهيم كيانا عنصريا منعزلا – جيتو كبير – اسمه (إسرائيل) رغم كل توابل و نكهات الديمقراطية التي تداخلت في قوانينه و نظمه .
و على صعيد مفهوم القوة ، و هو من أهم مفردات العلاقة مع الآخر ، فبسبب القلق الوجودي و الخوف من الآخر فقد تضخم المفهوم الأمني لدى هذا الكيان ليتدخل في صياغة تفصيلات نسيج المجتمع و بشكل واسع حتى في البنى الاجتماعية المكونة له .
و نظرا للخلفية التوراتية – التلمودية فقد أنتج استراتيجيو هذا الكيان نظرية أمنية و عقيدة عسكرية تستند في جوهرها على الروح العدوانية و تزخر بمصطلحات عدائية مثل : الحرب الاستباقية – الوقائية ، و نقل المعركة لأرض العدو ، و الردع العقابي ، و غيرها .
و كشاهد ميداني على تطبيق هذا الكيان لهذه المفاهيم ممارسات مؤسسته العسكرية الوحشية ضد الفلسطينيين العزل في الانتفاضة الحالية بتنوعها الذي يشمل هدم البيوت بالجرافات و طرد ساكنيها في العراء في البرد القارس ، و تدمير البنية التحتية الأساسية للمدن بالطائرات المقاتلة التي لا تستخدم إلا في حروب الجيوش المتكافئة ، و عمليات اغتيال الأفراد بالصواريخ الموجهة المصنوعة أصلا لقصف الآليات ، و كذلك محاصرة المدن و اجتياحها . كل ذلك تحت عنوان الدفاع عن النفس ، بل الأشد نكاية تسمية هذه الممارسات الوحشية في الإعلام العبري بمصطلحات خادعة لتتوافق مع زيف الديمقراطية الصهيونية مثل : الإحباط المموضع و الطوق المتنفس و الإصابة النوعية و الشدة المنخفضة . و هي عمليات بمسمياتها المختلفة عبارة عن قتل و تدمير استهدفت بنكاً من الأهداف وفق تسمية الأجهزة الأمنية شمل أهم ممتلكات و أبرز قيادات الشعب الفلسطيني .
و فيما يلي مقتطفات من تراثهم الديني الذي شارك بشكل أساسي في تشكيل البناء العقلي و الثقافي للذهنية اليهودية ، و سأحصرها بنماذج من الإشارات الصريحة المتعلقة بمفهوم القوة و استخداماته تجاه الآخر و ما يتصل بذلك :

الأساس العقدي لتكوين الشخصية العنصرية لليهود :
– (بالوجوه يسجدون لك ، و يلحسون غبار نعليك) سفر أشعيا الإصحاح 49 .
– (بنو الغريب يبنون أسوارك ، و ملوكهم يخدمونك ، تنفتح أبوابك دائما ليؤتى إليك بغنى الأمم ، و تقاد ملوكهم) أشعيا الإصحاح 60 .
– (لا تقرض أخاك بربا ، للأجنبي تقرض بربا ، لكن لأخيك لا تقرض بربا) التثنية الإصحاح 13 .
– (و الآن فلا تعطوا بناتكم لبنيهم و لا تأخذوا بناتهم لبنيكم و لا تطلبوا سلامتهم و خيرهم إلى الأبد) سفر عزرا الإصحاح 9 .
– (يقف الأجانب و يرعون غنمكم ، و يكون بنو الغريب حراثيكم و كرّاميكم ، أما أنتم فتدعون كهنة الرب ، تأكلون ثروة الأمم ، و على مجدهم تتآمرون) أشعيا الإصحاح 61 .
– (لأنك شعب مقدس للرب إلهك و قد اختارك الرب لكي تكون له شعبا خاصا فوق جميع الشعوب الذين على وجه الأرض) التثنية الإصحاح 14 .

تقديس شهوة القتل و الإحساس بالنشوة عند تدمير الآخر :
– (الآن اقتلوا كل ذكر من الأطفال و كل امرأة عرفت رجلا بمضاجعة ذكر اقتلوها) سفر العدد الإصحاح 31 .
– (متى أتى بك الرب إلهك إلى الأرض التي أنت داخل إليها لتمتلكها و طرد شعوبا كثيرة من أمامك … و دفعهم الرب إلهك أمامك و ضربتهم فإنك تحرّمهم (تقتلهم) لا تقطع عهدا لهم و لا تشفق عليهم و لا تصاهرهم) التثنية الإصحاح 7 .
– (و قال شاول لتنزل وراء الفلسطينيين ليلاً و تنهبهم إلى ضوء الصباح و لا تبقي منهم أحداً) سفر صموئيل الإصحاح 14 .
– (كل من وجد يطعن و كل من انحاش يسقط بالسيف ، و تحطم أطفالهم أمام عيونهم و تنهب بيوتهم و تفضح نساؤهم) سفر إشعيا الإصحاح 13.
– (ليؤتى إليك بغنى الأمم و تقاد ملوكهم ، لأن الأمة و المملكة التي لا تخدمك تبيد و خرابا تخرب الأمم) إشعيا الإصحاح 60 .
– (ارتخت دمشق و التفتت للهرب ، أمسكتها الرعدة و أخذها الضيق و الأوجاع … يسقط شبابها في شوارعها و تهلك كل رجال الحرب في ذلك اليوم يقول رب الجنود) سفر إرميا 49 .
– (ها أنذا أجلب عليك سيفا و أستأصل منك الإنسان و الحيوان و تكون أرض مصر مقفرة و خربة فيعلمون أني أنا الرب) سفر حزقيال 29 .
– (قل لطائر كل جناح و لكل وحوش البر اجتمعوا و تعالوا احتشدوا من كل جهة إلى ذبيحتي التي أنا ذابحها لكم . ذبيحة عظيمة على جبال إسرائيل لتأكلوا لحما و تشربوا دما . تأكلون لحم الجبابرة و تشربون دم رؤساء الأرض … و تأكلون الشحم إلى الشبع و تشربون الدم إلى السكر .. فتشبعون على مائدتي من الخيل و المركبات و الجبابرة و كل رجال الحرب يقول السيد الرب) حزقيال 39 .
– (و اقلب كرسي الممالك و أبيد قوة الأمم و اقلب المركبات و الراكبين فيها و ينحط الخيل و راكبوها كل منها بسيف أخيه) ، سفر زكريا الإصحاح 1 .

الاعتداء على أرض الغير و تشريع سلبها :
– (إنكم عابرون الأردن إلى أرض كنعان فتطردون كل سكان الأرض من أمامكم و تمحون جميع تصاويرهم … و تخربون جميع مرتفعاتهم تملكون الأرض و تسكنون فيها لأني قد أعطيتكم الأرض لكي تملكوها و تقتسمون الأرض بالقرعة حسب عشائركم) العدد الإصحاح 33 .
– (و إن لم تطردوا سكان الأرض من أمامكم يكون الذين يستبقون منهم أشواكا في أعينهم و مناخس في جوانبكم) العدد الإصحاح 33 .

و رغم غثاء الشر السالف الذكر إلا أن اللوبي اليهودي استطاع بقدرته على التزييف و عبر آلته الإعلامية الضخمة أن يصور اليهود على أنهم حملان بريئة تتعرض لبطش الذئاب العربية . و الأدهى أنهم تمكنوا من شن حملة على الإسلام لتصويره على أنه دين العنف و الإرهاب ، و في سياق هذه الحملة وصل سعار الحملة اليهودية على الإسلام لدرجة أن أحد أبرز حاخاماتهم في الولايات المتحدة هاجم حتى آيات القرآن الكريم و بشكل صريح .
و في المقابل عجز المسلمون عن إيصال رسالة دين الرحمة المنفتح بآفاق عالمية و البعيد كل البعد عن روح العنصرية (الحمد لله رب العالمين) – الفاتحة 1 – ، و الداعي لرحمة الناس كافة (و ما أرسلناك إلا رحمة للعالمين) – الأنبياء 107 – ، و الذي يحترم الآخر المناقض له و يرعى حرمته (و إن أحد من المشركين استجارك فأجره حتى يسمع كلام الله ثم أبلغه مأمنه) – التوبة 6 – ، بل يدعو لبر الآخر المخالف عقديا و الإقساط إليه (لا ينهاكم الله عن الذين لم يقاتلوكم في الدين و لم يخرجوكم من دياركم أن تبروهم و تقسطوا إليهم) – الممتحنة 8 – .

http://www.alwatanu-alaraby.com/News/News.asp?id=334
وحدة الاغتيالات في جهاز الموساد الصهيوني والمعروفة بــ”كيدون”.
فما طبيعة هذه الوحدة ؟
“كيدون” وتعني الخنجر الذي يغمد في البندقية أو (الحربة) وهي وحدة ضمن قسم العمليات الخاصة فى الموساد “ميتسادا” والمسئولة عن الاغتيالات في جهاز الموساد، وتعتبر “كيدون” الوحدة الوحيدة في العالم المجازة رسمياً من حيث تنفيذ الاغتيالات، تتكون من فرق كل فرقة تضم اثني عشر شخصا، وتسمى أيضاً “قيساريا”.

عقيدة القتل لدى”كيدون”:

يقوم الموساد بتدريب عناصر “كيدون “على كيفية التعامل مع السلاح وحماية الذات والاستهانة بالموت ، حيث يتم تدريب المرشحين على كيفية سحب المسدس أثناء الجلوس في مطعم إذا اقتضى الأمر، إما بالسقوط إلى الخلف على المقاعد أو إطلاق النار من تحت الطاولة ، أو بالسقوط إلى الخلف ورفس الطاولة في الوقت نفسه ثم إطلاق النار ، وكل ذلك في حركة واحدة ، ولقد تم التساؤل ما الذي يحدث لمشاهد برئ ؟ ( يقول أحد المتدربين ) : تعلمنا أنة لا يوجد مشاهد برئ في موضع يحدث فيه إطلاق النار ، فالمشاهد سيرى موتك وموت شخص آخر ، فإذا كان موتك ، فهل تهتم إذا أصيب بالجراح ؟ بالطبع لا ، إن الفكرة هي البقاء – بقاؤك أنت ، يجب أن تنسى كل ما كنت قد سمعته عن العدل ، ففي هذه المواقف إما أن تكون قاتلا أو مقتولا ، وواجبك أن تحمى ملك الموساد ، أي أن تحمى نفسك ، وبمجرد أن تفقد هذا تفقد عار الأنانية ،حتى أن الأنانية تبدو سلعة قيمة – شيئا يصعب عليك أن تنفضه عنك عندما تعود إلى بيتك في آخر النهار.

أشهر عمليات الاغتيال التي نفذتها:

امتلكت الوحدة أساليب مختلفة في عمليات القتل والاغتيال كلها تظهر حجم الحقد الذي يخفيه ويظهره قادة العدو الصهيوني ، حيث برزت أوسعها في الرد على عملية ميونخ التي نفذها الفلسطينيون ضد البعثة الرياضية الصهيونية أوائل السبعينيات:

1. في أكتوبر، 1972 م اغتيال الشهيد وائل زعيتر ممثل منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية في ايطاليا كان بواسطة إطلاق اثني عشر رصاصة في أماكن مختلفة في جسده.

2. في يناير، 1973م اغتيال الشهيد حسين البشير ممثل فتح فى قبرص بشحنة ناسفه تحت سريره في الفندق الأوليمبي بنيقوسيا.

3. في إبريل، 1973م اغتيال الشهيد الدكتور ياسر القبوسى أستاذ القانون بالجامعة الأمريكية ببيروت الذى تم تصفيته ب12 رصاصة في باريس كما فى حالة زعيتر.

4. في ديسمبر ، 1977م اغتيال الشهيد محمد الهمشرى ممثل منظمة التحرير في فرنسا الذي يعتقد أنه رئيس أيلول الأسود في فرنسا ، كان الاغتيال بواسطة شحنة متفجرة زرعت تحت مكتبه. حيث رتب عميل الموساد الذي انتحل شخصية صحفي إجراء حديث صحفي تليفوني معه ليعطي إشارة لمفجر القنبلة بالتفجير حين وصول الهمشري مكتبه.

5. في مارس ،1990م قام الموساد باغتيال «جيرالد بول» العالم الكندي الذي قام بتطوير البرنامج العسكري الشهير (الأسلحة المدمرة) لصالح العراق وذلك بغرفته في مدينة بروكسل حيث كان لهذه العملية أكبر الأثر في وقف تطوير هذا البرنامج.

6. في اكتوبر، 1995م اغتيال الدكتور فتحي الشقاقي الأمين العام لحركة الجهاد الإسلامي في فلسطين في مالطا، الذي تم تصفيته برصاصتين اخترقتا رأسه عن قرب من الجهة اليمنى .

العمليات الفاشلة:

1. في 1973م في “وليلهامر” في النرويج قتلت “كيدون” أحمد بوشيخى النادل المغربى الذى كان خارجا مع زوجته الحامل ذاهبا إلى بيته بعد أن ظنت انه حسن علي سلامة قائد عملية ميونخ الفدائية ، وتم اعتقال عملاء “كيدون” من قبل السلطات النرويجية والتي عرفت بفضيحة “ليلهامر”، وبعدها توقفت ملاحقة حسن علي سلامة فترة لتعود من جديد في عهد مناحيم بيجين فعادت فكرة التصفية وكلف مايك هراري للمهمة ، وقضى حسن علي سلامة بسيارة مفخخة بعد 5 محاولات فاشلة حيث أطلق عليه العدو لقب “الأمير الأحمر” لشدة تخفيه.

2. في أوائل التسعينيات قتل اثنان من الوحدة “كيدون” في العاصمة النمساوية “فينا” أثناء ملاحقتهما لنائب وزير الدفاع الإيراني مجيد عبسفور في انقلاب لدراجتهما وارتطامهما في سيارة مسرعة، ولا تزال الرقابة الصهيونية تمنع حتى هذه اللحظة نشر اسميهما رغم مرور 14 عاماً على موتهما ، وقد علقت صورهم في غرفة بجوار إيلي كوهين الجاسوس الصهيوني الذي اعدم في دمشق.

3. في 1997م كانت أول محاولة لـ”كيدون” على أرض عربية هي محاولة اغتيال خالد مشعل رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس برش السم، حيث كانت عمليات الاغتيال تنفذ في الدول العربية بواسطة وحدات خاصة تابعة للجيش مثل “سرية الأركان” أو سيرت متكال والتي قتلت الشهيد أبو جهاد القائد الثاني في حركة فتح في تونس.

أشهر قادتها:

· حجاي هاداس مسئول طاقم المفاوضات في ملف شاليط ، وحسب تقارير أجنبية أنه كان يقود الوحدة عند اغتيال الشهيد الشقاقي 1995م.

· تسيبي ليفني وزيرة الخارجية الصهيونية و رئيسة الوزراء السابقة وزعيمة حزب كاديما الصهيوني ، وفي تقرير فرنسي كشف أن تسيبي ليفني كانت ضمن الوحدة الخاصة التي دست السم لعالم نووي عراقي في باريس عام 1983م.

http://www.just-international.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4960:obamas-risky-oil-threat-to-china&catid=45:recent-articles&Itemid=123

Obama’s Risky Oil Threat To China
A new Cold War in Asia and a hemispheric energy policy that could endanger the planet: it’s a fatal brew that should be reconsidered before the slide toward confrontation and environmental disaster becomes irreversible. You don’t have to be a seer to know that this is not the definition of good statesmanship, but of the march of folly.

By Michael T. Klare

6 December 2011

Tomdispatch.com

Syria Comment’s parallel universe suggests final days coming.

4,000 troops left in Iraq.
UNIFIL bombed in Lebanon.
Roads closed to Turkey.
Arab dogs coming to kiss our ass.
Iran controlling America’s air force by remote.
Russia and China gearing up for WW3.
Bashar mocks the UN.

It’s over for you all, even this highly edited interview (the original in which he completely OWNS her) will not save you. I don’t know what the government was thinking allowing a non-live interview. It shows a high degree of incompetence in some quarters — this is why we’re in this mess and with democracy people like me will be voted into power, finally pushing the stake directly into heart of the zionist vampire state.

Welcome to the New Syrian Century. You played with the gate of the Sun, now you will feel the flames of hell.

Secret Weapon NewZ

Syrian Commando,

You will not win! Israel has a secret weapon!

http://www.israellycool.com/2011/12/05/israels-mona-lisa-weapon/

The chances of a balanced US policy in the Middle East are not better than the chances of Ruby wearing a Hijaab and performing Ramadani religious songs. US presidents since 1967 had to consult with jewish leaders inside and outside the US before they make any decision about the middle east,and every time they “forget” to follow that routine you hear about a “crisis” in US-Israeli relations that usually end with a sorry gesture from uncle Sam and a payment to Daddy JuJu.
BB and the Lebanese president did not meet with father Feltman for entirely different reasons.

وجّه مساعد وزيرة الخارجية الأميركية لشؤون الشرق الأدنى، جيفري فيلتمان، رسالة طمأنة إلى إسرائيل عبر كشفه عن تفاهمات توصل إليها مع القوى السياسية المصرية، ومن بينها حركة الإخوان المسلمين، تقضي باحترام اتفاق السلام بين القاهرة وتل أبيب. وكشف فيلتمان، في تصريحات خاصة أدلى بها إلى صحيفة «يديعوت أحرونوت»، أن الإدارة الأميركية تجري حواراً مع «قادة حركة الإخوان المسلمين»، معتبراً أن «هذا جزء من البزنس السياسي الخاص بنا مع القاهرة». وأضاف موضحاً «نحن نعمل إزاء كل الجهات السياسية التي لا تؤيد العنف في مصر، ومن خلال الحوار توصلنا معهم إلى تفاهم على أن يحترموا اتفاقية السلام مع إسرائيل. ولقد تولّد لدينا الانطباع بأنهم يدركون أهميتها، ونحن نوضح لهم الفائدة الكامنة في الاستقرار الذي تمنحه الاتفاقية لبلادهم».

ورداً على سؤال بشأن النتائج التي حققتها التيارات السلفية في مصر، والتي فازت بنحو 20 في المئة من الأصوات في الجولة الأولى من الانتخابات، أقرّ فيلتمان بمفاجأة واشنطن من هذه النتائج، مشيراً إلى أن «هذا أحد المواضيع التي سوف أبحثها مع المسؤولين الإسرائيليين. يوجد بيننا وبينهم تنسيق وشراكة استراتيجية ممتازة، وفي ضوء التغييرات التي تشهدها المنطقة يجب أن نتبادل المعلومات والتقديرات وأن نفكر كيف نتحرك إلى الأمام. يحظر علينا أن نتمسك بالحنين إلى الماضي».

ولدى تطرقه إلى حزب الله، فإن فليتمان ـــ بحسب يديعوت ـــ «بدا مختلفاً كلياً، وعلى نقيض المقاربة الدبلوماسية التي يظهرها حيال الإخوان المسلمين في مصر». وشرح السفير الأميركي السابق في بيروت موقف إدارته من الحزب قائلاً «إن حزب الله هو منظمة لا نتعامل معها. إنه منظمة إرهابية شاركت في الانتخابات، وعندما لا يعجبهم الواقع، فإنهم يفرضون رغباتهم بالقوة والعنف».

وكان فيلتمان قد قام خلال الأيام الأخيرة بجولة إقليمية شملت كلاً من الأردن ورام الله والقدس المحتلة، حيث التقى بالملك عبد الله والرئيس محمود عباس ومسؤولين إسرائيليين، من ضمنهم المدير العام لوزارة الخارجية رافي باراك وقيادة مجلس الأمن القومي الإسرائيلي. ولأسباب غير واضحة لم يلتق فيلتمان برئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتيناهو، إلا أنه قال لـ«يديعوت» إنه أصلاً لم يطلب لقاءً كهذا.
ووصفت الصحيفة فيلتمان بأنه مطّلع جداً على النزاع الإسرائيلي الفلسطيني، مشيرة إلى أنه عمل في الماضي في السفارة الأميركية في تل أبيب وشغل بعد ذلك منصب القنصل العام الأميركي في القدس الشرقية. وعن الجزء المتعلق بهذا النزاع من زيارته، أوضح فيلتمان أنه أتى إلى القدس ورام الله «لكي نفحص كيفية إطلاق المفاوضات المباشرة بين إسرائيل والفلسطينيين، لأن ذلك هو الطريق الوحيد للوصول إلى حل الدولتين»، مكرراً الموقف الأميركي بالقول «نحن نوضح للفلسطينيين أنه لا يوجد طرق مختصرة غير المفاوضات المباشرة، وأن توجههم إلى الأمم المتحدة لن يجعلهم يحصلون على دولة».

وبحسب رأي فيلتمان، فإن الرئيس باراك أوباما شخّص أن الموضوع الأهم بالنسبة إلى الإسرائيليين هو الأمن، فيما النقطة المهمة لدى الجانب الفلسطينيي هي المسألة الجغرافية، وقال في هذا السياق «ينبغي تفعيل الوساطة والتغلب على أزمة الثقة في الجانبين والقيام بعمل جدّي. الإدارة الأميركية لديها أيضاً إحباطات في هذا الموضوع. أنا أسمع شكاواكم من أن الفلسطينيين لا يعالجون الموضوع الأمني بجدية، وفي الجانب الثاني أسمع الفلسطينيين يشتكون من أنكم غير جديين في أفعالكم وتصريحاتكم في المسألة الجغرافية، ولذلك تحدث الرئيس أوباما عن الحدود التي يجب أن تستجيب لحاجات الفلسطينيين إلى الدولة، إلا أنهم يرون كيف أن الأرض تتقلص بسبب المستوطنات والبؤر الاستيطانية».

وفي الموضوع الفلسطيني الداخلي، أعرب فيلتمان عن اعتقاده بأن المصالحة بين فتح وحماس لن تتحقق. وقال «على مدى أعوام سمعنا تصريحات وشاهدنا لقاءات، إلا أن الفجوات العميقة بقيت على حالها، وهي تمثّل عقبة أمام المصالحة الحقيقية». وأضاف «لقد أوضحت أمس لأبو مازن موقفنا في هذا الخصوص: نحن نتفهّم تطلّعكم إلى الوحدة، إلا أنكم لن تحصلوا على دولة إذا تشاركتم مع منظمة إرهابية. وفي نظرنا، حماس هي منظمة إرهابية».

ووفقاً ليديعوت، فإن فيلتمان فضّل تسمية «الربيع العربي» بـ«التغييرات في العالم العربي»، مركّزاً حديثه في هذا الخصوص على ما يحصل في سوريا. وفي هذا الإطار، رأى أن الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد «أداة إرهابية للإرهاب الإيراني، وعليه أن يتنحّى فوراً».

There is an article in Al Quds says

وسائل اعلام: إزالة زوائد حميدة من أمعاء أردوغان ولا اثر للسرطان
It looks like Mr. Erdogan has Villous adenoma, a precancerous lesion, and he had segmental resection.he will need two weeks at least to recover,of course we do not know the whole truth yet, this is only leaks.
This is why changes in Syria has been delayed.

Norman
I answered you that Iraq blood is more important than Bush blood, and I hope Bush will be tried for his lies, I am not fond of Saddam, he got what he deserve,he was a dictator and I am always for freedom and against all dictators.
Lincoln was killed by assasin.
The moderator canceled my comment previously.

Revlon Majed Tara,

What is the theme of this Friday ? Thanks!
.

So,majed,changes in Syria are linked to Erdogan’s internal organs?
This is an interesting article on a militant Jewish group in Israel:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/09/israelis-gender-segregation-musical-protest

I wonder what little Hafez had today for breakfast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm89qKRDx-I
.

الثورة السورية: من النضال الوطني إلى المتاهة الطائفية
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/27201

Ghufran,

There is no government gender segregation in Israel except among the religious who prefer to live that way. And the religious are not very “militant”. Most do not serve in the army.

If a religious group wants to hire buses that serve only men or women, that is their right. You should know that women in Israel, by law, are free to pursue whatever they want (ref. Post 183).

As usual, many here and in the press whine about a country that is far more freer than the countries they live in.

American Jews are getting sick and tired of Israeli Jews accoding to mondoweiss;-

Israel isn’t good for the Jews anymore. That’s the news from New York.

It happened in the last week, or the last two years. A feeling has taken root deep in the American Jewish community that Israel is hurting us, hurting our standing in the world and our future.

The restrictions on democracy, the curbs on women, the intransigence vis-a-vis the Palestinians when Obama has demanded movement, the indifference to the Arab Spring– Israel is a society we no longer recognize as Jewish like we’re Jewish, and worst of all, its militarism is exposing American Jews to the accusation that we are dually loyal. And we don’t like that: We’re Americans.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was clearly the oafish ad campaign that targeted Christmas and intermarriage– the ad campaign that Netanyahu cancelled. Even rightwing Israel lobbyists were stunned by how clueless the ad campaign was. But it was an expression of genuine Israeli attitudes. And that is what’s so scary.

An awakening finally to the truth that you can fool some of the people some of the time but its impossible to fool people all the time.

@ 191

Can you please post the link. I would like to send it to my Israel friends

What does Ankara mean? aren’t they tired of the same rhetoric again and again? why do they feel an urge to repeat the same thing again and again?

‘Ankara won’t allow Syria to threaten security’
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND REUTERS
12/09/2011 14:43
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=248834

Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu says his country does not want to intervene in Syria but is ready for “any scenario.”

ANKARA – Turkey cannot stand by and watch if Syria’s crackdown on a popular uprising puts security in the region at risk, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday.

While Ankara has no desire to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs, it has a duty to tell Damascus “Enough!” if it puts Turkey’s security at risk by fighting its own people and forcing people to flee the country, he said.

RELATED:
Assad denies responsibility in Syrian crackdown
Syrian troops near Turkish border, refugees flee

Turkey, which has the second-largest army in NATO, said last month it did not want any military intervention in Syria but that it was ready for “any scenario” including setting up a buffer zone inside Syria.

Turkey, which has become increasingly critical of its one-time ally, fears that an all-out civil war based on sectarian lines in Syria could spill across its borders and spark tensions among Turkey’s own people.

“Turkey has no desire to interfere in anyone’s internal affairs but if a risk to regional security arises then we do not have the luxury of standing by and looking on,” Davutoglu told reporters in the Turkish capital, referring to Syria.

“If a government that is fighting its own people and creating refugees, is putting not only their own security at risk but also that of Turkey, then we have a responsibility and the authority to say to them: ‘Enough!'” he said.

Muslim Turkey was once one of Syria’s closest regional allies, and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had built a strong rapport with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

How the media works: they invite someone, they ask questions then they cut out the answers the way they wanted just to make their case valid, it’s never about the opinion of the people they invite.
The sad thing is that they have a vote at the end making this whole struggle only about Assad!
4000 people didn’t die for ‘him’, every and each person of theses Syrian souls we lost have his/her own reason that drove them out to the streets, some went out asking for freedom, others went out asking for democracy, some were asking for a better economy, or asking for dignity, terrorists went out having riffles to stir violence for money, the Syrian soldiers went out to protect Syria, and some where simply passing by.
The truth is that most of these Syrians we lost were there for something they believe in and want so dearly so they gave their life for regardless of who they are, being Soldiers or Civilians or even the terrorists, and it wasn’t about a ‘person’, yet the media keep shrinking it to ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ Assad. I guess the fair west never liked to show the truth, it’s not attractive enough.

“In this debate with Ms. Rafif Joeijati, spokesperson of the Local Coordination Committees, on Voices of Merica, I learned a very important lesson: Never go with VOA in a recorded show again. VOA cut out more than half of what I said, which not only weakened my argument, but also made me sound like I did not know much about the crisis. Here is a summary of what was edited out:
1- The answer regarding the president taking responsibility, and the comparison with Kent State Shooting and Iran-Contra.
2- The answer about Hamza Al Khateeb.
3- Daraa Children.
4- Banias Ambush April 11th.
5- WHY I don’t trust the observatory. VOA conveniently let me say I don’t trust it, but they deleted the part when I explain WHY! They completely edited out the part about documented cases that proved to be fabricated, and the part about being documented does not necessarily make it true.
6- When I mentioned casualties from the other side in my answer regarding responsibilities, and I why is no one interested in who is responsible for those? Also another mention of these casualties has been deleted.

I guess more than half of what I said did not sound important enough to Davin to be included. I wonder why I was invited in the first place if that’s the case. This also gives me a good idea about how Barbra Walters handled President Assad’s interview. So this is how you run recorded interviews Davin? I am a bit disappointed.”

http://middleeastvoices.com/2011/12/at-issue-debate-do-you-support-or-oppose-syrias-bashar-al-assad/

New York NewZ Flash

Israel isn’t good for the Jews anymore. That’s the news from New York.

Ghat Al Bird,

Are you saying the powerful Israel-lobby is no more? We’ll have to tell this to Walt and Mearshimer so they can prepare for a new job.

Even Ghalyoun doesn’t trust the FSA work and he knows that they will lead Syria to hell:

رئيس المجلس الوطني برهان غليون يطالب الجيش السوري الحر بوقف عملياته ضد الجيش، ويتخوف من حرب أهلية
فيينا /رويترز/

قال زعيم المعارضة الرئيسية في سوريا انه طلب من المنشقين العسكريين ان يقصروا عملياتهم على الدفاع عن المحتجين المناهضين للحكومة لكنه ابدى خشيته من الا يكون لديه النفوذ الكافي لمنع وقوع حرب اهلية
وقال برهان غليون زعيم المجلس الوطني السوري انه حث قائد الجيش السوري الحر الذي ينضوي تحت لوائه المتمردون المسلحون على وقف العمليات بعد ان شنوا سلسلة هجمات على القوات الموالية للرئيس بشار الاسد
وقال غليون في مقابلة اجرتها معه رويترز في وقت متأخر امس الخميس//نشعر بالقلق من الانزلاق نحو حرب اهلية تضع الجيش الحر والجيش الرسمي في مواجهة كل منهما للاخر// واضاف //نريد تفادي نشوب حرب اهلية باي ثمن//
وفي الشهر الماضي هاجم منشقون عن الجيش قوات الامن ودمروا جزءا من قافلة مدرعة وفتحو النار على مركز للمخابرات على اطراف دمشق وقتلوا ستة طيارين في قاعدة للقوات الجوية
وقال غليون انه طلب من قائد الجيش السوري الحر العقيد رياض الاسعد ان //يقصر انشطته على حماية المتظاهرينوألا يشن مطلقا هجمات او عمليات ضد قوات الجيش السوري// وقال غليون ان الاسعد وافق على ذلك لكنه اصر على ان ما يقوم به الجيش السوري الحر هي //عمليات دفاعية//
وأضاف غليون //امل ان يفي بوعده وان من الضروري لنجاح ثورتنا الحفاظ على طبيعتها السلمية وهو ما يعني القيام بمظاهرات شعبية// وتابع //لا نريد التحول الى ميليشيات تحارب ضد الجيش//
وتقول الامم المتحدة ان 4000 شخص على الاقل قتلوا في الحملة التي يشنها الاسد ضد المحتجين الذين شجعتهم انتفاضات في تونس ومصر وليبيا وتنحي السلطات السورية باللوم في العنف على جماعات مسلحة وتقول ان 1100 من الجنود والشرطة قتلوا منذ اندلاع المظاهرات في مارس اذار
ويزور غليون فيينا لحشد التأييد لمجلسه المعارض الذي يضم 260 عضوا وتشكل في اسطنبول قبل ثلاثة اشهر
وقال ان التدخل الاجنبي في سوريا قد يكون حتميا اذا استمرت اراقة الدماء لكنه اوضح ان الاسد سيتحمل المسؤولية اذا حدث ذلك
وقال //تقع على النظام الحالي مسؤولية تجنب وقوع حرب اهلية وتعني وقوف جيش ضد جيش وتدخل عسكري يريد الجميع تجنبه//
ومضى يقول //اعتقد ان مسألة /التدخل/ ليست متروكة لنا لنطلبها لكنها ستحدث من تلقاء نفسها على اية حال اذا واصل النظام قتل المئات يوميا فلن يستطيع المجتمع الدولي ان يقف ساكنا ولا يفعل شيئا//
وتحدث غليون امام نحو 500 من انصاره في فيينا امس الخميس وأكد غليون الذي كان محاطا بحراس على اهمية وحدة المعارضة والمظاهرات السلمية
ويرأس استاذ الجامعة مجلس المعارضة الرئيسي ولكن ليس واضحا مدى النفوذ الذي لديه على المحتجين داخل البلاد او الدور الذي سيقوم به في سوريا اذا اطيح بالاسد
وسئل عما سيفعله لمعالجة مخاوف الاقلية من المسيحيين والعلويين والاكراد في سوريا بعد الاسد فقال غليون ان الشعب السوري موحد وان على اي حكومة مستقبلية ان تحافظ على المساواة في الدولة التي اغلبها من السنة
وقال //بعد التوترات التي جلبها النظام للشعب فان هناك حاجة لتعزيز المشاعر الوطنية من خلال وضع خطة لدولة ديمقراطية علمانية تحترم جميع مواطنيها وتجرم جميع اشكال التمييز العرقي او السياسي او الديني//
وقال غليون انه يعتقد ان نظام الاسد سيسقط ولكن من المستحيل التكهن بموعد حدوث ذلك وقال //لا أحد يستطيع ان يقول /متى/ اعتقد انه فقد شرعيته تماما كرئيس// وأضاف //امل ان يتخلى عن السلطة بنفسه//

Turkey starting to backtrack…

Turkey tells Assad to punish ‘murderers’ of opposition
Friday,December 9 2011,
ANKARA – Agence France- Presse

Turkey urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday to punish the “murderers” of anti-regime protesters and accept observers proposed by the Arab League.

“If he (Assad) is now sincere, he will immediately punish the murderers and accept Arab League observers. He still has such an opportunity,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told reporters.
..
Davutoğlu said Assad’s remarks were a kind of “confession”.

“He now accepts that security forces might have made a mistake,” said Davutoglu. “I wish he had said this in April.” Assad told veteran ABC News interviewer Barbara Walters this week that security forces belonged to “the government” and not him personally.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-tells-assad-to-punish-murderers-of-opposition.aspx?pageID=238&nID=8804&NewsCatID=338

The AKP without Erdogan would desintegrate

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/good-wishes-for-erdogan-and-turkey.aspx?pageID=449&nID=8735&NewsCatID=425

“The apparent cacophony coming out of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group regarding many headings – but particularly the vetoed law on rigging in football – demonstrate in all bitterness that if the glue of the AKP, that is Erdoğan, was to be taken out, probably the AKP would disintegrate and vanish into thin air. Indeed that was one important reason that even die-hard opponents of Erdoğan and his single-handed autocratic style of governance have started praying for his quick recovery and good health.
{..}

Zoo

Was that a typo? He is giving contradictory statements otherwise.

The things the President does not know about and is not responsible of :

The Techniques of Torture in the Prisons of Syrian Security Forces
Posted December 9, 2011 by bandannie
Hedaya Aburwein
REMEMBER SYRIA
SNN | #Syria:
The following report shows a condensed summary of the techniques of torture adopted in the prisons of the Syrian security forces during the last nine months of the popular uprising in Syria. It is based on written testimonies of some released detainees, who do not know each other, where the technique of torture is documented in the below summary only if three detainees agree unanimously on the fact that they were subjected to this kind of torture.

All the written testimonies of the former detainees are saved at the the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in London.

The following is a summarised presentation of the first part of the techniques of torture adopted in the prisons of Syrian security forces since the beginning of the popular uprising in Syria on March 15th, 2011, which will be followed by the second and third parts in the near future:

1 – Electric Shock: where the live electric cable is put, after separating the copper small wires which comprise the element that transfers electricity within the plastic sheath of the cable, and spreading it on a distance that ranges from 5-10 cm in order to be used to stun the detainee electrically on the ears, nose, mouth, body parts, trunk, and the genitals of the detainee.

2 – Torture in the Wheel: where the detainee is put inside two large vehicles’ wheels, in a position that his backside is down, his hands are tied behind his back, and only his head and feet are on the wheels as to be beaten up on his face and feet until they bleed, and then they shift to another way of torture.

3 – Torture With Metal Chair: it is a metal chair frame that has got no seat, where the detainee is enforced to sit on it in a position in which his backside is limited to the boundaries of the seat metallic frame after it gets down near the ground so that makes all parts of his back and the back side of the legs and thighs exposed to brutal beating with the so-called quadripartite cable, which is a thick stripe used to conduct the high voltage electricity with a diameter that is more than 5 cm whose tip that is used for torture is stripped so that the small copper wires become cutting tools which tear up the skin of the detainee when he or she is beaten up with it.

4 – The Tying Up, Kicking, and Booting: where the two feet of the detainee are tied up, his hands get tied behind his back, and he is put on the ground as to be kicked and booted with the huge military boots worn by the investigators on all parts of his body, with a special focus on kicking the chest and the genitals of the detainee until they get swollen as a result of the inner bleeding and become several times bigger than their normal size. In many cases, the detainee vomits blood due to the dangerous visceral lacerations at the level of the gastrointestinal and respiratory track that occur as a result of such violent beating.

5 – Torture by the struggle with the wedged cat: it is a technique mainly used with female detainees in order to avow some information about the places where the activists are hidden. This happens by unclothing the woman of all her clothes, and enforcing her to get into a large bag of cannabis usually used to transfer compost or forage in Syria, and then letting a big cat in and wedging it with the detainee in the same bag so that the cat uses all of its claws and canine teeth in an attempt to get out of the bag in which it is wedged, the thing that causes absolute surficial and deep wounds on the whole body of the detained woman.

6 – Pincer Technique: it happens through using the pincer that builders use to root out the nails from the wooden stems used for construction, where such pincer is used first to pluck out the hair of the detainee’s head, uprooting his nails one by one, and then rooting out his teeth. This technique is mostly used with the children between 14 and 18 years old.

7 – Urinating in the detainee’s mouth: where the warder enforces the detainee to open his mouth so that the warder can urinate in it, and enforces him to swallow the urine.

8 – Burning Technique: it happens by extinguishing cigarettes smoked by the warders in the detainee’s body, in addition to using cigarette lighters to burn different parts of the detainee’s body, especially the most innervated areas like the genitalia and the breasts.

9 – Deaf Technique: it is based on the violent and repeated slapping of the detainee on the area of the ear until the eardrum is torn up and the ear of the detainee starts bleeding, and then he becomes deaf as a result of the intense bleeding that occurs in the middle ear of the detainee that has been exposed to the severe contusion.

10 – Roasted Thicken Technique: it happens through tying up the hands of the detainee behind his knees, and then inserting an iron rod, of the type used in the concrete construction, under his armpits, and then the detainee gets hung on a special holder of that technique so that the warder pushes the detainee from time to time to fluctuate and suffer from an intense pain due to the friction of the metal rod with his armpits. The detainee is left in such position for long hours that may last 20 hours a day.

11 – Ghost Technique: it means transforming the detainee into a ghost. This occurs through putting handcuffs on the detainee’s hands and hanging him to the ceiling of the investigation room, in a position where his feet do not touch the ground. He is left as such for long hours of up to 20 hours a day. This leads to the paralysis of hands due to the stretch and contusion of hands’ nerves. It causes dangerous dislocations on the joints of the hands and irreversible deformations as a result of this type of torture. It should be noted that this kind of torture is the most common, and it is used almost with all detainees without exceptions.

12 – Wind Carpet Technique: it occurs by putting the detainee on a plank in the mid of which exist joints that allow the folding of the board so that the detainee’s hands and feet get tied to the front and back of the plank, and his face on the ground of it. Then, the front side of the plank is lifted as to fold it so that the body of the detainee gets folded until the backside of his head touches the heel of his feet. This leads to a dangerous stretch in the ligaments and nerves of the spine, which results the most dreadful kind of pain a person can suffer from, the thing that causes an entire paralysis to the detainee for a period of not less than four days, and leads in many cases to the death of the detainee during this type of torture.

13 – Flask Technique: includes the enforcement of the detainee to take off his clothes from the chest down, and enforcing him to sit on a glass flask, where the upper side of the glass flask gets inserted in the detainee’s anus, and he is enforced to remain in such position until he loses conciseness as a result of the bleeding that occurs due to the tear and rupture of the tissues because of the stretch they were exposed to as a result of the wedging of the flask in the anus of the detainee.

It should be noted that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has been able to document 204 cases of death under torture of the detainees. This documentation includes all obtained details by direct testimonies from the victims’ families and the doctors who wrote the death certificates of the detainees or had examined them before their burial.

In the following table, there is a condensed summary of the information available at the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights concerning the detainees who died under torture in Syria since the uprising erupted on the 15th of March 2011 , among them were eight children and a woman. To have a look at the table in Excel format, please click on the link below:

http://syriahr. org/204-Victims-Killed-by-Torturing-Nov-2011.xls

As for the geographical distribution of the number of detainees died under torture, they were as follows:

– Homs province 112

– Damascus and Damascus countryside provinces 22

– Idlib province 19

– Hama province 12

– Dir Zour province 5

– Aleppo province 3

– Latakia province 4

– Daraa province 27

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights asserts that all documented written testimonies of those who were exposed to torture in the Syrian security branches by using the above techniques of torture doubtlessly affirms that the violations of human rights taking place in Syria actually amount to be considered as crimes against humanity that should be referred to the International Criminal Court without any hesitation or delay that may raise scepticism about commitment of the international community to refer everyone who may be contributing to the crimes against humanity in Syria to the International Criminal Court as it was previously the case, and a lot faster, with the similar crimes committed by Gadhafi former regime in Libya.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
London December 5th, 2011

196. zoosaid:
Turkey starting to backtrack…

“He now accepts that security forces might have made a mistake,” said Davutoglu. “I wish he had said this in April.”

Davutoğlu is four months behind the time.

Aug 11, 2011….Syrian President Bashar al-Assad responded to growing criticism about his deadly five-month crackdown on dissidents by admitting “some mistakes” were made by his security forces in the “initial stages” of unrest.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-10/assad-admits-to-mistakes-in-clampdown.html

Women’s right versus police’s rights in Turkey

Woman handcuffed, beaten at police station (and sexually harassed)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?PageID=238&nID=8801&NewsCatID=341
A Turkish daily has released footage showing three police officers beating a detained woman in the Aegean province of İzmir.

The footage was obtained from a police station in İzmir and was recorded in July, according to the report by Kemal Göktaş of daily Vatan.

Fevziye Cengiz was at a music hall with her husband and other family members in July when police raided the location to conduct an identification check. Cengiz’s husband reportedly went to their car parked nearby to fetch her ID card.

As Cengiz said she was trying to explain that her husband was bringing her ID from the car, one of the officers allegedly hit her from behind and said, “Don’t you want to come, [expletive],” and forcefully detained her.
Police officers allegedly continued the beating all the way to the police station, Cengiz said.

Once at the station, Cengiz said the policemen beat and sexually harassed her, adding that she was forced to lie on the ground in handcuffs while officers continued the beating. An officer in police uniform closed the station’s curtains to prevent anyone outside from witnessing the incident.

Security camera recordings were brought to the prosecutor’s office after she made a complaint.

Policemen file complaint

Meanwhile, the policemen who allegedly beat Cengiz filed a complaint against her, claiming she swore at them as they invited her to the police station.

“She pushed me,” one of the policemen said, while another said Cengiz “scratched” his arm.

6.5 years for Cengiz, 1.5 for policemen

The policemen face 1.5 years in prison on charges of “causing injury with excessive force,” while Cengiz faces up to 6.5 years in jail on the grounds that she “injured” and “insulted” the police officers.

#199 Annie

A more complete list for your entertainment

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

Also, as you like the USA democracy and human rights

American Torture Techniques

http://civilliberty.about.com/od/waronterror/p/torturelite.htm

Opponents, supporters of gov’t rally in Syrian cities
English.news.cn 2011-12-10
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2011-12/10/c_122403728.htm

DAMASCUS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — Mass rallies were held Friday in a number of Syrian cities in support for embattled President Bashar al-Assad, while anti-regime demonstrations erupted in protest-hub cities calling for his ouster and implore their countrymen to stage a general “strike of dignity” on Sunday.

Thousands of people took to the streets in several cities, including the capital Damascus, to renew their resentment toward the international community’s attempt to “aggravate the situation in Syria,” Syrian media reported on Friday.

The state TV aired pro-Assad demonstrations at Wadi al-Dahab neighborhood in the flashpoint city of Homs, while other TV channels aired anti-regime protests staged in another district in the city, which gave a glimpse of the internal conflict in Homs.
…
On the opposition side, some media reported that Assad’s opponents had launched fresh rallies Friday with calls for staging general strikes, despite several previous appeals were met with deaf ears by Syrians, particularly in Damascus and Aleppo, the two economic powerhouses remaining relatively calm except in the countryside.

Memo To: AKBARIO IN SOLOMON’S PALAZZO

RE: “…I wonder what Besho had today for breakfast…”

A good question. President Pencilneck had better be careful what he eats. I think when he dies, it will be someone very close who kills him: a bodyguard, a secretary, a cook…

Defections from Syrian army on the rise – Free Syrian Army
09/12/2011 By Yousef Diab
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=27624

Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat – Defections from the Syrian army and other security forces is on the rise, leading to an increase in the frequency of armed clashes between Syrian security forces and defectors in a number of Syrian provinces, particularly the Idlib Governorate, which borders Turkey. Observers monitoring the course of events in Syria have been surprised by the recent defection of a large number of elements from the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate. This represents a sudden and surprising shift in the mindset of this security apparatus, which was previously considered one of the most loyal to the Syrian regime.

….

The FSA source added “I am confident that FSA operations are not targeting any Syrian army soldiers, because they are our colleagues and comrades, and they sympathize with our people and coordinate with us on a regular basis. Rather, our operations exclusively target Bashar al-Assad’s gang, who are committing massacres against the innocent people of Syria. They are the Shabiha [militia], the military intelligence, and the Air Force intelligence, whose crimes and murders have gone on for far too long”.

قدري جميل: إذا أتى برهان غليون لسورية سأرفع عليه دعوى بتهمة “الخيانة العظمى”

http://www.champress.net/index.php?q=ar/Article/view/107655

“…….Defections from Syrian army on the rise – Free Syrian Army..”

Well of course, the mercenary pay is much higher than low life Syrian foot soldier pay, and they get paid in Drug and Blood money, the Dollars, which still hold value for Middle Easterners rag heads, it is still accepted at all whore houses and by all Madams. But crimes and seditions against ones country don’t pay in the end, it never did. Eventually, one of Assad 5000 tanks will dispatch a shell over the hill and here goes 500-600 defectors, much worse if a missile landed, here goes the what you call it FSA or SFA, whatever that stands for!! hummm… FSA Turkey Front for Sabotage & Assassinations, why not call it that TFSA? Add a “T”

From the EU/Jewboy/CIA/Salafi/Saudi/al-Qaeda Press:

“…If anyone wants to end his life or kill himself, he should go to Syria, said 38-year-old Turkish lorry driver Tayfun Sari who had just spent nine days crossing Syria from Jordan, a journey he said normally took him a day.

‘The army is shooting civilians and the civilians are shooting back. Yesterday I saw five soldiers dead on the road after Homs to Turkey and nobody was doing anything for them. They were lying on the road,’ he said, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.

‘In Homs, civilians were cutting off the road with burning tyres and the military was opening fire on protesters. There were many bullet shells on the road and some trucks had flat tyres. I was caught in cross-fire but luckily my truck was not hit. I saw a Syrian military vehicle on fire and a house on fire. I am never going back to Syria. That’s it.’

He and other drivers waiting to enter Syria said they were increasingly singled out by Syrian government forces because of their government’s tough stance towards its neighbour.

Turkey, with the second biggest army in NATO, said on Friday it did not want to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs but could not stand by if its neighbour became a risk to regional security…”

http://playwrighter.blogspot.com/2011/06/stuck-in-damascus-with-memphis-blues.html

The disgusting movie of lies continue:

The UN was and will never ever be credible or just or objective in anything related to Arabs and Muslims, it is nothing but a mean to the world powers to do what they want.
Where is the justice to the Palestinians? The ‘objective’ UN powerful members just refused to accept Palestine as a peaceful member after all what the Palestinians went through and all that was done because of the UN.
Did the millions of Iraqis, or the Afghans or the Pakistanis get any justice for all the killing the UN powers posed on them?

Pokemon said something like he can’t believe that the number is only 4000, it must be higher. If he can’t believe his own ‘just’ ‘objective’ and ‘highly credible’ resources numbers, how can we believe the ‘objectivity’ of his comment?

Besides, how can he judge and be 100% sure that the 4000+ victims, including the 1100 soldiers, all of them, were killed by the government? 7 years of investigation in Hariri’s killing and until today they don’t know who did it, but with as instant he know that all those Syrians were killed by one side. Credibility? Sure!

بان كي مون: المعلومات الموثوقة تشير إلى مقتل أكثر من 4000 شخص بسوريا

أكد الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة بان كي مون، في حديث له في مجمع داداب للاجئين في كينيا، أن “الأمم المتحدة بحثت التحديات وانتهاكات حقوق الانسان التي تحدث في سوريا على أساس نزيه جدا وعادل وبموضوعية ومصداقية عالية، على اساس روح ونص ميثاق الأمم المتحدة”.
وأكد أنه “بصفته أمينا عاما للمنظمة، فبإمكانه ضمان عمل بعثات الأمم المتحدة على أساس النزاهة والحياد وحماية حقوق الإنسان وكرامته”.
وردا على سؤال حول عدد القتلى في سوريا والذي يقدر بـ4000 قتيل، أشار بان إلى أن “لا يستطيع أن يصدق انه لم يقتل أكثر من 4000 شخص”، مؤكدا أن “كل المعلومات الموثوقة تشير الى انه تم قتل اكثر من 4000 شخص من قبل القوات الحكومية”، مشددا على أن “المفوضة السامية لحقوق الإنسان أوضحت هذا الأمر، وهذه مصادر موثوق بها”.

It gets better:
The WMD old observer trick is on the table, this time isntaed of WMD the health of Syrians is of the UN concerns not out of the health issue of course, but to assets where and how they can implement the occupation of the ‘protected’ ‘safe’ corridors, how humane!

الامم المتحدة تدعو سوريا للسماح بدخول فرق الاغاثة الانسانية

اعلنت وكيلة الامين العام للامم المتحدة للشؤون الانسانية فاليري اموس انه يجب السماح لفرق الاغاثة الانسانية التابعة للامم المتحدة بدخول سوريا لتقييم الوضع الذي يعيشه شعبها في الانتفاضة العنيفة المستمرة منذ تسعة أشهر والتي قتل فيها أربعة الاف شخص على الاقل.
وأبلغت اموس الصحفيين في ستوكهولم “نحن قلقون بشأن الاثار الصحية لما يجري. ليس لدينا صورة واضحة تماما بشأن أنحاء البلاد لاننا لا نستطيع الدخول الذي يمكننا من معرفة ما يجري بالضبط”.
ولفتت الى أنه “اذا لم يكن لديهم ما يخفوه مثلما قالت الحكومة فعندئذ أعتقد ان السماح لنا بالدخول لرؤية الوضع على هذا النحو واعداد تقييم واضح عما ينطوي عليه ذلك على الشعب السوري يمثل أمرا حاسما تماما”.
واعلنت المسؤولة الدولية ان الامم المتحدة لا تملك البيانات لتقييم ما اذا كانت الممرات الانسانية أو المناطق العازلة التي اقترحتها بعض الدول المعنية ستكون مهمة أم لا.
ومضت تقول: “اذا لم نعرف ما هي الاحتياجات أين سنقيم تلك الممرات الانسانية أو المناطق العازلة المقترحة”.

الأسلمة والتنافس على (الخلافة الرابعة) بين أنقرا والرياض

الجمل: سعت كل من أنقرا والرياض لجهة القيام بتوظيف موجة الاحتجاجات السياسية الشرق أوسطية، وذلك على أساس اعتبارات أن صعود تيار الإسلام السياسي التي سوف تتيح لأنقرا والرياض قدرة القيام بدور القائد الإقليمي الشرق أوسطي: فما هي حقيقة الطموحات التركية، والطموحات السعودية، وما مدى مصداقية أنقرا والرياض في تحقيق هذه الطموحات على أرض الواقع، وكيف يمكن قراءة مشروع النفوذ التركي ومشروع النفوذ السعودي، وإلى أين وصل كل طرف الآن، وهل أصبح الطرفان الآن في خانة الرابحين أم في خانة الخاسرين؟

* إشكالية الوزن الإقليمي: رهانات الإسلامي المدني، والإسلام السلفي
انطلقت فعاليات الاحتجاجات السياسية الشرق أوسطية في تونس وأعقبتها مصر، بما أدى إلى إسقاط نظام الرئيس زين العابدين بن علي التونسي، وإسقاط نظام الرئيس المصري حسني مبارك، وتأسيساً على ذلك، فقد أدى سقوط نظام الرئيس المصري حسني مبارك إلى إفساح المجال أمام السؤال الرئيسي القائل: هل ستستطيع القاهرة استعادة وزنها الإقليمي الذي كان لها قبل اتفاقيات كامب ديفيد؟ أم أنها سوف تغرق أكثر فأكثر في مستنقع المشاكل السياسية والاقتصادية والتبعية للقوى الخارجية؟ الأمر الذي أدى إلى توليد سؤال آخر أكثر أهمية حول مستقبل النظام الإقليمي الشرق أوسطي، وتحديداً من سيتولى مكان القائد الإقليمي، هل أنقرا أم الرياض؟
انفتحت شهية حزب العدالة والتنمية لجهة ممارسة النفوذ واستعادة المكانة العثمانية القائدة في الشرق الأوسط، وإن كان ذلك ضمن نسخة جديدة تنسجم مع الوقائع والمعطيات الجديدة، ونفس الشيء بالنسبة للرياض، والتي رأت أن الفرصة متاحة لإقامة ما يمكن أن نطلق عليه تسمية \”الخلافة الرابعة\” والتي سوف تسعى لتجديد الخلفات الإسلامية الثلاثة السابقة: الخلافة الأموية ـ الخلافة العباسية ـ والخلافة العثمانية. وفي هذا الخصوص فقد أشارت المعطيات إلى الآتي:
• قيام أنقرا بجهود دعم حركات الاحتجاج السياسي الشرق أوسطية، عن طريق استخدام الأحزاب السياسية ذات التوجهات الإسلامية المشابهة لتوجهات حزب العدالة والتنمية، ومنها على سبيل المثال لا الحصر: حركة العدالة والبناء السورية ـ حزب العدالة والحرية المصري ـ حزب العدالة والتنمية المغربي، وما شابه ذلك.
• قيام الرياض بجهود دعم حركات الاحتجاج السياسي الشرق أوسطية، عن طريق استخدام الأحزاب السياسية ذات التوجهات السلفية، مثل حزب النور المصري.
هذا، وتشير المعطيات والوقائع إلى أن أنقرا لجأت إلى القيام بعمليات الدعم المباشر والعلني لحلفائها الإقليميين. أما الرياض، فقد لجأت إلى استخدام الدعم غير المعلن، وتحديداً عن طريق الـ(بروكسي) القطري، الذي ظل يقدم السند الإعلامي والدبلوماسي، إضافة إلى توصيل الدعم المالي واللوجستي.

* خارطة طريق الصعود الإقليمي: الصراع أم التحالف
تقول المعلومات الجارية، بأن خارطة الصعود الإقليمي، أصبحت أكثر تعقيداً، وذلك بسبب الآتي:
• دخول أطراف مثلث واشنطن ـ باريس ـ لندن، الأمر الذي دفع كلاً من الرياض وأنقرا إلى الأخذ في الاعتبار القيام برعاية مصالح هذا المثلث، والتي يتمثل أبرزها في \”أمن إسرائيل\”.
• الفشل في ممارسة السيطرة الفعلية على التطورات الميدانية الجارية في كل من تونس ومصر وليبيا، وحالياً تشير الوقائع إلى أن ما يجري حالياً في هذه البلدان لا ينسجم مع توجهات الرياض وأنقرا.
• عدم القدرة على التعامل بمصداقية مع تطورات الأحداث والوقائع، وبالذات فيما يتعلق بغض النظر عن الأحداث والوقائع الجارية في الساحة البحرينية، والساحة اليمنية.
• السعي لجهة القيام بحماية أمن الأنظمة الداعمة لأمريكا، في المملكة الأردنية والمملكة المغربية.
وإضافة لذلك، تقول التحليلات، بأن طموحات الرياض وأنقرا قد اصطدمت بالصخرة السورية، والتي كما هو واضح، أصبحت عصية على أن تتحطم، برغم الدور الأمريكي الفرنسي البريطاني الداعم لجهود أنقرا والرياض، وتقول التحليلات، بأن عواصم واشنطن ـ لندن ـ باريس ـ أنقرا ـ الرياض، لم تدرك جيداً محتوى المقال التحليلي الهام الذي أعده الخبير الاستراتيجي الأمريكي ريتشارد هاس، والذي قال فيه بالحرف الواحد: إن سوريا سوف تكون نقطة النهاية في الربيع العربي، وبكلمات أخرى، إن الربيع العربي سوف ينتهي في سوريا.

* صراع النفوذ الإقليمي الشرق أوسطي: حسابات الربح والخسارة
تشير التحليلات الجارية، إلى أن أنقرا والرياض سوف تواجهان خلال الأسابيع المقبلة تداعيات حسابات الربح والخسارة التي تترتب على معارك النفوذ الإقليمي، وفي هذا الخصوص نشير إلى الآتي:
• الموقف بالنسبة للرياض: تقول المعلومات والتقارير بأن الرياض سعت منذ بداية الأمر إلى تطبيق لعبة أن الكأس نصف المليء هو بالضرورة كأس نصف فارغ، وفي هذا الخصوص سعت إلى التعامل مع الحدث الاحتجاجي الشرق أوسطي على النحو الآتي:
ـ إنفاق الأموال الطائلة، وهو ما حدث بالفعل، فقد سعت الرياض إلى دعم كل الحركات السلفية بالأموال والقدرات المختلفة.
ـ توظيف قدرات حلفاء واشنطن، وفي هذا الخصوص فقد سعت الرياض لجهة توظيف فعاليات دبلوماسية الوكالة القطرية، وإعلام الوكالة القطري. إضافة إلى البقاء تحت مظلة التحركات الدبلوماسية الأمريكية الفرنسية البريطانية.
• الموقف بالنسبة لأنقرا: تقول المعلومات والتقارير بأن أنقرا سعت منذ البداية إلى تطبيق لعبة أن \”الكأس المليء هو بالضرورة كأس غير فارغ\”، وفي هذا الخصوص فقد تقدمت أنقرا وتعاملت بشكل معلن، مشيرة إلى أن دعمها المفتوح والعلني للفعاليات الاحتجاجية السياسية الشرق أوسطية، وبالذات السورية وقبلها الليبية. وفي هذا الخصوص فقد تعاملت أنقرا مع الحدث الاحتجاجي الشرق أوسطي على النحو الآتي:
• استضافة فعاليات حركات المعارضة الاحتجاجية السياسية إضافة إلى عدم التردد في تسهيل فعالياتها العسكرية والأمنية.
• التعاون مع حلف الناتو، وذلك على أساس اعتبارات أن أنقرا تتمتع بالمكانة الرائدة في هذا الحلف.
• تصعيد لهجة الاستعلاء والعجرفة التركية بما يتيح لأنقرا الظهور بمظهر الوصي على الشرق الأوسط.
تشير معادلة حسابات الربح والخسارة إلى النتائج الآتية:
• تورط الرياض في فعاليات الاحتجاجات السياسية الشرق أوسطية، كبّد المملكة العربية السعودية وحلفاءها الخليجيين المزيد من الأموال الطائلة.
• تورط أنقرا في فعاليات الاحتجاجات السياسية الشرق أوسطية كبّد تركيا المزيد من الخسائر الدبلوماسية والرمزية السياسية.
هذا، وتقول المعلومات، بأن الرياض نجحت في استخدام \”الدوحة\” كغطاء\” وواجهة أمامية، وحالياً يمكن الإشارة إلى أن الخسائر الدبلوماسية والرمزية السياسية سوف تتكبدها قطر نيابة عن السعودية، وهو الأمر الذي لم يحدث في الحالة التركية.
وإضافة لذلك، فإن تركيا سوف تواجه المزيد من الخسائر المتسلسلة، وذلك بسبب تورطها السافر في فعاليات الاحتجاجات السورية، وحالياً تقول المعلومات والتقارير بأن جنوب تركيا سوف يشهد أزمة اقتصادية كبيرة بسبب ارتباك حركة النقل التجاري العابرة للحدود بفعل انغلاق الممر الاستراتيجي الحيوي السوري، وأضافت التسريبات بأن أنقرا تحاول حالياً إيجاد البديل المناسب، وذلك عن طريق الآتي:
• تسيير خط ملاحي بين تركيا ومصر.
• تسيير خط بري بين تركيا والعراق.
وبرغم إمكانية قيام أنقرا بذلك، فإن كل الحسابات تقول بأن الخط الملاحي التركي ـ المصري، سوف تترتب عليه المزيد من التكاليف الباهظة، المتعلقة بالشحن في الموانئ التركية، والتفريغ في الموانئ المصرية. ثم الشحن والتوزيع بعد ذلك، أما بالنسبة للخط البري التركي ـ العراقي، فإن المسافة التي سوف تعبرها الناقلات سوف تكون أطول وتستغرق فترة أكبروتكاليف أكثر، إضافة إلى تزايد احتمالات مواجهة المخاطر في مناطق شمال ووسط وجنوب العراق.
وتأسيساً على ذلك أشارت آخر الدراسات الاستراتيجية الصادرة بواسطة المعهد الألماني للعولمة والدراسات المناطقية، إلى أن أنقرا سوف تخسر كثيراً بسبب تورطها في فعاليات الاحتجاجات السياسية الشرق أوسطية، ونفس الشيء أشار إليه الخبير الاستراتيجي كامرافا، بجامعة جورج واشنطن، عندما تحدث في ورقته البحثية الأخيرة قائلاً بأن السعودية تنخرط حالياً في معركتين، الأولى معلنة وهي حماية نفسها والبلدان الخليجية والأردن والمغرب من مخاطر الاحتجاجات، وفي نفس الوقت القيام سراً بتقديم الدعم لحركات الاحتجاج السياسي الناشطة ضد سوريا على غرار ما فعلت مع الحركات التي نشطت ضد نظام القذافي الليبي، وبرغم ذلك، فإن خسارة تركيا سوف تكون هي الأكبر والأكثر خطورة، وذلك لأن أهمية سورية وإيران بالنسبة لأنقرا هي أهمية لا تقدر بثمن. إضافة إلى أن العراق نفسه لن يصلح أن يكون بديلاً لإيران وسوريا، وذلك لأن القوى السياسية المسيطرة في العراق، هي قوى حليفة لإيران وسوريا. وإضافة لذلك، فإن لبنان لن يكون حليفاً لتركيا، ولا حتى مصر، إضافة إلى أن ليبيا أصبحت الآن تواجه شبح الحرب الأهلية الأمر الذي يحمل تركيا المزيد من المسؤولية. وإذا حدث ونجحت ليبيا في تحقيق الاستقرار، فإن فرنسا وبريطانيا وإيطاليا وألمانيا وإسبانيا لن تترك ليبيا لأنقرا. إضافة إلى أن أنقرا نفسها لا تملك مؤهلات منافسة عواصم الاتحاد الأوروبي في ليبيا وبقية مناطق الشرق الأوسط.

الجمل ـ قسم الدراسات والترجمة
http://www.aljaml.com/node/78723

I was watching the real interview that president Assad gave to ABC/ Barbra Walters presented by Maqdasy on BBC,, i can not understand how anybody can deny the conspiracy against Syria, It is good that Syria taped the whole thing and they should publish it .

Norman,
I’m watching the same thing now.

Finally, you got me to watch it, and couple minutes into the video I almost died, just could not take it anymore, all those face lifts and the 6 kilos of Botox injected all over her head, then watching the lizard skin on her neck just ruined my morning. This is really awful how women do this to themselves. I feel sorry for Bashar having to sit for an hour watching this for an hour close up, in face to face interview.

Norman
What Assad said, the majority of people are in the middle,not supporting,and not against him.
He said he is president , the goverment did it,Talking about the crimes
Jihad Maqdisi, trying to deny the undeniable, how stupid he and Bashar are, and who ever believe them.As I said Bashar is not smart, he is Booha.

202 Irritated : as if what the US does cancels out the horrors of the Syrian torturers. The US are supposed to be the barbarians not the Syrians.

http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/12/syrian-revolution-it-is-not-longer.html#.TuIr3nQblCU.twitter

And I suppose Homs is getting what it deserves; the Homsis are among the bravest heroes of this Revolution.

Norman,
Do you have a link for the entire ABC interview? Thanks.

Majed97,

Sorry, No i saw that live on BBC, Jad seems to find things much better than me.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/12/09/61917819.html

Syrian militants undergo training in Turkey
Dec 9, 2011 16:01 Moscow Time

Militants of the Syrian Liberation Army underwent secret training on the territory of Turkey.

A statement to this effect was made by Sibel Edmonds, an interpreter of Azerbaijani descent who used to work for the FBI.

Sibel’s statement was published by the Turkish Vatan newspaper, a Voice of Russia correspondent reports from Istanbul.

According to Edmonds, she obtained this information from a source in the US government and from a trustworthy Turkish contact.

The US media ignored the reports because the US State Department had imposed censorship on these kinds of publications.

VOR

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/12/02/61365012.html
“We want our democracy back” – LA protester
Interview with Marilyn, activist with the Occupy LA movement in Los Angeles, California, USA.

http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2011/12/09/iraq-to-mediate-in-syria.html

Iraq to mediate in Syria
News | 09.12.2011 | 09:03

Iraq will act as a mediator to secure a settlement of the Syrian crisis.

A statement to this effect was made by Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi following talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Baghdad will try to talk Damascus into taking specific steps to implement the road map peace plan proposed by Arab countries.

Iraq and Syria are effective economic partners with bilateral trade reaching $5bln last year.

Syria’s opposition representatives have said they won’t enter dialogue with Iraqi mediators because Baghdad supports President Bashar al-Assad.

TASS, The Voice of Russia

Norman, Majed, here you go it’s in 4parts, this is the first part:
اللقاء الصحفي للناطق باسم الخارجية السورية 1

Today we hear from the state department that Assad is responsible for every death, Booha said he is not responsible for the killing as if he is not the president, and a dictator.what I understand from the state department statement is that USA is ready to punish Bashar the booha,if he attack Homs.

Don’t you find it hilarious?

First, they invite Barbara to do the interview. Then they complain about the interview that Barbara did, with their invitation.

I have a proposition for you. If you want an interview that you’ll like, invite SANA.
.

# 196 ZOO quotes HurriyetDailyNews.com quoting Davutoğlu saying that Assad’s remarks on ABC TV were a kind of confession: “He now accepts that security forces might have made a mistake,” said Davutoglu, adding “I wish he had said this in April.”

Assad did say this in April. In April he dismissed the person in charge of security in Daraa who in March had overseen what was judged in April to have been a too heavy-handed use of security forces against violent dissidents in Daraa. That dismissal was widely reported at the time. The dismissed official was actually a cousin of Bashar’s. Davutoglu’s comment today indicates to me that Davutoglu, like the Turkish newspapers, hasn’t taken much interest in Syria’s affairs until more recent months.

Bashar has been saying the same thing consistently since April. Here’s a bit from a summary report by an American who was part of a delegation that met with Bashar in mid-September: “In response to a specific question on the subject, President Assad admitted that the military force over-reacted to this [dissident] violence, on occasion, so that some demonstrators were killed and others tortured. These developments, he insisted, were contrary to his own policies. Other reported tortures, according to the President, were actually acts of revenge undertaken by emotional military personnel, who had lost colleagues during the demonstrations.” http://www.aoiusa.org/blog/2011/10/fr-patrick-henry-reardon-delegation-to-syria/

@Majed97 #216: A link to the transcript of the entire ABC TV interview with Bashar is at Ales #13 above.

Where is the justice to the Palestinians? The ‘objective’ UN powerful members just refused to accept Palestine as a peaceful member….

JAD,

Perhaps the UNSC refused because they didn’t reach the same conclusion as you have.

Three killed by armed groups in several Syrian cities: report

2011-12-10

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2011-12/10/c_122403743.htm

DAMASCUS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — Three people were killed Friday, including a girl and an army officer, and 13 law-enforcement members were injured by “armed groups” in several Syrian cities, as protests renewed on the weekend from both pro and anti- government protesters.

The official SANA news agency said a lieutenant-colonel was killed by an armed group in the focal point city of Homs. It said a girl was also killed in southern Daraa province and a civilian in northern Idlib province.

Ten law-enforcement members were injured in separate clashes with armed groups in Daraa, said SANA, adding that another three were injured in coastal Latakia city, when an explosive device went off.

Explosive experts dismantled many devices in different areas on Friday, said SANA.

Large crowds of people thronged streets and squares in several Syrian cities to chant solidarity with Syrian President Bashar al- Assad and to voice rejection against the international pressures on Syria, said SANA.

On the other hand, the Doha-based al-Jazeera TV cited activists as saying that 32 people were killed Friday by security forces gunfire, as anti-government protesters took to streets in several Syrian cities calling for the downfall of the leadership and imploring the Syrians to start a general strike on Sunday as a prelude to a nationwide civil disobedience.

Several calls of general strikes were met with deaf ears by the Syrians particularly in Damascus and Aleppo, the two economic powerhouses of Syria that remained relatively calm except for some countryside.

Amir

This Friday was called Friday- of-Strike-for Dignity.

Next Friday will be called “Kill-More-Syrians-For-Israel”

The Turks are lying. They are not preventing smugglers and rebels to cross the border, in the contrary.
On the Front Line with Syria’s Free Army

Along the Turkish border, a ragtag rebel group of Syrian defectors, believers, and volunteers fights for their survival and the future of their country.
BY JUSTIN VELA | DECEMBER 8, 2011
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/12/08/syria_free_army_rebels?page=0,1

AIN AL-BAIDA, SYRIA – The Turkish flag flies next to the green, white, and black standard of the Syrian revolution at a Free Syrian Army (FSA) position above the village of Ain al-Baida. Here, about 150 rebel fighters — mostly defectors from the Syrian Army — are situated in concrete and cinderblock houses pockmarked by bullet holes, their weapons pointed across the valley at the Syrian military below.
Ain al-Baida is just across the border from Turkey, in Syria’s Idlib governorate. The village is not much more than a small cluster of buildings in a wide valley surrounded by wooded hills. The FSA has spread out across the north of Syria, making it difficult for Syrian security forces to control areas outside the major cities, such as Aleppo.
The poorly armed fighters challenging Assad’s army believe that only an armed uprising stands a chance of toppling the Syrian regime. “We cannot accept our families and friends being killed,” said a burly fighter wearing camouflage fatigues and grasping an assault rifle. “We will fight Assad by any weapon, by knife, by gun. We will fight.”

Though the FSA claims to be composed of defectors from the Syrian military, this man said he was a civilian volunteer from the town of Jisr al-Shughour, which had been demolished this summer by the Syrian army’s infamous Fourth Armored Division, under the control of the president’s brother, Maher.
Why does the Syrian military not rocket their position or launch a large-scale assault? The FSA fighters are positioned about a mile from the Turkish border, near enough to escape across if the situation turned dire. They appeared confident that the Syrian military would not risk provoking the Turks by trying to displace them. The Turkish government, which had previously been one of Assad’s closest allies, initially gave the Syrian regime several chances to halt its brutal crackdown. After Turkey was rebuffed, its leaders became some of the most prominent international critics of Assad’s rule.

But these fighters’ confidence in the relative security of their position was shaken on Dec. 5, when the Syrian military opened fire on what the state news agency later claimed was a group of 35 armed men crossing the border from Turkey. The clash, one of the most sustained thus far, began late at night and lasted several hours, according to Abu Nassr, a Syrian smuggler living on the Turkish side of the border who had guided me back into Turkey only hours before.

Another smuggler, Mohammad Ashik, who was on the hill above Ain al-Baida when the clash took place, said the Syrian military had been firing on a group of smugglers who were trying to steal cows to sell in Turkey, presumably mistaking them for FSA fighters. Four of the smugglers were wounded after venturing into the valley too close to the military’s positions, he said. The FSA fighters on the hill opened fire on the military, some even venturing from their outpost to carry the wounded smugglers to safety. No FSA fighters were injured, both smugglers agreed.

Nassr and Ashik are among tens of smugglers who cross the border several times a week, carrying food, medical supplies, clothes, satellite phones, and computer equipment. They also serve as guides for refugees and carry the wounded on their backs. Once they are near the Turkish border, they call ambulances or Turkish gendarmes to transport the wounded to a hospital, disappearing back into the trees as the Turks arrive.

“They know I am doing something human,” said Ashik, when asked why Turkish authorities did not pursue him. “There is someone wounded or someone that needs food, so they accept the situation.”

The Turkish government has strenuously denied that it provides the rebels with material support, a claim echoed by the FSA. But there is no doubt that the insurgents receive assistance from those living within Turkish territory. The smugglers are aided by small groups of Syrians living in Antakya, a Turkish city near the border, who arrange for the supplies to be delivered into Syria.

{…}

Next Friday will be called “Kill-More-Syrians-For-Israel”

Ann,

What Syrians do you know are demonstrating or fighting “for Israel”?

Feel free to list or link their names here so we can believe you.

Either you post your information soon or we might come to the conclusion that your either sick or retarded or both.

Ann #228

Monday is municipal election day. I guess Sunday will be called “Don’t vote or you’re dead”

Tribal SANA boy,

Peaceful and Palestinian in one sentence? That is an oxymoron.

Anyway, look at the logo of the official Palestinian delegation to the UN. Notice that it’s the UN web site.
http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/
Do you see in the logo, the map of your “peaceful” state?

Tara,

Thanks!
.

Ironically, Bashar was happy about the interview.  I bet he is also proud of his accomplishments. Proud and happy..I just hope that he does not think that he is good looking too.

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2011/12/08/walters_said_syrian_trip_frightened_her/

Walters said Syrian trip frightened her
By David Bauder 
December 8, 2011

NEW YORK—President Bashar Assad’s first interview with a Western television journalist since a March uprising was a coup for Barbara Walters and ABC News, but not entirely for Assad.

In excerpts aired by ABC Wednesday, Assad denied ordering a violent crackdown on residents and denounced the United Nations when Walters asked about the U.N.’s claim that there had been widespread killings and torture of protesters in Syria.

Walters confronted Assad with pictures of civilians brutalized by his regime. When she asked him on camera about the torture of children, he said, “To be frank with you, Barbara, you don’t live here.”

She talked on Wednesday of Assad’s “disconnect” with what is going on within his country and his own role, an attitude that may have extended to her discussions with him in his Presidential Palace.

“He was very happy with the interview,” she said “He likes the confrontation. He likes the tough questions. When it was over, he smiled and thanked me and he was happy. I don’t know if it did him any good.”

Walters said in an interview that she was apprehensive about going Syria because the U.S. government had warned her not to leave her hotel room. Adding to the concern, a Jordanian airline booked for the last leg of her trip delayed its flight because it did not want its pilot to stay in Syria overnight.

But her fears dissipated by the time she arrived in Damascus from an airport about 18 miles away. She even wandered through some outdoor markets and talked to people, although she was accompanied by a government minder.

Walters said she had met Assad before, which cut down any fear she may have had of him. While in the Middle East several years ago, she said Assad’s wife called and asked Walters for an off-the-record meeting with the couple in Damascus. Walters also traveled to Syria three years ago, hoping for an interview, but it didn’t happen.

She thought this interview wouldn’t happen, either, after Assad canceled one get-together two weeks ago, presumably because it was to happen around the time the Arab League was condemning Syria. Then word came that Assad was willing to talk.

Assad hand-picked Walters for the interview.

“I can’t tell you why he requested me,” she said. “I can only tell you that I have met him twice before.”

ABC News, under its new division president Ben Sherwood, has made news-making interviews a priority. Within the past year, “World News” anchor Diane Sawyer has interviewed Jaycee Dugard and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and “This Week” host Christiane Amanpour talked with former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Sawyer and Amanpour are more closely identified with breaking news; Walters, as co-host of “The View,” a daytime talk show largely for women, is seen more in terms of entertainment than news, despite her long and laudatory history as news reporter, anchor and interviewer.

She may not have been the obvious choice for the Assad interview. When ABC seeks newsmaking interviews, it generally offers prospective subjects a choice of potential interviewees.

One critic, Affen Chowdhry of the Toronto Globe and Mail, wrote Wednesday that if the Syrian government had expected a “soft” Walters interview of the type reserved for movie and pop stars, “it ended up getting something very different.”

When ABC arrived in Damascus, an Assad aide first said that government cameras would be used to record the interview, but Walters rejected this. Two Assad assistants also asked for the right to look at the tape after the interview. ABC refused.

The government also said that reporter Alexander Marquardt, who accompanied Walters, would be given free rein to travel across the country. Marquardt, in an ABC blog, said this did not work out. He went to the city of Daraa, and found most residents unwilling to speak with him because they saw secret police agents nearby. Daraa’s governor refused Marquardt’s request to visit the village of Dael, saying it was unsafe, the reporter wrote.

Walters said that it appeared some of Assad’s aides were interested in seeing the leader get more exposure in the West. The British-trained eye doctor is “not a crazy, wild man like Ghadafi,” Walters said.

“Why he did this now, I can’t say,” she said.

In regard to the article in #228

I don’t think Turkey is lying. There is no official state policy to give material support to the FSA. The Turkish army officers are not owned by Erdogan. Their material support of smugglers to provide food and medical care to the injured hungry Syrians is individual act of kindness. Erdogan has done his best by having the government announces their officials stand on the matter. Turkey always said they are not going to be a springboard for attacks on Syria… It is that simple. Isn’t it?

SANA Style Lies
You want to know how brilliant are betho’s lovers, just read the titles brilliantly bestowed by the cupaste artist @228. and then read the story, which states clearly that its SANA who lied about FSA soldiers trying to infiltrate to blow up a rail-road as pasted here SANA-TASS little helper a while ago.

Between the integrity of betho’s SANA/fan-club and that of smugglers Nasr and Ashik, I would have no problem believing the smugglers. The title in post 28 should be

SANA lies, whats new. It ain’t the FSA, it ain’t the rail road, it was just a cow theft.

Now another “polite” genius, who is so obsessed in reading my posts without reading the context and noticing that it was his comrade who asked for a smart a… to provide an answer, and being an a… and a smart one, i obliged. Now that puhlllllight genius, pointed everyone to the link, posted yet by another comrade, showing the full script of the brave betho interview, only to come later and bemoan the western conspiracy for hiding some of the painful tharthara of the brave president-not-government betho and shoving, in your face style, a four part series of hogwash of the full tharthara. READ THE SCRIPT. There was no conspiracy, your mathter is just too dumb, too callous, and so creepily spoiled, to be left on his own.

Contradictory it aint, it is only a cow

Claimer: in some cultures cow-theft is a crime punishable by death, in others, horse theft is.

I guess Sunday will be called “Don’t vote or you’re dead”

Irritated,

It sounds like a choice. But the reality is, Syrians are dying already and they don’t vote for anything except perhaps which Baathist will treat them like kara.

“December 12 is an important moment. All citizens must take part in the municipal elections and vote for the candidates they consider best capable of defending the public interest,” wrote Al-Baath, the newspaper of the ruling party which has been in power since 1963.

“We are in a working process, during which everyone must redouble their efforts… so that Syria”>Syria remains a fortress of resistance and national unity,” the newspaper continued.

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1781254

الثورة السورية والمقاومة
خضر سلامة

حصل ما كنا، كجمهور متابع، وناشطين متحمسين لاسقاط طاغية آخر، ما كنا نتخوف من حصوله، تحولت المعارضة السورية، بعصا الاعلام الخليجي، إلى صورة فوتوغرافية للنظام البعثي، تخوّن منتقديها، ترد بالشتائم، لا تحتمل أي خيار ثالث وتعتبر، بمنطقها ومنطق معلمها، بشار الأسد، أن كل من ليس معها تماماً، فهو ضدها حتماً: أصبح جميع المنتقدين لبرهان وهو يقدم أوراق اعتماده كسفير للناتو في سوريا، أصبحوا أبواقاً، وأصبح جميع من يحاول أن يسلط الضوء على التنظيمات الطائفية والسلفية، ولو عن صدق، هو متهم بتشويه صورة الثورة، وأصبح جميع المحذرين خوفاً على سورية، لا نظامها ولا معارضتها، من مخاطر حرب اهلية واقتتال ومخاطر ما يسمى بالجيش الحر، أصبحوا منظرين، وانتبهوا، منظرين برأي القابع على طاولة اجتماعاته في باريس ولندن واسطمبول، وشعبه يُقتل.

بأي الأحوال، لا فرق، استطاع الطغاة العرب خلال أربعين عاماً، خلق طغاة صغار في كل واحد منا، لا يمكن لهؤلاء المدعين التقدمية والثقافة، إلا أن يكونوا صورةً طبق الأصل عنهم، أعرف مسبقاً، وحدث ذلك سابقاً، أن آرائي السابقة ونشاطاتي الميدانية دعماً للشعب السوري في كرامته، لن تشفع لي عند موزعي شهادات الحرية على الفيسبوك وفي مقابلات الصحف الأجنبية، حين يقولون بالانكليزية ما ينفونه بالعربية، استغباء لشعبهم، ولن تشفع لي عند كتبة صحف آل سعود، الذين يدعون، ومنهم من كنت أحترم، أنهم لا يكتبون الا لحاجتهم لمنبر، كأن جريدة الشرق الأوسط يقرأها أحد خارج مكتب صاحبها الأمير، أو كأن جريدة الحياة هي الناطقة الرسمية باسم الديمقراطية في القرن الحادي والعشرين.

إذاً، فلنميز بوضوح، ولمن يود أن يفهم، انتقادي اليوم هو لما يسمى بالمجلس الانتقالي، لا لثورة الشعب السوري البطل، ولمن يصفق للشعبويين وينشر ترهاته واشاعاته، هذا المجلس الذي حدد وحسم بغرابة وصفاقة مدهشة، ضرورة سحق صورة حزب الله الاعلامية، من أجل ان يحظى بمن الادارة الاميركية وسلوى اوروبا، لم أفهم إلى اللحظة، هذا الاصرار المدهش على استنساخ خطابات الحريرية السياسية في خطابات مدعي الحرية، وهم، في قراراتهم، يسارا ويمينا، علمانية واسلامياً، اولاد احمد الشلبي السياسيين، لا أكثر: الى القصر الرئاسي ولو عبر سفارة اسرائيل.

أما من سيفهم مقالي دفاعاً عن النظام السوري، فلا حاجة الى محاججته، ولا حاجة بي لتقديم اي مبررات لآرائي الواضحة سابقاً.

وسأقسم دفاعي عن حزب الله في النقاط الآتية.

1. حزب الله والموقف من سورية: للأسف، غياب السوريين عن السياسة لأربعين عاماً، جعل من بعض الأصدقاء غير قادر على التفريق بين العاطفة، وبين السياسة، شخصياً، أتفهم اليوم موقف حزب الله من النظام السوري تحالفاً، رغم كوني معارضاً، لا لشيء، إلا لأن حزب الله اليوم يقف نفس موقف حماس من نظام مبارك خلال حصار السنوات الأخيرة على غزة، النظام السوري هو الظهير السياسي والعسكري لحزب الله، ولا يمكن للأخير أن يكون في غير هذا الموقع، في العاطفة، كان يجب على حزب الله أن يكون أكثر حنكةً عاطفياً وانسانياً، ولكن، الوقائع والضرورات السياسية، لا تجري كما يشتهي الشعراء!.

2. سخافات بعض المعارضين السوريين، برعاية رسمية من جريدة السياسة الصفراء وجرائد خليجية ومواقع طائفية أخرى، تحدثت عن عناصر من حزب الله يقاتلون مع النظام السوري، طبعاً شاهد العيان أكد ذلك، كيف ولماذا ومتى، لا أحد يعرف، فكتبة آل سعود بحاجة فقط إلى اشاعة تنتشر ويحرضون بها، ربما من عايش الثورة المصرية يذكر كيف كان عناصر من حزب الله وحماس وايران والعراق والقاعدة يقاتلون مع الثوار المصريين، اليوم هم مع النظام (لول)، كأن هذا النظام القمعي الدموي، صاحب جيش بمئات الآلاف بين عناصر وموالين، بحاجة الى بضعة عشرات يعلمونه القمع، فعلاً، غيب هؤلاء المعارضون العقل، وبحثوا بشراسة عن الغرائز الطائفية السهل تسويقها، واستمروا بحملتهم، التي تكللت بمقال تافه لجريدة السياسة اليوم، يتحدث عن مقتل 160 عنصرا من حزب الله في سورية، انا كلبناني، وجنوبي تحديداً، لم اكتشف الى اللحظة، اين اخفى حزب الله قتلاه؟ لا اهل لهم؟ لا قرى؟ والجنوب كله لا يعدو حجم مدينة اوروبية! أين القتلى يا اصحاب غليون؟

3. الآفة الكبرة، والكارثة، كانت في جملة قرأتها قبل أيام لأحد المعارضين الذين كنت أحترمهم، قبل أن يتحول الى ماركة الياس عطالله، يقول هذا المعارض أن لا حاجة لسورية (له ربما)، لأخذ النصائح الوطنية من حزب طائفي، وطبعاً يقصد بذلك حزب الله، لسورية ربما حاجة الى النصائح الوطنية من حلفائه العلمانيين في الاخوان المسلمون، أو ربما في برنامج الشيخ العرعور؟ لا أنسى ان هؤلاء المعارضين أجابني بعضهم بتبرير التحالف مع هؤلاء لا فقط الطائفيين، بل الداعين الى القتل الطائفي علناً، بضرورة تفهم العقل الاجتماعي! وفجأة، أصبحت طائفية حزب الله، وهو طائفي، أزمة فكرية عند هؤلاء.

4. في وقف التسليح عن حزب الله: كلبناني، كعربي، كانسان، لا يمكنني أن أقف موقف الصامت أمام تصريحات غليون عن وقف التعاون الاستراتيجي مع حزب الله وحماس، أولاً، لأن في ذلك اشهار بنقل سورية الى معسكر آخر، لا يشبه هذا الشعب الذي أثق به، وثانياً، لأن، لو تجرد بعض المصفقين لهذا الموتور، من عصبيتهم، ودرسوا الموقف سياسياً، لعرفوا أن حزب الله وحماس ومحور هذه الحركات الاسلامية المقاومة على علاتها، هو ضرورة استراتجية وامنية لسورية نفسها! وعلى المشكك بذلك، وهو نقاش طويل، أن ينظر نظرة العسكري الى خريطة لبنان، وآفاق ما وراء الجولان، ليعرف أن الحفاظ على العداء لاسرائيل، يعني ضرورة وجود ترسانة لا منظمة، لا تقليدية، أي عصاباتية، تضمن استنزافاً دائرياً حول الخريطة السورية، سيما مع تفوق الطيران الاسرائيلي عبر خاصرة سورية الضعيفة، بقاع لبنان، وفي ذلك كما قلنا، نقاش طويل: إن أمن سورية في حالة العداء لاسرائيل، يتطلب الحفاظ على قوى استنزاف لاسرائيل، اللهم، إلا إذا كان المشروع الغليوني، مجدداً لا الثوري السوري، لا يتضمن أي عداء لاسرائيل مستقبلاً.

5. في من بدأ العداء للآخر؟ يتهم المحمسين للتحريض ضد حزب الله، يتهمون هذا الأخير بأنه كان يجب عليه أن يلتزم الصمت، لا أن يفتح معركة ضد الثورة، كما فعلت حماس، ناسين أن مفتاح حماس العسكري ليس في سورية، بل في مكان آخر، بعكس حزب الله، وناسين أن طبيعة حماس العقائدية هي ما اجلت موقفها الى الآن، ولكن الأهم، متناسين أن حزب الله التزم الصمت في الأسابيع الثلاثة الاولى للحراك الشعبي المظفر في سورية، ولكن في هذه الاسابيع الثلاثة، كان بعض المعارضين يرفع شعار “لا ايران ولا حزب الشيطان” في خانة اعتراضه على النظام (يمكن مراجعة فيديوهات المظاهرات الاولى)، وذلك في اعتراض، على شكل التحالف السياسي ككل، لا على النظام، حاول بعض الوطنيين الصادقين، اظهار رفع العلم الاسرائيلي في احدى المظاهرات على انه حركة فردية، واستقبال السفير الاميركي والفرنسي بالزغردات في فخ سياسي نصبه النظام للمعارضة الغبية، على انه ردة فعل، لكن ذلك كله، لم يتحول، او بالاحرى، لم يرد له سارقو الثورة، اي المنظرون وكتبة الصحف السعودية، لم يرد له أن يتحول الى وثيقة سياسية تعلن بوضوح موقفا حاسما من الكيان الصهيوني، وهو ما يطرح عدة اسئلة، لماذا يمايع اصحاب المجلس الانتقالي الى اللحظة في اشهار موقف واضح، ويبدأون بالرد بالشتائم ورفض التدقيق بوطنيتهم، نعم، أنا اعتقد ان كل حركة، وكل نظام، سواء البعثي او المعارض له، لا يشهر بوضوح موقفه من الكيان الصهيوني، هو حركة مشبوهة!

6. وهي خطيئة يتقاسمها النظام، ومن أقصد من المعارضين على حد سواء، وهو تمييع المفاهيم، بمعنى، أصبح كل من يتحدث عن الحرية، بنظر الموالين، مندساً، والأنكى، أصبح كل من يستعمل كلمة مقاومة، أو يسأل عن اسرائيل، في المعارضة، هو بوق ومخرب! لم يعد أحد الطرفين يحتمل كلمة من اثنتين: حرية ومقاومة، وهنا الخطر، الخطر الذي ينام عليه من يطرحون أنفسهم مصلحون، كما يناموا على المسألة الطائفية، في تقليد مريع ومؤسف لبعض اللبنانيين في تاريخهم.

7. أخيراً وقليلاً خارج الموضوع، يؤسفني، أن أرى المعارضة السورية، ممتنة لأحزاب سافلة كتيار المستقبل والقوات وغيرهم من حلفائهم، التي تبدي اليوم التعاطف مع الشعب لا حباً بعمر، بل كرهاً لعلي، أي طمعاً منها في تصفية حساباتها الداخلية في لبنان، هذه المعارضة السورية، التي يجب ان تتحدث عن الكرامة السورية التي لا تتجزأ، نست وتناست، ان قوى 14 شباط هي المسؤولة بخطابها وبعناصرها عن مقتل اكثر من مئتي سوري في السنوات الماضية في اعمال عنصرية بفعل خطابات هؤلاء المتعاطفين اليوم، إن المعارضة التي لا تعي لخبث هؤلاء وعنصريتهم ضد السوري، معارضة طفولية، أو متحالفة.

أخيراً، أتمنى، لو تقوم المعارضة السورية، بشخص الذين أثق بهم ولا أزال، المقاتلون الذابين عن كرامتهم في سورية، لا في فنادق الخمس نجوم، أن يقوموا بانشاء خيار ثالث واضح، لا حيادي، يقول بالحرية والكرامة مع الحفاظ على الخيارات الاستراتيجية لا بل وتطويرها إلى موقف وطني واضح لا رمادي كالبعثي، وأتمنى، لو يراجع بعض الذين فقدوا طورهم وغرقوا في غرائزيتهم الطائفية، او عاطفتهم بفعل القمع الاسدي، موقفهم من بعض القضايا، بعين القارئ السياسي، لضرورات محيطة، وأتمنى لو يستطيعون العودة معارضين، لا نظاماً بديلاً، معارضين بالمعنى الحواري والنقاشي والجاهزين لتقبل الاختلاف، لا محاولاتهم صهر المعارضة في موقف واحد فاشي، بشعارات أخوانجية، مستترة، ثمة محاولة تشويه صورة حزب الله، الغير مقدس وصاحب العلات، ولكن في ناحية كانت مقدسة اي سلاحه ومقاومته وبعده العربي، أرجو من الواعين والمعارضين الوطنيين الصادقين الذين اتضامن معهم واشد على يدهم في معركتهم، أو منافيهم، ان يخرجوا منها بوثيقة واضحة، فلنقل انها تسحب البساط من تحت حزب الله يا اخي!

من أجل سورية عزيزة، حرة، كريمة، يسقط المأجورون في المعارضة، يسقط المجرمون في السلطة، عاشت سورية الشعب، سورية العشرة آلاف ربيعاً من الحضارة، سورية الخارجة إلى الكرامة، باللغة العربية الفصحى، رغم أنف الأسد، ورغم أنف غليون أيضاً.

*عن مدونته “مواطن جوعان”.
http://kharej-alserb.com/archives/4725/

Syrian official says his country is subject to “media war” – 2011-12-10

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2011-12/10/c_122403760.htm

DAMASCUS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — Syrian Foreign ministry spokesman said Friday that his country is subject to a “media war” and accused the U.S. media of misquoting Syrian President Bashar al- Assad by taking parts of his interview with the ABC network out of context.

Jihad Makdessi said that most of Assad’s speech has been distorted by the ABC and the United States as well, indicating that the channel has the right to make montage but not to distort facts.

“They try to demonize Syria … it’s a media war,” said Makdessi.

The spokesman aired parts of the Syrian President’s interview with the ABC News, noting that the interview lasted about 45 minutes but only 15 minutes of it was aired.

“They tried to target Syria economically, politically, and even in the sectarian field,” he said, stressing that all sanctions would be of no avail.

Makdessi said President Assad has mentioned figures about civilians who were killed and the way in which they were killed, ” but nothing has been broadcasted other than the phrase ‘far from reality and irrationality.'”

President Assad is “appalled and saddened” by the ongoing violence in the country, said Makdissi, noting that Assad has promised accountability.

Makdessi said President Assad has given instructions since the beginning of the protests not to shoot at any person, adding that the president has given orders only to implement the law and the constitution stipulates that it is prohibited to use guns.

He said the use of automatic rifles by anyone is considered as a violation of law, and quoted Assad as saying that there were violations in some cases and those held responsible have been punished.

He also quoted Assad as saying: “No order has been given to anyone to kill or be brutal … we don’t have any institution that gives orders to commit brutal acts.”

On Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said “If he (Assad) is sincere (in denying that he had ordered any crackdown), he will immediately punish these murderers. He will accept Arab League (AL) observers and help change the situation,” he told reporters in Turkish capital Ankara on Friday.

Syria’s spokesman said Damascus has received the response of the AL chief Nabil El-Arabi on the message sent earlier by Damascus on the protocol, adding that the answer is still under discussion.

El-Arabi has reportedly sought Iraq’s mediation to convince the Syrian leadership to sign the protocol.

Makdessi said Syria is ready to cooperate and stressed that the Syrian opposition is asked to believe in dialogue.

“We are appealing to the outside world and our brothers in the Arab world to help Syria through their good offices and to stop incitement, channeling weapons to Syria, sending al-Thuraia phones (satellite phones), pressuring, sanctioning, cornering Syria … this is not helping Syria,” he said.

“We want the others, all the others to support the Syrian evolution … we don’t want them to support the armed confrontation in Syria,” he added.

“We will go with diplomacy to the end of the road,” he stressed.

Ammar Qurabi
محضر اجتماع كلينتون – غليون
خلافا لبيانات المجلس الوطني والتي تشبه بيانات سانا “الكاذبة” سأتحدث لكم عن لقاء غليون وصحبه مع الوزيرة كلينتون واعذروني عن عدم إرفاق محضر الاجتماع
حضر اللقاء د.برهان غليون – عبد الاحد اصطيفو- عبد الباسط – وائل ميرزا – نجيب الغضبان – بسمة قضيماتي ( لم يحضر هيثم المالح كما تم الترويج)
اللقاء تم بعنوان بين كلينتون ووفد المعارضة السورية وليس المجلس الوطني علما ان اللقاء تم بناء على طلب المجلس
استمر اللقاء 16 دقيقة تحدث فيها غليون لوحده عدا مداخلة واحدة من السيدة قضيماتي.
د. برهان كان له طلب واحد فقط وهو الاعتراف بالمجلس الوطني كممثل شرعي ” وفق كلامه حرفيا”
جواب كلينتون كان حرفيا ” إننا نتابع عمل المجلس الوطني كما نتابع أطراف أخرى مهمة جدا في المعارضة السورية ( لاحظولي أطراف أخرى مهمة وجدا ) وتابعت ” مازالت هناك أعمال أخرى بانتظاركم للحصول على الشرعية المطلوبة وأذكركم هنا بضرورة الانفتاح والحوار مع كل أطراف المعارضة وتوحيد صفوفها وعدم نسيان الأقليات في سورية فلا مستقبل للأكثرية دون إعطاء الأقلية كامل حقوقها” .
برهان يرد حرفيا ” هذا ما نسعى ونعمل عليه في القاهرة مع هيئة التنسيق بالتعاون مع الجامعة العربية أما موضوع الأقليات فهم ممثلون بيننا والسيد عبد الباسط سيدا هنا ممثل عن الأكراد ” ( والقضية هنا برسم الأكراد إن كان فعلا سيدا ممثلهم أم أن المؤتمر الكردي الوطني وغيره من أطياف المعارضة الكردية )
عندها كلينتون أحرجت برهان ثانية بقولها ” الأقليات في سورية لا تقف عند القومية الكردية ” …ثم استمرت بإعطاء برهان دروسا في معنى الأقليات وكيفية إشراكها بالقرار ولماذا ؟
أما السيدة قضيماتي فأبت إلا وان تجرب حظها فقالت ” أيضا حرفيا ” إننا لاننتظر الكثير من مجلس الأمن بقدر ما ننتظر من الولايات المتحدة راعية الحرية وحامية الحقوق في العالم ”
( يعني غريب ..لا ننتظر مجلس الأمن بل ننتظر الأمريكان…حتى كلينتون لم تصدق أن أمريكا راعية الحرية وحامية الحقوق في العالم ”
أخيرا..قال برهان بأنه يتحدث باسمه واسم الشعب السوري وباسم الثوار السوريين ..
كلينتون عادت إلى إحراجه بقولها ” إن شرعية المعارضة يتوقف على مدى نجاحها وقدرتها على تنظيم وتوحيد صفوفها “..وللحديث بقية

كيلو: على النظام السوري أن يقبل بحل الأزمة وإلا ستكون النتيجة كارثة للجميع
(دي برس)

قال الكاتب السوري المعارض ميشيل كيلو الجمعة 9/12/2011، إن المبادرة العربية هي مبادرة قدمتها المعارضة السورية في الداخل، وبالتالي لا تستطيع رفضها، وهي حريصة على تطبيقها كاملة، وليس فقط توقيع بروتوكول المراقبين.

وأضاف ميشيل كيلو في اتصال مع قناة “العربية” الإخبارية “أن المعارضة لا تستطيع رفض المبادرة”، معرباً عن اعتقاده بأنه “إذا طبقت المبادرة فعليا بشكل كامل فيجب أن ترفع العقوبات”.

وأوضح كيلو “أن روسيا قدمت مقترحات لحل الأزمة، كما أن هناك تقارير غير مؤكدة عن مفاوضات روسية-أمريكية لتخطي الأزمة وإخراج الإقليم كله من الأزمة الحالية”، وشدد كيلو على “ضرورة أن يقبل النظام بحل، وإلا ستكون النتيجة كارثة للجميع”.

وحول الحديث عن تسليح روسيا لسورية، قال كيلو “إن هذا يعني توجه للتدويل، ويعني أن الوضع قد ينفجر لصراع تدويل على سورية والمنطقة”، وأوضح “أن الروس يريدون أن تصل الأمور لحل مقبول للجميع”.

وجدد كيلو الدعوة لحل مقبول على أن يكون عربياً ويتم عن طريق الجامعة العربية، موضحاً “أن المعارضة توافق على نظام انتقالي بوجود ضمانات عربية ودولية”.

المصدر: http://www.dp-news.com/pages/detail.aspx?articleid=105592#ixzz1g5FNFbfG

شهادة الأم أغنيس على أحداث حمص الدامية الأسبوع المنصرم… الصورة الكاملة
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الأم أغنيس: لدي الكثير من إشارات الاستفهام أضعها أمام ضمير الإنسانية…
معلومات خطيرة كشفت عنها تلك الراهبة المتنسكة اكدت من خلالها ان جرائم الارهابيين في سورية هي حقيقة واقعية رغم الحملات الاعلامية الطاغية التي نجحت في تسفيه هذا الواقع .
الأم أغنيس مريم الصليب عادت في السادس من ك 1 ديسمبر الى حمص ، ليلتين قضتهما الراهبة التي وجدت نفسها وجها لوجه امام حملة عدائية شنتها عليها ادوات القمع الاعلامي القطرية والاميركية والسعودية والتركية واللبنانية.
في طريقها من حمص الى بيروت التقينا بها في دمشق وكان لنا معها هذا الحوار .
– بداية نرحب بك في موقع “عربي برس”، هلا حدثتنا عن حمص التي وصلتي منها للتو؟
“وصلت حمص البارحة (الاثنين الخامس من الشهر الحالي) في الثالثة ظهرا وتحديدا إلى منطقة باب السباع وعند الثالثة والربع كان علينا الاختباء حيث رأينا الجميع يدخلون بيوتهم واستضافتنا إحدى العائلات التي أخبرتنا عن المعاناة المستمرة هناك منذ 6 أشهر وقالوا لنا أن مسلحين مجهولين يسيطرون على أحياء كاملة في حمص وهم يوميا عند الثالثة ظهرا يبدأون بإطلاق النار حتى يدخل الناس بيوتهم ويسرحون بدورهم حتى الساعة السابعة صباحاً وهذا هو حالهم اليومي.
أما في الليل فهناك جهتان تتحاربان حرباً حقيقية أحد أطرافها الظاهرة لنا والتي نعرفها هي قوات حفظ الأمن والجيش ولكن الجهة المقابلة غير ظاهرة أو معروفة حيث يحكى عن مسلحين وعناصر دخلت سوريا من جهات مختلفة كذلك يحكى عن جيش منشق وسمعنا معارك طاحنة في عدة أماكن من المدينة بشتى أنواع الأسلحة الخفيفة والمتوسطة وأحيانا كنا نسمع أصوات قنابل”.
تتابع الأم أغنيس :
” في صباح اليوم الثاني بدأنا جولتنا وتحدثنا مع السكان وطلبنا أن نرى آثار معارك الأمس حيث كانت المدارس تعمل بشكل ضئيل جدا لأن الناس والطلاب يخافون التنقل من حي لحي ومن شارع لشارع وتحدثنا مع المعلمات الذين أخبرونا عن مسلحين يعيثون فساداً في حمص، وتساءلوا كيف أن السلطات الأمنية لا تستطيع أن تؤمن حماية أكثر للمواطنين، كما أخبرونا عن عمليات الخطف التي تحصل والتي باتت اليوم لطلب الفدية كسائق خطف مقابل مليون ليرة”.
تضيف الأم أغنيس: “اليوم 6 كانون الأول كان يوم دامي في حمص حيث سقط 100 قتيل، وبينما كنا نتجول من الحي القديم إلى الحي الجديد ناحية وادي السايح وكل الأحياء والممرات التي توصل لدوار تدمر وبابا عمر وفي كل شارع يقول لنا الناس “هنا قتل أحدهم” و”هنا كان كمين” و رافقناهم إلى وادي السايح وأمام أحد المدارس كان هناك بركة دماء قالوا لنا أهالي المنطقة أنه كان هناك بالأمس رجال ملثمون يرتدون ملابس الجيش أوقفوا سيارة وقتلوا على الهوية 9 أشخاص ودارت معارك ريثما وصلت إلى الموقع تعزيزات أمنية، وعندما وصلت الملالة العسكرية قابلوها بقنابل (آر بي جي) حيث ردت الملالة على المصدر وأصابت طابق في المنزل وعندما جلست مع أصحاب المنزل قالوا بأنهم استهدفوا من الجيش دون سبب فهم يعتبرون أن من يقتل المدنيين هم الجيش لأنهم يرتدون ملابس الجيش، وهناك من قال أنه قد يكون جيش منشق أو دخلاء أي عناصر مندسة أو مسلحين مجهولين إلى الآن لم نعلم من يقتل ويذبح” .
تتابع الأم أغنيس: “انتقلنا بعد ذلك من وادي السايح نحو المستشفى الوطني في حمص حيث رأينا في الطريق سيارتين محروقتين إلى جانب محل محروق وعلى باب المحل يوجد جثة مقطعة لا يظهر منها إلا الرأس والناس مجتمعون حول الجثة، وسمعت شخص يتحدث على هاتفه أظن أنه يتحدث مع قناة الجزيرة ويقول “هكذا فعلت كتائب الأسد السوداء”.
ثم تابعنا طريقنا إلى المستشفى الوطني ونزلنا إلى براد الجثث في المستشفى حيث كان المكان يعج بالجثث ولا مكان لمزيد منها في البراد مما اضطرهم إلى وضع عدد كبير منها على الأرض كذلك المشهد كان في استقبالنا عند الدخول من باب المستشفى فالجثث منتشرة في الصالة وليس لها محل لتدخل البراد فالمولد الذي يجلب كهرباء للبراد لم يعد يكفي ؟!
وتضيف: “اليوم إذا لم نعرف من يقوم بهذه الأفعال فذلك شيء يصرخ بضمير الإنسانية والسيناريو الذي أراه كالتالي إذا كانت قوات الأمن هي من تقتل فهل قوات الأمن على اتصال مع الجزيرة حتى توصل لهم صورة الشخص الذي قتلوه لتقوم الجزيرة بدورها باتهام قوات الأمن بقتله وتنزل عقوبات عالمية على هذا النظام؟، نعم هناك عدد من السكان يعتقدون أن هذا السيناريو وليد الدولة وأنا أسأل نفسي ليس دفاع عن أحد ولكن ذلك سبب لي انفصام شخصية فهل هناك دولة جهنمية تحارب نفسها؟ وثانياً هذه الدولة لماذا تقطع وتفظع في الجثث وتتفق مع الجزيرة لتقول لها ما تفعل؟ وهل لدى الدولة عقدة الاضطهاد؟”.
الأم أغنيس أضافت: “لا أفهم ما يجري وأطلب من أي شخص خاصة ممن يسمون أنفسهم معارضة سلمية أن تتفضل وتأتي لترى ما رأيته اليوم، أنا كشخص محايد لا زلت أقول جهات غير معروفة ولكن الجثث التي رأيتها لا أتمنى أن تكون أخي وأخوك وأمي وأمك وأبي وأبوك و…مثلا ساري ساعود الذي قتل من فترة وهو حفيد حجار الدير الذي أقطن فيه “أبو طوني الجمال” الذي قالو أن الأمن قتله لكننا ذهبنا وسمعنا أمه الثكلى التي قالت لو أن الأمن كان موجود لما كان قتل ساري، أين هو ضمير الإنسانية والعرب والغرب والناتو وحلف الأطلسي من هؤلاء الأولاد والمواطنين فليتفضلوا بالنزول ليستنتجوا ما يحدث على الأرض.
وعندما وصلت إلى المستشفى ورأيت لوائح من “الفيس بوك” وضعتها تنسيقيات حمص يتهمون فيها أطباء المستشفى بقتل الجرحى يعني ذلك أن هناك استغلال “مصنع استغلالي” يقتلون ويستغلون القتل في بداية الأمر وعندما يصلون إلى المستشفى يتهمون الأطباء بأنهم من يقطعون الجثث وأصبحوا يغتالون الأطباء أيضاً”.
– س : الأم أغنيس تعرضتي لاتهامات كثيرة من طرف المعارضة بأنك أداة للنظام ماذا تقولين في ذلك؟
أنا لست مع النظام ولا مع أحد غير النظام، أنا راهبة عزل حرة أريد أن أعرف الحقيقة وكل نقطة دم أضعها تسفك في سوريا أضعها علامة استفهام على ضمير الإنسانية فما الذي يحصل، ولماذا يسمون هؤلاء عناصر مسلحة مجهولة، لماذا لليوم مجهولة؟؟
وحول من يتهم الأم أغنيس بذلك قالت: “رأيت موقع يدعي all4syria يقول بأن لديه تسجيل صوتي بأنني أعترف أن منبع المعلومات الخاصة بي أعطاني إياه الأمن السوري والمخابرات السورية، لكنني اليوم كنت في حمص وشاهدني الناس هناك حتى أنني نزلت بدون إذن لأنهم رفضوا منحي الإذن خوفاً على حياتي إلا أنني لم أبالي وسافرت وتحدثت مع كثير من الأشخاص واعتقلت من قبل الجيش، وأرادوا أخذ الكاميرا من الصحفي المرافق لي وهو فرنسي لأنهم قالوا أنه سيصور ويستعمل الصور ليتهم الأطباء الشرعيين بأنهم يقتلون الجرحى الذين يصلون للمستشفى كما فعل غيره”.
تتابع الأم أغنيس: “ها أنا هنا موجودة ومستعدة من يريد أن يقصدني فأنا مستعدة ومن يريد فلينزل إلى حمص فحمص لم تعد مخفية على أحد لقد أصبحت مدينة مأساوية ولابد أن تقوم قوة ردع عربية إذا كان ذلك صعبا على الجيش بالنزول ومواجهة الملثمين الذين يعيثون فساداً وتضيف: أنا لا أحمل على أحد كل إنسان وضميره لكن السكان يتحدثون عن أشخاص بلباس الجيش وهيئتهم مخيفة ويضحكون بشكل مستمر ولا يخافون من شيء .
–
أنا بجولتي أستمع للأهالي الذين يخبرونني أوجاعهم، ويسوع يقول لنا “كنت جائعاً فأطعمتموني، وكنت عطشاً فسقيتموني، وكنت مريضاً فزرتموني، وكنت ميتاً فشيعتموني”، وهذا ما أفعله أنا أنزل وأرى الشعب المريض ولدي رغبة بمعرفة الحقيقة وإلى اليوم لم آخذ موقف، فأنا مع المعارضة التي تطالب بديمقراطية وحرية ومساواة ولدي الكثير من المطالب وكتبت كتابا مفتوحا للسيد الرئيس ولكنني ضد أي شخص مهما كانت ملته أو دينه يفعل ما يحصل للسكان الأبرياء، فما ذنب هؤلاء وسبق لي أن قلت أن الشعب مرهون هو قيد الرهن هكذا رأيته بالقصير وبحمص وفي مناطق أخرى ولابد من نزول أقطاب المعارضة فليتفضلوا ويشاهدوا ويستنتجوا لأن الكلام والاتهام من بعيد وطرح نظريات أمر في غاية السهولة وبعدها يتهمون الذي ينزل على الأرض ويخاطر بحياته
لقد زرت أحياء المعارضة وسمعت منهم أن هذا الذي يحصل سيناريو قام به النظام ولم أقل لهم لا، لابد من أن ننزل كلنا ونرى لعل هناك طابور خامس أو أن المعارضة مخترقة ولا تدري لا أعرف لماذا ندع التاريخ يتهمنا غدا أننا كنا نعلم وصمتنا؟
– ما الحل في حمص والمسلحون كما تقولي يتعمدون لبس ثياب الجيش؟
السلام لا يأتي إلا بالكشف عن المجرمين، نعم رأيت حواجز أمنية صغيرة هي مراكز أمنية مثل مكاتب واحتجزت بأحدها هي مبنى وأمامه سواتر ترابية وشاهدت ملالة زهرية اللون مكتوب عليها شرطة وهذا لا يعني أنه لا يوجد غير ذلك لكن هذا ما شاهدته، وقال لي الناس أ نه من يومين وصلتهم على هواتفهم رسائل نداء للدفاع عن الجيش حيث حاصر ثلاثمئة مسلح مجموعة عناصر من الجيش صغار السن يؤدون الخدمة العسكرية وظل العناصر يدافعون عن أنفسهم ساعتين متواصلتين حتى وصلت الملالات العسكرية.
وحول موقف الأم أغنيس السياسي قالت: أنا لا آخذ موقف سياسي وإنما أريد حماية المدنيين، فلا بد من وضع حد للوضع وإذا كانوا يعتبرون أني إذا تحدثت هكذا فأنا ضد المسيح فأنا أقبل”.
– هل يمكننا وصف ما يجري في حمص بأنه حرب أهلية طائفية؟
ذهبت إلى الزهراء وهي من طائفة معينة وأخبرونا كيف يتعرضون لأمور رهيبة من قتل وخطف ولم أسمع أن هذه الطائفة تكن حقد لطائفة أخرى وزرت الطائفة الثانية وقالت أنه قد يحدث باسم طائفتنا ذبح وقتل ونحن نعتبر أن هناك جهة ثالثة تريد أن تشعل الفتنة بيننا، أي أن النسيج السوري المجتمعي لا يوجد فيه حقد متبادل ولكن هناك مشروع حرب طائفية إلا أنها لم تبدأ في سوريا بعد .
وعمن يغطي ما يدعى “الجيش السوري الحر” تحدثت الأم اغنيس: “هناك نسبة ضئيلة من السكان تغطي مسلحين يسمون انفسهم الجيش السوري الحر ولكن قليلون جدا، فإذا كان هناك جيشان فهي ليست حرب أهلية، وإذا كان هناك مسلحين وجيش هذه أيضاً ليست حرباً أهلية لكن عندما تكون طائفة ضد طائفة تصبح كذلك وهذا لم أراه في المجتمع المدني”.
تضيف الأم أغنيس: “الجيش السوري الحر البيئة الحاضنة له هي بيئة وهابية متطرفة لليوم وأتساءل لماذا تريد المعارضة أن تأخذ هذا المنحى؟
لماذا يريدون أن يتلونون بهذا اللون ؟ لماذا نعمل شيء سياسي تحت لون ديني لا أعرف نحن تحترم المواقف لكن لابد من أن تسأل من يقوم بذلك لماذا يأخذون هذا المنحى نحن مجتمع مدني من يريد مجتمع آخر فليقل لنا كي نفهم ما يريده.

– الأم أغنيس في سطور؟
والدي فلسطيني من مهجري 48 ووالدتي لبنانية، عشت في لبنان فترة ثم ترهبت بعمر صغير ودخلت حبيسا لواحد وعشرين عاما، ثم اكتشفت دعوة للتجذر أكثر في المحيط الشرقي يعني الكنيسة الشرقية وأتيت إلى سورية واكتشفت دير أثري بطور الاضمحلال هو دير “مار يعقوب المقطع” وطلبت من المطران ترميمه وأنا أرممه إلى اليوم وأسسنا جماعة رهبانية للتعايش والوحدة بين المسيحيين وللحوار والمحبة بين كل أطياف المجتمع السوري والشرقي وكما أننا نهتم بالتراث ونستقبل أشخاص من كل العالم في الدير حيث وصل عددهم إلى 25 ألف زائر خلال عام يأتون لممارسة رياضات متنوعة ويتعمقون بالروحانيات ويتعبدون الله ومن كل الطوائف، والآن داهمتنا الأحداث ونحن لا نستطيع الوقوف مكتوفي الأيدي لقد أحسست أن من واجبي إعالة المجتمع المدني والتعرف على تطلعاته، وأكيد تطلعاتنا حرية وديمقراطية ولكننا لا نتدخل بالسياسة وبدأ عملي هذا عندما بدأ الدم يسفك حينئذ أصبحت أتساءل من يقتل من؟ وأردت مساعدة الضحايا وطلبت ولا زلت أطلب من المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان وغيره من المراجع إعطائنا لوائح القتلى من المعارضة كي نذهب ونعيلهم ونكرم ذكراهم حتى لا يقولون أننا منحازون لطرف دون الآخر وإلى اليوم لم يجبني أحد وهذا لا يعني أنني لا أعترف بوجود ضحايا من كل الأطياف لكن الضحايا الذين أراهم أبكي عليهم وأريد أن أعرف من قتلهم وإذا كان هناك خطأ مني أرجو أن يكتبوا لي ولكن دون أ ن تكون بطريقة الذم كي نساعد بعضنا طالما أن النوايا الحسنة موجودة عند الجميع فقد أكون مخطئة، لذلك أرجو ممن لديه نية حسنة الاتصال بي لأذهب معه فقد كنت في القصير عند المعارضة ورأيت وتحدثت مع مسلحي الجيش السوري الحر وزرت بابا عمر وباب السباع وبستان الديوان للاستماع لمطالب الأهالي وقلت أن الناس يضعون ما يجري بذمة النظام …

آلاء زيني – دمشق – عربي برس

From the Financial Times dated 7 Dec 2011:

“The last time the Syrian pound came under this kind of pressure was in April of this year, when it dropped 15 per cent against the US dollar on the black market. Then, the government succeeded in stabilising the currency by tightening capital controls, raising interest rates and pumping foreign currency into the system. The governor of the Syrian Central Bank said in October that he had spent $3bn defending the pound and financing trade since the start of the unrest this year. Since the beginning of November, however, the pound has slid about 14 per cent against the dollar on the black market, and there is no sign of government intervention. According to The Syria Report, a newsletter, the government is even intending to cancel planned foreign exchange auctions. Christopher Phillips of the Economist Intelligence Unit says “I don’t think they want to spend their foreign currency reserves to defend [the Syrian pound] at this point.” Ayham Kamel of Eurasia, a consulting group, suggests that a rate of SYP60 to the dollar, while pushing up prices of imported goods, is unlikely to be considered unacceptably high by the regime.” http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/984dd544-20b6-11e1-816d-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1g57okqLS

That news item about the Syrian pound being under pressure reminds me that Syria’s new 30% tariff on Turkish imports helps to defend the exchange rate of the Syrian pound at the present time. It greatly reduces Syria’s imports from Turkey, which is to say it greatly reduces the outflow of foreign currency from Syria to Turkey. Yesterday I read that Şanlıurfa in Turkey near the Syrian border “mainly exports cement” to Syria (my source at #129 above). I was surprised about that since cement is something that the Syrians can and do produce themselves. The 30% tariff helps cement producers inside Syria. No doubt many other Syrian industrialists can benefit from the tariff. As we all remember, Syria in September, in order to protect the exchange rate of the Syrian pound, temporarily suspended a wide range of imports but very soon found out that the suspension was unworkable and impractical. This tariff is workable and practical. By its contribution to supporting the Syrian pound it contributes to keeping down the price of all non-Turkish imported goods in Syria, which is of some benefit to Syrian consumers. The people who are penalized by the tariff the most are my friends the decent and competitive Turkish exporters, who should blame their Turkish government.

On 1 Dec 2011, just after Turkey announced its sanctions against Syria and a couple of days prior to Syria announcing it’s counter-sanctions, the leader of the largest Turkish opposition party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) condemned the Turkish government’s economic sanctions on Syria, saying “these acts don’t benefit Turkey”. He was right, and he was even more right the couple of days later.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-12/02/c_131283086.htm

نصائح مجانية في السياسة الخارجية:
لا تجوز التضحية بوحدة الثوار في سوريا لطمأنة كلينتون
هيثم مناع

تشكل مشاعر السلطة بطبعها عنصر اضطراب للأشخاص، حتى لو كانت ابنة عملية تعويم إعلامية ودبلوماسية خارجية تتطلبها الأوضاع السورية. ورغم ثقتنا بأن أحدا من شركائنا في المعارضة السورية يتعاطى حبوب الهلوسة، لم يعد بعض إخوتنا في المواطنة يقفون على الأرض، وإن لم ينجحوا كذلك في اعتلاء العرش، فقد صار القوم مثل آلهة أبيقور، معلقين بين السماء والماء، يعتقدون أن معاملات الاستلام والتسليم من آل الأسد قد تمت بنجاح. وكون دورهم في الثورة لم يتعد اللقاءات الإعلامية والدبلوماسية وتلقي المدائح والمساعدات السخية وإرسال رسائل غزل للشبيبة الثائرة، لا يستغرب أن يتبسموا أحيانا وهم يتحدثون عن آلاف الضحايا من قتلى وجرحى، قبل أن يوزعوا صكوك الغفران لهذا المعارض أو تلك التنسيقية، ولهيب النيران لذاك الطرف الإقليمي أو الحزبي. أليسوا الممثل الشرعي والوحيد للثورة والشعب وقريبا الدولة؟
شعور كبير بالسعادة يتملك «المسؤول» القادم عندما يعلم بأن يافطة قد رفعت في غفلة عن المتظاهرين تذم وتمدح. أليس من يقرر أيام الجمع يقرر أسماء الوزراء في الحكومة الانتقالية؟ أليس المثقف المطالِب بكوريدور إنساني صدى لصوت الشعب والثورة؟ ألم يتحدث أحد أشاوس العلمانية السورية في الهلال الشيعي؟ ألم يطالب أحد المعارضين بالقطع المنهجي مع نهج المقاومة «المدمر»؟ ألم يلتحق بقدرة قادر من طالب برنار هنري ليفي بالابتعاد عن الملف السوري، بأهم أطروحاته حول المقاومتين الفلسطينية واللبنانية مع «كوكتيل كوشنر» في الكوريدور الإنساني؟ ألم يصل الابتذال إلى تغييب القضايا المركزية للثورة كالعودة من الانتشار الأفقي إلى البؤرية ومن الحراك الواسع إلى الفئوية مع تعامل غير واضح خجول مع التسلح والتطيف؟ ما معنى الركون لأسماء في يوم الجمعة تشكل موضوع تفرقة وخلاف وزراعة وهمٍ في صفوف المجتمع الأهلي الحامي والمشارك في الثورة (من أحرار الجيش والجيش الحر والحـظر الجوي وتجميد العضوية وطرد السفراء والمنطقة العازلة… إلخ). ثم هل أنجزنا مهامنا الداخلية من تحديد معالم الجمهورية السورية الثانية والعـقد المؤسس للدولة المدنية الديموقراطية إلى أشكال ضمان حقوق المواطنة والأقليات والموقف الوطني الواضح من قضية الجولان وقرابة مليون نازح ونصف مليون لاجئ لنتحدث في الأمن والاستقرار لتركيا والويل والثبور لإيران وتحديد موقع حماس في الخارطة الفلسطينية؟ إلى غير ذلك من أوراق مجانية للقوى الخارجية، باستعارة تعبير سمير عيطة.
يمكن القول ان السياسة الخارجية مرآة لصحة الجسد، أي الذات السياسية أو السيادة. وهي تعبير جوهري عن فكرة الدور، وترجمة النظرة للنفس والآخر. السيادة هنا، باعتبارها الشرط النظري لسيرورة تسلم الناس مصائر حياتهم بأنفسهم، أي السلاح الحقوقي والاستراتيجي المشبع بالقدرة على التعبئة الداخلية التي تسمح بسياسة خارجية فاعلة: الثقة بالذات التي تنبع عادة من شرعية سياسية – ثقافية وشعور بالأصالة المجتمعية، تمنح السياسة الخارجية الكبيرة دورا كاريزمياً لا يتطابق بالضرورة مع الحجم الفعلي للقوة المعبرة عنه كما تمسخ السياسة الصغيرة أصحابها مع ما يترتب على ذلك لمستقبل الوطن. وأخيرا، لا يمكن أن نترك أساسيات العلاقات الخارجية لرغبات بعض المتظاهرين في مقاطعة دولة منديلا أو البرازيل أو الهند وحمل أعلام دول غير ديموقراطية؟ العلاقات الخارجية لأي ثورة أو دولة تقوم على وعي عميق للعلاقة بين النحن والآخر، بمعنى التصور السياسي والاقتصادي والثقافي لطبيعة العلاقات بين الدول والشعوب وثنائيات التفاعل بين الإنساني: العزلة – التدخل، العمل الفردي – العمل الجماعي، القيم – المصالح، الحياد – الانحياز، المثالية – البراغماتية، المشاركة – الهيمنة، التعاون – السيطرة .. وما من شك في أن المساحات الرمادية بين هذه الثنائيات تحتل الهامش الأكبر في حقيقة السياسة الخارجية لدولة أو حزب أو منظمة غير حكومية. وفي السياسة الخارجية، كما في المجتمع، لا يغتفر للمرأة بيع شرفها لأول عابر سبيل.
نقرأ في صفحة الويب الرسمية للخارجية الفرنسية الجملة التالية: «ترتكز السياسة الخارجية الفرنسية على تقليد دبلوماسي قائم منذ عدة قرون، وعلى بعض المبادئ الأساسية: حق الشعوب في تقرير مصيرها، واحترام حقوق الإنسان والمبادئ الديموقراطية، واحترام دولة القانون والتعاون بين الأمم. وفي هذا الإطار، حرصت فرنسا على الحفاظ على استقلالها الوطني دون أن تكف عن العمل على تنمية أشكال من التضامن الإقليمي والدولي». بالطبع لا يمكن لأي باحث في العلوم السياسية أن يأخذ على محمل الجد هذا المقطع. فالثورة الفرنسية التي حملت بضعاً من هذه المبادئ لا يزيد عمرها على قرنين وعقدين تخللتها ردات وانقلابات ونظم عسكرية واحتلال ألماني. ومن الصعب القول ان فرنسا بكل مكوناتها السياسية التي وصلت الحكم عملت بهذه المبادئ. فقد خسر الشعب الجزائري أكثر من مليون من أجل استقلاله، وآثرت معظم الحكومات الفرنسية العلاقة مع الحكومات التي تربطها بها علاقات استراتيجية ومصلحة قومية عليا، بغض النظر عن طبيعتها الديموقراطية. وقد امتنعت الحكومة الفرنسية عن إدانة ضم إسرائيل لأراض سورية محتلة كما دعمت عسكريا عدة حكومات موالية لها في افريقيا لا تمثل شعوبها بحال. وفي حين يتحدث آلان جوبيه عن أيام بقيت في عمر الدكتاتورية السورية، ويحدد من يمثل الشعب ومن لا يمثله في صفوف ثورة الكرامة، لم يجرؤ وزير الخارجية الفرنسي في حياته السياسية على أن يوجه نقدا للسياسة السعودية ولو تعلق الأمر بقيادة المرأة للسيارة في مملكة الصمت؟ فما معنى أن نتحدث عن ثوابت عمرها قرون؟
لكن ثمة بالتأكيد منطقا مرجعيا قد يكون قراءة المصلحة القومية العليا عند رجل الدولة، أو مراعاة خلفيات الوعي الجمعي، كذلك استنباط التوجهات الأساسية في المجتمع السياسي والمدني وترجمتها في سياسة خارجية تعبر عن الهموم الرئيسية للناس. لكن هناك أيضا بالتأكيد لغة تجمعات الضغط والمصالح الاقتصادية التي تترجم حاجياتها في خطاب للسياسة الخارجية يتحدث عن الحكم الرشيد والديموقراطية من دون أن ينوه بحال للخلفية الحقيقية للموقف السياسي المعلن.
صحيح أن العولمة قد عززت نسبية السيادة وحددت من نطاق سيادة الأصغر وتعبيرات أشكال ممارستها في السياسة الخارجية خاصة في السياسات الإقليمية، ووضعت الهيمنة الغربية قواعد تحدد أوليات الدول الغنية في القانون الدولي. فحركة البضاعة لا تجوز مراقبتها، أما حق البشر في التنقل فهو مقيد بكل المعاني. إعلان الحليف حالة الطوارئ جزء من ضرورات دولة القانون، وقيام دولة مارقة بهكذا إجراء هو انتهاك لحقوق الإنسان… إلخ. إلا أن هذه النسبية لا تنسينا الدرس الكبير في أن من ينطلق من موقع دوني لا يمكن أن يرفع رأسه عاجلا أو آجلا، ومن يبدأ صغيرا لا يمكن أن يكبر.
حتى اليوم، الدولة الحديثة، التي بنيت على مفهوم الأمن، أكثر منه على أساس إقامة العدل، وبكل أحجامها، ما زالت ضرورية لعملية حفظ التوازن الشكلي للعلاقات الخارجية بين الدول. ويمكن القول اليوم ان من النتائج المباشرة للحرب على الإرهاب والعدوان على العراق، تعزز مفهوم السيادة الافتراضية virtual للدول الضعيفة على حساب نظرية السيادة المباشرة للدولة العظمى. فقد أدى ضرب السيادة العراقية (إلغاء الجيش وحل المؤسسات الأساسية للدولة) إلى خلق وضع كارثي غير قابل للسيطرة، عزز فكرة أميركية بديلة تقول بضرورة تحديد معالم الدور والنطاق والتصور للسياسة الخارجية للبلدان الحليفة كما للبلدان الخارجة عن المنظومة، مع بقاء المفهوم التقليدي للأمن الداخلي للدولة. وهكذا تغير أسلوب الخارجية الأميركية في الحديث مع الحكومات أو المعارضات المعدة من الخارج بحيث تعطي الضوء الأخضر لمساعدتها ماديا وإعلامية ودبلوماسيا أو تحجب عنها النعم. وتعتبر من واجبها أن توجه لها الملاحظات سواء تعلق الأمر بهياكلها الداخلية أو العامة أو بسياساتها المزمعة.
في غياب الشرعية السياسية الداخلية، شكلت السياسة الخارجية أحد مصادر الشرعية للسلطة التنفيذية. فالصراع العربي الإسرائيلي والتوازن الاستراتيجي العربي الفارسي والجهاد ضد الغزو السوفياتي لأفغانستان أصبحت في أوقات مختلفة مصدر التعبئة الوطنية وبديل الدولة المواطنية. الأمر الذي أدى إلى كوارث كبيرة عندما نسيت الدول الأطراف أنها لا تتمتع بقوة داخلية (شرعية سياسية داخلية) تسمح لها بدور خارجي إلا ضمن رضا القوى العظمى. ما نراه جليا في اطمئنان الرئيس العراقي صدام لاحتلال الكويت بعد حربه مع إيران، أو غياب أي مبرر لاستمرار الوجود العسكري السوري في لبنان بعد تحرير الجنوب. مع ما حققت هذه التصرفات من نتائج كارثية على صعيد سيادة دول المنطقة، نتائج توضح مدى خطورة غياب الشرعية السياسية الداخلية على هوامش السياسة الخارجية. لكنها أيضا تحمل كل مخاطر الجنوح المقابل: أي شعور من استقوى من الضحايا بأنه قوي بالفعل. أي أن تتصرف مثلا إمارة الكويت كقوة إقليمية لمجرد قيام تحالف دولي واسع لإعادتها للوجود، أو يتحدث بعض المعارضين السوريين في الخارج بوصفهم راسمي معالم الشرق الأوسط الجديد. هنا تتم ولادة سيادة افتراضية مضخمة تحمل كل مخاطر التحطيم الذاتي.
لا يمكن أن نتعامل مع السياسة الدولية والإقليمية بمستوى القذافي أو عبد الجليل عندما نكون في دولة مواجهة مباشرة مع الإسرائيلي، وليس بالإمكان التضحية بوحدة الثوار لإرضاء الباب العالي أو طمأنة السيدة كلينتون. هناك صورتنا عن أنفسنا كمشروع ثورة ديموقراطية لا مجرد سماسرة إقليميين، وهناك الزمان والمكان والحاجة الوطنية الفعلية وقوة الموضوع في الوعي الجماعي أو قدرته على الاستقطاب الشعبي وقدرة أعدائه على تحجيمه أو ضربه كعناصر متحركة من الضروري أخذها بعين الاعتبار عند كل موقف استراتيجي هام في العلاقات الخارجية لسوريا الغد الديموقراطية.

([) رئيس هيئة التنسيق الوطنية لقوى التغيير الديموقراطي في المهجر

Bashar’s accomplishment this Friday:

46 civilians killed including 9 children and 3 women.

Actor Muhammad Al Rashee was detained today by the security forces.

jad#195.

If the FSA continues to attack the army, we won’t be able to keep the integrity of the army even after the fall of the regime. I have a good plan for the FSA. I am meeting with Ghalioun on the 21st of December. I will present it to him.

Is this the beginning of political defection within the Syrian government? 

http://www.ocala.com/article/20111208/ZNYT03/112083023?p=4&tc=pg
….
A senior defector from the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in an interview that if outside countries armed the opposition rebels, it could inflict serious damage on the Assad government. The official, a former ambassador who fled to Istanbul from Syria last week, said Mr. Assad’s state security apparatus was operating in up to 50 locations in Syria. He argued that surgical strikes, in conjunction with a buffer zone inside Syria put into effect by Turkey, would prove fatal to the government.

Opposition officials said the Free Syrian Army, the Syrian National Council and the Turkish government had been engaged in talks in recent days over the formation of a buffer zone in the event of a huge number of refugees.

Since May, 20,201 Syrians have entered Turkey and 8,424 remain, according to the Ankara government.
….

Waiting for Bashar Assad’s exit

http://arabnews.com/opinion/columns/article545596.ece

The Syrian leader seems to be living in an alternate reality of his own making

As bloodshed mounts in Syria, pundits argue, President Bashar Assad has finally realized that the security approach is a grave mistake. As tensions in Syria mount, it seems that the security-minded decision makers are on the retreat.

Soon, Assad is expected to confirm his agreement to form a national government that includes opposition and independents. This new government’s mission will be to oversee parliamentary elections and prepare for presidential elections. There will be no veto on any political party or person, elections will be internationally monitored, and the outcome will be honored. According to the new agreement, presidency will be a four-year term provided that a president cannot rule more than two terms. Should this initiative succeed, it will close a chapter of political history and turn a new leaf.

And yet, latest events reveal that there is a gap within the presidency between those who still believe in the security solution to the crisis and those moderates who make the case for the necessity of respecting the Syrian people and responding to their demands. From the beginning, moderates argued for a benign approach, a trial of officials responsible for escalation in Dar’a, and political reform.

This moderate trend was both isolated at the beginning of the crisis and accused of opportunism. Extremists believed that there was a plot and that employing force was a necessity. However, eventually, they all found out that the security approach has simply backfired as it created domestic tension and made a reform initiative difficult. On the other hand, now Assad is no longer calling the shots. The impact of the Syrian street, regional and international public opinion, and the Arab proactive stand now influence decision-making in Syria. Worse still, was when the cooperative relations with Ankara were transformed into enmity, as the probability of war increased and the chances of peace and diplomacy receded.

What all observers are wondering is: Will Assad step down? Will Syria transform into a democratic political system instead of this patriarchic and familial one? Will Assad leave Syria for its people without destruction, bloodshed, or civil war? Is Assad’s decision a Syrian one or a regional one in which Iran and Hezbollah also have a say? Will he flee the country undetected?

Many pundits also ponder the Iranian position. Interestingly, some even talk about Gulf diplomacy playing a part and a political reform package in the near future. Consultative councils in the Gulf will soon meet in Jeddah. Also, the former head of the Saudi intelligence, Prince Turkey Faisal, stressed that the Gulf states should stand up to external challenges. He also calls for a unified Gulf consultative council, common currency, and a common army. Additionally, Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, the head of the Saudi intelligence, confirms that the Gulf states are very guarded because of the Iranian nuclear file. US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said at Brookings Institute that Iran should be a nuclear-free country, as Tehran is becoming a source of serious threat to the region. Indeed, Arab intellectuals warn against the perils of the Persian expansion in the region, should they go unchallenged.

Another senior official in the American National Security Council also confirmed that the Malki government is on its way out and a rearrangement of the political process in Iraq to restore its balance is under way. Maliki is moving in various directions to pre-empt this scenario and accordingly he signed strategic and security agreements with Iran. He also received the deputy of Waly Al-Faqih and supports Assad’s government. Meanwhile, Hezbollah is attempting to rebuild its relations with leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, generously spend the Iranian money in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt, and the party provides some presidential candidates blank checks to help them mobilize support in presidential and parliamentary elections in Tunisia and Egypt. Additionally, Iran is backing the Houthis in Yemen.

Apparently, a new political environment is in the making. America is retreating and civilized Islamic groups are on the ascendance. Also, there is a Western attempt to generalize a new model that is based on decentralization. This means a model that is based on a weak central government vis-à-vis the periphery.

The reorganization of the Syrian government will certainly have an impact on Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan. It will reinforce the power of the Muslim Brotherhood and the civilized reform movements, particularly when the Brothers’ discourse is closer to the civil discourse as is the case in Tunisia and Egypt.

Now, we are all waiting on Assad’s next speech. But he may let us down and will come with pledges that cannot be implemented and in the context of buying time. In an interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters on Dec. 6, that he had requested, Assad vehemently denied ordering a deadly crackdown in Syria – a denial that is of paramount importance as it may cause more military defections.

“No government in the world kills its people unless it’s led by a crazy person,” he said in the interview. Which begs the question: Is Assad insane, a liar, or is he simply living in an alternate reality of his and his cronies’ own making, in which some “other” delinquent forces are to blame for the crisis? You decide.

(alibluwi@yahoo.com)

Our toothless paper tiger is colon less now!

http://www.worldbulletin.net/resim/250×190/2011/12/08/erdo-qatar.jpg

😀

#246 Tara

“A senior defector from the Syrian Foreign Ministry”

Another Bakkour but this time anomynous ?

For your Saturday morning education, shut the t.v., no football, take your hand of all balls and watch this:

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1475/358/Reptilians_And_Ancient_Nuclear_Wars.html

Haytham ,
The FSA on paper was created to defend civilians,in reality,the FSA is on a mission to kill as many soldiers as possible,and the FSA supporters here publish daily reports bragging about the number of soldiers killed. I am afraid that you will be speaking to a group of deaf people,deaf by choice,and to a group of figure leaders who are unable to change things on the ground. My sincere advice to you and all like-minded people is to go public with your position and join the moderate opposition forces instead of trying to reform the SNC which is losing support slowly but steadily.
The consensus now,as far as I know,is to stop the blood shed and violence and form a national unity government that paves the way for fair and clean elections,and if the regime refuses to participate,then everybody will join in a legitimate and national campaign to dismantle the regime by all acceptable means.
Maqdisi was so focused on separating Assad from illegal actions taken by the security forces in an effort to shield Bashar from futurer questioning about crimes committed against unarmed Syrians but I have not heard of anybody who went to jail yet even after 9 months of blood shed,this is a tough sell to say the least.

250. irritated said:

Another Bakkour but this time anomynous ?

Must be one of the ganitors. You know how much ganitors like to remain anonymous

😀

The SNC accuses the government to have blown up the pipeline in order to “create a pretext” for a final assault on “the peaceful protesters ” in Homs.

Syria forces poised for bloody Homs assault: SNC

(AFP) – 18 hours ago

DAMASCUS — Syria’s opposition warned Friday of a looming “massacre” as it reported thousands of regime forces and militiamen encircled the protest hub of Homs for an expected final assault to crush dissent.

The Syrian National Council issued the alert ahead of nationwide protests following the main weekly Muslim prayers called for in support of a campaign of escalating strikes starting on Sunday.

In a statement, the SNC said President Bashar al-Assad’s regime was using the pretext of what it called a “terrorist” attack on an oil pipeline to overrun Homs, which has already been besieged for months.

“The regime (is) paving the way to commit a massacre in order to extinguish the revolution in Homs,” said the organisation, a principle umbrella group drawing together Assad’s opponents.

Homs, an important junction city of 1.6 million residents mainly divided along confessional lines, is a tinderbox of sectarian tensions that the SNC said the regime was trying to exploit.

“The regime has tried hard to ignite the sectarian conflict using many dirty methods, which have included bombing and burning mosques, torturing and killing young men, and kidnapping women and children,” said the SNC.

“The regime also took a significant step… in burning oil pipelines in the neighbourhood of Baba Amr to blame what the regime calls ‘armed gangs’; in an attempt to crush the peaceful uprising on the pretext of a war on terrorism.”

Witnesses on the ground in the central city have reported a buildup of troops and pro-regime “Shabiha” militiamen in armoured vehicles who have set up more than 60 checkpoints, said the opposition group.

“These are all signs of a security crackdown operation that may reach the level of a total invasion of the city.

“We warn of the consequences of committing such a crime that could result in a massive number of casualties,” said the SNC.

“We hold accountable the regime, and behind it the Arab League and the international community of what could happen to innocent civilians in the next few hours or days, and the implications for the region as a whole in the near future.

“The Syrian National Council also calls on all relevant international organisations and human rights organisations to take immediate action to pressure the international forums to provide immediate protection to civilians in Homs in particular, and throughout Syria in general.”

The Assad regime’s crackdown on dissent since mid-March has hit Homs particularly hard and activists say a great number of defecting soldiers have set up camp there to protect the protest movement.

An explosion that tore apart a pipeline taking crude to an oil refinery in Homs from eastern Syria, in an attack the regime blamed on “armed terrorist gangs.”

But the Local Coordination Committees (LCC), which organises anti-regime protests, accused Assad’s government of deliberately destroying the pipeline which serves a region seen as staunchly opposed to his rule.

Activists reported at least 20 people killed in Thursday’s violence alone, the majority of them in Homs. The regime’s crackdown on dissent has killed more than 4,000 people in Syria, according to UN figures.

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay is due to address the Syria crisis on Friday and is expected to brief the UN Security Council by Tuesday at the request of France, Britain and German, diplomats said.

“It will be useful because it will allow the Security Council to examine its own responsibilities” in the crisis, said a UN diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity.

Diplomats said they notice signs of a shift in attitude by opponents of UN action against President Assad. However Western governments are waiting to see what impact Arab League sanctions have on Syria.

The Arab League is leaning on Iraq to persuade Syria to allow observers or else face more sanctions, but the regime has taken a defiant stance this week, with Assad himself denying responsibility for violence by his forces.

Syria’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it is studying a response from the Arab League to conditions sought by Damascus to accept a delegation of monitors.

Pro-democracy activists, meanwhile, urged citizens to rally on Friday in support of a “dignity strike… which will lead to the sudden death of this tyrant regime.”

The LCC has called on citizens to strike from Sunday with sit-ins at work and the closure of shops and universities, before the shutdown of transportation networks and a general public sector strike.

لندن ـ باريس ـ ‘القدس العربي’ ـ رويترز: افتى الشيخ يوسف القرضاوي، الداعية والفقيه الاسلامي المعروف ان من حق السوريين الطلب من دول اجنبية وبدعم من الامم المتحدة التدخل في بلادهم في حالة فشل الدول العربية في وقف حمام الدم.
وقال القرضاوي انه كان ممن دعوا للثورات العربية قبل ان تبدأ وبعدها، وكان موقفه واحدا من اهم العوامل التي دعت الجامعة العربية لاتخاذ موقف متشدد من النظام السوري.
وقال القرضاوي في لقاء مع صحيفة ‘فايننشال تايمز’ البريطانية، ان طبيعة الثورات الشعبية في العالم العربي والتي بدت بدون قيادة هي صورة عن تغير من داخل الشعوب التي انتفضت ضد الظلم ‘واستجاب القدر لها’.
وطالب القرضاوي الدول العربية والإسلامية، ومن وصفهم بأحرار العالم، بالوقوف إلى جانب الشعب السوري، قائلا إن الثورتين اليمنية والسورية ستنتصران.
واعلن الشيخ القرضاوي أنه سيكون من حق السوريين طلب التدخل الدولي إذا لم يتمكن العرب من حمايتهم.
وكان القرضاوي ممن دعموا التدخل الاجنبي في ليبيا، ودعا في رسالة وجهها عبر قناة الجزيرة الجيش الليبي للتحرك وقتل الزعيم السابق معمر القذافي، لكن المراقبين لاحظوا انه لم يدع لقتل الرئيس السوري.
وفيما جاءت فتوى الشيخ القرضاوي بجواز طلب التدخل الدولي في سورية، قال برهان غليون زعيم المعارضة الرئيسية في سورية انه طلب من المنشقين العسكريين ان يقصروا عملياتهم على الدفاع عن المحتجين المناهضين للحكومة لكنه ابدى خشيته من الا يكون لديه النفوذ الكافي لمنع وقوع حرب اهلية.
وقال برهان غليون زعيم المجلس الوطني السوري انه حث قائد الجيش السوري الحر الذي ينضوي تحت لوائه المتمردون المسلحون على وقف العمليات بعد ان شنوا سلسلة هجمات على القوات الموالية للرئيس بشار الأسد. وقال غليون في مقابلة اجرتها معه رويترز في وقت متأخر الخميس ‘نشعر بالقلق من الانزلاق نحو حرب اهلية تضع الجيش الحر والجيش الرسمي في مواجهة كل منهما للاخر’. واضاف ‘نريد تفادي نشوب حرب اهلية بأي ثمن.’
وقال غليون انه طلب من قائد الجيش السوري الحر العقيد رياض الاسعد ان ‘يقصر انشطته على حماية المتظاهرين… وألا يشن مطلقا هجمات او عمليات ضد قوات الجيش السوري.’
وقال غليون ان الاسعد وافق على ذلك لكنه اصر على ان ما يقوم به الجيش السوري الحر هي ‘عمليات دفاعية’.
وأضاف غليون ‘آمل ان يفي بوعده وان من الضروري لنجاح ثورتنا الحفاظ على طبيعتها السلمية وهو ما يعني القيام بمظاهرات شعبية’. وتابع ‘لا نريد التحول إلى ميليشيات تحارب ضد الجيش’.

I’m really embarrassed for the professor, extremely embarrassed.

Will we expect an update with Makdissi’s presentation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7U4gcLvBW8

Of course not, that’s why facebook shut down the Syrian TV page and why Al Jazeera turned off the broadcasts.

Hahaha, you’re all so shameless. Even CNN, who is thinking of what is left of it’s long-term credibility, admitted to the huge ABC manipulation.

The whole world is spitting on you, put down the umbrella of lies and try to learn some humility.

It is YOU, who are in a parallel universe of your own creation.

أبواق خادم الحرمين
لندن ـ ‘القدس العربي’: شنّ كتاب وصحف سعودية هجوما ضاريا ضد مجموعة من الاصلاحيين في المملكة كانوا أصدروا بيانا دعوا فيه إلى إلغاء أحكام بحق إصلاحيين معتقلين في جدة ودانوا التصعيد الأمني في القطيف.
وذهب رئيس تحرير صحيفة ‘الاقتصادية’ حديث التعيين سلمان الدوسري بعيدا بنعته موقعي البيان بـ’الانقلابيين’، واتهمهم بالتحريض على التدخل الخارجي في السعودية.
وقال الدوسري بأن دعوة البيان الاصلاحي لتشكيل لجنة لتقصي الحقائق حول أحداث القطيف التي راح ضحيتها أربعة شهداء برصاص عناصر الأمن ‘لا معنى لهذه الدعوة إلا أن تكون وسيلة لتدخل أطراف خارجية’.
من جهته اعتبر رئيس تحرير صحيفة ‘الجزيرة’ خالد المالك البيان بأنه مخل بأمن واستقرار الوطن ويمثل خروجاً على الضوابط وينم عن نوايا مسبقة ومبيتة اعتراضاً وإدانة لكل الأحكام القضائية.
ووصف المالك المطالب التي أوردها البيان الإصلاحي بأنها ‘إملاءات جاءت على شكل مطالب’.
وضمن كلمتها الافتتاحية التي يكتبها يوسف الكويليت بررت صحيفة ‘الرياض’ ضمنيا التجاوزات القانونية التي تجري في المملكة تحت ذريعة حفظ الأمن.
وقال الكويليت ‘مبدأ الأمن يأتي فوق الأولويات الأخرى’، مستشهدا بالتجاوزات الفاضحة في سجن أبو غريب وغوانتنامو والتصدي لأعمال الشغب في لندن ومواجهة المتظاهرين في وول ستريت.
ووصف اللواء السابق أنور عشقي الموقعين على البيان بأنهم ‘مرجفون في الأرض’.
وقال رئيس حملة السكينة المتخصصة في مناصحة المتهمين بقضايا الارهاب الشيخ عبدالمنعم المشوح بأن أهداف البيان الاصلاحي ‘واضحة بتوسيع الدائرة وخلط الأوراق’.
وبحسب صحيفة ‘الوطن’ تابع المشوح ‘هؤلاء المعارضون يسعون للإصلاح بالفوضى’.
أما الكاتب في نفس الصحيفة علي سعد الموسى فقال في اشارة لموقعي البيان ‘هؤلاء وقعوا في الفخ المشبوه’.
ونسبت الصحيفة للمحامي أحمد السديري وصفه الموقعين بأنهم ‘خائنون لوطنهم، ومن يؤيدهم خائن أيضا’.
الكاتب في صحيفة ‘الجزيرة’ محمد عبداللطيف الشيخ من جهته حذر الاصلاحيين بلغة بوليسية بالقول ‘أرجو أن يعي الموقّعون..الحسابات الخاطئة ورّطت كثيرين قبلهم والعاقل من اتعظ بغيره’.
أما الكاتبة في الصحيفة نفسها سمر المقرن فلم تجد في البيان الذي جمع اصلاحيين سنة وشيعة عدا وصف الموقعين السنة بأنصار تنظيم ‘القاعدة’ فيما وصفت الشيعة بأنهم أنصار ولاية الفقيه.
يشار إلى أن هذه تكاد تكون أوسع هجمة صحافية تطال دعاة الاصلاح في المملكة الذين اعتادوا كتابة البيانات المطالبة بالاصلاح والتي بلغت حد الدعوة لاقامة ملكية دستورية في السعودية.
وكان اكثر من 60 ناشطا سعوديا اصدروا بياننا طالبوا فيه بإلغاء الأحكام القضائية ‘بالغة القسوة’ الصادرة بحق الإصلاحيين المعتقلين في جدة ودانوا في الوقت نفسه التصعيد الأمني الذي أودى بحياة أربعة شبان في القطيف.

Enjoy

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DgNM4xYsjph4%26eurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F7ee6an.wordpress.com%252F2011%252F12%252F08%252Fbarbara-and-the-idiot%252F%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded&eurl=http%3A%2F%2F7ee6an.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F12%2F08%2Fbarbara-and-the-idiot%2F&feature=player_embedded&v=gNM4xYsjph4&gl=US

…

Syrian Commando, Nice to see you back. We have been missing your humor.

Atef Najeeb, a.k.a. Atef Najib, was the security chief in Daraa in March. Above at #224 I wrote off the top of my head that he was dismissed in April. But now, having gone back to look at the record, I see he was dismissed on or before 24 March.

On 24 Mar 2011 government spokesperson Bouthaina Shaaban said that President Assad had issued orders for live ammunition not to be used against protesters in Daraa. She also said that security forces may [or may not] have been unduly heavy-handed in reacting to the violence that was perpetrated by protesters in Daraa. She announced the formation of a committee of judges to work with the people of Daraa city to find out what happened, and bring to account government officials who may [or may not] have mishandled the protest situation in Daraa. This Committee was tasked with investigating the circumstances that led to the death or injury of citizens anywhere in the country in connection with anti-government protest events. It began its work at the end of March and traveled to Daraa, Lattakia and Banyas to meet the families of the deceased and listen to testimonies of witnesses. On 13 Jun 2011 the chairman of the Committee said that the Committee interviewed more than 100 people in Daraa alone. He pointed out that the Committee had banned Faysal Kalthoum and Brigadier General Atef Najeeb from traveling outside Syria, because they were still under investigation for mismanagement of the Daraa situation. Faysal Kalthoum is the former governor of Daraa province, and Atef Najeeb was the chief of security in Daraa city in March. Both men were dismissed from their posts in March. Atef Najeeb, a.k.a. Atef Najib, is a cousin of Bashar Assad.
http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2011/06/13/352357.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12814530
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-middle-east-12856553
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-middle-east-12873053

By the way, the Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun said on Al-Jazeera TV on 26 Mar 2011: “Any citizen has the right to protest and call for freedom, but I will tell you, all those behind the bloodshed will be penalized. There are no army officials who opened fire at protesters, they only retaliated out of self-defense. After what happened, there should be reconciliation between the people. There are some corrupters in the country and the corrupters should be penalized”. That was in 100 percent agreement with the government’s position at the time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbXu-Yh2Qc8

That was not a good week for the CIA,first Lebanon and now this:
واشنطن- اعلن البنتاغون ان خبراء اميركيين يقومون بتحليل الصور التي بثها التلفزيون الايراني وقال انها لطائرة اميركية بدون طيار اسقطتها ايران في اراضيها.

واعلن الناطق باسم البنتاغون جون كيربي “شاهدنا الصور ولدينا موظفون يقومون حاليا بمراجعتها”.

وردا على سؤال حول هويتهم رفض جون كيربي الادلاء باي تعليق مكتفيا بالقول انهم “ليسو فقط” عسكريين.

وبث التلفزيون الايراني مساء الخميس صورا قال انها لطائرة “خفية” من دون طيار بدت في حالة جيدة لا تكاد تظهر فيها اضرار.

وظهر في الصور اثنان من قادة سلاح الجو في حرس الثورة يتفحصون الطائرة التي يميل لونها الى الابيض.

وقد بدت وزارة الدفاع الاميركية مرارا محرجة منذ ان اقرت بانها فقدت طائرة بدون طيار في غرب افغانستان لكنها لم تعترف بانها سقطت في شرق ايران وبانها تابعة لوكالة الاستخبارات المركزية “سي اي ايه”.

وكشفت صحيفة نيويورك تايمز الخميس ان الطائرة بدون طيار كانت تقوم بمهمة رصد مواقع برنامج ايران النووي.

والطائرة من دون طيار من طراز ار.كيو-170 سنتينل هي بمثابة جناح طائر مسير عن بعد وهي قادرة على تجنب الرادارات وتحلق على ارتفاع كبير وتستعمل للاستكشاف والمراقبة وقال الايرانيون انهم اسقطوها.
I suspect the Iranians will give the spy plane to Russia.

According to BBC News, early last Spring, on Sunday 27 Mar 2011 “some 100 lawyers marched in the southern mainly Druze town of Sweida to demand the lifting of martial law, an investigation into the deaths of Syrians and an end to the crackdown in Deraa.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-middle-east-12873053 . Although the BBC doesn’t cite its source for that report, the report sounds plausible enough to me, whereas if the BBC were to report a comparable sort of protest march as happening nowadays it would be utterly implausible. The utter implausibility of it today wouldn’t be because the BBC’s credibility on Syria has been shot to smithereens (although that’s true too). It’d be because virtually all lawyers, Sweida residents, and especially Sweida lawyers, are now unequivocally allied with government against the rebels.

Three things
1- the picture of Erdogan and Qatar prince, is worisom.
2- The plane that Iran showed is intact, this is against what has been said that it was downed.
3- American official said Maliki is on his way out

Ghufran#252.

“Maqdisi was so focused on separating Assad from illegal actions taken by the security forces in an effort to shield Bashar from futurer questioning about crimes committed against unarmed Syrians”

Indeed, this is an intentional attempt to protect him, because Russia is brokering a deal that permit to Bashar to leave Syria safe in exchange for relinquishing power. The deal reached very advanced stage. Hopefully, we will see stop of bloodshed soon.

Haytham
Would Bashar leave without his family and cousins and the officers who support him,who will take over?

No backtrack.  Davutoglu wants Bashar to punish the murdered whom killed protestors

Foreign Minister waits solid steps from Syria on unrest
ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/foreign-minister-waits-solid-steps-from-syria-on-unrest.aspx?pageID=238&nID=8869&NewsCatID=338

Ankara calls on Syrian President al-Assad to punish those responsible of civillian crackdown if he is sincere in his recent remarks that he does not order bloodshed, saying that he still has time to do that

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu chaired a meeting with senior officials over Syrian refugee camps along the border while also urging Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to accept Arab League observers and punish “murderers.”

Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief Hakan Fidan as well as military officials and representatives of the disaster emergency agency took part in the meeting in Ankara on Dec. 9.

“They discussed the camps in Hatay. It was an evaluation and coordination meeting concerning solely with internal security,” a Foreign Ministry source said. 

The authorities have said earlier they planned to move some of the 8,000 refugees from Hatay to the neighboring province of Kilis.Speaking earlier at a meeting with the Diplomatic Correspondents Association (DMD), Davutoğlu said that Al-Assad’s remarks to ABC television, in which he drew a distinction between himself and the military, amounted to “a sort of confession that he does not fully control the [state] system.” He accepts the security forces might have committed mistakes outside his control. If he is sincere, he must immediately punish those murderers, accept the Arab League observers and change the atmosphere. He still has the opportunity,” Davutoğlu said. Referring to main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s accusations that Ankara’s flourishing ties with Damascus had changed “overnight” under Western influence, Davutoğlu said “this could be true if he has just awakened after going to bed in January.” “If internal developments in other countries affect us and pose a security risk, we do not have the luxury to just wait and see,” he said, brushing aside criticism that Ankara’s policy against Syria amounted to meddling. 

Turkey made its first reform calls to al-Assad in 2005, as it hoped improved economic ties would help strengthen a Syrian middle class that would itself initiate democratic transformation, the minister said. “As a democratic country we cannot stand by an autocratic regime. [But] there was no bloodshed in Syria last year,” he said, defending Ankara’s close ties with the regime until recently. On the possibility of renewed Syrian support for Kurdish militants, he said, “We don’t believe they will have the courage to make such a mistake. They have past experience with us on this.” Davutoğlu said Syrian turmoil was high on the agenda when he met twice this week with Iranian counterpart Ali Akhbar Salehi at international gatherings in Jeddah and Bonn. “Our ties are in their peak era. We confirmed that mutually. Those who want to foment discord between Turkey and Iran will not succeed. We may have disagreements, but the way to reduce them is to meet and talk more,” he said.

SYRIAN CONSULATE IN TURKEY CLOSED
GAZİANTEP – Doğan News Agency

The Syrian Consulate in Turkey’s southeastern province of Gaziantep will be permanently shut down as of Dec. 26, according to a statement posted to the consulate building. The consulate was closed temporarily beginning Dec. 2 as the tension between Ankara and Damascus escalated due to the Turkey’s sanctions. The statement signed by Consulate General Muhammed Necdet Şehit was written in Arabic

Majedkaldoun 265.

The deal will let Bashar go by himself. His wife already left to England with the kids. The deal includes transfer of power to the vice president (according to the constitution). However, it is a government composed from the opposition will lead the transition and prepare for a parliamentary election.

By the the whole Barbara Walters interview was for that purpose.

The wild card is the armed groups especially those who lost loved ones by either side. The urge to revenge is deep in many subcultures in Syria regardless of their sectarian identity,another critical factor is an army of loyal alawi officers who are able to spoil any deal that marginalizes them or expose them to future prosecution. A lot of work needs to be done,it is possible that Clinton’s words to Ghlioun were not entirely empty.
The silence of the AL and west today can not be aimless,they seem to give a green light to the regime to launch a final assault on Homs,I hope I am wrong,I am sickened by the blood shed.

Majed,
It looks like Erdogan is sicker than what many thought.Qatar is about to be reduced to its real size and Iran may have to deal with a new regime in Syria that brings back much needed balance between competing powers when it comes to their influence in Syria.
Syrians disagree on a lot of things but most agree on the need for a better government that does not treat its citizens like furniture.
I hope the rumors about a possible political deal are true
يكفي الناس ما أصابهم من خراب و رعب و موت

There will be demonstrations in Russia against Putin.
The deal is unlikely,bashar will not leave peacefully.
Yes Erdogan look sick.
The best plan is what Dr.Haytham Khoury is going to present to SNC

I agree that Bashar will only leave under intense pressure
الحربايه جنبلاط يدلي بتصريحات جديده
This guy does not change his color until he senses that the wind is blowing a certain way.

The Syrian exiles can be compared to the Cuban exiles who have been fanning the flames against Castro’ regime and conspiring to topple it since the fifty’s, including the bay of pigs debacle, the maritime blockade, the clandestine sabotage operations, all the assassinations, embargo, all the sanctions and everything you could ever think of, the exiles and the CIA carried out over fifty years.
The Castro regime is still standing, with the defiant middle finger to all the Cuban exiles and their mighty supporters.
Here is an interview of Fidel Castro with Barbara Walters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbUgUJuI6Ak

Salah is right that the opposition in exile is more hawkish than the one inside Syia.
I still believe that the SNC will have less influence in the future unless there is a direct foreign intervention in Syria which seems unlikely as of now.

France Says Russia & China Didn’t Want Syria Briefing But “Obliged to Accept”

http://www.innercitypress.com/syria3pilfrance120911.html

UNITED NATIONS, December 9 — The day after France was accused by several other UN Security Council members of “grandstanding” on Syria, Inner City Press asked French Ambassador Gerard Araud on his way into the Council if they thought there will be a procedural vote, as Araud had requested or threatened, about scheduling a briefing on Syria by High Commissioner on Human Rights Navi Pillay.

After Araud requested the briefing and threatened the procedural vote on Thursday, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin came out and told Inner City Press that “before anything happened they spread the rumor that Russia and China were against, and they start writing that Russia and China are against it. We almost had a deal on how to do it. The usual culprits were as usual all confused about things.”

Friday morning Araud answered Inner City Press’ question of if he expected a procedural vote (in fairness we transcribe in full) –

“No, I don’t think, actually, because by asking for a procedural vote, everybody had to reveal its position, so the opponents saw they were in the minority so they will be obliged to accept, that was the whole of what I’ve tried. Of course we were not going to a procedural vote. But it meant that Russia and China who didn’t want to hear Mrs. Pillay have been obliged to discover they were ready to accept it. So we will have Mrs. Pillay. I am sure that today they will say they accept to have it but in consultations.”

Consultations are closed to the press and public. Inner City Press asked, so you mean a closed briefing?

“Yes,” Araud said.

Previously, after French foreign minister Alain Juppe said he had charged Araud with pushing for consultations in the Security Council about France’s proposal of humanitarian corridors in Syria, Churkin told Inner City Press that Araud in his bilateral meeting with Churkin as December’s Council president had not even mentioned Syria.

While the Pillay briefing may well now take place, some wonder if pre-picking fights and gloating about winning a fight that, according to Churkin, was illusory or misrepresented is the best way to actually seek Council action on Syria, or is simply… grandstanding, as several Council members put it on Thursday. We’ll see — watch this site.

Explaining Russia’s Policy Towards Syria – Analysis – December 9, 2011

http://www.eurasiareview.com/09122011-explaining-russias-policy-towards-syria-analysis/

Some observers of the Moscow-Damascus relationship point out that arms sales and the strategic positioning of a loyal Kremlin client are the main reasons behind Russia’s persistence of supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashir Assad. Besides arms contracts worth $4bn including MiG 29 fighter jets, Yak-130 jet trainers, Pantsir and Buk air-defense systems, P-800 Yakhont anti-ship missiles, Russia’s investment in Syrian infrastructure, energy and tourism amounts to $19.4bn in 2009. Stroitransgaz is building a natural gas processing plant 200km east of Homs and is providing the technical support for the Arab gas pipeline.

The Tatarstan-based Tatneft began pumping Syrian oil last year and in January announced that it would spend $12.8m drilling wells near the Iraqi border. However there may be other reasons behind this relationship that need to be brought to the forefront to better understand the factors at play.

First, is the issue of Russian pride. Russia lost Libya even thought Moscow tried to play both sides and now the Kremlin sees that Syria may slip always too. The Kremlin announced that Russia would be sending the aircraft-carrying missile cruiser, Admiral Kuznetsov, and two escort ships on a two-month tour of the Mediterranean and would be dropping in on the Syrian port of Tartus. Six hundred Russian technicians are currently working there to renovate it as a base for Russian ships. A consignment of Russian Yankhont anti-ship cruise missiles also arrived in Syria. But behind these military movements, there is another reason. Moscow is opposed to the idea of international action and regime change imposed from outside of a country. The reason is based on a deep paranoia that the same remedy could be applied to the countries of the former Soviet Union—or indeed Russia itself. Consequently, Russia has taken a sympathetic stance towards the civil unrest and continued bloodshed and supported the Assad government. The Kremlin has remained staunchly against sanctions aimed at debilitating the vehement Assad government, and filibustered countless efforts by the UN and other international bodies to criticize the violence. Consequently, Syrian protesters have publicly burned the Russian flag in fury at Moscow’s obstruction.

The issue of pride is also present in some doctrinal aspects of Russian thinking about her place on the world stage. Increasingly what we are witnessing is the possible implementation of the “Russian Doctrine” or the “Sergius’ Project” begun in 2005 (St. Sergius of Radonezh is considered “the eternal protector and patron of Russia at times of hardship.”) around the start of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s second term. The proponents of this idea are writers, publicists, historians, and philosophers from the conservative Orthodox milieu. Understanding their arguments might help explain where we are now and what may happen next. The doctrine seemed to function as a rational for the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008.

Basically, the “Russian Doctrine” seeks to illuminate Russia’s role in the world and represents a swing back to pan-Slav nationals who see Russia as “The Third Rome” in the name of Russian Orthodox Christianity. They regard the West as corrupt and dismiss Western styles of democracy. This school is now ascending over the second camp, known as Westernizers, who seek a European-style democratic state in which culture, rather than military force, plays a central role. I n such a system the state would not be allowed to become stronger than society.

What is important to understand is that these ideas are not new but steeped in Russian history and are being brought forward into the 21st century and beyond. For the authors, Russia is emerging from an unequal fight against the West where Russia played by foreign rules leading to havoc (smutnoye vremia) at the end of the 20th century that threatened Russian “spiritual sovereignty.” Both Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin seek to reverse this decline—an idea both men have been nurturing since 1 January 2000 when Boris Yeltsin resigned and the 21st century began. Some Russian academics argue that there will not be a global order dominated by several civilizations or superpowers. Instead, the “Northern civilization” will present an alternative to the West and will replace its dominance in the world. Other countries and peoples will gravitate towards the “Northern civilization.” Russian academics see Russia as the last center of the world –the Third Rome– until the end of humanity. They reiterate the idea that Russia has been raised above other countries by God and, therefore, God demands more from the Russian Nation than from other nations. What is happening in the Near East now is part of God’s design and Moscow feels to be the “Un-NATO” when regarding Syria as a special, unique, calling.

Second, is the fact that there is a population of Circassians living in Syria who still hold direct ties to their relatives in the Northern Caucausus. Syria is home to approximately 150,000 Circassians about half of whom live in Hauran province who retain their linguistic characters from Adyghe in the Northern Caucausus. The Circassians are considered a warrior class and participated in many Syrian military campaigns and police actions over the decades. They are secular and supporters of the Assad regime and generally before the outbreak of violence in Syria, fared well with the other faiths found in the country. Russia is clearly interested in the safety and security of this population as it does not want to have more violence break out in its territory if this population becomes agitated throughout its diaspora. To further illustrate the point, Russia’s fears about a civil war developing in Syria are geostrategic. According to Russian Near East experts, they compare Syria to Russia’s own region of Dagestan in the North Caucasus. In Dagestan is patchwork of competing tribes, religions, ethnicities and loyalties. Other Russian regions are also susceptible including Kabardino-Balkaria. Russian fears of a Lebanese-style civil war breaking out in Syria, with the country fissuring on sectarian lines. Thus, Russian support to the Syrian government takes into consideration the Circassian community.

Third is the personal relationship between the Assad family and Moscow. Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad met in January of 2005. Following this meeting in Moscow, relations seemed to improve dramatically. A personal connection was made between Assad and Putin. At this point Syrian debt to Russia was as high as $13.4 billion and thus Moscow wanted to make sure that she anchored herself strongly with the Assad regime. Moscow agreed to write off 73 percent of Syria’s debt to Russia with the remaining $3.618 billion to be paid off in installments, with Syria paying $170 million on the debt in 2005 with only $1.5 billion of the remaining sum will be repaid in ‘cold cash’ over the next 10 years. The Syrian side will invest the rest in joint projects within Syria. Bilateral security relations grew as well and Syrian expats now work in the Russian Federation in numerous industries. This relationship is tight enough that some Moscow-based observers feel that Assad and his family may be given sanctuary in Russia.

In conclusion, Russia will continue to fight hard against any type of intervention in Syria and try all her might to prevent the toppling of the Assad regime. For Moscow, Syria represents a frontier that cannot be lost because of the broader implications for the Russian Federation itself. For the GCC, the above findings need to be taken into consideration when trying to understand Russia position on Syria and specifically. The roughing up of the Russian Ambassador to Qatar at the Doha International Airport signals that tougher times are ahead for Russian-GCC relations as Syria moves towards the brink of disaster.

France pushes Syria meeting at divided UN council – Sat Dec 10, 2011

The U.N. Security Council agreed on Friday to France’s request for a briefing on Syria’s rights crackdown from the U.N. human rights chief, overcoming resistance from Russia, China and Brazil, Western envoys said.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/12/10/syria-un-idINDEE7B901R20111210

Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, president of the Security Council this month, said Navi Pillay’s closed-door briefing would probably take place on Monday.

He dismissed suggestions from Western envoys that Russia had opposed the briefing, although he acknowledged Moscow and others had reservations.

“We expressed a position, a concern, which also some other members of the Security Council had … that there is a division of labor,” he told reporters, adding that Russia believed the Security Council was “intruding on the affairs of the Human Rights Council.”

The rights council is based in Geneva. Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa, which have resisted Security Council action on Syria, have argued that complaints about Syrian rights abuses should be dealt with in Geneva, not New York.

France, Britain, Germany and the United States have been pushing for the council to take up the issue of Syria again. Last month, Russia and China vetoed a European-drafted resolution that would have condemned Damascus’ crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and threatened possible sanctions.

Pillay reiterated to reporters in New York on Friday that more than 4,000 people had been killed in the crackdown against protesters that began in March.

She also dismissed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s suggestion in an interview with an American television station this week that the United Nations lacked credibility.

Pillay said the U.N. information was “very credible,” and she repeated her appeal to let U.N. investigators into Syria.

‘HEATED’ DEBATE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

One Western diplomat told Reuters that Friday’s closed-door discussions on whether Pillay should brief the council grew “very heated” at times. French Ambassador Gerard Araud had threatened to demand a “procedural vote” if the council could not agree on his proposal for Pillay to brief the council.

There are no vetoes in procedural votes on whether the council should take up an issue. But the need for such a vote was avoided once council members agreed to invite Pillay.

Churkin said some council members pointed out that since the agenda item under which Pillay would brief the council was the “situation in the Middle East,” it would be appropriate for her to speak about the situation in the Palestinian territories.

One council diplomat told Reuters that the United States, France and Britain were among those that opposed having Pillay discuss the Palestinian question during a briefing on Syria.

A Western diplomat said it was “pretty disgraceful that Russia and China tried to exploit the cause of the Palestinians and conflate two important issues with the clear aim of taking pressure off Syria.”

Another Western diplomat said Russia, China and Brazil were putting up the strongest resistance to action on Syria on the 15-nation Security Council.

Brazil’s position has angered the Syrian opposition. Syrian National Council leader Burhan Ghalioun told the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper in Brazil this week that the Brazilians were “creating serious obstacles.”

After China Asks Palestine Briefing with Syria, “Middle East” is Topic Monday

http://www.innercitypress.com/syria5pilchina120911.html

UNITED NATIONS, December 9 — China’s proposal that if Navi Pillay briefs on Syria, she should briefing on Palestine as well hit home in the Security Council Friday afternoon.

An hour after Inner City Press first reported the proposal, Russian Ambssador Vitaly Churkin emerged to read a short Council statement. He explained that Pillay’s briefing Monday at 3 pm on “the Middle East” is understood to include Palestine as well as Syria.

Inner City Press asked Churkin if the briefing would be closed, and if Pillay would be questioned about Palestine. Churkin said he expected Pillay would hear what he was saying and that, yes, the briefing would be closed.

He said with a smile that at one point Russia proposed the briefing be open, but that those who had initially wanted it open then decided that it should be closed.

After Churkin was about Russia’s resistance to a briefing of Syria — he replied that such opposition had been alleged before Russia said anything — Inner City Press asked if the breakdown in the Council opposing Pillay briefing on Palestine was the same as those not supporting Palestinian membership in the UN.

Churkin said there is “overlap,” but didn’t want to get into the vote or position breakdown. Watch this site.

Ya mara ghalba

As much as I enjoy arab music, those Basharlovesongs are amongst a variety of songs no one will will miss one day. Ity funny how its common in the arab countries to write the silliest poems and songs about their leaders. Just a reminder of a song which was written for Saddam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q3V0m62xco&feature=related

@Amir

I wonder if an Sana style Interview would serve the purpose. I am sure they could not find any hardasking journalist in the country, its just not their style.

This Shabbeeh cofesses to killing 7 civilians and gives names and other details, including the presence of an electricity cable that crosses the border from Syria to Lebanon to feed Hisballah activities.
اعترافات الشبيح خالد القيق بقتل المتظاهرين 6-12-2011م.mp4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JW4RYLiSo68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=h1Q3e-BA9Hg&NR=1

Transcription of confession
Khaled AlQiq
I was born 1982 in Midan, Damascus, Regiter No 5
I worked as Shabbeh for Kiram, Mudar, and Somar Al Assad
I have killed the following civilians:
1. Fares Malin
2. Mohammd Malin
3. Mahmoud Malin
I killed the above mentioned in Dummar suburb of Damascus, using a 10.5mm silenced handgun.

4. Mhahmoud AbuShaar
5. Mohammad Abu Shaar
6. Fayez Daaboul
I killed the above named in Tall suburb of Damascus, upon orders of Al ASSADS.
I was paid 20,000 Syrian pounds (USD 400) per kill. The money was handed to me by Kiram Al Assad.

7. I finished of the gravely wounded young man Ali AlMosalli at Muassat Hospital.

I was later given a mission outside the country, by Colonel Hafez Makhlouf of the General Directorate of Intelligence to assassinate FSA members in Jordan.
My entry into Jordan was illegal, and was facilitated by the Assad gang.
I was given poison to introduce into their drinking water which would lead to destruction of their brain cells.
In return I would get a financial reward as well as a flat in Harasta residential project.

He shows Eagle Tatoo of Asad Shabbeeha on his right arm.

I regret what I did.

I witness that Mahdi fighters entered Syria coming from Iraq.

Hizballah fighters entered Syria from a point at the border near Zabadani.
It is the spot at which an electricity cable from Syrian network enters Lebanon to feed Hizballah activities.

Like the millions of Syrians who suffered from the Asad era, I would rather see a more fitting end to Asad-Makhlouf clan than an asylum in Russia!

ما سيحدث بعد إنتصار الثورة السورية

Here’s a two hour live music concert by Rabia Hamdi (voice) and Talal Al-Daawar (keyboards) in Aleppo in year 2005. They call it Dabke Music but I say a lot of it can be better called Aleppo Blues. It is a 664 megabyte download at Youtube. In addition to the fine music, if you’re a foreigner you can get an educational eyeful of Syria’s Finest Real Halabis as concertgoers. No one in the crowd at this concert supports the rebels today (or he or she is an isolated traitor). The live audio has been mis-sync’ed with the visual but it doesn’t matter.
ربيع حمدي و طلال الداعور – حلب 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2DW8lAlC1CA#t=118s

If you decide to watch and listen to it, a sociological question to tuck in the back of your mind while you’re listening is whether any of the lyrics at such a concert could possibly be explicitly political and if so would they be pro-Establishment or what. If you want an answer to that question but don’t like the music enough to listen to two hours of it, let me know.

Tara,

Some thing’s wrong with your linking to YT clips. It’s not the first time. Please, recheck it.

Commando,

JL already responded to Makdisi’s nagging, a.k.a. Parallel Universe.

Ya Mara Ghalba,

The music you posted is now playing on my LT in the background, and I like it. I’m sure that with some adjustments to the Israeli ear, they could do well in Tel Aviv.
What makes you sure that the audience in this concert is comprised of mnhebaks? Is it because that it’s boys mixed with uncovered girls, dancing? Do dancing singing and even smiling show that they are politically content? This is so narrowminded and patronizing.
.

Amir

Hi. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. It opened fine on my iPad. I ‘ll try it from a laptop later to try to figure the problem. It was a song for Ibrahim Qashush that was not heard before, linked by NZ on Heetan. The lyrics and music were great.

And BTW, my girl smiles, dances, and mingles with little boys all the time and she is vehemently anti-regime.

A group of offciers and ranks defect Asad army, form Dir3 AlHaq Phalange, and join FSA in Idlib.
شام ادلب انشقاق مجموعة من الضباط الشرفاء وانضمامهم للجيش الحر كتيبة درع الحق
Uploaded by SHAMSNN on Dec 9, 2011

“We call upon our comrades who are still serving in Asad army to quit.
Otherwise they are liable to be charged with high treason.
We heretofore consider all Asad army and security units to be enemies of the Syrian People and they shall be legitimate targets for our attacks”.

Defection of a few ranks of Asad police force and army.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk5nq3GL9MQ&feature=player_embedded
9/12 حمص الزعفرانة انشقاق بعض العناصر اثناء المظاهره

The 9 months of brutal onslaught of Asad regime has lead to the killing and imprisonment of tens of thousands of demonstrators, including an unknown, yet probably large proportion of its civilian leaders.

The battered leadership of civilian activists of the revolution is gradually taking the backseat to the increasingly more visible, vocal and daring defectors of the army and police force.

The revolution appears to have adapted to the intensification of the crackdown and the loss in its civilian leadership by embracing armed forces defectors as their saviours as well as leaders; militerisation of its leadership.

The FSA’s plea and pledge to keep civilians out of combat activities is holding for now, preventing the revolution from full militerasation.

It is necessary that the FSA assumes autonomy in its combat operations and remains loyal only to its founding goal; the protection of the revolution.

I do hope that the next SNC president be the representative of the Local Coordination Committees of the Syrian revolution.
Such change of leadership is bound to make SNC policies more faithfully reflective of the pulse of the revolution on the one hand and to command more respect and allegiance from the ground forces!

Assad qiq studio mara ghalba ,this kind of tasteless music is badly considered as honorable and it’s not aleppine at all.
more sheikhat,nawari,ghajari style.

Business district in down town homs is completely shut, today, Saturday

حمص اضراب عام في الاسواق والاحياء 10 12 2011

A dialog of deafs: the different layers of the Syria uprising..

In my view, there are three layers or agendas to the uprising in Syria, a local, regional and international.

This is why it is very difficult to have one position on the subject. Each person gives a priority to one agenda over the others. In addition as these three agendas are imbricated, the conflict is more complex to deal compared with other countries,

The local layer is clear, the political system in Syria is obsolete it needs a serious overhaul . While the socialist Baath ideology is valid for a country like Syria, it has been abused and corrupted. This is what the majority of Syrians believe and some have actively joined protest with the intention of achieving this goal. For them this is the priority of the uprising.

The second layer is regional taking root on the eternal antagonism between Shia and Sunnis. Since the Iran islamic revolution,the Shias who were the poorest and less estimated group in Arab countries have raised their head and do not accept anymore to be treated as second class or persecuted anymore. The Sunnis, with Saudi Arabia leading them, is refusing to allow Iran and all Arab Shias to increase their demand for power sharing and their influence the region. The Sunnis have allied with the western power who, for other reasons, are not in favor of the growth of Iran in the region. This rejection of Shias has motivated many Syrians Sunnis to protest against the Alawites, assimilated to the Shia, who are holding the power in Syria in order to topple the regime and build another one where Sunnis will be in control of the country. They demonstration reflects this ambition and the are financially supported by rich gulf countries and Turkey, another Sunni power.
The third layer is international. The US and some western allies have been adamant in weakening and neutralizing any country opposed to Israel. Two countries in the Arab world are openly at war with Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Therefore there has been a relentless efforts from the US to neutralize both countries.
After repeated failures, like the 2006 war that did not neutralize Hezbollah, the uprising in Syria offered the best opportunity to achieve the destruction of Syria from within. This is why the media campaign, the funding of the opposition and a whole plot was set up to use the two other layers as a launching pad for a total soft war against Syria.
Many Syrians are working consciously or unconsciously toward this plan and their goal is to break the country by removing all possible support it may get from its allies, namely Iran and Lebanon.

Average people will accept of reject the development of the events in Syria according to the priority they give to any of these agendas.
The Syrian government insists on the third one, the international, and would give a less importance and priorities to the two others.
The opposition is divided. The Syrian local oppositions follows the local agenda and would compromise to prevent the second and the third agendas to be executed.
The SNC is following the local and international agenda and while officially rejecting the regional, it is secretly encouraging it. The LCC and the FSA are following the local and regional agendas and ignore the existence of the third one.
Each individual in the SC favors one or more of these agendasa nd ignore the others. This is why sometimes it looks like a dialog between deafs.

الاسد دكتاتور وراثي ولى التاريخ عنه وعن امثاله. قبل عده ايام احتفل الشيعه عاشوراء والتي تحي استشهاد الحسين بن علي (رضي الله عنهما, ورضي الله عن ابي بكر وعمر وعثمان). الحسين استشهد وهو يعارض دكتاتريه وراثيه عندما اراد معاويه ان يورث الخلافه لابنه يزيد. لو كان سيد الشهداء الحسين حيا, لكان مع ثوار سوريا الاحرار الذين يستشهدوا وهم يعارضوا بشار-الدكتاتور الوراثي. نفاق نصر الله وايران لا يخفوا على احد. الحريه لسوريا ولفلسطين!
The shi’a celebrated a few days ago Ashura, which commemorates the martyrdom of a-Hussein ibn Ali while opposing Mo’awiah’s hereditary dictatorship (Mo’awiyah wanted his son, Yazid, to succeed him). Al-Hussein was justified in opposing an emerging hereditary dictatorship. Had he been alive today, he would have supported the Second Great Syrian Revolt against Bashar’s HEREDITARY and murderous dictatorship. The SECTARIAN hypocrisy of Hasan Nsar-allah and Iran have been exposed. Free Syria, Free Palestine, No hypocrisy!For more, please see: http://arabspring2011.wordpress.com/

#288 Revlon

“Business district in down town homs is completely shut, today, Saturday”

I thought the call for a strike was for Sunday. Is there any other reason why it is closed?

Maliki Changed his position,he may be lying
المالكي يدعو العالم لوقف اضطهاد الحكام الجلادين لشعوبهم
He was quoted in Al Quds

90 city witnessed demonstrations in Russia against Putin

Bill #290

“If Hossein alive today, he would have supported the Second Great Syrian Revolt against Bashar’s HEREDITARY and murderous dictatorship.”

Maybe he would have supported also the Shias in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia revolting about the HEREDITARY and UNELECTED corrupted regimes there.
And he would have supported the Syrian government in its fight against the Western hegemony on the Arabs and the alliance supporting Israel.

Nothing new is going on in Homs: local activist
West warns Syria against storming rebel city
Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:44am EST

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE7B90F520111210?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true

“The opposition Syrian National Council said in a statement about Homs on Friday: “News reports, videos and information from activists indicate that the regime is preparing to commit a massacre in the city to extinguish the flame of the revolution and ‘discipline’ the rest of Syria’s cities.”

However, some activists questioned whether the SNC statement was intended principally to galvanize international action.

One campaigner in Homs, a city of 1.5 million, saw little sign of an imminent offensive on Saturday: “I have been hearing this since yesterday. I did a tour around the city and I did not see anything unusual.

“It’s the same checkpoints and the same number of soldiers.”

289. Dear Bronco,
((A dialog of deafs: the different layers of the Syria uprising..
…Each individual in the SC favors one or more of these agendasa nd ignore the others. This is why sometimes it looks like a dialog between deafs))

These agendas are neither mutually exclusive nor driven by conspiracy.
No coutry exists in vacuum.
Governments of countrys, near or far apart have interests that serve their people if democratic or perpetuate their tyrant’s power in case of dictatorships or oligarchies.

Like any country, including Syria itself, regional and international powers have political and economical interests with neighbouring countries.

Syria has had such interests and badly interfered in the affairs of three of its neighbours, namely Turkey, Iraq, and Lebanon.
Likewise, Syria’s neighbours have had their own interests and agendas.

The US has a vested interest the impending change in Syria in the aim to further contain Iran to safeguard the Oil of the Gulf as well as to attend to the interests of Israel by curtailing Hizballah.

Russia has a vested interest in interfering in the Ïnternal affairs” of Syria by supporting the Government regarded as illegitimate by the majority of Surveyed Syrian people in order to Gurantee its economical and military interests.

Just because regional and international powers have their own agendas does not mean that the Revolution should not have started or should not continue until achieving freedom from Asad-Makhlouf clan.

The Revolution, represented by their political body the SNC, has the legitimatimate authority to negotiate with regional and international powers a new set of mutually benificial political and economical ties, congruent with its mission in achieving freedom, justice, and democracy.

جهاد مقدسي
فتّش الاسد جيداً , على شخص , يملك الكاريزما , فـ وجد ضالته به , و بـ سرعة غير معهودة على سُلّم النظام السوري , صعد جهاد و تصدّر الشاشات , كـ ناطق رسمي بـ اسم الخارجية السورية ,,

و الظاهر , أنه و في ما تبقى من عمر حكم الاسد , سيكون جهاد مقدسي , متعدد الاستعمالات : توضيح , تصحيح , تلميع ,,,,,

عن جهاد مقدسي ,,

بدأ طريقه السياسي مع وزارة الخارجية في الـ 98

إجازة في اللغة الفرنسية ، دراسات عليا في العلاقات الدولية والإدارة , ماجستير في الدبلوماسية من جامعة / وستمنستر البريطانية / ، ومؤخراً دكتوراة في الدراسات الإعلامية من الجامعة الأمريكية – لندن ,,

على مستوى الموالين , و لـ تعرف حقيقة نظرتهم لـ وليد المعلم و غيره , عليك أن ترى لهفتهم و فرحهم , بـ سطوع هذا ” النجم الجديد ” , فـ أنشؤوا له الصفحات , و بدأت اقواله و ” بوستاته ” تنتشر بـ كل غبطة , على صفحاتهم , و أكثر ما تم نشره , هو عبارته , التي وجهها الى المتحدث بـ اسم الخارجية الامريكية , مارك تونر قائلاً : أرجو من الناطق الرسمي الأميركي , توخي الدقة , و أن يبقى مهنياً في تعاطيه , و أن لا يلجأ إلى تسجيل نقاط في أهداف فارغة , نحن لدينا معهد دبلوماسي , و مستعدون لـ أن نرسل لـ الناطق , كُتيبات لها علاقة بـ المهنية , و يمكن أن نرسلها له بـ البريد الدبلوماسي ,,

يُعرف بـ أنه العضو الاكثر نشاطاً , في السفارة السورية , في لندن , و يُشاع أنّ  ترشيحه جاء , من اسماء الأخرس , او والدها  , لكي يتخلّى بشار عن إرث أبيه من الاصنام و الأفكار , في محاولاته الاخيرة , قبل التخلّي عن الرئاسة , طوعاً أو كراهيةً ,,

Turkish PM doesn’t have cancer: doctor

(AFP) – 1 day ago

ANKARA — A surgeon who operated on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month said the polyps removed from his intestines were not cancerous, media reported Friday.

Erdogan, 57, who underwent laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery nearly two weeks ago, “certainly does not have cancer,” Professor Mehmet Fuzun was quoted as saying by the Sabah daily. “The polyps removed were benign.”

Louay Husein, leader of the movement for Development of Syria to Al Arabia: Al Assad is responsible for atrocities of the security forces.

معارض سوري لـ”العربية.نت”: الأسد مسؤول عن انتهاكات القوى الأمنية
دمشق – عامر عبد السلام
السبت 15 محرم 1433هـ – 10 ديسمبر 2011م KSA 06:59 – GMT 03:59
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/12/10/181723.html

أكد المعارض السوري لؤي حسين، رئيس تيار بناء الدولة السورية، لـ “العربية.نت” أن الرئيس السوري يتحمل المسؤولية الكاملة عما نفذته أجهزة الأمن من انتهاكات بحق المواطنين السوريين، وذلك في تعليق له حول الحديث الذي أدلى به الأسد لشبكة تلفزيونية أمريكية ونفى فيه أن يكون قد أصدر أوامر بقتل محتجين.

وقال حسين: “نحن تعودنا من السلطة السورية تقديم عبارات تحتمل تفسيرات عديدة، لكن بغض النظر عن التفسير، فإن رئيس الجمهورية في سوريا هو القائد الأعلى للجيش والقوات المسلحة، أي أنه قائد كافة القوى الموجودة، وبالتالي فهو يتحمل المسؤولية الكاملة عن ما تقوم به هذه الأجهزة تجاه المواطنين من قتل وتعذيب واعتقال”.

وتابع: “وإذا كان الأسد لم يأمر عناصر جيشه بأن يعذبوا ويعتقلوا ويسرقوا، فإن ذلك لا يعفيه من مسؤولية أنه لم يقل لهم أن لا يقتلوا ولا يعذبوا ولا يعتقلوا ولا يسرقوا، فالسلطة مسؤولة دوماً عما تقوله وما لا تقوله، وعما تفعله وما لا تفعله خلافاً للمعارضة التي تكون دوما مسؤولة عما تقوله وتفعله فقط”.

وفي سياق آخر، توقع المعارض السوري ألا تنقلب الطائفة العلوية على السلطة، مشيراً إلى أمله في “مشاركتهم بالحراك السوري، أو بالحد الأدنى أن لا يعملوا ضد المتظاهرين”.

وأشار إلى أن “المظاهرات حينما بدأت في درعا لم تكن موجهة ضد السلطة، لكن السلطة أضرت بالناس حتى تحملوا مسؤولية إسقاط النظام، كما أن السوريين في حماة لم يحاسبوا السلطة على أحداث ارتكبتها عام 82، لكن السلطة قامت بمواجهة أهالي حماه بمدرعاتها حتى حمّلها الناس وزر أحداث 82″، لافتاً إلى “أن السلطة لا تملك آليات صنع القرارات بشكل واضح، ولا تعرف مصالحها التي كانت تستوجب ألا تلوث أركان السلطة بدماء السوريين، وكان من الممكن أن تحل القضية ببساطة”.

مخاوف من الإسلاميين

وعن رأيه بوجود الكثير من المخاوف لدى معظم الأقليات الإثنية والعرقية في سوريا من الحراك الشعبي السوري، أكد حسين أنه يعتقد بأن “لهم الحق في بعض المخاوف لكنها ليست نابعة من وجود إمكانية لأن تطيح الأكثرية العددية سواء كانت طائفية أو قومية بالأقليات العددية الموازية”، مشيراً إلى أنه يعتقد أن “الإسلاميين لا يستطيعون السيطرة على سوريا إلا بقدر علمانيتهم”.

واعتبر أنه “لا مانع من وجود حكومة إسلامية في سوريا تلتزم بتيار علماني”، مؤكداً في الوقت نفسه عدم وجود إمكانية لإقامة دولة إسلامية في سوريا الجديدة.

وشدد المعارض على أنه لا يعتبر “أن للإخوان المسلمين الحق في الفعل السياسي كونهم بالأساس جماعة وليسوا حزبا، وتسميتهم بالجماعة يعني أنهم يخصون المسلم فقط، وبالتالي لا يمكن لحزب فئوي أن يحكم الجميع”.

وأشار إلى أن “الإخوان تنظيم قديم وقوي ويحظى بدعم مالي دولي بغض النظر عن الجهات التي تموله وهي بالغالب خارج سوريا، وهم يستطيعون دوماً عقد المؤتمرات والاجتماعات والندوات خلافا للتيارات والأحزاب الأخرى”.

وقال إن “القوى السياسية في سوريا لن تقبل إلا بوجود تيار إسلامي علماني دون التيار الإسلامي الديني”.

وأوضح المعارض السوري أن “السلطة السورية غير جادة في موضوع التوقيع على المبادرة العربية، وانها تتلاعب بالجامعة وتستفزها حتى تنهي العمل بالمبادرة”، لكنه جزم بأن “النظام السوري سيوقع بالنهاية وسيتم الاتفاق مع الجامعة على البروتوكول، لأن المجتمع الدولي راغب في أن تكون المبادرة العربية هي الحل”.

وقال رئيس تيار البناء: “في حال تم إدخال مراقبين، يجب أن نبادر نحن بتشكيل آليات لحماية المدنيين وأنا مستعد للإدلاء بشهادتي الشخصية أمامهم، وعلى جسمي من الندب والآثار الكافية لوجود انتهاكات ونتمنى على الآخرين أن يتعاونوا معنا”.

وحول الدور العسكري التركي، أوضح أن “تركيا لم تصرح في أي مرة بشكل مباشر بأنها مع التدخل العسكري، وإنما المعارضين السوريين بالخارج هم من يحمّلون تركيا هذا الدور، لكن ربما يحاول الأتراك الاحتفاظ ببعض الأوراق لحماية حدودهم في المناطق الكردية”.

Revlon #296

“The Revolution, represented by their political body the SNC, has the legitimatimate authority to negotiate with regional and international powers a new set of mutually benificial political and economical ties, congruent with its mission in achieving freedom, justice, and democracy.”

Is so, why is the SNC has already taken a negative position against Iran and Hezbollah before they are even in the leadership of the country or even legitimated by the Syrians or any other country?

It is clear to me that the SNC is been manipulated to use the local agenda to promote the international one. In my view they are weak, already corrupted and not trustworthy.

الطبخه الروسيه
بنود صيغة  , فك الارتباط بين الاسد , و حكم سوريا ,,,

* تنازل بشار الاسد عن الحكم , و عملاً بـ الدستور السوري  , يسلّمه لـ نائبه فاروق الشرع , و اذا تعذر ذلك سلمياً , فـ سيتم سحب صلاحياته بـ الكامل , و اعطائها لـ مجلس عسكري ” الحالة المصرية ” , على أنّ يكون نصف ضباط المجلس , هم ممن تربطهم علاقات وثيقة مع روسيا ,,

* تشكيل حكومة وحدة وطنية , مناصفةً بين معارضة الخارج , و الداخل , من شخصيات وطنية مستقلة , و التركيز على شخصيات لها خبرة في الحكم , ممن اشتهروا بـ نظافة يدهم , و سمعتهم الحسنة ,,

* تشكيل لجنة مستقلة , من كافة  مكونات المجتمع السوري , لـ  وضع دستور جديد , و قانون انتخابات وقانون احزاب , و نهج الانتقال لـ سوريا الجديدة ,,

* وضع برنامج زمني , لـ اجراء الانتخابات , البرلمانية و الرئاسية ,,

* تفكيك الاجهزة الامنية , و محاسبة كل الاطراف المسؤولة عن اراقة الدم ,,

* دخول مراقبين من الجامعة العربية و الامم المتحدة , لـ المساعدة في تخطّي النزاعات , و الوصول لـ المصالحة الوطنية الشاملة ,,

______________________

الدول العالمية الكبرى , و الخليج , و شخصيات سياسية سورية مستقلة , قد أنهت هذه المبادرة , و هيَ الآن في طريقها لآذان اطراف المجتمع السوري , بـ أديانه و طوائفه , و أعراقه , لكي يتم تجهيز الارضية لـ تلك المرحلة ,,

و يُشاع أنّ بشار على دارية بما وصل اليه المجتمع الدولي , و كلّ تلك المُهل , هي ترتيبات , لـ الاملاك و العائلة و أمور أخرى ,,
Please remember that Syria is more important than the regime and that the army is too valuable to be sacrificed. Assad and his family do not represent the Alawis in Syria,and minorities rights are better protected by a government that’s elected and accountable to its people than a corrupt dictatorship.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/iran-shows-crashed-cia-drone-national-tv-data-intact-article-1.988737

A picture released by the official website of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards shows what what they claim is a high-altitude U.S. reconnaissance drone that the Iranian military brought down.

A view of the CIA drone that was shown on Iranian TV.
Iran warns U.S. over retaliation talk
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Koch bros. sold oil equipment to Iran: report
An American drone that crashed deep in Iranian territory last week has turned up – on Iranian television.

Iranian officials claimed they brought down the unmanned stealth CIA aircraft after detecting it over the eastern town of Kashmar.

American officials have acknowledged losing the drone, but have not said if it was shot down or malfunctioned and crashed on its own.

The Iranian government used the drone as a giant public relations tool.

In its appearance on Iran’s state TV, the plane seems intact, and the semi-official Fars News Agency reported that the drone had not destroyed data as it was programmed to do.

There was no way to verify that claim.

Fars also bragged that the “blow has been so heavy that the U.S. officials do not still want to accept that Iran brought down the plane by a cyberattack.”

Iranian officials said the aircraft was controlled in two stations – one in Afghanistan and one in the U.S. — via satellite, according to The Associated Press.

While many of the Iranian claims are dubious, The New York Times reported that the drone was part of a surveillance program that sends the unmanned aircraft to hard-to-reach suspected nuclear sites.

American officials had considered going to Iran to get the drone back, but that was quickly nixed as too risky, The Times said.

Some officials are nervous that Iran could sell the drone to the Chinese, according to the report.

“Maybe Iran figured out a way to interfere with the guidance system,” former American ambassador John Bolton said on Fox News. “That would be even more troubling, but here is no doubt they now have access to very sensitive American technology. That means the Chinese and the Russians will probably have access to it, so it’s bad news.”

Others played down the incident, saying the drone was too damaged to do much harm.

“The cat’s already out of the bag with stealth technology,” John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a website for military policy research, told the Los Angeles Times last week.

“The materials have already been widely disseminated. One little drone isn’t going to make a difference either way.”

299. Dear Bronco,
((Revlon #296
“The Revolution, represented by their political body the SNC, has the legitimatimate authority to negotiate with regional and international powers a new set of mutually benificial political and economical ties, congruent with its mission in achieving freedom, justice, and democracy.”

If so, why is the SNC has already taken a negative position against Iran and Hezbollah before they are even in the leadership of the country or even legitimated by the Syrians or any other country?))

Statements of Mr Ghalioun to the WSJ have been badly misunderstood by some quoters either due to their poor English reading skills or to their using of a poor Arabic translation

He called for giving priority to relations with Arab countries over those with Iran. Are you against that Bronco?

He called for a new set of relations with iran built on mutual economical and political benefits and condusive to stability in the Region. Are you against this bronco?

Here is Mr Ghalioun’s response that I assume you were refering to as “negative position”:
المراسل: لسوريا حالياً علاقات إستراتيجية مع إيران و حزب الله، كيف ستقوم حكومة سورية جديدة بمواجهة هذه الحكومات؟ وما هو مصير تلك العلاقات؟

برهان غليـون: العلاقة الحالية بين سوريا وإيران علاقة غير سوية، ولم يسبق وأن حدثت في تاريخ سياسة سوريا الخارجية. سوريا الجديدة ستكون جزءاً أساسياً من الجامعة العربية وستعمل على تحسين دور الجامعة العربية وعلى دور الدول العربية إقليمياً، خاصة بعد ما اتخذوا قراراً تاريخياً وغير مسبوق بدعم الشعب السوري.

سوريا هي قلب المشرق العربي، لا يمكنها أن تعيش بعيداً عن علاقاتها بشبه الجزيرة العربية، وبدول الخليج العربي، وبمصر وغيرها. نحتاج إلى دعم اقتصادي واستثمارات من إخواننا العرب في المستقبل، فمستقبلنا في حقيقة الأمر مرتبط بالعالم العربي وبالخليج العربي بشكل خاص، في المستقبل سنحتاج إلى الكثير من الدعم المالي والاقتصادي الجدي لإعادة بناء سوريا.

سيتم إعادة النظر بعلاقاتنا مع إيران كأي دولة في المنطقة، وفقاً لمصالح التبادل الاقتصادي والدبلوماسي، وفي سياق تحسين الاستقرار في المنطقة ولن يكون هناك علاقة خاصة. لن يكون هناك علاقة خاصة مع إيران.

المسألة الجوهرية هنا هو– التحالف العسكري. ثم إن كسر العلاقات الاستثنائية يعني كسر التحالف العسكري الإستراتيجي، ولا نمانع بوجود علاقات اقتصادية.

المراسل: هل هناك تفكير بكيفية التغير الذي سيطرأ على دعم حزب الله وحماس؟

برهان غليـون: ستكون علاقتنا مع لبنان علاقة تعاون، واعتراف مشترك وتبادل بين المصالح بالإضافة إلى السعي مع اللبنانيين إلى تحسين الاستقرار في المنطقة. وبما أن علاقتنا مع إيران ستتغير، كذلك فإن علاقتنا مع حزب الله. لن يكون حزب الله كما هو بعد سقوط النظام، لن يتم استخدام لبنان كما تم استخدامه في عهد الأسد كساحة لتصفية الحسابات السياسية.

حماس انتقلت إلى سياسة جديدة وهي الآن تعمل مع منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية بهدف توحيد كل الأطراف الفلسطينية. فلم تعد حركة حماس مدعومة من قبل النظام السوري، وعلاقتنا معها ستكون من خلال علاقتنا السياسية مع منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية والمجتمع المدني الفلسطيني

http://the-syrian.com/archives/56008

http://arabic.ruvr.ru/2011/12/09/61897910.html
بلدان مجموعة بريكس ترفض التدخل الخارجي في شؤون سوريا

أكدت مجموعة دول “بريكس” التي تضم كل من روسيا والصين والهند والبرازيل وجنوب أفريقيا، عن رفضها القاطع للتدخل الخارجي في الشؤون السورية.

جاء هذا الموقف في رسالة ارسلها فيتالي تشوركين المندوب الروسي الدائم إلى الامين العام للامم المتحدة بان كي مون يوم امس الخميس .ونصت الرسالة على مطالبة المجموعة بمنع أي تدخل لا يتوافق مع ميثاق الأمم المتحدة. وأكدت على أن “الخيار الوحيد لحل الأزمة الداخلية في سورية يتمثل في البدء الفوري بعملية الحوار بين الأطراف المعنية، كما أوصت
مبادرة جامعة الدول العربية، مع الأخذ بالاعتبار تطلعات الشعب السوري”.

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http://arabic.ruvr.ru/2011/12/10/61981194.html
لجنة جامعة الدول العربية تجتمع في الدوحة للبحث في شروط دمشق الخاصة بموافقتها على نشر المراقبين في اراض سوريا

10.12.2011, 20:17

تعقد لجنة جامعة الدول العربية الخاصة بسوريا جلسة لها في الدوحة اللبحث في شروط دمشق حول نشر المراقبين العرب في اراضي الجمهورية . وكانت الحكومة السورية قد وافقت على نشر المراقبين للبلاد لكي يتابعوا تنفيذ بنود خطة الجامعة العربية بشأن تسوية الازمة في البلاد، الا انها ربطت موافقتها بضرورة الغاء العقوبات المفروضة عليها من قبل الجامعة سابقا وتتوقع جريدة السفير انه سيتم الإعلان في الدوحة عن فشل الجهود العربية لتسوية القضية السورية ، كما أشارت الى ان الغرب يواصل تشديد ضغوطه على الجامعة العربية ويسعى لمنع التوصل إلى اتفاق بين الطرفين. بدأت الاحتجاجات المناهضة للحكومة في سوريا في حمص – ثالث أكبر مدينة- وهي كانت تعتبر سابقا مركزا صناعيا و نموذجا للتعايش السلمي بين الاديان.

Jr may tbe following up on his threat to Turkey
مصادر تركية: رسالة من أوجلان إلى الاسد لإرسال الف مقاتل
Currently under scrutiny is a letter intercepted by Turkish intelligence carried an offer from Ocalan to support Asad crackdown with PKK fighters.

http://www.levantnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10194:2011-12-10-04-07-20&catid=66:syria-politics&Itemid=118
موقع أخبار الشرق – السبت، 10 كانون1/ديسمبر 2011 06:00 بتوقيت دمشق
سورية اليوم – سياسة

ذكرت صحيفة “الشرق الاوسط” اللندنية، نقلاً عن مصادر تركية قولها إن الاستخبارات التركية عثرت على رسالة، موجهة من زعيم “حزب العمال الكردستاني” عبد الله أوجلان المعتقل في تركيا؛ إلى قيادة النظام السوري يعرض فيها إرسال 1000 مقاتل لدعمه.

وأوضحت المصادر إن الاستخبارات التركية “تدرس بتمعن وحذر شديدين وثائق حصلت عليها قبل أسبوعين خلال مداهمتها لأحد مراكز “الكردستاني”، مشيرة إلى أن “إحدى هذه الوثائق هي رسالة موجهة من عبد الله أوجلان شخصياً إلى القيادة السورية يعرض فيها على الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد إرسال 1000 مقاتل لينضم إلى مسعى النظام في إخماد الانتفاضة، بالإضافة إلى مساعدته في منع تفجر أي أزمة في الأوساط الكردية”.

وأشارت المصادر إلى “أن تركيا لم تجد ما يفيد بنوعية الرد السوري، لكنها تنظر إلى الأمر على أنه تهديد خطير”، مشيرة إلى أن “غالبية قيادات “الكردستاني” الحاليين هم من أصل سوري”، بالإضافة إلى وجود كبير لمقاتلين أكراد من أصل سوري في جبال قنديل داخل الأراضي العراقية، والتي انطلقت منها الهجمات الأخيرة ضد تركيا.

وكانت تركيا حذرت “الدول المجاورة” من دون أن تسمي سوريا أو إيران، مما سمته “اللعب بورقة الإرهاب”، مشيرة إلى أن من يلعب بهذه الورقة “ستحترق يده في نهاية المطاف”.

http://www.kermalkom.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=115
الأسد امام وفد لبناني: انتصرنا والاحداث في نهاياتها و لا أحد يستطيع محاصرة سوريا

كرمالكم الاخبارية نقلت صحيفة “الانباء” الكويتية عن مصادر الوفد اللبناني الدرزي الذي التقى الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد قبل ايام اشارته الى ان إن الرئيس الأسد بدا مرتاحا وواثقا من وضعه، وأكد للوفد بأن سوريا انتصرت على المؤامرة الخارجية، وأن الأحداث أصبحت في نهاياتها، وكل الأمور تحت السيطرة، وهناك رسائل تأتينا من الذين ناصبوا سوريا العداء بأنهم سيعودون قريبا الى سوريا. وتساءل الرئيس الاسد قائلا: “حسب ما نقله أعضاء الوفد “شو بدهم يعملوا” لا يستطيعون فعل أي شيء، وكل ما يجري مؤامرة خارجية، غامزا من قناة دول الخليج”، مضيفاً: “بعض دول الخليج الداء الوحيد للعرب”. وأكد الرئيس الأسد أن “لا أحد يستطيع محاصرة سوريا،…

نشر بتاريخ : 10 Dec 2011

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حزب الله يكشف شبكة المخابرات الامريكية في لبنان بالاسماء والتواريخ

كشف حزب الله اللبناني النقاب عن الهيكل التنظيمي للمخابرات الامريكية (سي اي ايه) في لبنان بالاسماء والتواريخ والاسماء الحركية والية العمل واهداف التجنيد وذلك في برنامج بثه تلفزيون المنار مساء يوم الجمعة.

وبحسب “رويترز” كان حزب الله اتهم الولايات المتحدة الشهر الماضي بالاعتداء على السيادة اللبنانية والامن القومي وخرق القانون الدولي وذلك بعد اعتراف امريكي بوجود محطة لوكالة المخابرات الامريكية (سي اي ايه) في بيروت تمارس اعمال التجسس.

وكان مسؤولون أمريكيون حاليون وسابقون قالوا الشهر الماضي انه في انتكاسة للمخابرات الامريكية في مواجهة أعداء بارزين لواشنطن نجح حزب الله اللبناني في كشف واعتقال مخبرين بين صفوفه يتعاونون مع (سي.اي.ايه.)

وكشف حزب الله في تقرير مفصل وزعه يوم السبت عن “النشاط الاستخباري لجهاز (سي اي ايه) انطلاقا من محطة متمركزة بشكل دائم في احد المباني التابعة للسفارة (الامريكية) في عوكر والتي تتولى ادارة وتشغيل شبكات واسعة من المخبرين المنتشرين على الاراضي اللبنانية في قطاعات سياسية واجتماعية وتربوية وصحية وأمنية واعلامية وعسكرية عدة.”

ويحدد التقرير الهياكل التنظيمية لتلك المحطة “بدءا برئيسها ضابط الاستخبارات دانيال باتريك ماكفيلي الذي حل محل الرئيس السابق للمحطة لويس كاهي والذي ترك عمله في بداية العام 2009.”

وسمى التقرير مجموعة من الضباط العاملين كما اشار الى أن ضباط الاستخبارات يستخدمون أسماء وهمية يقدمون أنفسهم بها ويلفت التقرير الانتباه الى ان محطة الاستخبارات الامريكية في لبنان تنفذ عمليات تجنيد تطال مختلف شرائح المجتمع اللبناني.

ويسلط التقرير الضوء على اهداف (سي اي ايه) في لبنان ولا سيما الاستطلاع والاستخبار عن كل ما يتعلق بأفراد حزب الله والمقاومة من العناصر والمسؤولين وأرقام هواتفهم وعناوين أماكن سكنهم وعناوين المدارس التي يتعلم فيها أولادهم ومشاكلهم المالية.

ويضم التقرير أسماء مسؤولي حزب الله في القرى والاسلحة التي بحوزتهم ومخازن الصواريخ والبنى اللوجستية للمقاومة والكوادر المعروفين بأنهم مطاردون من قبل العدو الاسرائيلي بهدف اغتيالهم.

ولم يتسن الاتصال بالسفارة الامريكية في بيروت للحصول على تعليق ولم يصدر اي رد فعل عنها.

وقالت جريدة السفير التي نشرت مقتطفات من التقرير ان حزب الله بدا من خلال هذه الخطوة انه “اراد ايصال رسالة للامريكيين وربما لسفارات دول اخرى تمارس الدور نفسه اي العمل بصفة مخبر عند الاسرائيليين بان عين المقاومة ساهرة على الامن الوطني وان ما توصل الى هذه الداتا من المعلومات قادر على بث معلومات اخرى قد تكون اخطر بكثير في التوقيت الذي يختاره من ضمن الحرب الخفية او الباردة المفتوحة بين المقاومة والاجهزة الاستخباراتية التي تعمل عند الاسرائيليين.”

وكان نائب حزب الله في البرلمان اللبناني حسن فضل الله دعا الحكومة اللبنانية الى تحرك فوري واتخاذ الاجراءات الامنية والقانونية لوقف هذه الانشطة الجاسوسية ووقف هذه المحطة عن العمل وتفكيك منشاتها.

وتطور حزب الله الذي تأسس بمساعدة ايران خلال الحرب الاهلية اللبنانية بين عامي 1975 و1990 من ميليشيا قاتلت الاحتلال الاسرائيلي لجنوب لبنان الى واحد من أقوى الاحزاب والميليشيات في لبنان.

(رويترز)

I wonder if Turkey is being led to a trap of interference in Syria that would bleed her economy and militery to make her weaker than Israel in the Mideast, we have to remember that Turkey was giving hard time to Israel recently and flexing it muscles about the blockade of Gaza, any thoughts,?

حملة اعتقالات واسعة في الجيش السوري شملت ضباطاً كباراً.. وتصفية جماعية في سجن تدمر
A crackdown on officers suspected of nonloyalty to Asad.
A list of names of 64 officers detained in Sidnaya prison was provided to the Syrian leage for the defense of human rights in Syria.
Heavy shooting and unusual movement in and around the the infamous Palmyra prison were reported raising concerns of a massacre of prisoners.

موقع أخبار الشرق – الإثنين، 05 كانون1/ديسمبر 2011 16:52 بتوقيت دمشق

المجتمع المدني – حقوق الإنسان

كشفت الرابطة السورية للدفاع عن حقوق الإنسان أن أجهزة المخابرات السورية قامت مؤخرا باعتقال عدد كبير من الضباط وصف الضباط والمجندين السوريين ونقلتهم إلى سجن صيدنايا العسكري ضمن حملة أمنية كبيرة استهدفت وحدات الجيش السوري العاملة لتطهيره من العناصر المناوئة للنظام.

وأوضحت الرابطة التي أوردت أسماء 64 عسكرياً ممن اعتقلوا في الحملة بينهم ضباط برتبة عقيد وضباط آخرون برتب مختلفة وجنود؛ أن هذه الحملة طالت مئات العناصر من مختلف الوحدات العسكرية.
وحسب المعلومات التي وردت إلى الرابطة السورية للدفاع عن حقوق الإنسان فإن “عمليات تصفية جسدية جماعية جرت في سجن تدمر العسكري للكثير من المعتقلين بداية الشهر الماضي حيث أفاد العديد من الشهود بسماعهم لإطلاق نار كثيف ومتقطع داخل السجن رافقته حركة كثيفة وغير طبيعية في محيطه عند ساعات الفجر الأولى”.

وأعربت الرابطة السورية للدفاع عن حقوق الإنسان عن قلقها الشديد “من قيام السلطات السورية بعمليات تصفية للسجناء الموجودين داخل السجون بشكل جماعي”، ودعت “المجتمع الدولي للتحرك العاجل للضغط على الحكومة السورية لفتح سجن تدمر العسكري وسجن صيدنايا العسكري وبقية مراكز التوقيف والاحتجاز السرية التابعة للمخابرات السورية أمام المنظمات الإنسانية الدولية وبشكل خاص اللجنة الدولية للصليب الأحمر وتمكينها من الوقوف على أوضاع السجناء والموقفين داخل هذه السجون الذين يعانون من أوضاع إنسانية متردية نتيجة السياسة الانتقامية التي يتعرضون لها والتي تشكل تهديدا جديا على حياتهم في ظل غياب كامل لأي ضمانات قانونية تكفل حقوقهم”.

وأرفقت اللجنة بيانا بقائمة ببعض أسماء الضباط وصف الضباط والمجندين المعتقلين في سجن صيدنايا العسكري:
1. العقيد الركن عبد الحسيب عبد الله الباردي – 1962 – حمص
2. العقيد ياسر محمد الزهري اللواء 113
3. المقدم محمد مصطفى عبود من الأكاديمية العسكرية العليا
4. المقدم مروان احمد علي – الفرقة 11
5. الرائد أحمد محمد العبد الله – الفرقة 17
6. الرائد عبد المؤمن محمد حمدو
7. الرائد منصور غازي الجهماني
8. النقيب تامر احمد رحال – من اللواء 80
9. النقيب سليمان خيرو مرعي – 1981 – حمص
10. النقيب عبد الكريم حسين صطوف الفرقة 15
11. النقيب علي مجد أيوب من حلب
12. النقيب عماد صادق حمودي اللواء 110 – بحرية
13. النقيب محمد نور شعب تلاوي – 1978 – حمص
14. النقيب مصطفى محمد البشير – 1979 – إدلب
15. الملازم أول احمد خليل مرعي الفرقة التاسعة
16. الملازم أول احمد عماد الدين الكيروان – الكلية الجوية
17. الملازم أول أسامة محمد حسيبة – من الفوج 101
18. الملازم أول حسام محو العليوي من الفرقة14
19. ملازم أول سيلمان صالح قسوم من اللواء 61
20. الملازم أول علي احمد عيسى
21. الملازم أول عيسى احمد وقا
22. الملازم أول محمد علي عرعور من البحرية
23. الملازم أول محمد فرج عبد المعين الديو
24. الملازم أول هيثم محمود حميدو اللواء 12
25. الملازم أول محمد هشام عيسى
26. ملازم الأول زهير عبد الرحمن خولي – 1985 – حمص
27. الملازم الأول علاء الدين محمد عبيد العبد الله – 1986 – حمص
28. الملازم الأول محمد أحمد النعيم – 1985
29. الملازم الأول محمد خليف القاعودي – 1982 – درعا
30. الملازم الأول محمد شريف أحمد عبارة – الفرقة 34
31. الملازم الأول محمد مالك يونسو – الفوج 53 – قوات خاصة
32. الملازم الأول مؤيد سخيط العثمان – 1988 – دير الزور
33. الملازم احمد توفيق الكاشف اللواء 84
34. الملازم محمد نور مروان الخالد
35. الملازم باسم يوسف رحمون – 1986 – إدلب
36. الملازم سلطان جبر الحميدي الفرقة 11
37. الملازم سليمان عبد السلام السيد – من الفرقة 14
38. الملازم عبد المعطي بكور من اللواء 59
39. الملازم المجند محمد موسى العليوي – 1982 – إدلب
40. الملازم المجند احمد معروف فلاحة ادلب
41. الملازم المجند باسل عبد القادر
42. الملازم المجند عبدو الخليف الحسين – 1983 – حلب
43. الطالب الضابط عبادة سليمان بربور – الكلية الجوية
44. الطالب الضابط محمد باسم الديك – حمص – الكلية الحربية
45. الرقيب خير محمد عيد عبد الجليل
46. الرقيب عايش أحمد الخلف
47. الرقيب المجند إياد بشير القداد – 1990 – حمص
48. الرقيب المجند هشام عصام رجب – 1985 – إدلب
49. المجند أحمد حاتم الخرفان – 1990 –
50. المجند احمد محمد سعيد الابراهيم
51. المجند أسامة حسين الهلال – 1980 –
52. المجند عبد الكريم عبد القادر بلحوب – 1991 – اللاذقية
53. المجند علي محمد صباغ – 1991 – اللاذقية
54. المجند بشار حسن علي – 1971 – جبلة
55. المجند حسن عبد الله العبد الله الحسكة
56. المجند حسين المهدي خير الله حمص
57. المجند زهير يوسف حبوش – 1991 –
58. المجند عبد اللطيف احمد عثمان ادلب
59. المجند علي محمد رشيد – 1982 –
60. المجند عمر محمد شعبان – 1991 –
61. المجند محمد عبد الكريم صمادي – 1987 –
62. المجند محمد وفيق جعفري
63. المجند محمود عمر وردة – حمص
64. المجند هيثم حمود – 1990 – حماة

http://www.kermalkom.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25919:%D8%9F&catid=47:?&Itemid=142
البنتاغون يقر بأن بقايا رفات 274 جنديا أمريكيا ألقيت في القمامة

Friday, 09 December 2011 11:36
واشنطن- (رويترز): تعرضت القوات الجوية الأمريكية لانتقادات شديدة الخميس بعد الكشف عن إلقاء بقايا رفات ما لا يقل عن 274 جنديا أمريكيا في مقلب للقمامة بولاية فرجينيا.

وأقرت القوات الجوية بالاجراء المثير للجدل الشهر الماضي وقالت إنها أوقفته في عام 2008. لكنها لم تكشف عن عدد الجنود الذين ألقيت بقايا رفاتهم في القمامة إلا بعد تحقيق أجرته صحيفة واشنطن بوست.

والقوات الجوية الامريكية مسؤولة عن التعامل باحترام مع رفات الجنود في قاعدة دوفر الجوية وهي نقطة الدخول الرئيسية لقتلى الحرب الامريكيين في حربي العراق وأفغانستان.

وهاجم راش هولت وهو عضو ديمقراطي في الكونغرس إدارة القوات الجوية للامر ووصف الاجراء بأنه “تدنيس واضح”.

وطبق هذا الاجراء في دفن أشلاء جنود أمريكيين قتلوا في انفجارات كبيرة وعثر على بقاياهم بعدما كانت أسر الجنود قد تسلمت جثثهم.

وقالت القوات الجويةإن أسر 274 جنديا قتيلا أعطت الجيش الاذن بالتعامل مع أي بقايا لكنها أضافت أن الاسر لم تكن على علم بأن هذه الرفات سينتهي بها الحال في مقلب للقمامة بعد حرقها.

ودافع رئيس اركان القوات الجوية الامريكية نورتون شوارتز عن قرار عدم إقالة أي شخص على خلفية الاجراء لكن وزير الدفاع الامريكي ليون بانيتا طلب من القوات الجوية إعادة النظر في العقاب الذي ستفرضه بسبب ما حدث.

وأمر بانيتا أيضا بمراجعة مستقلة لاجراءات الدفن الحالية في دوفر.

Young Dr Ibrahim Nahel Othman was killed by Shabbeeha near the Turkish border.

10 12 2011 Turky syrian Border أوغاريت الحدود التركية السورية استشهاد الدكتور ابراهيم ناهل عثمان من حماة برصاص الأمن والشبيحة

__________________________________________________________________
Nurse, Maha was gravely wounded in the head while attempting to rescure a child who later died along with his companion and her own brother.

09 12 2011 AL doumair, Damascus أوغاريت الضمير ريف دمشق ، اصابة الممرضة مها عرفات بالرأس و واستشهاد اخيها وطفل كانت تسعفه ومرافقه

AlFati7a upon their souls,
May God bless their families with solace and empower them with fortitude.

Shami Comment 287

شو فهم الدبب بأكل الكبب

شو فهمك بالموسيقا السورية الأصلية؟ عندما تنعت هذه الموسيقا السورية الأصلية الآتية من صلب سوريا بأنها موسيقا نور وغجر نستدل على انك لاتفقه شيئاً بالموسيقا أو بالتراث السوري.

لاحظ الدقيقة السادسة عشر في الفيديو عندما يتقدم عازف البزق وينغم قليلاً ويعزف عزفاً منفرداً ليأتي بعده المطرب ربيع حمدي ويلقي موالاً عن آمر ما فهذه يافطحل الفطاحل وسليل الاغوات موسيقا سورية ينطرب لها المسيحي السوري ويعتبرها تراثه وكذلك الكردي والعلوي والسنة من آهل الريف وكذلك الاسماعيلية والدروز… كل هؤلاء يعتبرون هذه الموسيقا تراثهم الريفي الاتي من تاريخهم السحيق يافطحلنا الفذ… حظرتك نعتت تراث كل هؤلاء من مكونات المجتمع السوري بأنه غجر ونور… من أتيت بهذه النتيجة يافطحلنا الكبير؟

أنا بإنتظارك أن تقول بأنك معتدل ومن هواة العيش المشترك؟

Bronco, a very thoughtful comment.

Revlon’s answer and your response to him, is very constructive, it is these kinds of discussion that will move us forward. These discussions that do not paint the protesters in any negativity is the only way to move forward.

We all know, and very well so, that with out these brave men and women the most honourable of all Syrians who sacrificed everything for the collective, without them we will not be discussing these issues. We owe them respect, they will never be forgotten. Their blood and sacrifices must be the cornerstone in every discussion, neither SNC or any other body will hijack our true heroes.

Syrians have proved, once and for all they are not racist, not sectarian and not stupid. We are a loving people that have been hijacked by many hostile forces from the outside and, unfortunately from within. We cannot afford, but remain united. Accusations are not productive.

Imagine how the future generations will compare and contrast us with our forefathers, who were able to defeat invaders over the centuries, yet remain united. This family mafia will be overcome by our unity as a nation, we will not destroy ourselves for Assad-Makhlouf and their proxies. We will prevail because this uprising is noble.

It is people like Bronco, Revlon, Tara, Ghufran, Majedkhaldoun…. that never lost hope in what Syria is all about, her people.

B Al Assad agrees to sign the AL agreement, gives orders to shoot at any demonstrator to incite fear ahead of the arrival of the mission and orders the closure of the Embassy in Ottawa.
عاجل جدا : بشار الاسد يوافق على التوقيع على مبادرة الجامعة ويامر

بقتل المتظاهرين ويغلق سفارتنا بكندا ؟

مراسل المحليات : كلنا شركاء
http://all4syria.info/web/archives/41021
ذكر مصدر قريب من القصر الجمهوري ” ان الرئيس بشار الاسد قد وافق على التوقيع على مبادرة الجامعة العربية وتم ايفاد يوسف الاحمد السفير السوري المعتمد لدى الجامعة للتوقيع عليها اليوم ” ونعتقد ان هذا الامر قد تم من اجل كسب الوقت وتهدئة الراي العام الدولي والردود السلبية التي حصلت بعد مقابلته الفاشلة , واضاف المصدر ” ترافق ذلك مع اعطاء الرئيس الاوامر للجهات الامنية باطلاق الرصاص وقتل كل متظاهر اينما وجد مباشرة من اجل ارعاب الناس وانهاء التظاهر قبل وصول المراقبين “.

وتابع المصدر ” بدأت حركة الانشقاقات بالديبلوماسيين السوريين اذ عرض تقرير من مكتب الامن القومي على الرئيس يتضمن ان الديبلوماسيين في السفارة السورية باوتاوا ( كندا ) بشار آقبيق وكسرى محمد يتعاطفان مع المتظاهرين , اضافة لذلك وحيث ان الجمهورية العربية السورية كانت قد رشحت كسفير لها بكندا السيد حسن خضور ورفضت وزارة الخارجية الكندية الترشيح فقد أمر الرئيس باغلاق السفارة السورية بكندا ”

وتابع المصدر “وافق الرئيس على اقتراح وزارة الخارجية السورية باغلاق القنصلية السورية بغازي عنتاب ( تركيا ) “.

http://topwar.ru/8975-perspektivy-rossiysko-tureckih-otnosheniy.html
Signing by Ankara in September 2011 г agreements with Washington on placing of elements of the American system of the ABM in Turkish territory. Turkey in plans атлантистов, can play туже a role that Ottoman empire in the XVIII-beginning of XX centuries in the Big Game of London and partially Paris, against the Russian empire played.

– Ankara has supported aggression against Libya in which Russia had certain interests. Still Turks play the big role to preparation of aggression against Syria, there is a probability that in overthrow of a mode of Bashara Asada they can play a key role. And in Syria Russia has strategic interests: Damascus our ally, the buyer of the weapon, the partner in the field of military-technical cooperation, in territory of the Syrian republic is our naval advanced post, in the country live ten thousand former citizens of the USSR and Russia. Moscow insists on legality of the Syrian government and necessity of the decision of the internal conflict behind a negotiating table. Besides if Syria “will smooth out”, war will approach to our borders even more close. After Syria and Iran, will “shake” Central Asia, caucasus, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. The preparatory stage already goes.

– In the field of economy the competition between projects of delivery of natural gas European the country – «the Southern stream» (it Russia supports) and “Nabukko” (it Turkey supports) becomes aggravated.

Therefore for the period approximately 2015-2020 Russia and Turkey can have a military conflict. Russia should carry out some actions on this direction: first, перевооружить aircraft of the Black Sea fleet and incorporated strategic command (ОСК) “South”, our Air Forces on this direction should be stronger Turkish and if necessary to neutralize Military-air forces of Azerbaijan and Georgia; secondly, strengthening of the Black Sea fleet – one more heavy cruiser to an available rocket cruiser Moscow (probably, it is necessary to buy from Kiev and to complete “Ukraine”), 2 frigates, 3-4 corvettes, 4-6 НАПЛ is necessary for it, some rocket boats, thus not to write off available ships, if necessary to carry out their major repairs and modernization; Thirdly, Russia should have some mountain brigades in the North Caucasus, including connections in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Armenia – it is necessary to prepare and arm them under «the mountain program», they should be ready to conduct operations in mountain conditions. In such conditions, Ankara hardly will dare at the military conflict.

I hope the sanctions weaken the regime fatally.

As for those who ignore the sanctions like Lebanon, Iraq, India etc, I say “enjoy the closing down sale”.

Mr. Shami you called the music Ya Mara Ghalba linked us to as “Gypsy”

Here is a song by a Gypsy band and let us know if you may change your mind and love Gypsy music?

“…….Turkish PM doesn’t have cancer: doctor
ANKARA — A surgeon who operated on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month said the polyps removed from his intestines were not cancerous, media reported Friday.
Erdogan, 57, who underwent laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery nearly two weeks ago, “certainly does not have cancer,” Professor Mehmet Fuzun was quoted as saying by the Sabah daily. “The polyps removed were benign.”

Have they checked for cancer in his brain? we know the cancer is in his soul not his butt.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/29/AR2010102907404.html
The war recovery?
David S. Broder
Sunday, October 31, 2010
When the midterm election cycle began, the prevailing opinion was that Barack Obama was cleverer and more inspirational than anyone else on the scene. As it ends, nothing appears to have changed.

OH, YES, I know that Democrats have fallen into a peck of trouble and may lose control of Congress. But even if they do, Obama can still storm back to win a second term in 2012. He is that much better than the competition.

In what respects is he enduringly superior? Let’s start with the basics. He is much smarter than his challengers in either party, better able to read the evidence and come to the right conclusions.

Over time, his conclusions are likely to stand scrutiny better than those of other politicians.

The crucial case in point is his analysis of economic forces. No one would pretend that this is anything but a daunting situation. The nation is suffering simultaneously from high and persistent unemployment, lagging investment, massive public and private debt, and a highly inefficient tax system.
The steps that have been ordered so far in Washington have done nothing more than put the brakes on the runaway decline. They have not spurred new growth.

But if Obama cannot spur that growth by 2012, he is unlikely to be reelected. The lingering effects of the recession that accompanied him to the White House will probably doom him.

Can Obama harness the forces that might spur new growth? This is the key question for the next two years.

What are those forces? Essentially, there are two. One is the power of the business cycle, the tidal force that throughout history has dictated when the economy expands and when it contracts.

Economists struggle to analyze this, but they almost inevitably conclude that it cannot be rushed and almost resists political command. As the saying goes, the market will go where it is going to go.

In this regard, Obama has no advantage over any other pol. Even in analyzing the tidal force correctly, he cannot control it.

What else might affect the economy? The answer is obvious, but its implications are frightening. War and peace influence the economy.

Look back at FDR and the Great Depression. What finally resolved that economic crisis? World War II.

Here is where Obama is likely to prevail. With strong Republican support in Congress for challenging Iran’s ambition to become a nuclear power, he can spend much of 2011 and 2012 orchestrating a showdown with the mullahs. This will help him politically because the opposition party will be urging him on. And as tensions rise and we accelerate preparations for war, the economy will improve.

I am not suggesting, of course, that the president incite a war to get reelected. But the nation will rally around Obama because Iran is the greatest threat to the world in the young century. If he can confront this threat and contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he will have made the world safer and may be regarded as one of the most successful presidents in history.

Ghufran, If the regime launches an all-out assault on Homs, they won’t be able to do much damage to the FSA ( or the armed criminals as you prefer to call them), the FSA will simply melt away into the night, escape and resurface in a couple of days in some other city, just like they did during AlRastan siege. They are smart, not suicidal, they know the value to this uprising and they would rather retreat from the fight and live to fight another day, or rather kill 100 shabbiha another day.

What I’m worried about are the unfortunate unarmed people especially women and children, the regime will take their full revenge on them..

And Revlon, don’t you think its high time Ghalioun got his act together ? If he can’t muster enough international support and God forbid there’s a massacre in Homs with 500-600 ppl dead, how will he ever show his face again ? i think he is useless, he is a liabilty rather than an asset, he forced Col Riyad to abandon offensive operations and hence adversely affected the morale of the FSA troops, YET he can’t muster enough international support to force the regime to back down. Its apparent that as long as Ghalioun and his boring team can’t muster enough REAL international support, offensive operations by FSA is the only way.

If this goes on it won’t be long before the FSA commanders inside Syria start undercutting Col. Riyad’s authority, as they are almost doing now. And it isn;t Riyad al Asad’s fault, uts all the fault of Ghalioun and the other peaceniks on the SNC who feel compelled to suck up to Clinton.

JUERGEN,

Looks like a sick life in East Germany !!! Is it really true the Stasi used to wire up every person’s home ? That means the Stasi officers could learn about the intimate private lives of every citizen including even their sex life, every part of their daily routine, etc. ? Thats just horrible !

Also, Juergen, why didn’t the people of East Germany rise up and revolt against the Party and Honecker , as all the Arab people are doing now ? Why did you wait for 45 years, from 1946 till 1989 ?

Also, can u tell me what was the attitude of the Stasi towards Christianity, especially the Lutheran Church ? Were practising Christians treated differently ?

Did the Statsi ever deliberately commit blasphemy against the Christian faith, such as destroying Churches ?

# 293 IRRITATED

I respect your right to be an apologist for a murderous regime that has killed over 4000 innocents, including more than 250 children (according to a recent U.N. Human Rights Council’s report). As a Palestinian, I am confident that Syrians, who are now revolting against Bashar’s and his family’s terror, are NOT puppets of Israel and the West. I do not buy Hasan Nasr-Allah’s and other apologists’ claims regarding “conspiracy against Syria.”

However, I AGREE with you that Imam al-Husain رضي الله عنه would have also opposed hereditary rule in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. He also would have opposed Iran’s suppression of its people-those from the Green movements and Sunnis (who are NOT allowed to built mosques in all of Iran).
Be consistent, No hypocrisy. Have a nice weekend!

يا موسكو حنا معاكي للموت

Khalid

Life was seen for many in East Germany as normal, i would say the majority adopted with the regime. See, they did not wiretape every house, but if you came on their radar, it could well be that they do so. Some folks told a joke in a pub, others said something to the teacher, others were really opposing the regime. There were not many phones when i grew up, if you had one and you called your family members in West Germany you needed to call an operator to make an appointment, and they taped those calls regulary as well as the mail between the two countries. There was a heavy revolt in 1953, it started in Berlin and spread soon all other the country. The regime was soo frightend that they ordered the russians to come and break down the revolt. They came with tanks and many highly armed soldiers. Numbers of protesters vary from 400.000 to 1.5 mio. About 30 people were killed in the protests, and 2 were executed afterwards, around 2000 imprisoned, some of them for 15 years. There were many who were younger than 18 years, who were imprisoned.

Khalid, the biggest difference i see comparing with Syria was that the people always remained highly political. People talked a lot about politics, and there was an art to it, you may said one thing but meant the total opposite.

People in the 70s and 80s watched more and more western tv, so it was common for us children to grew up with silly regime broadcastings and still watched Denver Clan at night.

I assume that there were also some progressive streams within communism in the beginning, especially after seeing what Hitler had done to the country, there were many who believed in the beginning that they are living in the better part of Germany. Also there was a more rigid denazification, in the East every teacher, every judge who holded the same position under Hitler lost his job. In the west we had not such a denazification, there were many who remained in positions. That lead in the west to the 68 movement which revolted against the culture of nazism which lasted in some parts of society. Well still it took more than 40 years before the regime had bigger problems. It actually started in one sector the regime may never thought it would happen. As there was a starting green movement for the care of the envireonment in West Germany, in the East it was starting as well about 1984. You must know that there were vast areas which were highly polluted, in some areas there was a lower life expectancy. I was born near the river Elbe, and i was told when i was a kid, dont fall into the water, if you do we have to bring you to the hospital. The pollution was so high because my country needed a lot of foreign money to survive, so they produced so cheap and fast with no respect of the people nor the envioronment. So the revolution started when local groups would meet up in the chrurches to discuss those matters. The people thought it was the safest place to meet this spy filled country. From there the groups would come from this subject to the matter of freedom, and of free expression, which lead later on to the so called monday prayer meetings which helped tremendously to the revolution of 1989. The role of the church was a dounlesided. On the one hand the church always tried to stay neutral and offer an heaven for its flock from the regime. On the other hand it tried to make arrangements with the regime. We know that the catholic church was more distant and it was difficult for the regime to control them from within. The lutheran church was highly infiltrated with spies. Many people went out of church because the regime made pressure on them. F.e it was almost not possible to get any higher education if you were a loyal member of the church. Many like my parents got their children baptized but kept a distance to the church for giving the chance to their children to visit higher schools.

The regime destroyed many churches, as late as 1987 they destroyed an landmark church in East Berlin, they always would argue that the chruch was too old to restore, or it caused an danger to the surrounding buildings. One church they never builded it up, the Dresden Frauenkirche was left in ruins from the war as an memorial. I was quite impressed as an boy seeing the enormous amount of debris in an rebuild city, only aftzer the fall of the regime the church was rebuild.

ميشيل كيلو يؤكد ضرورة التفاوض مع النظام السوري بدون تدويل الازمة

اكد الكاتب والناشط السوري ميشيل كيلو في حديث لقناة “روسيا اليوم” من باريس السبت 10 ديسمبر/كانون الاول انه “ضد التدويل بكل معنى هذه الكلمة وانه يجب تركيز الجهود على اولوية الوضع الداخلي من اجل الحرية والديمقراطية بينما يجب ان يكون الدور الدولي مساندا وليس العكس”، مشيرا الى ان “التدويل سيلغي وسيضعف من الدور الداخلي”.

واشار كيلو الى ضرورة “العودة الى اصالة الحراك الشعبي الذي بدأ في آذار والعودة الى فكرة الشعب الواحد وهدف الحرية والديمقراطية والمواطنة والدولة المدنية وان يتم قطع جميع الطرق على الاقتتال الداخلي لاي سبب كان خاصة اذا كان له طابع طائفي”.

وبالنسبة الى السياسة الخارجية اعتبر كيلو انه “يجب بلورتها انطلاقا من الوضع الداخلي وحاجات النضال وليس العكس لانه لا يمكن تحرير سورية من الخارج بينما يمكن ان تصبح حرة اذا بقي مجتمعها متماسكا ومطالبا بالحرية وبقي هناك تحالف حقيقي بين المجتمعين الاهلي والمدني ودعم دولي يعتمد على القانون الدولي ومنظمات الانسان وحقوقه”.

ونوه ميشيل كيلو بضرورة “الانفتاح على فكرة النظام الانتقالي والتفاوض لوجود حاجة لان يدرك بعض رموز النظام ان هناك سبلا مفتوحة امامهم لكي يساهموا في ايجاد حل للازمة الوطنية بدلا من وضع الجميع في سلة واحدة والمطالبة باسقاطهم جميعا علما ان “المجلس الوطني السوري” غير في الآونة الاخيرة من سياسته واعلن موافقته على التفاوض حول مرحلة انتقالية، بل وعلى التعاون مع المؤسسة العسكرية”.

واكد صوان ان “هذا الطرح له شعبية واسعة في سورية، بينما طوال ما تكون هناك جهة ما تقول انها تمثل الشعب والثورة لن يكون هناك اتفاق”.

واكد الناشط السوري ان الدعوة الى “عصيان مدني حق مطلوب ومشروع للشعب الذي يجب ان يطور من ادواته لتفادي وقوع الضحايا وممارسة اكبر قدر من الضغط على النظام”.

للمزيد يمكنكم الاطلاع على تسجيل الحديث
http://arabic.rt.com/news_all_news/news/573788/

Syrian refugees now where??? ……..in LIBYA !!!! 🙂

I really hope, between you and yourselves-at least- you do Lough when reading this news, what a hopeless meaningless shameless claim!!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8947419/Syrian-refugees-seek-shelter-in-Libya.html

Just saw an article in our biggest tabloid newspaper. So does anyone has similar reports that the AL is discussing with Assad exile plans?

Assad is planning a massacre in the protest stronghold?

THE NEWS FROM HOMS ARE THREATENING TO OPPOSITION FEARS A HORRIBLE MASSACRE – THE DIPLOMATS MAY FINALLY ASSAD TO TRANSITION INTO EXILE TO TALK?

Bloody Friday in Syria, but this Saturday could be much worse!
The opposition feared that the forces of President Bashar al-Assad (46) could prepare a massacre in the protest stronghold of Homs.

Syria’s tyrant Bashar al-Assad (46): When he finally gives up?

The city is protesting for months against the regime in Damascus, Assad’s troops sealed off completely by now, said one activist, the news agency dpa.
On the access roads towards Homs: more than 75 checkpoints. No electricity, no water, no gasoline and no medication for the many wounded who are still in the city.
The Syrian opposition National Council is sure: There is a massacre prepared!
After the army had shot repeatedly in Homs and abducted people suggested everything on a “final step” to break the resistance against Assad finally, says the London-based representative of the Panel, Bassam Dscharaa.

BEHIND THE SCENES: NEGOTIATIONS ON EXILE-ASSAD

Meanwhile, the pan-Arab newspaper “Al-Hayat” reports about efforts of the Arab League to persuade Assad to withdraw and move into exile. The United Arab Emirates are ready to take him and his family, the paper writes, citing informed sources.
Eastern European countries are also in this conversation. Furthermore, should the President be granted amnesty, it said.

Since the beginning of the protests against the Assad regime to the United Nations estimates more than 4,000 people have died. Because of the stifling of the media reports from Syria are difficult to verify.
Alone on Friday to protest at least 41 civilians have been killed by police.
As the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the women and several children and adolescents aged ten to 14 years were among the victims.

http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/syrien-krise/syrien-plant-assad-ein-massaker-in-der-protesthochburg-homs-21499228.bild.html

Louai,
They must be the families of the terrorists who are getting weapons and financial support form the Libyans, besides, it seems that Libyan are busy fighting today

أفادت قناة “الجزيرة” عن أن “أنباء وردت عن سقوط قتلى باشتباكات بين قبيلتي المشاشية والزنتان بالجبل الغربي بليبيا”.

أفادت قناة “العربية” عن وقوع “اشتباكات في طرابلس الغرب بين سرايا الزنتان والجيش الوطني الليبي”، مشيرة إلى محاولة اغتيال رئيس القوات البرية للجيش الوطني الليبي اللواء خليفة حفتر.

320. SYRIAN HAMSTER,

Hamster, Russians are out in the streets thanking God for snow, while Syrians thank Him for rain.

When the regime destroyed Churches, why didn’t the Christian people protest ?

Also, was there a chance that a practising Christian was specifically targetted by the Volkspolizei or stasi, like in Syroa nowadays having a beard means 100 % chance of ending up in prison or even dead, did the authoroties try to monitor people who were a bit too religious ?

Also, what was the official position of the regime School education, in school textbooks, to such German historical legacy as Martin Luther, the Reformation, Ninety-Five Theses, Diet of Worms, Wartburg Castle, etc ? Were these religious histories mentioned ?

Also what was the regime official position on Otto von Bismarck, the Hohenzollern dynasty and the German Empire ?

302 Revlon

“Here is Mr Ghalioun’s response that I assume you were refering to as “negative position””

The interview was in english and he said “the relation between Iran and Syria is abnormal”. Sorry this is a negative, demeaning and disrespectful assessment and it is not the SNC who has no legitimacy other than from France and Libya to emit such judgmemt and make any decision on behalf of Syria.
Sorry Revlon, you will not make me change my mind about the SNC. They seem to be a non cohesive bunch only linked by their desire to topple the current government.
In any case they have not got any recognition, neither from Egypt, nor Qatar, nor Tunisia, nor any Arab country. Obviously they have not been able to inspire trust and seriousness.

A Homsi YouTube channel that I follow. The guy who runs this channel is doing a great work. It gives you a sense of how life looks in Homs these days. A hell.
http://www.youtube.com/user/homshoms2011?feature=watch
.

France:  “Save the Syrian people”

http://gulfnews.com/news/region/syria/syria-warned-on-homs-raid-1.948519

Dubai: France called on world powers to “save the Syrian people” yesterday as it joined the US and Britain in raising an alarm that President Bashar Al Assad’s forces may be about to storm the rebel stronghold of Homs.

In Damascus, the government denied any crackdown, while accusing its opponents of taking up arms and warning the rebels’ supporters in the West that Syria could count on Russia, China and others to oppose any foreign intervention in its affairs.
“France is extremely concerned about information of a massive military operation being prepared by Syrian security authorities against the city of Homs,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said, echoing concerns raised in Washington, London and neighbouring Turkey.
As international pressure mounted on Syria to allow monitors into the country security forces fired on protesters killing at least 50 people during the past 24 hours.
… 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 41 civilians, including seven children, were shot dead by Syrian security forces in the capital Damascus and the restive central city of Homs on Friday, while nine civilians were killed yesterday.
….
In Oslo, the head of the Nobel Peace Prize selection panel said yesterday Al Assad would succumb to a “wind of history” blowing through the Arab world and be forced to accept democratic change. Awarding this year’s prizes in Oslo to three women who include a Yemeni activist whose Arab spring protests helped undermine her country’s veteran leader, Thorbjoern Jagland said.
……

—With inputs from Reuters

#329 Amir

It looks like the kids are having fun. If you call that hell, go and visit the poor areas of Cairo or New-york, that is hell.

Tara #330

“Assad would succumb to a “wind of history” blowing through the Arab world and be forced to accept democratic change.”

He has already.

Juergen,

Are you from Berlin?
I visited Berlin 3 times for vacations, and LOVED it. I’m planning to go again this summer in August.
.

Amir, Homsi children are the cutest, don’t you think so ?

And to make matters worse OTW has virtually banned ABOUD from his blog and we can’t get any update about Homs.

Irritated,

You are so disgusting. A little empathy with your people that are suffering, (if you’re at all a Syrian), even if you don’t agree with them, will not make you less mnhebak.
.

Khalid,

Homsi kids, and actually Syrian kids in general, are adorable and so cute and when they smile it melts your heart.

OTW banned aboud OMG???? Do you have more details? What happened there?
.

KHALID

Well there were protests, but not very big ones, most got visits by the police or the Stasi beforehand warning them not to make problems. Such preemptive visits were common, and also such visits were paid to the ones who would not come and vote if there was an election, i assumed they were afraid of the result, which was decided already. Everybody who was in church was targetted, there were lists of religious people, and the monitored closely how many would go to sunday services. They infiltrated the churches, and outspoken ministers would be silenced either by givig pressure on their bishops or they would intimidate directly. There was one case of a protestant minister who burned himself in front of the church as a protest.

There were areas where the church played an prominent role, and the party could never really gain much power over the hearts of the people there, but public display of religion was not tolerated.

History was always a very tricky issue for the regime. We always learned fe. that in history there was always a fight of the poor underpriviledged against the mighty and rich. We did learn that the Spartacus revolt, the farmers revolution in the middle ages are have to be seen in the light of socialism. It was funny when they talked about Luther, it was said like that he fighted against the omnipresent church, but still was not perfect because he was loyal to his faith, we had more figures like Thomas Muentzer who was a farmer who led serious unrest in the southern area following the reformtation time. Bismarck, and the Hohenzollern were gatekeepers for Hitler and the brutal regime. We never heard the word Nationalsocialism as the movement among Hitler was called, we always would say they were fascists, i guess the part socialism in Nationalsocialism was too close to their own ideals.

The regime was strong on education and getting hold of every mind and soul. It was common that children would be in an early kindergarten from the age of 6 months to 1 year, so the women could work immediatly after the birth. The children would then after entering school join the pioneers an free youth organization promoting boy scout style education mixed with paramilitary excercises. If you dont join them as some religious families would do, you risked that you will never see a university from inside. The aim was clearly to eliminate the control of the parents and make the children into real sociallistic citizens. There was an extra subject in the school, you learned the ideology of marxism and leninism, it was the worst subject because those teachers really were 150% loyal to their regime. Every school had a room where you would meet up with the organizations for meetings and there were always paintings and statues of Lenin, Marx, Engels and of course our leader Honecker. For those days you had to wear a special uniform.

Propaganda was always present, we had a job in the classroom to propagate everyday what was in the news, how much the west is lying about our country, ect. But we never left our culture behind us , Goethe and Heine remained sources of hideaways from such indoctrination.

Amir

Jupp I am from Berlin. If you up for i can show you my favorite nargileh cafe besides sightseeing… Berlin develops to be an favorite spot for Israelis. Many get apartments here too.

#Syria عشرة مقاربات فرنسية لما بعد الانسحاب الأميركي من العراق ومستقبل الأوضاع في سورية ..

بقلم نضال حمادة

يروي مصدر صحافي فرنسي كان على متن الطائرة التي أقلت وزير الخارجية الفرنسية (آلان جوبيه) في إحدى رحلاته إلى العاصمة الروسية موسكو لبحث الموضوع السوري،
يروي عن الوزير الفرنسي قوله إنه لم يشهد “المسؤولين الروس غاضبين بهذا الشكل منذ الحرب مع جورجيا” التي توسط الرئيس الفرنسي نيكولا ساركوزي باسم الغرب لوقفها، وبالتالي أوقف الزحف الروسي نحو العاصمة الجورجية تبيليسي.

ويضيف الصحافي الفرنسي أن “فرنسا الدبلوماسية التي تعيش منذ اندلاع ما يطلق عليه هنا تسمية (الربيع العربي) نشوة العودة إلى الساحة الدولية من منطق القوة العظمى الضاربة عسكريا والمقررة سياسيا، وهي تتعامل في الموضوع السوري بالتحديد ومنذ أيار الماضي، على أن الفيتو الروسي أمر واقع وهي، انطلاقاً من هذه المعرفة، تصعد سياسيا ودبلوماسيا وعينها على تركيا التي يريد منها الغرب أن تخوض الحرب العسكرية ضد سورية”.

فالأوروبيون، يقول الصحفي، الذين لا يطيقون السوريين لا يحبون الأتراك أيضاً، وقد يتخلصوا من الاثنين معا وكلنا نعرف المواقف الفرنسية من دخول تركيا للاتحاد الأوروبي فضلا عن الخلافات الكبيرة بين ساركوزي ورئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب أردوغان وآخرها التراشق الكلامي حول المذابح الأرمينية.

المصدر الصحفي الفرنسي يقول إن “اليأس الغربي من تركيا بلغ ذروته الأسبوع الماضي وذلك على خلفية معلومات تدور في الأوساط الدبلوماسية الفرنسية ومفادها أن تركيا قد تغير موقفها جذريا من سورية في حال في تدهور الوضع الأمني في العراق بعد الانسحاب الأميركي منه، حيث يخشى الأتراك صراعا طائفيا تكون فيه المنطقة الوحيدة الآمنة هي إقليم كردستان العراق ما يعزز نفوذ الأكراد في المنطقة ويسهل عملية استقلالهم الذي هو عمليا قائم منذ العام 2003″، ينتهي هنا كلام الصحافي الفرنسي.

في هذا السياق، وفي متابعة للوضع الفرنسي والأوروبي الداخلي المتعب اقتصاديا وبالتالي اجتماعيا، لا بد لكل من هو على قرب من هذه الأزمة ويعيشها أن يلحظ أن التهديدات بتدخل عسكري في سورية لا يمكن أن تأتي إلا من خلال عملية ضغط سياسية ونفسية.
ثم إنه ليس من قدرة حقيقية على خوض حرب مكلفة على عكس ما كانت عليه الحرب الليبية رغم تطوع السعودية وقطر بدفع تكاليف الحرب المادية لكن الغرب حساباته أكبر من تخيلات بعض الدول الخليجية الصغيرة التي تعيش قوة الاستثمار حالياً.

ومن هنا تكمن المقاربة الفرنسية للوضع بعد الانسحاب الأميركي من العراق وفي سورية في عشر نقاط هي التالية:

1– اعتبار الموقف الروسي الداعم لسورية أمرا واقعا ونهائيا ويقتضي العمل تحت سقفه والضغط عليه التفافا آو مباشرة.
2 – العمل مع العرب وتركيا على لجم النفوذ الإيراني في العراق بعد الانسحاب الأميركي منه ومنع تدهور الوضع الأمني حتى لا ينتقل لدول الجوار من اليمن حتى لبنان مرورا بالسعودية.
3 – التعامل مع صعود الإخوان المسلمين في الدول العربية كمصلحة إستراتيجية غربية خصوصا في السعي لحصار النفوذ الإيراني في العراق.
4 – تركيا هي الدولة الوحيدة القادرة على خوض حرب برية في سورية، ومن دون تعاونها لا نتيجة ترجى.
5 – الوضع الاقتصادي الفرنسي والأوروبي لا يسمح بخوض حرب في منطقة الشرق الأوسط سوف تطال إسرائيل وتشعل أسعار النفط.
6– لن ترسل فرنسا أية قوات برية إلى سورية، وهذا هو موقف الولايات المتحدة أيضا.
7- سياسة الحصار الاقتصادي نفسها طويل الأمد ويجب تعاون العراق ولبنان والأردن لنجاحها.
8 – يجب الضغط على إيران في الملف النووي، حتى نشغلها عن دعم النظام السوري .
9- يجب تجنب تأثر لبنان بما يحدث في سورية وبالتالي تحييد حزب الله حاليا على الأقل، وطمأنته لناحية عدم حصار حكومة ميقاتي.
10– يتم العمل على سلاح حزب الله بعد سقوط النظام في سورية.

http://www.almanar.com.lb/adetails.php?eid=147076&frid=51&seccatid=161&cid=51&fromval=1

But I heard that the East German communist regime was infiltrated thoroughly by ex-Gestapo and ex-SS officers ? How else can u explain the extreme anti-semitism of the East German regime ?

Also, traditionally, East Germany and Prussia was a reservoir for Nazi officers.

Amir, ABOUD had a slanging match with Husam and some others over Zionism, etc. They accused him of Zionism and Aboud lost his cool. OTW put him on moderation, and you know how Aboud is, he won’t visit the blog until the moderation is lifted.

Amir, do you think RPG-7 HEAT rounds can destroy the Tanks that the Syrian Army uses ?

You are right when it comes to the establishment of the Volkspolizei(police forces) and the Volksarmee( armed forces). Here the denazification was lousy or sometimes they integrated top notch officers in order to build up the forces. Antisemitism was more a result of copying the soviets. The was a strong position among the communists against the creation of the jewish state, i assume that Zionism was also seen as an rival of some sort to the communist ideology, and the state was in the beginning very much alike any other socialist country, at least from the ideology. Jews were nonevertheless discriminated and synagoges were as closely watched as chruches, i think they always believed that a jew would work for the enemy state Israel. But overall antisemitism was not bigger than in West Germany. In the regimes propaganda Israel was always the agent provocateur and the willing excecutor of US plans in the region.
But there were of course also the good jews, I remember that f.e Ofra Haza was often performing in Berlin.

As long as I can remember Jassir Arafat and Colonel Gaddafi were present at any large demonstration for the regime, and i had to turn 14 to hear that those two were also Muslim. The religious side of them was well hidden for us in the GDR.

Khalid,

You asked me before and I answered you. Any way, RPG-7 can definitely damage and even paralyze any tank that has no active protection system. Depends on where the tank is being hit. As far as I know, Syrian tanks have no such systems. More importantly, think about the tank crews. Unlike in the Merkava, that is designed to accommodate the crew for days (food drink air sleep special-lavatory), the Syrian tanks have no such facilities. Think about the tank crew who knows there are RPG7 around the tank.

Juergen,

Yes, Berlin became a hub for Israelis. Quite a phenomenon, if you ask me… Any way, I have a question for you, if it’s OK. This visit, I want to focus on the slams parts of Berlin. The neighborhoods that the tourist information will not recommend visiting. Can you tell me what part of Berlin could be considered as slams? Just write the name of a street, so I can Google map it. Thanks.
.

Arab League to meet this week on Syria-agency
Sat Dec 10, 2011 4:06pm GMT

CAIRO Dec 10 (Reuters) – Arab League foreign ministers will meet in Cairo at the end of the coming week to discuss a response to Syria’s conditional acceptance of an Arab peace plan, Egypt’s MENA news agency quoted a League official as saying on Saturday.

Syria faces sanctions from Arab nations in response to its violent crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

The Arab League has repeatedly extended deadlines for Syria to agree to a plan that would see Arab monitors oversee its withdrawal of troops from towns. The latest expired on Dec. 4.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem wrote to the League saying Damascus was prepared to sign an ageement that would allow League monitors into Syria, but only if certain conditions were met, MENA quoted the unnamed official as saying.

MENA quoted Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby as saying the foreign ministers would have to agree before responding to Moualem’s letter.

“We have once again called on Syria to sign the monitors agreement,” MENA quoted the official as saying. (Reporting by Patrick Werr; Editing by David Cowell)

Robert Fisk: Bankers are the dictators of the West

Writing from the very region that produces more clichés per square foot than any other “story” – the Middle East – I should perhaps pause before I say I have never read so much garbage, so much utter drivel, as I have about the world financial crisis.

But I will not hold my fire. It seems to me that the reporting of the collapse of capitalism has reached a new low which even the Middle East cannot surpass for sheer unadulterated obedience to the very institutions and Harvard “experts” who have helped to bring about the whole criminal disaster.

Let’s kick off with the “Arab Spring” – in itself a grotesque verbal distortion of the great Arab/Muslim awakening which is shaking the Middle East – and the trashy parallels with the social protests in Western capitals. We’ve been deluged with reports of how the poor or the disadvantaged in the West have “taken a leaf” out of the “Arab spring” book, how demonstrators in America, Canada, Britain, Spain and Greece have been “inspired” by the huge demonstrations that brought down the regimes in Egypt, Tunisia and – up to a point – Libya. But this is nonsense.

The real comparison, needless to say, has been dodged by Western reporters, so keen to extol the anti-dictator rebellions of the Arabs, so anxious to ignore protests against “democratic” Western governments, so desperate to disparage these demonstrations, to suggest that they are merely picking up on the latest fad in the Arab world. The truth is somewhat different. What drove the Arabs in their tens of thousands and then their millions on to the streets of Middle East capitals was a demand for dignity and a refusal to accept that the local family-ruled dictators actually owned their countries. The Mubaraks and the Ben Alis and the Gaddafis and the kings and emirs of the Gulf (and Jordan) and the Assads all believed that they had property rights to their entire nations. Egypt belonged to Mubarak Inc, Tunisia to Ben Ali Inc (and the Traboulsi family), Libya to Gaddafi Inc. And so on. The Arab martyrs against dictatorship died to prove that their countries belonged to their own people.

And that is the true parallel in the West. The protest movements are indeed against Big Business – a perfectly justified cause – and against “governments”. What they have really divined, however, albeit a bit late in the day, is that they have for decades bought into a fraudulent democracy: they dutifully vote for political parties – which then hand their democratic mandate and people’s power to the banks and the derivative traders and the rating agencies, all three backed up by the slovenly and dishonest coterie of “experts” from America’s top universities and “think tanks”, who maintain the fiction that this is a crisis of globalisation rather than a massive financial con trick foisted on the voters.

The banks and the rating agencies have become the dictators of the West. Like the Mubaraks and Ben Alis, the banks believed – and still believe – they are owners of their countries. The elections which give them power have – through the gutlessness and collusion of governments – become as false as the polls to which the Arabs were forced to troop decade after decade to anoint their own national property owners. Goldman Sachs and the Royal Bank of Scotland became the Mubaraks and Ben Alis of the US and the UK, each gobbling up the people’s wealth in bogus rewards and bonuses for their vicious bosses on a scale infinitely more rapacious than their greedy Arab dictator-brothers could imagine.

I didn’t need Charles Ferguson’s Inside Job on BBC2 this week – though it helped – to teach me that the ratings agencies and the US banks are interchangeable, that their personnel move seamlessly between agency, bank and US government. The ratings lads (almost always lads, of course) who AAA-rated sub-prime loans and derivatives in America are now – via their poisonous influence on the markets – clawing down the people of Europe by threatening to lower or withdraw the very same ratings from European nations which they lavished upon criminals before the financial crash in the US. I believe that understatement tends to win arguments. But, forgive me, who are these creatures whose ratings agencies now put more fear into the French than Rommel did in 1940?

Why don’t my journalist mates in Wall Street tell me? How come the BBC and CNN and – oh, dear, even al-Jazeera – treat these criminal communities as unquestionable institutions of power? Why no investigations – Inside Job started along the path – into these scandalous double-dealers? It reminds me so much of the equally craven way that so many American reporters cover the Middle East, eerily avoiding any direct criticism of Israel, abetted by an army of pro-Likud lobbyists to explain to viewers why American “peacemaking” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be trusted, why the good guys are “moderates”, the bad guys “terrorists”.

The Arabs have at least begun to shrug off this nonsense. But when the Wall Street protesters do the same, they become “anarchists”, the social “terrorists” of American streets who dare to demand that the Bernankes and Geithners should face the same kind of trial as Hosni Mubarak. We in the West – our governments – have created our dictators. But, unlike the Arabs, we can’t touch them.

The Irish Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, solemnly informed his people this week that they were not responsible for the crisis in which they found themselves. They already knew that, of course. What he did not tell them was who was to blame. Isn’t it time he and his fellow EU prime ministers did tell us? And our reporters, too?

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-bankers-are-the-dictators-of-the-west-6275084.html

KSA set to face widespread uprising: watch 21th Muharram

The protesters are angry with the government troops killing anti-regime protesters in the Eastern Province.

The killings have sparked protest rallies in several cities, including Awamiyah and Qatif.

Saudi activists named this week’s march “Loyalty to the Martyrs”.

Al Ahmed: In Riyadh for example, the Saudi monarchy is at its weakest. If we witness on the 21rst of Muharram large gathering, you would see that the regime and the security forces will be reluctant to use brutal force against the protesters and they will be forced to capitulate and that is the key challenge now for activists is to amass large number of people in Riyadh on the 21rst of Muharram.

They have already started, they have their own facebook account, their twitter account so we have seen people on YouTube using and calling for bringing more people on that day.

So you have sisters and mothers of detainees, 30 thousand plus detainees, political detainees and even young men who are on YouTube saying let’s go, let’s unite to bring freedom to the prisoners and to bring change to our country.

So I am hoping this will happen on the 21rst of Muharram.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/214945.html

Amir

well there are three areas i would say, Lichtenberg in the eastern part, Wedding in the northern part and where i live in Neukölln.

Lichtenberg- landsbergerallee and surroundings, especially in those social housing areas

Wedding Muellerstrasse, mostly folks with an foreign backgound live here, most come from Turkey, Lebanon ( we have about 50.000 of them, most of them are Palestininans)

Neukölln, the most famoust hotspot, known in all Germany. 170 different national backgrounds live more apart from each other than together. Hotspots are: Rollbergstrasse, Hermannplatz, and the parc Hasenheide-famous for the drugdealing… Near where i live we have two salafi mosques, so sometimes i joke with my syrian friends that my area may host more salafis than Syria does…

Another deadline by the AL? 150 more to die until then.

If AL has regional agenda, why then postponing a decision from one ultimatum to the other? I hope we are not fooled by the AL’s apparent “concerns” in regard to the Syrian people. Bashar is perceiving these multiple ultimatums as a permission to kill in an attempt to finish off the revolution. November was the bloodiest month. December appears to be even bloodier. Syrians unfortunately are all alone…I do not care about Hamad any more. He did not stay the course, or may be I misconstrued the course to start with. This is disappointing.

This is a big negative, in my estimation, for the Assad regime. They’re going backwards. The Red Cross is a strictly humanitarian, not political, organization. The government is hiding what’s going on inside the prisons.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/red-cross-halts-some-monitoring-inside-syria/2011/12/08/gIQAZqFKgO_story.html

The International Committee of the Red Cross has suspended efforts to monitor treatment of detainees inside Syria because of difficulties working with the regime, ending one of the few independent efforts to investigate allegations of violence and torture inside the country.

The decision by the Geneva-based organization, confirmed Thursday, came amid new reports of sabotage near the restive city of Homs, including what opposition groups described as a successful attack on a major oil pipeline near the city. The official Syrian Arab News Agency blamed the bombing on “terrorists,” suggesting that it was carried out by one of several groups that have recently launched attacks against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The ICRC had sought permission to make regular visits to makeshift detention centers where Syrian authorities reportedly are keeping as many as 14,000 people who have been locked up since the uprising began nine months ago. But after managing only a single, carefully choreographed visit to one facility in September, the group decided to halt the effort, Red Cross officials said.

“In order to obtain an objective view on the conditions and treatment of detainees, certain conditions have to be met during the ICRC’s visit to detainees,” said Simon Schorno, a spokesman for the ICRC in Washington. “Its delegates must be able to tour the facilities, talk in private with the detainees of their choice and repeat visits as often as deemed necessary.”

Such a public spat is rare, as the ICRC generally keeps its disputes with governments private to preserve a neutral posture while ensuring continued access to detainees, war refugees and others in conflict zones.

At a news conference in Geneva, ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger described the situation in Syria as “extremely serious” but said it had not risen to the level of civil war, as the agency defines the term. The ICRC routinely assesses violent conflicts to determine whether they qualify as civil wars subject to the rules of the Geneva Conventions.
…..read on……

Amir
I am a physician, and never had experience in Tanks, but I was told that tanks limitations are Muddy soil,damage to the belt and the needs of the crew do you agree?

Zoo,

God welling, God welling,

Tara,

150 is many but better than 50,000 if there in an invasion of Syria. Syria is 5 times the population of Libya,

The Mideast including Turkey is heading toward a civil war and by now everybody knows it , the only way out is for significant crack down on the opposition in Syria, in return forcing the government in Damascus to have special dates for elections

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العلويون في تركيا يخشون سقوط نظام بشار الأسد

أ. ف. ب. GMT 13:00:00 2011 السبت 10 ديسمبر

أنطاكية: في مدينة أنطاكية التركية الصغيرة، الواقعة عند تخوم سوريا، لا تحظى مواقف أنقرة ضد نظام دمشق بالإجماع. فالعلويون، الذين يشكلون مجموعة كبيرة في المدينة، يدافعون عن الرئيس بشار الأسد، وهو علوي، ويخشون سقوط نظامه.

وقال علي يرال رئيس جمعية “أهل البيت” للعلويين في أنطاكية “نعلم جيدًا أنه لا يوجد قمع في سوريا. بالتأكيد هناك بعض المشاكل الصغيرة (…) لكن يجب إعطاء الوقت لنظام الرئيس بشار الأسد لينفذ الإصلاحات الديمقراطية”.

وأضاف “إن ملايين الناس ينزلون إلى الشارع لدعم إصلاحاته. لكن بعض التلفزيونات، وخاصة (قناة) الجزيرة، تسعى بكل قواها إلى طمس هذا الأمر، وتظهر على عكس ذلك 200 أو 300 عنصر من منظمة إرهابية دموية يتظاهرون”.

والعلويون مسلمون أقرب إلى الشيعة، ويقدر عددهم بحوالى مليوني شخص في سوريا، حيث يحظون بتمثيل قوي في صفوف الجيش وحزب البعث الحاكم.

وفي تركيا، يقدر عدد العلويين الناطقين بالعربية بمئات الآلاف، يعيشون خصوصًا في محافظة أنطاكية، ويقيمون علاقات وثيقة مع الجانب الآخر من الحدود. وينبغي عدم الخلط بينهم وبين العلويين في الأناضول الناطقين بالتركية والكردية.

وقالت سهيلة كوتشاك الممثلة في المسرح البلدي في أنطاكية، التي كانت فرقتها الأولى، التي تعدّ مسرحية بالعربية في تركيا، ولعبت مرات عدة في سوريا، “إن كل شيء هادىء في المدن (السورية). وفي اللاذقية (شمال غرب) لا شي يحدث. الناس الذين يأتون إلينا يقولون إنهم يعيشون كالمعتاد”.

وأضافت الفنانة العلوية “فأين تقع الحوادث؟ في مناطق نائية، حيث الناس جهلة، وحيث ينفعلون بسهولة. ففي أماكن كهذه يقاتلون ويتقاتلون”.

ويرى يوسف متلو، وهو صاحب مطعم، أن مثيري الاضطرابات هم حركة الإخوان المسلمين، المحظورة في سوريا، التي قمعها الجيش بعنف في 1980 في جسر الشغور (شمال غرب) بالقرب من الحدود التركية، ثم في 1982 في مدينة حماه (وسط).

وقال متلو، وهو علوي أيضًا، وينظر بتعاطف إلى اللاجئين السوريين، المقدر عددهم بحوالى 7500 في محافظة أنطاكية، وإلى رواياتهم المريعة عن العمليات التي يقوم بها الجيش السوري، “فهل يتعلق الأمر بالجيش أو بالأحرى بحزب الإخوان المسلمين؟. في كل الأحوال فإن أولئك الذين يتسببون بحوادث هم من الإخوان المسلمين”.

هذا الرجل غير مقتنع هو الآخر بدعوات أنقرة إلى استقالة الأسد، وفرض عقوبات اقتصادية لإرغام النظام السوري على وقف قمع حركات المعارضة، الذي أوقع أكثر من أربعة آلاف قتيل في خلال تسعة أشهر، بحسب الأمم المتحدة، بعدما كانت العلاقات بين البلدين في أحسن حالاتها قبل سنة.

لكنه يخشى خصوصًا من أي دمج للمجموعة العلوية بالنظام.

وقال “بصفتي علوي، جرحني ذلك بعمق (…) أن يقوم مسؤول في الجمهورية التركية بالتمييز الطائفي”، منددًا بتصريحات لنائب رئيس حزب العدالة والتنمية (الإسلامي المحافظ) الحاكم حسين تشيليك، أكد فيها في مطلع أيلول/سبتمبر على دور العلويين في أجهزة الحكم السوري، لأن هذا الدمج يخفي وراءه تهديدًا بأعمال انتقامية من المجموعة في سوريا وغيرها، كما قال علي يرال.

وأضاف الأخير “في حال الإطاحة بالأسد من المؤكد أن العلويين سيتعرّضون لمجزرة. وبعد ذلك، سيكون حزب الله اللبناني الهدف، ثم العراق، ثم إيران، وسيمتد ذلك إلى تركيا والمملكة العربية السعودية…”.

http://www.elaph.com/Web/news/2011/12/701472.html

إغلاق النافذة

Aggression Is Closing On Syria – 10. Dec, 2011

“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living in society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.” Frederic Bastiat, French thinker (1801-1850).

_____________________________________________

The U.S. and its allies are preparing for aggression against the Syria as part of the U.S.-Israel destabilisation agenda in the region. The pretext is, as usual; the “protection of civilians” and installing of Western-style “democracy”. But in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. The aim is to topple the current Syrian government and replace it with a puppet government subservient to U.S.-Israel Zionist interests.

It should be note that because of Syria’s support for the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance to Israel’s terror and Syria’s ties with Iran, the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad deemed a ”threat” to U.S. and Israel interests. Hence, a Syrian regime subservient to U.S.-Israel dictates is vital to isolate Iran and ignores Israel’s Zionist expansion.

The ongoing foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs is a reminder of the recent criminal foreign interference in Libya, which began with the imposition of a “no-fly” zone over Libya that was an illegal military invasion of Libya. Media reports show that the U.S. and Israel have hired Saudi and Lebanese elements to foment unrest in Syria and create a rift between the government and the Syrian people based on sectarian divisions.

The demonization campaign by the U.S. and its allies to delegitimize the Syrian government is similar to the demonization campaign that was carried out in Libya. On 25 November 2011, the Arab League – a collection of illegitimate despots controlled by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf oil fiefdoms – suspended Syria’s membership in the Arab League and called for economic and diplomatic sanctions against the nation of Syria. Like Libya, the suspension of Syria from the Arab league provides the U.S. and its allies with a fig-leaf to attack Syria and wage war against another Muslim nation.

The Arab League has a long history of betrayal and has become irrelevant. “ It is Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that have helped hijack the League. The GCC is comprised of the Arabian Gulf petro-sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. None of these countries are model states, let alone democracies. Their U.S.-installed leaders have betrayed the Palestinians, helped attack Iraq, support Israel against Lebanon, demolished Libya, and now they conspire against Syria and its regional allies”. He added; “[The Arab League] has been hijacked and serves Washington and its NATO allies instead of any genuinely Arab interests”. Like the GCC, the Arab league is a tool of U.S. imperialism. Its shameful act against Syria (a rehearsal of its shameful act against Libya) is an act of war against another Arab nation.

The most shameful of all of this is the role of the U.S.-backed Arab despots lead by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. It is ironic that these despots are motivated by concern for human rights and democracy in Syria. Decades of repression, embezzlement of the peoples’ wealth and resources by these despotic regimes led to high levels of inequality and corruption. Despite their wealth, they remain backwards indulging in Western decadence and turning away from Islam as a way of life. They espouse and practise an extremist (Islamic) sect that is destroying Islam as a great religion. They are unelected, illegitimate rulers and do not tolerate any opposition to their tyrannical rule.

Saudi Arabia, of course, is the world’s most repressive regime. It is also the U.S. closest ally. It is an absolute monarchy which sees freedom and human rights as a threat to its corrupt ruling class. Ordinary Saudi women are excluded from employment, which is very high (40%) among young men and women. Saudi Arabia’s so-called “anti-terror” law criminalises dissent as “terrorist crimes” and allows for long detention of people without charge. Dissent in Saudi Arabia is dealt with brutally. On 21 November 2011, Saudi troops opened fire on a peaceful demonstration in Qatif in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, killing more than four demonstrators and injuring more. Saudi rulers don’t even tolerate dissent in their neighbouring countries.

In March 2011, Saudi forces invaded Bahrain and brutally crushed pro-democracy protesters. The invasion was encouraged and supported by the U.S. administration. The recent report by the King of Bahrain appointed commission, Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) was an orchestrated whitewash designed to enforce the rule of the despotic monarchy. Nevertheless the report found “systematic abuses of human rights” during the government attacks on pro-democracy protests. The 500-page report outlines various abuses committed by King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa’s despotic regime. According to the report, detainees – including medical staff whose only crimes were to treat injured protesters – were tortured and sexually abused. The report was immediately buried by Western media before it saw daylight.

Step by step, the Libyan model is being implemented in Syria. On 28 November, the UN – the right arm of U.S. imperialism – accused Syrian forces of “crimes against humanity” in their defence of the Syrian nation against Western-sponsored armed gangs and terrorists. The so-called ‘UN Human Rights Council’ report is entirely based on lies fabricated by expatriates in London, Paris and Washington. While the report accuses the government of “committed atrocities”, the report has completely omitted the death and torture of thousands of Syrians, including soldiers and police by the armed gangs. The report main purpose is to demonise the Syrian government and justify Western armed aggression. The report was immediately disseminated by Western propaganda organs, including the BBC, CNN, Fox News, Al-Jazeera and the print media led by the Murdoch Press.

The report was a carbon copy of the UN reports on Iraq and Libya before they were invaded and destroyed by the U.S.-NATO militaries. The same pack of lies that were used to justify U.S barbaric aggression against Iraq has been recycled against Syria. The report is a prelude to a U.S.-NATO aggression against Syria. Where was the UN Human Rights Council when the U.S. perpetrated genocide in Iraq? It is evident that the UN is playing the role of a facilitator of Western-perpetrated war crimes. Disinformation is important and effective in manipulating public opinion and creating an atmosphere of war.

While the UN is busy manipulating world’s public opinions on behalf of U.S.-NATO armies, British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Qatari despot, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, pledged to support (i.e., shipment of arms and money) the Syrian “opposition groups” in an attempt to shore up “democracy”. Of course, David Cameron and the Qatari despot love for democracy is evident in their violent destruction of Libya. Today, Libya is a mirror image of Iraq, looted, ruined and mired in violence. Tens of thousands of Libyans (and Africans) have been murdered, thousands are languishing in torturous prisons and a third of the population is displaced.

Still blood-thirsty, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for the creation of a secure “humanitarian zone” to protect civilians similar to the Libyan “humanitarian zone” where thousands of innocent civilians were murdered by U.S.-NATO armies. The pretext of “human rights” to justify war of aggression has been around since the rise of Adolf Hitler’s Germany. The German Nazis used the pretexts of “protecting civilians” to justify military invasions and violence. Indeed, since the early 1990s, the world has witnessing the rise and rise of Anglo-American fascism invading and terrorising defenceless nations and leaving them in complete ruin on the pretext of “protecting civilians”.

According to the Turkish daily newspaper, Milliyet (28 November 2011): “France sent its military training forces to Turkey and Lebanon to coach the so-called Free [Syrian] Army — a group of defectors operating out of Turkey and Lebanon — in an effort to wage war against Syria”. Foreign mercenaries have been pouring through the border with Lebanon. As mentioned earlier, they are armed and financed by the CIA, Britain’s MI6, Israel’s Mossad, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

It is important to remember that, the armed insurrection – financed and armed by the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan – against the Syrian government has been confined to smaller cities and towns along the borders with Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. (For more, see my Target Syria ). The overwhelming majority of Syrians support President Bashar al-Assad, particularly in major population centres, such as Damascus, Latakia and Aleppo . Recent pro-government demonstrations in these major cities have attracted millions of al-Assad supporters.

Meanwhile, Turkey is exploiting the violence to serve Turkey’s and NATO imperialist interests. Turkey has been promoting the creation of “a buffer zone” in Syria to train and arm the so-called “Syrian resistance” to the Syrian government. In its flagrant interfere in Syrian domestic affairs, Turkey has sponsored several conferences aimed at building an opposition to the Syrian government and Turkey was instrumental in creating the so-called Syrian National Council (SNC), a fractious coalition of expatriates and armed extremists. Their leaders have already indicated that they will cut Syria’s ties with Iran and with the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance movements once they are in a position of “power” in Syria. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal , the SCN spokesman , “Burhan Ghalioun, was forced (and there is no other explanation for it) to come clean about the nature of the payback required of the Syrian opposition by its US, Turkish, Gulf, and European supporters”, observed Ibrahim al-Amin , editor-in-chief of al-Akhbar news. Large quantities of weapons have been smuggled into Syria from Turkey to foment civil war in the country. Turkey is even contemplating an invasion of Syria if Ankara receives the green light from Washington. Turkey is not interfering in Syria’s internal affairs because “White Turks” suddenly began to care about human rights and democracy in the Arab World, Turkey’s interference is self-serving and on behalf of U.S.-Israel Zionist interests.

Turkey pretends to be an even-handed “mediator” in the region, a “bridge” between the West and Muslim nations. In reality, White Turks are subservient to Western imperialism and have been performing the role of an imperialist proxy since the rise of Kamal Ataturk. While Turkey prides itself of being a Muslim nation, Turkey espouses a Western-oriented “Calvinist Islam”, which clearly conflicts with Islamic principles. Turkey’s decades-long relationship with the Zionist state of Israel and Turkey’s participation in U.S.-NATO (Turkey is a NATO member) wars against Muslim nations are anti-Islam. Indeed, many ordinary Turks have condemned Turkey’s role in the U.S.-NATO destruction of Libya and the mass murder of Libyan civilians. Furthermore, Turkey’s decision to allow the U.S.-NATO to deploy nuclear missiles “shield” on its soil that is directly aimed at Iran and other Muslim nations is an outright hypocrisy and a betrayal of Islam.

Turkey’s recent posturing as a champion of Palestine is an opportunistic rhetoric designed for domestic and regional consumption. If White Turks really care about human rights, they will end Turkey’s cooperation with Israel and impose economic sanction against the Zionist state. White Turks should be concern about human rights in their own backyard. The Arabs should and must reject Turkey’s new role as a gendarme on behalf of imperialism and Zionism.

U.S. interference in the affairs of sovereign nations, including Arab nation is well-documented. The U.S. is the greatest enemy of democracy, human rights and international law. Regarding democracy, U.S. ruling class prefers what Hillary Clinton called: “The kind of democracy that we want to see”. The kind of democracy in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Iran under the torturer Shah Reza Behlavi, Egypt under the tyrannical Mubarak and Chile under the fascist regime of Augusto Pinochet. In fact, it would be very difficult to name a single murderous dictator that was not (put in power) financed and armed by the U.S. and its allies. The U.S. has long love affairs with murderous dictators and fascists.

Furthermore, U.S. agencies and think-tanks, such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), George Soros’ Open Society Institute (OSI), the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and many more are directly involved in financing opposition groups in the Arab world and beyond. The New York Times (14 April 2011) revealed, “ a number of the groups and individuals directly involved in the revolts and reforms sweeping the [Middle east], including the April 6 Youth Movement in Egypt, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and grass-roots activists like Entsar Qadhi, a youth leader in Yemen, received training and financing from groups like the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and Freedom House, a non-profit human rights organization based in Washington”. In Syria, NED is directly involved in financing the armed insurrection in Syria through its partner, the Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies, an anti-Syrian government organisation. In the case of Egypt, the U.S. supported the Mubarak regime to the end. Once Mubarak was ousted, the U.S. switched sides and has begun promoting divisions and sectarianism. At the same time, the U.S. continues to work with its faithful client, the Egyptian Army to manipulate the “revolution” to serve U.S.-Israel Zionist interests. However, if regime change cannot be achieved through what is so-called “colour revolution” and economic sanctions, the U.S. uses military intervention (illegal aggression) to achieve its goal. It happened in Iraq, Yugoslavia, Libya and it is closing on Syria.

Finally, Syria is not a perfect country. Like in every country, Syria has internal oppositions of several parties. T hey are against violence and foreign interference in their country’s affairs. The Syrian people want real reforms – economic and political reforms – that serve their interests. The Syrian people have suffered greatly in the last decade. As a result of economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and more than 2 million Iraqi refugees, the Syrian economy has stagnated and living conditions have deteriorated. The Syrian people don’t want U.S.-sponsored regime change. An opinion poll conducted in March 2009 revealed that more than two-thirds of the Syrian population viewed the U.S. unfavourably. The decision to change the current Syrian government and political system remains in the hands of the Syrian people.

With powerful forces gathered against them, the Syrian people are facing violent aggression to destroy and plunder their nation. There is no excuse to remain on the sideline, complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity. The struggle to uphold international law and oppose aggression must continue.

Does Bashar the Booha understand the consequences of bounding Homs,it certainly means he no longer has days but hours,It will only take few hours for his planes to fall and his tanks with the soldiers will be completely destroyd,and his life and his family will be close to the end.
It will be the biggest mistake he did through out all his life ,when some one makes a mistake like this, he is committing suicide,
A mistake of such magnitude where 1.3 million life in danger,is so huge his advisers better tell him the truth.
Is he that stupid?like Nero of Rome.

353. annsaid:

Aggression Is Closing On Syria – 10. Dec, 2011

“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living in society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.” Frederic Bastiat, French thinker (1801-1850).

The U.S. and its allies are preparing for aggression against the Syria as part of the U.S.-Israel destabilisation agenda in the region. The pretext is, as usual; the “protection of civilians” and installing of Western-style “democracy”. But in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. The aim is to topple the current Syrian government and replace it with a puppet government subservient to U.S.-Israel Zionist interests.
________________________________________________________

Only one person you can blame for Syria’s trouble: BASHAR ASSAD, he got 12 years of wasted time, even worse: 9 months of dilly-dally and playing the power game. It would take him about 2 days to pass all the Presidential decrees to put Syria on the right track.

Under the Flag of Islamism – December 10, 2011

http://hpronline.org/world/under-the-flag-of-islamism/17061/

Christian minorities in the Middle East fear new regimes

In early October of this year, 24 Egyptian demonstrators died in the country’s worst episode of violence since Mubarak’s fall in February. The clash between Coptic Christians and government forces highlights the religious diversity of region many assume to be monolithic. Copts took to the streets of Cairo to protest an attack on a Coptic church, only to be considered—mistakenly or otherwise—as a potentially aggressive force, leading to the fatal confrontation.

As many countries, newly free from decades-long authoritarian rule, begin to form new democratic systems, Christians face an uncertain role in social and political life. Many fear the emergence of political parties and movements as the prominent face of Islamism: itself a political ideology that believes the values of the state should reflect those of Islam. The increasing prominence of Islamism in the Middle East has caused alarm in some Christian communities, forcing them to evaluate their place in society and the role they hope to play in any new political system. Theirs is not misplaced apprehension; the rise of Islamism and its potential consequences for Christians remains a valid concern, given the prominent role many Islamist parties assume in the new political discourse.

Historical Legacies

Like many other aspects of sociopolitical and economic life in the Middle East, Western imperialism shaped Christians’ position in the region. Given the mission civilisatrice aspect of French and British colonialism, Christians often enjoyed certain privileges that their Muslim counterparts lacked. “There was this idea of…the obligation of the French and the British to protect the Christian minorities,” explains Harvard Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Professor William Granara. Christian support for their foreign rulers, tacit or otherwise, proved a double-edged sword. As European empires crumbled, many Christians vocally supported the cause of Arab nationalism in an effort to stave off the advances of Islamism, a movement angry at the elevation of their Christian neighbors and eager to return to a more fundamentalist approach to Islam in government.

Harvard Visiting Professor Kirk Beattie explains, “For Christians, Arab nationalism was a political ideology they could pin their hopes on, in a way they obviously wouldn’t want to do with an Islamist formula.” The secular nature of Arab nationalism provided an outlet for Christian political expression and promised equal citizenship in a way Christians felt Islamism could not. Christians recognized the potential threat of conservative Islamist movements to their standing in society, and retreated into secularism to prevent it.

The Revolutionary Fight

In Egypt, Christians participated in the February revolution just as actively as did Muslims. “Copts felt the heavy hand of the state in the same way Muslims did,” comments Beattie. Six decades worth of repression gave way to popular uprisings. As active participants in those uprisings, Christians— like the rest of the population— expected unthreatened recognition of their equality as citizens. The right to participate in government without fear of repression, religious or otherwise, proved as primary a revolutionary motivation for Christian revolutionaries as it did for Muslims.

Nonetheless, the October clash in Cairo illustrates some Christians’ wariness of their new government’s real intentions. For decades, permits to build Christian churches required special permission from the government, while building mosques proved a much simpler affair. The transitional government has promised to aid church building, but has taken no action. The military’s violent response to the Coptic protests and its perceived hesitancy in turning over power to a civilian government have led Christians—and many Muslims—to express concern over the direction of Egypt’s future. Whether this military transitional government is specifically hostile to Christian political freedom or to political freedom in general, such an arrangement would nonetheless be a setback for Christian sociopolitical life.

The Rise of Islamism

Though Christians, like others in the Middle East, support the right to freedom of political expression so advanced by the revolutions, several experts note the prevalent worry that Islamism will restrict those very rights. In particular, analysts express concern about the imposition of Islam-based laws and implicit government policies supporting. No matter how great the desire for freedom, “there is a fear in the minds of a lot of people that the beneficiaries might end up being the Islamists,” says Beattie. Islamists could in turn attempt to consolidate their power by playing to the sentiments of a majority Muslim constituency, without turning to the voices of the Christian community.

The case in Syria presents a stark example of Christians’ fears of what could happen after authoritarian regimes fall. There has been surprising reluctance among Christians to support the fight against Bashar al-Assad. “The [Syrian] Alawite government has done a lot to protect other minorities,” says Granara. Indeed, given that al-Assad comes from a minority sect himself, his Ba’ath party has proven relatively accommodating. Though they may be critical of its totalitarian aspects, many Christians still support the Assad regime, given the protections they have been afforded. Christians in Syria look to Iraq as an example of the effects of sectarian tension. After Saddam Hussein’s fall in 2003, large numbers of Christians left the country, fearful of the persecution ensuing from sectarian strife.

Demographic Chages

Political turmoil, the rise of political Islamism, and general concern for the future have all prompted a troubling trend: the emigration of Christians from the Middle East. Habib C. Malik, in his book Islamism and the Future of the Christians of the Middle East, describes this emigration as an “exodus of individuals, families, and communities [that] proceeds unabated,” moving to Europe and the United States. Fearful of the possibility of secondary status in countries filled with sectarian strife or strong Islamist parties, Christians are preempting their concerns simply by leaving the area. This emigration of Christians could easily affect the structure or composition of new government systems. Their paucity could skew the representative structures that were ostensibly set up to provide fair and equal governance in countries that had not enjoyed such for decades.

All of these factors have combined to sow anxiety in the Christian communities of the Middle East. It is reasonable to predict that a conservative Islamist government could lead to clear delineations between Christians and Muslims. Whether that separation is explicitly embodied in law or implicitly embodied in tacit government practices, the Christian fear of living as not-quite-equals in countries purporting equality will have been vindicated. It may be that the rise of moderate, pluralist Islamist parties, such as Ennahda in Tunisia, and liberal democratic coalitions will be the saving grace for Christians, a middle ground between the authoritarianism of the regimes of the past and the discrimination of fundamentalist Islamism. If such governments fail to emerge, however, Christians could soon look back on the Arab Spring with some regret.

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/174949-nasrallahs-double-deal.html

Nasrallah’s double deal
08 December 2011 04:56

 Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s speech last week, after Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the decision to transfer Lebanon’s share of the funding to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, was a big giveaway that the organisation is at its most desperate, given the uprising in Syria and the tightening of sanctions against Iran for its nuclear programme and increasing diplomatic row with the West after the recent attack on the British Embassy in Tehran.

In his speech, Nasrallah kept harping about the threat of sectarianism not only in  Lebanon but in Syria too. He said: “Some media outlets are trying to show that there is a sectarian conflict there.” He added: “Some are insisting that there are 3,000 fighters and that thousands of fighters from the Iraqi Mahdi army have entered Syria.” He declared that to be work of Hezbollah’s rivals and called on his followers for “self-restraint and avoiding sectarian rhetoric.”

This is radical change of tone for Nasrallah. We are not surprised, though, because we know that Nasrallah wants to show to his people that he is not, and will not be, a part of a possible sectarian conflict in Syria.

Nasrallah, however, didn’t forget to criticize former prime minister Saad Hariri accusing him and the March 14 parties for compromising on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon for “the sake of staying in power” only.
In all fairness, however, what Nasrallah termed “compromise” was actually a great personal sacrifice by Hariri for the sake of the Lebanese government’s stability. He put Lebanon’s national interest ahead of justice for his father’s killing.

Nasrallah also complained about Hariri’s lack of action during his time as prime minister which we really find funny. He complained that Hariri did not do anything during his short tenure while conveniently forgetting to mention that the Assads, who have been ruling Syria for over a decade, did precious little in terms of reforms or improvement like other dictators who were overthrown by the Arab Spring uprising. This only goes to show how biased his judgment is.

Also in his speech, Nasrallah questioned the legality of the payments made to the special tribunal, since Prime Minister Mikati used the budget of the Higher Relief Committee to fund the special tribunal. But I am wondering: could that be possible without the tacit approval of Hezbollah? It could have easily been done during Hariri’s government. And let’s not forget that the funding for the special tribunal could also be done through outside sources or donations. So why did this solution come only now?

Could it possibly be because Hezbollah tacitly agreed to it because of its current weak position since its allies, Syria and Iran, are facing problems of their own?

If this is the case, Nasrallah’s speech could only show him to be politically pragmatic.

If Mikati’s government had failed because of the dispute over the tribunal funding, Hezbollah and Syria would have been in a more difficult situation. And surely, neither Hezbollah nor Syria want the Mikati government to fail since it will be against their best interest.

Had it failed, Syria would be in a situation worse than it already is, since it would entail formation of a new Lebanese government and there is a big possibility that government might not be as friendly with Syria as the current one.

And with the sanctions recently passed by the Arab League, Syria faces bigger economic difficulties, and the situation would surely worsen if Mikati’s government falls, and Hariri or other rivals of Hezbollah come back to power and cut economic ties with Syria.

Hezbollah, by implicitly approving the tribunal funding, is trying to buy time and wait for the situation in Syria to improve and the Arab Spring uprising to die down, although in his speech, Nasrallah showed to the public that he was still against the funding of the tribunal.

I have little doubt this issue will be raised again next year. If the situation in Syria improves and the Arab Spring revolts cool down, Nasrallah would easily refuse funding the tribunal without seemingly changing his instance.

And finally, we should highlight that the only person benefitting from all this, is Prime Minister Najib Mikati. He comes out as the hero whatever the outcome of the tribunal funding has been.

First, if funding was not approved, he would have resigned as he had clearly announced, and would become the hero to the Sunni party for standing his ground.

Secondly, if the funding was approved, as it came to happen, he would still be a hero for being able to strike a deal that was once so difficult with Hezbollah on the special tribunal issue.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to survival. It is not surprising, therefore, if Hezbollah, Hamas, Brotherhood, Iran or whatever group it is, suddenly changes its tone when its survival is threatened. Ideologies are pushed aside when people are pushed into a corner and become pragmatic in order to survive.
the peninsula

Syrians stage candlelight vigil in memory of unrest victims, clashes still on – 2011-12-11

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2011-12/11/c_122405584.htm

DAMASCUS, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) — As fresh tensions were palpable between government forces and armed groups in the flashpoint city of Homs, some 2,000 Syrians gathered on Saturday evening for a candlelight vigil at a main square in the capital Damascus, in a show of solidarity with President Bashar al-Assad and in memory of the victims of the nearly nine-month-old unrest.

Holding candles and photos of al-Assad, the crowd in the Sabe Bahrat Square were chanting pro-government slogans.

Al-Assad has lately said that some 1,100 policemen, security agents and military personnel had been killed by the alleged terrorist groups in the country. However, the United Nations put the death toll in the past nine months at as high as 4,000.

Also on Saturday, in violence-roiling Homs, some 160 km north of Damascus, new tensions were mounting, as the state-run SANA news agency said that government forces had clashed with armed groups during the day and managed to release 14 people who were kidnapped a week ago by armed groups.

Meanwhile, Governor of Homs Ghasan abdul-Al dismissed media reports claiming that the government had cut off telecommunication in the city, SANA reported.

However, on the other side, activists were quoted by some Western media as saying that nine people were killed Saturday by security forces’ gunfire in Homs, southern Daraa and northern Idlib provinces. But there has been no independent confirmation of the latest deaths.

These reports said that Saturday’s death toll followed a bloody day in which around 40 people were killed in several Syrian cities, mostly in Homs.

Some broad-based opposition activists have accused Damascus of preparing a large-scale military offensive against Homs in a bid to stamp out the anti-government movement, which in some cases have turned into an armed rebellion. Their fears were echoed by France, which on Saturday called on the international community to “save the Syrian people.”

The Syrian government has been blaming the armed groups backed by a foreign conspiracy in the nationwide unrest and charges that it is subject to a “media war.”

On Friday, Syrian Foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said that “They (the West and their backers) are trying to demonize Syria… it’s a media war.”

He also quoted President al-Assad as saying that “no command has been given to anyone to kill or be brutal … we don’t have any institution that gives commands to commit brutal acts.”

“We are appealing to the outside world and our brothers in the Arab world to help Syria … and to stop incitement, channeling weapons to Syria … pressuring, sanctioning, cornering Syria …, ” he said, stressing that “this is not helping Syria.”

Makdissi said that Syria is still studying the Arab League (AL) ‘s message concerning sending observers to Syria to monitor the country’s turmoil on ground.

Have you noticed how the supporters of islamist fanatic mercenary terrorists, their israeli allies and the anti Syria propaganda media doubled the number of the population of Homs from 700,000 to 1.3 million!

As if the entire population of Homs is anti government islamist fanatic terrorists.

I would’ve preferred an educational “Tintin and the festival of Ashuraa” than plain old “Tintin in Tehran”

http://www.iranian.com/Arts/2002/November/Tintin/

Honestly, I am not trying to be disrespectful, but it is time for people to forget a death that occurred 1400 years ago, stop bloodying themselves, and move on already.

How come Mr. Tintin was never featured in Syria?  I am jealous.

Memo To: NORMAN

RE: “… if there in an invasion of Syria. Syria is 5 times the population of Libya…”

Big deal! Unlike Libya, Syria is a crazy-quilt conglomeration of tribes, ethnicities, religions, you name it. The only thing they have in common is their deep distrust of one another. Dollars to doughnuts, if there’s a foreign invasion, half of Syria will put out a welcome mat and the other half will grab their guns and head for the hills…

Memo To: ANN

RE: “…islamist fanatic mercenary terrorists, their israeli allies and the anti Syria propaganda media doubled the population of Homs from 700,000 to 1.3 million…”

As usual, you’re wrong, Ann. The 700,000 number is the population of metropolitan Homs. The 1,300,000 includes the suburbs. If you don’t believe me, go check it out on page 17 of Syria For Dummies, 3rd edition. I’m sure you have a copy. You’re a dummy, so you must have one…

Mjabali i like Flamenco very much (which find its roots in the andalusian culture of the muslim era).
What i\’m criticizing is Mara ghalba\’s stupid stance ,who take pride of the propaganda songs made for killers of a dictatorship.

Reply to IRRITATED # 293

I had sent you a reply before, but it hasn’t been published! Why? I don’t know. Maybe because I am anti-Syrian regime commenting on a blog that’s generally pro-Bashar. In any case, and I don’t mean to irritate you, I both agree and disagree with you.
I agree with you that Imam Hussain Ibn Ali would have opposed the hereditary monarchies in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. However, it is a great injustice to Imam Husain and to the people of Syria to suggest that he would have supported the HEREDITARY and murderous dictatorship of Bashar. That the Syrian people’s revolt for justice and dignity is an American/Israeli/Saudi “conspiracy,” is a big insult to the intelligence of rational people. I am a Palestinian-American, and I have no doubt that a free Syria would be on the side of Palestinians and oppose any Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The sectarian hypocrisy of Hasan Nasr-Allah and Iran (whose theocratic regime does not allow Sunnis to build mosques in Iran) would not make free Syria welcome an Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon. Free Syria, Free Palestine, Free ALL, No hypocrisy!
P.S., I speak Arabic and I watched Bouthaina Sha’aban’s press conferecne and Bashar’s speech to his fraudulent parliament last March. Ms. Sha’aban hinted that her regime’s strategy would be religous-sectarian: to scare non-Sunnis from Sunnis. As to Bashar’s speech it was arrogant and delusional. Otherwise, how could he laugh when hundreds of his people were killed and injured (as of last March)?

Ann
wikipedia it says Homs is 1.5 million http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homs

dale (i’m not jewish) anderson,

You already know the credibility of your propaganda on this blog is zero. Get a real job you little creep.

Ooooh, touched a nerve on spammie annie.

Ann, a word of advice. No one reads those long crappy data dumps you unload on SC. They’re too long, too badly-written, too delusional. It would help if you READ THEM before you hit the “post” command. Come to think of it, it would help if you could read English….

Oh and by the way, it’s “Andersen.” That’s another of your shortcomings. You need to learn to spell.

majed, stop asking for advice from Israelis on how to disable Syrian tanks, what’s wrong with you man, don’t you have anyone in your family martyred while fighting them?
on the lighter side, every one must watch this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd-CV2fPCno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wf3is0Wt2U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojjwnY20Qsc

#369 Tara

Sorry, but you are disrespectful to Shias and Christians and other religions and to everyone who commemorate loved ones who died violently. Commemoration of the dead, especially if they were saints or died violently, is a natural rite on all religions and culture, even 2000 years after.
The ceremony of commemoration vary in each cultures and no one sufficiently educated is supposed to emit a judgment on the rite, unless it presents a danger to the community or if it is forced.

In Iran, hurting oneself and bleeding during the Ashura ceremonies is forbidden by law. In other countries it is allowed or tolerated.
Similar ceremonies exists in the Christian religion and others with manifestations of self punishment. It is a cathartic experience that allows strong emotions to be expressed openly without censorship. I guess it may help people to heal from personal griefs by projecting them on the martyr. For many it is a transcendental spiritual experience.

Sunni religion does not have such ceremonies and looks down on them as devilish manifestation of idolatry.

#373 Bill

Your hatred for Iran and Shias is so obvious and overwhelming that I prefer not to comment to any of your points.

NO, I do NOT hate Iran and Shi’as. I hate Iran’s regime and I wish its people freedom and prosperity. As to Shi’as, I respect all religions and sect. I only hate the hypocrisy of SECTARIAN Shi’a leaders like Nasr-Allah, who has become the chief apologist for a murderous regime (Bashar’s).
As to you not commenting on my reply, it’s because of my “hatred” (I don’t hate Iran and Shi’as, but I hate hypocrites and apologists for murderers), you can’t engage in an intellectual debate with me because your bias in favor of a murderous regime is so overwhelming that it has disabled your intellectual horizons! Don’t blame me, blame yourself! Good night, and good luck!

My previous reply # 380 was a reply to IRRITATED, who seems irritated, # 379

Bill

Aggressivity, hatred and revenge are your motors, not mine.
Good night.

Bronco

“Sorry, but you are disrespectful to Shias and Christians and other religions….”

“Disrespectful to….religions”?  How so?  Hurting oneself is a sin in Islam and in Christianity too.  My comment can not possibly be disrespectful to a religion, any religion …but may be disrespectful to a Mulah’s interpretation of a religion.  

Consciously inflicting pain whether on oneself or on others is not a religious rite, it is rather a man-made celebration of the dead, i.e. it is a cultural practice, therefore expressing an opinion about it, whatever that opinion might be,  is a good way to perhaps come to appreciation of it’s value.

I think time has come for people to talk about taboos openly and freely without accusing each other of being disrespectful or uneducated.  No?         

Mr “secular” ,you are also not obliged to be irritated when this theocratic shiite regime in Iran is criticized.
Btw this js a very typical behavior from assad(secular) soldiers on syria comment for them secularism in Iran means kufr.

#373 Bill,

I agree with your statement “free Syria would be on the side of Palestinians and oppose any Israeli invasion of Lebanon” but will add, that only a free people can help an oppressed people.

Hypocrisy is not akin to Iran and Nasrallah. It is a scare tactic that is intended to control the masses, Sunnis vs Shiites. A win win for both the Mullahs of the Shiites and the Sheiks of the gulf region. Their is a mixture of both sects in each Islamic country, why now?

dale (i’m not jewish) andersen,

you are a legend in your own little creepy mind. your mastery of the English language is not helping improve you lonely, bitter and miserable life.

try taking a bath every now and then. might help you get a date with a real woman.

Archbishop fears for Christians in Middle East – 9 December 2011

Christians in the Middle East are “more vulnerable” than they have been for centuries, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16111973

Dr Rowan Williams said that many Christians were leaving countries such as Iraq and Egypt in the face of persecution.

Many others had been forced to retreat to enclaves for their safety, he said.

Dr Williams added that the treatment of Christians would be the “litmus test” of the success of the Arab Spring.

The head of the world’s Anglicans made his claims in the House of Lords.

He said: “At the present moment the position of Christians in the region is more vulnerable than it has been for centuries.

“The flow of Christian refugees from Iraq in the wake of constant threat and attack has left a dramatically depleted Christian population there.”
Segregated

Those who chose to stay in the country had often withdrawn to segregated enclaves for their safety, he said.

“Many recognise with heavy hearts things may come to such a pass that there are few, if any other options that will actually guarantee the safety of Christians there,” the Archbishop said.

“But they still feel, surely rightly, that the creation of enclaves would be the yielding of a vitally important principle.”

Besides Iraq, Dr Williams lamented the fact that many Coptic Christians were leaving Egypt, despite the faith having had a presence in the country for many centuries.

He said: “In a way that would have been unthinkable even a very few years ago, they are anxious about sharing the fate of other Christian communities that once seemed securely embedded in their setting.”

Turning to the impact of the Arab Spring in the Middle East, Dr Williams said: “My contention has been that the security and wellbeing of the historic Christian communities in the region is something of a litmus test in relation to the wider issues of the political health of the region.”

He added: “No-one is seeking a privileged position for Christians in the Middle East, nor should they be.

“But what we can say, and I firmly believe that most Muslims here and in many other places would agree entirely, is that the continued presence of Christians in the region is essential to the political and social health of the countries of the Middle East.”

Assad interview – 09 December 2011

http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=265304&columnistId=65

A veteran American presenter’s interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was an important event. The very fact that he agreed to talk to the US press for the first time since the uprising began in March is noteworthy. His decision to talk to an American broadcaster also proves that he was determined to persuade the US and to reach out to the world through American public opinion.

It’s not hard to guess that many journalists, especially European ones, watched this important interview with jealousy. Assad has proven once again that he doesn’t fully trust Europeans, and maybe he is not so wrong. It is also understandable that he didn’t chose to talk to a Turkish journalist, as tension between Turkey and Syria has been escalating constantly recently.

It may not be appropriate to make diplomatic analyses only by looking at Assad’s choice of the interviewer’s nationality, but in countries where there are no NGOs, no civil society organizations and no free press, leaders often act according to old paradigms. So we may very well say that a journalist does not represent its country or government, but leaders like Assad still believe that journalists’ nationality is an important variable.

Bashar al-Assad clearly indicated that it is useless to look at his country through the glasses of democracy because he said he never claimed Syria was a democracy. He implicitly admitted that the current regime is not the best option for his country. In other words, he probably tried to say that he is aware of the need for change but is hesitant as he is also aware that democracy means the end of his rule.

One of his most important remarks was that he is not the owner of the country or of the security forces. He probably tried to emphasize that the old guard of the Ba’ath regime is still influential and that he is not the sole ruler but just the spokesperson of a ruling elite. This is a way of saying that “I’m not responsible of the carnage, ‘they are.”

There are reasons to believe that this is not completely wrong. I remember the result of an hours-long discussion he made a few months ago with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. During that meeting he insinuated that he personally prefers to engage Syria with the West through Turkey, but that his circle doesn’t allow him to do so. The problem, however, is that he doesn’t hold the hands of those who try to help him out.

In closed regimes like Syria, it is not easy to understand what is really going on in the country’s power circles; however, we can make some guesses from between the lines of this interview. The Syrian president stated more than once that he is not the only one responsible for what is going on in his country, and by doing this, he conveyed a message to the international community targeting the members of the regime but not him. Targeting them also means targeting the foreign countries that support these cadres. By saying he, too, is unhappy with the ongoing violence, he also tried to say he still remains the only guarantee to prevent his country from sliding into civil war.

During the interview, he used every opportunity to argue that any kind of international intervention will only reinforce the Ba’ath regime. He also claimed that if there is government change through civil war, the new Syrian government will not be necessarily “friendly.” Is there anyone in the world that doesn’t know what does that means? In brief, he is saying, “If I go, Islamists will replace me, and that is bad news for both the West and Israel.” Asking the foreign powers to target his staff but to support him and to be careful about the people’s real demands is nothing but a direct challenge addressed to Turkey.

Economic woes may eat away AK Party’s support – 09 December 2011

http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=265266&columnistId=105

The data released this week for inflation, which jumped to 9.48 percent from 7.29 percent in November of last year, must have rung alarm bells for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government in Turkey.

It seems double-digit inflation is now almost certain by year-end. Coupled with that, the whopping current account deficit (CAD) and rising unemployment figures show that the prospect of keeping voters’ confidence looks gloomy for the AK Party government.

Private sector debt has increased to $202 billion — 65 percent of Turkey’s total debt — from $26 billion in 1996 and is exposed to currency risks. The financial liability for private companies was $20 billion in 2003. Today it is $120 billion. This creates vulnerability for banks because a possible crisis in real industry may have an impact on banks’ balance sheets in the future. Last but not least is the rising unemployment, which was 9.2 percent as of August. But unemployment among young people aged 15-24 is at 18.3 percent in 2011.

334. JAD
It is for a long time according to the logic of technology put in Libya !

Bronco

I was annoyed with the accusation so I neglected to mention that your interpretation of the “rite” was outstanding, a Pino-style.

Kandahar,

“Tara who is only good at doing Mehshi”. Wrong perception! Tara is good in few other things too, just few. Take my word for it.

Наркотиками США война против России велась из азиатских опоры
Нил Никандров | 10.12.2011 | 00:00
США разведывательного сообщества начал свою первую атаку против наркотиков России в начале 1990-х годов, эпохи, когда кардинальные реформы были кровотечения России в правоохранительные органы и границах ранее изолированные страны стало легко кресте за посланниками западных наркокартелей. Россия таможенных и пограничных служб, которые унаследовали от советской эпохи очень ограниченный опыт работы с наркоугрозой были совершенно не готовы принять вызов и партий кокаина и героина потекли легко в Россию из далекого континента. Ослабление страны рассматривается как потенциального противника путем распространения наркомании среди населения – молодые люди, военные, интеллигенция – это приоритет империи, которая стремится к сокращению человеческого потенциала России.

Большинство лекарства, поставляемые в Россию составил ее из Колумбии, где история подозрительно бесплодной американской антинаркотической деятельности является возраст долго. При посредничестве США свободно путешествовать режима, предусмотренного Россия и Колумбия – в частности, один из первых сделок Москвой рода – безусловно, помогли наркобаронов и их темным покровителям принести новые незаконным оборотом наркотиков маршруту онлайн. Сообщения средств массовой информации в то время часто показали конфискованные колумбийских поставки наркотиков, замаскированный под бананы, рыбные консервы, или сувениры. Вскоре, наркотики также начали приходить в Россию из Мексики, Доминиканской Республики, и Боливии. Соблазн заработать красиво ценой краткого риска доказали привлекательным для многих сотрудников в России государство. Разведывательное сообщество США постоянно помогал наркокартелей, отчасти за счет вовлечение в сотрудничество россиян, которые затем стала роль в распространении наркотиков на территории России и в том, чтобы их послать в Европу.

США «войны с террором» и НАТО оккупации Афганистана самоходные наступление США препарат против России беспрецедентная level.Over всего несколько лет, препарата выводится в Афганистане выросло почти в 50 раз и достиг эквивалента 190-200 млрд. доз героина в год, число приблизительно в 30 раз больше, чем населения земного шара. нарколабораторий иногда превосходят оборудование для мировых фармацевтических компаний распространились по всему Афганистану под защитой НАТО и США DEA. В то же время, НАТО, Пентагона, и DEA горе стойкий против предложения России для совместных кампаний по ликвидации . Неискушенных аргументы вызываются представители западной коалиции, как предполагается, звук “гуманистические”: искоренение якобы оставить афганских фермеров мака без средств к существованию, окунуться в Афганистане общего голода, и укрепить позиции талибов в стране. Официальные представители НАТО придерживаются оптимистического взгляда, что ситуация улучшится автоматически при жизнеспособной сельскохозяйственной альтернативы потреблению наркотиков обрезка предлагают афганским крестьянам. Для подавления недовольства пивоваренной Москвы, США сделали запустить несколько антинаркотических рейдов в Афганистане в сотрудничестве с Россией, но, конечно, еще не изобрели до даты какие-либо альтернативы сопоставимой рентабельности на выращивание опиатов.

Чуть менее 50% производимого в Афганистане героина поставляется через так называемый северный маршрут, который проходит республик Центральной Азии в Россию и далее в Европу. Количество героина в продаже в России неуклонно растет, и ситуация вызывает ранней стадии развития в Мексике, которая в конечном итоге вышло во внутренние наркотиков в стране и ужас войны .

Стратегия империи заключается в создании условий, при которых война с наркотиками в “партнера”-стране вспыхивает ближайшее, а затем, чтобы партнеры полностью зависит от поддержки США в этом конфликте. Поставки Вашингтона огнестрельного оружия и гранатометов в Мексике соперничать наркокартелей четко отражают стратегию управления войны с наркотиками в стране. Десятки мексиканских военных и сотрудников правоохранительных органов – наряду с США пограничников, таможенников, и DEA оперативников – умереть в конфликте.

Мексиканское правительство не в состоянии справиться с проблемой наркотиков по себе и пойти на серьезные уступки в Вашингтон, который в результате пользуется неограниченной свободой маневра в Мексике. Например, персонал набирается для мексиканских правоохранительных органов и специальных сил США под надзором. Эти люди принимают полиграфе тесты, пройти обучение в соответствии с Пентагоном стандартов, а учат безраздельной преданности США. Зомби с готовностью принимают заказы и убийства вряд ли забота, которых они убивают – мексиканцы, Гватемалы, Гондураса, или американцев. Борьба за мировое господство, империя ставит этот тип технологии для работы во всех частях мира.

Недавно США помощник государственного секретаря по международной борьбе с наркотиками и правоохранительной деятельности (INL) Уильям Р. Браунфилд гастролировал Таджикистана, Кыргызстана и Kazakhstan.Brownfield “с личным рекордом богат эпизоды связаны с операциями Вашингтона против вызывающего режимов. Иногда попытки окончились с захватывающими неудач, как в Венесуэле, где Чавес прямо предупредил Браунфилд, который пытается организовать заговоры и цветных революций не будет допускаться. Изолированные и назвал клоуном, Браунфилд пришлось покинуть Венесуэлу с чувством поражения.

Что Браунфилд доставлены республик Центральной Азии, план под названием Центральной Азии по борьбе с наркотиками инициатива (CACI), которая сильно напоминает План Колумбия (Браунфилд служил послом США в Колумбии в 2007-2010). Чрезмерно уверенных в себе техасский быстро убедил своих центральноаз