As an outsider, no-one would deny that the Asad regime is wounded, but I don’t see how the opposition can push it to a finish. The military haven’t left Bashshar. Perhaps you can tell me how it will finish.

Dear Joshua,

During your short vacation , you could think to answer the always unanswered question that I posted several times here :

How many INNOCENT victims have been killed between 1976 and 1982 by the Muslim Brothers ?

Disclaimer

History repeats itself, the first as tragedy, then as farce

HYSYRIAN

I fully agree,

History repeats itself, first as tragedy (Hafez Assad), then as farce (Bashar Assad).

Well put OTW. Junior isn’t even an original, he’s just trying to be a Papa Assad copycat.

Rami G. Khouri
you are a (edited for bad language) you always been part of this wicked Assad..
The killing is still on !!!

Syrian forces kill 17 in Homs as outrage mounts
10 August 2011
15:47
Agence France Presse
AFPR
English
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2011 All reproduction and presentation rights reserved.

Syrian security forces shot dead 17 people in the protest hub of Homs on Wednesday, while withdrawing from the city of Hama, as Washington turned up the heat on embattled President Bashar al-Assad.

On Tuesday, a defiant Assad had pledged to pursue a relentless battle against “terrorist groups,” seemingly oblivious to the mounting international pressure against his regime.

Security forces “fired indiscriminately on residents of the Baba Amro neighbourhood, killing 11 people,” one activist told AFP in Nicosia by telephone from the central city.

The toll was later raised to 17, with at least another 20 wounded.

“Some bodies are lying in the sun and people cannot remove them because of the shooting,” one activist said.

Meanwhile, an AFP correspondent on a government-sponsored tour said dozens of military vehicles crammed with soldiers streamed out of Hama to which residents were trickling back.

“The army units have gone back to their barracks after having accomplished their mission, and residents, happy to be rid of the armed gangs who tried to sow discord among the population, have returned home,” a high-ranking officer said.

That was confirmed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who sent his ambassador to Hama to witness the pullout.

“Our ambassador went to Hama and said that the tanks, security forces had started to leave Hama. This is highly important to show that our initiatives had positive results,” Erdogan said in Ankara.

Meanwhile, a military source said troops were also pulling out of one town in the province of Idlib bordering Turkey.

The operation aimed “to hunt down saboteurs and armed groups at the request of Idlib’s residents” and troops are now “returning to their barracks, after achieving their mission,” the source said.

The AFP journalist said she saw dozens of soldiers stream out of Ariha in the south of Idlib province.

But rights activist Rami Abdel Rahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops were conducting a vast operation in the Idlib town of Sermin, where a woman was killed.

Explosions and heavy gunfire also echoed in the eastern oil hub of Deir Ezzor and residents were fearing a new military operations in the city where the army killed 42 people on Sunday and 17 on Tuesday, said Abdel Rahman.

In a new turn of the screw, the United States imposed sanctions on Syria’s largest commercial lender, Commercial Bank of Syria, and largest mobile phone operator, Syriatel.

The US Treasury said it was “taking aim at the financial infrastructure that is helping provide support to Assad and his regime’s illicit activities.”

The move freezes the US assets of the businesses targeted and prohibits US entities from engaging in any business dealings with them, the Treasury said.

Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen charged that the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria was “an agent for designated Syrian and North Korean proliferators.”

Washington also called for greater international pressure on Assad ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Syria, when a top UN official is to brief the council, one week after it condemned the government violence.

Troops backed by tanks stormed Hama on July 31, the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, to fight “armed groups,” killing 100 people in the single bloodiest day since the crackdown began, activists say.

The bloodshed triggered a deluge of international condemnation and prompted the Security Council, under pressure from European and US leaders, to issue a statement demanding an end to the violence.

Russia backed the statement after refusing along with China to endorse a tougher formal resolution, and has since urged Syria to comply and engage in reform.

Since then three Arab countries, including heavyweight Saudi Arabia, have recalled their ambassadors to Damascus for consultations as more Arab voices rose to condemn Syria over its crackdown.

“From the United States’ point of view we are going to continue and intensify our pressure both through our national actions, in additional sanctions, as well as coordinated efforts with other partners here in New York and around the world,” US Ambassador Susan Rice said.

“In the view of the United States, (Assad) has lost his legitimacy to rule and Syria would be a better place without him,” the ambassador added.

“We are looking to the future and looking to lend support to the people of Syria who have the same aspirations for freedom and democracy that we have seen in so many other parts of the world.”

However, she said she was “loath to predict how exactly the council will respond in the future.”

“I think members have been moved by what they have seen of late and by the intensifying and horrific violence that we have seen against civilians. But we have also been frustrated quite candidly that it has taken as long as it has for the council to speak with one voice,” she said.

“It is past time for all council members to put the interests of the Syrian people rather than particular bilateral issues or interests at the forefront of their actions,” she added.

Brazil, India and South Africa have all stepped into the diplomatic fray, dispatching envoys to Damascus to seek a solution to the crisis and end the bloody crackdown that has claimed more than 2,000 lives since mid-March.

Briefing them, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said security forces are confronting “terrorist groups” and stressed Syria’s rejection of “foreign interference” and “media provocation.”

“Certain Syrian cities are under the grip of armed terrorist groups … (and) troops have been deployed to such cities to restore stability and security,” he said.

Meanwhile, Assad admitted in talks with them “that some mistakes had been made by the security forces in the initial stages of the unrest and that efforts were underway to prevent their recurrence,” according to a statement released by India’s UN mis

Tyrant now a pariah
By Roula Khalaf and Abigail Fielding-Smith
10 August 2011
Financial Times (FT.Com)

Deir Ezzor, a city in an oil producing region in the east of Syria, was preparing for a stormy Ramadan. For weeks, the protest movement led by students had been staging mass demonstrations in a locality known for its defiance. The youths were determined to step up their campaign during the holy month, taking advantage of the potential of greater numbers flocking to mosques for evening prayers to swell the crowds.

At the weekend, however, the regime of Bashar al-Assad launched a pre-emptive strike. The army entered with tanks from all sides, arrested protest organisers and shot randomly in the streets, report activists. “There is no household that has escaped this attack,” says Adnan Othman, a Deir Ezzor protest organiser who is now in the capital, Damascus. Some were killed in the rubble of their homes, he says; others were shot on the streets or defending the entrances to their neighbourhoods.

The assault followed the storming of Hama, a conservative Sunni city in the west, on the eve of Ramadan. As in Deir Ezzor, protests in Hama – site of a 1982 massacre by Hafez al-Assad, the current president’s farther and predecessor, then fighting the Muslim Brotherhood – had swelled beyond what security forces would tolerate.

But in deciding to ratchet up the violence to crush a five-month uprising, the 45-year-old Syrian ruler, an eye doctor who inherited the presidency in 2000 on the death of his father, Hafez, overlooked one crucial element: how it would play with his neighbours.

A largely Sunni Muslim Arab world watched with horror as an army dominated by officers from the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shia Islam, intensified its attacks on Sunni protesters. While Arab governments had stayed on the sidelines as one of the most bloody episodes of the regional uprisings unfolded, they suddenly cried out: enough. From Egypt to the Gulf, voices rose in unison to demand an end to Mr Assad’s violence. The harshest words were delivered by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, who denounced the “killing machine” that has by now left an estimated 1,600 dead and thousands in custody. “The numbers of those killed or injured or detained are simply horrific. The king could not ignore this any more,” says Hussein Shobokshi, a Saudi columnist.

Arab states will be treading carefully, however, taking into account the factors that kept them silent for months with an eye on the fragile status quo of a strategically important neighbour. Syria remains in a state of war with Israel, which occupied Syria’s Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war. It has significant influence over Lebanon, a divided country that fears chaos in Syria could spill over to its territory. It also has a tight friendship with Iran, a leading regional power with nuclear ambitions that considers Syria its gateway to the Arab world.

Long before the Arabs spoke out, the US had decided that Mr Assad had lost legitimacy. Turkey, which had developed a close relationship with the Syrian leader in recent years, is losing patience with him, too, and now says it is waiting for immediate concrete measures that stop the killings and allow a peaceful democratic transition.

“We are now entering a process of the gradual delegitimisation of the regime,” says Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Centre, a think-tank. “I have no doubt the regime will continue killing and that will force the international community into a reaction.”

No one is considering a Libya-style military intervention. But analysts say Damascus could be suspended from the Arab League and that Gulf states could join the US and European Union in imposing economic sanctions. This would come at a time when the economy has already suffered a massive blow. The tourism industry, one of the main sources of foreign currency, has been shattered, trade severely disrupted and foreign investment halted.

“Syria is not as rich as Libya. Assad cannot hold on for ever. The regime will be economically suffocated before it falls politically,” predicts Mr Shobokshi. The emerging political opposition remains spontaneous and localised, its ability to form a national front hampered by the repression.

It is because of the complexity of Syria that many governments still hold out hope Mr Assad could preside over a political transition, assuming this would spare the country further bloodshed and chaos. In response to increasing external pressure, he is pledging “comprehensive reforms”. But his family-based Ba’athist regime – run mafia style, with his brother, Maher, controlling elite military forces – has shown little sign that it is willing or able to change.

Indeed, analysts fear the crisis will become a long-term struggle that drives protesters to take up arms in ever greater numbers, plunging the country into full-blown civil war long before a political transition begins. “Bashar al-Assad cannot lead a transition. He is not the ophthalmologist who graduated in London that a lot of people like to see – he is the son of his father and he has proved that,” says Wissam Tarif, head of Insan, a Beirut-based human rights group that tracks abuses in Syria.

From the first days of Syria’s uprising in March, when tribes took to the streets in the impoverished southern city of Deraa to demand the release of 15 children arrested for scribbling anti-government graffiti, Mr Assad has displayed what to many seems a mixture of arrogance, inconsistency and miscalculation.

As Tunisian and Egyptian leaders were swept aside by popular revolutions, the president declared that Syria was immune, its defiant, anti-western foreign policymaking the regime close to its people. But as the weeks and months went by, the protesters went from calling for freedom and an end to corruption to demanding the downfall of the regime.

The brutality of the response in Deraa – sending in tanks, cutting the city off, arresting, torturing and systematically killing people – shook those who had bought the official line and others who believed that some day Mr Assad’s promises of reform would become reality.

As both protests and crackdown spread – from the coastal city of Baniyas to Homs and Hama in the centre, Jisr al-Shughour in the north-west and into the Damascus suburbs – increasing numbers were led to question the government’s narrative that security forces were protecting civilians from terrorists in an otherwise tranquil country.

One refugee recalls how she had not believed reports from Deraa on the pan-Arab Al Jazeera satellite channel until troops came to her town, near Homs, and she realised “Syrian TV and Syrian radio are lying to people”.

In another policy that has begun to backfire, the regime has stoked sectarian tensions, depicting protesters as extremist Sunni armed groups threatening minorities, particularly Alawites. But in combination with the use of shabbiha, mostly Alawite smuggling gangs, in the suppression of protests, this has in fact inflamed sentiment against the minority community despite protesters’ attempts to highlight national unity rather than sectarian divisions.

In June, the regime began a shortlived attempt to display legitimacy as well as force. Mr Assad announced a “dialogue” on political reforms but by this point the gap between vague official promises and the mood on the street had become a chasm.

Many now say they can no longer afford to stop protesting, believing they would be hunted down immediately. “Going back is like digging our graves,” says one activist from a Damascus suburb.

The protest movement has shown an astonishing ability to sustain itself. But the regime too has held up, with no senior defections in military or political ranks in five months of unrest. Until now, it has bet it can survive so long as Damascus and the business centre of Aleppo do not join the demonstrations. “Assad has several points of strength – he still has a lot of support, his regime is still cohesive and there is no obvious alternative to it,” argues one of the regime’s allies in neighbouring Lebanon. Western diplomats in Damascus say the unity in the army has indeed been surprising, particularly as it is mostly made up of Sunni conscripts, though they are not used in direct confrontation with protesters.

However, analysts say there are signs of increasing divisions, with many reported cases of soldiers refusing to fire on protesters. Analysts say the army shifts operations from one place to another instead of mounting simultaneous operations because of a lack of sufficient loyal units.

A Syrian analyst says some of the most prominent religious figures in Damascus and Aleppo have turned against the regime in recent weeks. “These are the political voices of the business community,” he says. He argues that, as economic pressures worsen, business will distance itself further from the regime, while the government’s ability to finance the repression will weaken.

Also displaying growing frustration with the handling of the crisis, a group of Ba’athists led by Mohammed Salman, former interior minister, on Monday launched an initiative for a democratic transition. Although the group suggests establishing a national unity government led by Mr Assad, analysts say the little noticed initiative reflects internal disenchantment with the regime’s persistence in the use of force.

Opposition activists acknowledge that they need to work harder to present a united front. They also admit that, for change to be peaceful, they need parts of the regime to join the opposition. They are hoping the Arab states’ condemnation will widen internal rifts and, most critically, persuade prominent Alawites to take a stand against the Assads.

“What’s important is that leading voices from the Alawite community say that the regime is taking the community hostage,” says Radwan Ziadeh, a US-based opposition activist.

Peter Harling, Damascus-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, a think-tank, argues that the Arab position will have to be accompanied by clearer statements from the region and the rest of the world that the regime cannot survive. Promises of an economic package during a political transition, he says, would also encourage business to stand with the protest movement.

“Within the regime, many still believe Bashar has cover in the international community,” he says. “But the day everyone gives up on the regime, they will start thinking about their own future and know that the future is not with Bashar.”

Additional reporting by a correspondent in Damascus and Abeer Allam in Riyadh

مراسلو الدنيا : حشود جماهيرية تجتمع في ساحات السبع بحرات بدمشق ودوار الزراعة باللاذقية والكورنيش البحري بطرطوس دعماً لبرنامج الاصلاح الشامل ورفضاً للتدخل الخارجي

In true form, Aljazeera are reporting the rallies in support of President Assad, reform and national dialogue as those of anti government protests. They are broadcasting images from a far distance so no pro Assad banners can be seen.

“In true form, Aljazeera are reporting the rallies in support of President Assad, reform and national dialogue as those of anti government protests. They are broadcasting images from a far distance so no pro Assad banners can be seen.”

They are learning from the corrupt Syrian media.

A live feed of the Latakia demonstration

http://bambuser.com/channel/smartlive3/broadcast/1889731

You can clearly hear the demonstrators telling junior to go screw himself.

Just how pathetic do the menhebaks have to be, to claim an anti-regime demonstration is a menhebak one. Especially when such things can be so easily disproven.

It’s as pathetic as sending the tanks back into Hama after the Turkish ambassador has finished his tour.

What rally are you talking about SyAU

Assad Regime, his security agents and his Shabiha are slaughtering our people in Homs today, We will NEVER forget and we will drag all those killers to:–>

#9,

A bit of a desperate attempt dont you think?

Why are the pictures taken from such a far distance but audio is clear? Could it be that the audio is dubbed?

A car rally in Allepo underway now – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7CPJrL6T9E

You may hear chants along the lines of الشعب يريد بشار الاسد

Once videos of rallies in other provinces come to hand, I’ll be sure to link them for you.

Following up on my comment at #59 in the previous thread, my assessment of the potential for negotiations is:

1. What are the regime’s interests? What do they want? 4 years ago an individual in the regime stated to me any policy of the Assad regime, whether foreign and domestic, will be the preservation of the Assad presidency. Everything can be interpreted in those terms. There is no indication the ruling family thinks otherwise today. The current policy of the regime is restore the status quo using force and imprisonment as frequent as necessary.
Comment: Unless the family had to negotiate terms of abdication they will not entertain a relinquishment of any form of power. Therefore it will take others to force the Assads to negotiate or abdicate. Negotiations with persons in leadership rolls such as generals, capitalists, bankers,etc. may be the early route.

2. Who are the decision makers in the Assad regime and what is Bashar’s roll? For the past 10 years a family council has been making most of the decisions – little of importance passes without the family’s approval. Basher is in the council but grandfather is the moderator. Other family members include two hawks, Bashar’s brother, who commands the elite 4th division and brother in law, who commands the secret police.
Comment: Bashar is not a figurehead. He probably is the most influential and often other family council members have deferred to him in the past. But for the present crisis Bashar is deferring to others in the family council.

2. What do the demonstrators want? In diplomatic terms, what are the demonstrators’ interests?
(a) end the secret police and close all torture chambers.
(b) prosecution of those who engaged in torture and murder.
(c) Release of all held in custody
(d) freedom of speech, press and assembly
(e) Dignity and respect
(f) Equal and fair participation in the selection of government officials through free and open elections.
(g) for some, the end of the Assad regime.
Comment: The secret police and its activities, control of speech and press, and control of elections are pillars of the Assad regime. One should anticipate the Assads will not give up any of its pillars. It would appear at this time that there is nothing that can be a the subject of negotiation.

3. The possibility of successful negotiations appear dim at present. It is in these situations that skilled international diplomats are most successful. What is needed is an inquirer, a person who will contact persons of interest. Instead of face to face negotiations between the parties, the inquirer travels first to one, then to the other. Hence, the inquirer must be trusted by both sides. This roll is is too dangerous for a Syrian to assume. My suggestion is a skilled professional international diplomat. Consider Norway’s diplomatic corps. Their diplomats are very, very skilled. Norway is a little country so one can never say the parties were forced into agreeing by a powerful nation. It was Norwegian diplomats that put Arafat and Begin together, a feat considered impossible. Contacting non governmental leaders may have to be done by non governmental persons.

4. Is there time? Maybe not. Events may overtake the effort of the inquirer, but it is better to try than not to try.

Someone explain to #11 what a “live feed” means. Obviously he’s never heard a demonstration and how far the sound can travel.

If the camera is close, they whine that it’s so no one will see how small the demonstration is. If it’s far out, they whine they can’t see the banners.

But in the end, there *must* be a whine, so the menhebaks can weakly sustain the bubble of alternative reality they have cocooned themselves in.

Aboud, what is the news from Baba Amr ? Why are they shooting indiscrinately ?

How many innoccents have been killed ?

Also, are the news of the defecting soldiers in Amr true ? Are they safe ? Have they offered any resistance to the Menhebaks ?

hehe , Besho gives Erdogan a little rope to climb down from the top of the tree. Erdo grabs the rope. he is happy , relieved, calms down and starts climbing down.

Erdoğan, addressing a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara, said Turkish Ambassador to Syria Ömer Önhon visited Hama on Wednesday. “He told us that the tanks began to leave the city. This is a sign that our initiative is producing results,”

Davutoğlu, speaking minutes after Erdoğan, also said the ambassador had confirmed that tanks and heavy artillery have been withdrawn from Hama.

He appeared satisfied with the Syrian steps, saying the Syrian government took a major step less than 24 hours after their talks in Damascus.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-253304-turkey-syria-withdraws-tanks-from-hama-allows-media-access.html#.TkKKRVJgYM4.blogger

Cheaters, and theives honor

SyAU, ss, SNK, Mjabali, 5 strippers, and other besho lovestruck boys and girls. The shabbeeha are cheating you. Did you receive your fair share of the loot

This is what you are defending. These are the protectors of the regime you are defending. Are these the some mistakes your beloved Junior. was talking about.

Now some sycophant will tell us that the loads of these trucks are supplies.

I don’t know how people who support this revolution get their conclusions !
They seem to live in another delusional dimension.

رسالة اردوغان تكرس زعامة تركيا
عبد الباري عطوان
2011-08-10

كرّست الرسالة التي بعث بها رجب طيب اردوغان رئيس وزراء تركيا الى القيادة السورية، وحملها الدكتور احمد داوود اوغلو، وزير الخارجية، الزعامة التركية في المنطقة العربية، مثلما أبرزت حجم النفوذ التركي وفاعليته في ظل غياب دول المركز العربي، مثل مصر والعراق وسورية.
فبعد يوم واحد فقط من زيارة السيد اوغلو للعاصمة السورية، بدأت الدبابات تنسحب من مدينة حماة، بعد حملة عسكرية استمرت عشرة ايام، سقط خلالها اكثر من مئتي شهيد، وخفت حدة اعمال القتل التي تمارسها القوات السورية لاول مرة، وان كان ذلك بطريقة نسبية.
والاهم من ذلك ان السيد اردوغان صرح امس انه يتوقع اصلاحات فورية في سورية، في غضون اسبوعين على الاكثر، وهذا يعني ان القيادة السورية تجاوبت مع اهم ثلاثة مطالب تركية، وهي وقف قتل المواطنين برصاص الامن، وسحب الدبابات السورية من المدن، واعادة الجيش الى ثكناته، والبدء فورا في اصلاحات ديمقراطية جذرية، من بينها انتخابات برلمانية ورئاسية حرة وشفافة.
من الصعب الاغراق في التفاؤل، والتسرع في اصدار احكام حول نتائج، او مفعول السحر للرسالة التركية الحازمة التي حملها اوغلو، ولكن يبدو واضحا ان القيادة السورية سمعت كلاما لم تسمع له مثيلا من قبل دفعها الى اعادة النظر في الكثير من حساباتها وسياساتها الداخلية والاقليمية معا.
اللقاء المغلق الذي عقده السيد اوغلو مع الرئيس بشار الاسد كان الاكثر تأثيرا دون ادنى شك، حيث قال فيه الضيف التركي لمضيفه السوري ما لم يستطع قوله في اللقاءات العامة، في حضور مسؤولين آخرين، وسلم رسائل على درجة كبيرة من الخطورة، قد تكون من بينها رسالة امريكية حملها الى القيادة التركية المسؤول عن ملف سورية في الخارجية الامريكية.
كثرت التكهنات حول مضمون هذه الرسالة والرسائل الاخرى، ولكن الامر المؤكد ان تركيا ليست ساعي بريد، وانما قوة اقليمية رئيسية في المنطقة، وتحركها الحالي ليس من اجل التهديد بتدخلها في الملف السوري عسكريا، مثلما صرح البعض، وانما من اجل منع تدخل الدول الغربية او حلفائها، مثلما حدث في ليبيا، لان السلطات التركية تدرك مدى خطورة مثل هذا التدخل الغربي في حال حدوثه عليها، وعلى جميع دول المنطقة.
فمن الواضح، ان هناك قوى تريد استغلال تدهور الاوضاع في سورية كذريعة لتفجير حرب اقليمية طائفية في المنطقة، يكون الشعب السوري بكل طوائفه ودياناته وقودا اساسيا لها، ثم بعده شعوب وثروات المنطقة، والسيد اردوغان يعلم جيدا ان هناك مخططا لإحداث مواجهة بين تركيا وايران، تؤدي الى تدمير البلدين وامكانياتهما الاقتصادية والعسكرية، بحيث تخرج اسرائيل، الاكثر قوة واستقرارا.
‘ ‘ ‘
كان لافتا ان عمليات الحشد والتجييش الطائفية في المنطقة على ارضية المجازر في سورية، قد تصاعدت من خلال وسائل اعلامية جرى توظيفها بشكل ذكي ومكثف في هذا الصدد، ومن اجل التسريع باندلاع شرارة الحرب. ومن المؤسف ان النظام السوري، او بعض قيادات اجهزته الامنية المتعطشة للدماء، والتي ما زالت تعيش بعقلية الحرب الباردة، ساهمت بدور كبير في ايقاع سورية في هذه المصيدة، عندما تغولت في اطلاق العنان لآلتها القمعية للبطش بالمواطنين المطالبين بابسط حقوقهم في العدالة والحرية والكرامة والتغيير الديمقراطي.
السيد اردوغان اظهر وعيا لمثل هذا المخطط الجهنمي منذ اللحظة الاولى لاندلاع الانتفاضة السورية في مدينة درعا، قبل خمسة اشهر، حيث توسل الى اصدقائه في القيادة السورية بالاحتكام الى العقل، والبعد عن التهور، وادخال اصلاحات فورية لتطويق ‘المؤامرة’ التي يتحدثون عنها، وقتلها في مهدها، ولكنهم لم يستمعوا اليه، والى نصائح كل المخلصين الحريصين على سورية واستقرارها، وتغولت الاجهزة الامنية في سفك الدماء اعتقادا منها بقدرتها على ارهاب الشعب السوري وتركيعه واعادته الى مرحلة السكينة والتذلل التي استمرت لاكثر من اربعين عاما، وهو اعتقاد ثبت خطؤه بل كارثيته، مثلما نرى على الارض.
القيادة السورية كانت امام خيارين لا ثالث لهما، الاول الاستمرار في القتل والزج بالجيش لتطويق المدن واقتحامها، واطلاق العنان للميليشيات (الشبيحة) لممارسة ابشع انواع القتل والترويع، وهذا سيؤدي حتما الى جر البلاد الى حرب اقليمية وتدخل خارجي. والثاني هو البحث عن طوق نجاة من خلال وساطة اقليمية لايجاد مخرج يؤدي الى هدنة تسمح بالتقاط الأنفاس، والبدء في الحوار الوطني الحقيقي، وبما يؤدي الى تحقيق الاصلاحات الفعلية، وليست الشكلية الكاريكاتورية المطروحة حاليا.
ندرك جيدا ان سورية ليست ليبيا، وان الاولى تملك قوة عسكرية جبارة، وتحالفات اقليمية راسخة (ايران وحزب الله)، مثلما ندرك ايضا ان دول حلف الناتو، وخاصة الولايات المتحدة، تواجه ازمة مالية طاحنة، وهزائم محققة في كل من العراق وافغانستان، وتدخلا مكلفا غير واضح النتائج في ليبيا، ولكننا ندرك ايضا ان هناك قوى في المنطقة، وخاصة اسرائيل، تريد تفجير المنطقة طائفيا، للخروج من عزلتها الدولية الحالية، واضعاف مصادر الخطر على وجودها.
‘ ‘ ‘
لا نريد الدخول في سيرك التكهنات حول مضمون رسالة السيد اردوغان للرئيس السوري، ولكن من المؤكد انه ابلغه بكل صراحة ووضوح بكل ما تقدم. ابلغه بالمؤامرة الحقيقية، ليس على بلاده، فقط وانما على المنطقة باسرها، وشرح تفاصيلها بدقة، وكيفية مواجهتها من خلال وقف فوري لشلالات الدماء، وتطبيق الاصلاحات الحقيقية، والا فإن عليه تحمل مسؤولية كل ما يمكن ان يترتب على ذلك من نتائج.
لا نستبعد ان تكون تركيا قد هددت بتسليح رجال الانتفاضة السورية للدفاع عن نفسها، في مواجهة آلة القتل الجهنمية التي تستخدمها الاجهزة الامنية في محاولاتها اليائسة للسيطرة على المدن والارياف المنتفضة، اذا لم تتم الاستجابة لوساطتها، او بالاحرى تحذيراتها، وهذا ما يفسر اتخاذ قرار سحب الدبابات من حماة، وربما من دير الزور لاحقا.
الرئيس الاسد ادرك خطورة الاختلاف مع الجار التركي، وعدم الاستماع الى تحذيراته، عندما لم يتوان لحظة في ابعاد، وبالتالي تسهيل تسليم الزعيم الكردي عبدالله اوجلان، وانهاء كل تعاون مع حزب العمال الكردستاني الذي يتزعمه، وتجنب بذلك مواجهة خطيرة مع الجار العنيد القوي، بل وتنازل عن جميع المطالبات السابقة بإقليم الاسكندرون.
لا نعرف ما اذا كان الرئيس بشار الاسد يملك حكمة والده ‘وبراغماتيته’، ويضع العناد جانبا، عندما يتعلق الامر بمصلحة سورية وشعبها، بل والامة العربية بأسرها، ويحدونا الامل بان يكون حاله كذلك. فالنزعة الانتقامية ليست من صفات السياسيين المحنكين، والمرونة من خصال ‘الدهاة’ عندما يتم استخدامها في الوقت المناسب.
الرئيس بشار الاسد بلع جزءا كبيرا من كبريائه عندما سحب قواته مكرها من لبنان، وتجنب كارثة محققة، في انحناء ذكي امام العاصفة الامريكية الغربية في حينها، واستطاع ان يحول نفوذ بلاده في لبنان الى ذروته دون ان يكون له جندي واحد على ارضه.
المطلوب الآن اتخاذ قرار مشابه، بل واكثر اهمية، اي الوقف الكامل لكل اعمال القتل وسفك الدماء، والسير بخطوات سريعة وجدية على طريق المصالحة الوطنية والاصلاحات الشاملة، ومحاكمة جميع الذين تورطوا في اعمال القتل في محاكمات عادلة، مهما علت قامتهم ورتبهم، وسيجد في الجار التركي كل مساعدة حتما اذا خلصت النوايا، لان البديل مرعب بالمقاييس كافة.

One negative consequence of the fall of the regime would be the good idea of the 2.3 km long flag coming to no avail.

From the NY times “Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday threatened sustained police measures including the possible use of water cannons to curb the looting and arson that have shaken many parts of Britain for four consecutive days.”

Britain’s PM threatens the possible use of water cannons while junior sends the tanks to crush demonstrations. This, my friends is the difference between civilized leadership and despots.

Cheaters, and The Honor of Theives

To Besho Fathad lovethtruck boyth and girlth. The shabbeeha are cheating you. Did you receive your fair share of the loot

This is what you are defending. These are the protectors of the regime you are defending. Are these the some mithtakes your beloved Junior was talking about.

Now some sycophant will tell us that the loads of these trucks are supplies.

Less than an hour ago there were two very loud explosions in central Homs (Tripoli street) near the Baath HQ followed by intense gunfire. It was really close to where I was so it’s really quite the feeling. I never heard such loud explosions or gunfire before.. I really feel for those who live in the troubled neighborhoods and who have to live with these noises on a daily basis sometimes for the whole night. Anyone knows what happened? It could be that the Baath building was attacked or Shalish’s house nearby.

Memo To: FRIEND IN AMERICA

RE: “…the possibility of successful negotiations appear dim at present. It is in these situations that skilled international diplomats are most successful…”

A skilled international diplomat. Hmmmm. I think Henry Kissinger is available. Oh wait, he’s a Jew. Never mind….

Since I decided not to put makeup on the ugly face of the Arab and Muslim world reality I feel obligated to share this recent story with you. I invite all to take a deep breath and try to make sense of this unfortunate situation I am describing here.
As many of you know,Syrian doctors in the US have started a campaign to raise funds and rally support for a number of planned humanitarian missions to Syria. In one of the Arab-Muslim communities,the head of our planning groups happen to be an Alawi,he was chosen because of his reputation,experience and good track record. This guy sent requests to all interested organizations and community leaders asking for help. Guess how much money,or even letters of support,he received in the last 2 weeks: zero,not even a penny or a single letter. The same guy,and I was a witness,was one of the largest donors in a fund raising for an Islamic school,mostly used by Sunni Muslims .
Reform and change start with people who are most likely to benefit from that reform. Changing regimes without changing attitude will lead to failure not positive change. I am really worried that what we are seeing is more of a game of musical chairs than actual reform.the coming months or weeks will tell if i wasvwrong.
Some of you will be quick to interpret this post as an indirect support for the Syrian regime,it is not. This regime is living its final days or months,but I am not sure if what is coming is much better. This is uprising is at best an attempt to put Syria on the right track,it may or may not work. Please keep your eye on the ball and stay away from destructive politics and stand up to those who want you to think that your neighbor or your friend is suddenly becoming an enemy because he was born a Sunni,alawi or Christian.changing this regime is a difficult task,changing ourselves is a even more difficult.

“In Syria we need a revolution in our heads,,heeha!?
actualy,the entire islamic world&the middle”beast”east needs it since islam conqured…they,ve been in coma since…israel been there for 68 years and became a regional power..islam been there for 1435 years and the bedouins made them into retard power… That is redundant….in islam: MN TAMANTAQA TAZANDAQA…we all recall the misery of IBN RUSHID they muslims burned his books,coz islam is a complete one stop-shop ….revolution in their heads,ha!!you all can eat my hat while you waiting waiting for Godot.

Thanks for linking that Syrian Hamster. I guess service to Besho doesn’t pay too well.

Videos of demonstrations in Homs on August 10th

(and that’s just one city..wow)

مظاهرة بستان الديوان ورسالة هامة لأردوغان – 10 رمضان
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=Brt7gvCx95M&feature=uploadema​il
حمص حي القصور 10-8 مظاهرة بعد صلاة التراويح
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=sxS4yVHbcpw&feature=uploadema​il
القصور 10-8-2011 بعد صلاة التروايح
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=x6q0F0leClY&feature=uploadema​il
ابطال الانشاءات تحت الرصاص يخرجون في مظاهرة 10-8-2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=sVg8FBf0Ed0&feature=uploadema​il
ابطال الانشاءات تحت الرصاص يخرجون في مظاهرة 10-8-2011 ج2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=8ragGtUahhk&feature=uploadema​il
حمص الخالدية مظاهرة مسائية 10-8-2011 حمص العدية
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=bKOhv3zBupw&feature=uploadema​il
مصاب بطلقة بردي ام في الانشاءات 10 رمضان
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=XK2hFtvwzzc
إطلاق نار كثيف في حمص يسمع من الدبلان 9 8
2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=fmbnXuZqtj4
حمص باب هود 10 رمضان – مسلسل الثورة ضد الأسرة البعثية…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=g9fay7OG9L4&feature=uploadema​il
مظاهرة كبيرة في حمص شارع الملعب بعد التراويح 10 8 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=jJjR9xuErYE&feature=uploadema​il
حمص القصور 10-8-2011 مظاهرة بعد التراويح
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=YwwIxK7Ohwg&feature=uploadema​il
حمص القصور 10-8-2011 مظاهرة بعد التراويح ج
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=BAY8Wunb1dM&feature=uploadema​il
حمص القصور 10-8-2011 مظاهرة من اجل الشهيد مرهف السيد
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=dpe6tQrEJ-o&feature=uploadema​il
تلبيسة – 10رمضان- مسائية نصرة لحمص و المدن المحاصرة10-8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=xEfLFULFY9c&feature=uploadema​il
حمص – الخالدية – مسائية 10 رمضان يرحل هوي وكلابا http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=8U-SHE4e8Us
حمص دير بعلبة مظاهرة ليلية بعد صلاة التراويح 10-8-2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=ibLbgF4fb4s&feature=uploadema​il
حمص الملعب البلدي مظاهرة نصرة لبابا عمرو والانشاءات 10-8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=6yDZPcH3wUQ&feature=uploadema​il
حمص: الخالدية: حبل المشنقة بانتظارك زي حبيبك حسني مبارك 10-08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=W4vtrH0Sdc0&feature=uploadema​il
مظاهرة باب السباع بعد صلاة التراويح نصرة لبابا عمرو والانشاءات 10 8 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=-bt3kijHDfk&feature=uploadema​il
شام – حمص – كرم الشامي – مسائية 10-8 ج1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=W3TrVykYxXU
مظاهرات مدينة تدمر اليوم 10 رمضان
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=LJNadFCP-4s
حمص الخالديّة 10-08-2011- قولوا الله وعلو الصوت .. حمصية وما نهاب الموت
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=Yc4DqlLBayg
تشييع الشهيد خالد مراد باب السباع 10 رمضان
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=3WQ1vrpdbHI
شهدين حي باباعمرو 10 8 2011 خالد السوساي وخالد السعود
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=bMXV3nelJqY
صور من مظاهرات بعد الراويح 9-8-2011 – باب السباع
https://www.facebook.com/
/media/set/?set=a.240406912666​144.66335.211578702215632
حمص – الخالدية 10رمضان- يلعن بشار و حافظ 10-8 ج3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=cK4DPjrAEGI
حمص القصور 10 8 2011 رمضان 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=CMSzfFHNWkM
حمص العدية – شارع الملعب 10 -8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=FObNbpkI6TY
رمضان الحرية:10:حمص:الشهيد البطل خالد مراد
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=RpkpagO27VQ
الشهيد مرهف جودت السيد حمص القصور
10/8/2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?​v=2QbBstJsjQo&feature=player_e​mbedded
جثمان الشهيد خالد قتل على أيدي فرع أمن الدولة حمص 10-
8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?​v=5cqNDWoqLMU&feature=player_e​mbedded
حمص باب السباع تشييع الشهيد جهاد عبارة 10/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=XyKdGto7zEo
حمص القصور 10-8-2011 مظاهرة بعد الفجر
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=k1EplWWSoA8
حمص القصور 10-8-2011 مظاهرة بعد الفجر ج
2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=t2Q3bkviAns
الشهيد مرهف جودت السيد حمص القصور
10/8/2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=2QbBstJsjQo
الشهيد مرهف جودت السيد حمص القصور 10/8/2011 ج2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=UEkWvUNgkwM
حمص القصور 10-8-2011 مظاهرة من اجل الشهيد مرهف السيد

انطون سعادة في شرح المبدأ الثامن

مصلحة سورية فوق كل مصلحة.

ليس هنالك أثمن من هذا المبدأ في العمل القومي. فهو أولاً، دليل النزاهة للعاملين. ومن جهة أخرى يوجه العناية إلى الغاية الحقيقية من العمل القومي، التي هي مصلحة الأمة السورية وخيرها. إنه مقياس الحركات والأعمال القومية كلها. وبهذا المبدأ الواقعي يمتاز الحزب السوري القومي الاجتماعي على كل الفئات السياسية في سورية، فوق ما يمتاز بمبادئه الأخرى، في أنه يقصد المصلحة المحسوسة المعينة التي تتشارك فيها حاجات ملايين السوريين وحالات حياتهم. إنه ينقذنا من الحوم حول معان للجهاد القومي هي من باب اللامحسوس أو غير المفيد.

إن هذا المبدأ يقيد جميع المبادئ بمصلحة الشعب فلا يعود الشعب يقاد بالدعوات لمبادئ تخدم مصالح غير مصلحته هو.

إن حياة الأمم هي حياة حقيقية، لها مصالح حقيقية وإذا كان الحزب السوري القومي الاجتماعي قد تمكن من إحداث هذه النهضة القومية الباهرة في وطننا، فالفضل في ذلك يعود إلى أنه يمثل مصلحة الأمة السورية الحقيقية وإرادتها في الحياة.

وإن سورية تمثل لنا شخصيتنا الاجتماعية ومواهبنا وحياتنا المثلى ونظرتنا إلى الحياة والكون والفن، وشرفنا وعزنا ومصيرنا، لذلك هي لنا فوق كل اعتبار فردي وكل مصلحة جزئية.

The Eighth Basic Principle

Syria’s interest supersedes every other interest. / Anton Saadeh

This is the most important principle in national activity for, in the first place, it provides the clue to the sincerity and integrity of national militants, and in the second place it directs their energies towards the interest of the Syrian nation and its welfare. It is the criterion by which all national movements and actions are judged. Through this criterion, the SSNP excels all other political factions in Syria, to say nothing of its obvious excellence in other respects. The SSNP aims at serving the concrete interests of the Syrians and at meeting their common needs and aims. There is no longer a need to seek in vain the definition of national endeavor in the domain of the abstract and the impracticable. This principle centers all other principles round the interest of the nation so that Syrians are no longer misled by the teachings of those who would serve contrary interests.

The life of the nation is a concrete reality and so are its interests. The success of the SSNP in bringing about this amazing national revival in our country is due, in great measure, to the fact that the Party seeks to serve the genuine interests of the Syrian nation and assert its will to life.

Syria embodies our social character, faculties, ideals, our outlook on life, art and the universe. It is the symbol of our honor, dignity and destiny. That is why our loyalty to Syria must transcend all personal interests and considerations.

Regarding that the regime is fighting “terrorists”, Are’nt terrorists ppl who kill and torture civilians, even children and women, if we are hinest here is’nt the Regime and their criminl thughs the real terrorists then? That kind of violence is what endangers the stability and saftey of Syria and might produce counter terrorism in the worst case. Also, if they are fighting terrorism and sectarian extremism, can someone tell me why all this silence all these years over the sectarian tv chanels and only mentionning them now, not because of sectarianism but because they sided against the regime? Details here : http://bit.ly/r4z2hJ

http://www.arabtimes.com/portal/article_display.cfm?ArticleID=23138

I like this analysis

The Turks are playing dirty, their agenda contains two bullet points
#1 Maintaining the junior’s illegitimate presidency
#2 Sharing a piece with MB

The two worst ingredients for Syria

@ ABOUD, ta for the live-feed link (lo lo lo lo la li yl3an ro7ak ya hafez) 🙂

Najwa,
The regime and its thugs is the main reason we have a crisis in Syria today,but in an environment of violence and counter violence ,cool minds cease to function or at best are sidelined. It is clear that dark forces inside and outside Syria are taking advantage of this situation at the expense of ordinary Syrians. I support any effort to remove Bashar as long as it is one part of a larger plan for a peaceful transition of power.

IBSA calls for “immediate end to all violence” in Syria
2011-08-11 05:48:07
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-08/11/c_131041648.htm

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) — The IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) Dialogue Forum on Wednesday called for an “immediate end to all violence” in Syria, urging “all sides to act with utmost restraint.”

In a press statement released by the Indian Mission to the UN, which holds the current rotating presidency for the Security Council in the month of August, IBSA voiced “grave concern” as the delegation visited Syrian capital Damascus on Wednesday.

During their visit, the IBSA delegation met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who voiced “commitment to the reform process, aimed at ushering in multi-party democracy,” said the statement.

The statement said that al-Assad told the delegation that political reforms were being finalized in consultation with the Syrian people and that the national dialogue would continue to give shape to new laws and arrive at a suitable model for the economy.

The process of revision of the constitution would be completed by February/March 2012, al-Assad told the delegation.

“He acknowledged that some mistakes had been made by the security forces in the initial stages of the unrest and that efforts were underway to prevent their recurrence,” said the IBSA press statement.

In the press statement, the IBSA delegation expressed “grave concern at the current situation in Syria and condemned violence from all sides.”

“They regretted all loss of life and were concerned over the humanitarian impact of the violence,” said the IBSA press statement.

IBSA “called for an immediate end to all violence and urged all sides to act with utmost restraint and respect for human rights and international human rights law.”

Last Wednesday,the UN Security Council adopted a presidential statement on Syria, condemning Syrian authorities’ use of force against civilians and called on all parties to the conflict to stop the violence.

The Council condemned “widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities.”

It called for “an immediate end to all violence and urge all sides to act with utmost restraint, and to refrain from reprisals, including attacks against state institutions.”

The Council additionally called for full coordination between Syrian authorities and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and requested the secretary-general to update the Council on the situation in Syria within seven days.

The 15-member Council is meeting behind closed doors Wednesday afternoon on the situation in Syria.

Syria has been in unrest since mid March when anti-government protests broke out in the southern province of Daraa and spread to other cities.

The Syrian authorities blamed the unrest on “armed groups and foreign conspiracy” and stressed that it would track down gunmen who have intimidated people and damaged public and private properties.

Turkey won’t let Syria become another Iraq
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/10/turkey-syria-complex-relationship
Arab kingdoms and the US have good reasons for wanting Turkey to lead the campaign against Assad’s regime

The beginning of the end for the first world war came not on the killing fields of Europe but with the conquest of Damascus. TE Lawrence, the young British officer who was a pivotal figure in the first Arab revolt, recognised the importance of Damascus to the Turks. He believed that capturing this historic city would lead to the collapse of the Ottoman empire, and eventually the defeat of the Central Powers.

Today, Damascus is no less important to her neighbour in the north. That is why Turkey is heading the latest efforts to pressurise the Assad regime against killing Syrian civilians.

On Tuesday Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, the architect of its “zero-problems” foreign policy, visited Damascus to tell President Assad that Turkey’s patience had run out and (unofficially of course) to deliver a message from the US that Assad must send his soldiers back to their barracks immediately.

Davutoglu has been extremely sketchy with the details of the six-hour series of meetings with Assad and his team, but it is clear that the Syrian regime has rebuffed him. Almost immediately after the meeting, and while Davutoglu was still flying back to Ankara, the Syrian regime announced that it rejected any foreign interference and would continue its campaign against what it calls “armed terrorist groups”.

But this is not going to be the last we see from Turkey regarding Syria; far from it.

It is no coincidence that only a day or so after the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced his patience with Assad was “running thin”, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah delivered his astonishingly scathing criticism of the Syrian regime.

It is also no coincidence that, shortly afterwards, we saw the Saudi, Kuwaiti, and Bahraini ambassadors recalled home from Damascus “for consultations”.

What this shows is that the Arab kingdoms (and the US) have unofficially nominated Turkey to lead the campaign against Assad’s regime. But while the motivations of the Arab states – cutting off Iran’s hand in the Arab world – are clear, those driving Turkey’s interests are much more complex and interesting.

Although Turkey annexed the Hatay (Alexandretta) province from Syria in 1938, and Assad’s father almost went to war with Turkey in 1998, relations in recent years have warmed considerably. And even though Assad’s Alawite-dominated regime might be expected to detest Sunnis, a confluence of interests has led to the strengthening of economic, political and cultural ties with the (Sunni Islamist) Turkish AKP.

Trade has boosted the fortunes of communities on both sides of the border while Turkish dramas (dubbed into Syrian Arabic) have, in recent years, taken the Arab world by storm.

The relationship goes both ways, however, and while Syria can and does act as Turkey’s gateway to the Arab world, Turkey is also Syria’s door to Europe and the west.

Geographically, the two countries share Turkey’s longest border (approximately 800km) and the support of Kurdish guerrilla groups by Syria was originally one of the biggest points of tension between the two countries.

It is no fluke that Damascus was historically so important to the Ottomans, and it is clear today that Turkey is not going to sit back and watch Assad turn Syria, such an important neighbour, into another Iraq.

What will happen next is anybody’s guess, but it is clear that the international support that Assad enjoyed from key allies such as Russia now appears uncertain as his power wanes. Having made few friends among his Arab neighbours, displeasing Turkey, a member of Nato and, more important, a country that is popular among ordinary Syrians, could be the straw that breaks the lion’s back.

Syria envoy draws parallel with Britain riots
ANITA SNOW The Associated Press
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation/20110810_ap_syriaenvoydrawsparallelwithbritainriots.html

UNITED NATIONS – The Syrian ambassador to the U.N. rejected European criticism of his government’s crackdown on Wednesday and compared the protests in his country to this week’s riots in Britain. The British envoy immediately branded the comparison as “absurd.”

“It’s very informative to hear the prime minister of England describing the riots and the rioters in England by using the term gangs,” Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari told reporters. “They don’t allow us to use the same term for the armed groups and the terrorist groups in my country. This is hypocrisy. This is arrogance.

“London, Birmingham, Bristol is only 1 percent of what happened in some restive areas of my country,” Ja’afari said.

British Ambassador Philip Parham, who addressed reporters alongside other European envoys earlier in the evening, returned to the microphone outside Security Council chambers to reject Ja’afari’s statements as an “absurd comparison.”

Parham said the British government is handling the riots with “measured, proportionate, legal, transparent steps to restore the rule of law.” In Syria, “you have a situation where thousands of unarmed civilians are being attacked and killed,” said Parham, Britain’s deputy permanent representative to the U.N.

Syria’s envoy testily addressed reporters after Parham and representatives of the other three European nations on the 15-member Security Council , France, Portugal and Germany , first addressed journalists, telling them that Syria’s continued use of force against protesters must stop. “Some 2,000 civilians have now been killed, the vast majority of them unarmed,” Parham said.

Ja’afari said the European ambassadors “try to manipulate the truth” about Syria, and “avoided making reference to very important and positive progress that has been achieved in my country.”

The Europeans spoke after U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco briefed the entire council one week after the body overseeing international peace and security issued a largely toothless presidential statement condemning Syria’s use of violence against citizens.

The Europeans and the U.S. had been among council members pressing last week for a legally binding resolution against Syria. But Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa had argued that condemnation wouldn’t promote negotiations.

Fernandez-Taranco told council members in Wednesday’s closed session that Syrian authorities “have not changed course” in the past week, according to a text of his remarks obtained by The Associated Press. Rather, Syria’s political and human rights crisis has deepened, he said, “with increased violence and the same pattern of anti-government protests, military operations by security forces and supported militias, killings and mass arrests.”

U.S. Ambassador Susan E. Rice told the closed session that her country “would like to see the U.N. take further steps to help resolve this crisis, including perhaps sending a senior U.N. official to Damascus.”

She said the U.S. also supported a suggestion for a briefing on the rights situation inside Syria by U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay. The European envoys said such a briefing was being arranged for next week.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters that “we are urging restraint, reforms and dialogue.” He said he didn’t believe sanctions against Syria would be helpful, a position not shared by human rights advocates.

“As the Security Council heard today, Syria has rebuffed the council’s call for an end to its attacks on peaceful protesters continues,” said Peggy Hicks, global advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. “But what is the council going to do about it? It’s time to talk sanctions, arms embargo and a mission of inquiry.”

Hicks expressed disappointment in the statement issued by the delegation of government representatives from Brazil, India and South Africa who traveled to Syria on Wednesday. President Bashar Assad and other government officials assured the delegation that reforms were coming, according to a statement from the envoys.

Dear Hamster

What loot are you talking about, those were the 4 wheel-drive vehicles equipped with mounted antiair cannons “the top shabeeh” mentioned in his speech. The shabeeha merely confiscated them. What ? you want them to leave such advanced weaponry in the hand of the public or as menhebaks like to call them “armed gangs” ?

many thanks GUS for sharing this link , it contains a wealth of new of inormation.

-The Syrian army is cleaning trouble-spots faster than Municipal workers could clean garbage , few days for each area. and all those who were waiting to see massacres will be dispappointed.

-Syria has 250 000 missiles of all ranges (in addition to the 40’000 with hizballah) they could all be turned towards Turkey i need be.

-in the meantime, Hizballah is capable of handling Isreal alone.

etc etc ..

http://www.arabtimes.com/portal/article_display.cfm?ArticleID=23138

Numerous pics,videos and testimonies are coming from Hama after most of the army units left.conclusion: there is no shortage of thugs in Syria.we have to live with the brutality of security forces and tolerate thuggish behavior from our own citizens. Hama is now a victim of both and those of you who defend either side are in denial.watch and cry.

Memo To: SQI

RE: “…Syria has 250,000 missiles of all ranges…”

Most of which are rocks with a range of between 10 and 50 feet…

To all,
You have to read the article posted by Gus #30. It just shows you how delusional the Syrian regime is. The guy thinks that Syria is so strong that nobody can touch it. It is down right funny.
This macho mentality. It is telling a lie so often that you start believing it. What strength? Isreal bombed Syria and we were unable to do anything, because we know that Israel can wipe us off the map. Turkey can also wipe us off the map. Turkey’s army is even stronger than that of Israel. Erdogan is indeed a very strong leader, unlike Bashar. Please stop insulting people’s intelligence. Wake up and smell the roses.

I would be willing to negotiate a trade: Obama for Junior. I think the US could do more with Assad, as we need a leader who does nothing but talk. Obama at least could spend all the Syrian resources until there’s nothing left. I don’t know…just thinking out loud.

Assad’s overreach pushes former allies into a corner
Michael Young
Aug 11, 2011
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/assads-overreach-pushes-former-allies-into-a-corner?pageCount=0
Hama was one massacre too many for Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad. In recent days, Turkey, the GCC and the Arab League have condemned Damascus, with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain recalling their ambassadors. It didn’t need to be that way. Yet Syria’s regime, awash in brutality, has not lacked in hubris either.

For months Syrian security forces have been slaughtering protesters at will, with no response from the Arab world. So Mr Al Assad could be forgiven for imagining that he might get away with his assault on Hama, on the eve of Ramadan. But as the Syrian president has shown on several occasions, in Lebanon above all, he frequently sins by gambling a round too many.

GCC silence on Syria was a consequence mainly of Saudi reluctance to favour the Syrian revolt, because of concern that the shockwaves might destabilise the kingdom. With crises in Yemen and Bahrain as well as an uncertain transformation in Egypt, the Saudis had less time to focus on Syria. This attitude became untenable when the Syrian death toll rose and Mr Al Assad proved unable to crush his foes.

The Hama massacre put the Saudis on the spot. The kingdom could not continue to avert its eyes from what many in the region now view as the repression of a Sunni majority by Syria’s Alawite minority. For King Abdullah, such a perception threatened to undermine his unofficial role as paramount Sunni figurehead in the Arab world and champion of the faith.

more…..

To Abughassan,
I heard this first hand account of what happened when the Syrian army entered a town in muhafazet Idleb. The man, who lives outside the country, happened to be there visiting his family. First: water, electricity and phone services were cut off, then the tanks rolled into town. The twon’s narrow streets do not fit tanks, so the tanks rolled in over the sidewalks. If a street light was in the way, it went down, if a power line was in the way, it went down too. If you had your car parked in the tank’s way, you were out of luck. The tank rolled right over your car. Bottom line, by the time the army left the city, the city was in total and utter ruin.
Let’s put the blame where it needs to be, with the powerful.
Abughassan, I really appreciate the fact that you remain cool headed and composed. That you always try to be fair and impartial. These are great qualities to have during these difficult times.

Syrians must win the revolution on their own
Joshua Landis
Wed 10 Aug 2011
http://www.islamdaily.org/en/world-issues/middle-east/10010.article.htm

To #41 AP,
Even though I did not vote for Obama, I like him very much. Next elections, i will vote for him. He is smart, decent and trying very hard to do the best he can for the country. To take a page out of Aboud’s book, I wish we had Obama’s toe ruling Syria instead of what we now have.
I do not know where to begin to compare the two countris. I think one can describe Syria as the cemetery of ambition and talent and the USA as the accelerator and incubator of ambition and talent. Enough said.

Syrian Hamster comment #16

You said:

“SyAU, ss, SNK, Mjabali, 5 strippers, and other besho lovestruck boys and girls. The shabbeeha are cheating you. Did you receive your fair share of the loot

This is what you are defending. These are the protectors of the regime you are defending. Are these the some mistakes your beloved Junior. was talking about.

Now some sycophant will tell us that the loads of these trucks are supplies.”

Although the last animal I spoke with was my dog but I will gladly send some pointers to another animal:

The animal is the one who sees his country getting destroyed and still see something funny to joke about.

The animal is the one who does know the friend from foe, and lump sum all who did not throw him a bone in one bundle.

The animal is the one who sees all of this blood of his countrymen and do not call for cool heads to prevail.

The animal is that who does not see the problems of the government and those of the “opposition.”

The animal is that whose hatred does bind him from seeing that sending one snide comment may not appear right away so he changed and send it again.

You are “pathetic” the least, to borrow one of the favorite adjective of your fan “video game Aboud, who keeps writing references to video games, You two jokers do not know that the fate of a nation is discussed here.

Sheila,I will be the last person on this blog to defend the regime. I made it public to my family and friends,to the dismay of many,that I do not trust Bashar and I want him out.
My problem with some is their tendency to ignore the grievances of the other side even if the regime,and rightfully so,deserves most of the blame.
On a positive note,the head of one of our teams,an alawi,just informed me that he is starting to receive positive feedback from the Arab-Muslim community. I have the feeling that Syrians will be the last to join,I hope i am wrong again and that we did not become a nation of talkers.
A number of people are saying that Ramadan is the month when this mess will start to end. For the sake of Syria,I will continue to pray that they are right.

Why are India, Brazil and South Africa so reluctant to sanction Syria?
New U.N. bloc finds constraining the West preferable to restraining Syria
Posted By Colum Lynch Wednesday, August 10, 2011 – 6:10 PM
http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/08/10/new_un_bloc_finds_constraining_the_west_preferable_to_restraining_syria

As the U.N. Security Council huddled behind closed doors last week to consider a statement condemning Syria for the violent repression of protesters, India’s U.N. ambassador, Hardeep Singh Puri, offered up an unexpected argument: The Syrian government had also been a victim, he said, citing the deaths of Syrian security forces.

For months, India, Brazil and South Africa — collectively known as IBSA — had helped stall a push by the council’s European governments to use the full force of the Security Council to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end the crackdown that has led to more than 2,000 deaths. They have joined China and Russia in making the case that a sharp increase in international pressure on Syria will only exacerbate the violence.

Brazil’s U.N. envoy, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, has led the group’s diplomatic efforts on the council, putting forward a series of amendments aimed at softening a tougher European-backed resolution censoring Syria. At one stage, she pressed her British negotiating partner to drop a provision calling on Syria to permit press freedom. South Africa’s U.N. ambassador, Baso Sanqu, joined ranks with Brazil and India to argue that the West had squandered the council’s trust by overreaching in Libya.

The reluctance of IBSA’s members to confront Syria’s comes as other key players in the region, including Turkey, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, have begun to take a harder line on Damascus. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu traveled to Damascus on Tuesday to deliver a tough message to the Syrian leader to stop the killing immediately. Turkey is at “the end of its patience,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

In the end, Brazil, India, and South Africa agreed on August 3 to support a substantially weaker council statement condemning Syria’s conduct, but only after Damascus ordered tanks into the town of Hama, killing more than 100 civilians. The IBSA governments sent three top level envoys on a joint mission to Damascus, where they held meetings today with President Assad. They issued a statement noting Syria’s pledge to implement political reforms, called on government forces and protesters to show restraint, and urged the Syrian leadership to comply with last week’s Security Council statement.

But in New York, IBSA’s diplomatic strategy has been marked by efforts to shield Syria and restrain the United States and its European partners. They argue that the council’s Western powers have been too ready to impose sanctions or use force to resolve crises, and have devoted too little to diplomacy. One frustrated Western diplomat quipped that the group’s acronym, scrambled, spells BIAS, a reflection of the group’s pro-Syrian slant during talks.

The bloc’s defenders say that their caution over Syria reflects deep and justifiable ambivalence over the West’s leadership on the world stage, particularly what they view as its reflexive use of economic sanctions and military force to solve political crises. That concern, they say, was reinforced earlier this year after U.S. and European diplomats parlayed a Security Council resolution — portrayed narrowly as a measure aimed at protecting civilians — into a much broader mandate for regime change, targeting members of Col. Moammar al-Qaddafi’s family and key installations, including a government controlled television station.

The South African government, the only member of the group to have voted in favor of the resolution authorizing the use of force against Libya, has been on the defensive back home, facing criticism from within the ranks of the ruling ANC, according to diplomatic sources. It has hardened its opposition to tough action on Syria. On Tuesday, Sanqu told the council that invoking the protection of civilians as a pretext for military action in Libya would havea detrimental impact on the council’s ability to take similar action elsewhere.

Throughout the several days of negotiations, the IBSA countries portrayed the conflict in Syria as one between opposing armed camps. Brazil introduced a set of elements that included no condemnation of Syria and would have placed the violence against civilians on the same levels as attacks against security forces. It called for the council to “condemn all forms of violence including the use of force against unarmed civilians, sectarian violence as well as hostility against security forces.”

India reinforced that position in public. “Let’s look at the facts,” Puri told reporters during a break in the talks. “This is no longer an issue, and has not been for a while, of only a state against innocent, helpless civilians. There has been violence perpetrated against the security forces and against public infrastructure … 350 security forces personnel have died, buildings have been burnt.”

It is true that the Syrian forces have faced pockets of armed resistance. But the circumstances surrounding their deaths remains uncertain, according to U.N. officials. While some may have died in clashes with armed opposition elements, many have been executed by their own when they tried to defect. The vast majority of the killings, the U.N. contends, have been carried out by government forces against unarmed civilians.

Human rights groups say that they are deeply disappointed that the three countries have not been more assertive in their defense of human rights in the Security Council. They say Brazil, under President Dilma Rousseff, a former political prisoner who fought against Brazil’s military dictatorship, has become much more supportive of human rights issues at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, supporting critical statements about human rights abuses in Syria, North Korea, Iran, and Sudan. On Monday, a top South African official, Ebrahim Ebrahim, urged Damascus in a meeting to extend freedom to the press and even suggested that the U.N. Human Rights Council take up the matter of Syria. But they have opposed it in New York.

“Given their credentials as leaders in the global South, the IBSA countries could change the dynamics of response to human rights crises like Syria” said Peggy Hicks, the director of Global Advocacy at Human Rights Watch. “Their engagement on Syria though has fallen well short of the mark. The IBSA states seem willing to look for a lowest common denominator, rather than use their credibility and own experiences to push for an effective, non-politicized response to the crisis.”

Hicks and other critics of Syria say the group will be put to the test again on Wednesday, when the U.N. delivers a report that is expected to conclude that Syria has ignored the council’s demand to halt its repression of protesters, permit access to humanitarian aid workers, and cooperate with a U.N. investigation into alleged crimes committed during the crackdown. Britain and France are expected to follow up the meeting by introducing a more forceful resolution demanding Syria comply with the council’s demands.

In many ways, the three countries still identify with the broader bloc of developing countries at the U.N. that feel “they don’t get no respect” and “suspect the big powers of trying to pool the wool over their eyes and claim their dominance,” Jeffrey Laurenti, an expert at the Century Foundation. Laurenti said that they have performed less as “naysayers” than “footdraggers,” slowing a diplomatic process that has moved well beyond their own comfort level. “They are prickly about anything that suggests the West is trying to override the sovereignty of another developing country,” he said.

Bruce Jones, director of New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, said the Syria debate highlights the struggle of newly emerging powers as they make the transition from outsiders to insiders, with new responsibilities to confront threats to international peace and security. That transition, he said, has landed them in the awkward position of defending an unsavory Syrian government. “I think these are very responsible governments, but they are new to the big leagues in foreign policy and they are grappling with the inconsistencies in their policies,” Jones said.

Jones said that the expectation that these newly emerging powers support democracy, human rights, press freedom are unfair, noting that the United States and other Western democracies have often placed their own national security interests above human rights. He cited the case of Bahrain, where the United States has done little to rein in a powerful government.

“There is no reason why they should be taking on the cause of democratic promotion as a core element of their foreign policy. We don’t do it,” Jones said. “I’m happy to be critical of their policy in Syria, but we should cautious to cast large scale disdain on their foreign policy as if we were pure as the driven snow.”

Sheila,

Not so fast! The “…USA as the accelerator and incubator of ambition…”? Maybe 20 years ago, but when only half the country is paying taxes, there is no manufacturing, and government spending and unemployment spirals out of control, you get a “deceleration”. That is why our credit has been lowered.

HSYRIAN,

Can you have mercy on me and tell me how many Syrians died in Syria between 1976 and 1982 .

Can someone explain why the media has refused to focus on extraordinary reforms made in Syria?

Why aren’t the protestors focusing on the upcomming free elections (New parties, leaders, etc) to beat the Baath party?

احتجاجات سوريا و احتجاجات بريطانيا….. الى كل حربوق عم يربط بيناتون؟؟؟

اخي المواطن يلي ما صدّقت على حالك انو صار احتجاجات ببريطانيا وتكسير وتخريبو الذي منّو لحتّى تقفز وتقول (بصوتك العريض متل يلي علقان بحلقو كوساية) شفتوووووووووو كيف متلنا متل غيرنا نفس التصرّف الأمني

رح اختصرلك واخدمك عالسّريع بكم معلومة

اي نعم صار مظاهرات واجتجاجات وتخريب بلندن وطول عمرو في عندون مظاهرات كل كم سنة بتولّع يعني لا تفكّر انو هي العقاب الالهي و الكارما ودعوات البوطي وحسّون والعدالة الكونيّة هي يلي سبّبت هالمظاهرات هي لأنه مافي بلد طبيعي بالعالم مافيها مظاهرات ومعارضين وصحافة وحركات معارضة

تاني شي من الواضح أنو حرارة الجوّ عاملة تأثير كبير عليك لانّه هيك تفكير وربط صعب يطلع من حدا بحالة طبيعيّة فرح أعطيك عالسّريع فوارق بسيطة بين بريطانيا وبين يلي عم يصير عنّا (لسّاتني ما عم صدّق انّي عم اضطر اكتبلك عن هالقصّة يلي انت مصدّقها عنجد) وما رح أحكي عن فوارق الحريّات رح اكتفي بموضوع التظاهر

1-ببريطانيا كلّ التحوّل بالاحتجاجات لحتّى صارت عنيفة كان بسبب موت شخص واحد بس……..ومع ذلك ما قالت بريطانيا انو هدول متآمرين من المؤامرة الكونيّة نزلو يخربو اقتصاد بريطانيا وينشّفو مياه نهر التايمز وانون عملاء للقاعدة لأنو منطقيّاً من المعروف انو اي حراك شعبي لما يتعامل بقمع بيتحوّل لحراك عنيف غير سلمي (فتخيّل 5 أشهر من القمع شو بتكون النتيجة؟؟)ا

2- ببريطانيا كانت كلّ القنوات البريطانيّة والعالميّة عم تصوّر يلي صار وكلّ الجرايد رح تكتب بالتفصيل عن شو شافو وشو أخطاء الحكومة والأمن والمتظاهرين بدون ما جريدة تتسكّر وعالأقل بتلاقي محطات بريطانيّة تحكي باسم المحتجّين وتستضيف ناس منون عالهواء يحكو بدون خطوط حمر……. مو سياسة الرّأي الواحد الأحد وغيرو لا لا.

3- ببريطانيا خلال 3 أيام احتجاجات عنيفة جوا العاصمة لندن مع حرق وتخريب وسرقة مات شخص واحد وفي 500 محطّة وجريدة عندها صلاحية تحقّق بوفاة هاد الواحد ويشوفو المسؤولين واذا في أخطاء يكسرو راس الحكومة لتعاقب المسؤولين عن تفاقم الأحداث……مو 1970 شهيد ولحدّ هذه اللحظة ممنوع اي حدا يحكي باسمون وما صار ولا محاكمة لك ومافي ولا حدا بيسترجي يكتب على راحتو عنّون

4- ببريطانيا اذا الشرطة اعتقلو واحد فبيروح على سجن الشّرطة وبياخد حقوقه وبيتصل بأهلو وبيتحاكم باقرب فرصة وبيدفع الكفالة وبيطلع عالبيت واذا عليه شي بيرجع عالمحاكمة…….عندك هون يا تقبرني اذا اعتقلو متظاهر بيروح على شي فرع مخابرات بيقعد مع 50 واحد بنفس الغرفة وما مسموح أساساً يحكي مع اهلو وما حدا بيكلّف خاطرو يقول لاهلو ابنكون عنّا أو يا مخلوقة جوزك ابو ولادك ما دعستو سيارة ولا خطفوه المريخيّين نحنا اعتقلناه…….وبياكل قتل ومسبّات من فوق وتحت الزنّار جوّا…..و بيطلع مورّم من كل انحاء جسمو

5- ما على علمي أنو اعتقلو ناس بالتظاهرات لانو كانو عم يصورو بالموبايل……لانه ببساطة ممنوع حدا يمنعك انك تنقل الحقيقة يلي عم تصير قدّامك

6- ببريطانيا يلي عم يقمعك هو شرطي خرّيج كليّة الشرطة……مو رجل أمن بعصاية ومسدّس او جماعة اللجان الشّعبيّة واتحاد الطلبة وكم واحد من يلي طلعو من الحبس بالعفو تبنّتون جمعية مكافحة البطالة ووظّفوهن بقمع التظاهرات الشّعبيّة

7- ببريطانيا قانون التّظاهر بيقول انو اذا بتنزل بتحتجّ بالشارع على اي شي بشكل سلمي فانت مو بحاجة لأي ترخيص الّا اذا عم تسكّر شي طريق او ساحة او مكان حكومي وتعتصم فيه مو تمشي منّو والشّرطة هي يلي مسؤولة عن حمايتك بس وقت بتخرب وقتا بيورجوك العين الحمرا……مو متل عنّا لسّا ما بتقول حريّة بيكونو شطحوك الكفّ على العصاية على بدّك حريّة يا أخو ال ***** اشحطو

8- طوني بلير ضل عم يدور من محكمة لمحكمة وأخبارو من محطّة لمحطّة بس لأنو اكتشفو انو احتفظ عندو ببعض الهدايا من الزيارات الدبلوماسيّة لمّا كان رئيس وزراء بريطانيا بينما هي ملك للشّعب

9- وقت بيكون في عندك إعلام حرّ خلّي الشرطة تعمل شو ما بدها ما مهمّ لانه وقتا الإعلام والقضاء المستقلّ هو يلي بيحمي المواطن وهو يلي بقيّم حدود العقالة بين الشرطة والشّعب……….مو متل عنّا المتظاهر هو حثالة اذا كان سلمي او مو سلمي

10- ببريطانيا ما بتلاقي الأمن ورفاقهن عم يفكو اعتصام لأطبّاء ومحامين أو طلّاب جامعيين بالقوّة والضرب المبرّح وإلّا تاني يوم بتلاقي وزير الدّاخلية بالبيت مستحي يردّ عالتلفون لانه بيكون الحزب المعارض ناطر الحزب الحاكم على غلطة متل هي ليلعن ابوه بعدها بالانتخابات ويستلم السّلطة منّو

11- ببريطانيا لما يجي المحشّش البريطاني الألكتروني يكتب متل هي المدوّنة ما بيكتب وصيته قبل ما يحط اسمو بالآخر (اذا حطو أساساً)

فلذلك يا عزيزي الفهمان يلي عم تحكيلي على بريطانيا انا اختصرت الحكي كلّو بكم شغلة امّا اذا بدك افردلك الموضوع فبياخد معي 30 صفحة

فمشان هيك بدي اطلب منّك انت والدّنيا انو حاج تطلّعو لبرّا…….يعني حاج نضحك على بعض ونقول انّو الجزيرة والعربيّة ورويترز وفرانس 24 هنن مشكلتنا وانو نحنا بدنا ننتقدون لانو انتقدونا….ولا تقعد تلهيني بسعوديّة ودرع الجزيرة وقطر وتركيّا واحتجاجات بريطانيا…..حبيبي مشكلتنا مو هدول الأشخاص والمحطات والدّول…..هدول الدول والمحطات هنن عم يستفادو من مشكلتنا لمصالحون وهاد اسمو حرب سياسة بتطبّق على كل الدّول مو بس نحنا….يعني لمّا صار زلزال اليابان صار تأثيرات اقتصاديّة وسياسية استفادت منها بعض الدّول على حساب غيرها بس ما حدا اشتكى وبكي انو الزلزال مؤامرة…….مشكلتنا هي مشكلة داخليّة وحاج نجدبها على بعض ونقنع حالنا انو الحلّ هو محاربة أشباح الخارج برّا ونخترع أعداء وهميّين نحملهون عواقب أخطائنا الدّاخليّة…….دود الخل منّو وفيه وخلّينا بحالنا ونركّز على مشاكلنا وحاج نضرب حجارة على بيوت الناس ونحنا بيتنا مو من قزاز……..من قشّ….وصيفي بلا سقف كمان

From Facebook

AJ

Probably because the media like the majority of Syrians are not delusional idiots, they know there are no reforms, and no I don’t mean the reforms were not enough, THERE ARE NO REFORMS, none. These new laws you are calling (extraordinary reforms) are carefully written to keep the Baath party in charge while tricking the Syrian people (and entire globe apparently) into believing otherwise, will guess what COMRADE, you guys are not that smart.

@NK

I’m just asking questions. Is that wrong?

And what about the “you guys” comment? Did you automatically assume I’m pro-assad because I dared ask about the proposed “reforms”.

So do you think that the peacefull protests are going to lead to the fall of Assad and that this will automatically result in a free democratic Syria? All I’m seeing is more killings, detentions and beatings of innocent people.

For the record, I’m not pro nor anti, I just want to debate with all of you and get the record straight.

There is no lack of laws but there is a lack of trust.the regime in its current shape is not trustworthy. The mentioned laws have flaws but they can also be seen as an improvement except that they mean nothing to the security apparatus.
Even with a new regime, moving Syria to the class of free and democratic nations will be a painful and lengthy process, thinking otherwise is “wishful thinking”…my immediate dream now is to stop the bloodshed.

@Joshua Landis

Josh, your analysts of events in Syria is spot on!

It is foolish to believe that international trade sanctions will force the regime in Damascus from power. Instead sanctions will just increase the hardships of the Syrian people and provide the regime with a new opportunities for illicit revenue.

For proof of this just look at what happened in Iraq during Saddam Hussein rule from the 1990’s onward. The country had every type of sanction placed on it! The Iraqi people suffered incredibly during this period. After a while Saddam Hussein actually adapted methods to profit from the smuggling opportunities created by international sanctions. The Assad regime will simply use these same methods as sanctions wear on.

Another mythical threat to the Assad regime I would like to debunk is the claim that Assad’s collapse will happen as soon as the Sunni merchant class turn against the regime. I have heard this repeatedly on this site and it is utter nonsense! So what if the Sunni merchant class revolt against Assad? They can ruin the economy as much as they want but it will not affect the ability of the Assad clan to stay in power. For proof of this just look at how the merchant classes in Iraq reacted to Saddams rule under international sanctions. The moment they complained they too were persecuted (and thus silenced).

As someone who believes that the rule of Bashar Assad is destined to eventually fall I feel that many commentators who share this same view are being a tad over enthusiastic of the regimes end. As long as he has the loyalty of the Republican / Presidential Guards, the regime will not collapse in quick order. This is a force estimated by Jane’s Defence to be between 60,000 to 80,000 fighting troops made up overwhelmingly of fellow Alawites.

Future of Syrian Conflict: Warm Civil War

The conflict that looks to be developing in Syria is a low intensity Civil War with the Assad regime on one side and the Sunni majority opposed to it. If history is any indication, this conflict will probably last for years. Judging by the actions of the Assad and his clan this is where they see the conflict going. They realize that they are outnumbered by their opponents who comprise a majority of the population who are widely spread throughout the country. So instead of trying to fight big battles like Hama in the 1980’s, the regime is fighting smaller battles. So far the use of heavy artillery, arial bombardment or mechanized assaults have not been used. Instead the military is using urban combat tactics such as snipers, mass arrests, restricting movements, collective punishment etc. The purpose of such tactics is to wear down your opponent over time. Think of it as a “warm civil war”. After a while the number of combatants

The closest conflict that the present Syrian situation compares to is the Algerian civil war of the 1990’s. During that time the Algerian military refrained from using the more destructive weapons in its arsenal and instead embarked on more clandestine operations – snipers, abductions, mass arrests, death squads etc. It did not matter that there opponents were the majority. Dictatorships don’t need popular support to survive… just a strong army.

But make no mistake the days of the Assad regime are numbered. It may take years but they will eventually fall. Yes, it will be bloody. Yes, there will be atrocities on all sides. But in the end the Syrian people will be free. Ishallah!

P.S. I am an atheist so don’t read too much into the “God Willing” bit : )

“Can someone explain why the media has refused to focus on extraordinary reforms made in Syria?”

Very simple. Because there are no “extraordinary” reforms. There are no reforms period. It’s only an illusion.

Let’s take the most important reform so far, the abolishment of the emergency law. On the face of it, this is an “extraordinary” reform. However, the reality is otherwise.

The security forces are still arresting people at will without warrant. As always, the vast majority of those arrested are brutalized and tortured. Thousands have been arrested and there is no word about their whereabouts or condition.

This is why the media doesn’t focus on this “extraordinary” reform. Because it’s a non-reform. Is that clear to you or do you need more explanation?

The same applies to the other “extraordinary” reforms. For example, after several decades of demonstration ban, people can now apply for a permit to demonstrate. The only problem is that the new law makes almost impossible for demonstrations to take place. Even if a permit is issued, very few people, if any, would accept the liability placed on the organizers of the demonstration.

This is why the media doesn’t talk about this other “extraordinary” reform.

The same applies to the new party law. The law is filled with mines meant to make it extremely hard to form a party that can challenge the Baath party. Also, how can anyone mount a challenge if people are still being imprisoned for their political views.

Now maybe you can explain to us why political prisoners are still behind bars or why people are still being tortured in the most horrible way by Syria’s security thugs.

How about you ask the government for an explanation given that you’re not against this tyrannical and murderous regime. I am sure they’ll be all ears. Just remember to let us know their answer is.

“P.S. I am an atheist so don’t read too much into the “God Willing” bit : )”

The slogan for last Friday was “God with Us.” It’s a declaration by the people that their reliance is on God.

Divine providence is what will get us out of this mess. With the help of God, this oppressive and murderous regime will go to its rightful place in the trash bin of history.

Dear ABUGHASSAN

Here’s the army (actually, a select unit of the army) destroying a minaret (can someone verify). This is the army that is supposed to protect the Syrian people and their property. This is why the people don’t trust the army.

To me, this is an act of clear sectarian provocation. The government has been trying for a long time to provoke an armed insurrection, but so far has failed. For the most part, the demonstrations have been peaceful.

In Dar’a and Hama (and in other places), the army and security thugs left provocative graffiti messages declaring Bashar as their God. Their goal was to provoke a sectarian conflict. Why else would they leave such messages over and over again? Why is the president not doing anything about it?

http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/16935262-76CF-4655-8504-8209F9CB58D2.htm?GoogleStatID=1

51. AJ

I wrote back a lengthy response, but it disappeared after I submitted the comment. I should have saved it in a text file before submitting.

Anyway, the jest of it is that the media does not see “extraordinary reforms made in Syria.” They see the illusion of reforms. Just look at the scrapping of the emergency law as an example. While on paper this law is no more, the reality is otherwise.

Assafir, a Syria-friendly news Lebanese news outlet, places the blame on the Syrian government.

الدور التركي من النصيحة إلى التهديد

فواز طرابلسي

مهما تكن النتائج التي سوف تتمخض عنها زيارة وزير الخارجية التركي داوود اوغلو لدمشق فإنها تشكل علامة فارقة في الأزمة السورية وفي العلاقات المعقدة بين البلدين الجارين.
لا يقتصر الامر على التمهيد للزيارة بواسطة لغة «نفاد الصبر» و«الفرصة الأخيرة» و«الحسم»، او لغة «الأشد حسماً» التي بها رد الطرف السوري، بل تعدّاها الى اشارات إلى ان المبعوث التركي جاء لتبليغ رسائل اطلسية -اميركية، بل انه لن يكتفي بالتهديد بمغادرة تركيا دور الوسيط في الازمة السورية، وانما يهدد بالتدخل العسكري اذا لزم الامر. اي اذا لم تلبّ مطالب وقف الاعمال العسكرية وسحب الجيش الى الثكنات ومباشرة الحوار مع المعارضة (تضيف اليها وزيرة الخارجية الاميركية اطلاق سراح المعتقلين السياسيين). يدعم ذلك حديث سياسيين ومحللين اتراك، لا يخلو من العنجهية، يقول إن دولتهم، حيث أنجزت حكومة «حزب العدالة والتنمية» سابقة تاريخية في إخضاع المؤسسة العسكرية لسلطتها، هي دولة الجوار الوحيدة القادرة على لعب «دور دبلوماسي وعسكري» مؤثر في سوريا.

يأتي «الإنذار» التركي تتويجاً لردود فعل اقليمية ودولية متكاثرة ومتصاعدة تحكم طوق العزلة على النظام السوري، حفزها انتقال تصدي النظام السوري لانتفاضات شعبه من المستوى الامني – العسكري الى المستوى الحربي الذي اعلنه اقتحام الجيش لمدينة حماه بعد قصفها وارتفاع منسوب الضحايا على نحو ملحوظ منذ مطلع هذا الشهر. من معالم الوضع الدولي المستجدّ التحول في الموقف الروسي، وصدور بيان مجلس الأمن بإدانة العنف، وتخلي مجموعة «ابيسا» (الهند، البرازيل، افريقيا الجنوبية) عن تحفظاتها على صدور قرار مباشر عن مجلس الأمن حول الوضع في سوريا، وصولاً الى تصعيد اللهجة المتزامن من قبل المجموعة الاوروبية، مع أن سائر الدول الاوروبية لم تجارِ ايطاليا بعد في اتخاذ قرار سحب السفراء.

ان جوقة البلاغات والمواقف الخليجية الرسمية التي آذن بها بيان مجلس التعاون وشكل واسطة العقد فيها البيان الذي سمّي «تاريخياً» للملك السعودي عبد الله، وما لحقه من استدعاء لسفراء السعودية والبحرين والكويت «للاستشارة»، تضافرت لتضع حدّاً للصمت العربي الرسمي المطبق والمتواطئ الذي أتاح للنظام السوري ان يجرّب محاولات متتالية من الإخماد الدموي للانتفاضات الشعبية على امتداد خمسة اشهر. وهو ما ردّ عليه ثوار سوريا الجمعة قبل الماضية بنداء «صمتكم يقتلنا».

اذا كان الصمت قاتلاً فليس المؤكد ابداً ان الإفصاح النفطي العربي يحيي او ينقذ. تبدو المواقف العربية اقرب الى لعب دور «الكومبارس» السياسي والدبلوماسي للدور التركي الرئيس وما يعبّر عنه من مواقف دولية. فاذا وضعنا جانباً صفاقة مطالبة الملك السعودي (وحكومة الكويت) بتفعيل «إصلاحات شاملة سريعة» في سورية، لا يمكن النظر الى مبادرة السعودية الا بما هي استكمال للعب دورها، بما هي زعيمة الردة على الانتفاضات الشعبية العربية ومحاولتها احتواء قواها ومطالبها، جرياً على أدوارها في مصر والبحرين واليمن وليبيا. اما البيان المتلعثم للأمين العام الجديد للجامعة العربية، نبيل العربي، فإنه لا يمتّ بصلة من قريب او بعيد إلى أي مسعى لوضع اليد على الأزمة السورية على اعتبارها ازمة عربية ينبغي ان تعالج عربياً.

في انتظار معرفة نتائج عملية العضّ على الاصابع السورية – التركية، لا بد من القول ان المسؤولية الاولى عن اتساع هذه التدخلات الخارجية، تقع على عاتق القيادة السورية التي تتعاطى منذ اللحظة الاولى للانتفاضات بـ«تغريب» مصادرها ورفض الاعتراف بالعوامل الداخلية لانطلاقتها وبالمطالب المشروعة للشعب السوري في العمل والحرية والخبز والكرامة. فقد جرى طمس كل هذه تحت ركام القصف السياسي والإعلامي عن «مؤامرة خارجية» واختزال حركة الملايين من السوريين في طول البلاد وعرضها على انها حركة «الخارجين عن القانون» او «المجموعات الارهابية المسلحة». وحتى لو افترضنا – جدلاً – ان سوريا «عرضة دائماً للمؤامرات الخارجية»، حسب المصطلح بالغ الدبلوماسية لوزير الخارجية وليد المعلّم، نجد ان النظام ذاته هو الذي يستدرج الأدوار الخارجية استدراجاً في لعبته العبثية. يهوّل بالمؤامرة تهويلا على امل استنهاض تماسك داخلي – يحقق نقيضه – باسم تعرّض سوريا لـ«المؤامرة» و«التدخل الخارجي» في الوقت الذي يحاور فيه ويفاوض كل
الاطراف الخارجية المعنية وغير المعنية ويبيع ويشتري معها في أدق تفاصيل شؤونه الداخلية وادواره الاقليمية.

ولا يستغربن احدٌ عندما يظهر اي تنازل او اي تسوية بما هي حصيلة مكاراة وتفاوض مع هذا الطرف الخارجي او ذلك. يحاور النظام السوري كل الاطراف إلا شعبه. يتنازل لكل الاطراف الا لشعبه.

لقد فشل النظام في وقف التحركات الشعبية عن طريق الانتقال من عملياته الامنية – العسكرية الى إقحام الجيش السوري مباشرة في عمليات حربية صريحة. على أنه يجدر التنبه الى ان هذا التصعيد استدرج نمطاً من ردود الفعل الدولية والإقليمية باتت تحاسب، وتبني ردود افعالها، بناء على منسوب القتل اليومي الإجمالي في سوريا وعلى نوع السلاح المستخدم. اي ان التصعيد الحربي وضع التفاوض والتسويات والتنازلات، في الخانة العسكرية أكثر منها في ميدان السياسة والإصلاح والتغيير.

المهم في المقابل ان لا ينجح ارتفاع منسوب التدخل الخارجي، خصوصا التهديد بالتدخل العسكري، في دفع اطراف من المعارضة الى الخيار اليائس الذي خبرنا نتائجه الكارثية في غير حالة عربية، خيار تأييد التدخل العسكري على أمل الخلاص.

لن يأتي خلاص ولا إصلاح ولا تغيير من مثل هذا الخيار. لن يأتي منه ومعه الا المزيد من الدماء والخراب.

http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?EditionId=1918&ChannelId=45250&ArticleId=1153&Author=فواز+طرابلسي

reforms??
see this is why we need freedom of expression, without this right we cant highlight our problems, and since we can’t highlight our problems, those in charge will think everything is fine.
question: does any of you honestly think Bashar was going to implement these reforms before /15/3?
reforms needed?
economic reforms=spells the end for people like Rami, and alot of other cronies
social reforms= makes people like Rami and lot of other cronies have to live like the proletariat
judicial reforms= puts people like Rami in prison, and also bashar for profiteering and misuse of state funds
educational reforms= puts people like Rami and alot of other cronies in the bad light. everyone will know his true colors
the ultimate reforms we want are reforms besho can’t carry out, why? Because it will mean the end for him and the regime!!!
—————————————————————–
if you think about it, Besho has done some real reforms. by killing 2000+, imprisoning 10,000+ and forcing out 10,000+ he has opened up 22,000+ new jobs for the unemployed, they can take the jobs of the dead,imprisoned and kicked out. furthermore he has provided more employment by hiring all the shabeeha to attack the demonstrators. he works in strange ways but he achieves his goals!

Speaker to Animals @ 46

Thank you for talking to your dog. This is a good sign and it shows your humanitarian side. On behalf of all Animals, I thank you and hope that you continue to talk to your dog and to your neighbor’s cat as well. Be prepared for a visit by representatives of the humane society, I have already nominated you for their 2011 award.

Notwithstanding a few original comments written from both sides as well as from those who are being driven to borderline madness as they try to remain neutral, value added posts are rarity on this site, especially from the regime’s defenders side. Cuts and pastes from regime’s Syrian and Lebanese Propaganda outfit does not qualify as debate, nor is repeating lies of the regime and concocting amateurish badly written dreams of villains and angels. From the regime’s site, there is no one, really no one demonstrating or willing to demonstrate intellectual depth required for debate. Those few who tried have been driven aside by the deteriorating quality and laziness of their fellow regime supporters or reduced to cutting and pasting with short but snide remarks explaining the brilliance of the propaganda peice they are introducing to us stupid people of the opposition. This is typical of this regime, retrenching from day one to the only thing it knows; bullying and sidelining and/or attempting to contain contrarian voices from outside as well as from within either by lying, absurd claims, more absurd customized empty pretense at reform, or by outright intimidation of its own friends and allies and murder and torture of its critics. This is a regime hell-bent on remaining in power and on maintaining the country as a private farm where mindless enforcers rummage around beating the peasant-slaves into worshiping the owner and into believing one absurdity after another including the ultimate lie that it is capable of being reformed. Asking one to stop exposing it in the name of cool headedness is rather naive, in the best of circumstances.

The sheer size of murder and pain caused by this regime, both over 40 years of totalitarian corrupt rule, and more recently over the five months of murders leaves no space for neither intellectual niceties nor ideological hairsplitting that differentiates between various shades of its defenders or even of those opposing it. The failure of the domesticated beaten traditional opposition to do anything to mount an effective action and to catch up with the streets is only a reflection of what this humble animal wrote above. The moral failure of Syrian intellectuals, both inside and outside to stand in clear condemnation of this regime is also another manifestation. The first group remains selfish and unable to leave the confines of its ideological boxes and join the street, which is powered by dignity at its most basic fundamental level. The second group, which includes some commentators on this blog, continues to live in a romantic dream of Syrian’s holding hands with the murderers in their midst and singing national hymns for greatness of a Syrian Nation, and of a love that transcends the pain of being murdered and tortured. When tanks role, when people get murdered, dragged into torture dungeons by regime thugs from their homes, places of work, arena of gathering, worship, or places of simple pleasure such as being with likeminded people, failure to condemn their assailants in the strongest term is both morally corrupt and practically tenuous. No cool heads can prevail while people are being murdered. The thugs need to understand that they can’t keep betting on time given to them time and again by advocates of cool headedness. Failing on the others to condemn non-existing violence by protestors is no different from Israeli propagandist chiding those amongst us who condemned the slaughter in Gazza because we did not start by condemning the ineffectual rockets fired from the territory in the strongest language possible. Off course most regime defenders and equivocators fail to see that. The activists on the street are united, they are setting aside ideological differences for civilized battles in the ballot box later once your dignity is restored along with your rights. The regime stands as a barrier, and without its demise, everything else including a secular constitution is rubbish and a mere act in a theatre of absurdity reenacting nightmarish plays, with the leading inept actor carrying a real machine gun and killing spectators to enhance the special effects of his megalomaniac play.

I am not sitting and watching the rivers of blood in Syria, spilled by regime’s thugs. I am doing something about it. I am condemning the murderers in the strongest language possible, and exposing the tragi-comical character of its leading figures as well as figureheads. I am defending your freedom to present your ideological niceties to the ballot box in clear and transparent manner, not through rigged laws and regime created and controlled opposition venues that will do nothing but maintain the apparatus of murder and intimidation and subject itself and the rest of the country to this apparatus. When you equivocate and make moral equivalences in the name of cool headedness, you are participating in supporting those who want to deny me the right of defending you.

You keep speaking to the animals, I will speak for the dead .

Video Game Aboud comment #9

Stop behaving like al-Dunya TV and watch your words.

Sorry to cut from your video game time, it is obvious that you are getting antsy from spending too much time writing posts on Syria Comment.

Right was the man who said that Syria Comment had became Aboud Comment.

Syria No Kandahar, the Man, the Legend, said Aoud can not even go to the bathroom while getting paid posting repeated comments, smiley faces and chat room language.

We have the future of Syria here and not a video game.

You linked in your post a video and claimed that you have a live feed that shows that Latakia is demonstrating and cursing al-Assad, something you made an art.

First of all, you forgot to tell us that this video is from al-Raml al-Falastini aka/al-Raml al-Janubi which is a 100 Sunni part of Latakia. Latakia, the City, is the most mixed place in Syria in the heartland of the Alawis.

the place where you aired your live feed is a part surrounded by the army from all directions and consists from Bustan al-Sidawi/al-Samka, and and Masbah al-Sha’d plus al-Mukhaiam area, and al-Skanturi. السكنتوري بستان الصيداوي، او بستان السمكة، مسبح الشعب والمخيم

In this part of Lattakia, other than the Palestinians who came many years ago most of the inhabitants are new comers and have roots in Jisr al-Shughur and Idleb. Some of them are the spillover of the other middle class/poor Sunni area like al-Tabiyat, al-3wayneh and al-Sleibeh. الطابيات العوينة والصليبة

These people who live in this area are SUPER conservative, poor, and different from the other parts of open and liberal Lattakia.

The other Sunnis areas like Mashru’ al-Sleibeh, al-3wayneh, al-Tabiyat, al-Qala, al-Sujen and Qunaynas, go out and demonstrate for few minutes after prayers to be send home with gun shots of the army and the securtiy/al Amn that idiots on this board call them Shabeha. People die mostly from the demonstrators and sometimes Security personnel, army and police. القنينص، القلعة الطابيات والسجن

The people of al-Skanturi throw explosives every night called Dynamite, and it is not like the regular sticks but more like a puffy whit mix looks like dough. They use it also to fish and that one is a liquid they put in a bottle. Seen them many times. السكنتوري

The Alawi area of Lattakia and the Christian area as well as the mixed area never went up demonstrating against al-Assad, on the contrary they are holding pro Assad demos here and there. Video game Aboud deny the existence of these and generalize as always. التعميم دلالة الجهل

Here is a little lesson to you about Lattakis since you are not from there before you post more exaggerations and lies to say the least.

Lattakia today, as from what I gather from my daily contacts with people from there is mostly with al-Assad of course. It has a huge Alawi and Christians chunks who are mostly with al-Assad.

There were many of those Alawis and Christians who were with the demonstrators but they were scared from one incident in al-Salibeh when the Sunnis of al-Slaibeh started chanting that they want to “F**k their Imam; i.e Ali” This send all the Alawis who are against al-Assad back. They are also not fans of the hard core Sunnis of al-Raml al-Janubi.

AS FOR the Christian of Lattakis , the vast majority of them are with al-Assad because they are scared of the Sunnis with no doubt.

The Sunnis in Lattakia are few kinds. There are those who live and intermarried with Alawis and like al-Assad.

There are also the Sunnis who like al-Assad and who are not intermarried with Alawis.

There are also the Sunnis who live in rich Sunni areas and are not into chaos that much although they are not huge fans of al-Assads ever.

And there are the Sunnis of al-Skanturi and other poor areas that mr. Video Game Aboud is referring us to. Those are hard core against al-Assad and go out everyday and night. AS I learned and seen from videos they are boxed in by the army and get into firefights more and more. They bury their dead now in the few parks around, the city stopped collecting garbage from there too.

To mr. Aboud I send him a link showing how the area he send us the link from what do they watch on TV and what who is there influence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a540JXhINXc

The man recording this tape sends salutes to al-3Ar3ur from the Whole Sahel/Coast, where in reality the Sunni Sheikh al-3Ar3ur calls for more or less the extermination of the infidel Alawis who are the majority of the Sahel/Coast.

Mr. Aboud I respect in you your stance but what baffles me is your language and how you had made a carrier so far in this board through cursing Bashar al-Assad and calling him names.

I think this is a very unwise move and reflects immaturity since you know he is a trigger happy man who has lots of tanks and high caliber guns and not going to take it easy when he hears his name and that of his father cursed. You know where we came from.

It is also not wise that one like you curse, encourage and laugh at cursing a man like Hafez al-Assad who had 15 tough army mechanized divisions with 600 good Russian fighters as well as many attacking helicopters, while poor Aboud all he has is a Sony play Station and a bootleg version of Call of Duty.

PS: My information is coming from pro and anti Assad Sunnis، Alawis and Christians from Lattakia itself, Except for the information about Video Game About who as we all see posts 5000000 posts a day. Good luck vido game Aboud with your Besho.

Guy in Damscus and Aboud,

Keep the fight up. Turkey has just given Assad 2 weeks to kill more people. believe me, the Turks are actually secretly helping Besho. I bet Dawudoglu had a talk with Besho, which was like “Give us two weeks to crush this thing”.

So I think Besho will go all-out in these 2 weks to kill as many ppl as he can. So just keep the fight up, even if 1000 more ppl are killed, even if you lose your mother, father, siblings, home, everything, DO NOT STOP COMING OUT ON THE STREETS, becayse the day the ppl stop coming out on the streets, it will signal their defeat and the victory of the regime. So just keep prtesting, even if you have to die. there is no other way.

The coming war against Iran
Military plans, legislation and psychological manipulation are now being fine-tuned and put into place in order to carry out a war against Iran. American planning for a war against Iran can be spotted in the headlines from this past week. American pressure is so great that the major European powers are now endorsing a radical declaration made by the UN’s nuclear watchdog group (IAEA), with Russia and China withholding their vote. The pressure also persuaded Canada to depart from a 30-year policy on nuclear non-cooperation, and is endangering lucrative deals made by India with Iran. In conjunction with the practical planning being formulated for an attack, described in previous articles in this series, the other pieces of the plan are now becoming clear. Iran is being pinned down by the US in every way possible, with predictable results.

Under pressure from US world backs Iran into a corner
As of Monday of last week, Canada has a new policy: ‘Canada reversed itself on Monday and said it would supply material for India’s atomic energy program, even though India has tested nuclear bombs in the past’, reports Reuters. ‘[The Canadian] government’s sudden decision — with no prior notice and no parliamentary debate — to open our nuclear gusher to India […] makes a mockery of Canada’s longstanding advocacy of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, which nuclear armed India refuses to sign’, writes the Toronto Star in an editorial, which goes on to expose the politics behind the decision: ‘The move mimics the Bush administration’s equally sudden and sweeping policy change to extend broad nuclear co-operation to India — in return for its support in curbing the Iranian nuclear program.’ On Wednesday of last week, India surprised the world, and Iran in particular, by supporting the IAEA’s resolution threatening to bring Iran before the U.N. Security Council. ‘George W. Bush got nuclear proliferator Pakistan to also vote against Iran. And he convinced China and Russia, Iran’s other friends, to abstain’, writes The Toronto Star. US policy on the subject of Iran is no great secret: ‘”We have a patient long-term strategy,” Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said after the vote. ‘It’s to isolate Iran on this question; it’s to ratchet up the international pressure on Iran,” and assemble the kind of global coalition against Iran that helped persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons last week’, reports The Washington Post.

Involvement of Russia and China enlarges
sphere of eventual conflict with Iran
Iran is being backed into a corner, but won’t find itself standing alone – decreasing the likelihood of a limited conflict. This becomes clear after examining the ties between Iran, Russia and China. Russia and Iran signed a nuclear agreement earlier this year, and are collaborating on a project involving the design of a communications satellite. Iran is now exporting gas to China thanks to a 25-year deal worth $100 million, and Russia and China have been providing Iran with weapons for years now. Author Webster Tarpley, whose articles are cited often in this series, points to a renewal of ties between Russia and China now that they have recently conducted their first joint military exercise, Peace Mission 05: ‘A total of 18 jet fighters in nine batches launched air strikes on “enemy troops,” their “central command” and “defences.”‘ Tarpley: ‘At the same time, intelligence agencies of Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Belarus held a drill involving the prevention of terror attacks on energy assets. Between August 22 and August 30 the combined air defense forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States will drill warding off air attacks around Astrakhan at the northern end of the Caspian Sea. The hypothetical aggressor was, once again, clearly the United States.’
In another article Webster Tarpley points to Tony Benn, ‘the grand old man of the left wing of the British Labour Party’, who opens his editorial in The Guardian with the sentence: ‘Now that the US president has announced that he has not ruled out an attack on Iran, if it does not abandon its nuclear programme, the Middle East faces a crisis that could dwarf even the dangers arising from the war in Iraq.’

US, Israel and England accuse Iran of
what they do themselves
Tony Benn writes in his editorial in The Guardian that in the event of a war against Iran ‘We would be told that it had been done to uphold the principles of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) – an argument that does not stand up to a moment’s examination.’ The European Union has determined that Iran is in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Benn shows the other side of the arguments used against Iran when he writes that ‘the Americans have launched a programme that would allow them to use nuclear weapons in space, nuclear bunker-busting bombs are being developed, and depleted uranium has been used in Iraq – all of which are clear breaches of the NPT. Israel, which has a massive nuclear weapons programme, is accepted as a close ally of the US, which still arms and funds it.’ Owing to England’s dependence on the US for ‘Britain’s so-called independent deterrent’ it may once again be the case that ‘Britain could be assisting America to commit an act of aggression under the UN Charter, which could risk a major nuclear disaster, and doing so supposedly to prevent nuclear proliferation, with the real motive of making it possible for us to continue to break the NPT in alliance with America. The irony is that we might be told that Britain must support Bush, yet again, because of the threat of weapons of mass destruction, thus allowing him to kill even more innocent civilians.’
The new Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad puts the charges against his country into perspective: ‘”A country, which possesses the biggest nuclear arsenal, embarks on proliferation of nuclear weapons in defiance of the safeguards and threatens to use them against others, is not competent to comment on peaceful use of nuclear know-how by other states.” [… Ahmadinejad] stressed that instead of raising any claims, such a country should be brought under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and be accountable for its conducts and measures.’

Iran unjustly accused
The Hindu writes that it would be unreasonable to summon Iran before the U.N. Security Council (precisely what that country is now being threatened with) because the IAEA ‘in the past two years, has found discrepancies in the utilisation of nuclear material in as many as 15 countries. Among these are South Korea, Taiwan, and Egypt.’ The newspaper probes the subject matter and then lists three arguments that illustrate how bringing Iran before the U.N. Security Council would be the wrong thing to do: ‘First, the NPT allows uranium conversion and other processes central to enrichment. Secondly, the Esfahan facility is under IAEA safeguards and as recently as September 2, i.e. nearly a month after Iran resumed uranium conversion there, the Director-General of the Agency, Mohammad El-Baradei, certified that “all the declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for and, therefore, such material is not diverted to prohibited activities.”‘ Thirdly, The Hindu believes that it is not a violation to bring the voluntary suspension of the pre-stage of uranium enrichment process to an end, which is what Iran recently did.
Webster Tarpley writes: ‘Underlying the entire Iran nuclear question is the hypocrisy of the double standards applied by the US. Just a few weeks earlier, the US had granted India various forms of nuclear assistance, despite India’s active nuclear bomb program. Brazil was getting ready to export nuclear fuel, and yet was not targeted in the same way as Iran. The lesson is clear: countries the US is seeking to cultivate are not harassed, but critics of US policy are put through the wringer.’

Newsweek’s Dickey:
Iranian desire for nuclear energy reasonable
Last week a column by Christopher Dickey appeared in Newsweek that began with this sentence: ‘As oil prices soar, so will demands for atomic energy. Iran knows this and Americans should, too. Why it’s time to rethink the global approach to nuclear proliferation.’ The writer of the article states that in the case of Iran it’s difficult to produce more than suspicions and that there is no evidence to suggest any danger. In addition Dickey writes that the production of nuclear energy – even for an oil-rich country like Iran – is reasonable. He goes on to say: ‘And when [premier] Ahmadinejad coined the phrase “nuclear apartheid,” he nailed it: “We are concerned that once certain powerful states [read: the United States and Europe] completely control nuclear energy resources and technology, they will deny access to and thus deepen the divide between powerful countries and the rest of the international community,” said the Iranian president. “When that happens, we will be divided into light and dark countries.” Literally.’

Tarpley: Strategy for attack on Iran is divide and conquer
Not everyone views strategic oil and military interests, or the removal of a threat to Israel, as the only objectives behind the coming war against Iran. Webster Tarpley finds an interesting reason for an attack on Iran in the strategy of divide and conquer. According to Tarpley the same strategy is now being pursued in Iraq. He quotes Bernard Lewis, currently professor emeritus, who during World War II was an agent of the ‘British Arab Bureau, the imperialist agency charged with keeping the Arab world weak so as to preserve London’s domination’. Tarpley writes: ‘Over more than a century, the British have sought to control the Arab and Islamic sense of identity by finding, publicizing, and glorifying the most backward and self-destructive tendencies in one and a half millennia of Moslem history, attempting to accredit these as the true essence of Islam. Bernard Lewis’ glorification of Moslem irrationalism thus prepares the way for the ideology attributed to al Qaeda. Lewis’ second idea is that the existing Arab countries are illegitimate, and need to be carved up into a crazy quilt of ridiculous petty states who will be unable to threaten any important interest of Anglo-American imperialism.’ Tarpley sees Lewis as a follower of T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia), whose stated goal was: ‘[…] the breakup of the Islamic bloc and the disruption of the Ottoman Empire […]. […] If properly handled the Arab states would remain in a state of political mosaic, a tissue of jealous principalities incapable of cohesion, and yet always ready to combine against an outside force.’ Tarpley: ‘In other words, the eternal British mantra of divide and conquer, now embraced with giddy enthusiasm by fanatical parvenu neocons, greedy barbarian Bushmen, and cost-plus arrivistes along the Potomac.’

Lubbers allows nuclear scientist to go free at direction of CIA
In mid-January of this year Seymour Hersh wrote in The New Yorker about one of the ways in which Pakistan has benefited from its cooperation with the US: ‘The official added that the government of Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani President, has won a high price for its cooperation—American assurance that Pakistan will not have to hand over A. Q. Khan, known as the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, to the I.A.E.A. or to any other international authorities for questioning.’ That high price was collected earlier, as became evident about a half year after the publishing of Hersh’s article. It was then that former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers confirmed in an interview on the Dutch radio program Argos that the CIA asked him in 1975 and again in 1986 to refrain from arresting Khan. Writing earlier this month in reference to a broadcast by the Dutch TV news magazine Nova on this issue, the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad said: ‘The case file of the Pakistani nuclear scientist Khan has gone missing from the legal archives at the Amsterdam District Court. It was there that he had been convicted for the theft of classified information related to nuclear weapons technology. Neither the judges nor the record-keepers at the court have any idea what happened to the file.’ It took place at the direction of the CIA, claims the departing vice-president of the Amsterdam District Court, Minister Anita Leeser. A few days later the NRC Handelsblad responded with an article bearing the headline: ”CIA involvement? Absurd”.

AJ

I’m sorry but when tens of Syrians get shot by their own government every single day, and tens of thousands are detained and tortured by government thugs we call (Amn), and someone describes what the Syrian regime has been doing for 5 months as “extraordinary reforms”; I have every right to be outraged and assume they are blind supporters of this murderous regime.

I have no problem with you asking whatever questions you want, my problem is trying to pass false info in the shape of a question. Maybe it was not your intent, still false info is still false info.

Will the protesters overthrow Assad ? Absolutely, they proved they are determinant and undeterred. Will it lead to free and democratic Syria ? free definitely, democratic, not right away. Look, no one is saying Syria will be Switzerland once Assad is gone, his departure is definitely the first step in that direction though. Bashar sent tanks to hunt down his own people, he killed thousands of innocent civilians and tortured tens of thousands including women and children, to think he has any intent of delivering political reform is beyond delusional (with all due respect).

@ khalid tlass
even if they managed to subdue us for now, there is no going back. whats happening now, is at worst the birth of the syrian keefaya movement( similar to the Egyptian kiffaya movement, made sometime around or before 2005.Its the begging of the end for the Assads, but how will this end benefit Syria. as MNA said, we must focus on whats best for Syria and not whats worse for the regime.
but no, they will not subdue us for now. we are determined, and you just gotta admire the hamwis and dar3awis…they weren’t silenced.
theres still 20 more days in for Ramadan. 🙂

Mjabali #64

Amazing, I like how you made the clear distinction between the “good” rich and liberal Sunnis and the “bad” poor and extremely conservative Sunnis, who apparently being exterminated by the Assad gang of thugs. You also seemed to have no problem with that fact, quite astonishing.
Also did you threaten Aboud with the amount of guns and tanks Bashar unleashed upon his own people ? again /golfclap

Well enjoy this then
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kp2mBO6gB4

Feel free to pass it along to Abo Hafer, he can gather his tanks and shove them where the sun doesn’t shine.

Is it me, or have the members of the Syrian American Business Council been very quiet? Why have we not heard from Mr Joud? Where is Mr Ghrewati? What about Mr Hamwi and Mr Succar? Once the dust has settled, will the Syrian people continue to purchase goods and services from an elite that have been complicit in the regime’s actions through their very silence? Or will the public seek to dismantle these empires?

Let’s add Nahhas as well. He supported and encouraged the protests in favour of Assad back in April.

mjabali,

I’m not sure what your beef is with Mr. Aboud. I think you both realize Assad is not Syria’s future, and the faster the regime falls, the better.

“Right was the man who said that Syria Comment had became Aboud Comment. ”

This flatters me more than you know 🙂

“These people who live in this area are SUPER conservative, poor, and different from the other parts of open and liberal Lattakia”

What a disgracefully chauvinistic statement. What does it matter what a Syrian’s stance is, or their economic status. As Syrians they have every right to demand the freedoms afforded to every beggar in the West. Your entire whine about the part of Latakia that are bravely demonstrating is chauvinistic, class-discriminating, and blatantly racist.

“It is also not wise that one like you curse, encourage and laugh at cursing a man like Hafez al-Assad who had 15 tough army mechanized divisions with 600 good Russian fighters as well as many attacking helicopters”

May Hafez Ath Ath Athad burn in the lowest rungs of hell. I have a few ideas about what we can use his perverted mausoleum of a grave for heheheh.

600 fight planes? 90% of which are useless, 50s eras relics. MiG-21s and MiG-23s were never any match for what the Israelis and Turks have. Same with most of the army’s equipment.

Any dispassionate military analysis will tell you that the Syrian army’s military capabilities are a pathetic joke, thanks to 40 years of mismanagement under the Baathists, who promoted officers based on *sect* and political ideology, and not on military professionalism.

“Mr. Aboud I respect in you your stance but what baffles me is your language and how you had made a carrier so far in this board through cursing Bashar al-Assad and calling him names.”

I’ve made a carrier? You mean career. See, that’s where the spell checker can’t help you.

OK, I’ll start calling him *Mr President* Besho, junior, the eye doctor, the King of X-Box Microsoft Live Achievements *rolls eyes*

“Syria No Kandahar, the Man, the Legend”

I love it when they have to resort to licking each others wounds 🙂

“where in reality the Sunni Sheikh al-3Ar3ur calls for more or less the extermination of the infidel Alawis who are the majority of the Sahel/Coast. ”

Yes, I’ve heard you people whine alot about Ar’or. He only came to prominence form the intense obsession the menhebaks have with him. I think over half his viewership must be obsessed menhebaks. I actually never heard of this man before I saw the menhebaks whine about him here.

“since you know he is a trigger happy man who has lots of tanks and high caliber guns and not going to take it easy when he hears his name and that of his father cursed”

Were the doctors at the Aleppo University Hospital sit in cursing his loser, slug, filth of a father? Junior’s only excuse to murder thousands of Syrians, is that he feels like it.

“You know where we came from. ”

I know exactly where army men who kick an old guy in the head come from. I know exactly where people who ride in ambulances to get close to a funeral in Khaldia to murder 30 people come from. I know exactly where the sort of people who blow up a mosque in Deir el Zour come from. I flush that place a few times a day.

Junior is a little boy in way over his head. He is a hero only on his X-Box video games. He has shown zero leadership, he has incompetently squandered Syria’s standing and power abroad. He is a liar who does not keep his word, does not keep a commitment, is too scared to tell foreign dignitaries to their faces what his stand really is.

There is nothing remotely original about his character; he is a Hafez El3an Roho wannabe. How pathetic does a man have to be when his role model is the loser of a president who couldn’t win a single war against Israel.

Heck, if my dad had the record Papa had, I’d be too ashamed to go into politics. But as we have seen, shame is an emotion the Baathists do not feel, even when they are blowing up mosques in Deir el Zour.

“Except for the information about Video Game About who as we all see posts 5000000 posts a day”

Freedom isn’t free, it takes a big commitment. Unlike Besho, who apparently relegates the sacking of Hama to his thugs as he tries to unlock another Microsoft Live X-Box achievement.

Also, I have repeatedly asked reasonable questions, posted in a reasonable way, for the menhebaks to answer. The fact that in weeks, not one, not one, has dared address even one question speaks volumes of the menhebakite principles. They would kill their own mother if she dared go out to demonstrate against the X-Box child.

As for the rest of your personnel insults, I’d like to ask the moderator *not to delete them*. Watching menhebak tears of rage is the reason I keep coming back here, and I can practically live off the stuff. That particular chauvinistic whine will do nicely for iftar tonight 🙂

Ya Bashar esma3 wa shoof, 3am ensebak 3al makshoof!

Ibn el bandooook….ma 3am ezoooooq

Akh akh etfooooo…el khanzeer tale3 la abooooooo

NK, the menhebaks think that tanks and thugs still scare the Syrian people. There was a demonstration in Hama last night at a mosque that was far away from the tanks.

So, how’s the “go tanks” strategy working for Besho? LOL!

Does the X-Box president have enough tanks to put on every street in every village in Syria? Oh, and remember this, a tank’s cannon needs servicing after it’s been fired a certain number of times. Who is going to give Besho the spare parts?

Let’s not forget that Syrian Air Lines has a pitiful number of air worthy airplanes, due to sanctions on even the most basic of spare parts.

Khaled, there is no chance whatsoever that the demonstrations will stop, even if Besho outdoes Papa Athad (curses and punishment of God be upon him hehehehehehe).

“I know exactly where the sort of people who blow up a mosque in Deir el Zour come from. I flush that place a few times a day.”
good one! LOL
the buses the regime thugs ride in have become so crowded, they\’re starting to sit on top( Indian train style,http://www.guy-sports.com/fun_pictures/train_indian_full.jpg)
i guess theyre lacking resources in Damascus. i also heard rumors that they\’re using the katakit( a confectionery company) distribution vehicles to travel to and infiltrate demonstrations in midan.
BREAKING NEWS:
Besho finally admits mistakes have been made….though he didn\’t admit he made those mistakes . he blamed the so called “security service” TYPICAL BESHO!: “Syrian President Bashar Assad has admitted that his security forces have made “some mistakes” in quelling nationwide protests over the last five months, Arab media reported on Thursday.” http://en.rian.ru/world/20110811/165706934.html
@ Aboud, by playing so much Call of Duty , besho wants to duplicate the game in real life!!!!
—————————————————————
Shabeeh logic 101: Bashar was once bitten by a snake, after 3 days of pain and agony…the snake finally died.

SGID, Besho’s only achievements have been on Microsoft X-Box Live.

It takes a special kind of incompetence to piss off everyone from Europe, to the USA, to the Russians, to the Arabs…*and the Pope*

I guess the entire world has been “bought by the MB”

كاميرون: سنفكر باستدعاء الجيش اذا تجدد الشغب
England is learning from Syria,

I cant believe the pathetic desperation of the Manhabek(however its spelt) and Iranian officials (Press tv) in trying to draw comparisons between the Syrian situation and the UK riots.

The regime isnt gonna get away that easily.

Btw all the bad regimes are gonna go. It would have been a travesty if Mubarak and Ben Ali were over thrown and Gaddafi, Assad, Saleh etc remained in power.

I wonder if Prof Landis would include the following video ‘All regimes will collapse this year’ by Sheikh Nazim on his next post…lol.

This video of Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi was captured on 23 November 2010 before the first country, Tunisia, collapsed. He said all the regimes will be terminated in this year 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6hIsF45Oew

The regimes have all failed. They were bad rubbish. They will be swept away. InshaAllah.

“64. mjabali said: I think this is a very unwise move and reflects immaturity since you know he is a trigger happy man who has lots of tanks and high caliber guns and not going to take it easy when he hears his name and that of his father cursed. You know where we came from.

It is also not wise that one like you curse, encourage and laugh at cursing a man like Hafez al-Assad who had 15 tough army mechanized divisions with 600 good Russian fighters as well as many attacking helicopters,”

The Alawi war criminal, Mjabali, exposes his hypocrisy, threatening violence just because someone cursed his Alawi leaders. So much for your crocodile tears. Soon, you and Fashar al-Fasaad will be enjoying a permanent vacation in Iran.

سرب موقع إسرائيلي أن الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وجهت تهديداً بحرب على سورية اذا وصل اي من اجهزة الاتصال الأمريكية التي وقعت في يد سورية الى روسيا أو الصين.

وكشف الموقع أن وزير خارجية الإمارات حمل لسورية رسالة تهديد بالحرب على سورية اذا وصل اي جهاز إتصال أمريكي من الأجهزة التي صادرتها المخابرات السورية في عملية تفكيك الياسمينة الزرقاء الى روسيا أو الصين كما هددت باستدعاء قادة المخابرات السورية الى المحاكم الدولية.

واستدرك الموقع بأن الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد استبق تفكيك هذه الخلية والتهديد الأميركي خلال كلمته أمام مجلس الشعب بقوله “إذا فرضت الحرب علينا اليوم فأهلاً وسهلاً بها”.

هي عملية الياسمينة الزرقاء التي لم يعرف عنها الا ما سربه الأمريكيين والإسرائيليين، وقد وصفت بأنها أكبر عملية عسكرية أمنية منذ عقود و ستدرس في السنوات القادمة في العديد من دول العالم.

وفي التفاصيل عن مصدر أمني أمريكي كبير قال إن حلف شمال الأطلسي، ومما حدث على الارض في سورية، قد شك في أن السوريين قد اخترقوا عملية الياسمينة الزرقاء فقرر سحب كل العملاء. وفعلاً تم إرسال رسالة الى قائد العمليات الأمريكية في سورية مفادها أوقف العملية واسحب كل العملاء، فكان الرد: العملية انتهت مع تحيات المخابرات العامة السورية. فجن جنون الأمريكيين، فلقد وقع في يد المخابرات السورية أحدث أجهزة إتصال مخابراتية أمريكية تهدد آلاف الجواسيس الأمريكيين حول العالم. وفعلا كانت اول النتائج هي قيام المخابرات السورية بإرسال تقرير للمخابرات الإيرانية أدى الى توقيف ثلاثين جاسوس أمريكي دفعه واحدة، وكشف شبكة خلوية سرية للتجسس على سورية في لبنان ويقال أنه تم كشف جاسوس إسرائيلي في روسيا والكثير من النتائج لتفكيك هذه الشبكة.

ورأى الموقع الاسرائيلي أنه نتيجة قدرة المخابرات السورية على تفكيك هذه العملية فإن روسيا والصين تحاولان الوقوف الى جانب سورية في مجلس الأمن على أمل الحصول على أي جهاز من أجهزة الإتصال الأمريكية و تحليلها، بينما الأمريكيين يقدمون العرض تلو العرض للسوريين، مع سلسلة عقوبات مجنونة تقوم بها دول أعضاء بالناتو لاستعادة هذه الأجهزة عبر سياسة العصا و الجزرة، بينما السوريين يعرفون بأن ما بين يديهم ثمنه غالي جداً.

“You know where we came from. ”

Boasting about your capability for violence?! You will remember the days of Ar’oor fondly when you the remember the names of Marwan al-Hadeed, Adnan Uqla, Abu Mus’ab as-Suri and Abu Baseer. Be careful what you wish for.

Syria Hamster Comment # 63

It is good to see the serious side of you and not jokes about what is going on in Syria. I never seen anything funny with what had happened in Syria for the last five months.

AS for awards, leave them on the side. No one deserves a thing so far. The situation is bad.

Your words are emotional more than rational. WE have to stand united to stop the blood shed. This is what I have been saying from the beginning. As for al-Assad and his Shabiha I believe in the court system. What the court will find I am with.

AS for you defending my rights to vote and democratic Secular Syria, put my name in your party from now and thank you for this and I thank everyone who calls for this.

Cool heads must rule and not emotional outbursts especially after what we have seen from death and violence. I have been saying for a while that CIVIL WAR is underway. Cool heads where are you?

Since you are a hamster, have you seen any of the cool heads in any of the holes that you hang at? Syria needs them because cool heads are the only ones who would know how to switch things to the better. Political parties is the solution, plus the rule of law so you bring to justice all of those responsible for destroying Syria.

مخطط العملية :

1-إشعال حرب طائفية في الساحل بين الطوائف الثلاث بهدف ترحيل المسيحيين من الساحل الى لبنان و ترحيل السنة الى حمص وحماه وحلب لتصبح دولة علوية بأمر الواقع، من خلال قيام عصابات مسلحة بقتل عدد من العلويين لأسباب دينية وشعارات دينية تؤدي الى قيام ثورة علوية ضد الاقلية السنية وترحلهم من الساحل وأثناء هذه المعركة تقوم العصابات المسلحة بزرع سيارات مفخخة هدفها ترويع المسيحيين وترحيلهم.

2-إقامة إمارة إسلامية تضم حمص وحماه وقد تصل الى دمشق، ترحل منهم الأقليات المسيحية الى لبنان والعلوية الى الساحل ، عبر القتل الطائفي و السيارات المفخخة.

3-إقامة إمارة إسلامية مستقلة ومعزولة في درعا، ثم ترحيل قسم من سكان درعا بإتجاه الأردن لضم درعا الى الأردن لاحقاً ثم إقامة دولة درزية تمتد حتى لبنان، وإشعال حرب بين الدويلتين.

4-إشعال حروب بين هذه الدويلات لتصبح إسرائيل هي الديمقراطية الوحيدة في المنطقة التي تتوسط بين هذه الدويلات والداعم لها، وتقوم بترحيل ما تبقى من فلسطينيين وتفرض نفسها دولة يهودية بين دويلات طائفية، متقاتلة حيث سيكون هنا حروب بين هذه الدول الصغيرة.

5-توسيع التقسيم ليشمل الأردن والعراق ولبنان وتجهيزالأردن ولبنان كوطن مبدئي بديل للفلسطينيين ولكن على أساس طائفي من خلال تقسيم الاردن ولبنان الى عدة دويلات.

6-تقليل أكبر عدد من السكان بهدف تخفيض عدد سكان الأرض بما لا يقل عن ثلاث ملايين قتيل لمنع اي تفجر ديموغرافي على الاقل خلال الخمسين سنة القادمة، كما فعلوا في العراق.

7-إستهداف علماء السنة وبدأ تحويل مذهب أهل السنة الى المذهب الوهابي الذي يمكن قيادته من السعودية، عبر جيش من الشيوخ كان جاهزا لهذا الأمر، وذلك من خلال قتل علماء السنة وتسليح الدويلات الطائفية حولهم لتصبح السعودية منقذهم الوحيد.

بدأ تنفيذ العملية وشارك بها أكثر من خمسة آلاف شخص بالإضافة الى أكثر من 3000 شخص غير سوري، وجرى تجنيد الاشخاص عبر عدة طرق وأهمهما مكاتب العمل والسفارات، حيث في العام 1999 بدأت السفارة الأمريكية وبشكل مفاجيء قبول طلبات الفيزا لمدة سنتين من المواطنين السوريين، وتأخذ من كل طلب مبلغ 50 دولار لتجمع مئات آلاف الدولارات ولكن لتوافق على أشخاص معينيين فقط. ومن تستطيع تجنيده هو الذي سيبقى في الولايات المتحدة آمناً، حيث قامت الإستخبارات الأمريكية بتجنيد الكثير من العملاء إما عبر استدراجهم لدور دعارة وتصويرهم، أو من خلال الزج بهم في السجن بسبب إنتهاء الإقامة وثم إبتزازهم. و الأسوء أنها قامت بتدريب العملاء من ضرائب جمعتها من الذين تقدموا من السوريين للتأشيرات .

تجنيد عملاء في لبنان و السعودية و قطر و الإمارات.

بدأت قطر تجنيد العملاء منذ العام 2004 من خلال إستقدام أكثر من عشرين الف سوري وتجنيد قسم منهم، و كذلك في لبنان والأردن والسعودية والإمارات حتى وصل عدد المجندين الى أكثر من 5000 شخص، وأضيف اليهم الكثير من الهاربين من العدالة وخصوصا المهربين الذين تم اعتقالهم وتجنيدهم في دول الجوار.

وبدأ تنفيذ العملية بدهاء حيث يتم خلق إشاعات قوية تؤدي الى خروج الناس في تظاهرات ثم إدارة هذه التظاهرات وبدأ إصباغ المظاهرات بصبغة طائفية مع تنفيذ عدة عمليات قتل واغتصاب تؤدي إلى أعمال عنف طائفي، وفتنة بين الجيش و الأمن و الناس ، مع خطابات لشيوخ موالين لامريكا تثير النزعه الطائفية، مع حملة إعلامية ضخمة تظهر بان سورية قد سقطت وأصبحت ضعيفة. واستثمر في هذه العملية محطات كانت أبواق للسياسية السورية عدة سنوات وتعتبر موثوقة من الشارع السوري مثل تلفزيون الجزيرة والجديد وجريدة الأخبار اللبنانية، مع خلق عدة محطات إعلامية خاصة لهذه التغطية، وتجنيد المزيد من الشباب بالمال حتى وصل عدد المجندين إلى أكثر من 15000 شخص.

و لكن ما الذي حدث؟

قاد العملية 18 مفتاح أمني أمريكي على الأراضي السورية، وضابطان عرب كبار أحدهم إماراتي والآخر أردني، وعدة مستشارين إسرائيليين، وعدة ضباط من جنسيات عربية وأوروبية مختلفة.

جهز للعملية عدة شبكات إتصالات منها الأرضي ومنها الخلوي ومنها عبر الأقمار الصناعية ومنها أحدث أجهزة إتصال في العالم وهي الإتصالات الأمريكية، وعبر ما يسمى بالخطوط الخلفية اي تشغيل شبكة مع كل إكتشاف لشبكة، لضمان التواصل مهما حدث وبطرق ذكية وإحترافية لا يمكن وصفها.

تم تجهيز أكثر من عشر غرف عمليات إعلامية و عسكرية وإتصالات وإشاعات وحرب إلكترونية لإدارة العملية من بيروت للأردن إلى الدوحة وفي عدة دول أوروبية ومن داخل تل أبيب نفسها وفي سفن داخل البحر.

وفجأة خرج أحد المفاتيح الأمنيين من سورية الى الإمارات، وعوضا عن أن يقود العملية لأنه عميل فوق الشبهات كما كانوا يعتقدون، كان دون أن يعلم يكشف وجوه رجال المخابرات الأمريكية والأطلسية في الإمارات، وبدأ إنقطاع الإتصالات مع بعض المفاتيح. وفجأة كان هناك مخطط من شأنه تدمير مدينة بانياس عبر تفجير خط البترول ومصفاة النفط والمحطة الحرارية، ولكن قبل التنفيذ توجهت غواصة سورية وسفينة حربية ومروحية مضادة للسفن بإتجاه بارجة ألمانية ابعدتها عن الساحل وثم السلاح الإلكتروني السوري أنشأ جدار إلكتروني إخترق الإتصالات وأصبح يستقبل الإتصالات من البارجة ويوصلها. وعوضاً عن وصول الأوامر من البارجة الألمانية إلى المسلحين وصلت الأوامر من المخابرات السورية. وعوضاً عن تدمير بانياس قامت المخابرات بإرسال المسلحين الى أماكن كمن لهم فيها الأمن، وسقط كل المسلحين بيد المخابرات السورية أحياء و من بينهم:-

ظابط إستخباراتي أردني كبير، وضابط وشيخ إستخباراتي إماراتي كبير وضابط رفيع في الموساد وعدة مستشارين إسرائيليين. وفي اليوم التالي عرض التلفزيون السوري إعتراف أحد هؤلاء المسلحين وهو ما كان يعتقد نفسه وزير دفاع إمارة بانياس، فشعر الامريكيين بالخطر فأرسلوا رسالة تفيد بوقف تنفيذ العملية والخروج من سورية، فجائهم رد إنتهت العملية مع تحيات المخابرات العامة السورية. وفي تلك الساعه فقدت المخابرات الأمريكية إتصالها بكل مفاتيحها الأمنيين في سورية، بينما بدأت سورية بتحليل المعلومات ومنها كشف ثلاثين جاسوس أمريكي في إيران وكشف شبكة تجسس على الإتصالات السورية في لبنان وشبكة إتصالات للمسلحين وبدأت العصابات المسلحة تتساقط، وقامت كلنتون بتغير لهجتها تجاه سورية وقالت ما قدمه الرئيس الأسد من إصلاحات لم يقدمه رئيس آخر، وبدأ التفاوض مع سورية عبر بعض المظاهرات والأعمال العنيفة والعقوبات من جهة، ومن جهة ثانية حوافز وإغراءات ولا أحد يعلم الى أين ستنتهي الإمور، ولكن الشيء الوحيد المؤكد هو أن سورية بقيت واقفة وسقطت المؤامرة الكبرى.

ومن الجدير ذكره انه في حمص تم إشعال مظاهرات مع أعمال عنف وكانت الاستخبارات الأمريكية تعتقد ان الأمن السوري مشغول بالمتظاهرين ولكن حين كان الإعلام يبحث عن المظاهرات في باب السباع كان جهاز الأمن السوري في مكان آخر يقوم بتفكيك آخر منظومة اتصالات أمريكية في حمص بمكان هادئ جداً، حيث خلالها تم معرفة مكان من بقي من المطلوبين في الرستن حيث تم اعتقال آخر سعوديين مشاركين العملية.

وحسب مصدر أمني أمريكي لم ينج من العملية الا أربع أشخاص، ثلاثة هربوا إلى لبنان والمفتاح الامني الذي هرب الى الإمارات وكان هروبه أهم من اعتقاله لأنه كشف الكثير من الوجوه. ويعترف الأمريكيين والإسرائيليين الى أن ما حدث في سورية كان كارثة استخباراتية كبرى كان من المستحيل توقعها.

ويبقى السؤال إذا كانت سورية موحدة غير قادرة على مجابهة الصهاينة بدون تحالفات إقليمية، ماذا كان سيحدث لو أصبحت أربع دول، وكيف سيعيشون في دويلات كل منها له جزء من الأمن الغذائي والدوائي لسورية، ولكن يبقى المؤسف أن المؤامرة سقطت ولكن بعض المغرر بهم لازال في الشارع يؤجر نفسه مجاناً لمشروع يستهدفه قبل أن يستهدف غيره.

والسؤال اذا كانت إسرائيل تقوم بكل هذه المجازر وحولها دول قادرة على ردعها على الأقل فكيف اذا تفتت هذه الدول ولم يبقى هناك أي رادع لإسرائيل؟

وبعد أن سقطت عملية الياسمينة الزرقاء، كان على واشنطن الإعتراف بالهزيمة للبحث عن مخرج. فقامت بسياسة العصا والجزرة، من جهة تريد جر اللواء علي المملوك رئيس المخابرات السورية وصافي خلوف إلى محكمة الجنايات الدولية بهدف إبتزازهم ومن جهة ثانية قالت كلنتون “ان الرئيس الأسد قدم ما لم يقدمه رئيس آخر” وفي هذه العبارة كان هناك رسالتين: الأولى لتطمين السوريين بهدنة، والثانية للمعارضة السورية وإسرائيل مفادها بان الامريكيين قد يعترفون بالخسارة ولكن ما الذي حدث..

من جهة الانتقام من ضباط المخابرات السورية، كان السوريين أذكياء جداً. فهموا الرسالة ونصبوا فخ للأمريكيين وسقط الأمريكيين في فخ الشاب أحمد بياسة أما النداء للمعارضة فتمخض بظهور عبد الحليم خدام على القناة الثانية الإسرائيلية طالبا المساعدة ملمحا إلى إحتمال تدخل عسكري تركي.

وتابع الموقع أن الأسد أدرك اللعبة فقام بإصدار عفو عام عن الإخوان المسلمين الذين شاركوا إسرائيل في مهاجمة الجيش السوري عام 1982 وبدأ بالإنتظار لتبدأ أحداث جسر الشغور فقامت العصابات المسلحة بقتل 120 شرطيا ورجل أمن على أمل ان يدخل الجيش الى مدينة زرعت عبوات ناسفة وسيارات مفخخة ويبدأ بصراع طويل جداً يؤدي الى تهجير سكان المنطقة الى تركيا وتدخل الجيش التركي. وقامت تركيا ببناء مخيمات للاجئين قبل ان تقرر القيادة السورية إرسال الجيش وبدأ الأتراك باستدراج السوريين لزيارة تركيا بدون جواز سفر وحجزهم في هذه المخيم على أمل ان يصل عدد النازحين خلال أيام إلى 150 الف سوري وكاميرا الجزيرة بالمرصاد، و لكن دخل الجيش السوري بعملية لم يفهمها لا الأتراك ولا الإسرائيليين ولا الأمريكيين. فخلال 24 ساعه أصبحت جسر الشغور منطقة آمنة وبدأ من نزح منها إلى الداخل السوري بالعودة الى بيوتهم وسقط المخطط الجديد. وكما ظهر عبد الحليم خدام على القناة الاسرائيلية الثانية، ظهر المرشد العام للإخوان المسلمين في سورية على نفس القناة، و انتهى مشروع جديد.

In an attempt to win the “Dislike” contest, I would like to say the following:
1. I nominate ABOUD for the presidency of Syria.
2. I would like ABOUD to appoint Alex the next minister of اوقاف
3. Besho looks like a giraffe.
4. الله يلعن روحك ياحافظ و يا ابو حافظ

It is disgusting how the Manhabeks are trying to justify the regimes brutality by pointing at the UK riots. There is absolutely no comparison. Sheer desperation.

Shame on you. Shame on Iranian officials and shame on Press tv.

“In an attempt to win the “Dislike” contest”

>_<

It's not fair, I do so much work here, that title should be mine.

Turkish envoy visits Syria protest hub Hama
Ankara Thursday, August 11, 2011
http://www.bt.com.bn/news-world/2011/08/11/turkish-envoy-visits-syria-protest-hub-hama\

TURKEY’S ambassador to Damascus visited Syria’s flashpoint , Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday, as Syrian army vehicles pulled out of the city.

“Our ambassador went to Hama and said that the tanks, security forces had started to leave Hama. This is highly important to show that our initiatives had positive results,” Erdogan said in televised remarks, addressing his party members in Ankara.

“We hope that all these will be completed within a 10 to 15 day period,” he added.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Syria Tuesday and held talks with President Bashar al-Assad about ways of ending the bloodshed and implementing democratic reforms.

The Hama visit of Turkish envoy Omer Onhon was part of the agreement between Syria and Turkey that had been reached Tuesday, Davutoglu said in his televised remarks at a press conference yesterday.

“It is confirmed that tanks and artillery were withdrawn from the city of Hama. But it is understood that the city lacks liveliness,” Davutoglu said, based on the preliminary information he received from Onhon.

“There is some military presence on the road to Hama, although not around the city. There are some checkpoints within the city,” he said.

Davutoglu said it was important that envoy Onhon found the opportunity to have direct contact with people in Hama.

“He visited almost all by streets of Hama with our diplomatic team and he was together with people for the noon prayer,” Davutoglu said.

“The critical thing is that Syria should be open to the world for the developments to be followed. The most important tool to end the speculations and debate is free media access,” Davutoglu said.

Last month Syria furiously reacted to the visit of French and US ambassadors to Hama and warned to impose a ban on any diplomatic travel outside Damascus.

Forty personnel carriers decked with Syrian flags rolled out of Hama with soldiers chanting slogans praising embattled Assad, said an AFP reporter who visited the city on a tour organised by the authorities.

The Syrian authorities yesterday escorted some 60 journalists to Hama, where Assad’s regime said troops went in to fight “armed terrorist gangs” the president accuses of fuelling the violence. AFP

To #52. NK,
See. this is what I am talking about. You post this wonderful article that is so true and you get 13 dislikes (so far). How can you explain this. Anyone who lived in Syria knows how true this article is, except those who are commiting the atrocities. To all those who clicked dislike on NK’s article, can you explain why?. What is it in this article that you find untrue? or is it the fact that it is exposing what no body dared to talk about before?

Syria permits foreign journalists to enter Hama city
[ 11 Aug 2011 13:03 ]

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=153140
Baku. Rashad Suleymanov – APA. Following the meetings held by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Syria, a group of journalists left for Hama city of Syria. APA reports quoting Turkish media that the journalists will arrive in Hama through crossing Cilvegozu checkpoint in Hatay.

Syria has said the army units and military vehicles left Hama.

The first group, which visits Syria after unrests, includes ten journalists from Turkey and other foreign countries.

England is thinking of blocking social media , twitter, FB,
Isn’t that one on the things Mubarak on trial for.

As always, the west can do what others are not allowed to,

To dear #63. SYRIAN HAMSTER,
What can I say. Thank you, thank you, thank you and one more thank you for your wonderful posting.

Mr. nk comment# 69

I put the Sunnis of Latakia as 80 percent against al-Assad. The poor areas are almost %100 against al-Assad. The area where is video is taken from is very conservative and %100 Sunnis and really poor. This adds up as you know.

AS for threatening anyone with the weapons of al-Assad, all I was doing is a comparison between someone who has a video game vs. someone who has lots of real weapons.

AS for the video you sent, I would rather hear the crowd call for freedom and United Syria instead of cursing.

Dale Andersen
I am Syrian and used to share your disdain for Syrians. They didn’t seem to do anything right. They exhibit fake and insincere respect and emotions. But I changed. I am not a political scientist, but simply compare North Koreans to South Koreans. Compare East Germans to West Germans (during the days of communism). It is the system. It is the system then and it is the Baath system in Syria. You would have been a different person had you lived under the stupid Baath system. It has ruined everything in the country, even the people. Those Syrians, that brag about their “free” good Syrian education and how they succeeded in the west, are misguided. They did not succeed in the west because of their Syrian education, they succeeded because of the environment and the system they’re working in. They just need to honestly compare the corrupt Syrian educational system with that in the west.
Like I said, I changed. I have never felt this proud as a Syrian until the revolution started. I am so proud of the protesters. I admire their discipline, and everything they stand for. How can you not be proud of such people like ABOUD, SYRIAN HAMSTER, some guy in damascus, NK, Khalid Tlass, SYR.EXPAT, Sheila, atassi, OFF THE WALL, Revlon, and (of course) TARA? Sorry if I missed any of the good guys. I admire your tireless efforts explaining the obvious. You guys make it bearable reading the electronic Shabeehas’ comments.
I live in Syria and for the obvious reasons I don’t have ABOUD’s and SGID’s guts to post while in Syria. I posted back in June when I was on a trip and that’s what I am doing now.
Tara, as for the Minhibak phenomenon, the Darwin’s evolution theory has to be rewritten. A new specie has appeared.
ABOUD, I really would love to meet you in the Oumayeen Plaza when we celebrate the fall of the regime. Dinner is on me.

Aboud, can I use the name “ABOUD For President” the next time I log in? Pleaaaase.

Mr. Akbar palace comment # 72

I have beef with no one. Aboud and his crew are the ones who have beef with me.

They keep on putting me with those who cheer for the massacres that are taking place, and laugh at their jokes. It is not funny. I defend my beliefs and free to say whatever I like.

Of course I know that Syria’s future is different but Aboud and I differ on the method of change. He wants things to heat up and I want things to cool off and people to go to ballots asap.

Change comes through political parties and the rule of the law and not through the civil war we are witnessing now.

Sheila

“You post this wonderful article that is so true and you get 13 dislikes (so far)”

The Onion put it best when they described such things as “Register my impotent rage!” buttons. LOL!

Mr. Aboud comment # 74

I have to work so I will be brief:

Mr. Aboud things are not funny and your curses are not gonna take us any where.

You can not talk about spelling here when you can not write one good sentence without inserting your smiley faces and chat room lingo.

Your video game references made me bring to you the number of weapons al-Assad has. AS for their effectiveness, I think they are better than your Sony play station and bootleg Call of Duty.

When I tell you : “You know where we came from:” I was telling you that in “our” culture cursing someone makes them go crazy and when the demonstrators are cursing al-Assads, the retaliation is more blood on the street. This is the truth. How come you did not see my meaning mr. Syrian. Or you are a person who does not care about the number of dead and will keep on wanting people to come to the street to face a killing machine. What is the wisdom of this?

I am not a pro Assad but want change to happen in a SMART way and not let our emotions and revenge mentality rule the future of SYRIA.

Abu Umar comments # 81 and 79

Abu Umar you have a problem understanding sentences and putting them in context.

“Where we came from” was a reference to the norm that Arabic men gets angry when you curse them.

A simple man like you can not comprehend.

AS for the names of the Muslim Brothers members you mentioned I know that they all advocated, decreed and did violent acts against civilians targets like buses, and trains.

To dear #79. Abu Umar:

I know you are very upset. We all are. However, this does not give you the right to attack all the Alawiis like you did. I have close friends who are Alawiis and against the regime. i also have relatives, who are sunni muslim and all for the regime.
Please be fair minded. Even though many Alawiis are with the regime, not all are. you also have to remember how hard the regime is working to scare them from what will happen to them if it is gone. Your outburst only confirms what the regime is saying.

To all Alawiis on the forum and elswhere, I sincerely apologize.

“Or you are a person who does not care about the number of dead and will keep on wanting people to come to the street to face a killing machine”

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the only language the menhebaks know. Come out to the streets, and we will kill you. Stop coming out, or we will kill you. Stop insulting his exaltedness, President X-Box, or we will kill you.

“I am not a pro Assad ”

That’s a lie. You seem to get more worked up over insults to your pathetic child of a president, than the blatant bombing of a mosque in Deir el Zour, or the arrest of doctors and lawyers in Aleppo for holding peaceful sit ins.

You consider calling your pathetic president “Besho, eye doctor, junior, X-Box geek” as provocative? Then tell me how provoked people have the right to feel when their mosques are bombed, when their relatives and friends are murdered for demanding their rights, when people are arrested at random to punish a neighborhood for demonstrating.

You have no empathy whatsoever with Syrians, as we can clearly see by the disgraceful way that you dismiss the rights of a massive segment of Latakian society, because they are “conservative and poor”. If you are what it means to be a liberal, then you give liberalism a very, very bad name.

“He wants things to heat up and I want things to cool off and people to go to ballots asap. ”

The demonstrations will never end, too bad for you. Even when there is a fully working democracy, demonstrations will not end, because people have the right to protest for whatever it is they want changed. Demonstrations are a healthy expression of free will and expression, but it is your pathetic president who has turned demonstrations into a life and death risk.

Tell me, of the 2000 Syrians your inept president murdered, how many were armed insurgent? How is it that any so called Syrian can not demand an answer to that question? The kind who have no empathy for Syrians, but who think they deserve what they get for insulting junior, Besho, the mafia-don wannabe, the Hafez copy cat.

“Aboud, can I use the name “ABOUD For President” the next time I log in? ”

Hehehe, be my guest, but no one go and think I’m accepting the nomination. Although my left toe could do a better job than junior LOL! 🙂

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/robert-fisk-this-slaughter-will-end-only-when-words-of-condemnation-are-acted-on-2334157.html

Robert Fisk: This slaughter will end only when words of condemnation are acted on

Dictator of Damascus will continue his bloody reign until he is stopped

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Words, words, words. Bashar al-Assad knows his Hamlet, and he is not impressed.

Yes, his isolation grows daily. A day after King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia pulled his ambassador out of Damascus, the Kuwaitis and Bahrainis – we shall naturally ignore, here, Bahrain’s own bloody internal suppression – have dutifully followed his example.

The Arab League believes that Bashar should “immediately stop” the violence. The UN has roared, though it managed to smear Syria’s protesters by calling for both sides “to exercise restraint” – as if the demonstrators had tanks – and Mr Medvedev, the Russian President, has talked grimly of Bashar’s “fate”. Even Turkey, according to the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has “run out of patience”. A Turkish “safe haven” in the north of Syria, anyone?

The trouble is that everyone has been running out of patience with Syria since the spring, and no one has done more than turn up the rhetoric as the statistics of innocent dead ticked up from 500 to 1,000, to more than 2,000. And of course the absence of journalists inside Syria means that the full story is not known. Syrian television has shown gunmen among demonstrators in Hama, while nightly I watch Syrian state television recording the funerals of dozens – now perhaps 300 – soldiers. Who killed them? Who are the gunmen? YouTube is a dodgy witness to history but there can be little doubt that, faced with state violence on such a scale, civilians have armed themselves to protect their families, to take revenge on the regime, to keep the Syrian militias out of their cities.

And the Assad family, cynical as it is, enacting legislative reform while killing those who might benefit from the new laws, fully understands the hypocrisy of the Arab and European reaction to the Syrian bloodbath. Had Messrs Cameron, Sarkozy and Obama stopped short after they saved Benghazi – had they reined in their juvenile enthusiasm for destroying Gaddafi – they may have had the spittle (I use Sir Thomas More’s word for courage) and the munitions to destroy some of Assad’s 8,000 tanks. That massive fleet of armour, one should add, was paid for by the Syrian people in order to be protect Syria from Israel – not to protect the regime from the Syrians themselves.

William Hague – he who once childishly believed Gaddafi was en route to Venezuela – has been waffling on about how little the West can do to stop Assad. This is rubbish. Britain’s RAF bases in Cyprus are infinitely closer to Syria than to Libya. Had we prevented the bloodbath in Benghazi and left the Libyans to their civil war, we might have found a public opinion strong enough to stomach an assault on the Assad legions. But no, Libya has oil, Syria has little and – despite all the roaring from the Arabs – most of the dictators, in Saudi Arabia, in Bahrain, in the rest of the Middle East, would still prefer a “reformed” Assad to freedom, dignity and liberty for his people. The Israelis don’t want regime change in Damascus. Do the Americans?

You only have to compare Obama’s reaction to the massacre in Norway and to the infinitely larger blood-shedding in Syria. Obama described how the Norwegian killings “broke his heart”. Yet the slaughter of far more innocents in Syria merely elicits the idea that the United States can live without Assad if he goes. There are plenty of Breiviks among the Syrian Shabiha murderers in Syria – but no Western leaders to mourn their handiwork. Bashar Assad knows this. And don’t be fooled by the tears pouring forth from the Keeper of the Three Holy Places.

Any sane Arab, Muslim – “or anyone who knows that this has nothing to do with religion, ethics or morals”, in the words of King Abdullah – knows that spilling innocent blood leads to hopelessness. We might be more impressed were it not for the fact the Saudis and their tame imams remained resolutely silent when a million and a half Muslims were slaughtered on the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war battlefields. Back then, of course, the Saudis – and the West – were on the side of that nice Sunni Muslim dictator Saddam Hussein against the horrible Shia theocrat Khomeini. Now the Sunnis of Syria are fighting the Shia – for which read Alawite – dictator of Damascus. Having convinced themselves that his survival would only embolden Shia Iran, however, the monarch of Riyadh has come down on the side of the Syrian people – for now, at least.

Assad is almost certainly doomed. But he’s more like Macbeth, “in blood stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go’er”.

Like Robert Fisk on The Independent on Facebook for updates

The article entitled “In Syria we need a revolution in our heads” held my interest, although it is an old one (June 14th). It caught my interest, because it brought to my mind many important issues, including the author (Imad al-Rasheed) and the National Salvage Congress.

First, let me start by introducing the author for you. The author’s full name is Imad al-Deen a-Rasheed. He is the Vice Dean of the Academic Affairs in the Faculty of the al- Sharia’a at the University of Damascus. He holds two doctorates and authored a number of books. Of note, Imad is very interested in politics. A professor of Sharia’a (with a beard ) interested in politics is a flag-raising phenomenon. To everybody surprise, Imad is a tolerant and an open-minded “intellectual” as can be seen from his article posted on this blog. Indeed, he believes in a state-based on secularism as it can be deduced from the following statement included in this article “This would allow the creation of a civil democracy that could uphold the values of citizenship, justice and freedom governed by equal rights and responsibilities for the country’s entire people.”

Although Imad is an inspiring intellectual, his organizational skills, unfortunately, are not good. As can be inferred from the article linked on this blog, Imad was the organizer of the National Salvage Congress. Indeed, that conference was a complete failure, as I pointed out in of my notes on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=115425065221774), which I posted on a considerable number of the Syrian Revolution Facebook pages. This failure originates from the lack of intellectual depth and organizational skills of the people responsible for preparing for that conference.

-The invitations came very loose and ill-defined. In fact, the invitations were public, not nominative, and addressed to “the components of the Syrian society: independent effective figures, political parties, including official parties, political activists, and cultural, economic, legal, and social initiatives” (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=127271047354352) . Indeed, this description can fit to hundreds of thousands of Syrians, although the organizers prepared themselves only for roughly two hundreds of participant (in the Istanbul branch of this meeting), suggesting that there was a lack of logic in there thinking.

-Although the invitation was public, it was made as Facebook note that was not advertized in usual media outlets or the major facebook pages of the Syrian revolution. A lot of Syrian intellectuals or highly-qualified persons ended by not knowing about it, while some invitees were 17 or 18 years old, because the organizing committee did not verify the credentials of the people responded to the invitation.

-The meeting was designed to be held concomitantly in Damascus and Istanbul, however the Damascus branch was cancelled, because the Syrian regime massacred more than 24 persons at the site where the meeting was supposed to be held in Damascus. Certainly, the organizers were naïve enough to imagine that the regime would permit to them to hold the meeting inside Syria, as I pointed out in my response to a previous invitation to hold a meeting for the opposition in Damascus (http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/response-to-call-to-hold-meeting-for.html).

– As regard to the objective (or the agenda) of the conference. The organizers put two objectives: define the image of Syria after the regime falls as country for all its citizens and form a shadow government. The idea of the shadow government was based on the assumption that the regime will fall the soon and a government of technocrats is needed to fill up the vacuum. Certainly, the regime is not falling down shortly and this is not the representative political entity that the opposition need at this time as I pointed out in an e-mail that I sent to the president the conference (Mr. Haitham al-Maleh) (http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-kind-of-leading-entity-does-syrian.html). Further, the conference failed to achieve the first objective (defining Syria as a country for all its citizens), because the Kurdish withdrew itself from the conference over a dispute whether Syria should be called as the Syrian Arab Republic or the Syrian Republic. Of course, all these discussion were inappropriate at this time, because only the Syrian people (by referendum) can define such image in Syria. Further, while the attendees were discussing this symbolic issue, dozens of people were killed in streets everyday. The final declaration of the conference came a general one (http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/final-declaration-of-national-salvage.html), indicating the lack good preparation for the conference, and the executive committee came too big (25 members), reflecting the bureaucracy-ridden mentality of Syrians (anyway this committee is presently in complete slumber). In my opinion more realistic and concrete objectives should have been put for the conference, including defining ways to bring the utterly divided opposition to work together (http://haytham-khoury2.blogspot.com/2011/07/syrian-opposition-from-absurdity-to.html) and devising strategies to accelerate the death of the regime.

For all the reason mentioned above, I agree with Imad al-Rasheed that the Syrians need a revolution in their heads, but the one they really need one now is different from that he thought about.

Hey #84. مندس
I clicked a “like” on your post in an attempt to thwart your effort to unseat me from my throne as the most “dislike” winner.
Not withstanding the fact that I like what you said.

Spam filter working up again, but I do want to address this:

“I was telling you that in “our” culture cursing someone makes them go crazy and when the demonstrators are cursing al-Assads, the retaliation is more blood on the street. ”

If a president cannot keep his cool and remain leveled headed even when “provoked”, then he is no better than the mindless mobs rioting in London. He is immature, a child, and would better spend his time raking up more X-Box achievements than pretending to be a leader. 3agi emfakar halo za3em.

Again, I ask the question you ignored. Were the doctors in Aleppo cursing Hafez El3an Roho Athad when they were arrested?

And your excusing the murder of 2000 Syrians in this way shows you have zero empathy for the Syrian people in general.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/robert-fisk-this-slaughter-will-end-only-when-words-of-condemnation-are-acted-on-2334157.html

Robert Fisk: This slaughter will end only when words of condemnation are acted on

Dictator of Damascus will continue his bloody reign until he is stopped

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Words, words, words. Bashar al-Assad knows his Hamlet, and he is not impressed.

The Arab League believes that Bashar should “immediately stop” the violence. The UN has roared, though it managed to smear Syria’s protesters by calling for both sides “to exercise restraint” – as if the demonstrators had tanks – and Mr Medvedev, the Russian President, has talked grimly of Bashar’s “fate”. Even Turkey, according to the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has “run out of patience”. A Turkish “safe haven” in the north of Syria, anyone?

The trouble is that everyone has been running out of patience with Syria since the spring, and no one has done more than turn up the rhetoric as the statistics of innocent dead ticked up from 500 to 1,000, to more than 2,000. And of course the absence of journalists inside Syria means that the full story is not known. Syrian television has shown gunmen among demonstrators in Hama, while nightly I watch Syrian state television recording the funerals of dozens – now perhaps 300 – soldiers. Who killed them? Who are the gunmen? YouTube is a dodgy witness to history but there can be little doubt that, faced with state violence on such a scale, civilians have armed themselves to protect their families, to take revenge on the regime, to keep the Syrian militias out of their cities.

And the Assad family, cynical as it is, enacting legislative reform while killing those who might benefit from the new laws, fully understands the hypocrisy of the Arab and European reaction to the Syrian bloodbath. Had Messrs Cameron, Sarkozy and Obama stopped short after they saved Benghazi – had they reined in their juvenile enthusiasm for destroying Gaddafi – they may have had the spittle (I use Sir Thomas More’s word for courage) and the munitions to destroy some of Assad’s 8,000 tanks. That massive fleet of armour, one should add, was paid for by the Syrian people in order to be protect Syria from Israel – not to protect the regime from the Syrians themselves.

William Hague – he who once childishly believed Gaddafi was en route to Venezuela – has been waffling on about how little the West can do to stop Assad. This is rubbish. Britain’s RAF bases in Cyprus are infinitely closer to Syria than to Libya. Had we prevented the bloodbath in Benghazi and left the Libyans to their civil war, we might have found a public opinion strong enough to stomach an assault on the Assad legions. But no, Libya has oil, Syria has little and – despite all the roaring from the Arabs – most of the dictators, in Saudi Arabia, in Bahrain, in the rest of the Middle East, would still prefer a “reformed” Assad to freedom, dignity and liberty for his people. The Israelis don’t want regime change in Damascus. Do the Americans?

You only have to compare Obama’s reaction to the massacre in Norway and to the infinitely larger blood-shedding in Syria. Obama described how the Norwegian killings “broke his heart”. Yet the slaughter of far more innocents in Syria merely elicits the idea that the United States can live without Assad if he goes. There are plenty of Breiviks among the Syrian Shabiha murderers in Syria – but no Western leaders to mourn their handiwork. Bashar Assad knows this. And don’t be fooled by the tears pouring forth from the Keeper of the Three Holy Places.

Any sane Arab, Muslim – “or anyone who knows that this has nothing to do with religion, ethics or morals”, in the words of King Abdullah – knows that spilling innocent blood leads to hopelessness. We might be more impressed were it not for the fact the Saudis and their tame imams remained resolutely silent when a million and a half Muslims were slaughtered on the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war battlefields. Back then, of course, the Saudis – and the West – were on the side of that nice Sunni Muslim dictator Saddam Hussein against the horrible Shia theocrat Khomeini. Now the Sunnis of Syria are fighting the Shia – for which read Alawite – dictator of Damascus. Having convinced themselves that his survival would only embolden Shia Iran, however, the monarch of Riyadh has come down on the side of the Syrian people – for now, at least.

Assad is almost certainly doomed. But he’s more like Macbeth, “in blood stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go’er”.

Like Robert Fisk on The Independent on Facebook for updates

Yes, his isolation grows daily. A day after King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia pulled his ambassador out of Damascus, the Kuwaitis and Bahrainis – we shall naturally ignore, here, Bahrain’s own bloody internal suppression – have dutifully followed his example.

August 10, 2011
Support for Assad Government Shows Signs of Weakening
By ANTHONY SHADID and STEVEN LEE MYERS
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/world/middleeast/11syria.html?pagewanted=all
BEIRUT, Lebanon — As Syria continues its most relentless assault yet on a five-month uprising, killing more than a dozen protesters Wednesday, cracks have begun to emerge in a tight-knit leadership that has until now managed to rally its base of support and maintain a unified front, officials, dissidents and analysts say.

Though there are no signs of an imminent collapse, flagging support of the business elite in Damascus, divisions among senior officials and even moves by former government stalwarts to distance themselves from the leadership come at a time when Syria also faces what may be its greatest isolation in more than four decades of rule by the Assad family.

“They’re starting to be divided, and you have people in the government who are really getting frustrated with Assad and his security circles,” an Obama administration official in Washington said, referring to President Bashar al-Assad.

“It’s almost like watching a dysfunctional marriage,” the official said.

The shifting constellation of power in Damascus has underscored the perils of the months ahead. American and European officials acknowledge that they have limited tools to influence events in Syria, and a deeply divided opposition has so far failed to provide an alternative to the leadership of Mr. Assad. Activists in Syria warn that the government crackdown may also push largely peaceful protesters to violence, especially in the east, which is populated by well-armed extended clans with deep ties to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.

“We are stuck right now,” said Louay Hussein, a leading opposition figure who has had conversations with government officials on trying to open the political system “The government is counting on its military, and it could take a very long time before it uses up all its resources.”

An American diplomatic official said it seemed increasingly unlikely that Mr. Assad could remain in power. As a result, he said, the United States has begun making plans for a post-Assad era out of concern for the chaos that many expect to follow, should he fall. The Obama administration, he said, does not rule out a civil war. “It’s going to be messy,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the topic involved internal deliberations.

In Washington, the Obama administration has continued to ratchet up pressure on Syria. The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it had sanctioned the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria, along with a Lebanese-based subsidiary and Syriatel, the country’s largest mobile telephone operator. Syriatel is owned by Rami Makhlouf, a powerful businessman and a cousin of the president who was first sanctioned by the United States in 2008. The United States has already imposed sanctions on most of the country’s senior leaders, including President Assad, and several other businesses with close ties to the government.

Officials said European countries might take a decisive step to sanction Syria’s oil and gas industry this month, which would cripple one of Syria’s few remaining sources of revenue as its economy reels under the strain of the uprising. In Washington, officials say President Obama may soon declare that Mr. Assad must step down, a pronouncement the White House has so far been reluctant to make.

Turkey, once an ally of Syria, remains a wild card that could ease the pressure on Mr. Assad or intensify it. Its foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, went to Damascus on Tuesday, and American officials said he gave Mr. Assad a two-day deadline to end the crackdown. Though Turkish officials have said they are running out of patience, they still appear to hold out hope that Mr. Assad will make democratic changes in one of the region’s most repressive countries. It is a position few others share.

“We’re not on the same page,” the American official acknowledged.

In Damascus this week, 41 former Baathists and government officials took a step that would have been unthinkable for party stalwarts not long ago: They announced an initiative for a political transition. Led by Mohammed Salman, a former information minister with deep connections to the leadership closest to Mr. Assad, the group urged an end to the crackdown, the deployment of the military and the relentless arrest campaign.

Otherwise, the group warned, the country was headed for “catastrophic results.”

Some opposition figures dismissed the initiative as trying “to whiten its black page in the past.” But to others it represented a remarkable fissure, coming as it did from former ministers and senior party officials who at the very least acknowledged that change was inevitable.

Through much of his reign, Mr. Assad had managed to conceal the ferocity of the ubiquitous police state his father, Hafez, built after taking power in 1970. Since the uprising, the military and, in particular, the security forces have returned to the forefront, and they have remained unified despite occasional defections in carrying out a crackdown that some activists say has killed more than 2,000 people. Unless armed forces turn against Mr. Assad, analysts and diplomats say, there is no immediate threat to his rule.

But as the government has resorted almost solely to violence in repressing the uprising, with more killed Wednesday in the central city of Homs, in Idlib in the north, in Nawa in the south and in the Damascus suburbs, frustration appears to be growing within the inner circle. That has pitted hard-line members of Mr. Assad’s family — figures like Maher al-Assad, his brother, and Assef Shawkat, his brother-in-law — against some longtime officials who remain in contact with foreign colleagues.

Some analysts and diplomats say Mr. Assad himself has yet to appreciate the depth of the challenge posed by the uprising. Others said senior officials remain convinced the uprising is led by militant Islamists. A Western official, citing multiple accounts, said security forces went so far as to use antiaircraft guns against civilian buildings in Hama, which the military attacked July 31.

“The level of frustration within the regime right now is unprecedented,” said a Damascus-based analyst with access to Syrian officials who asked not to be named.

“The regime has played all its cards,” the analyst said. “The one left is a constant increase in levels of repression and violence, and I think that will fail, too. That’s what it’s trying now, but I don’t think that will be successful, either. Then after that, what’s left?”

Damascus and Aleppo, Syria’s two largest cities, have remained quiet, as the economic elite in both locales remain fearful of a chaotic aftermath to Mr. Assad’s government. But officials and analysts say more and more businessmen have reached out to the opposition, including a leading figure from the Alawite minority, from which Mr. Assad’s leadership disproportionately draws its support. Others seem to be trying to keep channels open to both sides, as they wait to see which party gains a decisive edge, analysts said.

“They’re starting to turn to us, to the United States, and say, ‘What can we do? How can we help?’ ” the American official said. “The domino effect is going to go even faster for the Sunni business elite, and that’s when you’ll see Damascus go up in flames.”

Even some activists, who long insisted colleagues chant “peaceful!” at their protests, warned of the shape any change might take. In Hama, Saleh al-Hamawi, an activist, said youths were insisting on taking up arms after the military’s assault.

“ ‘Either they kill us or we kill them,’ I heard them saying the other day,” he said.

101. Sheila said:

Hey #84. مندس

Sheila,

I knew you would do that. I had you in mind when I posted. The menhimbaks seem to be sitting on their hands. Come on, I’m not staying on the road for ever.

Sorry for my English this time. I was writing, while I was at work.

Exclusive: A Visit to Hama, the Rebel Syrian City that Refused to Die
By Rania Abouzeid / Hama

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2088068,00.html#ixzz1UjjUX9yT

Hama’s streets are deserted. They are strewn with debris, not so much from the shelling that left gaping holes in many of the four or five-storey residential buildings along the city’s main thoroughfares, several of which are now blackened, but from the desperate, makeshift barricades set up by residents in a bid to block Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s tanks. There are piles of broken cinderblocks, doors torn from their hinges, sheets of decorative wrought iron. At Roundabout 40, along a main road, there are even two fire trucks, now burnt. “It didn’t stop them,” says a resident as he surveys the damage. “It didn’t even slow them down.”

Much of the army that stormed this scarred, proudly rebellious city almost two weeks ago withdrew to its outskirts on Aug. 9. Although most foreign journalists are banned from entering Syria, TIME did so clandestinely. It witnessed convoys of dozens of tanks, transported on flatbed trucks, rolling out of Hama along the main highway toward Homs, some 40 kilometers away, followed by ramshackle trucks flying the Syrian flag and full of troops, their weapons haphazardly pointed at passing civilian cars. (As the World Protests, Syria’s Isolated Regime Sticks to Its Guns)

Still, there remain military units in Hama’s Assi Square, scene of the massive protests that roiled Assad’s regime for weeks. It’s a no-go zone for civilians. There are also clusters of tanks at several key locations around Hama, including in front of the city’s two main hospitals, Al-Hourani and Al-Bader, which residents say have been emptied of patients. TIME could not verify the claim because troops were rigorously checking the IDs of anyone who attempted to enter the medical facilities. By some accounts, security forces were killing wounded protesters in the hospitals. Em Mahmoud, who has been a nursing veteran for 22 years and who works at a private 30-bed hospital not far from Roundabout 40, says several injured protesters were brought into her facility, too afraid to seek treatment in the main facilities. One was shot in the chest, another in the knee. “Soldiers came into the hospital looking for wounded protesters,” she says. “We hid the three that we had, we moved them on gurneys and in wheelchairs toward the back entrance and from there we drove them to a safe house.”

Residents speak of being unable to reach bodies in the streets, of snipers targeting people in their homes, of house-to-house searches, mass indiscriminate detentions, looting and even rape. There are cars in the streets that have been shot up, several with bullet holes that pierced their windscreens on the drivers’ sides, at head level. It’s unclear how many people were killed, although residents speak of hundreds dead. In the coming days there will be an accounting, as families slowly return, and the numbers of missing, detained and dead are ascertained.

But perhaps even more painful than the physical damage, residents say it is the humiliation: the graffiti Assad’s troops left all over the main streets, much of which is considered blasphemous and deeply offensive to this religiously conservative majority Sunni Muslim city. “There is no God but Bashar,” is scrawled in black paint in Souk al-Farwatiye, across the street from the vast, imposing, white stone structure that is the ruling Baath Party headquarters in the city. “God Bashar and Maher Mohammad,” reads another sign, referring to Assad’s younger brother Maher, commander of the despised 4th Division, responsible for much of the bloodshed over the past five months. The graffiti equates Bashar al-Assad to God and his brother to the Prophet Muhammad. “God wants Bashar.” “Assad’s lions passed through here.” “We choose three; God, Bashar and Maher,” read other signs, near anti-regime graffiti that has been scribbled over. Some messages are chilling in their simplicity: “If you return, we return.”

Hama was a city under siege for almost a month until Sunday July 31, the eve of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, when the military stormed the city. Residents say that Sunday was the bloodiest. “They shelled us continuously from 5 a.m. until 10 a.m. every day and then again from the afternoon all night,” says one resident, a young man in a white singlet who refused to give his name. He asks me to wait before coming back after several minutes with a black plastic bag full of empty bullet casings, and at least 15 14.5 caliber anti-aircraft shells, weaponry not supposed to be used on civilians.

The people of Hama buried their many dead in public gardens, unable to reach the city’s cemeteries, due to heavy shelling. Still, despite what was clearly a large assault, there is no talk of revenge, or anger toward the soldiers. In dozens of conversations with Hamwis, as the residents call themselves, over the past few days, all said the same thing: the soldiers were forced to follow orders, on pain of death. “They are all our children,” says one man, 55, who gave his name as Abu Ali. The city’s ire is directed toward the security and intelligence forces, as well as the clumps of black-clad armed thugs known as shabiha, who still man checkpoints all over the city. “Our dispute isn’t with the army, it’s with the regime,” said Abu Abdo, a 30 year old whose home was shelled. “They have been told we are armed gangs. We want this regime to fall.”

Abu Ali, 25, has a broken, bloody nose. On Friday, he was at home with his mother, when “shabiha” and security forces kicked down his door. “I didn’t have time to hear them say anything. There were about five of them, they walked in and started hitting me.” He says he doesn’t know why, or how long the assault lasted. A short, hairy man, he lifts his gray t-shirt to reveal two still-red raw diagonal cuts across his right abdomen before turning around to reveal seven circular burns on his back, made by cigarettes, he says. “They took our money, our TV and my mother’s gold. May God damn them,” he says bitterly. (See pictures of the protests in Syria.)

The electricity and phone lines are now working, although both were cut for the first five days of the siege. Food ran low, but the community did not run out, thanks to the efforts of nearby towns whose people smuggled in supplies that were quickly distributed to those in need.

This is a city used to adversity. The bloody events of 1982 — when Assad’s father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad destroyed the city for its Islamist insurrection — are still vivid. Almost every family in this city of some 800,000 lost relatives during that blood-soaked period. During that period, Hafez blamed the assault on his brother, Rifaat, a military commander, and the two were estranged until Hafez’s death in 2000. The people of Hama say this time, they will not allow Bashar to get away with what he has done to their city, nor blame it on his brother Maher, also a military commander. They plan to renew their protests on Friday, indeed there were protests in several neighborhoods the very same night that the military pulled back to the perimeter of the city. “On Friday, we will protest in our neighborhoods, because we can’t reach Assi,” said one resident. “We will continue protesting, if we didn’t want to before, we want to now.”

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2088068,00.html#ixzz1Ujja3BPy

when it comes to Latakia,m.jabali was right. the city is unlikely to copy Hama,Idleb or Homs due to its demographics. however,the biggest chunk of alawis who were sent to prison by alasads came from Latakia. the relative lack of support to this uprising in Latakia is not due to the regime’s popularity but to the fear of the alternatives and the questionable quality of the people who demonstrate in Latakia. Almost every demo in Latakia came from neighborhoods that are hardly stricken by poverty,low education levels and religious militancy. this does not mean those people do not have the right to demonstrate and it does not mean that the regime is good for Latakia,however,the truth is the truth.please do not shoot me for being honest.
I still find posts coming from a number of pro and anti to be informative and worth reading,mr abboud is funny and energetic but there is not much depth in his posts.I am personally in favor of seeing posts from everybody as long as there is no foul language or sectarian hatred overtly used.

STL Informs Murr, Hamadeh that their Assassination Attempts are Linked to Hawi’s and Hariri’s
11 hours ago
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/12519-stl-informs-murr-hamadeh-that-their-assassination-attempts-are-linked-to-hawis-and-hariris
Former Defense Minister Elias Murr announced on Thursday that a detailed indictment in the investigation into his attempted assassination will be released soon, reported LBC television.

He made his statements after holding talks with a delegation from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon delegation and General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza, which he described as “a secret meeting.”

He added that what he heard from them “was unfortunate for Lebanon.”

Murr later told LBC that the STL delegation revealed to him the identity of the sides who executed his assassination attempt.

Mirza and the joint U.N. and international investigators commission then held talks with former minister Marwan Hamadeh, who was also a victim of an assassination attempt in 2004.

He said after the meeting that he was satisfied with the progress achieved by the investigation, adding that the tribunal will “inevitably” be established.

“We were summoned to the prosecutor general’s office in Beirut and were told by the STL team that the probe had moved forward and that there will be an announcement shortly concerning our cases,” said Hamadeh.

“The information we were given is troubling because it reveals the magnitude of the conspiracy,” Hamadeh said, refusing to elaborate.

Mirza and STL delegation later met with ex-LBCI anchorwoman May Chidiac, who was a victim of an assassination attempt.

She said after the talks: “Revelations will soon be made in Hamadeh and Murr’s cases and a third one, which I cannot disclose.”

It was later reported that this third case is that of the assassination of former Communist Party leader, George Hawi and that the STL trial will address the Hariri and Hawi assassinations and Hamadeh and Murr attempted murders, all four of which are connected.

Great cartoon of Dictator Pencilneck:

http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/images/print-edition/20110813_MAD001_0.jpg

Syrian forces reportedly kill 11 in new attack on Homs
11 August 2011
11:59
Trend News Agency
English

At least 11 civilians were killed Thursday when Syrian army and security forces stormed the Qusair area of the central city of Homs, DPA reported referring to Al Arabiya broadcaster. The Dubai-based television station quoted witnesses as saying that heavy gunfire was heard in Qusair, which has been the scene of overnight anti-government demonstrations since the Muslim holy month of Ramadan started on August 1. They added that security forces were carrying out mass arrests. Meanwhile, activists said that the Syrian army swooped Thursday on the town of Sraqab in the province of Idlib near the border with Turkey. The new offensive came hours after 27 people were killed overnight by army and security forces in three flashpoint cities, according to anti-government activists. The Federation of the Local Coordination Committees of the Syrian Revolution, an opposition group, said 19 civilians had been killed in Homs.

The other deaths occurred in the north-eastern city of Deir al-Zour and in Idlib, they said. Activists posted footage on the internet showing a mosque minaret being toppled by gunfire in Deir al-Zour. They blamed the army and security forces. Other footage showed what activists said were overnight anti-government protests in several Syrian areas, including Homs, the southern province of Daraa and in the suburban town of Hersta, near Damascus. On Thursday, the Arab League said its chief, Nabil al-Arabi, was updated by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu on the outcome of his talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. According to a statement released by the pan-Arab organization, al-Arabi and Davutoglu discussed during a phone conversation a “roadmap” to resolve the Syrian crisis. Al-Arabi also spoke by phone with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, read the statement, without providing details. “The Arab League secretary general will continue his contacts and consultations with the Syrian leadership and Arab foreign ministers on the developments of the situation in Syria,” read the statement. The statement expressed the organization’s “extreme worry” over the rise in violence and civilian victims in Syria. “The consequences threaten not only Syria, but also the region’s security and stability,” it added. Broadcaster Al Jazeera quoted residents as saying that Syrian troops had not withdrawn from the central city of Hama, the scene of a 10-day military operation, despite earlier announcements to the contrary. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday the Turkish ambassador in Damascus had visited Hama and reported that tanks had started to leave the city. The tanks returned to Hama after the end of the visit, during which the Turkish envoy was accompanied by journalists, according to activists. Meanwhile, state Syrian television broadcast Thursday “confessions” by what it described as a man belonging to “terrorist elements” in Hama. The man said armed groups were involved in attacks and subversive acts in the city. The Syrian government says its clampdown is aimed at armed groups involved in a “foreign conspiracy” and vowed no let-up. The continuing crackdown came as international pressure on the government of al-Assad mounted. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu delivered a “stern message” to Assad on Tuesday. A US diplomatic official told the New York Times the United States increasingly believed that Assad could not hold out indefinitely and that plans were being made for a post-Assad era. Around 1,750 civilians and 406 security personnel have been killed since the pro-democracy protests started in Syria in mid-March, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It is hard to verify these reports, as the Syrian authorities have barred most foreign media and international human rights groups from the country.

Syrian troops kill 5 in town near Lebanese border where anti-government protests common
By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press
11 August 2011
Associated Press Newswires

BEIRUT (AP) – The Syrian army shot dead at least five people in a western town near the Lebanese border Thursday and stormed a northwestern town near Turkey’s border, activists said.

The shooting in the town of Qusair also wounded 16 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Damascus-based Abdul-Karim Rihawi, head of the Syrian Human Rights League, said seven people were killed. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the discrepancy in the death toll.

Anti-government protests are common in Qusair and, combined with the early morning assault on the town of Saraqeb near the Turkish border, reflected the determination of President Bashar Assad to crush the five-month old uprising despite mounting international condemnation.

The U.S. imposed new sanctions on Wednesday, and a flurry of foreign diplomats have rolled through Damascus urging Assad to end a campaign of killing that rights groups say has left about 1,700 dead since mid-March. Turkey’s foreign minister, a day after meeting with Assad, on Wednesday renewed his condemnation of the attacks.

A U.S.-based international human rights groups released a report Wednesday night accusing Syrian authorities of targeting medical facilities, health workers and their patients. It called on the government to safeguard doctors’ obligations to provide neutral and ethical care for civilians.

Physicians for Human Rights said security forces control access to hospitals, and many injured civilians in need of critical care are forgoing treatment because they fear being detained and tortured if they seek care at government-controlled medical facilities.

“In addition to the widely reported atrocities committed by the government, PHR has received reports of serious violations of medical neutrality in Syria,” a statement by the group said.

It also quoted a group of Syrian physicians as saying 134 doctors have either been detained by the government or have disappeared.

The attack on Saraqeb is particularly noteworthy because it sits in Idlib, a province bordering Turkey. Intense protests in the area triggered a harsh government response, forcing hundreds of Syrians to flee across the border. The military on Wednesday said it withdrew from residential districts in the area and returned to its barracks.

Troops detained at least 100 people in Saraqeb, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Explosions and gunfire reverberated through the area after the army rolled in, said the Local Coordination Committees, an activist group that helps organize and document the protests.

The military action came a day after the information ministry ferried local journalists to Idlib. A senior army officer told reporters that troops were withdrawing to their barracks, leaving residential districts in the province’s cities.

On the same day, Syrian security forces shot dead at least 15 people in the central flashpoint city of Homs, according to the LCC.

The government justified its attacks on various cities by saying it was dealing with terrorist gangs and criminals who were fomenting unrest.

The uprising was inspired by the revolutions and calls for reform sweeping the Arab world, and activists and rights groups say most of those killed have been unarmed civilians. An aggressive new military offensive that began with the Ramadan at the start of the month killed several hundred people in just one week.

The London-based observatory said authorities on Wednesday night detained opposition figure Hassan Zahra during a raid in a Damascus suburb. Zahra, a 67-year-old member of the Communist Action Front, was detained at least once since the uprising began, it said.

International condemnation over the crackdown has been strong, and growing more forceful.

US poised to call for Syria’s Assad to go
Lachlan Carmichael
11 August 2011

Agence France Presse

The United States, after weeks of hesitation, has finally decided to call explicitly for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down amid broadening pressure to staunch the bloodshed.

The announcement, which US officials said is expected as early as Thursday, would come as President Barack Obama’s administration presses for tougher international sanctions on a regime bent on crushing a pro-democracy movement.

“The United States is looking to explicitly call for Assad to step down. The timing of that is still in question,” a US official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

“It’s part of steps to increase the pressure given the ongoing brutality of the Assad regime.”

Another US official, who also asked not to be named, said the call for Assad’s resignation could come as early as Thursday.

The administration has steadily ratcheted up the pressure on Assad who has been deaf to growing international calls to stop a crackdown that human rights groups say has killed more than 2,000 people since mid-March.

On top of earlier targeted measures against Assad, regime officials and others, the United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria and the largest mobile phone operator, Syriatel.

The Obama administration has also welcomed a tougher Arab stand against Syria. In a highly symbolic move, Arab heavyweight Saudi Arabia as well as Kuwait and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors this week from Damascus.

US officials like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN envoy Susan Rice have said that Assad has lost his legitimacy to rule, but Washington has so far resisted issuing a direct call for him to leave power.

It has also resisted calls from Congress to withdraw Robert Ford, who in January became the first US ambassador to serve in Syria since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq al-Hariri, blamed on Damascus.

The administration has said Ford is well-placed to gather information and convey the US message to the Assad regime, but he would be unlikely to be able to stay on if Washington indeed calls for the Syrian strongman’s ouster.

Steadily escalating US rhetoric against Assad, including a warning that he is now a source of regional instability, has fueled expectations that the Obama administration will soon formally call for him to go.

But the White House Wednesday stuck with a rhetorical formulation towards Syria adopted last week, saying the country would be a “better place” without Assad.

When they held their first meeting with Clinton on August 2, Syrian dissidents urged Obama to call on Assad to quit power and pressed for UN sanctions over the regime’s crackdown on protests.

One of the dissidents said such a high-profile US call for Assad to step down would bring more protesters into Syria’s streets.

US officials said they were also pressing allies with greater business interests in Syria to impose bilateral sanctions against the regime, including those targeting the key oil and gas sectors.

The United States and its Western allies have also stepped up demands for UN measures against Assad.

But UN Security Council battlelines were drawn when Russia’s UN envoy said Wednesday that US calls for sanctions were not helping to end the crackdown by Syrian security forces.

UN Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco briefed the 15-member Security Council behind closed doors about events in Syria in the week since the council called for an “immediate” halt to the violence.

In a bid to keep Syria high on the Security Council agenda, Western nations pressed for a new report next week with briefings from the top UN human rights and humanitarian officials.

Envoys from Britain, France, Germany and Portugal said after the meeting that the Security Council would have to consider “further action” if events did not improve by the next report.

To #109. Haytham Khoury,

This is real funny. We are all afraid of Aboud, the spelling police. Do not worry Haytheam. He only goes after the minhibaks.

Thank you Sheila (#115).

However, I would like to go the question of Latakia and the revolution. Latakia is the place where the sectarian conflicts can become very bloody. For this reason, all the people are apprehending the worst there, a till point they started to presently deal with it with denial. My wife is from Latakia. When she calls her parents, their answer is always, these is nothing here. However, according to my wife that is a sign of denial rather a sign of real tranquility. Indeed, one of the cities that had early demonstrations was lattakia, but the regime was fast to deploy the army there to avoid sectarian clashes. My wife expects that Latakia will be one of last battleground (hopefully not, but I am apprehending the worst).

Dear OTW

Can you elaborate further in regard to peaceful as opposed to non- violent?

Dr. Abu Ghassan,

Could you please back up with some evidence your claim about “religious militancy” of the anti-regome population of Lattakia.

Thank you.

As for Aboud and Guy in Damascus,

As I said, keep coming out on the streets, keep up the fight. Thats the only way we can win, not from some useless diplomatic maneouvres by Turkey and Saudi Arabia, both of which are hypocrites with no real sympathy for the Syrian people.

Welcome to the Real World…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Red_Dawn

@مندس
im really flattered, but heres the best part, im nothing compared to the rest,there are countless braver youths than me. i have participated in very little demonstrations and had 2 attempts at failed ones( for my security i won’t say where). who you really have to admire are the youths that risking their lives and are trying to awaken the silent parts of Damascus( like the shabab at abu remaneh). their ideas and aspirations are even better.
@all
as usual since tomorrow is a friday, i passed by the kafer suseh mukhabarat area, and SURPRISE! found more than 40 buses. these thugs wield batons, ak-47s and pistols.
only today i realized, that 1 anti-regime protester is worth 1000 pro-regime protesters.
syria, the world and humanity are better off without the Assads. but even dentists take care when removing rotten teeth.
——————————————————
shabeeh logic 101:
Bashar once counted to infinity-TWICE!

“,mr abboud is funny and energetic but there is not much depth in his posts”

Thank you Abughassan, but how deep do you want me to go with people who cannot even answer the following questions;

1) Why is Najati Tayara in jail?

2) How many of the 2,000 Syrians murdered by the regime, were in a state of armed insurrection, or even had a Jihadist history?

3) Why was a peaceful protest of doctors in Aleppo University Hospital broken up?

4) Why hasn’t the regime tried to track down the alleged saboteurs behind the pipeline blast, the attack on the military academy, and the trail derailment?

Four simple questions. I have many more, but the menhebaks cannot answer or discuss even these. Because they are questions that go to the very heart of the lie that is the regime’s claims of reforms, and of fighting armed gangs. Examining these questions would inevitably lead to the conclusion that junior is a liar, who cannot be trusted to keep his word or a commitment.

Just look at the graffiti reported in post number 110. No, Besho you little piece of a dog’s behind, you are not God, but God will deal with you after he’s done roasting your father.

118. HAYTHAM KHOURY said:
” My wife is from Latakia. When she calls her parents, their answer is always, these is nothing here. ”
Dear Hatyham
Believe your wife family in Latakia as people who are making the daily folklore are not from Latakian origin, they had come from Iedleb, Jeser Alshegor, and other cities to work in Latakia in construction and some jobs which Latakia people do not like to do…..They had settled in a Palestinian camp area where drugs and crime are common……….
The army is not entering this area because of its overcrowded nature, the cost of such military operation would be very expensive……The army is doing what you can name a micro surgery.

These terorrists are isolated in this place, most Latakians are living their daily life, enjoying the sea ,spending the week end in Solenfeh and Kasab……
Most Sunni people in Latakia live in peace with their Alawaite and Christian neighbors……
The dream of establishing a sectarian war in Latakia had failed from the first few days of the disturbances…..
I think that some of the writers on this blog are from Latakia and I suppose they know the situation on the ground very well.
Latakia people like Syria people are united and they will continue to live as they had been for thousands of years…

“This is real funny. We are all afraid of Aboud, the spelling police. Do not worry Haytheam. He only goes after the minhibaks.”

LOL. The reason I point out crappy grammar is because I find it such an amazing coincidence that all the menhebaks make the same spelling mistakes, and don’t at all seem to have the language skills one expects from people who claim to be living in the West.

Do you know how you could spot a mukhabarat operative in the early days of Facebook? They were all “Yoo iz traitur you iz Zoonist the serian beoble lov El doctor Bathaaaaaaaaar!”. Pretty much like how we see here. It’s quite pathetic 🙂

It seems that Turkey accepted 15 days of more killing by the regime ,killing syrian people.this is wrong by Turkey,UNSC gave Assad one more week,at least, to continue his crimes against the Syrian, and so the GCC.
Those who has contradictory statements, they try to tell us that the demonstrators are to blame, those who seek freedom and dignity are to blame, and they equate the peaceful demonstrators with the criminal brutal regime, there is no middle of the way,they are wrong and their comments are not acceptable, they have blood on their hands, and we will never forget.

The syrian people should not depend on foreigners to help, and the Arab countries are as bad as the evil regime,they need revolutions in their own countries too, we should depend on ourself, we must fight, we must carry arms we must turn the crisis to higher level,the leaders of this revolution are not in Syria, they do not feel what suffering the people are enduring,this revolution must not take for ever, The regime must pay for the crimes they are inflicting on their innocent demonstrators, enough blaming the demonstrators, they are murdered by the regime, defending the regime is criminal, we will win if we persist,and arm ourself,and let hell fall on the regime heads.

“It seems that Turkey accepted 15 days of more killing by the regime ,killing syrian people”

Majed, that’s one way to look at it. Another way is to compare the meeting of the Turkish FM and junior, with that of James Baker and Iraq’s Tareq Aziz before the first Gulf war.

At the time, Saddam was given until January 15th to withdraw from Kuwait, a deadline of three months. The West wanted to convince the world that it had exhausted all diplomatic channels, before launching military operations. Saddam thought the West was bluffing, the biggest mistake anyone made in the Middle East (but one quickly being eclipsed by junior’s bungling).

It is very possible that countries with a vested interest in seeing Besho take a plane to Tehran, need the time to get all their shabiha ducks lined up.

Of course, making predictions on Syria is usually futile (just ask Dale Andersen, and the menhebaks who three months ago said X-Boy junior would subdue the revolution in two weeks). I have never made any predictions on when the regime will fall, except that it inevitably will.

http://syedhassaanahmed.blogspot.com/2011/04/you-know-youre-zionist-when.html

Majedkhaldoun

If we to take up arms and fight, we will inevitably lose and our revolution would lose it’s legitimacy and become a “fair target”.  We will do it alone.  We do not need the paper tiger(Erdogan) that is.  We must not lose track.  The revolution must remain peaceful, we must reject physical foreign intervention, and we also must avoid sectarianism despite the regime hopeless attempts to draw us in.  What we need from the west is to declare Bashar illegitimate to rule.  That will give us a big boost and will draw in more protests.  We also want the United Nation security Council to issue a resolution to establish a tribunal to try Bashsr et al in the Court of International Justice for crimes against humanity, and finally to tighten the sanctions to include complete blockage of oil and gas export from Syria.  Then his days will be numbered   

Asad Army is hitting hardest where units defect with their arms!
It started in Dar3a, then in 7arasta, then in Idlib, Jisr AlShughoor, and now in Homs and Deri AlZor

Why should Asad forces be so paranoid about a few scores of defecting soldiers and field officers here and there?
The reasons are many
– Defecting armed units if they retain their original commanding officer, maintain their combat and operational readiness thus, posing risk to Asad forces. Jisr AlShughoor is a case in point, where scores of military security forces were eliminated by defecting Colonel Harmoosh.
– Fewer in number as they may, they are superior in combat to Jr and Baath party thugs. Therefore, areas of defections enjoy initial protection by such army units.
– Defections of low and middle ranking officers is tactically very detrimental to mother units in a manner that far outweighs their actual numbers.
It damages the morale of the subordinate personnel they may have left behind, and creates a gap in leadership and communication between the higher command and the fighting soldiers.

The revolting army units across the country, with some logistical support, can be instrumental in hastening the collapse of the regime.

In addition to their ongoing defending against attacks of shabbeha and Asad forces on civilians, Special Forces Units ought to consider to go on the offensive.

They need to carry out covert operations aimed at:
– Breaking the lines of communication between the high command and the field units.
– Neutralizing the command and control centres of the security forces.
– Arresting regime leaders, wanted by international and national justice; first and foremost Jr himself.

Tara

“If we to take up arms and fight, we will inevitably lose and our revolution would lose it’s legitimacy and become a “fair target”

Disagree very much. To the Baathists, the Syrian people are already fair targets. A peaceful revolution is feasible as long as the other side is too ashamed of itself to massacre unarmed people en mass.

The Baathists have no such inhibitions. They would slit their own sister’s throat if she were to go out to an anti-regime demonstration, or failed to show up for a menhebak one.

The international community has failed miserably in reining in junior and his thugs. People now have every right to take up arms to defend themselves, and the world has also come to that same conclusion.

In any war, civilians should never be targeted. But the Baathists have no such qualms, and will gladly commit genocide on a scale not seen since Bosnia to sustain a failed president, who without the army he inherited from Papa, has shown himself completely clueless on how to deal with events.

i made some errors on my own,abboud. I said “hardly stricken” , I meant hard-stricken.
Khaled, there was not any demos to talk about in any part of Latakia that is known to harbor middle-upper class or college graduates population.most of the areas that witnessed demos are known to all Latakians as being a hotbed for militants and/or people with low SES,I am not mocking those areas,I am simply trying to add basic knowledge to this forum when I can.Furthermore,palestinians were involved with demos on more than one occasion.these facts do not reduce the significance of the anti regime movement (people with low SES are Syrian too),they just help putting things in perspective. I welcome any rebuttal based on actual knowledge not just slogans.
economic hardship is not the main reason for this uprising but it is definitely a major factor,this is why rich people in the gulf do not care if King abdullah was a monkey and Amir of Qatar’s wife was an actual banana.
(dear eidtor,I am not calling king abdallah a monkey and I do not know much about the Qatari name,Moza,but I would not have picked that name for my daughter)

Aboud

I hear you. But, If we to take up arms, we would lose unless we get assisted by foreign military intervention…We just can’t win with arms smuggled here and there from Lebanon and Iraq against the regime’ military capability.

Yes, to the regime, peaceful demonstrators have always been fair target, but not to the rest of the world. If we to take up arm without foreign intervention we risk to be seen as yet another ME civil war in a backward country and lose international support, which unfortunately so far has been words, words, words, just like Robert Fisk put it.

Abu Ghassan

“i made some errors on my own,abboud. I said “hardly stricken” , I meant hard-stricken.”

I forgive you my son. As penance, say “Homs should be the capital” 10 times.

Tara

“But, If we to take up arms, we would lose unless we get assisted by foreign military intervention…”

History is full of cases where armies that were strong on paper, were humbled by fiercely dedicated and committed opponents.

In this case, the point of armed resistance is not to inflict horrendous casualties on the Syrian army, and have a brigade of Homsi Che Gueveras march triumphantly into Damascus. Rather, it is to make any mass arrests or Hama like incursions so costly to the army, that it no longer becomes a feasible option.

Once junior loses the use of the army as an effective tool, cities all over Syria will come out to demonstrate, on a scale similar to Der’a, Telkelakh, Idlib, Hama and Deir el Zour, and Homs before the New Clock Massacre.

…and

coming soon to syria:

09 aug 11, libya, nato freedom attack kills 33 children, 32 women, and 20 men. just one attack.

syrians cant wait for their own freedom via the zionized west.

Tara
It is already five months, and if you depend on the politeness of the regime, and the regime is nice ,we will never get anything from it, except empty promises , and accusations and lies, the seriousness of this matter is way underestimated,there are 20-30-100 dead every day, innocent young beautiful kids, are dying on the hands of the regime thugs, young syrian are our pride and hope,they are our flowers, they are the best we have, old people proved to be coward,and they got us here,every young kid blood spilled in Syria, will give us the dignity and freedom our children should enjoy, and we want them to live in,to tell their families the stories of sacrifice that syrian suffered from,and that we will be proud of, and will raise our head.liberated free Syria, dignity is life, slavery is death.freedom is worth dying for.

An interesting article about possibilities of military intervention in Syria.

http://euobserver.com/13/113245

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25980

Blueprint For NATO Attack On Syria Revealed
Strike on Syria is technically feasible, former French general says

By Andrew Rettman, August 11, 2011

A Nato strike to disable the Syrian army is technically feasible according to experts, such as former French air chief Jean Rannou. But it could make the country’s internal situation worse.
Nato member countries would begin by using satellite technology to spot Syrian air defences. A few days later, warplanes, in larger numbers than Libya, would take off from the UK base in Cyprus and spend some 48 hours destroying Syrian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and jets. Alliance aircraft would then start an open-ended bombardment of Syrian tanks and ground troops.
The scenario is based on analysts in the French military, from the specialist British publication Jane’s Defence Weekly and from Israel’s Channel 10 TV station.
The Syrian air force is said to pose little threat. It has around 60 Russian-made MiG-29s. But the rest – some 160 MiG-21s, 80 MiG-23s, 60 MiG-23BNs, 50 Su-22s and 20 Su-24MKs – is out of date.
Its latest SAMs could shoot down a handful of Nato pilots. In the past three years, Syria deployed hundreds of Russian-made SA-17s, which come up on radars for a very short time before firing. Israel in 2007 bombed a suspected nuclear site in Syria using a cyber attack cut electricity to air defences. The SA-17s are believed to be cyber-insulated and Israel might not share its secrets with Nato, however.
Syria in 2006 bought around 30 Russian-made Pantsyr-S1 anti-aircaft cannon…It has stocked up on modern SA-18 missiles from Belarus and Russia. But these are short-range weapons that would only pose a danger to Nato helicopters in a later stage of the operation.
There are also assymetric threats – Nato countries have vulnerable troops in Unifil, the UN mission in neighbouring Lebanon…
…
“I don’t see any purely military problems. Syria has no defence against Western systems … [But] it would be more risky than Libya. It would be a heavy military operation,” Jean Rannou, the former chief of the French air force, told EUobserver. He added that action is highly unlikely because Russia would veto a UN mandate, Nato assets are stretched in Afghanistan and Libya and Nato countries are in financial crisis.
…
Robert Baer, a former CIA officer in Syria, said there is small hope a Nato strike would bring peace: “Any force used on Syria would be a total shot in the dark, a hope the military under attack will turn on the regime. But when has this ever happened? It didn’t with [late Iraqi leader] Saddam or [Libyan leader] Gaddafi.”
Baer previously told this website the turmoil in Syria is more complicated than the image in mainstream media of a downtrodden Sunni Muslim majority calling for reform by the Shia Muslim ruling elite.
Alastair Crooke, a former MI6 officer and high-level EU advisor who runs an NGO in Beirut, backed up Baer’s views.
“Syrians want change. But whether Westerners believe it or not, most people in Damascus, in Aleppo, the middle classes, the merchant classes and the [sectarian] minorities believe Assad is the only person who can bring in reforms,” he said. “They fear two things above all else – civil war and Western intervention … They would like to avoid the example of Libya because it would lead them into civil war.”
Crooke said two important forces behind events are Sunni radicals and Syrian exile groups in France and the US.
He said the radicals follow the teaching of Abu Musab Zarqawi, a late Jordanian Islamist, who aimed to create a Sunni emirate in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria called Bilad a-Sham. They are experienced urban guerillas who fought in Iraq and have outside finance. They infilitrate protests to attack Assad forces, as in Jisr al-Shagour in June, where they inflicted heavy casualties.
Crooke said the exile groups aim to topple the anti-Israeli regime. They are funded and trained by the US. They pay Sunni tribal chiefs to put people on the streets, work with NGOs to feed uncorroborated stories of atrocities to Western media and co-operate with radicals in the hope that escalating violence will justify Nato intervention.
“There is a huge difference with [the revolution in] Egypt,” he added. “But the picture you see in the European and American press is that you are dealing with peaceful protests and that Assad has nothing better than to do than to kill his own people.”

137. ales

so far my post is not appearing but if it does it is similar to yours but shorter i think.

SC now stands for Syria Carbage.The pony tail rat is always staying on the carbage,any piece of bone,dirt,dirty nuts,bad apples…he sniffs and then eats all that.when you visit this carbage it smells so bad.The syria Hamster is not any better than the pony tail rat,he will humphhh for 300 words in hamsters language …Shiela is new to the carbage,she is a big fan of pony tail rat,she is proud to be the most hated rodents on this carbage,she brags about it.
let me run away from this carbage i cant breath.pony tail rat whar i just wrote is a piece of bad sunflower seeds…i am giving it to to start chewing….hehehe
pony tail rat for president
sheila for first lady
wedding will be at the carbage..next to the dead cat.

Dale posted a cartoon of Besho that depicts him with exaggerated low-set ears, a sign that usually accompanies mental retardation. I looked up the definition and applied it to a real image of Besho, and Besho indeed has a subtle low set ears!

No wonder why he can’t understand the depth of the problem yet and is running a country through a family council, and no wonder why he restored to those retarded giggles the first un-historic speech.

We are ruled by a president with inferior intelligence.

Dear Tara @ 119
Sorry for the late response.
At risk of Taking pleasure in annoying the four (so far) who voted to remain ignorant, I will try a fast answer:

The way I see it, nonviolence is a way to resolve conflict, which are opposite to the status of peace. Peaceful actions could be for example when people march with flowers and candles commemorating the life of a victim of hate crime. The goal here is to affirm social values of the majority. Non violent actions, on the other hand aim to change behavior either through persuasion or coercion. But for more details, Please see Nonviolence: An Introduction The booklet does not make the distinction, but it clarifies the different classes of non-violent action, its goals, and roots. It is a very good introduction.

Aboud,

Be careful when you say “armed uprsising”. If you do that, Besho will have the excuse to use Scud missiles on Homs and Hama.

But I fully support a well-trained, small units armed with light weapons to ambush soldiers who make incursions into civilian neighbourhoods. Yor plan outlining that was great, Aboud, do you think it can be put into practice ? I am all for it, but these armed units need to be so effective that ordinary soldiers will have the fear of God before they think about raiding any neighbourhood. Do you think it is possible to achieve such a high level of efficiency ?

And as I am again saying, keep coming out on the streets, NEVER give up, the day you stay indoors, will be the day of our defeat.

Guy in Damascus, I want to see 10 Shabbiha captured and beaten to pulp tomorrow after prayers.

Syrians who prefer the Zionist West

syrians cant wait for their own freedom via the zionized west

5 Dancing Ahmads,

You’re right. Syrians can’t seem to wait, which is why 15 million Syrians (as well as most of the Syrian posters here) live outside of Syria in the “zionized west”.

BTW – Tell us about where you live and why you like it so much.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_diaspora

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14494634

I remember Bashar from the University. Bashar was a nice guy. His friends were all not Alawite (just to tell you how not sectarian he was). Bashar was very humble. He never made us feel that he was the son of the president. He was always smiling. He used to Joke all the time. Indeed, all his talk was a joke. He never took life very serious. In other word, life for him was a joke. For this reason, the presidency is a too much load for him. It exceeds his intellectual and psychological capacity. Since being a president scares him and disturbs his internal balance, he went to find refuge in the people who are the closest for him (his familty). Unfortunately, Some of them are psychopath (Maher and Rami) and others are neurotic (Bushra and Anisa). All these circumstances transformed Bashar int a sciopath.

Mjabali, take a look at your legend at #138 ROFL!!!!

Desperate cry for attention is desperate (garbage, not carbage. At first I thought he’d said cabbage hehehehe).

@136

“The Syrian air force is said to pose little threat. It has around 60 Russian-made MiG-29s. But the rest – some 160 MiG-21s, 80 MiG-23s, 60 MiG-23BNs, 50 Su-22s and 20 Su-24MKs – is out of date.”

Thank you! What have I been saying for months? The Baathists didn’t build an army, they built the world’s largest crowd control force.

“They pay Sunni tribal chiefs to put people on the streets”

Heeeeey, where’s my cut from my tribal chief? SGID, have you been getting paid instead of me? 🙁

“work with NGOs to feed uncorroborated stories of atrocities to Western media”

Easily resolved by letting in unbiased media. The Western journalists who have gone undercover and reported on Syria have all, without exception, corroborated the opposition’s versions of events.

Ah right, the Swiss journalist was bought by the same tribal chief paying all those guys demonstrating. Must be a rich tribal chief. I mean, the cost for Hama alone is…well let’s take a look;

1,000 Syrian Liras per demonstrator. Let’s say 100,000 demonstrators, that’s 100 million Syrian liras. A week. LOL! I think we can safely send anything Cooke says to No Klue’s “carbage can”.

Assad’s support in Syria shows signs of fraying at the edges

BY ANTHONY SHADID AND STEVEN LEE MYERS
International Herald Tribune
English
As Syria continues its most relentless assault yet on a five-month uprising, cracks have begun to emerge in a tight-knit leadership that has until now managed to rally its base of support and maintain a unified front, officials, dissidents and analysts say.

Though there are no signs of an imminent collapse, flagging support of the business elite in Damascus, divisions among senior officials and even moves by former government stalwarts to distance themselves from the leadership come at a time when Syria also faces what may be its greatest isolation in more than four decades of rule by the Assad family.

‘‘They’re starting to be divided, and you have people in the government who are really getting frustrated with Assad and his security circles,’’ an Obama administration official in Washington said, referring to President Bashar al-Assad.

‘‘It’s almost like watching a dysfunctional marriage,’’ the official said.

The shifting constellation of power in Damascus has underscored the perils of the months ahead. U.S. and European officials acknowledge that they have limited tools to influence events in Syria, and a deeply divided opposition has so far failed to provide an alternative to the leadership of Mr. Assad. Activists in Syria warn that the government crackdown may also push largely peaceful protesters to violence, especially in the east, which is populated by well-armed extended clans with deep ties to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.

‘‘We are stuck right now,’’ said Louay Hussein, a leading opposition figure who has had conversations with government officials on trying to open the political system. ‘‘The government is counting on its military, and it could take a very long time before it uses up all its resources.’’

A U.S. diplomatic official said it seemed increasingly unlikely that Mr. Assad could remain in power. As a result, he said, the United States has begun planning for a post-Assad era out of concern for the chaos that could follow. The Obama administration, he said, does not rule out a civil war. ‘‘It’s going to be messy,’’ the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the topic involved internal deliberations.

In Washington, the administration has continued to ratchet up pressure on Syria. The Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it had placed sanctions on Commercial Bank of Syria, along with a Lebanese-based subsidiary and Syriatel, the country’s largest mobile telephone operator. Syriatel is owned by Rami Makhlouf, a powerful businessman and a cousin of Mr. Assad who was first sanctioned by the United States in 2008.

The United States has already imposed sanctions on most of the country’s senior leaders, including Mr. Assad.

Officials said European countries might take a decisive step this month to place sanctions on the Syrian oil and natural gas industry, which would cripple one of Syria’s few remaining sources of revenue as its economy reels under the strain of the uprising. In Washington, officials say President Barack Obama may soon declare that Mr. Assad must step down, a pronouncement the White House has so far been reluctant to make.

Turkey, once an ally of Syria, remains a wild card that could ease the pressure on Mr. Assad or intensify it. The Turkish foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, went to Damascus on Tuesday, and U.S. officials said he gave Mr. Assad a two-day deadline to end the crackdown. Though Turkish officials have said they are running out of patience, they still appear to hold out hope that Mr. Assad will make democratic changes in one of the region’s most repressive countries.

In Damascus this week, 41 former Baathists and government officials took a step that would have been unthinkable for party stalwarts not long ago: They announced an initiative for a political transition. Led by Mohammed Salman, a former information minister with deep connections to the leadership closest to Mr. Assad, the group urged an end to the crackdown, the deployment of the military and the relentless arrest campaign.

Otherwise, the group warned, the country was headed for ‘‘catastrophic results.’’

Some opposition figures dismissed the initiative as trying ‘‘to whiten its black page in the past.’’ But to others it represented a remarkable fissure, coming as it did from former ministers and senior party officials who at the very least acknowledged that change was inevitable.

Through much of his reign, Mr. Assad had managed to conceal the ferocity of the ubiquitous police state his father, Hafez, built after taking power in 1970. Since the uprising, the military and the security forces have returned to the forefront, and they have remained unified despite occasional defections in carrying out a crackdown that some activists say has killed more than 2,000 people. Unless armed forces turn against Mr. Assad, analysts and diplomats say, there is no immediate threat to his rule.

But as the government has resorted almost solely to violence in repressing the uprising, with more killed Wednesday in the western city of Homs, in Idlib in the north, in Nawa in the south and in the Damascus suburbs, frustration appears to be growing within the inner circle. That has pitted hard-line members of Mr. Assad’s family — figures like Maher al-Assad, his brother, and Assef Shawkat, his brother-in-law — against some longtime officials who remain in contact with foreign colleagues.

Some analysts and diplomats said Mr. Assad had yet to appreciate the depth of the challenge posed by the uprising. Others said senior officials remained convinced that the uprising was led by militant Islamists. A Western official, citing multiple accounts, said security forces went so far as to use antiaircraft guns against civilian buildings in Hama, which the military attacked on July 31.

‘‘The level of frustration within the regime right now is unprecedented,’’ said a Damascus-based analyst with access to Syrian officials who asked not to be identified.

‘‘The regime has played all its cards,’’ the analyst said. ‘‘The one left is a constant increase in levels of repression and violence, and I think that will fail, too. That’s what it’s trying now, but I don’t think that will be successful, either. Then after that, what’s left?’’

The Syrian Army shot and killed at least five people Thursday in a western town near the Lebanese border and stormed a northwestern town near the Turkish border, The Associated Press reported from Beirut, citing activists.

The shooting, in the town of Qusair, also wounded 16 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The head of the Syrian Human Rights League, in Damascus, Abdul-Karim Rihawi, said seven people had been killed. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the discrepancy in the toll.

Combined with a morning assault on Saraqeb, near the Turkish border, the shooting in Qusair, where anti-government demonstrations are common, reflected the determination of the president to crush the five-month-old uprising despite international condemnation.

International Herald Tribune

Khalid, entirely possible. More so than you know. The shabiha thugs are nothing without a tank to cover their sorry butts.

Dear Tara

To elaborate more, let me use an example. Say two workers, A and B work on an a small assembly line of a small manufacturer of highly sophisticated medical equipment. A has to finish a certain part of the assembly that involves multiple electronic pieces, but out of every 4 units, A manages on the average to screw up one. B is a very skilled worker, who has in the past worked in the same job as A. She needs A to to do his job very well before she can incorporate the unit he produced into the more complex piece of the equipment she is responsible for. A continues to claim n number of units per hour, but B can not do her share because she can only utilize 3 out of four units produced by A. The boss, Ms. T is a smart woman, who wants to promote B because she recognizes her capabilities, honesty , but wants to test her leadership and conflict resolution skills first, and despite of B’s complaint, Ms. T told her to solve the problem on her own. Now here are some possible scenarios:

1. Passivity: B is conflict averse, she continues to accept the situation, but to save her job, she works harder and faster, correcting the mistakes of A, without talking to him. After a while, she is burnt out, the quality of her work deteriorates, she hates her job, and ends up losing it.

2. Violent Protest: B goes to A. She starts yelling at him, when he starts insulting her, she grabs something from the table and hit him. Ms. comes with great disappointment in and she fires B.

3. Peaceful Protest: B goes to A. Tells him politely that his bad performance is affecting her own. She attempts to resolve the situation with him calmly. She keeps doing that hoping that B will improve his work. There are two possible outcomes: A in persuaded, and starts improving his work and everyone is happy, or A being the jerk he is, lies to her every time for 11 days. Her performance does not improve, and she loses her job.

4. Non Violent Action: Every time A produces a bad unit, B takes it back, puts it in front of him on his work bench tells him it is badly constructed and starts dissembling it putting the electronic pieces in their bins and erasing them from the used column on the inventory sheets. She also subtracts one from the his production numbers. B has few possible actions, yell at her, or physically prevent her from doing what she is doing. If he does, he is fired, if he does not, he has to do a better job. After few hours, B will most likely either lose his temper and his job, quit his job, or do a better job.

It would be nice to add a functionality to this blog to filter out selected users comments from view. In my case i would use it to filter out impulsive commentators and people who seem to have nothing else to do all day except chatting and commenting and repeating the same things over and over and over.

if you find yourself posting more than a few times a day, you should doubt your sanity. consult shrink, get a real life, revolt against your own impulsivity , meditate , start fasting, do something . Jesus, anything other than being scotched all day to the screen.

FOLKS, I apologize in advance because this post may show up again after its previous version gets out of the monster spam filter.

Dear Tara

To elaborate more, let me use an example. Say two workers, A and B work on an a small assembly line of a small manufacturer of highly sophisticated medical equipment. A has to finish a certain part of the assembly that involves multiple electronic pieces, but out of every 4 units, A manages on the average to screw up one. B is a very skilled worker, who has in the past worked in the same job as A. She needs A to to do his job very well before she can incorporate the unit he produced into the more complex piece of the equipment she is responsible for. A continues to claim n number of units per hour, but B can not do her share because she can only utilize 3 out of four units produced by A. The boss, Ms. T is a smart woman, who wants to promote B because she recognizes her capabilities, honesty , but wants to test her leadership and conflict resolution skills first, and despite of B’s complaint, Ms. T told her to solve the problem on her own. Now here are some possible scenarios:

1. Passivity: B is conflict averse, she continues to accept the situation, but to save her job, she works harder and faster, correcting the mistakes of A, without talking to him. After a while, she is burnt out, the quality of her work deteriorates, she hates her job, and ends up losing it.

2. Violent Protest: B goes to A. She starts yelling at him, when he starts insulting her, she grabs something from the table and hit him. Ms. comes with great disappointment in and she fires B.

3. Peaceful Protest: B goes to A. Tells him politely that his bad performance is affecting her own. She attempts to resolve the situation with him calmly. She keeps doing that hoping that B will improve his work. There are two possible outcomes: A in persuaded, and starts improving his work and everyone is happy, or A being the jerk he is, lies to her every time for 11 days. Her performance does not improve, and she loses her job.

4. Non Violent Action: Every time A produces a bad unit, B takes it back, puts it in front of him on his work bench tells him it is badly constructed and starts dissembling it putting the electronic pieces in their bins and erasing them from the used column on the inventory sheets. She also subtracts one from the his production numbers. B has few possible actions, yell at her, or physically prevent her from doing what she is doing. If he does, he is fired, if he does not, he has to do a better job. After few hours, B will most likely either lose his temper and his job, quit his job, or do a better job.

Feel dumb, mixed A and B a couple of times in the above example. Filter that does not allow editing. Should have listened to SYR.EXPAT. Story will appear again twice. Once in its bad form and second in a a better correct form.

SNK: Have a ball on my account. Go for it.

Dear OTW

Great answer. Thank you.

Btw, I am inviting myself to the stroll in Homs if you and Aboud don’t mind. I will bring along my girl and would love to stroll in Baba Amr and Bab el Sbaa.

I agree with Tara. This should stay peaceful. And yes, the brave Syrians who are in the streets pay and will continue to pay the price.
.

Mr. Aboud:

When you were caught exaggerating about things in Latakia, the lesson about what did really happen there did not work as I see and you are turning it to who went to better colleges and who could write better English.

It is the realistic usable knowledge reflected from your words what matters at the end. Especially now.

It is a discourse of ideas and not a spelling bee competition. Ideas to save a nation.

AS for the doctors in Alleppo, first of all I ask for their immediate release if they were caught, as you claim, demonstrating. I am not, and never was, for the Assads method of dealing with those who did not favor them. I am for court systems, something al-Assads never got me accustomed to.

al-Assads do not need an excuse to arrest people. They have been doing it and I have seen it in my life in person. I was never for this. I call for the release of every political prisoner in Syria. Put my name first on your list for Justice for every one of them.

I also do not like any attacks on mosques or any civilian structures. I am also against using mosques for incitement and to shoot at Army and police to use it for media gain. This is unethical.

Also I never was for the shooting on Syrian citizens by the Army and Security, but also I am not for the killing of army and police and destroying public and private property. Syria is a poor nation.

You need to see the importance of cooling things down. I am telling you al-Assad is brutal and ready to fight. He has no other options. Low intensity civil war is taking place now and in my estimate it gonna last for a while, so, to save Syrian Blood start forming political parties and fast.

AS for cursing al-Assads, I am for the freedom of speech. Curse as much as you want. That may release some anger and help you. I hope that I never curse anyone, and for sure I will not curse causing any bloodshed.

I give up, Spam filter is really wreaking havoc on sequential value of comments.

Amir,

You owe me an answer. I initially believed that you despite being Israeli was genuinely sincere sympathizing with our fight for freedom and dignity then your answer to Sheila was annoying. What is your stand?

Clinton wants others should speak up about Assad going

(Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asked why the United States has not yet called for Syria’s president to step down, said Washington wants other nations to add their voices, according to an interview by the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley released on Thursday.
The United States has been “very clear” in its statements about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s loss of legitimacy, Clinton said, according to excerpts of the CBS interview.

“But it’s important that it’s not just the American voice. And we want to make sure those voices are coming from around the world,” she said.

Clinton also said what was necessary to pressure Assad was to sanction Syria’s oil and gas industry.

“And we want to see Europe take more steps in that direction. And we want to see China take steps with us,” she said. “There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind where the United States stands.”
——————————————————–

“كلينتون تدعو أوروبا والصين لدعم مطلب تنحي الرئيس السوري

أعلنت هيلاري كلينتون وزيرة الخارجية الأمريكية أن واشنطن تريد من دول أخرى أن تعبر عن دعمها لمطلب تنحي الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد.

جاء ذلك في سياق رد كلينتون على سؤال حول سبب امتناع الولايات المتحدة حتى الآن عن مطالبة بتنحي الرئيس السوري.

وقالت كلينتون في مقابلة مع شبكة “سي. بي. أس” التلفزيونية أذيعت مقتطفات منها يوم الخميس 11 أغسطس/آب إن الشيء الضروري بالفعل للضغط على الرئيس بشار الأسد هو فرض عقوبات على صناعة النفط والغاز، مضيفة “نريد أن نرى أوروبا تتخذ مزيدا من الخطوات في هذا الاتجاه” وكذلك الصين.

عضو في مجلس النواب الأمريكي يدعو الأمم المتحدة لمساءلة دول الناتو لجرائم الحلف في ليبيا

دعا دينيس كوسينيتش العضو في مجلس النواب الأمريكي الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة إلى مساءلة الدول الأعضاء في حلف شمال الأطلسي لأعمال الحلف ضد المدنيين في ليبيا.

وجاء في رسالة وجهها البرلماني الأمريكي إلى الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة يوم الخميس 11 أغسطس/آب أن عمليات الناتو في ليبيا أدت إلى مقتل المزيد من المدنيين مؤخرا، مشيرا إلى سقوط 85 قتيلا قرب مدينة زليتن الليبية.

وتساءل كوسينيتش ما إذا كان حلف الناتو مسؤولا أمام جهة ما وكيف يمكن أن يواصل أعمال القتل بحق المواطنين المسالمين تحت غطاء القانون الدولي دون أن يتحمل المسؤولية عن جرائمه.

المصدر: وكالات

Dear Tara,

Sorry I annoyed you. I had no intention. I was fully aware of you asking the same question before, and didn’t want to repeat myself. It was meant to be funny. Plz don’t be so serious.
.

Dear Tara
Love the idea, we should have a reunion of trouble makers in free Syria, and then we’ll start arguing our own political ideologies. Peacefully, off course.

http://www.facebook.com/HNN.SYRIA
منذ قليل تم اغتيال الشرطي رائد عاشور
وهو من عناصر قيادة شرطة حمص

التفاصيل :

تم اغتيال الشرطي رائد عاشور وهو في طريقه إلى منزله
في شارع الحميدية الرئيسي بالقرب من مطعم فلافل حبوس
حيث حاولت سيارة مجهولة فضية اللون يركبها أربعة أِشخاص مسلحين اختطافه
وحين لم يتمكنوا من اجباره على الصعود إلى السيارة
قاموا باطلاق الرصاص الحي عليه
ومن ثم هربت السيارة من شارع يدعى ماري زكة وحسب المعلومات التي توصلنا إليها من عائلته
أن الشهيد قد تعرض للتهديد لأكثر من مرة
وهو متزوج وله أربعة أبناء ويسكن في حي المضابع القريب من شارع الستين

والرحمة على روحه الطاهرة وأرواح شهداءنا الأبرار

خاص شيكة اخبار حمص الأولى
http://www.facebook.com/HNN.SYRIA

The R. Fisk article I posted earlier mentioned the regime had 8000 tanks. I thought they had 4000.

Anyway I posted a couple of other posts earlier which didnt appear.

I wander if Prof. Landis would include Sheikh Nazim’s ‘All regimes will collapse in 2011’ video on his next post. lol

This video of Sheikh Nazim Kibrisi was captured on 23 November 2010 before the first country, Tunisia, collapsed. He said all the regimes will be terminated in this year 2011. English subtitles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6hIsF45Oew

The regimes have failed. They were bad rubbish. They will be swept away InshaAllah.

@153

“When you were caught exaggerating about things in Latakia”

Exaggerating? Your menhebak said that Al-Jazeera was streaming a menhebak demonstration and falsely claiming it was an opposition one. I posted a simple link that showed the menhebak’s claim to be a lie. Quite understandable if you are upset about me debunking Baathist lies.

The rest of your post is your climb down after insulting me personally, when you found that your tone of voice was only making you look…how shall I put it…foolish. I accept your long winded apology.

“AS for the doctors in Alleppo, first of all I ask for their immediate release if they were caught, as you claim, demonstrating.”

And this comes a surprise to you? This wasn’t the first Aleppan doctors, lawyers or engineers demonstration to be brutally broken up by the shabiha (the Athad family’s ill disciplined equivalent of the brown shirts), not by a long shot. Something like this has happened almost every week.

“to save Syrian Blood start forming political parties and fast.”

An idea quite impractical in these circumstances. How can Syrians form political parties, when human rights activists like Najati Tayara are thrown in a dungeon just for talking to satellite channels? Should all non-Progressive Front activities be carried out in code? Shall we form parties under the cover of football clubs? What do you suppose will be the fate of the leadership of the first political party formed under this atmosphere?

You seem to believe that the “reforms” announced mean anything. I do not. If the regime is serious about reforms, they should release all political prisoners and withdraw the army from the cities.

And please do not insult our intelligence by telling us that ceasing the demonstrations is a pre-requisite for these things. Demonstrations are a healthy part of any democratic process, which is why the regime responds to them with tanks.

Dear Amir

Ok. I believe you.

I have not drank coffee in 11 days since Ramadan started and that makes me a serious person, I think. I really miss my coffee.

Uzair8, Fisk is counting armored personnel carriers and mobile AA vehicles as “tanks”.

Also shame on the Manhabeks (and Iranian officials/Press tv) who are trying to draw pathetic and desperate comparisons between the Syrian sprising and the UK riots. There is no comparison.

Shame on you.

The regime will not get away that easily.

Tara,

Can’t you drink coffee after Iftar ?
.

Tara

“Btw, I am inviting myself to the stroll in Homs if you and Aboud don’t mind. I will bring along my girl and would love to stroll in Baba Amr and Bab el Sbaa.”

And I’ll gladly save you a piece of Papa’s statue.

I’m not sure about this news but it sounds like a good start:

اكد مصدر مطلع أنّ شخصيات سورية تسعى لتأسيس أول حزب سوري يرخّص وفق قانون’ الأحزاب الذي صدر قبل أيام.
وبحسب المصدر فإنّ القائمين على المشروع سيطلقون عليه اسم حزب (العدالة الديموقراطي) ولم تتضح أهداف الحزب بعد.’

International sanctions have failed; military force must be considered

By Lawrence J. Haas

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Make no mistake: United Nations Security Council sanctions and additional U.S. and European pressures are hurting Iran.

Tehran is having a harder time importing food and other key goods, its foreign investment is drying up, financial firms and shipping companies are turning down its business and its central bank is running short of hard currency.

What sanctions are not doing, however, is achieving their goal — to convince Tehran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Not only is Iran making more progress in its nuclear program, it’s acting more boldly in its region, threatening U.S. interests while distributing weapons that are killing U.S. troops.

Because neither current nor additional sanctions alone will deter Tehran, and because a nuclear Iran would be a disaster for the United States and the world, Washington must seriously consider a military option.

Such an option — ranging from an embargo on vital goods to a covert sabotage of Iran’s nuclear sites to an overt strike on them — brings two benefits.

First, a believable U.S. threat of force might get Tehran’s attention, forcing the regime to ponder whether its nuclear pursuit is worth a military confrontation. Second, military force ultimately might be the only way to destroy Iran’s program or slow it down significantly enough to avert a disaster.

Sanctions are hard to enforce under any circumstances, and those against Iran are no exception. Reuters reported recently, for instance, that China and Iran are discussing how to construct a barter system to bypass U.S. sanctions that make it hard for countries to do business with Iran in dollars.

Iran’s nuclear progress continues apace. It’s producing low-grade uranium at its highest rate ever and reportedly has enough uranium — if further enriched — to build four atomic bombs.

Tehran announced recently that it’s preparing to triple production of higher grade uranium by installing more advanced centrifuges at its plant in Qom. As British Foreign Secretary William Hague has written, that could cut the time Iran needs to make weapons-grade material to two to three months.

Tehran is also making progress in its ballistic missile program. Combined with its nuclear progress that means Iran eventually will be able to deploy nuclear weapons on missiles that can travel longer distances.

The regime conducted war games in July, test-firing different missiles and revealing underground missile silos. Some Iranian missiles already can reach Europe, making clear that Iran seeks influence beyond the Middle East.

The United States recently leveled two other charges against Tehran — that it’s helping al Qaeda funnel cash and people into Pakistan for global terrorist operations, and that the weapons it is shipping to Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are killing U.S. troops at an unprecedented pace.

The weapons include roadside bombs that can penetrate even well-protected U.S. vehicles and rockets filled with explosives that target U.S. bases.

Israeli intelligence says Iran has capitalized on recent regional unrest to extend its influence in at least Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. It assisted Syria in suppressing demonstrations against the regime, helped plan the confrontations through which crowds tried to breach Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon, and sought closer ties with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood before planned September elections.

With nuclear weapons, Iran could deter the United States and others from trying to rein it in. The regime then would be far better positioned to extend its influence across the region and beyond, destabilize other governments, protect the terrorists that it sponsors and funds and, in the worst case, provide nuclear weapons to one of its terrorist clients or use such a weapon itself.

The United States can’t take that chance. Sanctions will not work by themselves. Washington needs a military option both to give sanctions a better chance of working and to consider if all else fails.

A former communications director to Vice President Al Gore, Lawrence J. Haas is senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the American Foreign Policy Council, a non-profit organization that provides scholarly information to the nation’s foreign policy experts. Readers may write him at AFPC, 509 C Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

Aboud

Umm. Although I like antiques and architectural artifacts of previous era, I will gladly accept the gift, but due to the amount of contempt I have for Papa and his offsprings, I think I will dump it in the garbage where it belongs.

Amir,

I can. Iftar where I live in the US is around 8:00 PM. If I to drink coffee then, I will spend the whole night fully awake and the following day withdrawing.

Falling the Athad’s temple is inevitable and hopefully it’s not that far till we go and break into all security and shabiha compounds to free our people. I don’t know what people will be doing when Besho flees to his exile in Iran, will they gather to celebrate in Alumawiyeen square, dash into presidential bastions or maybe it’ll take them few days to digest being FREE people again? The sound of this hope feels soooooo good

@ “Menehbeks” don’t forget to stack up on Besho’s portraits

Carbage in Carbage out

SNK, the man, the legend,
I knew I should not have told you that they are cheating you. I feel and sympathize with your anger. Ask for the phone number of Shabbeeha Association ombudsman. He is a very good arbitrator who only charges 110% percent.
As for matrimony and election, sorry buddy, I am happily married and I believe Sheila is also happily married. I also believe that we both are gainfully employed.
Let’s try another couple. Shall we say SNK and SAMARA, we’ll get you Ali El-Deek to sing and Sharif Shehadeh for clown entertainment.

The Story from A to B
Yes OTW, you should have listened. Make up your mind.

Funny but Not Deep

Dear ABUGHASSAN @ 109. Seriously, how can anyone take a post such as 83 from MANGO in any way but with a great deal of sarcasm and ridicule for its contemptuous insult on our intelligence. Aboud, his pony tail, and his left toe are the only viable anecdote to the absurdity we are getting bombarded with by regime incompetent propaganda.

Party Crasher

Aboud, TARA, and OTW, can I also join. I am little, but very fast. Please bring good sunflower seeds, I will bring my own peal cone, I do not like throwing carbage in the street. I will buy some delicious nuts from my distant cousin the squirrel, you should see his storage.

Aboud’s Left Toe for President

ABOUD & Tala c’mon guys why the Papa’s statue!!! Isn’t he in our hearts?

Bloody hell, I just remembered back in the elementary school when the Tala2e3 teacher was telling us how Papa Hafez is our real Papa!!! Man those people did really their best to inject this crap in our minds eh

رسالة إلى شباب وشابات سورية: ما الذي يمكن فعله بيوم، لا يمكن فعله بعشرة؟!
الكاتب بسام القاضي
12/ 08/ 2011
الآن فقط صرت قادرا على أن أوجه رسالتي هذه إلى شباب وشابات سورية، مَن صنع هذا التاريخ الجديد لسورية بإصرارهم/ن وتوقهم/ن إلى الديمقراطية والحرية، وبتحويل خيبات أملهم/ن التي لا تنتهي إلى صناعة أمل لكل الوطن.

الآن، لأن “الآن” قد أظهر الكثير من الحقائق التي غابت لوقت سابق، أو التي التبست علينا جميعا، أو التي أبعدناها عن عقولنا رفضا لها، أو التي رغبنا أن لا تكون…

فكل منا يحتاج الوقت الكافي، إلى هذا الحد أو ذاك، ليتمكن من خوض التجربة بإمكانياته وقدراته، مع حقه التام بالخطأ ورفض تجارب الآخرين وخلاصاتهم، قبل أن يصل إلى تجربته الخاصة وخلاصته الخاصة. ولولا هذا النزوع الحيوي، لما كان الإنسان قد تطور أصلا، ولما كان لـ”الشباب” أية قيمة سوى اجترار ما فعله “الكبار”..

والآن، لأنني الآن أشعر أن نقاشاتنا التي امتدت على مدى وقت طويل، في أماكن مختلفة، أوصلتني إلى فهم أفضل من أي لحظة مضت لما تفكرون به، لهواجسكم/ن وقلقكم/ن وأحلامكم/ن.

إذا،
ها أنتم/ن قد حولتم اضطرابا محددا ذا طابع محلي بحت (درعا في بداية الأحداث)، إلى هبة شملت الكثير من مناطق سورية، وشارك فيها مئات الآلاف، طلبا للحرية والديمقراطية التي ناضل من أجلها كثيرون عبر عقود، دون أن يحصلوا منها شيئا. (ولا ينتقص فشلهم من نضالهم. فأقل النضال ما يثمر).

ودفعتم/ن ثمنا لذلك عددا كبيرا من المعتقلين/ات (جل المعتقلين/ات هم ممن تظاهر سلميا)، وعددا ما من الضحايا (بعض الضحايا من السلميين أيضا، وبعضهم من المسلحين والمجرمين، وكثير منهم ضحايا الصراع بين النظام وهؤلاء). وتعلمتم/ن، وحدكم دون مساعدة من أحد، كيف تخططون وترسمون خطاكم وتقودون حركة واسعة النطاق، وتكرون وتفرون في معركة خفية مع أجهزة أمن راعها أن تسقطوا إلهها الأوحد: حال الطوارئ! فهذا الإسقاط، حتى إن كان على الورق فقط (كما يقول بعضكم) هو خطوة متقدمة في نهاية الدولة الأمنية البوليسية التي لا يمكنها أن تعيش أبدا دون حالة الطوارئ. ولذلك، لذلك بالضبط، جن جنون بعض الأجهزة الأمنية، والتيار الدموي في النظام، وبدأ يعمل بكل طاقته ليعيد ساعة الزمن إلى الوراء.. ووصل لعبه إلى حد محاولة تفجير الوضع بين الجيش والناس، وبين النظام والناس، بكل الوسائل الممكنة. وأنا واثق أنكم/ن تعرفون ذلك، وإن كان بعضكم قد “دفع” هذه المعرفة إلى مكان مظلم من رأسه لسبب أو لآخر.

لنناقش معا إذا، باختصار، احتمالات اليوم الحقيقية. فأنا أعرف جيدا أنكم تفكرون جيدا بكل طاقتكن/م، وليس كما يفعل تجار الدم في سورية، من شبيحة المعارضة الخارجية، وأمعات النخبة والثقافة والمعارضة الداخلية، أولئك الذين خذلوكم من اللحظة الأولى بالتحول إلى بهلوانات تقفز إلى الأعلى، وهي مربوطة بحبل، دافعة الكثير من السوريين/ات للقفز مثلهم، لكن بدون “حبل الأمان”! وبعضكم جرب شخصيا التعامل مع هؤلاء الأمعات، وعرف جيدا أنهم لا يعدوا أن يكونوا أناسا فقدوا عقولهم عندما اتصلت بهم فضائية ما، بعد أن أمضوا عمرا من الهامشية التي صنعوها بجبنهم وكسلهم وعدم استعدادهم لدفع، حتى شعرة واحدة، ضريبة لحرية أو حتى لكلمة حق!

1- لم يعد إلا الحمقى يعتقد أن النظام يمكن أن يسقط بمظاهرات هنا أو هناك، حتى لو تضاعف العدد الذي خرج إلى اليوم مرات ومرات. وحتى مع سلاح المجرمين من كل لون.. فمن لم يكن يعرف، بات يعرف الآن أن النظام قوي إلى حد لا يسقط معه “من الخارج” إلا بطريقة واحدة: الاحتلال الخارجي الكاسح. وحسب ما أعرف، ليس بينكم/ن (بينكم/ن، ولا أعد المجرمين والخونة منكم/ن) من لن يتحول إلى حمل السلاح فيما إذا فكر غريب واحد أن يرفع بندقية ضد سورية، تركيا كان أم فرنسيا، أمريكيا أم سعوديا، ألمانيا أم بريطانيا. وإن كنتم/ن أخطأتم كثيرا بعدم إعلانكم رفض كل تدخل، بلا لبس ولا غموض.

2- ليس في سورية “نخبة” ولا معارضة. فمن لم يكن يعرف هذه الحقيقة البسيطة من خلال السنوات العشر الماضية، حين كان يمكن العمل إلى سقف أعلى بمرات مما تلطى وراءه البعض لكي لا يفعل شيئا سوى الصعلكة في مؤتمرات حقوق الإنسان وحقوق المرأة والطفل و.. وتصل به الخساسة حد أن يقبض ثمن “رسم الخروج” مضاعفا! ويتصارعون كديكة من أجل مكان الكرسي في غرفة الطعام.. من لم يعرف ذلك في وقته، عرفه الآن. وبعضكم/ن حاول فعلا التواصل مع هذه الأمعات والهياكل الكرتونية التي وجدت في الفضائيات سبيلها إلى تفريغ عقدها، وعرف جديا وعمليا أن أيا منهم ليس مستعدا حتى لإعطائه نصف ساعة من وقته لنقاش قضية إلا إذا كان النقاش يعني “تمجيد” هذا الشخص واعتباره “فتلة زمانه”. وكالعادة، لست مترددا في ذكر الأسماء التي تشمل كثيرين منهم لؤي حسين وفايز سارة ومنذر خدام وغيرهم..
وإذا كان النظام القمعي مسؤولا عن ذلك بقمعه المجتمع المدني عقودا، فإن هذه المسؤولية لا تنتقص شيئا من مسؤوليتهم الشخصية. فأحدا ما لم يجبرهم/ن أن يتنطحوا للشأن العام.

3- ما بدأ حركة احتجاج محلية محدودة على مجرمين من النظام باتا أشهر من قذارة على صفحة ليست بيضاء، عاطف نجيب وفيصل كلثوم، تحول إلى حركة نهوض واسعة من أجل الكرامة، من أجل الحرية والديمقراطية، ولم يكن فيها من يقبل أن يحول بلده إلى خراب مقيم، ولا أن يبيع ذرة من ترابه لأجنبي تحت أية ذريعة كانت…
لكن المجرمين (الأخوان المسلمين، والوهابيين، والخداميين، والمجرمين من كل لون وصنف..) سرعان ما استغلوا الجسد المتألم، وخاصة إجرام النظام الوحشي في الفترة الأولى (الذي أثخن جسد بلدنا وتركه عرضة لكل مجرم وطامع)..
وبينما كنتم أنتم/ن، تعتقلون بالأيدي القذرة لأجهزة الأمن التي جن جنونها من رفع حالة الطوارئ، ووجدت فيكم مادة دسمة لتقاتل من أجل عودتها، كان القتلة باسم الحرية يعيثون فسادا في الأرض، نادرا ما يعتقلون، وغالبا ما يجدون الفرصة لكي “ينفدوا بجلدهم” ويستمروا في إجرامهم اليومي…

4- وهنا تواطئ الجميع، بقصد أو بدونه (فجنهم موئل النوايا الطيبة):
– النظام الأمني الأحمق الذي أعتقد أننا ما زلنا نعيش فترة الثمانينيات، والذي كان قد قضى، خلال عقود، على أي تراكم للخبرة والمعرفة في مجالات العمل المدني والسلمي والحضاري المعارض،
– والأمعات المثقفة التي وجدتها فرصة ليسألها أحد رأيها،
– ومجرمي المعارضة في الخارج الطائفيين والقذرين الذين باعوا أصلا وطنهم دون أن يدفعوا أي ثمن ويدفعوا الآن الناس للموت وهم يرتعون في المقاهي والملاهي الأوروبية والأمريكية والأسترالية،
– وشبيحة النظام الذين اعتقدوا أنهم “ملوك زمانهم” يفعلون ما يشاؤون إذ ليس من يردعهم..
– وإعلام مجرم قذر، بل لا توجد كلمات تصفه، من “الدنيا” إلى “العربية” و”الجزيرة”، وخاصة “الأورينت”.. اللواتي تحلوا إلى أحط وأقذر ما في التحريض حتى الطائفي منه،
وغير ذلك..

5- ليس النظام كتلة واحدة، وإن كان تحت قيادة واحدة. بل إن داخل النظام من يريد فعلا التحول الجذري والعميق نحو الديمقراطية (ولولاه لما رفعت حالة الطوارئ، وألغيت محكمة أمن الدولة العليا، ولم ينزل إلى الشارع من الجيش إلا أقل القليل، ولما ضبطت انفجارات طائفية كانت ستودي بالأخضر اليابس، ولربما لكانت فجرت أوضاع محلية أو إقليمية.. ولما سارع بجملة من التعديلات المبرمجة التي سيكون لها أثر كبير قريبا..)،
وفيه أيضا (في النظام) من يريد العودة إلى الوراء حتى لو غرقت سورية في بحر من الدماء..
وليس كل هؤلاء من “الضباط الكبار”، أو قادة حزب البعث، أو الأسماء اللامعة. بل إن بعضهم ممن قد تتفاجؤون إذا عرفتم أسماءهم.. هؤلاء يكادون يجنّون من مجرد تصور أنكم/ن أنتن ستكونون غدا مواطنين/ات في المقام نفسه الذي هم فيه. وسيخضعون للمعايير نفسها التي تخضعون لها.. وهؤلاء لا يوفرون جهدا ولا طاقة لإعادة عقارب الساعة إلى الوراء..

6- وهذا الصراع، لا تغذيه المصالح فحسب، ولا الكلاب الطامعة بسورية من كل صوب (من أوهام أردوغان العثمانية، حتى جنون عبد الناتو الوهابية، ومن إجرام ساركوزي العنصري، حتى إجرام كلينتون “الديمقراطي”..).. بل أيضا، وأولا، تغذيه حقائق الواقع السوري الذي تحول سريعا إلى السلاح الإجرامي.. وقلة خبراتكم/ن، وترككم/ن وحيدين من قبل من كان يدعي أنه “مثقف، سياسي، محلل، منظر..”، وحيدين في مواجهة إجرام نظام أتقن الإجرام عبر عقود، وإجرام معارضة ليست سوى مجرمة بطبعتها الأصلية وجيناتها..

7- بتم ترون الآن، حتى إن لم تكن اعترافاتكم/ن بذلك تتجاوز الغرف المغلقة، أن سورية التي يحضّر لها دعاة إسقاط النظام هؤلاء، ليست سورية المدنية، ولا الديمقراطية، ولا الحرية والكريمة.. بل سورية المطاوعة، سورية عبدة العنف، سورية التي تعتقل فيها النساء بالنقاب ويمنعن من أي عمل أو حياة، سورية التي تغتصب فيها الطفلات تحت اسم “الشريعة”، سورية التي لا تعترف بنصف سكانها على أنهن مواطنات (النساء)، وبجزء من رجالها ونسائها كذلك (المسيحيون/ات) فهم كلهم سوف يحرمون دستوريا وقانونيا من أن يكن/وا رؤساء جمهورية (حتى وإن كانت إمكانية الرئاسة حبرا على ورق).. وهذا كله، كما تعرفن/ون الآن جيدا: ليس دعاية من نظام ولا تخويف منه (وإن كان فعلا استخدمه دعاية وتخويفا)، لكنه حقيقة ملموسة في الشارع بعضكم/ن لمسها لمس النار..

8- وبتم تعرفون الآن جيدا أن بعض من يدعي أنه/ا من “تنسيقيات الثورة” هنا وهناك، ليسوا إلا تجار دم، وبعضهم خونة “ع المكشوف” (مثل من أرسل الدعوة إلى سفيري الموت الأمريكي والفرنسي لتدنيس أرض حماه، أو الخونة الثلاثة: محمد العبد الله، مرح البقاعي، رضوان زيادة: الذين باعوا وطنهم علنا على مائدة كلينتون دون أن يرف لهم جفن خجل!)، وهؤلاء لا يهمهم من ثورتكم ولا من أحلامكم/ن إلا ما يؤمن لهم/ن كراسي السلطة الموعودة..
بل حتى إن حربهم ضد كل من لا يخضع لهم باتت مكشوفة، وليست الحرب التي باتت مكشوفة ضد هيثم المناع مثلا (آيا كان اختلاف آرائنا نحوه، فقد كان من القلة الذين حافظوا على ضميرهم الوطني والمهني كحقوقي، حتى حين سفك دم أهله المباشرين)، إلا ذرة من قمة جبل الجليد الذي تعرفون الكثير منه، ولا تحتاجون إلا إلى جمع ما تعرفونه وترتيبه بشكل منطقي وصحيح. وهو ترتيب يحتاج إلى الجرأة مع النفس، جرأة لا تنقصكم/ن وقد قدمتم حريتكم/ن من أجل سورية مدنية وديمقراطية وحرة وآمنة ومستقرة..

إذا، ما الذي نخلص إليه من كل هذه الوقائع التي تعرفون الكثير غيرها وفي إطارها ومنحاها؟!
نخلص إلى ما خلصتم/ن إليه، ولكنكم/ن تخشون أن تعلنوه! بعض الخشية أملا أن لا يكون حقيقة. وبعضها ألما أن يكون الأمر على هذا النحو. وكثير منها ارتباك بما يعنيه..
نخلص إلى أن أسطورة “إسقاط النظام” صاغها ودافع عنها من لم يقدم قشة لخدمتها! بل هو يتاجر بسورية كلها، بكل أطياف آرائها، في وهم انبثق فجأة أن “الكرسي” بات قريبا! وفي عيونهم وعقولهم تونس ومصر، ولا يمانعون من ليبيا والعراق!
نخلص إلى أن هذه الأسطورة نفسها لا تعني شيئا، بعد أن فشل الجميع في قول ما يعنيه “إسقاط النظام” ضمن نقاط محددة واضحة، وفي وضع حتى خطة مبسطة لإمكانية فعل ذلك في مدى زمني معقول، أو طويل.. حتى دون أن نسأل: وماذا بعد سقوطه؟!
نخلص إلى أن النظام السوري ليس لعبة، ولا بضع أشخاص، ولا علاقة سلطة بسيطة.. وأن تسليم السلطة على النحو الذي يطالب به يعني الانتحار الذي لن يحدث، مهما تضخمت أوهام البعض حول ذلك..
وأن مثقفي سورية ونخبتها ومعارضتها هم أول “خائنيكم”. فقد تركوكم وحيدين دون أن يمدوا يد العون بخبرة أو بانضمام. فقط بضعة مسرحيات عن مظاهرات مرتبة مثيرة للشفقة! وحتى حين علا صوتهم/ن أنهم “يمشون تحت سقف مطالب الشعب”، لم يجرؤ جلهم على أن يسمي بدقة ما هي “مطالب الشعب”. فضمان خط الرجعة أولى من دمائكم وحريتكم.
نخلص إلى أن العنف المسلح (أصولي، وطائفي، وهمجي..) قد استولى على حركتكم وقادها إلى حيث أنتم ترفضون. بل إلى حيث ستكونون أنتم أول ضحاياه.
نخلص إلى أن الوهم الذي سيطر على الكثيرين حول مصر وتونس، قد سقط لصالح واقع يقول أن التجارب لا تنقل كما هي، ولا تعطي الثمار نفسها.
نخلص إلى أن النظام قوي بما فيه الكفاية لكي لا يسقط بهذه الطرق كلها، منفردة ومجتمعة.
نخلص إلى أن المجتمع السوري اقترب كثيرا من حواف خطر هددت وجوده نفسه. وليس من مستفيد من هذا الخطر إلا جهتان متعارضتان في الشكل، متفقتان في المضمون: مجرمي النظام ومجرمي معارضته.

ولكننا نخلص إلى ما هو أهم من ذلك بكثير: ما الذي يمكن فعله في يوم، ولا يمكن فعله بعشرة أيام؟

أي: ألا يمكننا أن نمضي نحو سورية الديمقراطية والحرة، المدنية والآمنة، والتخلص من كل الديكتاتورية والقمع، وآلياته، بل وحتى شخوصه، بطرق أخرى؟!

السؤال بسيط. لكنه مزعج. وأهم إزعاجاته أن الأيام العشرة تعني عشرة أضعاف العمل الذي نقوم به في يوم! كم تبدو الأشياء مسطحة هكذا؟! لكن، أليس من الممكن أنها حقيقية جدا هكذا؟!

نعم، هذا هو الأمر الصعب. أن نحول العمل اليوم، والعمل الذي قمتم/ن به، والعمل الذي سقط من أجله الضحايا، إلى عمل حقيقي لأجل سورية مدنية وديمقراطية، آمنة ومستقرة.. فلا شيء سيبني سورية سوى هذا العمل. وليس خرافات البعض عن سقوط النظام، ولا إجرام البعض الآخر بالقول أن النظام هو وحده من استخدم العنف، وبالتالي الدعوة إلى الرد عليه بعنف “دفاعا عن النفس”.

(وعلى الهامش: مدنية تعني بالضبط أن كل مواطن ومواطنة هم على قدم المساواة في كل الحقوق والواجبات. بلا أي استثناء على أساس الدين أو الطائفة أو العرق أو الجنس. وأنتم/ن تعرفون جيدا كم من هؤلاء لن يستل كل ما في جعبته من عنف لينقض هذا ومن يطالب به، حين يحين الوقت!)

وهذا العمل لا يأتي، ولا يمكنه أن يأتي، بتجاهل حقائق الواقع السوري اليوم. ولا بتجاهل حقائق الواقع الإقليمي والدولي. لا بتجاهل عنف النظام وصراعه من أجل السلطة، ولا بتجاهل عنف “الشارع” وصراعه من أجل الانحطاط. لا بتجاهل فراغ البلد من النخبة والمثقفين والأحزاب المسؤولة، ولا بتجاهل نزيف الشباب المطالب بالحرية والديمقراطية..

بل يأتي بامتلاك الجرأة الكاملة، بعد ما يقارب ستة أشهر من الأزمة، لقول الأشياء كما هي، علنا، بما يكفل وضع حد لكل المتلاعبين بكم/ن، وبأحلامكم/ن، وبطموحاتكم/ن. سواء كان هؤلاء المتلاعبين من أزلام النظام أم أزلام المعارضة، سواء تلبسوا لبوس الدين أو لبوس العلمانية، سواء تباكوا على الشاشات أو احتدوا وجعجعوا.. فجميعهم أثبتوا أنهم لا يرون فيكم/ن سوى مادة للوصول إلى الكرسي الذي لن يختلف شيئا عن الكرسي الراهن، ما لم يكن أشد ظلاما..

يأتي بتشمير الزنود لوضع حد فاصل نهائيا بينكم وبين تجار الدين، وتجار السلاح، وتجار الأمن، وتجار الحرية. حد لا تنتظروا أحدا ليضعه، فلا أحد له مصلحة بوضعه إلاكم/ن.

يأتي بنقل ما بتم تعرفونه جيدا من خانة الكلام المخبأ، والهمس، إلى مساحة رؤيتكم/ن، حيث يمكنكم أن تحولوه إلى انتقال فوري وحاسم نحو العمل المدني الديمقراطي فعلا، السلمي فعلا، والذي لا حدود لأدواته ولا لإمكاناته. والذي لا يمكن لتاجر الكلمات هذا أن يسرقه، ولا لتاجر الدم ذاك أن يسفحه.. والذي لا يتضمن بالتأكيد لا “تمزيق فواتير الكهرباء” ولا “دعوة الجيش للانشقاق”، ولا ما شابه من أدلة على مدى انحطاط من يروج ذلك.

ولا حجة بأن النظام سوف “يستغل” الفرصة ليبطش بكم/ن. فالفرصة الذهبية ليفعل ذلك هي الآن، تحت قعقعة السلاح وارتفاع جعجعة التدخل الخارجي. وكل ظرف آخر سيكون لمصلحتكم/ن أكثر بلا أدنى شك. (إلا شك الذين يريدون لكم فعلا أن تمضوا نحو الموت، ليرفوا كراسيهم على عروش من جماجمكم/ن).

إذا!
أنتم/ن الآن هو الرهان في سورية على أن تمضي فعلا، عميقا، وسريعا، نحو دولة مدنية لكل من فيها على قدم المساواة، ديمقراطية لا معيار لها سوى الكفاءة، كريمة لا ثغرة فيها لمعتدي، آمنة لا محل فيها لمجرم أو قاتل أو طائفي أو ممارس للعنف، مستقرة لا محل فيها لمحتل مباشر أو غير مباشر.

فهل ستبادرون اليوم إلى فتح الحلقة المكسورة أصلا؟ أم ستبقون أسرى أوهام القوة وخوف الصراحة والعلانية؟!

سورية الغد، سورية المدنية والديمقراطية والآمنة والمستقرة، لا تحتاجكم/ن اليوم فحسب، بل أنتم من تملكون اليوم جزءا رئيسيا من مفاتيحها. وإذا كنت وغيري ممن ترك نصف عمره الأول وراءه، لم يعد لدينا الكثير لنقلق عليه، فإن ما هو أمامكم هي حياة مديدة تقررون اليوم أي حياة ستكون. اليوم، وليس غدا، وليس “بعد سقوط النظام”، وليس في كواليس القلق والخوف..

In one of its latest “extraordinary” reforms, the Syrian government sent its thugs to ransack the home of Musa Al-Umar, a London-based TV news anchor, and terrorize his family. This “extraordinary” reform is part of the government’s new policy to allow freedom of speech.

Musa Al-Umar works for http://www.alhiwar.tv.
http://www.youtube.com/user/alhiwarchannel

عملية دهم وتخريب لمنزل الاعلامي السوري موسى العمر
2011-08-11

لندن ‘القدس العربي’: تعرض منزل عائلة الاعلامي السوري موسى العمر لعملية دهم من قبل قوات الامن السورية التي قامت مدعومة بالدبابات قامت باقتحام منزله في منطقة ادلب وتكسير محتوياته وفي مكالمة هاتفية ل’القدس العربي’ أكد الاعلامي السوري حصول الحادث وقال ‘تعرض منزلي اول امس لنهب وتكسير لأبوابه ومصادرة حاسوبين لأخويّ كما سرقت جوازات سفر والدتي وأختي الصغيرتين، كما تم نهب بعض المقتنيات الخاصة وتكسير الأثاث’.
وكان ناشطون موالون للرئيس الاسد وضعوا العمر أول من امس على قائمة المتآمرين على سوريا في صفحة فيس بوك التي تضم وجوها معارضة كعارف دليلة وميشيل كيلو وآخرين.
يذكر ان موسى العمر هو أحد الاعلاميين السوريين في الخارج الذين، على عكس مذيعين آخرين آثروا السكوت، بقي على رأس عمله واصر على متابعة الشأن السوري ببرامجه الحوارية على قناة الحوار اللندنية بمهنية عالية واخلاق رفيعة وقد وضع له معجبوه صفحة منذ يومين اسموها ‘كلنا موسى العمر ضد تهديدات الشبيحة’.

http://www.alquds.co.uk/index.asp?fname=today\11qpt890.htm&arc=data\201188-11\11qpt890.htm

the idea that Homs should be the administrative capital of Syria is not new,abboud. Many Syrians who suffer from traffic and delays when they go to Damascus would support that idea.
I wonder if government offices in Homs,should the city becomes the capital,will be open to business on Wednesdays..

“I wonder if government offices in Homs,should the city becomes the capital,will be open to business on Wednesdays..”

LOL! Good one 🙂

Not sure what the status of Helm Homs is now that the governor has been replaced. All we saw so far was part of Bab Hod get torn down and a friggin car park put up. But the grass is a nice touch.

Why did I receive so many ‘dislikes’ when I asked why the Syrian American Business Council was so quiet on the crimes being committed in Syria? For those that clicked ‘dislike’, don’t you think it’s right that Joud, Ghrewati, Hamwi, Succar, Nahhas and others also be brought to justice?

there is a plethora of posts on this forum that cover events but not enough that talk about the future of Syria and how to get to point-B where Syrians are competing for votes instead of racing for youtube videos and big flags. I meant no insult when I complained about the lack of depth,I am guilty of that too,so relax my friends,I’d rather vote for abboud’s toe than Ar’our’s beard..
(so far so good for my medical mission,response is excellent from non-syrians)

DIGGING FOR GOLD IN BOSRA
Answer 1. Because this is a provocateur’s question. It forces some people to examine their own position.

Answer 2. Your name was given to deputy impotent rage registrars as a “Salbi” (ask any baathist or a victim and they will tell you what Salbi means).

ABUGHASSAN
I too will vote for Aboud’s left toe and not for red beard of Arour.
Glad to hear that you are getting good responses for your mission. Good luck. Are you working with any NGO, some articles seem to indicate that the regime is stoking fear and anger at NGOs. Please be careful.

To #122. Real Syrian
I am sorry to disappoint you, but what you are portraying is untrue. I call my parents in Aleppo and they tell me the same thing: “mafi she”, there is nothing. everything is fine. A few weeks ago, one of my family members came to visit me here in the US. When I asked him about why they always tell me ” mafe she”, he said that it is because they are afraid. My cousin was arrested a few weeks before the demonstrations started because he cursed the regime on the phone in his own home. Now, you have to admit that Aleppo is even calmer than Latakia. Still my family member told me that the city is boiling. People are very upset with what the regime is doing, however, they released a bunch of criminals from the prison and armed them to beat up anyone who dares to demonstrate in Aleppo. It is just a matter of time before all Syria will be out demonstrating. It is not just the poor, because the way things are going, everyone is going to be poor in no time.
Real Syrian, I would say you are real delusional Syrian.

Aljazeera reported the arrest of 4 yo child to force his father to surrender himself.

Regime lovers, would you like to discuss children rights in KSA?

To dear #130. abughassan,
I just remembered listening to American Public Media “the Story” program a few weeks ago. It was all about Syria. I am sure you can find this particular episode on their web site. It was divided into two segments: the first was about this doctor who is doing his residency in DC and was visiting his family in Latakia when the uprising started. He was explaining how he participated in some demonstrations along with his friends (all university grads). He ended up being arrested with his three firends while attempting to transfer the injured to doctors who were willing to help. I am only mentioning this story to prove that the demonstrators are neither poor nor uneducated, specifically in Latakia.
While you are at it, listen to the second part of that episode. It is an interview with a woman who was 11 years old in Hama in 1982. It is a horrific account of what happened there. Just gives you pause.
Please let me know if you can not find it. I will dig it up and post it.

To Shabiha et al:

Those on SC who tirelessly argued: In which (western) state would a government tolerate disorder and looting like is happening in Syria?

Guess what, the damage caused in the UK in last 5 days is much worst than the damage caused by protesters in Syria during 5 months (if any of it was true). Do you see snipers on the roof? Do you see busloads of scavages or the SIS randomly shooting people?

To Majedkhaldoon and Aboud,
I tend to agree with Tara on this one. I am thinking you are both relatively young. As I have mentioned before, i lived through the MB uprising in the 80s. I was 14 at the time and remember everything clearly. One of the most important reasons why that uprising failed was that it was an armed uprising. As an unarmed civilian, you end up like a bystander. You can not really participate. Think about it. How can people go out with their famlies to demonstrate when they can not know where the bullets are going to come from. You not only give legitimacy to the regime to kill everyone, you also scare away the unarmed from being active participants. Don’t you think that this is preceisely why the regime is sticking to the line of armed gangs?
Majed and Aboud, can you tell me a little about your background? Age group, education, whereabouts? off course in general terms as not to be recognized.

To all,
From #138. syria no kandahar:

What does carbage mean??????
Even the insults are down right funny.

Aboud, I would be honored, except for two problems:
1- I am already married.
2- I think I am probably your mother’s age.

LOL

US govt to call for Syrian Prez resignation
Washington , August 11, 2011
First Published: 08:36 IST(11/8/2011)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/US-govt-to-call-for-Syrian-Prez-resignation/Article1-731992.aspx
The Obama administration is planning to call for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as soon as this week, a senior US official said Wednesday, turning up diplomatic pressure as Assad continues his bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators. “It is his actions that
have done it,” the administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal policy deliberations.

A White House call for Assad’s departure would be unlikely, by itself, to force him out. But proponents said it could encourage other countries to also press Assad to leave and help persuade influential businessmen in Syria to abandon him.

The decision comes as the administration is urging stronger action by European and Middle Eastern countries that have deeper economic and political ties to Syria. Key regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey have harshly criticized Assad in recent days, as his government has attacked protesters during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The administration has come under growing fire from U.S. lawmakers for moving more cautiously on Assad than it did in seeking the departure of the leaders of Libya and Egypt when pro-democracy uprisings erupted in those countries.

“So far, we’ve all been led to believe that somehow the regime, or Assad . . . can be instrumental in some sort of a transition,” said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center. Having the White House demand that Assad leave “speeds up the process of delegitimization [of the Assad government]. That’s extremely important.”

In the past 10 days, the Syrian government has escalated an effort to crush demonstrations that have spread throughout the country, sending tanks into opposition strongholds and firing on civilians, according to human rights groups. U.S. officials have put the death toll in the nearly five-month-old uprising at 2,000.

Over the past few weeks, the Obama administration has come close to urging Assad’s departure. White House spokesman Jay Carney reiterated Wednesday that Syria “would be better off without President Assad.”

But US authorities had hesitated to go further because of concern that Assad could shift the blame onto Washington, saying it was trying to engineer his removal. The U.S. government wants to “make sure that the story remains about the Syrian people and not about us,” said Jeffrey Feltman, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, at a recent House hearing.

In addition, the administration had been trying to determine how to time such an announcement to get the maximum effect. The decision to call for Assad’s resignation was first reported by the Associated Press.

A European official said Washington had been discussing with its allies in recent days whether to call for Assad’s ouster.

“If there is any concern [among allies], it is more linked to timing,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic talks. Some U.S. allies are concerned that such an act could make Russia and China less cooperative on pressuring Syria through the U.N. Security Council, the official said.

The Security Council remains divided over how to react to the violence in Syria. In a closed-door briefing Wednesday, the U.N. assistant secretary general for political affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, said that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Assad in an Aug. 6 phone call to “stop the use of military force against civilians immediately.”

But since then, Fernandez-Taranco said, “the political and human rights crisis . . . has deepened, with increased violence and the same pattern of antigovernment protests, military operations by security forces and supporting militia . . . killings and mass arrests.”

The United States, Britain, France, Germany and Portugal urged the council to invite the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights and its top emergency relief coordinator to provide a briefing on Syria. But Brazil, China, India and Russia raised concerns about the idea and said the council needed to focus on finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Syria.

“We believe that the crucial thing for the international community is to make sure that the dialogue starts,” said Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s envoy to the United Nations.

Assad has appeared undeterred by the rising international criticism of his government. While Syrian tanks began Wednesday to pull out of Hama, an opposition stronghold that has been under siege for 10 days, the military moved into two towns near the Turkish border, news services reported.

The Obama administration also announced Wednesday that it is imposing fresh sanctions on Syria’s biggest bank. It was the latest move to tighten sanctions, which prohibit most U.S. business with Syria.

The sanctions announced Wednesday expanded a 2004 measure that had barred U.S. financial institutions from dealing with the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria.

The latest sanctions also target Syriatel, a mobile phone operator owned by Rami Makhlouf, a Syrian businessman close to the Assad government.

To Sheila:

Yesterday I did not have the time to respond to your comment of having Obama’s toe run Syria. I do not know why should Syrians lower their standards to his level. Here is a guy who was swept into office and so far has been a to total failure for the following few reasons:

1. Within hours of winning the presidency, he won the Nobel peace prize for doing absolutely nothing. If he was a man of principle, he would have rejected it and told the committee there are other worthy people.

2. Withing hours of making his Palestinian state speech to 4 June 1967, he was told by Netenyaho and AIPAC to go back to the Whitehouse and wipe his ass with it and flush it down the toilet. He obliged immediately, and also flushed the aspirations of the Palestinians who have been promised many things, yet their land continue to be taken from underneath their feet.

3. A man of principle would have at least invited the Libyans to a conference to sort out there problems instead of leashing american and NATO power on the Libyan nation that has killed more people now than the butcher Gaddafi could accomplish. He could have tried to do the same with Syria and perhaps he may be able to keep his Nobel peace prize.

4. A man of principle, could at least try to communicate to his fellow Americans that this false premise that God promised this land of Palestine to the jews that has become engrained in the minds of americans that they no longer have any humane side to show to a people who are killed and oppressed every day of the week.

5. Lastly, a man of principle would not care about winning a second term if he had principles to stand by. Sadly all americans presidents in recent memory had none.

In conclusion, please do not lower Syria’s standards any further than they are now. I am off to the wineries to have lunch with my wife, I will not be able to answer you, but ease off on the hollow posts.

Sheila,I did not say that everybody who protested in Latakia was uneducated. A story on NPR is not a proof that educated people are leading protests or protesting in large numbers in Latakia. I lived in 3 syrian cities and i know latakia quite well. I support that doctor’s right to protest.people without college degree are as valuable as phd holders,and in many cases are less corrupt than educated people.
I was trying to infuse some realism in the discussion,for example,I know for sure now that what aljazeera portrayed as an anti regime demo in Latakia yesterday was a pro regime march,sorry aboud. In reality,both sides have the right to protest,it just happens that anti regime demos,when they stay peaceful,have the higher moral ground.

Darryl, thank you. A post that made my tea tastier. لا فض فوك يا خال
Obama is a joke who was elected president. Bashar is an unqualified man who was appointed president..

Israel prepares for Palestinian statehood rallies
http://news.yahoo.com/israel-prepares-palestinian-statehood-rallies-195535876.html
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli security forces are importing horses, water cannons, tear-gas launchers and a nauseating noise machine to control crowds if they become violent at Palestinian protests planned next month to support their bid for U.N. endorsement of statehood. Israel hopes the measures will avoid casualties among demonstrators.
….
The police newsletter spelled out the equipment police are planning to use, including a machine that generates sound waves that cause nausea.
Police have ordered such a machine, called “the scream,” the newsletter said, adding that they are also acquiring “the skunk” — a device that sprays a foul-smelling fluid to subdue unruly crowds.
more…

Otw,I have to keep details to myself until I return in one piece. I am also encouraged that my alawi friend is finally getting some responses ,but in both cases,Syrians are still a no show..

To dear #153. mjabali,
I agree with what you said except for one thing:
Syria is not a poor country, it is made poor by the ruling thugs and their cohorts.
Look at the mansions, the cars, the expensive trips etc.., this is our money at work.

Russia calls Syria to self-restraint, reforms and dialogue
Garibov Konstantin
Aug 11, 2011 14:56 Moscow Time
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/11/54510684.html
Damascus should carry out a policy of self-restraint, reforms and dialogue, the permanent representative of Russia in the UN Vitaly Churkin said on Wednesday following the closed consultations in the Security Council.

The Security Council listened to the latest report about the situation in Syria prepared by Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez Taranco. In particular, the report reads as follows: Bashar al-Assad persists in a policy of military crimes against his own country; about 2,000 innocent people have been killed, 13,000 are in jail and thousands of people have become refugees. On his part, the permanent representative of Syria in the UN Bashar Ja’afari accused his western colleagues of trying to manipulate the truth and conceal very important steps taken by Damascus. He called the western attitude “hypocritical and arrogant” because the West still refuses to recognize Syria’s right to call members of armed terrorist groups bandits and to use force against them.

This clash of opinions was predictable. At the same time, the consultations, as well as the UN Security Council session on Syria last week, showed that the West’s militant rhetoric against Damascus is losing momentum. Bashar al-Assad has gained time and will not have to eat the humble pie. Moreover, he will look like the winner in the eyes of his many allies and partners in the Arab world, believes political scientist and expert in Oriental studies Stanislav Tarasov:

“Al-Assad has already taken some positive steps: he has announced democratic reforms, changed the government, established a multi-party system, dismissed the defence minister and declared readiness to start a dialogue with the opposition. The second important point is that Russia and China vetoed the anti-Syrian resolution in the UN Security Council. In this situation al-Assad has enough chances to remain in power, in spite of the ostracism of the global community. His position in the role of a charismatic leader will become stronger if he manages to come to terms with the opposition. In this respect everything depends on the global community as a go-between, if it agrees to encourage the convergence of the opposite opinions. In that case Assad will have enough chances to remain the Syrian leader.”

Presumably, al-Assad believes that success is never blamed, so the bloodshed and violence in his country will be forgotten and forgiven. Will he manage to beat off attacks of the West for these crimes? – Stanislav Tarasov ponders:

“It is too soon to say yet that he has beaten off all attacks. I would put it like this: he stands a good chance to do so. He has enough ways to get out of the crisis and modernize the political system of the country, retain political power and set the country on the path of democracy.

More closed consultations on Syria will be held in the UN Security Council next week when reports on human rights and humanitarian situation will be presented. Evaluations will depend on how soon Bashar al-Assad manages to return tanks to hangars and machine guns to arsenals. There is enough time before the new session at the UN for the Syrian government and opposition to start talks. Ankara is willing to be an arbitrary between them. It will be easier for Damascus to take these steps if it does not sense any foreign interference in the country’s affairs. Yesterday’s appeal of the White House to Bashar al-Assad to resign will not add to the Syrian president’s enthusiasm to start talks with the opposition. However, Washington is not planning to actively interfere in the Syrian conflict. It looks like the USA is ready to give the first fiddle to the Arab world countries that are Syria’s neighbours.

Expat,idleb witnessed two attacks on journalists properties that I know off,the one you mentioned and another one on ali jamalo’s,who is a regime supporter.

I ask people who usually condemn revenge, pride, and greed to preach forgiveness, humility, and generosity to themselves first. 

Abughassan

“I know for sure now that what aljazeera portrayed as an anti regime demo in Latakia yesterday was a pro regime march”

Have you ever seen a menhebak demonstration where massive pictures of junior were not waved in people’s faces? Any live feed of such a demonstration would have shown his likeness. Or did the menhebaks (finally) run out of Besho Pics?

This might help if anybody wants to donate for medical missions in Syria,

http://www.sams-usa.net/newsItem.asp?ArticleID=64

http://www.alquds.co.uk

سحب السفراء الخليجيين من دمشق هدفه دفع الاسد لخيار خليجي ـ تركي على حساب التحالف مع ايران

سمير ناصيف:
لندن ـ ‘القدس العربي’ علق خبير سوري، مطلع بشكل مكثف على الموقف السوري الرسمي بالنسبة للاحداث الاخيرة، على مواقف بعض الدول العربية الخليجية التي استدعت سفراءها من دمشق كالسعودية والكويت والبحرين، وعلى الموقف السوري عموما، في حديث خاص اجري معه في لندن وفضل فيه عدم ذكر اسمه لكونه تكلم بصفته الشخصية.
وقال في هذا الصدد: ‘الخطة الامريكية تقضي بان يضع المشروع التركي ـ الخليجي سورية امام خيارين، لا ثالث لهما، وهو ان تقف سورية الى جانب الهيمنة التركية ـ السعودية، او ان تستمر في تحالفها الوثيق مع ايران’.
واضاف ‘سورية حتى الآن كانت بارعة في سياستها من حيث تحقيق التوازن بين هذين المحورين وهو توازن يؤمن استقرار المنطقة’.
ورأى الخبير ان ‘بعض السياسيين الامريكيين يفضلون سورية ضعيفة وساحة للصراعات ويوعزون الى حلفائهم في المنطقة بدعم هذه السياسة. وقال ‘ان التصعيد الميداني والعنف سيجران المنطقة الى حالة من الفوضى ستصيب في المدى البعيد دول الخليج اكثر من سورية، والهدف من زعزعة سورية هو كونها قوة فاعلة اعطت للمقاومة القدرة على تهديد أمن اسرائيل’.
اما بالنسبة الى امكان وجود مشروع لتقسيم سورية الى اقاليم ذات طابع طائفي ديني اثني وعشائري على شاكلة ما حدث في العراق مؤخرا، فقال الخبير السوري: ‘التقسيم هو هدف اسرائيلي اكثر منه امريكي، فامريكا ربما تفضل سورية موحدة ولكن ضعيفة، على سورية مقسمة تكمن فيها مجهولات، كما ان تقسيم سورية الآن ليس بالامر السهل كما يتصوره البعض. اقصى ما يمكن لاسرائيل الطموح اليه هو محاولة دفع الاقليات السورية كالعلويين الى اقامة دولة على الساحل. وهذا الامر يضعف سورية كدولة اذ يحرمها من ساحلها ويمزق الجيش السوري’. واضاف: ‘ربما يسعى داعمو هذا المشروع لارضاء روسيا من خلال تأمين مصالحها على الساحل السوري (القواعد البحرية والنفط، الخ…)’.
وعما اذا كان بالامكان ايجاد دور لرجال الاعمال السوريين الكبار في حل الازمة السورية الحالية، كما فعلوا في الماضي، وكما فعل امثالهم في لبنان، قال الخبير السوري: ‘من الصعب التأثير على المجموعات الغاضبة في سورية حاليا والمتعددة الاهداف من خلال رجال اعمال من الطائفة السنية، هناك كثيرون فقدوا اعزاء في الاحداث ويطلبون الانتقام وهناك سلفيون، بالاضافة الى وجود سنة سوريين يطالبون باعادة التوازن الطائفي. الامر الاهم الذي يؤثر على الجميع هو تقديم اصلاحات حقيقيةن خصوصا فيما يتعلق بكرامة السوريين الذين اهينت كرامتهم والتخفيف من التوجه المذهبي، وهذه الامور تزيل الغطاء عن الذين يتسترون بهذه الامور. اهم خطوة هي ليست في تبوؤ البورجوازية السنية بدور بارز في سورية ولكن في تعريف الامن ودوره في البلد بشكل ادق وتوحيده في سياسة واحدة تمارسها جهة رسمية سورية واحدة والمطلوب اولا تحقيق جو من الهدوء أمنيا. ولكن اعداء سورية لا يساهمون في ايجاد مثل هذه الاجواء ويشجعون على استمرار العنف’. ودعا الخبير الى ان تقوم البورجوازية السورية السنية في الداخل والخارج، بمبادرة وطنية تجمع السوريين غير الطائفيين في البلد وليبادروا الى الاجتماع في مؤتمر وطني للحوار مع السلطة قد يجري في بيروت او في سورية قريبا جدا’. وعبر الخبير عن تقدير سورية وشعبها للدور الذي يقوم به لبنان على الصعيدين الرسمي والشعبي للمساهمة في تحقيق الاستقرار في سورية’.
واكد الخبير اهمية دور الاقليات في سورية بالنسبة الى التعددية والحريات الديمقراطية في سورية، والعالم العربي عموما. على هذه الاقليات القيام باي ممارسات قد تدفع الجهات الاخرى الى الشعور بالقهر، والى الرغبة بالانتقام اذ ان ذلك سيؤدي الى نجاح مشروع اعداء سورية والعالم العربي والانسانية عموما’.

qpt

Watch Junblat,he sides with the winner . Saad Hariri is a different story.

كلنا شركاء
قال موقع الوطن أونلاين الالكتروني أن الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد عيّن العماد فهد جاسم الفريج رئيسا لأركان الجيش العربي السوري، خلفا للعماد داوود راجحة الذي عين وزيرا للدفاع.
وقال موقع الوطن أونلاين (التوأم لصحيفة الوطن التي يملكها رامي مخلوف) أن اللواء الفريج من مواليد حماة وكان يشغل منصب نائب رئيس الأركان.
وكانت صحيفة الأخبار اللبنانية قد نشرت تقريراً يوم أمس عن اللواء آصف شوكت (صهر الرئيس السوري) لم تستبعد فيه أن يتم تعيينه رئيساً للأركان خلفاً لداوود راجحة، ما دام ظلُّ الحلّ الأمني مهيمناً على الحلول الأخرى للنظام، بحسب تعبير الصحيفة.
ويذكر أيضاً أن آصف شوكت، وفهد الفريج ومنير أدنوف هم نواب رئيس الأركان داوود راجحة إلا أن الخيار وقع على الفريج ليخلف راج

Thanks,Norman
Aboud,something is brewing in Damascus and it is not coffee..
(I am still recovering from your harsh attack on me when I said that) 🙂

Syrian Heroes
Tara:I think it is time for us to start taking arms.
Aboodi:Heck i think we should use nuclear weapons.
Shiela:totali agrees.
Tara:can OTW explain to us the difference between peaceful and non-violent.
OTW:of course tara.peaceful is non-violent.
Tara:very good answer,thanks OTW.
OTW:sure,remember my brain is of the wall.
Tara:i want to take a walk in Homs with my daughter and my klashinkove in my hand,where can i meet you Aboudi.
Aboudi:at the flafel stand in Alhadara street.
Tara:how would i know you.
Aboudi:remember my pony tail,i also have RBG with me.
Syria Hamster:you guys are so lucky,i will go up my tree and look at you,can a Hamster be armed?
Aboudi:heck sure you can.
Revlon:By tradition you guys cant walk together.
Tara:I think we should do all we can to make sure that ther will be more sanctions on gas,oil,milk..every think.i think even matte should be banned from goin to syria.i dont care you know i have three zonr heat in my house.
Aboudi:Mattee hehehe Homs will starve with no mattee LOL
Ubo Umer: i am so proud of all of you guys.we are all united.i am so proud of my sunnis friends.arms are the way to go.

To #188. Darryl,
I do agree with a lot of what you said. Not all, but a lot, however, I still think that Obama’s toe is better than what we have in Syria. I am not claiming that he is perfect and I reiterate that I did not vote for him, but no comparison here.

Regarding the hollow posts, that was truly unwarranted.

عاجل
تعيين مفتي يهودي في سوريا
(minister of defense: Christian,chief of staff: Sunni,a Kurd will soon be appointed in a high position according to “a well-connected source”..
The new chief of staff is an improvement over asef shawkat at least on paper.what people want is a real change at the security apparatus. This remains to be seen. Obama was supposed to spell the magic word today but he has not,not that I give a d…n …
Turkey may have offered a deal that includes keeping Bashar president,will see if this is true..many opposition leaders are worried. Iran may be the price.i do not think keeping Bashar president is a good idea.

Sheila
You are young,the reason that the uprising in 1982 failed, because,it was small,limited, and Arab were not ready for chamge, now the uprising is massive ,all over Syria,involve all segments of syrian society,not MB only, population of Syria was 7 million, now we are 23 million, the corruption was not as evident as now,the Assadist hegemony was not in control as it is now,the country was not polarizing as it is now,right now the wealth is all in their hands, and we became second rate citizen,it was more Baath party rule than it is now where a special sect control the whole people,treating them in a condesending way.

I am a surgeon,came to this country in 1970, I came from a Muslem family,but some has Baath and communist attachment, I never felt comfortable with their ideas, here in USA I learned that freedom is the most precious thing, and became libertarian, as a physician and surgeon, I have a feeling of compassion and love for the young, as I have children I love and wish them better life, I feel very bad when I see young men dye while demonstrating peacefully.
I know AbuGhassan,but I have not met the other doctor on this forum, and I wish one day we get togather, I used to go for the ADC meeting every year ,This year I have not heared that there was one,I am missing it.in those meetings I had a repeated arguments with Imad Mustapha, I have no respect for him, and he hates me.

I hope to meet you majed. I respect people with different opinions who still love Syria and want what is best for Syria. We agree on the brutal and corrupt nature of the regime but we may not totally agree on how to move forward,I still think that we as expats do not matter much. After all ,we left,they stayed,we are rich,they are poor,we are safe,they are in danger. I was absolutely belittled by Syrians who stood up for freedom and faced imprisonment or even death. I just could not ignore the violence committed by thugs fighting in the name of opposing the regime.
الاختلاف لا يفسد للود قضيه

Memo To: MAJEDKALDOON

RE: Imad Mustapha

Someone hacked into Wikipedia and made some changes to the article on your “friend.” >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imad_Moustapha

This regime will not go until it is forced to.

Dear ABUGHASSAN @ 193
Good idea, my question was more to illicit precaution than answer. Good luck.

Sad that Syrians are no-show. Could be that Syrians in North America and Europe are far more afraid than their brothers and sisters on the inside? or is it that they just don’t want to be permanently cut off from the old country especially that in the past 5-7 years, they have had much easier time going back for visits?

We still have a lot of recovery to do as a society and community of 50 years of negative conditioning. And you are a good start and example. Good luck.

SNK
I feel generous now.

Tara:can OTW explain to us the difference between peaceful and non-violent.
OTW:of course tara.peaceful is non-violent.
Tara: good answer
Now this is what I am talking about. You finally produced something funny. That was good. And the piece in its entirety is a marked progress from before. There was no unnecessary characters in it, and it used material from the conversation to ridicule the conversation. I Guess HAMSTER and ABOUD are finally making headway and bringing in some real humor into SC. Good start.

However, non-violent is not necessarily peaceful. Now that you found some humor, try to read the actual comment it is even funnier and has more material to make fun off.

In a previous post, I outlined three scenarios that may unfold in Syria. Most on this blog outside of regime supporters are trying to think the possible outcome. Those supporting the regime have one story line that of a conspiracy led by armed gangs and foreigners to destroy Syria.

The response from one such regime supporter is that I should go find a career in movie making. I am thinking seriously of doing just that: I would like to make a horror movie but I was beaten to it by the actual events unfolding.

There is one answer the regime has: violence and more of it.

Violence never solves anything and never brings any solutions.

My vote:

Long live germs and rats of the world

Homs for capital of Syria

Hama for Martyr Monument and Mausoleum

I solicit ideas as to what we should build in Deir Jisr Idlib Sarmine Daraa and other martyred towns and villages.

MAJED @ 209
Agree, but a first step would be to isolate it from its sources of powers for oppression or to make these powers ineffective.

So far, the effectiveness of the army to inflict fear has been annualized as it now risk being exposed as an ineffective deterrence tool. Town not only resume protests after the army leave, they are protesting while the army shells nearby neighborhood.

The next step is to obliterate the effectiveness of the regime’s sustainable-oppression. This is the security apparatus which includes among other things its spying and “militia” forces, primarily composed from low ranking, yet aspiring Baath party membership, along with the some membership of labor syndicates and professional unions along with recently released common criminals and smugglers. Any creative non-violent containment of these thugs would be a step in the right direction. They provide the leadership of the local Shabeeha, and the mechanism of identifying protest organizers, and arresting them and of intimidating and supressing protests until security agents and real shabeeha show up. Anecdotal evidence show that some communities are starting to isolate them, but much more remains to be done. If Aleppo can find a solution to this problem then the end will be faster. Not because of how important Aleppo is, for rural areas are far more important in successful revolutions than urban areas, but because it will mean the possibility of amputating the most effective end of the octopus tentacles.

Sheila,

“Obam’s tow is better than what we have in Syria”

Exclude yourself. Dont say “we”. That comment just proved that you are no Syrian. How disgraceful. Ya 3aybeshoom.

Obama is a pig. And so are all past, and future American Presidents. Tfe.

Oh and Sheila, Obams toe should focus on its people and their problems (especially now with their financial problems), rather than focusing on stomping on Syria.

Its August 12th… Yup Bashars still here!

Samara,

Allah y2owike ya e5te. well said

The news of ongoing protests after the use of so much force by the regime in many towns and villages is awe inspiring. The courage of the people should shame every regime supporter on this blog and should be a lesson to all those inside and outside the country including at the highest level of every regional government. This regime does not deserve but to be thrown into history’s garbage bin.

The fact of the matter is that the majority of Syrians have opted for a peaceful attempt at changing the regime. The other fact is that the inner circle has ran out of options and is finished.

Long live the germs and rats of the world.

Syrian tv reports the death of a security personnel member in Douma, after shots were fired at security forces by terrorist gang members.

Of course I know that Syria’s future is different but Aboud and I differ on the method of change. He wants things to heat up and I want things to cool off and people to go to ballots asap.

Change comes through political parties and the rule of the law and not through the civil war we are witnessing now.

mjabali,

OK. Let us know when those ballots become available.

Meanwhile, I have to agree with majedkhaldoon who said:

This regime will not go until it is forced to.

Majedkhaldoon,

Glad to know you are helping americans to heal from their illnesses.

5 Dancing Ahmads,

You didn’t respond to my Post #142. Which part of “Zionized West” do you live, or do you live in the “Utopia” called the Middle East or Syria?

OBSERVER,

“The fact of the matter is that the majority of Syrians have opted for a peaceful attempt at changing the regime. The other fact is that the inner circle has ran out of options and is finished”

Sure. Keep telling yourself that ya walad.

The truth is going to be seen by the world. Maybe not now. But someday.

Ali,
🙂 . And exactly, Bashar is still here. What happened to the 10th being his last? I must admit, although i would have loved to see Aboud with red hair, I am not surprised that Bashar is still strong, and will remain so. Allah yehmee.

SYAU,

Allah yerhamou. Allah yeb3atlo eb atlo yalli 3amal ha shi.

Another Friday, nothing will stop this defiant street, no amount of shock and awe will instill fear in Syria’s bravest, most noble segment of our society.

Off The Wall, those with the mentality, if and but, yes and no, will not help, nor quell the noble protesters. They will only serve the regime. How can we make them see things as they are and not doubt the peacefulness of these protesters.

This street will not stop. The silent majority are the king makers.

The Syrian commentators are united in their love for the country. Their is a tug of war going , the aim is not to score points but trigger a united voice.

Two security personnel members have now been martyred in Douma.

God protect the Syrian Arab Army and all braches of Syria’s security personnel and civilians, from the terror of this evolution of terrorist monsters that has been unleashed in our great nation.

“The news of ongoing protests after the use of so much force by the regime in many towns and villages is awe inspiring”

Of course the protests were going to continue. But while I appreciate some onlookers spraying us with water, I think I swallowed some.

And I’m not sure the “Ibn el Haram, ba3 el Golan” chants were keeping in the spirit of fasting. Hehehe, never mind, I’ll make up for it afterwards.

“Two security personnel members have now been martyred in Douma. ”

Tell me, how many protestors were murdered in Douma over the past five months? And we didn’t hear you yapping then.

http://www.qanon302.net/news/news.php?action=view&id=6543

حكام الخليج يكشفون عن عوراتهم كما كشفها عمرو بن العاص

التاريخ : الجمعة 12-08-2011 06:13 صباحا
بقلم / د. طالب الصفار .
وبعد ان عجز وفشل النظام السعودي الذي يمثل احد اضلاع مثلث الموت المتكون من اسرائيل والسعودية والمخابرات الامريكية من الاطاحة بالنظام السوري اذ اشتد العداء عليه منذ هزيمة الصهاينة على ايادي وضربات ابطال حزب الله سنة 2006 بدآ التنسيق المستمر دون كلل او ملل من حبك خيوط سلسلة من التأمر على اسقاط الحكومة السورية, وخاصة بعد الفشل الذريع الذي مني به مثلث الموت الذي كان يعمل محاولا ومستهدفا هزيمة المقاومة او تحجيمها بعد ان نفذت كل الخطط على الصعيد اللبناني, ومنها استخدام الحريري والسنورة ومجموعة فريق 14 آذار الذي تأسس بايعاز وترتيب من قبل السعودية واسيادها كما اسست ورتبت (القائمة العراقية) لخوض الانتخابات في العراق لتستطيع بث الفوضى في العراق من قبل استخدام اعضاء البرلمان واعضاء السلطة التنفيذية التابعين للقائمة المذكورة التي فرضتها المحاصصة التي تشرف عليها قوى الاحتلال وتدعمها لتكمل برنامج التخريب مع السعودية والصهيونية. الا ان الفشل الذريع الذي لاقته العائلة السعودية في لبنان وخاصة بعد سقوط الحريري وكذلك فشل خططها وتآمرها على العراق وسوريا ادى الى كشف ملك السعودية عن عورته كما كشفها عمرو بن العاص اذ تروي كتب التأريخ ومن بينها المسعودي:” لما اشار معاوية على عمرو بن العاص ان يبرز الى علي فلم يجد عمرو من ذلك بدا فبرز فلما التقيا عرفه علي وشال السيف ليضربه به فكشف عمرو عن عورته وقال:”مكره اخوك لابطل” فحول علي وجهه عنه وقال :قبحـت….. وقد شاءت الصدفة ان يكون موقع المعركة والتحدي هي الساحة السورية كما كانت في عصر يزيد ومعاوية فاليوم ونحن نسمع ان ملك السعودية يستدعي سفيره من سوريا بعد ان شعرت العائلة السعودية بقيادة خائن الحرمين وخائن العروبة والاسلام والانسانية ملك ال سعود عبد الله بان الهزيمة تلاحقهم نتيجة لتدخلهم في الشأن السوري الداخلي. واصبح اليوم واضحا ان الموآمرة التي قادتها السعودية وحلفاؤها وخاصة قطر بامر من الصهيونية والمخابرات العالمية قد فشلت رغم كل الاحقاد التي ضختها قنواتهم الاعلامية المنحطة اعلاميا واخلاقيا بكل ما للكلمة من معنى امثال قناة الجزيرة والعربية وغيرهما من قنوات مقاطعات الخليج الامريكية الصهيونية وخاصة قطر التي غرقت في العمالة حتى اذنيها التي لابد من ان تجدعها الارادة الالاهية والشعبية وحكم التأريخ على كل خائن لان الله لايحب الخائنين وهو خصم لهم لانه لايحب كل خوان كفور فلا هداية لهم وقال تعالى:” ان الله لايهدي الخائنين”.

وفي صدد الخيانة والعمالة التي تلبسها وتتباها بها حكومات الخليج كوسام خزي وعار لها اذ تفتخر بكونها حليفة لاسرئيل والمخابرات الاجنبية الاوربية والامريكية جهرا وعلانية دون خجل او حياء, وفوق هذا وذاك فانها تدعي الاسلام والحفاظ عليه الا اننا نسمع اصواتا شريفة وغير مسلمة ترفض التآمر على سوريا فمثلا شجب المطران لوقا الخوري التدخلات الاجنبية في الشأن السوري الداخلي قائلا:” ان ما تتعرض اليه سوريا مؤامرة كبيرة تقودها امريكا وفرنسا واوربا وبعض العرب ارضاء لاسرائيل وخدمة لامنها وان نائب الرئيس السابق عبد الحليم خدام ينسق مع فريق 14 آذار في لبنان لتمويل ودعم المخربين والمتمردين في سوريا ووسائلهم الاعلامية تروج للفتنة….”. ان موقف المطران هذا له اشرف من مواقف حكام الخليج الذين يعملون ليل نهار لاذلال العرب والمسلمين وخدمة للصهيونية وقاتلي الشعوب, وقد بات واضحا ان سبب هذا التآمر على القطر السوري لانه القطر العربي الوحيد الذي جعل ارضه ساحة مفتوحة للمقاومة والممانعة فهو لايزال وسيبقى يدعم كل الحركات الوطنية والقومية لمحاربة العدو الصهيوني وزعزعة كيانه, وهذا هو السبب في التآمر عليه والا لماذا لايركز الاعلام على المذابح التي تجري في البحرين والسعودية وفي اليمن وما تقوم به السعودية في العراق من تفجيرات وتخريب, وبات واضحا للشعب العراقي والسوري ان السعودية لاتريد الاصلاح والبناء والتطور والخير والسلام لابناء العراق وسوريا ولكن مؤامرتها هذه سوف تحبط وتهزم في سوريا كما هزمت في ايران والعراق وجنوب لبنان وفي مصر الثورة وستندحر عائلة ال سعود في عقر دارها والاحداث الجارية تثبت هذا وسوف يتخلى الغرب والصهاينة عنها فالثورة العالمية نحو الخير والاصلاح تتجاوز محيط الشرق الاوسط وهي سائرة في تأديب وكسر شوكة كل قوى الطواغيت اقتصاديا وعسكريا وسوف تتضامن الشعوب الحرة والشريفة بعضها مع البعض لازالة الظلم والطغيان والارهاب التي تدعمه السعودية في المال والسلاح وبالتكفرين الوهابيين الجهلة.

ان سحب سفراء مقاطعات الخليج الامريكية الصهيونية من القطر العربي السوري المسلم ما هو الا انعكاس لفشل الاعمال الارهابية التي دعمتها هذه المقاطعات العميلة والخاضعة لسياسة المحافظين المسيحيين الجدد الذين يكرهون ويحقدون على الاسلام والمسلمين اكثر من حقد الصهاينة على الاسلام والمسلمين, وقد جعلت سياسة المحافظين الجدد السعودية رأس حربة دول الخليج في الحرب على الاسلام والمسلمين وما على المتابع الا ان يناقش مع نفسه بعض النقاط التالية التي جاءت في كلمة خادم الصهاينة ملك السعودية في 7-8-2011منها:

1- يصف الملك الضليل سوريا في خطابه:”سوريا العروبة والاسلام” هذا القول صحيح ولكن في مقابله ترى الشعوب العربية والاسلامية:”ان العائلة السعودية حليفة الصهيونية والاستسلام”.

2- ثم يقول “تساقط اعداد كبيرة من الشهداء……..ليس من الدين ولا من القيم والاخلاق” هذا صحيح ايضا ولكن من هو السبب المباشر في سفك هذه الدماء؟ فهل ينكر او يتجاهل افراد العائلة السعودية من تورطهم بايصال المال والسلاح والجواسيس الى داخل القطر السوري خلال الاردن الى درعا فكانت اول جريمة بحق الشعب السوري تبدأ بالخراب والتدمير لبنية الشعب السوري الاجتماعية والتحتية كما فعلتها السعودية في العراق وافغانستان وليبيا واليمن الذي احتضنت السعودية دكتاتورها وعالجته في مستشفياتها وتحاول السعودية الان التخريب في مصر وتونس التي يعيش دكتاتورها بن علي في السعودية متقلبا بين قصور الامراء وملكهم الضليل.

3- يقول ملك ال سعود “ان ما يحدث في سوريا لاتقبل به السعودية……ومستقبل سوريا بين خيارين لاثالث لهما ….” وهذا صحيح كذلك لان السعودية لاتقبل بالخسارة والهزيمة التي الحقها بها شعب وحكومة سوريا رويدا رويدا, فافلست وفشلت مؤامراتها وسحبت سفيرها وهذا سلاح المنهزم من المعركة الباطلة كما انهزم وكشف عن عورته عمرو بن العاص امام سيف الامام علي بن ابي طالب (ع) فكان صوت الحق في معترك الباطل ارفع الصوتين, واما ان ال سعود وملكهم الضليل يضعون مستقبل سوريا بين خيارين لاثالث لهما فهذا تدخل سافر في الشؤون الداخلية السورية وان سوريا لها خياراتها وعلى ملك السعودية ان يعلم ان لديه خيار واحد لا اكثر, وهو ان يرفع الظلم والقهر عن اغلبية شعب الجزيرة العربية في الحسا والقطيف والرياض وجدة وغيرها من المدن والارياف وعدم التدخل في شؤون الدول العربية والاسلامية والا سوف يلاقي مصير صدام وليس حسني مبارك.

4- ثم يختم الملك الضليل قائلا:” المطالبة بايقاف الة القتل واراقة الدماء وتحكيم العقل وفوات الاوان……” وهنا يتساءل كل منصف وشريف من هو الذي صدر واستخدم آلة الحرب الى الاراضي السورية, وباي اموال اشتريت ومن هم الوسطاء بايصال الاسلحة الفتاكة الى درعة وبقية المدن السورية ولماذا لايحكم ملك الفساد والاجرام عقله في منع وايقاف تصدير الاسلحة وارسال التكفيريين الى العراق والبحرين لقتل وسفك دماء المسلمين, وعليه هو ان يخاف على نفسه وافراد عائلته من فوات الاوان من غضب شعب الجزيرة اولا والشعوب العربية والاسلامية ثانيا.

ان سحب سفير ال سعود وبقية سفراء اقطاعيات الخليج من سوريا ما هو الا اعترافا بالهزيمة وفشلا للاجندة السعودية الصهيونية لان ال سعود يرون مصريهم مرتبط ببقاء دولة ال صهيون وان هزيمة اسرائيل وازالتها يعني ازالة حكم ال سعود, وان الخطر المكشوف والواضح على الوجود الصهيوني يأتي من الحلف الايراني السوري والعراقي وجنوب لبنان بالاضافة الى كل شريف يحارب الدكتاتورية والعنصرية. اما ابواق الاعلام السعودي الجاهزة كجمال خاشقجي الذي يطالب سوريا بالسماح للتظاهرات السلمية وايقاف القتل عليه ان يطالب ملكه الضليل بان يسمح للتظاهرات في الرياض والطائف وجدة والحسا والقطيف وبقية المدن, وان يوقف القتل وهتك الاعراض في البحرين وان تنهي قوات ال سعود احتلالها للبحرين ويمنعها من التدخل في شؤون شعوب الامة الاسلامية والعربية. ولا ننسى هنا موقف الخزي والعمالة لدولة قطر في غلق سفارتها في سوريا وفتحها في اسرائيل والذي يريد التأكد من ذلك عليه ان يشاهد المقابلات بين امير قطر ووزير خارجيتها في اسرائيل. واذا كان هذا هو حال ال سعود وحكام قطر فكيف يأمل ابناء سوريا من هؤلاء الحكام العملاء بناء الديمقراطية ونشر العدالة في الشام وليبيا واليمن وغيرها من الدول العربية ولماذا لاتطبق عائلة ال سعود الديمقراطية في السعودية وال ثاني في قطر وكذلك بقية حكام الخليج. ولكننا في الواقع نرى ان تدخلات دول الخليج هذه -والمجبرة عليها من قبل اسيادها- لم تجلب الا الدمار والتخريب واصبح هذا واضحا ومكشوفا وخاصة كلما تطول فترة الاقتتال والاحتراب بين ابناء الشعب الواحد الذي فتلت واشعلت اوار فتنة الحرب فيه دولارات النفط الخليجي.

وقد علقت صحيفة الكاردين ((The Guardian اللندنية على خطاب الملك السعودي الضليل بعددها الصادر يوم الاثنين 8-8-2011 عن سحب السعودية لسفيرها في منطقة تشهد اشد العداء بين قادة حكوماتها متمثلا بالتدخل في شؤون بعضها البعض وهنا الاشارة لتدخلات السعودية وحلفائها وليس العكس لوجود دولار البترول وتقول الصحيفة في ملاحظاتها على الخطاب الهش:” ان هذا اشد نقد يأتي من دولة ملكية كبيرة في انتاج النفط وهي تحرم على مواطنيها المظاهرات السلمية, وقد توجهت السعودية ضد الدول العربية منذ موجة الاحتجاجات التي زعزعت واقلقت الشرق الاوسط واسقطت النظام التونسي والمصري.” وهذه هي الحقيقة فالعائلة السعودية في قلق وخوف من هذه الموجات التي ستطيح بها والا ما هذا الخطاب الغير متزن وكله تناقضات مما اثار السخرية للذين استمعوا له وقد اضافت صحيفة (الكاردين) التي نسبت الخبر الى وكالة رويتر قائلة باستغراب:” ان الملك عبد الله ارسل جنوده في شهر اذار لمساعدة جارته حكومة البحرين الملكية للقضاء على احتجاجات الجماهير الشعبية, وكذلك انتقدت الحكومة السعودية قرار الحكومة المصرية بمحاكمة الرئيس المصري المخلوع حسني مبارك! ثم ان الحكومة السعودية تدعي الحياد بما يحدث في اليمن بينما تأوي وتعالج رئيسها علي عبد الله صالح الذي جرح بقنبلة من المعارضين لنظامه باحتجاجات سلمية مكشوفة”.

اما صحيفة الديلي تلكراف ((The Telegraph اللندنية فقد كشفت قناع الخيانة والتآمر على الشعب السوري وحكومة الممانعة والتصدي تحت عنوان (جيران سوريا يبنون تحالفا ضد حكومة الاسد) وذلك في عددها الصادر في يوم الاثنين 8-8-2011 حيث جاء في المقالة:” ان اقطار الخليج النفطية الستة والتي تهيمن عليها السعودية اصدروا اعلانا يطالبون فيه ايقاف الدماء في سوريا وان الملك عبد الله في اول خطاب رسمي له طلب من الرئيس الاسد ايقاف الحملة العسكرية على المحتجين وان يقوم باصلاحات…..” ان ما يطالب به الملك الضليل حقيقة يدل على ضحالة وسخافة هذا الملك الذي اصبح مخرفا وفاقدا للاتزان وفيه مرض النسيان نتيجة لخلل في عقله يسمى بمرض الدمنشيا Dementia)) واصبح الرجل لايصلح ان يستمر بهذا المنصب فكيف يصرح بذلك وجيش ال سعود يحتل بلد البحرين ويقتل اهله ويدمر بنيته التحتية وفتك بشبابه ويهتك الاعراض ويقتل الاطباء ويمنع الاحياء منهم بمساعدة الجرحى والمصابين, جيش ال سعود يدخل ويحتل بلدا عضوا في مجلس الامن والجامعة العربية والمنظمة الاسلامية واحد دول الخليج, واما مايحدث في سوريا فانه عمل داخلي وجيش جاء من الشعب السوري وجيش مقاوم وباسل واقف على جبهة القتال في كل دقيقة ولحظة لحماية الشعب السوري من اعتداءات الصهاينة اكبر عدو للعرب والمسلمين, جيش عقائدي لم يتعاون مع الصهاينة والمستعمرين كما تعاونت السعودية ودول الخليج جيش لم يتدخل ويحتل أي دولة عربية او مسلمة كما فعل اوباش الجيش السعودي في اليمن حين حاولوا احتلالها من جبهة الحوثيين الذين لقنوه درسا لن ينساه, واليوم يحتل البحرين ويعبث بمقدراتها والجامعة العربية ومجلس الامن وحلف الناتو يتفرجون دون شجب او حتى تنديد ولكنهم يتدخلون ويقتلون الشعوب ويدمرون الاوطان كما هو في ليبيا وافغانستان ومحاصرة الثورة المصرية والتونسية والتدخل السافر في الثورة اليمنية لصالح السعودية واسرائيل, ولكنهم عم صم وكأنهم لايعلمون ولايشاهدون ما يحدث في البحرين من سفك للدماء وكذلك من تدخل سعودي وهابي ارهابي سافر في العراق, واليوم نشاهد الدوران والالتفاف على سوريا المقاومة. والحقيقة ان الحكم السعودي لن يدخل البحرين او اليمن من اجل الاحتلال وحسب ولكنه خوفا من موجة التغيير التي لابد منها وخاصة ان ثورة التغيير تحيط بالعائلة السعودية الفاسدة من الخارج والداخل.

وقد اضافت هيئة تحرير جريدة (الديلي تلكراف) بان التآمر السعودي الوهابي على سوريا قد تجاوز القيم والاخلاق المتعارف عليها وليس القيم الاسلامية التي يفترض ان يتحلى بها من يسمي نفسه (خادم للحرمين الشريفين) وملك دولة فيها بيت الله الحرام وقبر النبي (ص) وبعض الائمة(ع) والخلفاء وبلد هو مهبط الرسالة السماوية, الا اننا نرى ال سعود جعلوا من هذه الارض مركزا للتآمر على الاشقاء فذكرت هذه الصحيفة ما يلي:” ان حكومة السعودية العربية خلال اتصالاتها بالخارجين على القانون من العشائر السنية في العراق والسياسيين السنة اللبنانيين وتزويدهم بالمال من اجل شراء الاسلحة وتهريبها الى سوريا لتنفيذ العمليات الارهابية ….” هذه العمليات الارهابية التي اثارت الرعب والفزع بين صفوف المواطنين بشكل مآساوي, حيث تشاهد صور الفديو التي يقطع فيها المجرمون اطراف ورؤس افراد القوات المسلحة السورية التي دافعت عن شرف وكرامة الشعب السوري ثم ترمى هذه الاجساد الطاهرة بعد التمثيل بها من فوق الجسور على مياه النهر ثم تتعالى اصوات القتلة المجرمين التي تهتف (الله اكبر) وكأن هؤلاء المجرمين القتلة حرروا القدس, والذي يؤسف له ان الجزيرة العربية ومهبط الوحي قد اص

بحت اليوم تحت هيمنة ال سعود وتحولت الى مرتع للجواسيس الصهاينة والمخابرات العالمية وبقرة حلوب للحكام الفاسدين المفسدين الذين ينهون عن المنكر ويعملون به, ويأمرون بالمعروف ولا يعملون به, ولذلك فان الملك الضليل يامر الحكومة السورية بالاصلاحات وال سعود هم مركز الدكتاتورية والتخريب والارهاب في الشرق الاوسط وانهم كالصهاينة لايفكرون الا بانفسهم وهم وراء كل امواج الفتن والمنافرة في الشرق الاوسط وما خطاب ملك ال سعود هذا الا كلام بدعة وضلالة وحشوا رثا وقولا دون فعل, وسبحان الله الذي وصف هؤلاء القوم في كتابه الكريم:” كبر مقتا عند الله ان تقولوا ما لاتفعلون…”

د.طالب الصراف لندن

One of the regime’s trumpets, Ahmed Haj ali, drinking water. In daytime. During Ramadan.

One of the demonstrations in Hama *today*

Who was the idiot who told X-Box junior that sending in tanks would scare people?

@ samara,
i don’t know how long you’ve been out side syria, or what portion of your life you’ve been in syria, but by seriously thinking we have freedom of speech in syria, you don’t know much. you probably live somewhere far like ballarat and take advantage of rights that were never given to us to support bashar.
i invite you to answer Aboud’s age old question:
* why is Najati Tayara still in prison? *
and here’s mine:
why is youtube viewing banned in syria?
———————————————————————
ABOUD’S LEFT TOE FOR PRESIDENT!.

((( * why is Najati Tayara still in prison? *

It is obvious that the Demonstrators in Syria lack credible opposition leaders in side Syria , so the Syrian government is trying to build credible opposition leaders by putting them in jail, in the same time protecting them from the radical elements in the regime and the opposition, as any death of known opposition figures in side Syria will be blamed on the government and make things worse

Now can you see a good reason for the government to jail opposition figures , i can.!

Norman, and the only way the Baathists can think of protecting people, is by putting them in jail? Also, why didn’t they let him out to take part in the conferences? Or allow them to talk to the media? And why are political activists placed with murderers and hardened criminals?

Likewise, maybe the opposition should capture prominent Baathists, blind fold them, gag them, and put them in a cupboard for the duration of the revolution…for their own protection of course.

You know, I suddenly feel like “protecting” Maher LOL!!!!!

I guess there won’t be any shortage of people who want to “protect” Asma hehehehehehe.

Another demonstration in Hama today. Junior is proving to be the worst strategist since Saddam Hussein.

OMG… Norman, You are a true Baath gangster… your Master “Hafiz Assad” said the same thing when they asked why don’t you release the previous Dr. Nour din atassi from jail!! .. He answered them “ He is in jail for protection from the people wrath “ !!!….

SOME GUY IN DAMASCUS,

While you support Abouds toe to rule you, i will actually tell you that i dont live in ballarat. As i have mentioned, i live in Melbourne Victoria. And to answer his question: i couldnt care less. I am not in the minds of those holding him so i dont know. And to answer yours: im guessing its something to do with the lies and fabrications that people keep posting. And to elaborate, it is not banned, i have subscribed to someones youtube account, he is in Syria and im still getting updates.

And if by taking advantage of my rights here you mean watching children get shot by police because they are not mentally stable, while brandishing something as harmless as a knife, and he was surrounded by police, then i do take advantage of that. Do you also mean my right to watch as police officers attack innocent protesters because they support the Palestinian movement? Or do you mean hearing over and over again how a cop shot a teenager (and killed him) because he was trying to fight while being detained, even though there were two cops and one 15yr old boy, and then hearing that the cop gets “counceling” because it was traumatising, and he does not even get charged? What about how my right to hear our PM impose a tax which the majority of people do not want, but she couldnt care less, even though during her election campaigne she said she wouldnt? Or how about the fact that our DEMOCRACY provides us with an overwhelmingly bias media? And im not talking with regards to their depiction of events in Syria, im talking about our domestic affairs. How the media went to extreme levels to portray an innocent mother as the murderer of her child. How the media only reports on what it deems as significant or “elitist” matters, and then only for them to dismiss our emails and letters asking them to please stop sensationalising events and to stop labelling people as criminals before verdicts come out. Are they some of the rights you speak of?

Freedom of speech intertwines with all that. Whats the point of having freedom of speech if your voice is not heard? Whats the point of freedom of speech if your voice is constantly ignored, why, because you may be, i dont know, an 18yr old student? Or if a reporter gets charged because he spoke his mind about a certain grp in society-nothing insulting mind you. Is that really freedom of speech? What about how the rule of law is constantly breached? I mean, one huge aspect of it is for the media to be independant…in some respects it is, but in others, hell no.

I can go on and on but there is no point. You must know that not all countries are perfect. Not even democracies. I know all this not because im making it up, but because that is what i am studying. We are constantly told in Politics and in Legal Studies not to believe that our current system is the best system, just because it is a democracy.

Now i am going to sleep, i have to wake up for the s7our.

wait, norman was serious!?!?!?!?
i thought he was being sarcastic!.
no seriously, lets “protect” maher.
———————————————————————
i guess norman is an ambigram for morann( close enough)

http://arabic.rt.com/news_all_news/news/564357

محلل روسي: الدول الغربية تسعى لإخضاع دمشق لسياستها
اعتبر شامل سلطانوف رئيس مركز الدراسات الاسترتيجية “روسيا والعالم الإسلامي” ان الهدف الرئيسي من الحملة الإعلامية التي تشنها الدول الغربية ضد النظام السوري تستهدف ليس إسقاطه بل حمله على الانضمام الى معسكره السياسي وتغيير سياسته.

ويعتقد المحلل انه لو وافقت دمشق على كافة المواقف الغربية، لأدى ذلك الى تغيير الموقف الدولي من الوضع في سورية، حيث ستعتبر الدول الغربية في مثل هذا الحال، ان الحكومة السورية تحارب الإرهابيين الاسلاميين وليس المتظاهرين المسالمين، ولذلك قان قمعها للاحتجاجات يتفق تماما مع الاستراتيجية الغربية.

وتحدث سلطانوف عن موقف موسكو من الأحداث في سورية، مشيرا الى ان الخارجية الروسية ترى أن الحوار بين المعارضة والحكومة السورية يشكل أحد 3 محاور أساسية لتسوية الأزمة. أما المحور الثاني فهو إجراء إصلاحات حقيقية في الواقع وليس على الورق، في حين يتمثل المحور الثالث في ضبط النفس، أي استخدام القوة بحذر بالغ فقط.

I already posted this, but it wasnt put up, so i copied and pasted. Here are your answers…

SOME GUY IN DAMASCUS,

While you support Abouds toe to rule you, i will actually tell you that i dont live in ballarat. As i have mentioned, i live in Melbourne Victoria. And to answer his question: i couldnt care less. I am not in the minds of those holding him so i dont know. And to answer yours: im guessing its something to do with the lies and fabrications that people keep posting. And to elaborate, it is not banned, i have subscribed to someones youtube account, he is in Syria and im still getting updates.

And if by taking advantage of my rights here you mean watching children get shot by police because they are not mentally stable, while brandishing something as harmless as a knife, and he was surrounded by police, then i do take advantage of that. Do you also mean my right to watch as police officers attack innocent protesters because they support the Palestinian movement? Or do you mean hearing over and over again how a cop shot a teenager (and killed him) because he was trying to fight while being detained, even though there were two cops and one 15yr old boy, and then hearing that the cop gets “counceling” because it was traumatising, and he does not even get charged? What about how my right to hear our PM impose a tax which the majority of people do not want, but she couldnt care less, even though during her election campaigne she said she wouldnt? Or how about the fact that our DEMOCRACY provides us with an overwhelmingly bias media? And im not talking with regards to their depiction of events in Syria, im talking about our domestic affairs. How the media went to extreme levels to portray an innocent mother as the murderer of her child. How the media only reports on what it deems as significant or “elitist” matters, and then only for them to dismiss our emails and letters asking them to please stop sensationalising events and to stop labelling people as criminals before verdicts come out. Are they some of the rights you speak of?

Freedom of speech intertwines with all that. Whats the point of having freedom of speech if your voice is not heard? Whats the point of freedom of speech if your voice is constantly ignored, why, because you may be, i dont know, an 18yr old student? Or if a reporter gets charged because he spoke his mind about a certain grp in society-nothing insulting mind you. Is that really freedom of speech? What about how the rule of law is constantly breached? I mean, one huge aspect of it is for the media to be independant…in some respects it is, but in others, hell no.

I can go on and on but there is no point. You must know that not all countries are perfect. Not even democracies. I know all this not because im making it up, but because that is what i am studying. We are constantly told in Politics and in Legal Studies not to believe that our current system is the best system, just because it is a democracy.

Now i am going to sleep, i have to wake up for the s7our.

Qunfuz, so eloquently summarize the “kneejerk leftists”:

“One of my favourite chants from the Syrian uprising is the powerful and cleanly apparent illi yuqtil sha‘abu kha’in, or ‘he who kills his people is a traitor.’ It’s cleanly apparent to me at least – but not to everybody. Some kneejerk ‘leftists’ (a rapidly diminishing number) still hold that the Syrian regime is a nationalist, resistance regime, a necessary bulwark against Zionism, and that therefore it must be protected from its unruly subjects; that in fact it’s the unruly subjects, rather than those who murder them, who are the traitors”

Atassi,
I know it is hard for you to see that .

So you like the Baathist Nour Al din Atassi but do not like Hafiz Assad, HMMMM , what is diffrence , both are Baathist, it must be because Hafez Assad is Alawy and Atassi is Sunni, You are such a racist .

(( some guy in damascus )),

If i were a Moran , then i wonder what you would be, Bad words do not come out of my mouth as that is beneath me.

i would rather be a rioter in London than actually say this :”the Syrian government is trying to build credible opposition leaders by putting them in jail, in the same time protecting them from the radical elements in the regime and the opposition”

there are countless more ways to protect citizens.

Norman will you call Assads’ rule a sectarian despotic regime, in other words an Alawite despotic regime or a repressive regime and the ruler happened to be an Alawi.

I see this despicable family as a repressive one who cares, but for themselves and their survival.

Your thoughts?

Noram,
Again.. You proved yourself as clueless, as we say in Homs you are comparing “Fart to bravo”.. your master Assad was a Thug Wicked and tyrant and your Baath is a slaves.. FYI… We in Homs don’t care of someone is Sunni or Alawits, We in Syria don’t care of someone is Sunni or Alawits, Your masters used sectarianism and nepotism to secure a Mafia style rule.. Nour alDin had a principle and he really beloved the true Baath party.. Not the one hijacked by your Masters ….

This form HOMS with LOVE:–

Noram,
Again.. and one more timeYou proved yourself as clueless, as we say in Homs you are comparing “Fart to bravo”.. your master Assad was a Thug Wicked and tyrant and your Baath is a slaves.. FYI… We in Homs don’t care of someone is Sunni or Alawits, We in Syria don’t care of someone is Sunni or Alawits, Your masters used sectarianism and nepotism to secure a Mafia style rule.. Nour alDin had a principle and he really beloved the true Baath party.. Not the one hijacked by your Masters ….

This form HOMS with LOVE:–

Norman
This is the spirit of Ramadan .some guy is claiming to be shopping around for demonstrations in Damascus,yet calls people morans.I guess it is middle of the day and he is hungry and upset because he could’t find impressive demonstration.Ask these morans(I can say that,I am not fasting)how many death threats did نبيل فياض had,ask them why his car was burned…
Attassi is going to protect us when the regime falls,MB will turn Syria into a secur
Heaven,similar to :Iraq ,Egypt,Libya,Yemen….What a crap.

Samara, access to Youtube and Facebook comes and goes, according to how scared the regime is. Last night neither of these websites were reachable without a proxy service.

And i really find it hypocritical of Baathists to bash the freedoms they enjoy. If they think Besho has built such a paradise in Syria, let them come back and stand behind the tanks just like the shabiha (the Athad family’s ill disciplined equivalent of the Nazi brownshirts).

But bashing the society you live in is a freedom granted to you by that very same society. Enjoy it.

“While you support Abouds toe to rule you”

No, you still have not comprehended what this revolution is all about. There will be no more “ruling”. Aboud’s left toe will *govern*, if the people want it to, until such time as it is voted out of office and the people elect Syrian Hamster’s tail.

Why did نبيل فياض received death threats by your terrorists friends ?
Answer that or shut up.

After riots, British PM proposes social media ban
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=after-riots-british-pm-proposes-social-media-ban-2011-08-12
….The prime minister told parliament on Thursday that Facebook, Twitter and Research in Motion (Rim), the maker of BlackBerry devices, should take more responsibility for content posted on their networks, warning the government would look to ban people from major social networks if they were suspected of inciting violence online.
… more

Why did Ndal Janood die?
Why did officer Tallawi and his kida die?
Why did all the 17 soldiers in Hama die?
Why did you dump them in Alassi?
Why did you lie and say Alassi is dry 100 times?
Why did 120 soldiers in jisr Alshoghour die?
Why is Turkey protecting the killers and asking for no trials for them?
Why is nabeel fiad receiving death threats?

Syria sees fresh wave of anti-gov’t protests
2011-08-12 20:32:25
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-08/12/c_131046301.htm
DAMASCUS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of people took to the streets across Syria on Friday for a fresh wave of anti-government protests.

Syria’s state television said limited gatherings were seen in the northern province of Idlib, central province of Homs and some suburbs of the capital Damascus.

About 200 people staged a protest in the eastern town of al- Boukmal near Iraq’s border and dispersed within a short time, said the TV.

In al-Qadam neighborhood, a district of the capital, the TV said around 100 people took to the streets, adding that other 20 people protested in Damascus’ central Midan neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the TV denied as baseless what the Doha-based al- Jazeera TV described as large protests in the southern province of Daraa, a main square in Homs and some areas of northern Idlib.

It cited a local resident in the Damascus suburb of Harasta, denying what al-Jazeera said that intense crackles of gunfire were reverberating in Harasta.

In a separate incident, the TV said one law-enforcement member was gunned down by armed thugs in the Damascus suburb of Douma.

In the northern province of Aleppo, the second largest city after Damascus, armed groups took advantage of some gatherings and opened fire randomly, injuring one civilian, who was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, the TV said.

Syria accuses al-Jazeera and other media of ignoring the facts on the ground as well as incitement and fabricating events in their coverage of the protests.

The authorities blamed the violent acts on armed thugs and ultraconservative Muslims who want to establish Islamic emirates nationwide. The Syrian government pledged that there would be no letup in its crackdown on those gunmen to restore stability and security to the country.

A reassertion of Mr. Al-Assad’s power may be seen as the lesser evil
There’s no happy ending to Syria’s power struggle
MICHAEL BELL
From Friday’s Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Aug. 12, 2011 2:00AM EDT

Syrians who value freedom and are willing to die for it are going to be bitterly disappointed. Even if the Alawite-dominated Baathist regime of President Bashar al-Assad collapses and the opposition takes power, the challenges will be overwhelming.

Syria is no Egypt or Tunisia, with their relatively homogeneous societies and militaries able to act independently. Nor is it the tribal wasteland of Yemen. The considerable obstacles to political reform in Cairo and Tunis pale beside the dilemmas that would confront new and contending Syrian leaderships, however progressive many might be.

There are three possible outcomes to the current struggle for power, none of them comforting: The regime may suppress the rebellion; the “opposition” may take over; or Syria may break into a series of contesting micro-states. All possibilities have profound implications not only for Syrians but for the Arab revolt writ large, for the region’s fragile state system and for the international community, including Western interests.

Most likely, the Assad regime will survive, despite sanctions, diplomatic isolation and economic dislocation. Syria has been through this before, with the Americans alternating between labelling the regime a pariah and making overtures aimed at drawing Damascus into dialogue. Neither has worked.

Syria’s leadership is now subject to intense worldwide scrutiny and criticism, from Washington to Riyadh to Moscow. The language of human rights, however defined, may be pervasive, but the reality is different. It’s quite possible that many in the international community view a reassertion of Mr. al-Assad’s power, as distasteful as it is, as the lesser of evils, in a situation where chaos seems the most likely alternative.

In Syria, the existing elite, the military command and the intelligence services are so intertwined as to be indistinguishable. While there are differences at the top, these focus on the tactics of repression, not its substance – in 1982, between 10,000 and 20,000 people were killed during the Sunni-dominated Muslim Brotherhood revolt in the city of Hama. And Mr. al-Assad can’t move against corruption, because he’s now dependent for his own survival on members of the decadent elite, which his long-ruling father had empowered.

Syria’s population is highly fragmented along ethno-religious lines. Sunnis represent the traditionally privileged majority. Alawis and Druze, breakaway sects of Shia Islam, as well as Christians, constitute significant minorities that, during the interwar French mandate, were recruited into the security services to contain Sunni nationalism. It’s these groups that supported the now ruling Baath Party, which put heavy emphasis on secular values. And it’s these groups that fear majority Sunni rule will put them at risk.

If the current opposition took power, its greatest challenges would be its own heterogeneity, even among Sunnis, its lack of cohesiveness and leadership and its consequent inability to assert itself in any concerted manner. The resulting internecine impasse, in the absence of any institutional base or developed civil society, would result in a fierce internal struggle. The demise of the current Baathist regime in Syria would be a severe blow to Iran and Hezbollah, Israel’s bêtes noires. A Sunni-based Islamist takeover, however, would be a real possibility. Think Hama, 1982.

The third scenario might be the most unstable: a division of the country into sovereign ethnic enclaves with the Alawis grabbing their demographic littoral (as rumoured in the Lebanese press). While it would be simplistic to argue that ethnicity rules all and that the quest for freedom has little resonance beyond tribe, the power of identity and narrative should never be underestimated in the Middle East.

Michael Bell, a former Canadian ambassador to Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, is the Paul Martin (Sr.) Scholar in International Diplomacy at the University of Windsor.

Why the Syrian regime won’t fall
By Pepe Escobar
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MH13Ak01.html
Suppose this was a Hollywood script conference and you have to pitch your story idea in 10 words or less. It’s a movie about Syria. As much as the currently in-research Kathryn Hurt Locker Bigelow film about the Osama bin Laden raid was pitched as “good guys take out Osama in Pakistan”, the Syrian epic could be branded “Sunnis and Shi’ites battle for Arab republic”.

Yes, once again this is all about that fiction, the “Shi’ite crescent”, about isolating Iran and about Sunni prejudice against Shi’ites.

The hardcore Sunni Wahhabi House of Saud – in yet another towering show of hypocrisy, and faithful to its hatred of secular

Arab republics – has branded the Bashar al-Assad-controlled Ba’ath regime in Syria “a killing machine”.

True, Assad’s ferocious security apparatus does not help – having killed over 2,400 people since unrest erupted in March. That is much more, incidentally, than Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s forces had killed in Libya when United Nations Resolution 1973 was rushed in to allow foreign interventions. The Diogenes the Cynic response to this “where’s the UN” discrepancy would be that Syria, unlike Libya, is not sitting on immense oil and gas wealth.

more………
Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007) and Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge. His new book, just out, is Obama does Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009).

This Friday, “we will not surrender but to God”

Is is with utter sadness, being the believer I am, to see protesters calling this week as such.

Knowing, hearing and seeing how one of my own, are forced by my counterparts to bow to a portray of a man, made divine by his followers. Is this an order to humiliate? For lack of words.

Men are ordered to bow in front of Bashar’s picture, captured protesters are forced to kneel in front of a portray of Bashar in reverence. Later these protesters are ordered to lick the thug boots.

Is this reform any human-being can tolerate? Defend? Give excuse?

“Why did officer Tallawi and his kida die?”

Why hasn’t the government apprehended the people who killed him and his relatives after four months? Because everyone in Homs knows how he died, and it wasn’t from Salafis. Hint; the government disarmed the Legan el Sha3bia afterwards.

“Why did all the 17 soldiers in Hama die?”

Maybe because they were invading Hama like it was Haifa.

“Why did you dump them in Alassi?”

How can you dump anything in a river that is dry?

“Why did you lie and say Alassi is dry 100 times?”

It is dry, for the 101th time.

“Why did 120 soldiers in jisr Alshoghour die?”

Because they shot up a funeral. They got what they deserved.

“Why is Turkey protecting the killers and asking for no trials for them?”

Don’t push your luck with Turkey, so far they have been extraordinarily kind to junior.

“Why is nabeel fiad receiving death threats?”

Puhlease. Nabel Fiad isn’t important enough for anyone to waste their time trying to kill. More likely he is trying to pull a Salman Rushdie.

Now that I’ve answered your questions

Why is Najati Tayara in jail? Is your pathetic president so scared of a 60 year old activist? Lion, my butt. More like a pussy cat

Aid to Hama sent from a small village near Idlib

Turkish President Calls on Assad to Make Political Reforms
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/121654/turkish-president-calls-on-assad-to-make-political-reforms.html
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has reiterated a call on his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to make democratic reforms rapidly in a letter Turkish foreign minister relayed to Assad.
“People’s legitimate demands toward democracy must be fulfilled sincerely and rapidly, which I believe would improve the current negative circumstances in Syria with an equal rapid pace,” Gul told Assad in his letter conveyed by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to the Syrian leader last Tuesday during a visit to Damascus.
“I would not want to see you in a position where you look back and regret that what you have done was late and not enough,” Gul said in his letter.
Gul said Syria was passing through critical and historic times, telling Assad, “it is time to show your leadership courageously and lead the way for change instead of getting caught up in the winds of change.”
(İMB-MS)

From Angry Arab.

“Syrian regime propaganda

Yassine sent me this: “Just a quick observation on the blatant lies spread by Syrian tv channel Dunya. For some weeks now they have claimed that the tanks of the Syrian Arab army never entered Hama (it was Zionist propaganda spread by Zionized Arab media channels you know). So yesterday this Dunya channel announced that the tanks and troops had left Hama. How can you leave a place you never visited? I mean, we are all used to the lies of the Ba’ath in both Syria and Iraq, but such crude lying was only matched by Mohammed Said al-Sahaf, the last Iraqi minister of information of the Saddam era.”

SNK,

The thousands of innocent deaths are victims of Assad savagery. If you want to challenge this fact, pressure those you view as infallible, eternal leader of yours to allow International journalists in the country.

You forgot to mention the train saboteurs! Or is it a blatantly implausible story even by your standards?

A reassertion of Mr. al-Assad’s power may be seen as the lesser evil
There’s no happy ending to Syria’s power struggle
MICHAEL BELL
From Friday’s Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Aug. 12, 2011 2:00AM EDT
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/theres-no-happy-ending-to-syrias-power-struggle/article2126966/
Syrians who value freedom and are willing to die for it are going to be bitterly disappointed. Even if the Alawite-dominated Baathist regime of President Bashar al-Assad collapses and the opposition takes power, the challenges will be overwhelming.

Syria is no Egypt or Tunisia, with their relatively homogeneous societies and militaries able to act independently. Nor is it the tribal wasteland of Yemen. The considerable obstacles to political reform in Cairo and Tunis pale beside the dilemmas that would confront new and contending Syrian leaderships, however progressive many might be.

There are three possible outcomes to the current struggle for power, none of them comforting: The regime may suppress the rebellion; the “opposition” may take over; or Syria may break into a series of contesting micro-states. All possibilities have profound implications not only for Syrians but for the Arab revolt writ large, for the region’s fragile state system and for the international community, including Western interests.

Most likely, the Assad regime will survive, despite sanctions, diplomatic isolation and economic dislocation. Syria has been through this before, with the Americans alternating between labelling the regime a pariah and making overtures aimed at drawing Damascus into dialogue. Neither has worked.

Syria’s leadership is now subject to intense worldwide scrutiny and criticism, from Washington to Riyadh to Moscow. The language of human rights, however defined, may be pervasive, but the reality is different. It’s quite possible that many in the international community view a reassertion of Mr. al-Assad’s power, as distasteful as it is, as the lesser of evils, in a situation where chaos seems the most likely alternative.

In Syria, the existing elite, the military command and the intelligence services are so intertwined as to be indistinguishable. While there are differences at the top, these focus on the tactics of repression, not its substance – in 1982, between 10,000 and 20,000 people were killed during the Sunni-dominated Muslim Brotherhood revolt in the city of Hama. And Mr. al-Assad can’t move against corruption, because he’s now dependent for his own survival on members of the decadent elite, which his long-ruling father had empowered.

Syria’s population is highly fragmented along ethno-religious lines. Sunnis represent the traditionally privileged majority. Alawis and Druze, breakaway sects of Shia Islam, as well as Christians, constitute significant minorities that, during the interwar French mandate, were recruited into the security services to contain Sunni nationalism. It’s these groups that supported the now ruling Baath Party, which put heavy emphasis on secular values. And it’s these groups that fear majority Sunni rule will put them at risk.

If the current opposition took power, its greatest challenges would be its own heterogeneity, even among Sunnis, its lack of cohesiveness and leadership and its consequent inability to assert itself in any concerted manner. The resulting internecine impasse, in the absence of any institutional base or developed civil society, would result in a fierce internal struggle. The demise of the current Baathist regime in Syria would be a severe blow to Iran and Hezbollah, Israel’s bêtes noires. A Sunni-based Islamist takeover, however, would be a real possibility. Think Hama, 1982.

The third scenario might be the most unstable: a division of the country into sovereign ethnic enclaves with the Alawis grabbing their demographic littoral (as rumoured in the Lebanese press). While it would be simplistic to argue that ethnicity rules all and that the quest for freedom has little resonance beyond tribe, the power of identity and narrative should never be underestimated in the Middle East.

Michael Bell, a former Canadian ambassador to Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, is the Paul Martin (Sr.) Scholar in International Diplomacy at the University of Windsor.

To Samara,
Your methode of debate reflects who you are and your intellectual abilities. Resorting to spitting and cursing just shows that you are uneducated (this has nothing to do with degrees), low class and with very limited mind. I feel sorry for you.
Your gripe about your home country just proves my point. If you are so unhappy there, and love the Syrian regime so much, why don’t you go back to Syria? You will love it there.
I am an American citizen and a Syrian citizen. Syria is in my heart and soul. I only want the best for Syria. I am also proud to be an American. The USA is not perfect. It has its issues, however, it is still the best country in the world.
I do not think it is worth wasting my time explaining to you how democracy works. Democracy does not mean that everybody’s wish is going to be a reality. It is the art of compromise and the rule of the majority. So all your gripe means that you are in the minority on the issues that you are upset about.
I am waiting for your barage of insults to answer this post. I expect nothing less from you.

229. Dear Norman:
You said: ((( * why is Najati Tayara still in prison? *
It is obvious that the Demonstrators in Syria lack CREDIBLE opposition leaders in side Syria.

I am going to assume that you meant credible to the demonstrators!
Let me first define the meaning of the word credible: capable of being believed; believable

There are scores of readily available opposition figures that participated in several meetings in Damascus, who are believable by, and whose demands echoed those of the demonstrators.
While some have been imprisoned, the rest are still free, albeit on short leash.

The demonstrators do not insist on being represented themselves in the negotiating team or transitional government. They merely insist on their demands being met and their right to continue to demonstrate be respected.

You said: “so the Syrian government is trying to build credible opposition leaders by putting them in jail, in the same time protecting them from the radical elements in the regime and the opposition, as any death of known opposition figures in side Syria will be blamed on the government and make things worse”

So the regime is trying to launder existing “non-credible activists” by hosting them in its dungeons!
I am curious to know whether this idea is your brain child, or an actual regime plan in the phase of execution?

Dear Norman, nowhere I have read a report, or saw evidence doubting the credibility of Mr Tayyara in the eyes of demonstrators!
I challenge you to provide your evidence to the contrary, if you have one!
Otherwise, your claim can be characterized as both reckless and insensitive.

You said: “Now can you see a good reason for the government to jail opposition figures, i can.!”

So you would approve of a deceitful practice of “laundering” activists!

These regimes attack hospitals and medical staff to prevent wounded protestors being treated. It is important that the revolutionary set up secret hospitals or medical centres to which they can carry their wounded.

I heard the regime thugs if they couldnt find wanted people they would arrest family members and torture them. {swear word edited}

ABOUD For (elected) President ? I applaud and SYRIAN HAMSTER as Prime Minister ?

THIS HAS BEEN THE END GAME FROM THE BEGINNING- (snip)
Strike on Syria is technically feasible, former French general says
10.08.11 EU Observer By Andrew Rettman

A Nato strike to disable the Syrian army is technically feasible according to experts, such as former French air chief Jean Rannou. But it could make the country’s internal situation worse.

Nato member countries would begin by using satellite technology to spot Syrian air defences. A few days later, warplanes, in larger numbers than Libya, would take off from the UK base in Cyprus and spend some 48 hours destroying Syrian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and jets. Alliance aircraft would then start an open-ended bombardment of Syrian tanks and ground troops.

The scenario is based on analysts in the French military, from the specialist British publication Jane’s Defence Weekly and from Israel’s Channel 10 TV station.

The Syrian air force is said to pose little threat. It has around 60 Russian-made MiG-29s. But the rest – some 160 MiG-21s, 80 MiG-23s, 60 MiG-23BNs, 50 Su-22s and 20 Su-24MKs – is out of date.

Its latest SAMs could shoot down a handful of Nato pilots. In the past three years, Syria deployed hundreds of Russian-made SA-17s, which come up on radars for a very short time before firing. Israel in 2007 bombed a suspected nuclear site in Syria using a cyber attack to cut electricity to air defences. The SA-17s are believed to be cyber-insulated and Israel might not share its secrets with Nato, however.

Syria in 2006 bought around 30 Russian-made Pantsyr-S1 anti-aircaft cannon. But these are said to be in Iran. It has stocked up on modern SA-18 missiles from Belarus and Russia. But these are short-range weapons that would only pose a danger to Nato helicopters in a later stage of the operation.

There are also assymetric threats – Nato countries have troops in Unifil, the UN mission in neighbouring Lebanon which could become targets.

Syria is said to have two Scud missile brigades armed with conventional and chemical warheads (VX, Sarin and Mustard gas), as well as M600 chemical-ready missiles, which it could fire at Israel in retaliation.

Assad allies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, could also attack Israel. But experts say Hezbollah would not start an Israel-Lebanon war to save Syrian President Bashar Assad. And Hamas needs international support for the Palestinian bid to seek UN membership.

“I don’t see any purely military problems. Syria has no defence against Western systems … [But] it would be more risky than Libya. It would be a heavy military operation,” Jean Rannou, the former chief of the French air force, told EUobserver.

Strike on Syria is technically feasible, former French general says
10.08.11 @ 10:34

Related› Former CIA officer questions EU motives in Syria› US cables give pointers for EU sanctions on Syria› EU countries wary of oil sanctions on Syria
By Andrew Rettman

A Nato strike to disable the Syrian army is technically feasible according to experts, such as former French air chief Jean Rannou. But it could make the country’s internal situation worse.

Nato member countries would begin by using satellite technology to spot Syrian air defences. A few days later, warplanes, in larger numbers than Libya, would take off from the UK base in Cyprus and spend some 48 hours destroying Syrian surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and jets. Alliance aircraft would then start an open-ended bombardment of Syrian tanks and ground troops.

The scenario is based on analysts in the French military, from the specialist British publication Jane’s Defence Weekly and from Israel’s Channel 10 TV station.

The Syrian air force is said to pose little threat. It has around 60 Russian-made MiG-29s. But the rest – some 160 MiG-21s, 80 MiG-23s, 60 MiG-23BNs, 50 Su-22s and 20 Su-24MKs – is out of date.

Its latest SAMs could shoot down a handful of Nato pilots. In the past three years, Syria deployed hundreds of Russian-made SA-17s, which come up on radars for a very short time before firing. Israel in 2007 bombed a suspected nuclear site in Syria using a cyber attack to cut electricity to air defences. The SA-17s are believed to be cyber-insulated and Israel might not share its secrets with Nato, however.

Syria in 2006 bought around 30 Russian-made Pantsyr-S1 anti-aircaft cannon. But these are said to be in Iran. It has stocked up on modern SA-18 missiles from Belarus and Russia. But these are short-range weapons that would only pose a danger to Nato helicopters in a later stage of the operation.

There are also assymetric threats – Nato countries have troops in Unifil, the UN mission in neighbouring Lebanon which could become targets.

Syria is said to have two Scud missile brigades armed with conventional and chemical warheads (VX, Sarin and Mustard gas), as well as M600 chemical-ready missiles, which it could fire at Israel in retaliation.

Assad allies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, could also attack Israel. But experts say Hezbollah would not start an Israel-Lebanon war to save Syrian President Bashar Assad. And Hamas needs international support for the Palestinian bid to seek UN membership.

“I don’t see any purely military problems. Syria has no defence against Western systems … [But] it would be more risky than Libya. It would be a heavy military operation,” Jean Rannou, the former chief of the French air force, told EUobserver.

I remind people not to lose hope. Be positive. The regime will collapse even if it doesnt appear to be likely. Prepare to be surprised.

Remember at every turn of this Arab Spring we have been surprised. The west was caught by surprise by the Ben Ali and Mubarak toppling. Who thought Gaddafi would be affected? He seemed secure. Did anyone think Assad regime would be next? Everyone thought he was secure due to the Syrian national stance (on regional issues) and also the many layers of security.

There is something else going on here. Has the decision been made in heaven?

Nobody can see Saudi being affected. Well prepare to be surprised.

Then you have the protests in Greece, Spain. Riots in the UK. Financial chaos in US and Italy lately. Some EU countries now banning short selling.

There is definitely something happening.

Reminds me of the ‘all regimes will collapse in 2011’ predictions.

Revlon,

Can MR Tayara make a deal with the government that will be accepted by the demonstrators, from what i can gather is that the moderate are afraid of looking as they are selling out and that is keeping the country in tum oil, The opposition need to have clear demands instead of we want to down the regime, we all want to down the regime as it is now , but let them come out with we want free election by so and so time , we want new constitution by so and so time , but come up with demands that the people of Syria feel reasonable and will not take the country into anarchy , that is if they really want to have the chance to govern and do well for Syria and the Syrian people.

http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/syria-time-magazines-desperate-lies/

excerpts:

The Rest of the Story

What is absent in TIME’s reporting, and what is now beginning to appear even in the corporate media are reports that these “pro-democracy” protesters are in fact armed militants, the resurgence of the Muslim Brotherhood (known to be “religiously conservative”) who in the late 1970s and early 1980s waged armed insurrection against the Syrian government. A recent CBS article, “No revolution in Syria’s 2 biggest cities, yet” notes what genuine geopolitical analysts have been saying for months now, that Damascus and Aleppo are devoid of anti-government “protests” and that the majority of the unrest is split along ethnic, not political lines. […]

TIME Conveniently Omits US Role in Unrest

TIME also conveniently forgot to mention that the ochlocratic armed mobs it was covering in Hama are on record the recipients of millions of dollars from the US State Department to train, organize, and equip them to rise up against the Syrian government.

Pony tail shameful answers:
-Nabeel is not important,it is ok to threaten him.
-Nidal janwood killing:no answer.
-Tallawi’s killing:as usual by government,no evidence:lie
-jisr Alshoghor 120 soldiers:deserved death! and mutiliation and kicking …!
-Hama’s soldiers were invaders!they deserved to be attacked,cut ther necks,dumped in the rever and called اخوات الشرموطهby his Allah Akbar terrorists friends.
-He Cont to lie about that was not Alassi
-No answer about why Turkey is protecting killers.
More questions,since you failed all the previous ones:
Why did you hang a soldier publically in Hama?
Why did you hit his body after hanging with sticks?
Why did you arrest an old man in Hama,and with what right you have a binladen like Shiek interrogate him?
Why did شيخ الفتنه in Dara called all the Durzi women شراميط?
Why did you hang few people for refusing to demonstrate?
Why did kill few people because they refused to close ther shops on strikes?
Why none of the opposition members or leaders condemned Alaaroor statements?
Why is isreal supporting you?
Why nobody died or got scratched so far by weekly Kurdish demonstrations for 5months?

Like the BBC, Andrew Marshall of Reuters, and the recently exposed US-funded propaganda front Prachatai, TIME’s disingenuous hackery is in complete defiance of both reality and an increasingly awakening public, which seals the fate and mortally wounds the legitimacy of this longtime servant of the global corporate-financier elite. The sole purpose of TIME’s recent Syrian article was not to inform the public, but rather
to misinform them as well as mislead them into supporting Washington and London’s ambitions for regime change in Syria. With that in mind, let’s stop promoting TIME’s self-contrived sense of legitimacy, and instead expose them as yet another duplicitous rag insulting our intelligence and farcically manipulating reality on a daily basis. – tony cartalucci

SNK,

The thousands of innocent deaths are victims of Assad savagery. If you want to challenge this fact, pressure those you view as infallible, eternal leader of yours to allow International journalists in the country.

You forgot to mention the train saboteurs! Or is it a blatantly implausible story even by your standards?

It’s hardly surprising that No Klue doesn’t dare answer one question, yet seems to demand answers to events, his version of which are highly questionable.

The man hung in Hama was not a soldier, he was an informer. He was hung after 68 Hamwis were massacred after demonstrating. Be thankful that was the extent of Hama’s revenge.

“Nabeel is not important,it is ok to threaten him.”

Take some reading comprehension classes. Nabeel is a trumpet, one of many. He is too unimportant for anyone to waste their time in wanting to kill. These so called death threats are his way of pulling a Salman Rushdie. It’s pathetic.

“-Tallawi’s killing:as usual by government,no evidence:lie”

And where is the regime’s evidence that it was by Salafis? In fact, why haven’t the regime apprehended the alleged killers?

“-jisr Alshoghor 120 soldiers:deserved death! and mutiliation and kicking …!”

They deserved to be boiled in oil. They shot up a funeral. They are murderers who were killed when the army turned on them.

“Hama’s soldiers were invaders!they deserved to be attacked,cut ther necks,dumped in the rever and called اخوات الشرموطهby his Allah Akbar terrorists friends.”

The Alasi river is dry. And people have a right to defend themselves. You don’t want soldiers getting killed, stop sending them to invade Syrian cities.

“-No answer about why Turkey is protecting killers.”

Impossible to answer something that doesn’t have a shred of truth to it.

The rest of your questions show how desperate you are becoming. They are old, recycled trash from the very first days of the revolution. It is a lie that no one has died in the Kurdish areas. It is a lie that Israel is in any way supporting this revolution. If I had to go through all the “carbage” you post which are outright lies, I’d never have time to ask my own questions.

The old man and the shiekh? Based on a 2 minute video, the context of which no one can possibly guess at. Go and find that old man if you are so sure he was abused. Or the sheikh for that matter. Or what have junior’s dogs been doing in Hama for two weeks?

“Why did kill few people because they refused to close ther shops on strikes?”

A blatant lie. I know many supermarket owners who do not close in Homs during strikes, and no one has directed so much as a word towards them.

Now, I dare you, to answer this one simple question.

Why is Najati Tayara in jail? Is the X-Box child afraid of a 60 year old humans rights activist?

Pony tail
So all what I posted was lies,and the soldiers deserve to be boiled.nice answers.
You can’t give one name of any body who died or got wounded in kurdish demonstrations,I challenge you.
If my questions are old,najati’s story is old.you have no evidence that he is in jail.he could be in
الرمال الذهبيه .to me nabeel is more important than him.

257. Dear norman:

You said: “Can MR Tayara make a deal with the government that will be accepted by the demonstrators”

The answer is yes!

You said: “from what i can gather is that the moderate are afraid of looking as they are selling out and that is keeping the country in turmoil, The opposition need to have clear demands instead of we want to down the regime”

The opposition have indeed put forward a set of clear demands that have been outlined in the published statements of all of the exile as well as on the ground activist meetings over the last several months.

The opposition welcomes negotiating with the existing GOVERNMENT, not the REGIME.
The latter have become suspects in committing crimes against humanity, and consequently lost their legitimacy in the eyes of the public.
They can not and shall not be part of the transitional process.
They need to step down and await their due process for their names to be cleared, before they can stand a chance to hold any public office.

As you see, the opposition wants the current government apparatus, including the vice president and the army to remain operational to avoid choas in the interim period.

The regime want us to believe that Syria risks choas without the wisdome and know how of the Asad-Makhloof Gang.
You know yourself that that is not the case!

Death squads in Syria:
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2011/me_syria1016_08_12.asp

Article is a bit weak in formatting, links and references, except one pointing to source of article:
http://www.geostrategy-direct.com

This seems to be a decent US intelligence pay site (at least for US source based information). Regarding Syria, today’s “top story”:

Saudis, in effort to aid Syrian rebels, open airwaves to Sunni clerics
WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia has increased its support for Islamic rebels in their revolt against Syrian President Bashar Assad, a report said. The Institute for Gulf Affairs Policy asserted that the Saudi leadership has been working to destabilize the Assad regime. The institute, which represents the Saudi opposition, said Saudi television stations have given Syrian Sunni clerics a forum to mobilize against Assad and his Alawite minority.

Interesting to see US intelligence site share view of Saudi opposition. Maybe they think it’s accurate.
And title says: Rebels, not protestors anymore.

post by a qunfuz somewhere here critizing nusrallah.

nusrallah and hezbullah are fighting for freedom for all arabs, muslims, christians, non believers.

qunfuz is a politically correct colonized mind wanting at some date to be a professor.

“you have no evidence that he is in jail”

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you cannot have a discussion with the menhebaks. It is not insults or their whining about my spell checking that prevents meaningful debates. It’s that they are ill equipped to debate, intellectually incapable of a debate, have absolutely no experience of the give and take involved in a meaningful exchange of ideas. Their minds only know one phrase; “Besho is the greatest leader in the world”

Articles on Najati Tayara’s imprisonment;

http://www.iloubnan.info/socials/actualite/id/61471/titre/Syria-arrests-rights-activist-Najati-Tayara–in-Homs

http://www.iloubnan.info/socials/actualite/id/61471/titre/Syria-arrests-rights-activist-Najati-Tayara–in-Homs

http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/wipcnews/syriawriterdetainedfearsforsafety/

http://www.dchrs.org/english/news.php?id=301&idC=2

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4e2e6c9c2.html

Since you are so worked up about death threats, take a look at this, from late June.

Syria: Death threats intended to stop anti-Assad demonstrations in Kurdish region

http://supportkurds.org/news/syria-death-threats-intended-to-stop-anti-assad-demonstrations-in-kurdish-region/

Why is Najati Tayara in jail? Because the pathetic pussy cat of Damascus is scared to death of a 60 year old activist talking to the BBC. Junior’s talk of reforms are not worth the toilet paper they are written on, as long as people such as Najati Tayara and others like him are in jail

I invite all the peace loving Syrians on this forum to take up Mr Tayara’s cause.

Name of five Kurdish martyrs killed in July

Naim Bandi

Omar Ismail

Ghazwan Alserawan

Zardasht Wanley

Soro Afrini

Did you know that as recently as this year, Kurds were not even allowed to celebrate their own weddings in their own language? Tens of thousands of Kurdish families had been living in Syria for generations, and yet were denied Syrian citizenship?

To my discredit, I did not know these things myself. The revolution has been an educational experience, in the wide variety of Syria’s people, towns and cultures.

Many patriotic names have, as a result of these events, now become prominent among the Syrian people. And Syrians will not forget those, all too willing to sell out Syria and support mass murder, for 10 minutes of air time on Al-Dunya. Shameful.

Below is a link to Legislation 56, concerning the annulment of the Emergency laws, signed by Jr.
It consists of 5 items relating to grievences of those who suffered from the infamous laws.

The last item specifies that the Marsoom should not be published!

How can anyone trust a leader who signs a legislation concerning the rights of maltreated citizens, to remain secret!

http://the-syrian.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/المرسوم-التشبيحي-رقم-56-بتاريخ-21-4-2011.jpg

It is indeed a desperate time for the opposition. They have tried all means to bring the regime down. They even went on to ask help from radical-armed criminals. Harriri, Saudi, and Qatar stepped aside and barely hear them as they arrived to a no outlet driveway. The opposition knows well that US, UK, France will not be able financially or logistically to strike the regime. It is shameful that Cameron may ask for help from the army to settle the unrest in London, for him it is okay, but for Assad it is prohibited. People in Syria has been cut into pieces and beheaded by the knives of armed gangs and the world is not able to see these videos. The world till now failed to recognize that ARMED-ISLAMISTS-RADICALS-MB-LONG BEARDED-DANGEROUS-ALAH WA AKBAR SHOUTERS are brutally killing Syrians. The world failed to recognize the lives lost on behalf the security and army men. Syria in general and the regime in particular passed the international recognition for their cause and is much firm now in applying the law. The law must be applied and as in London, people may get killed or arrested. All the current political signs are positive for the regime that will have plenty of times to apply the law without international interference. Thugs and gangs should either be in jail or dead. The opposition will lose big time as they recognized thugs and animal sin the streets rather than recognizing their own ability to negotiate an exit from the unrest that they supported and fueled. The revolution is in its fatigue phase. The opposition fellows are in the depression phase.

THE ROVING EYE
Why the Syrian regime won’t fall
By Pepe Escobar
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MH13Ak01.html
Suppose this was a Hollywood script conference and you have to pitch your story idea in 10 words or less. It’s a movie about Syria. As much as the currently in-research Kathryn Hurt Locker Bigelow film about the Osama bin Laden raid was pitched as “good guys take out Osama in Pakistan”, the Syrian epic could be branded “Sunnis and Shi’ites battle for Arab republic”.

Yes, once again this is all about that fiction, the “Shi’ite crescent”, about isolating Iran and about Sunni prejudice against Shi’ites.

The hardcore Sunni Wahhabi House of Saud – in yet another towering show of hypocrisy, and faithful to its hatred of secular

Arab republics – has branded the Bashar al-Assad-controlled Ba’ath regime in Syria “a killing machine”.

True, Assad’s ferocious security apparatus does not help – having killed over 2,400 people since unrest erupted in March. That is much more, incidentally, than Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s forces had killed in Libya when United Nations Resolution 1973 was rushed in to allow foreign interventions. The Diogenes the Cynic response to this “where’s the UN” discrepancy would be that Syria, unlike Libya, is not sitting on immense oil and gas wealth.

The Assad regime issues from the Alawite Shi’ite sub-sect. Thus, for the House of Saud, this means Sunnis are being killed. And, to add insult to injury, by a regime aligned with Shi’ite Iran.

Thus, the Saudi condemnation, followed by minions of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), also known as the Gulf Counter-Revolutionary Club, plus the toothless, Saudi-manipulated Arab League. To top it off, House of Saud and Gulf wealth is actively financing the more unsavory strand of Syrian protests – the radicalized Muslim Brotherhood/fundamentalist/Salafi nebula.

By contrast, the only thing pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain received from the House of Saud and the GCC was an invasion, and outright repression.

Now for the Turkey shoot
Turkey’s position is far more nuanced. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is overwhelmingly Sunni. They are playing for the regional Sunni gallery. But the AKP should be aware that at least 20% of Turks are Shi’ites from the Alevi branch, and they have a lot of empathy with Syrian Allawis.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu – the academic father of the celebrated “zero problems with our neighbors” policy – this week spent no less than six hours talking to Assad face-to-face in Damascus. He was deeply enigmatic at his press conference, implying that the Assad regime ending the crackdown and meeting the protesters’ demands was a “process”. Assad could reply he had already started the “process” – but these things, such as free and fair elections, take time.

Davutoglu explicitly said; “As we always underlined, our main criteria is that the shape of the process must reflect only the will of the Syrian people.” At the moment, the regime would reply, the majority of the Syrian people seem to be behind the government.

Davutoglu’s words also seem to imply there’s no reason for Turkey to interfere in Syria as long as Damascus is reasonable and stops killing people (Assad admitted “mistakes” were made) and introduces reforms. So the impression is left that Davutoglu was contradicting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has vocally advocated for Turkey to “solve” the Syrian quagmire.

That would be Erdogan’s way to prove to Saudi Arabia and Qatar that the Turkish model is the way to go for the Arab world – assuming the Saudis and the Qataris foot the bill for Erdogan to pose as the Great Liberator of Sunnis in Syria, financing a Turkish army advance over Assad’s forces. That certainly sounds much more far-fetched now than it did a few days ago.

The Assad regime has done the math and realized it won’t fall as long as the protests don’t reach the capital Damascus and the major city of Aleppo – that is, convulse the urban middle class. The security/military apparatus is fully behind Assad. All Syrian religious minorities make up at least 25% of the population; they are extremely fearful of Sunni fundamentalists. Secular Sunnis for their part fear a regime change that would lead to either an Islamist takeover or chaos. So it’s fair to argue the majority of Syrians are indeed behind their government – as inept and heavy-handed as it may be.

Moreover, the Assad regime knows the conditions are not ripe for a Libyan-style North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombing campaign in Syria. There won’t even be a vote for a UN resolution – Russia and China have already made it clear.

Europe is melting – and it will hardly sign up for added ill-planned adventurism. Especially after the appalling spectacle of those dodgy types of the Libyan transitional council killing their military leader and fighting their tribal wars in the open – with the added ludicrous touch of Britain recognizing the “rebels” the same day they were killing and burning the body of their “commander”.

There’s no reason for a Western “humanitarian intervention” under R2P (“responsibility to protect”) because there’s no humanitarian crisis; Somalia, in fact, is the top humanitarian crisis at the moment, leading to fears that Washington may in fact try to “invade” or at least try to control strategically-crucial Somalia.

So the idea of the Barack Obama administration in the United States telling Assad to pack up and go is dead on arrival as a game-changer. What if Assad stays? Will Washington drone him to death – under the pretext of R2P? Well, the Pentagon can always try to snuff him with an unmanned Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-2 – the new toy “to respond to threats around the globe”, in Pentagon speak. But oops, there’s a snag; the prototype hypersonic glider has gone missing over the Pacific.

Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007) and Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge. His new book, just out, is Obama does Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009).

He may be reached at pepeasia@yahoo.com.

How many opposition people here are “depressed”?

If you are in high spirits, shout out “Homs should be the capital of Syria!”

🙂

THE ROVING EYE Aug 13, 2011
Why the Syrian regime won’t fall
By Pepe Escobar
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MH13Ak01.html
Suppose this was a Hollywood script conference and you have to pitch your story idea in 10 words or less. It’s a movie about Syria. As much as the currently in-research Kathryn Hurt Locker Bigelow film about the Osama bin Laden raid was pitched as “good guys take out Osama in Pakistan”, the Syrian epic could be branded “Sunnis and Shi’ites battle for Arab republic”.

Yes, once again this is all about that fiction, the “Shi’ite crescent”, about isolating Iran and about Sunni prejudice against Shi’ites.
The hardcore Sunni Wahhabi House of Saud – in yet another towering show of hypocrisy, and faithful to its hatred of secular
Arab republics – has branded the Bashar al-Assad-controlled Ba’ath regime in Syria “a killing machine”.

more….

I would like to thank the army men and I feel grateful for their help in keeping our families safe. I have the full trust in the Syrian politics that it will prevail. The opposition counted on thugs to advance their agenda. Opposition leaders cheered the armed thugs and Islamic gangs to keep destroying the country and hence the regime, while they have been hiding behind their PC showing us how intelligent and open minded they are. The all believe in secular Syria, and respect of minorities. They all showed a high morality towards Syria and the Syrian people yet they continue to support the armed radical move. No one here, with the exception of AbuGhassan, even admitted the killings of hundreds of Syrians on the hands of radical, criminal, armed men (most likely ISLAMIC JIHADIST). There is nothing to explain to you anymore. The Syrian government had taken the decision to bring the armed thugs down and it will prevail. We hope the peace will come soon.

Pony tail
These names are fromركن الدين in Damascus,don’t cheat in your answers.

For me, I would not address PONY TAIL ever. I will let him enjoy the future he has for himself and for his revolution. It is indeed a waste of time to address him, besides, why even to bother addressing him. As far as I can see, him and his revolution are weakened.

Don’t you just love it when the menhebaks say they will ignore you, and then spend the next hour clearing their browser cookies to give your articles “dislikes” LOL! 🙂

No Klue, you asked for one Kurdish name, I gave you five. Next you’ll be whining about the time of day they were killed. The menhebaks would murder their own sister if she went out and demonstrated. I have more than sufficiently addressed numerous questions of yours (weak as they were).

Now;

Why is Najati Tayara in jail? Because Besho is scared to death of a 60 year old human rights activist, who wasn’t afraid to tell the world of the crimes Besho’s thugs committed

Seriously, I’d bitch-slap junior, but that would be child abuse.

#278 SS.

The UK riots are over.

#275 ABOUD.

Yes the Menhabeks will need psychological treatment and rehabilitation into society after the revolution.

Btw howcome the Regime failed to brain wash every Syrian like yourself?

What kind of punishment does Britain deserve?

British Prime Minister Cameron has lost legitimacy as a result of the brutal suppression of peaceful demonstrators and should resign.

The actions of the British prime minister and his henchmen from the police towards the protesters of color forced to mention racism. Especially as the police turn a blind eye to the actions of the Nazis from the so-called British “Defense League” that with the tacit approval of Cameron started the violent repression of the revolution.

Many have pointed out that TV channels have tried to present the information in such a way as to show that the rioters were predominantly Africans or Pakistanis.

There are those who defend Cameron. They say that there is no comparison between those in Libya and Syria and the scoundrels who dared raise their hand against one of the cradles of the world democracy.

Of course, there is no comparison. Suffice it to stress the humanistic aspirations of British protesters, who, in contrast to the Syrian and Libyan opposition, were not seen murdering police officers.

http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/12-08-2011/118732-britain-0/

#285 SQI.

That is a joke of an article.

What revolution?
The riots/looting stopped after a combination of heavy rain and police presence.

Pathetic desperation.

ROFL.

Pony tail
Since you are an advocate of boiling soldiers,I will leave you alone.enjoy your boiled soldiers soup for iftar.

BBC news has been showing Syrian demos all day long.

@ Syr.expat # 58

\”The slogan for last Friday was “God with Us.” It’s a declaration by the people that their reliance is on God.

Divine providence is what will get us out of this mess. With the help of God, this oppressive and murderous regime will go to its rightful place in the trash bin of history \”

If only you could realize what this comment means, in terms of *everything*.

I\’ll just give a few ideas – fatalism = non responsibility, incomprehension by \’west\’ (who still thinks that islam is a simple religion), which means that opposition to dictators are difficult because of this sort of thinking, people and *imams* cash in on it by saying that \’the people should be free of oppression\”, and all go ; \”WOW\”, yeah.. but it doesn\’t mean freedom, not at all.

These * moderate * imams don\’t mention anything about freedom of the individual, free speech, freedom to be candidates, freedom of women etc.. They just refer to selected bits out of the Koran.

Well, lets be happy there are \’moderate\’ imams\’.

Lets be reminded of the Iranian system. They have so-called democracy, but it isn\’t, because they can change the heads, (and only according to the *council* that decides on the candidates, but they can\’t change the laws that are Sharia based, and are guarded by the Supreme leader. )

This is not a democracy.

If you think you will get help or sympathy from other countries with this sort of thinking, you are mistaken, and don\’t be surprised if they wish you well but for other reasons. Everyone can play the double hypocrits\’ game.

Only solution in this case is dividing the country, into \’secular\’ and \’islamic\’.. let the best man/ woman (no point in talking about women, they apparently don\’t exist in Syria) WIN.

In fact, for you the destruction of the minaret is more important than anything ???

In fact I would go as far as saying that comments as yours do not help anyone in the muslim world. We just have to watch the millions dying in Somalia and Keyna, who is helping ? Syria ?????
It\’s always the same people who come to the rescue, the \’rich and generous\’ west. What about the \’generous\’ muslim countries ? Do they have calls for donations on their TV \’s ?

Why should the west deal with these barbaric muslim countries, that no muslim country condemns ? ! Why don\’t they deal with them ?

*—————————

78. uzair8 said:

\”I cant believe the pathetic desperation of the Manhabek(however its spelt) and Iranian officials (Press tv) in trying to draw comparisons between the Syrian situation and the UK riots.\”

What a load of rubbish has been heard and seen from muslim countries about this.. quite informative in fact, alot of deliberate cynicism, (Amadinnerjacket) but also facebook idiots urging the toppling of the UK gvt ! The poor ME, who can\’t even have proper medias, haven\’t a clue.

***************************

278. ss said:

Will you please stop using anything to compare Syria with UK ?

Do you know UK ?

You are pathetic, because you are among all those idiots in the muslim world who are making outrageous comments and know nothing. No wonder we hate you, and you aren\’t helping your so-called \’secular\’ regime, which isn\’t, because your \’regime\’ is a criminal gang trying to crush muslim extremists but are just barbarians themselves.

@snk and company,
The people you cited were killed, injured and threatened by people who represent nothing.
Malek jandali,najati tayara, hamza khateeb and many more were threatened,injured,imprisoned and killed by an *OFFICIAL* entity., nuff said.
———————————i wasted 30 seconds of a shabeeh’s productivity by making him read this——

Jr to an audience of Muslem Clergy yesterday: If a citizen fell from his bike in Hasakeh, I would worry that God would ask me how come he did?

Jr does not just lie,
He also either does not relaise that he lies, or experience pleasure from lying while watching a look of beliefe on his audience!
Either way, that is sick!

The Syrian Revolution 2011 الثورة السورية ضد بشار الاسد
يوم أمس، التقى وفدٌ من العلماء الرئيسَ، ونقلوا عنه قوله بالحرف الواحد: “لو تعثر أحدهم بدراجته في الحسكة لخشيت أن يسألني الله عنه”.

Pony tail knows who is boiling who. I would let him enjoy his soup. The funny thing is that he knows for sure that he is a “PONY TAIL:”. I only addressed someone with pony tail and it seems he reponded well. Notice I did not use his name, but I guess he gets it.

Some guy in Damascus
I am against all those barbaric actions,regardless of who committed them.i dont defend any crimes,but I expose islamaic maniacs who are raping this movement like they did in Egypt.
Go to Almohajreen mosq they have مساييه روعه
I heard they are playing طز فيك now,hurry up.

Wow No Klue, imagine what your reaction would have been if I’d shared with you what I have in mind for Cro-Magnum Maher. But this isn’t that kind of website. It needs a strong +18 rating and involves a donkey.

Uzair8

“Btw howcome the Regime failed to brain wash every Syrian like yourself?”

They never succeeded in brain washing anyone, as far as I can tell (the menhebaks here all live abroad, it could be they rely on the regime’s patronage for certain privileges).

It’s just that for decades, the Syrian people did not know that we had it in us to shake the region as we did.

We expected the regime’s response to be bloody and barbaric, but the resilience of the Syrian people has astounded everyone. Communities have come together, supporting each other.

I still remember the most idiotic line that I ever read from an article posted here, to the effect that people in Homs would never rise up on behalf of people from Dar’a. Even after five months, it was the stupidest statement ever made about the Syrian Revolution.

“the funny thing is that he knows for sure that he is a “PONY TAIL:”

Damn right I’m the Pony Tail here, and if anyone else wants to take the title from me, they are gonna have to fight me for it. I choose toothpicks.

drive the Moneylenders out of the Temple.

In order for authentic and real democracy to developp on this planet , everywhere , Americans and Europeans must revolt against their Bankers class and dismantle their whole system.

Follow Jesus’s example and drive the Moneylenders out of the Temple.

with all the advances in science , technology , and communication , all could now imagine a brave new world, without this creed.

Syrian poetry 🙂

That is what they want for Syria so they can manipulate the country, there has to be a way to prevent foreign intervention, I wonder what Israel does.

http://www.alquds.co.uk

سياسيون وصحافيون وحقوقيون بين المتهمين بتلقي ملايين الدولارات
‘حرب اتهامات’ بتمويل سعودي وامريكي تشتعل في مصر

لندن ـ ‘القدس العربي’ ـ من خالد الشامي: قررت الحكومة المصرية فتح تحقيق قضائي في التمويل الخارجي لبعض الاحزاب والمنظمات الحقوقية بعد ان تزايد الجدل مؤخرا حول اتساع حجم التمويل من امريكا والسعودية، مع بدء محاكمة الرئيس السابق حسني مبارك واقتراب الانتخابات التشريعية المقررة قبل نهاية العام.
واعلنت السفارة الامريكية في القاهرة الجمعة ان مدير الوكالة الامريكية للتنمية يو اس ايد جيم بيفر غادر منصبه في مصر، الا انها نفت ان يكون ذلك بسبب ‘مشاعر معادية للامريكيين بين المصريين ‘ قالت الادارة الامريكية الخميس انها تشعر بقلق من تزايدها.
وحسب حرب الاتهامات المشتعلة بين بعض الليبراليين والسلفيين، فان التمويل الامريكي يستهدف دعم الاحزاب الليبرالية الناشئة بعد الثورة لتتمكن من مواجهة الاحزاب الاسلامية في الانتخابات المقبلة، بينما يستهدف التمويل السعوي تكريس الصعود السياسي للتيارات السلفية الوهابية المتشددة، وكذلك التأثير على محاكمة مبارك.
وقالت مصادر متطابقة ان بعض اهالي الشهداء تلقوا عروضا من ناشطين سلفيين بـ’ديّات سخية جدا’ مقابل التنازل عن اتهام مبارك بقتل ابنائهم، الا انهم رفضوا. وربطت هذه العروض بالتمويل السعودي المزعوم لبعض الجماعات السلفية، وبضغوط الرياض لمنع محاكمة الرئيس السابق.
ونفى المتحدث باسم الجماعة السلفية ، كما نفت منظمات مثل كفاية والسادس من ابريل تلقي اي تمويل خارجي.
وكان الشيخ حافظ سلامة القائد التاريخي للمقاومة الشعبية في السويس قال الاسبوع الماضي ان لديه معلومات مؤكدة تشير الى ان دولا عربية عرضت 18 مليار جنيه مصري (نحو ثلاثة مليارات دولار) على الحكومة المصرية للتراجع عن محاكمة مبارك.
وكانت وزارة التعاون الدولي فتحت تحقيقا رسميا في الشهر الفائت بعد ان اعلنت السفيرة الامريكية الجديدة في مصر آن باترسون ان بلادها وزعت 40 مليون دولار لمنظمات غير حكومية واشخاص وجهات سياسية منذ اندلاع الثورة، وطالبت قوى سياسية بكشف اسماء متلقي المعونات الامريكية وسط غضب وشكوك متبادلة.
وتقدم عدد من الصحافيين ببلاغ للنائب العام، للتحقيق في الاتهامات التي وجهها لهم ما يسمى ”الائتلاف الشعبي لكشف التمويل الأجنبي لمنظمات المجتمع المدني”.
وطلب هؤلاء الصحافيون من النائب العام التحقيق معهم في كافه ما ورد في البلاغات من معلومات تمسهم، وطلبوا في البلاغ التحقيق مع المؤسسات التي وردت اسماؤها في البلاغات. يذكر أن ما يسمى بالائتلاف الشعبي لكشف التمويل الأجنبي لمنظمات المجتمع المدني أرسل عدة رسائل على البريد الالكتروني، تتهم هؤلاء الصحافيين بالتربح من خلال عملهم الصحافي، وذلك بالتعاون مع عدد من منظمات المجتمع المدني. وربط مراقبون ‘ تصاعد حرب التمويل’ في مصر بما تمثله الانتخابات المقبلة من اهمية بالنسبة لحسم شكل الجمهورية الجديدة، وبالتالي سياساتها وتأثيرها الاقليمي التقليدي. فبينما يمثل قيام ‘دولة اسلامية’ ذات توجهات سلفية فتحا للمذهب الوهابي، وما يحمله من نفوذ سعودي، فإن قيام دولة مدنية ديمقراطية حديثة يمثل خطرا على الانظمة الرجعية الشمولية في العالم العربي، وفي مقدمتها السعودية. بينما تعتبر واشنطن ان سقوط مصر في براثن حكم ديني متشدد قد يوجه ضربة قاسية لما تبقى لها من نفوذ، ويشعل اعمال عنف ضد المصالح الغربية في المنطقة.

#288-UZAIR8

the article is a joke ?

well the article reflects the opinions of many Russians, and i respect their opinion. You might find the same ideas in Latin American, Asian , African press, etc ..

the article is a joke for a Murdoch sucker . (someone whose worldview is fashioned by the likes of Rupert Murdoch)

This article sounds as a joke for thoses Syrians , many expats , who have developped an inferiority complex towards the white man. Since these ideas break the self-image of their role model, it seems to them far-fetched.

“It’s just that for decades, the Syrian people did not know that we had it in us to shake the region as we did.”

well your right about that aboudie. you did shake the region with your demonic satanic actions that had soldiers murdered and butchered while their families are waiting for them to come home… great work you peaceful protester you! Why for decades no one complained about the regime until Tara (or should i say Johnny boy) made up that filthy story about being a “gay girl in damascus” and and had been kidnapped by security forces. her interview was quite unconvincing to me.

Tara, step it up and show us what else you got… make it believable this time. Try not to use the words gay, Damascus and Syria in you stories.

Turkey buys more time for Damascus
Friday, August 12, 2011
SEVİL KÜÇÜKKOŞUM
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-buys-more-time-for-damascus-2011-08-12

Turkey has convinced the US to wait for two weeks before pressing against Syria, but so far sees little sign that President Assad will end the bloodshed
As Turkey urges the international community to wait more before launching tougher measures on Syria, the U.S. has postponed its call for Assad to step down.

“Assad promised us to take some steps in short span of time. We told Assad there was not much time to give. So that it seems there is nearly two weeks of time,” a senior official from Turkish Foreign Ministry told the Hürriyet Daily News on Friday.

The U.S. was not willing but “they accepted to give some more time by means of us,” the official said.

In a phone conversation late Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “agreed to monitor closely the steps taken by the Syrian government and to continue consultations,” the Prime Ministry’s press office said. Both agreed on the need for a transition to democracy in Syria, a statement from White House said.

Following his talks with Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has held several phone conversations with his counterparts from around the world. Ankara is playing a coordination role, the senior official told the Daily News, since Turkey is the “sole actor that can talk to Assad.”

Related: Syrian forces attack protesters, killing ten

It would be better not to confront Assad at the moment, the official said, adding that if he did not fulfill his promises then international actors would increase the pressure. “Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt,” he said, describing Turkey’s position. “If any decision of sanctions will be taken against Syria in the U.N. Security Council or somewhere else, they should take proper decisions. The timing should be right. If a decision is to be taken just as Assad is taking a step, then this move could throw him in a difficult situation, and maybe hamper his reform process,” he said.

The possible reaction from the international community if Assad fails to move on reform is hard to judge, but Turkey has said in the past that it is against military intervention in Syria but left the door open for participating in sanctions if the U.N. Security Council decides to impose them.

Ankara is suspicious of Assad’s promised steps, since there have been no positive signs yet. Tanks were withdrawn out of Hama city, but they could intervene at any time, he said.

The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was expected to call on Assad to step down Thursday, but postponed. “The U.S. is looking to explicitly call for Assad to step down. The timing of that is still in question,” a U.S. official told AFP. The official did not rule out the possibility that the announcement could come next week.

Asked why the U.S. had not called on Assad to step down, the official said Washington had been “very clear” in its statements about Assad’s loss of legitimacy and wanted other nations to add their voices.

Gül’s letter to Assad

President Abdullah Gül also has called on Assad to implement reforms before it is too late, in a letter handed over to Assad by Turkey’s foreign minister.

“I would not want you to look back some day and regret that you acted too little, too late,” Gül said in his letter. “It is time to show your leadership and courage and lead the way for change instead of getting caught up in the winds of change.

“People’s legitimate demands for democracy must be fulfilled sincerely and rapidly, which I believe would improve the current negative circumstances in Syria at an equally rapid pace,” he said.

‘Turkey must adopt wise policy on Syria’
Fri Aug 12, 2011 6:7PM GMT
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193657.html
Interview with Youssef Rahma , Professor of University of Michigan
A political analyst says that Turkish government must adopt a wise and careful policy towards the ongoing unrest in Syria.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Youssef Rahma, Professor of University of Michigan, to further talk over the issue. The following is a rough transcription of the interview:

Press TV: Let’s start with Turkish Syrian relations – they seem to have a strong a alliance. How do you look at the prospect of these relations in light of the current development? And looking at the fact that there seems to be signs of a contradiction when we hear Prime Minister Erdogan saying there will be a strong message and others saying there’s no message from anyone that Syria will prosper in the coming years. How do you look at the relationship at this point?

Youssef Rahma: I think Turkey has to follow a very careful strategy. It has domestic concerns, it has economic concerns, and it has long term political concerns. And I think Turkey realizes, at least under the leadership of Prime Minister Erdogan, that Syria has to be following the path of democracy – it is in its best interests in the long run and it is in the best interest of the Syrian people in the long run.

He realizes he has to finesse this transition so on the one hand it is sending a message that Syria is going to have to change its ways; it cannot follow its current strategy of dealing with its uprising. And this means it cannot follow coercive power to stop this uprising.

Turkey is offering a carrot and a stick – the carrot being it is trying to help Syria find a way out of this impasse; and a stick meaning that the next step, if there is no change in strategy by the Syrian government it will take diplomatic initiatives against the Syrian government meaning it will set in motion a series of diplomatic maneuvers that will really tighten the doubt around the Syrian regime.

Press TV: The fact that the Arab states Saudi Arabia and especially Bahrain and Kuwait have recalled their ambassadors, they have called on the Syrian government to stop their crackdown. Taking into consideration the crackdown in Bahrain with the assistance of Saudi Arabia do you find that the role of the Arab states is consistent?

Youssef Rahma: Of course not. States in general follow their own interests. Sometimes those interests coincide with their own ideals and principles – that’s good, that’s the case in Libya where interests and ideals are fused.

In the case of Saudi Arabia obviously it is a very important Sunni state; it sees Iran as becoming or has become a powerful competitor in the region and it sees Syria as a very important ally of Iran so it’s attempting to put pressure on the Syrian regime realizing that this regime cannot continue if it follows its current means. So yes there is a double standard and yes the Saudis are also genuinely concerned about what’s happing in Syria.

Let me state something important in response to our Syrian guest – We in the Arab world, we should realize what is happening today is the most important event in the last thirty years and probably it will be one of the most important events of this century. We can no longer condone these kinds of methods meaning the use of violence against citizens.

I think we tend to always accuse foreigners or the Zionist state or a whole combination of intervene – foreign intervention in our domestic affairs whether it is Syria or Lebanon or whatever, but there is a very important point to be made. These Arab governments do not respect the sanctity of their citizens’ lives.

I’m talking about all Arab countries no exception; I’m not singling out Syria or Saudi Arabia meaning the entire Arab world from Morocco to Iraq, from Syria to Yemen – we still do not respect the sanctity of human life.

Press TV: So you’re saying we haven’t found true democracy; the true voice of the people even despite the fact that we have this Arab spring. What final comments do you have regarding the observation that there appears to be no leaders emerging in opposition from the side of the people?

Youssef Rahma: I think there is today one leader in particular in Turkey I think Prime Minister Erdogan is taking this leadership role. I think he is one of the most formidable leaders to come out of the Muslim world in the last 30 or 40 years. And I think he is a remarkable person by taking this initiative.

We have yet to see what came out of those talks let’s not forget that Foreign Minister Davutoglu spoke to President Assad for over six hours so we really don’t know what transpired, but I’m certain it was a carrot and a stick meaning there are positive steps that Syria can take to improve relations…

Press TV: But as for Turkey they’re not saying it is time for Assad to leave (like Obama is saying); they’re saying it’s time for reform; it’s time for Syria to become a democratic state…

Youssef Rahma: Well we don’t know, it depends on how Syria reacts in the next week or so and I think Turkey is intent on taking new steps so let’s wait and see what those new steps will be.

@300 Hehehe, someone is bitter after his ban. Stew much for a week?

“Why for decades no one complained about the regime until Tara”

Yeah Tara, it was all *your* fault! 🙂

This site has become flooded with MBs, opposition losers, and revolution gaurds who were put out of business these days and they turned to media as the last resort to do something. On the other hand I see that the regime supporters vanishing as they can sense the progress the goverment has achieved. It looks that all the posts are from the opposition who are left alone discussing there dismal fate. Perhaps I shoul leave you alone as well. Have a wonderful time

“مثقّفو اليسار” المتأمرك شركاء في حصار سورية
جورج كعدي – البناء

تدمي قلوبهم الرقيقة حالات “القمع” (واسمها الحقيقي تثبيت الأمن ونشره في المدن والأرياف لصدّ المؤامرة الرهيبة على الوطن والأمة) ولا يبصرون الإجرام الرهيب والمجازر التي يرتكبها قتلة مأجورون، مدرّبون ومدفوعون ومسلّحون!

تقول لهم: المؤامرة جليّة، أكيدة، حاضرة، تنفّذ على الأرض… يجيبونك: لا مؤامرة، بل ثورة ضد النظام ولأجل الحريات!

تقول لهم: اللحظة التاريخية والمصيرية غير ملائمة للخوض في ثورات ومطالب قد لا تكون محقة بالمطلق وقد يكون بعضها محقاً… يجيبونك: بل لا لحظة أنسب من هذه للانقضاض على النظام واقتلاعه من جذوره!

تقول لهم: لكن إذا تحقق لكم ما تريدون إلى مَنْ تتوقعون أن تؤول السلطة البديلة؟ أإلى الإسلاميين المتطرفين والمتخلّفين والجاهزين للسير في ركاب حركات أصولية ووهّابية تبيح الاعتراف بـ”إسرائيل” والتطبيع معها والاستسلام لسيّدها الأميركي (كما يفعل أسيادها حكّام الأردن والسعودية والخليج العربي) فنخسر القضية كلها ونخسر فلسطين والأراضي المحتلة ونخسر “السيادة والحرية والاستقلال” وكل شيء؟ يجيبونك: ليس المهمّ من يأتي إلى السلطة والحكم وإدارة مستقبل البلاد والأمة، بل المهمّ الآن أن يذهب النظام!

لا، هذا ليس منطقاً ولا سياسة ولا مطلب حرية… هذا استبداد وحقد وفاشية متأصّلة وموروثة وتصفية حساب… إن لم نقل عمالة واندراج في مشروع غربي طويل عريض مهيّأ العدة والأدوات، وهم أي جماعة “اليسار” المتأمرك و”مثقّفيه”، جزء أساسي منه. ولا تفسير آخر. فليعذرنا مهرّجو هذا “اليسار” الذي ما أدخل أنفه في مصير أمّة إلا أفسده.

http://ssnp.info/index.php?article=66470

Viva La Revolucion!
.

Pitiable junta. I almost feel sorry for them. They are so hopeless and desperate. No one wants them. They can go nowhere. They will have to live in Iran for the rest of their lives, without the prospect of ever leaving Iran. No wonder they’ll fight to the (bitter) end.
.

We have been bombarded by Mr. Seale self centered longing to his defense of the Assad legacy , the Father as he moves to being almost as an adviser to the baby Assad.His key advise to all is this; given the risk of upsetting the minority alliwite we should let them continue to rule the over 76% sunniness and hope they will reform so we avoid a civil war.
Then we come to the usually perceptive Mr. Landis , that understand the nature of the Syrian sensibilities and weaknesses , then advance in effect a similar solution : we should allow the Syrian people to be oppressed because if we open the lid all he’ll will break loose.
The Assads & Makhloofs know well that they live in zero sum game culture , so any reforms mean they will be killed for their crimes, so counseled , funded, and supported by Iran , their bet is to fight on until the bitter end , so do not expect Ibn Saud, or Kamal Atuatrik, or Ben groin , the times and the space is incomparable , and the syrians as Mr. landis knows well , are ultimately traders, that is partly why no Syrian will defect as their still chance the regime will survive.
I am not sunni zealot or even religious,but the Syrian regime is so important to Iran and the gang in Damascus to the point where they have plan B , and that is to turn the people Shiites once they overcome this wave of protests.So to say let the Syrian people sort their affairs is really somewhere between the naive or the unrealistic.
The Syrian people need help from the outside world quickly , and one more last point, the Syrian military is not well institutionalized and is more of sham under the tutelage of alert security system that is tribally led.

BBC
12 August 2011 Last updated at 20:11 ET
Syria: Clinton urges states to cut ties over crackdown

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged all countries to cut their political and economic ties with Syria.

She said buying oil and gas from Syria and exporting arms there were giving President Bashar al-Assad “comfort in his brutality”.

Mrs Clinton’s comments came as large anti-government protests continued despite a harsh army crackdown.

Activists said at least 16 people died on Friday as protesters came under fire in towns and cities across the country.

More than 1,700 people have died and tens of thousands have reportedly been arrested since the uprising against the 41-year rule of Mr Assad’s family began in March.

Correspondents say there is little the US can do to directly pressure the Syrian regime, with which it has few ties or shared interests.

So Washington has been stepping up the pressure on Europe, Russia and China, to use the leverage that they do have, and on Friday Mrs Clinton extended the pressure to all those with ties to Damascus.

“We urge those countries still buying Syrian oil and gas, those countries still sending Assad weapons, those countries whose political and economic support give him comfort in his brutality, to get on the right side of history,” she said.

Washington has stopped short of calling for Mr Assad to stand down, instead seeking unity in the international community so Mr Assad cannot say it is only the US or the West that is against him,

But Mrs Clinton reiterated the view that he has “lost the legitimacy to lead and it is clear that Syria would be better off without him”.

The US has imposed sanctions against Damascus and has said these could be increased, while calling on other countries to follow.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait have all recalled their ambassadors from Damascus while Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has described the methods used by the Syrian security forces as “unacceptable”.
‘Worshippers shot’

Activists say thousands of people took to the streets again on Friday to demand an end to Mr Assad’s rule. Protesters came under fire in the central city of Homs, Hama, the capital Damascus, Deir al-Zour in the east and Aleppo and Idlib near Turkey’s border.

Syrian state television admitted there had been small demonstrations after Friday prayers, but activists said they were far bigger and more widespread.

The highest reported casualties were in Douma, a suburb of Damascus, where a woman and a 16-year-old were named among those who died. Syrian state TV said two security men had been shot dead in the capital.

Thousands of people came out to protest in Deir al-Zour, said activists. Soldiers reportedly fired live ammunition as people left two mosques, sending worshippers running for cover in alleyways.

“Assad wants to finish off the uprising before international pressure becomes too much for him. But people have gone out of almost every major mosque in Deir al-Zor, metres away from tanks that occupy every main square and roundabout,” one resident told Reuters news agency.

Abdel Rahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said there had been a major army assault with tanks and troop carriers on Kahn Sheikhun, in north-western Idlib province, killing at least one woman.

In Hama, which came under heavy bombardment last week, activists said mosques were surrounded by soldiers and people were being stopped and searched at checkpoints “every 200m”.

Witnesses say the number of people being killed has risen during the current fasting month of Ramadan, as opponents of the regime stage protests after evening and early-morning prayers.

“We used to have 20 killed every Friday but now this number is being killed almost on a daily basis,” one man told the BBC.

Meanwhile, rights groups accuse the regime of targeting hospitals and arresting doctors for treating injured protesters.

“Any doctor who is discovered giving help to the injured is targeted and arrested,” one Syrian doctor – who did not want to be named – told the BBC.

There are reports of troops preventing the wounded from reaching hospitals in some areas, and even of removing the bodies of dead protesters from hospitals. Activists say this is to make it harder to calculate the number of people killed in the regime’s campaign to quash dissent.

International journalists face severe restrictions to reporting in Syria, and it is hard to verify reports.

Mr Assad has reiterated promises of political reform, while remaining adamant his government would continue to pursue the “terrorist groups” he has blamed for the unrest.

His opponents say the regime’s failure to propose any serious reforms has merely entrenched the feeling of protesters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14514092?print=true

Assad’s sectarian forces again showing the utter disdain and contempt for anything Islamic, shelling the Ali Bin Abi Taleb mosque in Talbieseh in the middle of Ramadan. Not even Israel would do such a thing, what is wrong with these monsters?

#300 SQI.

After my post I thought about the situation in the UK a bit more.

The situation is no where near a revolution.

There are social problems just like in many countries. However the poor are not starving and do recieve welfare benefits etc. They are better off than many people around the world. The social issues need to be dealt with.

In the UK we have a democracy in which we can change the government at the ballot box. We can also lobby the politicians for change.

259. Sheila,

I’m glad that you found calling Obama a pig so offensive. So, why didn’t you find when guy in Damascus called Norman a (edited) offensive or inappropriate? Why didn’t you question his intellect? And Tara saying that Bashar has ‘Mental retardation’? I suppose if that is not an insult, then I calling Obama what he truly is has no harm. The language that at times your fellow revs use on here is apparently unseen by you. Oh well. That’s life I assume.

I am glad that you are proud to be an America. Just as i am proud to be an Aussie. My negative reflection on what happens in Australia was just to show bloke in Damascus that even a democracy has its down sides. Even a democracy sucks at times. So, like you said that your US is not perfect, I say that it is FAR from perfect. Australia is not perfect either. But in most respects, Australia is better than the US. For instance, we have Medicare.

So then why is that it is OK for you guys to bag on Syria, and its problems, but when someone admits to the problems in the WEST it is, how you imply, WRONG? Or that we do not appreciate our country? I was born and raised in Australia. I have been to Syria countless times. My entire father’s side of the family lives in Syria. A hypothetical: if Syria attacks Australia, I will be against that. If Australia attacks Syria, I will be against that. There is no reason that you can’t live in and love a country, and at the same time, express your ideas on its low points. Just like you guys are doing with Syria. or does this only work one way?

There are many, many pure Australians here who constantly criticise what happens in Australia. I suppose they should go live in their country. But they are. Even their ancestors only knew Australia as their home. Because many came with the British. And they have been living for hundreds of years in Australia. So where should they go? Back to Britain I suppose.

I also take pride in my intellectual abilities in which you just insulted. I don’t need someone, especially not you, to tell me that I have no intellect. I am 18, and I am prone to not care what people think. I don’t need you to explain democracy to ME. Lol. And no, it is the majority I am with. And at times, yes, I am with the minority. But you just said it yourself, democracy “…is the art of compromise and the rule of the majority.” Then if all you want in Syria is democracy, than the MAJORITY should rule. So either way, Bashar will remain, because the MAJORITY want him.

This is me, an uneducated, low class, with very limited mind. Oh well, maybe my next 4 years at uni will change that. Highly unlikely, I love the way I am.

Samara
We have medicare here in USA.

After Turkish Foreign Minister visited Syria, Nothing changed.

majedkhaldoon ,

Thanks for correcting me. I heard that you didnt.

311. NEWFOLDER said:
“what is wrong with these monsters?”
They are monsters. What do you expect!
What they forget is that the day of reckoning is approaching faster than they think.

@samara,
yes i did call norman a (edited for insult)) why?
he told me the regime imprisons activists to “Protect!” them like its the only protective method available.
he defecated on the keyboard and that’s what he came up with i guess
about your democracy in Australia, did you really think i’d expect Syria to turn into Switzerland over night?
but there are baby steps, till this day Rami Makhlouf runs his monopoly on syria.
till this day access to social media websites is limited
till this day you cannot demonstrate in any cause unless it’s for bashar.
remember my proposal? where you’d have to go to any 3 police stations and say the president is bad? i assure you if any person did that he’D be locked up and sent to the torture chamber.
i appreciate your concern about any foreign intervention in Syria, and yes the media can make up the news sometimes, but what did you expect? if a peaceful demonstration went out in Damascus do you think Syria tv would even mention in it?
did you subscribe to one youtube channel? or more?
do you still think bashar is the great eternal leader for syria?

@samara
Wt makes you think besho has the majority?

SGID

“Wt makes you think besho has the majority?”

He absolutely does not have a majority. Not even close. People who claim so need to be reminded yet again of the places that are coming out to demonstrate against him;

Hama, Deir el Zour, Homs, Latakia, half of Damascus, Damascus rural areas, Baniyas, Rastan, Talbesi, Tadmour, all of Aleppo’s rural areas, Idlib, all of Deir el Zour’s rural areas, Qamishli, all of Houran.

And don’t tell me Aleppo is with the regime. If that were true, why are there so many arrests there every week? They wouldn’t need to preemptively arrest people if nothing was going on there.

Kindly tell me, menhebaks, just where do you imagine Besho now gets his 50% support? Qurdaha?

exactly!, they depend on these massive orgies of festivals that consist of the security forces(yea i saw them!) and they will rush to tell you, besho has the majority. he has no majority, just an army of shabeeha that will kill any majority that will form against him.
i know facebook represents nothing but the syrian revolution group has much more member than the bashar al assad page.
@ samara, you are part of the syrian expatriate community, i am part of Syria. im not trying to belittle you but i don’t get the rights you get in Australia. by living in syria i would know more about it( no offense intended)
———————————————————————
shabeeh logic 101:
bashar al assad once slammed a revolving door.

SAMARA
It is fin and intelligent to criticize your country, be it Australia, and/or Syria. But to use the problems facing democratic countries like Australia in order to justify Tyrany in Syria to us blokes, is at best idiotic, and at worst, malicious.

BBC World interviews Sheikh Sayyid Yaqoubi of Syria.

In English. About 3 minutes long.

الشعب يريد اصلاح الموقع .

‘301. Ali said: ”

Keep boiling in your rage as it is clear that you support the slaughter of thousands so your despicable regime can stay in power and you actually have the audacity to be outraged?! You expect to slaughter thousands and the people to smile at you just like your Zionist cousins. Do you honestly think that the relatives of the hundreds of thousands will forgive your regime for what is has done to them?

S.G.I.D,

Is it possible to attack and scare the Shabeeha and Police in Damascus ?

Guy in Damascus,

Thanks for calling me an idiot. Although I disagree with your stance on comparing democracies with Syria. You do want a democracy don’t you? So I am giving you a little taste of what it really is. In theory democracy is better than in practice. Look up Rousseau’s version of democracy, and Mill’s version. Then look at Plato’s Platonic guardianship. Democracy seems better, right? But in practice, it could almost be the same. Just ask those living in democracies. I don’t hate it, but it could be better.

As you said, I am an expatriate, so I can’t vouch for any media activity in Syria, and I can’t claim that you have freedoms that I do, because I am not there. But like I said, I have family living all over Syria, in Tartous, Damascus, Safeeta, and so on. I know what they have told me. I have been to Syria countless times, and seen how the Syrian people walk in the streets with their heads held high.

The support Bashar has is from many of the places that Aboud said he doesn’t have support. Have you not heard the people in those areas who thank Bashar for listening to their pleas in sending the troops to help them take out the criminals? Have you not seen how people in Hama and Homs have said that things are better because Bashar has sent his troops to help them? And yes Aboud, Bashar also has the votes of Qurdaha, and many other areas also. It is sooo typical of you to single out Qurdaha.

“do you still think bashar is the great eternal leader for syria?”, Yes, Yes i do. Maybe not eternal, because one day he must resign, but I am not expecting his downfall anytime soon. I would be the last person to say that his time is up. But i would also be the last person to say that there should be no peaceful protests. I do remember your proposals about the police stations. But I also hope that you remember what i said about Bashar’s speech? Do you remember how he said that he allows peaceful protests? If is police or Shabiha are attacking them, i do not support that. In a healthy society there should be free peace protests. As long as they are peaceful. Just as Bashar said. If the police attack, then they deserve to be attacked. But please tell me that you do not support malicious and murderous protests, and the decapitations of hundreds of innocent people and soldiers. Because someone who advocates peace, should not support vile revolutionaries.

I hope fasting is going good for all, because i hear it is very hot in Syria at the moment. Good luck and goodnight:)

Samara,

I do not care about what the (( Edited for insult)) (( SGID ))Say, he just does not count,

204. SHEILA said:

I am now back, and I am sorry to the have made the “hollow statement”. Sheila, what Syria has now is not up to standard, however, it is an insult to all Syrians and its honorable men and women and its Martyrs to still stick Obama’s stinky toe in their face and proclaim it is better than what Syria has.

Thomas Jefferson’s declaration of independence is one of the most extraordinary philosophically inspired documents. Yet, no American politician has any conviction to truly perform his/her duty to the true spirit of 1776 of being fair, humane and value human liberty. In my humble opinion none are good enough for an ordinary Syrian to wipe his/her feet with them let alone have a stinky toe run a country. Do you have a copy of the declaration of independence, I have a copy proudly hung on the wall.

Syria has always been a land of convictions and when Democracy establishes deep and spreading roots, I hope it will be the first country to introduce terms limits for all elected officials including representatives and senators to make sure what plagues the other countries of having old fart senators and representatives who corrupt the system does not take hold there.

Having said that, I hope Syria will get read of that French System and replaces it with a Westminster system of governance. Having lived under all three, I find the Westminster system more appropriate to the corruption prone mentality in Syria. Moreover, given that Syria has many ethnic groups and many religions, having a symbolic head of state who may be from Sunni, Shia, Druz, Christian, Alawite, Kurd etc a powerful uniting factor.

No to stinky Obama toe or any toe for that matter. Aim high!

ككل جمعة كلينتون تكرر اسطوانتها وتحث الدول الى وقف علاقاتها التجارية مع سوريا

كلينتون تدعو الدول الى وقف تجارتها مع سوريا
وككلِّ مساءِ جُمُعة خرجت هيلاري كلنتون بموقف تجريدِ النظام من الشرعيةِ وجديدُها امس أنَّ الاسد فقد شرعيتَه تماماً وأن سوريا ستكونُ مكاناً أفضلَ مِن دونِه ودعت كلنتون الدولَ التي لديها علاقاتٌ تجاريةٌ بسوريا الى قطعِها،

فقد حثت وزيرة الخارجية الاميركية هيلاري كلينتون دول العالم الى وقف علاقاتها التجارية مع سوريا. وقالت كلينتون للصحافيين “ندعو الدول التي لا تزال تشتري النفط والغاز السوري والدول التي لا تزال ترسل الاسلحة الى الرئيس السوري الاسد الى اتخاذ القرارات التي ستدخلها التاريخ من الباب الصحيح”. وأكدت كلينتون أن الأسد فقد شرعيته بالكامل، لافتة الى أن
سوريا ستكون أفضل مكاناً بدونه.
————————
ألا يوجد لدى السيدة كلينتون عمل مهم آخر يمكنها المحافظة فيه على
كياسة كبار وزارة خارجية دولة عظمى ؟
ماذا يعني في السياسة الخارجية الطلب من الصين و روسيا والهند المساعدة ؟ هل تعاني من الحرج ؟

“Have you not seen how people in Hama and Homs have said that things are better because Bashar has sent his troops to help them?”

No I haven’t, kindly provide some evidence to back up your extraordinary claim.

A Swiss journalist was in Hama for 10 days before the army invaded. He said he did not see any armed gangs, none of the police stations were damaged. Not one person was killed in Hama for a month until the army invaded. How do you explain that?

Samara, democracy is not expected to be perfect, but it is the least evil of all forms of government and most compatible with the laws of nature (it is not compatible with the laws of religious scriptures).

The Assad regime talks about itself as the last resistance castle against Israel and the West. No resistance is really viable if not based on true popular support: not orchestrated demonstrations, but transparently run elections. The Assads are fake opponents of Israel and the West. They only use their perpetual “resistance’ saga and their bogus “battle with Zionism and imperialism” to justify their family’s corrupt and disastrous rule. Furthermore, out of selfish desire to hang on to power at any price, they are willing to drag Syria to a sectarian civil war. They are trying hard to depict this revolution of the peasants and the poor (the popular base of the original Baath before Assad senior allied himself with the rich bourgeoisie of Damascus and Aleppo) as a revolution of Sunnis against minorities. They are holding the Alawi minority hostage to their terror, keeping them scared of reprisal “massacres” for the Assads’ crimes. The Assads have been nothing but thieves and traitors to Syria: Assad senior and his brother Rifaat handed over the Golan Heights to Israel in 1967 without as much a fight (the full story has been documented in the memoirs of a number of contemporaries like former president Amin al Hafez and is well researched and presented by professor Hanna Batatu in his definitive book on Syria: Syria’s Peasantry, the Descendants of Its Lesser Rural Notables, and Their Politics) just to strengthen his own wing in the Baath party. They killed, imprisoned, or exiled all the founding Baathists, turning the Baath party into an empty shell. They massacred tens of thousands of their own people in Hama in a disproportionate response to an armed but weak revolt by the Muslim brotherhood, and disappeared and tortured tens of thousands of opposition activists from across the political and religious spectrum. Then in 1998 the Assads agreed to giving to Turkey the Alexandretta province, which was deceptively and unjustly seceded by France to Turkey in 1939, and changed Syria’s national map accordingly. For forty years of “resistance” the Assads did not fire as much as one shot toward Israel, but were happy to fight Israel with other peoples’ blood, Palestinians, Lebanese or any other dumb people who fell to the Assads’ tricks. No wonder the Israelis are the people most concerned for the fall of the Assads today. The Assad regime has used “resistance” as a tool to sustain a fictitious permanent external conflict as a distraction away from the failed and tyrannical way the family ruled the country against the people’s will. The Syrian people demonstrating in the poor streets of Syria have shown admirable level of awareness, unity, bravery, and solidarity. The Assads, in an effort to hang on to power at any price, are trying to drag their people into sectarian conflict and civil war. This is very sad because if you just take a drive in the Alawi mountains of Syria you will see how poorly the majority of Alawis have fared under four decades of the Assads’ corrupt rule. I hope all the Syrians come together and get rid of these leeches sooner than later and build a new Syria based on human rights, representative democracy, civic institutions, and above all, accountability under the law.

A Hymn to The Semi-Eternal Leader
To SAMARA, who loves uncle Besho and aunti Asma and the screeches of Ali El-Deek

Friend of fatherless!
Fountain of happiness!
Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh, how my soul is on
Fire when I gaze at thy
Calm and commanding eye,
Like the sun in the sky,
Comrade Napoleon!

Thou are the giver of
All that thy creatures love,
Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon;
Every beast great or small
Sleeps at peace in his stall,
Thou watchest over all,
Comrade Napoleon!

Had I a sucking-pig,
Ere he had grown as big
Even as a pint bottle or as a rolling-pin,
He should have learned to be
Faithful and true to thee,
Yes, his first squeak should be
“Comrade Napoleon!”

This is from a book called Animal Farm (by George Orwell)* I am giving you the book as a gift, which should have been given to you by your parents, or teachers a while ago when you were 13, around the time Besho was busy jailing Damascus Spring intellectuals and human and civil rights advocates.
——————–

* * Animal Farm should also be read by all of those fighting tyranny, not only those supporting it to avoid making the new free Syria, an animal farm one more time.

To ANNIE

During our recent visit, one intellectual told the village-shout: I know Prime Ministers, some of my best friends are prime ministers, and Syrian Hamster ain’t the right material. That intellectual was a cousin of mine, and was right on.

Iran has agreed to fund a new multi-million-dollar military base on the Syrian coast to make it easier to ship weapons and other military hardware between the two countries, according to Western intelligence reports.
By Con Coughlin
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/8699077/Iran-agrees-to-fund-Syrian-military-base.html
11:25PM BST 12 Aug 2011

Under the terms of the deal, which was concluded after a high-level Syrian delegation visited Tehran, Iran is to assist with the development of a new military compound at Latakia airport which will be completed by the end of next year. The aim of the agreement is to open a supply route that will enable Iran to transfer military hardware directly to Syria.

Western security officials say the deal was agreed following a visit to Tehran in June by Muhammad Nasif Kheirbek,
Syria’s deputy vice-president for security affairs and an ally of President Bashar al-Assad.

more….

To dear Samara,
I sincerely apologize to you. I did not realize that you are only 18. That explains everything. My analysis was wrong. This is a time where you are forming your opinions and expanding your knowledge.
I agree with you and do not condone the bad language directed to anyone. It just does not achieve anything and it is offensive. Calling Bashar “retarded” was unwarranted and making fun of his lisps is uncalled for. I wish you only the best.

Delivery of Gift
Sorry Samara, site bungled the link to your gift

Animal Farm

And for Assurance of Delivery, as much as I hate to see raw links

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/o79a/index.html

—
note the .au in the link, you should be proud of aussies, they are a free spirity bunch. Hope you and a couple of other now australians catch up

“He should have learned to be
Faithful and true to thee,
Yes, his first squeak should be
“Comrade Napoleon!”

I love that line 🙂

Also, ship a copy of the book 1984, and charge it to me. The section on Doublethink should be familiar to the menhebaks.

“328. Darryl said:

Thomas Jefferson’s declaration of independence is one of the most extraordinary philosophically inspired documents. Yet, no American politician has any conviction to truly perform his/her duty to the true spirit of 1776 of being fair, humane and value human liberty.”

That’s rich. Did Jefferson live up to his own ideals considering he praised the slaughter and subjugation of the Native Indians, owned slaves, believed in white supremacy and Manifest Destiny. It’s manifest destiny that the Asad regime will fall despite the baying and squealing of the menhebeks.

Account Valid, Card Charged

Reship: LANDIS Postal is Acting UP

Dear Menh7ebbakites, this book is being shipped to you as a gift from Pony-tail Aboud (or your PTA), via Hamster’s newly (15 seconds ago) established online book-brokerage firm HAMAZONE.

Ninteen eighty-four (1984) By George Orwell

Credit Card Number xx-xxxx-xx-03-15-2011 (For those in the US)
Credit Card Number xx-xxxx-xx-15-03-2011 (Europe and ME)

To #328. Darryl,
Thanks for the reply. You know the toe thing was just poking fun at what Aboud suggested. I am under no illusions about the American system in particular or democracy in general. I am fully aware that it is not perfect and that it has many flaws, however, what I am trying to say is that it is by far, the best we have out there.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Syria. I want the people of Syria to have the same opportunities that people elsewhere have. I want them, unlike us, to be able to stay home and not have to immigrate to pursue their dreams. I do not know if it takes a democracy to fulfill this dream. There are examples out there of benevolent dictators who achieved just as good a fate or maybe better, under the circumstances. I want a leader whose only interest is the advancement of his country and the success of his/her people.
Shall I keep dreaming???????????

Syria:the hot month of Ramadan
Anisimov Sergey, Fedoruk Vladimir
Aug 13, 2011 15:42 Moscow Time
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/13/54605311.html
Anti-government protests rage on Syria with protesters demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad and the release of all political prisoners, including those detained in the course of the recent protests. Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV Channel reports dozens of deaths daily.

No one can see the end of the conflict for now and few can say what President Bashar al-Assad’s so-called “deafness” will lead to. President of the Middle East Institute Yevgeny Satanovsky has this to say.

“The opposition wants Christians out and Alawis dead. President Assad is an Alawite leader, which leaves him no chances, so he will fight to the end. Fleeing the country makes no sense for him because as Iran’s only ally in the Arab world, he will be unable to find a safe refuge in a foreign country, say Saudi Arabia, and will soon be traced down and killed. It’s Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf countries that are sponsoring the riots in Syria as part of undeclared war against Iran. President Assad could sit it all out in Iran but he is unlikely to. His reforms are fairly weak and they promise little in terms of easing his grip on power. He has few chances of retaining power.”

The West has been trying to force Assad to leave. The US has introduced new sanctions against Syria and urged Russia, China and India to follow suit. For the first time in five months of riots, Washington has called on the Syrian leader to resign. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain have recalled their ambassadors from Damascus in protest against the continuing bloodshed. A number of analysts say that Washington is behind it. Vladimir Sotnikov, from the Oriental Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, comments.

“Washington is acting through Arab countries. As the conflict in Syria drags on, no one can say when the opposition will run out of steam or how long President Assad will be able to keep the situation under control. The US is too bogged down in Libya to let itself being drawn into yet another conflict. The Arab countries are too divided on Syria to work out a consolidated approach towards the Syrian crisis. For this reason, Washington has few chances of getting Middle East and Gulf countries to form a united front against Assad.”

Given the situation, the stakes of Riyadh as Washington’s ally are fairly high, the more so since Saudi Arabia is interested in shattering the government in Damascus. Georgy Mirsky, an Oriental expert from the Institute of Global Economy and International Relations, has this opinion.

“Saudi’s number one foe is Shiite Iran, and Syria is Tehran’s main ally. Saudis would be pleased to have Assad replaced by a Sunni leader. Saudi Arabia is populated by Sunnis. 75 percent of Syrians are Sunni too but have Alawite rulers. For Saudis, Alawites are like infidels. But they are allied to Iran. Saudi Arabia would certainly welcome the departure of Assad on condition the reins of power go to groups other than the Muslim Brotherhood, its deadly enemy.”

Turkey is America’s other helping hand in handling the Syrian crisis. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu sounded harsh as he told Damascus in an ultimatum-like statement dictated by Washington that it ought to end violence and call parliamentary elections. Ankara will have to declare the Syrian president illegitimate if Damascus doesn’t heed its recommendations, the statement said. The tone of President Abdullah Gul’s statement was equally harsh as he said that Ankara was prepared to assume the role of a regional leader and as such, it would inevitably affect the interests of Tehran, a traditionally influential player in the region.

Iran’s popularity ratings have been falling, according to a survey carried out by an Arab-American institute in a number of countries of North Africa and the Middle East. Turkey’s popularity has been rising. But despite its extensive mediatory efforts, Turkey is a member of NATO and is seen as an US ally in Arab countries. As Iran persists in its efforts to resist the policies of Israel and the US, both Ankara and Tehran can be expected to use the Syria crisis to secure political gains during the current struggle for political leadership in the region.

Syria must complete reform within next two weeks – Turkish presidential adviser
12/08/2011
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=26213
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat – Turkish diplomatic sources have expressed their hope that the events that are taking place close to their border with Syria do not represent “a Syrian response to the advice issued by Turkey” earlier this week. Senior Turkish presidential adviser Ersat Hurmuzlu informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s letter to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – delivered by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu during his latest visit to Damascus – informed Damascus that Ankara “does not want to see anybody in the Syrian administration regretting what happened after it is too late.”

Turkish diplomatic sources also informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Ankara is closely monitoring the situation in Syria, including the ongoing Syrian security operation, particularly after the Syrian security apparatus most recently stormed the town of Bdama, close to the Turkish border. The sources stressed that “if this is the Syrian response, then the forthcoming days will be extremely difficult.” However the Turkish diplomatic source refused to “anticipate events, because the Syrians promised to take certain steps, and we are waiting to see this.”

Turkish presidential adviser Ersat Hurmuzlu also denied that Ankara had given Damascus a “time limit of 15 days” to implement reform adding that “Turkey expects Syria to take action within the next few days, if they are sincere in their intentions, for reform must be completed within the next two weeks.”

Hurmuzlu also told Asharq Al-Awsat that “a letter [by Turkish President Abdullah Gul] addressed to al-Assad and delivered by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stressed the necessity of Syria putting an end to the bloodshed, releasing all the detainees, and immediately implementing reform that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people.”

The Turkish presidential adviser added that Turkish President Abdullah Gul – in this letter – stressed that “he does not want to see anybody in the Syrian administration regretting what happened after it is too late.” Hurmuzlu added that the Turkish Foreign Minister also informed al-Assad of the viewpoint of Turkish Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressing “his clear message regarding the necessity of Syria immediately putting an end to the bloodshed, and not utilizing violence to suppress the peaceful protests.”

Hurmuzlu added the Syrians “listened to the Turkish advice, and they expressed an understanding of the necessity of withdrawing their military forces and apparatus from [Syrian] cities, and allowing Turkish press correspondents to enter the afore-mentioned cities.” He also revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that a group of Turkish journalists had visited the effected Syrian areas, adding that “Turkey wants this [Turkish media presence] to become a permanent state of affairs, not merely part of an organized visit.” Hurmuzlu stressed that Ankara wants to ensure that Turkish journalists are allowed access to Syrian cities in order to provide the world with accurate information regarding what is happening on the ground in Syria.

In response to questions about the “two week time limit” that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu spoke of, Hurmuzlu stressed that Ankara expects “Syrian movement [towards reform] in days rather than weeks; if they are sincere in their intentions to implement reforms then this must be implemented before the end of Ramadan.” He added that Turkey hopes that these reforms will represent “a shock” and include “a change in the form and image of the regime which meets the demands of the Syrian people.”

In the event of Syria failing to respond to the Turkish calls and implement reform, and continuing its policy of violence and suppression, Hurmuzlu stressed that Turkey “would expect what it warned against previously to take place, namely Syria finding itself confronting the international community, with strong international resolutions being issued against Damascus, as well as foreign intervention in Syria.”

Hurmuzlu stated that when the situation reaches the extent of a UN resolution being issued against Syria, then “all countries, including Turkey, will be obliged to implement this.” The Turkish presidential adviser also denied any scenario that would see “Turkish military intervention [in Syria] and the establishment of a buffer zone.”

322. Dear uzair8:
Thank you for the link to BBC World interview with Sheikh Sayyid Yaqoubi of Syria.
Sheikh Ya3qoubi presented a positive image of an enlightened Muslem cleric and activist who values freedom of choice and is eager to embrace democracy.
– He appeared calm, relaxed and self-assured
– His answers were clear and succinct
– His command of English was good
– He addressed the interviewer by her first name.

NZ #252,

“This Friday, “we will not surrender but to God”….. You forgot to add Ar’our, Quaradawi and Baynouni, and of course, the devil himself.

@samara
the people of hama never wanted the army. and the people in the syria don’t walk with their heads held up high, believe me every one is trying to immigrate. you quote bashar, but bashar doesn’t take accountability. words, words and more words……there are things he can fix in a second(like the monopoly), but no didnt
i never called you an idiot, but as a syrian that pays taxes, has conscription duty and must contribute to society i have the right to choose what governs me and i choose democracy thank you very much. i know it won’t solve all our problems but it will be the key to our solutions.
“I would be the last person to say that his time is up.” you could get arrested,tortured and/or killed for saying that you dont want behso anymore
AND BELIEVE ME THE PEOPLE OF HOMS AND HAMA DON’T WANT THE ARMY. TAKE IT FROM A SYRIAN LIVING IN SYRIA. if you call your relatives what do you expect them to say? the phone is being moderated, and any sane human(opposition, supporter and neutral) will voice support for besho. aboud lives in homs, ask him.
@ norman, i do count, i demonstrate. im one of those voices screaming no. did you ever demonstrate for bashar? remember i only called you a morann for that pathetic answer you gave me( people getting imprisoned for their protection), renounce that statement and i will apologize.
@ khalid tlass,
yesterday my friends were driving at 3 am.their response to a green light was slow and the car’s occupants behind them got pissed.it turns out they were 6 shabeeha and they gave my 3 freinds a good beating, this was all under the watchful eye of some republican guards. they never stopped them. this is what besho has gotten us to.
——————————————————————-
bashar al assad: putting bash back into bashar.

The entire family of Mr Abdussalam Ammar, including his wife and three teen age kids have been arrested after their house was ramsacked by security forces. They have been in prison since Thursday, August 11th.
AlQsair town, Homs Governorate.

Ugarit News | أوغاريت الإخبارية
أوغاريت || القصير حمص :: تم اعتقال السيد عبد السلام عمار “43 عام” وزوجته السيدة منى كوزو وأولادهم الثلاثة محمد 18 عام و احمد 17 عام و أياد 11 عام, حيث تم اعتقالهم جميعا بعد مداهمة منزلهم يوم الخميس الفائت
العائلة كلها الآن تقبع في سجون النظام الأسدي المجرم ولا نعلم عنها أي شيء, العائلة تفرقت عن بعضها ويجمعا ظلم الأسد وعدوانه

Revlon
هل تم الاعتقال بعد جلطة بشار وقتل علي حبيب؟
تكذب مره
تكذب مرتين
تكذب دائماً

SYAU,

Non of the Fridays were named after the figures you listed #344.”Ar’our, Quaradawi and Baynouni, and of course, the devil himself.”

I am sure that destroying a minaret by this regime is no different from the mindset of those you’ve listed, to the contrary, they are a replica of those divisive individuals, who their likes exist in every religion and in all societies. Those two are living examples of Bush’s phrase, you are either with us or with the enemy. They have the absolute solution. We, are with neither.

Targeting symbols or houses of worship is neither a step toward reform nor a step to quell this uprising. It is a step to inflame the street, where targeting such symbols are the instigator.

This tug of words will lead us nowhere, not sure if you read my previous post, ” The Syrian commentators are united in their love for the country. Their is a tug of war going , the aim is not to score points but trigger a united voice.”

I think the only thing that sets us apart, is, who are the protesters and the opposition, who do they represent ?

Let us come to a common ground. We have no choice but to live together and get rid of conspiratorial thinking, and pitting one citizen against the other. These dictators were brilliant in turning us into followers in glorifying them.

“remember i only called you a morann for that pathetic answer you gave me( people getting imprisoned for their protection), ”

Yes, it was an absurd answer, and SGID was well within his rights to be offended. By that perverted logic, maybe we should be thanking Israel for house-sitting the Golan for us?

Must see video

This video was bought from one of the security men for 15,000 Syrian Liras (around $300). It shows security men in Hama taking weapons out of packages and discussing planting them in homes.

#350

Someone should send that video to Al Jazeera.

Btw. What channel is that?

@aboud
Maybe we should thank israel, this is what would have happened if it stayed in syria’s hands
1) A huge resort would’ve opened for people to enjoy the sea of galilea owned by none other than rami.
2) The forest and lake would have shrivelled and went to ruins thanks to baath mismanagement
3) Instead of sea of galilea , we would have sea of Assad

S.G.I.D,

As I said, is it possible for you guys (protstors) to attack the Shabbih and beat them to pulp ? Why don’t you guys move your ass and start kicking some Shabbih ass ?

@khalid tlass,
Though we outnumber them, beating them up is not possible, here’s why
1)Initially we will beat them up but they will return with armour, tear gas, sound grenades and firearms
2) Many protesters would like the revolution to remain peaceful( including i) we condone self defensive actions
3) Taking up arms gives them a pretext to attack us
4) These men have no mercy, there’s no prisoner of war protocol here, what can you expect from a regime that slices of boy’s genitals

DEBKA FILE on Syria

http://www.debka.com/search/tag/Syria/

Saudi Arabia: Redrawing the Map of Regional Alliances

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/39436

‘Showing them’

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/08/13/256941_about_town.html

@ 303 Beaware

interview with press TV.

“I think we tend to always accuse foreigners or the Zionist state or a whole combination of intervene – foreign intervention in our domestic affairs whether it is Syria or Lebanon or whatever, but there is a very important point to be made. These Arab governments do not respect the sanctity of their citizens’ lives.

I’m talking about all Arab countries no exception; I’m not singling out Syria or Saudi Arabia meaning the entire Arab world from Morocco to Iraq, from Syria to Yemen – we still do not respect the sanctity of human life.”

No comment

NATO to give rebels anti-tank weapons. Syrian fight Palestinians in Latakia

http://www.debka.com/article/21207/

Syria calls on UN to thwart Israel’s ‘separation fence’ on Golan Heights

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/syria-calls-on-un-to-thwart-israel-s-separation-fence-on-golan-heights-1.378642

Syria denies pounding district in coastal Latakia with gunboats

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-08/15/c_131048774.htm

The diplomat

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/08/15/the_diplomat/

It is a disappointing to see the comment made on Iran and Nahj Al Balagha.
I strongly believe that, it is not our place to say that Nahj Al Blagha should be banned for it consists of the sermons, letters and sayings of Imam Ali. Imam Ali was the true follower of Islam after the Prophet’s (S.A.V) death. When the Prophet was forced to defend himself (I would like to remind you that The Prophet himself never attacked his enemies first) it was Ali’s loyalty to his cousin and father in-law, his bravery, his skills that was conspicuous in The Battle of Badr, The Battle of Uhud, The Battle of Ahzab, The Battle of Khaybar, The Battle of Hunayn, and The Battle of Tabuk. Through these skills Islam survived to this day. He was the one who was the dearest and closest to The Prophet when others were not. Don’t you think you are denying the truth here?
Furthermore, in the Holy Qur’an it is stated that “ If anyone killed a person it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind” (Al-Maidah, 32). The purpose of this statement is very clear yet, what do we Arabs do but to kill each other and become a puppet to Imperialist countries.
Don’t we really know better? Can’t we think more cooperatively and epistemologically? When are we going to stop the violence and start respecting each other regardless of our ethnicity, religion and race? When a child dies in Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and or any other countries don’t these kids have parents to grief for them? How do we expect other countries respect us when we cannot respect ourselves?
I will conclude my words here, with a statement from the Holy Qur’an “Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good” (Al-Maidah, 13).