Big Changes Ahead in Syria

[Ed Anger]

I read that as Defecating soldiers in Deraa.  I thought to myself, "Well, I'm not going to click that."

The number of clicks from Germany skyrocketed.

Heels or mice ?

mice. they love their shit porn.

[citizen k]

Muslim Brotherhood backs Syria protests
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis

DAMASCUS (Reuters) – The Muslim Brotherhood called on Syrians to take to the streets ahead of Friday prayers and help the besieged city of Deraa, where a rights group said civilian deaths from a tank-backed army attack rose to 50.

It was the first time that the Brotherhood, ruthlessly crushed along with secular leftist movements under the rule of late President Hafez al-Assad, had called directly for protests in Syria since pro-democracy demonstrations against Assad's son, President Bashar al-Assad, erupted six weeks ago.

A declaration by the Brotherhood, sent to Reuters by its leadership in exile Thursday, said: "Do not let the regime besiege your compatriots. Chant with one voice for freedom and dignity. Do not allow the tyrant to enslave you. God is great."

The protests have drawn a cross section of Syrian society, which has been under Baath Party rule for the last 48 years. The younger Assad kept intact the autocratic political system he inherited in 2000 while the family expanded its control over Syria's struggling economy.

The Brotherhood said accusations by the authorities that militant Islamists were behind the unrest were aimed at fomenting civil war and undermining nationwide demands for political freedoms and an end to corruption.

But Friday, the Muslim day of rest and prayers, has been the main opportunity for protesters to gather, challenging repeated warnings by the authorities not to demonstrate.

Security forces shot dead at least 120 protesters last Friday, said Syrian human rights organization Sawasiah, in the biggest demonstrations Syria has seen since the democratic uprising erupted in Deraa on March 18, with pro-democracy protests spreading to regions across the rest of Syria.

Three days later the Fourth Mechanised Division, under the control of Assad brother's Maher stormed Deraa, echoing their his father's 1982 attack on the city of Hama to crush a revolt led by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing anywhere between 10,000 and 30,000 people.

Assad tightened the security grip in and around Damascus on Thursday, with various security forces and secret police units deploying in the nearby towns, Erbin and Tel and in the Damascus district of Barzeh and the suburbs of Douma and Daraya, rights activists and witnesses said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack on Deraa has killed at least 50 civilians, with essential supplies in the city running law.

The offensive helped intensify criticism against Assad in the West, which took steps to rehabilitate the Syrian ruler in the last three years. The United States says it is considering tightening sanctions.

Ambassadors of European Union governments to Brussels plan to meet Friday to discuss the possibility of imposing sanctions against Syria, which could include asset freezes and travel restrictions on key officials.

One EU diplomat said it may be too early for the bloc to make a binding decision Friday but governments could send a message signaling sanctions were on the table.

"I'd expect a political signal toward sanctions but maybe not a decision yet," the diplomat said.

Other EU measures against Syria could include freezing financial aid, which amounts to 43 million euros ($64 million) a year.

[HisMajestyBOB]

The first cracks appear ? :

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011428182333234775.html

Syrian army units 'clash over crackdown'

Reports say army units exchanged fire after one refused to shoot at protesters in restive city of Deraa.

Members of two Syrian army units have clashed with each other over carrying out orders to crack down on protesters in Deraa, the southern city at the heart of an anti-government uprising, according to a witness and human rights groups.

More than 500 people have been killed across Syria - about 100 in Deraa alone - since the popular revolt against the country's president, Bashar al-Assad began in mid-March, according to human rights groups.

While the infighting in Deraa does not indicate any decisive splits in the military, it is significant because the army has always been seen as a bastion of support for the regime. The Syrian military has denied that there have been any splits in the military.

On Thursday, more soldiers in armored personnel carriers rolled into Deraa while snipers took up positions on high rooftops and mosques, a resident told the AP news agency by satellite telephone. Residents were huddled inside homes in fear amid the blasts of mortars and heavy gunfire, the resident said.

Ausama Monajed, a spokesman for a group of opposition figures in Syria and abroad, said clashes among soldiers had occurred since Assad sent the army into Deraa on Monday.

The deployment was a clear escalation in his crackdown on the uprising.

"There are some battalions that refused to open fire on the people," Monajed told The Associated Press news agency, citing witnesses on the ground in Deraa.

"Battalions of the fifth division were protecting people, and returned fire when they were subjected to attacks by the fourth division."

The fourth division is run by the president's brother, Maher al-Assad.

The reports were corroborated by three witnesses in Deraa and an activist contacted by AP. All four asked that their names not be used for fear of reprisals.

A witness in Deraa told AP that he saw soldiers from different army units clashing on Monday in front of the Bilal mosque in central Deraa, when Syrian forces rolled into town. He said the battle between the forces lasted for several hours.

"We saw ordinary soldiers fall," the resident said. "And then I heard people shout "God is great! They are martyrs of freedom!"
....

The link has the full article.

If this is true, then maybe we'll see the astonishing collapse of yet another dictatorship or perhaps the beginnings of a civil war ?

Most of the officers and security forces are Alawite, who will face a pretty hard time if the regime falls. Don't expect anything not-messy.

[jamesww]

The Independent isn't too hopeful on Syria:


Full article here:

Truth and reconciliation? It won't happen in Syria

Saturday, 7 May 2011

If you want to understand the cruel tragedy of Syria, there are two books you must read: Nikolaos van Dam's The Struggle for Power in Syria and, of course, Patrick Seale's biography Assad.

Van Dam was an ambassador in Damascus and his study of the Baath party was so accurate – albeit deeply critical – that all party members in Syria were urged to read it. But this week, for the first time, Lebanese journalist Ziad Majed brought together three of Syria's finest academics-in-exile to discuss the uprising in their native country, and their insight is as frightening as it is undoubtedly true.

According to historian Farouk Mardam-Bey, for example, Syria is "a tribal regime, which by being a kind of mafia clan and by exercising the cult of personality, can be compared to the Libyan regime", which can never reform itself because reform will bring about the collapse of the Baath party which will always ferociously defend itself. "It has placed itself – politically and juridically – upon a war footing," Mardam-Bey says of its struggle with Israel, "without the slightest intention of actually going to war."

.......

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-truth-and-reconciliation-it-wont-happen-in-syria-2280377.html

[KRonn]

I'm actually surprised that the protests are still going on in Syria as strongly, or maybe even gaining strength. I hear some talk of possible civil war if things continue. But mostly I'm surprised at the continuing protests, in spite of the severe crackdowns.

[jamesww]

I'm actually surprised that the protests are still going on in Syria as strongly, or maybe even gaining strength. I hear some talk of possible civil war if things continue. But mostly I'm surprised at the continuing protests, in spite of the severe crackdowns.

Given the murderous history of the regime and how many unarmed demonstrators they've now killed, these people are very brave individuals.

Makes one somewhat embarrassed for taking ones own civil liberties for granted.

[KRonn]

I'm actually surprised that the protests are still going on in Syria as strongly, or maybe even gaining strength. I hear some talk of possible civil war if things continue. But mostly I'm surprised at the continuing protests, in spite of the severe crackdowns.

Given the murderous history of the regime and how many unarmed demonstrators they've now killed, these people are very braze individuals.

Makes one somewhat embarrassed for taking ones own civil liberties for granted.

[jimmy olsen]

There was a firefight between civilians and the army yesterday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43217762/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

[jimmy olsen]

Looks like there could be another bloodbath in Hama.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/05/syrian-city-resists-deadly-army-offensive

Meanwhile, the US and others are starting to doubt that Assad will be able to hold on.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2011/0705/Is-Assad-losing-Syria-As-concerns-grow-US-urges-halt-to-intimidation.

[citizen k]

Syria accuses US of meddling

BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Syrians poured into the streets of the opposition stronghold Hama on Friday, bolstered by a gesture of support from the American and French ambassadors who visited the city where a massacre nearly 30 years ago came to symbolize the ruthlessness of the Assad dynasty.

The visit by U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford drew swift condemnation from the Syrian government, which said the unauthorized trip was proof that Washington was inciting violence in the Arab nation.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland called the charge "absolute rubbish."

Mass demonstrations also erupted in cities and towns nationwide, triggering a crackdown that killed at least 13 people, activists said. But Hama's protest was by far the largest, galvanizing residents in a city that has drawn the biggest crowds since the revolt began nearly four months ago.

Although President Bashar Assad still has a firm grip on power, international criticism over the brutal crackdown has left his regime shaken and isolated as it struggles to contain a protest movement that refuses to die.

The protesters have yet to come out in sustained numbers in the largest cities, the capital Damascus and Aleppo, although there were scattered protests Friday and security forces killed one protester in Damascus.

The regime has staged large demonstrations in the capital, including on Friday, to showcase its support.

In recent days, Hama residents have largely sealed off their city, setting up makeshift checkpoints with burning tires and concrete blocks to prevent security forces from storming into the city.

"As long as we have no security forces, we have no violence," a Hama resident told The Associated Press by telephone from the city, asking that his name not be published out of fear for his safety.

Hama poses a potential dilemma for the Syrian regime because of its place as a symbol of opposition to the rule of the Assad family. In 1982, the late Hafez Assad ordered troops to crush a rebellion by Islamist forces, killing between 10,000 and 25,000 people, rights activists say.

A major offensive could make the city a fresh rallying cry for the opposition.

It appeared that the latest crowds approached those from a week earlier, when an estimated 300,000 people protested, although the figures could not be confirmed. Three activists estimated at least 200,000 — and likely far more — turned out.

Syria has banned nearly all foreign media and restricted media coverage, making it nearly impossible to independently verify events on the ground.

The U.S. and French ambassadors traveled to Hama in separate trips Thursday and left on Friday before the protests kicked off, according to officials in Washington and Paris.

In a video posted on YouTube that purports to show Ford in an SUV near Hama's central Assi Square, people tossed flowers and olive branches onto the vehicle and shouted for the downfall of the regime.

The Syrian government did not comment on French Ambassador Eric Chevallier's trip to Hama.

But the regime seized on Ford's visit to insist that foreign conspirators are behind the unrest, not true reform-seekers. Relations between the U.S. and Syria are chronically strained over Assad's ties with Iran.

"The presence of the U.S. ambassador in Hama without obtaining prior permission from the Foreign Ministry as stipulated by instructions distributed repeatedly to all the embassies is clear evidence of the U.S. involvement in the ongoing events in Syria," the state-run news agency reported Friday, citing an unnamed "official source" at the Foreign Ministry.

The U.S. is trying to "aggravate the situations which destabilize Syria," the statement said.

The State Department spokeswoman said the U.S. informed the Syrian government of his travels ahead of time and she noted the Syrian ambassador in Washington can move freely around the U.S.

Nuland said friendly Syrians welcomed Ford and lavished his car with flowers and olive branches.

On Thursday, Nuland said Ford had reached the city after passing checkpoints run by the military and Hama residents and spent the day "expressing our deep support for the right of the Syrian people to assemble peacefully and to express themselves."

France's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Chevallier's visit showed the country's concern for the Syrian population.

"In any case, there is one immediate reform that the Syrian regime could carry out: Give instructions to its security forces to stop firing on the population," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said later.

Nearly 700 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Damascus to protest Ford's visit to Hama, some throwing tomatoes and plastic bottles at the building. Riot police kept most of them from reaching the building, although one person managed to scrawl graffiti on the wall that read: "Your conspiracy is under our feet, and your Zionist ambassador will be kicked out."

Maha Shawa, a 56-year-old engineer, said attended the protest to reject "foreign interference in Syria."

"They live outside and don't know anything about Syria," she said. "We want to live in peace. Freedom does not mean that people violate the law."

The Syrian regime has used a mix of fierce violence and tentative promises of reform to try to quell the uprising, which was inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. Some 1,600 people and 350 members of security forces have been killed since demonstrations began, activists say.

The regime blames "armed thugs," religious extremists and foreign conspirators for the unrest.

Syria has banned nearly all foreign media and restricted media coverage, making it nearly impossible to independently verify events on the ground.

Also Friday, security forces killed three protesters in Maaret al-Numan, a town on the highway linking Damascus with Syria's largest city, Aleppo, said Syrian rights activist Ammar Qurabi.

Ten other people were killed around the country, including one in Damascus, six in the Damascus suburb of Dumair and three in the central city of Homs. Syrian state-run TV said the deaths in Damascus and Homs were caused by snipers from "armed gangs."

Overnight, Syrian forces killed three people in a demonstration in the Damascus suburb of Harasta, activists said. Many protesters have recently been opting for nighttime demonstrations and candlelight vigils, aiming for a time when the security presence thins out.

Three activists confirmed the Damascus death toll to The Associated Press.

A Syria-based activist said residents told him that security forces used live bullets and smoke bombs to quell the demonstration. He spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for his own safety.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNIk_bRweH4&feature=player_embedded

[citizen k]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8628650/Syrian-protest-song-that-killed-its-writer.html

Alastair Good

1:42PM BST 10 Jul 2011

The lyrics to the song are simple, the meaning clear "It's time to leave, Bashar," its lyrics go. "Freedom is near."

But according to a video circulating widely online, Mr Qashoush was found with his throat slit floating in the River Orontes in his home-town, Hama.

Hama has been the scene of large protests against the regime of President Assad and the Syrian leader has sent tanks and troops to quell the dissent.

In singing his song to crowds that gathered there, Qashoush made himself a target for the Syrian security forces who, local dissidents have confirmed, silenced him forever.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8627510/Syria-Secret-journey-around-a-nation-in-revolt-finds-protesters-are-not-flagging.html

[citizen k]

whole song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCS8SsFOBAI&feature=related

I especially like the Bashar is a US agent line. That got the crowds cheering.

[jimmy olsen]

Interesting, especially the bit about army defectors clashing with loyalists.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8728094/Arab-League-proposes-Syria-peace-plan.html

Arab League proposes Syria peace plan
The Arab League is sending its chief to Damascus with a peace plan to try and solve the bloody five-month-old Syrian crisis.


By Ben Farmer

9:37PM BST 28 Aug 2011

Comments7 Comments

Nabil al-Arabi will visit the Syrian capital with "an initiative" to end the deadlock between the government and protesters, the league said in a statement demanding an end to the bloodshed.

The statement provoked an angry rejection from Syria though, which condemned it as "a clear violation ... of the principles of the Arab League charter and of the foundations of joint Arab action." Foreign ministers from the 22-member League met over the weekend in Cairo as an onslaught against anti-government protesters defied growing pressure from Damascus's allies.

The United Nations has estimated more than 2,200 have been killed.

Months of international condemnation have failed to halt the bloodshed, which has seen the regime deploy tanks, snipers, and allegedly naval bombardment against street protesters.

In some of the weekend's heaviest clashes, army defectors who had refused to fire on unarmed protesters reportedly fought loyalist troops in a northeast suburb of the capital.

Dozens of soldiers defected and fled into al-Ghouta, an area of orchards and farmland, after pro-Assad forces shot at a crowd of demonstrators near the Damascus suburb of Harasta to prevent them from marching on the capital, residents said.

Syrian authorities have denied any army defections, though protesters claim growing numbers of rank-and-file soldiers are mutinying against officers loyal to the Assad family.

One resident, who declined to be named, said: "The army has been firing heavy machineguns throughout the night at al-Ghouta and they were being met with response from smaller rifles."

Security forces on Sunday shot dead two and wounded nine others in the northwestern province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Abdullah Gul, president of neighbouring Turkey, said he had lost confidence in Damascus's promises to halt the crackdown and deliver reform.

"Today in the world there is no place for authoritarian administrations, one-party rule, closed regimes. Those either will be replaced by force, or the governors of states will take the initiative to administer," Mr Gul warned.

Iran at the weekend warned Mr Assad to heed the "legitimate demands" of his people, but warned Nato would become bogged down in a quagmire if it interfered.

Ali Akbar Salehi, Tehran's foreign minister, said: "Syria is the front-runner in Middle Eastern resistance (to Israel) and Nato cannot intimidate this country with an attack.

"If, God forbid, such a thing happened, Nato would drown in a quagmire from which it would never be able to escape ...

"If the West should want to follow the same course as they have done in Iraq and Afghanistan they would not realise the desired result."

William Hague, British Foreign Secretary, ruled out a Libya-style Nato military campaign in Syria.

He claimed the success of Libyan rebels in taking Tripoli "vindicated" Britain's policy of military action, but said there was no consensus for action in Syria.

It was unclear when the Arab League delegation would reach Damascus and details of the peace plan were not disclosed.

Russian diplomats were also preparing to send their own delegation with a competing initiative, Moscow said.

[jimmy olsen]

Looks like we could be on the verge of another Civil War

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/syrian-opposition-decides-to-take-up-arms-against-assad-regime-1.381184

* Published 16:58 28.08.11
    * Latest update 16:58 28.08.11

Syrian opposition decides to take up arms against Assad regime

Leader of Revolutionary Council tell London-based As-Sharq al-Awsat that the only solution to regime's violence is armed uprising.

The leader of the Revolutionary Council of the Syrian Coordination Committees, Mohammad Rahhal, said in remarks published Sunday that the council took the decision to arm the Syrian revolution.

Since mid-March pro-democracy protests have engulfed most of Syria calling for political and economic reforms as well as for the ousting of Syrian president Bashar Assad.

"We made our decision to arm the revolution which will turn violent very soon because what we are being subjected to today is a global conspiracy that can only be faced by an armed uprising," he told the London-based As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper. Circumstances no longer allow dealing peacefully with the regime's "crimes," he added. "We will use whatever arms and rocks ... We will respond to the people's calls to arm the revolution," he said.

"Confronting this monster (the Syrian regime) now requires arms, especially after it has become clear to everyone that the world only supports the Syrian uprising through speeches," he added. Rahal lashed out some Arab regimes and described them as "cowards."

Assad's troops have harshly cracked down on protests against almost five decades of Baath Party rule, killing over 2,200 people and triggering a wide-scale international condemnation.
 

[Tamas]

So how dominant are islambists among the Syrian opposition? If Syria goes all sharia and shit, that will be trouble.