02/10/12

#Syria, FSA suicide bomber blow up assad soldiers and tank

By Nadeem Hamid and Nayla Razzouk

Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) — The Arab League won’t tolerate the “unacceptable” violence in Syria, where the government hasn’t executed any of the terms of an accord to end its crackdown on protests, the Qatari prime minister said.

“The events taking place in Syria are painful and unacceptable,” Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jaber al Thani, whose nation currently chairs the Arab League, told Al Jazeera television in an interview late yesterday.

The Cairo-based Arab League will meet in the Egyptian capital tomorrow to discuss the findings of its monitors, who arrived in Syria Dec. 26. The effort is aimed at ensuring that President Bashar al-Assad follows through on his pledge to withdraw security forces from cities, release political prisoners and allow anti-government demonstrations.

“None of these things have been done, and not all observers were allowed in Syria, as there are many observers who were not allowed in by the Syrian government,” Sheikh Hamad said. “The observers’ mission has been altered to delivering food and searching for a missing person, which is not supposed to be their mission,” he said.

The Arab League will re-evaluate the situation once the observers hand in their report, he said.

“If the killing does not stop immediately, I think having observers or not having them would be the same, and this even makes us part of what’s taking place in Syria, and we don’t wan’t to be part of that,” he said.

Syria’s capital, Damascus, was hit by a suicide bomb that left 26 people dead and 63 others wounded yesterday, according to the official news agency SANA. The unrest in Syria, which started in mid-March amid the pro-reform revolts that swept the Arab world, has left more than 5,000 protesters and military defectors dead, according to a United Nations estimate. Assad has repeatedly blamed “terrorists” and foreign provocateurs for the unrest.

Syrian security forces killed 10 people today, Al Arabiya television reported.

Pipeline Bombing

A “terrorist group” blew up a pipeline transporting diesel in central Syria today, SANA reported. The bombing follows at least five attacks in recent months that have targeted pipelines in or near Homs province, a flashpoint for the unrest in Syria.

U.S. and European-led efforts to seek punitive action against Assad at the UN Security Council have been resisted by countries including China and Russia.

The Arab League has tried to “contain” and resolve the Syrian crisis within the Arab world, Sheikh Hamad said. The Syrian government however “needs to understand that the Arabs will not be part of this and will not allow the killing of Syrian people to continue,” he said.

—Editors: Emily Bowers, Hellmuth Tromm

To contact the reporters on this story: Nadeem Hamid in Washington at nhamid3@bloomberg.net; Nayla Razzouk in Dubai at nrazzouk2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dick Schumacher at dschumacher@bloomberg.net

BBC’s Lina Sinjab: “The situation in Damascus is very concerning - people are fearing more attacks”

At least 27 people have been killed in clashes throughout Syria, an opposition group has said.

Eight died in the city of Homs and 13 in Idlib, the Local Co-ordination Committees said.

Scores of people have died in ongoing violence since Arab League monitors came to assess a regional peace plan.

The clashes came as thousands joined a massive government-organised funeral ceremony for victims of Friday’s bomb attack in the capital Damascus.

At least 26 people died in that attack, some of them members of the security forces.

The government has vowed to “strike back with an iron fist” against the perpetrators, but opponents accuse the authorities of staging the attack.

Opposition activists have urged Syrians to take to the streets in mass protests ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Sunday which will debate the initial findings of the observer mission.

The UN says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began 10 months ago.

‘The people want Assad’

According to the Syrian opposition Local Co-ordination Committees 27 people died around the country on Saturday - eight in Homs, 13 in Idlib, five in the suburbs of Damascus and one in Hama.

Local opposition groups said 35 had been killed on Friday, in the anti-government protests which have routinely followed Friday prayers. None of these numbers can be verified.

The Arab League observers have been in Syria since late December to monitor compliance with a peace plan under which the government promised to withdraw the military from the streets and cease its use of force against civilians.

But critics say Mr Assad is using their presence as a political cover and that attacks continue.

Saturday’s funerals were held at a mosque in the district of Midan, where Friday’s bomb attack took place. It is usually a hotbed of protests against the government.

The coffins were brought in ambulances through streets lined with mourners.

But the ceremony and procession were clearly organised by the authorities, with many participants carrying pictures of Mr Assad or national flags, which were also used to cover the coffins.

Some of those taking part were also heard chanting pro-government slogans, like “The people want Bashar al-Assad!” and “One, one, one, the Syrian people are one!”.

The Damascus blast happened at a busy junction in the Midan district of Damascus.

Interior Minister Ibrahim al-Shaar blamed the attack on a suicide bomber, who he said had “detonated himself with the aim of killing the largest number of people”.

“We will strike back with an iron fist at anyone tempted to tamper with the security of the country or its citizens,” he said.

But the country’s main opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council (SNC) said the attacks had been carried out by Mr Assad’s government to discredit its critics.

“It is a continuation of the regime’s dirty game as it tries to divert attention from massive protests,” said spokesman Omar Idlibi.

The US condemned the attack, saying violence was not “the right answer to the problems in Syria”.

Two weeks ago 44 people died in similar blasts also blamed on terrorists but which opposition groups accused the government of staging.

(Reuters) - Arab League foreign ministers meet on Sunday to discuss whether to ask the U.N. to help their mission in Syria, which has failed to end a 10-month-old crackdown on unrest that has killed thousands.

Qatar proposes inviting U.N. technicians and human rights experts to help Arab monitors judge whether Syria is honouring its pledge to stop its repression, Arab League sources said. One said it might ask that U.N. staff helping the mission be Arabs.

The ministers will also discuss ways the mission might operate more independently of Syrian authorities.

There has been no slackening of violence since monitors began work in Syria on December 26, with scores reported killed.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said Syria was not implementing the terms of the Arab League peace plan it agreed, and monitors could not stay in Syria to “waste time.” The Syrian army had not withdrawn from cities and there had been no end to the killing, he said.

Arab League sources said ministers were likely to reaffirm support for the monitors, resisting calls to end what Syrian pro-democracy campaigners say is a toothless mission that buys more time for President Bashar al-Assad to suppress opponents.

Syria says it is providing the monitors with all they need and has urged them to show “objectivity and professionalism.”

Speaking on the eve of the meeting, the head of the monitoring operations room at the League’s headquarters in Cairo, Adnan al-Khudeir, said the withdrawal of the monitors was not on the agenda and they were continuing their work according to protocols agreed with the Syrian government.

He said in a statement the delegation could only be withdrawn by a decision of Arab League foreign ministers, who had initially agreed the mission’s parameters.

Ten Jordanian monitors had arrived in Damascus on Saturday, Khudeir said, bringing to 153 the number of monitors involved.

The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed in the uprising against Assad. The Free Syrian Army, an armed opposition force composed mainly of army deserters, has joined the revolt. The Syrian government says “terrorists” have killed 2,000 members of the security forces during the uprising.

The 22-member Arab League suspended Syria in November after months of silence over the crackdown. But some Arab leaders are uncomfortable about targeting one of their peers given their own restive populations, diplomats say.

Western powers that want Assad to step down to allow for democratic reforms have welcomed the League’s toughened stance. Arab states oppose any foreign military intervention like that which helped topple Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi last year.

Assad’s opponents say Syrian authorities have systematically deceived the monitors, for instance by hiding prisoners in military facilities.

Syria bars most independent journalists from the country, making first-hand reporting impossible, but a BBC Arabic service reporter was allowed to accompany three Arab monitors to a town on the outskirts of Damascus.

It was the first time foreign media were known to have been able to cover the activities of the monitors directly, although media access was a condition stipulated by the Arab League.

The BBC said it had been able to film, unhindered by the security forces.

Protesters and residents told the observers, all Algerian diplomats, of harsh treatment at the hands of the security forces. The observers then witnessed a demonstration in which the crowd demanded Assad’s execution, the BBC said.

BOMB

In Damascus, crowds waving Syrian flags and pictures of Assad gathered on Saturday to bury 26 people whom the authorities said were killed by a suicide bomber.

The opposition Syrian National Council has accused the government of staging Friday’s explosion to try to bolster its contention that it is fighting foreign-backed “terrorists,” not a popular pro-democracy movement.

A cortege of ambulances, lights flashing, bore the flag-draped coffins of victims to a Damascus mosque after driving through streets lined with mourners, state television showed.

Crowds chanted “The people want Bashar al-Assad!” and “One, one, one, the Syrian people are one!”

Security forces trying to crush anti-Assad protests killed four civilians in Homs on Saturday, and three people died in Harasta from wounds inflicted on Friday, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

It also said security forces had killed 20 civilians and three army defectors on Friday.

A Syrian army colonel said in a statement broadcast by Al Jazeera he had defected in protest against the crackdown on protests. He was flanked in video footage by 13 men in uniform, and the station said up to 50 defected with him in Hama.

Syria’s Addounia television said military ships from Russia, an ally of Assad which has resisted escalating Western pressure on Damascus, docked in the port of Tartus on Saturday.

A Russian official was quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as saying a destroyer and a frigate would spend several days at Russia’s naval maintenance and supply facility in the port.

(Writing by Andrew Roche)

The Arab League mission sent to monitor unrest in Syria is unable to do its job properly, according to France, as a deadly bombing killed up to 25 in Damascus.

By Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent

3:04PM GMT 06 Jan 2012

A photo released by the Syrian News Agency shows a damaged bus at the site of Friday’s suicide bombing in Damascus

(CNN) — Even with Arab League monitors on the ground, violent attacks have shown no sign of slowing down in Syria.

More than 25 people were killed Friday after a suicide bombing in Damascus, state media reported.

According to reports, 5,000 to 6,000 deaths have occurred since an uprising began 10 months ago. President Bashar al-Assad has said his regime is putting down armed terrorists who are trying to destabilize the country. Opposition leaders say those claims are a ruse to justify attacks on peaceful protesters.

The Arab League said Friday that it will add more monitors in Syria to determine whether the government is abiding by a December agreement to end the conflict.

But at least one expert doesn’t see an end anytime soon.

Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics, told CNN International’s Max Foster on Friday that there isn’t a viable alternative to al-Assad right now.

Max Foster: You say the Syrian opposition is deeply divided?

Fawaz Gerges: Absolutely. It has come a long way, no doubt about it. But it’s deeply divided along ideological lines, political lines and generational lines.

Foster: Is there any sense that it’s getting more organized?

Gerges: I think if you look at what the opposition was five, six months ago, and where the opposition is (now), I think it has made major, major progress. But the reality is — make no doubt about it — the opposition is and remains deeply divided.

Foster: They wouldn’t be able to take over power right now?

Gerges: Well, first of all, the Syrian crisis is unfolding. I don’t think it’s a matter of days, I don’t think it’s a matter of weeks, I don’t even think it’s a matter of months. The situation is highly complex, and we really are basing our reports on very partial information.

The uprising continues; the (al-Assad) regime has failed to silence the opposition. But the reality is President (al-Assad) retains sizable public support inside Syria itself. The major urban centers in Syria, in particular Aleppo and Damascus and Latakia, have not fully joined the protests.

Foster: Is the support for the regime support for al-Assad, or is it because people are concerned about the alternative, and they would rather have that stability?

Gerges: I think we don’t know the truth — why millions of Syrians have not fully joined the protests. We don’t have the information; we’re speculating a great deal. But when we talk to Syrians, they provide several answers.

First, they’re terrified of the Iraq option. They say, “Look what happened in Iraq after the American invasion: sectarian strife, millions of refugees.” They’re terrified of the Lebanon example — again, sectarian war. And they believe they don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.

And of course, (al-Assad) has some support: He has his own minority base, the Alawites, most of the Christians and a sizable Sunni community. Few people know that some elements of the Sunni community, the majority community, have benefited from the economic liberalization under (al-Assad).

Foster: What’s that support based on?

Gerges: The (al-Assad) regime has really portrayed itself, branded itself, as the protector of minorities. It’s not just the Alawites, the Shiites. … I am surprised that the Christians, most of the Christians I talked to, they are as supportive of (al-Assad) as the Alawites. They say: “Look, what will happen to us? Look what happened to the Christians in Iraq.”

The reality is, this is not a sectarian conflict. This is an essentially political conflict. The uprising is real and genuine. Millions of Syrians basically would like to have serious change in Syria. But also the reality is that Syria is deeply divided, not just the opposition.

I think at the end of the day, we don’t know what’s happening within the regime itself. That is, we might wake up tomorrow and see a coup d’état.

Syrian state TV has shown footage of the blast

Syria’s interior ministry has vowed to “strike back with an iron fist” at what it say is a recent “escalation” of anti-government terror attacks.

It comes after a bomb in the capital, Damascus, killed at least 26 civilians and members of the security forces.

Opposition groups have accused the government of planting the bomb to discredit their opponents and influence Arab League monitors.

The monitors are assessing the progress of a regional peace plan.

But activists say the government crackdown has continued, with scores of people killed since the monitors arrived.

The UN says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began 10 months ago.

The Damascus blast happened at a busy junction in the Midan district of Damascus. State TV showed the shattered blood-stained windows of what appeared to be a bus carrying policemen.

Authorities say most of those killed were civilians, but some security personnel were among the casualties.

‘Dirty game’

Interior Minister Ibrahim al-Shaar blamed the attack on a suicide bomber, who he said had “detonated himself with the aim of killing the largest number of people”.

“We will strike back with an iron fist at anyone tempted to tamper with the security of the country or its citizens,” he said.

The country’s main opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council (SNC) said the attacks had been carried out by Mr Assad’s government to discredit its critics.

“It is a continuation of the regime’s dirty game as it tries to divert attention from massive protests,” said spokesman Omar Idlibi.

“We call for an independent international committee to investigate these crimes that we believe that the regime planned and carried out.”

Maj Maher al-Naimi, a spokesman for the armed anti-government movement the Free Syrian Army (FSA), said the blast was “planned and systematic state terrorism by the security forces of President Bashar al-Assad”.

FSA leader Col Riad al-Asaad reportedly denied involvement in the attack.

A British journalist who visited the scene told the BBC reporters were not shown any bodies of those killed.

“We left with the sense of this is a horrific spectacle but that maybe some of the details weren’t quite as one might have expected,” said Ian Black of the Guardian newspaper.

The US condemned the attack, saying violence was not “the right answer to the problems in Syria”.

 

Two weeks ago 44 people died in similar blasts also blamed on terrorists but which opposition groups accused the government of staging.

Arab League concern

Meanwhile, activists reported further violence on Friday. Anti-government protests have regularly followed traditional Friday prayers.

The LCC said nine protesters had been killed in Hama, 14 in the suburbs of Damascus, eight in Homs, three in Idlib and one in Deraa. The numbers cannot be verified.

The Arab League observers have been in Syria since late December to monitor compliance with a peace plan under which the government promised to withdraw the military from the streets and cease its use of force against civilians.

But critics say Mr Assad is using their presence as a political cover and that attacks continue.

Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Ahmed bin Helli said he was “concerned” about the Damascus blasts.

“That is why we are calling on the Syrian government to be totally cooperative with the mission and to work by all means to stop the bloodshed and allow room for the political process to begin,” he told the Associated Press.

He said observers at the scene would “undoubtedly have an opinion” about what had happened.

Opposition activists have urged Syrians to take to the streets in mass protests ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Sunday which will debate the initial findings of the observer mission.