Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Assad Arms Christians So They May Protect Themselves From SUNNI FSA
ALEPPO, Syria and BEIRUT, Lebanon — As evidence mounts that foreign Islamists are fighting alongside Syria’s increasingly radicalized rebels, Christians in Aleppo and elsewhere are taking up arms, often supplied by the regime.
“We saw what happened to the Christians in Iraq,” Abu George, a Christian resident of Aleppo’s Aziza district told GlobalPost. “What is going on in Aleppo is not a popular revolution for democracy and freedom. The fighters of the so-called Free Syrian Army are radical Sunnis who want to establish an Islamic state.”
While the 30-year-old shopkeeper said he had not received any direct threats from Syria’s Sunni Muslim rebels, he fears a repeat of Iraq’s sectarian bloodletting.
Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the UN Human Rights Council estimates around half of Iraq’s 1.4 million Christians have fled the country, driven out by nearly a decade of church bombings, kidnappings and sectarian murder....read more
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/syria/120731/aleppo-christians-islamists-jihadis-al-qaeda-iraq-sectarian-conflict
“We saw what happened to the Christians in Iraq,” Abu George, a Christian resident of Aleppo’s Aziza district told GlobalPost. “What is going on in Aleppo is not a popular revolution for democracy and freedom. The fighters of the so-called Free Syrian Army are radical Sunnis who want to establish an Islamic state.”
While the 30-year-old shopkeeper said he had not received any direct threats from Syria’s Sunni Muslim rebels, he fears a repeat of Iraq’s sectarian bloodletting.
Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the UN Human Rights Council estimates around half of Iraq’s 1.4 million Christians have fled the country, driven out by nearly a decade of church bombings, kidnappings and sectarian murder....read more
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/syria/120731/aleppo-christians-islamists-jihadis-al-qaeda-iraq-sectarian-conflict
Turkey: Erdogan Dictatorship - Award-winning Turkish journalist faces "terrorist" charges
A Turkish journalist facing trial for an alleged plot to overthrow the government was on Tuesday also charged with being a member of a "terrorist organization" and threatening and defaming the judiciary, the DHA news agency said.
It said an Istanbul court accepted an indictment from prosecutors seeking a seven-year prison term for the new charges against Ahmet Sik, who was released in March after more than a year awaiting trial in the "Ergenekon" case, which involves a web of alleged plots against Turkey's government.
The case has received significant attention, the latest sign of Turkey's crackdown on free speech, including the targeting of journalists critical of the Islamist-leaning government.
The prosecution of journalists and others as well as the detention of hundreds of people including senior military officers, has drawn criticism from Turkish civil society groups, as well as the United States and European Union.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has shown little tolerance for Turkish media critical of his policies, with known cases of journalists being threatened, intimidated, detained and forced to flee the country for fear of their safety.
Supporters of the governing AK Party, which has Islamist roots and faced hostility after coming to power in 2002 from an army that sees itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular foundations, call the Ergenekon trials a step towards rule of law.
But its critics say the trials aim to silence dissent against Turkey's longest-standing government in decades, and threaten the country's democracy.
The court in the Istanbul district of Silivri declined comment on Tuesday's indictment. Media reports said it included comments Sik, an award-winning journalist, made after his release from jail in March. The earlier charges against him are still pending.
Sik had after his release criticized the judiciary for being politically motivated and accused judges and prosecutors of inventing conspiracies.
The new charges accuse Sik of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization," as his actions seek to make use of the intimidating powers of criminal organizations, media quoted the new indictment as saying.
The indictment lists 39 judges and prosecutors overseeing the Ergenekon case as "victims."
Sik is now set to appear in court on September 13 on the new charges, one day before he appears in court for the ongoing Ergenekon trial.
(Reuters, Al-Akhbar)
It said an Istanbul court accepted an indictment from prosecutors seeking a seven-year prison term for the new charges against Ahmet Sik, who was released in March after more than a year awaiting trial in the "Ergenekon" case, which involves a web of alleged plots against Turkey's government.
The case has received significant attention, the latest sign of Turkey's crackdown on free speech, including the targeting of journalists critical of the Islamist-leaning government.
The prosecution of journalists and others as well as the detention of hundreds of people including senior military officers, has drawn criticism from Turkish civil society groups, as well as the United States and European Union.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has shown little tolerance for Turkish media critical of his policies, with known cases of journalists being threatened, intimidated, detained and forced to flee the country for fear of their safety.
Supporters of the governing AK Party, which has Islamist roots and faced hostility after coming to power in 2002 from an army that sees itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular foundations, call the Ergenekon trials a step towards rule of law.
But its critics say the trials aim to silence dissent against Turkey's longest-standing government in decades, and threaten the country's democracy.
The court in the Istanbul district of Silivri declined comment on Tuesday's indictment. Media reports said it included comments Sik, an award-winning journalist, made after his release from jail in March. The earlier charges against him are still pending.
Sik had after his release criticized the judiciary for being politically motivated and accused judges and prosecutors of inventing conspiracies.
The new charges accuse Sik of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization," as his actions seek to make use of the intimidating powers of criminal organizations, media quoted the new indictment as saying.
The indictment lists 39 judges and prosecutors overseeing the Ergenekon case as "victims."
Sik is now set to appear in court on September 13 on the new charges, one day before he appears in court for the ongoing Ergenekon trial.
(Reuters, Al-Akhbar)
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/award-winning-turkish-journalist-faces-terrorist-charges
Syrian Opposition Figure To Form Exiled Government Based In Cairo.
Syrian opposition figure Haytham al-Maleh told reporters on Tuesday that he has been tasked with forming a government in exile based in Cairo.
"I have been tasked with leading a transitional government," Maleh said, adding that he will begin consultations "with the opposition inside and outside" the country.
Maleh said he was named by a Syrian coalition of "independents with no political affiliation".
More than 20,000 people have been killed in Syria since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule began in March 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
There is no way to independently verify the figure, while the UN has stopped keeping count.
Concerned about the aftermath of Assad's potential fall, Maleh said "we don't want to find ourselves in a political or administrative vacuum."
"This phase calls for cooperation from all sides," he said.
Maleh, 81, is a Syrian laywer and human rights activist who has spent several years in prison in his homeland.
His comments come amid continued worrying reports of a growing Islamist militant presence within the rebellion, including al-Qaeda.
Maleh was jailed in October 2009 and released in March 2011 by presidential pardon, just days before the revolt against Assad erupted.
He has worked for Amnesty International since 1989 and helped found the Syrian Association for Human Rights.
He was also imprisoned in 1980 for six years along with a number of trade unionists and political dissidents.
There have been other attempts by the Syrian opposition to prepare for a post-Assad future.
On Monday, Syrian rebels distributed what they called a "national salvation draft" proposal for a political transition, bringing together military and civilian figures.
The draft by the joint command of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) proposes the establishment of a higher defense council charged with creating a presidential council, which in turn would bring together six military and civilian figures to lead a future transition.
The proposal "meets all the revolution's demands," said the umbrella Military Council Joint Command, based in the central province of Homs.
When Syria's uprising first turned into an armed insurgency, rebel factions had little or no coordination with each other as they separately battled Assad's forces.
The failure of Syria's political opposition and fragmented armed militias to unify and deliver a common approach has raised serious concerns that Syria could lapse into complete civil war should Assad fall, as the various groups compete for power.
(AFP, Al-Akhbar)
"I have been tasked with leading a transitional government," Maleh said, adding that he will begin consultations "with the opposition inside and outside" the country.
Maleh said he was named by a Syrian coalition of "independents with no political affiliation".
More than 20,000 people have been killed in Syria since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule began in March 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
There is no way to independently verify the figure, while the UN has stopped keeping count.
Concerned about the aftermath of Assad's potential fall, Maleh said "we don't want to find ourselves in a political or administrative vacuum."
"This phase calls for cooperation from all sides," he said.
Maleh, 81, is a Syrian laywer and human rights activist who has spent several years in prison in his homeland.
His comments come amid continued worrying reports of a growing Islamist militant presence within the rebellion, including al-Qaeda.
Maleh was jailed in October 2009 and released in March 2011 by presidential pardon, just days before the revolt against Assad erupted.
He has worked for Amnesty International since 1989 and helped found the Syrian Association for Human Rights.
He was also imprisoned in 1980 for six years along with a number of trade unionists and political dissidents.
There have been other attempts by the Syrian opposition to prepare for a post-Assad future.
On Monday, Syrian rebels distributed what they called a "national salvation draft" proposal for a political transition, bringing together military and civilian figures.
The draft by the joint command of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) proposes the establishment of a higher defense council charged with creating a presidential council, which in turn would bring together six military and civilian figures to lead a future transition.
The proposal "meets all the revolution's demands," said the umbrella Military Council Joint Command, based in the central province of Homs.
When Syria's uprising first turned into an armed insurgency, rebel factions had little or no coordination with each other as they separately battled Assad's forces.
The failure of Syria's political opposition and fragmented armed militias to unify and deliver a common approach has raised serious concerns that Syria could lapse into complete civil war should Assad fall, as the various groups compete for power.
(AFP, Al-Akhbar)
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syrian-opposition-figure-form-exiled-government?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlAkhbarEnglish+%28Al+Akhbar+English%29
U.S. Murderous Threats From Zionist Panetta Toward The Family Of Assad.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (Reuters/Mark Wilson/Pool)
US Defense Sec. Leon Panetta has advice for Syria’s President Assad: “If you want to be able to protect yourself and your family, you’d better get the hell out now.” Panetta also warned that the US would not repeat the mistakes it made in Iraq.
“The United States and the international community has made very clear that this is intolerable, and have brought their diplomatic and economic pressure on Syria to stop this kind of violence, to have Assad step down and to transition to a democratic form of government,” he said in an interview with CNN during a visit to Tunisia.
The international community has yet to reach consensus on the ongoing strife in Syria. Russia and China oppose removing Assad, saying his government is supported by a majority of Syrians.
Syria’s government forces should remain intact after embattled President Assad is ousted, said Panetta. Though the Obama administration is resolved against military intervention in the country, Panetta nevertheless drew a comparison with the occupation of Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion.
"It's very important that we don't make the same mistakes we made in Iraq," he said, referring to the Bush administration’s decision to disband the country’s military in the wake of the invasion. “I think it’s important when Assad leaves, and he will leave, to try to preserve stability in that country.”
The Defense Secretary said that the most effective way to preserve Syrian stability is to “maintain as much of the military and police as you can, along with security forces, and hope that they will transition to a democratic form of government.”
A temporary military regime is a strategy similar to the one employed by Egypt following the ouster of President Mubarak in January last year, where the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) formed an interim government. But prolonged military rule sparked massive protests amid claims that SCAF was stalling democratic elections in a bid to cling to power.
Government forces will be essential to securing key Syrian military sites, including alleged chemical weapons stashes: “It would be a disaster to have those chemical weapons fall into the wrong hands,” Panetta said.
"The key right now is to continue to bring that pressure on Syria, to provide assistance to the opposition, and to provide whatever kind of humanitarian aid we can to assist the refugees," he told CNN.
Panetta is currently in Tunisia as part of a week-long tour of the Middle East, during which the Syrian conflict will be at the top of his agenda.
This aggressive rhetoric comes as the fighting between government forces and rebels intensifies across Syria. Clashes have wracked the industrial hub of Aleppo for the past week, with rebels vowing to turn the northern city into the “grave of the regime.”
The Obama administration has said that it is providing as much “non-lethal” aid as it can to Syrian rebel forces. Russia has accused the West of fueling the conflict by supporting the opposition, claiming that more should be done to facilitate dialogue between the warring camps.
“The United States and the international community has made very clear that this is intolerable, and have brought their diplomatic and economic pressure on Syria to stop this kind of violence, to have Assad step down and to transition to a democratic form of government,” he said in an interview with CNN during a visit to Tunisia.
The international community has yet to reach consensus on the ongoing strife in Syria. Russia and China oppose removing Assad, saying his government is supported by a majority of Syrians.
Syria’s government forces should remain intact after embattled President Assad is ousted, said Panetta. Though the Obama administration is resolved against military intervention in the country, Panetta nevertheless drew a comparison with the occupation of Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion.
"It's very important that we don't make the same mistakes we made in Iraq," he said, referring to the Bush administration’s decision to disband the country’s military in the wake of the invasion. “I think it’s important when Assad leaves, and he will leave, to try to preserve stability in that country.”
The Defense Secretary said that the most effective way to preserve Syrian stability is to “maintain as much of the military and police as you can, along with security forces, and hope that they will transition to a democratic form of government.”
A temporary military regime is a strategy similar to the one employed by Egypt following the ouster of President Mubarak in January last year, where the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) formed an interim government. But prolonged military rule sparked massive protests amid claims that SCAF was stalling democratic elections in a bid to cling to power.
Government forces will be essential to securing key Syrian military sites, including alleged chemical weapons stashes: “It would be a disaster to have those chemical weapons fall into the wrong hands,” Panetta said.
"The key right now is to continue to bring that pressure on Syria, to provide assistance to the opposition, and to provide whatever kind of humanitarian aid we can to assist the refugees," he told CNN.
Panetta is currently in Tunisia as part of a week-long tour of the Middle East, during which the Syrian conflict will be at the top of his agenda.
This aggressive rhetoric comes as the fighting between government forces and rebels intensifies across Syria. Clashes have wracked the industrial hub of Aleppo for the past week, with rebels vowing to turn the northern city into the “grave of the regime.”
The Obama administration has said that it is providing as much “non-lethal” aid as it can to Syrian rebel forces. Russia has accused the West of fueling the conflict by supporting the opposition, claiming that more should be done to facilitate dialogue between the warring camps.
http://www.rt.com/news/panetta-syrian-military-intact-458/
Syria - Truth From Damascus .
Many thanks to Maya via twitter
Maya Naser @nasermaya
Maya Naser
Salah El Dien neighborhood - Baba Amr of Aleppo as militia described it - 90% under control of Syrian Army
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