Thursday 24 May 2012
May 26, 2012 by sks
Filed under News, Syrian Revolution
NOW! Lebanon
[local time] 22:22 The rebel Free Syrian Army issued a statement on Thursday outlining its goals and principles, saying the “protection of peaceful protests” is its top priority.
19:54 US banks are refusing to let Syria’s UN delegation open a bank account, its ambassador said Thursday blaming sanctions imposed over the conflict in his country.
18:17 The former head of Syria’s main opposition bloc, Burhan Ghalioun, admitted after resigning Thursday that the Syrian National Council was riven with divisions and has not lived up to Syrians’ sacrifices.
16:53 The rebel Free Syrian Army said on Thursday it is making “every effort” to locate and release a group of Lebanese Shia pilgrims kidnapped in Syria’s northern province of Aleppo.
16:19 Thursday’s death toll in Syria rose to 30 people, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
15:52 Syrian Sheikh Khaled al-Zoaabi said on Thursday that he was attempting to mediate the release of the Lebanese Shia men who were abducted in Syria on Tuesday.
14:13 Syria’s embattled President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday his government is capable of finding a way out of the crisis gripping his country, as he met with a visiting Iranian government minister.
14:07 Mohammad Jihad al-Laham was elected as new chief of the Syrian People’s Council with a majority of 225 votes, Al-Jadeed television station reported.
13:26 Security forces killed a mother and her five children in Hama, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
13:25 Syria’s Thursday death toll rose to 23 people, most of them killed in Edleb, Hama and Homs, activists were quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying.
11:25 Syrian regime forces pounded the rebel-held town of Rastan in central Homs province on Thursday, killing three civilians, as four people were “summarily executed” in a province bordering Turkey, a monitoring group said.
11:03 The Syrian army and security forces have been responsible for the majority of the serious rights abuses committed since March this year as they hunt down defectors and opponents, UN-appointed investigators said on Thursday.
9:18 MORNING LEADER: Syrian forces tried to storm the rebel bastion of Rastan Wednesday under cover of gunfire and shelling, reports said, as Damascus admitted sanctions were biting and the head of the main opposition bloc resigned.
7:54 The head of Syria’s main opposition bloc, Burhan Ghalioun, formally resignedfrom his post, a statement issued by the Syrian National Council said Thursday after a two-day meeting in Istanbul.
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Reuters:Annan may head to Syria as peace plan founders: envoys: UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N.-Arab League mediator Kofi Annan may travel to Syria soon, possibly before the end of the month, to meet …
BBC News – Syrian army ‘responsible for rights abuses’ – UN report: The Syrian army and security forces are responsible for most of the serious rights abuses committed since March, say … 24 May 2012 Last updated at 07:23 ET …
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18197264
There is growing concern among some Western officials about al-Qaeda’s involvement in the Syrian uprising.
The Front for the Defence of the Syrian People has stated that there are jihadis who have returned from other wars to fight in Syria.
The BBC’s Paul Wood, who has been inside Syria, assesses the influence of Islamists in the anti-government protests there.
