Tuesday 7 February 2012
February 7, 2012 by sks
Filed under News, Syrian Revolution
This brave little girl has terrible injuries … translated video.
Syrian Uprising 2011 Information Centre: SUMMARY (07/02/2012): At least 35 martyrs fell today as Homs, Talkalakh, Zabadani, Madaya, Daraa are all under fire. The situation is also serious in Shahba, Suwayda province, where dozens of protesters are being besieged by security and many of them are injured. While Russian FM Lavrov arrived in Damascus for talks, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany recalled their ambassadors and all the Gulf countries announced they were breaking off diplomatic ties with Syria. The number of martyrs recorded in the last 7 days is at least 490. Syria – Tuesday 07/02/2012 – Google Maps
ZABADANI (07/02/2012): This is the small city of Zabadani (pop: 30,000), 40km NW of Damascus which, along with it’s neighbour Madaya, fought back a regime invasion just a few weeks ago and since Friday evening is once again under attack. Hundreds of families have fled the area and local activists are reporting that they are running out of food, fuel and medicine.
INKHIL (07/02/2012): While the Russian FM and his intelligence chief are being greeted by the “huge masses” in Damascus this video shows what Assad’s forces are doing in the town of Inkhel (pop: 40,000) in Daraa province this morning. They are arresting and humiliating a group of SCHOOL STUDENTS. There were several injuries when security forces fired at people in the street. The towns of Tafas and Nawa are also being raided today.
RASTAN (04/02/2012): Another translated video – this time from a field hospital in the city of Rastan, north of Homs, on Saturday. Sorry for the graphic images of wounds in this video but we are posting to show you the spirit of the people.
Btw: According to one online archive, there are now more than 200,000 different videos of the Syrian uprising.
NOW! Lebanon
[local time] 
22:06 The Syrian army stormed Homs’ Karm az-Zeytoun and Al-Sateen neighborhoods on Tuesday.
21:30 Explosions and gunfire were heard around Syria’s Tal Kalakh, near Homs, Al-Jazeera reported on Tuesday.
21:24 The Syrian army shelled Homs’ Baba Amro, Al-Arabiya television reported on Tuesday, adding that explosions were heard.
21:22 The United States said Tuesday it was working with friends to discuss how to provide humanitarian aid to Syrians caught in the government crackdown, but said it was not clear how much it would be able to help.
20:27 US is “skeptical” of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s promises to Russian FM Sergei Lavrov
20:18 Ambulances are being prevented from reaching injured people in Syria’s Soueida, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
19:58 Russia’s UN ambassador on Tuesday slammed efforts to “poison” relations between his country and the Arab world after Russia’s veto of a UN Security Council resolution on the Syria crisis.
19:21 Egypt’s parliament agreed on Tuesday to freeze ties with the Syrian assembly and urged the government to denounce Damascus’s brutal crackdown on dissent, adding to a chorus of international condemnation.
19:10 Senior Republican senator John McCain urged the United States Tuesday to consider arming the opposition fighting the forces of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.
19:04 German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Tuesday that Berlin had no intention of filling the post of its ambassador to Syria after the previous envoy took a key EU job.
18:43 The Syrian military began a campaign against Daraa, Al-Arabiya reported on Tuesday.
18:35 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Tuesday after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that he remained committed to all efforts toward stability in his strife-torn country.
18:19 US Senator John Kerry said Tuesday that the crisis in Syria was “very different” from events that led to NATO-led strikes in Libya and called for a new push to get Russia and China to back UN action.
17:25 Syrian security forces’ gunfire injured a number of people attending a funeral in Edleb, Al-Jazeera television quoted activists as saying on Tuesday.
17:19 Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-regime protesters in Soueida, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying on Tuesday.
17:06 Syrian troops on Tuesday were seen planting more mines along the border with northern Lebanon, in an area close to the flashpoint central province of Homs, a Lebanese official said.
16:56 The Dutch government recalled its ambassador from Syria on Tuesday, its foreign minister said, following similar steps by several nations to ratchet up the pressure against Damascus.
15:40 The six Gulf Cooperation Council states have decided to expel Syria’s envoys and withdraw their own from Damascus over the “mass slaughter” of civilians in Syria, a joint statement said.
15:30 Syria is ready to announce the schedule for the constitutional referendum, AFP quoted Russian FM Sergei Lavrov as saying.
15:14 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that his country was ready to help solve the crisis in Syria based on the Arab League plan, AFP reported on Tuesday.
15:12 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Syria wanted a continued and enlarged Arab League mission, AFP reported on Tuesday.
15:06 Russia’s foreign minister said after talks in Damascus on Tuesday that President Bashar al-Assad was “fully committed” to ending the bloodshed in Syria even as regime tanks pounded the city of Homs for a fourth straight day.
15:05 Spain recalled its ambassador in Syria for consultations over the Damascus government’s bloody crackdown on protests, the foreign ministry in Madrid said Tuesday.
14:50 The European Union is considering new sanctions against Syria’s central bank and a ban on gold trade in an effort to further cut the regime’s access to funds, diplomats said Tuesday.
14:15 At least 21 civilians and four soldiers were killed on Tuesday in violence across Syria, the majority of them in the flashpoint central city of Homs, activists said.
13:39 France has decided to withdraw its ambassador from Syria, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, amid the ongoing bloody crackdown on a revolt against Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
13:32 The European Union has no plans to withdraw the head of its delegation in Syria, a spokesperson said Tuesday, stressing the EU needs a presence there to “report and observe.”
13:29 At least 15 civilians and four soldiers were killed on Tuesday in the besieged central Syrian city of Homs, which has been undergoing heavy shelling by government troops, activists said.
13:15 German police arrested two men in Berlin Tuesday accused of spying on opponents of the Syrian regime in raids involving some 70 officers, federal prosecutors said.
13:07 Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said on Monday that Russia and China had lost diplomatic credit in the Arab world by vetoing a UN resolution on Syria, Reuters reported.
12:50 Italy recalled its ambassador from Syria for consultations on Tuesday but said its embassy would remain open and “continue to follow with maximum attention developments in an extremely grave crisis.”
12:46 The European Union is studying whether to ban commercial flights to and from Syria, Al-Arabiya reported on Tuesday.
12:33 Al-Arabiya reported on Tuesday that Syrian protesters gathered in front of the Iranian embassy in Libya.
12:30 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was holding talks in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday, Syria’s official state news agency SANA reported.
12:16 At least 400 children have been killed in 11 months of violence in Syria and almost the same number detained, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
12:09 Syrian security forces’ gunfire injured a number of students who were participating in an anti-regime protest in the Daraa town of Enkhel, activists told Al-Jazeera.
12:05 Turkey will launch a “new initiative” with like-minded countries after the rejection of a UN resolution aimed at ending months-long bloodshed in neighboring Syria, its prime minister said on Tuesday.
11:57 Kuwait will not deport activists who stormed the Syrian embassy back to their homeland due to fears about their safety, Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Humoud said on Tuesday.
11:40 Syrian activists told Al-Arabiya television that there is a shortage of medical supplies in Homs.
11:30 Syrian journalists said that four people were killed by the fire of Syrian security forces, Al-Arabiya reported on Tuesday.
11:17 China said Tuesday it was considering sending its own envoys to the Middle East to help resolve the conflict in Syria, after it vetoed a UN resolution aimed at ending a deadly crackdown in the restive state.
11:02 Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived Tuesday in Damascus with the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian state television reported.
10:58 The Syrian army is shelling the Homs neighborhoods of Al-Khalidyeh and Bayyada, activists told Al-Arabiya.
10:44 China expressed hope Tuesday that a visit by Russia’s top diplomat to Damascus would pay off, after a rare double veto of a UN resolution on Syria by Beijing and Moscow triggered international fury.
10:41 The Syrian opposition on Tuesday urged businessmen across the strife-torn country and throughout the Arab world to fund rebel forces seeking the overthrow of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
10:35 Iran on Tuesday said foreign interference in Syria would destabilize its principal ally, rejecting claims by the Muslim Brotherhood that Tehran was complicit in a civilian “massacre” there by supplying weapons to Syrian forces.
9:42 Syria’s government vowed Tuesday to push forth with its onslaught on the central province of Homs in a bid to rid the region from what it said were “armed terrorist gangs.”
9:10 MORNING LEADERS: The United States closed its embassy in Syria and pulled out all its staff on Monday, but President Barack Obama shied away from talk of military intervention and vowed to pursue diplomatic means.
9:07 Belgium’s Foreign Minister Didier Reynders has recalled the country’s ambassador to Syria for consultations, news agency Belga reported Monday.
9:05 EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and Brazilian foreign minister Antonio Patriota on Monday underscored their support for the Arab League effort to end violence in Syria.
9:02 The British-born wife of Syria’s president has spoken in support of her husband for the first time since the 11-month uprising against his regime began, a British newspaper reported Tuesday.
8:47 Nearly 100 civilians were killed on Monday in clashes across Syria, activists said, with the majority dying in a fierce onslaught by government troops in the flashpoint city of Homs and its environs.
8:30 Heavy shelling of the central Syrian city of Homs resumed on Tuesday a day after nearly 100 civilians were killed across the country in one of the bloodiest days since the outbreak of a popular revolt.
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BBC: Syria crisis: Gulf Arab states expel Syrian ambassadors
Gulf Arab states say they are expelling Syrian ambassadors in their countries and recalling their envoys from Syria.
The Gulf Cooperation Council said Syria had rejected Arab attempts to solve the crisis and end 11 months of bloodshed.
The US closed its embassy in Syria on Monday, and several European countries have recalled their ambassadors.
The moves came as Syrian government forces continued their fierce assault on the restive city of Homs, and Russian officials visited Damascus.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for a solution to the crisis based on Arab League initiatives, days after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution on Syria.
After meeting Mr Lavrov, Syrian media quoted President Bashar al-Assad as saying he was willing to co-operate with “any efforts towards stability”.
Separately Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, denied reports that he had threatened Qatar’s prime minister during talks at the UN last week.
Someone was trying to drive a wedge between Russia and the Arab world, he said.
‘Operations continue’
The BBC’s Paul Wood – one of the very few foreign reporters in Homs – says the Syrian army resumed mortar attacks and heavy machine-gun fire after daybreak.He says Russian-made tanks have been seen close to the city centre, but there is no sign so far of the ground assault feared by many residents.
Hundreds are reported to have died since the shelling of the city began on Friday. At least 95 people were killed on Monday alone, activists say.
At least 15 were killed on Tuesday, they said.
The Interior Ministry said it would continue its operations in the city against “terrorist groups” until “order” was restored, in a statement quoted by state news agency Sana.
There were reports of more fighting in Hama, another flashpoint city, and the town of Zabadani near Damascus.
‘Honest efforts aborted’
A Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) statement said: “Members have decided to withdraw their ambassadors from Syria and ask at the same time for all the ambassadors of the Syrian regime to leave immediately.”
There was “no point in them staying after the Syrian regime rejected all attempts and aborted all honest Arab efforts to solve this crisis and end the bloodshed”, it added.
Member states “follow with sorrow and anger, the increase in killing and violence in Syria, which has not spared children, old people or women with heinous acts that at best can be described as mass slaughter”.
The GCC said it would urge all other Arab states to adopt “decisive measures” when the Arab League meets next week.
The decision comes a day after the US closed its embassy in Damascus and pulled out all remaining staff.
The UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy have also recalled their ambassadors.
Mr Lavrov called for a solution to the crisis based on initiatives put forward by the Arab League on 2 November 2011 to end the violence, though he has given no indication that Russia supports the league’s more recent call for Mr Assad to step down.
He said Damascus was ready for a larger Arab mission to monitor peace efforts, and would set a date for a constitutional referendum.
The Arab League deployed an observer mission to Syria in December but suspended it in late January amid worsening violence.
Later, Syrian state news agency Sana said Mr Assad “reiterated Syria’s willingness to work with all efforts towards stability in Syria”.
But US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Washington would withhold judgement on Mr Lavrov’s visit.
“You can understand that the international community as a whole would be pretty sceptical of, instead of focusing on ending the violence, what we seem to have is a re-upping of this same offer that Assad has been making for months and months and months,” she said.
The Syrian opposition, meanwhile, has voiced strong criticism of the stalemate at the UN, saying the Russian and Chinese vetoes on Saturday encouraged the Syria government to step up the assault on Homs.Mr Lavrov has said Western reaction condemning Russia’s veto on Saturday bordered on “hysteria”.
Moscow has said the draft – which backed an Arab League peace plan calling for President Assad to hand over power – would have forced regime change on Syria.
The Syrian government, which has been fighting an uprising against President Assad’s rule since March, says it is fighting foreign-backed armed gangs.
Thousands of former army soldiers have defected to the rebel side, forming the Free Syrian Army.
Syria’s interior ministry said operations against “terrorist groups” would continue until “security and order are restored” in Homs.
Human rights groups and activists say more than 7,000 people have been killed by Syrian security forces since the uprising began last March.
The UN stopped estimating the death toll in Syria after it passed 5,400 in January, saying it was too difficult to confirm.
President Assad’s government says at least 2,000 members of the security forces have been killed.
Analysis - Jim Muir, BBC News, Beirut, Lebanon
On the surface, Sergei Lavrov’s talks with President Assad in Damascus don’t seem to have produced any kind of breakthrough.
If things were agreed behind the scenes without being announced, that could become apparent in the coming days, especially in places like Homs, where the violence continues unabated.
But on the face of it, there was nothing new in the statements made after the talks, though Mr Lavrov said the Syrian leader seemed to have taken on board the need for swift action.
He remains committed to ending violence from any source – but the Syrians have used that formula to cover their crackdown on armed opposition fighters.
The powers which backed the torpedoed UN resolution are not waiting for the Russians to pull a rabbit from the hat.
Ambassadors recalled from Syria
United States (embassy closed)
Europe
- France
- UK
- Italy
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Belgium
Gulf Arab states
- Saudi Arabia
- Qatar
- United Arab Emirates
- Bahrain
- Oman
- Kuwait
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Reuters: France recalls Syria ambassador, vows more pressure
France recalled its ambassador from Syria Tuesday in protest at the violent government crackdown on opponents of President Bashar al-Assad, saying his “days were numbered” and vowing to press on with efforts to end the bloodshed.
“Faced with worsening repression led by the Damascus regime against its own population, French authorities have decided to recall their ambassador in Syria for consultations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters.
Paris, which helped draft a U.N. resolution with Arab League backing that was vetoed by Russia and China, is working on creating an international group to bring together all those opposed to the violence, which it says has cost more than 6,000 lives since street protests erupted 11 months ago.
France recalled its ambassador in November after pro-government Syrian crowds attacked its honorary consulate in Latakia and diplomatic offices in Aleppo.
“We will not give up,” Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told a foreign affairs debate in the Senate. “We have two objectives: to intensify the pressure on the countries that use their veto and to add pressure on the Syrian regime which is discredited. Its day are numbered and the veto in New York is not a blank check to continue (repression).”
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Saturday that Paris was consulting various countries to create a Syrian contact group to support the opposition and find a solution to the crisis with the Arab league plan as its basis.
Juppe met the Paris-based head of the opposition Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun, late Monday and spoke to the Arab League’s secretary general and the Qatari prime minister as part of his push to produce a concrete proposal to put the group in place by the end of the week.
“It is not true that there is a regime that represses on one side and terrorists on the other side. This is a regime that is carrying out one of the most savage suppressions that we’ve seen,” he said.
Valero said the SNC, which Paris regards as a legitimate partner, was making progress in unifying the various ethnicities and opposition groups in Syria.
Sarkozy is set to speak to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Wednesday after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after meeting Assad Tuesday that Assad had presented reform plans to help end the bloodshed.
Diplomats said Assad had made many promises over the last 10 months that had come to nothing.
France will also look to rally support from Lebanon later this week when Prime Minister Najib Mikati heads to Paris.
“We will remind (Mikati) of our condemnation of Syrian army incursions on Lebanese territory and of the importance we attach to protecting Syrian refugees in Lebanon,” Valero said.
Syria dominated Lebanon politically and through its intelligence apparatus after the 1975-1991 Lebanese civil war, and the Syrian uprising has deepened the divisions between Syria’s foes and allies in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, the Shi’ite Muslim guerrilla group and political movement, is seen as supporting Syria and Beirut has criticized the Arab League’s transition plan.
(Reporting by John Irish; Writing by Nick Vinocur; editing by Tim Pearce)
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Guardian:
Syria: attack on Homs continues as Assad talks of dialogue: Follow the day’s events as they unfolded
Anonymous cyber group hacked messages believed to be giving advice to Bashar al-Assad ahead of an interview on ABC NewsSyrian crisis needs Arab solution, says Russia: Foreign minister visits Damascus after vetoing UN resolution
• Unicef reports 400 deaths and 400 detentions of children
Syrian siege of Homs is genocidal, say trapped residents: People in the city describe snipers, bombings and their fear that the regime is preparing to make a lethal final assault
Syria’s first lady has a UK passport – that doesn’t make her good
Nesrine Malik: British-born Asma al-Assad has come out in support of her husband’s oppression of his people – but why are we surprised?
Syria: death and division thwart hopes of opposition unity: As opposition arrests, rivalries and failing strategies frustrate western and Arab support, some look to Russia for a solution:
Ian Black analysis: ‘Syrian uprising has sparked proxy regional war’ Link to this video
Syria‘s opposition is struggling to respond to the intensifying crackdown by the regime and the failure of international efforts to secure a peaceful outcome.
The proliferation of different groups, personal rivalries, incompatible agendas and failing strategies is making it hard for western and Arab governments, who would like to see the sort of unity the Libyan rebels displayed last year.
On the ground, the activists of the Local Co-ordination Committees are finding it harder to function because of arrests and killings. The LCCs operate all over the country and play a key role in filming protests and regime violence to ensure information reaches the wider world. Their most effective weapons are laptops and mobile phones. The casualty figures they collate are considered to be reliable.
Close links exist between the LCCs and the fighters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), composed of local men and defectors from the army and security forces. It is a prime target for the government, which calls them “armed terrorist groups”.
The FSA commander is in Turkey and there is little co-ordination with local units. Communications are difficult. Political control of the FSA is a key question for the main opposition grouping, the Syrian National Council (SNC), which is based in Turkey and referred to dismissively by the regime as the “Istanbul council”. Reports about the creation of a High Military Council led by a former army general have added to confusion about who is in charge.
The SNC itself looks to be in trouble. Its secular leadership, which includes veterans of the old Damascus Declaration group, is allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, some Kurds and others. Its president, Burhan Ghalioun, a respected Paris-based political scientist, was forced to step down on Monday after mounting criticism of his abilities and tactics.
Hopes for a more unified political opposition faded in December after an agreement announced between the SNC and the National Co-ordination Bureau, a Syria-based coalition headed by the veteran leftist Hassan Abdel-Azim, fell apart almost immediately amidst angry recriminations. The failure at the UN last weekend seemed to demolish the SNC’s strategy of depending on Arab and western diplomacy. The NCB opposes any outside intervention.
Another smaller group, the Syrian State-Building Movement led by the Alawite thinker Louay Hussein, wants to see talks on a “transitional period” leading to multi-party elections, but insists that no negotiations can be considered before the regime “takes serious steps to end its oppressive campaign against the opposition and demonstrators”.
Regional initiatives are becoming better organised. In the Hauran area around Deraa, a Salafi sheikh with close Saudi connections is reported to have raised nearly £1m for the uprising. Neighbouring Jordan is quietly encouraging these activities.
Arab and western officials dealing with the Syrian opposition often complain about their rivalries and divisions. These risk bursting into the open if Assad — prodded by the Russians — makes any substantive political concessions. Observers believe one possibility is the formation of a national unity government.
“That would muddy the waters,” said commentator Malik al-Abdeh, who runs the opposition Barada TV. “It could split the SNC because some people will think they’ve backed the wrong horse. The NCB have always said that the solution is in Moscow, not in New York.”
George Sabra, a senior member of the SNC, signalled on Tuesday that the mood might be changing. “We think Russia should provide a roadmap for … a dialogue,” he was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. “Then all the opposition groups can take corresponding steps. But no one will engage in dialogue just for dialogue’s sake.”
Search for Syria strategy focuses on stiffening fragmented opposition: Arab and western governments contemplate backing the Free Syrian Army as hopes fade of a negotiated peace
Russia’s foreign minister arrives in Syria as Homs bombardment continues – video:
Video (2min 30sec), 7 Feb 2012: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov arrives in Damascus on Tuesday to meet President Bashar al-Assad
US embassy in Syria closes amid security fears – video:
Video (2min 46sec), 7 Feb 2012:The US state department says it has been unable to secure the US embassy in Syria’s capital, and has withdrawn ambassador Robert Ford and 17 staff
Syrian unrest: Homs under fire – interactive:
The government attack on rebel-held areas of Homs has continued for another day
Russia and China’s Syria veto ‘disgusting and shameful’, says US – video:
Video (2min 14sec), 7 Feb 2012: The US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, says China and Russia risked isolation because of their decision to veto a security council vote on Syria
Homs bombardment resumes as Russian minister heads to Syria: Rebel stronghold remains under siege, as Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov prepares to meet Assad
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