Wednesday 21 March 2012 – Kurdish Newroz
March 21, 2012 by sks
Filed under News, Support Kurds, Syria
Piroz Be Newroz: There are a lot of videos of Kurds celebrating Newroz and calling for change today on the Facebook page Ronahi TV - QAMISLO 2
NOW! Lebanon
[local time] 
22:27 Three explosions heard Wednesday night in Abu Kamal, Al-Jazeera television quoted activists as saying.
21:48 Syrian forces shelled areas near Qusayr in Homs, Al-Jazeera television quoted activists as saying on Wednesday evening.
20:28 Western powers on Wednesday condemned what they called Iranian efforts to arm Syria’s government, which is battling a mounting opposition uprising.
20:17 Syrian forces launched four mortars in North Lebanon’s Al-Boqaya on Wednesday, Future News reported.
19:19 Wednesday’s death toll in Syria has risen to 70 people, the Local Coordination Committees said.
19:03 US Senator John McCain said Wednesday that the Syrian president’s “massacres of his own people” are putting pressure on European and US leaders to take more active roles in ending the crisis.
18:55 China on Wednesday hailed a UN statement on Syria as a positive step towards a political settlement and called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government to “cease violence immediately.”
18:32 UN experts were in the northwestern city of Edleb in a Syrian-led humanitarian assessment mission on Wednesday, a week after the protest hub fell to regime troops, state news agency SANA said.
18:29 Thousands of Syrian Kurds held demonstrations in northern Syria on Wednesday to mark the Kurdish New Year, as seen in videos posted online by anti-regime activists.
18:24 An AFP feature story details how Syrian rebels fashion roadside bombs to stop Syrian army advances.
17:32 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday praised the UN statement on Syria and warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to carry out the peace plan or face “increasing pressure.”
17:30 British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Wednesday voiced his support for the UN Security Council’s Wednesday approval of a statement calling on Syria to implement UN-Arab League Kofi Annan’s peace plan.
17:14 The United States on Wednesday called a UN Security Council statement on Syria “a modest step” on bringing the international community together on the crisis.
17:13 The Syrian army shelled an old market in Homs, Al-Jazeera television quoted activists as saying on Wednesday.
16:30 Syrian army troops on Wednesday shelled the Homs district of Khaldiyeh, as the casualty toll from two days of bombardment rose to at least 19 dead and dozens wounded, activists said.
15:38 The UN Security Council on Wednesday agreed on a statement calling on Syria to “immediately” implement a peace plan proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, diplomats said.
15:10 Syrian troops surrounded Taftanaz and opened fire on rebels in the town on Wednesday as they pushed to mop up insurgent positions in northwestern Edleb province, rebel sources said.
15:04 A growing number of Syrians wounded in the violence sweeping their country and losing limbs for lack of proper medical care, especially in opposition strongholds targeted by regime forces.
14:25 Slovakia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it would temporarily close its embassy in Syria because of deteriorating security conditions in the country.
14:21 Wednesday’s death toll in Syria has reached 21, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
12:10 Japan closed its embassy in Syria, AFP reported.
11:46 Twelve people were killed on Wednesday by security forces’ gunfire, activists told Al-Arabiya.
11:16 Syrian security forces shelled and destroyed part of al-Madiq fortress in Hama, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying on Wednesday.
10:43 Syrian security forces’ tanks surrounded and shelled Homs’ Al-Khalidiya district, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying on Wednesday.
9:30 UN-Arab League special envoy on Syria Kofi Annan is set to return to Damascus “very soon”, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday.
8:34 UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that the immediate priorities in Syria were to end violence, begin political dialogue and provide humanitarian aid.
7:30 MORNING LEADER: The death toll in Syrian protests rose Tuesday as long-time Damascus ally Russia said President Bashar al-Assad had made “a lot of mistakes” in clamping down on the year-old demonstrations.
7:17 The Syrian army is heavily shelling several neighborhoods in Homs, Al-Jazeera reported.
6:55 The United Nations on Wednesday named former peacekeeping chief, Jean-Marie Guehenno, as a deputy to UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in his mission to end the Syrian government crackdown.
…
BBC: US urges Syria to work with Annan peace plan
The United States has warned Syria to co-operate with a UN-backed peace plan.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged President Bashar al-Assad to “take this path, commit to it, or face increasing pressure and isolation”.
The peace plan, put forward by UN envoy Kofi Annan, has now been endorsed by the UN Security Council, with support from Russia and China.
Meanwhile, government tanks shelled two suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus, according to opposition activists.
The military assault on Hasrata and Irbin began in the early hours of the morning, after rebels attacked a government intelligence compound, they said.
There are reports of army offensives in other parts of Syria.
‘Softened’
A UN Security Council statement on Wednesday expressed full support for Mr Annan’s plan to end to all violence, secure humanitarian access and to facilitate a political transition.
It is not binding and falls short of a formal resolution.
But the BBC’s Nada Tawfik at the UN says diplomats hope it will intensify pressure on Mr Assad to work co-operatively with Mr Annan.
Diplomats said Western powers had agreed to soften the statement in order to gain the support of Russia and China, which had threatened to veto an earlier, tougher draft.
China and Russia have in the past blocked two resolutions by the council condemning Mr Assad’s actions.
Mr Annan has spent the last few weeks meeting all sides in the conflict – putting forward proposals to try to bring about an immediate ceasefire by both sides, access for humanitarian aid and the beginning of political dialogue.
‘Dangerous situation’
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier warned of serious repercussions if the crisis in Syria is not resolved.
Speaking at a conference in Indonesia he warned the world could not afford to look away.
“We all have a responsibility to work for a resolution of this profound and extremely dangerous situation, a crisis that has potentially massive repercussions for the region and the world,” he said.
In Syria itself, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army had been active in the Khalidiya district of Homs. Activists have also reported shelling in Rastan, north of Homs, and at Qalat Mudiq, northwest of Hama.
Syria restricts access to foreign media which often makes it impossible to independently verify reports coming out of the country.
The UN says more than 8,000 people have been killed in the year-long uprising, while tens of thousands of people have fled their homes.
On Tuesday, Russia – a key ally of Damascus – warned Syria’s leadership it was making “a lot of mistakes”, signalling Moscow may be hardening its stance on Damascus.
The same day US campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused elements of Syria’s armed opposition of carrying out serious human rights abuses, including kidnapping, torture and execution.
The opposition Syrian National Council said in a statement that it “deplores the reported incidents of human rights violations by armed opposition groups in Syria” and it is working to ensure “abuse does not happen in the fight for freedom”.
HRW has frequently accused Syria’s government of abuses during the conflict.
We all have a responsibility to work for a resolution of this profound and extremely dangerous situation, a crisis that has potentially massive repercussions for the region and the world”
Ban Ki-moonUN secretary general
…
REUTERS: U.N. unites on Syria, sanctions set for Assad’s wife
The U.N. Security Council, including Russia and China, threw its weight on Wednesday behind efforts by Kofi Annan to end the bloody conflict in Syria, providing a rare moment of global unity in the face of the year-long crisis.
In a statement approved by all its 15 members, the council threatenedSyria with unspecified “further steps” if it failed to comply with Annan’s peace plan, which calls for a ceasefire and demands swift access for aid agencies.
Although the original statement was diluted at Russia’s demand, editing out any specific ultimatums, the fact that all world powers signed up to the proposal dealt a serious blow to President Bashar al-Assad as he battles a popular uprising.
“To President Assad and his regime we say, along with the rest of the international community: take this path, commit to it, or face increasing pressure and isolation,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Washington.
Adding to the pressure, European Union governments are set to impose sanctions against Syrian Assad’s wife Asma on Friday, EU diplomats said, meaning that she will no longer be able to travel to the EU or buy from EU-based shops, in her own name.
The sanctions, which still need formal approval from ministers, come after the British-born former investment banker became the focus of media attention when a trove of emails obtained by Britain’s Guardian newspaper appeared to show her spending tens of thousands of dollars on internet shopping sprees while Syria descended into bloodletting.
At least 8,000 people have died in the revolt, according to U.N. figures. Violence has intensified in recent weeks as pro-government forces bombard rebel towns and villages, looking to sweep their lightly armed opponents out of their strongholds.
Assad’s forces have chalked up a string of gains as they turned their firepower on areas held by rebels. But the fighting shows no sign of abating and analysts expect the insurgents to change their tactics and adopt guerrilla warfare.
21 KILLED ACROSS SYRIA
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 21 civilians were killed in Syria on Wednesday, the majority in government shelling on towns in Syria’s central Homs province.
The army fired mortars into the Khalidiya district of Homs city, while artillery targeted the rebel town of Rastan, north of Homs city. Video also showed shelling of the ancient Apamea castle at Qalat Mudiq, near Hama.
Opposition activists said the army used tanks, artillery and anti-aircraft guns on the Damascus suburbs of Harasta and Irbin early Wednesday, which were retaken from rebels two months ago but have seen renewed insurgency in recent days.
The official Syrian news agency SANA reported the funerals of seven security force members killed in the fighting.
Reports from Syria cannot be independently verified because officials have barred access to rights groups and journalists.
Russia and China, competing with Western powers for influence in the Middle East, previously vetoed two U.N. draft resolutions that would have condemned Damascus and have resisted calls from Western and Arab states for Assad to stand down.
But faced by growing global outrage at the bloodshed, the two countries agreed to a so-called “presidential statement”. They are generally non-binding documents but do require unanimous support in the Security Council.
Russia, one of Assad’s few remaining allies, praised the document as pragmatic. “The most important thing is that there are no ultimatums … and no suggestions as to who carries more blame,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Berlin.
DEMANDS
The accord came a few days after Annan, a former U.N. secretary general, told the Security Council that Damascus’s response to his plans for peace were disappointing and he had urged the international community to lay aside its divisions.
His proposal, spelled out in the U.N. statement, tells the Syrian government to cease troop movements in population centres and end the use of heavy weapons in such areas.
It also calls for the government and opposition to hold talks to secure a peaceful settlement. Assad has not rejected the proposals but has challenged their feasibility and asked who can speak for the splintered opposition.
The Syrian opposition plans to meet in Turkey on March 26 to try to overcome their internal feuds and plot a more coherent strategy, sources said on Wednesday.
However, they have yet to agree on who should attend the gathering, underlining doubts about their ability to act together, which has frustrated Arab and Western states seeking a reliable partner to unite the anti-Assad movement.
The Security Council last passed a presidential statement on Syria in August 2011, but council members did reach a rare agreement on March 1 to rebuke Damascus for not letting U.N. humanitarian aid chief Valerie Amos into the country.
Shortly afterwards, Amos was allowed to visit Damascus.
Annan welcomed the U.N. support for his mediation efforts and called on Damascus to “respond positively”.
The latest Council accord came after Moscow adopted a new, sharper tone with Syria, which hosts Russia’s only naval base outside the former Soviet Union.
“We believe the Syrian leadership reacted wrongly to the first appearance of peaceful protests and … is making very many mistakes,” Lavrov told Russian radio on Tuesday.
France welcomed the Security Council’s move and said Assad must now halt all violence and repression, allow humanitarian aid to reach everyone in need and engage in “inclusive dialogue” with the opposition to find a lasting political solution.
“With this declaration the United Nations Security Council is beginning to take responsibility after months of blockage,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in Paris.
(Additional reporting by Louis Charbonneau in New York, Dominic Evans in Beirut, Steve Gutterman in Moscow, and Olivia Rondonuwu in Jakarta, Leigh Thomas in Paris, Justyna Pawlak in Brussels; Writing by Oliver Holmes and Crispian Balmer; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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Guardian: Russia and China join UN security council effort to end Syrian bloodshed
All 15 council members unite to throw weight behind Kofi Annan’s peace plan in rare show of global unity
The UN security council, including Russia and China, on Wednesday threw its weight behind efforts by Kofi Annan to end the bloody conflict in Syria, providing a rare moment of global unity in the face of the year-long crisis.
In a statement approved by all 15 members, the council threatened Syria with unspecified “further steps” if it failed to comply with Annan’s peace plan, which calls for a ceasefire and demands swift access for aid agencies.
Although the original statement was diluted at Russia’s demand, editing out any specific ultimatums, the fact that all major powers signed up to the proposal represented a major blow to President Bashar al-Assad as he battles a popular uprising.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said in Washington: “To President Assad and his regime we say, along with the rest of the international community: take this path, commit to it, or face increasing pressure and isolation.”
At least 8,000 people have died in the revolt, according to the UN. Violence has intensified in recent weeks as pro-government forces bombard rebel towns and villages, looking to sweep their lightly-armed opponents out of their strongholds.
Syria lies in a pivotal position at the heart of a web of regional conflicts in the Middle East, comprising a mix of faiths, sects and ethnic groups, and diplomats fear the rebellion is degenerating into a full-blown civil war.
Assad’s forces have chalked up a string of gains as they turned their firepower on areas held by rebels. But the fighting shows no sign of abating and analysts expect the insurgents to change their tactics and adopt guerrilla warfare.
Opposition activists said the army used tanks, artillery and anti-aircraft guns on the Damascus suburbs of Harasta and Irbin early on Wednesday, which were retaken from rebels two months ago but have seen renewed insurgency in recent days. Elsewhere the army fired mortars into the Khalidiya district of Homs, while artillery targeted the rebel town of Rastan, north of Homs city, in central Syria. Video also showed shelling of the ancient Apamea castle at Qalat Mudiq, near Hama.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two people died in the southern city of Deraa when the army opened fire after a bomb had hit a military convoy, killing two soldiers. It added that two girls died in gunfire in Qalat Mudiq.The official Syrian news agency Sana reported the funerals of seven security force members killed in the fighting.
Reports from Syria cannot be independently verified because officials have barred access to rights groups and journalists.
Russia and China have vetoed two previous UN draft resolutions that would have condemned Damascus and have resisted calls from western and Arab states for Assad to stand down. But faced with global outrage, the two countries agreed to a so-called “presidential statement”. They are generally non-binding documents but do require unanimous support in the security council.
Russia praised the document as pragmatic. “The most important thing is that there are no ultimatums … and no suggestions as to who carries more blame,” foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Berlin.
The accord came a few days after Annan, a former UN secretary general, told the security council that Syria’s response to his plans for peace were disappointing and he urged the international community to lay aside its divisions.
His proposal, spelled out in the UN statement, tells Damascus to cease troop movements in population centres and end the use of heavy weapons in such areas.
It also calls for the government and opposition to hold talks to secure a peaceful settlement.
Assad has not rejected the proposals but has challenged their feasibility and asked who can speak for the splintered opposition.
