Syria's Assad vows "iron fist", mocks Arab League

10 Jan 2012 15:55Source: Reuters // ReutersDemonstrators protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad after Friday prayers in Amude, January 6, 2012. The banner reads, "New Syria for all Syrians". REUTERS/Handout* Assad speech again mixes tough talk, promises of reform* Syrian leader denies orders to shoot people, 11 more killed* Opposition: speech undercuts chances of peaceful solution* Arab League condemns attack in which 11 monitors hurtBy Dominic EvansBEIRUT, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed on Tuesday to strike "terrorists" with an iron fist and derided Arab League efforts to halt violence in a 10-month-old revolt against his rule.The president's 100-minute speech, his first public address since June, contained some promises of reform, but no sweeping concessions that might placate an opposition now determined to end more than four decades of domination by the Assad family.Assad, 46, offered a referendum on a new constitution in March before a multi-party parliamentary election that has been much postponed. Under the present constitution, Assad's Baath party is designated as "the leader of the state and society".But the Syrian leader gave no sign that he was willing to relinquish the power he inherited on his father's death in 2000."I am not someone who abandons responsibility," he declared.In the latest bloodshed, Syrian forces shot dead 10 people, most of them anti-Assad protesters, in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Gunfire from a checkpoint also killed a man in Homs, it added.Authorities have barred most independent media from Syria, making it hard to verify accounts by activists or officials.Assad made scathing remarks about the Arab League, which has sent monitors to check Syria's compliance with an Arab peace plan after suspending it from the 22-member body in November."The Arab League has failed for six decades to take a position in the Arab interest," he taunted.MONITORS ASSAULTEDThe League condemned an attack on Monday in which 11 of its monitors were hurt by demonstrators in the port city of Latakia, saying Syria had breached its obligation to protect them.Internet footage appeared to show a pro-Assad crowd in Latakia surging around the white vehicles used by monitors."Unfortunately there have been attacks on monitors, especially those from (Gulf) countries, attacks from non-opposition elements," said the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan."The task of the monitors is getting more difficult every day because we do not see a decline in ... killings," he said.Syria said it was continuing to provide security for the observers and condemned any act that obstructs their work.While opting to keep the mission going at least until Jan. 19, the League said on Sunday Syria had not fully implemented an agreement to stop violence, withdraw troops from cities, free prisoners, provide media access and open a political dialogue.Opposition figures say the monitors have failed to stem the bloodshed, but Russia, an old ally of Assad's government, said on Tuesday the mission had a stabilising role.Assad complained that Syria was the target of a relentless foreign media campaign. Blaming unrest on "outside planning", he said: "The outside now regrettably includes Arabs."His approach to unrest, casting it as a foreign conspiracy and countering it with violent repression and hazy promises of reform, resembled that of other Arab leaders confronted by mass protests in the past year. Three autocrats have been toppled.ARMY TO MAINTAIN COHERENCEDespite the persistent upheaval in Syria, where an insurgency is growing alongside civilian demonstrations, Assad's security forces seem to retain the upper hand for now."The Syrian regime is likely to retain power throughout most of 2012 ... Although military defections will increase, the army is likely to maintain its coherence," said Ayham Kamel, of the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy.The Syrian opposition, riven by factional tensions, has yet to form a widely accepted representative council.The United Nations says Syria's crackdown on unrest has killed more than 5,000 people. Syrian authorities blame armed Islamists they say have killed 2,000 security force members.Despite the high casualty toll, Assad denied any policy to shoot demonstrators. "There is no cover for anyone. There are no orders for anyone to open fire on any citizen," he said.Nevertheless, his priority was to restore order, which could only be achieved by "hitting terrorists with an iron fist".Burhan Ghalioun, head of the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), called Assad's speech dangerous because he had "insisted on using violence against our people, considered the revolution a terrorist conspiracy and thus undercut any Arab or non-Arab initiative to find a political solution to the crisis".The struggle in Syria, Iran's only Arab ally, has alarmed its neighbours. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, a former friend-turned-critic of Assad, warned on Monday that Syria was "heading towards a religious, sectarian, racial war."Israel said it was preparing to take in refugees from Assad's minority Alawite sect should his government fall.Ghalioun, the SNC leader, urged the Arab League to refer Syria to the United Nations Security Council to halt Assad's efforts to stamp out protests and to protect civilians.The League seems divided over such a step, which in the case of Libya led to a U.N. resolution that NATO used as the basis for an air campaign that helped rebels oust Muammar Gaddafi.Russia and China have opposed any Security Council move on Syria, while Western powers have not advocated military action in a country located in the volatile heart of the Middle East.The West is wary also because of Syrian opposition splits over the role of armed resistance, the weight Islamist groups should have in any joint opposition body, and the scope for Arab, U.N. or other external action to drive Assad from power.Jeremy Binnie, a senior analyst at IHS Jane's, questioned whether the outcome in Libya could be replicated in Syria."The Syrian regime would be a significantly harder to topple and the fallout potentially far more serious, especially given the country's arsenal of chemical weapons. Libya's air defences were a pushover by comparison. Syria would be a challenge of biblical proportions compared with Libya," he said. (Additional reporting by Mariam Karouny and Laila Bassam in Beirut and Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Amman; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Mark Heinrich)===========================EXCLUSIVE-US, allies exploring prospects for Assad exile02 Feb 2012 04:19Source: Reuters // Reuters* US talking to Europeans, Arabs about Assad's fate* Three countries willing to take him if no other option-sources* Trial balloon or Yemen-style solution?By Arshad Mohammed and Matt SpetalnickWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The United States, European governments and Arab states have begun discussing the possibility of exile for Bashar al-Assad despite skepticism the defiant Syrian president is ready to consider such an offer, Western officials said on Wednesday.While talks have not progressed far and there is no real sense that Assad's fall is imminent, one official said as many as three countries were willing to take him as a way to bring an end to Syria's bloody 10-month-old crisis.Two sources said no European states were prepared to give Assad sanctuary, but one official said the United Arab Emirates might be among those open to the idea.Talk of exile has surfaced amid mounting international pressure on Assad and a diplomatic showdown over a proposed Arab League resolution at the United Nations aimed at getting him to transfer power. He has responded by stepping up assaults on opposition strongholds.With the White House insisting for weeks that Assad's days in power are numbered, it was unclear whether this marks an attempt to persuade the Syrian leader and his family to grasp the chance of a safe exit instead of risking the fate of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, who was hunted and killed by rebels last year.But with Assad showing he remains in charge of a powerful security apparatus and the Syrian opposition fragmented militarily, it could also be an effort to step up psychological pressure and open new cracks in his inner circle.The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said neither the United States nor the European Union had taken the lead on the idea, which has been advocated by Arab nations as a way to try to end the violence in Syria."We understand that some countries have offered to host him should he choose to leave Syria," a senior Obama administration official said, without naming any of the countries.Before that could happen, however, the question of whether Assad would be granted some kind of immunity would have to be tackled --- something the Syrian opposition as well as international human rights groups would likely oppose."There are significant questions of accountability for the horrible abuses that have been committed against the Syrian people," the senior U.S. official said."Ultimately these issues will be deliberated by the Syrian people in concert with regional and international partners," the official said. "This is about what Syrians need to end this crisis and begin the process of rebuilding their country."While U.S. officials maintained that exile was worth exploring among other options, one European official voiced doubt it would work, saying Assad had given no indication that he might accept a graceful exit.YEMEN-STYLE SOLUTION?Bruce Reidel, a former CIA analyst who has advised President Barack Obama, said Arab countries appeared to be trying to craft a political solution in Syria modeled after Yemen.Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in the United States on Saturday for treatment of wounds suffered in an assassination attempt in June. Under a power transfer plan drawn up by Gulf Arab countries for Saleh to step down to end a year of protests against his rule, a vice president is presiding over a unity government with presidential elections set for Feb. 21."Assad and his wife get safe exile," said Reidel, now at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington. "But who will take him? Iran? Russia? UK? And does he get immunity like Saleh?"Officials stressed the discussions of the exile option for Assad were at an early stage and there was no agreed plan on how such an exit might be orchestrated.A European official said EU members were willing to consider the idea of Assad going into exile but that there was "no way we'd have him in our countries.""Our priority remains ending the slaughter that Assad and his regime are perpetrating against Syrian civilians, and facilitating a peaceful and orderly transition to democracy," the senior U.S. administration official said.Administration officials were hesitant to predict how much time Assad might be able to stay in power in the face of international isolation and sanctions. But the consensus was it would be months, not weeks, before Assad came to crunch time.U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Tuesday that it was just a matter of time before Assad falls, but acknowledged "it could be a long time."Much could depend on the fate of a European-Arab-drafted resolution in the U.N. Security Council that would call for Assad to hand powers to his deputy to defuse the uprising against his family's dynastic rule.Russia said on Wednesday it would veto any resolution on Syria that it finds unacceptable, after demanding any measure rule out military intervention to halt the bloodshed touched off by protests against Assad.The political violence in Syria has killed at least 5,000 people in the past 10 months and activists say Assad's forces have stepped up operations this week on opposition strongholds, from Damascus suburbs to the cities of Hama, Homs and the border provinces of Deraa and Idlib.(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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Syrian forces raid Damascus, opposition cities despite outcry
Wed, Feb 15 08:04 AM EST
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By Khaled Yacoub Oweis

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian government forces attacked the opposition strongholds of Homs and Hama on Wednesday and also raided a district of Damascus in the closest military operation to the capital's centre since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad broke out 11 months ago.

Elite forces backed by armored personnel carriers erected roadblocks in main streets of Damascus' residential Barzeh neighborhood, searched houses and made arrests, witnesses said.

Residents said they were looking for opposition activists and members of the rebel Free Syrian Army, which has provided armed protection for protests against Assad in the district.

Government forces also mounted an offensive in Hama, a city with a bloody history of resistance to the 42-year Assad dynasty, firing on residential neighborhoods from armored vehicles and anti-aircraft guns, opposition activists said.

Artillery also shelled Sunni Muslim neighborhoods in Homs, the 13th day of their bombardment of a city that has been at the forefront of the uprising.

The attacks indicated Assad's determination to crush the revolt despite international efforts, spearheaded by Arab nations, to make him cease the bloodshed.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said France had started negotiating a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria with Russia and wanted to discuss creating humanitarian corridors to ease the plight of civilians caught up in the violence.

"The idea of humanitarian corridors that I previously proposed to allow NGOs to reach the zones where there are scandalous massacres should be discussed at the Security Council," Juppe told France Info radio.

The U.N. General Assembly would vote on a "symbolic" resolution on Thursday that would add to pressure on the Assad government, he said.

Russia, Syria's longtime ally and main arms supplier, and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution on February4 that would have called on Assad to step down.

Since then Arab nations led by Gulf state rivals to Assad have been working to put a new resolution before the General Assembly. Unlike a Security Council resolution, it cannot be vetoed but would not be binding.

The Arab League has also called for a joint U.N.-Arab peacekeeping force to be deployed in Syria and indicated members would be willing to arm the opposition -- moves that have caused concern among Western powers eager to see the end of Assad's 11-year-rule but wary of a foreign military intervention which could spark a wider regional war.

Adding to the regional pressure on Assad, the head of Egypt's influential seat of Sunni Islamic learning, al-Azhar, called for bold Arab action against the Syrian government.

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama told Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping at a meeting at the White House on Tuesday that the United States was disappointed with China's veto of the Security Council resolution, a U.S. official said.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said after the talks that China still supported the role of the Arab League and wanted a dialogue to end the violence. But the Security Council needed to take a "very careful and very responsible attitude" to Syria, he said.

"If the U.N. Security Council takes the wrong steps, that could lead to even worse bloodshed," Cui said.

ON HIS OWN TERMS

Assad dismisses his opponents as terrorists backed by enemy nations in a regional power-play and says he will introduce political reforms on his own terms.

Syrian state television reported on Wednesday he had ordered a referendum on a new constitution on February 26.

That move is unlikely to appease the movement against him, which began with street demonstrations by civilians but now includes armed insurrection by the Free Syrian Army made up mainly of army defectors.

The government says at least 2,000 members of its military and security forces have died and the United Nations says government forces have killed several thousand civilians.

On the conflict front, tanks deployed near the citadel of Hama were shelling the neighborhoods of Faraya, Olailat, Bashoura and al-Hamidiya, and troops were advancing from the airport, opposition sources said.

An activist called Amer, speaking briefly by satellite phone, said landlines and mobile phone networks have been cut in all of Hama, a Sunni city notorious for the massacre of about 10,000 people when the present president's father Hafez sent in troops to crush an uprising there in 1982.

Activists said no casualty reports were available from Hama, Syria's fourth largest city, because of communications problems.

Foreign media must rely largely on often-unverified activist accounts because the Syrian government restricts access.

In the Damascus operation, witnesses said at least 1,000 soldiers had swamped Barzeh district after sealing off roads.

"They have destroyed the facades of shops and turned back students heading to school," Mazen, a university student, said by telephone from Barzeh.

The largely Sunni Muslim district has been among the most active in the capital in the protest movement against Assad, whose family are from the minority Alawite sect.

In Homs, an explosion hit an oil pipeline feeding a refinery, sending a large plume of smoke rising into the sky, witnesses said. The blast hit the pipeline near a district being shelled by government troops, witnesses said.

Government forces have bombarded pro-opposition areas of Homs for 13 days, killing hundreds and drawing international condemnation.

Activists and aid groups report a growing humanitarian crisis there, with food running short and wounded people unable to receive proper treatment.

France said it had created a one million euro emergency fund for aid agencies looking to help the Syrian people and would propose a similar one at an international level next week at a meeting in Tunisia to discuss the crisis.

It also renewed the idea of creating humanitarian corridors, first suggested in November, with Syrian approval or with an international mandate for shipping food and medicine to alleviate civilian suffering.

Under that plan, the corridors would link Syrian population centers to the frontiers of Turkey and Lebanon, to the Mediterranean coast or to an airport.

(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans and Erika Solomon in Beirut, and John Irish in Paris, Writing by Angus MacSwan; Editing by Peter Millership) Assassination of Free Syrian Army Commander By Militants Creates Rift in Syrian Rebel Alliance July 12, 2013 New Front Opens In Syria As Rebels Say Al Qaeda Attack Means War Reuters July 12, 2013 BEIRUT — The assassination of a top Free Syrian Army commander by militants linked to al Qaeda is tantamount to a declaration of war, FSA rebels on Friday, opening a new front between Western-backed forces and Islamists in Syria’s civil war. The announcement is the latest sign of disarray in the armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has regained the upper hand more than two years into an insurgency that grew out of Arab Spring-inspired pro-democracy protests. It follows growing rivalries between the FSA and the Islamists, who have sometimes joined forces on the battlefield, and coincides with attempts by the Western and Arab-backed FSA to allay fears any U.S.-supplied arms might reach al Qaeda. Members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a hardline Islamist group, killed Kamal Hamami of the FSA Supreme Military Council on Thursday. Also known by his nom de guerre, Abu Bassir al-Ladkani, he is one of its top 30 figures. Rebel commanders pledged to retaliate. "We are going to wipe the floor with them. We will not let them get away with it because they want to target us," a senior rebel commander said on condition of anonymity. He said the al Qaeda-linked militants had warned FSA rebels that there was “no place" for them where Hamami was killed in Latakia province, a northern rural region of Syria bordering Turkey where Islamist groups are powerful. Other opposition sources said the killing followed a dispute between Hamami’s forces and the Islamic State over control of a strategic checkpoint in Latakia and would lead to fighting. The FSA has been trying to build a logistics network and reinforce its presence across Syria as the U.S. administration considers sending weapons to the group after concluding that Assad’s forces had used chemical weapons against rebel fighters. The anti-Assad Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, said the FSA and the Islamic State have had violent exchanges in several areas of Syria over the past few weeks, showing growing antagonism between Assad’s foes. "Last Friday, the Islamic State killed an FSA rebel in Idlib province and cut his head off. There have been attacks in many provinces," the Observatory’s leader Rami Abdelrahman said. Two of Hamami’s men were wounded in Thursday’s attack, he said by telephone. Syria’s conflict turned violent in the face of a crackdown on protests. Civil war ensued with disparate rebel groups taking up arms and the Observatory says more than 100,000 people have been killed. U.S. congressional committees are holding up plans to arm the rebels because of fears that such deliveries will not be decisive and the arms might end up in the hands of Islamist militants. Syria’s opposition bemoans the delay, and repeated on Thursday assurances that the arms will not go to Islamist militants.
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