#latakia et thèmes voisins

Important article du Akhbar sur les groupes armés syriens et le 14 Mars (y compris l’extrême-droite chrétienne) : Wadi Khaled : al-Nusra Front and March 14 Form Bonds
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/wadi-khaled-al-nusra-front-and-march-14-form-bonds

In Lebanon’s northeastern Wadi Khaled, one finds what could be called the extension of al-Nusra Front inside March 14. Under the pretext of toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Phalanges’ homebase of Bikfaya and the Lebanese Forces’ homebase of Maarab are both creating links with extremists.

Piling mistake upon mistake - The Hindu
►http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/piling-mistake-upon-mistake/article4482426.ece?homepage=true

The only way to achieve a peaceful transition to democracy in Syria is through the regime. Destroying the state will lead to a power vacuum and chaos

For two years, the United States and the European Union have done everything short of sending their own troops and aircraft into battle to evict Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria. Only recently have they begun to realise that they have made a historic mistake: in the euphoria created by the Arab Spring, they are in imminent danger of handing over the entire Arab world to Islamists for whom democracy is anathema.

In a front page editorial titled ‘The Death of a Country,’ The Economist has warned that if the West now simply draws back and lets the civil war run its course, Syria will become “a new Somalia rotting in the heart of the Levant.”

“Almost everything America wants to achieve in the Middle East will become harder. Containing terrorism, ensuring the supply of energy and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction … Syria’s disintegration threatens them all.”

The (Very) Quiet Peace Talks Between Israel and Hamas | New Republic
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112593/very-quiet-peace-talks-between-israel-and-hamas#

Pour l’auteur, l’ancien du Mossad EFRAIM HALEVY, l’avenir au Moyen-Orient s’annonce prometteur, c’est-à-dire pour Israël et les autocrates arabes.

In a larger sense, the situation in the region does not bode as poorly for Israel as might seem at first glance. Iran is suffering more than ever under sanctions—and its achilles heel may yet prove to be its client state, Syria. It’s clear than Bashar al Assad is in dire straits and there’s little sign that the Iranian forces battling on the ground in Syria alongside Hezbollah units will ever stem the tide. Meanwhile, Jordan has been experiencing a relatively low-key Arab Spring, and the Saudi monarchy has been adept at managing the popular discontent in its own country.

(...)

Thus, contrary to appearances, this is a very promising moment to forge durable agreements between Israel and Palestine. That’s not to say that an “end of conflict” solution is in sight; neither side is capable of making the major concessions necessary for that. Instead, the outcome will likely be a medium-term plan to manage the thorny issues that divide the two sides—and that ought to suffice.

UN: Syria rebels seize about 20 Golan Heights peacekeepers near Israel border - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/un-syria-rebels-seize-about-20-golan-heights-peacekeepers-near-israel-borde

Robert Fisk:

Alawite history reveals the complexities of Syria that West does not understand
The Independent

Eloge du Monde diplomatique

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-alawite-history-reveals-the-complexities-of-syria-that-we

For now Sabrina Mervin, the French author and researcher, has put together a remarkable document in which she traces the history of a people who used to call themselves “Nusayris” – after the founder of their faith, Muhammad Ibn Nusayr – and whose religion was founded “in the bosom of Shiism” in the 9th and 10th centuries. Mervin’s work, published now in that splendid French institution Le Monde Diplomatique, should be essential reading for every Syria “ expert”, for it suggests that the Alawites are victims of a long history of religious dissidents, persecution and repression.

As long ago as 1903, the Belgian-born Jesuit and Orientalist, Henri Lammens, was identifying the Alawites as former Christians – until he met a Sheikh who insisted he belonged to Shia Islam. Lammens, a typical imperialist, suggested that the Alawites – who appeared to believe in the transmigration of souls and a trinity (the Prophet Muhammad, his cousin and son-in-law Ali, and Salman, a companion) – might become Christians “which would allow France to interfere in your favour”. Indeed, France did indeed show favour to the Alawites in later years.

Every time a bomb explodes or a funeral is held, Syria’s “most outraged bystander” appears on Syria’s state TV to praise Bashar al Assad and excoriate his enemies - http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/syrian-televisions-most-outraged-bystander #Syria #propaganda

How the Commons can break the silence over Halabja

The British Parliament is set to debate the political recognition of Saddam Hussein’s campaign against the Kurds as genocide. With the threat of chemical weapons in Syria a declared ’red line’, the need to properly understand and account for the legacy of the largest chemical attack against a civilian population remains as pressing as ever.

http://www.opendemocracy.net/opensecurity/gary-kent/how-commons-can-break-silence-over-halabja

#Iraq #Syria #Halabja #Kurds #kurdish

Syria: ONE-MILLION REFUGEES, CAMPS OVERCROWDED

The number of Syrian refugees that fled over the borders has reach around 1-million, based on the latest updates of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The data indicates that Jordan and Lebanon are the nation’s registering the highest number of arrivals, with around 300,000 each, followed by Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. The overall number registered are 925,000 refugees partly settled in overcrowded camps.

http://www.misna.org/en/justice-and-human-rights/one-million-refugees-camps-overcrowded-26-02-2013-813.html

#Syrie #réfugiés #asile #UNHCR

Nasrallah : l’annonce de ma mort est très prématurée
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/nasrallah-refutes-rumors-ill-health-hezbollah-syria

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah debunked rumors regarding his health as well as reports of his deputy Naim Qassem’s assassination in a televized speech Wednesday evening, while renewing calls to ward off “Sunni-Shia strife in Lebanon” and “plans to partition Syria.”

Reports of Nasrallah’s ill-health circulated in the Israeli media over the last two days, and were followed by rumors Wednesday of Qassem’s killing by members of the Syrian armed opposition.

“Talk of Sheikh Naim Qassem’s death are complete lies and baseless,” said Nasrallah.

“If new rumors go around, you’ll see me again,” a smiling Nasrallah said at the close of his speech, in an apparent reference to his alleged sickness. The reports had claimed that the Hezbollah chief was seeking treatment for cancer in Iran.

Fact and Fiction: Looting of Syrian Ruins
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/fact-and-fiction-looting-syrian-ruins

He singled out reports issued by a France-based organization, the Association for the Protection of Syrian Archaeology, which claimed that 12 of Syria’s 36 national museums had been plundered.

“There is no inkling of truth in that information,” he said. “All the collections of Syria’s museums are safe. Many rare pieces have been secured in places far from any likely attacks. All of Syria’s museums have been completely emptied of antiquities, other than fixed objects that are difficult to move, and are tightly guarded.”

#Syrie #Syria : de #nouvelles #armes apparaissent
http://www.argotheme.com/organecyberpresse/spip.php?article1649

L’ #Arabie #Saoudite fournit des armes achetées de #Croatie

Les #rebelles #syriens ont longtemps déploré l’absence d’un #soutien #international . L’Organisation des Nations Unies #ONU estime que 70.000 personnes ont été tuées dans la violence incessante, continuant la comptabilité macabre. De nouvelles armes provenant de l’ex- #Yougoslavie et de la #Chine se retrouvent dans les mains des rebelles, selon des #observateurs qui suivent leur #apparition principalement avec les #vidéos d’ #Internet .

In Shift, Saudis Are Said to Arm Rebels in Syria
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/world/middleeast/in-shift-saudis-are-said-to-arm-rebels-in-syria.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2

Saudi Arabia has financed a large purchase of infantry weapons from Croatia and quietly funneled them to antigovernment fighters in Syria in a drive to break the bloody stalemate that has allowed President Bashar al-Assad to cling to power, according to American and Western officials familiar with the purchases.

The weapons began reaching rebels in December via shipments shuttled through Jordan, officials said, and have been a factor in the rebels’ small tactical gains this winter against the army and militias loyal to Mr. Assad.

The arms transfers appeared to signal a shift among several governments to a more activist approach to assisting Syria’s armed opposition, in part as an effort to counter shipments of weapons from Iran to Mr. Assad’s forces. The weapons’ distribution has been principally to armed groups viewed as nationalist and secular, and appears to have been intended to bypass the jihadist groups whose roles in the war have alarmed Western and regional powers.

Ah ah, les séoudiens qui armeraient des « laïcs et nationalistes » au détriment des islamistes, ah ah. Genre : des nassériens, quelque chose comme ça ? Ah ah.

U.S. considers direct aid to Syrian rebels
The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-considers-direct-aid-to-syrian-rebels/2013/02/26/4af93d3c-8033-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story.html?wpisrc=al_national

The Obama administration is moving toward a major policy shift on Syria that could provide the rebels with equipment such as body armor, armored vehicles and possible military training and could send humanitarian assistance directly to Syria’s opposition political coalition, according to U.S. and European officials.

The administration has not provided direct aid to either the military or political side of the opposition throughout the two-year old Syrian conflict, and U.S. officials remain opposed to providing weapons to the rebels.

VERDA ÖZER - The devil’s triangle: Turkey, Iran and Egypt

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-devils-triangle-turkey-iran-and-egypt.aspx?pageID=449&nID=418

It came first as a surprise when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced a proposal for regional talks between Turkey, Iran and Egypt on resolving the Syrian crisis following his meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Baku October 2012. Hence it was no longer a surprise when Ahmadinejad said that the three countries are moving toward cooperation on Syria right after the trilateral meeting between the three leaders in Egypt during the 12th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) early this month.

Lebanon and the Arab Civil Wars: An Import-Export Business – Talal Salman
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/02/lebanon-arab-civil-wars.html

When the Arabs “succeeded” in importing the worst aspects of the Lebanese regime of so-called “pluralist democracy,” designed to camouflage its confessional and sectarian nature, they added a touch of Salafist fundamentalism to it. And now here they are exporting the virtues of these organizations. Afterward they began to export to this small and beautiful country preachers and missionaries preaching of “the righteous faith” — as if they were the first to discover it, and had no choice but to spread it...among the believers.

Here the cancer of sectarianism and confessionalism is ravaging Syria, prompted by the transformation of a political conflict into a project for waging civil war. It is ravaging Iraq as well, spreading the dangers of partition through civil conflict. At the same time it is spreading a climate of confrontation among Egyptians, both Muslim and Copt, who have historically enjoyed exemplary bonds of patriotic kinship.

[…]

The sectarian arsenal is always ready for use in confronting the call to building a viable state in Lebanon. Just as it is always ready to sow discord in national unity, and instability in existing states, in countries throughout the region. It is happening [in Lebanon] now, just as it has been arranged to happen in Syria and Iraq.  Regardless of the nature of the ruling regime or the degree to which it approximates democracy.

There are those who are ready to finance this arsenal and to strengthen it with weapons and political cover. It is of no concern to them that they rule their “flock” by the sword, deprive them of elections, forbid women from driving a car, and force them to cover themselves in veils from head to toe … and then they go out “to champion” democracy in other countries by kindling the flames of civil war and sectarian butchery.

It is unfortunate that certain political forces in Lebanon are avid players in the game of stoking civil war, supposing it to be a surefire source of popularity — even if it comes at the expense of the country, the unity of its people, and the stability of its state.

Version originale:
http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?EditionId=2389&ChannelId=57455&ArticleId=1685&Author=طلال

Syria’s second largest Palestinian refugee camp, Khan al-Sheeh, has slowly been turned into a war zone, much like the Yarmouk camp before it. Over the past three weeks, large sections of the camp have been overrun by fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

At first camp residents responded with peaceful protests, but then turned to armed resistance when the FSA ignored their demands that the camp remain neutral in their battle against the regime.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syria-resistance-mounts-against-fsa-palestinian-camp

War between Qatar and Syria

The Future Movement enjoys full control over the Tripoli Port and has between 750 and 800 elements occupying the port. Indeed, all those working in it, from the port’s tower to the loader on the ship belong to the Future Movement, at a time when the elements of the customs authority do not exceed 11, thus allowing the Future Movement to operate in the port without any monitoring or control. In that same context, the Internal Security Forces are not sending any troops to the port, while the army’s role is to protect it, not to interfere with the goods being delivered to it. Therefore, through its dispatch of weapons by sea from Egypt to the Tripoli Port, Qatar does not only want to fight the Syrian regime, but also set up a weapons arsenal for the Sunnis in the North, to help them proclaim positions in the future, reaching the point of announci ng the formation of an Islamic Emirate.

“Consequently, Qatar received a warning from Syria, saying that just like it confronted Turkey although the balance of powers tilted in its favor, Syria might proclaim war on Qatar, without there being any fronts between the two. Hence, Qatar’s interests around the world could be targeted, not by Syria, but the Popular Front – General Command led by Jibril. At this level, Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad feared seeing an assassination attempt, considering he is always in London, Paris and other European capital, where it is easy for any two armed men from the Popular Front to reach him. In addition, Syria will carry out indirect actions against the Qataris coming to Jordan, Iraq or Lebanon.”

– Ad-Diyyar, Lebanon

Al Nusra: Al Qaeda’s Syria Offensive

– The Daily Beast

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/23/al-nusra-al-qaeda-s-syria-offensive.html

Al Qaeda’s franchise in Syria, just one year old, is now the fastest-growing al Qaeda front in the world, attracting fighters from across the Islamic world. Jabhat al Nusra, translated variously as the Victory Front or the Support Front for the Syrian People, was founded in January 2012, almost a year after the first demonstrations against the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad. It was created with the assistance of the al Qaeda franchise in Iraq that was formed nearly a decade ago during the American invasion. The Iraqi base provided a safe haven for setting up the front in Syria and still provides sanctuary for the Syrian group to this day.

A high-level Syrian official has confirmed that the government in Damascus is open to dialogue initiatives to resolve the ongoing crisis, in particular because Moscow continues to advise Syrian authorities that they must respond to international initiatives in order to improve the regime’s image abroad and to provide their allies with something with which to endorse them. The Russians have also been emphasizing that the armed Syrian opposition faces a dilemma regarding whether to engage the regime in dialogue: agreeing to a compromise — thus forfeiting their call for toppling the regime and therefore possibly further dividing their ranks — or refusing to compromise, which could lose them diplomatic clout.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/02/obstacles-remain-syria-negotiations.html

Qatar cuts poet’s life sentence to 15 years for “inciting revolt”
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/qatar-cuts-poets-life-sentence-15-years-inciting-revolt

A Qatari poet jailed for life for criticizing the emir and attempting to incite revolt had his sentence cut to 15 years on Monday, in a case human rights groups said showed hypocrisy by the Gulf state, which has supported uprisings elsewhere in the Middle East.

In his verses, Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami praised the revolts that toppled several authoritarian leaders across the Arab world, often with the help of money and other support from Qatar, a close US ally which also backs rebels in Syria.

But the poet also criticized Qatar’s absolute monarch and spoke, for example, of “sheikhs playing on their PlayStations.”

He was sentenced to life in prison in November, but he appealed against the conviction and sentence, arguing he should be freed as there was no evidence that he had recited the offending verses in public and so no basis for charging him with incitement.

Russia-US spat dooms UN statement on Damascus bomb | The Times of Israel
http://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-us-spat-dooms-un-statement-on-damascus-bomb

La Russie, les Etats-Unis et le peuple syrien.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and the United States are blaming each other for the failure of the Security Council to issue a statement condemning the car bomb attack in Damascus that killed at least 53 people.

The attack Wednesday on Syria’s ruling party headquarters and two other bombs that struck intelligence offices left at least 75 dead.

Russia accuses the US of blocking a council statement condemning the rebel attacks. The US says it supported the statement but wanted to add language condemning the Assad regime’s recent attacks.

The sniping between Moscow and Washington over Syria, while not new, hardly augurs well for a Feb. 26 meeting in Berlin of Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and John Kerry, the new US secretary of state.

The meeting will focus on Syria, among other matters.

Arab Perspectives on Iran’s Role in a Changing Middle East
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/arab_perspectives_irans_role_changing_middle_east.pdf

The complexity of these Arab attitudes means that, unless and until Egypt becomes a stable, popular, and credible Arab power that captures Arab public imaginations, Iran will continue to have ample opportunity to influence politics in the region, with or without war and regardless of what happens in Syria—particularly in the absence of IsraeliPalestinian peace.

For American policy toward Iran, including the prospects of war, the starting point is, of course, an analysis of direct American interests. What is clear is that even aside from the potential military and economic costs of war with Iran, war is unlikely to limit, and can possibly expand, Iranian opportunities for influence in the Arab world—regardless of its consequences for Iran’s nuclear program.

Très intéressant article sur les tentatives de manipulation médiatique au Liban par l’Armée syrienne libre et ses soutiens locaux : Hyping Hezbollah’s Role in Syria
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hyping-hezbollah%E2%80%99s-role-syria

On Tuesday, 19 February 2013, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) issued a statement accusing Hezbollah of shelling Syrian territory and threatening to “shell and silence the sources of Hezbollah fire in Lebanese territory” if it did not stop within 48 hours.

No sooner had the ultimatum expired did various media outlets broadcast reports that Hezbollah bases in Syria and Lebanon had been targeted, including an artillery position in the border village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali.The news spread like wildfire.

Yet in the town of Hermel and the adjoining villages of Qasr and Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali – scenes of the supposed attacks – life continued as normal. The only thing disturbing the peace of local residents was the inundation of phone calls from concerned or curious outsiders.

“There’s nothing happening here,” a local source told Al-Akhbar. “It’s just media propaganda to go with the statements made by the armed groups in Syria. It’s coming from the channels that support them.”

To him, the false reports had a clear political objective. “It’s about covering up what happened in Ersal, and the general impression it left that some of the people there are harboring al-Nusra Front members. In return, they want to give the impression that the Assi Valley villages, whose people have faced killings and displacement, are harboring Hezbollah fighters.”

Syria’s war, Israel’s trap | openDemocracy
http://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-rogers/syrias-war-israels-trap

Par Paul Rogers.

Le likoudien (et champion de l’unilatéralisme par la force) INSS israélien serait tellement inquiet des évènements dans la région qu’il appelle Netanyahou à « présenter un plan raisonnable aux leaders de la Cisjordanie. »

Paul Rogers n’y voit pas une ultime tentative d’anesthésier son monde, mais une « petite raison d’espérer. »

There appears to be some recognition of this in the surprising decision of the hawkish Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) - which has close links with prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu - to urge a resumption of talks with the Palestinians (see Barbara Opall-Rome, “Israeli Experts: Palestinian Peace Plan Could Push Agenda for Region”, Defense News, 11 February 2013).

True, Israel’s perceived need to gain diplomatic credence, not least with the Obama administration, is part of the reason for this move. Defense News says:

“Before Washington and the international community impose conditions on both parties - and in order to forestall new rounds of violence that will further inflame public opinion in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and other countries with a common interest in derailing Iran’s nuclear weapons program - INSS experts urge the new Netanyahu government to present a reasonable plan to Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.”

There is something more than political calculation in the Israeli institute’s analysis. The wider reality is that events are moving against Israel across the region. Indeed, the massive border defences are a clear indicator of this. Israel is now completely surrounded, and its treatment of the Palestinians both isolates it further and creates the potential for deeper instability. The INSS’s move indicates that the depth of this predicament is understood by some among Israel’s security elite, and no longer confined to critical analysts who have long pointed this out. So far, there is little sign that Netanyahu has got the message. But this shift in an Israeli think-tank’s outlook gives some small cause for hope.

What the Syrian death tolls really tell us
| Sharmine Narwani |

guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/15/syrian-death-tolls-tell-us

La bataille des chiffres sur les morts en Syrie, personne n’est vraiment innocent

As if to underline the point, Libya’s new government recently announced that death tolls had been exaggerated during the 2011 Libyan civil war; that there had been around 5,000 deaths on either side – a long way from the reported tens of thousands of casualties that set the scene for Nato’s “humanitarian” intervention, or the 30-50,000 deaths claimed by opponents of this intervention.

While physically present in Iraq, the US and British governments were unable to provide estimates of the numbers of deaths unleashed by their own invasion, yet in Syria, the same governments frequently quote detailed figures, despite lacking essential access.

Syria’s death toll leapt from 45,000 to 60,000 earlier this year, a figure gathered by a UN-sponsored project to integrate data from seven separate lists. The new numbers are routinely cited by politicians and media as fact, and used to call for foreign intervention in the conflict.