#syria

We told Syria’s rebels to “win hearts & minds” - not eat them ! This is why careful translation of insurgency manuals is so important. #Syria

Best analysis of the situation in the Middle East so far: “Theocratic regimes back secularists; tyrannies promote democracy; the US forms partnerships with Islamists; Islamists support Western military intervention. Arab nationalists side with regimes they have long combated; liberals side with Islamists with whom they then come to blows. Saudi Arabia backs secularists against the Muslim Brothers and Salafis against secularists. The US is allied with Iraq, which is allied with Iran, which supports the Syrian regime, which the US hopes to help topple. The US is also allied with Qatar, which subsidizes Hamas, and with Saudi Arabia, which funds the Salafis who inspire jihadists who kill Americans wherever they can”
Source : http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/nov/08/not-revolution/?pagination=false
#Iran #Iraq #Syria #Qatar #USA #Hamas #Egypt #democracy

#Map of current territorial control by opposing factions in the Syrian civil war:
http://i.imgur.com/h3CI2MW.jpg #Syria

In Cairo, desperate Egyptian men search in vain for Syrian brides

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/05/14/191195/in-cairo-desperate-egyptian-men.html

“They ask us where the office is to buy a Syrian woman, as if they are buying a chicken. They don’t believe us when we tell them it doesn’t exist,” said Khalid, who said he was 26. “Our women are not for sale. We are here because we did not want to be killed.”

#Syrie #Syria #mariage

Syrian minister says UK and France are ’directly or indirectly’ backing #al-Qaida. Faisal al-Miqdad attacks ’new colonialists’ providing support to opposition fighters in #Syria

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/15/syrian-minister-uk-france-al-qaida

#Belgique : #traque des #candidats au #djihad en #Syrie #Syria
http://www.argotheme.com/organecyberpresse/spip.php?article1726

#Recrutement massif en #Europe des islamo #terroristes pour Djabhat En #Nusra

Au total une cinquantaine de #domiciles ont été investis, mardi 16 avril dans l’ensemble de la Belgique, pour appréhender les candidats au djihad en Syrie. 6 #hommes ont été officiellement arrêtés, d’après un premier #bilan associant plusieurs #procureurs .

A New Deal for Israel
Rafe MAIR (Canada)
12.04.2013

Strategic Culture Foundation (Strategic Culture Foundation provides a platform for exclusive analysis, research and policy comment on Eurasian and global affairs)
Online Journal

http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2013/04/12/a-new-deal-for-israel.html

“Just like bouts of poison ivy, every few years we see a watershed visit to Israel by a sitting US president. And every time that happens we’re all supposed to take heart. Then the usual drift sets in, there are international incidents and resolutions of the United Nations.
President Obama has just concluded such a session with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and although it depends upon who’s reporting, Mr Obama was seen to be backing Israel while belittling the Palestinians. This is understandable in terms of US current internal politics but is folly for the long term…

(…) America must survey not just what is today but what the unfolding landscape will look like and judge its position with Israel in that light. In the mix it must be recognized that Israel’s population is over 20% Arab and growing.

Here’s what President Obama must do.
First he speak at home a new and more aggressive policy towards Israel, In that regard, Mr Obama must establish as a condition precedent to future discussions that she tear down the settlements – all of them – and pledge to desist in this practice. One suspects that the only reason Israel has followed this policy is an «up yours» to its neighbours.

Second, Israel must consent to a «two state» policy including Gaza.

Thirdly the United States must guarantee the safety of Israel’s new boundaries.

Fourthly, America must set up but not be part of, an organization much like the Organization Of American States (OAS) if only as a «talk shop» to keep dialogues going amongst the various states.

How can the US force Israel to seek reason?
With money, the oldest and best weapon in history. The US funds to Israel are critical. They must be the pressure points in US policy.
This isn’t intended to state that Israelis the only naughty child in the region but it is to say that she is the object of hatred throughout. No one expects that new firm boundaries will mean peace and harmony in the area. As I often say to my wife, we’ll have peace in the world just as soon as a village can draw up a dog by law that everyone can live with. (…)

#Israel #Obama #Jewish_lobby #Mahmoud_Abbas #Palestine #Arab_Spring #Syria #Pakistan #Afghanistan #Iran #Jordan #Saudi_Arabia

Tunisie/ Syrie. Résumé: Entre 6 et 10.000 Tunisiens auraient rejoint les rangs des combattants anti-Assad. Les recrutements se feraient par le truchement des mosquées et d’organisations caritatives. Leurs familles, qui n’apprennent qu’a posteriori le départ de l’un des leurs, recevraient jusqu’à 4000 dollars par combattant. Les autorités tunisiennes estiment qu’elles n’ont pas le droit d’empêcher un jeune de partir combattre en Syrie.

INTER PRESS SERVICE
News Agency

Tunisia Now Exporting “Jihadis”
By Giuliana Sgrena
Friday, April 12, 2013

http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/04/tunisia-now-exporting-jihadis

TUNIS, Apr 6 2013 (IPS) –
“Tunisian families have begun to dread knocks on their doors, or late-night phone calls, fearing that the messenger will bear the news that their son has been smuggled out of the country to join the “jihad” in Syria. Families here told IPS that they have no way of contacting their sons once they leave — whether by choice or coercion they will never know — for the warring nation nearly 3,000 miles away. At most, family members receive an inaudible telephone call from Libya, where the soon-to-be militants are trained, the muffled voice on the other end of the line saying a quiet and final goodbye.

(…) There are no reliable data on exactly when young Tunisian men began rushing to join the Free Syrian Army, currently engaged in a battle to depose Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, but experts and civil society activists are agreed on one thing: the number is increasing. On Mar. 29, local sources reported that between 6,000 and 10,000 men have left the country, while the Algerian press say the number could be closer to 12,000.

(…) The election of the moderate Islamist party Ennahda in October 2011 further raised hopes that the country would stay on track towards a more inclusive future. But beneath the moderate veneer, a strong ultra-conservative undercurrent remained, steered by Salafist-controlled mosques – like Fath, Ennassr, Ettadhamen, and the great mosque of Ben Arous located on the outskirts of Tunis – that are now serving as headquarters for the smuggling of fighters.

(…) Charity organisations like Karama wa Horrya, Arrahma, Horrya wa Insaf, which provide basic humanitarian assistance to the poor, also play a role in this network that gathers able-bodied Tunisians, transports them to Libya and then, after a brief stop in Turkey, sends them onwards to the frontlines of the Syrian war such as the north-western border with Lebanon, and the city of Aleppo. Young fighters’ first point of contact in Syria is with the Jabhat al Nusra (meaning the ‘Support Front for the People of Syria’), considered the most aggressively militant arm of the FSA. (…)”

#Jabhat_al_Nusra #Tunisia #Syria #Free_Syrian_Army #jihad #jihadi #Fath #Ennassr #Ettadhamen #Ben_Arous #Karama_wa_Horrya #Ennahda #Arrahma #Horrya_wa_Insaf

Résumé. Si le Liban n’est pas une terre de djihad, les djihadistes n’ont jamais dédaigné utiliser le pays pour y conduire leurs activités. Ces dernières années, ils y ont notamment combattu les forces de sécurité libanaises (Bassam Kanj, al-Qaïda, 1999), se sont adonnés au trafic d’armes à destination de la Jordanie et revendiqué l’assassinat de Rafiq Hariri (Groupe Al-Nousra, 2005). Un ressortissant libanais faisait partie du groupe des 19 personnes impliquées dans les attentats du 11 septembre (Ziad Jarrah, pilote de l’avion qui s’est écrasé en Pennsylvanie). Certains d’entre eux continuent de jouer un rôle à partir des prisons libanaises ou des camps de réfugiés palestiniens (camp d’Ein el-Hilweh notamment). En 2007, les djihadistes palestiniens de Fatah al-Islam, retranchés dans le camp de Nahr al-Bared, ont combattu l’armée libanaise pendant plusieurs mois. Les Brigades Abdullah Azzam ont revendiqué des attaques sur les forces de l’ONU (FINUL/ UNIFIL). La guerre en Syrie contre le régime d’Assad a suscité des vocations libanaises. Des Libanais y ont rejoint des groupes djihadistes, comme le Front al-Nousra. L’auteur de l’article fait dire à l’un de ses interlocuteurs que le Liban pourrait devenir une terre de djihad.

Lebanon Is Pivotal For Syria’s Jihadists
By: Ali Hashem for Al-Monitor Lebanon Pulse Posted on April 9.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/contents/articles/opinion/2013/04/jabhat-al-nusra-lebanese-jihadists-rafik-hariri.html#ixzz2Q9zUDFzv

“It was not until Sept. 11, 2001, that people started talking seriously about the Lebanese connection to al-Qaeda. The name of Ziad Jarrah, one of the 19 men who took part in the Sept. 11 attacks, emerged and people started asking seriously then whether al-Qaeda was present in Lebanon.

In Beirut, I met Abu Baraa, a code name used by our source who was once an inmate of Roumieh prison’s Islamist building. He fought with Kanj in Dounieh, but now he’s doing nothing but “preaching Islam.” He saw several of his “brothers,” the word used by Islamists when mentioning comrades, working from the prison without any interference from Lebanese security forces. “We had phones, and I have recently learned that prisoners have Internet access now; they used to communicate with the outside world and give orders.” According to Abu Baraa, Lebanese jihadists should be grateful to the Palestinians for where they are now. Palestinian jihadists, along with a few Lebanese, had the chance “to go to Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya, etc. … and come back more experienced, with a larger network, capable of tougher tactics, and they also helped in providing hideouts for the brothers whenever they needed it.”
Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are a busy hub for jihadists. Ain al-Hilweh camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, is home to several groups — Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Osbat al-Ansar, Jund al-Sham and others are active groups which are now exporting experts to Syria.” (…)

#Lebanon #Syria #Hariri #Al_Nusra #Ahmad_Abu_Adas #Bassam_Kanj #al-Qaeda #Abu_Aisha #Osama_bin_Laden #Ayman_al_Zawahiri #Ayman_Kamaldine #Ziad_Jarrah #Islamist #Jihadist #Ain_al_Hilweh #Abdullah_Azzam_Brigades #Osbat_al-Ansar #Jund_al_Sham #Fatah_al_Islam #Nahr_al_Bared #Palestinian_camp #UNIFIL #Syrian_revolution #Hezballat #Khaled_Mahmoud

#Syrie #Syria, #Djabhat En-Nusra argument valable au #régime et au #G8
http://www.argotheme.com/organecyberpresse/spip.php?article1717
Les #priorités , chacun selon son #poste

Les #ministres des #affaires #étrangères des 8 #pays les plus #riches du #monde se sont réunis mercredi à #Londres selon une dépêche de l’agence #Reuters . La réunion continue ce jeudi. 3 sujets essentiels des #relations #internationales les préoccupent : nucléaire iranien, la guerre civile en Syrie et la menace de conflit avec la Corée du nord.

Syrie. Propos sans surprise de Haytham al-Manna, chef du Comité National de Coordination des Forces de Changement Démocratique en Syrie (CNCD) : une solution militaire ne résoudrait rien ; la Syrie doit choisir entre solution politique ou somalisation ; les opposants au régime n’ont pas la possibilité de l’emporter par des moyens militaires ; Assad ne s’est pas résolu à négocier ; le régime est capable de supporter encore deux années d’affrontement. Il est également convaincu que le départ d’Assad ne mettrait pas fin à la violence et que les Frères Musulmans ne renonceront pas à leurs privilèges.

Syrian Opposition: Assad’s Overthrow Wouldn’t End Violence

By: Mohammad al-Shazli Translated from Al-Hayat
Posted on : April 9 2013

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/04/syria-violence-assad-departure.html

The head of the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change (NCC) in exile, Haytham al-Manna, said that the Syrian regime is seeking to “clone the Algerian solution” to solve the crisis in the country. He called on “friends” of the regime to pressure the regime for serious negotiations that can “rescue those whose hands haven’t been stained with the blood of Syrians.”

In an interview with Al-Hayat, Manna added that the conflict could not be solved militarily. He said, “We have the choice of either the somalization of the country or a political solution. We blame the regime for wanting to clone the Algerian solution; it will not succeed.” He added that the opposition “will not succeed in reaching a military solution.”

“Thus far, the regime has not made any progress toward serious negotiations," he said. “It is focusing on public relations and agreeing to anything it is offered. However, when it comes to implementation, there is no practical element to this approval.”

#Syrian_National_Coalition #somalization #Lakhdar_Brahimi #political_solution #transitional_government #Haytham_al_Manna #Muslim_Brotherhood #National_Coordination_Body_for_Democratic_Change

Syrie. La ville d’Amoud a été fin mars le théâtre d’affrontements violents entre des manifestants venus protester contre l’indigence des services municipaux et les milices du Parti de l’Union démocratique kurde (PYD, une branche du PKK) qui contrôlent une partie des zones kurdes du nord de la Syrie. Ces affrontements entre Kurdes sont récurrents. Cette fois-ci, ils ont conduit les partisans d’Öcalan (PKK) et ceux de Massoud Barzani, président de la région du Kurdistan en Iraq (KDP), à s’opposer. Il est douteux que ces affrontements conduisent à une guerre civile entre Kurdes, mais il est certain qu’ils affaiblissent leurs positions au sein de la coalition syrienne. Il n’est pas impossible qu’Ankara se soit résolu à prendre langue avec le PKK d’Öcalan par crainte de voir le Parti de l’Union démocratique kurde (PYD) renforcer son contrôle dans les zones syriennes frontalières de la Turquie.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/04/kurdish-clashes-syria-pyd-kdp-pkk-ocalan-barzani.html#ixzz2Ps9AirNm

Clashes Break Out Between Kurdish Groups In Syria

By : Wladimir van Wilgenburg for Al-Monitor Iraq Pulse, Posted on April 4 (2013)

Kurdish protesters clashed with the militia of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in the rebellious town of Amude on March 27 over the lack of services which resulted in several wounded and led to fears of more fights between Kurds in Syria
The clash lead again to tensions between the supporters of the imprisoned PKK-leader Öcalan and supporters of Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan region in neighboring Iraq and head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Syria. The Syrian Kurds have been heavily influenced by Kurdish parties from outside, although they have their local parties.

#Syria #Kurdish_Democratic_Union_Party #Öcalan_PKK #Massoud_Barzani #Kurdistan_Democratic_Party #Syrian_Kurds #Turkey #Supreme_Kurdish_Council Kurdistan_Worker_ Party_PKK #Arbil_agreement

Mohammad Ballout décrit comment les diverses composantes de l’opposition syrienne mènent, à la fois, un combat contre le régime d’Assad et une lutte interne pour la prise du pouvoir. Ces affrontements respectifs et concomitants retardent leur unification et, dans l’immédiat, la formation d’un gouvernement intérimaire. Ils se nourrissent, financièrement, politiquement et militairement, de forces extérieures venues d’Occident, du Qatar ou d’Arabie saoudite, chacune ayant son propre agenda (inclusion et protection des minorités pour les uns, islamisme pour les autres, etc.)

►http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2013/04/syrian-opposition-formation.html

Sectarianism, Saudi-Qatar Jostling Prevail in Syrian Opposition
By: Mohammad Ballout Translated from As-Safir (Lebanon)

The Syrian opposition finds itself at a standstill, following the moment of rapture when the National Coalition appropriated Syria’s seat at the Arab League.

The pace of consultations within the coalition points to a lack of urgency in moving forward toward the next step of forming an “interim government,” following the appointment of Ghassan Hito as its head. The task of forming the government is hindered by an American and Qatari insistence on nominating people who would help restructure and expand its level of representation and legitimacy, so that posts and ministries are more equitably divided. It also awaits a Qatari-Saudi consensus on the manner in which Hito’s government would be run, and the nature of that government: technocratic or political.

The Saudis have put all their media and financial potential at the service of the Syrian opposition, with the aim of reducing Qatar’s monopoly over the opposition, to the point of encouraging and enlisting secularists in their fight with Doha. Furthermore, the Americans, in the last few days, have also requested that the formation process be put on hold, as a result of it becoming a great point of contention between the different political and military Syrian opposition factions.” (…)

#Syria #National_Coalition #Arab_League #Ghassan_Hito #Qatar #Saudi_Arabia #Muslim_Brotherhood #Burhan_Ghalioun #Georges_Sabra #National_Council #Khatib #Friends_of_Syria #Lakhdar_Brahimi # Organization_of_the_Islamic_Conference #recognizing_the_Syrian_opposition #Syrian_revolution #interim_government

La bataille pour Damas ? CBS News rassemble, à son tour, des informations qui tendent à démontrer que la grande offensive sur Damas (la sixième ?) est en vue. Si les financements qataris et saoudiens de fourniture d’armes à destination de l’opposition syrienne étaient largement médiatisés, en revanche l’implication des Etats Unis et d’autres Etats occidentaux était assez peu commentée. Ce n’est plus le cas puisqu’on dispose désormais d’un grand nombre de commentaires de presse sur les types d’armes exportées vers la Turquie et la Jordanie, sur le rôle de la CIA qui interviendrait pour s’assurer que ces armes finissent entre des mains « modérés et légitimes » (Kerry en marge d’une réunion de l’opposition tenue en Italie) et qu’elles rééquilibrent l’effort militaire fourni par l’Iran à Assad, enfin, sur l’abondance des matériels militaires qui arrivent en Syrie en préparation à une offensive finale sur Damas.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57576722/ap-master-plan-underway-to-help-syria-rebels-take-damascus-with-u.s.-approv

CBS/AP/ March 28, 2013, 5:26 AM
AP : "Master plan" underway to help Syria rebels take Damascus with U.S.-approved airlifts of heavy weapons

“Mideast powers opposed to President Bashar Assad have dramatically stepped up weapons supplies to Syrian rebels in coordination with the U.S. in preparation for a push on the capital of Damascus, officials and Western military experts said Wednesday. A carefully prepared covert operation is arming rebels, involving Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, with the United States and other Western governments consulting, and all parties hold veto power over where the shipments are directed, according to a senior Arab official whose government is participating. His account was corroborated by a diplomat and two military experts. Saudi Arabia and other regional powers have been arming Syria’s rebels for months, but the scale and coordination with the West — and the suggestion by the AP’s sources that the effort is linked to a plan for the rebels to try and seize Damascus — represents a potentially significant escalation in the civil war.”

#Syria #weapons_supplies #escalation #battle_for_Damascus #Croatian_arms #Qatar #Turkey #Jordan #chemical_weapons #Kerry

–-----------------------------------------------------------
Des nouvelles d’Iran sur la Syrie. Interview conduite par Press TV [Iran, anglophone) avec Daoud Khirallah, professeur de Droit à l’université de Georgetown, qui conteste la décision prise par la Ligue arabe de donner à l’opposition syrienne le siège occupé jusqu’à il y a quelques mois par le régime de Damas. (voir video)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/03/26/295318/al-violated-its-own-charter-on-syria

26 March 2013. Arab League violating its own charter on Syrian crisis: Daoud Khairallah

“Khairallah: Well simply they can disregard the Charter of the Arab League, they can disregard any legal or moral rule and they can apply corruption and money in every way they can to prevent any peaceful negotiated solution in Syria. “

#Press_TV #Arab_League #Syria #Daoud_Khairallah

Article de Russia Today en réaction à la décision de la Ligue arabe d’octroyer le siège de la Syrie à la Coalition Nationale [Rassemblement de l’opposition syrienne]. Moscou juge « anti-syriennes » et « malheureusement [favorables] à une solution militaire » les mesures qui viennent d’être prises à Doha. Le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères russe indique « qu’au regard du droit international, les décisions que la Ligue [arabe] vient de prendre à l’égard de la Syrie sont illégales et indéfendables dans la mesure où le gouvernement de la République arabe syrienne demeure le représentant légal d’un Etat membre des Nations Unies. ».

http://rt.com/news/arab-league-syria-opposition-924
Giving Syrian opposition seats at Arab League is ‘illegal, indefensible’
Moscow Published time : March 27, 2013

“ The Arab League’s move to hand the Syrian opposition the country’s official seat at a summit in Doha and the decision to give military backing to the rebels are both against international law, Moscow has said. “

#Russia #Syrian_opposition #Arab_League #military_solution #political_settlement

La Coalition Nationale syrienne vient de se voir attribuer le siège jusque-là occupé par le régime de Damas à la Ligue arabe et dispose même aujourd’hui d’une ambassade à Doha. Un gouvernement provisoire est désormais attendu. Sous la conduite Ghassan Hitto, il serait formé d’hommes d’affaires, d’économistes et de technocrates. Tout en jugeant positifs ces développements, Yezid Sayigh (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) met en garde contre la propension de l’opposition syrienne à trop délaisser ce qui fait l’essence de la mission des gouvernants : une administration efficace, la fourniture des services de base aux citoyens, la résolution des conflits et la sécurité dans les zones qu’elle contrôle, au profit des ambitions de telle ou telle de ses composantes. Il rappelle que l’opposition n’a pas encore réglé définitivement un certain nombre de questions : négocier ou pas avec Assad, gouvernement provisoire ? Gouvernement transitoire ? Gouvernement chargé d’expédier les affaires courantes ? Gouvernement installé en Syrie ou à l’extérieur ? Programme de gouvernement ? Yezid Sayigh fait valoir que l’opposition syrienne a amplement démontré son incapacité à s’organiser et que le seul exemple de bonne gouvernance dans les zones libérées est à mettre au crédit des islamistes qui se sont organisés dans la ville de Raqqa (250.000 habitants).

http://carnegie-mec.org/2013/03/28/syrian-opposition-s-very-provisional-government/fu0z

Carnegie Middle East Center/ Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Syrian opposition’s very provisional government
Yezid Sayigh

March 28, 2013
“The Syrian National Coalition of Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (National Coalition) formally took up Syria’s seat in the Arab League this week. The outgoing chairman of the coalition, Moaz al-Khatib, who had announced his resignation only days before, represented the coalition, and the provisional prime minister, Ghassan Hitto, sat behind him. This recognition is an important diplomatic gain. But it will prove ephemeral unless the National Coalition and its provisional government can follow up speedily by delivering effective administration, basic services, dispute resolution, and security in the liberated areas, which it claims now extend over 100,000 square kilometers and include 10 million inhabitants”.

#Syrian_National_Coalition_of_revolutionary_and_Opposition_Forces #National_Coalition #al_Khatib #Ghassan_Hitto #governance #provisional_government #transitional_government #Qatar #Raqqa

Syria’s Alawites deny full loyalty to Assad in Cairo conference

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/67586.aspx

More than 80 Alawite figures will discuss issuing a document that draws a political roadmap for a transitional phase after President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime collapses, reveals Bassem Youssef, a member of the meeting’s organising committee in an interview with Al-Arabiya’s website.
(...)
Youssef denied that all members of the Alawite sect in Syria are “pro-Al-Assad,” adding that the conference wishes to discuss the conflict in political and not sectarian terms, emphasising the need for social unity.  

The Cairo meeting is the first by Alawites backing the anti-Al-Assad side of the crisis. Almost 150 Alawite figures, including activists and religious leaders attended.

#Syria #Cairo_meeting #AlAssad

Utile rappel des difficultés rencontrées par les oppositions syriennes pour s’organiser et s’unir.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/2005-2013-syrian-oppositions-many-faces

From 2005 to 2013: The Syrian Opposition’s Many Faces

By: Mohammed Sayyid Rasas
Published Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Since the founding of the Damascus Declaration in 2005, the Syrian opposition has been marked by a divergence of political and national interests. As a result, the opposition has splintered into factions only to re-unify time and time again. Al-Akhbar considers this tumultuous history to better understand the opposition’s most recent incarnations.
There are several junctures in the history of party-based opposition in Syria. The Damascus Declaration was formed on 16 October 2005 and became the largest opposition gathering in the history of the Baath party rule, which began on 8 March 1963. It included Islamists, liberals, and Arab and Kurdish nationalists, in addition to the Marxist Party for Communist Action. The broad coalition was built on the prospects of change in Syria amidst a climate of tension between the US and Syria.
Without looking into these stops, one cannot comprehend the process of political performance of the Syrian opposition in the period following the outbreak of the Syrian crisis.However, during the meeting of the National Council of the Damascus Declaration in December 2007, cracks began to appear.
#Damascus_declaration_2005 #Syrian_opposition #Muslim_Brotherhood #Salvation_Front #Socialist_Union_Party #Party_of_Communist_Action #Kurdish_Left_Party #Marxist_Left #People’s_Party #Kurdish_parties #Kurdish_Left_Party #Baath_party #Marxist_Party_for_Communist_Action #Abdel_Halim_Khaddam #Kurdish_Democratic_Party_in_Syria #Nasreddin_Ibrahim #al_Parti #Massoud_Barzani #Kurdish_Political_Council #Jalal_Talabani #Kurdish_Democratic_Union_Party #Kurdistan_Workers_Party #Kurdish_Political_Council_parties #Syrian_National_Council #Damascus_declaration_2011 #Kurdish_national_council #National_Coalition_for_Syrian_Revolutionary_and_Opposition_Forces #Syrian_National_Coalition #Geneva_declaration_2012 #Moaz_al_Khatib #Riad_Seif

Ibrahim al-Amin (Al-Akhbar) énumère, de manière pas toujours logique, les ambitions de l’opposition syrienne qui vient de se donner un premier ministre par intérim, sous la « pression de certains pays comme la France, la Grande-Bretagne, la Turquie, le Qatar et l’Arabie saoudite » :
– Unifier les diverses composantes politiques et militaires syriennes - y compris le Front Al-Nosra ;
– Occuper le siège vacant de la Syrie au sein de la Ligue arabe et dans d’autres instances arabes ;
– Etre perçue comme l’égal du régime de Damas dans la perspective de futures négociations et se présenter comme le seul et unique représentant du peuple syrien ;
– Ecarter ceux qui, au sein de la coalition, ont accepté le principe d’un dialogue avec le régime, comme Moaz al-Khatib (Président de la Coalition Nationale Syrienne) ;
– Obtenir des avancées sur le terrain de manière à contrecarrer toute velléité américano-russe, avec ou sans le truchement de Lakhdar Brahimi, de contraindre à un dialogue avec Damas.

Why the Rush to Form a Syrian Opposition Interim Government?

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/why-rush-form-syrian-opposition-interim-government

By: Ibrahim al-Amin, editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar.

Published Thursday, March 21, 2013

“Syrian opposition groups only took the step of naming a head of an interim transitional government as a result of pressure, on the one hand, from France and Britain, and Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia on the other.
But what does this move signify, and what does it add to the agenda?
They want the interim government to be the go-to place for any inquiries about the opposition – including armed groups on the ground. For one thing, the Syrian opposition’s sponsors believe it provides them with a fresh opportunity to unite various opposition groups. They see the process of forming an interim government as a means of bringing them all together by providing them with representation and resources.
They want the interim government to be the go-to place for any inquiries about the opposition – including armed groups on the ground – as well as the sole provider and distributor of money, arms, and supplies. They hope that by channeling aid through it, all the political and paramilitary opposition factions will gradually be forced to accept it.”

#Syria #interim transitional government #Syria opposition #Arab League #negotiation #Syria National Coalition #Al-Nusra Front #Turkey #France #Qatar #Saudi Arabia

Portrait de Ghassan Hitto, nouveau premier ministre par interim de l’opposition syrienne. Citoyen américain, sa nomination - à laquelle le Qatar a grandement contribué – est perçue comme un renforcement du poids des Frères musulmans au sein de la Coalition nationale syrienne. Hostile au dialogue avec le régime d’Assad, il ne pouvait de fait que recueillir l’assentiment du Qatar, de la Turquie et des Frères musulmans. Sa nomination pourrait signifier l’échec de ceux qui considèrent aujourd’hui, par conviction, par calcul ou par résignation, qu’un dialogue avec le régime d’Assad est nécessaire pour mettre un terme aux affrontements.

Muslim Brotherhood Holds Sway Over Syrian Opposition
By: Hassan Hassan for Al-Monitor. Posted on March 21, 2013

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/03/syria-ghassan-hitto-muslim-brotherhood.html#ixzz2OHff7DbF

« Ghassan Hitto, a naturalized US citizen from Damascus, was selected on Monday, March 18, by members of the opposition Syrian National Coalition to become the interim prime minister. Little known among Syrians, his appointment is by far the clearest indication of the Muslim Brotherhood’s monopoly over the opposition’s political and military bodies. At least nine figures suspended their membership in the National Coalition in protest, including the coalition’s spokesman, Walid Buni, and Vice President Suhair Attasi, who then retracted her suspension a day later. Hitto is not known to be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but he is ideologically close to it. A Syrian close to Hitto told me that he is “100% supported and trusted by the Brotherhood.” His brother is a member who was jailed for many years, his acquaintance said, which is why Hitto fled Syria. The source located Hitto in terms of independence somewhere between Moaz al-Khatib, the coalition’s president who proved to be independent, and the Brotherhood. »

#Syria #Ghassan Hitto # Syrian National Coalition # Muslim Brotherhood #rejection of dialogue with the regime #negociated political solution #Qatar #interim government #Osama Kadi #Moaz al-Khatib

A Istanbul, le 19 mars, le Qatar impose la formation d’un « gouvernement provisoire » syrien et la nomination d’un « premier ministre », Ghassan Hitto (un citoyen américain), au détriment de celui qui avait été précédemment choisi par ce même Qatar et l’Arabie saoudite (Asaad Mustafa, ancien ministre de l’Agriculture syrien). La prochaine étape pourrait être l’admission de ce gouvernement provisoire au sein de la Ligue arabe (Réunion à Doha le 26 mars) au siège jadis occupé par la Syrie d’Assad. Ce « coup » diplomatique prend à contrepied l’Arabie saoudite, une partie de l’opposition syrienne qui a gelé sa participation aux travaux de la Coalition nationale des forces de la révolution et de l’opposition syrienne dont le président, Moaz Khatib, s’était résolu à favoriser une solution diplomatique plutôt que l’option militaire (le « moindre des deux maux »), les Frères musulmans qui ont fini par se rallier au choix qatari par crainte de voir revenir l’Accord de Genève (30 juin 2012) qui prévoit la participation du régime d’Assad à un gouvernement transitoire et Lakhdar Brahimi, Représentant spécial conjoint des Nations Unies et de la Ligue arabe pour la Syrie, qui militait pour que l’opposition syrienne accepte le maintien d’Assad pour quelque temps encore (2013, voire 2014).

Qatar Trumps Saudi Arabia On Syrian Opposition Leader

Mohammad Ballout Translated from As-Safir (Lebanese independent ’leftist’ newspaper)
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/03/qatar-appoint-coalition-head-syria.html#ixzz2OFaCyaxb
A “temporary Syrian government” for the opposition ... a Qatari coup against Saudi Arabia in the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NCR) ... and the sabotaging of the US-Russian understanding. The first fruit of the above is that 12 NCR members froze their memberships a few hours after provisional prime minister Ghassan Hitto presided over his new Syrian “government” in contravention of the deal that Qatar and Saudi brokered among the various wings in the NCR.

#Qatar #Saudi Arabia #National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces #Arab League #Ghassan Hitto #Asaad Mustafa #Moaz Khatib #US #Russia #Geneva Accord #Muslim Brotherhood #Syrian National Council #Mustafa al-Sabbagh #John Kerry #Sergei Lavrov #Lakhdar Brahimi

#Syrie #Syria : #défection d’un #général des #services #secrets
http://www.argotheme.com/organecyberpresse/spip.php?article1684

Le poids des #soutiens au #régime retarde la #révolution

Un jour après qu’un nouvel #appel à la "désertion a été lancé par le chef des #rebelles , voir la #vidéo ci-après, et la décision de la #France et des #EtatsUnis de fournir des #armes aux insurgés contre le régime du #Baâth , un haut gradé de l’ #armée syrienne a fait défection.

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