Protests in Syria - Discussion Thread

[themacedonian]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501714_1...porters-death/

I would say it is hard to have journalists In a war zone.

[kalerab]

Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, the Qatari prime minister, and Nabil ElAraby, the Arab League's Secretary-General, have just addressed a press conference in Cairo after a meeting of the body to discuss the way forward in Syria.

Primarily, the Arab League is calling for Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, to cede his powers to his deputy and for the formation of a "national unity government" under which elections will be held in two months.

It has called for an end to all violence and for the Syrian government's full co-operation to be extended to Arab League monitors and a new Arab League envoy.

The League will be sending its recommendations to the United Nations Security Council.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/...n-22-2012-2355

Yeah, Im sure he will do that. Keep on dreaming AL.

[themacedonian]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/...n-22-2012-2355

Yeah, Im sure he will do that. Keep on dreaming AL.

AL is in some sort alternative reality. A demand that even a normal leader would reject it. Who can organise a unity government and have elections in2 months. Took Egypt a year.

[kalerab]

Yemen. However when did Saleh signed GCC deal? Wasnt it after tribesmen took control of half of capital city, jihadists took control of large portion of south, shia rebels took control of 6 provinces, president himself was turned into walking mummy and whole brigade just defected right in the middle of capital city? And even after all that it took him 5 months till he signed it? Well that is completely comparable to Syrian situation. For me it looks like AL officials are just shouting to the air "Look at us, we´re not useless. Please believe us!".

[ISNJH]

Well Assad has now come out and rejected the Arab League plans for transfer of power and ending to the violence, its now likely that the FSA that had been holding back until Assad responded to the Arab League plans will now redouble efforts to remove Assad.

[Siberian wolf]

Russia sells Syria 36 Yak-130 for 550 million dollars.

http://www.rosbalt.ru/main/2012/01/23/936157.html (in russian)

[kalerab]

Well Assad has now come out and rejected the Arab League plans for transfer of power and ending to the violence, its now likely that the FSA that had been holding back until Assad responded to the Arab League plans will now redouble efforts to remove Assad.

Now Al-Jazeera reports that this AL plan (hand over the power to deputy, creation of national unity government, elections in 2 months) will be send to UNSC. I wonder how will Russia this time justify its veto when just week or two ago they were telling everyone how they fully support Arab initiative.

[themacedonian]

Now Al-Jazeera reports that this AL plan (hand over the power to deputy, creation of national unity government, elections in 2 months) will be send to UNSC. I wonder how will Russia this time justify its veto when just week or two ago they were telling everyone how they fully support Arab initiative.

Easy a veto until opposition sits down and negotiates with Assad to form a unity government. In meantime Assad stays on.

Also
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=254721

[themacedonian]

Russia and Syria
http://mobile.*******.com/article/id...20123?irpc=932

[kalerab]

Two-thirds of Homs under opposition control

"Every day we have a funeral. Every day we receive between four to five dead. There was one day we buried 20 soldiers," said Haitham Othman, an officer at the military hospital where the funerals of three security forces personnel were held on Monday.

"The terrorist groups have occupied two-thirds of the city of Homs. They are armed and supported by external forces. They bring weapons from Lebanon and Turkey. They are attacking the civilians and the security forces," he told reporters on a government tour of pro-Assad districts of the city.

http://www.r*uters.com/article/2012/...80M2D620120123

First time I hear from military officer saying that they lost control of territory that large.

[themacedonian]

If the military of syria faces reality much earlier they will manage better.
Homs is a large city. The military can not be present all over. Some areas are abandoned. Some obviously pro assad are guarded. As long as the army keeps the ring road and the entries they should not bother with rest.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/wo...eace-plan.html

Syrian military does seem to conserving their forces better and probably know better from their Beirut experiences what city warfare means. Homs will be lower intensity Beirut.

[kalerab]

Loosing majority of 3rd largest city is f*cked up situation no matter how you look on it (and add to it developing situation in Damascus and its suburbs). Not even mentioning that the christian neigbourhood in which journalists were is surrounded by 2 other neigbourhoods which are under control of FSA. Also they admit that they lost more than 800 soldiers.

Here, 3 other reports from the same tour

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/s...,6785862.story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...Q_story_1.html

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,2541029.story

PS: Just a month and something ago rebels controled just and only Baba Amr district, small part of the city. Now two-thirds.

[themacedonian]

Sometimes from a military point of view is better to designate an enemy zone and leave an area that can not be defended. The situation in Homs is past the protesting stage.

[Camera]

Gulf states to quit Arab League mission in Syria

Six-nation bloc to pull its monitors out of Syria, after embattled Assad regime rejected a proposal by the Arab League for new presidential and parliamentary elections.

By The Associated Press

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-e...syria-1.408977

[themacedonian]

Gulf states to quit Arab League mission in Syria

Six-nation bloc to pull its monitors out of Syria, after embattled Assad regime rejected a proposal by the Arab League for new presidential and parliamentary elections.

By The Associated Press

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-e...syria-1.408977

Oh looks like the Yemen scenario did not workout. To make such demands GCC needs to have leverage.