Assad Vows to Retake Syria, Amid New Ceasefire Push
SANA (State news agency)
February 15, 2016
Assad says he backs peace talks but that negotiations do “not mean that we stop fighting terrorism”
Assad says he backs peace talks but that negotiations do “not mean that we stop fighting terrorism”
Aid workers with links to the Syrian regime reported the comments to serve the interests of Assad, says US state department official
It is necessary that the Syrian people and the opposition’s political and military institutions seriously consider their options in order to prevent the continuation of destruction in Syria and forestall the displacement of Syrians
The Syrian opposition faces pressure from countries led by America, at a time when a large number of the Friends of Syria Group nations are backing away from supporting their cause
Washington is truly working for an independent Kurdish state in the near east
International players urge Syrian opposition to attend talks as debate continues around the composition of the opposition’s delegation, goodwill measures, and the negotiation agenda ahead of Friday’s peace talks in Geneva
Manna is not part of the main opposition delegation, which was formed at a meeting in Saudi Arabia and has yet to say if it will take part in the peace talks
Opposition’s negotiating delegation in disarray as US secretary of state warns it could lose political and military support if it refuses to accept the conditions of the upcoming Geneva talks
Will the United States lose the hearts and minds of the Arabs with their current regional policy, which is defined by retreat, as some commentators describe the US pivot away from the Middle East as collusion with Russia and perhaps even Iran?
An empowered Moscow, with its military presence and its “perpetual” military accord, has forced its interlocutors — including the Americans — to make one of two choices: a mixed opposition list; or two delegations, one the “Russian list,” and the other the “Riyadh list”
The Russian influence has resulted in preventing the “Syrian Democratic Forces” from advancing toward al-Shadadi, an oil-rich region, and turning to fight the Islamic State along the fronts of the Aleppo countryside.
Russia “is insistent on dragging names into the list of the Syrian opposition delegation to the Geneva negotiations, with the aim of derailing the talks and gaining time to improve its allies’ military position.”
The US retreat from the Middle East, Russian expansionism in the region, and an increase in Tehran’s influence in Syria and the region has led the pro-Assad camp to dominate the Syrian file as we witness a decline of other influential regional and international players from the scene
Representatives at the Vienna II conference agreed to disregard all points that were scheduled for discussion, even those which remain disputed, in order to settle one specific issue: the elimination of ISIS and other terrorist groups
Witness describes encounters with Tutari after he was transferred to Adra Prison in 2011 following the Sednaya Prison uprising
The resolution opted for constructive ambiguity and mutual concessions in an attempt to secure a consensus. The result was a final draft outlining the maximum Moscow could get, and the minimum Washington would surrender
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, warns that bombing will increase the risk of terrorist attacks by sleeper cells in Europe unless there is a concerted effort to destroy ISIS on the ground. The following is the full text of the interview, as published by SANA.
As it turns out, Haider now operates as a military correspondent for the Syrian regime, and is also known to have close ties to high-ranking officers and war-criminals
President Assad says terrorists are flocking from over 100 countries around the world to Syria, in an effort to transform the country into a hub for terrorism
“Malala of Syria” recognized in 2015 list of the 100 most inspiring women around the world
