Female volunteers are joining the so-called the National Defense Forces, which gather together existing popular committees of pro-regime civilian fighters under a new, better-trained and armed hierarchy.
The monthly meeting of the national coalition for the revolutionary forces and the Syrian opposition was held in Istanbul and was attended by more than 60 members. General Salim Idris, Chief of General Staff of free Syrian army, gave detailed presentation of the situation across Syria and answered questions regarding developments on the ground in many areas.
Syria’s foreign minister invited the country’s rebels on Saturday to lay down their weapons and take part in a national dialogue, saying everyone who participates will be included in a new Cabinet with wide executive powers.
The plan* states that it aims at “supporting the Government of Syria’s efforts in providing humanitarian assistance to the affected populations,” and that a “Steering Committee” will be “chaired by the Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (or whomever he delegates)” and that “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates is the [Syrian] Government focal point in charge of the supervision of implementation of humanitarian projects” in addition to other administrative and logistical tasks!
Extremist and undisciplined battalions gain power at the expense of those that are committed to stay on the real path of the revolution and refuse to engage in acts of intimidation, robbery or kidnap.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov strongly criticized the statements on the responsibility of the Syrian government forces for the terrorist attack which targeted Aleppo University on Tuesday, describing them as “repulsive and unscrupulous”.
Evidence has been found suggesting that Syria’s military used chemical weapons against its own people last month, in what one Israeli intelligence official said last night was a test to gauge the reaction of the US and its allies.
The Kurdish Yekiti (Unity) Party said in a statement a copy of which was obtained by the Syrian Observer that the “fighting serves only the Turkish agenda but harms the Syrian revolution.”
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Wednesday upon the UN and the UN Security Council member states to condemn the terrorist crimes in Syria, including the massacre committed against Aleppo University students, employees and citizens who took refuge there.
Syria and Iran agree on $1 billion credit facility focusing on energy and electricity.
A Palestinian who fled Syria to Lebanon committed suicide overnight, apparently after receiving news that his mother’s health was rapidly deteriorating in a Damascus hospital, his wife said Wednesday.
The Syrian government and opposition accused each other of a massacre in the University of Aleppo that killed at least 52 people on Tuesday.
Because Syria is a country of paramount importance, the issue there is not just about toppling the regime, while retaining the same inherited and historical structure, including the ideology, of the regime itself. Indeed, we are dealing here with a smaller version of countries like Germany and Japan after the Second World War, in that they were countries whose internal circumstances led them to destabilise their regions and subsequently the world.
Alawite families living in Damascus are fearing retaliatory measures in the event of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime
President Bashar al-Assad gave a speech on Saturday that created a lot of reactions by local and international actors. Below is the text of the speech as translated by the Syrian official news agency (SANA).
The speech by Bashar Assad confirms his incompetence as a head of state who realizes the grave responsibilities he carries during this critical time in Syria’s history. Furthermore, it demonstrates that he is incapable of initiating a political solution that puts forward a resolution for the country’s struggle and an exit for his regime with minimum losses because he cannot see himself and his narrow based rule except as remaining in power despite being rejected by his people and his traditional allies.
President Assad spoke Sunday, amid rapturous chanting from loyalists that they are with him with “all their blood and soul.” His speech was met by a roar of protest and mocking from Syrian citizens and opposition groups, as well as the international community. This was his first public speech in six months.The opposition says he lives in isolation and does not know what is going around him.
While media reports talk about a new round of talks between the Russians and the Americans over Syria, a senior member of the opposition says that “Bashar’s departure is the essential demand of the Syrian revolution,” indicating an Egyptian role in marketing a Russian plan.
A Syrian regime media defector, who previously worked at the pro-Assad al-Dunya TV, informed Asharq Al-Awsat how the al-Assad regime fabricates news, misleads the public and distorts the reputation of the Syrian revolution on Syrian state television. The Syrian source, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, also leaked several clips taken from the archive of pro-Assad media that reveals just precisely how the Damascus regime is running its propaganda operations.
Australians who take part in the fighting in Syria face up to 20 years in jail, a spokesman for Foreign Minister Bob Carr said Friday after a Melbourne man was reportedly killed in the conflict, Australian media reported Saturday. The spokesman said the government was aware of reports that more than 100 Australians had engaged in the conflict since 2011 but he had “no evidence” of any citizens currently involved.
