The US failure to intervene in Syria has ruined everything that has been achieved—with great difficulty—in the war on extremist ideology and terrorist groups
The Kremlin announced that the political program proposed by President Bashar al-Assad could be a good basis for solving the crisis in Syria
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.
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”.
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.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi expressed his country’s support to President Bashar al-Assad’s initiative to resolve the crisis in Syria.
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).
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.
There are wise people in the regime whose hands have not been stained with blood, can be talked to, but Assad’s stepping aside is a must, President of the National Coalition of the Syrian Opposition Revolution Forces Ahmad Muaz al-Khatib said Thursday.
As much as the series of Russian statements towards the Syrian crisis can be described as being confused, it is obvious that they are following a clear and steady thin line. Firstly, there is no need to note the much overdue change which affected Moscow’s position towards the opposition, especially the National Coalition. It attacked its formation more than one month ago, just as it attacked the opposition abroad for a long time and in a manner going in line with the stand adopted by the regime in Damascus.
President receives cables on the occasions of Christmas and New Year from President of Russia, President of Belarus, President of Lebanon and President of The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Iran is a difficult puzzle to resolve. After losing Syria, as well as losing half of its oil revenue as a result of Western sanctions, Tehran may be obliged to agree to a truce and the freezing of its nuclear program. Even if this were to happen, Gulf States are still facing numerous threats, particularly with the al-Maliki government in Iraq explicitly falling under Iran’s sway.
The Syrian regime has pre-empted the arrival of the UN envoy to Damascus via Lebanon Mr. Lakhdar Librahimi with terrible massacres covered most of the nation and included more than / 310 / geographical points and locations with aerial bombardment using (Russian Mig fighters), since Mr. Librahimi could not be able to land in Damascus International Airport on Sunday 23/12/2007.
A Russian warship carrying a marines unit has left its Black Sea port for Syria amid preparations for a possible evacuation of nationals living and working in the strife-torn country, news reports said Sunday.
n Syrian modern history itself we have a dangerous precedent of this, when the Alawi right to eliminate longstanding oppression paved the way for a military coup that engendered a grim tyrannical regime, which is now fighting its last and most devastating battle. Furthermore, the Lebanese know well how the Shiite right to defend the villages of the south became a leverage for Hezbollah, which has now become one of the biggest obstacles to the establishment of the Lebanese state.
Al-Hayat Newspaper learned that Mikdad had traveled to Moscow to convey Syria’s ‘conservations on a number of the points in Librahimi’s plan.” Moscow “prefers to wait until it hears the details of Librahimi plan from him” in personm. But SANA reports that the Russian FM reiterated Russia’s support to a peaceful solution in Syria and renewed Russia’s known position on Geneva statement, affirming that there is no change in the Russian stance on Syria. AP focuses on Librahimi’s call for the formation of a transitional government with “full executive powers” to run the country until new elections can be held.
The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces reminds the international community of its moral and humanitarian obligations, as this new massacre came just before the visit of the international envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi to Damascus, and amidst the talk about new initiatives. The massacre also came after the world’s powers knew of the regime’s use of Scud missiles and their failure to react towards such serious violations by taking any serious actions necessitated by international laws and humanitarian obligations.
The Russian foreign ministry said Lakhdar Brahimi will hold talks in Moscow on Saturday following consultations with President Bashar Assad’s regime in Damascus, at his request.
There is nothing so dangerous as a former superpower unaware of its own diminished role. What the Kremlin of Vladimir Putin today lacks in ideology, it more than makes up for in invidious posturing.
while Russia’s Putin reiterates Moscows differences with the EU over the situation in Syria, President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, calss for efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria
