Today, the Syrians are fighting a security-dominated and suppressive regime that resembles all fascist dictatorships. However, it cannot be labeled sectarian, as Maliki says, because Sunni and Christian pockets are fighting alongside Assad because they share the same interests or fears.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Gennady Gatilov, expressed his country’s support to holding a ‘Geneva 2’ meeting for solving the crisis in Syria to discuss specific implementation of Geneva Statement items.
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection Qadri Jamil, stressed that the political solution is the only and inevitable way out of the crisis in Syria.
Lavrov: I wish that the US would realize the need for doing everything to get the Geneva statement applied.
Israel is always interested in preoccupying its Arab neighbors in civil wars, and it is surely interested in dismantling Syria into small Kurdish, Alawite, Christian, Druze and Sunni mini-states. But isn’t Israel afraid of the presence of Al-Qaeda in a collapsed Syria?
The President of the Syrian coalition Mouaz al-Khatib said that Ambassador Robert Ford and King Abdullah II together with Iran and Russia want to break the Syrian people’s will.
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.
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.
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.
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.
