Yahoo: Assad predicts disaster if West meddles in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-ruins/100402/

Syria in Ruins

While much recent media attention has been focused on Hurricane Sandy and America's presidential election, Syria's horrific civil war continues. In some places, it has worsened. Aerial bombardment of civilian neighborhoods, deadly sniper fire, brutal street fighting, assassinations, and summary executions have become the norm in Syria. Cease-fire agreements have collapsed, rebel forces remain disorganized, foreign intervention is still hamstrung, and no path to peace appears to be forming yet.

Britain is now reportedly looking for options to circumvent an arms embargo in order to supply rebels with weaponry. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remains defiant, stating in an interview with Russia Today that he planned "live and die in Syria," adding, "I am tougher than Gaddafi." Collected here are images of this bloody conflict from just the past few weeks.

Maybe not the best statement for him to make....


http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/1...8A40X920121108

QATAR, TURKEY CHIDE OPPOSITION

Backed by Washington, the Doha talks underline Qatar's central role in the effort to end Assad's rule as the Gulf state, which funded the Libyan revolt to oust Muammar Gaddafi, tries to position itself as a player in a post-Assad Syria.

Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani urged the Syrian opposition to set its personal disputes aside and unite, according to a source inside the closed-door session.

"Come on, get a move on in order to win recognition from the international community," the source quoted him as saying.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu delivered a similar message, saying, according to the source: "We want one spokesman not many. We need efficient counterparts, it is time to unite."

An official text of a speech by Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Mohamed al-Attiyah showed he told the gathering: "The Syrian people awaits unity from you, not divisions ... Your agreement today will prove to the international community that there is a unity ... and this will reflect positively in the international community's stance towards your fair cause."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20250743

Red Cross says it cannot cope with Syria emergency

The Red Cross has said it "can't cope" with the worsening situation in Syria.

"The humanitarian situation is getting worse despite the scope of the operation increasing," said Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

http://turkeywonk.wordpress.com/2012...nato-patriots/

Turkey’s (NATO) Patriots

After months of bluster, and repeated threats to intervene in Syria, Turkey may be preparing to try and implement a no-fly-zone. The plan, as it has been reported, is to use Patriot to deter Syrian aircraft from entering airspace on or near the Turkish-Syrian border. The Patriot is an anti-balistic missile system designed to track and intercept long range missiles. The PAC-3 missile uses hit-to-kill technology – meaning that the missile’s warhead does not explode, but rather destroys the missile and its accompanying warhead (everyone hopes) – with kinetic energy. Patriot has a mixed track record in combat.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/08/wo...arebar_twitter

Turkey mulls defensive measures on Syrian border

Turkey is drawing up contingency plans with the NATO military alliance to fortify its border with Syria, and a Patriot missile deployment is one option on the table, Turkish officials say.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul told reporters Thursday that due to the ongoing civil war in Syria and its possible repercussions for NATO-member Turkey, every measure was being considered to counter the risks.

Discussions have been ongoing "within NATO... in terms of defensive measures" and many defensive scenarios are being looked at as a precaution, Gul said when asked whether Turkey was seeking to acquire Patriot missiles from NATO.

International and Turkish media reported Wednesday that the government planned to ask NATO to station Patriot missiles along the border with Syria, but the prime minister denied the report.

"We have not made such a request. Let me be clear, we are not thinking about or in a position to buy Patriots at this time," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters during a visit to Bali Wednesday. He seemed angry about the media reports, insisting that the foreign ministry official said to be the source for the information had no right to make such a statement.

Schools were closed in the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar Thursday as intense fighting raged in the area between loyalist Syrian forces and fighters from the rebel Free Syrian Army.

"We can hear the sounds of fighting. The town is very quiet today, not a lot of stores opened up," said Mehmet Saitavci, a neighborhood mayor from Ceylanpinar.

"People here have a lot of relatives on the other side and they are coming up to the border and the Turkish military takes them and brings them into Turkey. We were told we can have our relatives be our guests for a few days by the municipal mayor," said Saitavci, who also reported that two Turks were injured, but not seriously, due to stray gunfire.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8A70YD20121108

Syrian rebels kill prisoner as war fuels hatred

Unarmed and cornered by Syrian rebel fighters, the man seemed to accept his death with more silent sorrow than surprise; his killers did not hesitate as they shot their prisoner.

The incident, filmed by a Reuters video crew, happened last week in Harem, near Aleppo, where rebels have surrounded hundreds of troops and militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Taking one neighborhood after days of bitter street fighting, opposition fighters went from house to house.

From one building they hauled a man in middle age, dressed in casual clothes, black bearded and without a weapon. He seemed anxious and shied away as he stumbled into the street. Three rebels fighters casually raised their Kalashnikov rifles. A shot rang out, then another. A third. The man began to fall. Still silent. More shots. He lay still. A final round hit his head.

Brigade commander Basel Eissa did shout at his men but was unable to stop them. Leaders of the unit said the fighters were angry at taking casualties. They also justified their action by saying they later found documents showing the dead man was a loyalist army officer - though that would be no defense in a war crimes court.

"I try to remind them that there are moral reasons we do not just kill soldiers," Eissa said. "And beyond that, I tell them that strategically it is bad - we get help or information when we spare these men's lives. We are not their judge, God is."

Commanders are also aware that bad publicity could hamper rebel efforts to secure arms and funding from abroad that might allow them to better match the tanks, aircraft and artillery which Assad's forces are using against them to deadly effect - Eissa himself was killed in an air strike earlier this week.

https://twitter.com/farGar

7 killed after assad aerial strikes on Maaret al Nouman, including 5 from the same family. RIP. Idlib
10:23 AM

https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint

Riad Seif to AJ: An agreement in principle has been reached on forming a political entity w/ participation of SNC Naharnet
12:35 PM

FSA seizes a long-range missile battalion Al afteras reportedly in Damascus http://youtu.be/uGOG4ykSgug
1:01 PM

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8A71B420121108

In Syria, siege is test for new rebel order

As Assad's opponents and their Western, Arab and Turkish backers meet in Qatar this week seeking elusive unity, Harem shows rebel commanders struggling to forge a single, disciplined force which might ease foreign powers' fear that arms sent to shadowy groups may simply fuel carnage - or even be turned against their donors.

Whether the opposition can succeed, remains unclear. Its political leadership has appeared as divided as ever in Doha, frustrating the hopes of allies like U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is pushing for a united approach that gives a strong voice to those "in the front lines fighting and dying".

The fighting at Harem has shown rebels under the guidance of defectors from Assad's army like Abu Osama out-maneuvering better armed troops. But it also demonstrates the firepower, notably in the air, which Assad is deploying to defend his rule as the 19-month-old conflict, now all-out civil war, grinds on.

Abu Osama, a muscular artillery major who stands tall above his comrades in his tan army boots, joined the battle for Harem as a representative of the Joint Leadership of the Military Councils - a body whose own ultimate command structure is opaque but which says it aims to use funding and weaponry apparently mainly from Gulf states to take charge of the overall rebellion.

Imposing that leadership is not easy. The Councils have met skepticism from some rebels and are flatly rejected by others.

The bands of fighters, recruited from villages or city blocks, or by small political or religious groupings, have been left to their own devices so far; many suspect senior army defectors of corruption and trying to grab power for themselves.

But Harem, whose stone houses clustered under the fortress and surrounded by pomegranate groves are home to about 20,000 people, has provided the Councils and men like Abu Osama with a chance to show them what tactical leadership can provide.

https://twitter.com/Avend93

5 civilians wounded as a result of FSA-Assad army clashes in Sere Kaniye.
1:45 PM

leader in Ghurabaa Al-Sham "FSA" says that they have liberated Sere Kaniye and confirms to KNC that they will hand it over to Kurds.
1:50 PM

"Three FSA fighters have lost their lives in the operation" Stated Abu Sayyaf "Operation leader" to Welati. RIP
1:58 PM

At least 20 soldiers were killed, dozen more have been captured. RIH thx @Alexblx
2:10 PM

If Azadi, PDK and Yekiti united, Kurds will finally have a powerful opposition to face the PYD (not by clashes, representing ppl politically
2:50 PM

https://twitter.com/hhassan140

AJA correspondent in Doha cites a diplomat saying SNC meetings might be up to four days but the meetings will be decivise. Has to end here.
3:06 PM

https://twitter.com/AlexCrawfordSky

FSA takes the military security in Ra'as Al-Ain on the Turkish border as Pres Assad tells Russian tv he will 'live and die in Syria'
3:14 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have liberated the national hospital in abukamal city (the hospital was a military place for assad's troops)
2:35 PM

resistance fighters have repulsed an attack on al-rastan city. heavy clashes continue in the northern countryside
3:18 PM

assad's troops entered the town of al-mubarakiyah in homs countryside.
3:21 PM

assad's troops have entered al-tabqa city in al-raqqah. heavy clashes continue
3:24 PM

correction: resistance fighters liberated the military security compound in ras al-ain in al-hasakah. 10 assad thugs were killed
3:29 PM

[visionary]

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/60017

Assad Foes Near to Opposition Unity Deal

Syrians from a broad spectrum of opposition to President Bashar Assad seemed close Thursday to reaching agreement on a unified political structure that world powers will accept as credible and representative.

"We are moving towards agreement," said Burhan Ghalioun, former chief of the main opposition Syrian National Council hours after the meeting started.

Any agreement on unifying opposition ranks "could boost the uprising" as it will enable the opposition later to unite the different military groups battling regime troops, he added.

Prominent dissident Riad Seif, who had proposed a Western-backed initiative to unite the opposition and form a transitional government, shared the optimism.

"We are very optimistic" an agreement can be reached "tonight or tomorrow," Seif told reporters.

The opposition is moving towards creating "a political leadership that would satisfy the Syrians and be recognized by the international community," he said, adding that there were "big chances" the initiative would "succeed."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8A71LF20121108

Syria rebels take Turkish border town, Kurds alarmed

Free Syrian Army fighters captured a town on the Turkish border on Thursday in a push to seize control of frontier areas from President Bashar al-Assad's forces, a rebel commander and opposition sources said.

Ten people were killed in clashes as rebels took Ras al-Ain, an Arab and Kurd town in the northeastern oil-producing province of Hasaka, 600 km (375 miles) from Damascus, the sources said.

"The crossing is important because it opens another line to Turkey, where we can send the wounded and get supplies," said Khaled al-Walid, a commander in the Raqqa Rebel Division, based in a neighboring province.

Speaking by phone from Ras al-Ain, Walid said the rebels controlled a wide area along the Turkish border, 80 kms (50 miles) deep, including a road from the contested city of Aleppo to Hasaka.

In the last three months, the mainly Arab Sunni rebels have captured several outposts on the 800-km (500-mile) border, steadily moving toward the northeast, home to a large proportion of Syria's one-million-strong Kurdish minority.

At least one of the kurdish activists I follow actually seemed excited about it though.
(He's usually pretty critical of the FSA)


http://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/...ia-4022174.php

UN warns of escalating humanitarian need in Syria

The United Nations is warning that the number of people inside Syria needing humanitarian aid could rise sharply from 2.5 million now to 4 million by early next year if the civil war grinds on at its current deadly pace.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/wo...=tw-share&_r=0

Rebels’ Missteps Weaken Support Among Syrians

Syria’s rebel fighters — who have long staked claim to the moral high ground for battling dictatorship — are losing crucial support from a public increasingly disgusted by the actions of some rebels, including poorly planned missions, senseless destruction, criminal behavior and the coldblooded killing of prisoners.

The shift in mood presents more than just a public relations problem for the loosely knit militants of the Free Syrian Army, who rely on their supporters to survive the government’s superior firepower. A dampening of that support undermines the rebels’ ability to fight and win what has become a devastating war of attrition, perpetuating the violence that has left nearly 40,000 dead, hundreds of thousands in refugee camps and more than a million forced from their homes.

The rebel shortcomings have been compounded by changes in the opposition, from a force of civilians and defected soldiers who took up arms after the government used lethal force on peaceful protesters to one that is increasingly seeded with extremist jihadis. That radicalization has divided the fighters’ supporters and made Western nations more reluctant to give rebels the arms that might help break the intensifying deadlock. Instead, foreign leaders are struggling to find indirect ways to help oust Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad.

The most significant shift is among the rebels’ supporters, who chant slogans not only condemning the government but also criticizing the rebels.

“The people want the reform of the Free Syrian Army,” crowds have called out. “We love you. Correct your path.”

Small acts of petty humiliation and atrocities like executions have led many more Syrians to believe that some rebels are as depraved as the government they fight. The activist from Saraqib said he saw rebels force government soldiers from a milk factory, then destroy it, even though residents needed the milk and had good relations with the owner.

“They shelled the factory and stole everything,” the activist said. “Those are repulsive acts.”

http://news.sky.com/story/1009015/sy...r-bombs-in-war

Syria: Assad 'Employing Cluster Bombs' In War

Sky News has found overwhelming evidence that the Syrian regime is using cluster bombs against its own people in contravention of international laws.

It comes despite repeated denials by Bashar al Assad's government, which has insisted the regime does not even possess the weapons.

The claims had already been made by rebel activists who are denounced by the Assad regime as terrorists and were then backed up by Human Rights Watch.

But until now the accusations could not be independently verified and have been repeatedly written off as lies and propaganda by the Syrian government.

This week, the UN political affairs chief told the Security Council that there was "credible evidence" that the regime had used cluster bombs.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

ferocious clashes are going on right now in deirezzor. resistance fighters are trying to inter into the military security compound
5:48 PM

a bloody & fierce war is going on now in dayr ba`albah (60 street) neighborhood in homs city' loud explosions have rocked the city
5:53 PM

ansar al-haqq brigade says resistance fighters are attacking assad's troops in the security compound in deirezzor city.
5:58 PM

http://www.lccsyria.org/10472

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

LCC could document 123 martyrs on Thursday, 47 in Damascus and its suburbs, 18 in Idlib, 25 in Aleppo, 13 in Daraa, 8 in Deir Ezzor, 5 in Hama, 4 in Homs and 3 martyrs in Raqqa

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
37,962 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Mid...#axzz2BiCdDucx

Syria rebels to reorganise, lead from front: general

Syria's largest armed opposition group is undergoing a drastic reorganisation and relocating its leadership to rebel-held territory in a bid to win vital international support, a general told AFP.

Mustafa Sheikh heads the military council that presides over the Free Syrian Army (FSA) but which has been criticised for failing to bring order to an organisation some of whose members have been implicated in suspected war crimes.

Its units fighting to bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are poorly equipped and increasingly resentful of the international community -- particularly the West for refusing to provide it with heavy weapons and implement a no-fly zone.

But in an interview with AFP in northern Syria, Sheikh said that in the past 10 days, the FSA had started to restructure itself into five divisions -- north, south, east and west, and the coast -- and would elect new leaders.

"We are getting closer and closer to becoming organised, so that we can get to a stage that is accepted by the international community," he told AFP.

He said the FSA's priorities were organisation and securing heavier weapons than the Kalashnikovs and improvised rockets many units currently make do with.

https://twitter.com/GinnySacksMole

FSA Hamza Brigade leader Lt Ayoub has been injured in an FSA op, but will be recover cc @mamounjoma @Da3m_mubasher Rastan
2:59 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

heavy clashes are going on now near the town of mahmbel (idlib). resistance fighters are attacking a big military checkpoint
2:59 AM

https://twitter.com/Ugariti_Homsi

Aljazeera: Tens of civilians killed and wounded as the regime forces targeted a busy market in Alqouriya town in Deir Ez-Zor city.
3:07 AM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

2 Syrian generals, 11 colonels, 2 lt. colonels, 2 majors, 4 captains, 5 sergeants, dozens of soldiers defected to Turkey this morning.
3:16 AM

Total number of Syrian generals who defected to Turkey rises to 44.
3:17 AM

[visionary]

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/...lead.html#1637

1637 GMT: Syria. As I predicted yesterday while talking to Monocle 24, the Local Coordination Committees have resigned from the Syria National Council, and have posted the following statement on Facebook:

Several attempts have been made by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria to push the Syrian National Council and its leadership to adopt a serious and effective general reform plan so that the SNC can assume its role as a political representative of the great people of Syria. It is clear to us now that the Syrian National Council is not fit to assume such role, especially after the disappointing results its restructure attempts.

Therefore, the Local Coordination Committees hereby declares its withdrawal from the Syrian National Council.

This is a major blow to efforts to reorganize the Syrian opposition leadership into a group that better represents the people in Syria. The LCC is one of the few organizations that has large representation inside the country, and its resignation is a clear sign that the SNC is falling apart.

This is not unanticipated, however. The LCC has tried to play hardball with the SNC before, and after months of trying it has decided that the group is beyond saving.

The question is whether the Syrian National Initiative will reform with less representation from the SNC and more from other groups, including the LCC. Right now, it appears that the inclusion of the SNC in the new group has derailed any serious attempt to for an alternative to the failed leadership group.

Things were looking much more promising last night.



https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam

The withdrawal of LCC from SNC is setback but not surprising.
11:29 AM

SNC cannot exist without internal support. Withdrawal of LCC today, leaves no option but create a new cohesive body.
11:32 AM

https://twitter.com/farGar

We will never kneel -- Kafranbel's response to Assad's bombardment of Kafranbel earlier this week Idlib pic.twitter.com/8NIIcs5s
11:46 AM

https://twitter.com/KareemLailah

Sooner or later, it will become a complete chaos in the Kurdish area due to conflicts of Kurdish council, FSA & PYD.
11:48 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed 2 military tanks & killed & arrested +35 assad troops in al-qunaytirah (south syria)
10:15 AM

resistance fighters have forced assad's troops to leave the farms in darayya
10:19 AM

resistance fighters have forced assad's troops to leave al-liwan area in kafr soseh (damascus)
10:26 AM

ansar al-islam brigade in damascus & its countryside denounces the syrian national council
11:17 AM

just in: resistance fighters attacked the military base in jab`adeen (north of damascus). many assad troops were killed & injured
12:00 PM

https://twitter.com/Avend93

Some of TCK activists tried to put the Kurdish flag over Assad security center in SerêKaniyê, but FSA didn't allow them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtFRk...&feature=share
11:32 AM

it is somehow [surprising], they showed a good Intention at the beginning and promised to hand it over to Kurds.
12:16 PM

The thing that you still didn't get is, FSA left the majority of Kurdish neighborhood and only controls on non-Kurdish ones. But of course they didn't apply everything they promised but also applied some.
1:02 PM

And it's good to mention that because of them, Assad security has been collapsed in the town and a high-ranking officer has been killed.
1:03 PM

And the Kurdish flag has been raised on the top of majority centers besides the Syrian Independence ones.
1:07 PM

https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian

FSA s destroyed Assad's T72 tank in Khan-al'sal area at Aleppo borders.
12:24 PM

https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

As for refugees, in last 24 hrs alone, 9000 Syrians fled to Turkey.
12:36 PM

[visionary]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-w...1109/ml-syria/

Up to 11,000 people flee Syria in 24-hour period

As many as 11,000 people fled Syria in 24 hours, some of them desperately clambering through a razor-wire fence into Turkey on Friday to escape fierce fighting between rebels and government forces for control of a border town.

The exodus is a sign of the escalating ferocity of the violence, which has killed more than 36,000 people since March 2011. Despite the bloodshed, embattled President Bashar Assad insisted there was no civil war in Syria, saying in a rare TV appearance that he was protecting Syrians against "terrorism" supported from abroad.

The flood of Syrians into neighboring Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon was "the highest that we have had in quite some time," said Panos Moumtzis, the U.N. refugee agency's regional coordinator for the region.

About 2,000 to 3,000 people are fleeing Syria daily, and the recent surge brings the number registered with the agency to more than 408,000, he said.

https://twitter.com/AJELive

Opposition Syrian National Council meeting in Qatar elects George Sabra as new leader. More soon...
2:28 PM

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/midd...sabras-victory

How surprise gesture secured Sabra's victory

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/...lead.html#2124

2117 GMT: Syria. The Carnegie Endowment provides this bio of George Sabra, "A leftist, pro-Arab, secular opposition figure," who was just named head of the foundering SNC:


Sabra was a co-founder of the Damascus Declaration opposition coalition in 2005, and in the same year, the Syrian Communist Party (Political Bureau) changed its name to the Syrian Democratic People’s Party. He remained in Syria after the uprising began in March 2011 and was imprisoned in July for two months on charges of inciting dissent. In October he went into exile in order to escape rearrest and joined the Syrian National Council as the representative of the Democratic People’s Party. Sabra presented himself as a candidate when the term of Syrian National Council chairman Burhan Ghalioun ended in May 2012, but he lost the nomination to Abdul Basit Sida.

https://twitter.com/fergalkeane47

see George Sabra star on the rise again.Senior MB fig told me months ago they could work well with Sabra.
2:37 PM

but can Sabra unify where others have failed? Short answer no.The division is so much deeper than leadership.
2:39 PM

The SNC has proved skillful in only one respect - its own survival, or rather that of its constituent controlling parts.
2:41 PM

https://twitter.com/BSyria

I like George Sabra, but the SNC is still dysfunctional till we see proof of the opposite.
2:47 PM

https://twitter.com/tweets4peace

George Sabra is an amazing man. But this new move will truly damage who he is to many, it's a pathetic move made by MB who run SNC.
3:54 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

I agree that the SNC efforts have been sub-par. But you need a political representative.
2:36 PM

Riad Saif is being backed by the US...HE'S the one im worried about...and many of the SNC members are legit activists too.
3:05 PM

Ahmad Ramadan's brother was martyred a few months back delivering food to people in Homs. I know people in the SNC personally and they are legit activists.
3:05 PM

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

Number of martyrs today has risen to 126 including 9 children and 6 women; 33 martyrs were reported in Deir Ezzor" most of them were martyred in the Qoriah massacre" ;33 in Damascus and it's suburbs; 18 in Aleppo; 11 in Idlib; 10 in Hama; 9 in Homs; 8 in Daraa; 2 in Raqqa 1 in Hasakeh; and 1 in Qunaitera

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...icc-prosecutor

NATO has "good case" to arrest Assad in Syria: ex-ICC prosecutor

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the International Criminal Court's former prosecutor, said Friday that world leaders had a "good case" for asking NATO to prepare a warrant to arrest Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Moreno-Ocampo, an Argentine lawyer who was the ICC's first prosecutor, said given "it was absolutely clear" that as Syria's commander-in-chief Assad's forces had killed civilians, NATO could execute such a warrant.

He told Canadian broadcaster CBC such a warrant, carried out by both international and Syrian forces, was "one possible solution to the problem" of Assad, but the world community must first reach a consensus on Syria.

"We can have a new, more innovative approach, combining justice and a real effort to implement the warrant and then (have) negotiations at the same time," Moreno-Ocampo told CBC, as long as Assad had the presumption of innocence.

Such a move would force Assad to negotiate, the former judge said, and possibly achieve a breakthrough in the near 20-month uprising, but he noted that the shadow of "regime change" hung over world leaders, noting that the protection of civilians was the official reason for NATO intervention in Libya.

In the end, however, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from power following international military action.

Moreno-Ocampo, who left the ICC earlier this year, said he was not in favour of military action in Syria, saying it "was not a good idea".

It's a nice idea, but I think this kind of method rarely accomplishes anything.
Perhaps something to keep in mind though.



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...sj_share_tweet

Jordan Said to Help Arm Syria Rebels

Jordan has stepped up its support for neighboring Syria's political and military opposition, including allowing some light arms to flow across the border, according to Syrian rebels and an Arab official familiar with the operation.

Several shipments of arms—including assault rifles, Russian-designed antitank missiles and ammunition—have been delivered to the border in Jordanian military trucks and then taken into Syria by rebel brigades, according to Syrian rebel fighters. Dozens of other shipments have been smuggled to Syria with the covert support of Jordanian border officials, these people say. Saudi Arabia and Qatar pay for these arms and transport them to Jordan, say rebel fighters based along the Syria-Jordan border and a person involved in arms procurement for the rebels.

"They [Jordanian officials] have received guarantees for economic aid and security aid—that there will be decisive Arab action to back Jordan up if Syria seriously threatens its security or retaliates in some way," said a person involved in negotiations with regional countries on the supply of arms to Syrian rebels.

The Syrian groups receiving arms from the Jordanian border are now connected to the military councils that have been vetted by Washington and others, say people involved in the transaction.

Some of the light weapons said to be entering Syria through Jordan are destined for the southern Syrian border town of Dera'a, where the popular uprising kicked off last year. Most of the arms, though, were pushed north to the suburbs of Damascus, 60 miles north, in possible preparation for a push on the capital, according to rebel leaders.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/...-city-17685554

Twin Explosions Strike Southern Syrian City

Syria's state-run news agency says two large explosions have struck the southern city of Daraa, causing multiple casualties and heavy material damage.

SANA did not immediately give further information or say what the target of Saturday's explosions was.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the blasts went off near a branch of the country's Military Intelligence in Daraa.

The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, says the explosions were followed by clashes between regime forces and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters liberated & prayed in al-zubair ibn al-awwam mosque in al-tadamon neighborhood in damascus city
6:46 PM

resistance fighters have liberated the town of tal tamer in al-hasakah
6:55 PM

resistance fighters have liberated a 15 miles long area near the turkish border (west of ras al-ain)
7:00 PM

resistance fighters have liberated the town of tal dhiyab (al-asdiyah) in al-hasakah
7:02 PM

That'll either make the Kurds really happy, really upset, or both.


https://twitter.com/omarsyria

Egypt FM: There are 150k Syrian refugees here, Morsi has ordered that they be treated like Egyptians and get free healthcare and education.
4:47 AM

http://www.lccsyria.org/10476

Local Coordination Committees in Syria:

By the end of Friday the number of martyrs documented was 136[0] including 11 children and 7 women; 33 in Damascus and its suburbs; 33 martyrs were reported in Deir Ezzor” most of them were martyred in the Qoriah massacre”; 19 in Aleppo; 12 in Idlib; 10 in Hama; 10 in Homs; 9 in Daraa; 2 in Raqqa 1 in Hasakeh; and 1 in Qunaitera

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
38,092 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-w...ia-opposition/

AP Interview: Syria opposition blames West

The newly elected leader of Syria's main opposition bloc in exile struck a combative tone Saturday, saying international inaction rather than divisions among anti-regime groups are to blame for the inability to end the bloodshed in Syria.

George Sabra, the new head of the Syrian National Council, told The Associated Press in an interview that the international community should support those trying to topple President Bashar Assad without strings attached, rather than linking aid to an overhaul of the opposition leadership.

Sabra, a Christian and a veteran left-wing dissident who was repeatedly imprisoned by the regime, said he and others in the opposition feel let down by their Western and Arab allies.

The Syrian opposition may have many foreign friends, he said, "but unfortunately we get nothing from them, except some statements, some encouragement." The regime "has few friends, but these friends give the regime everything," he added, referring to Assad allies Russia, China and Iran.

Sabra said that the West is unfairly trying to shift blame to the opposition for the violent deadlock in the Syria conflict, which activists say has claimed more than 36,000 lives.

"We see that the obstacle in finding a positive solution for the Syrian people and protecting the Syrian people is not the (lack of) unity of the opposition, but the inability of the international community" to take decisive action, he told reporters. Assad's allies have shielded him repeatedly from harsher U.N. Security Council measures.

In the AP interview, Sabra acknowledged that some of the criticism of the SNC was justified but said that this should not serve as an excuse to hold up international aid.

"Let's say, we have our responsibility, no doubt about that, and we will carry this responsibility, but we need from the international community to carry their responsibility also," he said.

I think more is being done now on some of those fronts.
It's gone awfully slow and took a while to start and I wouldn't say I'm comfortable with the current situation, but it does seem as if at least some nations (US included) are trying to do more to help.



http://www.smh.com.au/world/syrian-e...110-294yw.html

Syrian exodus swells to 20,000 in one day

IN THE largest exodus of refugees for months, as many as 20,000 Syrians have fled their war-torn country in just 24 hours, as the humanitarian crisis caused by the 20-month-long conflict worsened.

The United Nations refugee agency reported the surge of refugees, which means that there are now more than 408,000 Syrian refugees living in neighbouring countries.

Syrian government troops and rebel fighters are engaged in fierce fighting near the Turkish border, prompting more civilians to flee into Turkey, activists say. Heavy shelling and air raids have been reported in Maaret al-Numan and other rebel-held areas.

''Some 20,000 have fled areas near the Syrian-Turkish border in the past 24 hours,'' said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Ah, so apparently it was the Kurds themselves that liberated those towns last night...at least according to this:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...ccdc1aebfc.191

Kurds 'seize two towns in Syria's northeast'

The Kurds took control of the towns of Derbassiye and Tall Tamr late on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

They were backed by militia from the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which has links with Turkey's rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), it said.

The residents and militiamen surrounded government and security offices in both towns and convinced pro-government forces to abandon their posts, said the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of activists and residents on the ground.

It said the residents had feared the same kind of violence that saw 9,000 Syrians flee to Turkey in 24 hours in the face of the fighting in Ras al-Ain.

Derbassiye, northeast of Ras al-Ain, sits on the border with Turkey and is home to a small border crossing.

Tall Tamr is located at a strategic crossroads. The road from provincial capital Hasakeh to Ras al-Ain meets the region's main east-west highway at the town.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

i'm still waiting for a report about the 3 huge explosions that happened near #assad's brigade & security building in daraa city
4:21 AM

update: 10s of assad troops & thugs were killed in daraa city (officers' club)
4:29 AM

it seems that the guys who blew up al-sikka checkpoint 2 weeks ago were behind today's explosions in daraa city
4:30 AM

update: heavy clashes are going on now in daraa city. assad's troops have imposed a curfew. military checkpoints were closed
4:38 AM

assad's troops in security station 22 (near tal shihab) have defected
4:40 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

an activist has told me that assad's thugs have killed & burned 5 young men in darayya
6:21 AM

resistance fighters are now in 9 neighborhoods in damascus city
7:06 AM

resistance fighters are a few meters away from the artillery brigade in al-mayadin. hope to hear pleasant news tomorrow
7:15 AM

i get mad when i see syrian kids holding cluster bombs!! for god's sake, don't those guys with mobile phones use their minds???
7:22 AM

assad's troops have entered the town of inkhil in daraa
8:18 AM

[Kostaskins]

Ah, so apparently it was the Kurds themselves that liberated those towns last night...at least according to this:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...ccdc1aebfc.191
Kurds 'seize two towns in Syria's northeast'

The Kurds took control of the towns of Derbassiye and Tall Tamr late on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

They were backed by militia from the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which has links with Turkey's rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), it said.

The residents and militiamen surrounded government and security offices in both towns and convinced pro-government forces to abandon their posts, said the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of activists and residents on the ground.

It said the residents had feared the same kind of violence that saw 9,000 Syrians flee to Turkey in 24 hours in the face of the fighting in Ras al-Ain.

Derbassiye, northeast of Ras al-Ain, sits on the border with Turkey and is home to a small border crossing.

Tall Tamr is located at a strategic crossroads. The road from provincial capital Hasakeh to Ras al-Ain meets the region's main east-west highway at the town.

But wait are the Kurds not a terrorist group??? Of course so we allow sadam to gas them, then we allow turkie to murder them now they are seen helping hahah the media is so biased!!

And turkie should focus on Cyprus and get the f out of there!!!! No other country does the minority population has the majority of the rights!!!! Murders! Rapists! Racists! Out of Cyprus!

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20278895

Syria: Deraa bombings 'kill soldiers'

At least 20 soldiers have been killed in twin explosions in the southern Syrian city of Deraa, activists report.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two cars packed with explosives were detonated at a military camp, killing and wounding "dozens".

Syrian state media said the two car bombs resulted in "victims and material damage", but did not give details.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings in Deraa, but car bombs targeting the military have been a regular tactic of the various rebel groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad's army.

In the past, Islamist groups have claimed responsibility for similar attacks, as fighting across the country has continued.

An activist in Deraa who gave his name as Mazn told the BBC the explosions appeared to have been targeted attacks, aimed at army and secret police in an area away from civilian homes.

New SNC leader George Sabra is cool on plans to merge with other opposition groups
"Two places in particular were targeted. One was a club for army and secret police," he said.

"There have been clashes since the explosions and there are a lot of secret police on the streets and snipers on buildings."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20285898#

Syria opposition: Groups seek consensus at Qatar talks

Syrian opposition groups are set to resume talks in Qatar to try to form a united body in the fight against President Bashar al-Assad.

Delegates were quoted as saying that main points had already been agreed.

The fractious opposition has been under pressure from the US and other backers in the region to clinch a deal.

However, the Syrian National Council - which is based outside the country - is concerned it may be sidelined by the new opposition body.

The proposed unified group, tentatively called the Syrian National Initiative, is intended to merge disparate military and political groups to form a credible alternative to Mr Assad's government.

The talks in Qatar's capital Doha continued into the early hours of Sunday.

"We have agreed on the main points of the formation of a Syrian national coalition or the forces of the opposition and revolution," opposition member Suhair Attassi told the AFP news agency.

"We will continue our discussions on the details on Sunday," he added.

Meanwhile, leading dissident Riad Saif was quoted as saying that there was a 90% chance of clinching a deal.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/...#axzz2BtKLGpTW

The Lebanese model may work for Syria

Syria is in the midst of a civil war. As the predominantly Alawite regime attempts to defend its waning power against an increasingly successful, mainly Sunni, insurgency, the struggle has degenerated into a bloodbath. Murder, torture, rape and destruction have become wanton. Pro-government militias stand accused of crimes against humanity. The regime is tearing Syria apart to save itself.

This situation has led to a mighty geopolitical tug of war, constraining the ability of the international community to end the killing. No one seems able to articulate a credible vision of what an acceptable settlement should look like. The plan of Kofi Annan, the United Nations-Arab League envoy on Syria, has been dismissed by the insurgents and has been undermined by the regime. Talk of partition, genocide and religious radicalization in Syria fills the airwaves.

The Lebanese political system has been maligned in Lebanon and abroad. Yet its formula was designed to consolidate a democratic form of government that protects the rights of religious and ethnic communities by ensuring they hold a share of power in a system of confessional checks and balances. This would preserve the freedom of communities and of individuals. That our system has been deficient in delivering stability owes more to the interference of Syria over the decades than to any substantial flaw in the system’s conception.

This solution dovetails with the publicly expressed fears of the religious minorities in Syria. But it can work just as well for ethnic minorities. It also converges with the stated positions of most Syrian insurgent factions, who hold that they want a free, open and democratic Syria where citizens are equal under the law.

It is up to the Lebanese to champion this model. And who is better placed to do so than Lebanon’s president? He could draw on the influence of leaders on both sides of the Lebanese political and confessional spectrum with influence in Syria. Once traction is gained, regional players could become involved in an attempt to bridge the destructive Syrian geopolitical divide.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have captured +55 assad's thugs in damascus city
11:58 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a bmp vehicle in bab tadmur in homs city
12:15 PM

resistance fighters say they shot down a warplane in deirezzor
12:52 PM

resistance fighters say they destroyed 5 military tanks today in al-amiriyah neighborhood in aleppo city
12:55 PM

resistance fighters have destroyed 2 bmp vehicles in the western countryside of al-raqqah
1:54 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters attacked military checkpoints & killed assad troops in idlib city. heavy clashes continue
2:03 PM

ferocious clashes have been going on for a couple of hours near aleppo international airport
3:41 PM

update: resistance fighters destroyed a military tank & 4 military cars in the town of dibsi afnan (al-raqqa countryside)
3:59 PM

resistance fighters have entered al-tabqa city (al-raqqah). bloody clashes are going on right now
4:55 PM

https://twitter.com/tweets4peace

Dads back from Syria showing me pictures on phone of many kids who died as he operated on their horrific injuries..many tears in his eyes
7:28 PM

https://twitter.com/Karybdamoid

Map of the strategic layout of control in Syria's civil war, as of Nov 10, 2012. Includes descriptive text http://twitpic.com/bc6rce
10:28 PM

https://twitter.com/NickKristof

I'm heading in to Syria now. What topics should I focus on? What should I ask Syrians? And stay tuned.
12:17 AM

https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2

Ehud Barak: Israel will respond should stray Syrian ordenance continue to strike the occupied Golan Heights
2:50 AM

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

By the end of Satuarday the LCC managed to document 107 martyrs, including 5 children and 3 women: 47 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs; 14 in Raqqa; 10 in Daraa; 10 in Aleppo; 9 in Idlib; 8 in Deir Ezzor; 7 in Homs; and 2 in Hama
6:09 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
38,199 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

And Israel does what they said they would. I didn't think it'd happen so soon though.


http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2...-across-border

Israel joins Syria conflict, fires missile across border

The Israeli military has fired a missile into Syria, the first time Israel has been drawn into the fighting in the neighboring country.

The military said it fired the missile as a warning shot on Sunday after a stray mortar from Syria hit a military post in the Golan Heights. Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and subsequently annexed it.

The military says no damage or injuries were reported inside Israel.

It came as Syrian opposition groups, meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, signed an initial agreement to form a new coalition of forces fighting to end the rule of President Bashar Assad.

"An initial deal has been signed. The evening session will be for electing the president of the body and his deputy," Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, a Muslim Brotherhood delegate, told reporters in Doha

The new body, made up of groups inside and outside Syria, would be called the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, delegates said.

The group's leader, once chosen, will automatically become the focal point for opposition activities.

U.S. diplomats and officials from Qatar, which has bankrolled opposition to Assad and played a major role in Arab diplomacy against him, have prodded the players over the past week to come to an arrangement.

The parties were close to a deal in the early hours of Sunday after Qatari and United Arab Emirates officials pressed them to agree, but it appeared to fall through when the meeting broke up at 3 a.m.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middle...432481597.html

Syria opposition agrees to united coalition

Syrian opposition groups meeting in the Qatari capital have signed an initial agreement to form a united group called the Syrian National Coalition.

Details of the agreement are still being negotiated; a delegate at the talks told reporters they would discuss specifics at meetings on Sunday night.

"An initial deal has been signed. The evening session will be for electing the president of the body and his deputy," Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, a Muslim Brotherhood delegate at the talks, told reporters.

The Syrian National Council - once seen as the leading representative of the opposition but now seen in the West as dominated by out-of-touch exiles - had come under increasing pressure to accept a unity plan.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Doha where the opposition groups were meeting, said on Sunday that the new coalition was crucial because it is expected to go forward to set up the new transitional institutions and how to move forward to topple the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

They are trying to work out the final details of the agreement, which is how many seats are to be given to the main opposition parties, our correspondent said.

"We have started an open dialogue with our brothers and looked at their initiative," the SNC's new leader George Sabra said earlier in Doha before the coalition formation announcement.

"But we have our own point of view and our own ideas that we plan to put forward."

Hamaecho who has been quiet since deciding to work on the ground with the rebels in Hama, pokes his head back up to write a brief article.
Most likely this was written before the latest news from Doha came out.
Good to see him still alive and kicking though.
http://hamaecho.wordpress.com/2012/1...apons-finally/

Weapons, finally!

Since some days ago, the southern and northern fronts have been receiving weapons shipments of RPG-29, FAL rifle, AUG rifle, SPG-9 recoilless rifle and ammunitions along with other items, there is also some assistance since a few months ago (don’t know the details) from France to certain groups in order to secure defections as people like Riyad Hijab, Manaf Tlass and the leader of the newly organised rebel army, Major General Mohamad al-Haj have defected through the Jordanian border.

Meanwhile, Abdulrazzaq Tlass and friends have attempted to start a vague Islamist “unification” group in Turkey (even copying the five fronts idea). I still like him, but it is obvious he is only trying to repent and gain back control after he was removed from the Farouk brigade for lying about having “cyber sex” with several women. This group is not one of the groups that will receive weapons shipments, though it will receive funding from some individuals. They will probably look like this after a few weeks when the money runs out:

http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetai...?newsId=297893

Davutoğlu makes unscheduled stopover in Doha for Syrian opposition

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was to pay an unscheduled visit to Qatar's capital of Doha on Sunday evening to hold the final talks for the reorganization of Syrian opposition groups

Speaking at a press conference in Bursa, the foreign minister said that he would pay a visit to Doha as a final stage has been reached with positive developments in the meeting of the Syrian opposition in Qatar.

Recalling that he attended the meeting of the Syrian opposition in Qatar on Thursday, he said that the meeting was of great importance with regard to restructuring the opposition. Davutoğlu stated that he had phone conversations with Qatar's Prime Minister Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani late Saturday, adding he had exchanged views with Thani concerning the meeting of the Syrian opposition held in Qatar.

He also noted that preparations for the final stage would be completed on Sunday evening.

“There were some problems that needed to be overcome. As Turkey, we contributed to the resolution of these problems both in the meeting in Doha as well as from here. Currently, the meeting in Doha has come to the final stage with positive developments. Around 9 p.m., the last preparation will be finished in Qatar. In other words, the restructuring process will be completed, “said Davutoğlu.

Davutoğlu called for greater international support for the Syrian opposition in Qatar on Thursday in a landmark meeting of Syria's fractious opposition to hammer out an agreement on a new umbrella body uniting opposition groups inside and outside Syria amid growing international pressure to put their house in order and prepare for a post-Assad transition.

https://twitter.com/dickinsonbeth

Qatar works its negotiation magic (persuasion, brinkmanship, 5-star hotels), gets Syria opposition deal.
9:40 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

yesterday: resistance fighters destroyed al-busayri (or al-busairi) military checkpoint in palmyra. some troops were arrested
6:32 AM

resistance fighters have destroyed a military tank in the town of kafr naha (aleppo countryside)
7:22 AM

this is the military base (al-ghutah al-sharqiyah) that the resistance fighters liberated yesterday http://youtu.be/bpJsuca0G2s
8:33 AM

7 troops have defected in khan al-asal (aleppo countryside)
10:03 AM

https://twitter.com/dalalmawad

The new syria opposition coalition is now electing its leaders, Riad Seif is most likely to be elected, VPs will b one minority one SNC
10:41 AM

The opposition coalition will have a Secretary General whom I'm told will have an important role, name suggested is a businessman
10:43 AM

Press conference expected later tonight for new Syrian opposition coalition
10:44 AM

Syria opposition coalition expects international recognition and guarantees of support to start coming tonight
10:55 AM

Abdul Baset Sieda former SNC leader says they will ask for support from Arab league at its meeting in Cairo tomorrow
10:56 AM

[visionary]

http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetai...?newsId=297875

Turkey approves military deal with Qatar, Saudi Arabia amid Syria conflict

http://news.sky.com/story/1010005/fe...nario-in-syria

Fears Over Israel's 'Nightmare Scenario' In Syria

http://www.sci-tech-today.com/news/A...d=023002A6ZO5E

Archaeologists Explore Site on Syria-Turkey Border

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ck-regime.html

Syrian rebels using barrel bombs to attack regime

Home-made and stuffed with TNT and shrapnel, they are dropped from regime jets and helicopters instead of conventional missiles, killing both rebel fighters and civilians on the ground.

But regime forces also now have reason to fear barrel bombs.

After suffering heavy losses in a failed attack on the approaches to Aleppo's biggest military base, the rebels rolled the barrel bombs through sewers until they were underneath the main guard post at the base in Karem Jabal district.

A total of 11 barrel bombs were assembled and detonated leaving behind an enormous hole in the ground.

"The regime was here yesterday," said Wassim, a rebel fighter standing guard over it. "Now we are here.

"Many regime troops died here," said the rebel marksman known across the city only as Sniper Moscow, an officer with the squad. The rebels mopped up, with no losses.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8MB13U20121111

Delegates said privately that Riad Seif, an influential businessman and SNC member who first presented the U.S.-backed unity initiative had been a possible candidate to head the body. But he has said he is unwell and not interested in the post.

Under the agreement outlined in Doha, the SNC will be among groups to have seats in an assembly of 55 to 60 members under a president, two deputies and a secretary general, all of whom may be elected later on Sunday. People close to Seif said the SNC will have 14 seats but SNC sources said their group expected 20.

SNC member Wael Merza said a number of consensus candidates were already likely to gain seats. These included leftist Haytham al-Maleh, the Muslim Brotherhood's Bayanouni, independent Islamists Munzer al-Khatib and AbdulKareem Bakkar and a noted opposition activist, Suhair al-Atassi.

Merza said the Kurdish National Council and a prominent Alawite, Munzer Makhous, would have places on the assembly, as would local representatives of Syria's 14 provinces.

"We are open to all the real opposition powers that have weight, influence and the same aims as the Coalition to bring down the regime and establish a democratic Syria," Merza told Reuters. "It is not a closed club."

The Arab League is expected to allow the group to take over Syria's representation on that inter-governmental body - from which Assad was suspended. Efforts to win wider international recognition, including at the United Nations, could follow.

The SNC had sought guarantees that such international recognition should come first before agreeing to form the new coalition. Its new leader, Sabra, had said on Saturday that foreign powers should focus on providing arms to rebels rather than prodding the SNC to submerge itself in a new organisation.

Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador for Syria, told SNC members bluntly last week that they should forget dreams of U.S. military intervention in President Barack Obama's second term.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-suggests.html

Britain could intervene militarily in Syria in months, UK's top general suggests

Gen Sir David Richards said there were contingency plans in place for a “very limited” response in the case of a worsening humanitarian situation in Syria.

The admission is the most serious warning yet that Britain is preparing for some sort of military involvement in Syria. In the past week, British policy has moved from admitting that it wanted to help organise the disparate rebel groups to discussing full blown military intervention.

It comes on the eve of a meeting of the National Security Council this week which will be devoted to the Syrian civil war.

In an interview on the Andrew Marr programme on BBC1, General Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff, suggested that Britain could intervene militarily this winter when desert temperatures plummet and lives are put at risk.

He said it would be a "huge effort", adding: “The humanitarian situation this winter I think will deteriorate and that may well provoke calls to intervene in a limited way.

Cabinet Office officials are examining a European Union trade embargo banning arms sales to Syria to see if weapons can be supplied to weapons for humanitarian reasons, although the Government will always respect international law.

Other options include whether 'safe havens' can be established in Syria to offer protection from civilians from the fighting, however enforcing a no-fly zone over Syria is not seen as an option by Downing Street at present.

Speaking during his visit to the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, Mr Cameron said he wanted to discuss with President Obama how to end the bloodshed in Syria.

He said: “We have got to do more to help this part of the world, to help Syria achieve transition… I think it’s really important to discuss what more we can do to help resolve the situation in Syria.”

https://twitter.com/dalalmawad

Syria opposition coalition will ask international recognition as the sole legitimate representative of Syrian people
11:11 AM

syrian national coalition will be open for other opposition groups to join
11:35 AM

Syria opposition coalition now electing new president
12:05 PM

Syria opposition coalition to elect 3 Vice Presidents including a woman
12:13 PM

president of Syrian national coalition been decided stay tuned for official announcement-potential president no longer riad Seif
12:31 PM

https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2

Sectarian tension moves to Sidon,bodyguard of well known sunni sheikh killed, Hizbullah official wounded Lebanon http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/6...sidon-gunfight …
11:37 AM

Local media reports big army deployment and renewed clashes in Sidon, AFP says 2 dead and 7 wounded
11:58 AM

Clashes in Sidon are a new chapter in the sectarian struggle that is heightening the war in Syria
12:19 PM

PM Najib Miqati called an emergency meeting with Interior Minister and military to discuss situation in Sidon
12:24 PM

Clashes around Ain el Hilwe refugee camp,1 Assir follower just told me that 2 supporters of the sheikh died in the fighting Sidon
12:33 PM

https://twitter.com/dalalmawad

We are told (not official yet) that the sheikh of the omayyad mosque in Damascus #Syria Moad Al Khatib is the president of the new opp
12:51 PM

Press waiting room before election result of the president of the new syrian opposition coalition pic.twitter.com/xHaJ04zP
12:56 PM

New president of Syrian national coalition is Sheikh Moaz al Khatib respected religious scholar and local figure in damascus
1:46 PM

https://twitter.com/THE_47th

CONFIRMED | SHEIKH MUAZ KHATIB WON THE PRESIDENCY OF THE NATIONAL OPPOSITION COALITION.
1:48 PM

Makes me uneasy. I'm sure he's a good guy, but a religious leader as government head can be problematic, especially with the different sects in Syria.



https://twitter.com/DSyrer

Let the haters hate, but I like Mu'az al-Khatib. +1 from me.
1:48 PM

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters (al-ababil brigade) say they destroyed 6 tanks & an armored vehicle today near the town of mahmbel (idlib)
1:55 PM

resistance fighters confirm that they shot the infamous pro-assad journalist sharif shihadah, & killed 2 others
2:05 PM

the infamous pro-assad journalist sharif shihadah is in the university hospital in damascus
2:06 PM

many assad troops, including 3 officers, have surrendered near the town of ras al-ain in al-hasakah. heavy clashes continue
2:17 PM

https://twitter.com/dalalmawad

Two Vice Presidents elected Suheir el Atassi a woman and Riad Seif Syria opposition , the third VP left unelected for the Kurds
2:12 PM

Vote counting syrian national coalition election results #syria pic.twitter.com/BY1a2dmf
2:11 PM

Secretary General of Syria national coalition is most likely Mostafa Sabbagh a businessman from Latakia he has the largest number of votes
2:15 PM

Official : president is Moaz al Khatib (54 votes) VP is Riad Seif and mrs Suheir Atassi and Secretary General is Mostafa Sabbagh
2:27 PM

https://twitter.com/BSyria

Moaz Al-Khateeb becoming head of the initiative has several pluses and minuses. Riad Saif is a safer choice.
1:31 PM

But, Riad Saif is ill. We can't ignore that. He has cancer and has himself said he is too ill for a leadership position.
1:41 PM

One thing that is clear now: All the opposition leaders are now non-exiles. This is definitely a positive move.
2:14 PM

Sabra, Khatib, Saif, and Attasi were in Syria when the revolution started.
2:15 PM

Khatib speaks the language of the people. He can have sway over large sections of the fsa.
2:40 PM

https://twitter.com/Salman_Shaikh1

Moaz Al-Khattib is a good man & a good choice for new SNC. A true Syrian national figure. An independent religious figure.
2:09 PM

With election of Moaz Al-Khattib as leader of new SyrianNationalCoalition, old #SNC is history. MB have no choice but to support new body
2:23 PM

https://twitter.com/hhassan140

Muaz/Muadh Al Khatib, a former speaker at the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus, heads the new national coalition.
2:03 PM

I'm usually suspicious of clerics but Muaz Khatib is a very moderate figure, and might be helpful in the coming period.
2:05 PM

It's interesting how popular Muaz Khatib is, everyone speaks well of him. Let's hope he has a strong personality, he does look like it.
2:06 PM

This is quite comprehensive an interview with Muaz Khatib, shows his moderation & commitment to coexistence http://goo.gl/EsYE6
2:09 PM

Suhair Attasi a vice president along with Riad Saif. Today's news are great, let's hope these steps will be followed by more.
2:22 PM

https://twitter.com/dalalmawad

Agreement between opposition groups now officially signed Qatar prime minister now talking
3:14 PM

qatar prime minister congrats Syria opposition on their agreement and says Arab countries and Turkey will support the coalition
3:16 PM

Davutoglu message to the regime "do not resist against the will of the people"
3:21 PM

Davutoglu calls international community to support the Syrian opposition "there is no excuse anymore for you not to support"
3:22 PM

Davutoglu calling for meeting of friends of Syria to recognize and support the coalition and the agreement
3:22 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

15 regime soldiers killed in Bsanqool Idlib and 10 in MaaratAlNouman during clashes at Wadi Aldayf.
3:26 PM

https://twitter.com/KareemLailah

I feel proud to support the SNI from day one while many sink in shame for calling it bad names. Still, waiting actions soon.
3:43 PM

https://twitter.com/hhassan140

George Sabra is speaking well, powerful speech. Speaks about the birthplace of Christianity, 1st Church in the world, 1st letters.
3:48 PM

Muaz Khatib says many Christians joined in the anti-regime protests inside mosques. Our Islam is one that brings people together not apart.
3:55 PM

Muaz Khatib praises the Syrian army which the regime "involved in the violence" and calls on soldiers to defect.
3:57 PM

Muaz Khatib's most powerful moment during his speech is about Syrian women. Powerful words by George Sabra too. We can't be but optimistic.
4:03 PM

BREAKING. Qatar FM: I ask you, brother Muaz, to come with me tomorrow to the Arab League to speak about recognition. WOW!
4:04 PM

https://twitter.com/NaziqAlAbed

Qatar recognizes the NC as the sole legitimate representative of the Syria'n people.
4:02 PM

https://twitter.com/KareemLailah

Dear Syrians in exile, the amount of hope I got by the new NC allows me to tell you this: Pack your bags, the freedom became closer.
4:11 PM

Fnally, Thanks Qatar, Thanks Turkey. We won’t forget your support.
4:18 PM

Dear world, Syrian are now united inside & outside. Now, it’s your turn to have balls & take a real action against that nutcher.
4:24 PM

[visionary]

0http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...88J0X720121111

Syria's opposition groups strike unity deal against Assad

Syria's fractious opposition finally put aside fierce arguments to rally behind a new leader within a new coalition that its Western and Arab backers hope can topple Bashar al-Assad and take over the country.

After days of wrangling in Qatar under constant cajoling by exasperated Arab, U.S. and other officials, representatives of groups including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities agreed on Sunday to join a new assembly that can form a government-in-exile. They unanimously elected reformist Damascus cleric Mouaz al-Khatib as its president.

Khatib, a soft-spoken preacher who was once imam of the ancient Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, immediately called on soldiers to quit the Syrian army and on all sects to unite.

"We demand freedom for every Sunni, Alawi, Ismaili (Shi'ite), Christian, Druze, Assyrian ... and rights for all parts of the harmonious Syrian people," he told reporters.

"We will strive from now on to have this new body recognised completely by all parties ... as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar, an important supporter of the rebels.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there was "no excuse any more" for foreign governments not to support an opposition whose internal divisions had given many pause.

The United States had also strongly promoted the plan for the Doha meeting to unite the various factions and, notably, subsume the previously ineffectual Syrian National Council into a wider body that would be more inclusive of minorities from a country of great ethnic and religious diversity.

France, a vocal backer of the rebels and which once ruled Syria, hailed the deal. "France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement in which he called the Assad government "the criminal regime in Damascus".

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/1...&utm_term=news

Female Kurdish militia leader widely reported as killed by Syrian rebels turns up alive


A female Syrian militia leader widely reported 10 days ago as killed by anti-government rebels has turned up alive and apparently well, according to a video posted on the Internet Sunday.

Nujin Derik was captured by rebels fighting to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad late last month when rebels entered Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo and clashed with the militia she led – evidence of the complexities of Syria’s ethnic fault lines. Her death, supposedly at the hands of the rebels, was widely circulated by news agencies after it was reported Nov. 2 by the PYD Kurdish militia and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based organization that tracks Syria’s casualties.

But on Saturday she was welcomed with tears and celebratory gunfire in the Kurdish town of Afrin, north of Aleppo. While she provided no details of her two weeks in rebel hands or how she came to be released, she offered support for the rebel cause in the video, which was posted on YouTube and also broadcast by a Kurdish-language satellite television channel.

“I bless your struggle, I’m happy for you,” she said. “I thank the resistance and I like them and I will do whatever they want.”

https://twitter.com/hhassan140

Muaz Khatib: no dialogue with Russia and it has to drop its support for the Syrian regime.
5:12 PM

Riad Saif: 10 countries promised recognition, including Saudi, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, US, German, Italy, France.
5:19 PM

BREAKING Riad Saif: we have been, for the first time, promised to enable the FSA to defend Syrian people, with advanced arms within weeks.
5:21 PM

BREAKING Riad Saif: so far funds have been sparce, we're promised a fund for relief and aid.
5:22 PM

Riad Saif: within weeks, we'll completely liberate the north and begin marching towards the south.
5:23 PM

https://twitter.com/dalalmawad

syria opposition coalition finished its press conference, president to fly tomorrow to cairo to get Arab league support and recognition
5:39 PM

members of the syrian opposition coalition will meet tomorrow to start forming its different bodies
5:40 PM

leader of syrian opposition coalition says arab league recognition will be a first step, then they will go to the friends of Syria and GA
5:43 PM

syrian opposition pledged for political support, money and weapons and says it was given guarantees without conditions.
5:43 PM

syrian opposition says it expects nothing from obama as it has seen nothing from him before
5:44 PM

Odd comment considering this initative was started by and heavily influenced by the US (although Turkey and Qatar seem to have pushed it through in the end).
I suppose they mean substantiative support on the ground.



https://twitter.com/JonWilksFCO

UK will host a meeting in London on Friday with National Coalition Representatives and donors ready to move quickly to offer more support.
2:45 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Libya recognizes the new coalition as the only representative of the Syrian people.
6:37 PM

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

By the end of Sunday the LCC managed to document 90 martyrs including 10 children and 3 women, 35 martyrs were reported in Damascus and it's suburbs; 18 in Aleppo; 14 in Deir Ezzor most of them in Bokmal; 12 in Idlib; 9 in Daraa; 1 in Hama; and 1 in Homs
6:04 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
38,289 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=16696

New Syrian Leadership Electrifies Opposition: Ten Countries Promise Recognition

Ten countries promised recognition of the new “National Coalition for Revolutionary Forces and the Syrian Opposition”, including Saudi, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, US, German, Italy, France.

Mouaz al-Khatib, a former imam at the famous Umayyad mosque in Damascus, was voted as president. Riad Seif, who proposed the initiative to form the new group, and female activist Suhair al-Atassi were chosen as deputies. All three have served time in Syrian prisons and left the country recently.

It is a big day for the Syrian opposition. Defying naysayers and skeptics, the opposition came together in Doha to follow the outlines of the Riad Seif plan. Opposition members the world over are electrified by the outcome and moving speeches given by the opposition’s new leadership. Assad regime must be worried, as it has survived for 42 years thanks to Syria’s fragmentation.

Now the challenge will be to unite the militias on the ground in Syria behind the new civilian leadership. The role of Qatar, the US, France and Britain have been central in encouraging unity.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/poli...n-meeting.html

Arab League to Hold Joint European Union Meeting

For the first time since its inception, the Arab League will host a joint meeting for Arab foreign ministers (22 ministers) and their European counterparts (27 ministers) on Nov. 13 at the headquarters of the Arab League General Secretariat in Cairo.

The meeting will be headed by the Arab League’s current chairman Lebanese MP Adnan Mansour, current European Union council president, the Foreign Minister of Cyprus Erato Kozakou Marcoullis, and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.

The Lebanese mission in Cairo began cooperating with the Arab League and EU representatives to lay down the outline of the final declaration that will be issued following this extraordinary meeting, whose objective is “to find common ground for Arab and European efforts and develop a common vision for the crises in the region, notably the peace process in the Middle East.”

This declaration is expected to address a number of serious topics, most importantly the Syrian crisis, which was the only subject that has not been previously included in the final declaration.

“It has been agreed to adopt an article on the Syrian crisis at the request of the Arab side,” according to a well-informed diplomat.

I think this was written before the Syrian opposition coalition was formed over the weekend.




https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Image showing flooding at a Syrian refuge camp in Turkey pic.twitter.com/WuecceV1
8:08 PM

A 3 story building my relatives lived in in MaaratAlNouman collapsed today...They weren't injured but are now homeless... Idlib
8:19 PM

https://twitter.com/PaulaSlier_RT

ISRAEL - A short while ago, a mortar shell hit an open area in the vicinity of an IDF post in the central Golan Heights
9:10 AM

ISRAEL hits 'source' of second Syrian shell - Israeli military sources confirm striking "Syrian mobile artillery"
9:26 AM

ISRAEL - This is the second straight day that a Syrian shell landed in Israel - except that yesterday Israel fired only warning shots
9:30 AM

https://twitter.com/hhassan140

Big dispute inside Syrian Revolution General Commission (SRGC) over newly-formed coalition. Those who reject it took over password & FB page
3:09 AM

Source: most representatives of Homs within SRGC rejected the coalition NC; Aleppo abstained; Dispute over Suhair Atasi or Nidal Darwish.
3:14 AM

Video: the jet that's downed in Al Bukamal http://goo.gl/QC5Qi
9:44 AM

https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian

Clashes now between FSA & Assad's army at 46th battalion.
9:38 AM

A series of building in Aghyuor neighborhood - Aleppo r now on fire due to Assad's shelling.
9:46 AM

https://twitter.com/NickKristof

Welcome to Syria! Pardon the bombing. http://twitpic.com/bcn1d1
9:53 AM

Syrian kids endure no end of horrors, but they still try to have fun (photo) http://twitpic.com/bcn2p0
9:56 AM