Norway mulls taking and destroying the bulk of Syria’s chemical arsenal

Source : http://breakingnews.sy/en

Norway is considering a request to take the bulk of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile for eventual destruction, an official said Tuesday. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ragnhild Imerslund told The Associated Press that the U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which are working together to eliminate the deadly arsenal, would like to see the stockpile of chemicals destroyed in one country outside Syria. “But the best solution for them is not necessarily the best solution for Norway,” said Imerslund. She said Norway is refusing to handle chemical weapons loaded onto warheads and ready for use, but is considering accepting mixed chemicals and chemical precursors that can be mixed to make deadly nerve agents. The U.N. has informed Norway that Syria has 50 metric tons of mixed chemicals in the form of mustard gas and some 300-500 metric tons of materials needed to make nerve agents. Imerslund said her government is consulting with a working group made up of environmentalists, military analysts, lawyers, and other ministries. Norwegian officials have yet to select a possible site for destruction, a decision which could lead to protests from nearby municipalities and regions. A recent survey by InFact, a pollster, said 48 percent of the population opposed destroying Syria’s chemical stockpile on Norwegian soil, compared with just 30 percent who support it. Jorn Siljeholm, a former U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq, said Norway is capable of destroying the chemicals safely, providing it can be over months or even years. “It is technically feasible for Norway to destroy these chemicals. This is purely a political decision,” he said. Observers said the mid-2014 deadline for the destruction of Syria’s arsenal, which was set by the United States and Russia, could also be a problem. It is “a deadline that would be impossible to meet since Norway at the moment doesn’t have any facilities to destroy these chemicals,” said Nils Boehmer, a manager at Bellona, a Norway- based environmental group. Imerslund stressed that Norway would not be forced into meeting any deadlines unilaterally set by other organizations.

Associated Press writer Gary Peach in Riga, Latvia, contributed to this report.

Syria Stresses Right to Respond to Any Israeli Violation

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb

Damascus stressed to the United Nations Daits right to immediately respond to any breach of its sovereignty and the sanctity of its territories, as it called upon the Security Council to put an end to such violations.

Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry send a letter to the UN Secretary General and the Security Council President, in which it talked about the Syrian Army’s destroying of an Israeli vehicle which crossed the ceasefire line in Golan Heights from the occupied territories.

"Subsequent to our previous letters addressed to you on the Israeli violations against the Syrian sovereignty and its breach of the Disengagement Agreement, the latest of which was our letter on May 8, 2013, an Israeli vehicle breached the cease-fire line at 1:10 am on May 21, 2013 and headed toward Bir Ajam village that is located in the liberated area of the Golan," the letter read.

It noted that the foreign-backed armed groups were present in Bir Ajam village, toward which the Israeli vehicle was heading.

"While Syria places these facts before the Security Council, it once again reaffirms its right to immediately respond to any violation of its sovereignty and the sanctity of its land, and that lies within the framework of practicing its right to self- defense," the Ministry said, according to official news agency, SANA.

The letter also referred to the incident of firing two rockets by the Israeli enemy from the occupied site of Tal al-Faras toward one of the Syrian sites in al- Zubaydiah village without causing casualties.

"Those two incidents constitute a new violation of the UN Charter and the Disengagement Agreement and an aggression against the Syrian sovereignty," said the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry.

"The Syrian Arab Republic dealt with this violation in the framework of practicing the right to self-defense that is secured by the UN Charter," the Ministry added, noting that the Syrian government has already drawn the attention of the Security Council's President and the UN Secretary General to these Israeli violations and Israel's intervention in the Syrian internal affairs.

UN establishes office in Syria's Homs city

Source : Xinhua

DAMASCUS, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations established on Wednesday an office in Syria's central city of Homs, the first of its kind outside the capital Damascus with the aim of securing the flow of humanitarian help across Syria, the UN media and communication analyst told Xinhua Wednesday.

In a phone call with Xinhua, Khaled al-Masri said the fresh step was carried out in coordination with the Syrian government and other international NGOs.

He said the step also mirrored the UN's commitment to staying in Syria and to delivering humanitarian aids to all those in need across the country.

The office in Homs is the first one to be established outside Damascus, al- Masri said, adding that other headquarters would be set up in other provinces within the next few months.

He said the office was inaugurated Wednesday by a delegation of the UN that also met with the governor of Homs, Munir al-Ahmad, and discussed best ways to deliver relief aid to affected people.

The office inauguration came also at a time the Syrian troops have advanced in the central town of al-Qussair near Homs on Wednesday and "fully" restored security to its southern outskirts and two towns at its northern rim, according to the state-run SANA news agency.

Militants used chemical material against civilians near Idlib: Syria

Source : Tehran Times

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar al- Jaafari has said that the foreign- backed militants in Syria have used chemical material against civilians during an attack on a town near Idlib.

Bashar al-Jaafari said at a press conference on Tuesday that the militants spread the contents of plastic bags containing chemical material during the attack.

Many residents were affected by the armed groups’ “heinous and irresponsible act,” the Syrian envoy said, warning that it was an attempt to “implicate the Syrian government on a false basis.”

Some of the victims were transferred to Turkey for treatment, Jaafari added.

The envoy went on to say that 'today or tomorrow Ankara and Western media would launch a new propaganda campaign against Damascus and claim that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against its own people.'

Reports say that two people were killed and 20 others injured in the militants’ chemical attack in Idlib.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama has said Washington did not know how chemical material was used in another recent attack in Aleppo.

The Syrian government requested the UN to dispatch a fact- finding mission to the country after reports circulated that the foreign-backed militants had used chemical weapons against civilians in Khan al-Assal district of the northwestern province of Aleppo on March 19. Over two dozen people were killed and more than 100 injured in the chemical attack.

Obama said at a press conference on Tuesday that, "If I can establish in a way that not only the United States but also the international community feel confident in the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, then that is a game-changer."

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government security forces and army personnel, have been killed in the violence.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

(Source: Press TV)

Fiercest clashes yet reported at the Lebanese-Syrian border crossings

Source : LBCI News

Syrian President Bashar Assad "is not bluffing" about his determination to stay in power, Russia's foreign minister said in comments broadcast Friday, as negotiations to free 21 U.N. peacekeepers held by Syrian rebels dragged into a third day.

This as a convoy of U.N. vehicles sent to pick up 21 peacekeepers held by Syrian rebels in the southern village of Jamla arrived at a neighboring village but is not able to reach their location due to shelling in the area, a rebel spokesman said.

Abu Essam Taseel said three Syrian army tanks and two military cars had pulled back from around Jamla but President Bashar al-Assad's forces were still deployed around it and bombarding the region.

The spokesman for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, Raul Hernandez, said the rebels had been expected to free the peacekeepers early Friday.

Syrian rebels added that no talks were underway to free the men and gave no indication that they would be released soon.

"To our family, we hope to see you soon and we are OK here," said a peacekeeper shown in one video. He was one of three troops dressed in camouflage and blue bullet-proof vests emblazoned with the words U.N. and Philippines.

However, a rebel spokesman seemed to suggest the hostages were also serving as human shields. If the U.N. troops are released and leave the area, the regime could kill "as many as 1,000 people," said the spokesman, who spoke via Skype and did not give his name for fear of reprisals.

Syrian newspaper accuses Qatar and Israel of ordering peacekeepers' abduction

On another note, the Syrian Daily Tishreen considered on Friday that abductors of the peacekeepers received orders from Qatar and Israel to carry out the kidnapping.

The Daily added that the armed group is backed by Western and Arab states which are encouraging the bloodshed in Syria.

On the Ground

Fierce clashes were not only limited to Syria's south but were also reported on the Lebanese-Syrian border crossings.

Meanwhile in Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Assad's forces have bombarded opposition-held neighborhoods.

This as, opposition rebels clashed with the Syrian army and controlled parts of Aleppo city near Al Oumawi mosque.

The Syrian army retaliated by bombarding the Al Atareb, Al Bab and Andan regions on Thursday overnight.

Friends of Syria Group ‘Encourages Extremists

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, March 1 (RIA Novosti) - A resolution adopted by the Friends of Syria Group in Rome on Thursday encourages extremists there to seize power by force, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Friday.

US, EU and Arab officials who met in Rome on Thursday pledged more assistance to the Syrian opposition fighting against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, recognizing the National Coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

“There is a general understanding within the international community that there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis,” Lukashevich said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website.

“Meanwhile, judging by incoming reports, the decisions made in Rome, as well as the statements that were made there, both in letter and in spirit encourage extremists to seize power by force, regardless of the inevitable suffering of ordinary Syrians.” He did not elaborate.

The Rome statement praised the opposition National Coalition for its reform efforts, urged Assad's regime to end “indiscriminate bombardments against populated areas,” and deplored “the unabated arms supply to the regime by third countries.”

The US pledged $60 million in “non-lethal” assistance for the Syrian political opposition.

Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday the US would send the Syrian opposition an additional $60 million in non-lethal aid, but still refuses to supply the weapons and sophisticated military supplies the rebels have said they need.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday Moscow’s position on Syria stems from its concern for the Syrian people, and not the fate of President Bashar al-Assad.

The United States has called for Assad to step down, but Russia says it is concerned that the Syrian president’s forced departure would make the conflict worse.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said last Tuesday foreign military supplies to Syria’s armed opposition have been growing. He reiterated Russia’s official position that Moscow will not carry out fresh arms deliveries to the Syrian government, but is only supplying arms and military equipment under contracts signed before the civil war, which has claimed some 70,000 lives according to the latest UN estimates.

Last Monday, Lavrov denied Moscow had tried to smuggle arms components into Syria via Finland, and said there are no Russian troops in Syria apart from several dozen technical staff at the Tartus naval support facility. Russia’s state- run arms dealer Rosoboronexport said on Wednesday it is supplying air-defense missile systems and maintenance and servicing equipment to Syria, but not combat aircraft.

Syria accuses al-Qaida-linked group of being behind Damascus' deadly blast

Source :   Xinhua

DAMASCUS, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Syria's Foreign Ministry accused armed groups affiliated with al- Qaida network of being behind the massive explosion that killed more than 53 people earlier on Thursday, the state-media said.

The ministry's statement came in a letter addressing the UN, during which it charged that al- Qaida-linked groups in Syria were receiving support from regional and foreign countries, calling on the UN to shoulder its responsibilities toward combating terrorism.

Earlier in the day, a suicide car bomber detonated his explosive-laden car at a busy intersection in the heart of Damascus near a headquarters of the ruling al-Baath party, killing more than 53 people, according to the state-media.

The oppositional Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights placed the death toll at 56, among them 15 were government soldiers. It added that another eight people, including three civilians and five regular troops, were killed in another blast that rocked Barza district Thursday.

The blasts have drawn condemnation from opposition parties.

Meanwhile, Syria's parliament condemned the blast and stressed resolution to root out terrorism. It also underlined the need to move on with dialogue to build the future of Syria. The ruling al-Baath party said in a statement Thursday that " these heinous terrorist practices indicate the bankruptcy of their perpetrators and their defeat at the hands of the Syrian army."

The statement held accountable the Arab, regional and international parties, which it said "support terrorism in Syria, supply the mercenary terrorists with arms and provide political and logistic support for them."

For his side, Minister of Religious Endowment Mohammad Abdul- Sattar al-Sayyed said that "the terrorist bombing embodies the message of terrorism and killing, which no dialogue, logic, religion or morals can accept," according to SANA.

No party has claimed responsibility for the attack but previous similar ones had been claimed by the Nusra Front, an offshoot of al-Qaida. The group has been branded as a terrorist organization by the United States.

The blast is the second huge one to rock Damascus since last May, when a suicide car bomber went off before an intelligence headquarters in al-Qazzaz area and killed 55 people.

Blasts and mortar attacks have become increasingly common in Syria as the rebels, backed by al-Qaida fighters, scaled up their attacks to wobble the government's power.

Rebels capture Syrian fighter jets

Source :   ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Syrian rebels have overrun a military air base and captured warplanes in the northern province of Aleppo.

The rebels' advance came as the United Nations said the death toll from the 23-month conflict had hit nearly 70,000.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is opposed to the regime of president Bashar al- Assad, says the rebels captured a military airport at Al-Jarrah.

The Britain-based observatory says in the process the rebels seized a deployable fleet of warplanes, including MiG fighter jets.

It says the rebels killed, injured or imprisoned dozens of troops during the assault and surviving troops pulled out, leaving behind ammunition and warplanes.

The Observatory says soon afterwards, the air force used fighter jets to bombard the airport to try to dislodge rebels.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a military source in Aleppo confirmed the rebel capture "after 48 hours of fierce combat", but downplayed the importance of Al-Jarrah.

"It is a very small airport, used for training purposes," he said.

"There are only small amounts of unusable ammunition left there, and several planes that have long been out of action."

Activists meanwhile reported the launch of rebel offensives on the Aleppo international airport and Nayrab military airport nearby, although the military source denied any such assaults.

The Observatory also reported a rebel capture of the main road linking Aleppo province to neighbouring Raqa and parts of a military base tasked with securing the area's airports.

Activists in Aleppo have told AFP that fighters in the north have shifted their focus from city battles to the capture of military airports and bases.

"They are important because they are an instant source of ammunition and supplies, and because their capture means putting out of action the warplanes used to bombard us," Aleppo-based activist Abu Hisham told AFP via the internet.

Mr Assad has called for "collective action" by the state and Syrian people to limit the effects of the crisis.

The Syrian president also accused "groups that target Syria" of trying to destroy the country's infrastructure.

The conflict has killed nearly 70,000 people since it erupted in March 2011.

UN rights chief Navi Pillay has condemned the violence, and also hit out at the inaction of the UN Security Council, where China and Russia have used veto powers to block three resolutions that would have threatened sanctions against Mr Assad's regime.

"We will be judged against the tragedy that has unfolded before our eyes. This council, as well of those of us in key positions within the UN, will be rightly asked what we did," she said.

Her comments came after UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said the Security Council "must no longer stand on the sidelines, deadlocked, silently witnessing the slaughter".

AFP

Israel gets involved in Syria conflict

Source : Voice of Russia

Israel informed the USA in advance of the preparations for an attack on Syria. A relevant statement was made by “The New York Times” with a reference to U.S. officials. For its part, “The Washington Post”, citing sources in the Syrian opposition, said that a centre for the development of chemical weapons had been bombed. Of interest here is the fact that other sources in the Syrian opposition have claimed credit for the above-mentioned attack, accusing the authorities of disinformation. There is also one more version saying that it was a convoy near the Syrian-Lebanese border, not the research centre, that came under attack. This convoy, allegedly, was supplying the Hezbollah militants in Lebanon with arms.

This was the first but not the last strike on Syria an expert with the Institute of Oriental Studies, Vladimir Sotnikov, says.

"From time to time the Israelis will deliver strikes on the targets or forces involved in the conflict in Syria. It will be Islamist units or troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad. I believe that as the crisis in Syria continues worsening Israel may broaden its participation in such strikes. Israel is afraid that the Islamists fighting in Syria will unite with similar groups in Syria, as well as with the HAMAS and Hezbollah groups. The latter are Israel’s traditional enemies. To find itself in such encirclement is a horrible dream for Israel."

Outside interference in the conflict in Syria is strengthening. Israel hit Syria immediately after 6 Patriot missile air defence systems were deployed in Turkey on its border with Syria. Expert with the Institute of Strategic Assessments and Analysis Sergei Demidenko says.

"There is no doubt that all this may finally lead to a grandiose chaos in the Middle East. Syria is the heart of the Arab world. Thus, the worse the situation in Syria is the worse it is for the region at large. In case of a chaos the situation in Syria will become uncontrollable, and neither international forces nor any means would be of help there. Then this chaos will spread to Lebanon and Central Iraq, and what will emerge will be a gigantic hotbed of instability and an enclave of terrorism the world will have to fight against in the future."

The work is being done in Moscow to check the information about the air raid of the Israeli air forces on Syria. This came in a statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Should this be true, this will be regarded as a gross violation of the UN Charter. In this case this will mean an attack on the targets in a sovereign state that was not triggered. This is inadmissible whatever the motives are, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Ministry Calls on Security council to Condemn Jabhat al-Nusra's mass Execution against Scores of Abducted citizens in Aleppo

Source :   SANA, Syria

DAMASCUS, (SANA)-Foreign and Expatriates Ministry on Wednesday sent two identical letters to President of The UN security Council and UN Secretary General on the mass execution perpetrated by terrorist groups of "Jabhat al-Nusra" against tens of abducted citizens in Aleppo on Tuesday and throwing their bodies in Qweiq river in Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood.

"An armed group of Jabhat al-Nusra perpetrated a new massacre in Aleppo on Tuesday. The terrorists carried out mass executions against scores of Syrian abducted civilians in a cold blood, throwing their bodies in Qweiq river," the Ministry said in the two letters.

It added that while the competent authorities along with the families are following evidence on this new massacre , the facts indicate that the bodies were found in the side where terrorists present and there is no presence for the army on the banks of Queiq river, as well as there are barbed wires along the stream of the river that separate the region form the centers of the army, and the height of water in the river is very little and it is stagnant.

The Ministry pointed out to the comments of one terrorist who was arrested by law enforcement personnel that the terrorist groups were perpetrating their crimes prior to the meetings of the UN Security Council to stir the local and international public opinion against Syria.

"A number of the families have identified some bodies of their relatives, broadcast by some TV channels which are partners in shedding the Syrian blood as bodies for civilians, as usual, attributing this act to the Syrian Arab army, stressing that these bodies are the same of those abducted by the terrorists who contacted them many times asking for ransoms," the Ministry said. '

It added that the families stated that the abduction of their sons was because of their rejection of cooperating with "Jabhat al- Nusra".

The competent authorities along with the families are working to specify the identities of the new massacre's victims which adds to a series of brutal massacres of that terrorist group against the unarmed civilians.

"Syria which relays the facts of this heinous massacre to the UN Security Council, calls on the Council once again to assume responsibilities and issue a clear, frank condemnation of those terrorist acts which target the innocents.. and to condemn its perpetrators and those who supply them with weapons, equipment, money, shelter, political and media cover, encouraging them to go on with their crimes which seek to destabilize the state," the Ministry said.

It called on the international community to truly commit to combating terrorism and its supporters, on top, resolution 1373/ 2001, indicating that Syria reminds once again that not implementing these resolutions and practicing duplicity in dealing with them would make all suspect the credibility of the Security Council in fighting this dangerous plague.

The Ministry concluded by saying that the obstruction of some member states at the UN Security to issue a clear condemnation by the council as what happened in previous situations means providing a political cover for the terrorists which encourage them to carry out more terrorist atrocities.

Russia satisfied with Geneva meeting on Syria, Damascus rattled by new blast

Source :  Xinhua

BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Monday expressed satisfaction with last week's trilateral meeting on Syria's protracted crisis in Geneva, while a loud explosion rattled a district of the Syrian capital of Damascus overnight. The latest Geneva talks, held last Friday, drew UN-Arab League joint special envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns. The three stressed the need for a speedy end to all forms of violence in Syria.

"It was a constructive meeting, a concerned partners' conversation with our colleagues," Interfax news agency quoted Bogdanov as saying.

"They, like us, have a serious concern over the affairs there (in Syria) for not to let the situation deteriorate and come up as soon as possible with a political solution," he said.

It was the second such meeting in nearly one month. The first one was held in December, when the three envoys agreed that a political process to end the crisis in Syria was necessary and possible.

Bogdanov said various options have been discussed in the UN about sending international observers to Syria.

"Likely, a necessity to send a reliable team of international monitors will appear. So far, these issues have not been discussed on a political level but the UN experts in New York have been working on preliminarily various options which could be discussed later," Bogdanov said.

According to the diplomat, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council could convene to discuss the situation in Syria "before the end of January, around the 25th, 26th, 27th" after Brahimi presents a new report on Syria, Bogdanov said.

Although he did not specify the participants, Bogdanov said a ministerial meeting was unlikely.

Also on Monday, a loud explosion rattled Damascus' district of Muhajireen, causing windows to implode and prompting members of the security forces to fan out and cut off nearby roads as a precautionary measure.

The cause of the big blast at the Shoura area in Muhajireen has not been immediately figured out, but local media reports said it is most likely a shell bomb, without providing information on any possible casualties.

The area houses a number of security headquarters and is considered one of the most heavily guarded areas in Damascus. Syria's official media has spelled no words on the incident so far.

Blasts have intensified in the Syrian capital recently, coupled with armed rebels' attacks on army checkpoints in several hotspots around the capital.

In Beijing, China urged relevant parties to show patience in finding a solution to the Syria crisis, after the latest Geneva meeting on the issue failed to yield tangible results.

"China holds that a political solution is the only realistic way out of the Syria issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily press briefing.

China supports relevant parties' efforts to promote the political solution, as well as Brahimi's impartial mediation, he added.

Hong said China hoped relevant parties could build consensus on the basis of the Geneva Communique agreed on at the Action Group's meeting on June 30 and push for an impartial, peaceful and proper solution at the earliest date.

"Meanwhile, China urges the Syrian government and the opposition to be pragmatic and actively seek a solution acceptable to all parties so as to launch political dialogue and transition with the aim of an early end to the Syria crisis," Hong said.

Syrian troops kill scores of rebels, parliament works for national dialogue

Source : Xinhua

DAMASCUS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Syrian media said Sunday that scores of armed rebels were killed nationwide during clashes with army troops, as the Syrian parliament were working to prepare for a national dialogue among all spectra of the Syrian people.

The Syrian army continued operations in several suburbs of the capital Damascus Sunday, killing 18 rebels in Douma and another 12 in Harasta, the pro-government Sham FM reported.

The radio said the army has called on residents in the surrounding of the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees to evacuate their homes due to the intensity of clashes between local committee and armed rebels inside the camp.

Separately, army troops killed as many as 60 rebels in the countryside of the northern Aleppo province, the report said, adding that those rebels were killed while trying to storm a cotton factory.

In the northwestern province of Idlib, Sham FM said, 15 militants were killed in the Binish town as the Syrian air force targeted armed groups' gatherings at the Taftanas airbase, which has recently been stormed by rebels and radical militants.

On the opposition side, the Local Coordination Committees (LCC) reported shelling by army troops on several hotspots nationwide as well as intense clashes with the rebels' Free Syrian Army.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee at the People's Assembly Omar Aussi stressed that the committee will work on getting engaged into in the political process and effectively contributing to make successful the implementation of the political program outlined by President Bashar al-Assad to solve the crisis.

In a press conference held Sunday, Aussi said the newly- established and democratically-elected committee will take part in all the ongoing preparations to hold the comprehensive national dialogue, considering it as a safe and the only way out of the crisis.

"We will work on spreading and consolidating the culture of citizenship and coexistence among the various spectra of the Syrian society with all its constituents," he said.

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi also issued Sunday a decision to form a ministerial committee to make intensive contacts with all the political forces and civil society bodies to start directly open dialogue sessions in preparation for holding the comprehensive national dialogue conference.

The Syrian parliament also stressed that it will work to unify its members' efforts, including the national reconciliation committee, which was formed by the assembly, and through all available means to make the political program set by Assad a success.

In a statement issued Sunday, the parliament said it will activate the political move and dialogue among all spectra of the Syrian people and political and intellectual parties. It vowed to mobilize the Syrians to be engaged in the national dialogue, so as to foil the attack targeting Syria and draw its political future in the framework of pluralism, democracy and protection of human rights.

Assad has recently said embarking on a political solution does not mean to stop countering terrorism. The Syrian administration labels the rebels as "terrorists".

Amid the stalemate in the Syrian political landscape, Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Nabil al- Arabi said Sunday that the UN Security Council should dispatch peacekeeping forces to protect the Syrians, stressing in the meantime that the forces should not be sent for fighting.

During the preliminary session of the AL Council's emergency meeting, Arabi called on the UN Security Council to issue a decision according to article No. 7 of the UN Charter to send peacekeeping forces to Syria to urge ceasefire there and protect the Syrian people.

Arabi also said talks are underway with UN-AL joint special representative to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi to find a mechanism for solving the crisis, but added that there is no apparent solution in the near future.

According to the UN estimates, more than 60,000 people have been killed in Syria since the unrest erupted in 2011. Also, the World Food Program said around 2.5 million people in Syria are in need of food assistance, but only 1.5 million can receive supplies from the agenc

Syrian army regains control over areas in Aleppo, defends airbase

Source : Xinhua

DAMASCUS, Jan.12 (Xinhua) -- Syrian army on Saturday wrested back control over several areas in the northern province of Aleppo and repulsed rebels' attack on a military airport at the outskirts of Aleppo, a day after the radical militants took full control over the military airport of Taftanas in Idlib province.

The army controlled the Ummayad Mosque area, Khan al-Wazir, the surrounding of the old citadel and the city's courthouse, the pro- government Sham FM radio said, quoting a military source as saying that government troops at dawn Saturday repelled armed groups' attack against the Kshaish airport in the outskirts of Aleppo, leaving many of the assailants killed or injured and destroying their anti-aircraft artillery.

The radio report also said that clashes between the army and the rebels took place at several districts in the central province of Homs, adding that many rebels were killed in addition to one soldier.

In the capital Damascus, local reports said the army is still haunting down armed rebels in the Muadamieh suburb west of Damascus, adding that the al-Nusra Front, an offshoot of al-Qaida, is still positioning in the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees and keeping the displaced people from returning home.

The reports said that eight people were killed in Yarmouk over the past hours by snipers' fire.

Meanwhile, local media said the helicopters, which the rebels claimed to have captured in the Taftanas airbase in the northern province of Idlib, are "inoperable" and "out of service" since long time ago.

After weeks of intense fighting, radical militants from al- Nusra Front took full control of the sprawling airbase on Friday morning, making it most significant gain they have gained since the eruption of the crisis a year and a half ago.

The Sham FM report said all the functioning war jets were evicted from the air field before the armed groups' attack, adding that three officers were killed during the fight.

It said the army on Friday rained down the airport with all kinds of shelling, inflicting hefty toll among the militia at the airport.

On the opposition side, the Local Coordination Committees (LCC) said the Syrian troops' shelling renewed on the southern suburbs of Damascus, mainly on Sbaineh, Hajar al-Aswad and Mathnieh.

The LCC reported violence and clashes elsewhere in the unrest- torn country, placing the initial death toll of Saturday's violence at 55.

According to the UN estimates, more than 60,000 people have been killed in Syria since the unrest erupted in 2011. Also, the World Food Program (WFP) said that around 2.5 million people in Syria are in need of food assistance but only 1.5 million can receive supplies from the agency.

Syria Accuses Brahimi of ’Flagrant Bias’ ahead of Geneva Talks

Source : http://www.almanar.com

Damascus accused the international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi of being biased, as the Algerian Diplomat was readying for a second round of talks in Geneva aiming at ending the Syrian crisis.

In a statement the foreign ministry said it was very surprised by Brahimi’s comments, which showed “he is flagrantly biased for those who are conspiring against Syria and its people.”

"We had expected Brahimi to read and analyze the contents of (Assad's proposed) political initiative which is the only exit to the Syrian crisis," the ministry said.

However, it noted it was nevertheless still willing to work with him to find a political solution to the crisis. The statement was the strongest criticism of Brahimi since he took over from veteran diplomat Kofi Annan who stepped down months ago.

In a BBC interview, Brahimi called for “real, not cosmetic change” in Syria and accused President Basahr al-Assad of “resisting the aspirations of his people.” "The time of reforms granted magnanimously from above is past," Brahimi said in the interview.

In a speech on Sunday, Assad drew the map of a proposed solution to the crisis in Syria that included a national reconciliation conference, a new government and constitution. However, he demanded regional and Western countries stop funding and arming terrorists first.

Meanwhile, a new round of talks to end the ongoing turmoil in Syria is to take place today in Geneva between Brahimi and envoys from US and Russia.

Russia's Middle East negotiator, Mikhail Bogdanov, announced on Wednesday that he would take art in talks with Brahimi and US Undersecretary of State William Burns.

Syria Newsfeed ∫ 31. Oct. 2012

Source : Egypt Independent

Syrian air force on offensive after failed truce

Syrian warplanes bombed rebel targets with renewed intensity on Tuesday after the end of a widely ignored four-day truce between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and insurgents.

______________________________________

Source : The Daily Star

Syria warplanes strike eastern belt of Damascus: activists

BEIRUT: Warplanes pummelled rebel positions across the eastern suburbs of Damascus on Wednesday, after a day of clashes and air strikes killed at least 182 people in Syria, a watchdog said.

"Warplanes carried out five air raids on the farmlands around the towns of Saqba and Douma and smoke was seen rising from the targeted areas" east of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

______________________________________

Via : The Daily Star
Source : Agence France Presse

Envoy urges China to play 'active role' in Syria crisis

BEIJING: UN- Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said Wednesday he hoped China would play an active role in helping end the violence in Syria as he met Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi for talks in Beijing.

Greeting Yang at the foreign ministry in front of reporters, Brahimi said he hoped "China can play an active role in solving the events in Syria" without elaborating further.

China is generally suspicious of intervention in the internal affairs of other nations.

Both China and Russia have exercised their veto in the UN Security Council to block resolutions aimed at putting more pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

State television said "terrorists" had assassinated an air force general, Abdullah Mahmoud al-Khalidi, in a Damascus suburb, the latest of several rebel attacks on senior officials.

U.N. envoy Brahimi meets Assad and urges unilateral ceasefires

Source : Alarabiya.net Mobile

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received on Sunday peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who is pressing both sides in Syria\'s conflict for a truce during a Muslim holiday this week. (Reuters)

International mediator Lakhdar Brahim met Syrian President Bashar al- Assad in Damascus on Sunday as he sought to press both sides in Syria's conflict for a truce during a Muslim holiday this week.

During the meeting, Brahimi urged two sides in Syria conflict to declare unilateral ceasefires.

“I appeal to everyone to take a unilateral decision to cease hostilities on the occasion of Eid al-Adha (starting Friday) and that this truce be respected from today or tomorrow,” Brahimi told reporters.

The U.N.-Arab League envoy held talks with Assad in Damascus.

Brahimi, the joint U.N.-Arab League special envoy for the Syria crisis, has been criss-crossing the region with the aim of convincing Assad's main backers and his foes to support the idea of a truce during the holiday, which starts at dusk on Thursday.

He held talks on Saturday with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al- Moualem, which the ministry described as “constructive and serious.”

Syria has so far given a guarded response to Brahimi's ceasefire proposal, suggesting it wants guarantees that rebels would reciprocate any move by Assad's forces.

Annan says Iran will support democratic solution to Syria crisis

Source : Tehran Times

TEHRAN - Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan said on Thursday that Iran has told him that it would support a democratic solution to the Syria crisis.

Annan, who served until August as the UN-Arab League special envoy on Syria, said that he sensed support for a democratic solution in Syria when he visited Tehran in July and met with three top Iranian officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, AFP reported.

“They all had the same message when I pushed them – that… we accept that Assad may have to go, but the Syrian people should be allowed to decide through elections, even if it’s organized under UN authority,” Annan said.

“One choice phrase they gave me is that ‘democracy is a solution, democracy is the answer in Syria,’” Annan said at the Brookings Institution, a think tank.

President Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that Iran believes free elections are the right way to help resolve the 19-month-old conflict in Syria.

“Anyone who is the friend of the Syrian people should try to form the basis for free elections in the country,” Ahmadinejad told reporters after an Asian summit in Kuwait.

Annan says Iran backs democratic elections in Bahrain

Annan also stated that the Iranian leaders did not limit calls for democracy to Syria but also made clear they would push for a similar path in Bahrain.

Foreign weapons fueling conflict in Syria

Annan renewed his call for a peaceful solution to the crisis and warned that foreign weapons were only fueling a conflict said to have claimed more than 34,000 lives.

Iran has denied U.S. charges that it has shipped arms to Syria.

The United States has said that it is only providing non-lethal support to Syria’s opposition but Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been widely reported to have sent weapons to rebels.

Annan denounced arms shipments, saying that Syria was “almost into a sectarian war” that could spread beyond the region.

“I have said in the past that Syria, unlike Libya, will not implode but is likely to explode -- and explode beyond its borders,” Annan said.

“Some governments have made the calculation that the fastest way to end the conflict in Syria is to arm one side or the other to have total victory over the other side,” he said.

“It’s not going to happen. They’re only going to get more people killed,” he said.

Syria Discloses List of Foreign Prisoners

Source : Novosti

Syria has handed the United Nations a list of 108 foreign citizens arrested by the Syrian authorities over their alleged involvement in terrorism.

Syrian Permanent Ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari sent the list and a letter, dated October 18, to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- Moon and Security Council Chairman Gert Rosenthal.

“The list explains the reasons behind each individual’s arrest in connection with their involvement in terrorism in Syria,” read the letter, which was made available to journalists late Friday.

The regime of Syrian President Bashar al- Assad has sought to portray the ongoing civil war in the country as a battle between pro- government forces and shadowy Islamic militant and terrorist groups.

The violent conflict between the Syrian government and opposition forces has raged since March 2011. The fighting has claimed more than 30,000 lives, according to the UN.

Syria slams UN call for unilateral ceasefire as "incomplete"

Source: Xinhua | English.news.cn

DAMASCUS, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday slammed as "incomplete and contained half of the truth" the calls of the UN chief Ban Ki-moon who said recently that the Syrian government has to "immediately declare a unilateral ceasefire."

Syria's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jihad Makdissi said that Ban proposed implementing unilateral ceasefire and, in the same UN session, the Syrian side informed him that Syria has already implemented this proposal twice.

Makdissi charged that in both times, the armed groups exploited the government's commitment to the ceasefire and consolidated their presence in several areas.

Since then, Makdissi said, the human losses among military and civilians have doubled due to the terrorist operations carried out by these groups in violation of the truce.

"We agreed with the UN secretary-general that the truce aims at creating appropriate atmosphere for the desired political dialogue and not to undermine Syria's stability and exploit the commitment of the Syrian state," Makdissi noted.

He said that his country has "asked the secretary-general to send his envoys to the concerned countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey which fund, harbor, train and arm the armed groups in order to ensure these countries' commitment to refrain from such acts."

Ban recently said that "It has been over 19 months during which time more than 20-thousand people have been killed," adding that the situation has reached such an unacceptable level.

"That is why I have conveyed my strong message to the Syrian government that they should immediately declare a unilateral ceasefire,"

Syria - Newsfeed Oct. 9. 2012

Source: edition.presstv.

Dozens killed in Syria twin blasts

Dozens of people have been killed after two bomb attacks at a military base near the Syrian capital, Damascus.

One of the blasts on Tuesday was set off in an ambulance vehicle in Hasrata.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks by foreign- backed armed groups against Syrian government and military positions.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki- moon has warned of escalating violence along the Syrian border with Turkey.

Earlier on Monday, Syrian government troops killed at least 100 foreign-backed insurgents near the city of Homs.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011.

Damascus says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factors behind the unrest and deadly violence, but the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign nationals, mostly from Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan.