Persian Realm

What For ? Syria plans vote on constitution

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Feb 15, 2012 06:10 AM PST

Syria plans vote on constitution (bbc)

 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has decreed that a referendum on the new draft constitution will be held on 26 February, state media report.

 

Blast hits key Syria oil pipeline

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Feb 15, 2012 12:51 AM PST

An explosion damages a major oil pipeline in the central Syrian city of Homs, witnesses and activists say, with the government blaming "armed terrorists"

Blast hits key Syria oil pipeline (bbc)

 

 

 

 

 

Arab nations get ready to arm Syria rebels; bloodshed worsens

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Feb 14, 2012 02:49 PM PST

Arab nations get ready to arm Syria rebels - (MSNBC)

 

AMMAN/BEIRUT — Syrian government forces attacked opponents of President Bashar al-Assad in cities and towns across the country on Tuesday and Arab officials confirmed that regional governments would be ready to arm the resistance if the bloodshed did not cease. Arab League diplomats said that arming the opposition forces was now officially an option. 

Syrian residents say they're bracing for full-blown war

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Feb 14, 2012 02:34 PM PST

Syrian residents brace for full-blown war (CNN, Video)

(CNN) -- Syria stepped up its siege Tuesday on the city of Homs and launched fresh attacks in cities all over the country, leaving dozens dead, according to opposition groups.

At least 40 people were killed, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria. The deaths included three defected Syrian soldiers and two women, the group said.

Deaths took place in Idlib, Homs, Daraa, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Hama, Damascus, the Damascus suburbs and Latakia, the group said.

Fear and horror paralyzed residents of Homs, with snipers preventing anyone from moving and heavy shelling blasting through the air, opposition activists said. 

Syrian forces renew assault on rebel-held parts of Homs

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Feb 14, 2012 02:27 PM PST

Syrian forces renew assault on rebel-held parts of Homs (france 24)

 

 

Syrian troops launched a new assault to retake rebel-held areas of Homs on Tuesday, a day after the UN rights chief warned that crimes against humanity "are likely to have been committed" since the anti-regime uprising began in March last year.

 

How outside help is aiding Syria's rebels

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Feb 14, 2012 01:58 PM PST

Syria rebels get outside help (bbc) The BBC has been told by a well-placed source who did not wish to be named that traditional smuggling routes through Iraq have been used since last autumn to ferry money to rebel fighters inside Syria. The smuggling routes pass through the Iraqi provinces of al-Anbar and Nineveh, where the long desert border with Syria is easy to cross. 

'No Chinese protection' for Syria say's Chinese PM Wen Jiabao

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Feb 14, 2012 01:53 PM PST

'No Chinese protection' for Syria (bbc)

 

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao says his country will "absolutely not protect any party" in the conflict in Syria, despite the veto of a UN resolution.

 

 

 

Syrians in U.S. protest unrest

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Feb 13, 2012 03:20 PM PST

Syrians in U.S. protest unrest (CNN, VIDEO)

 

CNN's Athena Jones talks to Syrians in the U.S. about the unrest in their homeland and what the U.S. should do about it. 

 

 

Syria 'emboldened by UN inaction'

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:27 AM PST

Syria 'emboldened by UN inaction' (bbc)

 

The failure of the UN security council to take action has emboldened Syria to make an "all out assault" on opponents, the UN's human rights chief says

 

Dear Namesake 'darius' who mentioned 'Democracy' ?

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Feb 13, 2012 07:39 AM PST

The priority here is Not Democracy but stopping a madman from bleeding his very own people.

 

There can only be two behaviors to be considered:

 

a) Sit idle and let Assad and his regime to finish their dirty work 

 

OR

 

b) intervene to protect civilians from being slaughtered and help them to oust him and neutralize his henchmen.

 

There can be no middle ground for a regime which has lost it's moral and legal legitimacy as representative of a nation it has decided to declare a war on.

 

Wanting to depict this as a civil war is precisely the convenient excuse the regime is trying to lure foreign "experts" and journalists into believing.

 

You can't have it both ways: Oppose a Chalabi style regime change merely because you hate the "Corrupt" West and "Zionist" Israel while spilling crocodile tears for Hamas and Hezbollah when Isreal bombs them to smithereens but refuse to shed any tears for Syrians when hundreds and thousands of women, children are amongst the civil casualties whilst falsely trying to depict them as "terrorists".

 

Besides what I am suggesting is precisely aimed at avoiding a direct Western intervention but instead that of the nations in the region to take their own responsibilities.

So a Western style Chalabi scenario as was considered in Iraq is out of the question. 

 

As for Syria's "democratic" future ...

 

that is an entirely different debate which only concerns the intellectual circles of Syria's bleeding civil society.

 

But I very much doubt that Iran's Islamic Republic which is the first to "lecture" Israel when it suits it's Islamist agenda in the Arab world can truly set an example itself when it comes to democracy or moral standards in defence of Human Rights and dignity ? ...

 

Far from that !: 

 

Video exposes Iran crackdown

 

 

 

 

Dear DK

by darius on Mon Feb 13, 2012 06:54 AM PST

I doubt if it is  democracy that matters in Syria , Syria needs to be taken down to pave the attack on Iran easier and safer.

Any democratic government in Middle east will  soon become a  challenge  for the west and its allies .

It is Israel who needs to see Syria neutralized and set into chaos .

 

These are temporary solutions will never work until all sides stop lying to each others and think about future .

Sometimes  our love for  our countrymen and friends become what you know in Farsi  as " DOOSTI Khlae KHerse".

 

Lieberman is Foolishly Wrong and Here is Why !

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Feb 13, 2012 06:45 AM PST

Arming the Rebels in Syria as some are suggesting in diplomatic circles including neo cons like this fellow would be a huge mistake particularly if there is no Plan B.

The Arab league with the help of Turkey should simply move in and "liberate" the Syrians. Otherwise this will turn into an even more bloody and endless war to last for years if not decades in the heart of the Middle East.

By arming the Rebels you can be sure Russia will oppose it by trying to do the same with the Syrian Government and the result will be a proxy war again which can only last years and aimed at filling the pockets of Arms dealers too happy to satisfy all parties involved.

In addition by arming the rebels in this particular case can very well end up in the hands of Al Quaeda which has openly supported the uprising only to highjack the revolution and legitimate calls for help of the Syrian people.

This situation if VERY Different from that in Libya. 

To begin with The Syrian opposition is too divided to act efficiently on it's own.

Secondly only a Joint Operation as in the case of Libya (but this time without direct Western Intervention) which would involve Only Arab league nations and Turkey  would be seen as a legitimate intervention to protect civilians.

Starting with a No fly zone imposed by the Arab League and Turkey given their immediate concerns due to their territorial proximity can justify such an intervention.

After all the Turks have no scruples when it comes to bombarding Kurdish rebellion in Iraq and they don't bother asking for a UN resolution to act whenever they feel there is a threat at their frontiers.

Russia on the other hand won't be able to oppose such an initiative given the clear hostility of an ever growing Arab public opinion towards Russia's blind support of Syria's crackdown.

But arming the Rebels would be the pretext Russia and China are looking for to doom the Syrian revolution and turn it into an endless Civil War which it's not meant to be with risks of seeing this spill into Syria's immediate and unstable neighborhoods like Iraq, lebanon and even Jordan where the Muslim Brotherhood is strongly calling for a Jihad against Assad.

Liberman is an Idiot or a smart and interested ally of Arms dealers ready to make profits over the misery of people in the region.

Don't fall for his crocodile tears. Like Dick Chesnay His interests are elsewhere ... In his bank account ...

and not with the people he is flattering by dubbing them as "Freedom Fighters" whom he hardly knows firsthand.

People are not fighting for "democracy" they are first and foremost fighting for survival. If they can subesquently establish a democratic state and handle it in a Post Assad Syria which we all hope it can then all the better but don't try and depict a hypothetical aspiration or even possible future without depicting the sitation as it really is. 

The Rebels cannot defend themselves and are being slaughtered. Arming them should be carried out by a well recognized Coalition composed essentially of Muslim nations of the region ranging from Turkey to the Arab League. This has to be a Libyan Style Operation with Only the above nations involved and No Western government be it Europe or the US involved which would then be opposed by Russia and China as an attempt towards a Western Style Regime Change.

Once the coalition is shaped with a clear objective being the protection of civilians and calling for  Assad's departure then they can strike and arm the rebels in order to overthrow their tyrant as was the case in Libya but this time without the slightest intervention of the Western Powers.

These are extremely sensitive times and the risks are truly high not only for Syria but the entire region if the Arab League and Turkey don't get their priorities straight and offer a clear vision and united front to bring an end to Assad's brutal regime. 

 

My Humble Opinion. DK

Lieberman say's it's time to arm the rebels

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Feb 13, 2012 06:30 AM PST

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman says a coalition should form and offer arms support to the Syrian rebels fighting Assad. (CNN, Interview)

WATCH HERE 

>>>

Anonymous Hackers intercept Emails between Tehran and Damascus

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Feb 13, 2012 03:37 AM PST

Des hackers dévoilent les mails secrets entre Damas et Téhéran (Le Figaro)

 

 

Anonymous, un groupe de pirates informatiques, a révélé dimanche la teneur de courriels ultraconfidentiels sur une aide de plus d'un milliard de dollars que Téhéran aurait récemment accordée à Damas pour contrer les sanctions financières internationales

How outside help is aiding Syria's rebels

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Feb 13, 2012 03:28 AM PST

Aiding the rebels (bbc)

The situation in Syria has never looked bleaker nor closer to civil war.

But where Western countries now fear to tread, others seem to be stepping in.

In a recent interview with the AFP news agency, Iraq's deputy interior minister Adnan al-Assadi confirmed these routes were also being used for smuggling weapons and Iraqi militants who want to fight alongside the Syrian rebels.

"The weapons are transported from Baghdad to Nineveh," he said. "And the prices of weapons in Mosul (the province's capital) are higher now because they are being sent to the opposition in Syria."

The movement of militants from Iraq into Syria could increase following the release of a video on Saturday by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, in which he called on Muslims across the region to support the Syrian uprising.

The Syrian rebels, who are believed to include several distinct groupings, including ordinary people protecting their communities, army defectors and militant Islamists, are also reported to have been buying weapons from Lebanon.

This is more difficult than the Iraqi route, but sources say an Islamist group based in northern Lebanon may itself be funnelling some supplies and fighters into Syria. 

Al-Qaeda's al-Zawahiri backs Syrian uprising

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Feb 13, 2012 12:46 AM PST

Al-Qaeda backs uprising (bbc)

 

Al-Qaeda's leader has backed the anti-government uprising in Syria, urging the opposition not to rely on the Arab League or the West for help.

In a video message, Ayman al-Zawahiri said the Syrian rebels had the right to use whatever means they saw fit to get rid of a "cancerous regime".

Egyptian-born Zawahiri, 62, took over as head of al-Qaeda after the death of Osama Bin Laden in May 2011.

The Syrian government blamed al-Qaeda for two blasts in Damascus in December.

That double suicide bombing killed 44 people. 

 

 

Syria "categorically" rejects new Arab peace plan

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Feb 12, 2012 11:43 PM PST

Syria rejects new Arab peace plan (bbc)

 

Syria "categorically" rejects an Arab League resolution seen by the BBC calling for a joint Arab-UN peacekeeping mission to the country.

 

Arab League 'calls for Syria peace force'

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Feb 12, 2012 09:49 AM PST

Arab League 'calls for Syria peace force'  (bbc)

 

 

The Arab League is calling for a joint Arab-UN peacekeeping mission to end the 11-month conflict in Syria.

In a resolution seen by the BBC but not yet officially released, it scrapped its observer team, suspended last month as violence increased.

The League said it was ending all diplomatic co-operation with Syria and urging contacts with the opposition.

The League's moves come a week after a UN Security Council resolution on Syria was vetoed by Russia and China.

 

 

Activist: Syria army uses human shields on tanks

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Feb 12, 2012 08:48 AM PST

Activist: Syria army uses human shields (cnn)

 

CNN) -- Syrian government forces are using detained civilians as human shields, placing them on tanks in the besieged city of Homs to prevent the opposition Free Syrian Army from fighting back, an opposition activist said.

The latest tactic came as shelling rained on city's Baba Amr neighborhood once again Sunday, residents say, marking at least the eighth straight day President Bashar al-Assad's troops have pummeled Homs in an attempt to wipe out the opposition.

"My house is dancing. I am almost dead because of the siege," said the opposition activist, named Omar.

Three civilians were killed in Sunday's shelling on Baba Amr, according the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition activist group. A fourth civilian was killed by gunfire near the town of Bab Houweid, the group said.

CNN cannot independently confirm details of the fighting in Syria because the government has severely limited the access of international journalists. 

Arab League's Syria observer mission head quits

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Feb 12, 2012 08:07 AM PST

Syria observer mission head quits (bbc)

 

The head of the suspended Arab League observer mission to Syria has resigned as League foreign ministers meet to decide their next move in the crisis.

League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi told its members in Cairo they had to move quickly to end the "vicious cycle of violence" in Syria.

The League is expected to approve Jordan ex-Foreign Minister Abdul-Illah al-Khatib as special envoy to Syria.

Meanwhile, al-Qaeda's leader has backed the Syrian uprising.

In a video message, Ayman al-Zawahiri told the opposition not to rely on the West or Arab countries for support.

Zawahiri - who took over the leadership of al-Qaeda following the death of Osama Bin Laden in May 2011 - described the Syrian government as a "cancerous regime that suffocated the free people of Syria".

 

Lebanese clash over Syria unrest leading to 2 deaths

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Feb 11, 2012 04:31 PM PST

Lebanese clash over Syria unrest (bbc)

 

At least two people are killed in the Lebanese city of Tripoli in clashes between supporters and opponents of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

 

Iraq comes to Syria while IRI has been there all along

by vildemose on Sat Feb 11, 2012 12:26 PM PST

 //www.juancole.com/2012/02/iraq-comes-to-syria.html

A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

 Warning: Graphic

by vildemose on Sat Feb 11, 2012 12:16 PM PST

 Warning: Graphic Pictures

 //azarmehr.blogspot.com/2012/02/brutality-beyond-words.html

A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

 "" This week, former

by vildemose on Sat Feb 11, 2012 11:52 AM PST

 "" This week, former Libyan rebel fighters from the city of Misurata announced the combat deaths of three Libyan comrades fighting against the Syrian regime. Many former rebel fighters speak approvingly of heading to Syria to join an increasingly armed uprising against Mr Assad. “Actually, we cannot stop anyone from going to Syria,” Ashour Bin Khayal, the career diplomat now heading Libyan foreign affairs told the FT. “People want to go and fight with the Syrians; no one is going prevent them. Officially, we don’t have this stance; but we cannot control the desire of the people."

//angryarab.blogspot.com/2012/02/nato-fighters-in-syria.html

A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

Jim Muir: unconventional

by vildemose on Sat Feb 11, 2012 10:48 AM PST

Jim Muir: unconventional wisdom on Syria "The situation is far more complex than during the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
In contrast to their ousted leaders, it does appear that the Assad regime still enjoys the support of significant sectors of the country's patchwork society, increasingly polarised as the crisis deepens. By and large, his own Alawite minority apparently continues to stand with him, some no doubt fearful of the consequences of change. The same seems generally to be true of other minorities, especially the Christians, with more questionable allegiance from the Kurds and Druze. Secular-minded and business circles within the middle classes of the majority Sunni community, especially in the two biggest cities, have also shown little enthusiasm for the revolt, which some fear might bring Islamists to the fore, especially now that armed action is increasingly in the picture. The regime has also apparently been able to continue using the army and security forces in a repressive role without them going to pieces. There have been individual or group defections on the ground, but not by whole units. What nobody knows - probably not even the regime itself - is how long it can go on using forces in which the rank and file are necessarily largely Sunni, to quell a largely Sunni-based revolt."

A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

Zakaria:If civil war erupts in Syria, Iran is the biggest loser

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Feb 11, 2012 10:23 AM PST

Why Iran loses (CNN, VIDEO)

 

CNN's Fareed Zakaria breaks down how Syria impacts Iran and Russia and why he doesn't think rebel forces stand a chance. 

Syria general 'shot in Damascus'

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Feb 11, 2012 08:01 AM PST

A Syrian general is killed by "terrorists", state media say, in what is thought to be the first assassination of a senior officer in Damascus since the uprising began.

Syria general 'shot in Damascus' (bbc)

 

 

 

 

Turkish foreign minister suggests aid for Syrian civilians

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Feb 11, 2012 01:38 AM PST

Turkish foreign minister suggests aid for Syrian civilians (cnn)

 

Washington (CNN) -- Turkey's foreign minister called for a new international initiative for Syria to protect civilians and increase pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to stop his bloody crackdown, saying his country would not remain indifferent to a "massacre in its back yard."

In the wake of the U.N. Security Council's failure to pass a resolution, Ahmet Davutoglu says like-minded countries should look for ways outside the United Nations system to end the killing and deliver aid to civilians under artillery attack from government forces, particularly in the besieged city of Homs.

"Now we need to revitalize a new international initiative," Davutoglu told reporters Friday. "We hope that with such a strong message those who are supporting Bashar al-Assad or (the) regime at this moment, they will have to make a reassessment," Davutoglu said, referring to Russia and China, which vetoed the resolution.

"What we need today is to send a strong message to the Syrian people that they are not alone," he added. 

Syria draft resolution reaches UN General Assembly

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Feb 11, 2012 01:10 AM PST

Syria move at UN General Assembly (bbc)

 

 

The United Nations General Assembly is becoming the focus of attempts to apply pressure on the Syrian government over its continued crackdown on dissent.

Saudi Arabia is circulating a draft resolution calling for an end to violence by all sides and for President Bashar al-Assad to step aside.

It is similar to one which Russia and China vetoed in the Security Council, triggering anger among Western powers.

But it adds a new element - a request that a UN special envoy is appointed. 

How Iran is helping Syria crush revolt

by Darius Kadivar on Fri Feb 10, 2012 04:09 AM PST

How Iran is helping Syria crush revolt (CNN, VIDEO)

 

The commander of Iran's notorious Quds force has reportedly been in Syria to help put down the uprising. CNN's Brian Todd reports on the support the Islamic republic is giving its main Mideast ally