Official Source: Syria Is Surprised and Regrets al-Arabi’s Decision to Suspend Arab Monitoring Mission
DAMASCUS, (SANA)- An official source on Saturday stated that the Syrian Arab Republic is surprised and regrets the decision of the Arab League (AL) Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi to suspend the Arab monitoring mission after having agreed to extend it for another month upon the AL General Secretariat’s request in light of the report submitted by the mission’s head General Mohammed Mustafa al-Dabi to the AL Ministerial Council.
“It was clear that the Arab monitors’ report didn’t please some countries at the League because of what it included regarding acknowledging and documenting the presence of armed groups that have been targeting the civilians, the military and law enforcement forces and the public and private institutions as well as the gas and oil pipelines,” the source said.
“Nabil al-Arabi’s decision,” the source added, “came in preparation for the Security Council meeting scheduled next Tuesday upon the request of Qatar and the AL General Secretariat with the aim of exerting negative impact and pressures in the discussions with a view to calling for foreign interference in the Syrian internal affairs and encouraging more violence against the citizens by the armed groups.”
The source continued that the AL Secretary General’s decision goes in line with that of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council to withdraw their monitors, “which came as a reaction to the Arab monitoring mission’s report and not because of what the Secretary General claimed on the continued use of violence and exchange of shelling and fire.”
The source stressed that the Syrian Arab Republic is still committed to making the Arab monitoring mission a success and providing protection to the monitors according to the items of the protocol signed with the Arab League and to the Arab Work Plan which provides that the Syrian government is committed to end violence whatever its source.
Arab League Secretary General Suspends AL Monitoring Mission in Syria
CAIRO, (SANA)_Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi decided to immediately ssuspend the AL observer mission to Syria, pending presentation of the issue to the Arab League’s Council, in an escalation against Syria that reflects the persistence of some member countries in supporting armed terrorist groups.
Al-Arabi has asked the head of the mission to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the mission’s members.
The Secretary-general said in a statement that he held talks with a number of Arab foreign ministers and decided to halt the work of the mission, due to the ”critical deterioration of the situation in Syria and the continued use of violence.”
Al-Arabi considered that the Syrian government has resorted to ”escalation in the security option”, disregarding the crimes perpetrated by the armed groups which the observers’ report has documented.
Six Martyred, Six Others Injured by Explosive Device Targeting Bus Carrying Military Personnel near Sahnaya, Agricultural Engineer Assassinated in Homs
GOVERNORATES, (SANA)_ An armed terrorist group on Sunday targeted a bus carrying army personnel near Sahnaya, one of Damascus’ suburbs, killing six persons, including two officers, and injuring six others.
A military source informed SANA correspondent that the bus was targeted by an explosive device planted by an armed terrorist group and remotely detonated.
The martyrs are:
First Lieutenant Mahdi Mohammad al-Ahmad.
First Lieutenant Ahmad Abdullah Ali al-Mohammad.
Sergeants: Yousef Ibrahim, Jihad Ibrahim, Shadi Idris and Najeeb Hassan.
Sergeant Major Fares al-Omar, one of the officers injured in the explosion, told the Syrian TV that he and his colleagues got on the bus at 7 AM to go to their regiment, and on the way the bus suddenly flew into the air and landed on the ground, causing it to catch fire and shattering all windows.
“Afterwards, we came under heavy gunfire, martyring a number of our colleagues and wounding others,” he said.
In turn, Sergeant Major Samir Mohammad said they were in the bus and heading to work when an explosive device went off around 100 meters before reaching the regiment, with the explosion hurling him out of the bus.
Brigadier General, Law-enforcement Member Injured by Explosive Devices in Idleb Countryside
A Brigadier General and a law-enforcement member were injured when two explosive devices planted by terrorist groups went off on Balyon-Kamsafra road in Idleb countryside.
An informed source told SANA that Brigadier General Sharif Kheirbek and Conscript Monzer Jom’a Abdul-Rahman were injured in the terrorist bombing which targeted their car. They were rushed to Lattakia Military Hospital.
The source added that an armed terrorist group broke into the Telecommunications’ Establishment in Idleb and stole 17 state cars from the garage.
Agricultural Engineer Assassinated in Homs
An armed terrorist group assassinated on Sunday Amal Issa, an agricultural engineer who works at Homs Agriculture Directorate.
An official source told SANA correspondent in Homs that the armed group targeted the engineer when she was in her car with three of her colleagues near Khaled Bin al-Walid Mosque. Issa was martyred by a shot in the head while her three colleagues escaped unscathed.
Lavrov: Some Security Council Members Exploit Syrian Situation for Geopolitical Interests
MOSCOW, (SANA) _ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that some Security Council members are trying to dissuade the Syrian opposition from engaging in a dialogue with the Syrian authorities.
Lavrov considered this conduct by some UN Security Council as an instigation intended for using the situation in Syria to serve geopolitical interests.
In an interview with the Japanese NHK TV, Lavrov said that this position reflects an archaic psychology that should be ”done away with”.
Lavrov said that Russia proposed a draft resolution on Syria to the UN Security Council consisting of three points; stopping violence by all sides, rejecting foreign interference in the ongoing operations in Syria and launching an internal national dialogue without preconditions.
He added that Russia will try to convince representatives of the Syrian opposition of the importance of dialogue with the Syrian authorities.
Lavrov: statements issued by Western countries on the futility of AL observer mission in Syria “fruitless”
Lavrov considered the statements issued by Western countries on the futility of the Arab League (AL) observer mission in Syria and the impossibility of holding dialogue with the Syrian regime as “fruitless”.
In a statement to the press in Brunei on Sunday, Lavrov described these statements as “irresponsible”, saying the western countries are trying to waste the opportunity to ease the situation in Syria, “which should not be allowed at all.”
The Russian Minister wondered at the decision of some Arab countries on not participating in the observer mission in Syria, referring to the Gulf states that first agreed on the decision to extend the mission, but they abstained from participating and withdrew their representatives in it.
“This raises certain questions,” said Lavrov, considering that the mission should on the contrary be enhanced and the number of observers be increased.
He expressed his country’s desire to see the report of the AL observer mission about Syria before discussing the plan submitted by the AL to the UN Security Council.
Lavrov recalled Russia’s stance on the necessity of calling on all Syrian sides to end violence, start dialogue and prevent foreign interference, stressing that the opposition is using force against the Syria police and forces.
He pointed out that the armed groups in Syria have increased in number and are being increasingly armed, affirming that weapons smuggling into Syria is continuing.
For his part, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said the Arab League’s decision to suspend the monitoring mission in Syria raises additional concern in Russia.
Lukashevich is accompanying Lavrov on his tour of a number of countries in Asia and the Pacific region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Warns that Foreign Pressures on Syria might have Bad Repercussions on the Whole Region
TEHRAN, (SANA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi stressed the necessity of peaceful settlement to the situation in Syria within the framework of an internal plan and away from foreign interference.
In a statement upon his arrival in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to participate in the African Summit, Salehi warned of the consequences of foreign pressures exerted on Syria which might have bad repercussions on the whole region.
He underlined that Syria is able to solve its problems on its own, adding that the Syrian leadership started to implement the announced reforms and that means that it met the demands of its people, which shows no compelling justifications for exerting such western and Arab media pressures against Syria.
23 Army, Law-Enforcement Forces Martyrs Escorted to Final Resting Place
PROVINCES, (SANA) – The bodies of 23 army and law-enforcement forces martyrs on Sunday were escorted from Tishreen and Homs military hospitals and Sweida National Hospital to their final resting place.
The martyrs were killed at the hands of the armed terrorist groups while on duty in Homs, Daraa and Damascus Countryside.
Solemn funeral ceremonies were held for the martyrs, as they were carried on shoulders while the music of the “Martyr” and “Farewell” was playing.
The martyrs are:
– First Lieutenant Moemin Fayez Talaie, from Sweida.
– First Lieutenant Hamzeh Hassan Ghassa, from Lattakia.
– Second Lieutenant Yasser Mohammad Kaso, from Lattakia.
– Chief Warrant Officer Hamzeh Suleiman Deeb, from Lattakia.
– Chief Warrant Officer Bashir Abdo al-Saadi, from Daraa.
– Chief Warrant Officer Akram Subhi al-Said, from Deir Ezzor.
– Chief Warrant Officer Ziad Dawood Kreen, from Deir Ezzor.
– Sergeant Major Samir Saleh Khaddour, from Hama.
– Sergeant Major Raed Sami Najmeh, from Tartous.
– Sergeant Major Mohammad Sakher Baha Eddin Dawood al-Takreiti from Damascus.
– Sergeant Major Ali Mahmoud Ibrahim, from Hama.
– Sergeant William Ali Olbeh, from Sweida.
– Sergeant Ayham Fahim Hamad, from Quneitra.
– Sergeant Rami Salim Joehra, from Lattakia.
– Sergeant Hassan Mahmoud Ali from Lattakia.
– Corporal Ali Hatm al-Qadi, from Hama.
– Corporal Imad Yousef al-Hamdan, from Daraa.
– Soldier Ghadir Jamal Eddin Khdeira , from Idleb.
– Conscript Ahmad Hamad Mustafa, from Aleppo.
– Conscript Jasem Mohammad al-Khattab, from Deir Ezzor.
– Conscript Basel Mahmoud Khalaf, from Aleppo.
– Conscript Mustafa Mohammad al-Assaf, from Aleppo.
– Conscript Alaa Mohammad Nasser Mustafa, from Aleppo.
Families of the martyrs expressed confidence that the blood of the martyrs will help Syria overcome the crisis and head to a better future, stressing that the crimes of armed terrorist groups will not weaken the Syrians’ determination to confront the conspiracy targeting their country.
They stressed that the Syrian people’s unity and their rallying around their leadership will foil the conspiracy and other schemes aiming at undermining their homeland.
Gulf States and Turkey Hold Meeting in Istanbul to Continue Conspiring against Syria
DAMASCUS, (SANA)- Days after intelligence reports revealed that intelligence crews from some Gulf states, Turkey, the US, France and Israel have been supervising camps for gathering, recruiting and training mercenaries and terrorists inside the Turkish territories, Turkey and Gulf states on Saturday held a meeting in Istanbul to discuss activities of their terrorist groups operating in Syria.
The first results of this Gulf-Turkish meeting came with announcing a new escalatory step against Syria represented in the decision of the Arab League (AL) Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi to suspend the monitoring mission in Syria, ignoring the AL Council’s decision last week to extend the mission for another month.
The decision to suspend the monitoring mission came to confirm that Arab countries, on top being the Gulf states, are continuing their support to the acts of the armed terrorist groups in Syria.
Today’s Istanbul meeting came as a new episode in the series of conspiring between the Gulf states and the Turkish government against Syria, which was proved through the simultaneous imposition of sanctions allegedly aimed against the Syrian government, while experts and analysts as well as a number of Arabs and Turks consider that the bad impacts of these sanctions affect the Syrian people and also reach the people of Arab countries and Turkey.
Observers see that the Gulf-Turkish conspiring against Syria appeared evident through the attendance of senior Turkish diplomat at the Arab Foreign Ministers Council meetings at which all decisions against Syria were made.
These decisions started with freezing Syria’s membership at the Arab League and continued through working to internationalize the Syrian crisis in implementation of foreign agendas exposed by the statements of the U.S. diplomat Jennifer Rasamimanana who described the League’s decisions as having positive impact on the U.S. efforts to take the Syrian crisis file to the UN Security Council and pressure Russia to change its stance.
Information and data indicate that Istanbul meeting held today came to discuss the ways to continue the exposed Gulf-Turkish conspiring against Syria after Russia stressed its objection at the Security Council to the Arab Ministerial Council’s plan led by Qatar and Saudi Arabia and ordered by the US and Israel.
Two days ago, the Israeli War Minister Ehud Barak stated that the Arab League’s latest decisions against Syria are consistent with the Israeli vision and that the League and the Arab leaders are working in line with the Israeli approach against Syria.
Analysts and observers place Istanbul meeting in the framework of a new campaign to pressure Syria led by Gulf and foreign countries and Turkey that are now distributing roles among themselves after the doors were closed before them from inside by the Syrian people and were beleaguered by the Russian stance at the Security Council.
Parties’ Affairs Committee Verifies documents of new parties
DAMASCUS, (SANA)-Parties’ Affairs Committee on Sunday decided to refer documents of the new parties “Syria Free” and “Syria Homeland” to be published on two daily newspapers for one week.
The committee, headed by Interior Minister Mohammad al-Shaar, held a meeting to discuss and verify the documents of newly-formed parties, showing some notes on the papers of other parties.
During the meeting, the Minister said that the parties that were given licenses till now according the new Parties’ Law reached at four; they are “the Solidarity”, “Syrian Democracy”, “al-Ansar” and “The Democratic Front”.
He added that other two parties will be given licenses in the current week if their founders submit the final document of forming the party.
The Parties’ Affairs Committee publishes the documents of any new party in the gazette, showing to the public its principles and goals. The Committee accepts objections according to the law during 10 days.
Syrian Human Rights Network: Arab Monitoring Mission Was Suspended because It Was Objective and Neutral
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The Syrian Human Rights Network on Saturday said the Arab monitoring mission was suspended and was labeled as lacking experience only because it showed objectivity and neutrality, although it was agreed upon in the first place.
In a statement of which SANA got a copy, the Network called for taking the human rights considerations and the Arab monitoring mission’s report into account at any negotiating table regarding Syria, saying that the main guarantee to find a solution for the Syrian crisis is the guarantee that is stemmed from the Syrian inside.
The Network condemned the attacks carried out against the Syrian delegations in Cairo and recently against the Syrian embassy in the Egyptian capital by the tools of ‘Istanbul opposition’, noting that this confirms this opposition’s cooperation with terrorists and the US and Israel to achieve its ambitions in seizing power.
The statement called upon the opposition abroad to stop talking in the name of the Syrian people as it isn’t authorized to do so by any Syrian.
The Network demanded that the United Nations Commission shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities towards what is happening in the Arab countries, particularly Syria, after having made certain of the distorted reporting of facts practiced by some hired human rights organizations, and to make sure that the Security Council won’t take any measure that might be based on false information.