Seven Army and Law-Enforcement Martyrs Laid to Rest
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The bodies of seven army and law-enforcement martyrs were escorted on Tuesday from Tishreen Military Hospital to their final resting place.
The martyrs were killed in line of duty in Damascus, Damascus Countryside, Hama, Homs and Daraa. Solemn funeral processions were held for the martyrs who were targeted by armed terrorist groups while they were in the line of duty in Damascus Countryside, Daraa, and Homs.
The martyrs are:
Colonel Arkan Mahmoud Khidr Zytoun from Homs.
Lieutenant Colonel Said Suleiman al-Assi from Lattakia.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Asaad Ahmad Ismael from Hama.
Chief Warrant Officer Jihad Toufeeq Ismael from Lattakia.
Chief Warrant Officer Jameel Kaysar Hussein from Quneitra.
Chief Warrant Officer Suleiman Ahmad Ismael from Hama.
Conscript Mahmoud Hameed al-Ali from Deir Ezzor.
The families of martyrs underscored that the blood of martyrs will further strengthen the homeland against challenges, stressing that they will go ahead in the road of martyrdom to foil the conspiracy hatched against Syria.
They also stressed their faith in the ability of the Syrian army in foiling the plot.
Terrorists Detonate Explosive Device in Damascus, Assassinate Retired Lieutenant Colonel and His Brother, Law Enforcement Member Martyred
PROVINCES, (SANA)- An explosive device went off on Tuesday near Yelbagha complex in al-Marjeh area in Damascus.
SANA reporter quoted a source at Damascus Police Command as saying that the explosive device was placed under a car.
The explosion resulted in the injury of the car driver.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel and Brother Assassinated in Damascus Countryside:
In Damascus Countryside, an armed terrorist group assassinated a retired Lieutenant Colonel and his brother in Jedaydet al-Fadel.
SANA reporter quoted a source at the Province Police Command as saying that an armed terrorist group opened fire against the retired Lieutenant Colonel As’aad Ahmad Ismael and his brother Chief Warrant Officer Suleiman Ahmad Ismael, causing their immediate martyrdom.
A Law Enforcement member martyred, others wounded by terrorist attacks in Doma:
An armed terrorist group today fired RPGs at law enforcement personnel and civilians in Doma, Damascus countryside.
SANA reporter learned that Chief Warrant Officer Shikri al-Kazhali was martyred while three other members were wounded in the attacks.
At Shoufoniya in Doma countryside, an armed terrorist group fired bullets and RPGs at the law enforcement personnel and civilians, causing many injuries.. the terrorists also besieged an oil station in order to burglarize it.
Lavrov Hopes That Attempts to Foil Mission of International Observers in Syria won’t Succeed
MOSCOW, (SANA)- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed the hope that all attempts to foil the work of the mission of the international observers in Syria will not succeed, expressing regret at the existence of a blackmail in media that depends on unreliable sources.
The Russia Today TV Channel quoted Lavrov as saying, in a press conference on Tuesday at Dushanbe, “I hope that all those who try to foil the work of the UN observers mission in Syria will not be able to carry out their plans”, asserting that the mission has played ‘a positive role’.
He also expressed the hope that the number of the observers will increase soon to 300 persons as it was endorsed by the UN Security Council’s resolution No. 2043.
He pointed out that the more number of the observer were large, the more information based on objective facts we get, asserting that the work of the observers is undoubtedly “a positive factor”.
Pushkov: Western Countries Began to Realize Wrongness of Previous Stances Over Syria
Alexei Pushkov, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee for International Affairs, said that implementing the plan of the UN Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan doesn’t depend only on Russia but also on the so-called ‘Friends of Syria’ who are supporting the armed opposition.
In statements made before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, Pushkov added that the stances of the western countries concerning President Bashar al-Assad were not realistic.
Pushkov, Head of the Russian Delegation, said that there is a change in the stances of the (PACE) over the crisis in Syria.
Churkin: Dealing with Syrian Crisis Should be through Comprehensive Dialogue under Syrian Leadership
Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, said “We want a comprehensive Syrian dialogue under a Syrian leadership,” adding that Syria will not breach its obligations regarding Annan’s plan as they realize that the crisis cannot be solved by force.
In an interview with the American CNN TV., Churkin said that “dealing with the Syrian crisis should be through laying the foundation for a political process right now or to wait for 3 or 4 years of bloodshed as it is the case in Iraq where more than 100 thousand citizens were killed.
He added that “the role of the Security Council is not changing regimes … if there is a country which suffers a crisis, the countries of the world should help this country find a peaceful political way out of that crisis.
Churkin said ” when we saw some of the resolutions, which included sanctions, we knew that those were resolutions which aimed at regime change by force, which would, in turn, lead only to much more bloodshed in Syria, indicating that Syria has a strong army and President al-Assad does have support among the population.
“So this easy way, which incidentally succeeded in Libya, 57000 people were killed and the country is still in a very difficult situation,” said Churkin, adding that Russia is against such kind of scenario in Syria as the national and regional consequences will be ” dramatic”.
He said that “The conflict in Syria could have been ended since last August when Russia presented a draft resolution to the Security Council calling upon all sides to halt violence and to start a comprehensive political dialogue under political leadership but instead of that they tried to issue a resolution which aims to change the regime so Russia had to reject it and use the veto.”
Chizhov: Syrians Alone Should Decide Destiny of their Country
Permanent Representative of Russia to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, stressed the need for the Syrians alone to decide the destiny of their country without any foreign interference, adding that the decision is a Syrian affair.
In a statement today, Chizhov said that “We want this decision to be a result of a political dialogue, not as a consequence of outside prescriptions imposed by other countries nor a result of foreign military intervention.”
He pointed out that Russia considered the sanctions in regard to the situation in Syria or any other situation don’t lead to a political settlement, adding that Russia’s stance towards sanctions against Syria, including the EU countries which imposed the sanctions, is clear.
He stressed the necessity of halting violence and close supervision of ceasefire by the UN observers mission, in addition to beginning a political dialogue with the participation of all political forces in Syria which may help make a decision by the Syrians themselves.
Russian Military Official Stresses Continuity of Military Cooperation between Russia and Syria
Russia’s Deputy Premier in charge of Defense and Space Industry, Dmitry Rogozin, stressed that Russia will continue military and technical cooperation according to the existing agreements between the two countries in this regard.
Russia Today website quoted Rogozin as saying in a statement to the journalists that “Only a UNSC resolution could ban exporting weapons from Russia to Syria and since such a resolution does not exist, we won’t commit ourselves to fulfill additional obligations.”
He said that Russia supplies several countries with defense arms including advanced air-defense missiles, adding that S-300 missile system is not among the exported arms.
Russian Diplomatic Source: Lavrov to Hold Talks with Representatives of Syrian Opposition Thursday
A well-informed Russian diplomatic source said that Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks next Thursday with representatives of the ‘Front for Change and Liberation’ from the Syrian opposition.
The Russian Source added that the delegation of the Syrian opposition will arrive in Moscow on Wednesday.
721 Men Involved in Events but Not in Killing Turn Themselves in in a number of cities
HAMA, (SANA)- 721 men who got involved in the recent events but whose hands were not stained with Syrian blood handed in themselves and their weapons to the authorities in different Syrian cities on Tuesday.
In Hama and its countryside, 248 persons gave themselves up along with their wepoans to the authorities.
230 persons in Idleb, 11 men in al-Hifa, Lattakia and 107 persons in Damascus countryside also surrendered to the authorities.
in the same context, 30 persons from Yabroud and 95 men from al-Zabadani and the surrounding areas surrendered to the Police.
The 721 men were set free after they vowed not to take up arms again in the face of the state or threaten the security of the homeland and the citizens.
During the past ten days, more than 1000 citizens who were mislead into getting involved in the events turned themselves in to the authorities in Hama and its countryside.
Mikdad: Syrian people reject any Foreign intervention in Domestic Affairs
DAMASCUS-(SANA)-Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad described the events in Syria as a conspiracy which the US and Western colonial states stand behind, supported by Israel and some Arab and regional states and perpetrated by armed terrorist groups to weaken Syria’s national stances.
Meeting a delegation of the World Peace Council (WPC) , the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY)Tuesday, Mikdad said that the Syrian people are adhered to national unity and they reject any foreign intervention in the country’s domestic affairs.
He added that the Syrian people believe in the dialogue as the only safe way to overcome the crisis.
Members of the visiting delegation said that they came to Syria to show solidarity with the country, adding that the Syrian people enjoy high spirit of nationality which would foil all plots that aim at overthrowing their state.
WPC and WFDY Delegation Affirms Falsity of What Some Media Outlets Are Reporting about Syria
The delegation from the World Peace Council (WPC), the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and representatives of Arab and international student and youth organization currently visiting Syria on Tuesday continued its tour of the city of Lattakia.
Members of the delegation said that the Syrian people’s resilience and cohesion was the basis of foiling the conspiracy against them, noting that they witnessed firsthand normal life in Lattakia and that they will relay what they witnessed faithfully to the media.
They said that what they witnessed in Syria is very different from what the media is reporting, particularly al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya, stressing that propaganda is being used to create and instigate war and sedition, adding that media misdirection proves that there’s a premeditated plan to destroy Syria.
Turkish members of the delegation regretted the participation of Erdogan’s government in the conspiracy against Syria, saying that Erdogan who talks about freedom and human rights should have refrained from arresting Turkish journalists and suppressing the activities of youths in Turkey’s streets, and that those who claim to love Syria must help it achieve security rather than incite strife and provide weapons.
Tehran Calls for Solving the Syrian Issue without any Foreign Intervention
TEHRAN, (SANA)-Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salihi on Tuesday underlined the need for solving the Syrian issue in wisdom, without any foreign intervention.
IRNA news Agency quoted Salihi as saying at a press conference with his Tunisian counterpart Rafik Abdulsalam that he is contacting with friends in other states to make consultations on international and regional issues, including the Syrian file.
“The Syrian government has declared its willingness to conduct dialogue with the opposition,” Salihi said, adding it is necessary for all to cooperate to make the plan of the UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan a success.
He called for giving an opportunity to Syria to tackle its problems, saying “the Syrian Leadership has stressed its readiness to meet the Syrian people’s demands, including the new constitution.”
In Beirut, the Iranian Ambassador Ghadanfar Rokon Abadi renewed his country’s stance towards Syria which support it in the face of the conspiracy to which it is exposed.
“We reiterate support and standing by Syria, as people and leadership,” Rokon Abadi said today, asserting the right demands of the Syrian people who call for reforms under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad.
Turkish Military and Party Leaders: Erdogan Government Turned Turkey into Base for Terrorism
ANKARA, (SANA)- Former Commander of Turkish Naval Academy, Admiral Turker Erturk , said the government of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) has given up to imperialism in every sense of the word and turned Turley into a base for terrorism.
The retired Admiral considered in a press article that security and stability in Syria and the success of its reform program are contingent on the Western countries abandoning their schemes to bring the downfall of the Syrian state, adding that the talk about supporting the plan of the UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, without quitting these schems is considered “misleading of the public opinion”.
Adm. Erturk criticized the meeting recently held by the US, France, Turkey and some of the Gulf states in Paris on Syria and these countries’ efforts to impose new sanctions on Syria, lashing out at the pressures practiced by the US on Ankara to join the French leadership in case of possible direct military intervention in Syria in the pattern of what happened in Libya.
He pointed out visits made once in a while by a number of U.S. officials to the Syrian-Turkish borders to monitor the situation there.
The former Turkish Commander warned of the gravity of the U.S. schemes in the region that are aimed at “breaking the strong anti-U.S. policy alliance between Syria and Iran”.
He said that during the past stage the US pushed the JDP to improve relations with Syria with the aim of distancing Syria away from Iran.
He added that when Washington failed to damage the Syrian-Iranian relations at the hands of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as Syria sought to improve its economic and political relations with Turkey but has not abandoned its vital relationship with Iran, the US had to follow an alternative plan based on changing the Syrian regime through creating chaos that leads to dividing the country and working for a Libya-style military intervention using a regional tool to undermine the Syrian government.
Adm. Erturk stressed the Turkish armed forces’ rejection of any military intervention in Syria as it is unjustified and dissatisfaction with allowing the importing of terrorism into Syria and using the Turkish territories to wage attacks against Syria by the JDP government.
For his part, Deputy Head of Turkish Labor Party, Mehmet Bedri Gultekin, described the JDP government’s foreign policy as “shameful” and “embarrassing” as it brings grave consequences to the Turkish state due to the hostile approach followed towards the neighboring countries.
In a article published on the Turkish Ulusalbakis website, Gultekin said Erdogan government’s policy has brought damage to Turkey’s Relations with the neighboring countries when the JDP leaders have unhesitantly rushed to interfere in the affairs of Libya and Syria believing they are in front of a historic chance to play their role in the framework of the US schemes in the region.
Gultekin criticized the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s attempts at imploring the NATO intervention in Syria, saying this bid came after the failure of the terrorists hosted in the Turkish camps on the borders with Syria and backed by Erdogan to hold sway over the border region as planned before.
“At the end of the day, the Turkish people will have to face the dire results of the JDP government’s policy to limit these results and consequences caused by this hostile policy towards the neighboring countries,” said Gultekin.
Cabinet Forms a Committee to Estimate Damages in Homs City to Restore Life to Normal
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The Cabinet discussed in a session chaired by Prime Minister Adel Safar on Tuesday the mechanisms and procedures required for restoring citizens who were forced to leave their houses in some areas and cities because of the armed terrorist groups’ criminal acts.
The Cabinet also discussed a new bill on the Higher Constitutional Court and approved a decision on regulating the establishment Syrian companies for e-payment services.
In a statement after the Cabinet’s session, Secretary-General of the Cabinet Tayseer al-Zughbi said that the Cabinet decided to form a committee tasked with estimating the damages in Homs city and authorized it to accomplish its mission and restore life back to normal for citizens to come back to their homes as soon as possible.
Lebanon Reiterates Rejection of Foreign Interference in Syria’s Affairs
BEIRUT, (SANA)- Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour renewed his country’s rejection of any foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs, stressing that the disassociation policy means that Lebanon rejects any policy that leads to any interference in Syria’s affairs.
In an interview with Lebanese NBN TV. Channel aired on Monday, Mansour underlined that Lebanon rejects the military intervention and internationalizing the Syrian crisis, pointing out that the Syrian Leadership set a timetable for the implementation of the reforms and enacted decrees in this regard, asserting that the reforms will be carried out through national dialogue not by violence.
He hailed Russia’s stance towards the crisis in Syria, pointing out that the Syrian leadership was able to contain the crisis in spite of weapons smuggling through the borders and the unlimited financial support provided to the armed terrorist groups and unprecedented media campaigns.
He affirmed that the Syrian people and leadership foiled the hostile war against their homeland, hailing the role of the Syrian army in foiling this global conspiracy hatched against Syria.
He also slammed the role of the Arab League (AL) towards the crisis in Syria as the AL sought from the beginning of the crisis to refer the Syrian crisis to the UN Security Council, internationalize it and bringing the foreign military intervention to Syria.