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President al-Assad Issues Law on Establishing Court to Look into Terrorism-linked Crimes

Jul 26, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday issued law No. 22 for 2012 on establishing a court to look into terrorism-linked issues with its headquarters in Damascus.

The law provides for the possibility of establishing more other headquarters when necessary by a decision from the Higher Judicial Council.

The court has jurisdiction over civilian and military personnel.

Minister of Justice Radwan al-Habib said the anti-terrorism law No 19 includes putting appropriate legal rules for the high-risk crimes in a way that achieves a balance between the rights of the citizens to guarantee their freedom and dignity and the right of the state to protect its integrity and preserve its higher interests.

Terrorists Suffer Heavy Losses in Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Hama and Daraa

Jul 27, 2012

PROVINCES, (SANA) – Units from the armed forces on Thursday clashed with armed terrorist groups in Salah Eddin and al-Sukari neighborhoods in Aleppo.

An official source told SANA reporter that the clash resulted in killing and wounding a large number of terrorists.

The source added that terrorists Mohammad Saleh Afir and Mazen Aqrae were identified among the dead.

Syrian Armed forces carry out qualitative operations in al-Yarmouk and al-Hajar al-Aswad, kill terrorists and wound scores

The Syrian Army units today pursued the defeated terrorists in al-Yarmouk neighborhood in Damascus.

The Army forces carried out a qualitative and courageous operation as the terrorists were spreading inside the populated areas and taking civilians as human shields.

The competent authorities pursued  the terrorists in al-Yarmouk and al-Hajar al-Aswad popular neighborhoods, killing a big number of mercenaries who destroyed private and public properties, terrified citizens and broke off  roads.

In al-Kiswa, Damascus countryside, an army unit stormed a den used by an armed terrorist group in one of the farms.

The Unit clashed with the terrorists who were hiding inside the den,  killing and injuring several terrorists, confiscating their weapons which included a number of rifles and explosive devices.

Three citizens martyred in a train derail by an act of terrorists

In al-Raka, an armed terrorist group removed the beams of a railway that links between al-Raka and Aleppo, leading to the derail of a train with three civilians martyred and  several others wounded

5 Terrorists Killed, 10 Others Wounded in Deir Ezzor

Authorities in Deir Ezzor clashed with terrorists in al-Bukamal city, killed 5 terrorists and wounded 10 others, in addition to destroying a pick-up truck equipped with a machinegun and another car carrying weapons and ammunition.

A source in the province said that two terrorists were killed in an explosive device blast as they were planting it near Omar Bin al-Khattab Mosque in the city.

Authorities Clash with Terrorists in Hama, Storm Terrorist Hideout, Seize Large Amount of Weapons

Authorities clashed with a number of terrorists who were trying to kidnap a family from al-Elaiyat town in Hama countryside.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that the terrorists suffered heavy losses, adding that the body of the terrorist Safwan Abu Eisheh was identified.

On Wednesday, the authorities, in cooperation with the locals, stormed a hideout of an armed terrorist group in the same town, arresting its members and seizing large amounts of weapons.

A source in the province said that the seized weapons included 41 automatic guns, 9 sniper rifles, 17 RPGs and 3 RPG launchers, 6 pump-action rifles, 84 bullet chargers , hand-made rocket, 43 bags, 50 gas masks, large amount of grenades, 12 wireless transmitters and 2 Inmarsat satellite transmitters, in addition to seizing a field hospital with stolen medical equipment.

Authorities kill terrorists in Idleb, Daraa countryside

The competent authorities clashed today with armed terrorist groups in Idleb countryside, inflicting heavy losses among terrorists.

An official source in Idleb told SANA reporter that among the killed known were Tarek Aboud al-Sayyid, Mohammad Fawaz al-Khateeb and Adnan al-Khateeb.

In Daraa countryside, the authorities, in cooperation with the families  pursued an armed terrorist group and clashed with it.

Among the terrorists killed were Abdul-Rahman al-Nadaf and Mohammad Biki.

Authorities Confront Terrorist Attack in Daraa

In Daraa, authorities confronted an attack by an armed terrorist group against law-enforcement forces which resulted in killing terrorist Audi Kaed al-Fawwaz, a leader of one of the armed terrorist groups, and wounding others.

Authorities in Bosra al-Sham clashed with terrorists, killing an Arab terrorist and wounding others.

Foreign Ministry: Ambassador al-Dabbagh Was off Duty in Abu Dhabi since June 4th

Jul 27, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- Foreign and Expatriates Ministry stressed that Syria’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abdullatif al-Dabbagh, has been off duty in Abu Dhabi since June 4th and Lamia al-Hariri has never held the title of Ambassador to Cyprus.

The Ministry referred in a statement on Thursday to media reports over the past two days in relation to employees at the Ministry who chose to leave their posts at diplomatic missions and head to an Arab country which has undertaken funding and encouraging these types of employees to defect from their homeland in return for offers that have become known to all and been rejected before by many inside and outside the Ministry.

The statement clarified that Abdullatif al-Dabbagh is Syria’s Ambassador to the UAE who is currently under review in Damascus upon the Ministry’s request for consultation and has been off duty in Abu Dhabi since June 4th.

The statement added that Lamia al-Hariri has never held the title of Syria’s Ambassador as she is a diplomat working at the Syrian Embassy in Cyprus and assigned with managing the Embassy’s affairs until an ambassador or charge d’affaires is appointed.

The Ministry’s statement also clarified that Mohammad Tahsin al-Faqir does not hold any diplomatic title as he is an administrative employee at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry and works at the Syrian Embassy in Oman.

It added that al-Faqir’s mission at the Embassy was terminated by law no. 129 issued on May 21, 2012 and he is now waiting for retirement within a month, noting that al-Faqir does not hold any security status.

The Foreign Ministry said in its statement that it has taken the legal, behavioral and diplomatic measures towards the mentioned employees, stressing that all the embassies concerned are working uniformly and unremittingly to serve the Syrian nationals in the countries concerned

Ladsous.. Finding political solution to the Crisis in Syria through process led by the Syrians

Jul 26, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA)-United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous announced the UN Observer Mission’s commitment to carrying out the Security Council Resolution No. 2059 which extended the mandate of the International Monitors’ Mission UNSMIS for 30 days.

“The UN, and particularly the UNSMIS under its new leadership, headed by General Babacar Gaye are committed to carrying out the Security Council decision.. as you know, it is a short mandate to re-evaluate the situation at the end of August,” Ladsous said at a press conference in Damascus following two-day meetings with officials from the Syrian government and figures from the opposition.

He clarified that when the situation improves, members of the Mission who left to their countries will return to their tasks.

Ladsous said that the aim of the UN is to contribute to stopping the violence, calling on all sides to exert efforts to put an end to violence and help apply the six-point plan of the UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan.

“One of the tasks of UNSMIS is to contribute to facilitating resumption of dialogue, particularly in specified local circumstances, and to put a vision that could help find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria, led by the Syrians themselves,” Ladsous concluded.

Stability and security Restored to al-Dhiyabia, Families Return Home

Jul 26, 2012

DAMASCUS COUNTRYSIDE, (SANA)- Members of the Syrian Army forces and Law enforcement restored security and stability to al-Dhiyabia neighborhood in al-Sayida Zainab, Damascus countryside after purifying the area from the mercenaries who carried out acts of sabotage, burning private and public cars, breaking off roads and terrifying the innocents.

The authorities killed a big number of terrorists and injured scores of them in addition to confiscating their weapons and ammunitions.

With the coming of the Army members to the area, some families started to return to their houses, feeling safe and secure.

“The terrorists were braking off roads, terrifying people by weapons and hiding their faces.. the people felt danger and were forced to flee their homes.. when we returned, we saw chaos and destruction,” Yousef al-Shumari said.

Batoul al-Shumari who returned two days ago underlined that the terrorists “confiscated the life.. there were no more joy or happiness.. were we seized inside our houses, but now we feel safe with the presence of the army.”

Other citizens underlined that they are cleaning the streets and they feel secure, adding that conditions are improving, stressing that mercenaries were opening fire, storming houses and looting shops and cars.

Tehran Opposes any Foreign intervention in Syria’s domestic affairs

Jul 26, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA)-Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili underlined that Iran strongly opposes any foreign intervention in the Syrian domestic affairs.

Meeting the Syrian Deputy Prime Minister for Services Affairs and Local Administration Minister Omar Ghalawanji and the accompanying delegation , Jalili condemned the misleading media campaigns and the pressures to which Syrian is exposed, stressing that Syria will win and come out of the crisis stronger.

“Iran supports Syria, as leadership and government, in the face of foreign pressures,”Jalili said, calling for developing the bilateral relations in all fields.

Ghalawanji said that the aim of the Syrian delegation’s visit to Iran is to get acquainted with the Iranian expertise in all sectors, particularly in economy and services.

“We discussed the technical issues.. and ways to develop bilateral cooperation in all domains, particularly in the fields of electricity, water, health and housing,” Ghalawanji added.

Al-Jaafari: International Abstention from Subjecting Israel to Accountability Encourages Its Hostility

Jul 26, 2012

NEW YORK, (SANA)- Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari, said there is a methodical Israeli pattern of violations and practices that contradict the minimum of the human rights principles and the international humanitarian law which some refrain from subjecting Israel to international accountability.

Delivering Syria’s statement during an open Security Council session on Wednesday discussing ‘The Situation in the Middle East’ item, al-Jaafari lashed out against the efforts of providing cover for failure in finding a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict due to the Israeli obstinacy through interjecting other unrelated issues such as the false claims brought up by some Arab delegations against Syria.

He expressed deep concern over the frenzied effort of some delegations to repeatedly deviate the Council deliberations regarding from the main objective behind which it was founded which is ending Israel’s occupation of the Arab territories and settling the Arab-Israeli conflict according to the known peace references.

The Syrian Ambassador pointed out that he sent to the UN Secretary General and the Security Council complaints of all the Israeli violations in the form of a number of official letters, the latest of which was on July 17th 2012, which “fell on deaf ears”.

Collusive Approach”of  UN General Secretariat Representatives Encourages Israel’s Hostility

He blasted the UN General Secretariat representatives’ overlooking of discussion of the situation in the occupied Syrian Golan and ignoring of the Israeli War Minister’s latest threat of launching an aggression on Syria.

He stressed that the “constant and flagrant collusive approach” of the UN General Secretariat representatives is a clear violation of their duties in periodically updating the Security Council members on the latest developments in Golan, adding that this has encouraged Israel in going on with its hostile policies.

Terrorist Groups Are Sheltered and Funded by Some Parties in Lebanon

Al-Jaafari underscored the firmness of the Syrian-Lebanese relations in the face of the efforts to undermine these relations, considering that the problem lies in the fact that some Lebanese parties are providing funds, arms and shelter to the armed groups to carry out terrorist activities in Syria.

He said that these activities are being carried out under direct military, financial and media support from Qatar and Saudi Arabia and other countries such as the US and France.

Qatar and Saudi Representatives Shed Crocodile’s Tears for the Syrians

“Crocodile’s tears were shed by the representatives of Qatar and Saudi Arabia for the ‘suffering of the Syrian People’, whose blood has been around the clock shed by the Qatari-Saudi conspiracy through their direct military, information, financial, political and diplomatic intervention,” al-Jaafari added.

He pointed out that the Saudi and Qatari diplomacy should have backed the UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan’s plan and Geneva document instead of pushing for escalation against Syria and its interests in the UN General Assembly following their failure in the UN Security Council, citing the hysterical campaign of the al-Jazeera and al-Arabyia satellite channels, not to mention the statements by Saudi and Qatari officials.

Ambassador al-Jaafari called on the Saudi and Qatari governments to immediately work to respond to the demands of their people and their opposition inside and outside their respective countries, citing, for example, the oppression of the Saudi civilians by the Saudi security and military authorities in Qatif and al-Awamyia regions, and the just demands by more than 250 Qataris from the opposition calling for halting of the spending of the Qatari people money for conspiring against Arab and Islamic people.

He reiterated that neither Qatar nor Saudi Arabia could be talken as an example when it comes to talking about democracy.

Lavrov: Russia Hopes to Extend UN Observer Mission after 30-day Mandate Expires in August

Jul 26, 2012

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, expressed hope to prolong the mission of the UN observers in Syria after the 30-day mandate expires in August and that the UN Security Council to increase the number of its members.

In a joint press conference with its Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremić following their talks in Moscow on Thursday, Lavrov expressed Russia’s readiness to send 30 observers to join the UN observer mission in Syria.

He stressed the need for the observers to work on points of disagreement between the government and the opposition, calling upon all sides to comply with the UN Security Council’s call to ensure the safety of the observers.

The Russian Foreign Minister said that “as long as some countries still support the armed Syrian opposition, establishing humanitarian corridors or what is called security zones in Syria is out of question.” He said that Russia received no information, directly or through the UN Secretariat, on the Arab League’s intention to call for an emergency session of the UN General Assembly to discuss the issue of humanitarian corridors or security zones in Syria.

In turn, Jeremic, who was elected as Chairman of the UN General Assembly, said that he doubted the need to implement such procedures in Syria, adding that Serbia, from its own experience, knows that such steps are not always useful.

Haidar: Ministry Is Ready to Help in Solving Obstacles Hindering the UN Observer Mission’s Work

Jul 26, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs, Ali Haidar, stressed the Ministry’s readiness to contribute to solving all obstacles hindering the UN supervision mission’s work so that they would have an active role to act upon their sincere intentions to halt violence and hold all the parties involved in the violence on the ground accountable.

Haidar was speaking to the journalists after his meeting with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous, head of the UN supervision mission in Syria, Lieutenant General Babacar Gaye.

The meeting dealt with the prospects of the political process required to achieve real national reconciliation in Syria.

Haidar said that he suggested during the discussion a previously presented proposal which is to include 10000 highly-qualified Syrian volunteers in the UN mission’s field work so as for the mission to affirm its seriousness and good intentions.

He wondered about the reason of sending a monitoring team to Syria without adopting its reports at the UN Security Council, adding that had the reports of the former head of the UN observer mission, General Robert Mood, been adopted, there would have been an entirely different international position.

Minister Haidar said that if the UN Security Council had a real desire to achieve the interests of the Syrian people and if it was professional and neutral, it should give the mission its real role and refrain from adopting reports submitted by unknown people or by media that are part of the war on Syria with the aim of giving the precedence for these countries’ viewpoints and take the UN Security Council away from the interests of the Syrian people.

He stressed that halting the violence and moving towards a political process is a Syrian will in the first place, adding that the Syrians agreed on Annan’s plan as he expressed an international will that came in line with their will to get the homeland out of the crisis.

He indicated the importance of providing all requirements to make a success of the project of shifting to a political process that serves Syria’s interest, stressing that the most important of which is to halt violence.

Syria Participates in London 2012 Olympic Games to Kick Off Tomorrow

Jul 26, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Syria participates in the 30th edition of London 2012 Olympic Games to be held between July 27th to August 12th along with more than 10000 athletes representing 204 National Olympic Committees.

This is Syria’s largest participation since Moscow Olympic Games in 1980.

The Syrian mission consists of 28 individuals including 10 athletes:

Ahmad Hamsho in equestrian

Wessam Salamaneh in boxing

Ahed Joughili ( Men’s -105 kg) and Thuraia Sobh (Women’s -75 kg) in weightlifting

Majed Eddin Ghazal ( high jump) and Ghfran Almouhamad (400 m hurdles) in athletics.

Azad Al-Barazi (100 m breaststroke) and Bayan Joumaa ( 100 m freestyle) in swimming.

Raya Zein Eddin in shooting and Omar Hassanin in cycling.

The opening ceremony will be marked with the the arrival of the Olympic flame for the lighting of the cauldron at 9:00 pm according to the local time in London, signifying the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Fighting intensified in the Syrian city of Aleppo over the weekend, with the government of President Bashar al-Assad deploying troops and aircraft to retake neighborhoods captured by opposition militants in a major offensive last week.

There were reports of heavy fighting in the historic city center and old fort areas of Aleppo, Syria’s most populous city and its main commercial center. The BBC, which has a correspondent inside the city, reported that the Syrian army was shelling militia positions in the suburb of Salah al-Din, and that thousands of civilians are fleeing Aleppo.

While the rural districts around Aleppo have experienced frequent clashes between government forces and opposition militants during the sixteen-month civil conflict, the city had until recently seen relatively little violence. However, there have been a growing number of deadly attacks on government facilities and personnel in Aleppo this year, with anti-Assad fighters strengthened by increased weapons supplies flowing across the border from neighboring Turkey.

In response to the fighting in Aleppo, Sayda Abdulbaset Sayda, the leader of the US-backed Syrian National Council, urged the West and the Gulf monarchies to increase their support to the opposition militias. “We want weapons that would stop tanks and jet fighters,” Sayda said during a visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Syria’s foreign minister, Walid Moualem, stated Sunday that government troops would continue to reinforce Aleppo and other areas held by the opposition. Speaking during a visit to Iran, Syria’s principal regional ally, Moualem claimed that while he backed the UN-sponsored ceasefire plan for Syria, the regime would continue to fight what he called a foreign-backed terrorist conspiracy.

The Gulf sheikhdoms, especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have supplied millions of dollars’ worth of weapons to the Syrian opposition and pledged to pay salaries to “rebel” fighters. While Washington has claimed that it is providing “non-lethal” supplies to the opposition, such as night vision glasses and communications equipment, teams of CIA operatives are acknowledged to be working inside Turkey to coordinate the distribution of money and arms to the various militant groups.

Last week, CNN reported an increased presence of foreign opposition fighters, particularly from Libya, in and around Aleppo. The US cable news channel’s correspondent in Syria, Ivan Watson, in a report to the “Amanpour” program on Friday, stated that foreign militants were being drawn to the Syrian conflict, “because they see this as a jihad … as a fight for Sunni Muslims.”

The United States and its allies are escalating their intervention in Syria despite growing concerns over the character of the Islamist forces they are supporting. Having stoked the conflict in Syria to the point of civil war, Washington now faces the prospect of an ethno-sectarian break-up of the country and the spread of fighting throughout the region.

A column in the New York Times Sunday, titled “Syria After the Fall,” warned that while Washington has been happy to destabilize the Assad regime to weaken Iran’s regional influence, the Syrian conflict threatens to set off a “chain of events” that could pose “a greater threat to the Middle East and to America’s long-run interests in the region than does Iran’s nuclear program.”

“If the Syrian conflict explodes outward,” the Times column says, “everyone will lose: it will spill into neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. Lebanon and Iraq in particular are vulnerable; they, too, have sectarian and communal rivalries” connected to the fight between the Assad regime and the Sunni-dominated, US-backed opposition.

The piece, written by Vali Nasr, Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies, warns that if Assad should fall from power, over 100 different opposition groups inside Syria would continue to fight for power with each other and with members of the Alawite, Shiite, Christian, and Druze religious minorities, threatening to turn Syria into “a larger version of Lebanon in the 1970s … There would be ethnic cleansing, refugee floods, humanitarian disasters and opportunities for Al Qaeda.”

The author advises that to avoid such a collapse, it is necessary for the US to foster a “power-sharing agreement” between elements of the opposition and members of the Assad regime.

The New York Times’ modest proposal, which amounts to a call for a post-Assad regime comprised of Sunni Islamist forces and Syrian military brass, echoes the line now being advanced by the Obama administration. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the US government is “discussing ways to place Syria’s highest-ranking military defector [General Manaf Tlass] at the center of a political transition.”

Gen. Tlass, until recently a senior commander of Assad’s elite Republican Guard, defected to Turkey July 6, before traveling on to Paris with his family. He is currently engaged in a visit to Saudi Arabia, reportedly orchestrated by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

Even if Washington could cobble together such a military-Islamist alliance to replace the current regime in Damascus, it would be no less brutal or reactionary than that of Assad. On the contrary, Washington would demand that its new client ruthlessly put down all opposition and impose US interests in Syria.

Adding further fuel to the explosive situation, an armed secessionist movement is spreading among Syria’s Kurdish minority. The Egypt Independent reported Saturday that Kurdish fighters have overrun several Syrian army installations and raised the slogan, “Free Kurdistan.”

Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters and the Kurdish Workers Party, which has waged a protracted struggle with the Turkish state, are reported to be sponsoring the militants in northeastern Syria.

The presence of a Kurdish rebellion against Assad further expresses the deeply divided character of the Syrian opposition. The Syrian National Council (SNC), though headed by an ethnic Kurd, is opposed to Kurdish secession. The Turkish government, which plays host to the SNC and the Free Syrian Army command, is deeply opposed to any demands for an independent Kurdish state, however.

Despite the danger to the lives of millions in Syria and throughout the Middle East, Washington and its allies are escalating their reckless proxy war. To this end, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta began a five-day tour of the Middle East Sunday, during which he will discuss joint plans for regime-change in Syria with the governments of key US allies Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

By Niall Green

30 July, 2012

@ WSWS.og

A fascinating shift has happened in the U.S. mainstream media: After a year of anti-Syria war propaganda and lies, glimmers of truth are making their way into the public’s view. This may be too little too late: the country is being torn at the seams into the nightmare of ethnic-religious cleansing and massacres.

After non-stop war mongering, The New York Times took a second to wipe the blood off its hands to report the true state of things in Syria. Apparently, the previous, ongoing reports about the Syrian army indiscriminately massacring citizens in the city of Homs was simply a lie, repeated over and over.

It now turns out that the exact opposite was true.

In actuality, many of the refugees fleeing Homs were persecuted Christians, attacked by members of the Free Syrian Army, who have been killing religious minorities in an attempt to recruit hard-line Sunnis in Syria as they wage a religious war against the Syrian secular state.

The Background

Because the Free Syrian Army did not emerge from a popular revolution — but instead the pocketbooks and arsenal of Saudi Arabia — the war to destroy the Syrian government had to be waged as an ethnic-religious war. Saudi Arabia has a long history of exporting its rare extremist form of Sunni Islam, Wahhabism, as a political tool to help overthrow unfriendly governments.

The U.S. has a long-standing alliance with Saudi Arabia in this effort, a dynamic that, over the years, has given birth to both the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The U.S. refuses to stop using this strategy because it’s incredibly effective at overthrowing “unfriendly” governments, while keeping large sections of the Middle East stalled in the formative years of Islam, which keeps a good check on any political activity from working people, since in Saudi Arabia protests, labor unions, and civil rights are illegal.

The persecuted religious minorities in Homs view the Syrian government as their ally against the U.S. media-darling “liberators” of the Free Syrian Army, puppets of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy.

Minority Persecution

The opinion pages of The New York Times laid out the facts better than any previous reporting:

“As Saudi Arabian arms and money bolster the [Free Syria Army] opposition, the 80,000 Christians who’ve been ‘cleansed’ from their homes… in Homs Province in March by the Free Syrian Army have gradually given up the prospect of ever returning home.”

“The [Free Syria Army] rebels’ conduct [ethnic cleansing] has prompted at least some Sunnis who had supported the rebels and once-wavering Syrians to pledge renewed loyalty to Assad. Many who once regarded the regime as a kleptocracy now view it as the best guarantor of Syria’s endangered [ethnic-religious] pluralism.”

U.S. Complicity

This sudden somersault of facts has been long known to both the U.S. government and the media. The New York Times continues:

“Washington is aware of the scale of the problem [religious fanaticism and minority persecution]. As early as June 2011, Robert Stepen Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, briefed his counterparts in Damascus about Al Qaeda’s penetration of the opposition forces. By still ploughing ahead with its support for Saudi Arabia’s effort to destabilize Syria, Washington, far from assisting Israel or weakening Iran, is helping to fuel a humanitarian crisis that will come back to haunt the United States.”

To summarize: U.S. politicians from both parties have lied to the public about the true nature of the conflict in Syria, because it benefited them politically to see a non-U.S. ally destroyed by ethnic-religious barbarism.

Finally from The New York Times:

“The seeming indifference of the international community to the worsening condition of Syria’s religious minorities — and the near total absence of censure of the opposition forces by the Western governments arrayed against Assad — is breeding a bitter anti-Americanism among many secular Syrians who see the United States aligning itself with Saudi Arabia, the fount of Wahhabism [extremist Sunnis], against the Arab world’s most resolutely secular state.”

There you have it. It took over a year but suddenly the Syrian war isn’t so black and white, good guys versus bad guy. The Syrian government is by no means to be glorified, but the utter devastation that is being brought to the country was done so on a false premise, by foreign backers — Saudi Arabia and the U.S. — who wanted nothing except to see the country annihilated so that Iran would be isolated and easier to topple. To sell this bloodbath as an advance of democracy — as U.S. politicians and media have done — is beyond hypocritical; it falls under the category reserved for those who are labeled war criminals.

By Shamus Cooke

05 August, 2012

@Countercurrents.org

Shamus Cooke is a social service worker, trade unionist, and writer for Workers Action (www.workerscompass.org). He can be reached at shamuscooke@gmail.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/04/opinion/syrias-crumbling-pluralism.html?_r=1

President Ahmadinejad: Iran Stands by Syria in the face of Conspiracy.. Al-Moallem: Syria Possesses Defense Capabilities Sufficient to Defend Each Grain of Its Soil

Jul 30, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA)- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran underlined that Iran is a brotherly country to Syria and stands by it in the face of conspiracy till right wins over unjust.

Meeting Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem, President Ahmadinejad expressed confidence that Syria will win thanks to the wise leadership of President Bashar al-Assad  and the Syrian people’s support to his leadership.

Al-Moallem, stressed Syria’s determination to foil the conspiracy to which it is exposed, and to fight the armed terrorist groups which perpetrate terror acts, kill civilians, attack private and public properties, supported by Arab and western countries which supply them with weapon and money.

Al-Moallem also met the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili and the Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council Ali Larijani, briefing them on the current situation in Syria.

Jalili and Larijani, for their part, underlined the importance of continuing coordination and consultation between the two countries, expressing confidence that Syria will win its war against the conspiracy to which it is exposed.

Earlier, al-Moallem discussed during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salihi the bilateral relations and the current situation in the region, particularly in Syria, expressing Syria’s determination to come out of the crisis stronger.

Al-Moallem stressed that Syria has agreed on the six-point plan of the UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan, most importantly, halting violence by all sides.

Foreign Minister also hailed the stances of Russia and China which stand by the international law and the UN convention and their assertion on Syria’s territorial integrity and non-intervention in its domestic affairs.

Al-Moallem: Syria Possesses Defense Capabilities Sufficient to Defend Each Grain of Its Soil

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Walid al-Moallem, stressed that Syria possesses defense capabilities sufficient to defend each grain of its soil, stressing the Syrian people’s steadfastness in the face of the crowd of countries that are ferociously conspiring against them.

“The Syrian people are determined to face the conspiracy hatched against them and achieve victory over it,” al-Moallem said in a joint press conference with Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran on Sunday, stressing that the Syrian army will continue facing the armed terrorist groups on the ground.

He highlighted the Syrians’ steadfastness throughout the crisis despite the inhumane siege imposed by the US, the EU countries and the states of the so-called Arab League which targets the Syrians with their living.

Al-Moallem: The Syrians’ Determination to Face the Conspiracy Is Now Stronger

He said what has increased the Syrians’ steadfastness and rallying around their leadership was that they have exposed the dimensions, parties and tools of the conspiracy and Israel’s involvement in it along with some Arab states.

“Today I say to you that Syria is stronger and our determination to face this scheme is stronger, and we have proved this on the ground since the Wednesday when they planned for what they called “The Great Battle for Damascus”,” said al-Moallem.

He continued that despite the groups of terrorists who were mobilized for the battle, “they were defeated in less than a week and the battle failed, so they moved to Aleppo where they will certainly fail.”

Al-Moallem: Syria Committed to a Middle East Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Minister al-Moallem reiterated Syria’s position proclaimed since 2003 on calling for establishing a Middle East weapons of mass destruction free zone when it submitted a draft resolution regarding this issue to the Security Council which is still there but not put to the vote because of the US obstruction.

He said that Syria has been facing for more than a month now an intensive campaign by the US, western and some Arab countries about possession of chemical weapons.

“Whether or not we possess unconventional weapons, Syria has repeatedly declared its readiness to establish a region free of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction,” al-Moallem stressed.

“The truth is that Syria is a country of confrontation as part of its land is under the occupation of Israel which possesses nuclear capabilities acknowledged by the US,” al-Moallem added, pointing out at the Pentagon Israel is said to have over 200 nuclear bombs.

He noted that in 1968 Syria joined the 1925 Geneva protocol on the prohibition of biological weapons proliferation and is committed to what it signed.

“As with regard to the convention on prohibition of chemical weapons, we are ready to sign it if signed by Israel. This is fair and legitimate and Syria is a responsible country that respects international legitimacy and the rules of international law in this regard,” said Minister al-Moallem, adding that Syria wants welfare to prevail the region.

Asked on the plan of the UN envoy Kofi Annan, al-Moallem reiterated Syria’s full abidance by the plan being “a reasonable plan and an appropriate means to resolve the crisis in Syria.”

He cited two essential points in the plan: the preventing of foreign interference in Syria and the stress on the political solution.

With regard to the implementation of Annan’s plan, the Foreign Minister made clear that the Syrian government has offered all it could and pulled out its forces from the Syrian cities.

He highlighted the fact that the implementation of the plan will guarantee preventing interference in the Syrian internal affair by such countries as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

“This is an important point in Annan’s plan to prevent disrupting security in Syria as the opposition still up to this moment can engage into serious dialogue with the government,” said al-Moallem.

Al-Moallem added that the conspirators are so fierce that even when security and stability  are restored to Syria, the conspiracy will not end, and that Israel is the  mastermind of the conspiracy and regrettably there are some Gulf states supporting Israel in implementing the conspiracy, which is why the international  activity against Syria has not ended.

Answering a question, al-Moallem said, “the terrorist groups which come across the borders from Turkey to Syria are from various nationalities: Egyptians, Libyans, Iraqis and others,” pointing out that a number of the Iraqi terrorists arrested in Syria belong to Al Qaeda.

He added, “There are others who came to Syria as journalists and later the authorities discovered they were not journalists, and many of those who were arrested in Syria took up arms and fought  against the Syrian Arab Army and the government,” pointing out that those who surrenders their weapons and whose hands are clear of blood will be pardoned immediately, and as for those who want dialogue and have demands, their demands will be studied and the legitimate ones will be addressed.

The Foreign and Expatriates Minister said “what we want from Lebanon is to remain safe and united and to help us prevent the infiltration of terrorists through its borders.”

On the statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in which he laid the responsibility of bloodshed in Syria on the west and some regional countries, Minister al-Moallem said these statements come from a man with considerable experience who is well-informed of what is going on the Syrian, regional and internal arenas .

Al-Moallem described his talks with his Iranian counterpart as very productive, stressing that the viewpoints of the two countries were identical on the regional issues and the conspiracy hatched against Syria to serve the interests of Israel.

For his part, the Iranian Foreign Minister stressed that the Israel is behind what is going on in Syria and that some states are rushing madly against Syria to weaken its position and hinder its development.

Salehi pointed out that an international conspiracy is targeting Syria, saying that some sides are looking  for pretexts and reasons for the developments and events in Syria, while he believes that the only reasons for these developments is that Israel is inciting against Syria.

Salehi added that the Syrian leadership has met most of the legitimate demands of the Syrian people.

He pointed out to the reformative laws issued by the Syrian government regarding political pluralism, elections and media laws, calling on all sides to give the Syrian leadership enough time to implement these reforms.

Salehi said “we are working to achieve security and stability in this region which is full of problems, and the wrong acts undertaken by some states prove that a conspiracy is targeting Syria … they naively believe that they can replace the government if they created vacuum in Syria, which is a naive misconception and they certainly should reconsider and pay attention to the internal situation in Syria and decide accordingly.”

He voiced certainty and confidence that the Syrian people will be victorious, as victory comes from righteousness.

Authorities Continue ChasingTerrorist Groups in Aleppo, Daraa, Homs and Deir Ezzor, Infiltration Attempts from Lebanon and Turkey Foiled

Jul 29, 2012

PROVINCES,(SANA)-The border guards on Saturday foiled an infiltration attempt by terrorist groups which tried to cross to Talkalakh area in Syria from Lebanon.

A source at the Province said that the terrorist groups tried, several times, to infiltrate to Syria from the areas of al-Matehouma and Shihera.

The source added that the authorities foiled the attempts and forced terrorists to flee back to Lebanon.

Authorities Continue Hunting Terrorist Groups in Aleppo

Authorities continued hunting the armed terrorist groups in Salah-Eddin neighborhood in Aleppo, causing them heavy losses.

An official source told SANA reporter that some gangs’ leaders were killed, pointing out that Ahmad al-Janoudi, Mohammad Abdul-Salam Salloum, Ali al-Hussein abu Hussein and Mohammad al-Saed were identified among the dead.

The armed forces also managed to clear Saladin neighborhood in Aleppo city from armed terrorist group.

An official source telling SANA that the armed forces inflicted very heavy losses on the terrorists, some of them non-Syrians of Arab and foreign nationalities, adding that fleeing terrorists are being pursued and that their hideouts are being raided, with the terrorists being arrested or eliminated.

The source said that the armed forces killed or wounded the terrorists in Bab al-Hadid area and arrested a number of them, adding that a Chevrolet pickup equipeed with a DShK machinegun was seized in Bustan al-Zahra area.

In al-Barkoum area, the authorities inflicted heavy losses upon a terrorist group that had attempted to sabotage factories in the area and terrorize their owners.

Armed Forces Liberate Two Abductees in Damascus Countryside

In al-Shefoniye in Damascus Countryside, the Syrian Arab Army forces managed to liberate two employees who were abducted by terrorists.

Colonel Nabil Kurdaghli said in a speech to the Syrian TV that while he was going from the hospital last Thursday to buy some bread, an armed terrorist group abducted him, taking him to unknown place.

“The terrorists beat and tortured me, but when they knew that I was a doctor.. they stopped beating me in order to make use of my expertise in treating the injured terrorists,” Doctor Kudaghli said.

For his part, Policeman Amer al-Ali said that while going to my work in al-Shefoniya, an armed terrorist group stormed the municipality building, abducted me and took me to unknown place.

“After one hour, we arrived at a farm… the terrorists beat and tortured me, leading to the braking of a number of my ribs and a full paralysis in my right hand

Infiltration Attempt from Turkey Foiled, Suffer Heavy Losses among Terrorists in Idleb

Border guards on Sunday foiled an infiltration attempt of an armed terrorist group from the Turkish territories to Syria near -Ein al-Beida site in Jisr al-Shughor in Idleb Province.

An official source in the province told SANA reporter that members of border guards arrested a number of terrorists, while the others escaped back to the Turkish territories.

Authorities also hunted an armed terrorist group in Bileen, Bailoun and Kfar Rouma villages in the province causing them heavy losses.

The source pointed out that the authorities destroyed the cars of the terrorists which were equipped with machine guns and confiscated their weapons.

The authorities also clashed with terrorists in farms surrounding Idleb city and in Qourin village, inflicting heavy losses on the terrorists, confiscating their weapon and destroying their cars which are armed with machine guns.

Heavy Losses Caused to Terrorists During Clashes in Daraa

Authorities arrested several members of the armed terrorist groups in Mukhayam al-Naziheen neighborhood in Daraa and caused them heavy losses.

An official source in the province told SANA reporter that a field hospital was found during the pursuit process.

In Busra al-Sham, the authorities clashed with an armed terrorist group, killing all its members.

Authorities Raid Terrorist Hideout in Sheikh Miskin, Daraa Countryside

The authorities raided a terrorist hideout in the town of Sheikh Miskin in Daraa countryside, inflicting heavy losses upon the terrorists, many of which threw down their guns and surrendered to the authorities.

Several innocent civilians who had been abducted by the terrorists were liberated during this operation.

In Daraa al-Balad, Mousa Ahmad al-Masalmeh, the leader of a terrorist group, was killed.

Terrorists Suffer Heavy Losses in Talbiseh, Homs Countryside

The authorities set an ambush in Talbiseh area in Homs countryside for an armed terrorist group which had been carrying out acts of murder and vandalism, setting roadblocks, and opening fire on passing cars.

A source at the province told SANA that scores of terrorists were either killed or injured during the clash.

Authorities Chase Terrorists in Deir Ezzor

Authorities on Saturday chased armed terrorist groups in al-Aradi neighborhood in Deir Ezzor City and the countryside of al-Mayadeen inflicting heavy losses upon their members.

SANA reporter quoted a source in the province as saying that terrorists Mohammad al-Badr, Mohammad Eleiwi and Wahab al-Khaleifeh were identified among the deed in al-Aradi neighborhood.

Syrian Armed forces Purify al-Sbeineh from the armed terrorist groups

Syrian Armed forces purified al-Sbeineh area in Damascus countryside from the defeated armed terrorist groups which terrified the citizens, spread chaos, burned private and public properties and sabotaged the infrastructure.

The families in al-Sbeineh thanked the sacrifices of the Syrian armed forces for their response to their calls to get rid of the armed groups which forced them to flee their homes and looted their properties

Sunday Telegraph: Islamist Fighters Camps in North Syria Include Members of non-Syrian Nationalities

Jul 29, 2012

LONDON, (SANA)- The British Sunday Telegraph newspaper revealed that the camps of Islamist militants fighting against the Syrian state in the northern region included people from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Chechnya, with some of them speaking English.

The newspaper reported in an article published on Saturday that the British Foreign Office “is investigating reports that British citizens are among Islamist fighters who kidnapped a British photographer and his Dutch colleague in northern Syria.”

It quoted a source close to the incident as saying that British John Cantlie and Dutchman Jeroen Oerlemans were held by Islamist fighters for a week “after they accidentally came across their camp while crossing the border from south east Turkey” to report on the events taking place in Syria.

While they were held in captivity, the source added,the journalists “were threatened with death unless they converted to Islam,” before another group of the so-called Free Syrian Army militias turned up the camp and demanded that they be released.

The source told the Sunday Telegraph that the camp members “included people from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Chechnya, with no Syrians present, adding that “round 40 per cent” of them apparently spoke English but it was not clear what nationalities they were.

The source noted that there were “at least six men with British-sounding voices, including one with a heavy south London accent.

Health Minister: New Agreements with Iran Will Help Break the Economic Siege Imposed on Syria

Jul 29, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Health Minister Dr. Wael al-Halqi said that the new agreements signed with Iran recently will help break the economic siege imposed on Syria by European Countries and the US which targets the Syrian citizens and their health.

In a statement to SANA, al-Halqi said the agreements cover cooperation in the fields of liver transplant, stem-cell transplant and their optometry applications, treatment of incurable diseases, and facilitating the exchange of medicine and medical equipment.

He added that the agreements also cover holding fairs and expos, coordinating in the field of health information, healthcare, laboratories and quality control for pharmaceuticals.

Al-Halqi said the cooperation between the two countries will help provide the medicine, equipment and supplies needed by health establishments in Syria, allowing them to provide medical services to those who need them.

He noted that the Ministry’s requirements of Thalassemia medicine is entirely procured from Iran, voicing hope to continue coordination between the two countries to provide medicine and train medical staff

Yousef Shams Back to Freedom after 5 Years of Israeli Unjust Imprisonment

Jul 29, 2012

QUNEITRA, (SANA) – After five years of unjust imprisonment, the Israeli occupation forces on Sunday released head of Apple Marketing Committee in occupied Golan, Yousef Saleh Shams, from the occupied village of Majdal Shams.

In a statement to SANA, the released prisoner renewed the continuation of struggle against the occupation and adherence to land and the Syrian Arab identity despite all the aggressive practices and unjust rules imposed on the Syrian Arab people in Golan.

Shams considered that his years of detention since the seventies of the last century which have reached twelve altogether are “a badge of honor”, pointing out that he will continue with farming to contribute to alleviating the burden on Golan farmers and foiling the Zionist blockade on their apple crop which is their only source of living.

He saluted the motherland, Syria, stressing that the foreign and interior conspiracy will be foiled, highlighting belief that Syria will overcome the crisis to practice its regional and pan Arab role all over again.

General Gaye: Syria committed to Anna’s Plan

Jul 29, 2012

HOMS, (SANA)-Homs Governor Ahmad Moneir Mohammad on Sunday discussed with General Babacar Gaye, Head of the UN International Observer Mission in Syria and a team of the observers the situation in Homs and means of finding solutions to what the city witnesses due to the acts of armed terrorist groups which harm the life of citizens and their properties.

The Governor briefed General Gaye and the accompanying delegation on the acts of armed groups which carry out infiltration operations from the Lebanese borders into Syria aiming at destabilizing the satiation in the country.

“We are here in Syria.. we have new tasks.. we work to implement the Security council latest resolution on Syria and to carry out the plan of the UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan,” General Gays said in a speech to the Syrian TV.

He added “We assert that there is a commitment by the Syrian government in Annan’s plan.. the crisis in Syria couldn’t be resolved except by an agreement between the Syrian people and their leadership.

Algeria Rejects any Foreign Intervention in Syria’s Affairs

Jul 29, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA)-Algerian Foreign Minister Murad Medelci underlined his country’s rejection of any foreign intervention in Syria’s internal affairs.

During a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Ali akbar Salihi today, Medelci referred to the need for the peaceful and political solution to the crisis in Syria and carrying out the reforms.

Medelci and Salihi stressed the importance for restoring calm and stability in Syria.

The two sides discussed the latest developments and the important issues in the region, particularly the situation in Syria

Interior Minister: Our Army and Security Forces will Restore Stability and Security

Jul 28, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Minister of Interior Lieutenant General Mohammad al-Shaar said that the Syrian army and law-enforcement personnel will eliminate terrorism in all its forms and restore security and stability to the homeland.

In an interview on the Syrian TV on Saturday, al-Shaar sent a message to the persons who were misled and carried weapons asking them to return to their senses and vowing to help them in this regards.

On the allegations made by some media outlets on his death in the explosion which targeted the National Security Office in Damascus, al-Shaar said that “This is not strange as these news pieces are part of the psychological warfare waged against Syria.”

Minister al-Shaar headed a meeting with senior police officers with the aim of discussing the best methods to realize their mission in restoring security to the country.

Speedy Measures to Compensate Citizens Affected As Result of the Events

Aug 05, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- Prime Minister Riyad Hijab highlighted the government and the civil society organizations’ responsibility to urgently provide aid to the citizens affected and displaced due to the acts of the armed terrorist groups in all the needed areas.

Hijab was speaking during a meeting on Sunday of the implementation committee and Ahl al-Sham Initiative committee at the Local Administration Ministry’s building.

The meeting, attended by a number of ministers, governors and heads of civil organizations, was held to discuss the measures taken towards implementing the plans for the reconstruction of the areas cleared of the armed groups and rehabilitation of infrastructure and service facilities to ensure the return of displaced citizens and providing aid to them.

The Prime Minister said that the responsibility on the long term requires providing a database to quantify the damage caused to the private buildings and properties to offer compensations properly.

He stressed the importance of speeding up the work of restoration and rehabilitation committees and workshops in the areas where security acts were finished, placing focus on electricity, sanitary, water and telephone services.

Hijab called on the governors to continue coordination with bodies concerned to secure access of the main food and oil materials to the needed cities, neighborhoods and areas.

The Premier agreed, upon the proposals and required needs, on starting granting prepayments to the citizens in compensation for the damage caused to their houses and providing financial aid to the civil and charity organizations to boost their contribution in this regard.

Hijab: Developing Agricultural Scientific Research and Resuming Loans to Empower Women in Rural Areas

In another context, Premier Hijab chaired a meeting to discuss the agricultural situation at which he stressed that the full attention given by the government to ensure the requirements of the agricultural sector being the skeleton of the national economy.

Hijab called for studying the appropriate mechanism to establish a commission to be charged with developing animal resources, activating agricultural product exchange agreements and boosting the process of marketing and exporting agricultural and animal products to foreign markets.

Agreement during the meeting was made on working to develop scientific research according to a timetable to help increase productivity, which would reflect positively on improving the living condition of producers and supporting agricultural production.

The Prime Minister also agreed on resuming granting of loans for developing and empowering women in rural areas and supporting poultry sector according to a memo to be prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform.

He focused on work to increase the state’s contribution to the drought fund so as to improve its services and help to the producers.

Armed Forces Continue Chasing Gulf and Turkish Militias in Neighborhoods in Aleppo

Aug 05, 2012

PROVINCES, (SANA) – The armed forces in Aleppo on Sunday continued chasing down fleeing members of the Gulf and Turkish terrorist militias in a number of neighborhoods in the city, said SANA reporter.

He quoted a source in the province as saying that the inhabitants of al-Sayyid Ali neighborhood have repelled the terrorist militias in their neighborhood and drove them out.

The source added that armed forces units repelled and killed gunmen who had been stationed in the area around the Faculty of Science in teh city of Aleppo, noting that the gunmen included Afghani members.

The armed forces also clashed with an armed terrorist group in Bab al-Hadeed area, killing huge numbers of them and preventing them from reaching Aleppo’s Castle.

The source dismissed as baseless the news reports saying that the castle was shelled and that the gunmen entered it.

In Salah Eddin neighborhood, authorities pursued the terrorists and killed scores of Arab and foreign gunmen.

With the aid of locals, the army also clashed with and repelled a terrorist group that was trying to enter al-Hamidyyeh area and inflicted heavy losses upon them.

In al-Inzarat neighborhood, the army clashed with mercenary terrorists who were setting roadblocks and vandalizing public and private properties, killing scores of them and forcing the others to flee.

In the area of al-Kawakibi park, the armed forces carried out a “qualitative operation” in chasing the Gulf and Turkish terrorist militias killing a large number of their members, according to the source.

He also mentioned that the authorities succeeded, in cooperation with the residents, to eliminate the terrorists stationed in the area of Saif al-Dawleh market.

The source pointed out that the bodies of Turks were among the dead.

On the Aleppo-Raqqa road, the armed forces clashed with an armed group, arresting nine of its members and seizing four cars they were using along with a PKC machinegun, automatic rifles, grenades, explosive devices and ammo.

In Saif al-Dawla area in Aleppo, the armed forces clashed with an armed terrorist groups, killing and injuring scores of terrorists.

As part of their work to clear Salah Eddin neighborhood of terrorists, the armed forces engaged terrorist groups and killed and injured many of them.

Tens of Terrorists Killed of Arms Store Explosion in Homs

An arms store used by armed terrorist groups on Sunday burst out in Jouret Ashayah neighborhood in Homs, killing many terrorists.

An official source in the province told SANA reporter that the store was containing ammunition and explosive devices, pointing out that dozens of terrorists were killed and injured in the explosion, while the neighboring buildings got damaged.

In al-Houla area in Homs Countryside, authorities seized a Dacia car loaded with weapons, of which are Israeli snipers rifles and automatic rifles. The authorities arrested the terrorist driving the car and confiscated the weapons.

Terrorists Killed, Injured in al-Qseir, Homs

In as similar context, the source said that the authorities repelled armed terrorist groups attempting to attack law enforcement points in al-Qseir in Homs countryside last night.

Several terrorists were killed and injured during the clash, while other six members were arrested by the authorities who found explosive devices prepared for planting in the city streets.

Authorities clashed with an armed terrorist group driving a SUV car equipped with DShK machine guns in al-Qseir, killing and injuring dozens of them and destroying the car.

The bodies of the terrorists Mousab al-Zohouri, Saad-Eddin Hamoud and Shehada Akash were identified among the dead.

Authorities Arrest Terrorists in al-Sawaeq Neighborhood in Hama, Dismantle Tens of Explosive Devices

In Hama, the authorities arrested a group of terrorists in the neighborhood of al-Sawaeq and seized their weapons.

The authorities also dismantled tens of explosive devices in the neighborhood which were planted by armed terrorist groups to target citizens and law enforcement personnel.

Authorities Clash with Terrorists in Daraa, Arrest Several

In Daraa, authorities clashed with armed terrorist groups in al-Yadouda village and its farms in the countryside.

SANA reporter was informed that many terrorists were killed and injured while others were arrested.

Iranian Foreign Ministry: Iranians Who Were Abducted in Syria Are Not Military Personnel

Aug 05, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA) – A source at the Iranian Foreign Ministry refuted allegations made by some mass media outlets claiming that the Iranians who were abducted in Syria are military personnel.

The source said that such allegations are completely baseless, and that making such allegations and the exploitation of this incident shows irresponsibility on the part of media outlets and has no justification.

The incident in question is the abduction of 48 Iranian visitors on their way to visit the shrine of al-Sayyede Zainab in Damascus by armed terrorists.

Iranian Defense Minister: The West and Pro-Zionist Countries Biggest Losers in any Intervention in Syria

Aug 05, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA) – The Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Wahidi warned against serious repercussions of any foreign military intervention in Syria and the arming of the terrorist groups in it.

Wahidi added that the region will face a bigger crisis if the foreign forces intervene in Syria, stressing that the West and countries which support the Zionist entity will be the biggest losers if it happened.

He said that the West is trying to create a new balance of power between the Israeli entity and the Islamic countries in the region through excluding Syria from the resistance front , which, he said, it will never happen.

Abdullahian: Terrorism in Syria Results from US and Some Countries Support to Smuggling Arms to Terrorists

For his part, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, Hussein Amir Abdullahian, stressed that Iran and Russia share identical viewpoints on the situation in Syria, reiterating the two countries’ rejection of any foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs.

In a statement to the Iranian News Agency (IRNA), Adbulahian who is visitng Russia said that the problem of terrorism in Syria can be attributed to the US and other countries’ vocal support to smuggling arms to terrorists in Syria.

Abdullahian said that Moscow and Tehran have mutual principles towards events in Syria as they stress the need for halting all terrorist acts in the country.

He added that the Iranian and Russian stances are based on the international standards and the necessity of defending the right of sovereign countries against any attack.

Abdullahian underlined Iran’s keenness on reaching a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria, reiterating his country’s firm support to the reforms program announced by the Syrian leadership.

He regretted the attempt by some counties to destabilize security in Syria and then the whole region. Abdullahian condemned the foreign-backed terrorist groups which continue carrying out operations in Syria, expressing confidence that Syria will succeed in combating terrorism and terrorists as long based our knowledge of the Syrian people, army and government.

He called for preventing the movements of some foreign sides which aimed at foiling all projects to conduct the comprehensive national dialogue in Syria.

Abdullahian added that Iran and Moscow will spare no effort to make use of political solutions and utilize international capabilities to help Syria’s people and government get out of the current situation.

He said that Iran has repeatedly stressed during talks with all parties including the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, that the only way to halt violence of the terrorists in Syria is to close borders and enhance border monitoring and control, adding that the problem is that some neighboring countries are not ready to do so, not to mention the US support to arms smuggling into Syria.

Regarding the possibility of any attack against Syria, Abdullahian said that such issue is out of question, adding that Syria will strongly respond to any attack against it taking into account its capabilities and full military readiness.

Mass Rally in Sydney in Solidarity with Syria

Aug 05, 2012

SYDNEY, (SANA) – More than 7000 Syrian, Arab and Australian people participated in the mass rally organized by “Australians for Syria” group in cooperation with other youth groups and figures from the Syrian and Arab communities in Australia.

Syria’s Honorary Consul to Sydney, Maher Dabbagh, said that the participants wanted to stress to the whole world that Syria is strong in the face of the most severe attack launched by the West and the oil monarchies.

The gathering crowds reiterated solidarity with Syria and their standing by its leadership, people and army, expressing thanks to the friendly countries over their stances towards Syria.

The participants toured main streets of Sydney City and stopped in front of the Office of the Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr condemning the Australian official stance and Carr’s statements against Syria.

Palestinian Revolution Factions in Syria Condemn Attack on al-Yarmuk Camp

Aug 05, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- The Palestinian Revolution factions in Syria condemned the attack on al-Yarmuk Camp on August 2nd which caused a massacre that claimed the lives of many martyrs.

The factions stressed in a statement following a meeting on Saturday that the perpetrators of the massacre and those standing behinds them will not get away with it as they will be held accountable for their “horrible crime”.

They hailed Syria’s stances in support of the Palestinian people and their just cause, expressing hope that Syria and its people will overcome their ordeal and practice their national and pan-Arab role as usual.

The factions, comprising 15 factions, called for stopping the targeting of the Palestinians to draw them into the situation in Syria, stressing that the Palestinian people’s cause of restoring all the rights is a sacred one and could not be off the course.

Daily Mail: Britain Is Secretly Equipping Armed Groups in Syria with Latest Satellite Phones

Aug 05, 2012

LONDON, (SANA)- Britain is secretly providing the armed groups in Syria with the latest satellite phones that are designed to resist water, dust and shock, the British Daily Mail reported.

“The supply of the latest generation of handsets is part of the Foreign Office’s mission to mould militias into a coalition capable of governing the country,” said an article published on Sunday.

It highlighted that the phones that are being supplied to the terrorist groups are used by the Ministry of Defense as they are “designed for rugged environments and are shock, dust and water resistant.”

The newspaper cited British government sources as confirming that the “Foreign Office is teaching negotiation and ‘stabilisation’ skills to opposition leaders, and advising on how to address the Syrian people and international audiences,” a mission that “is complicated by the expansion of the conflict to all Syria’s major cities.”

The Daily Mail reported, according to military experts, that “the presence of Foreign Office officials and the provision of training and equipment to the opposition means that British Special Forces are likely to be operating in Syria.”

It indicated that teams from those units are believed to be infiltrating into Syria from their bases in Jordan.

The British newspaper quoted a former British Army commander, Richard Kemp, a former member of the Government’s Joint Intelligence Committee, as saying “The UK Government cannot give practical support to the rebels without a presence inside Syria, and any Foreign Office officials seeking to liaise with the opposition leaders would require close protection from Special Forces.”

British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, announced last week that Britain is stepping up what he called ‘practical help’ to the armed terrorist groups in Syria in the coming weeks.

Hague did not reveal the nature of this help, but said that more details on this additional support to the Syrian opposition will be provided soon.

Family of Golan Arrested Doctor Hold  Israeli Authorities, Intl Organizations Responsible for Son Abduction

Aug 05, 2012

QUNEITRA, (SANA) – Family of Golan physician, Eyad al-Jouhari, arrested by the authorities of the Israeli occupation, placed on international human rights and law organizations the full responsibility after the occupation rejected to brief the family and the International Red Cross Organization on his health conditions.

The freed prisoner, Radwan al-Jouhari, brother of the doctor, told SANA reporter that his brother was arrested on July 16th of 2011 while he was crossing to the occupied Golan after graduation from Damascus University.

He described the arrest as a kidnapping operation, rejecting all accusations and charges made against his brother by the Israeli authorities, stressing that affiliation to homeland is “non-negotiable.”

Quneitra Governor, Malek Mohammad Ali, called upon international humanitarian and law organizations to take a firm stance against the continuous Israeli violations against the people of the Syrian Golan, such as burying chemical and nuclear waste in its land and stealing its water and ruins amidst international silence.

The raciest Zionist court in al-Nassera city extended the arrest period of the Syrian doctor from the occupied village of Majdal Shams to August 9th of 2012 according to a list of racist accusations including dealing with homeland during his years of study.

Al-Jouhari entered Damascus University in 2002 and graduated in 2009 . He worked in Damascus hospitals. The occupying Israeli authorities arrested him while returning to Golan with his wife in June of 2011.

The Israeli authorities took the doctor to unknown destination, refusing to tell his family about his health conditions.

Foreign and Expatriates Ministry: Some States’ Support to Terrorism in Syria Contradicts with Security Council’sResolution Counter-Terrorisms

Aug 02, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – In a letter sent to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and chairman of the Security Council on the support provided by some states to terrorist attacks on the Syrian territories,  Foreign and expatriates Ministry stressed on Thursday that this support contradicts with the UN Security Council resolutions related to combating terrorism and proves double standards that will reflect negatively on some states that offer support to terrorism and the world states at large.

The Ministry said that Syria calls on the Security Council to exert pressure on the states that offer support to terrorism in Syria to stop their support according to the Security Council resolutions, stressing commitment to the plan of UN Envoy to Syria kofi Annan and welcoming the results of Geneva meeting.

The Ministry added that the truth of events in Syria is becoming clearer continuously, pointing out that the pressure exerted on Syria by the US, France, Britain and Turkey show the hidden goals against Syria and its people’s achievements.

The Ministry said that in spite of the misinformation campaigns launched against Syria, the obvious truth is that the goal is changing the balances in the region and subjecting its states to western hegemony.

The Ministry mentioned the recent decision taken by the US administration few days ago allowing the US Treasury Department to offer financial support to the so-called ‘Free Syrian Army’ which is composed of armed terrorist groups that commit crimes against thousands of innocent civilians in Syria.

It added that the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the state of Qatar and Turkey in financing and arming the terrorist groups is obvious to everyone as French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, whose country is chairing the Security Council, said at a press conference on July  29, 2012 that Saudi and Qatar are offering financial and military support to the terrorist groups.

The Ministry pointed out that those who call for holding Security Council meetings are the ones who caused the catastrophe in Aleppo through supporting terrorism and arming the terrorist groups depending essentially on the role of the Turkish Government  which opened its airports and borders to terrorists from al-Qaeda, Salafis and Jihadists and offered them all facilitations to send them to Syria.

The Ministry said that Turkey also established headquarters for military operations to manage the terrorist attacks against citizens in Syria in Aleppo and other Syrian cities, adding that these headquarters are operated by the Saudi, Qatari, Israeli and US intelligence agencies.

Heavy Losses Inflicted upon Terrorists in Aleppo, Damascus Countryside and Homs

Aug 03, 2012

ALEPPO/ HOMS, (SANA) – Authorities on Thursday pursued an armed terrorist group in al-Qanater village in al-Atareb area in Aleppo countryside killing or wounding many of its members.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that terrorists of foreign nationalities were killed in the clash, adding that the authorities destroyed a double cabin pickup car equipped with machinegun.

Terrorists Mohammad Ahmad Fahed and Khder Ahmad al-Ahmad were indentified among the dead, the source said.

In As-Safira, a number of explosive devices blew up while terrorists were preparing them in Moghyrat al-Shebl School.

The blast resulted in killing a large number of terrorists and causing material damage to the school.

In al-Hajeb town in As-Safira region in Aleppo countryside, the authorities clashed with an armed terrorist group killing or wounding dozens of terrorists, some of whom are of Arab nationalities.

Large number of terrorists were killed or wounded while they were preparing to booby-trap al-Hajeb District Center in Aleppo countryside.

An official source told SANA reporter that one of the explosives went off as terrorists were planting it in the empty building causing the blast of other explosive devices, destroying the building and killing or wounding many terrorists.

A number of Innocents martyred in al-Yarmouk Camp by mortars of armed terrorist groups

An armed terrorist group today fired mortars on al-Yarmouk camp in Damascus, at Zleikha neighborhood  leading to the martyrdom of a number of citizens and injuring others.

The popular committee in al-Yarmouk camp said that the armed group’s shelling on the camp claimed the lives of martyrs Alaa Ghneim, Mahmoud Anitawi, Bahaa Mahmoud Ayoub, Rafee Ali Al-Refaee, Anas Talouzi, Ibrahim Talouzi, Yahyia Alian, Fathi Alian, Imad Kaddah, Abdullah Saleh, Mahmoud Kana and Mohammad Mushemish.

Authorities Ambush armed group in Harasta

The competent authorities, in cooperation with the families, ambushed an armed terrorist group in Harasta farms, Damascus countryside.

The operation led to the killing of a number of mercenaries while the others surrendered and handed their weapons to the authorities.

Authorities Kill, Arrest Terrorists in Damascus Countryside

Authorities continued chasing armed terrorist groups in Jdaidet Artouz and Artouz in Damascus Countryside.

An official source told SANA reporter that the pursuing operation resulted in killing a number of terrorists and arresting dozens of them while some others surrender themselves and their weapons to the authorities.

Authorities Pursue Vanquished terrorists in al-Tadamun

The competent authorities today pursued the vanquished  terrorists in al-Tadamun and Daf al-Shouk neighborhoods in Damascus, arresting several of them.

During the operation, the authorities seized a warehouse for preparing explosives, discovering a secret hideout underground with explosive devices inside it.

In al-Yarmouk Camp, security personnel pursued an armed terrorist group which fired mortars on the camp from the side of Ali bin Taleb mosque, injuring a number of citizens.

Several Terrorists killed or injured while planting explosives in Talbeisa

Explosive devices were bombed while terrorists were transporting and planting them at al-Zaafarana streets and houses, to the east of Talbeisa, Homs.

An official source told SANA reporter that one of the explosive devices was blasted leading to the explosion of the other ones where a number of terrorists were killed or injured.

A unit from the Syrian Army pursued the vanquished armed terrorist group in the same area, clashing with its members and inflicting heavy losses among them.

Two Cars Loaded with Weapons Seized on Homs-Tartous Detour

Meanwhile, the authorities clashed with terrorists driving two cars near Homs-Tartous detour killing three terrorists.

Searching the two cars, the authorities seized several weapons including 82-mm mortar, 8 mortar projectiles, 9 RPGs, two machineguns, three sniper rifles, two 30-kg explosive devices, wireless device, bullet chargers, said SANA reporter .

Many Terrorists Killed, Two Cars Equipped with Dushka Machineguns Destroyed in Homs

In Homs, the authorities ambushed an armed terrorist group in al-Qseir city killing or wounding many terrorists.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that the authorities also destroyed two cars equipped with Dushka machineguns.

Several terrorists killed in Daraa al-Balad

A unit from the Syrian Army confronted an armed terrorist group which tried to attack law enforcement forces in Daraa al-Balad.

An official source told SANA reporter that the clash led to the killing of several terrorists and injuring others.

Syria Regrets Resignation of Annan, Stresses commitment to cooperating with Observers

Aug 03, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA)-Syria expressed regret over the news of resignation of the UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan from his post and his request not to extend the mission, Foreign and Expatriates Ministry announced  on Thursday.

“Syria has always declared and proved its full commitment to implementing the plan of Annan with its 6-point, and cooperated with the observers’ team in achieving the hoped-for mission.. but the countries which want to destabilize the situation in Syria and voted for the said plan at the UN Security Council are the same countries that obstructed and still seek to foil this mission, because the intentions were not true in helping Syria overcome its crisis… that obstruction was represented by supporting and harboring the armed terrorist groups leading to the continuation of violence in the country,” The Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement added that Syria is still committed to combating terrorism in light of the Syrian laws and the relevant UN Security council decisions in order to restore security and stability to the country and protect the Syrian innocent citizens.

It stressed that the Syrian government still believes in the comprehensive national dialogue as the only way to come out of the crisis as well as the national reconciliation among the Syrian sides without any foreign intervention as to achieve the Syrian people’s aspirations.

The Foreign Ministry concluded by underlining that the Syrian government is still adhered to cooperating with the international observers’ team to fulfill the plan of Annan.

Moscow will not Support An Arab Draft Resolution to the UN General Assembly on Syria.. Putin Regrets Annan’s Resignation

Aug 02, 2012

MOSCOW, (SANA)-The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Russia will not support a draft resolution on Syria at the UN General Assembly which only holds the Syrian government responsible for what is going on in Syria .

“The draft resolution on Syria presented by a number of Arab states to the UN General Assembly is unilateral, unbalanced and it urges the opposition to continue its armed conflict against the Syrian government,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement quoted by MOSCOW News Agency.

“The draft resolution deviates the plan of the UN Envoy Kofi Annan.. it suggests him to concentrate on achieving a political transition in Syria and this mission was not assigned to him,” the statement added.

It said “Moscow sees that this document with its current form doesn’t help achieve stability or stop violence in Syria, so it will not support it.”

Putin Regrets Annan’s Resignation

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed regret over the resignation of the UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan from his post, hoping the international efforts will continue to settle the crisis in Syria.

Putin told journalists at a press conference concluding his visit to London “Annan is an honest person, brilliant diplomat.. I regret his resignation, but I hope the international community will continue its efforts aiming at stopping violence in Syria.”

Opposition Groups abroad to Use Email Addresses of Some Official Institutions in Syria and Send Fake Emails

Aug 02, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Some sources informed the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that the opposition groups abroad will use the email addresses of a number of official and private institutions in Syria, including SANA, to address ministries and important figures.

The sources added that the opposition groups will send fake emails through these email addresses, particularly SANA email: sanagm@sana.sy .

SANA website was exposed to foreign electronic attack in an attempt to hack and prevent the daily Syrian, Arab and foreign visitors from browsing it. All hacking attempts have been failed.

In the same context, undefined sides have stolen SANA Logo and designed an English-Arabic announcement containing instigative calls and published it via e-mail.

On June, 27th , an armed terrorist group attacked the HQ of Syrian News TV Channel Al-Ikhbariya, destroyed the building and stole its equipment before detonating it.

Salehi Stresses Importance of Solving Crisis in Syria through Dialogue without Foreign Interference

Aug 02, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA)- Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, on Thursday stressed the importance of solving the crisis in Syria through dialogue and peaceful means without foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs.

Salehi’s remarks came during his phone call with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu about the situation in Syria.

Mehmanparast: There are Sides that Interfere in Syria, Supply Terrorist Groups with Weapons

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast stressed that there are sides that interfere in Syria’s internal affairs and supply the terrorist groups with all kinds of weapons to destabilize security and stability in the country.

Mehmanparast, during a meeting with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, stressed the need for all sides of the crisis in Syria to sit down to dialogue and put arms aside, according to the Iranian Mehr News Agency.

He said that some European countries, particularly the US, seek to foil the plan of the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, which aims at solving the crisis in Syria and restoring security and stability to it, through sending weapons to the terrorist groups and providing support to them in every possible way.

Mehmenparast pointed out that the same European countries which claim to defend the right of the Syrian people have done nothing regarding the Bahraini authorities’ suppression of the unarmed Bahraini people and kept silence towards the Zionist entity’s possession of nuclear weapons.

In turn, the Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister welcomed the peaceful solution project in Syria and that all parties should gather and dialogue to solve the crisis

Chavez: Venezuela Supports Russian and Chinese Stances on Respecting Syria’s Sovereignty

Aug 02, 2012

CARACAS, (SANA)- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez underscored that his country supports the Russian and Chinese stances on respecting Syria’s sovereignty.

Russian ITAR-TASS News Agency quoted President Chavez as saying in a press conference held following his return from Brazil on Wednesday that “in case there were problems in Syria they should be solved by the Syrians themselves and with peaceful means.”

He expressed deep regret over the European government’s recognition of the terrorists in Syria and extending aid to them through providing them with arms and money.

The Venezuelan President stressed the necessity of condemning the terrorist acts perpetrated against the civilians, asserting that such acts are being committed by the armed terrorist groups in Syria in a way similar to what happened in Libya

“In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.” This quote by Albert Einstein adequately describes the behavior of the international community of nation states. For example, the theory behind the Responsibility to Protect is that states must respond to the needs of people who are exposed to atrocities such as ethnic cleansing, genocide, and crimes against humanity. In other words, countries have a responsibility towards each other to intervene in the name of humanity when their governments have failed to protect them. Somalia is a classic example where the international community has failed to intervene to protect civilians. Somalia has been politically unstable since 1986 when Mohammed Siad Barre tightened his grip on power by unleashing a reign of terror. Its civil war is considered to start in 1991 when his dictatorship collapsed. By using humanitarian protection as rhetoric, the United States along with Belgium, France, and Italy sent their militaries to Somalia in 1992 and sought to carry out “Operation Restore Hope.” But when the situation looked like it would take more than the three months President Bush expected, and due to their unwillingness to accept casualties, the allies withdrew. Somalia is not only an example of a conflicted state as a result of colonization, but is also an example of how factional politics and clan-based rivalries are undermining the structure of the state as we know it in international relations. The solution to Somalia’s economic, political, and social instability does not rest with one actor. International and regional forces should provide the environment in which Somalia’s warlords and political factions can engage in dialogue. Moreover, Somali political divisions themselves must be willing to compromise with one another for their country to reach stability.

The roots of the conflict in Somalia can be dated to its colonial period. In the 1880s, during the climax of the scramble for Africa under the Berlin Conference, Somalia was divided into five colonial territories: French Somaliland, British Somaliland, the Northern Frontier District which belonged to the British, Italian Somaliland, and Ogaden which was controlled by Ethiopia. Somalia gained its independence in July 1960 and an elected government that was “underdeveloped in terms of both sociopolitical and economic infrastructure” replaced colonial rule (Fatah, p.1, 2002). In 1969, Mohammed Siad Barre led a military coup, destroyed Somalia’s cultural heritage, and set up a dictatorship that was alien to the people. Siad Barre was successful in turning clans against each other and making them dependent on the regime. One cannot discuss Somalia’s political atmosphere during Siad Barre’s dictatorship without mentioning the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union were competing to expand their empires. Considered to be a communist dictatorship by the Soviet Union, Barre enjoyed Soviet support and military assistance. Nevertheless, Soviet support halted when Ethiopia in 1977 underwent a military coup that brought Mengistu Haile Mariam to power. The Soviets rushed to Ethiopia, and naturally, Somalia turned toward the United States for assistance. In 1991 Siad Barre’s military dictatorship collapsed and the accumulating tension gave rise to armed hostilities between clans and political movements.

Somalia is not only a victim of the Cold War and a victim of colonization, but also suffers from the effects of colonization. Before colonization, clans and ethnic minorities in the Horn of Africa were autonomous and abided by their customary law, known as the xeer system. Decolonization, however, resulted in arbitrary borders that did not consider the population’s interests but the interests of the colonizers. The effects that colonization had can be seen after Siad Barre’s regime collapsed in 1991. Rivalry between different interest groups escalated starting with the warlords Mohamed Farah Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohamed competing for control over Mogadishu. Since then, different clans and political factions have clashed in different parts of Somalia for territorial control. The different political groups and Islamic political parties are complex due to the divisions within themselves. The Somali Democratic Salvation Front supported mainly by the Majerteen clan and the Somali National Front supported by the Isaaq clan rose in opposition to Barre’s regime and fought to control parts of Somalia after Barre’s collapsed. The Western Somali Liberation Front supported by the Ogaden has another agenda: self-determination of the Ogaden region in southeast Ethiopia. On the other hand, Islamic political groups such as Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiyya (AIAI) became prominent after 1978 when Somalia fought Ethiopia for control over the Ogaden region. AIAI provided a solid political agenda: to overcome clannish politics, to form an Islamic Somali Republic as they saw Islam as the only unifying force, and to use military force to pursue its goals. AIAI also played a part in organizing Islamic courts, but not all the courts were within their control. Unlike other political movements, the Islamic Courts Unions provided a source of stability for communities. Led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, they were formed to bring back the rule of law and were accepted by several communities because they were pragmatic and provided much needed security. Somalia, however, is still in a state of anarchy. If one looks at the situation from a counterfactual perspective, Somalia’s civil war can be said to date back to colonization when arbitrary borders were formed by colonizers.

With numerous political rivalries and hostility toward foreign intervention, the Somali crisis cannot be easily resolved. I will try to highlight some of the possible solutions. Many scholars argue that instead of trying to unify the country through the Transitional Federal Government that was set up in 2004 and supported by the United Nations and the United States, external actors in Somalia should try and develop “building blocks.” “Building blocks allow for the creation of at least five or six political units” and creates a kind of federation (Gilkes, 1999, p.571). Instead of unifying all the parties under one central government, sovereign republics would unify under a weak central government. This would seem effective since Somalia is already divided into Somaliland in the north, Puntland in the east, and Somalia in the south. But the concept of building blocks as a resolution does not consider how the country would deal with transnational issues of globalization and regional issues such as Somalia’s borders and neighbors. If Somalia’s political units were to be autonomous republics, they would not be unified in matters of transnational issues such as climate change, globalization, and trafficking which are essential for stability. In addition to “building blocks,” external influences are concerned with Somalia’s political future. The United States would like to see Somalia run by a pro-Western government and not by Islamic politics. From their point of view, if Somalia were to be run by fundamentalists, it could be the base for Al-Qaeda and other “terrorist” operations. Moreover, Islamic politics is a threat to the United States, other Western governments, and Ethiopia because of Somalia’s proximity to Yemen and the trading route in the Gulf of Aden. They fear that because Yemen is already a base for terrorist activities, Somalia will become an arena for similar activities. Nevertheless, Islam is an important part of Somali ethnic identity and if it were to resort to Islamic politics, it should be viewed in a positive light. What is crucial is that Islamic states should not isolate themselves and should not wage war on non-Muslims. The Muslim Brotherhood’s recent victory in Egypt has shown that secularism is not the only way. The Egyptian public is in favor of a state that integrates, to an extent, religion into its politics. Egypt offers hope that Western governments will accept Islamic politics rather than fight to prevent its emergence.

Another view point is that since clans are the only functioning institutions in Somalia, Somalia should return to its traditional xeer system. The “building block” concept and the idea that Somalia should return to its traditional political system raises questions about the nation state. Somalia has proved that the state with its power in the centre is not the only functioning political system. When people are led down by the structure of the state, they shift their allegiance to their tribes where they can “regain autonomy through anarchy” (Simons, 1994, p.821). For this reason, the traditional definition of the state must be revised in order to accommodate challenges to the structure of the state. Somalia’s withering sovereignty already undermines the essence of the state. Through dialogue and commitment, Somalia needs to reach political stability in order to develop its capacity to provide security for its citizens, engage in political decision-making, integrate into the world economy, and deal with the challenges facing the country. Commitment and cooperation are needed from all angles to save Somalia’s sovereignty.

References

Fatah, A. A. (2002). Somalia’s Traditional Clan-Based System Holds Key to the Country’s Future Stability. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Retrieved July 3, 2012, from http://www.wrmea.com/component/content/article/237/4054-somalias-traditional-clan-based-system-holds-key-to-the-countrys-future-stability.html

Gilkes, P. (1999). Briefing: Somalia. African Affairs 98(393), 571-577. Retrieved July 3, 2012, from Jstor database.

Simons, A. (1994). Somalia and the Dissolution of the Nation-State. American Anthropologist Association 96(4), 818-824. Retrieved July 3, 2012, from Jstor database.

This August 6th and 9th mark the 67th anniversaries of the most brutal acts of terrorism upon innocent people: America’s atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“We live in a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants, in a world that has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. We have solved the mystery of the atom and forgotten the lessons of the Sermon on The Mount. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about dying than we know about living.”- General Omar Nelson Bradley, 1948.

In 1995, from Ashkelon Prison, Israel’s Nuclear Whistle Blower Mordechai Vanunu noted: “Hollywood doesn’t know you – you are not a Jewish Holocaust.” [1]

In his 2012 budget, President Obama included $54 billion in federal loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors and $7.6 billion for nuclear weapons research and production, but “Any nation that year after year continues to raise the Defense budget while cutting social programs to the neediest is a nation approaching spiritual death.” – Rev. MLK

A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945 – by Isao Hashimoto:

Nuclear weapons are not just morally indefensible they are politically unsustainable.

America is one of the five nuclear powers that signed the NPT and thus is obligated to abolish its nuclear weapons-but the USA has been in violation ever since the day America signed the NPT!

The NPT/Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, was created in 1968, and maintains that nuclear weapons proliferation can only be curtailed if nuclear countries move toward disarmament and the five nuclear powers that signed the NPT must abolish their nuclear weapons.

In 1966, at the height of the Cold War, the US nuclear arsenal was estimated at over 32,000 warheads. Current estimates range from 5,000 to 12,000; but even one is more than enough to destroy Creation as we now know it.

IF THAT DAY we call 9/11 taught us anything, it should be that America’s nuclear arsenal cannot defeat ‘terrorism’ or provide security from the actions of a few violent mad men who target and murder innocent people. American money is imprinted with “IN GOD WE TRUST” but yet the U.S. maintains a nuclear arsenal of nearly 2,000 on hair-trigger alert ever since the end of the Cold War. The Orwellian named Life Extension Program will extend the life of every one of America’s weapons of mass destruction for three decades or more as well as undermine sound national security by introducing major changes to existing nuclear weapons stockpile that had been extensively tested.

Obama’s budget requests have included significant investments in maintaining and modernizing America’s nuclear weapons through the life-extension programs (LEPs). Including the costs from FY2011, this administration asked for $6.3 billion through FY2016 to refurbish the warheads in the stockpile and additional LEPs are planned after 2016 (see Stockpile Stewardship Management Plan).

On April 5, 2009, Mr. Nuclear Free World President Obama stood on the world stage amongst thousands of flag-waving Czechs and spoke of good humor, home town Chicago, the will of the people over tanks and guns, old conflicts, revolution, moral leadership as the most powerful weapon, iron curtains that fell and the state of 21st century nuclear weapons:

“We are here today because enough people ignored the voices who told them that the world could not change. We’re here today because of the courage of those who stood up and took risks to say that freedom is a right for all people, no matter what side of a wall they live on, and no matter what they look like. We are here today because the simple and principled pursuit of liberty and opportunity shamed those who relied on the power of tanks and arms to put down the will of a people.

“Some argue that the spread of these weapons cannot be stopped, cannot be checked -– that we are destined to live in a world where more nations and more people possess the ultimate tools of destruction. Such fatalism is a deadly adversary, for if we believe that the spread of nuclear weapons is inevitable, then in some way we are admitting to ourselves that the use of nuclear weapons is inevitable.

“As the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act…It will take patience and persistence. But now we, too, must ignore the voices who tell us that the world cannot change. We have to insist, Yes, We Can!

“There is violence and injustice in our world that must be confronted. We must confront it by standing together as free nations, as free people. I know that a call to arms can stir the souls of men and women more than a call to lay them down. But that is why the voices for peace and progress must be raised together.

“Let us honor our past by reaching for a better future. Let us bridge our divisions, build upon our hopes, and accept our responsibility to leave this world more prosperous and more peaceful than we found it. Together we can do it.

“Words must mean something [and] violence and injustice must be confronted by standing together as free nations, as free people…Human destiny will be what we make of it.”

The deepest Christian thinker of the 20th century, Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, poet, social critic and mystic who listened to Bob Dylan LP’s in his hermitage cell wrote:  “One of the many casualties of the culture of war is the imagination. People can no longer imagine a world without war or nuclear weapons or violence or poverty. They can’t even imagine it, because the culture has robbed us of our imaginations.”

“It is absolutely necessary to take a serious and articulate a stand on the question of nuclear war, and I mean against nuclear war. The passivity, the apparent indifference, the incoherence of so many Christians on this issue, and worse still the active belligerency of some religious spokesmen is rapidly becoming one of the most frightful scandals in the history of Christendom.”

In 1987, from his windowless tomb sized cell in Ashkelon prison, the Christian convert from Orthodox Judaism and atheism, Israel’s Nuclear Whistle Blower, Mordechai Vanunu, wrote:

“The passive acceptance and complacency with regard to the existence of nuclear weapons anywhere on earth is the disease of society today. This struggle is not only a legitimate one – it is a moral, inescapable struggle.

“No government, not even the most democratic, can force us to live under this threat. No state in the world can offer any kind of security against this menace of a nuclear holocaust, or guarantee to prevent it. Already now there are enough nuclear missiles to destroy the world many times over. This issue should unite us all, because that is our real enemy.

“Any country, which manufactures and stocks nuclear weapons, is first of all endangering its own citizens. This is why the citizens must confront their government and warn it that it has no right to expose them to this danger. Because, in effect, the citizens are being held hostage by their own government, just as if they have been hijacked and deprived of their freedom and threatened.

“Indeed, when governments develop nuclear weapons without the consent of their citizens – and this is true in most cases – they are violating the basic rights of their citizens, the basic right not to live under constant threat of annihilation. Is any government qualified and authorized to produce such weapons.”

The answer has always been NO!

A little history of when America crossed the line in our addiction to violence and vaporized 130,000 people in Hiroshima and another 70,000 people, three days later in Nagasaki:

At 5:30 AM on July 16, 1945, the nuclear age began, when the first nuclear bomb was exploded by the American federal government at the Trinity Test Site, at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Plutonium and other toxic and radioactive chemicals were dispersed for hundreds of miles and some areas are still contaminated.

The bomb exploded over the New Mexico desert, vaporizing a tower and turning the asphalt to green sand. Seconds later a huge blast of heat scorched the desert. No one could see the radiation generated by the explosion, but they all knew it was there. A half a mile away, the steel container called “Jumbo,” weighing over 200 tons was knocked over as the orange and yellow fireball stretched up and spread into a second column, that rose and flattened into a mushroom cloud; imprinting upon the human consciousness a symbol of violent power and destruction. The father of the atomic bomb, Dr. Robert Oppenheimer chose to name this harrowing happening the “Trinity” test.

“Why I chose the name is not clear, but I know what thoughts were in my mind. There is a poem of John Donne, written just before his death, which I know and love. From it a quotation: ‘As West and East, In all flat Maps—and I am one—are one, So death doth touch the Resurrection.’ That still does not make a Trinity, but in another, better known devotional poem Donne opens, ‘Batter my heart, three person’d God.'”

“Batter my Heart” continues:

Batter my heart, three-person’d God, for you

As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;

That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend

Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

I, like an usurp’d town to another due,

Labour to admit you, but oh, to no end;

Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,

But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue.

Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov’d fain,

But am betroth’d unto your enemy;

Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,

Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.”

In the moment that followed the atomic inferno, Oppenheimer recalled this sentence from the Bhagvad Gita:

“Now I have become death, the destroyer of the worlds.”

When Oppenheimer was asked for his thoughts regarding Sen. Robert Kennedy’s efforts to urge President Lyndon Johnson to initiate talks to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, he responded: “It’s 20 years too late. It should have been done the day after Trinity.” Indeed; but it was not and it led to Little Boy, the uranium bomb, that was dropped on innocent civilians in Hiroshima on August 6, with the encore being the plutonium weapon of mass destruction, Fat Man, which followed on the innocents of Nagasaki on August 9.

Today’s UN-Holy “Trinity” is a triune of radiological horrors: nuclear bombs, nuclear reactors, and conventional Uranium Weapons (such as Depleted Uranium or DU) that are used in military testing, training, and military combat.

“The deliberate use of manmade ionizing radiation is an assault upon people, the environment, and all living things. Since the first Plutonium and Uranium nuclear bomb was exploded in New Mexico on July 16, 1945, the contamination of the United States and the rest of the world [continues].

“Those responsible for seven decades of both domestic and international radiological assault are our own government agencies: the Departments of Energy and Defense, and the NRC (some say it stands for the Nuclear Radiating Committee) along with a multitude of corporations involved in various aspects of manufacturing munitions of both nuclear and ‘conventional’ weapons varieties. Used in military combat, these radioactive munitions have been contaminating the Middle East and other nations wherever they are fired and tested.

“Beyond military weapons applications, energy firms that use nuclear reactors to generate the electricity that powers America’s TV sets are similarly polluting our air, water, and soil with these DNA-wrecking poisons…[and] there are efforts underway to enrich even More Uranium as well as plans to build More weapons facilities and fund bailouts using taxpayers’ money to build More experimental nuclear reactors with unsafe designs like the Westinghouse AP-1000 and AREVA’s European Pressurised Reactor (EPR).

“While Nuclear-Everything is being pushed on America as a ‘clean’ energy alternative sanctified under the guise of reduced carbon emissions, consider if you will just a few effects of ionizing radiation: decreasing fertility rates, miscarriages, genetic mutations, increasing rates of cancers, some forms of heart disease, neuromuscular disease, and thyroid disease, diabetes, and other endocrine-related disorders and many other radiation-induced diseases.” [2]

On 8 July 1996, the International Court of Justice issued the statement:

“The destructive power of nuclear weapons cannot be contained in either space or time. They have the potential to destroy all civilization and the entire ecosystem of the planet.”

The ICJ also affirmed the “fundamental, cardinal and intransgressible” rule that “States must never make civilians the object of attack and must consequently never use weapons that are incapable of distinguishing between civilians and military targets.”

States have obligations.

People have rights!

Anti-nuclear civil resistance is the right of every citizen of the world, for the nuclear threat attacks every core concept of human rights and “calls for urgent and universal action for its prevention. If it is a basic human right to be free of threat or violence, if the right to life is a basic human right, if the protection of children and future generations is a basic human duty, international law must unhesitatingly recognize that the right to non violent resistance activities for the prevention of such an international crime is basic to human dignity.” [3]

On 17 April 2010, Iran hosted a conference in Tehran on nuclear disarmament with sixty countries represented-but no one from America was there!

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued this statement at the conference affirming that nuclear weaponry was “haram” meaning prohibited under Islam and he also blew the doors off Israel’s and America’s nuclear deceptions:

“If America’s claims of fighting the proliferation of nuclear weapons were not false, would the Zionist regime be able to turn the occupied Palestinian lands into an arsenal where a huge number of nuclear weapons are stored while refusing to respect international regulations in this regard, especially the NPT?

“There is only one government that has committed a nuclear crime so far. Only the government of the United States of America has attacked the oppressed people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs in an unfair and inhumane war using or even threatening to use such weapons is a serious violation of the most basic rules of philanthropy and is a clear manifestation of war crimes.

“The greatest violators of the NPT are the powers who have reneged on their obligation to dispose of nuclear weapons mentioned in Article 6 of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. These powers have even surpassed other countries with respect to promoting nuclear weapons in the world. By providing the Zionist regime with nuclear weapons and supporting its policies, these powers play a direct role in promoting nuclear weapons which is against the obligations they have undertaken according to Article 1 of the NPT.

“We believe that besides nuclear weapons, other types of weapons of mass destruction such as chemical and biological weapons also pose a serious threat to humanity. The Iranian nation, which is itself a victim of chemical weapons, feels more than any other nation the danger that is caused by the production and stockpiling of such weapons and is prepared to make use of all its facilities to counter such threats. We consider the use of such weapons as haram (religiously forbidden) and believe that it is everyone’s duty to make efforts to secure humanity against this great disaster.” [4]

On 2 October 2009, The Washington Times reported that Obama agreed to keep Israel’s nukes ‘secret’ and reaffirmed a 4-decade-old understanding that has allowed Israel to keep a nuclear arsenal without opening it to international inspections.” [5]

Three officials spoke on the condition that they not be named because they were discussing private conversations, but all said Obama pledged to maintain the agreement when he first hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in May 2009.

Under the understanding, the U.S. has not pressured Israel to disclose its nuclear weapons or to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which would require Israel to give up its estimated several hundred nuclear bombs.

That nuclear deception was reached at a summit between President Nixon and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir on 25 September 1969.

Author Avner Cohen, reported that the accord amounted to “the United States passively accepting Israel’s nuclear weapons status as long as Israel does not unveil publicly its capability or test a weapon.”

During my 2005 interviews with Mordechai Vanunu he told me:

“Did you know that President Kennedy tried to stop Israel from building atomic weapons? In 1963, he forced Prime Minister Ben Guirion to admit the Dimona was not a textile plant, as the sign outside proclaimed, but a nuclear plant. The Prime Minister said, ‘The nuclear reactor is only for peace.’

“Kennedy insisted on an open internal inspection. He wrote letters demanding that Ben Guirion open up the Dimona for inspection. The French were responsible for the actual building of the Dimona. The Germans gave the money; they were feeling guilty for the Holocaust, and tried to pay their way out. Everything inside was written in French, when I was there, almost twenty years ago. Back then, the Dimona descended seven floors underground.

“In 1955, Perez and Guirion met with the French to agree they would get a nuclear reactor if they fought against Egypt to control the Sinai and Suez Canal. That was the war of 1956. Eisenhower demanded that Israel leave the Sinai, but the reactor plant deal continued on.

“When Johnson became president, he made an agreement with Israel that two senators would come every year to inspect. Before the senators would visit, the Israelis would build a wall to block the underground elevators and stairways. From 1963 to ’69, the senators came, but they never knew about the wall that hid the rest of the Dimona from them. Nixon stopped the inspections and agreed to ignore the situation. As a result, Israel increased production. In 1986, there were over two hundred bombs. Today, they may have enough plutonium for ten bombs a year.” [6]

In 2007, the Nixon library declassified a 19 July 1969, memo from Henry Kissinger, the then national security adviser stating: “While we might ideally like to halt actual Israeli possession, what we really want at a minimum may be just to keep Israeli possession from becoming an established international fact.”

The “established international facts” were exposed in 1986, when Mordechai Vanunu told the truth and provided the photographic proof of Israel’s seven story underground WMD Facility that can be viewed on his You Tube Channel:

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy warned US:

“Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, or miscalculation, or by madness. The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.”

Also in the 1960’s the comic strip Pogo nailed US: “We have seen the enemy and he is US!”

Shortly thereafter George Harrison blew the lid off:

Brainwashed by our leaders

Brainwashed in the open

And brainwashed behind the scenes

Brainwashed by Dow Jones

Nasdaq and secure loans

Brainwashed us from Brussels

Brainwashed us in Bonn

Brainwashed us in Washington

Westminster in London

Brainwashed by the military

Brainwashed under duress

Brainwashed by the media

You’re brainwashed by the press

Brainwashed to the bone

God God God

A voice cries in the wilderness

Someone turned out the spiritual light

God God God

Nothing’s worse than ignorance

Down on Bullshit Avenue

God God God

If we can only stop the rot

God God God

Wish that you’d brainwash us too

Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare

Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva/Salutations to the Goddess and to the husband Lord Shiva

Thomas Merton also challenged so called Christian when he wrote words that mean EVERYTHING to this struggling Christian Anarchist Buddhist with a dose of dervish:

“The duty of the Christian at this time is to do the one task God has imposed upon us in this world today. The task is to work for the total abolition of war. There can be no question that unless war is abolished; the world will remain constantly in a state of madness. The church [meaning all Christians] must lead the way on the road to the abolition of war. Peace is to be preached and nonviolence is to be explained and practiced.”

I pray May God Bless Everyone and Have Mercy on the USA!

Notes:

1. http://vanunu.com/poems/mvpoemhiroshima.html

2. http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=114934

3. Judge Weeramantry, “The Trident and International Law, Scotland’s Obligations” Feb. 3, 2009.

4. http://www.juancole.com/2010/04/khamenei-us-only-nuclear-criminal-for-hiroshima.html

5. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/02/president-obama-has-reaffirmed-a-4-decade-old-secr/

6. BEYOND NUCLEAR: Mordechai Vanunu’s FREEDOM of SPEECH Trial and My Life as a Muckraker: 2005-2010

By Eileen Fleming

01 August, 2012

@Countercurrents.org

Eileen Fleming, Citizen of CONSCIENCE for House of Representatives 2012. Founder of WeAreWideAwake.org Staff Member of Salem-news.com , A Feature Correspondent for Arabisto.com and Columnist for Veteranstoday.com. Producer “30 Minutes with Vanunu” and “13 Minutes with Vanunu” Author of “Keep Hope Alive” and “Memoirs of a Nice Irish American ‘Girl’s’ Life in Occupied Territory” and BEYOND NUCLEAR: Mordechai Vanunu’s FREEDOM of SPEECH Trial and My Life as a Muckraker: 2005-2010

http://www.youtube.com/user/eileenfleming

The 6 + 1 formula of Sri Lanka’s national rehabilitation programme is beginning to pave the way to national reconciliation, while being commended by international social scientists and scholars as a potential model capable of replication in other countries.

Post–war rehabilitation of ex-combatants is a relatively new discipline in the field of international transitional justice. What is even newer is the increasing recognition of the inextricable link between successful rehabilitation programmes and the achievement of genuine and sustainable national reconciliation. In fact, rehabilitation programmes are now regarded as a sine qua non for any country emerging from the throes of an armed struggle.

A high–level national meeting was convened last week in Colombo to review Sri Lanka’s post–war rehabilitation efforts. The aims of the meeting were three-fold: namely, to review the current status of rehabilitation of former cadres; explore new ways of extending the current programme of rehabilitation from ex – combatants to the rehabilitation of detainees in custodial settings such as prisons; and finally, discuss possibilities of research and training facilities for the further development of programmes island wide that could be used in the criminal justice system more generally in dealing with ordinary drug and common criminals to higher offenders of the penal law. The strategies envisaged include programmes  to inculcate an ethos of toleration, moderation and coexistence.

Accordingly, the following key messages and observations were tabled for consideration.

REHABILITATION FOR RECONCILIATION

The overarching theme highlighted throughout the discussion was that in order to create a conducive environment for peace and reconciliation it became necessary to put in place such rehabilitation programmes. As one of the initial steps following the conclusion of the armed struggle, the programme was aimed at preventing a relapse into conflict.

Foreign observers at the meeting remarked that the rehabilitation programme was completed in a record period of time and that it is shorter than that which is normally required at the conclusion of a three decade conflict. Furthermore, it was revealed at the meeting that the Sri Lankan team involved in designing and implementing the rehabilitation programme have been consulted internationally, to share their experiences and have conducted capacity building programmes in Peshawar in Pakistan, Jakarta in Indonesia and in a number of other countries.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AS A STABILIZATION STRATEGY

Taking the discourse one step further and locating it within the broader context of suspicion and prejudice that still exists in a small section of the populace, it was opined that the lessons learnt from the rehabilitation programmes should be transplanted on a larger scale in communities demonstrating such inter – ethnic tensions. It was recommended that amongst the useful channelling of the lessons would be towards building programmes for community engagement to ensure that recurrence of extremisms and prejudice do not re – emerge. This was tabled as an imperative in stabilization strategies.

Future generations will be the ultimate beneficiaries of successful rehabilitation programmes. A sound programme will thus impact on the stability of the nation. Speaking at the meeting, an international commentator visiting Sri Lanka for the exchange, having worked in similar programmes and contexts across the globe, remarked that the Sri Lankan people have demonstrated the resilience and potential that exist to bounce back after a long – drawn out struggle and ought to be used as an example by foreign jurisdictions contemplating similar rehabilitation programmes for not only expediency and the technical expertise involved but for the lesson that the ‘other’ is not isolated or punished after the end of the war but rather embraced into the folds of the communities and every – day life and living  in the country.

THE 6 + 1 FORMULA

The post – war rehabilitation programme undertaken in Sri Lanka was explained as follows: A coordinated and integrated effort was put in place beginning with the formulation of a national policy on rehabilitation of ex – combatants. Six key sectors of intervention were identified and adopted, namely, Education; Spiritual, Religious and Cultural; Social, Community and Family ; Livelihood and Vocational; Psychosocial; Sports and Recreational. The + 1 dimension that was developed into the process was a community awareness programme which sought to sensitize receiving communities on the necessity to embrace ex – combatants into mainstream society. The reinsertion phase within rehabilitation included vocational and educational training programmes and pre – reintegration mentorship programmes to orient ex – combatants into living a harmonious civilian life.

The overarching objectives of the rehabilitation programmes were to facilitate the transition of ex – combatants into civilian life and further to groom individuals to becoming responsible members of the community while integrating into the social fabric of the receiving communities.

CONNECTING THE DOTS OF REHABILITATION, RECONSTRUCTION AND RECONCILIATION

Having completed the successful rehabilitation of approximately 11, 400 ex – cadres, the following have been identified as future plans by the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation: obtaining foreign employment opportunities in collaboration with the Bureau of Foreign Employment and the private sector. The negotiations of such a process is currently underway; providing ex – combatants the ability to subscribe to a loan scheme of LKR 250, 000 at a 4 percent interest rate to enable the generation of self – employment opportunities; to put in place a programme to provide three wheelers to the ex – combatants with an exemption of the required initial payment; provision of pre – school diploma courses as a means for capacity building and increasing employability; utilize the services of the ex – combatants for construction and development work in the North and East which will in turn facilitate the flow from rehabilitation to reconstruction activities and thereby fostering improved relationships and reconciliation within and between communities.

HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL REHABILITATION

Under the theme of ‘ Health is a Bridge for Peace,’ the interventions were directed at medical and psychosocial rehabilitation separately. The interventions were premised on the two presumptions, namely, that war is a ‘disease’ and hence needs to be both prevented and cured; and secondly, that genuine concern for an individual’s health, in this case, the ex – combatant, also helped build attachment to the community and society. The key activities conducted under this aspect of rehabilitation included psychosocial training programme for rehabilitation centre administrators which included psychosocial first – aid: counselling, listening and providing options as solutions for ways forward. This was followed by a Pre – Reinsertion and Reintegration Mentoring Programme which was carried out over a period between one – month and one year in duration. This was coupled with Training of Trainers Programmes for counsellors on pre – reintegration mentorship programmes which included orientation and exposure to the practical ways of encouraging diversity for harmonious coexistence, peace-building activities and identifying and fulfilling social roles. Training in emotional intelligence and life skills were also provided at such mentorship programmes.

RATIONALE FOR THE REHABILITATION MODEL USED IN SRI LANKA

What started off as a commonsensical approach to rehabilitation, namely, catering to the needs of the beneficiaries metamorphosized into a sophisticated model which was implemented. The factors that helped to nurture radicalization were identified: a secure support base, propagation of disinformation, emotive strategies for recruitment and sustaining of a radicalization mindset through the removal of contact of the individuals from mainstream society and demonising the perceived opponent.

Logically following from the identification of the above, the rehabilitation model sought to reverse the process of radicalization through the promotion of an alternative non – violent means to achieve a sense of meaning, belonging, acceptance, purpose, value, power, and dignity of self and respect for family. The 6 + 1 components identified were hence incorporated back into the lives of the ex – cadres, which are elements of normal living of a human being in society. The ex – cadres reconnected with their culture, society, religion and family, thereby filling the void that was created with the end of the armed conflict, thereby preparing them for life in civil society.

The methods used in the rehabilitation model were as follows: emotive narrative techniques that were previously used for radicalization were now used for different purposes, namely to celebrate the value of life, family, community and country; restoration of significance as peace builders through peacebuilding activities; countering of the single narrative of a mono – ethnic ideology through an inculcation of a multi – ethnic ideology involving training in the notions of diversity and harmonious living; supporting interaction and reconnections with family, society, friends, education, and vocation. This was coupled with empowerment activities that involved celebration of faith, religion, culture and traditions.

THE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS OF AN INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT

The national meeting convened last week is the first occasion at which the results of the assessment conducted by the international social scientists were presented. The statistical analysis presented revealed that support for violence had dropped significantly among the rehabilitees as a direct result of the rehabilitation programme.

The final conclusion of the international scientists was that they, as social scientists, would be in a position to, cautiously though not conclusively, state that the exposure to the rehabilitation programmes had been successful. The scientists went onto urge that the process is far from over and needs to ensure the successful re – integration of beneficiaries into communities to ensure that there is no relapse into violence.

By Salma Yusuf

Northern Mali promises to be the graveyard of scores of innocent people if African countries don’t collectively challenge Western influence in the region.

The Republic of Mali is fast becoming the Afghanistan of Africa. The reference is being applied with growing enthusiasm by Western media. The tragic reality is that Mali, with massive size and relatively sparse population – 1,240,000 km² and a population of nearly 15.5 million – was, until a few months ago, paraded as a model of stability and fledgling democracy in West Africa. What happened to make Mali a hotbed for terrorism, militancy, ethnic cleansing and a potentially destructive war that could destabilize the whole region?

On March 22, a US-trained Mali Army Capt. Amadou Sanogo led a coup against President Amadou Toumani Touré, accusing him of not doing enough to challenge the growing separatist and militant threats in northern Mali. Despite the widespread condemnation of Sanogo’s coup, US media seemed more forgiving than their African counterparts, which saw the military takeover as a violent end to a two-decades-long democratization process. In an Associated Press (AP) article, it was claimed that the coup was a “surprise to Sanogo himself” (Fox News, July 7). AP conveniently interpreted the takeover as ‘Mali’s accidental coup’, an inane conclusion that screams in the face of abundant evidence.

The barely harsh Western response to the coup had little to do with what was transpiring in southern Mali and much to do with the north. Expectedly, the coup led to a political vacuum needed for the Tuaregs’ National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) to declare independence in the north merely two weeks later. The declaration was the culmination of quick military victories by the MNLA and its militant allies, which led to the capture of Gao and other major towns. The successive developments further emboldened Islamic and other militant groups to seize cities across the country and hold them hostage to their agendas. Within the power configuration that was quickly developing in the north, a conflict soon ensued, giving the upper hand to Ansar Dine (‘Protectors of the Faith’), who ousted Tuaregs from various regions, including the historic city of Timbuktu. The militants, alleging that Islamic history in Timbuktu is not consistent with their extreme interpretation of religion, began dismantling buildings, burning Islamic manuscripts, and basically destroying a UNESCO-recognized world heritage site.

Another group quickly moved in, thickening the plot and raising even more questions. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a group that has topped the list of US enemies in Africa, has, to an extent, rationalized the need for the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). Headquartered in Germany, AFRICOM has been pushing for ‘alliances’ in a continent that was, for decades, mostly outside the US sphere of influence. The work of the relatively new command (activated in 2008) includes all of Africa, except Egypt. The declared motives of AFRICOM are intentionally conspicuous. According to the US State Department, AFRICOM “will play a supportive role as Africans continue to build democratic institutions and establish good governance across the continent.” This surely fails to explain how helping African democracy will be enhanced by the creation US Special Operations Command, Africa (SOCAFRICA).

Media leaks and authoritative analysts have been linking AFRICOM to the mess in Mali. The security vacuum in the strategically located and large country is arguably the exact opening desperately sought by the US to establish lasting military presence in Africa. This has been especially needed after the forced reassessment of US military presence in other parts of the world.

Not only did AFRICOM have a notable presence in Mali, providing several training tours to the leader of the military coup, its head, General Carter Ham, is now articulating the kind of language that has been heard all too often in other conflict zones. “We – the international community, the Malian government – missed an opportunity to deal with AQIM when they were weak. Now the situation is much more difficult and it will take greater effort by the international community and certainly by a new Malian government,” he told reporters in Senegal, as quoted in Reuters on July 26.

The nature of these ‘great efforts’ is still unknown, but US and France – a former colonial power that still yields much influence and massive economic interests in Mali – are floating military options. Knowing that Western interventions often achieve the opposite of their declared purpose, some Western African countries are scrambling to prevent potentially grim scenarios. On July 5, the Security Council endorsed the efforts of West African countries to end the unrest, and, despite pressure, didn’t back military action. The African Union, which has had little success in past conflicts, is likely to concede leadership to The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), whose members are receptive to pressures due to their reliance on foreign aid.

Despite hyped Western media coverage, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is not the biggest concern in Northern Mali. Even by General Ham’s estimations, foreign fighters in the north are numbering “dozens and perhaps in the low hundreds,” according to Reuters. The real crisis is humanitarian as well as political. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 420,000 people have been made refugees in a region that is harsh even on those who aren’t forced to flee across open deserts.

Nonetheless, discussions have already begun regarding the use of unmanned drones. The US media is now fomenting fears among Americans, perhaps in preparation for a military campaign led by the US and its Western allies, under an African umbrella. “Extremist Islamists have wrested control of a region the size of France in northern Mali and proclaimed an Islamic state,” reported ABC News on July 23. Of course, little is being said about numerous other factors, including the fact that it was Western intervention in Libya in March 2011 that saturated a poor region with a massive amount weapons that are now being intercepted throughout Africa.

Mali is now ripe for another violent episode, the scope and nature of which are yet to be revealed. While Western powers and their regional allies are calculating their next move, hundreds of thousands of impoverished people are roaming the Sahara seeking water in one of the world’s most unforgiving terrains.

The most tragic part of the story is that Mali’s real hardships are only just beginning.

By Ramzy Baroud

02 August, 2012

@ Countercurrents.org

RamzyBaroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story (Pluto Press, London.)