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Great Britain and the British Commonwealth are celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne as Queen of Great Britain and various other countries and head of the British Commonwealth . However the enthusiastic celebrations for a much-admired and much-loved monarch should not hide the Awful Truth of the over 727 million avoidable deaths linked to British imperialism and neocolonialism over the last 60 years.

The most useful parameter for assessing the success or otherwise of social policy is avoidable death (excess death, excess mortality, avoidable mortality, deaths that did not have to happen) which for a country over a given period can be defined as the difference  between deaths actually occurring and deaths expected for a peaceful and decently run country with the same demographics (the same population and age distribution). Avoidable deaths can be determined  for all countries since 1950 using data available from the UN Population Division. Most of the victims of colonialism and neocolonialism die not from bullets or beating but from deprivation and deprivation-exacerbated disease.

A useful parameter  is 1950-2005 avoidable mortality/2005 population expressed as a percentage and is (m = million) 9.750m/ 366.7m = 2.7% (Overseas Europe i.e. Australia, Canada,  Apartheid Israel, New Zealand and the US), 19.680m/ 394.4m = 5.0% (Western Europe),  25.578m/ 338.8m = 7.6% (Eastern Europe),  50.579m/ 540.0m = 9.4% (Latin America and Caribbean),  168.585m/1,544.5m = 10.9% (East Asia),  49.147m/ 237.4m = 20.7% (Turkey, Iran and Central Asia), 70.536m/ 306.0m = 23.0% (Arab North Africa and Middle East), 140.222m/ 558.2m = 25.1% (South East Asia), 2.347m/ 8.6m = 27.3% (Pacific), 465.320m/ 1,459.0m = 31.9% (South Asia), and 300.8m/ 696.5m = 43.2% (non-Arab Africa).

The 1950-2005 avoidable mortality totals 1,300 million  for the whole world, 1,200 million for the non-European World and about 600 million for the Muslim World, these estimates being consonant with independently determined under-5 year old infant mortality in the same period totaling 880 million for the whole world, 850 million for the non-European world and 400  million for the Muslim World.  Data from the UN Population Division indicate that avoidable deaths in the Developing World (excluding China) currently total about 18 million per year,  a global avoidable mortality holocaust much greater than the WW2 Jewish Holocaust (5-6 million killed, 1 in 6 dying from the deprivation) and the “forgotten” WW2 Bengali Holocaust (6-7 million Indians starved to death by the British in 1942-1945 with Australian complicity) but less than the Zionist-ignored WW2 European Holocaust (30 million Slavs, Jews and Gypsies killed) and the WW2 Chinese Holocaust (35 million Chinese dying under Japanese occupation) (see my book “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950” that usefully provides a mortality-related history every country in the world since the Neolithic era and  which is now available  for free perusal on the Web: http://globalbodycount.blogspot.com.au/ ) .

The summary data provided below is of 1950-2005 avoidable mortality/ 2005 population (both in millions, m) and expressed as a percentage (%) for the UK, for each country occupied by the UK since WW2 (listed alphabetically) and as a total for all the countries subject to occupation by the UK in the post-1945 era.. The asterisk (*) below indicates a major occupation by more than one country in the post-WW2 era (thus both the UK and the US were  major occupiers of Afghanistan , Iraq and Korea , leaving aside the many other minor participants). The data derive from Chapter 3 of my book “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality  since 1950” http://globalbodycount.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/chapter-3-correlates-and-causes-of-post.html .

UK [4.411m/59.598m = 7.4%] – Afghanistan* [16.609m/25.971m = 64.0%], Bahamas [0.007m/0.321m = 2.3%], Bahrain [0.054m/0.754m = 7.2%], Bangladesh* [51.196m/152.593m = 33.6%], Barbados [0.015m/0.272m = 5.5%], Belize [0.014m/0.266m = 5.3%], Bhutan [0.908m/2.392m = 38.0%], Botswana [0.443m/1.801m = 24.6%], Brunei [0.020m/0.374m = 5.3%], Cameroon* [6.669m/16.564m = 40.3%], Cyprus [0.054m/0.813m = 6.6%]; Egypt* [19.818m/74.878m = 26.5%], Eritrea* [1.757m/4.456m = 39.4%], Ethiopia [36.133m/74.189m = 48.7%], Fiji [0.054m/0.854m = 6.3%], Gambia [0.606m/1.499m = 47.6%], Ghana [6.089m/21.833m = 27.9%], Greece* [0.027m/10.978m = 0.2%], Grenada* [0.018m/0.121m = 14.9%], Guyana [0.086m/0.768m = 11.2%], Hong Kong [0.125m/7.182m = 1.7%], India [351.900m/1096.917m = 32.1%], Iraq* [5.283m/26.555m = 19.9%], Israel [0.095m/6.685 = 1.4%], Jamaica [0.245m/2.701m =9.1%], Jordan* [0.630m/5.750m = 11.0%], Kenya [10.015m/32.849m = 30.5%], Korea* [7.958m/71.058m = 11.2%], Kuwait* [0.089m/2.671m = 3.3%], Lesotho [0.951m/1.797m =52.9%], Libya [0.785m/5.768m =13.6%], Malawi [6.976m/12.572m = 55.5%], Malaysia [2.344m/25.325m = 9.3%], Maldives [0.015m/0.338m = 4.4%], Malta [0.019m/0.397m = 4.8%], Myanmar [20.174m/50.696 = 39.8%], Nepal [10.650m/26.289m = 40.5%], Nigeria [49.737m/130.236m =38.2%], Occupied Palestinian Territories [0.677m/3.815m = 17.7%], Oman [0.359m/3.020m =11.9%], Pakistan [49.700m/161.151m = 30.8%], Qatar [0.029m/0.628m = 4.6%], Saint Lucia [0.012m/0.152m = 7.9%], Saint Vincent & Grenadines [0.018m/0.121m =14.9%], Sierra Leone [4.548m/5.340m = 85.2%], Singapore [0.113m/4.372m = 2.6%], Solomon Islands* [0.050m/0.504m = 48.5%], Somalia* [5.568m/10.742m =51.8%], Sri Lanka [0.951m/19.366m = 4.9%], Sudan [13.471m/35.040m = 38.4%], Swaziland [0.471m/1.087m = 43.3%], Tanzania [14.682m/38.365m =38.3%], Tonga [0.020m/0.106m = 18.9%], Trinidad & Tobago [0.052m/1.311m = 4.0%], Uganda [11.121m/27.623m = 40.3%], United Arab Emirates [0.087m/3.106m =2.8%], Vanuatu [0.037m/0.222m = 16.7%], Yemen [6.798m/21.480m = 31.6%], Zambia [5.463m/11.043m = 49.5%], Zimbabwe [4.653m/12.963m =35.9%], total = 727.448m/2247.711m = 32.4%.

The 727 million avoidable deaths linked to British imperialism and neocolonialism over the period 1950-2005  can be compared to Indian avoidable deaths that totaled about 600 million (1757-1837), 500 million (under Queen Victoria, 1837-1901) and 400 million (from 1901-1947). The largest death toll associated with 55 years in the New Elizabethan Age is due to the much larger populations involved. The 727 million avoidable deaths linked to the UK in the period 1950-2005 can be compared to those in the same period in countries variously subjugated at some point since 1945 by other imperialist nations e.g. 142 million (due to France), 82 million (due to the US) and 24 million (due to Apartheid Israel).

The carnage continues. 18 million Third Worlders die avoidably on Spaceship Earth with the UK and its prosperous Anglo colonial offshoots of the US , Canada , Australia , New Zealand and Apartheid Israel having a major say on the running of flight deck. The UK has a major complicity (variously as the former colonial power and through diplomatic and military input) in the ongoing Palestinian Genocide (0.1 million violent deaths and 1.9 million avoidable deaths from deprivation, 1936-2012, and 7 million refugees), the  ongoing Somali Genocide (0.4  million violent deaths and 1.8 million avoidable deaths from deprivation, 1992-2012, and 2 million refugees), the ongoing Iraqi Genocide (1.7 million violent deaths and 2.9 million avoidable deaths, 1990-2012, and 5-6 million refugees), the ongoing Afghan Genocide ( 1.4 million violent deaths and 4.2 million avoidable deaths, 2001-2012, and 3-4 million refugees), and the ongoing Libyan Genocide (0.1 million violent deaths, 2011-2012, and 1 million refugees) (for the Awful Truth see “Muslim Holocaust, Muslim Genocide”: https://sites.google.com/site/muslimholocaustmuslimgenocide/ ).

Of the 12 million Muslims killed since 1990 in the US-UK War on Muslims and of the 20 million Muslim refugees generated  about half have been children. Thou shalt not kill children. Peace is the only way but silence kills and silence is complicity. Please tell everyone you can – because the Mainstream media of the Western Murdochracies and Lobbyocracies certainly won’t but will continue with holocaust-ignoring, genocide-ignoring censorship,  lies of commission, and lies of omission. The celebrations for the much-loved Queen Elizabeth II  hide an awful ongoing reality of British  involvement in deadly neocolonialism and genocidal wars,  with Syria and Iran likely to be the next victims.

By Dr Gideon Polya

07 June, 2012

@ Countercurrents.org

Dr Gideon Polya has been teaching science students at a major Australian university for 4 decades. He published some 130 works in a 5 decade scientific career, most recently a huge pharmacological reference text “Biochemical Targets of Plant Bioactive Compounds” (CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, New York & London , 2003). He has published “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950” (G.M. Polya, Melbourne, 2007: http://globalbodycount.blogspot.com/ ); see also his contributions “Australian complicity in Iraq mass mortality” in “Lies, Deep Fries & Statistics” (edited by Robyn Williams, ABC Books, Sydney, 2007: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ockham/stories/s1445960.htm ) and “Ongoing Palestinian Genocide” in “The Plight of the Palestinians (edited by William Cook, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2010: http://mwcnews.net/focus/analysis/4047-the-plight-of-the-palestinians.html ). He has published a revised and updated 2008 version of his 1998 book “Jane Austen and the Black Hole of British History” (see: http://janeaustenand.blogspot.com/ ) as biofuel-, globalization- and climate-driven global food price increases threaten a greater famine catastrophe than the man-made famine in British-ruled India that killed 6-7 million Indians in the “forgotten” World War 2 Bengal Famine (see recent BBC broadcast involving Dr Polya, Economics Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen and others: http://www.open2.net/thingsweforgot/ bengalfamine_programme.html ). When words fail one can say it in pictures – for images of Gideon Polya’s huge paintings for the Planet, Peace, Mother and Child see: http://sites.google.com/site/artforpeaceplanetmotherchild/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/gideonpolya/ .

Although it seems they fell out of fashion after the 1999 WTO protests, trade agreements are still being drafted. Every few months, urged by chambers of commerce and under cover of darkness, legislators ink up new pacts to make it easier for goods to flow and workers to be shed.

Last year, the US Korea Free Trade Agreement was passed. This year, making the Korea deal look piddly, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is expanding. The TPP began in 2006 as a hardcore trade agreement between the most trade-dependent countries around the Pacific: Chile, New Zealand and Singapore. Brunei joined the negotiations near their conclusion, rounding out the “Pacific 4.” Their zeal to reduce tariffs, harmonize standards, and prevent subsidies goes far beyond the ambitions of the World Trade Organization. And now six other countries want in: the U.S., Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, and Vietnam.

In part, the reason that news about trade agreements doesn’t hit front pages is because, er, it’s news about trade agreements. Not the stuff of which editors’ dreams are made. But just because the agreements don’t make the front pages doesn’t mean that people haven’t heard the news. There have been protests against the TPP across the Asia-Pacific region. And at the protests, people are connecting the dots. Like here in Okinawa, Japan.

This month, I visited a rally commemorating the 40th anniversary of this small Pacific island being transferred from the U.S. to Japan. Although Japan runs the prefecture, there’s a rather large U.S. base still here. And there were plenty of people ready to make the connection between an oppressive base and an oppressive trade agreement.

Okina Gaja is a 22-year-old representative from JA (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, the national association of agricultural cooperatives). He doesn’t like the Trans-Pacific Partnership because farmers will be hit to the tune of $20 billion in rice alone [ref in Japanese]. What he really wants is some autonomy in setting the agenda of the island on which he lives. The TPP will prevent that. And the U.S. base will too. “I want the U.S. base out of Okinawa because without that, Okinawan economic independence is impossible,” he said.

If Gaja and the farmers he works with are to win their autonomy, they’ll have to defeat some of Japan’s most powerful interests. The country’s export industry is very excited by the TPP, and it’s worth understanding precisely why their enthusiasm has nothing to do with trade tariffs.

Remember that according to the economics textbooks, free trade agreements reduce the tariffs, the border taxes, that countries charge one another, thus making everyone better off. The tax that Japanese cars pay on entering the U.S. is 2.5 percent. Getting rid of the tariff will do little to address the Japanese car industry’s bigger problem: the exchange rate.

The Yen has appreciated against the dollar by 50 percent in the past five years, which makes Japanese cars that much more expensive in the U.S. But what the TPP does do is make social protections, the kinds that workers like but bosses would rather snip away, less tenable. It’ll be easier under the TPP for companies to challenge environmental and health safeguards, and financial regulations, among many other protections they’ll be able to shrug.

The bone of contention for the U.S. car industry is the thicket of fiddly and difficult domestic regulations that mean most foreign cars are not allowed to be sold here. The TPP will make the economic roads in Japan safer for U.S. companies to sell their SUVs, thus making the actual roads in Japan more dangerous.

Hirofumi Ochiai is a 43-year-old bus driver with the Odakyu company’s Bus Workers Union. He experienced firsthand the force of neoliberal economic policies under the Prime Ministership of Junichiro Koizumi in the early 2000s, when bus subsidies for rural transport networks were cut and workers’ conditions deteriorated. The result: On the most lucrative inter-city bus routes, fares fell. But crashes went up, and services deteriorated on routes that mattered, but weren’t profitable.

So Ochiai came on the march with his fellow drivers to help join the dots.

Ochiai has an incredibly articulate analysis. Deregulation, he says, is always organized by the privileged. Workers always lose, and the rich always win. It’s the same with war. Workers become soldiers while the privileged stay where they are. So, in solidarity with the workers inside the U.S. bases on Okinawa, he’s outside asking that they be freed to fight their fights back home in the U.S., and so that he can fight the same fight here in Japan.

By Raj Patel

2 June, 2012

@ YES! Magazine

Raj Patel is an award-winning writer, activist, and academic. He is the author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System and The Value of Nothing, a New York Times best-seller. He blogs at rajpatel.org

In retrospect it can be seen that the 1967 war, the Six Days War, was the turning point in the relationship between the Zionist state of Israel and the Jews of the world (the majority of Jews who prefer to live not in Israel but as citizens of many other nations).

Until the 1967 war, and with the exception of a minority of who were politically active, most non-Israeli Jews did not have – how can I put it? – a great empathy with Zionism’s child. Israel was there and, in the sub-consciousness, a refuge of last resort; but the Jewish nationalism it represented had not generated the overtly enthusiastic support of the Jews of the world. The Jews of Israel were in their chosen place and the Jews of the world were in their chosen places. There was not, so to speak, a great feeling of togetherness. At a point David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding father and first prime minister, was so disillusioned by the indifference of world Jewry that he went public with his criticism – not enough Jews were coming to live in Israel.

So how and why did the 1967 war transform the relationship between the Jews of the world and Israel?

Part of the answer is in a single word – pride. From the Jewish perspective there was indeed much to be proud about. Little Israel with its small but highly professional defence force and its mainly citizen army had smashed the war machines of the frontline Arab states in six days. The Jewish David had slain the Arab Goliath. Israeli forces were in occupation of the whole of the Sinai and the Gaza Strip (Egyptian territory), the West Bank including Arab East Jerusalem (Jordanian territory) and the Golan Heights (Syrian territory). And it was not much of a secret that the Israelis could have gone on to capture Cairo, Amman and Damascus. There was nothing to stop them except the impossibility of maintaining the occupation of three Arab capitals.

But the intensity of the pride most Jews of the world experienced with Israel’s military victory was in large part a product of the intensity of the fear that came before it. In the three weeks before the war, the Jews of the world truly believed, because (like Israeli Jews) they were conditioned by Zionism to believe, that the Arabs were poised to attack and that Israel’s very existence was at stake and much in doubt.

The Jews of the world (and Israeli Jews) could not be blamed for believing that, but it was a big, fat propaganda lie. Though Egypt’s President Nasser had asked UNEF forces to withdraw, had closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping and had reinforced his army in the Sinai, neither his Egypt nor any of the frontline Arab states had any intention of attacking Israel. And Israel’s leaders, and the Johnson administration, knew that.

In short, and as I detail and document in my book Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews, the offensive Israel launched at 0750 hours (local time) on Monday 5 June was not a pre-emptive strike or an act of self-defence. It was a war of aggression.

The summary truth about that war is this.

Assisted by the regeneration Palestinian nationalism, which became the tail that wagged the Arab dog despite the brutal efforts of the intelligence services of the frontline Arab states to prevent it happening, Israel’s military and political hawks set a trap for Nasser; and he walked into it, with eyes half-open, in the hope that the international community, led by the Johnson administration, would restrain Israel and require it and Egypt to settle the problem of the moment by diplomacy. From Nasser’s perspective that was not an unreasonable expectation because of the commitment, given by President Eisenhower, that in the event of the closure of the Straits of Tiran by Egypt to Israeli shipping, the U.S. would work with the “society of nations” to cause Egypt to restore Israel’s right of passage, and by so doing, prevent war.

A large part of the reason why today rational debate about making peace is impossible with the vast majority of Jews everywhere is that they still believe Egypt and the frontline Arab states were intending to annihilate Israel in 1967, and were only prevented from doing so by Israel’s pre-emptive strike.

If the statement that the Arabs were not intending to attack Israel and that the existence of the Zionist state was not in danger was only that of a goy (a non-Jew, me), it could be dismissed by supporters of Israel right or wrong as anti-Semitic conjecture. In fact the truth the statement represents was admitted by some of the key Israeli players – after the war, of course.

On this 45th anniversary of the start of the Six Days War, here is a reminder of what they said.

In an interview published in Le Monde on 28 February 1968, Israeli Chief of Staff Rabin said this: “I do not believe that Nasser wanted war. The two divisions which he sent into Sinai on 14 May would not have been enough to unleash an offensive against Israel. He knew it and we knew it.”

On 14 April 1971, a report in the Israeli newspaper Al-Hamishmar contained the following statement by Mordecai Bentov, a member of the wartime national government. “The entire story of the danger of extermination was invented in every detail and exaggerated a posteriori to justify the annexation of new Arab territory.”

On 4 April 1972, General Haim Bar-Lev, Rabin’s predecessor as chief of staff, was quoted in Ma’ariv as follows: “We were not threatened with genocide on the eve of the Six Days War, and we had never thought of such a possibility.”

In the same Israeli newspaper on the same day, General Ezer Weizmann, Chief of Operations during the war and a nephew of Chaim Weizmann, was quoted as saying: “There was never any danger of annihilation. This hypothesis has never been considered in any serious meeting.”

In the spring of 1972, General Matetiyahu Peled, Chief of Logistical Command during the war and one of 12 members of Israel’s General Staff, addressed a political literary club in Tel Aviv. He said: “The thesis according to which the danger of genocide hung over us in June 1967, and according to which Israel was fighting for her very physical survival, was nothing but a bluff which was born and bred after the war.”

In a radio debate Peled also said: “Israel was never in real danger and there was no evidence that Egypt had any intention of attacking Israel.” He added that “Israeli intelligence knew that Egypt was not prepared for war.”

In the same programme General Chaim Herzog (former Director of Military Intelligence, future Israeli Ambassador to the UN and President of his state) said: “There was no danger of annihilation. Neither Israeli headquarters nor the Pentagon – as the memoirs of President Johnson proved – believed in this danger.”

On 3 June 1972 Peled was even more explicit in an article of his own for Le Monde. He wrote: “All those stories about the huge danger we were facing because of our small territorial size, an argument expounded once the war was over, have never been considered in our calculations. While we proceeded towards the full mobilisation of our forces, no person in his right mind could believe that all this force was necessary to our ‘defence’ against the Egyptian threat. This force was to crush once and for all the Egyptians at the military level and their Soviet masters at the political level. To pretend that the Egyptian forces concentrated on our borders were capable of threatening Israel’s existence does not only insult the intelligence of any person capable of analysing this kind of situation, but is primarily an insult to the Israeli army.”

The preference of some generals for truth-telling after the event provoked something of a debate in Israel, but it was short-lived. If some Israeli journalists had had their way, the generals would have kept their mouths shut. Weizmann was one of those approached with the suggestion that he and others who wanted to speak out should “not exercise their inalienable right to free speech lest they prejudice world opinion and the Jewish diaspora against Israel.”

It is not surprising that debate in Israel was shut down before it led to some serious soul-searching about the nature of the state and whether it should continue to live by the lie as well as the sword; but it is more than remarkable, I think, that the mainstream Western media continues to prefer the convenience of the Zionist myth to the reality of what happened in 1967 and why. When reporters and commentators have need today to make reference to the Six Days War, almost all of them still tell it like the Zionists said it was in 1967 rather than how it really was. Obviously there are still limits to how far the mainstream media is prepared to go in challenging the Zionist account of history, but it could also be that lazy journalism is a factor in the equation.

For those journalists, lazy or not, who might still have doubts about who started the Six Days War, here’s a quote from what Prime Minister Begin said in an unguarded, public moment in 1982. “In June 1967 we had a choice. The Egyptian army concentrations in the Sinai approaches did not prove that Nasser was really about to attack us, We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him.”

By Alan Hart

5 June 2012

@ Alanhart.net

Alan Hart is a former ITN and BBC Panorama foreign correspondent. He is author of Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews. He blogs at http://www.alanhart.net and tweets via http://twitter.com/alanauthor

Alex Thomson says crew was led to ‘free-fire zone’ as deaths would discredit Bashar al-Assad’s regime

The chief correspondent of Channel 4 News has claimed that Syrian rebels deliberately tried to get him and his crew killed by gunfire from government forces in a bid to discredit the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Alex Thomson alleged a small group from the Free Syrian Army deliberately guided the vehicle in which he and his Channel 4 News colleagues were travelling into what he described as a “free-fire zone” on a blocked road near the city of al-Qusayr, because “dead journos are bad for Damascus”.

Thomson said that after being led into a “no man’s land” between Syrian army and rebel forces by four men in a black car, his team were fired upon and forced to take evasive action, eventually managing to “floor it back to the road we’d been led in on”.

He also claimed that later on the same car of rebels blocked the road between their vehicle and the UN vehicles accompanying them, which he said prompted the UN escort to drive off and abandon them after seeing the Channel 4 team surrounded by “shouting militia”. The incident took place last weekend and Thomson is now back in the UK.

“Suddenly four men in a black car beckon us to follow. We move out behind,” Thomson wrote in a Channel 4 News website blog published on Friday/ morning.

“We are led another route. Led in fact, straight into a free-fire zone. Told by the Free Syrian Army to follow a road that was blocked off in the middle of no-man’s land,” he added.

“At that point there was the crack of a bullet and one of the slower three-point turns I’ve experienced. We screamed off into the nearest side-street for cover. Another dead end.

“There was no option but to drive back out on to the sniping ground and floor it back to the road we’d been led in on. Predictably the black car was there which had led us to the trap. They roared off as soon as we reappeared.

“I’m quite clear the rebels deliberately set us up to be shot by the Syrian army. Dead journos are bad for Damascus.”

Thomson said this conviction was only strengthened half an hour later when “our four friends in the same beaten-up black car suddenly pulled out of a side street, blocking us from the UN vehicles ahead”.

“The UN duly drove back past us, witnessed us surrounded by shouting militia, and left town. Eventually we got out too and on the right route, back to Damascus,” he added.

“In a war where they slit the throats of toddlers back to the spine, what’s the big deal in sending a van full of journalists into the killing zone? It was nothing personal.”

A spokeswoman for ITN-produced Channel 4 News said: “The safety of our journalists is of paramount importance and we only ever send experienced teams into these hostile environments.

“Alex is an incredibly experienced journalist who has covered conflicts around the world for more than two decades and has used social media to share the full detail of these assignments. We will be reviewing this trip, as we do with every other foreign send and sharing the review across ITN as we continue to cover this complex and important story.”

By  Ben Dowell

8 June, 2012

@ guardian.co.uk

It was, in the words of U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, the “tipping point” in the Syria conflict: a savage massacre of over 90 people, predominantly women and children, for which the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was immediately blamed by virtually the entirety of the Western media. Within days of the first reports of the Houla massacre, the U.S., France, Great Britain, Germany, and several other Western countries announced that they were expelling Syria’s ambassadors in protest.

But according to a new report in Germany’s leading daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the Houla massacre was in fact committed by anti-Assad Sunni militants, and the bulk of the victims were member of the Alawi and Shia minorities, which have been largely supportive of Assad. For its account of the massacre, the report cites opponents of Assad, who, however, declined to have their names appear in print out of fear of reprisals from armed opposition groups.

According to the article’s sources, the massacre occurred after rebel forces attacked three army-controlled roadblocks outside of Houla. The roadblocks had been set up to protect nearby Alawi majority villages from attacks by Sunni militias. The rebel attacks provoked a call for reinforcements by the besieged army units. Syrian army and rebel forces are reported to have engaged in battle for some 90 minutes, during which time “dozens of soldiers and rebels” were killed.

“According to eyewitness accounts,” the FAZ report continues,

the massacre occurred during this time. Those killed were almost exclusively from families belonging to Houla’s Alawi and Shia minorities. Over 90% of Houla’s population are Sunnis. Several dozen members of a family were slaughtered, which had converted from Sunni to Shia Islam. Members of the Shomaliya, an Alawi family, were also killed, as was the family of a Sunni member of the Syrian parliament who is regarded as a collaborator. Immediately following the massacre, the perpetrators are supposed to have filmed their victims and then presented them as Sunni victims in videos posted on the internet.

The FAZ report echoes eyewitness accounts collected from refugees from the Houla region by members of the Monastery of St. James in Qara, Syria. According to monastery sources cited by the Dutch Middle East expert Martin Janssen, armed rebels murdered “entire Alawi families” in the village of Taldo in the Houla region.

Already at the beginning of April, Mother Agnès-Mariam de la Croix of the St. James Monastery warned of rebel atrocities’ being repackaged in both Arab and Western media accounts as regime atrocities. She cited the case of a massacre in the Khalidiya neighborhood in Homs. According to an account published in French on the monastery’s website, rebels gathered Christian and Alawi hostages in a building in Khalidiya and blew up the building with dynamite. They then attributed the crime to the regular Syrian army. “Even though this act has been attributed to regular army forces . . . the evidence and testimony are irrefutable: It was an operation undertaken by armed groups affiliated with the opposition,” Mother Agnès-Mariam wrote.

By John Rosenthal

11 June, 2012

@ National Review

John Rosenthal writes on European politics and transatlantic security issues. You can follow his work at www.trans-int.com or on Facebook.

This this article was first published at National Review

© National Review Online 2012. All Rights Reserved.

The Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic presents its compliments to the esteemed recipients and has the honour to present the details of the massacres which happened on Friday, 25th May, 2012, in Taldao (Al-Houla) and Al-Shoumarieh, as follows : 1. Hundreds of gunmen gathered in an orderly and systematic manner around the sites of the massacres, armed with heavy weapons including anti-tank missiles. On Friday, 25th May, 2012, sharp at 1400 hours, they commenced their offensive attack on the area simultaneously from Al-Rastan, Talbiseh and Al-Qseir (places around Taldao). 2. The terrorist groups savagely killed the AlAbdulah family, comprising of Mohamad Abed AlNabi Abdulah, his wife and six children, and Rateeb Al-Alo and his son. 3. Also killed in the same manner was the AlSayed family, consisting of Areef Mohamad AlSayed, his wife Izdehar Ali Aldahir and their three children, Imad Mohamad AlSayed and Okbh Mohamad AlSayed. 4. The terrorist groups burnt crops and houses, and an unknown number of charred bodies were found there. 5. They vandalized the national hospital in Taldao which serves the people of the area. 6. They attacked five points for the Syrian Arab army positioned outside the area where the massacre happened. 7. The Syrian Arab Army did its duty in defending itself and innocent civilians and had clashed with the armed terrorist groups until 2300 hours, at which time the army managed to end the brutal assault, with three army members killed and sixteen soldiers injured; an addition to the martyrs’ list resulting from the two terrorist massacres. 8. Syria assures that no tank entered the area, affirming that the Syrian Army was in a state of self-defence and maintained the highest degree of self-control proportionality, and all reports to the contrary are pure lies as the terrorist groups were heavily armed and entered the area with the intent to kill. It was also an indication that with murder using knives, it became the “manner” of terrorist groups to commit their crimes as “offering a sacrifice under the Islamic way.” 9. The children, women and men were assembled at specific areas and if they had been killed by shellfire as biased news channels claim, there would have been dust all over them, whereas the images showed that the massacre was committed in cold blood and from close range. 10. The terrorist operation simultaneously from several areas indicates advanced planning for a terrorist crime which affected innocent Syrian nationals. 11. The residents of the area were supporters of the Syrian Arab army and were cheering it in full view of the world, and that cost them their lives. 12. The terrorist groups’ offensive on the town of Al-Shoumarieh in the countryside of Homs resulted in a horrible massacre on families there and the acts of a large sabotage as part of an escalation of crimes and terrorism prior to any United Nations Security Council sessions together with the announced visit of Mr Kofi Annan, the United Nations envoy to Syria. The groups committed crimes against the Syrian people at the timing of each of the Security Council’s meeting on Syria, or in this case, before the visit of Mr Annan to Damascus. The Syrian Government has informed the Human Rights Council of the terrorist groups using Syrian blood in return for a few lines in statements made by countries seeking to destroy Syria and killing her people in arguments of defence of human rights. Syria has warned of using Syrian blood in such a brutal way to stick the charges on the Syrian authorities, in a precedence that history has not seen. 13. The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic has condemned these ugly terrorist crimes in the strongest words possible. The crimes defy all definitions and descriptions of horrible crimes and systematically planned gross violation to human rights. Syria is determined to find the killers of the children, bring them to trial and not permit them to go unpunished. The Syrian Government has set up a committee by the defence, interior and justice ministries to investigate what happened and present a report within three days. Syria has announced that she is responsible for protecting her people from being killed and from terrorists, and she will do whatever is necessary in accordance with Syrian laws and Syrian international pledges to save her people from terrorism, which is supported and funded externally. In this context, Syria rejects any accusations of killing her own innocent citizens. 14. On 15th March, 2012, AlQaeda terrorist groups committed a massacre in the Karm AlLouz neighbourhood in Homs. It led to the death of fifteen Syrians, including a woman and her four children. It took place a day before the Meeting of the Security Council. 15. On 26th May, 2012, armed terrorist groups fired mortar shells from the AlWarsheh neighbourhood on AlNuzha and AlHadara in Homs, where it was cited that Janet Michael AlAkhrass and ten others were wounded in that attack. 16. On 26th May, 2012, an armed terrorist group hijacked the Agriculture Bank in AlBokamal city in the Der Alzor province and got away with an amount of 12 million Syrian bonds and stamps. 17. On 26th May, 2012, special authorities seized a store and a factory in Homs which terrorist groups used to manufacture improvised explosive devices. In one farm in Al-Gaseer in Homs, large quantities of materials for the manufacture of improvised explosives such as fertilizers, acid, gas canisters and dough fillings for explosives were discovered. A stolen car seized in Homs was also found there along with six Russian guns, three Bombakeshn guns, hand grenades, improvised explosives, a large amount of ammunition, military quivers, millitary uniforms and false car number plates. 18. On 26th May, 2012, special authorities clashed with an armed terrorist group which was attacking citizens and security forces in Douma. It led to the capture of some of its members and the death of others. The security forces found arms in the group’s possession which included improvised explosives, guns, ammunition and a stolen car from the countryside of Damascus Water Company. 19. In the Der Alzor countryside, an armed terrorist group intercepted a transport van ferrying engineers and technicians from the AlFurat Petroleum Company to work, and abducted them and the van to an unknown site. With this, there are currently more than 1,500 Syrians kidnapped and the fate of more than 1,000 still unknown. 20. In Tal Rifaat, Aleppo, an improvised explosive meant for a new massacre against Syrians blew up during preparations by some terrorists leading to some of them being killed and some wounded. All of the above indicate that demonstrations are no longer “peaceful” or that people are demanding for “freedom of opinion and expression.” The Syrian State is facing highly trained gunmen with sophisticated arms who seek to kill, slaughter and terrorise. In protecting its people, the Syrian State will do its job just as any State must to protect its people. What is happening confirms the truth of what Syria has been stressing, that she exposes the campaigns of terrorism supported and funded from abroad. What is more horrible to what is happening is the blood of the martyrs going as victims to media campaigns In an attempt to stick the crime on the Government of Syria.

Source: The Embassy of Syrian Arab Republican in Kuala Lumpur.

Al-Jaafari: Implementing Annan’s Plan Requires Political Will from All Those who Instigate Violence, Smuggle Weapons and Harbor Terrorists

NEW YORK, (SANA) – Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari affirmed that implementing the plan of UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan requires political will on the part of all those who instigate violence and provide weapons to terrorists, finance and harbor them outside Syria, and not just on the part of the Syrian government.

In a press conference held on Wednesday after a UN Security Council session for discussing the situation in Syria, al-Jaafari said that the first point in Annan’s plan discussing ending violence by all sides, which dictates that some sides respect this point, noting that Syria informed the UNSC and the UN Secretary General of the identities of those who are smuggling weapons into Syria.

He stressed that the Syrian government is very serious about implementing Annan’s plan, while those who impose second, third or fourth options are the same ones who don’t respect the plan and who questioned it from the beginning.

Al-Jaafari said that Annan held positive talks with Syrian officials and reviewed with President Bashar al-Assad the progress made by the government in implementing his plan, with President al-Assad reminding Annan of the need for everyone to commit to the plan and cease weapon smuggling into Syria.

He said that most of the interpositions during the session were balanced and used more accurate terms in discussing the situation in Syria, specifically regarding what happened in al-Houla.

He pointed out that the Syrian government and the Syrian people are in a state of shock because of the horrible crime that took place in al-Houla, stressing that none could be more upset over what happened than the Syrians because the victims – the children, civilians and military personnel –  are our own people, noting that 26 soldiers and officers were martyred in this incident.

Al-Jaafari said that this crime is heinous, horrifying and unjustifiable, and that those who committed will be brought to justice in Syria, adding that a committee is in charge of the investigation and is due to finish its work by Thursday or Friday, at which point everyone will know the results of the investigation and the identities of the perpetrators.

“We want the international community to specify those who are working against Annan’s plan and those who finance and harbor armed terrorist groups,” he added.

He noted that this crime isn’t the beginning of the crisis in Syria which dates back to almost a year, saying that some of the representatives at the UNSC showed a high sense of responsibility by acknowledging the existence of a “third element” which is the armed groups, something that Syria had been trying to explain for a year and was met by doubt by these same representatives.

Al-Jaafari went on to explain that the Syrian people are facing terrorist groups that are trained, protected and funded by some Arab and regional countries and other countries from elsewhere in the world, pointing out that Syria referred more than 100 to the UN Secretary General, UNSC members and UN agencies containing the names and identities of terrorists along with details on the dates, types and amount of weapons smuggled into Syria, in addition to a list of over 4,000 violations of Annan’s plan by the armed groups that caused hundreds of deaths among Syrian civilians and military personnel.

He also drew attention to the weapon which was carrying weapons from Libya to the terrorists and Syria and was captured by the Lebanese authorities, in addition to the arrest of 26 Libyan and Tunisian terrorists in Syria whose confessions were relayed to the UNSC, while other foreign terrorists were killed and their identities were likewise sent to the UNSC.

Al-Jaafari noted that a Syrian Salafi opposition figure spoke live on a Lebanese channel from Jeddah two days ago, assuming responsibility for the abduction of Lebanese citizens in Syria who had come from Turkey, concluding that there’s no need for presenting one piece of evidence after the other since everyone now knows that Syria is facing dangerous armed terrorist groups.

He also wondered how the German ambassador was talking about his government’s concern over Syrian children in al-Houla while the UNIFIL naval forces allowed permitted the ship carrying weapons from Libya to cross the Lebanese waters.

On ending the missions of Syria’s ambassadors and diplomats in some countries, al-Jaafari said that diplomacy is based on dialogue and its task is finding settlements and middle grounds and bridging gaps, and that diplomacy isn’t based on sanctions, attacking countries or expelling diplomats.

He said that these irresponsible actions show the true intentions of the capitals in question regarding the Syrian crisis, adding that if they actually wanted to help the Syrian people, then they wouldn’t have imposed sanction on them nor facilitated weapon smuggling, adding that the political solution must come from within Syria itself, and that those betting on second, third or fourth options will fall silent.

On some sides accusations that the Syrian government is responsible for the crime in al-Houla, al-Jaafari said that UN Under-Secretary-General Herve Ladsous didn’t accuse the government; rather he voiced suspicions, adding that all such talks is premature as the Syrian committee charged with investigating the incident will report its findings on Thursday or Friday.

He also pointed out that the massacres also affected Teldo and al-Shomariya areas, and that their perpetrators were intentionally trying to start a civil wars since there are three different sects living in these villages, which shows that the perpetrators are professional criminals.

Regarding the recent UNSC statement and calls for withdrawing the army, al-Jaafari said that this has already been done, pointing out the paradox as there are those who criticize the Syrian government when it deploys the army and law-enforcement forces to protect people while others criticize it when the government doesn’t do that which allows terrorists to murder people, stressing that there are situations when the government needs to deploy law-enforcement forces to protect civilians.

Al-Jaafari called on Arab Gulf countries and other countries who are interested in sparking a civil war in Syria to not bet on the failure of Annan’s plan, stressing that Syria acknowledges the presence of a legitimate political opposition which the government invited to dialogue which is part of Annan’s plan, yet certain hostile countries or governments repeatedly encouraged armed groups and the opposition outside Syria to not engage in dialogue.

He went on to say that the opposition isn’t unified and that there are those who are working around the clock to unify it to extort the Syrian government which is diligently working to end violence, stressing the need the pressure the terrorist groups to cease violence and the need for some Arab and regional countries to stop providing these groups with funds, weapons, political support and media coverage.

Regarding some ambassadors’ acknowledgment of the presence of terrorist groups, al-Jaafari said that while some have began to share Syria’s approach in this regard, others are acting irresponsibly regarding their peacekeeping tasks, adding that regardless of the claims made by an ambassador, they must – as members of the UNSC – refrain from using the term “regime” and instead say “government” if they wish to be responsible and noble-minded.

He stressed that the ambassadors who speak of “options” are after escalation and that they violate Annan’s plan, adding that their abandonment of the plans shows that they had been betting on its failure since the beginning.

Al-Jaafari affirmed that the success of Annan’s plan requires equal commitment from all sides, ceasing to traffic in Syrian blood, and sending a clear message from the international community on the need to resolve the crisis through the plan and achieve appeasement, not escalation.

He stressed that the diplomats in the UNSC are there to bridge gaps and find acceptable solutions and settlements, not legalize more sanctions and adopt anti-diplomatic measures.

“If they really want to help Syrians, then the messages Syria needs is stopping escalation and speaking wisely about how to help the government to sit with the opposition and engage in comprehensive national dialogue and find a settlement led by Syria,” al-Jaafari said, adding that these aren’t his own terms, but rather the language of Annan who spoke of a political process led by the Syrian government.

On the appointment of Jeffrey Feltman in a prestigious position in the UN, al-Jaafari said that he hasn’t received official word on this, noting that if it were true, then it’s a sign of escalation, stressing that the task of the UN is to carry out the international agenda, not force an agenda on the international community, which is why honest and neutral experts are needed for high-ranking posts.

Regarding dialogue and the possibility of holding it outside Damascus, al-Jaafari said that the government accepted China’s suggestion to host talks in Beijing, but the opposition, prompted by external instigation, rejected, and that this was repeated when Russia offered to host talks in Moscow, concluding that “the ball isn’t in our court; it’s in the others’ court.”

Churkin: Armed Groups Use Every Opportunity to Violate Annan’s Plan

In a similar press conference after the UNSC session, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin affirmed that armed groups in Syria continue to use every opportunity to violate Annan’s plan by targeting civilians and state officials.

Churkin said that there’s no tangible progress in implementing Annan’s plan save for the government’s withdrawal of heavy artillery from the perimeters of cities, noting that the Syrian opposition strongly rejects dialogue and that some of its members continue to call for foreign interference and continuing armament in Syria in a manner violating Annan’s plan and discouraging political dialogue.

He affirmed that the illegal flow of weapons to armed groups in Syria is continuing, and that these groups are receiving better weapons which is a worrying sign that requires some sides to take serious actions.

Churkin said that UNSC was untied on two decisions on sending the observer mission, and that everyone must commit to these decisions and pressure all sides to implement Annan’s plan, including the sides that don’t respect the plan and continue to militarize the conflict and encourage and arm groups to continue fighting.

He added that Russia isn’t satisfied over the current situation, and that it’s taking every possible step to improve the situation and advance Annan’s plan.

Churkin also said that ending the missions of Syrian ambassadors and diplomats in some countries might be misconstrued by those who wish to see foreign military intervention and more fighting in Syria, which should cause some countries to consider the repercussions.

He said that discussing sanctions is negative, as there are harsh unilateral sanctions imposed on Syria that had severe ramifications on citizens and caused shortages in fuel and other materials.

Churkin affirmed that Russia supports political settlement in Syria and that it doesn’t pick sides, saying that speaking about other options would be a disastrous scenario that would have grave consequences on the entire region.

He called on all countries to think carefully before taking any step or making any gestures or insinuations outside Annan’s plan and the UNSC, in addition to calling on those who arm the opposition to reconsider their options and study the repercussions of their actions.

Churkin added that the results of the UN investigation regarding the crime that took place in al-Houla will appear within a few days.

In response to a question on whether Russia will defend Syria no matter what others do, Churkin said that “Russia will do the right thing for Syria, the Syrian people, the Russian Federation and the international community.”

Russia’s Permanent Representative to EU: Ending Syrian Ambassadors’ Missions in Some Western Countries ”Unconstructive Step”

MOSCOW, (SANA)_Permanent Representative of Russia to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, described ending the mission of Syrian ambassadors in some Western countries as unconstructive.

Interfax quoted Chizhov as saying that similar experiences elsewhere proved that such conduct seldom pushes for dialogue.

Chizhov said he believes that ending the mission of Syrian ambassadors reflects the visions of European countries, the US and Australia on the latest developments in Syria, especially al-Houla massacre in Homs, adding ”It is difficult to assess how realistic this vision is, because no investigation was conducted and there are different accounts of what happened.”

On the plan of the UN Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, Chizhov said “I don’t rule out the possibility that there are attempts at foiling it,” adding “When a fragile process for settling disputes in diplomatic means is underway, people on both sides seek to sabotage this process and do all in their power to undermine it.”

Chizhov said it is possible that there are attempts to distort facts in Syria for justifying intervention.

Gatilov: We Are Categorically against Any Intervention in Syrian Conflict from the Outside

MOSCOW, (SANA)_ Russia reiterated its rejection for any proposals at the UN Security Council authorizing military intervention in Syria.

Gennady Gatilov, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, said in press statements to the Russian Interfax News Agency: “We have always said that we are categorically against any intervention in the Syrian conflict from the outside, as this would only worsen the situation and would lead to unpredictable consequences both for Syria itself and the region on the whole.”

Gatilov underscored that Russia calls for broader international discussion on settling standoff in Syria and Kofi Annan’s, the UN Envoy to Syria, six-point plan.

Gatilov added that Russia thinks any new UN Security Council pressure measures on Syria are premature, asserting that Russia will veto initiatives on foreign military interference in Syrian situation in UN Security Council.

Gatilov declared that Russia does not exclude a new mechanism for supervising the implementation of Annan’s plan, citing the necessity for allowing Annan’s plan implementation the needed opportunity, calling on all foreign players, including the western ones, to put pressure on opposition.

Denisov: Decisions on Military Intervention in Syria Should Not Be Based on Emotions

Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrei Denisov, stressed that decisions on military operations against Syria should not be based on emotions.

Commenting on a statement by French President Francois Hollande about possible military intervention in Syria, Denisov said “One should not lose reason and actual vision of what is happening in Syria,” adding that the talk about any foreign intervention is a reflection of political emotions more than analysis and calculation.

Denisov said that Russia’s stance is not affected by emotions, the thing which Moscow’s French partners couldn’t avoid when shaping their stance, adding that the Security Council has all means, the most important of which right now is the plan of the UN special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, and his mission and the process of making peace in Syria, which should be taken into account in the first place.

President Vladimir Putin’s Spokesman: Russia Will Not Change Its Stance Regarding Crisis in Syria

President Vladimir Putin’s Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, announced that Russia isn’t considering changing its stance regarding the crisis in Syria, pointing out that any attempt to pressure Moscow in this regard would be inappropriate.

Peskov stressed that Russia’s policy in general and regarding the Syrian issue in particular is transparent, logical and balanced, and that it’s logical to not anticipate a change in Moscow’s policy relating to Syria during the two upcoming visits of President Putin to Germany and Russia which are scheduled for Friday.

Russia: Measures against Syrian Ambassadors and Diplomats Are Unfruitful

Later, Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich, said that Russia considers the steps of terminating the mission of Syrian ambassadors in the capitals of a number of European countries as “unfruitful” concerning the plan of the UN special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan.

“Russia sees that the measures of sending away the Syrian ambassadors from those countries’ capitals are unfruitful,” Lukashevich was quoted by Russia Today website as saying in a statement.

He noted that Moscow’s comment on the decision of terminating the mission of Syrian ambassadors and diplomats by some European and foreign countries is from the perspective of the international efforts seeking to support the political solution to the crisis in Syria.

He clarified that these measures mean that the most important channels through which the Syrian government can be constructively influenced and encouraged to take steps towards implementing Annan’s plan have now become closed.

The Russian spokesman said that the countries which made this decision do not want to listen to Damascus, which is not in the interest of solving the crisis in Syria, noting that Russia’s stances are based on a different logic and that Moscow is doing its best to reduce the intensity of confrontation between the parties of the crisis.

“For this purpose,” Lukashevich added, “Russia is making contacts not only with the Syrian government but also with the various groups of the Syrian opposition, including those who do not appeal to Moscow.”

He pointed out that Russia is doing so out of the necessity of firm commitment to Annan’s plan approved by the international Security Council, reiterating Moscow’s stress that it does not see an alternative to the UN envoy’s plan for the time being.

China Reiterates Rejection of Military Intervention in Syria

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson  Liu Weimin reiterated on Wednesday his county’s stance which rejects military intervention in the Syrian internal affairs, pointing out that Beijing rejects using force to bring about change in Syria.

Russia Today website quoted Weimin as calling for the necessity of investigating al-Houla events, hoping that the visit of the UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, would help ease the tension and push all parties to implement the peace plan.

Syria Expels Charge d’affaires of  Dutch Embassy

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- Foreign and Expatriates Ministry on Wednesday announced that Syria has expelled the charge d’affaires at the Dutch Embassy in Damascus, giving her 72 hours to leave the

Twenty-five Army, Law-enforcement and Civilian Martyrs Laid to Rest

PROVINCES, (SANA) – The bodies of 25 army, law-enforcement and civilian martyrs on Wednesday  were escorted from Tishreen Military Hospital in Damascus, Aleppo Military Hospital, Zahi Azraq Military Hospital in Lattakia, Police Hospital in Harasta and Deir Ezzor Military Hospital to their final resting place.

Solemn funeral processions were held for the martyrs who were martyred in line of duty in Damascus, Aleppo, Damascus Countryside, Homs,Daraa and Deir Ezzor.

The Martyrs are:

­           Captain Hussein Hassan Jardo, from Homs.

­           Chief Warrant Officer Shaker Nawaf al-Abdullah, from Deir Ezzor.

­           Chief Warrant Officer Youssef Issa Ayash, from Homs.

­           Warrant Officer Ali Issa Shahin, from Lattakia.

­           Sergeant Major Motaz Yehya Shaaban, from Tartus.

­           Sergeant William Mohammad Mohammad, from Lattakia.

­           Sergeant Safwat Jamal Ismael, from Idleb.

­           Sergeant Mohammad Raji Ibrahim, from Hama.

­           Sergeant Yasser Suhail Barhoum, from Lattakia.

­           Sergeant  Salah Muti’ Qabalan, from Homs.

­           Sergeant Wisam Moin Haidar, from Damascus Countryside.

­           Corporal Ammar Suleiman Najm, from Hama.

­           Conscript Khabat Wahid Ahmad from Aleppo.

­           Conscript Hamza Hassan Suleiman, from Hama.

­           Conscript Mekdad Khudr Barbar, from Homs.

­           Conscript Lifon Qiomijian, from Damascus.

­           Conscript Nenos Alpier Kliyana, from al-Hasaka.

­           Conscript Abdul-Aziz Mohammad Hammami, from Aleppo.

­           Conscript Ali Ibrahim Daher, from Lattakia.

­           Conscript Khaled Mohammad al-Shananeh, from Damascus Countryside.

­           Conscript Mohammad Abdul-Aziz Sukkar, from Damascus Countryside.

­           Policeman Ammar al-Ahmad, from Homs.

­           Policeman Shadi Suteimeh, from Lattakia.

­           Policeman Somar Ibrahim Ahmad, from Tartous.

­           Civilian Samer Mahmoud Sweidan, from Tartous.

The martyrs’ families and relatives said that the blood of the martyrs is the guarantor for consolidating and fortifying the homeland in the face of the conspiracies hatched against it, expressing the Syrian people’s readiness to sacrifice everything for the sake of defending the homeland’s security and stability.

They called for confronting all those who attempt to tamper with Syria’s security and stability.

Armed Group Attacks Oil Pipeline in Deir Ezzor

DEIR EZZOR, (SANA) – An armed terrorist group detonated with an explosive device a pipeline to transport oil between Abu Hamam and Gharaneej areas in Deir Ezzor causing fire to erupt at the site of the blast.

A source at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources told SANA reporter that the 12-inch oil pipeline, which belongs to al-Furat Oil Company, transfers crude oil from al-Tank field to T2 station.

The source added that pumping operations were halted after the explosion, adding that production remained unaffected since there are alternative lines that can be used until repairs are carried out.

It added that workshops started repair works to restore pumping oil in the next few days.

On April, 21st, an armed terrorist group detonated the same pipeline near Abu Hamam area.

On April, 30th, another armed terrorist group targeted an oil pipeline between the villages of Mahkan and al-Qouriya in Deri Ezzor with an explosive device, damaging a valve and causing large amounts of oil to leak.

On March 26th, an armed terrorist group attacked a diesel pipeline which links Hama and Homs at Taldao in Homs countryside with an explosive device, causing fire at the site.

On February15th, terrorist armed groups targeted a diesel pipeline that links Homs refinery with fuel tanks in the industrial city of Arda, Damascus Countryside, with an explosive device.

Larijani: Repeating Libyan Scenario in Syria Dangerous Game whose Consequences will Reach Zionist Entity

TEHRAN, (SANA) – Speaker of Iranian Shura Council, Ali Larijani, warned the US and the Zionist entity that the repercussions of repeating the Libyan scenario in Syria will reach the Zionist entity.

Speaking at the Council’s session on Wednesday, Larijani said that the statements recently made by the U.S. officials show new atrocity towards Syria, adding that the US and the West are preparing for a new crisis.

Commenting on threats of launching military operations against Syria, he said that the US military officials have misconceptions about themselves and the issues of the region because Syria is totally different from Libya.

He warned the US and the West that any attempt at repeating the Libyan scenario in Syria is “a dangerous game”.

Larijani stressed that the Iranian Shura Council supports to the democratic reforms in Syria that would guarantee the rights of the people and condemns the terrorist operations and some countries’ interference in Syria, in addition to the illogical and escalated discourse and the U.S. messages instigating war.

Brazilian Foreign Ministry: Brazil Supports Dialogue with Syrian Government

BRASILIA, (SANA)- Brazil stressed its support to dialogue with the Syrian government and said that it has no intention to terminate the mission of the Syrian diplomats on its territories.

Brazilian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tovar Nunes, said that his country considers that there is no need to take such measures against the Syrian ambassadors and diplomats.

Zebari: Syrian Crisis Should Be Solved through Political Process Led by Syrians

TOKYO, (SANA) – Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar  Zebari, stressed on Wednesday the necessity of adopting the political solution through dialogue among the Syrians far from any foreign interference to solve the Syrian crisis.

Russia Today Channel quoted Zebari as saying at a press conference held in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, that the political process to solve the crisis should be Syrian and led by the Syrians themselves.

UNSMIS Delegations Visit Areas in Homs, Damascus Countryside, Hama and Aleppo

PROVINCES, (SANA) – A UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) delegation visited on Wednesday the Red Crescent Branch in Homs city.

The delegation also visited al-Rastan and al-Houla towns in Homs countryside.

Meanwhile, another UNSMIS delegation visited the towns of al-Hajar al-Aswad and Rankous  in Damascus Countryside and met the residents there.

In Hama Province, Governor of Hama, Anas al-Naem, reviewed during his meeting with a UNSMIS delegation the work mechanisms to help make their mission succeed in the province.

The Governor pointed out that the authorities in the province are still offering all facilitations to help observers fulfill their duties.

In Aleppo province, a team of the international observers visited the Military Hospital in the city of Aleppo and the cities of Hayyan and al-Sfeireh in the countryside.

Israeli Occupation Authorities Continue Depleting Golan’s Resources through New Power Generating Projects

QUNEITRA, (SANA) – Israeli occupation forces continue depleting natural resources of the Syrian Golan through building dozens of wind turbines in the middle and south of Golan to provide settlements in the occupied Golan and northern Palestine with electricity.

A number of Golan people told SANA reporter that the occupation authorities completed researches and studies that enable them to generate electricity through extracting latent heat from under the ground in al-Bteiha area in southern Golan.

The liberated prisoner, Atta Najeeb Farhat, from the occupied town of Buqatha, said that the occupation forces have worked for years to find alternatives to power production, adding that these projects will grant the Zionist entity huge energy resources.

Farhat indicated that Zionist researchers and experts stressed, according to Israeli and foreign periodicals, the possibility of exploiting the underground of Golan after digging 2-3 km down to make use of the high temperature in generating power, while it needs more than 10 km in other regions of the world like in Europe and north Africa.

For his part, citizen Radwan Sha’alan, from the occupied Ein Qaniyeh, said that the Israeli authorities’ digging works are conducted in areas known for their volcanic activity away from international supervision.

Farmer Hael Masoud called for ending the Israeli violations in Golan, indicating to the Israeli practices against the farmers through hindering the process of marketing their harvests and uprooting trees in the northern villages of the occupied Golan.

Governor of Quneitra, Hussein Arnous, called upon the international community to put an end to the Israeli occupation’s aggressive policies and pressure it to abide by the international resolutions and withdraw from the occupied Golan.

Syrian Human Rights Network Condemns Media Instigation against Syria as Aimed to Escalate Violence

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The Syrian Human Rights Network condemned media instigation against Syria as it aims at escalating violence, shedding more Syrian blood and arousing hatred.

The Network added in a statement on Wednesday that such acts of instigation are condemned according to the international legitimacy of human rights and the UN Charter.

It considered the termination of the mission of Syrian ambassadors or charge d’ affaires because of a massacre committed by armed terrorist groups, which citizens and families in Taldao and the neighboring villages have confirmed, is a direct contribution in hindering the plan of the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, and enhancing the double-standard policy.

The Network added that the international resolutions which have been issued regarding the crisis in Syria were usually unilateral, contrary to reality and in violation to the principles of human rights, warning that this would lead to the terminating the UN role and taking the international system back to chaos.

President al-Assad: Success of Annan’s Plan Depends on Stopping Terrorism and Weapon Smuggling

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday discussed with UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan and the accompanying delegation the situation in Syria since the beginning of the implementation of Annan’s six-point plan to the moment.

The meeting also discussed means for overcoming obstacles hindering Annan’s plan, particularly the escalating terrorism in some Syrian areas.

President al-Assad pointed out that the armed terrorist groups escalated their terrorist acts noticeably as of late in various areas across Syria, committing murder and abduction against Syrian citizens in addition to robberies and targeting public and private properties with arson and vandalism.

He stressed the need for the countries who are financing, arming and harboring the terrorist groups to commit to Annan’s plan, and that these countries’ political will to participate in stopping terrorism must be put to the test.

President al-Assad affirmed to Annan that the success of his plan depends on stopping weapon smuggling and curbing terrorism and those who support it.

For his part, Annan commended the positivity in the coordination between the Syrian government and the international observers.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, Presidential Political and Media Advisor Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban, Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Fayssal Mikdad, and Foreign Ministry Official Spokesman Dr. Jihad Makdessi.

Annan: Syria cooperated with international Monitors..Investigation into al-Houla incident encouraging

DAMASCUS, (SANA)-The UN Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan on Tuesday appreciated the Syrian government for cooperation in deploying the military monitors as soon as possible.

“During my meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, I relayed to him the deep concern of the international community about violence in Syria, including the incident of al-Houla,” Annan said at a press conference in Damascus.

He added that the Security Council declared that an investigation should be held to bring those who were responsible for al-Houla incident into justice, saying “I have noticed that the Syrian government is investigating into the act, and this encouraging.”

Annan saw that the 6-point plan was not implemented, indicating that the international community will make an evaluation of the situation in Syria, calling for adopting bold steps to create atmospheres for carrying out the plan.

He pointed out that violence stopped on April 12th, and now there is no justification for not halting violence once again.

Annan underlined that he asked the armed opposition to halt violence, saying “I call on all influential states to press the government and all sides on the need for the halt of violence in all areas.”

He pointed out to the importance of releasing the detainees, considering this point as part of the six-point plan and a necessity for finding confidence, saying “it is necessary to reach to all detainees and the places of their detention.”

“I agreed with President al-Assad on the importance of handing over the humanitarian aid to all regions in addition to giving visas to the UN organizations to offer assistance,” Annan said.

He referred that he also underlined on the need for respecting the freedom of peaceful demonstrations and freedom of expression.

He added that he has noticed more journalists and press are getting visas to enter Syria, saying “this is encouraging for more openness.”

The armed terrorist groups have perpetrated more than 5000 violations since the adoption of Annan’s plan with a number of Arab and western countries, including the US are supporting gunmen with weapons and money.

The Syrian Ministry of Information gave visa entries for more than 178 media institutions to cover the events in Syria since last March.

Twenty One Army, Law-Enforcement Martyrs Paid Final Tribute

PROVINCES, (SANA) – The bodies of 21 army and law-enforcement a martyrs on Tuesday were escorted from Tishreen Military Hospital and the Police Hospital in Damascus, Aleppo Military Hospital and Zahi Azraq Military Hospital in Lattakia to their final resting place.

Solemn funeral processions were held for the martyrs who were martyred in line of duty in Damascus Countryside, Daraa, Homs, Hama, Aleppo and Raqqa.

The martyrs are:

­           Captain Nidal Badee’ Mansour from Homs.

­           First Lieutenant Khalil Madha from Deir Ezzor.

­           First Lietuenant Qusai Mohammad Qhaila from Lattakia.

­           Second Lieutenant Rabee’ Mohammad Harba from Lattakia.

­           Chief Warrant Officer Ahmad Salman al-Ward from Hama.

­           Sergeant Major Auroa Mohammad Younis from Lattakia.

­           Sergeant Major Mohammad Ibrahim al-Na’em from Hama.

­           Sergeant Khaled Maher al-Ammouri from Hama.

­           Corporal Mohammad Basheer Bakkour from Homs.

­           Corporal Ziad Adel Suleiman from Lattakia.

­           Conscript Mohammad Saffouk al-Issa from Hama.

­           Conscript Ammar Salem Aouda from Damascus.

­           Conscript Ahmad Ziad Saleh from Daraa.

­           Conscript Mohammad Mahmoud al-Haj Mohammad Ramadan from Aleppo.

­           Conscript Fadi Jnaid Haj Ahmad from Aleppo.

­           Conscript Na’eem Hussein al-Hussein from Daraa.

­           Conscript Khaled Mohammad Shinana from Damascus.

­           Conscript Ibrahim Zaki Jabr from Idleb.

­           Conscript Ismael Mohammad Briemo from Idleb.

­           Private Nazeer Mustafa Mustafa from Homs.

­           Policeman Hashem al-Khaled from Aleppo.

The martyrs’ relatives said that the blood of the martyrs fortifies the homeland in the face of conspiracies, expressing the Syrian people’s readiness to sacrifice everything for the sake of defending the homeland’s security and stability.

Authorities Storm Apartment in Daraa, Confiscate Weapons and Communication Devices

DARAA, (SANA) – With the help of residents, authorities managed on Tuesday to uncover and confiscate weapons and communication devices used by an armed terrorist group in Naseeb border town in Daraa Province.

The weapons were hidden in an apartment used by the terrorists to carry out terrorist crimes against citizens.

A PKC machinegun, rifles, ammunition, night binoculars, fake car plates and Motorola communication devices in addition to maps of important sites which terrorists planned to target were found in the apartment.

Authorities Confiscate Weapons in Homs

Authorities confiscated different kinds of weapons after storming terrorists’ dens in Homs city.

SANA’s reporter quoted a source at the province as saying that the weapons include mortar and 13 shells, RPG launcher and 4 rounds, 26 advanced communication devices, 3 hand grenades (one of which Israeli-made), 4 ak-47 rifles with 12 magazines, 4 pump-action shotguns, 5 pistols and a sniper’s scope in addition to different kinds of ammunition.

Authorities in Hama storm dens of terrorists, confiscate weapons

The competent authorities today stormed a number of dens for the armed terrorist groups at al-Arba’en neighborhood in Hama, seizing big quantities of weapons, ammunitions and arresting scores of terrorists who perpetrated acts of killing and sabotage.

The weapons confiscated were RPGs, machine guns, rifles, bombs and communication sets.

Lavrov: Russia Concerned over  Some Countries’ Disregard of UNSC Investigation in al-Houla Events

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Tuesday that Russia is concerned over some countries’ disregard of the UN Security Council’s call for investigating al-Hola events in Syria, adding that some countries are exploiting these events to propose military measures.

At a press conference in Moscow, Lavrov added that these countries are pressurizing the Security Council, however, the plan of UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, seems to be hindering them.

He expressed Russia’s sympathies with the countries which hosted Syrian refugees who numbered up to 150 thousand people, but he pointed out that other countries are trying to exploit the issue of refugees as a pretext for military intervention.

Lavrov denounced Burhan Ghalion’s statement in which he openly called on all Syrian opposition factions to continue what he called “the liberation strife until the Security Council agrees on military intervention.”

Lavrov pointed out that Ghalion’s statement is a direct provocation for a civil war, adding that such acts contradict with Annan’s plan which stipulates for unifying the opposition to start dialogue with the authorities, not unifying the opposition to start a civil war.

Lavrov: Objective and Unbiased Investigation into al-Houla Massacre

Later during a phone call with the UN Special Envoy, Kofi Annan, Lavrov called for objective and unbiased investigation into al-Houla massacre in Homs countryside.

Russia Today website quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying that Lavrov expressed deep concern over the tragedy and stressed the need for all Syrian sides to immediately halt violence to avoid the repetition of such incidents in the future.

“In the current stage, it is necessary to conduct an objective and unbiased investigation into the circumstances of the incident under the auspices of the UN observer mission,” said Lavrov.

Gatilov: No Alternative to Diplomatic Solution to Crisis in Syria

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov stressed that there is no alternative to the diplomatic solution to the crisis in Syria.

Gatilov’s remarks came during his meeting with the US Ambassador in Moscow Michael McFaul.

Russia Today website quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying in a statement that Gatilov indicated that there is no alternative to the political diplomatic means to solve the crisis in Syria based on wide-ranging political dialogue without any foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs.

The statement added that all foreign parties who have influence on the stances of sides in Syria including the armed opposition should exert efforts to encourage them to start dialogue.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the Russian side focused on the need for intensifying international support to implement the six-point plan of the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, by all Syrian sides, reiterating Russia’s support to the work of the international observer mission in Syria.

Gatilov reiterated Moscow’s condemnation of the tragic incidents in al-Houla area in Homs countryside, stressing the need for conducting investigation into the incident.

Chizhov: No impact of the decision of western states to end mission of Syrian Ambassadors

Russian permanent Representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov criticized the decision of a number of European and western states to end the mission of the Syrian Ambassadors accredited to them.

“The escalation of confrontation is simple, but getting out of it will be complicated,” Chizov said in a statement in Brussels.

Mission of a number of ambassadors, chargés d’affaires and diplomats at the Syrian Embassies in the US, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bulgaria were terminated on Tuesday in an escalation measure against Syria.

Foreign and European Countries Terminate Mission of Syrian Ambassadors, Chargés d’affaires and Diplomats

CAPITALS, (SANA)- Mission of a number of ambassadors, chargés d’affaires and diplomats at the Syrian Embassies in the US, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bulgaria were terminated on Tuesday.

President Francois Hollande of France announced terminating the mission of Syria’s Ambassador in Paris Lamia Shakkour, a measure that was also taken against the Syrian ambassadors in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria, Australia, the US and Britain terminated the mission of the chargés d’affaires at the Syrian Embassies in these countries, while Canada asked a number of Syrian diplomats to leave the country.

Austria, however, announced that it has no intention to terminate the Syrian Ambassador’s mission in Vienna and that its embassy in Damascus is still open but the number of its staff has been reduced.

These measures coincide with talks held between the UN special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, and the Syrian officials about the implementation of Annan’s plan, which was considered by these countries which have taken the termination decision against Syrian diplomats as doomed to failure since the first day of its announcement.

These termination measures also came in line with the escalation approched by these countries against Syria and the pressures and economic sanctions which they have imposed on the Syrian people.

Czech doesn’t put into its accounts dismissing the Syrian diplomats from its lands

Czech Foreign Ministry Spokesman Vit Kolar said his country doesn’t put into its accounts dismissing the Syrian diplomats from its lands.

In a statement today, Kolar added that the Ministry has just informed the Syrian diplomats of its stance on what is going in Syria.

Earlier, Czech rejected to close its Embassy in Damascus.

Cabinet: Brutal Massacre Committed by Terrorists in al-Houla will Not Undermine Syrians’ Determination

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The Syrian cabinet stressed on Tuesday that the brutal massacre which was committed by the armed terrorist groups in al-Houla will not undermine the Syrian people’s determination to confront the conspiracy and terrorism.

During a session headed by Prime Minister, Adel Safar, the cabinet pointed out that this inhuman crime is part of the terrorist escalation and the foreign plot to undermine Syria’s steadfastness and national unity.

The cabinet stressed the necessity of taking all measures to deter the armed terrorist groups and protect the citizens, noting that citizens’ awareness and cooperation is vital to uncovering the people responsible for this heinous crime and bringing them to justice.

During the meeting, the Finance Minister briefed the cabinet on the results of his visit to Russia and the talks he held there to boost cooperation between the two countries.

The Cabinet passed a bill on copyright protection, specifically in the field of material related to informatics, and another bill on amending the law regulating currency exchange companies.

The cabinet also agreed to form the General Establishment of the Syrian Communications Company as per the suggestion of the Communications and Technology Ministry.

In statements to the press after the meeting, Finance Minister Mohammad al-Jleilati said that during his visit to Russia, the two sides agreed to follow up on signed agreements and discussed several issues such as organizing expos to promote Syrian products in Russia, drawing Russian investments in Syria in the fields of industry, energy, transport and higher education, and providing petroleum products.

Al-Jleilati said that Russian companies made several offers for exporting petroleum products to Syria and importing Syrian crude oil, and that these offers are currently being studied.

He also noted that Russia voiced full readiness and desire to find alternatives to improve the state of Syrian economy and provide the needs of Syrians .

142 Citizens Involved in Recent Events Turn Themselves In

PROVINCES, (SANA) – 142 citizens who were misled and got involved in the recent events in the country and whose hands are clear of the Syrian blood have handed themselves and their weapons in to the authorities in Homs and Hama provinces.

The citizens, 101 from Homs and 41 from Hama, were released to go back to normal life after pledging not to take up arms again or take part in vandalizing public and private properties.

The released citizens expressed regret and promised not to participate in acts that affect Syria’s security and stability in the future.

The number of citizens who turned themselves in to the authorities and went back to normal life reached 7000.

Mehman Parast: Some Sides Seeking to Destabilize Syria

TEHRAN, (SANA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman Parast warned that undermining Syria’s security and stability threatens the security and stability of the region.

In a press conference held on Tuesday, Parast added that some sides are trying to destabilize Syria with the aim of achieving political ends and ending Israel’s isolation.

Parast reiterated his country’s condemnation of the terrorist and inhuman acts which target the Syrian people.

“To restore stability and security to Syria, a dialogue should be held between the government and the opposition,” he underscored.

UN Observer teams Visit Syrian Cities and Towns, Meet Citizens

PROVINCES, (SANA) – The international observers on Tuesday visited a number of neighborhoods and areas in Daraa and its countryside.

The delegation inspected normal life in the city and its markets where they listened to some citizens’ viewpoints about the events.

The UN observer delegation also visited Nasib bordering village and met people there.

Observer teams visited Harasta city and Yabrud, Qara and al-Jrageer towns in Damascus Countryside and met the locals.

In Homs province, a delegation of UN observers visited Homs- al-Rastan road, checking traffic movement in it.

Some members of the delegation met with Homs Governor and discussed with him the situation in the Province.

Security Council Condemns al-Houla Massacre

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Security Council condemns al-Houla massacre, calls for cessation of violence and further fact-finding in cooperation with international observers, affirms respecting Syria’s sovreigty and territorial integrity.

Makdissi: Syria Categorically Denies Responsibility of the Syrian Forces for al-Houla Massacre

DAMASCUS, SANA_Spokesman for the Syrian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry, Jihad Makdissi, has categorically denied responsibility of the Syrian forces for the massacre that took place in al-Houla area in Homs Province.

In a press conference on Sunday, Makdissi condemned in strongest terms this terrorist massacre against the Syrian civilians as he condemned accusing the Syrian forces of doing that.

Makdissi stressed that no tanks or artillery entered al-Houla town, adding that hundreds of gunmen, armed with various kinds of heavy weapons, attacked al-Houla area in Homs countryside after they assembled in various areas in a deliberate and planned manner, indicating that “The law-enforcement members never left their positions and were in a state of self-defense.”

Makdissi said that Syria also condemns the ”tsunami” of lies against the Syrian government in the past couple of days and the ease in leveling accusations against the Syrian government by some foreign ministers and media.

”We’ve talked to the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the authorities concerned to put us in the picture of what happened in Houla,” said Makdissi.

Makdissi added ”It has been confirmed that hundreds of gunmen gathered at 2:00 o’clock on Friday afternoon , using Pick-up cars loaded with up-to-date and heavy weapons, like mortars, machineguns and anti-tank missiles, which are newly used in the confrontation with the state forces.”

”The gunmen headed to al-Houla area which is guarded by the government forces at five points where law-enforcement members and security are positioned, which lie outside the places where the massacres happened. The attack lasted from 2:00 pm o’clock until 11:00 pm. 3 law-enforcement members were martyred and 16 injured, some critically, and there were charred bodies.”

Makdissi said that there has been a massacre in al-Shoumarieh village where crops, houses and the national hospital were burnt down., indicating that Al-Houla is only part of a larger terrorist attack.

Makdissi said that the attack is an unjustifiable act that deserves a Security Council meeting to find out who is funding, arming, hosting and instigating terrorists.

“A military judicial committee was formed to conduct investigation and the results will be announced in three days,” Makdissi added.

”Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem has spoken to the UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, and informed him of the details of what happened and the official investigation underway,” Makdissi said.

”We regret that foreign ministers of some countries have rushed to level baseless accusations in such forums as the UN Security Council and the EU, based on statements by opposition figures or biased media.”

”The savage pattern of killing as shown by the images, children, elderly and women were killed in a way which is alien to the morals of the valiant Syrian Arab army,” Makdissi said.

“The Syrian state is responsible for protecting civilians according to the constitution and Syria preserves its right to defend its citizens,” he said.

”It is not the Syrian army, who have taken an oath to protect civilians, who committed the crime. Those who come from hideouts and mountains and kill innocent civilians are well known. There might be clashes and there is a high-level independent investigation at the ministries of defense and interior.”

The suspicious coincidence between the attacks in parallel with the visit of UN Special Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, is a slap to the political process, said Makdissi.

Answering a question on the beneficiary from this crime against the Syrian people, Makdissi said ” What happened does not serve the interests of the Syrian state, and we are committed to Annan’s plan and wish him success,” stressing that “We don’t trade with the Syrian blood.”

Makdissi said that the regional countries which are hosting terrorist groups and turn a blind eye to the infiltration of terrorists and the countries which are publically funding them are complicit in the crimes against the Syrian people.

On the report of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Syria, Makdissi said ”I read the report and we have reservations about it…We already know that Ki-moon and Annan are involved with 15 other countries at the UNSC, which is a diplomatic and political labor, because most of these countries are hostile to Syria.”

”There is no such thing as armed opposition as the report called them. There is either intellectual opposition that is welcomed to a dialogue that we’ve never shut the door on, or terrorists. Taking up arms against the state is unjustifiable, whatever the political excuse,” said Makdissi.

Makdissi pointed to the contradiction in Ki-moon’s report which states that some Syrian cities have become outside the control of the Syrian government as he says that tanks and heavy machines haven’t been removed.

”There may be neighborhoods outside the control of the Syrian government due to the presence of gunmen, but not whole cities as the report said, that’s why we hope that the coming reports would be more professional.”

Answering a question on the opposition’s benefit from committing such a crime, Makdissi said ”This question should be put to the opposition…there is an intellectual opposition and terrorists to whom the opposition turns a blind eye…It is not condemning their acts after all. Hence, there is an tacit alliance between the two.”

On the issue of the kidnapped Lebanese, Makdissi ”We heard that there was a phone call between the Turkish authorities and the Lebanese foreign minister…We condemn this act and Syria will spare no effort to offer help in this regard.”

Makdissi said that a the Syrian government submitted a draft statement condemning the massacre to the UN Security Council.

”We admit that we have a crisis, but the solution does not lie in destabilizing Syria. But if they are out for confrontation, we’ll be there for it and we are determined to defend our country.”

”If the outside opposition and the countries backing them agreed to political solution, we can say that the crisis is coming to a close. Syria has agreed to dialogue and to the Chinese plan and the Russian proposal for hosting an initial dialogue session, but the ones who fear the street rejected. We are sure that President Bashar al-Assad enjoys the majority necessary to change Syria in a democratic way,” added Makdissi.

Makdissi indicated that the terrorism and crimes have increased since Syria’s approval on Annan’s plan because they don’t want to make the plan a success.

He said that the armed terrorist groups committed more than 3,500 violations of Annan’s plan, adding that “non-stability is a good environment for terrorists… there are al-Qaeda and takfiris but we won’t allow them to make use of this environment no matter how long the confrontation takes.”

Makdissi stressed that the solution to the crisis in Syria lies in lending a helping hand to the Syrian government.

Authorities Storm a Flat in al-Midan, Clash with Armed Groups in Idleb Countryside

DAMASCUS/IDLEB, (SANA) – Authorities in cooperation with citizens stormed a flat in al-Midan outskirts in Damascus city and clashed with the armed terrorists who were in the flat.

An official source told SANA reporter that the authorities clashed with the armed terrorist group in the flat and killed the entire group.

The source added that the authorities seized the weapons the terrorists were using, pointing out that  the weapons included machine guns, PKC guns, hand grenades and communication devices.

Three Law-Enforcement and Army Officers Martyred in Clashes with Terrorists in Idleb Countryside

Two law-enforcement officers were martyred during a clash with an armed terrorist group in the town of Khan Shekhoun in Idleb province.

An official source at the province told SANA’s correspondent that the martyrs are Sgt. Yousef Naddaf and Sgt. Ziad Suleiman, adding that the terrorists used anti-armor rockets and RPG launchers during the clash.

In the town of Jisr al-Shughour, Captain Ahmad al-Ghajari of the Syrian Arab Army was martyred in a clash with terrorists who were planting explosives near the sugar factory at the city’s eastern entrance.

111 Citizens Involved in Recent Events Turn Themselves In

111 citizens who were misled and got involved in the recent events in the country and whose hands are clear of the Syrian blood have handed themselves and their weapons in to the authorities in Idleb, Damascus Countryside and Aleppo.

89 in Damascus Countryside, 18 in Idleb and 4 in Aleppo handed themselves in to the authorities.

The citizens were released to go back to normal life after pledging not to take up arms again or take part in vandalizing public and private properties.

The released citizens expressed regret and promised not to participate in acts that affect Syria’s security and stability in the future.

Russia: Information Confirm That Victims of al-Houla Massacre Were Not Killed by Artillery Fire

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov on Sunday called for waiting for the results of deep and objective investigation into the tragic incident that took place in al-Houla in Homs countryside and the deductions of the international observers in Syria, since there is information proving that the victims were not killed by artillery fire.

On his Twitter feed, Gatilov said that there’s news indicating that the wounds inflicted upon many of the victims of al-Houla massacre are not the result of artillery fire, therefore one must wait for objective evaluation from the international observers.

He stressed that the tragic events in al-Houla and the murder of scores are worthy of condemnation, but there serious efforts must be made to found out the reasons for what happened.

Meanwhile in New York, Russia’s Permanent Representative at the UN Igor Pankin questioned the allegations that the Syrian armed forces are responsible for al-Houla massacre.

In statements at the beginning of the UN Security Council session on developments in Syria, which convened upon Russia’s request, Pankin said that most victims in al-Houla were killed by bladed weapons or executed from close range, which contradicts the allegations that the victims were killed by artillery fire.

He added that the number of victims is inconsistent with the destruction witnessed in the area.

Masses Gather in al-Hijaz Square in Damascus to Denounce the Crimes of Terrorists against Syrians

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Citizens gathered in al-Hijaz Square in Damascus on Sunday with the participation of Lebanese figures to voice their condemnations of the crimes committed by terrorists against the Syrian people and their rejection of foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs.

The participants, carrying Syrian flags and banners calling for striking down those who trespass against Syria, decried the terrorists’ crimes and those responsible for them, lauding the valiancy of the Syrian Arab Army’s personnel and affirming that the Syrians are as one and that hardships and conspiracies only make them stronger and more adherent to reforms.

They said that this gathering is a denouncement of the massacres committed by terrorists against women and children in al-Houla in Homs on Saturday and all the crimes they committed before in Syria.

The participants also said that they gathered to affirm their commitment to reforms led by President Bashar al-Assad and that they will remain steadfast in the face of pressure and terrorism.

Member of the People’s Assembly Omar Osi said that the National Initiative of Syrian Kurds condemns the crimes committed by terrorists against innocent civilians in Homs and across Syria, stressing that the western and Zionist-American conspiracy against Syria has become apparent.

In turn, People’s Assembly member Khaled Abboud affirmed that the alliance between some so-called Arabs, the US, Europe, Israel and Turkey against Syria is destine to fail.

Other participants said that the blood of martyrs protects Syria, lauding the role of the Syrian Arab Army and affirming that the Syrians proved throughout the crisis that they are united in the face of the conspiracy.

They said that Arabs should have stood alongside Syria which has always been upholding and fighting for Arabs and their issues.

SHRN, Syrian Observatory for the Victims of Violence, and Levant Scholars Condemn Recent Massacres in Homs

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The Syrian Human Rights Network condemned terrorist acts committed by the armed terrorist groups in Syria, the last of which is the massacre of Taldo in Homs province.

The Network considered the massacre as a desperate reaction to the national unity of the Syrian people, calling upon the terrorist groups to end the killing and bombing.

It also called upon the Arab and international human rights organizations to r-read the Syrian scene and raise their voice in condemnation of the acts of violence as an organized terrorism to undermine security and stability in Syria.

Head of the network, Ahmad Khazem, said that the stance of all countries and each county towards the terrorist acts in Syria indicate the way of these countries in dealing with terrorism on one hand and the human rights on the other hand.

He stressed that the commitment of the supporters of human rights to professional standards and political neutralism, which are necessary to defend the victims of those who violate the human rights regardless of their affiliations, requires setting up clear principles to hold those who violate them accountable since the main goal is to defend victims.

He called upon the Human Rights Council, the UN Commission and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to take the problem seriously so not to contribute to destroying the set of human rights, taking into account that the leaders of some countries and governments publically announced their support to the armed groups in Syria which breach the plan of the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan.

Syrian Observatory for the Victims of Violence condemns massacre of al-Houla in Homs

The Syrian Observatory for the Victims of Violence and terrorism condemned the heinous massacre perpetrated by armed groups at al-Houla in Homs countryside which claimed the lives of scores of civilians, among them children and women.

In a statement, the Observatory called for brining those who committed this crime which has no relation to any religion or humanity into justice.

It called on the international observers to record the violations of the cease-fire by armed terrorist groups, backed by Istanbul Council gangs, denouncing the Arab and international community silence over the systemized terrorism.

Levant Scholars Condemn Crimes in al-Houla and Neighboring Villages

The Federation of Levant Scholars called on Syrians to stand united to protect Syria from sedition and thwart the nation’s enemies who committed heinous crimes in al-Houla and neighboring villages, claiming the lives of more than a hundred innocent victims who were slaughtered, dismembered and disfigured.

In a statement, the Scholars expressed utmost pain and sorrow over the heinous crimes, denouncing them in all forms and stressing that these crimes target all Syrians and calling for setting aside differences and unifying through dialogue to protect Syria.

The statement affirmed that these crimes are the result of the methodical sectarian instigation carried out by malicious satellite channels with the aim of damaging national unity, and that such crimes are the results of chaos and the proliferation of weapons.

They also demanded that an immediate investigation be carried out to uncover the details of these heinous crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible, no matter who they are.

Sixteen Army and Law-Enforcement Martyrs Laid to Rest

PROVINCES, (SANA) – The bodies of 16 army and law-enforcement martyrs on Sunday were escorted from Tishreen Military Hospital in Damascus, Aleppo Military Hospital and Deir Ezzour Military Hospital to their final resting place.

Solemn funeral processions were held for the martyrs who were martyred in line of duty in Damascus, Aleppo, Daraa, Hasaka and Deir Ezzour.

The martyrs are:

­           Lieutenant Rami Mohammad Humeira from Lattakia.

­           Chief Warrant Officer Ahmad Sharif al-Haj Hassan from Homs.

­           Chief Warrant Officer Marwan Mohammad Ali from Homs.

­           Warrant Officer Nael Suleiman Ibrahim from Lattakia.

­           Sergeant Major Suleiman Ali al-Mohammad from Daraa.

­           Sergeant Major Bassel Yahya al-Mohammad from Damascus Countryside.

­           Sergeant Major Ali Sharif Muhanna from Hama.

­           Sergeant Major Alaa Hassan Hussein from Tartous.

­           Sergeant major Ammar Mohammad al-Atiki from Tartous.

­           Sergeant Major Fidaa Ali al-Khatib from Homs.

­           Sergeant Major Mohammad Mahmoud Mahmoud from Aleppo.

­           Corporal Hussein Suleiman kasso from Hama.

­           Corporal Mohammad Taher Mamlouk from Aleppo.

­           Conscript Abdulhadi Mohammad Bustani from Hama.

­           Conscript Amir Mousa Kar’o from Aleppo.

­           Policeman Ahmad Farhan al-Abbas from Hasaka.

The martyrs’ families and relatives said that the blood of the martyrs is the guarantor for consolidating and fortifying the homeland in the face of the conspiracies hatched against it, expressing the Syrian people’s readiness to sacrifice everything for the sake of defending the homeland’s security and stability.

They called for confronting all those who attempt to tamper with Syria’s security and stability.

Intl Observer Delegation Tours in Deir-Ezzor,  Damascus Countryside and Idleb

Deir-Ezzor, (SANA)- An international observer delegation on Sunday visited al-Salheyyeh and al Husseiniah villages in Zeir-Ezzour Province.

The delegation met the residents and inspected the situation in the villages.

Another delegation of the international observer mission visited some schools in Idleb and Kafar al-Takharim town in the Province, where they met some of its residents.

Earlier, a delegation of UN observersvisited al-Zabadani city in Damascus Countryside, while another delegation visited Ain al-Tina and Ma’aloula villages in the Province.

Youth Group Visits Citizens Injured in al-Kazzaz Terrorist Bombings

DAMASCUS, (SANA)_A youth group visited on Saturday citizens injured in al-Qazzaz terrorist bombings, which killed scores of people, at Hamish Hospital.

Fatima Ali, a member of the group, told SANA that her visit is intended to show solidarity with the injured citizens, voicing trust that Syria will overcome the crisis thanks to the awareness of the Syrian people.

For her part, Zainab Murad hoped that the visit would offer solace to the injured, stressing that the strong Syria will never bow to terrorism.

Mass Gathering in Aleppo in Support of Reforms

ALEPPO, (SANA) – Large crowds gathered at Saadallah al-Jabri Square in Aleppo on Saturday expressing support to reforms and condemnation of the acts of the armed terrorist groups.

The participants held Syrian flags and placards stressing their rejection of foreign interference in the Syrian internal affairs and hailing the sacrifices made by the Syrian army in the face of the armed terrorist groups.

They also stressed that adherence to national unity is the only way to settle the crisis, adding that the crimes committed by the terrorist groups will not divert the Syrians from continuing the reform process.

Eighteen Army, Law Enforcement and Civilian Martyrs Paid Final Tribute

PROVINCES, (SANA)- On the music of the ‘Martyr’ and the ‘Farewell’, the bodies of 18 army, law enforcement and civilian martyrs on Sunday were escorted from Tishreen Military Hospital in Damascus, Zahi Azraq Military Hospital in Lattakia, Aleppo Military Hospital and Deir Ezzor Military Hospital to their final resting place in their home towns and villages.

Solemn funeral processions were held for the martyrs who were targeted by armed terrorist groups while they were in the line of duty in Aleppo, Idleb, Homs, Daraa, Damascus Countryside, Hama and Deir Ezzor.

The martyrs are:

­           -Chief Warrant Officer Mohammad Hussein al-Ahmad, from Deir Ezzor.

­           -Chief Warrant Officer Khudr al-Abdullah al-Sheikh, from Deir Ezzor.

­           -Chief Warrant Officer Faraj al-Farraj al-Abdullah, from Deir Ezzor.

­           -Warrant Officer Talal Ali al-Asaad, from Hama.

­           -Sergeant Major Ali Saleem al-Mohammad, from Hama.

­           -Sergeant Major Muaz Ahmad al-Dahir, from Quneitra.

­           -Sergeant Nour Sharif Ali, from Lattakia.

­           -Sergeant Hussein Ali Khaddour, from Homs.

­           -Sergeant Sattam Hamdo, from Aleppo.

­           -Sergeant Mohammad Ghassan Ahmad, from Tartous.

­           -Sergeant Rami Mahmoud Hasri, from Aleppo.

­           -Corporal Ghadir Mohammad Youssef, from Tartous.

­           -Conscript Alaa Yehia Sit-Eddar, from Homs.

­           -Policeman Rami Fawaz al-Abboud, from Homs.

­           -Custom Guard Joseph Adnan Fayad, from Lattakia.

­           -Civilian employee Abdul-Aziz Abbas Shaheen, from Hama.

­           -Civilian employee Mohammad Abdul-Mawla Jum’a, from Damascus Countryside.

­           -Civilian Ahmad Diyab Shteiwi, from Homs.

The martyrs’ families and relatives called for firmly confronting the armed terrorist groups which have nothing to do with humanity, freedom or democracy, stressing the Syrian people’s readiness to sacrifice everything for the sake of defending the homeland’s security and stability.

They affirmed that the terrorist and criminal acts of the armed groups will neither weaken the Syrians not deter them from confronting the challenges and going ahead with the reform process under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad.

Official Source Denies as ‘Categorically Baseless’ News Reported by Al-Jazeera Channel on Assassination of a Number of Political and Security Officials

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- An official source on Sunday denied as completely groundless the news reported by al-Jazeera Channel on the assassination of a number of political and security officials, asserting that they are performing their duties.

Assistant Vice-President, General Hasan Turkmani, said in a statement “The news reported by al-Jazeera is completely baseless and reflects full media bankruptcy”.

Gen. Turkmani added ”My colleagues and I are safe and sound and serving our duties assuredly. These false news go unheeded by the Syrian people because they already know that they are blatant lies.”

For his part, Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Mohammad al-Shaar, said “The news reported by al-Jazeera is groundless”, asserting “We are used to hearing such news led by the lies and allegation campaign.”

”I am speaking from my office at the Interior Ministry…All my colleagues are performing their duties. It is regrettable that we became accustomed to such laughable news by bankrupt channels since the onset of the crisis in Syria that encourage shedding more Syrian blood,” Minister al-Shaar added.

”It is time they stopped belittling the perception of people, especially the Syrian people, who have become hateful of listening to such channels…It is time they stopped paying immense sums of money to mislead and bank on the feelings of people.”

He considered that these TV channels have lost their credibility and turned into operating rooms that give orders to the terrorists to kill the Syrian people.

”I wished that the funders of al-Jazeera would pay if only around 500 dollars monthly for the people in Jerusalem under Israeli occupation to remain steadfast in their land…Haven’t they heard of the plan of the Israeli occupation authorities to displace the people of Jerusalem?” he wondered.

The Interior Minister stressed that the desires of these TV channels and those behind them will not be realized thanks to the Syrian’s belief in the need to drive their country to reach security, safety and stability and foil all vicious plots and desires.

He called upon these channels to stop harming people, adding ”We are accustomed to seeing them pleased with the bloodshed in Syria when they broadcast images of scattered human remains as a result of terrorist car bombs…They are pleased to see the Syrians killed by these terrorist acts.”

He stressed that all what they are doing of killing the Syrian people and instigating sedition in Syria is in implementation of their masters’ special agendas.

Al-Shaar stressed determination to pursue all fleeing terrorists to put Syria on the track of security and stability.

Minister of Defense, General Dawood Rajha, said that the news broadcast by al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya on the assassination of political and security officials are lies and reflect the bankruptcy and failure of the armed groups and those who are supporting them with funds, weapons and media.

Al-Moallem Meeting Ladsous and Guehenno: Observer Mission’s Success Is Success for Syria

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan’s deputy, Jean-Marie Guehenno, and a number of the international organization’s officials on Sunday continued their tours in Syria and meetings with Syrian officials.

In this framework, Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Walid al-Moallem met Ladsous in the presence of head of the UN observer mission to Syria, Gen. Robert Mood.

The meeting had an operational character dealing with the details of the mission’s work, with Ladsous expressing thanks to Syria for its cooperation upon arriving at completing the deployment of the observers and starting political communication with all Syrian spectra as a prelude to reach a political solution.

Ladsous talked about some additional logistic requirements for the mission’s work, including issues related to the observers’ nationalities and making use of the Syrian air capabilities and other services to be provided by Syria to facilitate the mission according to the mission’s mandate.

Talks also touched upon the issue of humanitarian aid, with Minister al-Moallem stressing that expanding the scope of aid means that the international organization can not claim to care for the destiny of around one million Syrians affected by the armed acts while turning a blind eye to the 23 million Syrians targeted by European and U.S. sanctions that are aimed at the Syrians’ livelihood, hoping that Ladsous will convey this point to the organization.

The Foreign Minister also met Annan’s deputy Jean-Marie Guehenno in order to prepare for the visit of the UN envoy to Damascus late this month.

Guehenno briefed al-Moallem on Annan’s latest calls with all the parties concerned, noting that the UN envoy, besides contacting by phone the countries having negative impact in the Syrian crisis, will visit some of these countries during his coming tour.

For his part, al-Moallem stressed that the success of Annan’s plan is a success for Syria and that Syria’s cooperation aims mainly at providing what is necessary for the political solution. “We don’t want monitoring for monitoring’s sake but for creating the atmosphere for the political Syrian solution among the Syrians,” the Minister added.

In the another context, Foreign and Expatriates Ministry’s spokesman, Dr. Jihad Maqdisi, said the communication between the Ministry and the UN envoy is on a daily basis with Minister al-Moallem always briefs Annan on the daily violations committed by the armed opposition which have exceeded 3500 violations since the signing of Annan’s plan.

Dr. Maqdisi described the first meeting with Ladsous as “good” and “constructive” and was aimed at assessing and leveling the hoped-for cooperation and the mandate of the observer mission.

“We always focus on Annan’s role and search for solutions on the other sides with the parties seeking to sabotage his plan and not only on Syria’s obligations as the signed understanding points out unequivocal obligations that must be implemented by the armed opposition,” said the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman.

He stressed that the Syrian’s commitment to the plan is clear and related to what was agreed on in the understanding and not to what exists in the minds of foreign decision-making circles.

He said that reaching the intended solution demands abidance by the other party according to Annan’s mission, in light of the fact that the Syrian crisis is complicated and the parties seeking to sabotage the plan are many.

“We recently saw ships loaded with weapons that have been seized and terrorist nets and terrorist bombings which hit Damascus, Aleppo and Deir Ezzor, and there is a new factor in the Syrian crisis, which is the appearance of Takfiris and al-Qaeda groups,” added Dr. Maqdisi, stressing that “the West realizes that what Syria is saying is actually more dangerous.”

The spokesman said that the issue is not in Annan’s hands as there is behind him an initiative that has been fully endorsed by the Security Council and there are countries at this Council that should be up to the level of responsibility and talk with their allies in the region to cease arming, funding and infiltrating the gunmen and terrorists.

Dr. Maqdisi underscored that Syria’s acceptance of Annan’s mission was and is still on the basis of him being the envoy of the UN exclusively, stressing that the umbrella of the UN is much larger than that of the Arab League as the former includes that of the latter.

He said that after giving up on helping Syria find a solution and after illegitimately freezing its membership and seeking to internationalize its file, the Arab role has become increasingly dangerous as the Arab countries started arming, funding and hosting terrorists and evoking the NATO.

The Foreign Ministry’s spokesman stressed that the Arab League has no role in solving the Syrian crisis as it has been part of the problem and not part of the solution, adding when the situation changes in practice with regard to the League, Syria would reconsider the League’s hoped-for role and not its current role.

Captain, Two soldiers martyred by attack of armed terrorist Group in Damascus Countryside

Syrian Provinces, (SANA)-An officer and two soldiers were martyred on Sunday by an attack of an armed terrorist group at one of the military units in al-Shefouniya, Damascus Countryside.

An official source told SANA reporter that Captain Basem al-Khateb, sergeant Ala Halak and corporal Saqir Dirgham were martyred when gunmen opened fires at the military unit.

Terrorists kill a Citizen and Wife, Abduct another Citizen and Kill him in Daraa

Armed terrorist groups continued on Sunday their attacks against citizens and law-enforcement forces in several provinces.

An armed terrorist group stormed in the house of Chief Warrant Officer, Alaa al-Deiri, in Nawa village in Daraa and shot him and his wife dead.

Another armed terrorist group abducted citizen Rashid Said al-Hariri from the town of Ibta’a in Daraa. Al-Hariri’s body was found after hours from his abduction.

Four Explosive Devices Planted by Terrorists Dismantled in Idleb

Military engineering units on Sunday dismantled four explosive devices planted by armed terrorist groups on Ariha-Idleb road at Nahlia crossroad in Jabal al-Zawiya area.

SANA reporter quoted an official source in the Province as saying that the explosive devices weigh 30 and 60 kilos and they were prepared to target civilians and law enforcement members.

The source added that two of the explosive devices blew up near the aforementioned place when a microbus passed, but no one was hurt.

Competent Authorities Confiscate Weapons in Terrorist Den in Deir-Ezzour In Deir-Ezzor city, the competent authorities stormed into a terrorists’ den in al-Ardha neighborhood where they found different sorts of weapons.

SANA reporter was informed that the confiscated weapons include six machine guns with a big amount of ammunition and one RPG launcher, a rifle, a big number of military bags and batteries used in making explosive devices.

Authorities Clash with Terrorists, Killing and Wounding Several of Them

Authorities clashed with an armed terrorist group in Mazare’ al-Mouj area in Homs Countryside, several terrorist were killed or wounded and the others fled the area.

A source at the province told SANA that four law-enforcement personnel were injured after an explosive planted by an armed terrorist group exploded near their car in al-Qseir city in Homs Countryside.

In Sahm al-Bahr area in Banias, authorities discovered a weapon cache in al-Qarer town. RPGs , machineguns, Israeli snipers, advanced communication devices and different ammunition were found in the cache.

Authorities Extinguish A Fire Started By Terrorist Group in Hama

Authorities extinguished a large fire started by an armed terrorist group in Maryoud area in Hama. A source at the province told SANA that four gunmen riding motorcycles entered the area and opened fire at a harvester, adding that the heavy shooting started a fire in the fields.

The source added that the terrorists used exploding and incendiary ammunition, adding that the fire wiped out about 500 acres of agricultural lands.

The source underscored that firefighters came to the area and managed to extinguish the fire with the help of the locals.

Ryabkov: Situation in Syria Cannot Be Resolved by Pressuring Its Government

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that during the G8 Summit in Camp David, Russia adhered to its stance which states that the situation in Syria cannot be resolved through exerting pressure via force or otherwise on the Syria government, affirming that such a thing would lead to a dead-end.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Ryabkov said that the G8 leaders discussed supporting the plan of UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan and calling all sides to adhere to it and cease violence, in addition to discussing the possibility of expanding the presence of international observers in Syria.

He elaborated that discussions at the G8 Summit touched upon increasing the presence of the international observers in Syria quite often, and that they also discussed political reform in Syria, with the Russian side expressing full acceptance of any formula that achieves development in Syria in terms of reforming the political system as long as it’s accepted by the Syrian people and is a result of agreement and dialogue on the national levels.

Ryabkov pointed out that the outcome of the discussions was stressing that the central issue is supporting Annan’s plan, reiterating that Russia isn’t assuming the role of lawyer for anyone, adding that reform in Syria must be carried out without bloodshed, foreign interference, arming gunmen and instigating violence.

Tunisian Terrorists Confess to Entering Syria via Turkey with Coordination between So-Called Free Army and Al-Qaeda

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Tunisian terrorists confessed to entering Syria through Turkey with coordination between the militias of the so-called “free army” and Al-Qaeda, and to being trained in Libya and other places.

Tunisian terrorist Wissam bin Kamal bin Halima, born in 1992 in the village of Manzel Kamel in Tunisia, said that met a Lebanese man calling himself Abu Hadi who was a member of Fateh al-Islam group and corresponded with him.

Abu Hadi incited Wissam to become part of Jihad, sending him videos about al-Qaeda then broaching the subject of the situation of Syria and the idea to go there, eventually talking him into going to Syria to meet people who were fighting in Iraq and other areas.

As per Abu Hadi’s instructions, Wissam travelled to Turkey and was contacted by a man called Abu Ahmad in Istanbul, who instructed him to go to Antioch and meet a man there who took him to a border area where they were joined by five men from Bangladesh who also wanted to enter Syria, and they walked across the borders through the mountains and were received by another man who told them that they will join a camp belonging to the “free army” for training.

In turn, Tunisian terrorist Bilal bin Abdullah Mohammad Marzuki, born in 1980 in Tunis, said that he had once visited Syria with the goal of entering Iraq but failed, causing him to return to Tunisia, and later he watched TV channels inciting Syrians and non-Syrians to join the “Jihad” in Syria, and he decided to do so.

First, Marzuki went to Libya for training, joining a camp of Salafi Jihadists who trained him in using weapons including AK-47 rifles, handguns and RPGs, then returned to Tunisia and contacted with the aforementioned Abu Ahmad who instructed him to travel to Antioch, where he too was smuggled into Syria across the borders.

Marzuki pointed out that Abu Ahmad was a member of Al-Qaeda in charge of coordinating between the “free army” and groups in Syria that are affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

For his part, Tunisian terrorist Zuheir bin Suheil al-Sakelsi, born in 1986 in Tunis, said that after watching TV channels and the Fatwas of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Adnan al-Arour and Abdullah al-Sheikh, he wanted to join the “Jihad” in Libya, and so he was snuck across the borders into a Libya by a relief group and joined other fighters in a camp where he was trained for 20 days on using handguns and assault rifles, and then he joined the fighting then was smuggled back to Tunisia after the fall Muammar al-Gaddafi.

After returning to Tunisia, he watched reports about Syria on al-Jazeera, al-Arabiya and France 24 and religious channels that called for Jihad against the Syrian Army, while mosque Imams in Tunis were inciting people to go to “Jihad in Syria and aiding the Syrians” and so he decided to travel to Syria.

Al-Sakelsi contacted a man called Abu Issa who instructed him to go to Antioch, and there he met a man speaking with a Syrian accent who referred him over to another man who in turn handed him over to five smugglers who took him through the mountains and across the borders, with him arriving in Lattakia.

While staying in a house in Lattakia, al-Sakelsi met Abu Ahmad who, according to what Abu Issa told him, was a leading figure in Al-Qaeda. Ahmad asked al-Sakelsi  if he had received any training, and he told him that he fought in Libya, so the latter told him that he was to be sent to a Jihadist group affiliated with the “free army” immediately.

Tunisian Sources: Tunisian Terrorists Arrested in Syria Were Recruited by Tunisian, Libyan and Qatari Sides

Tunisian sources in Washington stressed that the Tunisian terrorists who were arrested on the Syrian territories had previously been detained in the Tunisian prisons to be later released by the current Tunisian government after the intervention of leader of al-Nahda Party, Rachid al-Ghannouchi.

The sources, who preferred not to be named, revealed in statements to the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper the names of 19 Tunisian terrorists who were arrested inside Syria, saying they had all been recruited under the patronage of the Security Attache at the Qatari Embassy in Tunis, al-Nahda Party and a number of Libyan extremists led by the former head of the Military Council in Tripoli, Abdul Hakim Balhaj.

The sources said that among the detainees are terrorists who had participated in armed operations on the Tunisian territories particularly during what was known as Suleiman events in 2007.

They highlighted that those terrorists carried out armed acts against the Syrian Army in response to fatwas issued by Takfiri clergymen in Tunisia.

G8 Calls for Halting Violence in Syria, Condemns Latest Terrorist Attacks

CAMP DAVID, U.S, (SANA)- The Group of 8 Summit called on all sides in Syria to immediately halt violence and carry out the plan of the UN envoy Kofi Annan.

The Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted the Summit’s final statement as saying that the Syrian government and all sides should immediately and completely carry out their commitment to Annan’s plan, particularly ending all acts of violence, asserting that the statement expressed support to Annan’s efforts.

The G8 condemned the latest terrorist attacks that took place in Syria.

Assistant to the Russian President Arkady Dvorkovic said, in statements to the press, that the statement issued by the G8 is consistent with Russia’s stances .

UN Observers Visit Areas in Homs, Deir Ezzor, Aleppo and Damascus Countryside

GOVERNORATES, (SANA)_A group of UN observer s visited on Sunday al-Khalidiyeh neighborhood in Homs, while another group visited al-Kharitta village in Deir Ezzor.

Another team of the observers visited Tal Raf’at town in the countryside of Aleppo.

The observers also visited the city of Douma and Harasta Police Hospital in Damscus Countryside.

A UN Observer delegation including United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous and Head of the UN Observer Mission in Syria, Gen. Robert Mood, visited Douma and Zabadani cities in Damascus Countryside.

In Hama a UN Observer delegation visited the National Hospital and Dawar Bilal suburb in the city of Hama and al-Shiha village in Mehardeh countryside where they met the people in addition to their meeting with al-Sqeilbeh Police Chief and mayor.

Syria, Iran Discuss Cooperation in the Health Sector

TEHRAN, (SANA) – Minister of Health Dr. Wael al-Halqi on Sunday discussed with President of the Technological Cooperation Center of Iran’s Presidential Office Hamidreza Amirinia bolstering bilateral cooperation in the medical and health sector.

Amirinia expressed his country’s readiness to cooperate with Syria in the health sector, reiterating Iran’s stance in support of Syria.

For his part, al-Halqi reviewed the state of the health sector in Syria which is suffering due to the acts of the armed terrorist groups, adding that the sector is also affected by the unjust sanctions made by the USA and the EU.

He added that Syria wishes to procure medicine and medical equipment from Iran, and that Iran welcomes this idea.

Minister al-Halqi also discussed with Head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society Abo Alhasan Fakih means of enhancing cooperation in the health sector.

The two sides condemned the acts of the armed terrorist groups which target the Syrian people, with Fakih stressing Iran’s readiness to provide the needed aid to the Syrian health sector.

Al-Halqi also met with the General Director of the Manufacturers and Exporters of the Medical Equipments Union in Iran along with executives of Iranian companies specializing in producing medical equipment, discussing with the needs of the health sector in Syria.

The General Director and the executives briefed the Minister on the resources they have available for supporting the health sector in Syria, with Iranian experts voicing readiness to relay their skills and expertise in the fields of medical equipment.

Al-Halqi also visited an Iranian pharmaceuticals factory, where executives of pharmaceutical companies expressed readiness to supply the needs of the health sector in Syria.