Archives: Articles

UN HRC votes 36-1 to probe Israeli Settlements. China & Russia FOR, United States AGAINST UN rights body launches probe into Israeli settlements. (Reuters) – The United Nations launched an international investigation into Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, with the United States isolated in voting against the initiative brought by the Palestinian Authority.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/03/22/un-israel-settlements-idINDEE82L0I920120322

UN Panel uses the strongest language to date to highlight Israeli racism and system of discrimination

United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), was “appalled” by Israel’s racial segregation policies and that an advanced version of an upcoming CERD report indicates that racial prejudice can be found in almost every facet of Israeli life.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/116872593/CERDCISRCO14-16

Defense of Children International-Palestine branch: Bound, Blindfolded and

Convicted: Children held in military detention

http://www.dci-palestine.org/sites/default/files/report_0.pdf

Pictures from Land Day events around the world (inspiring)

http://gm2j.com/main/gmj-photos/

Our video of the Land Day event in Bethlehem was watched by hundreds but some indicated problem seeing content.  Here it is again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U1qQVqVnsM

More videos of Land Day events

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=339Txk8sfNY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bfJQSLnujw

UPDATE: Mustafa Barghouti stable after being struck in head at Qalandiya; Palestinian protester reports Barghouti attacked by fellow protesters

http://mondoweiss.net/2012/03/mustafa-barghouti-stable-after-being-struck-in-head-by-teargas-canister-at-qalandiya-israelis-claim-palestinians-attacked-him.html

The Global March on Jerusalem–from Bethlehem by Skip Schiel

http://skipschiel.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/with-an-open-heart-photos-stories-from-palestine-israel-the-global-march-on-jerusalem-from-bethlehem/

Stay Human, Get engaged, Come visit Palestine

http://bienvenuepalestine.com/

http://welcometopalestine.info/

http://www.palestinejn.org

By Mazin Qumsiye

3 April 2012

@ Countercurrents.org

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD

http://qumsiyeh.org

The search for the political truth will always be a difficult task even in our times, when science has placed in our hands a huge amount of knowledge. One of the most important was the possibility to know and study the fabulous power of the energy contained in matter.

The person who discovered that energy and its possible use was a peaceful and amiable man who, despite being against violence and war, asked the United States to develop it. The US president back then was Franklin D. Roosevelt, a man who had adopted a well-known anti-fascist stand; he was the leader of a country that was going through a deep crisis and helped to save the nation by adopting strong measures that earned him the hatred of the extreme right of his own class. Today, that State imposes on the world the most brutal and dangerous tyranny ever known to our fragile species.

The news received from the US and its NATO allies refer to their misdeeds and those of their accomplices. The most important cities in the United States and Europe are the theatre of continued pitched battles between demonstrators and a well-trained and well-fed police, equipped with armored cars and helmets, beating and kicking and throwing gases against women and men, twisting the hands and the necks of people, young and old, showing to the world the coward actions that are committed against the rights and the lives of the citizens of their own countries.

How much longer these barbaric acts would last?

I will not expand on this, since these tragedies will continue to be seen, more and more, on television and in the entire press; they will be like the daily bread that is denied to those who have less. I will just quote the news received today from an important western news agency:

“Much of the coast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean could be flooded by a tidal wave of more than 34 meters (112 feet) that would be generated if a powerful earthquake hits its coastline, according to revised estimates of a government panel.

“Any tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9 earthquake in the Nankai Trough, which extends from the main Japanese island of Honshu to the southern island of Kyushu, could reach 34 meters high, the committee said.

“A previous estimate in 2003 estimated that the maximum height of the wave would be less than 20 meters (66 feet).

“The Fukushima plant was designed to withstand a tsunami of 6 meters (20 feet), less than half the height of the wave that hit the plant on March 11, 2011.”

But, there are no reasons to worry. Another piece of news dated two days ago, on March 30, could give us some peace of mind. It was published by a really well informed media. I’ll summarize it in just a few words: “If you were a soccer player, and Arab sheik or an executive of a big multinational, what kind of technology would make you sigh?

“Recently, some famous luxury shops in London inaugurated an entire section dedicated to technology-lovers with bulging wallets.

“One million dollar TV sets, Ferrari camcorders and individual submarines are some of the fetish to delight millionaires.”

“The one million dollar TV set is the crown jewel.”

“In the case of ‘Apple’, the company has committed to deliver its new products on the same day they are launched in the market.”

“Let us suppose that we have left our mansion and we are already tired of hanging around with our yacht, limousine, helicopter or jet. We still have the choice to buy an individual submarine or a submarine for two persons.”

The offer goes on to advertise cells with stainless steel casings; 1.2 GHz and 8G memory processors; NFC technology to make payments through cell phones and Ferrari camcorders.

Capitalism, compatriots, is a truly wonderful thing! Maybe it is our fault that not every citizen has its own private submarine at the beach.

It was them, not me, who mixed up the Arab sheiks and the executives of the big transnationals with the soccer players. The latter, at least, entertain millions of persons and are not enemies of Cuba; I should state that very clearly.

By Fidel Castro Ruz

3 April, 2012

@ Cuba Debate

Fidel Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party’s foundation in 1961 until 2011

“Oh the ship set out from England, and they were not far from shore.

When the rich refused to associate with the poor,

So they put them down below, where they’d be the first to go,

It was sad when that great ship went down.” (folksong)

On April 15, 1912, almost exactly 100 years ago, the RMS Titanic sank on her maiden voyage, after colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic. She carried 2,223 passengers, among whom were some of the wealthiest people in the world, accommodated in unbelievable luxury in the upper parts of the ship. Available for the pleasure of the first class passengers were a gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, luxurious restaurants and opulent cabins. Meanwhile, below, crammed on the lower decks below the water line, were about a thousand emigrants from England, Ireland and Scandinavia, seeking a new life in North America. The Titanic carried only lifeboats enough for 1178 people, but the ship had so many advanced safety features that it was thought to be unsinkable.

Why does the story of the Titanic fascinate us? Why was an enormously expensive film made about it? Why has a cruse ship recently retraced the Titanic’s route? I think that the reason for our fascination with the story of the Titanic is that it serves as a symbol for the present state of modern society. We are all in the great modern ship together. On top are the enormously rich, enjoying a life of unprecidented luxury, below the poor. But rich and poor alike are in the same boat, headed for disaster – surrounded by the miracles of our technology, but headed for a disastrous collission with environmental forces, the forces of nature that we have neglected in our pride and arrogance.

Te ancient Greeks were very conscious of the sin of pride – “hubris”, and it played a large role in their religion and literature. What the Greeks meant can be seen by looking in Wikipedia where the following words appear:

“Hubris means extreme pride or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality, and an overestimation of one’s own competence or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power…. The word is also used to describe actions of those who challenged the gods or their laws, especially in Greek tragedy, resulting in the protagonist’s fall. ”

“…loss of contact with reality, and overestimation of one’s own competence or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power…”? Can we recognize this today? I think that we can.

Suggestions for further reading

1. Adams, Simon, “Eyewitness, Titanic”, DK Publishing, New York, (2009).

2. Aldridge, Rebecca, “The Sinking of the Titanic”, Infobase Publishing, New York, (2008).

3. Cairns, Douglas L., “Hybris, Dishonour and Thinking Big”, Journal of Helenic Studies, 116, 1-32, (1966).

4. Fisher, Nick, “Hybris: a study in the values in honour and shame in ancient Greece”, Aris & Phillips, UK, (1992).

By John Scales Avery

16 April, 2012

@ Countercurrents.org

John Scales Avery is a theoretical chemist noted for his research publications in quantum chemistry, thermodynamics, evolution, and history of science. Since the early 1990s, Avery has been an active World peace activist. During these years, he was part of a group associated with the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. In 1995, this group received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts. Presently, he is an Associate Professor in quantum chemistry at the University of Copenhagen

Saudi Arabia’s ruling clique is dying off. It may be up to the new defense minister to guide the kingdom through a turbulent Middle East.

The senior members of the Saudi royal family are looking increasingly frail, and the buzz in the Gulf is that there will be not just one, but two, changes in the kingdom’s leadership during the course of the next year. Although there is no fixed succession plan if that comes to pass, the newly minted defense minister, Prince Salman, looks well-placed to ascend to the throne.

The evidence suggests that Saudi Arabia’s current ruling clique is on its last legs. This week, the 89 year-old King Abdullah presided over the usual meeting of the council of ministers from the vantage point of his own palace in Riyadh rather than travelling to the council building. Propped in his chair, a cushion supporting his back, he looked as uncomfortable personally as he probably was politically with the state of the Arab world. It grieves him that Syria, a country with which he has family ties, is in such bloody turmoil, and it infuriates him that Washington does not share his view of the danger of Iran.

Within a day or so, the Saudi heir to the throne, the 79 year-old Crown Prince Nayef, is due to return home after more than a month away from the kingdom. He initially went to Morocco on “vacation,” but within a week traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, for “routine” medical tests, before flying to Algeria. Such an itinerary — and an absence of photographs of him since leaving Cleveland — has raised speculation that he is unwell. In recent months, he has added a stick to his wardrobe and regained a steroidal puffiness, renewing speculation that cancer, probably leukemia, has returned after an apparent respite of several years.

A leadership role is increasingly being taken by Prince Salman, 76 years old, who was promoted to minister of defense last November after the death of then Crown Prince Sultan. The pages of Saudi newspapers have been filled in recent weeks by reports and photos of Salman visiting military units across the country. And last week, Salman visited London in a major demonstration of Riyadh’s close military supply relationship with Britain, its most significant link after its longtime alliance with the United States. Bypassing the U.S. capital may conveniently have served to emphasize that the White House’s apparent obsession with political change in the Middle East is not appreciated in Riyadh.

As a former long-serving governor of the kingdom’s giant Riyadh province, Salman is a known quantity to visiting international dignitaries. However, his familiarity with the world does not make him particularly worldly. Soon after the terror attacks on New York and Washington of September 2001, he told newly arrived U.S. ambassador Robert Jordan that the 9/11 attacks had been a “Zionist plot.” The ambassador had to request that CIA briefers visit the kingdom to convince royals, including then Crown Prince Abdullah and Prince Nayef, otherwise (Jordan related this story during a 2009 Washington Institute Policy Forum).

Even if Salman soon becomes king, he is no spring chicken himself — there is no certainty that he will reign for long. Salman himself has had at least one stroke — photographs suggest that, despite physiotherapy, his left arm does not work as well as his right. And his line of the family has a history of health problems: His two oldest sons, Fahd and Ahmad, have already died as a result of heart problems. Saudi Arabia — the world’s largest oil exporter and a leader in the Islamic world and Arab world — may still be a long way from political stability.

As nature abhors a vacuum, so does the Saudi royal family. But who will emerge as next in line after Salman is even murkier. There are another half-dozen sons of the kingdom’s founder, King Abdul Aziz, a.k.a. Ibn Saud, but no obvious contender. Prince Muqrin, the youngest son and the current intelligence chief, is one candidate, though his lack of good maternal pedigree (she was a Yemeni concubine) is probably a major handicap.

In the interim, it is easy to predict an increasingly open rivalry between the sons of Abdullah, Nayef, and Salman. The king’s most prominent but not eldest son, Mitab, is the head of the national guard; a younger son, Abdul Aziz, is deputy minister of foreign affairs. Crown Prince Nayef’s son Mohammed is the assistant minister of the interior, and well-respected for his counterterrorism prowess. Salman’s son, Abdul Aziz, is assistant minister of oil.

The machinery of government, however, remains largely in the hands of long-serving functionaries. During an interregnum, they can be relied on to at least — to choose an appropriate metaphor — keep the oil tanker on course. At King Abdullah’s side is Khalid al-Tuwaijri, the son of the late Abdul Aziz al-Tuwaijri, one of Abdullah’s closest associates. Each day, Khalid — dubbed the “uncrowned king” — receives or discerns instructions from his monarch. Another such figure is Musaid al-Aiban, a minister of state with a Harvard doctorate who now looks after the Yemen portfolio and who accompanied Salman to London.

The advanced age of Saudi Arabia’s ruling elite virtually ensures that the kingdom will undergo a series of leadership changes in the coming years, throwing an already troubled region into further turmoil. With Syria burning, Yemen in chaos, and Iran possibly inflamed by sanctions and diplomatic pressures, foreign capitals view Saudi Arabia’s immediate future with unsurprising nervousness.

BY SIMON HENDERSON

10 APRIL 2012

@ Foreign policy

Simon Henderson, the Baker fellow and the director of the Gulf and Energy Policy program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is author of After King Abdullah: Succession in Saudi Arabia.

Qalandia town and refugee camp, home to a notorious checkpoint separating Jerusalem from the northern West Bank, has a somewhat scary reputation as a place where the ‘shebab’ (young guys with over-active throwing arms) are likely to chuck stones in the direction of the soldiers/ police—no matter what their elders might ask of them—thereby giving their ‘targets’, although far out of throwing range, the excuse they’d be looking for to move from the merely unpleasant (‘skunk water’, tear gas, the generation of ear-splitting [at least for the under-thirty majority] noise, and the occasional ‘sound bomb’) to the injurious and potentially lethal ­ rubber-coated steel pellets euphemistically referred to as ‘rubber bullets’ and live ammunition. That’s where the March 30 Global March to Jerusalem (GFM2J) events for the Ramallah-area were scheduled to take place, and Ramallah was where I had decided to participate in the GM2J.

I arrived in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning (the 28th) and passed through passport control with none of the difficulties I’d imagined I might encounter due to the fact of my name having appeared as representing IJV-Canada on the March on at least four websites (well, five, if you count my own), not all of them friendly. Maybe the Shabak (Israeli secret police) don’t read all our internal communications, after all . . .) After spending the day visiting and e-mailing and sleeping , I ventured to enter Ramallah on Thursday. Again my apprehensions—”They’ll stop me at the check point and discover that I hold Israeli as well as Canadian citizenship and will either fine me for attempting to enter the forbidden-to-Israelis “Area A” or (far more likely) refuse me entry, at least until after the March”—were misplaced. In fact, the Palestinian bus I was riding in wasn’t even checked (apparently the common practice at that checkpoint, in that direction these days) and in I went..

The ISM media office /apartment where I was scheduled to spend the next couple of weeks being inundated with visiting activists, I got to stay, at least for a couple of days, with Neta Golan and her young and growing family (pictures in a future post, I promise).

There is no ISM ( International Solidarity Movement ) group as such in Ramallah, but for the GM2J-related demonstration today, about a dozen ISMers and friends of the ISM descended on the apartment that houses the ISM Media Office here from West Bank cities as far north as Nablus and Jenin and as far south as Hebron. The preparation meeting last night was well-run and extremely helpful, and included nonjudgemental self-evaluation of our ‘level of comfort’ with proposed roles in the demonstration, pairing up with ‘buddies’ to watch out for each other at the demo, formation of small affinity groups, and a role-play of ‘dearresting’ of self and others, including tips on ‘best practices’ from a couple of the more experienced activists (I’m talking about folks with months of residence in West Bank hotspots and multiple demos). I left that meeting much reassured, despite Qalandia’s reputation as a “hot spot” and history of wounded demonstrators.

In short supply, however—both at that meeting and as far as I couldd see, at the demonstration itself—were significant numbers of interrnationals, on a scale even minimally comparable to the many thousands who were expected to converge on the states bordering the Palestinian territories for the GM2J events; e.g., in Lebanon, Jordan, and possibly Syria. I don’t know what the situation was at other sites in the West Bank (not to mention Gaza), but Rana and I from Canada and a former ISMer from Scotland who was there on other business—and of course the dozen or so folks camped at the ISM office—were the only ones in evidence at Qalandia Refugee Camp today after noon-time prayers.

I haven’t yet heard or read detailed accounts of the other demonstrations, but the fact that only one fatality has so far been reported (despite multiple woundings, many of them at Qalandia) suggests that perhaps a combination of the numbers of internationals and the high media profile the multinational reporting generated for the GMJ may indeed have had the desired effect of making it safer for the Palestinian demonstrators.

Nonetheless, the dearth of internationals at Qalandia was a disappointment. Another disheartening aspect of today’s demonstration—besides this and the perhaps predictable period of stone-throwing by the abovementioned over-exuberant shebab (admonitions from Abdullah Abu Rahmah from Bil’in, and perhaps others, to stop notwithstanding), which led to the predictable response—was a fight witnessed by one of my seat-mates in the service-taxi back to Ramallah, between members of rival Palestinian factions over who would lead the march toward the checkpoint, in which an ambulance was damaged and its patient beaten (rumour has it that the patient in question was Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, leader of one of the ‘warring’ factions). This blog on the independent 972 Magazine site (http://972mag.com/land-day-at-qalandia-falls-flat/39695/) captures the feel of the demo at Qalandia accurately, at least as it felt to me.

My personal experience, by contrast, was a pleasant surprise. I had an attentive and reassuring “buddy” in the person of an experienced ISM organizer. I learned (also from her) that alcohol-impregnated hand-sanitizer wipes combined with a bandana or (in my case) a doubled-over T-shirt over one’s nose provided amazingly effective protection from the ultra-irritating form of teargas used in recent years (imagine mixing ‘regular’ tear gas with pepper spray and you about have it); and to my surprise, repeat exposures seemed to have a decreasing effect on me (or maybe the wind-aided fast dispersal of the gas was just doing its job), and I didn’t break and run. Maybe—just maybe—I might even chance the Friday the thirteenthh demo that will cap the upcoming Bil’in International Conference (April 10 ­ 13); or maybe I’ll just pay another visit to Beit Ummar and hope  this time to experience one of their purportedly stone-throwing-free demos.

Meanwhile, for an overview of Qalandia and some other demonsrations today, check out http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Land-Day and http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/03/201233018384736481.html

And this video clip from the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/thousands-protest-israel-gaza-man-killed-122/2012/03/30/gIQArKjplS_video.html

The rest of my Qalandia photos are at https://picasaweb.google.com/maxinekaufmanlacusta3/GM2JAtQalandia?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLPG9dL4h7Hv7gE&feat=directlink

Maxine is a Canadian-Jewish peace activist and is author of the book, Refusing to be Enemies: Palestinian and Israeli Nonviolent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation. She is a member of Peace for Life and was part of our Peace Pilgrimage and Solidarity Mission to Palestine in 2007.

The feasibility of a continued presence of international forces in Afghanistan has come into question following recent events in the country. Calls have been made by both Afghans and foreigners, encouraging international forces to leave. The nature and timing of a transition of control from international forces to Afghans has various influencing factors, including the Afghan presidential election in 2014.

Recent events in Afghanistan have fuelled speculation over the ability of international forces to continue their presence in the country until 2014. In January 2012, four American Marines in Helmand were shown in a video urinating on Afghan corpses. In February, in a case that appears to have been no more than exceedingly poor judgement, copies of the Qur’an were burnt, damaged and treated disrespectfully manner. In March, a US army staff sergeant in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province is believed to have killed seventeen individuals (many of them women and children) in a single night.

These events are extreme outliers that have captured the imagination of Afghans and foreigners alike, and seem to many to be a continuation of the past decade of war. In the perception of many Afghans, the difference between these extreme events and the ongoing more frequent violence of night raids, large military operations and so on seems marginal. A number of prominent international voices have called on the United States (and the forty-nine other countries serving in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) coalition) to start leaving Afghanistan immediately. Their argument is that foreign forces are unable to play a positive role in Afghanistan, that they will be unable to start doing so, and that large numbers of lives and amounts of money are being spent to no avail.

Aside from this international discourse, there have also been calls from inside Afghanistan for international forces to leave – most loudly by the various groups that make up the insurgency. This is echoed to some extent by public opinion, although it is difficult to get an accurate reading of people’s attitudes in the current environment. The general themes of Afghan public opinion – as gathered from discussions with Afghans and by following civil society debate and media discourse – towards the foreign presence is a deep scepticism towards anyone’s promises. Outside the major cities, there is a severe lack of trust in international forces or in any overall positive vision of Afghanistan’s future. It seems that few are hopeful that Afghanistan will be better off five years from now.

A key metric that illustrates this is the number of Afghans leaving the country for neighbouring countries, and travelling further afield. This group includes a large number of children and youth. In fact, 2011 saw the highest number of such departures since the United States-led invasion began in 2001 – more than 30,000. This paper will assess the current staying power of the international presence in Afghanistan from a military and broader strategic perspective. To what extent are they able to continue to carry out their mission? What are the likely key milestones between now and 2014? And to what extent do the on-going discussions between the United States and the Taliban offer a way to make this transition period easier?

On paper, the transition or enteqal process has a number of benchmarks, some of which have already been reached. This year, Afghanistan will most likely sign the highly contested Status of Forces Agreement with the United States. The agreement provides a legal and practical framework for the US presence in Afghanistan after 2014. The central sticking point in the ongoing bilateral discussions has been the extent to which the US will be allowed to continue to operate out of bases in Afghanistan. Chicago will host a NATO conference in May, and this will be followed by a conference in Kabul. These are expected to affirm the ‘transition’ process and endorse its continued implementation. The upcoming US presidential election on 6 November will provoke intense speculation, hedging and political stasis within Afghanistan in the months leading up to it as all parties to the conflict predict how their fortunes may rise or fall depending on electoral outcomes. Afghanistan is scheduled to have its own presidential elections in 2014, although the precise dates and mechanics of that election remain unclear.

While ‘transition’ is regarded as a multilevel process, it appears primarily to be premised on a transfer of military control to Afghans. International military forces will be reduced and control of those areas from which international forces are withdrawn will fall to Afghan security forces (of whatever shape or form). This includes the army and police forces. This year, a number of private security companies that protect local and international programmes, offices and staff around the country are due to transition into the Afghanistan Public Protection Force (APPF). This has been delayed several times, however, and some entities will be exempt from the process. The militia forces that ISAF has been installing around the country – for example, in Kunduz, Kandahar and Helmand – will play a key part in this transition process and will mimic the Soviet withdrawal in the late 1990s. The issue of a political transfer of power will also come to the fore in 2014, when President Hamid Karzai is to hand over power to a new president after elections. The US will want to find a way to involve itself in this process in a useful way.

The various elements of this transition process have all been called into question over the past year. Each element is the subject of heated debate, as was seen during recent testimony by ISAF commander, General John R. Allen on 20 March. The factual basis for claims of progress as well as the nature of the process itself are still under debate.

The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and its ability to perform as required by the transition plan have repeatedly been challenged over the past year. The Afghan National Army is still only able to field only one battalion capable of operating independently. The use of militia forces – under a plethora of names and designations – has not been problem-free. These groups have been involved in the same human rights violations, corruption and uses of violence that they were set up in part to prevent. The Afghan government has yet seriously to tackle the issue of internal corruption, and attempts to block investigations have come from as high up as President Karzai himself. Also, in terms of their forward-planning, there are few indications that the US has started to anticipate the various possible scenarios surrounding the 2014 Afghan presidential elections, a milestone that it needs to start engaging with immediately.

This catalogue of doubt as to the efficacy of the international mission in Afghanistan is undeniable, but does it call into question the staying power of those forces? After all, previous years have also seen problems and mistakes, but international forces remained and even expanded their presence.

The Taliban and its affiliated groups continue to remain an issue, in part because their continued attacks make it difficult for NATO/ISAF to claim the upper hand. After all, the realities of the levels of violence only count if the population does not believe that these trend shifts are not going to be permanent or meaningful for their own lives and that of their children. The Taliban will likely attempt to demonstrate its continued ability to operate throughout the country, albeit through a continued emphasis on asymmetric tactics such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), assassinations and ’spectacular’ operations.

This is unlikely to be quantitatively different from attacks and threats that the international forces within Afghanistan have already faced. Even if we assume there will be more individual incidents of the type that we saw in recent weeks or even on the level of the border incident between US and Pakistani forces in November 2011, it is unlikely that the reaction to these would be such that international forces would have to accelerate their departure. Undoubtedly, it is the fact of their looming departure that itself plays a role in accentuating some of these disputes.

It is in this context that the ongoing, sometimes faltering, negotiation process is being held. The promise of negotiations with the insurgency is very much part of the US ‘transition’ strategy. There has been increasing talk about a political solution that potentially holds the promise of stopping the current downward spiral and which could not only prepare the ground for the withdrawal of foreign troops but even achieve much-desired stability in Afghanistan that will prevent the country from again becoming a terrorist haven. If they are left as they are, there is considerable doubt that the current Kabul government will remain viable and that the Afghan security forces will have the ability to control and counter the growing insurgency. Riddled with corruption and stripped of legitimacy by endemic election fraud, much of the central state seems to be plagued with internal conflict and is currently held together only by foreign actors. On the other hand, a potential political process that would see a change in the balance of power within the central state as well as on the local level will be met with considerable resistance from the incumbent elite.

While there might be incentives to find a political solution, there are also factions within both the insurgency and the Afghan government that are opposed to a settlement or to a substantial inclusion of the insurgency into the current political paradigm. Karzai has stressed that he seeks reconciliation but there are significant voices within the current administration that are not interested in any such process. While the ongoing capture-or-kill campaign is removing credible negotiation partners among the Taliban, the current Afghan government also lacks credibility. Time, however, is of the essence.

Moreover, the perception among the Taliban is that it is ‘winning’. Numerous military and political leaders have announced that the insurgency’s momentum has been reversed, but this does not reflect the perception of much of the general public – particularly in Afghanistan’s south and east but increasingly in the north as well. The underlying assumption of the US troop surge, that negotiations need to be held from a position of strength and that the Taliban should be forced to the negotiation table by military pressure, offers a bleak prospect for peace. A key incentive in the other direction can be found in the realisation that present conditions are a precursor for civil war. This prospect of a return to civil war – similar to that of the 1990s – offers an incentive for all participants in Afghanistan to begin working on a political settlement that could prevent this from becoming a reality.

The status of the US-Pakistani relationship is likely to play a key role in this process. While the two countries will likely remain caught in their false embrace – each needing the other but not caring much for the other at the same time – the extent of Pakistani support for the Afghan Taliban’s operations could make a huge difference in terms of how active the group is between now and 2014. Pakistan retains the capacity to clamp down on the leadership, logistics and operational activities of the Afghan Taliban within Pakistan.

It is likely that the international transition plan will happen more or less on schedule, with all the relevant milestones achieved. There is a considerable amount of leeway for this to happen and even with all the problems noted above, 2014 will see an attempt on the part of all parties to the conflict (from the US to the Taliban) to declare victory. Indeed, both are already doing this. This is not to say that the ideal solution to Afghanistan’s problems is likely to be achieved by 2014; too much would have to change for that to be possible. Instead, the transition process offers a way out for the current large international presence within the country. From the group’s statements over the past year, it becomes clear that the discourse of those calling for reform is focused on several key issues: unemployment, housing, institutional reform and popular political participation, and the issue of prisoners of conscience and prisoners held without trial. This reformist discourse does not consider recent political decisions to be evidence of progress towards real political participation. Consequently, the recent decision on the participation of women was not celebrated, as the experience of women in these councils can at most be equal to that of their male predecessors, namely, the realisation of the ineffectiveness of the elected. Moreover, the decision came at a time when reform movements were campaigning to expand the powers of these councils and make them independent and fully-elected.

The lack of a path and a space through which women can engage in the political process renders decisions supporting women’s rights akin to a car with no road to drive upon. It can only remain still, hovering over the same spot. It will remain difficult to capitalise on these decisions in the confining context in which the elites – particularly the political and religious elites – are to be held responsible. Women will not be able to succeed and find the space to voice their demands and act to achieve them if they are not present and active in these institutions in ways that will help to push forward the renewal of religious thought, and find appropriate forms for the country’s political economy that will ensure a role for the individual citizen, whether man or woman. Any success for women in bringing about change in these two areas has the potential to reverberate more broadly, affecting the entire society and the network of social relations. If and when this is achieved, the restructuring of society will be one from which all will benefit.

By Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn

March 2012

@ Afro-Middle East Centre

Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn live in Kandahar, Afghanistan. They edited the autobiography of Taliban leader Abdul Salam Zaeef, My Life with the Taliban. In 2006, they founded AfghanWire.com to improve awareness of issues relating to Afghanistan through a newsletter and informational database.

Syrian Martyrs

The Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic presents its compliments and in referring to the current situation in Syria, has the honour to provide the following information on the Syrian martyrs from civilians, military personnel, security forces, kidnapping, vandalism and robbery perpetrated by armed terrorist groups since the beginning of the crisis until 15th March, 2012   :

1.   Civilian martyrs                                                              :           3,211

2.   Police forces martyrs                                                      :           478

3.   Army and security forces martyrs (until 21.03.2012)      :           2,088

4.   Targeted assassination martyrs                                      :           106

5.   Women martyrs                                                               :           204

6.   Children martyrs                                                              :           56

Total number of Syrian martyrs                                             :           6,143

7.   Vehicles stolen                                                                :           2,256

8.   1,560 civilians, military personnel and security forces kidnapped, out of which 931 are unaccounted for.

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

Syria’s murky, multi-level conflict continues to grow worse. So does public confusion here in the west as the US, British and some European media keep depicting Syria’s civil war as a simple passion play pitting the evil Asad regime in Damascus against mostly unarmed democratic protestors.

We saw this same one-dimensional, deceptive reporting recently in Libya that was designed to support foreign intervention. It’s as incomplete today about Syria as it was in Libya which, by the way, is turning into a dangerous mess.

My assessment based on reliable primary sources in Washington, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon:

Support for the Asad family’s Ba’ath regime, now in power for 41 years, is clearly slipping. But important sections of the armed forces, the 17 intelligence and security agencies, the powerful Alawai minority, most Syrian Christians, tribal elements and much of the commercial middle and upper class still back the Asad’s. In spite of intense western efforts to overthrow  him, Bashar Asad, a  mild-mannered former eye specialist, is still hanging on.

The US, Britain, France, and some conservative Arab allies have funded and armed the Syrian rebellion from its start a year ago. In fact, the US has been funding anti-Asad groups since the mid 1990’s. Arms and munitions are said to be flowing to Syria’s rebels through Jordan and Lebanon. Extreme rightwing groups in Lebanon, funded by western and Arab powers and Israel, are playing a key role in infiltrating gunmen and arms into northern Syria.

The Sunni Muslim Brotherhood has once again risen against the Alawi-dominated regime in Damascus. In 1982, this writer was outside the Syrian city of Hama when government forces crushed a Brotherhood uprising, killing an estimated 10,000 people and razing part of the city with heavy artillery.

Enter the jihadis. Recently, small numbers of al- Qaida veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have entered Syria and are using car bombs to try to destabilize the government. Current al-Qaida leader, Dr Ayman al- Zawahiri, has called for all-out war against the Asad regime.

Interestingly, the US, France and Britain now find themselves in bed with the very jihadist forces they profess to abhor – but, of course, whom they used in Afghanistan in the 1980’s and, lately, in Libya.

Add to this dangerous mix growing numbers of local militias in Syria who are battling one another and committing many of the atrocities against civilians, recalling Iraq and Lebanon’s bloody civil wars.

Washington’s key objective in Syria is to overthrow the Asad regime in order to injure its closest ally, Iran. There is so much anti-Iranian hysteria now in the US, that any blow against the Islamic republic is seen as good. Former US fears of a chaotic, post-Asad Syria are now forgotten in the rush to undermine Iran, by destabilizing Syria. Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain, are baying for war against Syria as President Barak Obama tries to hold back the war hawks.

Israel, whose influence in Washington in this election year is unprecedented, is stoking war fever against Syria and Iran. Israel is delighted that the crises with both nations have eclipsed the issue of Palestine and of Syria’s Golan Heights, which were illegally annexed by Israel in 1981. Golan supplies on third of Israel’s total water. Israel’s objective is to see Syria splintered into feuding cantons like today’s Iraq.

France’s right wing, led by President Nicholas Sarkozy’s UMP party, has long desired to re-establish France’s former colonial influence in Lebanon and Syria. The Asad regime in Syria has been a thorn in France’ side for four decades, particularly so in Lebanon, which Syria still insists is a historical part of Syria. France hopes to duplicate in Syria its success in stirring up and profiting from the uprising in Libya.

Russia has been defending the Asad regime and is determined not to be outfoxed in Syria by a false “humanitarian” intervention as it was in Libya. China is similarly cautious. But both are slowly lessening their former staunch support of Damascus as seen by last week’s UN Security Council call for a new peace plan in Syria.

A cease fire is urgently needed. Syria must stop using heavy weapons in urban areas. But outside powers  must also stop supporting violent armed groups that Damascus calls “terrorists.” There are no clean hands in Syria.

by Eric Margolis

28 March 2012

@ ericmargolis.com

copyright Eric S. Margolis 2012

• 24 Martyrs Escorted to Final Resting Place in Lattakia

LATTAKIA, (SANA)- The bodies of 24 martyrs on Sunday were escorted to their final resting place in the Martyrs’ Cemetery of Besnada in Lattakia Province.

The martyrs were targeted by the armed terrorist groups while performing their national duty in Homs province.

Governor of Lattakia Abdel Qader Mohammad al-Sheikh said that the martyrs sacrificed their souls for the sake of the homeland.

Mufti of Lattakia, Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, said that the Syrian Army will always be the defender of the homeland regardless of the conspiracies that aim at Syria’s steadfastness and national unity.

For his part, Christian Father Jihad Nassif expressed appreciation for the sacrifices of the martyrs to protect Syria’s security and stability.

• Fourteen Army and Law-Enforcement Martyrs Laid to Rest

PROVINCES, (SANA)- Fourteen army and law-enforcement martyrs were escorted on Sunday from Tishreen, Aleppo and Zahi Azraq Military Hospitals in Damascus, Aleppo and Lattakia and Police Hospital in Harasta to their final resting place.

Solemn funeral processions were held for the martyrs who were targeted by armed terrorist groups while they were in the line of duty in Lattakia, Homs, Damascus and its Countryside and in Idleb.

The martyrs are: -Lieutenant Colonel Saad Takla, from Lattakia.

-Retired Major Ali Ahmad Alloush, from Hama.

-First Lieutenant Muhannad Abdul-Karim al-Ali, from Tartous.

-Sergeant Major Osama Ja’far al-Shibli, from Daraa.

-Sergeant Ayman Wajieh Nadeh, from Tartous.

-Sergeant Mulham Riyad al-Hariri, from Daraa.

-Sergeant Mohammad Khalid Walid, from Damascus Countryside.

-Conscript Mahmoud Khalil Ezz-eddin, from Damascus Countryside.

-Conscript Mohammad Jaber al-Hakim, from Damascus Countryside.

-Conscript, Wesam Farid al-Halabi, from Damascus Countryside.

-Conscript Ibrahim Abdullah al-Suleiman, from Raqaa.

-Conscript Hajji Hussein al-Abdullah, from Aleppo.

-Conscript Ahmad Abdullah Hili, from Idleb.

-Conscript Ammar Alaa-eddin, from Damascus.

The families of the martyrs stressed that the blood of the martyrs is the guarantee to restore Syria’s security and stability, calling for dealing firmly with the armed terrorist groups for up-rooting errorism.

They called on the Syrian people to commit to their national unity, asserting that the terrorist acts perpetrated by the armed terrorist groups will not persuade the Syrian people from defending and protecting their homeland.

• Armed Groups Impersonate Security Officers to Commit Robberies, Attack Oil Pipeline, Murder and Abduct Citizens

PROVINCES, (SANA) – An armed terrorist group impersonated security officers to be allowed into the house of citizen Mayada Aref Bourazi from al-Sanamin town in Daraa. After their entry, the terrorist group introduced themselves as members of the so-called “Free Army” and threatened the woman and stole a large amount of jewelry and money.

Terrorist Groups Targets Oil Pipeline in Deir Ezzor with Explosive Device, Detonate Explosives on Ariha-Lattakia Highway

A terrorist group targeted an oil pipeline between the villages of Mahkan and al-Quriya in Deri Ezzor with an explosive device, damaging a valve and causing large amounts of oil to leak.

An official source at the Petroleum Ministry told SANA that the pipeline transports crude oil from al-Omar field to T2 station, and that pumping operations were halpted after the explosion, adding that production remains unaffected since there are alternative lines that can be used until repairs are carried out.

Another terrorist group detonated two explosive devices on the highway between Ariha  and Lattakia.

Terrorists Assassinate Employee at Idleb Post Office, Injure Citizen and Abduct His Son, Abduct Mayor of Deir Haffer

A terrorist group assassinated citizen Mohammad Sattouf al-Kasem, born in 1969, who works in Idleb Post Office.

A source at the governorate told SANA’s correspondent that al-Kasem was shot by the terrorist while on his way to work near his village of Ein Sheb, west of Idleb city.

The source said that on Saturday night, two terrorist broke into the house of nurse Haitham Yazaji who works in Idleb National Hospital, shooting him in the foot and abducting his 18 year-old son Ghazal.

Another terrorist group abducted Rajab al-Khamis, Mayor of Deir Haffer in Aleppo. A source at the governorate said that three terrorists using two cars forced al-Khamis out of his home and took him to an unknown destination.

Authorities Confiscate Weapons, Arrest Terrorists in Hama Countryside

A terrorist group attacked law-enforcement forces in Hama’s eastern countryside, and the authorities confronted them and chased them to their hideouts where they arrested many terrorists and confiscated large amounts of weapons.

A source at the governorate said that 16 assault rifles, 2 PKC machineguns, a Degtyarev machinegun, 3 sniper rifles, 2 RPG launchers with 7 rounds, 3 ENERGA missiles, and large amounts of ammo were confiscated, along with 14 explosive devices and stolen license plates.

Child Martyred, Another wounded by Armed Terrorist Group in Deir Ezzor

An armed terrorist group opened fire on civilians and law-enforcement personnel in al- Qurayyat city in Deir Ezzor, killing a child and wounding another and a law-enforcement member.

A source at the province said that child Ammar Mossa al-Daher was martyred while child Hiba al-Khidr and a law-enforcement member were wounded in the attack.

Armed Terrorist Group Loots Teachers’ Salaries in Daraa Countryside

An armed terrorist group attacked a vehicle that was taking salaries to teachers of al-Mizereeb area in Daraa Countryside.

SANA’s correspondent quoted a source at the province as saying that the group stopped by force the salaries car and stole SYP 9,3 million.

Four Members of Armament Department Died in Explosion of Ammunition Box

An ammunition box exploded while it was transferred into a warehouse owned by the Armament Department in Khan Touman area, 20km south of Aleppo, causing the martyrdom of four members who were transferring it, a military source told SANA reporter.

174 Persons Involved in Recent Events Turn Themselves In to the Authorities in Idleb and Damascus Countryside

174 persons who were involved in recent events but didn’t shed any blood turned themselves in to the authorities in Idleb and Damascus countryside.

129 persons from Idleb, 4 from al-Jarajer village, 6 from Harasta, 18 from Zabadani in Damascus countryside and 17 from other areas surrendered to the competent authorities along with their weapons.

The authorities immediately released them after they had pledged not to bear arms or participate in any acts of sabotage.

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Head of the UN Observer Mission in Syria, the Norwegian General Robert Mood, said that the UN expanded mission will be based on what has been done by the UN advance team.

In a press statement upon his arrival in Damascus on Sunday, Gen. Mood added that the mission will work on implementing the UN envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point plan agreed on with Syria.

“We would’ like to have joint efforts to achieve a comfortable life for the Syrian people through implementing the halt of violence,” said Gen. Mood, adding that “We will work with all the sides of the Syrian crisis to realize that.”

He called upon everybody to halt the violence and to help the mission and cooperate with it to reach success and accomplish its tasks.

The Head of the UN observer mission pointed out that there are 30 observers on the ground in Syria till now, adding that the number will be increased in the coming days to reach 300 with the aim of working with all parties to implement Annan’s plan.

He added “the observers came from all nationalities… we are guests in Syria.. 10, 30, 300 or 1000 observers will not solve all problems.. so everyone has to help us achieve this mission.”

On the difficulties of the mission, Mood said “we call on everyone to stop violence, help us continue cease-fire… this doesn’t contradict with the fact that we will do our best.”

As for the benefit from deploying the observers in Syria, Mood underlined that this mission is very important… those monitors can’t solve the problems alone.. everyone who is involved in violence must decide to go to the political process to give the peaceful solution a chance.

Singh: International Observers Continue Tours in Homs, Daraa and Idleb

The International Observers’ team on Sunday visited al-Khaldiyeh neighborhood in Homs.

Spokesman of the UN observer mission in Syria, Niraj Singh, said that the mission’s members in Homs, Daraa and Idleb continue their tours in these cities, adding that the UN team in Damascus is preparing the ground for the expanded mission to come.

In a statement to the journalists, Singh added that the team send their notes about the situation to the UN Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan.

MOSCOW, (SANA)- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia and China have adopted ‘unified stance’ towards the crisis in Syria based on the need for consolidating the bases of the international relations in line wiht the principles of the UN charter and international law.

In an interview with the “Russia 24” TV channel aired on Friday, Lavrov added “It is impossible to find a compromise for the crisis in Syria without taking into account the stances of Russia and China in this regard.”

Russian Foreign Ministry Condemns Terrorist Acts in Syria, Calls for Confronting Terrorists

Russian Foreign Ministry condemned in a statement the series of terrorist acts in Syria and held the extremist Syrian opposition responsible for escalating violence in the country to thwart the implementation of the peace plan of UN special envoy, Kofi Annan.

“The attempts of the extremist Syrian opposition to inflame the situation in the country and fuel violence even at the expense of the lives of innocent people raise serious concerns,” said the statement .

It added that “the provocative goal behind these attempts is clear, which is to foil Annan’s plan-based peaceful settlement in Syria that is being implemented and was unanimously approved by the Security Council and supported by the entire international community.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed the necessity of firmly confronting the terrorists operating in Syria, calling on all internal and external sides to stop providing any kind of support to the terrorists as provided by the Security Council’s anti-terrorism resolutions.

“Moscow firmly condemns these brutal acts that have claimed many victims as a result of the bombings which took place in Damascus, Aleppo, Lattakia, Banias and Jableh and in three neighborhoods in Hama,” said the statement.

It expressed Russia’s deepest condolences to the victims’ families and relatives and wishes for speedy recovery to the injured, stressing the necessity of finding the plotters and perpetrators of these crimes and holding them to account.

Russia and Iran renews rejection of any foreign intervention in Syria

Russia and Iran today renewed rejection of any foreign intervention in Syria’s domestic affairs, stressing the need for settling the crisis in Syria through a comprehensive national dialogue.

Russian foreign Ministry announced that the Russian President’s special representative to the Middle East, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, stressed during a meeting with the Iranian Ambassador in Moscow Mahmoud Riza Sajidi the need for supporting the efforts of the UN envoy Annan and the work of international monitors in the country.

• Syrian Human Rights Network Calls for International Condemnation of Attempts at Escalating Violence in Syria

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- The Syrian Human Rights Network on Sunday called on the international community, the UN Secretary General and the human rights organizations to condemn attempts at escalating the violence in Syria through smuggling gunmen and arms to the armed terrorist groups.

The Network referred in a statement to the recently made attempts at escalating the violence in Syria through smuggling arms and gunmen from Lebanon, Turkey and Libya, citing the inflatable boats coming from Turkey to infiltrate terrorists offshore from Lattakia and Lufallah II ship that came from Libya through Egypt to deliver RPG’s, air and anti-tank missiles and communication devices to the terrorist groups in Syria.

The statement called on the international community, the human rights organizatiosn and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon to condemn and expose these violations as are considered breaches of the peace plan of the UN envoy Kofi Annan and the UN Charter.

The Network also demanded that all those confirmed to be involved in or support the terrorist acts inside Syria be brought to the International Criminal Court.

• Extremist Terrorist Group Claims Responsibility for al-Midan Bombing on Website Used by Al-Qaeda

DUBAI, (SANA) – An extremist terrorist group calling itself “Jabhet al-Nasra” claimed responsibility for the terrorist bombing which took place in al-Midan neighborhood in Damascus on Friday.

A statement posted on Shumoukh al-Islam website, a site used by Al-Qaeda, said that a man referred to as Abu Omar al-Shami carried out the bombing.

Jabhet al-Nasra has already claimed responsibility for several suicide bombings in Syria, including two that took place on February 12th in Aleppo and one on January 6th in Damascus.

• Three Containers Loaded with Weapons in Lutfallah II Ship

BEIRUT, (SANA)- The Lebanese Army’s interrogation of the captain of Lutfallah II ship, which was seized last Friday by the Army and the UNIFIL forces in Lebanon’s territorial waters, showed that it contained three containers including huge amounts of heavy and light weapons.

The Lebanese national news agency reported that the ship’s 10-member crew of were arrested along with its agent, Ahmad Bernard, and were referred to the Lebanese judiciary.

The Lebanese al-Akhbar newspaper on Saturday revealed that the three containers onboard the ship were full of machineguns, RPG’s, air and anti-tank missiles and a huge amount of explosives, that were intended to be delivered to the armed groups of the Syrian opposition according to initial information.

The newspaper said that the ship was intercepted in the Lebanese territorial waters in coordination between the Lebanese maritime forces and the UNIFIL forces and was steered to Salata Port in the north after it was suspected of carrying smuggled weapons.

The Lebanese newspaper quoted reliable sources as saying that a Lebanese figure from Tripoli went last March to Egypt and held several meetings with leaders of one of the armed groups in Libya in the presence of members from the so-called ‘Istanbul Council’, at which they agreed to supply the armed groups in Syria with anti-tank missiles at half of the price available in the market.

Earlier, Télé Liban TV channel said that the ship came from Libya via Alexandria under the cover of transporting engines and oil and is owned by a Syrian named Mohammad Khafaja, who was arrested along with the ship’s commission agent, Ahmad Bernard, after finding the weapons.

• UN Observers Team Visits Hama Province

HAMA, (SANA) – A team of the UN observers on Sunday visited Hama Province and toured areas which were targeted by the armed terrorist groups.

SANA’s correspondent quoted a source at the Interior Ministry as saying that the team visited al-Arba’een Roundabout, where five law-enforcement personnel were injured after terrorists attacked them with RPG rounds.

The team also visited al-Sahha Roundabout, where Chief Warrant Officer Wajeeh Suleiman was martyred after terrorists attacked a law-enforcement vehicle in the area. They also visited al-Assi Square and al-Baath Neighborhood.

• Activities of 6^th Women Economic Forum on Business Administration Start

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The 6th Women Economic Forum on Business Administration kicked off activities under the title “Risks of Hindering Development at Work” at al-Cham Hotel in Damascus.

The event is organized by al-Jawdah Group for Studies in cooperation with the Women’s General Union and the State Planning and International Cooperation Commission.

The two-day forum discusses the situation of women workers in Syria, the law of job and funding small enterprises.

Chairperson of Women’s General Union, Majida Kteit, indicated to the extraordinary circumstances in which the forum taking place as Syria is facing a conspiracy targeting its steadfastness and national stances, hailing the awareness of the Syrian people and their national unity in facing the conspiracy.

She underlined the positive influence of the reform announced by the political leadership on the citizen and the homeland.

Kteit added that the forum stresses the Syrian woman’s determination in building the homeland and preserving its stability and development.

She pointed out to the important role of such forums in shedding light on the women’s experiences , exchanging opinions and expertise, supporting small women’s enterprises and enhancing the role of women in economy and business management.

Kteit reviewed the development achieved by women through their participation in popular institution, the government, the People’s Assembly, councils of local administration, judiciary and education.

For his part, Mehi-Eddin Hamza, Assistant Chairman of the State Planning and International Cooperation Commission called for empowering women and enhancing their contribution to the development process.

In turn, Director General of al-Jawdah Group for Studies, Majed Sharaf, expressed the Group’s readiness to support the Syrian women in all fields through organizing events that increase the women’s ability to run their own businesses.

• Chinese Foreign Ministry: Stances of Moscow and Beijing Regarding Syrian Crisis Are Identical

MOSCOW, (SANA) – The Chinese Foreign Ministry affirmed on Saturday that the stances of Moscow and Beijing regarding the crisis in Syria are identical, reiterating China’s rejection of foreign interference in Syria’s affairs.

Russia Today channel quoted China’s Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping as saying that “the stances of Moscow and Beijing regarding the Syrian crisis are 100% identical,”

In a statement after the meetings of Executive Vice-Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang with Russian officials in Moscow,  Guoping affirmed that his country opposes resolving the Syrian crisis through force and is absolutely against foreign interference in Syria’s affairs, warning against repeating the Libyan scenario.

He voiced China’s conviction that Syria’s problems must be resolved by the Syrians themselves, and that the government should take the people’s demands for reforms into consideration, affirming that Beijing is committed to the cessation of violence in Syria and resolving the issue peacefully.

Terrorist Group Infiltration Attempt from Turkey Foiled, Dead Bodies of Citizens and Military Members Foud in Daraa, Citizen Martyred in Aleppo

PROVINCES, (SANA) – Authorities on Wednesday foiled an infiltration attempt by an armed terrorist group from the Turkish territories into Syria near Khirbet al-Jouz border village in Idleb countryside.

SANA reporter quoted a source at Idleb Province as saying that the authorities killed one of the terrorists, while the others escaped to Turkey.

Law-enforcement Member Martyred, Two Injured by Suicidal Attack in Idleb

The source added that a suicidal terrorist in a booby-trapped car blew himself up near a law-enforcement post on Idleb-Silkeen road, causing the martyrdom of Ismael Asaad Qasim and the injury of Corporal Fadi Mahmoud Ismael and conscript Qasim Mohammad Rajab.

Citizen Khaled al-Khaled Martyred in Idleb by His Son Who Belongs to Armed Terrorist Groups

Citizen Khaled al-Khaled was martyred on Wednesday in Saraqeb city in Idleb province as his son, Mohammad, who belongs to an armed terrorist group, shot him dead.

A source told SANA reporter that Khaled was killed by his son in response to his father’s advice to refrain from terrorizing people and sabotaging properties.

Dead Body Found Thrown in Orontes River in Idleb

The authorities found the body of citizen Issam Mousa thrown in the Orontes River. Mousa works in Oyoun Ara water plant and he was abducted by an armed terrorist group one week ago.

Red Crescent Volunteer Martyred, Another Injured by Terrorists in Douma, Damascus Countryside

An armed terrorist group targeted with their gunfire an ambulance car which belongs to the branch of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in Damascus Countryside while performing a humanitarian mission in Douma city.

The attack resulted in the martyrdom of volunteer Mohammad Ahmad al-Khadra and the injury of volunteer Moayed Qadamani, SANA correspondent said.

The Syrian Red Crescent Organization said in a statement that volunteer al-Khadra was martyred while performing his duty as emergency staff came under fire yesterday in Doma.

It called on all sides concerned to protect the emergency staff and respect the sign of the Red Crescent.

A Citizen Martyred, Three Others Seriously Injured in Aleppo

In Aleppo, an armed terrorist group attacked a flower shop of citizen Mohammad Shihaza Bin Mohammad Ali in al-Hamdaniyah area, shooting at the shop’s owner causing his death.

Three citizens were gravely injured at al-Marjeh Quarter in a blast of an explosive charge planted by an armed terrorist group.

Heavy material damage to shops and nearby houses were also caused by the explosion.

Dead Bodies of a Military Member and 3 Citizens Found , Policeman Assassinated, Sergeant Major Abducted , An Explosive Device Dismantled while Two Others Detonated, Lieutenant Colonel Martyred in Daraa

In Daraa countryside, authorities found the body of Captain Nawras Rahieh thrown under a bridge.

Captain Rahieh was abducted by an armed terrorist group yesterday as he was heading to work.

Authorities found the body of the Palestinian Ra’d Nidal Fauzi in a grocery market in Daraa bearing marks of severe torture that showed attempt to hang him.

The body of citizen Met’eb Mohammad al-Faroukh was found stabbed in al-Hara town in Daraa countryside.

Another armed terrorist group assassinated policeman Amjad Abu Qteif and abducted Sergeant Major Yamen Taqi from the law-enforcement forces in an armed ambush while leaving Jadal Izraa Police Station.

In Namer town in Daraa, the body of Abdel Kareem al-Amari was found, while two explosive devices were detonated on the way to the town and no injuries were reported.

Military engineering units dismantled an explosive device planted by an armed terrorist group near “April 7th” School.

Lieutenant Colonel Habis Aslan was martyred by gunfire of a terrorist sniper in Basr al-Harir in Daraa Countryside.

SANA correspondent said that the terrorist opened fire on the martyr while he was driving his car in Basr al-Harir town to his workplace in the region.

Terrorists Open Fire on Bus in Khan Shikhoun, Four Civilians Martyred and Six Injured

An armed terrorist group opened fire on a bus belonging to al-Ahliya transport company in Khan Shikhoun, martyring four civilians and injuring six. The bus was headed to Hama from Aleppo.

An official source said that the martyrs are Issa Ismael al-Rayyes, born in 1987, who sustained a gunshot to the head, the bus driver Abdelghani Shekh Sobeh, born in 1957, who sustained a gunshot to the thigh, Lama Mheddin al-Masri, boen in 1978, who sustained an injury to the chest, and Iman Alloush al-Zaben, born in 1978, who sustained a gunshot in the neck.

The injured civilians include assistant driver Mohammad al-Mustafa, born in 1993, who sisyyained a gunshot to the neck, Imad Abdelmajid Kazkaz, born in 1989, who sustained gunshots to the legs, Dalia Mtanious, born in 1987, who sustained a gunshot to the back, and Ruba Abdelrahman Ramr al-Barazi, born in 1978, who sustained a gunshot to the hand.

Authorities Seize Explosive Devices and Arms in Stolen Car in Deir Ezzor

Authorities recovered a car which was stolen by an armed terrorist group in Deir Ezzor.

A source in the governorate told SANA correspondent that a pump-action rifle, explosive devices, TNT explosives and ammunition were found in the car.

Armed Terrorist Group Blows up Explosive Device in Workers’ Bus, Injures Six

An armed terrorist group targeted a bus carrying workers at Idleb Spinning Factory on Idleb-Jisr al-Shughour road near Sallet al-Zohour village, injuring six and the driver.

A source in the governorate said that the injured were carried to Jisr al-Shughour National Hospital to receive aid.

Also a citizen was injured by an armed group’s gunfire that targeted al-Shahbaa bus heading from Damascus to Aleppo.

SANA correspondent quoted a source in the governorate as saying that the terrorist group targeted the bus at 10:00 a.m. near al-Taman’a in Khan Sheikhoun, injuring the civilian Khaled al-Jassem.

On a different note, the source added that the body of the retired Chief Warrant Officer Labib Ahmad Ma’arri was found between Karkour and Freikeh towns in Jisr al-Shughour, indicating that Ma’arri was kidnapped by an armed terrorist group along with his car from his house in Mahambel town yesterday. The source said that the death was caused by an electric shock.

The source indicated that an armed terrorist group seized a car owned by Idleb Health Directorate on al-Nayrab-Sarmin road and took it to an unknown place.

Explosive Device Goes Off in Hama, Sixteen Killed According to Initial Estimates

An explosive device went off while a terrorist group were setting it up in a house which was used to make explosives  in Masha’a al-Tair neighborhood in Hama city, claiming sixteen lives according to initial estimates, including women and children.

12 were injured in the explosion which caused significant damage to six neighboring houses in the neighborhood, which is a random housing area.

Civil Defense teams are still carrying out rescue operations in the area.

Seven Army and Law-Enforcement Martyrs Laid to Rest

DAMASCUS/ LATTAKIA, (SANA)– Seven army and law-enforcement martyrs were escorted on Wednesday from Tishreen and Zahi Azraq Military Hospitals in Damascus and Lattakia and the Police Hospital in Harasta to their final resting place.

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

         The martyrs are:

         Chief Warrant Officer Said Haj Said, from Idleb.

         Chief Warrant Officer Shukri Mohammed Kheir Kazhali, from Daraa.

         Sergeant Major Ibrahim Mohammad Saker, from Homs.

         Sergeant Major Mohammad Ali Suleiman, from Lattakia.

         Sergeant Major Alaa Mahmoud Sultan, from Lattakia.

         Corporal Osama George Darghali, from Homs.

         Conscript Mahmoud Jasem al-Ali, from Deir Ezzor.

The families of the martyrs called for unifying stances in the face of the schemes that aim at undermining Syria’s pivotal role in the region, expressing denunciation over the criminal acts perpetrated by the armed terrorist groups against the army, law-enforcement members and innocent civilians.

They stressed that the terrorist acts perpetrated by the armed terrorist groups will not persuade the Syrian people from defending and protecting their homeland.

WPC Reiterates Full Support and Solidarity with Syria to Overcome Current Crisis

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – President of the World Peace Council (WPC), Socorro Gomes, on Wednesday expressed the Council’s full support with Syria in the face of the conspiracy hatched against it because of its adherence to its rights and defense of the issue of just peace as well as its historical role in defending international liberation movements against the imperialist and Zionist powers.

During her meeting with Assistant Secretary General of Al-Baath Arab Socialist Party Abdullah Al-Ahmar, Gomes said all the people worldwide who call for freedom and reject imperialist hegemony stand in solidarity with Syria and support it to overcome the current crisis.

She noted that the WPC support to the Syrian people stems from its duty in consolidating peace in the world.

She added that what Syria is passing through is due to the US administration which tries to get out of its economic crises through creating wars in the countries of the world with the aim of destabilizing their security and unity and controlling their people.

Gomes stressed that the unity and the awareness of the Syrian people guarantee to help Syria come out stronger from the crisis.

The delegation members hailed the political and economic reform process taking place in Syria, reiterating their support to Syria to restore the occupied Syrian Golan.

For his part, al-Ahmar stressed that the US, the Western colonialist countries, Israel and some Arab and regional countries are behind the conspiracy hatched against Syria to undermine its pan-Arab and national stances in support of the resistance.

He said that the Syrian people are committed to their national unity, adding that they reject any foreign interference in their country’s internal affairs and believe in national dialogue as the only way out of the current crisis.

He added that Syria will come out victorious with the cooperation of international organization which call for peace and liberation and reject the American domination.

Al-Ahmar hailed the WPC stances in solidarity with Syria and in support of the ongoing reforms taking place in the country, in addition to the WPC condemnation of foreign interference in Syria and its calls for dialogue among all Syrians to find a political solution to the crisis.

Gomes: Delegation’s Visit to Syria Showed Solidarity and Unity Among Syrians

Later, Gomes held a press conference at the headquarters of the National Union of Syrian Students in which she said that the delegation’s visit to Syria allowed them to see reality, participate in the funerals of martyrs, and join the martyrs’ families in their sorrow, in addition to showing the degree of solidarity and unity among Syrians.

Other members of the delegation said that their visit also helped gather information about what is actually happening in Syria, stressing that the attack against Syria is due to imperialistic interests and plots concocted by the US, EU, Turkey and Arab Gulf countries to assume control of the region.

The delegation members reiterated their support for the Syrian people, noting that they witnessed firsthand how the Syrians are committed to defend their country no matter the cost, adding that the sanctions imposed on Syria by the US, the EU and the Arab League aim to stabilize stability and disrupt Syrians’ lives.

WPC and WFDY Delegation Visit Monument of Unknown Soldier

Meanwhile, the delegation of the World Peace Council (WPC) and the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) visited the Monument of the Unknown Soldier on Qassioun Mountain and put a wreath of roses on the tomb.

In a statement to SANA reporter following the visit, the delegation members stressed that the Syrian people will come out victorious and stronger from the conspiracy as they are alone able to solve their problems.

They condemned attempts of foreign interference in the Syrian internal affair and the misleading media campaign against Syria led by Arab and western countries.

A delegation member said that his visit to Syria is to express solidarity and support to the Syrian people to determine their destiny, denouncing the role of the US and some Arab countries which supply the opposition with money and arms to kill the Syrian people.

Another delegation member from Turkey said that he came to Syria as a representative of several Turkish organizations to see the facts on the ground and convey them to the Turkish people and organizations, adding that his visit revealed the misleading lies fabricated against Syria.

He stressed the good relations between the Syrian and Turkish people, adding that the Turks care about stability in Syria and reject violence acts and they stand by Syria in the face of the conspiracy.

Another delegation member called upon the opposition to come to dialogue and stay away from all forms of violence, expressing confidence in the Syrian people’s ability to overcome the current stage.

WPC Delegation Meets Executive Office of the General Federation of Trade Unions

Later, the WPC delegation held a meeting with the Executive Office of the General Federation of Trade Unions.

During the meeting, Chairman of the General Federation of Trade Unions Mohammad Shaaban Azouz stressed that Syria is facing a conspiracy targeting its stances with the aim of causing division and strife among its people.

Two Observers Join International Observer Mission in Syria, International Observers Continue Tours in Syrian Cities

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Two observers joined on Wednesday the international observer advance team in Syria.

The United Press International (UPI) News Agency quoted the spokesperson for the UN Observer advance team in Syria, Neeraj Singh, as saying that an observer from Indonesia and another one from Ghana joined the advance team in Syria during the past hours.

Singh added that more observers are expected to join the team.

Earlier, a Chinese diplomatic source announced that two Chinese observers joined the international observer mission in Syria.

International Observers Continue Tours in Damascus Countryside, Homs and Hama

A delegation of the international observers visited Hama governorate, met several citizens and figures who briefed them on the reality of the situation in the city.

The delegation also toured al-Assi Square and other parts of the city.

In Homs, a delegation of the international observers visited al-Abassiyyin roundabout in al-Zahra neighborhood heading to al-Qahera roundabout.

Earlier in the morning, a delegation of international observers visited Douma city in Damascus countryside not accompanied by media.

Other observers toured Homs ancient neighborhoods.

Issa Abboud, a Young Inventor Killed by Enemies of the Homeland

HOMS, (SANA) – Issa Abboud is a young inventor who was killed by armed terrorist groups almost a year ago, in al-Nezha suburb in Homs city.

He was distinguished for his creative capabilities which he devoted to serving his homeland. He offered during his twenty-seven-year lifetime over 100 inventions

His sister, Fatima, told SANA reporter that her brother’s first invention was during his secondary school as he won several awards for his inventions, including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) award in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 2001, he participated in al-Basel Creativity and Inventions Exhibition, and he won several gold and silver awards for his inventions which included an integrated system for protecting and operating water pumps and a stereo recorder with TV broadcasting server.

In 2002, he won several gold and silver awards at al-Basel Creativity and Inventions Exhibition for his inventions, particularly a machine for cleaning porcelain, and a robot equipped with a memory unit.

In 2003, he was granted a patent on a number of his inventions, including an electronic brain for modern irrigation and automatic watering.

In 2004, he won the gold award at al-Basel Creativity and Inventions Exhibition for conducting a research on generating electricity from the ground.

Martyr Issa’s most distinguished inventions include turning the brain of a chicken into a memory unit that equals over 3000 CDs and another invention on translating the senses of chicken such as hunger, thirst and illness into readable data.

Martyr Issa Abboud was born in Hadida town in Homs province in 1984, and he was martyred in 2011 by the enemies of Syria.

Qadri Jamil: Popular Front supports National dialogue away from Foreign intervention

MOSCOW, (SANA)-Leader of the Popular Front for Change and Liberation, Qadri Jamil said that the front backs the national dialogue and it doesn’t contact with any side that supports the foreign intervention in Syria’s domestic affairs.

“All sides in Syria should sit around the table of dialogue which has proved is the only way to resolve the crisis in Syria,” Russia Today Site quoted Jamil as saying upon his arrival to Moscow Wednesday.

He added that the Front thinks about the destiny of the Syrian people who have the right to live in peace and achieve reforms.

Jamil saw that with the arrival of international monitors to Syria, the situation began to improve, even though it was slow, saying that the current number of observers is not enough, but when it reaches to 300 monitors, they will play more active role.

Margelov : Russia Holds Meetings with all Representatives of the Syrian Opposition except for Terrorists

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Chairman of the Russian Duma Council Foreign Affairs Committee Mikhail Margelov stressed on Wednesday that his country is holding meetings with all representatives of the Syrian opposition except for terrorists because Russia respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria.

In a statement, Margelov said that since the crisis in Syria started, Russia has called for overcoming it in peaceful means only  through internal dialogue without foreign interference.

He considered the UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan’s efforts as an important political step that should be backed fully.

He added that he will meet on Thursday a delegation of the Syrian Popular Front for Change and Liberation, pointing out that the meeting will be the second meeting with the Front and the fifth meeting with delegations from the Syrian opposition.

Indian Delegation to Convey Reality of Situation in Syria Objectively

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Minister of Tourism Lamia Assi underlined the importance of the Indian delegation’s visit to Syria to shape a true image about what is taking place in the country and the contribution of conveying the truth to the Indian public opinion.

During her meeting with the Indian delegation, including cultural and media figures and former diplomats on Wednesday, the Minister pointed out that the Syrian people are aware of the volume of the conspiracy, pointing out that they will get over the crisis thanks to their unity.

Members of the delegation pointed out to the historical, tourist and cultural components of Syria, underlining that they will convey the truth about what is going on objectively and sincerely.

Ajet Sahi, a journalist from United Press International, said that meeting Syrian officials contributed to supplying him with very important information, adding that he formerly depended on western and eastern media facilities to shape a clear view of the reality of the situation because he knows that each side tackle the news from their point of view.

For his part, Bhim Sing, Editor in-Chief of Voices of Millions Newspaper that the reason for his visit to Syria is to express his supportive stance to Syria, which also backs the Arab causes.

The Ministry’s invitation to the Indian delegation comes in the framework of heading towards the markets of Russia, China, India, Malaysia and Iran, as it made several activities in these markets in order to promote for Syria as a tourist attraction.

Syrian-Venezuelan Parliamentary Friendship Association: Conspiracy against Syria Now Clear to International Public Opinion

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Chairman of the Syrian-Venezuelan Parliamentary Friendship Association Joel Jabbour said that the conspiracy against Syria has become clear to the international public opinion despite the great role of satellite channels, expressing confidence in Syria’s ability to come out from the crisis and overcome the challenges.

Meeting Speaker of the People’s Assembly Mahmoud al-Abrash, Jabbour hoped that security and stability will be restored to Syria as soon as possible, hailing the deep Syrian-Venezuelan relations.

For his part, al-Abrash said that the conspiracy against Syria aimed at undermining its security, stability and stances in support of just Arab and international issues.

Al-Abrash pointed out to the misleading media campaigns which aimed at distorting facts and conveying an image that contradicts the reality, adding that the misleading media not only fabricate news but also they direct armed groups in targeting civilians.

The two sides discussed the bilateral relations between Syria and Venezuela and the role of the Arab and foreign delegation in explaining what is really taking place on the ground away from misleading information by some media.