Lavrov: The Syrians Alone Decide Their Country’s Future
MOSCOW, (SANA)- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday stressed the Syrians alone decide their country’s future away from any foreign interference, calling for starting the comprehensive national dialogue without preconditions to find a solution to the crisis in Syria and for an immediate ceasefire by from all the parties under unbiased international supervision, along with the humanitarian aid.
Addressing a Russian Duma session, broadcast by Russia Today TV channel, Lavrov said that Russia is defending the principles of justice and the Syrians’ sovereign right to their democratic option.
By doing so, Lavrov added, Moscow aims at achieving peace in Syria and maintaining its citizens’ lives, preventing conflict and violence in the region and preserving stability and security in the area near Russia’s southern borders.
The Russian Foreign Minister pointed out that Russia will continue work with all the parties, whether the Syrian leadership, the opposition groups, the Arab League, the regional and international players and the Security Council member countries, in order to reach a solution to the crisis.
He called in this context for supporting the mission of the UN Secretary General’s envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan.
“Any international issue demands joint work, and this is what settling the crisis in Syria requires…Everybody should be honest and neutral in that,” said Lavrov.
He underscored that Moscow is in daily contact with the Syrian leadership to ease the situation in the country and draw a unified line to engage all the Syrian parties concerned in settling the crisis, adding that Russia, however, has no power over the armed groups and factions that are fighting the state.
“Unifying our efforts is essential to settle the issues and challenges faced by the international community,” said Lavrov, adding this is why Russia is determined to passing positive international solutions for the preservation of indivisible common security.
He stressed that this principle should be comprehensive in order to build a new security structure in the region.
Lavrov voiced his country’s concern over the developments taking place in the world in terms of the attempts at using force in violation of the international law and the great violations of the Security Council resolutions like what happened in Libya, or through means of force in the cases of Iraq and Afghanistan.
He said that all these experiences indicate that crises in those countries can not be settles by means of force but through adherence to the international law.
He stressed that Russia, based on the UN Charter, will oppose any attempts to blast the main principles of this Charter, that are of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign countries and the adoption of constructive means to settle international differences and conflicts.
Russia, China Stress Unified Stance towards Syria
Russia and China stressed their unified stance towards the situation in Syria, a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
It added that the Russian President’s Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, and China’s Ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, stressed that their countries have identical stances with regard to the essential indications of the Syrian internal settlement through internal national dialogue and supporting the efforts of the UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan.
The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that Bogadanov and Hui also discussed the developments in the Middle East and North Africa, with focus placed on the stance towards Syria.
Bogdanov: Resolving Crisis in Syria through political internal dialogue
The Russian President Special representative for the Middle East Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov today underlined the importance of solving crisis in Syria through internal political dialogue in light of respect for Syria sovereignty.
The Russian foreign Ministry said that Bogdanov, during a meeting with Syria’s Ambassador in Moscow Riad Haddad, referred to Russia’s commitment to the need for halting violence in Syria as soon as possible whatsoever source it was, and for guaranteeing the humanitarian aid for the citizens depending on the UN mechanism.
Syrians to Gather in Squares Across the Country to Show Their Love for Their Homeland
In an initiative by Syrian youths, squares in cities across Syria will witness a universal march on Thursday, uniting all Syrians in affirmation of their loyalty and affiliation to their homeland no matter how much pressure is leveled against them.
Authorities Clash with Terrorists in Homs and Idleb Countryside, Security Restored to Idleb City
GOVERNORATES, (SANA)-Competent authorities on Wednesday clashed with armed terrorist groups near Jisr al-Daf farms to the west of al-Qseir in Homs countryside, killing a number of terrorists, injuring several others and seizing their weapons.
A source in Homs told SANA reporter that the weapons confiscated were RPGs, machine guns, Russian rifles, snipers, Israeli-made bombs and explosives. The source added that an officer and 5 army members were injured in the clashes.
Authorities Clash with Terrorist in Idleb Countryside, Security Restored to Idleb City
The authorities clashed with remnants of armed terrorist groups in the fields and caves of al-Bara in al-Zawiya mountain, killing a number of terrorists, injuring others and confiscating their weapons.
The authorities also engaged an armed terrorist group in the town of Nsaibin in Ariha area, killing three terrorists and confiscating their weapons and communication devices.
A source in Idleb governorate said that the conflict in Nsaibin resulted in the arrest of a terrorist and the confiscation of two cars loaded with explosive devices of various yields which the terrorists intended to plant on the road between the towns of Ariha and Saraqeb.
In Idleb city, the authorities cleared the city of armed terrorist group, and in the process confiscated weapons including assault rifles, RPG launchers and rounds, an Israeli-made machinegun, ammo clips, military uniforms, computers, advanced communication devices including satellite phones, stolen and fake car license plates, and medical equipment.
In addition, the authorities confiscated dozens of explosive devices of various shapes and sizes and materials used for manufacturing them.
The locals were happy to return to their homes from which they fled in fear of armed terrorist groups, saying that the terrorist spread fear and chaos across the city and prevented citizens from going to work.
Maqdisi: Syria Committed to Make Annan’s Mission a Success, Providing that it Suits Syria’s Specificity
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Foreign and Expatriates Ministry spokesman, Dr. Jihad Maqdisi, on Wednesday said the UN envoy Kofi Annan presented during his recent visit to Syria ‘no-paper’ suggestions to exchange views on them, and the Syrian ‘no-paper’ respond to those suggestions was very objective and of an illustrative character of the way the preliminary suggestions are to be implemented.
“We are committed to make a success of Annan’s mission providing that it goes in line with the Syrian specificity, and that requires the international and regional efforts be brought together, particularly those which are hindering the political solution and instigating and calling for arming the Syrian inside to pour oil on the fire,” said Dr. Maqdisi addressing reporters of a number of news agencies at the Ministry’s headquarters.
He stressed that the proposed solutions to the Syrian crisis cannot be imported, adding that “we encourage Mr. Annan to complete his consultations and we wish him success.”
“We wish that all efforts are mobilized to establish appeasement, which everybody should believe is to be reached through getting engaged in the reform and dialogue,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman added.
He said that those who call for arming are hindering Annan’s mission and the success of his mission requires unifying efforts, adding that what is important is the authorization granted to Annan and the extent to which others cooperate with him.
Maqdisi added “we welcome any initiative that helps political solution.”
He indicated that what is taking place in some areas is a security treatment, not political solution as the army is in a state of self-defense, indicating that the presence of armed groups on the ground was documented in international reports and has become undeniable truth.
Regarding the form of the proposed political solution, Maqdesi said that the political solution means to participate in the homeland and the ballot box will be the decisive criterion for all.
He said that we welcome those who believe in dialogue and reject foreign interference, hoping that those who reject dialogue would be convinced that sitting around the dialogue table and rejecting sabotage are the way out of the crisis, adding that President Bashar al-Assad is the guarantor for dialogue and the dialogists.
On humanitarian aid, Maqdisi said that there is a Syrian humanitarian and political commitment to convey humanitarian aid, indicating that Syria has agreed with the UN, during the visit of the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos, to Syria (Homs and Baba Amr), on a certain mechanism to evaluate and provide help in cooperation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross in coordination with the Syrian government in a way that preserves Syria’s sovereignty.
On a question about Syria’s stance towards the meeting between the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with the Arab Foreign Ministers at the Arab League, he said that there were points of consonance, not an agreement.
He added that we welcome any constructive initiative that contributes to political solution but details are important to ensure well implementation and good intentions.
Regarding the Chinese initiative, he said that Syria received the Chinese envoy and officially welcomed the initiative, adding that “we will welcome and positively cooperate with all constructive efforts or initiatives… What is important for us is to put negative forces aside and focus on positives that help achieve the desired détente.”
A Number of Terrorists Who Committed Karm al-Zaitoun Massacre Arrested
The competent authorities in Homs arrested a number of terrorists who perpetrated the terrifying massacre against the citizens of Karm al-Zaitoun Neighborhood in Homs.
Two Terrorists Confess to Planting Explosive Devices Which Claimed the Lives of Two Children, a Woman and a Policeman
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Terrorists Abdelrahman and Ibrahim al-Sharif confessed to being part of plating explosive devices in Aleppo along with an armed terrorist group, which claimed the lives of several citizens, in addition to committing murder and hijacking a car.
In confessions televised by the Syrian TV, terrorist Abdelrahman, who was born in Aleppo in 1992 and works as a stonecutter, said that his uncle Ibrahim (not the other terrorist) was in prison and upon being released introduced him to a man known as Abu Zakkour and asked him to work with him.
During the first meeting, Aby Zakkour gave him a flash disc containing fatwas, recording of al-Qaeda bombings and instructions to make explosives, along with SYP 10,000 to by a bike.
In their second meeting, Abu Zakkour gave Abdelrahman a 7mm pistol equipped with a silenced and 15 rounds, in addition to two explosive devices which he asked Abdelrahman to keep, and later he instructed him to plant the explosives in al-Fardous neighborhood and detonate them after Friday prayers on the next day.
Abdelrahman, along with his cousin Ibrahim (the other terrorist whose confessions were televised), his brother (also called Ibrahim) and Ahmad Dakhil planted the explosives on Friday morning, and later once people began to gather Dakhil detonated the devices, killing a policeman, a woman and two children and wrecking a police car.
On the next day, Abu Zakkour handed Abdelrahman a pump-action shotgun with seven rounds, an AK-47 rifle with two magazines, and a 9mm pistol and SYP 10,000, telling him that he was to distribute the weapons and the money among his colleagues, which he did.
Later, Abu Zakkour instructed him to abduct the owner of a sawmill, and he went on a Monday along with his aforementioned accomplices, breaking into the sawmill and tying up the watchmen.
The sawmill owner arrived earlier, and the terrorists panicked upon seeing him and tried to flee, but he followed him and so they fired at him, with Abdelrahman’s brother shooting the man dead before they fled.
During this incident, Dakhil’s cell phone fell. They tried to hijack a car a failed, then they succeeded in hijacking another car and later hid it before hiding the weapons with his uncle Hussein Dakhil, except for the two pistols.
In the ensuing meeting with Abu Zakkour, he gave Abdelrahman explosive devices, one of them large and the rest of them small, telling him that he should keep them for a few days and that he would tell him where to plant them later.
However, the police raided Abdelrahman’s home two days later, confiscating the pistols, silencer and explosives.
Abdelrahman also said that his cousin Imad al-Sharif gave SYP 500,000 in counterfeit bills which were smuggled from Lebanon. The counterfeit money came from Abdelrahman’s uncle, Hussein al-Sharif, who is currently in Rumieh Prison in Lebanon.
In turn, Ibrahim al-Sharif, Abdelrahman’s cousin and a student, said that his cousin asked him to help them in the abduction of the sawmill owner, and that he went with him along with his brother and Ahmad Dakhil, recounting the events detailed by Abdelrahman.
Ibrahim said that he and Ahmad were hiding in a room where they had tied up the sawmill’s watchman, and they jumped out the window when they heard shooting and ran away, then they tried to hijack a car but the driver managed to run away, then they stopped another car and forced the driver to exit it at gunpoint.
He noted that he was wearing a mask which he lost when Ahmad Dakhil lost his cell phone.
On a relevant note, Hammoud Hajj Mohammad, the father of the child Fayssal who died in the explosion caused by the two terrorists and their accomplices, said that on that fateful Friday he gave his 13 year-old son money to buy drinks for his brother, and ten minutes later they heard an explosion.
Hammoud rushed to the site of the explosion and he was told that his son was injured and taken to the hospital where he passed away later.
In turn, the father of martyred child Ibrahim Hussein Hammoud said that his son was with his friend Fayssal when they were buying drinks, and that the two were injured in the blast and succumbed to their wounds in the hospital.
For his part, Ghaith al-Mustafa, owner of the car hijacked by the terrorists who teaches at Aleppo University, said that he had dropped off his children and nephews to school and was heading home when he was ambushed by the four terrorists, with one of them drawing an AK-47 on him, then they stole his car.
The stolen car was found in a village in Aleppo governorate by the authorities who were pursuing the terrorist group.
People of al-Nazhin, Karm al-Zaytoun, Ashira and Karm al-Loz Neighborhoods Relate Details of Their Suffering at the Hands of Terrorists
HOMS, (SANA) – The people of al-Nazhin, Karm al-Zaytoun, Ashira and Karm al-Loz neighborhoods of Homs related the horrors of the crimes and massacres committed by armed terrorist groups which wreaked havoc in the city.
A local from al-Nazhin said that the armed groups would open fire from every direction at people, and made holes in walls to move from one house to another, attacking the houses’ actual owners, adding that the terrorists belonged to several nationalities.
He said that these groups ran amok in the neighborhood and vandalized everything, and that they didn’t spare even schools and mosques.
Another man from the same neighborhood said that snipers were stations in the street he lvied in, preventing people from leaving their homes for two months, targeting passersby and cars and anything that moved in the streets, adding that the terrorists also robbed houses, committed massacres, murders and kidnapping.
In turn, a woman said that the terrorists killed her son on the doorstep of their home as he was returning from school.
One of the locals from Karm al-Zaytoun said that the innocent victims of the massacre that took place in the neighborhood were among those who refused to be involved in the crimes of the armed terrorist groups, which killed anyone who objected to what they do.
He said that these groups mostly consist of Libyans, Iraqis and Lebanese, and that they had no inhibitions.
Another local said that gunmen from Iraq, Libya and other countries came to Karm al-Zaytoun and laid siege on it, murdering many people and forcing others to flee, then they dug trenches and holes in houses’ walls and made makeshift barricades from sewage pipes.
In Ashira neighborhood, the locals said that gunmen had been assaulting them and that they didn’t feel safe until the army entered the area.
A woman from the neighborhood said that terrorists of unknown identities showed up and started terrorizing women and children who were too afraid to leave their homes.
In Karm al-Loz where terrorists massacred 15 people, the locals said that the terrorists were shooting at people in the streets and killing them, with some of the locals saying that they were practically besieged by the terrorists until the army freed them and provided them with food, drink and medicine.
13 Army Martyrs Escorted to Final Resting Place
PROVINCES, (SANA) – The bodies of 13 army members on Wednesday were escorted from the Military Hospitals of Tishreen in Damascus, Aleppo and Zahi Azraq in Lattakia 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 Aleppo and Idleb.
The martyrs are:
- Colonel Qais Suleiman, from Lattakia.
- Lieutenant Colonel Ali Habib, from Lattakia.
- Sergeant Major Sheneiwi Wajeeh al-Mohammad, from Hama.
- Conscript Mohammad Ali Yousef, from Hasaka.
- Conscript Qutaibeh Hamdo al-Sultan, from Deir Ezzor.
- Conscript Hassan Saeed, from Aleppo.
- Conscript Kenan Abu el-Fakher, from Damascus.
- Conscript Farouq Faeq Hijazi, from Aleppo.
- Conscript Hussein al-Aa’raj, from Aleppo.
- Conscript Ahmad al-Maghrebi, from Damascus Countryside.
- Conscript Osama Ibrahim, from Aleppo.
- Conscript Abdullah al-Ali, from Raqqa.
- Conscript Mohammad Nidal Said Zhourati, from Damascus.
The martyrs’ families, stressed adherence to the national unity and determination to foil the conspiracy hatched against Syria, condemning the criminal acts perpetrated by the armed terrorist groups.
They hailed the role of the Syrian army in maintaining the security and stability of the homeland, expressing confidence in the ability of the Syrian people to overcome the crisis through their unity and rallying around their leadership.
Parties Affairs’ Committee Licenses Two New Parties
DAMASCUS, (SANA)-Parties Affairs’ Committee on Wednesday licensed two new parties; the Syrian National Youth Party and the National Youth Party for Justice and development.
Minister of Interior Mohammad al-Shaar, Head of the Committee, said in a press statement that the Committee gave license to the two parties after they completed their papers and legal measures accordion to the new Parties’ Law.
The step raises the number of the parties given licenses to eight in addition to the parties of National Progressive.
The new parties are: the Solidarity, National Development, Syrian Democratic, al-Ansar, Democratic al-Taleaa, Arab Democratic Solidarity, the Syrian National Youth Party and the National Youth Party.
Syrian National Committee for Following up Comprehensive Periodical Review Mechanism at the HRC: Some Countries Use Human Rights for Imposing Hegemony
DAMASCUS, (SANA)_The Syrian National Committee for Following up the Comprehensive Periodical Review Mechanism at the Human Rights Council issued a paper on the development of the human rights situation in Syria, with focus placed on Syria’s new approach in this regard in light of the new constitution.
The Syrian National Committee accepted the constructive proposals put forward by Syria which are based on its interest in benefitting from world countries’ experiences in this regard.
The deliberations focused on proposals for launching national dialogue in Syria, stressing that the Syrian leadership has adopted national dialogue as a way out of the crisis, which gunmen have so far rejected.
The paper criticized the countries that are using human rights to impose hegemony on other countries as they blatantly interfere in the internal affairs of independent states while covering Israel’s violations of human rights in Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan.
The paper also gave a review of the terrorist acts committed by the armed groups and documented detention centers set up by terrorists for incarcerating and torturing people and citizens whom they kidnapped for ransom, not saving the children and elderly.
The National Committee saw that Syria expected the international community to offer help in combating terrorism, not support the armed terrorist groups and provide them with political and media backing.
Venezuelan Parliament Votes by Majority for Decision on Supporting Syria against Conspiracy
CARACAS, (SANA) – Legislative National Assembly of Venezuela (the Parliament) agreed during a session held on Tuesday by a majority of votes on a decision presented by parliamentarians of Syrian origins for solidarity with the country in face of the conspiracy led by the USA to undermine Syria’s stances in support to the resistance and the Arab and libration international movements.
Speaker of the Venezuelan Parliament, Diosdado Cabello, underlined his country’s support to the Syrian people and leadership, pointing out that Syria is encountering an imperialistic conspiracy.
For his part, MP Jull Jabbour, Head of the Syrian-Venezuelan Parliamentary Friendship Committee, who submitted the draft project for supporting the Syrian people and leadership at the Venezuelan parliament, said that the statement presented is not only meant to support Syria but also to unmask the imperialistic schemes which seek to make Syria pay for its national and pan-Arab stances in support of resistance.
Vice Chairman of the Committee of Popular Authority and Media, Julio Chavez, said that what is going on in Syria is similar to what Venezuela suffered from in 2002, when the conspirators used to spread lies about virtual crimes, pointing out that the Syrians’ strong stance will foil the conspiracy.
“Interestingly, some countries which support the conspiracy against Syria do not have parliaments such as Qatar!” The MP said.
The decision, which was unanimously approved by all MPs of the Venezuelan Socialist Party, includes five introductory paragraphs and six acting articles. It stresses support to the Syrian people and leadership in the face of the U.S. imperialistic conspiracy with the aim of destabilizing the situation in the country through arming the terrorist radical groups in an attempt to drag the country into a civil war.
It also hails the reforms launched by the Syrian government including the referendum for a new constitution and urges the international community to reject interference in Syria’s domestic affairs.
China: Beijing is Neutral, Has No Private Interests in the Syrian Issue
BEIJING, (SANA) – China has no private interests in the Syrian issue, and Beijing will stick to neutrality towards all the sides, including the Syrian government, in order for it to issue its own verdict correctly according to the right and wrong principle, Head of the Chinese State Council, Wen Jiabao, said on Wednesday.
Chinese News Agency Xinhua quoted Premier Jiabao as saying in a press conference at the end of the annual parliamentary session that the Arab peoples’ demands for democracy will be respected and honestly met, calling on all the parties in Syria to halt the violence and the killing of citizens.
Premier Jiabao added that China feels great sympathy with the humanitarian suffering of the Syrian people, highlighting that Beijing has contributed in the relevant international humanitarian aid to Syria and will continue to do so.
He stressed that China respects the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people for change and supports the mediation efforts of the joint UN-Arab League special envoy on the Syrian issue.
The Chinese official highlighted that his country has intensively worked with the sides concerned to launch political dialogue in Syria as soon as possible.
Al-Akhbar Newspaper: 33 Armed Groups Spread in Syria
BEIRUT, (SANA) – The Lebanese al-Akhbar newspaper said that thirty three armed groups spread throughout the Syrian governorates of Aleppo, Idleb, Hama, Homs and Daraa, according to the 3rd Security Report issued by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in the US.
The military analyst Joseph Holliday, who served as an Intelligence officer in the U.S. Army from June 2006 to September 2011, said that these armed groups have a clear structure, yet they lack organization.
In the report, Holliday added that three of Syria’s most effective militias maintain direct ties to the “Free Syrian Army” which center in Homs; the northern of Jebel al-Zawiya mountain in Idleb and the southern Hawran plain in Daraa while other groups have no relations to the so-called “Free Syrian Army”.
He stressed that the majority of armed men are civilians carrying weapons who have to rely on external lines of supply to replenish their arms and ammunition.
“The emergence of al-Qaeda-linked terrorist cells working against the regime poses risks to the United States and a challenge to those calling for material support of the armed opposition,” the report said.
Source: The Embassy of Syrian Arab Republican in Kuala Lumpur.