British Hypocrisy on Bahrain

It is just amazing how the British government does not spare a chance in praising Bahrain's repressive government.

Commenting on the King of Bahrain’s announcement to establish an independent commission to look into allegations of human rights abuses, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt said:  “We welcome the establishment today by His Majesty the King of an independent commission, composed of international figures, to look into the events of recent months and into allegations of abuses of human rights.  It is our hope that this promising and significant step will lead to concrete progress in addressing the recent serious concerns about the human rights situation in Bahrain, reiterated by the Foreign Secretary yesterday.  We also hope these developments will be complemented by all sides participating in a successful and peaceful commencement of the National Dialogue.”

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Saudi Forces Withdrawing From Bahrain

Mission accomplished, Freedom stolen and repression done. Back to abusing Indonesian maids

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Saudi Arabia will withdraw most of its 1,200 troops from neighboring Bahrain by next week after a three-month mission to quell an uprising against the monarchy there, a Saudi official said on Tuesday.
King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain asked for help from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in mid-March to end demonstrations against the governing Sunni elite. Most Bahrainis are Shiite.

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Egypt unprepared for September elections

This is very much along my line of belief, especially after visiting Cairo in April. The only party prepared for this elections is the Muslem brotherhood (&co), so this is very dangerous for the whole region. It will destroy a historical opportunity for the peoples of the region. Too unfortunate!





CAIRO — Egypt’s first post-revolution parliamentary elections are due to take place in just three months. But a near-total lack of preparation is prompting fears that the vote will be flawed, undermining the election’s legitimacy and marring a revolution that empowered the Egyptian people.
While the vote is slated for September, no election law has been declared, no electoral system has been announced, no districts drawn and no specific date set. Egyptians who had hoped to embrace democracy after three decades of Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic rule now worry that a troubled election in the Arab world’s most populous country could instead endanger reform efforts in Egypt and beyond.

“If Egypt builds a modern, civil state, that will color the whole region, and if it goes into a dark tunnel, it will take the region there with it,” he said.

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Iran plans to send monkey into space. Will it be Ahmadinejad?

"Iran has unveiled the next stage of its space programme, saying it is going to send a monkey into space next month.

Five monkeys were undergoing tests before one was to be selected for the flight on board a Kavoshgar-5 rocket, the head of Iran's space agency was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency on Monday.

The announcement comes after Iranian state television showed footage of a missile training exercise conducted by the country's Revolutionary Guards.

A spokesman said the war games tested long, medium and short-range missile capability on ground and sea targets.

Iran says it has a wide range of missiles, some capable of striking Israel and US bases in the region"

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Son of Syria's former President speaks for the first time

This is an article by Ali Atassi, the son of Syria's former President Nureddine Atassi who spent the rest of his life in incarceration without trial or charge. I wonder what is it like for Atassi to live his whole life seeing the fake celebrations of the coup against his father. It must have been difficult; but at the end of the day, as he himself acknowledges, his father's suffering are but one of many sometimes more brutal attrocities of Assad's regime.

"IN 2009, National Geographic published an article on Syria by a special correspondent, Don Belt, who had interviewed President Bashar al-Assad. In 2000, shortly after the funeral of his father, President Hafez al-Assad, the son entered his father’s office for only the second time in his life. His first visit had been at age 7, “running excitedly to tell his father about his first French lesson.” The president “remembers seeing a big bottle of cologne on a cabinet next to his father’s desk,” Mr. Belt wrote. “He was amazed to find it still there 27 years later, practically untouched.”
The bottle can be seen as an allegory for Syria itself — the Syria that has been out of sight for the 40 years of the Assads’ rule, a country and its aspirations placed on a shelf and forgotten for decades in the name of stability."

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Moussa Kousa's secret plot to topple Gaddafi from the Four Seasons

Moussa Koussa could help rebels in Libya from his five-star subsidised hotel in Qatar, Downing Street has suggested.

The news came after The Daily Telegraph tracked Mr Koussa to a 17th floor penthouse at the Four Seasons hotel in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

The former Libyan intelligence chief and foreign minister is thought to have been living there for several weeks, since being allowed to leave Britain after he defected this year. It is understood his hotel bills are being met by Qatar.

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defector says he was told to shoot unarmed protesters

Wasid, a Syrian conscript, set off for the southern town of Deraa in late April filled with the zeal of a soldier going to war. "We were going to fight terrorists," he said. But less than a day after arriving there, he was planning to defect.

The Syrian regime has cast the uprising in Deraa as a conflict between a loyal military and a large and highly mobile group of heavily-armed foreign-backed insurgents, roaming the country attempting to ignite sectarian strife.

Over three hours in an Istanbul safehouse, Wasid, 20, described events in the southern town where the wave of dissent that has swept Syria first broke. His account starkly contradicts the official narrative.

"As soon as we got there, the officers told us not to shoot at the men carrying guns. They said they [the gunmen] were with us. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It had all been lies," he said.

In the month they were stationed there, neither Wasid nor any of his colleagues saw any demonstrators with weapons in Deraa or the nearby town of Izraa. And instead of confronting armed insurgents, the unit was ordered to shoot protesters. "It shocked me," he said. "We are soldiers and soldiers do not shoot at civilians."

In the weeks leading up his deployment with the Syrian army's 14th Division, commanders had given regular briefings on the "violence" ahead. Wasid was convinced he would soon be in combat.

"When we were at the base in Damascus before we left for Deraa, we were not allowed to watch television at all, except for two hours each day when we could watch Rami Makhlouf's channel," he said. [Makhlouf, a tycoon, is President Bashar al-Assad's first cousin]. "All they showed were armed groups roaming the villages. I found out later that these groups were on our [the regime's] side – they were the Shabiha." According to Wasid, the Shabiha – ghosts – were the only civilian gunmen in town. Their group has strong links to the military and has developed a reputation over recent bloody months of being willing to do the dirty work in troublesome towns and villages.

"The first day we arrived there, 24 April, the Shabiha came to the base to speak with our officers. It was clear that the relationship was close."

Wasid showed the Guardian his military ID and application for refugee status, copies of which have been kept.

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Fancy Chinese takeout in Tripoli?

I could not stop laughing, the Chinese would do business in Tripoli even under NATO bombings. The NATO bombings are a joke of course, but the Chinese resilience in making money even if during war is enormous. I mean they had businesses in Darfur for God's sake. Check Gaddafi's photo in this picture

"TRIPOLI, Libya — Even with bombs raining down on Tripoli and gunfire crackling throughout the night, every time the phone rings at the al-Maida Chinese restaurant, the Dai family springs into action.
The thousands-strong Chinese labor force that helped make the family one of the most successful restaurateurs in this battered capital left the country soon after an uprising plunged Libya into chaos in February. "

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The Syrian-Iranian pressure on the U.S. in Iraq

Having covered Iraq for most of my journalism and acadamic career, I would be less hesitant to say that I see an Iranian-Syrian coordination on increasing the pressure on the United States for some sort of deal in the post Arab revolutions era. The Syrians want less accountability if not immunity in their brutal crackdown, and of course dismantling the Hariri tribunal. The Iranians would like to see more leverage for their Middle Eastern policy.

"Two American soldiers were killed Sunday in Iraq, the military command said, making June the worst month in combat-related fatalities for United States forces in Iraq in more than two years. The casualties also reflected the dangers ahead as the United States prepares to withdraw all its troops from Iraq by the end of the year".

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Moussa Koussa "Qaddafi's thug" lives in Qatar's luxury

Shame on the Qataris for allowing this thug to live in luxury after he led the regime's brutal crackdown on every opposing voice. Sympathy for those who were hanged after opposing the Libyan dictator.

"Mr Koussa has been living for several weeks in a 17th-floor penthouse suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, the capital of Qatar, under the protection of Qatari security services.

He has been in the Gulf state, a close western ally which is also a conduit for support for the Libyan opposition, since being allowed to leave Britain in mid-April.

At the time officials said Mr Koussa was likely to return to the United Kingdom, where his grandchildren live.

But at the weekend he refused to say when he would leave Qatar, or even if would be allowed to. He is constantly trailed by a team of Qatari “minders”, who were summoned to escort The Daily Telegraph away when it approached him for an interview.

The Conservative MP for Harlow, Robert Halfon, called for Mr Koussa to be handed over to the International Criminal Court in the Hague and put on trial for his role in atrocities perpetrated over decades by the Libyan government under Col Muammar Gaddafi. "

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"Comical Sally", the Syrian regime's spokesperson, returns to TV

This is really funny, check out her silly statements on Syrian TV:

"Reem Haddad had disappeared from the air-waves after saying that refugees fleeing into Turkey were "visiting relatives". She said: "It's a bit like having a problem in your street, and your mum lives in the next street, so you go and visit your mum for a bit." "

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Syrian authorities give go-ahead to opposition meeting

The Guardian's reporter in Damascus is sending the most accurate reports, according to activists in the Syrian capital and in Beirut. This conference is important as it is very symbolic, but I doubt it will end the current revolution. The local coordination committees and the Muslim Brotherhood have been excluded, and they are the most popular and mobile on the ground, not the veteran intellectuals who command respect but not loyalty. The fact that they have spent most of their lives in prison hands them credibility, but they will not end this crisis. The reason is that the regime knows what to do, and the demands are known. The same Syrian intellectuals laid out a road map for the crisis. The current regime will form with the opposition a transitional government to hold an elections in order to end the dictatorship. If the regime accepts to go in that direction, would the opposition trust it? I don't think it is trustworthy and I could see many spoilers working behind the scene.

More than 150 Syrian intellectuals and activists including prominent opposition figures will meet in Damascus on Monday to discuss the current crisis and propose a way out of the violence.
Figures attending the conference at a hotel in central Damascus are keen to emphasise that the meeting will be a discussion between independent figures and will not include representatives of the regime nor the opposition.
Those affiliated with political parties have not been invited to attend .
But some opposition figures refused to attend, fearing that any sanctioned meeting in the midst of a brutal crackdown on the four-month uprising would be used by the government to establish credentials for openness without actually committing to widespread reform.
Syrian authorities have apparently given permission for the gathering to go ahead.

International pressure on the regime to give ground to demonstrators who continue to take to the streets of Syria's towns and cities remains intense, despite Damascus insisting at the weekend that frequent outbursts of deadly violence across the country were being caused by a large foreign-backed gang that is outmanoeuvring its formidable military.

Some foreign reporters have been allowed to enter Syria, although most are working with government minders and do not have freedom to move around the country. President Bashar al-Assad said last week he had met some opposition members and citizens who had presented grievances he described as "legitimate".

Maan Abdul Salam, an activist in Damascus, said: "The street has opened a space for us and we plan to claim back political life, which has been underground for years. We need to have an open discussion about what is happening in the country."

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Syria caught in crossfire of extremists Pro-democracy protests are being infiltrated by armed jihadists, provoking the army into lethal gun battles

Hala Jaber in Ma’arrat Al-Nu’man, Syria Published: 26 June 2011

They came in their thousands to march for freedom in Ma’arrat al-Nu’man, a shabby town surrounded by pristine fields of camomile and pistachio in the restive northwest of Syria.

The demonstration followed a routine familiar to everyone who had taken part each Friday for the past 11 weeks, yet to attend on this occasion required extraordinary courage.

The previous week four protesters had been shot dead for trying to block the main road between Damascus, the capital, and Aleppo, the country’s largest city. The week before that, four others were killed.

So enraged were the townspeople at the blood spilt by the mukhabarat, or secret police, that intermediaries had struck a deal between the two sides. Four hundred members of the security forces had been withdrawn from Ma’arrat in return for the promise of an orderly protest. The remainder, 49 armed police and 40 reserves, were confined to a barracks near the centre of town. By the time 5,000 unarmed marchers reached the main square, however, they had been joined by men with pistols.

At first the tribal elders leading the march thought these men had simply come prepared to defend themselves if shooting broke out. But when they saw more weapons — rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers held by men with heavy beards in cars and pick-ups with no registration plates — they knew trouble lay ahead.

Hala Jaber in Damascus Published: 26 June 2011

Syria caught in crossfire of extremists

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The CIA infiltrated Hezbollah

It does make some sense that the CIA is infiltrating Hezbollah, as the Americans are considered much less of an enemy than the Israelis. This is interesting on many levels, as the Israelis have always posed as another player when infiltrating the resistance movements.

"The head of Hezbollah has said two of the Lebanese Islamist group's members have confessed to working for the CIA.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said a third man was under investigation, accused of spying for the US intelligence agency.
The three men, who have been detained, had not compromised Hezbollah or its military capabilities, he said.
The US, which lists Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, insisted there was no truth in Sheikh Nasrallah's claims.
Embassy 'spying centre'?
In a video message aired on Friday, Mr Nasrallah accused the US of working on Israel's behalf.
"The Israelis failed to penetrate the structure of Hezbollah so they have turned to the CIA for help," he said.
"The information that those CIA officers requested from the (members) does not interest the American administration, it is military details that interests Israel in any war"

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Hama's demonstration

300,000 people demonstrated in Hama today, here is the video link.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FByfSsvKVzc

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Ramadan: The month of the downfall of Assad

An interesting analysis from the Guardian correspondent in Damascus. This Ramadan will mark the downfall of the regime as prayers are held daily, and demonstrations will be more difficult to repress or control. Very interesting and we will be waiting for this month.


"It's still early to tell the full extent of Syria's protests today but numbers seem bigger than last week. And the widespread nature of the protest shows the failure of president Bashar al-Assad's speech to dampen revolutionary fervour.
Activists are less concerned by numbers now - although they are still keen to rally more protesters in Damascus and Aleppo - but are looking at how to move forward.
This is the 15th Friday in which people have taken to the streets. Many are looking for a factor to trigger what they see as the inevitable downfall of the regime - either the economy collapsing (which is on the cards but could take months) or increased international pressure by Turkey.
Opposition and analysts see Ramadan as a deadline for ramping up pressure – people go to the mosque every day making protests more likely - but that is still over a month away."

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Today's demonstrations: Bashar is not my President

Demonstrations today, the Friday of the Fallen Legitimacy, or deligitimization, have started in every province. I am looking forward to getting videos from major cities. Till now, it is Homs, Hama (Aleppo), and the Kurdish and Southern cities. The most interesting has been the banners used, "Bashar is not my president". Well, sure enough, he has no legitimacy whatsoever. Another note on today, so far, is the heavy military presence in the cities, prior to any demonstration. The fact that they are emptying villages where demonstrations are being held, as form of collective punishment, means we will see less of those. The cities are where people should look out for. This is why the military presence has been concentrated there, especially in Homs.

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Analysis - Lebanon's Hezbollah may fight Israel to relieve Syria

(Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group is preparing for a possible war with Israel to relieve perceived Western pressure to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its guardian ally, sources close to the movement say.

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Maid 'held hostage' for 14 years in Saudi Arabia

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have discovered a Sri Lankan maid who had been kept against her will without pay for nearly 14 years by her local employers, in the latest case of abuse of domestic workers in the kingdom.

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Syria's cultural revolution

For the young activists, some of whom I interviewed recently in Damascus, the uprising has been about reclaiming the country from the ruling clique; transcending ethnic and sectarian divisions that the regime has manipulated to maintain its power; and forging a national identity tied to rights and obligations of citizenship. The movement includes many who, at a very young age, took part in the civil forums of the Damascus spring of 2000, or have political activists or prisoners of conscience in their families. It began with small acts of solidarity with Egypt and Tunisia, in particular candlelight vigils in which a few dared to gather in public places despite the menacing presence of security personnel.

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The Arab spring exposes Nasrallah's hypocrisy

Hassan Nasrallah is in trouble. This time the troubles of the Secretary General of Hezbollah, which were hitherto the source of his strength, are not coming from Israel, or from the sectarian politics of Lebanon. Seyyed Hassan's troubles, which this time around are the harbingers of his undoing as an outdated fighter, are coming from, of all places, the Arab Spring.
The Arab Spring, the transnational uprising of masses of millions of people from Morocco to Oman, from Syria to Yemen, is making the aging warrior redundant - his habitually eloquent tongue now stuttering for words. Two years ago, he thought he got away with rejecting the democratic uprising in Iran (whose brutal ruling regime is his principle patron and financier), as a plot by the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. And he did - aided and abetted by the moral and intellectual sclerosis of a segment of Arab intellectuals who thought Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Islamic theocracy were the vanguard of "resistance" to US/Israel imperialism in the region and thus should be spared from criticism. And then Tunisia happened, and Egypt, and Libya, and Bahrain, and Yemen - and then, Hassan Nasrallah and Ali Khamenei's nightmare, Syria happened. It is a sad scene to see a once mighty warrior being bypassed by the force of history, and all he can do is to fumble clumsily to reveal he has not learned the art of aging gracefully.

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Saudi beheads an abused Indonesian maid!

Indonesia is to stop allowing its citizens to work as domestic servants in Saudi Arabia after the execution of a maid for murder last week.

Officials said the moratorium would begin on 1 August and last until the countries could agree on a policy of fair treatment for migrant workers.

Ruyati binti Sapubi, 54, was beheaded on Saturday after confessing to killing her employer, saying he had abused her.

Saudi Arabia apologised for not telling Indonesia, Jakarta said.

About 1.5 million Indonesians work in Saudi Arabia - many of them as domestic maids.

But there have been rows over alleged mistreatment in the recent past.

In April a Saudi woman, convicted of beating and torturing an Indonesian maid, had her conviction quashed on appeal - sparking protests in Indonesia.

Indonesian labour ministry spokeswoman Dita Indah Sari said the department would work closely with other government agencies on tightening all regulations concerning overseas domestic work.

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Understanding the standing ovations for Netanyahu in Congress

"If modernity is to be partly understood as a social and political discourse and practice free of the influence of mythology, shamanism and phantasm, then the case may be that the United States, the leading capitalist power, is anything but modern. One recent occurrence, the speech of Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister to congress, which had received 29 standing ovations may, in two particular accolades,  unequivocally demonstrate the point. Standing ovations numbered 15 and 16 respectively, in which biblical references to Judea and Samaria and a 4000 thousand years old bond of Jewish people to Jewish land exemplify the body language a state to mythical statements.  How is one to understand this raucous applause to religious myths from the representatives of the most advanced capitalist state, which is, at one end, the ‘realisation of the spirit’ and, on the other the mediation of the varying positions of social classes in society?"

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Bahrain hands life sentences to dissidents after executing and torturing others

Repression is only getting worse in Bahrain: execution, torture, incarceration, repression, silencing voices, and now life sentences.

"Bahrain has sentenced eight Shia activists to life in jail for plotting to overthrow the government, the state news agency BNA reports.

They were among 21 opposition figures tried by a special security court. Others got sentences of up to 15 years.

Ahead of the verdict, Shia protesters blocked roads and staged rallies".

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Undercover journalist joins Syrian protesters on the run in Damascus

An undercover journalist joins protestors in the Syrian revolution. I was just discussing with a colleague that Syria is the full-bodied revolution in this Arab spring. Very interesting


"Hungry, I opened the fridge. There was nothing in it. "Welcome to the Syrian Revolution", I told myself and settled down on the lumpy mattress to try to sleep.
I soon found I was not alone in my predicament. During the next few days I was transported between the sprawling suburbs of the Syrian capital to meet activists and opposition politicians, and discovered that most of them are in hiding.
Mustafa, a 40-year-old "revolutionary advocate", as he calls himself, is living in similar conditions to mine, in a borrowed room well away from his home address where the country's ubiquitous security police, the Mukhabarat, would be looking for him.
He too has a mattress on the floor, but also a table for his laptop from where he sends the latest news of atrocities, how many had been killed at the Friday protests, how many arrested and so on, to human rights organisations outside the country.
Identity hidden
He also does not eat but, like everyone I met in Syria, chain smokes. With his hands shaking as he lights the next cigarette from the stub of the last, he says, "Welcome to the land of neurotics!"
When I started to interview him, he turned his back to the camera. "I can't show my face", he explained.
What do you political activists want for Syria, I asked? "I want to be able to talk to you, and to the world without hiding like this. We want to be able to criticise our government. We want freedom of speech, we want democracy, we want the things that you regard as normal," he said.

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المعاكسات في مصر بعد الثورة: أموت في الانفلات الأمنى

أموت في الانفلات الأمنى
عاوزك في حوار وطني
انا أبويا معتقل وأمي في التحرير والبيت فاضي يا جميل
......الجميل من هنا ولا مرتزقه؟
تحرير ولا مصطفى محمود يا قطة
اموت أنا وأثور السنه
صوابعك دي ولا صوابع خارجيه؟
امتى النظام يسمح يا جميل- وانزل معاك ميدان التحرير
نفسي ايدي و ايد ابوكي تبقي ايد واحده
أكيد مامي دبابه علشان تجيب الصاروخ ده كله

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UNHCR finds North Western Syria "emptied"!

Check this report from UNHCR on emptied villages in North Western Syria, very sad.



"UNHCR participated in a government-organized mission to the Syrian town of Jisr Al Shugour yesterday, close to the border with Turkey. The visit was led by the Syrian military for 150 diplomats, members of the media, and UN agencies and approached Jisr al Shugour from Idlib to the east. A UNHCR staff member reported that villages were increasingly empty from around 40 kilometres away from Jisr al Shugour. There was no evidence of people working in the fields. Jisr al Shugour itself was almost deserted, with most shops shuttered and closed.
The mission was shown the scene of the battle and did not focus on humanitarian needs. No displaced populations were encountered, but the fact that Jisr al Shughour and surrounding villages are empty indicates significant displacement".

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Syrian men promise to marry women who were raped

From one form of rape to the other. Just help them leave the country and get a proper start abroad. It does not make sense to marry raped women as a form of help. The news is that the regime is using Alawite gangs, the Shabiha, to rape; this will definitely exacerbate sectarian tensions. 

"KHIRBET AL-JOUS, Syria — A group of men have committed themselves to an unlikely way of challenging the violence that has swept Syria in recent months, pledging to marry women they have never met.

One involves four sisters, from the nearby town of Sumeriya, who were allegedly raped by pro-government Shabiha militiamen."

(Picture: Syrian refugees in Turkey)

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Ben Ali sentenced for 35 years only!

This dictator is responsible for killing hundreds of his own country men, he imprisoned thousands and silenced millions. And he get for that only 35 years? That doesn't add up. Anyways, he is not going to serve any years, and will remain in Saudi Arabia for the rest of his life. But he appointed the lousy Lebanese lawyer Akram Azouri to defend him in Tunisia, so we will be hearing many statements on his behalf in the coming future. The important thing about this trial is that it heralds a new era of accountability for the Tunisian people, this is exactly what we need in the rest of the Arab world. 

"The former Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife have been sentenced to 35 years in jail after being found guilty of theft in absentia by a Tunisian court".

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Burhan Ghalioun on the Coordination committees: the future of the opposition

This Syrian scholar/dissident in Paris is the most respected among the Syrian opposition. It might be related to the fact that he has no political ambition whatsoever, but he remains the only figure I know who commands respect among all. Here he is pretty right about the opposition movement, they are so divided I doubt anything will come out of them, which means ofcourse that the largest organisation, the Muslim Brotherhood, will dominate post-Assad Syria. Even then, I think the brotherhood is capable of carving a much brighter future for Syria than the Assad clan.

“Opposition figures should have risen above their pettiness, their complexes and their sensitivities a long time ago to form a united front against the regime,” said Burhan Ghalioun, a Syrian scholar in Paris. Though they lived a half-century underground, Mr. Ghalioun said, “they are partly responsible for what is happening, and so far they have failed the uprising.”

He called the Local Coordination Committees “the future of the opposition.”

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The turnover in Syria's prisons: 50,000 arrests

It is just amazing how quick Syrians are in demonstrating against the regime. They are staging quick and small demonstrations almost in every city, check this one in Deraa. An interesting fact, highlighted in this article by Yasseen Haj Saleh, is that the demonstrations in Syria's revolution have been many, though smaller in size. The reason for that has to do with the regime's cruelty. When there are so many small demonstrations, the regime's ability to repress diminishes. Also, one would notice the small demonstrations held at night time in Syria, as it is much easier for participants to run away.

One more point I was discussing with a colleague today is that the number of the arrested in Syria has reached 50,000. Now, the regime is infamous for a fast turnover in arrests; for instance, it is being reported that there are 10,000 detained. The regime, to tackle the large number of participants, is releasing demonstrators after a tour in its torture chambers, then it is arresting a fresh group of activists from the streets. I think someone should report on that turnover aspect in Syrian repression.

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Statement by the Local Coordinating Committees in Syria Regarding Assad Speech

The president's speech came after a long absence of any Syrian official to address the uprising people, constituting only a repeat of the previous speeches -  including the promises which did not materialize, and the veiled threats and accusations, or directly under the umbrella of the vocabulary of empty about plot and plotters.
Not even close to the speech of a national crisis which is affecting the country since three months ago, and he insisted to have blind eye on the facts that becomes clear to anyone who wants to see. The most important fact is the Syrians willing and desire in the transition the country to a democratic, free and pluralistic.
The Local Coordinating Committees in Syria sees in the speech of the President, consecration of the crisis by regime that entrenches behind the denial and a blind eye to see the new reality imposed by the continuous Syrians revolution and it will be continue until they get their rights. It is also, complete disregard for the crimes of the security of the system that committed acts of murder and mutilation of thousands and the arrest of demonstrators and activists whom most of them still have unknown fate until this moment. On the other hand, the Local Coordinating Committees, in the view of the alleged call for dialogue contained in the speech sees that it is a way to gain more time at the expense of the Syrians blood and the sacrifices.
we have announced previously, we rejected any dialogue  in the  light of the continued killings and intimidation and the siege of cities and arbitrary arrests.  As we believe that there will be no benefit of any dialogue if it is not intended to turn the current page of the regime, peacefully, a shift towards a new, democratic and free  Syria - for all its citizens. The true  response to that speech came by the people just right after the speech in few minutes  when the demonstrations started in various cities and provinces.
Our revolution will continue
Compassion to our martyrs and victory of our revolution for a free, democratic Syria.

20-6-2011

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Syrian Germs want to overthrow the regime الجراثيم تريد اسقاط النظام

This is an image from a new Facebook group called "The Germs want to overthrow the regime"; an answer from Syrian dissidents to Bashar Assad's speech today. Here is the group's link 

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66% of Palestinians are refugees

66% of Palestinians today are refugees. 41.6% in Jordan, 23.3 % in Gaza, 16.4 in the West Bank, 8.9% in Lebanon, and 9.9 in Syria.

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Israel to build a Wall in the Golan Heights

Israel plans to become a walled state. The best solution to legitimize occupation is to build a wall, and the U.S. will recognise "realities" and call for land swaps. Whatever.

"OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli government agreed on Sunday to build a wall along the borders of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to block infiltration of Palestinians through the border town of Majdal Shams.
The second Israeli TV channel revealed that work would start soon in the border wall that would be eight meters high along an area of four kilometers near Majdal Shams.
It said that Benny Gantz, the chief of general staff, ordered conclusion of work at the wall by September that is before the UN vote on recognizing a Palestinian state."

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Israel's pious spies: The Hezbollah ring

This is very serious news for Hezbollah. The party boasted for decades it effective internal counter espionage capabilities, especially the vetting processes. It is the first time I hear of such arrests; one of those arrested is a Southern Cadre in Hezbollah, Mohamad Atwi from Harouf. I am skeptical about media reports, but the fact that the party has not responded to the speculations lends credibility to the news. Here is the report in English about the arrests of Israeli spies within Hezbollah's ranks. I am trying to understand which Hezbollah official's brother was arrested.

(Picture: Syed Mohamad Husseini, an anti Hezbollah Shiite cleric, was recently arrested for spying)

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Divisions in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood? I don't think so

The matter of fact is divisions are there because there is no real alternative to the brotherhood. When I was in Cairo last month, activists told me that the brotherhood sees a major opportunity in this elections, and is trying to support "independent" candidates to have a parliamentary majority alongside its 50% quota. I think the Islamists will definitely have a majority as time is not on the side of the various secular factions.

"The result has been a kind of paralysis. While Mubarak’s National Democratic Party is no longer on the scene, only a few alternatives have gained official status, and two of them — the Muslim Brotherhood and a moderate Islamist party called al-Wasat — have been around for years.
As for the new political groups, only three secular parties have submitted papers and are awaiting licenses. But time is not on their side. Egypt’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for September, although some activists and officials, including interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, have called for the vote to be postponed".

(Picture: Abulfotooh)

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Tukey demands that Assad's brother resigns

The most important issue that people keep forgetting is that the people also demand accountability. One cannot oversee the fact that in Egypt and Tunisia, accountability was a major demand. In Yemen, putting Saleh accountable was a major demand that split the opposition during GCC sponsored negotiations. And now Turkey is taking the GCC route, finding ways to keep the regime, "blame it all on Maher". Maher is a general; he is Mladic. His brother, the president, is Karadzic-the political authority. If you are not sure which side is in control, let a court decide.

"Signalling a further loss of patience with its former ally, the Turkish government sent an envoy to Damascus with a letter calling for the immediate removal of Maher al-Assad, dubbed Syria's "thug in chief", from his post as commander of the army's elite Fourth Division and Presidential Guards".

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Bashar's speech

If "conspiracies are like germs, reproducing everywhere, in every moment", as Assad said in his speech, then the regime is in a constant state of paranoia. Democratic pluralism and paranoia are two opposites, the only solution is the kind of totalitarian state that is now present in Syria. His promises of reform are void and have no true meaning. You cannot provide political space for others if you consider them vandals and saboteurs. Such proposed political changes require a revision of Syria's past. Assad was very adamant when he called the 1982 Hama massacre "the black era" of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Assad also used Baathist rhetoric, reminiscent of Aflak's ideology, when he said that "Germs are everywhere, within our bodies and without our bodies". Aflak, the founder of Ba'th stated that dangerous ideas are like germs which spread all over one's body, thus calling for the annihilation of the nation's enemy. I see in Assad's statement a call to eradicate "the disease of dissent".

The LA Times' correspondent had the following report about the proposed reforms, although I believe they will mirror the effect of lifting the emergency law. The Ba'th will remain the dominant party as it is synonymous to the state, so there is no effect to changing the constitution to say it is not the leader of the country. The constitution only matters when there is rule of law not a dominance of secret police over all forms of life.

"According to the Ba'ath Party official, who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity, embattled President Bashar Assad will soon propose a change in the language of Article 8 of the Syrian Constitution from granting his party "leadership of state and society" to "leadership in state and society," in an attempt to meet domestic and international demands for change ...
"With this amendment, the Ba'ath Party becomes a party operating on Syrian territory and have priority in the state as a result of tradition," said the high-ranking official, who did not want his name to be used because he was not authorised to speak to foreign media. "A law of parties will be introduced within 30 days, allowing political parties to obtain licenses and giving the right to any group to establish a political party on Syrian territory and to compete with the Ba'ath Party and the Progressive Front," a collection of Ba'ath front groups." (LA Times)

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The story of youtube videos from Syria: The Turkish connection

It is all adding up now, the border connection is clear. Using mobile phones, internet access through probably a USB key. This is related to earlier reports on the regime's efforts to stop the establishment of a border safe-haven for the rebels. Very interesting piece in the NYT today:

"Many of those videos stream through this bare-bones media center in a hillside olive grove near the border with Turkey, where a group of a dozen revolutionaries-turned-refugees work, eat and sleep. “We try to capture all the crimes committed by the government to show to the global media,” said Mr. Saeb, 34, who fled here last week after security forces attacked his hometown, Jisr al-Shoughour. They also recorded the testimonies of six army officers who had recently defected and fled for the border."
He and the others then moved to the border zone. Here, people are as likely to speak Turkish as Arabic, and cellphones are as likely to pick up a signal from Turkcell as from Syriatel, a telecom giant owned until recently by a cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, which cut off mobile Internet 3G service here weeks ago".
Mr. Saeb fled last weekend’s military operation against Jisr al-Shoughour. Muhammad, 27, who did not want to be fully identified for fear of arrest, has been on the run for several weeks, since fleeing the port city of Latakia and abandoning his job as a cameraman and technician for the state television network. The job left him angry but equipped him with the skills for media activism.

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Gaddafi: I will turn Misrata's blue sea into red with its inhabitants' blood

This is a really interesting piece by the Observer today, very interesting indeed, I hope it is true though. From my experience, most of the rebels lie about documents they have. Remember the Iraqi case. Before the Iraq invasion, every dissident I met had documents from Saddam personally. Very weird orders. You just lose the ability to believe sometimes but here is the Observer's story:

"Plans to bombard the city are also in the archive, say investigators, who also claim they have a message from Gaddafi relayed to the troops ordering that Misrata be obliterated and the "blue sea turned red" with the blood of the inhabitants".

Picture: Gaddafi dressed up as a woman by his Ukrainian nurse

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Karzai: the Americans open talks with the Taliban

They are negotiating their withdrawal, but the question is what will happen with him and his warlords. Sources in Afghanistan have informed me that the warlords are preparing for a confrontation in the aftermath of the  withdrawal of foreign forces. Apparently, each of them is bidding for a stronger role in that particular stage. These same sources told me that the warlords are still acting as if there is no Taliban around to bid for power. Very strange, but it is nevertheless reminiscent of another case where the international community through Lakhdar Brahimi, brought warlords into power: Lebanon. There, the warlords are still operating in a semi-conflict, fueled by geopolitical rent and polarization. Ofcourse, alliances have been reshuffled since the end of the civil war. But like in Afghanistan, same old same old.
Here is Karzai's statement (most probably, he will have to go to Saudi Arabia as a part of any deal):

"Hamid Karzai said "foreign militaries, especially the United States of America, are going ahead with these negotiations", confirming speculation that the US was pursuing its own initiative to find a political settlement to the decade-long war.

Speaking in Kabul, he said: "Peace talks have started with [the Taliban] already and it is going well."

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Compulsory service for young men in Tripoli

A piece on compulsory service in Tripoli.

"Novice soldiers like Refat, whose account provided the first confirmation of widespread rebel reports of their nocturnal guerrilla attacks, appear to be an increasingly important part of the Qaddafi government’s defense against potential insurrection in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. The professional soldiers of the Qaddafi militias who once cruised the streets of neighborhoods like Souq al-Juma in their white Toyota pickup trucks, he said, have all been called away to fight on the front lines near Misurata, the Nafusa Mountains or the eastern oil city of Brega"

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Thank you Angelina

In her role as UN Goodwill Ambassador actress Angelina Jolie admits to being "impressed and disturbed" as she visits refugees forced to flee into Turkey by the escalating unrest in Syria.

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How the Syrian regime invested the Lesbian Hoax

Here is the evidence Mr. MacMaster for the kind of politics you are playing in. In this video, the regime's propaganda tv, Dunya, owned by Makhlouf/Assad's cousin, ran this report, saying that Syrian activist leaders are gay.  They name Rami Nakhle, a Beirut based Syrian activist, stating that he is gay and lives with his partner in a Beirut Suburb. Regardless of whether he is gay or not, the hoax serves to support the regime's claim that the revolution is a Western-Israeli conspiracy. So if this message reaches you, please shut up!

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A roundup of today's Demonstrations in Syria

Today's demonstrations in Syria mark the entry of the country's largest city into the revolution. Aleppo, or Halab in Arabic, witnessed several demonstrations in the areas of tal ref'at, al-eza'a, hureitan, saif el dawla, the university city, and saladin.

Here's a video of the demonstration in Hureitan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTnkqOV24og

Another video of a demonstration in downtown Damascus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9HQvM_UGMM

And in Hama, the demonstrations are only growing in size, activists are speaking of hundreds of thousands already. Here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaSGcrdu4vM


PS. the demonstrations in Syria this Friday were named after Saleh Al-Ali, a Allawite Sheikh who revolted against the French and rejected an offer to establish a Allawite state.


And here is a photo of Al-Ali:

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A defected Syrian colonel speaks

"The Syrian colonel sits cross-legged on a patch of moist soil, wearing a borrowed plaid shirt and pale green trousers, surrounded by dozens of men who had fled the besieged northern Syrian city of Jisr al-Shoughour to an orchard a few hundred meters from the Turkish border. He says his name is Hussein Harmoush and shows TIME a laminated military ID card indicating his name and title. Everyone around calls him moqadam — Arabic for his rank. A colonel with the 11th Armored Division of the army's 3rd Corps, the 22-year military veteran says he burned his uniform in disgust more than a week ago, starting with the rank designated on his epaulets, then the rest of it"

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Makhlouf quits profits when the economy slows down

Given the state of the Syrian economy, giving away profits doesn't mean much. The Syrian regime is a master in going way below expectations; it only enforces one's belief that it must go now, and there is no place for trust in any reform this regime undertakes. Rami Makhouf gives away his profits and keeps his Syria-Tel share.

"Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of President Bashar al-Assad and focus of anti-corruption protests, is quitting business, state media said, in a major concession to demonstrations against Assad's rule".

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Few signs of optimism in Tunisia

Anyone who visits either Egypt or Tunisia after the revolution, and I did (Cairo), notices the uncertainty among the people. I think it is a dangerous feeling, very dangerous, especially if the situation becomes chaotic. That would bring us a lasting dictatorship. The hope remains as this Tunisian put it:  


"Tunisia doesn't know where it's going," Bouguerra said. "But it knows where it came from and it doesn't want to go back there."

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Lebanon's mufti: Palestinians are garbage!

Lebanon's mufti's racist statements came at a meeting with a Palestinian delegation from refugee camps; the Palestinians later issued a statement saying that Mohamad Qabani, the mufti, called them "garbage" and "unwelcome guests". He later issued a statement denying that this ever happened.
His son was recently accused of misusing the Islamic charity fund; he apparently established a consultancy and and was awarded a contract to run a feasibility study for an eye hospital. The hospital was never built, but the feasibility study cost dozens of thousands of dollars.

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Farmer’s Guide to the New Middle East

"Saudi ArabiaYou have two cows with endless reserves of milk. Gorge them with grass, prevent them from interacting with bulls, and import South Asians to milk them.
IranYou have two cows. You interrogate them until they concede they are Zionist agents. You send their milk to southern Lebanon and Gaza, or render it into highly enriched cream. International sanctions prevent your milk from being bought on the open market.
SyriaYou have five cows, one of whom is an Alawite. Feed the Alawite cow well; beat the non-Alawite cows. Use the milk to finance your wife's shopping sprees in London.
LebanonYou have two cows. Syria claims ownership over them. You take them abroad and start successful cattle farms in Africa, Australia, and Latin America. You send the proceeds back home so your relatives can afford cosmetic surgery and Mercedes-Benzes. "

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al-Qaeda targeting Eton college

Why would al-Qaeda target Eton? I mean there is really no Islamic reason or real significance for the college. My contention is that there are classist reasons for them to do that. The British born and bred al-Qaeda operatives have a working class contempt of Eton and all those British posh colleges which stand as a reminder of their social status. No way they would ever dream of going to those colleges or send their sons there.

Cameron and Johnson, both above, went to Eton.

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Che's diary: a dedication to Syria's revolution

After posting Che's video in Damascus, the news of his new diary came up, and I came across an old quote that I like to dedicate to the young Syrians fighting for freedom from tyranny.



"Against brute force and injustice the people will have the last word. That of freedom." ~ Che Guevara

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CIA building "secret base" for Yemen strikes, Guess where?

"WASHINGTON — The Central Intelligence Agency is building a secret air base in the Middle East to serve as a launching pad for strikes in Yemen using armed drones, an American official said Tuesday"

Guess where that Secret base will be? Let me think out loud. Yemen has borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman, and is very close by to Djibouti. Oman has special relations with Iran, and is more neutral to have such a base. Djibouti already has an American base, so there is no need to build "a secret one". So that leaves us with one option, guess who? Most probably, they know feel very threatened, an Arab spring, and unrest in Yemen. The American protection for the regime would be the only card left, and of course there is an extra charge, a secret base, alongside the multi billion dollars weapon and oil contracts.

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