• Bashar al-Assad claims he is not responsible for violence
• US ambassador Robert Ford returns to Damascus
• Clinton urges Syrian opposition to respect minorities
Posted by Matthew Weaver and Haroon Siddique
Wednesday 7 December 2011 17.58 GMT
guardian.co.uk
Article history
Syrian president Bashar Al-assad talks to Barbara Walters on ABC news. Photograph: Rob Wallace/ABC
5.58pm GMT / 12.58pm EST: Here's a summary of the day's main developments:
Syria
• President Bashar al-Assad has attempted to distance himself from the army, in an interview with ABC News. He said of the army: "I don't own them. I'm president. I don't own the country, so they're not my forces." He denied there was any order to kill protesters, saying: "no government in the world kills its people". He also said he did not feel guilty about attacks on protesters because he had done his best. The US poured scorn on his comments, describing them as "not credible" and "ludicrous". In response, tthe Syrian foreign ministry spokesman, decried the US statements as "unprofessional" and inexact".
• The Arab League has indicated that it may be willing to move from its official position that it will not agree to dropping sanctions if Syrian signs a deal allowing in foreign observers The Turkish daily Hurriyet quoted Mohammed Ibrahim al-Tuwaijri, the assistant secretary-general for economic affairs at the League, as saying Syria is "close to signing". Separately, Algeria's foreign minister Mourad Medelci said a League deal to end the crisis should be given a "maximum chance" to succeed. Meanwhile, Russian news agency foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has offered to send observers to Syria.
• Nine civilians have been killed so far today by security forces in Syria, according to activists, including seven in Homs, which has witnessed some of the worst of the recent violence. The Local Co-ordination Communities said the other two people were killed in Idlib province, one in Saraqeb and one in Jarjana. Another activist group, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, said there were clashes between the Syrian regular army and defectors in Saqareb. The opposition Syrian National Council says the Free Syrian Army is sticking to an agreement to stop launching attacks on the regular army and to only to use force to protect civilians.
Yemen
• Yemen has a new government to take over form ministers allied with the outgoing president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, the state news agency reported. new 35-member Cabinet is headed by the veteran independent politician Mohammed Basindwa and remaining posts are split evenly between Saleh's Congress party and the opposition. The creation of the national unity government was part of the power transfer deal, brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council, signed by Saleh last month and it is hoped that it will end violence that has pushed the country to the brink of civil war.
Egypt
• The US has shipped bullets, shells and teargas to Egypt amid a continuing security crackdown by the country's military rulers, according to a new Amnesty international report. Amnesty said the licences should never have been granted and that shipments must cease.
• Egypt has also had a new government, sworn in by Kamal al-Ganzouri, who was appointed as prime minister by the military rulers. Dozens of protesters opposed to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and who want a national unity government to oversee the transition to democracy, gathered in central Cairo vowing not allow the new premier into the cabinet headquarters. Meanwhile, an Egyptian court turned down a request by lawyers representing the families of protesters killed during the uprising to appoint new judges in the trial of the former dictator Hosni Mubarak.
• Islamist parties are set to gain almost 70% of the seats contested in the first round of the elections based on preliminary results from the runoffs. According to Jadaliyya the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party is on course to pick up 82 seats, or 49%, and the Salafist al-Nour party will get 33 seats, or 20%. But the head of al-Nour has ruled out an alliance with the Brotherhood.
Bahrain
• Bahraini security forces firing tear gas and rubber bullets clashed Wednesday with hundreds of anti-government protesters near the former epicenter of the Gulf kingdom's uprising. Opposition supporters, who had gathered in Shia villages around the capital Manama for a religious procession to mark the holy days of Ashoura, marched on Pearl Square, where pro-democracy protests that were crushed by the security forces early this year. The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights claimed there were many injuries. The Bahrain interior ministry said the police intervened to stop an illegal march.The clashes came on the same day Bahrain's health ministry said that a 27-year-old woman who sustained head injuries during "rioting" last month in a Shia village near Manama had died. Bahraini rights groups say the woman was fatally injured in the head by a metal rod during a November protest and that security forces are responsible for her death.
Libya
• Scores of Libyan judges and lawyers have been protesting in Tripoli against lawless behaviour in the capital by former rebel groups, whom they said should now leave the city and return to their home towns. Judges and lawyers said they decided to protest after an armed militia raided the offices of the prosecutor general on Tuesday.
The crowd of about 250, carrying placards reading "No to weapons; Yes to justice!" gathered outside Tripoli's courthouse before marching to the central Martyr's Square. Abdel-Rafik Bu Hajjar, head of Tripoli's city council, has given the rebel until the end of the year to hand in their weapons to the authorities.
Iran
• Tehran has blocked an online "virtual embassy" created by by the US to try to engage with the Iranian people, according to Haaretz. The website, which features an introductory video from US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has been rendered inaccessible for people inside Iran, reports say. The US, which has no diplomatic ties with Iran, created the site to improve Iranian understanding of the US and advise people on visas.
5.21pm GMT / 12.21pm EST: Turkey will impose a 30% tariff on all Syrian goods, Turkish private broadcaster NTV quoted the country's trade minister as saying on Wednesday, in apparent retaliation for a similar tax imposed on Turkish goods by Damascus (via Reuters).
"We will place a 30% tax on all goods coming from Syria," NTV quoted customs and trade minister Hayati Yazici as saying. It gave no further details and the ministry could not be immediately reached for comment.
Syria imposed the tariff on its erstwhile ally after Turkey imposed sanctions against the Assad regime.
4.49pm GMT / 11.49am EST: In a tweet, the Bahrain minister of information has very concise details of action taken by the security forces to stop the march to Pearl Square (see 3.35pm GMT / 10.35am EST). It says
***
About 350 individuals took part in illegal procession on Al Budaiya road after Ashoora rituals in Daih. Police interfered
4.41pm GMT / 11.41am EST: Yemen's official news agency says a national unity government has been created to take over from ministers allied with the outgoing president, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, AP reports.
Saba says Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi issued a decree approving the formation of the new 35-member Cabinet headed by the veteran independent politician Mohammed Basindwa.
The Cabinet posts are equally divided between Saleh's Congress Party and the opposition. The creation of the national unity government was part of the power transfer deal, brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council, signed by Saleh last month.
Members of the Congress Party will head the ministries of defense, foreign affairs and oil, while opposition politicians will lead the ministries of interior, finance and information. The Cabinet also included two women, one from each side.
Yemen's spokesman in Washington, Mohammed Albasha, has been tweeting the names of those chosen to fill the various posts.
4.13pm GMT / 11.13am EST: The White House has rejected Assad's claim that he did not order troops to kill protesters.
Reuters quoted White House spokesman Jay Carney as saying:
It is just not credible ... The world has witnessed what has happened in Syria. The United States and many, many other nations around the world who have come together to condemn the atrocious violence in Syria perpetrated by the Assad regime know exactly what's happening and who is responsible. I don't think anybody who watched that interview would find Mr. Assad's answers credible.
3.57pm GMT /10.57am EST: Is the Arab League softening its stance on Syria?
Algeria's foreign minister Mourad Medelci said a League deal to end the crisis should be given a "maximum chance" to succeed. Last month the League imposed sanctions on Syria and suspended its membership after Damascus ignored a ceasefire agreement.
According to Reuters, Medelci told French politicians:
>>> Today we are in a situation where we are putting pressure on the Syrian government and, on the other hand, talking to the opposition to create the conditions for dialogue. Outside of this dialogue this transition will not happen. We must give the maximum chance to this Arab initiative.
Earlier, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Tuwaijri, the assistant secretary-general for economic affairs at the Arab League, suggested the League was willing drop sanctions if Syria agreed to monitoring visits. (See 10.45am).
There are also unconfirmed reports that the League's secretary-general Nabil al-Arabi has refused a European Union request to refer Syria to the UN's security council.
Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA
3.47pm GMT / 10.47am EST: Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saadi (pictured left), the one who fled to Niger, tried to flee to Mexico with the help of a criminal gang, the BBC reports:.
A spokeswoman for the Mexican government said Saadi Gaddafi and some members of his family were stopped as a result of intelligence reports.
Several people have been arrested.
Mexican officials said the plot - uncovered on 6 September - involved false names and documents.
3.35pm GMT / 10.35am EST: The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights says Bahraini security forces are attacking protesters who have headed back to Pearl Square, which was the heart of protests against the regime before the square was raided and destroyed by security forces earlier this year.
The society said:
Hundreds of protesters decided to return to the Pearl Square and sit there. Security forces used stun grenades and rubber bullets and tear gas. Members of the BYSHR confirm that there are many injuries.
This video purports to be of the clashes. It shows men throwing stones and then retreating as riot police advance:
Here are some Tweets from people claiming to be eyewitnesses:
Mazen Mahdi
Police blankets #Sanabis and #Daih with teargas hardly can breathe or open my eyes inside the building we are taking shelter in #Bahrain
ebrahiim90
Riot police throwing stun grenades now at protesters .. Very powerful sound repeats 4 time in continues #bahrain #feb14
Mohammed Ashoor
Police in huge numbers now chasing protesters inside Sanabis near the graveyard.
Said Yousuf (Bahrain centre of human rights)
#Bahrain i can see many injured and most of them because of teargas
3.26pm GMT / 10.26am EST: The US has shipped bullets, shells and teargas to Egypt amid a continuing security crackdown by the country's military rulers, Amnesty international has found.
A shipment of 21 tonnes of US-made teagas to the port of Suez late last month, was one of at least three deliveries by US company Combined Systems, Amnesty said. There were other shipments under a product code "bullets, cartridges and shells," in April and August, Amnesty found
Egypt Tahrir Square Photograph: AD
Amnesty International arms expert Brian Wood said:
US arms shipments to Egypt's security forces must be stopped until there is certainty that tear gas and other munitions, weaponry or other equipment aren't linked to bloodshed on Egyptian streets.
These licences were authorised during a period where the Egyptian government responded to protests by using excessive and often lethal force. It is inconceivable that the US authorities did not know of evidence of widely documented abuses by the Egyptian security forces. These licences should not have been granted.
Last week, the US embassy in Cairo said future exports could be blocked if the Egyptian authorities continue to use it to cause death and injury.
3.09pm GMT / 10.09am EST: The Syrian foreign ministry spokesman, Jihad Makdissi, has criticised the comments by his US counterpart Mark Toner in relation to President Assad's ABC News interview.
Toner was quoted in US media as saying it was "ludicrous" that Assad was "attempting to hide behind a sort of shell game and claim he does not exercise authority in his own country".
Makdissi described Toner's statements as "unprofessional" and inexact", according to the Syrian state news agency Sana, adding:
It is regrettable and not normal that the US state department falsifies Mr President Bashar al-Assad's statements.
Sana adds that Toner made his comments before the interview had even been aired.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
2.55pm GMT / 9.55am EST: An Egyptian court has turned down a request by lawyers to appoint a new panel of judges in the trial of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak (left).
Lawyers representing the families of protesters killed during the uprising filed the request in September after the head of the military council that took power after Mubarak's fall testified in a closed-door session.
The court did not immediately explain Wednesday why it rejected the lawyers' request.
Mubarak, whose trial is due to resume on 28 December, potentially faces the death penalty if convicted on charges, including complicity in the deaths of nearly 840 protesters in the crackdown against the uprising that eventually deposed him.
Meanwhile, the retrial of detained blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad has been postponed until 14 December by a military court, Ahram online reports.
It says it is the fifth time the trial of Sanad, who was sentenced to three years in prison in April for criticising the army's role in the revolution. He has reportedly been on hunger strike in protest at his detention for more than 100 days and his family and friends have expressed fears that he could die in jail.
Also in Egypt today, Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri has sworn in a new cabinet, state TV reported.
2.36pm GMT / 9.36am EST: A woman has died after being injured at a recent anti-government protest in Bahrain, the health ministry said. From AP:
The ministry's statement says the 27-year-old woman sustained head injuries during "rioting" last month in a Shiite village near the capital Manama. She died in a hospital early Wednesday.
Bahraini rights groups say she was fatally injured in the head by a metal rod during a November protest and that security forces are responsible for her death.
More than 35 people have died in clashes and protest-related violence since
February when the Shia majority started campaigning for greater rights in the Sunni-ruled Bahrain.
2.22pm GMT / 9.22am EST: The Local Co-ordination Committees claim that six people have been killed so far in Syria today.
They have posted video footage they say is of shelling in Saqareb, in Idlib, where claims Hasan-al Naser, 17 has been killed by "random shelling" today and 25 injured.
>>> Another activist group, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, says there have been clashes between the Syrian regular army and defectors in Saqareb. (see 12.50pm GMT/ 7.50am EST)
1.28pm GMT / 8.28am EST: Assad's denial that killings had been ordered in Syria have no logic, according to Amnesty.
Neil Sammonds, Amnesty's Syria researcher said:
It has been clear for eight and half months that the security forces, including the Army, have been shooting all over the place at peaceful protesters and people at funerals. There is no logic to what he [Assad] has being saying. He is the supreme commander of the Syrian armed forces. That is his title. Article 103 of the Syrian constitution makes that clear.
If he had been telling them not to shoot, you would have expected him to be saying so very clearly in Syria.
Sammonds suggested Assad was looking for "wiggle room" from sanctions and future prosecutions.
But he added: "Under domestic Syrian law he is responsible for it [the crackdown]. Under international law he is individually and criminally responsible for the act[ions] of the armed forces."
It is impossible for Assad to claim ignorance of the human rights abuses in Syria because they have been so well documented and broadcast, Sammonds added.
He can't plead legally that he has been unable to know, so even by omission he is still responsible.
Amnesty has also confirmed the mass killing of 34 mostly Sunni people in the Syrian city of Homs.
Amnesty's contacts in the city said the bodies were left in a pro-regime area, according to Sammonds. He said 15 of those killed have been named and identified as Sunni, but it unclear whether the killings were sectarian. All of those killed had their hands tied behind their backs according to witnesses - backing claims that the deaths occurred in detention.
One source said the incident was a reprisal attack following the killing of 27 Alawites, but this has yet to be corroborated, Sammonds said. "It is a particularly dark period in Homs and it is hard to get information from all the different parts of the city," he said.
In the last few days in Homs there has been a greater level of military activity. The intensity of the shooting and shelling is said to have gone up ... There are a lot more reports of even more brutal abuses taking place. More reports of rapes and sexual violenc. More kidnappings, including a couple of women who worked in a shop. It seems to be getting more personal. It is not only opposition versus regime ... but more revenge attacks.
1.03pm GMT / 8.03am EST: If Bashar al-Assad doesn't control the Syrian Army, who does? asks Chris Doyle director of the Council for Arab British Understanding.
Reacting to Assad's interview with ABC, Doyle said:
Syrians must be very confused. On the one hand he [Assad] is the icon of the regime the man in charge, with huge portraits of him being shown everywhere, but then he is telling American viewers that he is not responsible for anything. If he doesn't run the security services and the armed forces who does?
If there is no command coming from the regime why are these killings and arrests all happening?
We are seeing Bashar al-Assad portraying himself as a Syrian version of Walter Mitty, he is in an alternative reality ...
He is trying to deny all responsibility and wash his hands of the very serious crimes he is accused of.
Doyle said Assad's denials have no credibility.
There is a systematic element to what is going on. The mass arrests, the killings, the torture and the way in which they have targeted peaceful demonstrations, demonstrates quite clearly that there is an organised command structure.
Doyle said Assad has "lost control" of the country and any residual respect of Syrians.
He is isolated in Syria, in the region and internationally and has no strategy for getting out of a very serious crisis. The only tool he has left is force and yet more force.
12.58pm GMT / 7.58am EST: Here's a summary of the main developments so far today:
Syria
• President Bashar al-Assad has attempted to distance himself from the army, in an interview with ABC News. He said of the army: "I don't own them. I'm president. I don't own the country, so they're not my forces." He denied there was any order to kill protesters, saying: "no government in the world kills its people". He also said he did not feel guilty about attacks on protesters because he had done his best.
• The Arab League may be willing to move from its official position that it will not agree to dropping sanctions if Syrian signs a deal allowing in foreign observers, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reports. It quotes
Mohammed Ibrahim al-Tuwaijri, the assistant secretary-general for economic affairs at the League, as saying Syria is "close to signing". Meanwhile, Russian news agency foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has offered to send observers to Syria.
Yemen
• Yemen's prime minister-designate Mohammed Basindawa says the new unity government has been finalised and he will disclose the line-up later today. Half of the new cabinet ministers will be from the opposition, while loyalists of outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh will make up the other half, as stipulated in a Gulf-brokered power transfer deal. But news of the new government has failed to stop the violence, with the interior ministry and the anti-government tribal leader Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar blaming each other for shelling in the capital, Sana'a today.
Egypt
• Islamist parties are set to gain almost 70% of the seats contested in the first round of the elections based on preliminary results from the runoffs. According to Jadaliyya the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party is on course to pick up 82 seats, or 49%, and the Salafist al-Nour party will get 33 seats, or 20%. But the head of al-Nour has ruled out an alliance with the Brotherhood.
Libya
• Scores of Libyan judges and lawyers have been protesting in Tripoli against lawless behaviour in the capital by former rebel groups, whom they said should now leave the city and return to their home towns. Judges and lawyers said they decided to protest after an armed militia raided the offices of the prosecutor general on Tuesday.
The crowd of about 250, carrying placards reading "No to weapons; Yes to justice!" gathered outside Tripoli's courthouse before marching to the central Martyr's Square. Abdel-Rafik Bu Hajjar, head of Tripoli's city council, has given the rebel until the end of the year to hand in their weapons to the authorities.
Iran
• Tehran has blocked an online "virtual embassy" created by by the US to try to engage with the Iranian people, according to Haaretz. The website, which features an introductory video from US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has been rendered inaccessible for people inside Iran, reports say. The US, which has no diplomatic ties with Iran, created the site to improve Iranian understanding of the US and advise people on visas.
12.50pm / 7.50am EST: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is reporting more clashes between the Syrian regular army and defectors in the north-west of the country. It says:
There were clashes between the Syrian regular army and groups of army defectors near the radio broadcasting centre in the town of Saraqeb, in Idib district. An armoured personnel carrier (APC) for the regular army was destroyed during the clashes. Meanwhile, joint security and military forces raided the houses at the edges of Saraqeb and arrested 3 activists today, at dawn time.
The opposition Syrian National Council has claimed that the Free Syrian Army is sticking to an agreement to stop launching attacks on the regular army and only to use force to protect civilians.
11.49am GMT / 6.49am EST: You can watch the ABC with Assad here.
Assad's most interesting comment is his apparent attempt to distance himself from the army. He said:
They are not my forces, they are military forces belong[ing] to the government. I don't own them. I'm president. I don't own the country, so they're not my forces.
Asked if he feared the same fate as Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi, Assad said: "The only thing that you could be afraid of as president is to lose the support of your people."
11.44am GMT / 6.44am EST: Yemen's prime minister-designate Mohammed Basindawa says the new unity government has been finalised and he will disclose the line-up later in the day, AFP reports. It quotes Basindawa as saying: "The government has been formed and we will announce it formally this evening."
But in the meantime, the violence continues. AP reports that Yemeni government and opposition officials have accused each other of firing artillery shells in a divided section of the capital.
An interior ministry spokesman blamed followers of anti-government tribal leader Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar for firing on loyalist positions in the northern Hassaba district of Sanaa on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
But al-Ahmar's spokesman denied the claim and said several shells fired from the interior ministry exploded near the tribal leader's home in a nearby neighbourhood.
11.41am GMT / 6.41am EST: Tehran has put a swift end to the United States' latest attempt to engage with the Iranian people, Haaretz reports.
It says an online "virtual embassy" (the two countries have no diplomatic ties) created to improve Iranian understanding of the US and advise people on visas was blocked in Iran a day after it launched.
Haaretz said it probably lasted that long only because the first day of its launch was a religious holiday.
The virtual embassy, iranusembassy.gov can still be accessed from outside Iran.
Here is the video from secretary of state Hillary Clinton that greets visitors to the site:
After Clinton announced the initiative in an interview with the BBC's Farsi language channel, Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani said:
"Such efforts should not be taken seriously as they reflect solely the lack of US political awareness that such moves would merely strengthen unity in Iran."
11.09am GMT / 6.09am EST: Bashar al-Assad has denied that the Syrian army has been under orders to kill protesters.
"There was no command to kill or be brutal," he told ABC News. "We don't kill our people… no government in the world kills its people," he insisted.
The interview appears more defiant than preview quotes suggested.
In its write up of the interview, ABC said Assad also:
• Claimed most of the people killed in the uprising have been government supporters, including 1,100 members of the security forces.
• Acknowledged "some mistakes" in the "brute reaction" of some individuals
• Doubted the credibility of a UN estimate that 4,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March.
• Denied that 13-year old Hamza al-Khateeb had not been tortured before being found dead with his penis cut off.
• Denied responsibility for the killing. He said: "I cannot feel guilty when you do your best. You feel sorry for the lives that have been lost. But you don't feel guilty when you don't kill people. So it's not about guilty."
11.01am GMT / 6.01am EST: Another interesting snippet of the Assad interview with ABC has emerged.
He told Baraba Walters he "does not feel guilty" about attacks on protesters, according to the BBC. It had no further details but promises more soon.
10.45am GMT / 5.45am EST: The Arab League may consider dropping sanctions against Syria if Damascus agrees to a deal on monitoring visits, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reports.
Mohammed Ibrahim al-Tuwaijri, the assistant secretary-general for economic affairs at the Arab League, told the paper:
Syria is close to signing the agreement soon ...
There are some positive feelings from Syrian government that they are willing to sign the protocol and put an end to all the unrest in the country.
It points out that the League official position is that sanctions will not be suspended.
Meanwhile, Russia has offered to send observers to Syria.
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted foreign minister Sergei Lavrov (left) as saying:
If it makes sense for our Syrian colleagues. We could consider the broadening of the observer group to involve not only representatives of the Arab League but also those of other countries who are not indifferent to what is happening in Syria and who are sincerely interested in settling the situation. Russia, in particular, could delegate its representatives to such a group.
10.10am GMT / 5.10am EST: The Guardian's Cario correspondent Jack Shenker is off to press conference with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
He turned to Twitter for suggestions on what to ask the generals. He emails to say that so far the responses have been wide-ranging - from details of the army's budget to what sort of underwear Field Marshal Tantawi wears.
You can Tweet more suggestions and follow what the generals say at @hackneylad.
9.47am GMT / 4.47am EST: Protesters in Syria are frustrated at the failure of the opposition Syrian National Council to unequivocally back international intervention, according to dissident Ammar Abdulhamid.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun, appeared to back the establishment of humanitarian corridors but spoke out against military intervention to topple the regime.
On Tuesday Ausama Monajed, a council member and adviser to Ghalioun, said the council was "studying" the idea of setting up humanitarian corridors.
Abdulhamid pointed out that protesters have called for a more robust approach, according to video clips of demonstrations over the last few days.
In this clip from Deir Baalbah Neighborhood in Homs City (Dec 2), the speaker addresses the crowdsand tells them that there are leaders in the SNC who still oppose international intervention, including the establishment of a safe haven, but says that anyone in the SNC starting with Burhan Ghalioun who opposes this demand as well as the demands for a no-fly zone and support to the Free Syrian Army, will no longerrepresent the Revolution. Protesters then begin to chant "the people want a safe haven".
In this clip, protesters in Idlib City address SNC President Burhane Ghalioun directlysaying "Burhan Ghalioun, can't you hear, the people want a no-fly zone" ...
In this clip from the neighbourhood of Karm Al-Zeitun in Homs City, taken on December 5, the activist shows the remains car blown up by a tank leaving 5 people dead, and rails against the Arab League for giving continuous extensions to the Assads, and against SNC President Burhan Ghalioun for opposing international intervention.
9.14am GMT / 4.14am EST:The Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm has been accused by staff at its own sister paper of censoring criticism of Egypt's military rulers.
The Egyptian Independent is seeking to sever ties with al-Masry al-Youm after it pulled an article by a respected academic criticising the ruling junta and then running an article accusing him of being a conspirator against Egyptian stability.
In an online editorial the Egyptian Independent said the attack on Robert Springborg was an example of the paranoia and chauvinism that has increased in Egypt since the fall of president Mubarak.
It said:
In the original opinion column he wrote for Egypt Independent, Professor Springborg suggested the possibility of an internal rift within the military due to Scaf's poor management during the transitional period. This is not advocating mutiny and it does not make him a conspirator against Egypt. It is a descriptive reading by a respected expert on the Egyptian military. Even if this analysis is uncomfortable for some, it deserves to be heard.
When Al-Masry Al-Youm was founded in 2004, it helped inaugurate a new opening for independent media in Egypt. Seven years later, even after 25 January, self-censorship still plagues Egyptian media. As an Egyptian newspaper, we, too, suffer from it. But if self-censorship becomes internalised and goes unquestioned, it becomes an irreversible practice. We refuse to let this happen.
8.34am GMT / 3.34am EST: Welcome to Middle East Live. Syria remains the place to watch after President Bashar al-Assad gave an intriguing sounding interview to a US TV network.
Here's a round up of the main developments:Syria
• President Bashar al-Assad has tried to claim he is not responsible for the country's violence by suggesting that the army is outside his control. In a preview of an interview with ABC News due to be broadcast later today Assad said of the army: "I don't own them. I'm president. I don't own the country, so they're not my forces." At a state department press conference a reporter for ABC also quoted Assad saying: "There's a difference between having a policy to crack down and between having some mistakes committed by some officials. There is a big difference." US state department spokesman Mark Toner dismissed the remarks. He told the press conference: "There's just no indication that he's doing anything other than cracking down in the most brutal fashion on a peaceful opposition movement."
• Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, urged members of the opposition Syrian National Council, to address the concerns of the country's minorities, especially the Alawites who make up the core of the regime. She said the opposition should "reach out to all minorities to counter the regime's divide-and-conquer approach, which pits ethnic and religious groups against one another."
• The US state department said the US ambassador to Syria has returned to Damascus to become a "persistent voice of outrage against the Syrian government". Spokesman Mark Toner said:
We feel like the presence of Ambassador Ford sends a message that we're not going to turn away, we're going to keep him there, we're going to keep pushing for monitors on the ground, for that democratic transition that we've called for. We're going to keep our contacts with the Syrian opposition. We're going to continue to show our support in a way we believe is very real and tangible.
• Syrian opposition activists have reported dozens of bodies dumped on the streets of the central city of Homs in one of the worst single incidents of violence in the nine-month uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Meanwhile, the Arab League league rejected demands from Damascus that the punitive measures, including the suspension of Syria's membership, be rescinded in order to allow Arab observers into the country.
• There have been riots at a refugee camp in southern Turkey after two Syrians were spirited back across the border in mysterious circumstances, the Independent reports.
Turkish officials claimed the men were sent back after a "mistake in translation" made authorities believe they were economic migrants rather than refugees fleeing repression. However, the incident – coming after a defecting Syrian soldier was deported earlier this year – has increased tension in camps along the border.
Libya
• Armed militia groups in Tripoli have until the end of December to hand over their weapons to the authorities, a local government official has ordered, AP reports. "All individuals must give up their weapons and go back to civilian life or sign up with security forces with the ministries of defence or interior," said Abdel-Rafik Bu Hajjar, head of Tripoli's city council.
Egypt• Islamist parties are set to gain almost 70% of the seats contested in the first round of the elections based on preliminary results from the runoffs. According to Jadaliyya the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party is on course to pick up 82 seats, or 49%, and the Salafist al-Nour party will get 33 seats, or 20%. But the head of al-Nour has ruled out an alliance with the Brotherhood.
• The head of Egypt's election body has blamed his own tiredness for misreporting the turnout of the first round. Abdel Moez Ibrahim said: "The accurate percentage of attendance in the first round was 52%, not 62%."
Yemen• Yemen's Islamist party Islah may not enjoy the same success as similar parties in the region because of its ties with the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to the New York Times
Unlike the largely untested Islamist parties that are rising to power in the wake of the uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, Yemen's Islamists may find that their long record in politics here, stretching over two decades, is a liability, analysts said. Islah's leaders — even if they hold strong positions in the interim unity government — will have to contend with the party's mixed record of governance, confusion about its ideological goals and the continued dominance of Mr. Saleh's ruling party, which remains intact, analysts said.
Kuwait
• The emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has dissolved Parliament following the resignation of the prime minister who faces corruption charges which he denies. The state news Kuna quoted the emir saying:
Due to the deteriorating conditions that led to obstruction of process of achievements and threatened the country's higher interests, it became necessary to resort to the people to select their representatives, overcome existing obstacles and realise national interests.
***
Comments in chronological order (Total 173 comments)
BrownMoses
7 December 2011 9:10AM
As reported ATL something that's worth focusing on in Libya today is the movement to clear Tripoli of militia's before the end of the year. Reuters had this article
Libya's interim government, under pressure to disarm Tripoli and restore the country after months of civil war, has given regional militias lingering in the capital until late December to hand over security and go home, officials said on Tuesday.
Nearly two months after Muammar Gaddafi was killed, the new government is still unable to impose its authority on the ground, leaving security in the hands of militias who answer only to themselves and often wage turf wars with their rivals.
Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib has met officials from Tripoli's local council to discuss ways of sending home hundreds of out-of-town fighters who have taken a pseudo-police force in the capital, setting up checkpoints across the city.
"There is a schedule for this process," Abdul Razzak Buhajar, head of Tripoli local council, told a news conference.
When asked about the timeframe, he said: "In December ... We have to be patient."
Rena Netjes noted this morning:
Since yesterday afternoon military checkpoints everywhere in Tripoli.
This afternoon at 4.30 a demonstration at the Martyrs' Square against 'armed groups' in the city.
Anita McNaught of Al Jazeera also did a video report on the issue to go along with this article
To me this is the first major issue that needs to be resolved before the new government can move on to resolve other issues in the country, as it'll establish their authority over militias and prove they have the strength to establish security in Tripoli. Of course, if they fail miserably then the only question will be who is really in charge?
BrownMoses
7 December 2011 9:21AM
Reuters had an interesting piece about the on going negotiations for Libya's oil
Traders vexed by Libya's new oil chiefs
The new leaders of Libya's top oil body have delayed official tender deadlines to negotiate better deals, traders say, frustrating some of their oil partners now in talks for lucrative 2012 oil contracts.
Freshly-appointed managers of Libya's powerful National Oil Corporation (NOC) are preparing to award sought-after crude oil and fuel import contracts worth billions for next year as the OPEC member's top industry resumes business after months of war.
The NOC is expecting to announce winners within the next few weeks in a process seen as an important test of the NOC leaders' ability to manage relations with international oil firms like majors Total as well as independent traders such as Vitol and Trafigura.
Oil traders have so far shown great interest in purchasing the OPEC producer's light, sweet easy-to-refine oil as well as supplying it with fuel.
But while recent talks in Istanbul were well-attended, partners say they are frustrated with the demands of their new negotiation partners who are taking tough measures to distance themselves from the perceived cronyism of the Gaddafi era.
In an email seen by Reuters, one of the NOC's supply managers asked a client to "improve your offers as there is big competition" before announcing a delay to the tender.
Renegotiating a tender is allowed since the NOC sets the terms and is not unique to Libya.
But some traders have complained that this amounts to "back trading", a frowned upon practice whereby a party reneges on a tentative agreement.
"They are surfing the wave. Everyone is knocking on their doors," said a senior oil trading source, adding that crude oil spot tenders were frequently delayed and subject to further negotiation.
NOC supply manager Fathi Rajab told Reuters this week that their future partners had been asked to extend their offers on account of the sheer volume of bids. "It's a big job... We are working through the second round," Rajab said, adding the process was likely to take at least another week.
The NOC says its mandate is to ensure the best deals are clinched for the country.
NOC's general manager for oil marketing, Ahmed Shawki, told Reuters in an interview last month: "We are looking to show we are as loyal to our country as those that fought in the war by getting the utmost value for our crude."
So much for giving it away to the West.
Atvar48
7 December 2011 9:32AM
Morning BrownMoses
@BrownMoses
NOC's general manager for oil marketing, Ahmed Shawki, told Reuters in an interview last month: "We are looking to show we are as loyal to our country as those that fought in the war by getting the utmost value for our crude."
Ohh you can be sure the West will get their slice of the cake.
To me this is the first major issue that needs to be resolved before the new government can move on to resolve other issues in the country, as it'll establish their authority over militias and prove they have the strength to establish security in Tripoli. Of course, if they fail miserably then the only question will be who is really in charge?
Exactly but its not confined just to Tripoli though, I mean what about the Misrata militias,?will they tow the line hand their weapons over or even the rebels in Benghazi it should be encompass the whole of Libya.
I've noticed Libya post Gaddafhi has dropped out of the MSM lately now the fighting is finished, but that shouldn't surprise people.
Atvar48
7 December 2011 9:35AM
"There is a schedule for this process," Abdul Razzak Buhajar, head of Tripoli local council, told a news conference.
When asked about the timeframe, he said: "In December ... We have to be patient."
Or in other words we haven't got a clue what to do lol.
BrownMoses
7 December 2011 9:38AM
Response to Atvar48, 7 December 2011 9:32AM
Exactly but its not confined just to Tripoli though, I mean what about the Misrata militias,?will they tow the line hand their weapons over or even the rebels in Benghazi it should be encompass the whole of Libya.
Once Tripoli is secured it'll hopefully establish a precedent for dealing with militas in other cities. I've not really heard much about who is doing what in Benghazi at the moment, they seem to have plenty of graduation ceremonies there, and they got a big delivery of police cars from Qatar several months ago.
Atvar48
7 December 2011 9:40AM
@BrownMoses
Trouble is Tripoli fell months ago, so why is it taking so long thats the questions not being answered.
BrownMoses
7 December 2011 9:42AM
Response to Atvar48, 7 December 2011 9:35AM
I asked @libyanproud about the situation in Tripoli as he seemed to know a lot about it, he said the following:
AFAIK its local groups blessed/authorized by the Tripoli Council and the Interim Government, NTC not involved
checkpoints are mainly manned by local residents
Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, and Tripoli military council are giving support
So it sounds more like a ground up popular movement, not something imposed on from the top.
capmint1
7 December 2011 9:42AM
morning Av, BM
Greece cant get letters of credit and is now getting most off its oil imports from Iran, at least the message appears to be getting through to EU diplomats what traders have been saying for weeks, slapping oil sanctions on Iran will topple an already weak euro;
"Maybe the aim of sanctions is to help Italy, Spain and Greece to collapse and make the EU a smaller club," one trader joked.
An oil industry source in Greece, which mostly relies on Iranian oil, said: "Greece can't be put with its back to the wall."
"The likely increase in oil prices that would result from a ban would be felt by all (European) oil refiners, not just those that are big customers for Iranian oil," ratings agency Fitch said last week.
Iran, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, has said it cannot rule out a self-imposed oil embargo to punish the West and on Sunday warned that oil prices could spike to $250 a barrel as a result of sanctions.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/06/us-iran-oil-idUSTRE7B50OP20111206
Atvar48
7 December 2011 9:51AM
@capmint
Fair play to Greece for standing their ground on this issue, just because the hawks in the west have got a beef with Iran, they seem to miss knock -on effects sanctions bring.
BrownMoses
7 December 2011 9:52AM
@capmint1 I think that's one of the many reason why despite all the sabre rattling military action in Syria and especially Iran isn't going to go anywhere. Unlike Libya, Syria has too many friends and allies, and any significant action would result in major blowback on the west, at a time when they economy is in meltdown and the military is stretched after the Libyan conflict.
In my mind all the UN and Human Rights reports in the world won't result in military action by the West in Syria, so all these people who are getting upset and crying Libya every time a human rights group or government condemns Syria should chill out, their new favourite dictator doesn't have to worry about military action by the West.
Atvar48
7 December 2011 9:53AM
ICC seeks details on Saif's fate.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/214261.html
Wondered whats happening with him since his capture.
capmint1
7 December 2011 9:56AM
Response to Atvar48, 7 December 2011 9:51AM
Atvar
just to clarify, Greeks dont have a choice, no one else right now, including Russians, will sell to the Greeks, due to credit risk.
the knock on effect off sanctions, Greece, Spain, Italy are main importers of Iran oil; that could topple euro zone, and that in words of Mervyn King would mean £200bn lost exports to UK economy; so if the mad mullahs wanted to; they could do a self imposed oil sanction to cripple Europe; but hey, its not about oil ;)
Atvar48
7 December 2011 9:57AM
Regardless of what's happening across the Middle east, seems main media focus is on the Euro crisis and financial markets.Not forgeting the Leverson enquiry..
Atvar48
7 December 2011 9:58AM
@capmint
but hey, its not about oil ;)
Now where have I heard that before...;)
PeterBrit
7 December 2011 10:10AM
The return of the US ambassador in Syria seems like a big thumbs down to military action there. If you remember, the withdrawal of UK, US amd French embassy staff from Tripoli was on eof the earlist signs of things ramping up to war, because nobody wants an ambassador held hostage when a war starts. The fact that the US is actually reversing thattrend and sending its ambassador back seems a clear slignal it has decided against military action for the foreseeable future.
capmint1
7 December 2011 10:11AM
Response to BrownMoses, 7 December 2011 9:52AM
BM
I think that's one of the many reason why despite all the sabre rattling military action in Syria and especially Iran isn't going to go anywhere
I'd agree, but your sane and rational and care about what happens to ordinary people, I'm just not sure that applies to certain world leaders
In my mind all the UN and Human Rights reports in the world won't result in military action by the West in Syria
ex head Arab League on yes RT said that there are so many different potential trigger events in the region, and military action whilst precluding Nato direct intervention doesnt preclude:
- foriegn fighters from jihadist networks in Iraq, or Libyan fighters;
- arms imported overland from neighbouring countries;
- Turkey establishing a 'safe have'
in Iran we have also seen increase in attacks on facilities, the drone shot down eor missing either in Iran or Afghanistan depending on who you believe, as well as a long running assassination campaign against Iranian scientists; so the covert war has already started (as reported by Seymour Hersh and Guardian journalists); but Obama reliance on covert action means there is no accountability to Congress or visibility so we could be at war but dont know it
as I posted yesterday, its also reminiscent of WW1, everyone can see the sabre rattling and risk off regional war is on the horizon, but diplomats were powerless to prevent once the first domino fell (or simply stupid re sanctions); hence why MOD are busy contingency planning for Syria and Iran (unless its a very clever psy op)
PeterBrit
7 December 2011 10:14AM
The clearing of militias from Tripoli is a crucial challenge for the interim governmet. As with the NTC, so right now, with the interim government there's a slight sense thatit makes the right noises and then nothing much actually changes. W've had demands for militias to leave Tripoli before but currently they're still there. If the militias go this time, then it will be a huge boost to the interim government's credibility. If they don't its credibility is destroyed.
BrownMoses
7 December 2011 10:21AM
Response to PeterBrit, 7 December 2011 10:14AM
As I mentioned earlier, one significant factor is that this seems to be led by local civilian groups with the support of the interim government and Tripoli military council, with roadblocks being set up across Tripoli. Hopefully the protest later today will have a very large turn out, and make it clear to the militias that they aren't wanted anymore.
capmint1
7 December 2011 10:23AM
PB
The return of the US ambassador in Syria seems like a big thumbs down to military action there.
excellant point, it could be interpretated as a sign off descalation, but equally, I dont think direct Nato intervention was ever on the cards, it was Clinton 'soft' power approach, sanctions and explicit support of opposition and implicit support of the FSA
Assad saying he isnt responsible could also mean a face saving way for him to back down (maybe he can do a 'Bahrain' and call an independant commission to blame Interior Minister).
at the same time, la Clinton is still saying regime change is the name of the game; so 'soft' could unintentionally escalate; and Isreal and Iran are both key actors and they are the unknown unknown
"A democratic transition includes more than removing the Assad regime,"
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/06/9250193-clinton-syria-must-do-more-than-remove-assad-regime-of-tolerance-needed
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