• Observers to remain in Syria pending decision
• Syria to devalue pound amid economic turmoil.
• Protesters rallying for Syrian prisoners
Posted by
Haroon Siddique
Friday 20 January 2012 10.41 GMT
guardian.co.uk
Article history
Syrian anti-regime protesters march through Zabadani the day before government forces withdrew. Photograph: AP
10.41am: There are also demonstrations in Egypt today, Ahram Online reports.
About 75 political groups are expected to turn up in Tahrir Square this Friday, 20 January to participate in the "Friday of Martyr's Dream" rally to honour the revolution's dead.
The protests come only days before the first anniversary of the January 25 revolution, and are part of a week-long preparations to mobilise for the event.
The protesters are expected to dress in black to show respect and grieve for all those who died during the revolution.
10.33am: Reports of demonstrations in Syria are beginning to come in. The Local Co-ordination Committees claim that seven people have been killed already, six in Idlib, in the north-west, and one in Dera'a, in the south.
Another report says that three people were killed in Reef, in the Damascus suburbs, while they were getting ready to enter a mosque for Friday prayers.
There is also a report of clashes between the regular army and military defectors in Douma, in Damascus suburbs.
These reports cannot be independently verified.
9.48am: A media collective responsible for collating some of the most iconic videos fo the Egyptian revolution has become the most viewed non-profit YouTube channel of all time in Egypt and the most viewed non-profit channel in the world this month, Ahram Online reports.
Mosireen collates footage of protests on its channel.
Among the videos it has produced are Martyrs of the Revolution, a tribute to those killed under the rule of Mubarak and the Supreme Council of Armed Forces and a video about the march of Coptic Christians in Cairo in October where 27 people were killed. Witnesses said security forces and thugs attacked peaceful protesters.
One of the founder members of Mosireen was the Kite Runner actor Khalid Abdalla. He told Ahram:
In periods of massive social change, there becomes a certain urgency over ownership in stories and over the truth. This is a revolution that was filmed by its people rather than by a news organisation and it is one of the first in history to be so… Mosireen is, in part, a reaction to that.
9.33am: While protests in Syria today are dedicated to those behind bars, more prisoners have been released under a general amnesty issued by Bashar al-Assad, the state news agency reports.
Released Syrian prisoners. From Sana.sy
Sana does not specify how many prisoners have been released but implies that they have seen sense during incarceration:
A number of the released at the Justice Palace in Damascus told Sana that the pardon decree forms a new start for them to practise their normal life and contribute to building the society.
''The pardon spreads amity and tolerance among people, and I am happy because it allowed me to get my life back on track as Syria needs the efforts of all its people to get out of the crisis,'' said Abdul-Hamid, a released prisoner.
9.18am: A group called the Syrian Expatriates Organisation says that a US citizen, Obada Mazik, has been missing in Syria since 3 January. From the press release:
According to flight records, Obada Mzaik departed from Detroit Metro Airport on January 03-2012 on board a Royal Jordanioan Airliner, flight number RJ268 connecting in Amman, Jordan on flight RJ 435 bound to Damascus, Syria. He was never seen exiting the immigration clearance at Damascus airport according to Obada's receiving family in Syria.
The U.S embassy was promptly informed of Obada's disappearance. The family has attempted to follow up with Syrian authorities and the U.S. Embassy in Damascus but has been unsuccessful in securing any information that pertains to his whereabouts.
Obada Mzaik is a 21 year old American citizen. He is a civil engineering student at Al-Yarmouk University in Damascus, Syria. He attended Fall classes at Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills, Michigan where he also has family members there.
8.55am: Welcome to Middle East Live. The mission of Arab League observers in Syria was supposed to come to an end yesterday but despite criticism, it could be extended for another month.
Syria
• The Arab League observers are to remain in the country until the meeting of Arab League foreign ministers on Sunday, when the ministers will decide whether to extend the mission for another month. Adnan al-Khudeir, head of the Cairo operations room that handles reports by the monitors, told AP the total number of monitors could reach 300. He said:
If there is a decision to extend the mission of the observers, we are ready to send more monitors after training them in three days.
Any decision to extend the mission would be controversial as the opposition claim it has served as a cover for the regime to continue its brutal crackdown against protesters. Opposition figures, human rights groups and the Free Syrian Army have urged the observers to withdraw and for the Arab League to push the UN for help. The Syrian National Council said it is sending a delegation to Cairo to lobby for the League to refer the issue to the UN.
• Syria is planning to introduce a managed float of its exchange rate next week, effectively devaluing the Syrian pound. Adib Mayaleh, the central bank governor, told the FT (behind paywall) the exchange ratehad "jumped a lot of steps" and they needed to control it. The central bank's plan, issued by the prime minister's office, seems to be that allowing private banks to sell foreign currencies at a rate of their choice will increase the flow of money in the system, though it will allow a de facto devaluation of the currency, the FT said. Exchange dealers said on Thursday that the conflict in Syria had pushed the pound currency to a record low of 70 to the US dollar on the black market. Meanwhile, the Syrian oil minister, Sufian Allaw, said sanctions were biting:
We have suffered important losses as a result of our inability to export crude oil and petroleum products.
• Protests in Syria today have been dedicated to the plight of prisoners. Despite the release of some prisoners under the Arab League plan, the campaign group Avaaz claimed earlier this month that there were 37,000 people in custody.
Egypt
• Egypt has been hit by a 32% drop in visitors as ongoing street violence hits the vital industry. There has been a £2.5bn decrease in tourist revenue with the capital taking the brunt. The Guardian's Jack Shenker writes:
Industry insiders believe the reality is worse than official claims. On Monday it emerged that officials have included Libyans fleeing war and Palestinians from Gaza taking advantage of relaxed border controls at Rafah in the tourist tally. Some experts say the actual decrease in holidaymakers is closer to 50%, though the ministry denies any discrepancies.
Iran
• Tehran has warned its Gulf neighbours that it would be "dangerous" for them to join a western-led effort to isolate Iran. The warning coming as a meeting of European ambassadors in Brussels failed to agree on the details of an EU oil embargo. The Guardian's diplomatic editor, Julian Borger, writes:
Speaking in Turkey, the Iranian foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, said the US was looking for allies in the region and added: "I am calling to all countries in the region – please don't let yourselves be dragged into a dangerous position." Salehi left it unclear whether he was referring to military operations or actions on the oil market.
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