• Children among the dead in alleged massacre in Homs
• Kofi Annan leaves Syria without ceasefire agreement
• Hillary Clinton to seek Russian support for latest UN draft
Posted by Matthew Weaver
Monday 12 March 2012 10.36 GMT
guardian.co.uk
Article history
Kofi Annan leaves his hotel in the Syrian capital Damascus. Photograph: Str/EPA
10.33am: Al-Jazeera's Anita McNaught was in the northern city of Idlib as it came under assault by Syrian Army over the weekend.
Every bullet fired was returned by a tank shell she was told.
10.22am: A car bomb has killed a schoolgirl and wounded 25 others at a school in the southern Syrian city of Deraa, an opposition activist told Reuters.
"The car exploded at nine in the morning in al-Kashef neighbourhood in front of al-Mahatta High School for Girls, which has been active in (anti-Assad) demonstrations," Maher Abdelhaq told Reuters from the city on the border with Jordan.
10.01am: Twenty four of the people found dead in the Karm al-Zeytoun area of Homs yesterday have been identified, but many more are feared dead, an activist in the city told the Guardian.
Waleed Fares, who is based in the northern district of al-Khalidyeh, said 40 bodies had been recovered, but some were unidentifiable.
"We have the names of 24 people. We will publish documents about what happened in next few hours," he said via Skype.
Fares said most of those killed were stabbed to death. "I feel there will be a lot more than 40 killed," he said.
He added that the south-eastern districts of al-Adawiyeh, Ashera, as well as Karm el-Zeytoun, have been shelled for the last three days. The bodies of those killed were recovered by Free Syrian Army soldiers, he claimed.
His account cannot be independently verified.
Graphic video footage purported to show a survivor of the attacked being treated in a makeshift clinic. He claimed shabbiha - armed supporters of Assad - were responsible [warning: disturbing content].
8.48am: The bodies of 47 women and children have been found in the Karm el-Zeytoun and al-Adawiyeh districts of south-east Homs, an activist told AFP.
Horrific pictures have been posted online showing some of the alleged victims.
AFP also reports that the opposition Syrian National Council has called for an emergency UN security council meeting to discuss the massacre.
Meanwhile, a group of 43 dignitaries, including former British foreign secretary David Miliband, former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown, and the Italian writer Umberto Eco, has urged the United Nations to unite around the Arab League's peace plan for ending the violence in Syria.
The Turkish paper Zaman, quotes a open letter to the UN from the group as saying: "splits among the international community have provided the Assad regime with a license to kill [and] that license must be withdrawn."
8.28am: (all times GMT) Welcome to Middle East Live. Activists claim more than a dozen people have been killed in Homs after the UN-Arab League envoy, Kofi Annan, left Syria without securing an agreement to stop the violence.
Here's a roundup in more detail:
Syria
• Syrian activist groups say pro-government gunmen have killed more than a dozen people in the embattled central city of Homs. Syria's state media confirmed deaths in Homs, but blamed "armed terrorists."
• Kofi Annan has left Syria without a deal to end the year-old conflict in the country, as regime forces mounted a new assault on rebel strongholds in the north. The former UN secretary general said he had presented the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, with concrete proposals "which will have a real impact on the ground".
• Annan will now try to persuade the fractured Syrian opposition to form a more united front, according to the New York Times. It also reports that Arab League officials are hoping that a peace plan agreed to on Saturday between Arab foreign ministers and Russia could pave the way for a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria. In the proposal, Arab League members dropped their demand that Assad step down and said there should be no "foreign interference" in the conflict, meeting some of the demands of Russia and China, which have vetoed previous resolutions.
• US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is due meet Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, at the UN today, where she will be hoping for signs that Russia is willing to back a new draft resolution on Syria, the Christian Science Monitor reports. But state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland acknowledged that recent consultations with council members had not resulted in an "agreed text," and added that she was not "overly optimistic" that an agreement could be reached "in the near future".
• Foreign media companies bear the responsibility for anything that happens to journalists who "sneak" into Syria, Assad's government has warned. Meanwhile, the funeral will be held today for Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin who was killed last month in the Baba Amr area of Homs, in an attack on a makeshift media centre.
Saudi Arabia
• Thousands of students at an all-female university boycotted lectures at the weekend to protest against poor services, in a rare display of dissent from women in the Islamic kingdom. Students said security forces had broken up an earlier protest at King Khalid university on Wednesday, leaving dozens injured.
Gaza
• A 12-year-old boy was killed in Gaza on Sunday amid a spiralling round of militant rocket attacks and Israeli air strikes over the weekend that left at least 18 Palestinians dead and four people in Israel injured. A further 50 Palestinians were injured, five seriously, according to medical services in Gaza.
Egypt
• An army doctor has been acquitted of carrying out forced "virginity tests" on female protesters in Egypt last year. The presiding judge said there had been contradictions in the witness testimonies of the three women who came forward. Human rights campaigners dismissed the verdict as a sham and a protest march against the high court in Cairo is planned for this Friday.
Bahrain
• Police use teargas on opposition activists after unrest following the funeral of a protester who died as a result of a head wound he received in a previous demonstration, the Telegraph reports. Hundreds of opposition supporters attended the funeral of 22-year-old Fadhel Mirza in Diraz, west of Bahrain's capital, Manama on Saturday.
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84 comments
(12 displaying)
capmint1
12 March 2012 8:55AM
Mixed bag off articles on FPi daily brief, the US focus has certainly shifted, weighted more on diplomacy and playing down military intervention and citing both Russian and Syrian sources:
The Syrian currency's fall accelerated on the black market as tighter Western-led sanctions have pushed consumers and companies hoard dollars in a market increasingly sensitive to possible military intervention, dealers and bankers said on Thursday. - Reuters
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Thursday his country was opposed to any force from outside the region intervening in Syria, but warned that no government could survive by using violence against its people. - Reuters
Arab countries are sending mercenaries to Syria to thwart any chance of a negotiated settlement to end President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on a year-long uprising against his rule, Iran's ambassador to France said on Thursday. - Reuters
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is battling al Qaeda-backed "terrorists" including at least 15,000 foreign fighters who will seize towns across Syria if government troops withdraw, a Russian diplomat said on Thursday. - Reuters
The United Nations is readying food stocks for 1.5 million people in Syria as part of a 90-day emergency plan to help civilians deprived of basic supplies after nearly a year of conflict. - Reuters
Lebanon's foreign minister has rebuffed a call by the U.S. ambassador for the Beirut government to protect all Syrians who have fled across the border into Lebanese territory. - Reuters
Josh Rogin reports: The international community must do much more to pressure the regime of Syrian Bashar al-Assad, but the time has not come yet for any military intervention, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Yemeni dissident Tawakkul Karman tells The Cable. – The Cable
http://www.foreignpolicyi.org/overnightbrief030912
capmint1
12 March 2012 8:57AM
I am anti arming FSA, but in interests of impartiality, will post two contrasting arguments, one pro, and one anti
Pro intervention
David Schenker provides pro interventionist case, including option arming the FSA, rather than do nothing and watch slaughter and wait for a silver bullet, and cites Adr.Stavridis that it would hasten Assad regimes demise.
'Since the uprising began, the administration has been counseling anti-Assad demonstrators to stay peaceful at all costs. Indeed, in September, U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford predicated American support for the opposition on the protests remaining non-violent. More recently, a State Department spokesman said Washington didn’t “want to see the situation in Syria further militarized,” lest it give the Assad regime “an excuse for the violence they are perpetrating.”
Putting aside the bizarre supposition that Damascus somehow requires a pretext to kill its rebellious citizens, administration policy denies even the fundamental right to Syrians to defend themselves in the face of massacre. Lately, the White House has softened its earlier position, suggesting that all options remain on the table. But President Obama still seems to believe that Assad can—and should—be removed from power without violence. Instead the administration is hoping that sanctions and multi-lateral diplomacy spur a palace coup.
A coup, alas, would unlikely end the uprising. After all, the Syrian people are not merely calling for an end to Assad, but to his Alawite minoritarian regime, and would doubtful be pleased if the dictator was replaced by his brother or brother-in-law.
Still, biting sanctions are having an impact on Assad. It’s overly optimistic, however, to believe that these measures will catalyze regime change anytime soon. Meanwhile, waiting for the sanctions to succeed is a recipe for continued slaughter.
Anemic diplomacy on Syria hasn’t helped much either. Consider the disastrous Russian veto of a U.S.-sponsored toothless U.N. Security Council Resolution condemning Syria in early February and ongoing ineffective Arab League action to date, which has only emboldened Assad to step up the atrocities. And the administration’s latest initiative, the “Friends of Syria” group, focused on providing humanitarian—but not military—assistance to the Syrian people, also shows little promise. On February 24, Saudi Arabia stormed out of the first “Friends” conference, protesting the feckless approach to ending the slaughter. It’s time, the Saudi foreign minister said, to start arming the opposition.
Riyadh has it right. Short of putting NATO forces in harm’s way again, the only way to accelerate Assad’s departure is to start supporting the Free Syrian Army (FSA) with both lethal and non-lethal military assistance. This growing band of defectors from the regime has already demonstrated itself to be a resourceful, credible, and deadly force committed to protecting anti-regime protestors and attacking the regime. It would be more effective, however, if it possessed secure communications systems, better medical equipment, additional weapons, sufficient ammunition, and more anti-tank missiles and rocket propelled grenades.
Perhaps most importantly as NATO commander Adm. James Stavridis recently pointed out to the Senate Armed Services Committee, providing materiel support to the FSA would hasten the Assad regime’s demise.
While channeling even generous supplies of military materiel to the FSA will not any time soon result in opposition forces marching victorious into Damascus, improved opposition capabilities will demoralize regime forces, fuel more defections, and, over time, degrade the Assad regime. This is not going to be a quick fix, but the longer the status quo persists, the higher the risk that Syria will degenerate to a failed state ripe for al Qaeda inroads and sectarian conflict.'
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/arm-free-syrian-army-now_633315.html?page=2
Conanthebalbaering
12 March 2012 9:03AM
How come no comment blog on the mad American going house to house executing kids in Afghanistan, or the Israelis bombing kids in Gaza? Anyone else suspect the Guardian has an agenda?
capmint1
12 March 2012 9:07AM
Anti arming
The argument is more complex, it about training the ANA, so cultural differences, and only meant as indictor off generic issues off grainy soldiers, I have paraphrased in places, and included some thoughts to tailor to Syria
'First, the training is conducted by different nations, none of which have similar instructional methods. Indeed the foreign armies in Afghanistan don’t even have compatible rules of engagement, communications systems, logistics arrangements, equipment, command structures or domestic political imperatives.'
Presumably it is UK, French special forces that will be doing the training, with Syrians, but also Libyan, unknown number foreign salafists, not all speaking English as good as Belhaj. The LCC have 5,000 sat phones, presumably, the Russians have provided training to Syrias on how to use target thurhaya sat phones which are distinct from normal mobiles, Bush ordered the company to provide specific details off Iraqi customers in the hope off targetting Saddam, the Russians were less discriminate in Chechenya, where rumors first surfaced that they were targeting journalists, that could account for why so many journalists killed, as may have mistaken as Chechens or deliberate. It is no more discriminate than NATO dropping smart bomb that is a command and control bunker, we now know from RUSI, 50-100 civilians killed, UN report 50. The point being they are non secure, calls must be kept short to avoid giving away location, which is why covert Special Ops use encrypted comms.
'recruits were literate and spoke the same language; the dedication and ingenuity of my staff of instructors never ceased to amaze me; and the logistics system was staggeringly efficient. (One recruit had size 16 feet, so the quartermaster phoned the boot supplier and we had two pairs next day. And we won the inter-company swimming, too, because Bigfoot went like a motorboat.) The course of instruction took 12 weeks of enormous effort by everyone. At the end of it the recruits were able to begin to serve in their units. But their training was far from complete, because they had a great deal more to learn about soldiering. I won’t go into boring detail, but it takes at least a year to produce a reasonably efficient soldier — and that’s with an almost perfect system. It would be criminal to commit a soldier to hazarding his life before he was competent. In Afghanistan the training course is ten weeks [it has now been reduced to 8 weeks], and 90 percent of recruits are illiterate and language-incompatible with their peers, let alone with foreigners. Afghan instructors are keen but barely effective and the logistics system is a tattered joke. Some foreign instructors may be good, but most are depressingly ignorant of language, culture and customs.'
The author is Australian who served in Vietnam and tasked with setting up training programme for new Australian recruits, 12 weeks for basic training, a year for a reasonable soldier. To provide some context, AJ reported 30 min for AK47, few hours for heavier weapons, no wonder Ian Black never saw a motar team provide accurate fire support, although I did see Reuters with Rpg fired over his head.
My point is, arming the FSA is only a very small piece of the puzzle, which neo cons and interventionists conveniently over look, after $1tn and a decade ISAF failed with ANA, who are now shooting trainers, we also know well trained armies have friendly fire and collateral damage incidents, Gen McCryhstal tried to cover up the death off US soldier and ex professional football player, the largest loss off life in Desert Storm was two Durham Light Infantry warriors, the US also shot down own Blackhawks in Kurdish NFZ, as well as TNC a column of tanks in Libya.
Some final points, I've yet to see Syrian Observatory or LCCs or SANA report any friendly fire, although SANA do prefer cleansing to collateral damage, and the Arab League are much less experienced in sustained air campaigns than NATO
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/03/09/training-the-afghan-army/
Goggy
12 March 2012 9:09AM
Response to Conanthebalbaering, 12 March 2012 9:03AM
An agenda to what?
You need 300+ comments of people saying they are dismayed to realise it's a bad situation?
hubbahubba
12 March 2012 9:09AM
'Hi Syria, yes we would help but Iran's at the door, so we have to go now. Bye then.'
Conanthebalbaering
12 March 2012 9:10AM
• US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is due meet Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, at the UN today, where she will be hoping for signs that Russia is willing to back a new draft resolution on Syria, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
She has no chance because the Russians won't accept a resolution demanding a one sided ceasefire. Would the US accept a one sided ceasefire in Afghanistan?
BrownMoses
12 March 2012 9:11AM
Syrian activists have been posting about a alledged massacre of 47 people in Homs, including various EXTREMELY graphic videos and photos:
http://twitpic.com/8vafe5
http://twitpic.com/8vafmd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l12bd37QkJE
It's been reported that Syrian State TV has already started claiming the FSA "terrorists" did the massacre.
capmint1
12 March 2012 9:11AM
McClatchy have two articles
One on Syrian landmines with Turkey, based on defector testimony, which could be fake, but includes photo off a landmine, there were other media reports Lebanon, as well as historic Cold War where both Turkey and Syria used landmines
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/
McClatchy, who are an independant media organisation also broke story on AQ Iraq, and so presumably have good sources with US intelligence, that Assas very much in charge and might survive:
WASHINGTON — Months after the United States sided with rebels against Syrian President Bashar Assad, senior U.S. intelligence officials acknowledged Friday that not only could Assad survive the uprising, but also that they couldn't say with confidence that the opposition represents a majority of the Syrian people.
While the officials said they believed that the odds were against Assad remaining in power, they don't expect anything approaching a quick resolution to a conflict that began last year as peaceful protests and have since morphed into a near-civil war.
"Our sense is right now he's very much in charge," of their military operations, one U.S. official said. Another noted, "He (Assad) might survive this." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/03/09/141392/us-officials-assad-could-survive.html
Conanthebalbaering
12 March 2012 9:15AM
Response to Goggy, 12 March 2012 9:09AM
An agenda to what?
An agenda whereby moral outrage is allowed and encouraged to be vented against our government's enemies but not our so called allies as they commit attrocities.
splutteringlefty
12 March 2012 9:18AM
Response to Conanthebalbaering, 12 March 2012 9:15AM
Thanks for the clarification. I thought it was the contrast between a loose rabble of 'activists' fighting an oppresive mighty military regime and a mighty military machine fighting an oppresive loose rabble of 'militants'.
StivBator
12 March 2012 9:19AM
Plenty of interests for diplomacy to stall that don't just end with the brutal and criminal Assad regime.
Israel and US almost certainly seem to be using the Syrian uprising as a vehicle to outflank Iran. Making calls for Assad to resign and to be tried by the ICC gives him no other out from this other than crushing the revolt. Such is real politick and human nature.
Who is backing the rebels? Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia all seem very eager to arm them. All are absolute monarchies with far less democracy than Iran and all have equally appalling human rights records. Getting into bed with these regimes completely and utterly destroys the soft power effect of human rights the West is so fond of leveraging. This is why China, Russia etc almost laugh in the faces of the West when we bring this up. Recent atrocities in Afghanistan only underline the weakness in the West's hegemonic claims to human rights and also undermines any humanitarian capital it may have previously accumulated.
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