RSS Feed
February 8th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
America’s ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, brushes past the criticism,
saying that she’s confident the crisis can be solved by “a combination
of political and economic measures”. She also has some hard words for
Russia and China:
We’re all very frustrated by the fact that two countries, following their own
narrow interests, blocked a very important resolution at the Security
Council that would have given hope to an Arab League-mediated solution.
20.34 Telegraph video showing a glimpse of life in the besieged city of Homs:
20.14 White House spokesman Jay Carney announces the US is
working with friends to discuss how to provide humanitarian aid to Syrians
caught in the government crackdown:
We are exploring the possibility of providing humanitarian aid to Syrians.
State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland also weighed in on the question of
providing humanitarian aid to Syrians, but made clear any such help would
fall well short of direct aid to rebels battling Assad’s fierce crackdown:
It’s frankly not clear how much we’re going to be able to do, but we want to
help.
Some of these proposals that people are brooding about could not be done
without foreign military intervention – as we have said, we don’t think more
arms into Syria is the right answer.
Syrian rebels inspect their weapons
19.24 The White House has announced it is considering sending humanitarian
aid to the Syrian people, Reuters reports.
18.46 The United States has voiced skepticism of promises by Assad to
Russia’s foreign minister and said that he should instead immediately end
the violence.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States would
withhold judgment on Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Damascus but
criticised Assad for making new pledges of domestic reforms:
You can understand that the international community as a whole would be pretty
skeptical of, instead of focusing on ending the violence, what we seem to
have is a re-upping of this same offer that Assad has been making for months
and months and months.
Members of the Free Syrian Army train outside Idlib, Syria
18.00 Senior Republican senator John McCain has urged the US to
consider arming the opposition fighting the forces of Syria’s President
Bashar al-Assad:
We should start considering all options, including arming the opposition. The
blood-letting has got to stop.
17.18 More of Assad’s statement to SANA is coming out, with Reuters
snapping that he said he will cooperate with “any effort that supports
stability in Syria”.
16.49 Is Iran getting involved in the diplomatic wrangles? Guardian
journalist Saeed Kamali Dehghan tweets:
Iranian deputy foreign minister in #Damascus for talks with #Syria
officials, reports #Iran’s state-run Arabic news channel, Al-Alam TV.
16.42 Assad has spoken out for the first time today. AFP reports:
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Tuesday after meeting Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov that he was ready to cooperate with all efforts
toward stability in his strife-torn country.
“The president reiterated Syria’s willingness to work with all efforts
towards stability in Syria,” the state news agency SANA said.
16.32 The Telegraph’s Phoebe Greenwood gives more detail on Anonymous’s
hacking of Asssad’s astonishing office emails. Just as a
reminder, during the Barbara Walters interview, Assad told her:
We don’t kill our people – no government in the world kills its people,
unless it’s led by a crazy person.
Indeed.
ABC’s Barbara Walters interviews Assad last year
16.09 Chalk up another victory for hacker group Anonymous. They
have launched their own attack on Assad today in the best way they know how:
by leaking
hundreds of emails from his office, using the password “1234”
to break into the accounts of his closest aids.
The leaked documents have been posted in full on the website of Israeli
newspaper Ha’aretz. They include
a tip to Assad before an
interview with US news network ABC’s Barbara Walters, letting him
know that “The American psyche can be easily manipulated”.
And people who don’t change their passwords can have their email accounts
easily hacked in to.
An Anonymous supporter
16.04 Telegraph Executive Foreign Editor Con Coughlin warns that we
must learn the lessons of Libya before we act on Syria:
I am by no means a supporter of the Gaddafi regime, but I objected to the
Libyan campaign on the grounds that we had no idea who would replace the old
rogue. And five months later we still don’t know… Historically, the only
effective opposition to Assad’s regime has been provided by the Muslim
Brotherhood. Do we really want to see the establishment of an Islamist
government in Damascus?
As with Libya, it would be prudent for the British government to proceed
with caution, rather than diving in with all guns blazing.
Anti-regime protesters hold a demonstration in Idlib, Syria
15.53 The Syrian National Council have told Reuters that Assad’s
military assault on Homs is designed to show Moscow that he is in control
and can serve until his term expires in 2014.
The agency quotes an official named Catherine al-Talli as saying:
Assad needs to look strong in front of the Russians. He has not managed to
control Homs since the eruption of the uprising and now that he has seen
that he faces no real threat from the international community, it appears
that he wants to finish off the city.
15.21 As the diplomats do their thing, The Telegraph’s graphics team
has put together a chart showing how
the death toll in Syria has risen to 6,000 since the revolt
began 11 months ago.
15.06 Not so fast. The Syrian National Council has denied the reports
it has agreed to Russian mediation to The Daily Telegraph.
The Telegraph’s Damien
McElroy writes:
Ausama Monajed, the spokesman for the Syrian National Council, dismissed
claims that the body was ready to participate in a Russian-led mediation
effort as “not true”.
Hopefully more shortly.
14.24 A ray of hope? Russian agencies report that the Syrian
opposition have agreed to Russian mediation along with the Assad regime.
The reports quote a George Sabra, a senior member of the Syrian National
Council, as saying:
The Syrian opposition needs all the help there is. Considering the good
relations between the Russian and Syrian nations, Russia has a good chance
of playing this part.
He did admit, however, that in the wake of Russia’s veto of the UN resolution
condemning Assad on Saturday, its role as a mediator would be more
difficult.
He refused to answer a question on whether any plan should call for Assad’s
resignation.
The cannon of a damaged military vehicle in Homs today
14.17 A new AFP report says the six Gulf Cooperation states are to
expel Syria’s ambassadors from their countries as they issue a statement
condemning the “mass slaughter against the unarmed Syrian people”.
The GCC states:
State members have decided to withdraw their ambassadors from Syria and
ask at the same time for all the ambassadors of the Syrian regime to leave
immediately.
14.06 The
Daily Telegraph’s Chief Foreign Correspondent David Blair has blogged on the
crisis, writing that it proves foreign policy really is “the
art of the impossible”. He sums up the problem:
Britain and her allies have two incompatible objectives: they want to
hasten the downfall of President Assad, while also bringing the country’s
bloodshed to an end. You can’t do both at the same time…
If we end up supporting the rebels against Assad, the danger is that we
inflame a civil war that could escalate into a Lebanon-style conflagration
that lasts for generation. If we don’t, Assad and his enemies will continue
to slug it out, each strong enough to survive, but lacking the ability to
achieve total victory over the other. Either option points to a long and
bloody struggle….
So this is the thorniest of diplomatic problems – and I don’t pretend to
offer any answers. What would you do?
Assad supporters wave Russian, Chinese and Syrian flags as Lavrov
arrives in Damascus
13.52 BBC Foreign Editor Jon Williams adds:
13.30 In contrast, the BBC’s Nick Sutton tweets a plea from Homs:
13.19 The snaps continue: According to AFP, Lavrov says Assad is “fully
committed” to the cessation of violence in Syria.
13.17 Reuters are snapping an IFAX report that claims Lavrov said
Assad told him he was ready to seek dialogue with all political forces in
Syria.
AFP are also snapping that Lavrov has said Russia is ready to help solve the
Syria crisis based on the Arab League plan – and that his meeting in
Damascus was “very useful”.
Meanwhile video shows crowds of Assad supporters cheering as Lavrov arrives in
Damascus:
13.15 The BBC’s foreign editor Jon Willams warns that the “gloves
are off” after Russia and China’s veto of the UN vote as Assad batters
his opponents:
12.50 The Syrian government’s statement on its assault in Homs:
Operations to hunt down terrorist groups will continue until security and
order are re-established in all neighbourhoods of Homs and its environs and
until we overcome all armed persons terrorising citizens and threatening
their life.
12.41 AFP are also reporting that today’s death toll in Syria hasn ow
reach 21, the majority of them in Homs.
12.27 Sergei Lavrov has now been pictured meeting with Assad in
Damascus, where the two are holding talks as Russia tries to save face over
its UN veto of the resolution condemning Assad. AFP are reporting Lavrov was
cheered by thousands in Damascus as regime supporters took to the streets to “thank”
Russia for the veto.
Bashar al Assad welcomes Sergei Lavrov to Damascus
12.02 France has now followed Italy and Britain in pulling its
ambassador out of Damascus for “consultations”.
11.42 Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt fears President Assad is
showing Syria he is still in control with the brutal crackdown on Homs.
11.37 Meanwhile more images are emerging from Homs today.
A wounded man is treated by medics in a medical centre in Khalidiyain Homs
11.35 Israel
has warned it is prepared to take action to prevent Syria’s chemical weapons
from falling into the hands of Shia Islamist group Hezbollah should Assad’s
regime fall, reports The Daily Telegraph‘s Phoebe Greenwood.
She writes:
Israeli intelligence now regards the fall of the Assad regime as
inevitable.
Senior Israeli defence officials claim the Syrian’s massive stockpile of
weapons – including surface-to-air missiles, high-trajectory long-range
rockets and missiles, biological and chemical weapons, which are currently
under the watchful guard of government troops – pose as great a threat to
Israeli security as Iranian nuclear development.
Incoming Air Force Chief Major General Emir Eshel told a recent press
conference: “The question is when, not if [Assad will fall]. And the big
question is what will happen the following day.
“What has been passed on to Hezbollah so far? What will be passed on in
the future? What will be divided between the two factions in Syria?” …
Air Force Command Major General Ido Nechushtan has stated baldly that the
volatile situation in Syria may lead to a conflict on Israel’s northern
border.
“Everything that is happening [in Syria] every day is reason for us to
re-examine the situation, closely follow the developments and make decisions
as necessary,” Nechushtan said.
Protesters during an anti-regime demonstration in the Damascus suburb of
Daraya
11.08 In contrast, Der Spiegel is reporting that arrests have also
been made in Berlin – of Assad spies reporting on opposition figures there:
11.05 Reinforcing Robert Fisk’s point that Assad’s neighbours are
standing with him, Reuters are reporting that Lebanese authorities have
detained two Lebanese men suspected of smuggling weapons and ammunition to
insurgents in Syria.
The agency reports:
Syria, which dominated Lebanon politically and through its intelligence
apparatus after the 1975-1991 Lebanese civil war, has demanded its neighbour
rein in the movement of weapons across the border to the insurgency that has
developed during an 11-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
The uprising has deepened pre-existing splits between Syria’s foes and
allies in Lebanon. The Shi’ite Muslim guerrilla group and political movement
Hezbollah is seen as supporting Syria. Last year it pulled out of a
government led by an anti-Syrian bloc.
10.55 Italy has now pulled its ambassador out of Syria, AFP reports.
The agency is also reporting that Turkey will launch a “new initiative
with those countries who stand by the Syrian people, not the regime”.
So far it’s not clear on what that initiative will entail.
Syrian soldiers who defected to join the Free Syrian Army among
demonstrators near Homs
10.33 Al Arabiya is tweeting some of the “progress” Lavrov
is making in his meeting with Assad so far:
Tim
Marshall over at Sky presents his view on that succintly by tweeting: “Isn’t
that nice!”
Russia Today has added that Lavrov also told Assad that each leader must know
his own responsibility. The contents of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev’s
message to Assad remain a mystery, the news channel reported.
10.20 Harrowing footage has emerged of women and children fleeing the
relentless shelling in Homs.
10.15 The Daily Telegraph’s Chief
Foreign Correspondent David Blair has some thoughts on Lavrov’s
visit to Damascus. He writes:
Anyone expecting Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, to join
Bashar al-Assad for a joint press conference after their meeting in Damascus
today will probably be disappointed. While the Russian’s arrival in Syria
has been confirmed, any details of his meeting with Assad will probably
remain firmly under wraps.
Before leaving, Lavrov told journalists: “When you go on a mission on
the order of the head of state then the purpose of the mission is usually
only revealed to the person it is addressed to. If I tell you everything
now, then what is the point?”
And who is Lavrov’s travelling companion? Step forward Mikhail Fradkov,
head of the SVR, the Russian foreign intelligence service. All this goes to
show the extreme sensitivity of this mission.
09.56 Australia’s Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd is tweeting about
turning up the diplomatic pressure on Syria:
09.06 Sky Foreign Affairs
editor Tim Marshall has tweeted more on what options the rebels may
be exploring now:
09.04 The AFP are repoting that Sergei Lavrov has arrived in Damascus
and is due to be meeting with Assad in an hour.
08.30 On the diplomatic front, China said today that it is considering
sending envoys to West Asia and North Africa to continue to push for a
diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Yesterday the UK
pulled its ambassador out of the country for “consultations”.
William Hague told the House of Commons:
This is a doomed regime as well as a murdering regime. There is no way it
can recover its credibility internationally or with its own people.
William Hague addresses the House of Commons on Syria
The
US closed its embassy in Damascus entirely.
08.22 There are still conflicting reports on the death toll from
yesterday’s assault on Homs, but the latest AFP report puts it at nearly 100
after shelling continued throughout the night.
Activist Abu Rami told the agency this morning:
There are about four blasts every five minutes. Since this morning the
shelling has been concentrated in the neighbourhoods of Baba Amro, Inshaat
and Jubar. The humanitarian situation is dire. No one can move around. There
are snipers everywhere.
Amateur footage showing shelling in Homs
08.12 Meanwhile this morning in Homs the Syrian regime has vowed to
continue its offensive to pursue the “terrorists” who are “threatening”
citizens’ lives, the AFP has reported.
Assad’s regime has branded the rebels “armed terrorist gangs”. Sky
News footage from Homs carries audio of explosions in the
battered city.
We’ve also got a map timelining events in recent days.
08.10 We’ll begin with coverage in the newspapers this morning,
starting with The Telegraph’s call to arm
Assad’s enemies.
What
can be done in the wake of what William Hague yesterday described as the
UN’s “hour of shame”? Hillary Clinton, his American counterpart, has
proposed that “friends of democratic Syria” should co-ordinate assistance to
Assad’s opponents, on the lines of the recently dissolved Contact Group on
Libya. Even if it rules out direct military intervention, such a group
should consider supplying weapons to the Free Syrian Army. All the evidence
suggests that force alone will end Assad’s misrule.
This morning’s Daily Telegraph news piece focused
on the shelling and the unrelenting offensive in Homs, while The
Telegraph’s David Blair has examined what
Britain’s options are after the UN veto.
In The Times, Assad’s wife Asma is believed to have broken an 11-month
silence with an email to the newspaper. She writes:
The President is the President of Syria, not a faction of Syrians, and
the First Lady supports him in that role… The First Lady’s very busy
agenda is still focused on supporting the President as needed. These days
she is equally involved in bridging gaps and encouraging dialogue. She
listens to and comforts the families of the victims of the violence.
The Times also quotes experts giving their assesment of the email, accusing
Mrs Assad of being a hypocrite with an “ostrich attitude”.
Syrian president Bashar al Assad and his wife Asma
You can read our story on Mrs Assad’s email here.
The Daily Mail focuses
on Foreign Secretary William Hague’s promise that there is “no
limit” to the resources Britain can provide to the rebels.
Mr Hague yesterday ruled out British military action, but said the UK was
ready to provide “strategic communications” equipment to the
rebels.
The Independent‘s Robert
Fisk offers an eye-opening account of the profound mistake the West
is making in believing this is Syria’s “Benghazi moment”. He
writes:
Look east, and what does Bashar see? Loyal Iran standing with him. Loyal
Iraq – Iran’s new best friend in the Arab world – refusing to pose
sanctions. And to the west, loyal little Lebanon refusing to impose
sanctions. Thus from the border of Afghanistan to the Mediterranean, Assad
has a straight line of alliances which should prevent, at least, his
economic collapse… Crazed Gaddafi had real enemies with firepower and
Nato. Assad’s enemies have Kalashnikovs and no Nato.
08.00 GMT (10.00 Damascus) Hello and welcome to The Telegraph’s live
rolling coverage of the crisis in Syria, where Bashar al Assad’s forces have
launched another assault on the city of Homs.
Syria uprising: February 7 as it happened
Syria live: February 6 as it happened
Posted in 
Tags: 
