WarSclerotic

Syrian opposition ask world’s help to stop Assad – Israel News, Ynetnews.

Damascus opposition members plead with West to pressure regime into ceasing brutal crackdown on protesters. US, UK say military response in Libya does not dictate similar action in Syria

News agencies

Members of the Syrian opposition meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday pleaded for international help to persuade President Bashar Assad to halt a brutal crackdown on a popular revolt.

“Our friends in the West, in Turkey, in the Arab world, if they want to help us, then they can do that by… putting the clearest possible pressure on the Syrian regime to stop targeting civilians,” Anas Abdah, the British-based chairman of the Movement for Justice and Development, told Reuters.

Abdah was speaking on the sidelines of a gathering of opposition and rights groups organized by Turkish non-government organizations to highlight the Syrian people’s plight.

“It looks like Bashar al-Assad has taken a strategic decision to crush a non-violent movement in Syria by ordering his brother Maher al-Assad… to go and storm Deraa city,” Abdah said.

Funeral for victims killed by Syrian security forces (Photo: AFP)

Double standard?

Meanwhile, both the US and British defense chiefs dismissed the notion that because the international community responded to unrest in Libya with military force, the same should be done in Syria.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates met Tuesday with his British counterpart Liam Fox, after which Fox said that the world’s response to popular revolts across the Middle East and North Africa “must be tailored to the circumstances of each case.”

In a joint appearance with Fox at the Pentagon, Gates made a similar point, noting that before the military campaign in Libya was launched, there was a diplomatic process that resulted in calls for action by the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Nations.

Other Washington officials said that |at this time” the United States still prefers to exhaust diplomacy and possible sanctions against Syria.

“Our focus is… with respect to options in Syria, in the diplomatic and financial space at the moment,” said Jacob Sullivan, director for strategic policy and a close advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“At the moment, we’re not actively considering shutting down our embassy in Syria,” said Sullivan. “We believe that our diplomatic lines of communication there offer an opportunity to communicate directly with the Syrian government in ways that we would like to continue to do.”

Sullivan reiterated that the United States condemns the repression in Syria, saying the actions taken by Assad “are totally unacceptable” and “completely inconsistent” with those of a responsible leader.

The US, he concluded, “Will evaluate the effectiveness and benefits of the tools at our disposal,” before making any further decisions.

As for the situation in Libya, Gates said that there had been some “momentum” in the Libyan conflict in recent days, but stressed that NATO forces were not targeting Moamar Gaddafi specifically.

The comments come after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the coalition of exceeding its UN mandate to protect civilians, saying attacks on Gaddafi’s palaces indicate the aim was to kill the Libyan leader.

Putin accused the nations taking part in the Nato-led operation of straying from the UN mandate to enforce a no-fly zone and protect civilians.

AP, AFP and Reuters contributed to this report

Assad’s fall would be welcome.

  Three months ago, the January 25 revolution broke out in Egypt. Since then, the flames of revolt burning across Arab capitals have refused to die out. Ousted Tunisian president Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali fled his country’s civilian protests and found refuge in the bosom of the Saudi royal family. Egypt’s deposed president Hosni Mubarak, forced to transfer rule to the military, is currently hopping between police investigators and the emergency room. Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi is leading a fight for survival in his country against the rebels who are reinforced by NATO air raids which almost certainly guarantee a future victory. In Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan, as well, tensions continue to rise. The effects of the volcano that erupted some 90 days ago, are still felt in Middle Eastern cities.

Events in Syria will have a more decisive impact than those in any other Arab country. While the implications of the turbulence in Egypt over the peace treaty with Israel should not be taken lightly, it is too early to tell where Cairo is heading. The military establishment has not transferred its rule and its connection to the West remains firm and authentic. It is very possible that Mubarak’s exit from the political stage will be a catalyst for further consolidation of this culture of political democratization, but will not lead to a change in political orientation. Meanwhile, the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime would result in dramatic regional change. Unlike many respected commentators, I believe that such a development would significantly improve Israel’s strategic situation.

CONCERN OVER the collapse of the Alawite minority rule is based on our longstanding truce with Syria, in place since 1973. I disagree with the approach that praises Assad for the quiet Israel-Syria border.

Although he has adhered to the restraint practiced by his late father, former president Hafez Assad, with respect to maintaining agreements such as the ceasefire in the Golan Heights, in many other areas he has led an adventurous policy which has placed him in direct confrontation with Israel. The calm northern border has provided him with a cover for militant, aggressive, and frustratingly effective activity on various fronts and against Israel’s interests.

Syria, via its proxies, spilled IDF blood in Lebanon for three decades. Israel’s forced unilateral withdrawal to the Israeli-Lebanon border was without any real achievement or value. Assad offered a safe haven in Damascus to senior leaders of terrorist organizations and allowed them to continue their terror activities, with unlimited freedom, from his capital.

The Syria-Iran alliance has provided Hamas and its satellites with financial aid, training camps, a supply of modern weapons and political backing. Sponsored by the intimate cooperation between Tehran and Damascus, a fanatic terror kingdom, armed to the teeth, was established on our southern border four years ago, and has since already exacted a tangible price from Israel.

Hezbollah’s success in gaining unprecedented power in Lebanon can also be attributed to the Syrian president’s determination. In past years, Assad consistently rebuffed pressures from the Bush administration and refused to turn his back on Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, despite threats and sanctions imposed on Syria.

Syria’s enthusiastic support for Hezbollah has turned it into Lebanon’s strongest organization militarily, and the most significant political force in the majority coalition, which is currently trying to establish a new government.

GIVEN THIS background – and we have not even mentioned the reports of Syria’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons – it is difficult to support any position that allows for the Assad regime’s continued rule.

Those who disagree with an Assad departure are troubled by the possibility that his successors will deviate from the path of restraint that characterized him, and opt for a more provocative policy toward Israel.

The probability of this occurring is minimal, I believe. With citizens’ blood flowing in the streets, it seems more likely that Assad’s successors will first seek to sideline the devoted supporters of the hated duo, Nasrallah and Ahmadinejad. Syria’s opposition, like most of Syrian society, are members of the Sunni community.

If opposition leaders survive the conflict, overcome the current oppressive regime and fill key positions in Syria, they are unlikely to show a surplus of sympathy toward the Shias of Iran and Hezbollah.

To know what would really serves Israel’s interest, we should look toward the Islamic Republic. Nothing currently worries the ayatollahs’ regime more than the loss of Syria as its intimate partner in the “axis of evil.” Iran has invested enormous resources in maintaining this partnership, including a willingness to compromise on its own interests to satisfy Syria’s desires. Syria’s defection from the radical camp into the arms of the pragmatic Arab camp would leave Iran isolated and vulnerable.

Even Hezbollah leaders have recently found it difficult to sleep at night. Who is better aware of the grave impending damage should its extensive connections, carefully cultivated among the Syrian leadership, be severed? Intelligence, logistical and operational assets which have enabled them to maintain a balance of deterrence both against Israel and other power sources in Lebanon may all vanish.

Of course, it would be arrogant to predict at this stage the outcome of the processes of change our neighbors are undergoing. Things are as hopeful as they are dangerous. A positive surprise today can be revealed as a naïve illusion tomorrow.

Nonetheless, history has shown us more than once that events that were at first looked upon as wishful thinking, eventually became a reality. Perhaps at the end of this battle over Syria’s future, it will turn out that, contrary to the gloomy biblical prophecy, it will not be evil that will break forth from the north (Jeremiah 1:14), but rather, a blessing The writer is a former Kadima minister.

Syria says it needs no help in investigation of killings.

  UNITED NATIONS – Syria is perfectly capable of conducting its own transparent inquiry into the deaths of anti-government demonstrators and needs no outside assistance, Syria’s UN envoy said on Tuesday.

“Syria has a government, has a state,” Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari told reporters who asked about a call by UN chief Ban Ki-moon for an investigation. “We can undertake any investigation by our own selves with full transparency.”

“We have nothing to hide,” he said outside the UN Security Council chambers, where members failed to agree on a statement condemning Syria’s government.

“We regret what’s going on, but you should also acknowledge the fact that this unrest and riots, in some of their aspects, have hidden agendas,” he said, adding that some foreign governments were trying to destabilize Syria.

Asked by reporters to name the countries that Damascus believes are behind the unrest, Ja’afari said it was “too early” to provide details.

Ja’afari was speaking as Syrian President Bashar Assad poured troops into a suburb of the capital overnight while his tanks pounded Deraa to crush resistance in the southern city where the revolt against his autocratic rule began on March 18.

White buses brought in hundreds of soldiers in full combat gear into the northern Damascus suburb of Douma, a witness told Reuters on Wednesday, from where pro-democracy protesters have tried to march into centre of the capital in the last two weeks but were met with bullets.

Syrian human rights organization Sawasiah said security forces have killed at least 35 civilians since they entered Deraa at dawn on Monday.

The organization, founded by jailed human rights lawyer Mohannad al-Hassani, said electricity, water and telecommunications remained cut in Deraa and tanks kept firing at residential buildings, with supplies blood at hospitals starting to run low.

At least 400 civilians have been killed by security forces in their campaign to crush the protests, Sawasiah said, adding that the United Nations Security Council must convene to start proceedings against Syrian officials in the International Criminal Court and “rein in the security apparatus”.

The UN secretary-general has called for an independent inquiry into the deaths of people he has described as peaceful demonstrators.

Ja’afari said Assad had instructed the government “to establish a national commission of inquiry and investigation about all the casualties among civilians.”

“We don’t need help from anybody,” he said.

‘Egypt-Israel gas pipeline attacked by armed gang’.

  Saboteurs on Wednesday blew up a pipeline running through Egypt’s North Sinai near the town of El-Arish that supplies gas to Israel and Jordan, a security source told Reuters.

“An unknown armed gang attacked the gas pipeline,” the security source said, adding that the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan had been hit.

“Authorities closed the main source of gas supplying the pipeline and are working to extinguish the fire,” the source said, adding there was a tower of flame at the scene.

Last month, six gunmen in Sinai targeted the pipeline, overpowering a guard and planting an explosive device before fleeing.

The explosive device failed to detonate and was eventually defused by soldiers at the gas terminal in the village of el-Sabil near el-Arish.

In March, the Egyptian army deployed hundreds of additional soldiers to the northern Sinai Peninsula to guard the pipeline.

An Israeli defense official said Jerusalem had agreed to the deployment, which followed a February 5 explosion at a gas terminal in the area that disrupted the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan. Security officials said a bomb had caused the blast at the el- Arish terminal, while Egypt’s natural gas company said it had been caused by a gas leak.

The blast and fire at the gas terminal in el-Arish did not cause casualties.

The explosion sent a pillar of flames leaping into the sky, but was a safe distance from the nearest homes, said regional governor Abdel Wahab Mabrouk. He added the fire was brought under control by mid-morning, after valves controlling the flow of gas were closed.

The flow of natural gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan was cut off until March 16 as a result of the blast. Israel gets 40 percent of its natural gas from Egypt, a deal built on their landmark 1979 peace accord.

On Saturday, Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered former Energy Minister Sameh Fahmy and six other officials to stand trial on charges of squandering public funds related to the natural gas deal with Israel.

The decision, part of a probe on graft during the 30-year-rule of Mubarak, said the deal in question caused Egypt losses worth more than $714 million and enabled a local businessman to make financial profits.