Europe calls on Assad to step down as Iraq says it will send peace team to Damascus
Europe calls on Assad to step down as Iraq says it will send peace team to Damascus.
Al Arabiya
Thursday, 15 December 2011
The European Parliament renewed its call for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to step down immediately, Al Arabiya reported on Thursday as Iraq said it will send a delegation to Syria to try to convince Damascus to implement an Iraqi initiative to end months of bloody conflict.
According to Al Arabiya, the European parliamentarians condemned the violent crackdown carried out by the Syrian regime against civilians.
They urged the importance of probing the crimes against humanity committed by the Syrian forces and underscored the importance of holding the Syrian regime accountable for those crimes before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The European Union urged, during a European-Russian summit in Brussels, the importance of issuing an international resolution against Syria,” Al Arabiya correspondent in Brussels reported citing a top European official.
“Russia might agree on an international resolution against Syria with the condition of not permitting any foreign interference in the country,” the source said.
Canada to evacuate nationals from Syria
Meanwhile, Canada announced Thursday it was organizing an evacuation of its nationals from Syria, saying the situation in the violence-wracked Middle East nation “continues to deteriorate.”
Foreign Minister John Baird said Ottawa has “directed officials to undertake a voluntary evacuation over the next month” and in the meantime was calling on Canadians “to leave Syria immediately, by any available means and while options exist,” according to AFP.
Ottawa has been urging its nationals to leave Syria since October.
But Baird now warned that “the deteriorating situation and the sanctions being imposed on Syria by the Arab League will have a significant impact on commercial air transport.”
Canadian officials in Damascus may not be able to assist anyone choosing to leave after Jan. 14 with travel documents, he added.
Already Syrian authorities have imposed “significant” travel restrictions on Canadian diplomats in the country, making it difficult to provide consular assistance in the event of an emergency.
The Arab League decided on Nov. 12 to suspend Syria’s membership and warned it would head to the United Nations if President Bashar al-Assad’s regime pressed on with its deadly crackdown on protesters seeking his ouster.
The United Nations this week estimated that more than 5,000 people have been killed in the Syrian government’s crackdown on dissent, which enters its 10th month on Thursday.
Arab foreign ministers hold an emergency meeting in Cairo on Saturday to respond to Syria’s proposal to admit observers in exchange for an end to regional sanctions.
Western nations say they are waiting for the Arab League meeting to decide their next action, with diplomats saying Russia would almost certainly use its Security Council veto again unless there is a strong Arab lead on the crisis.
Maliki to send delegation to Syria
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told AFP in an exclusive interview that Iraq will send a delegation to Syria to try to convince Damascus to implement an Iraqi initiative to end months of bloody conflict.
“When I arrive in Baghdad, I will hold a meeting to prepare the plans to send a delegation to Syria in order to implement the Iraqi initiative,” Maliki told AFP as he flew back to Iraq after a trip to Washington.
The initiative is aimed at opening a dialogue between the opposition and the Syrian government to reach a result that satisfies both sides, he said.
“America and Europe are afraid of the phase after Bashar al-Assad. That is why they (the United States and Europe) understand the initiative” from Iraq, Maliki said.
Baghdad has so far shied away from punitive measures against Assad’s regime, abstaining from both a vote to suspend Syria from the Arab League, and another to impose sanctions against Syria.
WarSclerotic 
December 15, 2011 at 7:04 PM
Reblogged this on Vasile Roata.
December 15, 2011 at 7:14 PM
I have always been very interested in the ancient history of those countries which gave birth to modern civilization. Mesopotamia and Syria and Persia and Iraq all brought about modern civilization.
The Persians with their great understanding of astronomy accomplished miracles thousands of years ago in thier understanding of the planets and universe.
The reality of those of us in the west is that all our science, writing and thinking is laid on a foundation of these countries history.
What a priviledge it would be to visit these ancient sites. We do hope for the best for you all.
I even check people’s names to see if they reference any of the ancient names from thousands of years ago and they do.
The west does respect the history and culture which is priceless.
In all the events of these days I wanted to say I am in awe of the history of the middle east and persian gulf.
May some of the past’s greatest success bear fruit today in all your countries.