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And next, Syria?

Report about a pro-regime rally in Damascus

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/mid.../syria-libya-middle-east-unrest-live#block-10

Syria's streets were packed and traffic backlogged as Syrians headed to the highway in the upper class neighbourhood of Mezze for a pro-Assad rally.

Text messages had been sent out earlier in the week to alert people to join. And many seemed eager to be there, showing the huge divides between those for and against the regime.
Click to expand...

I read before that the uprising is almost exclusively comprised of the w/c and rural poor with some notable expectations like the students in Aleppo
 
This is quality article from the Guardian

It gives a glimpse of the self-organisation that is taking place in Syria and one that has gone largely unreported

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/15/syrians-vow-to-overcome-assad-violence

"Every Friday he goes out and I fear he might not come back. We wouldn't know if he was dead or alive," says Ahmed's mother as the young man laces up his black running shoes. The university student straightens up and shouts goodbye to his family as he rushes out of the door to the mosque, promising to be back for lunch.

With the sound of gunshots echoing from a few streets away, Ahmed's mother sits on the sofa and quietly cries. Friday, the day of prayer for many families across the country, has become a day of anxiety over the past three months as children, brothers and fathers and, in lesser numbers, mothers and sisters, take to the streets.

The brutal suppression of protests has left more than 1,400 people dead, including soldiers and security men, since Syria's uprising started, according to estimates by human rights groups.

But rather than deterring demonstrators, the violence has bolstered their determination, adding to their anger at the government that they say offers them no hope.
Click to expand...
 
President Assad has now announced his cousin will give up ownership of his half of country - he seemed to have his hands in everything from the telecoms to construction

There is also a rumour that he will make a "major announcement" offering further concessions in coming days
 
Divisive Cotton said:
President Assad has now announced his cousin will give up ownership of his half of country - he seemed to have his hands in everything from the telecoms to construction

There is also a rumour that he will make a "major announcement" offering further concessions in coming days
Click to expand...

God, they are so predictable these despots. Always too little too late. Always one step behind history. What may have worked a few months ago is offered now oblivious to the fact that it is simply too late. His concessions now will be seen only as a sign of the regimes increasing weakness and will only serve to inspire those in rebellion to increase the pressure. Assad is fucked.
 
There's rumours too that if the refugees keep flooding into Turkey then the Turkish military will create a safe haven within Syria

That will add an interesting extra X ingredient if that happens
 
Talking to yourself again?

APIC1.jpg
 
Considering Gaddafi is now officially wanted by the ICC war crimes court, where's the order out on Bashar al-Assad?
 
I'm in Syria at the minute working, I travel through Damascus and to what I would describe as the "Interior"

Damascus appears very calm, without huge amounts of visible security. We are only restricted/advised to not travel Friday lunchtime onwards as this is when the masses appear after friday prayers.

Damascus and the larger towns seem completely normal and safe to wander round, although I've not done it on a friday as above

Driving out and into the ïnterior" there are Gvt check points manned by conscripts, all seem friendly and very open to westerners, when I have a driver from one of the anti Gvt hotspots they take a little more notice of his driving licence but wave us through, in a couple of areas there are old russian tanks dug in to strategic spots but no real sign of trouble

The only trouble we have had is family feuding in a local village with 13 dead.....they know how to settle blood debts out here

The majority of Syrians who I meet are fairly middle of the road, conservative no fuss types who I doubt would strongly engage in any anti Gvt protests, in the same way that in the uk protests are attended mainly by driven firebrand activists

On a personal note, any dictator who needs to have a portrait in every single room in the country can't really be "Good" for a country

I'm living in a place with Syrians and with satellite TV......They stare open mouthed at the Sky news coverage.......not the best media to watch it all unfold on..........

Not a particularly indepth post more a naive view from a wandering expat
 
silverfish said:
Not a particularly indepth post more a naive view from a wandering expat
Click to expand...

Even so its still a very useful view that gives us a far more rounded sense of daily life there, an area that the media usually fail to cover much at the best of times in most countries, let alone when there is trouble in a place like Syria. So cheers :)
 
Deir ezzor yesterday had largest number of protesters since the start of the troubles. Numerous Locals say that security forces were reduced considerably and were backed right off leading to a "relatively peaceful" Friday
 
Spoke too soon, Deir Ezzor had large protests last night and the dug in T92 tanks have been augmented with more lighter, agile armoured vehicles...
 
Idris2002 said:
An interesting development: pro-regime mobs have tried to attack the US and French embassies. Guards responded with live rounds.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0711/breaking33.html
Click to expand...

They at least only fired warning shots into the air.

Round my way the secret coppers are out in force, with enhanced checkpoints. Yesterday was the first time I got a less than friendly welcome at a check point, bloke in civvy clobber with a pistol down his pants demanding to see our passports and repeatedly asking us quite pointedly whether we were american or french.....

Last night also involved an oilfield pipeline fire and explosion, which doesn't really happen on its own, with reports tha the "motor cycle boys" were seen at the location prior to it starting

Motor cycles are the way all the young guys get around. Roadblocks on the routes in and out of most towns and villages are there to prevent movement of large numbers of them entering at flash point times.

Interestingly the locals don't report "wounding" or "surviving" a shooting.

The only reports generating stats are when some one dies......Quite similer to the way that the British Gvt only seems to report soldiers deaths and not the severe life changing injuries that happen along side fatalities in a 4:1 ratio

There were shootings locally friday/saturday there were injuries but no fatalities so it was a none event....
 
I've been in Deir Ezzor picking up shopping, paying dongle bills, eating kebab and generally wandering round for the last two days

Today it has been completely locked up, no one in or out and reports of "fierce fighting". Not sure what that entails, but doubt its rosy.

Deir Ezzor and the surrounding area has so far been left alone by Gvt troops, the thought is that the tribal structure and the number of weapons per house hold and the willingness to use them means that when the Gvt start shooting they are going to have alot of it delivered right back at them.

Recently a village errupted into family revenge shot out (16 dead and still ongoing) indicates they are a warry bunch who won't let anyone kick sand in their faces
 
first reports in. Its only thursday night, with deaths today friday will be particularly high pressure

No one is moving anywhere, locals are all staying put in what ever location they are in rather than travelling home (There are lots of commuters in the oil and gas industry bussed in every day from the towns and villages)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14156200
 
Something is won.

According to SANA, the draft law adopted by the government bans the creation of parties based on "religion, tribal affiliation, regional interests" as well as those that discriminate along racial lines or gender. The draft law also stipulates that "party organs should not comprise any military or paramilitary elements, whether public or secret" and that objectives and funding must be clearly established. Prime Minister Adel Safar, who formed his government in April less than a month after the former premier quit in the face of anti-regime protests, in June named a committee tasked with drafting a law on political parties.
Click to expand...



http://www.google.com/hostednews/af...ocId=CNG.733683e30b8d84e2d13ba9533f2b5beb.5a1
 
I'm back home, after a few days on the shant.

The Gvt is in denial about sabotage and attacks on oilfield substations in the area, with the Oil company denying the use of the word "explosion" in reference to the incident

There has been another attack on oilfield infrastructure

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/07/29/Explosion-hits-Syrian-oil-pipeline/UPI-80941311945950/

Its looking very ominous, Deir Ezor is shut down, the police and military have left, CIVPOP have taken to the streets and blockaded themselves in setting up barricades everywhere. Apparently there is a lot of armour heading there and rotary aircraft have been seen too.

This place may turn into the next Jisr Al Sugar or Hom’s or Deera shortly

Looks like the movement/situation is escalating in time for ramadan, which will be a month of "Fridays"
 
At least 100 dead in Hama. Reports of an ongoing massacre taking place

Syria's uprising faced one of its defining moments when President Bashar al-Assad followed in his father's footsteps and sent in tanks to crush protests in the central city of Hama, killing up to 100 people and triggering a new wave of international outrage.

The National Organisation for Human Rights said in total 136 people had been killed in Hama and three other towns.

Activists described a massacre after armoured units ended a month-long siege to smash through makeshift barricades around the city just after dawn on the eve of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

International media are still largely banned from Syria but citizen journalists ensured that the scale and brutality of the crackdown was visible to the outside world. Video clips posed on YouTube showed unarmed civilians taking cover from shelling and heavy machinegun fire as hospitals struggled to cope with 200 casualties by mid-morning.

Bodies lay scattered on the streets, residents reported. "They started shooting with heavy machine guns at civilians, at the young men protecting the barricades," Omar Halabi, a local activist, told the Guardian.
Click to expand...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/31/syria-hama-crackdown-tanks-protests
 
What are the best twitter & other (non-mainstream news) net sources for following Syria, if any?

Cheers
 
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