Bashar al-Assad

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Clinton: UN Must Send 'Clear Message' to Syria

She rejects comparisons to Libya as 'false analogy'

(Newser) - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the Security Council today that UN action to end the violence in Syria would be different from the NATO-led efforts in Libya that resulted in the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi. "I know that some members here may be concerned that the Security...

Russia: Syria Is Ready to Talk
 Russia: Syria Is Ready to Talk 
Jan 30, 2012 12:56 PM CST

Russia: Syria Is Ready to Talk

But opposition rejects offer, as fighting rages outside Damascus

(Newser) - With fighting raging outside Damascus , Syria's regime has indicated that it is open to "informal" talks with opposition leaders in Moscow, Russian officials announced today. But the Syrian National Council swiftly rejected the idea, saying it wouldn’t talk until President Bashar al-Assad stepped down, al-Jazeera reports. Russia'...

Syrian Army Strikes Damascus &#39;Burbs
 Syrian Army Strikes 
 Damascus 'Burbs 
AT LEAST 12 DEAD
Jan 29, 2012 12:36 PM CST

Syrian Army Strikes Damascus 'Burbs

Situation looks to be unraveling near the capital

(Newser) - The Syrian military launched an offensive to regain control of suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus today, storming neighborhoods and clashing with groups of army defectors in fierce fighting that sent residents fleeing and killed at least 12 people, activists said. Violence elsewhere in the country killed at least...

Arab League Halts Syria Mission; 9 More Dead

UN working on resolution, but Russia is balking

(Newser) - The Arab League observers sent to Syria to observe the nation's violence say they can't continue ... because the country is too violent. The league formally suspended its mission today, reports al-Jazeera .The move isn't a surprise: The mission was widely panned as ineffective, and some participating nations...

Gulf Arab Monitors Bail on Syria

Arab League says mission will continue

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia's Persian Gulf allies are following the Saudis' lead: They're exiting the Arab League's monitoring effort in Syria, days after the League's mandate expired . The move prompted the Arab League to again review and reaffirm its mission today, Reuters reports. The Gulf Cooperation Council said...

Russians Hawk Jets to Syria Regime

Even as US senators propose tougher sanctions

(Newser) - Russia is so unconcerned with the international outcry against Syria that it has reached a deal to sell Bashar al-Assad's regime three dozen Yak-130 fighter jets, a Syrian business newspaper reported today. The twin-engined jet is capable of attacking ground targets, the AP reports. Experts say the contract, which...

Syria Nixes Arab League Peace Plan

Calls for Assad to leave power are a 'flagrant interference'

(Newser) - Syria has quickly rejected a peace plan floated by the Arab League, today calling it a "flagrant interference" in the country's internal affairs. The plan, proposed as the Arab League's observer mission flounders , called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down within two weeks, transfer power...

Arab League Extends Syria Mission 1 Month

Will boost number, training of observers

(Newser) - Arab League officials say the 22-member organization's observers mission in Syria, which ran out Thursday, has been extended for an extra month. Today's decision has been made by Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to...

Iran Helping Syria Skirt Sanctions

And Russia is shipping in weapons

(Newser) - Iran is quietly helping Syria evade US and European Union sanctions by selling its oil on the international market, US officials have discovered. Transit records show that one shipment last month saw more than 91000 metric tons of crude sent to Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports. An Iranian spokesman...

Syria Warns Arab Nations: Keep Your Troops Out

Damascus 'shocked' at suggestion from Qatar

(Newser) - Syria may have begrudgingly agreed to let Arab League observers into the country, but it's not about to do the same with Arab troops. Responding angrily to the emir of Qatar's suggestion that troops intervene , Syria's foreign ministry made clear it won't stand idly by if...

UN Chief to Syria's Assad: Stop Killing Your People

Ban Ki-moon says 'old order is crumbling'

(Newser) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon demanded today that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stop the slaughter of his own people, and said the "old order" of one-man rule and family dynasties is over in the Middle East. In a keynote address at a conference on democracy in the Arab world, Ban...

Arab League Boss: I Fear a Civil War in Syria

Would pose threat to 'neighboring states,' says Nabil Elaraby

(Newser) - As Arab League observers begin to bail on their Syria mission—frustrated over their own failure to end the government crackdown against protesters—the leader of the League says he's concerned the crisis could escalate. "I fear a civil war and the events that we see and hear...

Syria Monitor Quits, Calls Mission a 'Farce'

And a second says he's on the verge of doing the same

(Newser) - An Arab League monitor has bailed on the Syria mission, and another says he's on the verge of doing so, amid frustrations about how ineffectual the mission has been. On Tuesday, Algerian observer Anwar Malek told al-Jazeera he was resigning because the mission was a "farce" and unable...

First Western Journalist Killed in Syria Unrest

Gilles Jacquier of France dead after grenade attack

(Newser) - A French TV cameraman became the first Western journalist killed in the 10-month-old Syrian uprising today, dying in a barrage of grenades during a government-sponsored trip to the restive city of Homs, officials and a witness said. The violence came just hours after President Bashar Assad made a surprise appearance...

Syria's Assad Makes Rare Public Appearance

Bashar al-Assad tells supporters he wants to 'draw strength' from them

(Newser) - President Bashar al-Assad hasn't exactly been a man of the people since the Syrian uprising began, but today he joined thousands of supporters at a Damascus rally, the AP reports. "I wanted to be with you so I can draw strength from you in the face of everything...

Assad Vows to Meet 'Terrorists' With 'Iron Fist'

He condemns Arab League as hypocrites for pushing democracy

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad gave a rare speech on state-run TV today, in which he lashed out at the Arab League and vowed to deal harshly with violent unrest. The Syrian president asked what right the Arab League, which includes absolute monarchies, had to preach about democracy and reform. "Their situation...

New Syria Bombing: 'It's Getting Ugly'

Blast in Damascus kills 25, but who is behind it?

(Newser) - A bombing in Damascus today killed 25 and wounded dozens, report AP and al-Jazeera , but that's about where the clarity ends. The government blames "terrorists" and vows to respond with an "iron fist." The opposition, meanwhile, insists that the government staged the blast to head off...

Activists: Syria Is Tricking Monitors

Even as Syria releases another 500 prisoners

(Newser) - Arab League observers in Syria have been claiming as their chief triumph the regime's evacuation of its troops from protest-prone cities. But activists say that hasn’t actually happened—the regime is just using some cheap tricks to make it look like it has, Reuters reports. Activists say the...

Syrian Rebel Leader Vows 'Surprise' for Regime

Colonel Riad al-Asaad says he's frustrated with Arab League's lack of results

(Newser) - The head of the Free Syrian Army is fed up with the ineffectual Arab League observer mission, and if it doesn’t show some progress soon, he’s going to “take a decision which will surprise the regime and the whole world,” he told Reuters in an interview...

Arab League: Syria 'Killings Continue'

But chief praises progress, says tanks have been pulled from cities

(Newser) - Syria's government has withdrawn heavy weapons from inside cities and freed about 3,500 prisoners, but security forces continue to kill protesters even with foreign monitors in the country, the Arab League chief said today. Nabil Elaraby said pro-regime snipers also continue to operate in Syria. But despite the...

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