Syrian protest

Source : Agencies | 14 Nov 2012

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday called the formation of a new opposition coalition in Syria an important step that would help Washington better target its help, but she stopped sort of offering full recognition or arms.

France earlier became the first European power to recognise Syria's new opposition coalition as the sole representative of its people and said on Tuesday it would look into arming rebels against President Bashar al-Assad once they form a government.

By Al Arabiya with AFP | 13 Nov 2012

The Arab League on Monday recognized a newly formed Syrian opposition bloc as “legitimate,” urging more opposition groups to join the coalition. Arab foreign ministers gathered in Cairo in a statement after talks called the National Council, formed in Doha on Sunday, “the legitimate representative and main interlocutor with the Arab League.

Source : Agencies | 13 Nov 2012

Israeli tanks made a direct hit on Syrian artillery units on Monday in response to stray mortar spillover from the civil conflict in Syria.

Source : Agencies | 09 Nov 2012

President Bashar al-Assad said he does not see the West embarking on a military intervention in Syria and warned that the cost of such action would be unbearable, Russia Today reported on Thursday, citing an interview with him.

"I think that the cost of a foreign invasion of Syria - if it happens - would be bigger than the entire world can bear ... This will have a domino effect that will affect the world from the Atlantic to the Pacific," he said.

Source : Reuters | 07 Nov 2012

The international envoy for Syria fears the country could turn into a new Somalia unless its crisis is resolved, warning of a scenario in which warlords and militia fill a void left by a collapsed state.

In an interview with the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper, veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi played down the risk of sectarian and ethnic partition of Syria, but said: “What I am afraid of is worse ... the collapse of the state and that Syria turns into a new Somalia.”

Source : Agencies | 07 Nov 2012

The head of Syria's main opposition group abroad said on Tuesday it should retain a "central role" in any unified front against President Bashar al-Assad after US attempted to change opposition leadership.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week it was time to move beyond the SNC.

Source : Agencies | 06 Nov 2012

An organizer says the main Syrian opposition bloc, the Syrian National Council, has voted to broaden its membership to include more activists and political groups from inside the country.

Up to now, the SNC has largely been made up of exiles, prompting criticism it is out of touch with those risking their lives to topple President Bashar Assad.

Anas Abdah, an organizer of an SNC conference in Doha, says a majority of 222 delegates approved the additions yesterday, nearly doubling the size of the group’s general assembly to some 420.

Source : Agencies | 05 Nov 2012

Syria's opposition factions started talks in Qatar on Sunday on a common front to gain international recognition and, crucially, better weapons for their quest to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

Four days of talks in the Qatari capital Doha are anticipated with the goal of overhauling and broadening the Syrian National Council (SNC), the largest of the overseas-based opposition groups, from some 300 members to 400.

By Jassim Abuzaid | 05 Nov 2012

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and French President François Hollande met briefly yesterday to discuss an agreement to support the Syrian opposition to topple President Bashar Assad.

Source : AFP | 02 Nov 2012

More than 36,000 people have been killed since the outbreak of Syria’s anti-regime revolt in March 2011, with an average of 165 people killed a day since August 1, a watchdog said Wednesday.

Civilians, at 25,667, represented the vast majority of those killed, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which includes non-military people who have taken up arms against President Bashar Assad’s regime in the category.
The rest were from the military — 9,044 government soldiers and 1,296 who defected to join the rebellion.