SYRIA- How much longer can the Syrian regime hang on? And how far can the protesters sustain their momentum?
From Washington to Riyadh, policymakers and analysts are wrestling with these questions and charting various scenarios for what everyone agrees is the most complex revolt in the six-month Arab spring.
UN Secretary General criticized that President al-Assad lacks 'credibility'; he pledged to reform Syria and enter talks but situation continues, ReutersThe European Union has tightened sanctions against Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime for its involvement in the bloody crackdowns on democracy protesters.
From Washington to Riyadh, policymakers and analysts are wrestling with these questions and charting various scenarios for what everyone agrees is the most complex revolt in the six-month Arab spring.
UN Secretary General criticized that President al-Assad lacks 'credibility'; he pledged to reform Syria and enter talks but situation continues, ReutersThe European Union has tightened sanctions against Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime for its involvement in the bloody crackdowns on democracy protesters.
Inside Syria; Syrian Arab News Agency reported on Wednesday that twenty martyrs of the security forces on Wednesday were escorted to their final resting place in Lattakia and Homs Martyrs Graveyard after they were targeted by armed terrorist groups in Jisr al-Shughour.
Solemn processions were held for the martyrs as they were covered with the Syrian flag held up on shoulders while the Military Band was playing the music of the "Farewell" and the "Martyr", and the mourners greeted them through throwing flowers and rice on their coffins.
Earlier on Wednesday, Syria’s foreign minister said that recent European Union sanctions levied against his country over its crackdown on protests which has left an estimated 1,300 dead amount to “war”.
“We will forget that Europe is on the map and we will look east, south and toward every hand that is extended to us,” Walid Moallem told a press conference in Damascus. “The world is not just made up of Europe.”
Outside Syria; Government workers were ordered to attend the rallies on Tuesday, said Ammar Qurabi, chairman of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria. Syrian workers and students were forced to attend rallies in support of President Bashar al-Assad this week, a human rights campaigner from the country told CNN Wednesday.
Qurabi provided CNN with a copy of what he said were leaked official government documents saying that government workers who refused to attend would have their pay docked and would be considered absent from work for the day.
CNN could not independently confirm the authenticity of the document. Syria has not responded to Qurabi's allegations.
Activists spoke about clashes took place by night inside Capital Damascus, exactly at student’s residence buildings; where pro and anti regime went on fighting till early morning, according to those activists whom spoke to al-Arabia.
No official statement or news about this incident inside Damascus yet. While, State media keep pushing on to drop all foreign media news; yet they urged “Syrians to boycott its biased and fake news”, as State media and officials used to promote whenever they have chance even if they were speaking at such channels itself on air.
“The 27 nation bloc reached a deal on Wednesday to add four companies linked to al-Assad and seven supporters of his regime, including three Iranian officials,” reports quoting an EU official said.
Under a so-called silence procedure, the list of newly targeted sanctions was adopted as none of the member states raised objections to it. The names of firms and individuals targeted by the new round of sanctions will be published in the EU's official journal on Friday,
The punitive actions include travel ban and asset freeze of individuals, as well as halting business contacts with the Syrian companies.
The United States also had imposed additional sanctions to target the human rights abuses being committed by the Syrian government against peaceful demonstrators and their own citizens.
Earlier this week, President al-Assad promised a national dialogue for reforms, and issued a new presidential pardon for prisoners.
Rights activists say that more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces across Syria in the three-months-old anti-government demonstrations. The protesters have been demanding greater political freedom.
The death toll is difficult to verify as access has been denied to foreign journalists and international human rights groups.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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