Monday 23 January 2012

Arab League “extends mission” in Syria - Let us try the Yemen's Sinario

The Arab League asks Assad to delegate power to deputy

After the failure of the Egypt-Tunis and Libyan sinarios the Arab League launched a new political initiative reproducing the Yemeni experience, where Gulf states convinced President Ali Abdullah Saleh to delegate power to his deputy and left the country. The Arab Foreign Ministers called on the Syrian Government and all opposition factions to «initiate serious dialogue in order to form a unity Government, and demanded President Bashar Al-Assad to delegation fully empowered deputy.

Syria reacted immediately and considered the Arab League resolutions a flagrant interference in internal affairs.

Syria Rejects AL Power Transfer Demand

Local Editor

Syria rejected Monday the Arab League’s demand that President Bashar Al-Assad transfers power to his deputy, as well as any request that is outside an Arab working plan.

The Syrian state TV quoted a Syrian official as saying that the initiative is a “flagrant interference”.
“Syria rejects the decisions taken which are outside an Arab working plan, and considers them an attack on its national sovereignty and a flagrant interference in internal affairs," the official added.
On Sunday, the Arab League asked the UN to support a new plan for resolving the crisis in Syria that sees President Al-Assad transferring power to his deputy and a government of national unity within two months.

Responding to the AL, the Syrian official indicated that “the regional body should instead assume its responsibilities for stopping the financing and arming of terrorists,” adding that “the Arab League initiative ran counter to the interests of the Syrian people and would not prevent the country from advancing its political reforms and bringing security and stability to its people who have shown, during this crisis, their support for national unity as they have rallied around President Assad."

Arab League Demands President Bashar Al-Assad to Transfer Power to Deputy

After a meeting that was held Sunday to discuss the observer mission’s report on the situation in Syria, Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani read a statement in which he asked the Syrian president to transfer power to his

deputy, and demanded that a “serious” dialogue takes place in order to form a unity government within two months.

“The Syrian government and all the opposition factions should engage in a serious dialogue under the auspices of the Arab League, within a period of not more than two weeks, to be able to achieve the formation of a unity government bringing together those in power and the opposition," the statement read.

"We will inform the United Nations of all the resolutions of the Arab League... for its approval," Al-Thani further said, warning that “if this initiative is not put in place (by Damascus), we will go to the Security Council, where the decisions will be taken."

Moreover, the Qatari foreign minister stressed that "any transition in Syria should be preceded with the announcement of Assad's departure."

For his part, the League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi explained that the request for the support of the United Nations was designed to give more weight to the Arab initiative.

Ambassador al-Ahmad: Syria Rejects all Decisions Issued by Arab League Outside of Arab Work Plan
Jan 23, 2012

CAIRO, (SANA)- Syria's Permanent Representative at the Arab League, Ambassador Yousef Ahmad stressed that the decision issued by the Arab League Council comes within the framework of the premeditated and programmed preamble by some Arab parties, led by the Qatari government, for months to call the foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs.

Ambassador Ahmad on Monday said "Syria categorically rejects any decision issued by the AL outside the Arab Work Plan or the Protocol signed between it and the AL Secretariat-General,"

He added Syria considers the AL Council's decision a dangerous violation of the AL Charter and its decisions related to the Syrian crisis and a targeting of the Observer Mission's task on the ground to foil its report.

Ahmad stressed that the decision instigates some parties of the Syrian opposition to reject the peaceful political solutions and cancels the possibility of holding a genuine national dialogue to reach a Syrian solution to the crisis.

" The decision constitutes a flagrant interference in Syria's internal affairs and deliberated abolition of the will of the majority of the Syrian people with the aim of calling the foreign interference," he said.

Ambassador Ahmad criticized the call of the Saudi Foreign Minister to activate the sanctions against Syria in spite of their effect on the living of the Syrian people and their security and stability.

He added that some Arabs were astonished by the objective and neutral report of the AL Observers , particularly that the Qatari government has bet from the beginning on Syria's rejection of the mission in a way that allows the implementation of the scheme of internationalizing the Syrian crisis and foreign interference.

He said "Some Arab parties don't accept the report presented by the Observer Mission as it unveils what is happening on the ground, particularly regarding the violence, killing and sabotage acts perpetrated by armed groups against the Syrian people and their properties where Qatar's Prime Minister described the crimes of the armed terrorist groups as "self-defense."

Ahmad pointed out that what was raised to be discussed in the meeting of the Arab Ministerial Committee concerned with the situation in Syria and the Arab Ministerial Council was the report of the Head of the AL Observer Mission to issue recommendations connected with the mission's work and developing it on the ground in a way that contributes in the implementation of the Arab Work Plan.

" In spite of the positive aspects occurred in the report regarding the Syrian government's commitment to the plan, facilitating the work of the mission but the Presidency of the Arab Ministerial Committee ,backed by the stances of some Arab parties, seek to exploit the cover of the AL to undermine Syria's security, stability and territorial integrity," the Ambassador said.
He added that the scheme has been exposed as some Arab parties work for implementing a premeditated plots which ignore the report of the Observer Mission and the reform process launched by President Bashar al-Assad and his speech on January 11, 2012 in which he announced the state's steps to consolidate the principles of democracy, political pluralism and to change the constitution soon.

"Some Arabs have forgotten the situation, the strength and effectiveness of Syria, believing they have a real and effective presence in the region and can, through their money, their petroleum and support of United States and the West, make unilateral decisions that address the Arab identity and interfere in Syria's internal affairs to decide its future as planned in Western capitals," the Ambassador said.

He reiterated Syria's determination to go ahead in the reform process and make it a success due to the unity and will of the majority of the Syrian people who reject all form of foreign interference and seek to help their homeland getting out of its current crisis through a national solution based on consolidating the concepts of the modern and democratic state .
H. Zein / Ghossoun

Al-Dabi: Armed Men Open Fire on Government Institutions, Terrorist Attacks Targeted Oil Pipelines, Electricity Pylons in Syria

Jan 23, 2012

CAIRO, (SANA) – Head of Arab League observers mission to Syria Lieutenant General Mohammad al-Dabi stressed that there are armed men opening fire on government institutions in a number of Syrian governorates, forcing the guards at these institutions to return fire.

In a press conference held in Cairo on Monday, al-Dabi said that there were many terrorist bombings that targeted governmental institutions in Idleb which is completely unacceptable, in addition to combings targeting civilian and military buses, gas and oil pipelines, fuel tankers, bridges, electric power plants and pylons, along with bombings in Damascus countryside.

He underlined that the Syrian government was effectively cooperative and provided protection for the mission on the roads, adding that the government didn't interfere in the mission's work or accompany it.

Al-Dabi said that the Syrian government withdrew the army from cities, and that there is no presence of tanks or planes and whatnot, noting that the credibility of media has become in doubt and that some media establishments were tough in dealing with the mission, adding that what was published didn't affect the mission at all and that it depicted what it saw and the reality it witnessed, stressing that the mission didn't resort to guesswork, analysis or personal concepts and opinion.

He pointed out violence began to deescalate gradually since the mission arrived, and that the mission helped reduce tension during protests and that no attacks against the protests took place.

Al-Dabi said that some in the opposition gave the mission differing numbers regarding detainees and they discovered that these numbers were general estimations and not accurate, adding that the Syrian government informed them of the release of 4035 detainees before the amnesty decree, making the number of released detainees 7614, adding that the mission was informed that around 2316 people were released by the military judiciary and that there are 2239 that were set to be released after the report was written.

He went on to note that the Syrian government approved the entry of 147 mass media establishments, noting that the mission discussed extending the period for journalists' permits with the Syrian government which complied and extended their permits, expressing readiness to provide permits to any agency that wishes to enter Syria.

Al-Dabi said that some mass media criticized the mission harshly and accused it of failure despite the fact that it's task is monitoring and supervising the implementation of the protocol, not investigating, stressing that the mission isn't tasked with giving a political opinion.

He demanded that mass media relay the facts as they are on the ground, adding that the report wasn't issued by him personally but rather is based by what all the observers presented.

"Some Arab media channels and institutions attacking the mission for not writing what they want," he added.

Al-Dabi said that the mission stressed the need to expedite the launch of national dialogue during the mission's work because its presence will lead to positive results.

He also noted that the mission received many false reports and avoided them by verifying their sources before moving out, affirming that the mission's members were safe and that they were not harassed while doing their work.

On the statements of some observers to the media, al-Dabi said that observer Fahim al-Atlasi is still with the mission and that he made no statement and what was reported as such didn't happen, as for Anwar Malek, he had remained in the hotel under the claim that he was sick and went out only once, stressing that what Malek said is his own business and doesn't concern the mission.

Regarding some sides' questioning of al-Dabi on a personal level, he said "I'm not a wanted man to defend myself, so I won't respond to what was said in the media."

As for the accusations of the opposition, al-Dabi said that responding to the opposition and their delusions isn't part of his duty and doesn't concern him at all.

R. Raslan/ H. Sabbagh