Failed attempt on Russian experts in Damascus

The Faculty of Agriculture in al-Tijara district

Syrian rebels attempted to attack Russian experts residing in Damascus on Thursday.

Russia Today (RT), a government-funded global multilingual news network based in Russia, broke the news the same day in Arabic. The Syrian news network Syria-online carries the report without comment this morning.

RT said the armed group attacked the building housing the Russian experts and their families in the al-Tijara district of Damascus on Thursday morning. Al-Tijara district is home to Damascus University’s Faculty of Agriculture.

None of the Russian experts or their dependents was hurt, but one member of the security forces was injured in the attack, according to RT. It said two raiders were captured and the rest are on the run after making their way though a park to the adjoining al-Barza district.

RT said the “Syrian government contracted the services of Soviet experts 30 yeas ago,” without elaborating.

“Road to Damascus”

RT News Correspondent Sara Firth

Separately, RT Friday featured the 10^th post in a series titled “Road to Damascus” authored by RT News Correspondent Sara Firth, who joined the Russian news network in November 2009 and holds a BA honors in Law and a PG Diploma in Investigative Journalism from City University London.

She writes:

First day back and stoically Damascus seems to continue its attempt to keep up appearances. Life buzzes along. But it’s fraying at the edges and more than ever you can feel the undercurrent of tension here.

It’s there when we drive down a side street near the centre (to pop to a pharmacy) only to run into a plain-clothes security officer pointing a Kalashnikov directly at us as we slam on the breaks. Apparently we’d caught him off guard – no harm done.

But the reaction, the increased security presence in itself here, are all telltale signs of the toll taken by months of conflict in the country, which have seen the fight come right to Damascus’ doorstep.

People seem weary here -- weary and wary.

Questions about the upcoming parliamentary elections or the observer mission are not met with much optimism.

So far there are about 30 monitors here, around 100 more are expected to join towards the end of the month – the total should be around 300.

The head of the mission, Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, has said even 1000 observers wouldn’t be enough.

George Jabour, a former government adviser and political speaker I spoke to today agreed:

“It has to come from the Syrian people – success is in the hands of the Syrians essentially.”

When I asked him what else was needed he said:

“Killing does not lead to a solution. Talking does. Dialogue does. Dialogue should start. I suppose that the minute this dialogue starts the violence will be less.”

Now that has its preconditions of course. It should be a suitable environment – an environment that does not exist right now.

But this suitable environment can be created through dialogue. You cannot have a totally suitable environment in advance of the dialogue.

The dialogue precedes and aids its own conditions of success.

A bit of a chicken and egg problem if ever there was one, but it reminded me of a conversation I’d had earlier in the day.

Discussing the observer mission a friend and I had tried to recall the six points of the peace plan.

Obviously there was ending the violence.

It’s the main and arguably most vital point. End the bloodshed.

And what about the other points? Well, they are loosely:

1. Commit to work with the Envoy in an inclusive Syrian-led political process
2. Cessation of violence.
3. Humanitarian assistance – with a 2-hour daily ceasefire.
4. Release of political prisoners.
5. Access and freedom of movement for journalists
6. Right to demonstrate peacefully

The observer mission has already noted violations being carried out by both sides.

Many of the points continue to be openly flouted.

A huge number of people I’ve spoken to today have serious concerns about the level of detentions that are still being carried out.

They include young people and activists. And the news came today that two sons of Fayez Sara, an independent and well-respected opposition figure, had been taken from their homes. Bassam Sara and Wissam Sara (who I think is just 26) both have children of their own.

It’s still not clear where they were taken and by whom, but the assumption is that they’ve been detained by security forces.

Yet whilst ending the violence, with its noblest intentions, is talked about constantly, I’ve barely heard a word breathed about progress or plans regarding detentions.

Then whilst discussing the peace plan and the UN’s implementation of it, the person I was talking to said something that made so much sense to me.

“Perhaps the observers have got it the wrong way around. Perhaps everyone is so concerned with ending the violence that the other points are being overlooked. Until you put a stop to people being detained without charge, until you have freedom to demonstrate peacefully, how can you ever hope to achieve an end to the violence?”

Perhaps, my friend pondered, they should work through that list backwards and the first point should be the last point to be achieved.

Find Sara’s blog and nine earlier posts on “Road to Damascus” here

Syria shoots down Annan’s April 10 ceasefire

Today's front-page of Syria's newsbreaker al-Watan

Syria won’t comply with the April 10 deadline set by Kofi Annan to halt fighting and withdraw its forces from population centers.

Russian experts join Syrian state-run media in saying the deadline is as dead as a doornail and waiting to be put six feet under.

Two leading Arab analysts concur, saying the whole Annan troubleshooting mission is with God already.

Damascus daily al-Watan quotes a “senior Syrian official” as saying the government “has requested written assurances from Annan that the rival side is committed to implement his plan and seeks a political solution to the crisis.”

Al-Watan adds:

“In a meeting with a small group of journalists, including one from al-Watan, the senior official stated, ‘Damascus did not relay to Annan its commitment to April 10 as a final deadline to withdraw all its forces and heavy weapons from Syrian cities. It only informed him it started pulling out heavy weapons from some cities – like Homs, Idlib and the Damascus suburb of Zabadani – and would be withdrawing part, but not all, of the remaining units by April 10.’

“The official insisted the set date (of April 10) poses a challenge for Annan to clinch a commitment from the other side. The official said, ‘Having signed on to his plan, Damascus wants from Annan written assurances that once the rival side follows suit and the Syrian government implements the first three in his six-point plan, the countries that vowed to arm and fund the opposition would desist and armed gangs would stop shooting at civilians.”

The Damascus daily goes on to quote President Bashar al-Assad as having personally told Annan: “If the rival side can’t be bound by any agreement, don’t press for a one-sided cessation of violence on our part.”

Al-Watan says the unnamed senior Syrian official describes “cessation of violence” as the “Gordian knot” in the Annan mission.

Significantly, al-Watan’s front-page report ranks top on Lebanese Hezbollah’s Al Manar news network with a headline saying: “Damascus won’t withdraw its troops without guarantees from the armed gangs, and April 10 is not a deadline.”

At the same time, Syria Online today features a hard-hitting comment shooting down Annan’s six-point plan, with a rebuttal of his “extensive second point.” The said 2^nd point asks the Syrian authorities to:

“commit to stop the fighting and achieve urgently an effective United Nations supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians and stabilize the country.

“To this end, the Syrian government should immediately cease troop movements towards, and end the use of heavy weapons in, population centers, and begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centers.

“As these actions are being taken on the ground, the Syrian government should work with the Envoy to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism.

“Similar commitments would be sought by the Envoy from the opposition and all relevant elements to stop the fighting and work with him to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism.”

Syria Online says the call on Damascus to immediately end violence and cease troop movements and the use of heavy weapons would “create a security vacuum” and give hordes of armed groups the opportunity to slip into Syria “across its five borders” with Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Israel.

“How can we accept Annan’s so-called plan when no one, including Annan himself, can guarantee the armed gangs won’t wriggle again and exploit the ‘ceasefire’ to regroup and take delivery of the anti-armor missiles promised by Qatar and Saudi Arabia?” Syria Online wonders.

It says Annan’s plan will also open Syria’s doors to all manner of spies and spooks disguised as UN ceasefire monitors. “We have to be extremely cautious and not allow ourselves to be rushed by Annan and his entourage.”

Four Russian experts – all quoted today by Voice of Russia -- have surprisingly joined Damascus in lambasting the April 10 deadline.

According to Sergei Demidenko, of the Moscow-based Institute for Strategic Studies and Analysis: “One can hardly expect any settlement now because Bashar al-Assad may order the troops to pull out, but under no circumstances will the opposition lay down arms. The opposition (unleashed against the regime) by Saudi Arabia and Qatar will continue its attacks as before. The troops will have to again storm the cities in what will prove a vicious circle. The situation is clearly drifting into a civil war. The warring factions will certainly not stop hostilities by April 12…”

Yuri Krupnov, a political analyst and an expert on oriental studies, says, "The so-called Annan plan can yield no positive result” since it equates protesters and rebel groups with Syria’s lawful government. “This is absolutely wrong, of course.” The rebels have been increasingly resorting to al-Qaeda terrorist methods. “It follows that any government is free to fight terrorism, not only the Syrian government.”

Boris Dolgov, an expert with the Institute of Oriental Studies, believes "it is unfair” to ask government forces to cease fire first… Although Syrian authorities agreed to stop military actions simultaneously with the opposition, the position of leading Western countries, Persian Gulf monarchies and Turkey hampers ending the crisis in Syria."

Gumer Isayev, an analyst with the Center for Middle East Studies concurs. “The demand that the Syrian government should first stop using force sounds quite abstract. It means if the insurgents attacked the troops, the troops should let insurgents kill them."

In today’s Arab press, two analysts suggest the whole Annan mission is on its last legs because the Syrian regime simply doesn’t want it.

Rosanna Boumounsef, writing for the Beirut daily al-Nahar, says notwithstanding doubts about Assad’s credibility in diplomatic circles, “carrying through Annan’s plan would inevitably return Syria to the status quo ante bellum of peaceful protests that effectively sparked the revolution 14 months ago.”

Abdullah Iskandar, writing for the Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, considers the April 10 ceasefire deadline set by Annan “totally beyond reach, if only because the regime does not feel obliged to make concessions it refused to make earlier, and because the security solution it chose at the outbreak of the protest movement remains its optimal option… In such a case, the situation is heading toward the worst-case scenario” of civil war.

Security Council tells Syria to obey deadline

Following is the full text of the UN Security Council statement on Syria agreed and released today, Thursday:

The Security Council recalls its presidential statements of August 3, 2011 and March 21, 2012 and its press statement of March 1, 2012.

The Security Council reaffirms its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria, and to the purposes and principles of the charter.

The Security Council expresses its appreciation for the April 2, 2012 briefing of the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan. The Security Council notes that the Syrian government committed on 25 March 2012 to implement the envoy's six-point proposal.

The Security Council calls upon the Syrian government to implement urgently and visibly its commitments, as it agreed to do in its communication to the Envoy of 1 April, to

(a) cease troop movements towards population centers,

(b) cease all use of heavy weapons in such centers, and

(c) begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centers, and to fulfill these in their entirety by no later than April 10, 2012.

The Security Council calls upon all parties, including the opposition, to cease armed violence in all its forms within 48 hours of the implementation in their entirety by the Syrian government of measures (a), (b), (c) above. The Security Council further calls upon the opposition to engage with the Envoy in this regard.

The Security Council underscores the importance of an effective and credible United Nations supervision mechanism in Syria to monitor a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties and relevant aspects of the Envoy's six-point proposal. The Security Council requests the (UN) secretary general to provide proposals for such a mechanism as soon as appropriate, after consultations with the government of Syria. The Security Council stands ready to consider these proposals and to authorize an effective and impartial supervision mechanism upon implementation of a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties.

The Security Council underscores the central importance of a peaceful political settlement to the Syrian crisis and reiterates its call for the urgent, comprehensive, and immediate implementation of all aspects of the envoy's six-point proposal. The Security Council reiterates its full support for the envoy's six-point proposal aimed at bringing an immediate end to all violence and human rights violations, securing humanitarian access and facilitating a Syrian-led political transition leading to a democratic, plural political system, in which citizens are equal regardless of their affiliations, ethnicities or beliefs, including through commencing a comprehensive political dialogue between the Syrian government and the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition.

The Security Council reiterates its call for the Syrian authorities to allow immediate, full and unimpeded access of humanitarian personnel to all populations in need of assistance, in accordance with international law and guiding principles of humanitarian assistance. The Security Council calls upon all parties in Syria, in particular the Syrian authorities, to cooperate fully with the United Nations and relevant humanitarian organizations to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance. To this end, the Security Council calls on all parties to immediately implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause as called for in the Envoy's six-point proposal.

The Security Council requests the envoy to update the Council on the cessation of violence in accordance with the above timeline, and progress towards implementation of his six-point proposal in its entirety. In the light of these reports, the Security Council will consider further steps as appropriate.