The Daily Monitoring Report – Monday – 09-07-2012

July 9^th, 2012

- Some 65 people were martyred at the hands of the Assad battalions, mostly in Daraa, Deir Ez Zor, Idleb and Homs. Add to that, bodies referred to the development of the armed opposition’s fighting mechanism. Moreover, the two cities of Aleppo and Damascus witnessed a strike in their markets in response to the activists’ calls for what was called “the strike of the two capitals”.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

Field Mobility

- The two cities of Aleppo and Damascus witnessed a strike in their markets in response to the activists’ calls for what was called “the strike of the two capitals” and the Assad troops tried to break the strike in the districts, especially those which witnessed a great response to the call such as Salahuddin, Al-Shear, Sheikh Faris, Hanano housing, al-Sukari, Sheikh Khader, Al-Bab road and Alhaidariya.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

- Abou Firas, spokesman for the Revolutionary Council of Aleppo, asserted that the rate of the participation in the Aleppo strike hit 90% so as to condemn “the massacres committed by the army troops, security forces and the pro-Assad regime Shabiha in Aleppo countryside.”⁽²⁾

- Spokesman for the Revolutionary Council of Aleppo said that mass demonstrations erupted in many different regions of Aleppo. In addition, many other demonstrations took place in the Aleppo University, condemning the “massacres and the continued missile shelling against the Aleppo countryside.”⁽²⁾

Political Mobility

- The Syrian National Council (SNC) said that Annan’s admission of failure in his task necessitates an urgent international move under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. It also rejected Annan’s invitation to making Iran a partner in the efforts made for handling the Syrian crisis. The SNC also said that Iran’s support to Assad regime makes it a partner in the aggression against the Syrian people.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

Activities of Civil Organizations

- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that the military “suppression operations” on the Syrian-Jordanian borders led to a decrease in the number of refugees- whose number, last week, hit more than 1,000 persons per day- to hit only 74 people in Saturday, which raises concerns about an expected humanitarian crisis in the South of Syria.⁽²⁾

Political Stances

Syria

- Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad fiercely criticizes the US, accusing it of partnering in killing the Syrians through supplying the opposition with military, financial and political support. Al-Assad expressed his rejection of calls for him to step down, saying, “The president should not let down his country in the face of national challenges!”^{(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)}

- President Bashar Al-Assad accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar of providing weapons to the opposition, and Turkey of smuggling arms into Syria. Such support puts obstacles in the way of the UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan’s plan, said Al-Assad, adding, “We know that Annan is coming up against countless obstacles, but his plan should not be allowed to fail, it is a very good plan, but many countries do not even want this plan to succeed.”⁽²⁾⁽³⁾

- The Syrian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jihad Makdisi said that the UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan’s visit to Syria, which started yesterday, will focus on discussing Annan’s six-point plan.^(1)(2)(4)

- Al-Assad’s Army started military exercises, which will take several days. Various air, land and naval forces will participate in the exercises, which aim to test the forces’ readiness to repel any surprise attack.^{(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)}

International

- The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon renewed his call on the UN Security Council for collective action to pressure the Assad regime to stop violence. Ban said, “President Al-Assad must understand that things cannot continue as they are,” adding, “The Syrian people have suffered too long. I hope that the member states of the UN Security Council will consider this issue more seriously by taking collective action as soon as possible.” He warned that the conflict in Syria tuned sectarian.⁽²⁾

- The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sternly warned the Assad government of a “catastrophic assault”, saying, “The sand is running out of the hour glass”. Clinton added that the opposition is getting more effective.^(1)(2)(3)(4)

- The US Republican Senator John McCain directed sharp criticism against President Barack Obama’s Administration over the Syrian conflict. McCain said the United States’ performance so far has been “shameful and disgraceful.” He reiterated his call on Washington to supply the Syrian opposition with weapons, saying, “It is not a fair fight. Russian arms are pouring in, Iranians are on the ground, and people are being massacred, tortured, raped, and murdered as a matter of policy by Bashar al-Assad.”⁽³⁾⁽⁴⁾

Sources

1	Asharq Al-Awsat
2	Aljazeera net
3	Reuters
4	AFP
5	AP
6	Guardian
7	Telegraph