The Daily Monitoring Report – Tuesday – 17-07-2012

July 17^th, 2012

- Some 108 people were martyred at the hands of the Assad battalions, mostly in Homs, Hama, Damascus and Rif Dimashq. In addition, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) said that it is currently carrying out an all-out attack against the capital Damascus under the name of “Damascus’ Volcano and Syria’s earthquake”, as fierce battles continued in a number of the city’s districts described as being guerrilla war.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

Field Mobility

- Demonstrations erupted in many districts in the capital such as Al-Mezzeh, Al-Moujtahed, Bab Sraijeh, Qabratkeh, Jobar and the centre of the capital before the Justice Palace. The demonstrators chanted slogans that expressed solidarity with the two districts of Al-Midan and Nahr Eshe. They also called for stopping the military campaign and allowing the international monitors in the two aforementioned districts.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

- Angry demonstrators blocked the International road, Damascus-Daraa highway in the region of Nahr Eshe in protest at the military operation.⁽⁴⁾

Political Mobility

- Yesterday, the Muslim Brotherhood group in Syria held a two-day meeting in Turkey’s Istanbul, which discusses ways and means of supporting the anti-Assad regime uprising.⁽¹⁾⁽⁴⁾

- Omar Mushaweh, representative of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood group in the Syrian National Council (SNC), said, “It is the first meeting of the group after more than 30 years,” adding, “There are two main issues: an internal issue for our group to activate young people and women in our group, and the other is to generate more support for the revolution,”. He said that some 150 members of the group attended the meeting.⁽⁴⁾

- Mohammad Riad Al-Shaqfa, mentor of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, said, “We, as the Muslim Brotherhood, have continued our existence in Syria’s political, historical, social and cultural fields for many years despite the Assad regime’s pressure,” adding “We will not accept any plan on Syria that excludes people.”⁽⁴⁾

- Abdel Basit Sida, head the Syrian National Council (SNC), said that Iran’s proposal to host a conference brings together representatives of the Assad regime and its opponents will not be welcomed by the Syrian opposition. Sida added that Iran is a party in the conflict by supporting the Assad regime and supplying it with money and arms.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

- Colonel Malik Al-Kurdi, deputy commander of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), said that the Syrian regime tried to drag the country into sectarian war, but it succeeded only in a few villages, adding that the FSA always reminds the people of importance of the national unity. Al-Kurdi added that the Syrian people with all its sects and nationalities participate in the revolution.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

- The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said that there are 38,914 Syrian refugees in Turkey who have fled the clashes in their country. The Syrian refugees live in camps in the governorates of Hatay, Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep and Kelis.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

Activities of Civil Organizations

- John Ging, a senior UN aid official, said Syria denies visas to Western aid workers, adding that the United Nations tries to overcome such objects with the aim of expanding further its humanitarian operation.⁽²⁾⁽³⁾

Political Stances

Syria

- Al-Assad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared Morocco’s ambassador “persona non grata.”^{(1)(2)(3)(4)(6)}

- Maj. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh, head of the Military Security branch in Damascus and its countryside, refuted media reports about his defection and the arrival of some members of his family to a refugee camp in Jordan.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

Arab

- Moroccan Foreign Ministry asked the Assad regime’s Ambassador in Rabat Nabih Ismail to leave.^(1)(2)(3)(4)

- Iraq announced that it will litigate the Syrian ambassador Nawaf Al-Fares, who has recently defected from the Syrian regime, over his confession of participating in facilitating infiltration of Jihadist units from Syria into Iraq.⁽¹⁾⁽⁴⁾

International

- British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that his country supports resorting to Chapter VII with regard to the Syrian file, as well as forming a transitional government after persuading Moscow. Hague added that the situation in Syria is still in decline.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

- The European Union is discussing a new package of sanctions against the Assad regime. EU sources said talks were continuing this week to discuss personalities and entities against which sanctions would be imposed, as well as fresh possible economic sanctions.⁽²⁾⁽⁴⁾

- The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said accuses Western countries of blackmailing his country to force it backing new UN Security Council sanctions against the Assad regime. Lavrov alleged that calls for Al-Assad to step down are not realistic, as he (Al-Assad) enjoys great support by of a broad sector of the Syrians.^{(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)}

- The Chinese People’s Daily newspaper, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, said there can never be a pretext for foreign intervention in Syria no matter how good the intentions, a day ahead of a UN Security Council vote on a Western-backed resolution that threatens sanctions against Syria.⁽³⁾

Sources

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