The Daily Monitoring Report – Friday – 03-08-2012
August 3rd, 2012
- Some 145 people were martyred by the Assad forces’ gunfire, mostly inDamascusand its countryside and Daraa. Meanwhile, the regime continues committing more massacres on the eve of Friday demonstrations entitled “Deir Al-Zour; where victory emerges from the East”. Maj. Gen. Mohammed Hussein Al-Hajj-Ali, director of theNationalDefenseAcademydefected from Al-Assad’s regime, as well as Brigadier General Nasr Mustafa, deputy head of the Air Intelligence in Deir Al-Zour governorate. (1) (2)
Field Mobility:
- Night demonstrations were staged yesterday in severalDamascusdistricts, including Kafr Soussa, Qaber Atkeh and Rukn Al-Din. Angry protests were also organized in Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp in response to the bombing targeting the camp, which killed and injured dozens of refugees. (2)
Political Mobility:
- Abdul-Basit Sida, chairman of the Syrian National Council (SNC), expressed astonishment at the Revolution Board of Trustees’ announcement to form a government, calling on bodies concerned to back track on such a move. (1)
Internal Situation:
- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Up to 3 million Syrians are likely to need aid. The FAO added that about 1.5 million people need urgent and immediate food aid and close to a million require crop and livestock assistance over the coming six months, particularly in war-torn areas that witnessed mass exodus. (1) (2) (4)
- Sonia Khanji, member of Damascus Chamber of Commerce, said that nearly 30% of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Syria have closed since the anti-Assad uprising erupted in March last year, pointing out to the high unemployment rate. (2) (4)
Political Stances
Syria
- The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants says the government expresses its regret at the news of the UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan’s announcement of giving up his mission, alleging that it has always announced and demonstrated its full commitment to implementation of Annan’s six-point plan, as well as helping the UN observer tem achieve its mission. (2) (4)
Arab
- The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemns the bombing of Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp yesterday evening. In a statement, Hamas called for not pushing the Palestinians and their camps in the Syrian crisis. (2)
- Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu and Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan region ofIraq, issued a joint declaration after their meeting inErbilon Wednesday. They agreed to face any attempt to exploit the power vacuum inSyriaby any extremist groups. Kurdistan presidential office also issued a statement saying that governments ofTurkeyand the Kurdistan region closely follow the situation inSyria, adding that the Assad government seeks to sow sectarian strife, and that the future ofSyriamust be decided by the Syrian people. (2) (4)
International
- After announcement of his resignation as the UN-Arab League peace envoy toSyria, Kofi Annan said that he did not receive the support required for the task, adding that there are differences between parties of the international community, which complicated his task, and therefore expressed his wish not to extend that mission. (1) (2) (4)
- French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that the UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan’s resignation illustrates the dramatic stalemate of the Syrian conflict, adding that forcing a cease-fire, Bashar Al-Assad’s stepping down, as well as forging ahead with a political transition that respects all Syrian groups are issues that now are pressing than ever. (4)
- French Foreign Ministry Sources sayFrancehas postponed the emergency UN Security Council meeting onSyriain order not to disturb the Arab draft resolution after Arab Saudi Arabia put forward its initiative in the General Assembly of the United Nations. (1)
- Arab diplomatic sources say that the initial date set for the Friends of Syria meeting in Rabat early next September will probably be delayed due to “the lack certain outlook and the need to more preparations in order reach practical resolutions that can be implemented, as well as waiting for the outcome of the UN Security Council meeting to be held late this month. (1)
- Some Arab countries drop a demand on Al-Assad’s stepping down, as well as a call for imposing sanctions on his regime, from a new draft resolution put forward to the UN General Assembly, which criticized the UN Security Council’s failure to take decisive action with regard to the Syrian crisis. The Arab countries’ step is taken in the hope that they can win support of some countries, such asRussia,China,India,South Africa,AlgeriaandArgentina, but someLatin Americacountries object to these two demands. (2)
- The draft resolution includes some other demands, such as the need that the Assad Army halts the shelling operations, stop using helicopters in the fighting, and withdraws forces and brings them back to the barracks. The resolution is in favor of the outgoing UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan’s argument that the first step in ending the hostilities should be taken by Assad authorities. (2)
Sources
1
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Asharq Al-Awsat
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2
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Aljazeera.net
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3
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Reuters
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4
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The AFP
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5
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The AP
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6
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The Guardian
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7
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The Telegraph
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