Gunfire near Damascus Reported
Rime Allaf writes in her Baath Conference post: "Thus leapt the Baath"
In the end, no big decisions were taken, but a lot of "recommendations" were thoughtfully drafted by the over 1,200 party delegates to help run the government run the country. How considerate of them. Calling this "reform," however, would be stretching things a bit."Social Market Economy" - that is the turn of phrase the Baath Conference chose to characterize their new economic path. It is ripped from the Chinese Communist Party handbook, Andrew Tabler explains. Now for the 10% growth rate.
The emergency law in place since 1963 will be "modified" (it remains to be clarified how) and some parties will be allowed, as long as they are not based on religious, sectarian or regional basis. (But isn't the Baath party a regional one?) No "Christian Democrats" or their Muslim equivalent, in other words.
There is a brand new, reduced regional command with nine new comrades, including a woman (apparently one area where there are no glass ceiling issues). As for the proposals regarding media laws (including a "higher council" whose bearing I am simply dreading), it remains to be seen how exactly that will help Syria's communication problems. What was needed was a completely new approach, not more of the same.
The conference also promised movement on giving citizenship to many of the stateless Kurds in Syria.
Gunfire was reported on the outskirts of Damascus between police and Islamists. This was on TV. No details yet.
Deaths mount near Syria: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
A sign of the profound difficulties faced by US and Iraqi forces in Anbar province and their inability to seal the porous desert border with Syria despite major ...
The militants showed no mercy. They blindfolded 18 men, shot them in the head and decapitated three others in what has become a trademark of Iraq's often savage insurgency.
Five U.S. Marines were killed in the same arid western region in a roadside bombing while conducting combat operations near a volatile Sunni town.
Marines carried out two major operations in the area last month, killing 125 insurgents in the first campaign, Operation Matador, and 14 in the second, Operation New Market. Eleven Marines were killed in the actions, designed to scatter and eradicate insurgents using the road from Damascus to Baghdad.
"It's like the Mexican-American border there. There are attempts being made to seal it," a senior U.S. military intelligence official said on condition he remain unnamed for security reasons.
posted by Joshua Landis @ 6/11/2005 05:46:00 AM
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ألقت السلطات الأمنية السورية مساء أول من أمس الخميس القبض على مجموعة إرهابية مسلحة من "تنظيم جند الشام للجهاد والتوحيد" كانت تنوي القيام بتفجيرات واعتداءات دخل العاصمة السورية دمشق.
ونقلت وكالة الأنباء السورية "سانا " أن "عناصر المتابعة الأمنية" ضبطوا في منطقة دف الشوك بضواحي دمشق مجموعة تكفيرية ارهابية كبيرة مسلحة /جماعة ابو عمر/ بعد اشتباك مسلح اسفر "عن استشهاد واحد من عناصر المتابعة وجرح اخر وقتل اثنين من الإرهابيين بينهم قائد المجموعة الملقب " ابو عمر" والقاء القبض على ثالث"
وأضافت الوكالة أن الجماعة التي تطلق على نفسها "تنظيم جند الشام للجهاد والتوحيد " كانت تخطط للقيام بتفجيرات واعتداءات على مصالح مختلفة بهدف زعزعة الامن والاستقرار داخل مدينة دمشق وريفها من ضمنها تنفيذ عمل ارهابى داخل قصر العدل بدمشق مشيرة إلى أنها جماعة متشددة تؤمن بالقتل والتخريب لتحقيق اهدافها وتكفر كافة الاديان والانظمة وقد نجحت قوات الامن باحباط المخطط الارهابى لهذه المجموعة بعد متابعة امنية دقيقة امتدت اشهرا "
ونوهت سانا إلى أن المجموعة التي كانت قوات الامن اوقفت فى وقت سابق بعض افرادها دون الاعلان عن ذلك لضرورات المتابعة بهدف الوصول الى رأس المجموعة "تمت مصادرة اسلحة وذخائر من الشقة السكنية المستأجرة كملجأ وهى عبارة عن ثلاث بنادق حربية الية وقنبلتين احداهما مضادة للاليات ومسدسين اضافة الى كمية كبيرة من الذخائر وجهازى اتصال لاسلكى واربعة اجهزة اتصال خليوى وعثر ايضا فى شقة الارهابيين على وثائق وكتيبات لتنظيم جند الشام".
ولفتت سانا إلى أن احد افراد المجموعة الارهابية كان قد زرع نهاية شهر كانون الثانى الماضي عبوة متفجرة على طريق دمشق الزبدانى ليتم تفجيرها بجهاز تحكم عن بعد وبالمتابعة الدقيقة تم اكتشاف هذه العبوة اثناء القيام بزرعها وتم تفجيرها تجنبا لاضرارها المنتظرة الامر الذى ادى الى مقتل المنفذ واصابة مساعده بجروح .
وستقوم الصحف السورية خلال الايام القريبة القادمة بنشر تفاصيل حول هذا الموضوع.
It was predictable that the Syrian regime after having lost its cards on the regional level is going to try the card of the Islamic peril,and use it as pretext to maintain the terror reign of the security apparatus ,and it's not a new thing,Remember the unsuccess movie of the palestinian teenager who appeared on Al-Jazeera videotape claiming responsibility for Hariri's death ,from the series of fabricated bombing inside damascus and other syrian cities to the attack against the UN in al mazzeh and lately with the killing of Dr Al Khaznawi.
From time to time unknown organizations are created and infiltrated by the syrian intelligence,like jund al sham that the regime used against the Fatah in the Palestinian camps of Lebanon ,in particular Ayn Al Helwa camp in which the moukhabratar introduced a lot of weapons during the last years In Syria ,the strange appearance of an unknown preacher Abu Qaqaa manipulated by the Syrian moukhabarat who promoted the holy war against the Americans in Iraq, sending young syrians to Iraq butchery.
Syrian people must be aware and overcome these evil attempts.
to anon 9:04
Please don't repeat American media's fabrications, we can visit their websites if it had any information value! ofcourse Islamic groups and armed groups exist in Syria and are waiting for something to happen.
to anon 9:04
Please don't repeat American media's fabrications, we can visit their websites if it had any information value! ofcourse Islamic groups and armed groups exist in Syria and are waiting for something to happen.
This is a great blog Joshua.
A couple of things. One is that billions of dollars is riding on this regime change. The amount of assets controlled and fleeced by the Alewite elite is staggering, and they (and nobody else for that matter) would give it all up without a huge fight. Those who think that regime change from within can come about easy - have it all wrong. That is why external force or pressure is absolutely necessary. Nobody in the ruling elite is going to give up the millions these people pocket (both in tangible and intangible assets) just so happily.
But why is the regime targetting the small and ineffective liberal and secular opposition - when it has a much greater threat to its existence from the Sunni Wahhabis?
The answer is clear IMO. THe Sunni Wahhabi is the "insurance policy" purchased by the regime to protect itself against foreign pressure. The theory goes that if you overthrow us, you will get another Iraq from these Islamists. Unfortunately this is a good theory.
A related issue is the "fear of insecurity and instability" which propels secular Syrians to back the regime.
So the solution is to come up with an accomodation and agreement as to what the post-Assad regime is going to look like. This can be as simple as assigning so many seats to the Islamists so that they receive the incentive not to take up arms.
Once an accomodation (with UN blessing) has been arrived at between the elements of the secular opposition and the Islamists, then this accomodation should be publicized and the silent majority be brought on board and sold on it.
Once the future is ascertained, the silent majority will MOVE. I have no doubts about this. What is keeping the rank and file from moving is the fear of the unknown. Nobody wants to jump a sinking cruise ship for a sinking boat.
But once US and UN can engineer a "grand concensus" on how to implement the post-regime civil society, you will see movement from the population. Guaranteed.
mohammad
Mohammad,
So, you are volunteering some Syrians to spring into action with the help of the US and the EU? This is the typical anti-Ba'ath credo of today. Are you not one of the Jihadis that would love some training in Iraq in order to pursue your malefic actions in Syria? Shame on you, especially that some of you give us, Lebanese, lessons about Arabism.
We (and I am a Lebanese Arab Christian, with a Syrian mother) did like the fact that Syria came in to rescue our unique system from a Palestinian take-over. And we realized that our sectarian leaders were Israeli agents: it is only now that we have rejected these leaders, but with them we also reject:
-The US-Saudi axis of evil.
-The US-Israeli plot of the naturalization of the Palestinians in Lebanon; instead, they will get many rights to improve their stay in our land.
-The hijacking of the population by elitist politicians who control the media through subsidies the same way the US media are controlled by the neo-cons.
Please join many true democrats, in your country, the region, and the US. But, shame on you for accepting any potential US-UN-EU intervention, no matter what the cost.
PS: Make it clear to your rulers and to your authorities that you need change. Relying on people like Ghadri is suicide.
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