Daily Newsletter – 02/10/2013

Coalition: Calls for Relief Organizations to Enter Moadamiat Al Shaam, Holds the International Community Fully Responsible, and Welcomes the Efforts of the Security Council on the Delivery of Humanitarian Aid

The National Coalition Syrian called on international relief organizations “to enter Moamdamiat al Sham to deliver humanitarian needs to the occupants immediately and the evacuate hundreds of starving people at risk of death due to a lack of food,” especially after the intensification of the Assad regime’s intensification of the systematic siege and starvation and of the residents of the city, which has recently claimed the lives of 4 women and 3 children. In a Coalition press statement it was indicated that “the water in the district is no longer fit for drinking due to the direct bombardment of artesian wells and water tanks, the main source of nutrition for the district.” The Coalition called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to the besieged areas in Syria and to open safe humanitarian corridors and pressure the regime to break the siege of these areas.  The Coalition held the Assad regime responsible for the displacement of people from their homes that are directly targeted during military operations residential areas of the district. The Coalition noted, according to its sources  “that the forced siege imposed on Moadamiat Al Shaam Al Ghouta has lasted 280 days , and the number of martyrs has surpassed 700, and all hospitals and schools have been destroyed in the district.” The sources reported that “all 2,400 people are cared for by one doctor”.  The statement added that the regime forces targeted the mosques in the district resulting in their destruction, in addition to the destruction of a series of frameworks for new buildings on the outskirts of the district. The National Syrian Coalition praised the efforts of the President of the Security Council and its members, which sought to compel the Assad regime government to allow humanitarian access to all affected areas inside Syria.

(Source: Coalition)

The Supreme Command Council of the Syrian Revolution: Geneva Does Not Meet Expectations of the Syrians

The Supreme Command Council of the Syrian Revolution completely rejected going to Geneva 2 because it “it compromised the principles of the revolution in their quest to topple the criminal regime, stipulated in the statute of the Syrian National Coalition.” The Council said in a recently issue statement, “that Geneva gives” legitimacy to the criminal regime and does not punish it for the massacres committed against the Syrian people, and it turn the Syrian revolution from a revolution against injustice to a case of two warring parties.” In their statement the Council felt that the regional and international dealings with the Syrian revolution reduced it to the question of chemical disarmament from a ruling gang in Syria and forgot the punishment of the offenders, destroying the confidence of the Syrians in the international community.

(Source: Coalition + Zaman Al Wasl) 

Coordination Committee: The American-Russian agreement and Syria joining the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is Enough to Remove Obstacles from Convening Geneva

The General Coordinator of the National Coordination Committee for the Forces For Democratic Change in Syria, Hassan Abdel Azim said that “all obstacles to convening Geneva 2 have been removed, in consideration of the American and Russian agreement as well as Syria’s joining the Convention on the Non-Proliferation of Chemical Weapons, revealing that it “has been able resolve the matter of representing the opposition in Geneva 2 with three delegations which are the Syrian National Coalition and the National Coordination Committee, and the Supreme  Kurdish Council.” Abdel Azim considered that “resolving the issue in Syria through the arms is not possible, neither for the opposition to overthrow the regime nor the regime resolving the issue through a security or military solution and the use of chemical weapons came as a qualitative turning point in the Syrian issue.”

(Source: National Coordination Committee Website) 

15 martyrs in Syria until this evening and 76 martyrs yesterday

Local Coordination Committees in Syria documented 76 martyrs in Syria yesterday, 15 martyrs died up until 6 PM this evening, and three died under torture. Four people were martyred in Damascus and its suburbs, three in Deir El Zour, two in each of Idleb, Aleppo, and Daraa, and one martyr in each of Homs and Hama.

(Source: Local Coordination Committees)

A Regime Observation Plane Brought Down in Eastern Ghouta, Shelling of Civilian Homes in Moadamiat al Shaam

Today the Free Syrian Army brought down a regime observation plane which was identifying targets for shelling civilian residential areas in eastern Ghouta. Meanwhile regime forces renewed their shelling of the capitol Damascus resulting in the injury of many people and the destruction of many homes. Clashes occurred all around the area between the FSA and regime forces. Regime forces also shelled with heavy mortars the city of Moadamiat al Shaam in the Damascus countryside resulting in the injury of many people who were taken to the field hospital in the city which has suffered from a severe shortage of materials and medical personnel for 10 months now.

(Source: Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

The Free Syrian Army Advanced on the Western Daraa front, FSA Took Control of Regime Checkpoints in the Area

The FSA took control of Al Afne checkpoint as well as Tal Simn, Tal al Masakin in the western Daraa countryside after they destroyed two tanks and killed a number of regime soldiers. The FSA also targeted the Saraya building in which regime forces and thugs are based in Daraa al Mahata. The FSA was able to execute direct hits on regime forces after fierce clashes occurred between the FSA and regime forces. The FSA clashed with regime forces around the Military Security branch in the town of Nawa. The regime executed four civilian young men in the town of al Faqee in the Daraa countryside after the regime raided the area. In the Jordanian city of al Ramtha a media activist, Abdul Naser Shanbou AKA Abu Jamal, was martyred after being injured the day before yesterday while covering the clashes between the FSA and regime forces in the city of Tafas and the western countryside of the Daraa province.

(Source: Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

Regime Forces Increase their Air Strikes on Aleppo’s Western Countryside

Regime fighter jets shelled the surrounding areas of Kwayres Military Airport and the towns of Kafar Naha and Khan al Asal in the western Aleppo countryside resulting in the injury of tens of people and the destruction of civilian homes, and vast amounts of damage to the infrastructure of the area. As for Kafar Amma, regime fighter jets targeted the electricity line providing electricity to al Atarib resulting in the cutting off of electricity to the area. At the same time regime forces shelled the town of al Sfeira with surface to surface missiles resulting in the martyrdom of one woman and a large number of civilians being injured. Clashes occurred between the Free Syrian Army and regime forces in al Ashrafiye district amidst regime shelling with heavy mortars resulting in the injury of many people and the destruction of a number of civilian homes.

(Source: Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

Saudi Arabia Cancels its Speech Before the General Assembly of the United Nations in Protest Against Limiting the Focus of the Syrian Issue on the Chemical Weapons File

Saudi Arabia canceled for the first time its speech before the General Assembly of the United Nations in protest against narrowing the massacres committed by Bashar al Assad in Syria only to the chemical weapons massacres. An informed source said that Saudi Arabia’s abstention even from distributing the text of its speech “reflects the Kingdom’s dissatisfaction on developments relating to Syria in the United Nations, and its dissatisfaction with the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the use of chemical weapons, because it did not specify clearly who was responsible for the use of these weapons” Kingdom sources added that they “do not want to go against international consensus, but at the same time do not want applause what was happening, because it does not live up to what they were looking forward to from the Security Council and the United Nations”.

(Source: Coalition + al Hayat)

United Nations Experts Charged With Dismantling Chemical Weapons Announce the Start of Their Mission in Syria

United Nations experts charged with dismantling chemical weapons in Syria began their mission which was assigned to them by the UN Security Council.  Witnesses confirmed that a convoy of about 20 vehicles belonging to the UN arrived in Damascus after crossing the Lebanese border, because they were not able to enter from Damascus International Highway due the Free Syrian Army’s of many of the surrounding areas. The mission is expected to continue at least until mid-2014. The Washington and Moscow agreed to dismantle the chemical weapons after they were used by the regime in the two Ghoutas of Damascus on August 21, 2013, prompting the international community to threaten the regime with a military strike.

(Source: Coalition + Reuters)

Government Security Authorities Audit Accounts of Syrians in Lebanon, Mikati: The Issue of the Refugees is Humanitarian and Not Political 

The head of the caretaker government in Lebanon, Najib Mikati, confirmed that “Lebanese banks were cautious in this regard, especially in accepting deposits from Syrians, which are doing their job by monitoring the accounts and verifying their owners, because they do not want to be questioned by the international community”. Mikati announced that Lebanon “will not close its doors in the face of the Syrians. He pointed out that that the refugee crisis was a humanitarian crisis and not a political one, but the number of refugees has increased dramatically, and the subject was under close watch so that their numbers would not increase except under certain conditions.

(Source: al Hayat)

Israeli Army Prepares to Face Fighters Following the Sharp Blow to the Regime in Syria

Israeli sources revealed that the Israeli occupation army is conducting secret training to face military operations expected to executed in Tel Aviv by armed groups in Syria, after the remarkable progress achieved by these groups against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, who was a bulwark of the Israeli occupation in the region, according to analysts. Exercises were conducted with the participation from the police, the intelligence, Special Forces units, paratroopers and a special Air Force unit trained to manage negotiations with the insurgents. The training exercises include experts, psychologists and speakers of many languages.

(Source: Coalition + al Hayat)