Daily Newsletter – 08/10/2013

Jamous Announces the Start of the Institutionalization of the Popular Movement and Considers the Coalition Political Wing of the Revolution and Interim Government Service Wing, Reveals Coordination Between the Free Syrian Army and the Government on Forming Ministry of Defense

Secretary -General of the Syrian National Coalition Badr al-Din Jamous announced the start of the process of institutionalization and restructuring of the popular revolutionary movement represented by the Syrian National Coalition as the sole and legitimate representative of the Syrian people. Jamous considers that the interim government represents the executive and service wing of the Syrian revolution, while the Syrian National Coalition represents the political arm of the Coalition. The Secretary-General stressed the “importance of  going beyond the current work happening at an individual level and move to a more institutionalized structure through communication with revolutionaries inside Syria as an essential component of this restructuring , and regarded this as one of the most fundamental pillars for the success of the revolution.” Clarifying the future of the relationship between the Coalition and the interim government, Jamous said “that the Coalition will take over the role of supervision and guidance with respect to political and service oriented action after the formation of the government.” He pointed out that the institutionalization of the government is not the institutionalization of the Coalition, but instead the entire spectrum of components of the Syrian revolution. The Secretary-General pointed to the existence of constant coordination between the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Free Syrian Army and the interim government with regard to the formation of the Ministry of Defense and the designation of the defense minister, who will head the Free Syrian Army. He said that “the institutionalization of the Free Syrian Army is one of the most important steps and must be taken and worked on with seriousness and organization in order to unify forces in order to overthrow Bashar al Assad’s regime and create a democratic atmosphere which is able to meet the aspirations of the Syrian people. (Source: Coalition)

Marwa: The Coalition Cannot be Used As a Way to Legitimize the Remainder of Bashar al Assad and the International Community’s Thoughts About Legal Concepts of Geneva 1 are Illogical

Member of the Legal Committee of the Syrian National Coalition, Hisham Marwa, announced that the Coalition will not attend Geneva 2 in the case that there is not serious political interest in dealing with the Syrian file.  He added that the Coalition cannot be used as a way to legitimize Bashar al Assad’s remainder. The member of the Coalition’s Legal Committee described “the international community’s thinking as illogical regarding its understanding and dealing with the legal terms and concepts related to Geneva 1.” He pointed out Article VI of Geneva 1 which “denotes a mandatory transfer of power from one authority to another authority”, which points to the forcing of Bashar al Assad’s handing over power to another authority. He noted that “the transfer of power requires two different authorities, which in the ABC’s of legal terminology, means that Bashar al Assad has removed himself from the principles of Geneva, which would be reasonable to be blind to or to ignore.”  Marwa considered it unacceptable for Iran to participate in Geneva “because it is a part of the problem and participated in killing Syrian people; it is considered as an occupying force on Syrian land and impossible to negotiate with the occupier” in regards to the Syrian issue. (Source: Coalition)

Bashar al Assad’s Regime Prevents the Red Cross From Entering Maloula and the Red Cross is Still Waiting

Today, Bashar al Assad’s regime prevented the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit Maloula and the besieged Orthodox Monastery of Saint Takla, as reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Chairman of the Committee said, “The Monastery of Saint Takla in Maloula is considered among the priorities and one of the places our employees must visit, and we have received several days ago a request to return the water service” cut off by regime forces from the area after the popular uprising witnessed two months ago. The Chairman of the Committee said, “We are ready to get to the area once we get the approval of Bashar al-Assad’s government ,” explaining that the Red Cross ” is supposed to be allowed access to all areas in Syria as a neutral humanitarian organization”, with no interest in the ongoing conditions of the country.

(Source: Coalition + Russia Today)

30 Martyrs in Syria Until this Evening and 97 Martyrs Yesterday

Local Coordination Committees in Syria documented 97 martyrs yesterday, 30 of them martyred up until 6 PM this evening. Among the martyrs are two women and three children, 11 martyrs in Daraa and Idleb, five in Aleppo, two in Damascus and its countryside, and a martyr in Hama. (Source: Local Coordination Committees)

A New Massacre in Hamouria Takes the Lives of 20 People Among them Women and Children

Regime forces committed a new massacre in the Damascus countryside taking the lives of 20 martyrs among them women and children as a result of regime fighter jet air strikes on civilian homes in the town of Hamouria. Also, 30 people were injured some of whom are in critical condition, they were taken to medical care points in al Ghouta due to the lack of medical supplies in the area. At the same time the Free Syrian Army brought down a reconnaissance aircraft in the eastern Ghouta, which was striking the people besieged by Bashar al Assad’s forces preventing any food or medical aid from reaching the people in the two Ghoutas which the regime targeted with a chemical weapons attack previously.

(Source: Coalition + The Smart News Agency)
The Free Syrian Army Takes Control of Tal al Baharia in Eastern Ghouta and Targets al Wazan Checkpoint in Mashrou Dimar

The FSA took control of Tal al Baharia in eastern Ghouta, which is considered a strategic stronghold for regime forces. The FSA also took control of al Wazan checkpoint in Mashrou Dimar and regime forces in al Qaboun district securing direct hits resulting in deaths among the regime’s ranks. Fierce clashes occurred between the FSA and regime forces around al Hafiriya district as regime forces attempted to raid the district. (Source: Coalition + the Smart News Agency)
Regime Forces Target Districts on the Dam Steet and Daraa al Balad

Regime forces shelled with heavy artillery the districts of the Dam Street and Daraa al Balad resulting in the martyrdom of many people as well as the injury of others, along with the destruction of residential buildings. Also, the towns of Um il Mayathen and Inkhil were hit with similar shelling resulting in the injury of many people and the destruction of a large number of peoples’ homes in the area. Fierce clashes occurred between the Free Syrian Army and regime forces in Tafas and the road connecting Daraa with Gharaz prison allowing the FSA to make significant advances on regime forces trying to break into the area. (Source: Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

Regime Fighter Jets Drop Explosive Barrels on al Ghassaniye in the Idleb Countryside Amidst Random Shelling on the Area

Regime fighter jets conducted an air strike on the town of al Ghassaniye in the Idleb countryside resulting in the martyrdom of nine people and the injury of a large number of people as well as the destruction of many residential buildings. Regime fighter jets also targeted Jarjanaz and Talminis resulting in the injury of a number of civilians and the displacement of the residents for fear of further shelling. Regime fighter jets continued to drop explosive barrels on the city of Souran in the Hama countryside resulting in the martyrdom of five people and the injury of others in the area. (Source: Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

The Free Syrian Army Targtes Regime Gatherings in al Kayali Building in Aleppo

The FSA targeted regime gatherings in al Kayali building in Old Aleppo, amidst fierce clashes with regime forces. Meanwhile, regime fighter jets dropped explosive barrels on al Sfeira in the Aleppo countryside taking the lives of three children, the injury of around 20 people and the destruction of a number of civilians’ homes. (Source: Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

Washington: Our Position Towards Assad Will Not Change, We Will Work To Reconcile Between the “Opposition” and the Regime to Form a Transitional Leadership

The United States of America will not change its position on Bashar al Assad losing his legitimacy to lead Syria, this comes on the tail end of remarks by Secretary of State John Kerry in which he suggested that he  “preferred” a rapid start to the destruction of Bashar al Assad’s Syrian chemical weapons arsenal. Deputy Spokeswoman for the United States, Marie Harf, said yesterday in response to a reporte’s question about Kerry’s statement , “Our position on the future of Bashar al – Assad has not changed, he has lost all legitimacy to lead Syria.” She added, “We are working to hold the Geneva 2 conference, in which the opposition and Bashar al Assad’s regime will choose the transitional leadership for the next phase.” The Assad regime said earlier that it is impossible to enter into discussions with the Syrian National Coalition, noting that “it will dialogue only with opposition parties licensed within the government” in the country. According to analysts, this means that Bashar has not yet recognized the revolutionary movement or the demands and aspirations of the Syrian people, meaning that his statements calling for dialogue under the umbrella of Geneva are false allegations designed to waste time and play with the blood of the Syrians.(Source: Coalition + CNN Arabic + Reuters)

Ban Ki Moon Suggests Sending 100 Experts to Destroy Chemical Weapons and Describes the Mission as “Unprecedented”

The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon invited the mission dedicated to the dismantling of the Syrian chemical arsenal to include 100 experts to perform the task which he described as “unprecedented.” The Secretary-General of the United Nations suggested establishing a joint mission – the first of its kind- between the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Offering that its operational base will be in Damascus and its rear base will be stationed in Cyprus. The mission will be led by a specially designated civilian coordinator, and the entrusted task will be the first mission of this kind in the history of the two organizations.(Source: France 24 + AFP)

America Ready to Accept Iranian Participation in Geneva 2 if It Complies With Geneva 1

Deputy spokeswoman of the U.S. State Department Mary Harf said that her country “will be more willing on Iran’s participation in the Geneva 2 Conference on Syria, if Tehran supported the Geneva 1 statement, which calls for the formation of a transitional government in Syria.” Harf also said, “We are clear about the devastating Iranian role in Syria, and we see that any party involved in the Geneva 2 must accept and publicly support the Geneva 1 statement.”(Source: Coalition + al Quds Al-Arabi + UBI)

Putin Suggests Widening the Geneva Circle and Inviting Muslim Majority Countries and Puts on a Timid Display about Iran’s Participation

The Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested inviting countries whose population is majority Muslim such as Indonesia to the Geneva 2 conference; he made this suggestion on the sidelines of the Asia Summit. Putin said, “We consider it a possibility to increase the number of participants to include large Muslim countries such as Indonesia”, adding, “This will be, in my opinion, an acceptable thing which I am comfortable with.” Prior to this there were many attempts from the Russian and Iranian sides to allow Iran to go to Geneva 2 but the Coalition has rejected is considering Iran as part of the problem “and impossible for it to be part of the solution”. (Source: Coalition + AFP)

Saudi Ministry Considers What Is Happening In Syria Mass Genocide of the Syrian People

Saudi Council of Ministers stressed that “the Syrian people are being subjected to genocide,” saying what is happening in Syria is the “the worst of the humanitarian crisis.” Saudi Arabia put the responsibility on the international community with all its organizations and institutions of legal and ethical responsibilities to address all aspects of what it described as the “Syrian tragedy” and also stressed the” necessity to take action on them and hold accountable all those responsible for causing the horrific crimes suffered by the Syrian people”.  The Ministers’ Council requested that there should be “guarantees for the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people besieged by Bashar al Assad’s regime. (Source: al Hayat)