• Assad to make rare public speech as rebels push further into Damascus
    30 replies, posted
[img]http://imgkk.com/i/fimb.jpg[/img] [I]"Is that celebratory gunfire I hear outside? The people love me"[/I] [url]http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/06/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8AJ1FK20130106[/url] [quote=Reuters][B]Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will deliver a rare speech on Sunday about the uprising against his rule, which has killed 60,000 people and brought civil war to the edge of his capital.[/B] With insurgents fighting their way closer to the seat of his power, state media said in a statement that Assad would speak on Sunday morning about the "latest developments in Syria and the region", without giving details. It will be the 47-year-old leader's first speech in months and his first public comments since he dismissed suggestions that he might go into exile to end the civil war, telling Russian television in November that he would "live and die" in Syria. Insurgents are venturing ever closer into Damascus after bringing a crescent of suburbs under their control from the city's eastern outskirts to the southwest. Assad's forces blasted rockets into the Jobar neighbourhood near the city center on Saturday to try to drive out rebel fighters, a day after bombarding rebel-held areas in the eastern suburb of Daraya. "The shelling began in the early hours of the morning, it has intensified since 11 a.m., and now it has become really heavy. Yesterday it was Daraya and today Jobar is the hottest spot in Damascus," an activist named Housam said by Skype from the capital. Since Assad's last public comments, in November, rebels have strengthened their hold on swathes of territory across northern Syria, launched an offensive in the central province of Hama and endured weeks of bombardment by Assad's forces trying to dislodge them from Damascus's outer neighborhoods. Syria's political opposition has also won widespread international recognition. But Assad has continued to rely on support from Russia, China and Iran to hold firm and has used his air power to blunt rebel gains on the ground. With the conflict showing no sign of abating, Syria's deputy foreign minister visited Iran on Saturday to seek to maintain the support of Assad's main ally in the region. Iran's Fars news agency said Faisal al-Makdad would meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials. MISSILE BATTERIES Despite the estimated death toll of 60,000 announced by the United Nations earlier this week - a figure sharply higher than that given by activists - the West has shown little appetite for intervening against Assad in the way that NATO forces supported rebels who overthrew Libya's Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. But NATO is sending U.S. and European Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries to the Turkish-Syrian border. The United States military said U.S. troops and equipment had begun arriving in Turkey on Friday for the deployment. Germany and the Netherlands are also sending Patriot batteries, which will take weeks to deploy fully. Turkey and NATO say the missiles are a safeguard to protect southern Turkey from possible Syrian missile strikes. Syria and allies Russia and Iran say the deployments could spark an eventual military action by the Western alliance. Syria's war has proved the longest and bloodiest of the conflicts that arose out of popular uprisings in Arab countries over the past two years and led to the downfall of autocratic regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. The war pits rebels mainly drawn from the Sunni Muslim majority against Assad, a member of the Shi'ite-derived Alawite minority sect, whose family has ruled Syria since his father seized power in a coup in 1970. Syria's SANA state news agency said a journalist, Suheil al-Ali from the pro-government Addouniya TV, had died of wounds sustained in an attack by terrorists, the term government media use to refer to rebels. Syria was by far the most dangerous country for journalists last year, with 28 killed. The opposition-linked Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict from Britain through a network of activists on the ground, reported fighting and shelling on Saturday in the eastern Euphrates River town of Deir al-Zor and near the central city of Hama, as well as near Damascus. Assad's last formal speech was delivered to parliament seven months ago, in early June. "If we work together," he said, "I confirm that the end to this situation is near."[/quote]
Captain has to go down with his ship
I'm not either side of this conflict. One side is an oppressive dictatorship the other are terrorists and radical Muslims. Whoever wins everyone else looses. And before I boxed the rebels may have started as Syrians fighting for their country but now it's mostly foreign fighters there to take over the country and put in an oppressive Muslim dictatorship.
Poor Assad. Rebels got given too many weapons.
[QUOTE=Slacker101;39111330]I'm not either side of this conflict. One side is an oppressive dictatorship the other are terrorists and radical Muslims. Whoever wins everyone else looses. And before I boxed the rebels may have started as Syrians fighting for their country but now it's mostly foreign fighters there to take over the country and put in an oppressive Muslim dictatorship.[/QUOTE] Unfortunately that seems to be a recurring theme throughout the Arab Spring.
[QUOTE=Slacker101;39111330]I'm not either side of this conflict. One side is an oppressive dictatorship the other are terrorists and radical Muslims. Whoever wins everyone else looses. And before I boxed the rebels may have started as Syrians fighting for their country but now it's mostly foreign fighters there to take over the country and put in an oppressive Muslim dictatorship.[/QUOTE] Even though the FSA is an unorganized bunch, saying that they're all Islamist terrorists is harsh and unwarranted generalization. You can't also be that sure that foreign fighters or even militant Islamists are in the majority. Considering the situation of militant Islamist in other arab countries, particularily the ones that have underwent revolutions, it's more likely tha militant Islamists are in the minority. In case you forgot, militant Islamism is heavily condemned by moderates (which are more likely to be in the majority). There have been huge protests against extremists in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, so if the Syrian people are willing to, they can prevent Syria from becoming an Islamic theocracy or another dictatorship, so please, stop jumping to conclusions. Not picking a side is fine, but jumping to conclusions and generalizing is not.
[QUOTE=Slacker101;39111330]I'm not either side of this conflict. One side is an oppressive dictatorship the other are terrorists and radical Muslims. Whoever wins everyone else looses. And before I boxed the rebels may have started as Syrians fighting for their country but now it's mostly foreign fighters there to take over the country and put in an oppressive Muslim dictatorship.[/QUOTE] I remember the original Rebel leader was a cool guy. Talking about freedom of religion, speech, equal rights, etc. Now it's just a bunch of shitheads.
[QUOTE=The fox;39111668]Unfortunately that seems to be a recurring theme throughout the Arab Spring.[/QUOTE] Secular and moderate Islamists in Egypt are determined to throw Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood out of power, and there were huge protests against extremists in Tunisia a while back, and Islamists are in the minority in the Libyan congress, so I don't think so.
[QUOTE=Moustacheman;39112645]I remember the original Rebel leader was a cool guy. Talking about freedom of religion, speech, equal rights, etc. Now it's just a bunch of shitheads.[/QUOTE] I don't know which person you're talking to, but the current head of the Syrian National Council is George Sabra, who: [quote]In 2005, he co-founded the Damascus Declaration, a coalition of political parties, human rights groups and pro-democracy activists named after a document which demanded Syria's transformation from a "security state to a political state" based on free and regular elections, a democratic constitution, the rule of law, pluralism, and individual rights.[/quote] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20312255[/url]
[QUOTE=Slacker101;39111330]I'm not either side of this conflict. One side is an oppressive dictatorship the other are terrorists and radical Muslims. Whoever wins everyone else looses. And before I boxed the rebels may have started as Syrians fighting for their country but now it's mostly foreign fighters there to take over the country and put in an oppressive Muslim dictatorship.[/QUOTE] which is why bloody NATO should step in to stop that from happening
Well I'm looking forward to what he will say [editline]6th January 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=theevilldeadII;39113076]which is why bloody NATO should step in to stop that from happening[/QUOTE] Why? Why should NATO police a country they have little to do with. It's a Syrian affair
[QUOTE=Aman VII;39113088]Well I'm looking forward to what he will say [editline]6th January 2013[/editline] Why? [B]Why should NATO police a country they have little to do with. It's a Syrian affair[/B][/QUOTE] By now its a proxy war.
[QUOTE=laserguided;39113909]By now its a proxy war.[/QUOTE] Between who?
[QUOTE=laserguided;39113909]By now its a proxy war.[/QUOTE] A proxy war would imply that there are 2 exterior parties controlling either side
[QUOTE=No Party Hats;39114144]A proxy war would imply that there are 2 exterior parties controlling either side[/QUOTE] Controlling either side goes beyond the basic definition of proxy war. [URL="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/proxy+war"]source[/URL] [QUOTE]Some analysts have interpreted the Syrian conflict as part of a regional proxy war between Sunni states, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who support the Sunni-led opposition, and Iran and Hezbollah, who support the Alawite-led (Alawite is a branch of Shia Islam) Syrian government.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War"]source[/URL] Could also include states such as Russia who have given political support to the Syrian government and essentially blanketed it from UN action. Russia has supplied them weapons for use against the Syrian rebel factions. You could include the United States for doing the opposite of them and recognizing the SNC as the legitimate government of Syria, beyond that I'm not sure. Maybe they've provided equipment or intelligence to the rebels? That seems like something the gulf states would do though.
Why can't he just step down
[QUOTE=laserguided;39114220]Controlling either side goes beyond the basic definition of proxy war. [URL="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/proxy+war"]source[/URL] [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War"]source[/URL] Could also include states such as Russia who have given political support to the Syrian government and essentially blanketed it from UN action. Russia has supplied them weapons for use against the Syrian rebel factions. You could include the United States for doing the opposite of them and recognizing the SNC as the legitimate government of Syria, beyond that I'm not sure. Maybe they've provided equipment or intelligence to the rebels? That seems like something the gulf states would do though.[/QUOTE] By your own cited definition, the "sunni versus shia" Islam as a proxy war is wrong because those are religious beliefs, not exterior states or countries. Unless Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have actually given aid to the rebels, it's not a proxy war just because they share the same religious sect and my be cheering them on by the sidelines. As with Russia, this would almost count except...who's the other side? Iran? No, they're supporting Assad too. Who's the other contender? Israel? Ha. America? Seriously doubtful. [editline]6th January 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=TheSporeGA;39114648]Why can't he just step down[/QUOTE] It's kind of slightly too late for that.
He might get assassinated.
[QUOTE=beanhead;39114870]He might get assassinated.[/QUOTE] More likely he will get assassinated if you ask me.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;39114764]By your own cited definition, the "sunni versus shia" Islam as a proxy war is wrong because those are religious beliefs, not exterior states or countries. Unless Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have actually given aid to the rebels, it's not a proxy war just because they share the same religious sect and my be cheering them on by the sidelines. As with Russia, this would almost count except...who's the other side? Iran? No, they're supporting Assad too. Who's the other contender? Israel? Ha. America? Seriously doubtful. [editline]6th January 2013[/editline] It's kind of slightly too late for that.[/QUOTE] The other contenders are the gulf states and the US for political support. I thought it has been known for awhile that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are aiding the rebels with sacks of money and weaponry. Where did you think the rebels got their political backing and money from? Also, most of the gulf states are theocracies, Iran is a theocracy and Hezbollah is Iran's proxy in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and Iran hate each other.
[QUOTE=Slacker101;39111330]I'm not either side of this conflict. One side is an oppressive dictatorship the other are terrorists and radical Muslims. Whoever wins everyone else looses. And before I boxed the rebels may have started as Syrians fighting for their country but now it's mostly foreign fighters there to take over the country and put in an oppressive Muslim dictatorship.[/QUOTE] Seems like you're pulling your info out of your ass or you're getting it from RT or some Syrian state media. The FSA isn't just one group, it's comprised of several different militia and tribes, all fighting to get rid of Assad and his military. It's true that theres radical Islamist's mixed in there, theres even rumors of Alqueda or Taliban also fighting, but they're a minority.
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;39114995]Seems like you're pulling your info out of your ass or you're getting it from Reuters or some Syrian state media. The FSA isn't just one group, it's comprised of several different militia and tribes, all fighting to get rid of Assad and his military. It's true that theres radical Islamist's mixed in there, theres even rumors of Alqueda or Taliban also fighting, but they're a minority.[/QUOTE] Minority is understating it, and Reuters is a reputable news agency. FSA is a umbrella group with hardly any control over the factions actions. There are alot of foreign mujahideen under the FSA umbrella and quite a lot of Syrian Islamists if what the media says has credibility. It won't surprise me one bit if the Islamists install a backwards government. There are executions on both sides, they're both extreme and it would have been nice if the rebels actually fought for freedom like the Libyan rebels did. [editline]5th January 2013[/editline] [url]http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/12/06/f-vp-bedard-syrian-rebels.html[/url]
[QUOTE=laserguided;39115020]Minority is understating it, and [b]Reuters is a reputable news agency[/b]. FSA is a umbrella group with hardly any control over the factions actions. There are alot of foreign mujahideen under the FSA umbrella and quite a lot of Syrian Islamists if what the media says has credibility. It won't surprise me one bit if the Islamists install a backwards government. There are executions on both sides, they're both extreme and it would have been nice if the rebels actually fought for freedom like the Libyan rebels did.[/QUOTE] Isn't Reuters a state run Russian media, or am I confusing it with something else? And I never said that all the non-radical factions of the FSA were all white knights with flowers in their hair, several of the groups are just as guilty as the radicals or the Syrian Military.
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;39115055]Isn't Reuters a state run Russian media, or am I confusing it with something else? And I never said that all the non-radical factions of the FSA were all white knights with flowers in their hair, several of the groups are just as guilty as the radicals or the Syrian Military.[/QUOTE] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuters[/url] They're both shit sides to be honest.
[QUOTE=laserguided;39115020]Minority is understating it, and Reuters is a reputable news agency. FSA is a umbrella group with hardly any control over the factions actions. There are alot of foreign mujahideen under the FSA umbrella and quite a lot of Syrian Islamists if what the media says has credibility. It won't surprise me one bit if the Islamists install a backwards government.[/QUOTE] You're parroting the same apologist bullshit spewed by Qaddafi apologists like yourself last year on your other alt. [URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/30/libya-rebel-leader-al-qaeda_n_941752.html"]Libya Rebel Leader Reportedly Has Al Qaeda Ties [/URL][URL="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/24/us-libya-alqaeda-idUSTRE71N12B20110224"] Al Qaeda backs Libyan protesters[/URL] [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12570279"]Qaddaffi Blames Al-Qaeda for protests[/URL] [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8861608/Libya-Al-Qaeda-flag-flown-above-Benghazi-courthouse.html"]Al Qaeda flag flying over Libya court house[/URL] [URL="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/02/24/libya-protestts-fighting.html"]etc[/URL] And yet Libya proved to be a vibrant, progressive democracy.
[QUOTE=Starpluck;39115079]You're parroting the same apologist bullshit spewed by Qaddafi apologists like yourself last year on your other alt. [URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/30/libya-rebel-leader-al-qaeda_n_941752.html"]Libya Rebel Leader Reportedly Has Al Qaeda Ties [/URL][URL="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/24/us-libya-alqaeda-idUSTRE71N12B20110224"] Al Qaeda backs Libyan protesters[/URL] [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12570279"]Qaddaffi Blames Al-Qaeda for protests[/URL] [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8861608/Libya-Al-Qaeda-flag-flown-above-Benghazi-courthouse.html"]Al Qaeda flag flying over Libya court house[/URL] [URL="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/02/24/libya-protestts-fighting.html"]etc[/URL] And yet Libya proved to be a vibrant, progressive democracy.[/QUOTE] I'm not a Gaddafi apologist nor am I an Assad apologist.
[QUOTE=laserguided;39115077][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuters[/url] They're both shit sides to be honest.[/QUOTE] Was Russia Today I had it confused with, my bad.
[QUOTE=laserguided;39115090]I'm not a Gaddafi apologist nor am I an Assad apologist.[/QUOTE] Yeah and Cheranurus and Yaik9a isn't your alt.
[QUOTE=Starpluck;39115096]Yeah and Cheranurus and [B]Yaik9a[/B] isn't your alt.[/QUOTE] That isn't my alt and I don't know who yaik9a is.
Ha, chernarus is Yaik9a? Makes a fuck load of sense.
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