EU follows Italy’s move to recognize Syrian opposition coalition

 

French President Francois Hollande and Foreign Affairs minister Laurent Fabius pose with Syrian opposition coalition members. France was the first European country to recognize the coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. (AFP Photo / Kenzo Tribouillard)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/syria-opposition-eu-representative-099/

Italy has recognized Syria’s National Coalition as the "legitimate representative" of the Syrian people. The EU has followed that lead declaring the newly formed political body as the only representative of the “aspirations of the Syrian people.”

"We have recognized the coalition that brings together the various opposition groups as legitimate representatives of the Syrian people," Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti told reporters in Doha on Monday.

The Syrian National Coalition was formed on 11 November when the country’s disparate opposition leaders met in Doha. The body replaced Syrian National Council which had been criticized for being ineffective.

The Foreign ministers of 27 EU nations said the agreement reached in Qatar is a major step towards the necessary unification of the Syrian opposition.

The ministers urged the coalition to continue to respect human rights and democracy and to work with all opposition groups and sections of Syrian society. The statement also said that the EU was “ready” to support coalition relations with the international community.

"I think we will invite the Coalition leaders to our next meeting (in December) to allow them to talk to all the foreign ministers, which will be highly symbolic," said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

Last week France was the first European country to recognize the coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people and a future democratic government. The newly formed coalition has also been recognized by the Gulf Cooperation Council and Turkey.

Earlier this month Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron suggested lifting the 2011 EU arms embargo against all sides in the Syrian conflict. This would allow Western countries to help the opposition in its fight against President Assad.

According to different estimates, the conflict that has been unfolding in Syria since March 2011 has already claimed between 28,000 and 40,000 lives.

 

Read More

France recognizes Syrian opposition coalition

Video Link: Russia Today - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3896i8coaZE

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/france-syria-opposition-coalition-619/

France is the first of the European countries to fully recognize the Syrian opposition coalition as the "sole legitimate representative" of the Syrian people. Meanwhile the US calls it “a legitimate representative" but is yet to fully recognize it.

"I announce today that France recognizes the Syrian national coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people and as the future government of a democratic Syria which will allow for an end to Bashar al-Assad's regime," President Hollande told a news conference in Paris.

On Sunday in Doha, Syrian opposition groups finally agreed to create a new leadership body united against President Bashar Assad. The coalition emerged after days of talks sponsored by foreign governments pushing for regime change in the embattled nation.

The US has also recognized the National Coalition of Forces of the Syrian Revolution and Opposition as “a legitimate representative” of the Syrian people but stopped short of describing it as the "sole" representative. Washington stressed that the nascent group must first demonstrate its ability to represent Syrians inside the country.

"We look forward to supporting the national coalition as it charts a course for the end of Assad's bloody rule, and marks the start, we believe, of a peaceful, just and democratic future for the people of Syria," US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

Hollande also said he would reconsider the question of arming the opposition.

“On the question of weapons deliveries, France has not supported the initiative as it has been unclear who would ultimately receive the weapons. As soon as there is a legitimate government formed by the coalition in Syria, France will once again look at this question,” he said.

France was also the first country to recognize the Libyan transitional government after the civil war which toppled Gaddafi.

The Arab League, however, has fallen short of giving full recognition. Both Iraq and Algeria have expressed reservations. The Arab League countries that have recognized the new coalition include, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, countries which have been called a US-led ‘puppet group’ by some political commentators.

The umbrella organization, called the National Coalition for Opposition Forces and the Syrian Revolution, will be made up of rebel groups in and outside Syria.

The Syrian opposition hopes that the formation of a more unified body will attract donations from the West and the Arab League, who have both bemoaned the lack of unity among Syrian rebels.

But Franklyn Lamb, an investigative journalist based in Beirut, told RT that the agreement reached by Syrian rebels was weak and they were pushed into an agreement by western powers.

“The reason that we have this tissue paper agreement was because of all the pressure that was put on them; they had to do something,” Lamb said.

The Syrian National Council (SNC), which is the main opposition group within the National Coalition for Opposition Forces, criticized the international community for its inaction, saying that fighters were in desperate need of weapons to break the stalemate with Assad’s forces.

Until the Doha agreement the SNC had refused to fully cooperate with other groups which make up Syria’s disparate opposition but its leader George Sabra, yielded to international pressure and signed an agreement with Moaz Khatib, the leader of the new coalition, which effectively relinquished control of the SNC to the new body.

France was also the first country to recognize the Libyan transitional government, during the civil war which toppled Gaddafi. Since Gaddafi was hunted down and murdered Libya has been in chaos with the government unable to reign-in the various militias, which still control parts of the country.

 

Syrian Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib (L), the newly elected leader of National Coalition for Opposition Forces, walks inside the Arab League headquarters after a meeting on Syria in Cairo on November 12, 2012. (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

 

Read More

Newly formed Syrian opposition bloc calls for specialized weapons

 

Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/13/272026/syrian-opposition-bloc-calls-for-weapons/

The leader of the newly-formed Syrian opposition bloc, known as the National Coalition, has called on world powers to arm insurgents with "specialized weapons".

Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib said on Tuesday that insurgent groups fighting against the Syrian government are in desperate need of arms, AFP reported.

"We need specialized weapons," he said in Cairo without specifying the nature of the arms.

He also urged the European Union to recognize their group and provide them with financial support.

Khatib was elected as the head of the so-called National Coalition Forces of the Syrian Revolution on Sunday after opposition groups signed an initial unity agreement to form a new leadership against President Bashar al-Assad's government after four days of talks in Doha.

The Arab League and six Persian Gulf Arab states have so far recognized the newly-formed bloc as the Syrian people's legitimate representative. The EU and US have also declared support for the opposition bloc, but fell short of recognizing it.

On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius urged world powers to recognize the newly-formed opposition bloc.

Read More

Israel fires warning shots at Syria over Golan Heights mortar strike

 

An Israeli Merkava tank crew sit on the Israeli annexed Golan Heights overlooking the Syrian village of Breqa on November, 06, 2012. (AFP Photo / Menahem Kahana)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/syria-israel-warning-fire-455/

Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortars launched from Syrian territory hit an Israeli base in the Golan Heights. It is the first time Israel has fired within Syrian territory since the 1973 war.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said the missile was fired as a warning short after the errant mortal fired from Syria hit the military post.

"In the midst of Syrian infighting, a mortar shell fired by the Syrian army struck near an outpost at Tel Hazeka," The Jerusalem post cites IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai as saying.

"In light of the policy instituted by IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, a warning round was fired back into Syria. We don't believe it caused injuries or damages," he continued.

The IDF fired a single Tamuz anti-tank missile, a weapon known for its high degree of accuracy, military sources told AFP.

Just hours before the strike, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Syria that Israel would “respond” if stray shells landed inside the Golan Heights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also said Israel was “closely monitoring what is happening on our border with Syria and there too we are ready for any development."

Israel worries the Syrian insurgency could engulf the Golan, turning the region into an ideal base for Islamic militants to launch attacks, as they do from Egypt’s Sinai desert.

Israeli officials fear the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government could further lead to an Islamist power grab in Syria, fueling sectarian war and destabilizing the region.

There are also concerns that the security breakdown in Syria might lead the Lebanese movement Hezbollah – which is allied to Damascus and staunchly opposed to Israel– to acquire control of chemical weapons stockpiles.

Several mortar shells have struck the Golan Heights since the Syrian civil war erupted 19 months ago. Israel has recognized the fire as unintentional, but still holds Damascus responsible.

On Thursday a mortar launched from within Syrian territory hit an Israeli settlement on the territory but did not explode.

 

Israeli Merkava tanks maneuver on the Israeli annexed Golan Heights overlooking the Syrian village of Breqa on November, 06, 2012. (AFP Photo / Menahem Kahana)

Israel recently filed a complaint with the United Nations Security Council after Syrian three tanks entered the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights earlier this month. The IDF also filed a complaint with UN peacekeeping forces operating in the area.

The tanks were reportedly engaged in a battle with Syrian rebels in the village of Beer Ajam, which is located in the Syrian controlled portion of the Golan Heights.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 war, though they agreed to return the land to Syria in return for a peace agreement which was rejected by the Arab world.

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Syrian forces crossed the ceasefire line into the Golan Heights to retake the territory. The Syrian troops were ultimately ejected by Israel forces.

Israel annexed the Golan in 1981, though they returned about five percent of the territory to Syrian control. The land was merged into a demilitarized zone that is currently patrolled by UN peacekeeping forces.

Read More

Russia warns of Western anti Syria move

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/05/270498/russia-warns-of-western-antisyria-move/

Russia has warned that Western countries are seeking a UN Security Council resolution that will aggravate the situation in Syria in order to pave the way for regime change in the country.

“If the priority is the change of the regime, then there will be more blood, but if the priority is to save lives, then there is no need for any type of resolutions. We have not yet tried to implement Geneva accords,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference with Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi and UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in Cairo.

On November 2, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement saying the United States was giving “direct orders” to the “Syrian opposition.”

“We heard direct orders (from the United States) about what the Syrian opposition should do to form a ‘government in exile’, and about who should join such a government,” the statement read.

“US representatives are saying that they do not intend to wait for a change in Russia and China’s position. So they are bluntly making clear that they see the Syria conflict being settled exclusively on their terms,” the statement further read.

Syria has been the scene of unrest since March 2011 and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the turmoil.

The anti-Syria Western states have been calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, but Russia and China oppose the Western drive to oust the Syrian president.

 

Read More

Washington green lights American donations to Syrian rebels

AFP Photo / Achileas Zavallis

Source: Russia Today

http://www.rt.com/news/syria-rebels-us-donations-997/

The US government has permitted its citizens to start donating money to Syria’s opposition, paving the way for direct help from US nationals to the rebel fighters.

­The Syrian Support Group (SSG), a Washington-based organization closely connected to rebel forces, has been granted a license by the US Treasury to begin fundraising on behalf of the opposition.

The move allows the group to provide the rebels with “financial, communications, logistical services otherwise banned” by American sanctions on Syria, the Daily Telegraph reports.

However, the license doesn’t permit the SSG to directly buy weapons.

The organization has already hailed the measure as a “game-changer.”

The group wouldn’t reveal the amount of money it’s raised since the license was granted in late July.

Among the SSG's other activities is active lobbying for a US-led intervention in Syria by establishing a no-fly zone and demolishing the country’s air defense systems.

Last week, the US boosted its so-called “non-lethal aid” to the rebels, increasing funding by $12 million and bringing the total sum spent on humanitarian aid to $76 million.

The Obama administration still refuses to back the opposition forces with weaponry.

The latest move comes days after reports emerged that President Obama had signed a secret order allowing the CIA and other intelligence agencies to support opposition forces seeking to oust the Assad regime.

The US has also called for the international community to aid the Syrian rebels within the framework of the so-called Friends of Syria group, with member states agreeing to significantly bolster help for the Syrian opposition.

Read More