« SYRIA PRESS REVIEW » #36

Syrian army liberates Douma and Hama

During his press conference, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem emphasized that the Arab League Observer Mission report acknowledges that it is the obligation of the Syrian government to ensure the safety of its people. Without further delay, the regular army liberated the cities of Hama and Duma, partially occupied by the Wahhabi legion. There are still some neighborhoods in both cities and a large rural area that remain in the hands of foreign armed forces.

However, according to the international press - which chose to turn a blind eye to the content of the observers’ report - the Syrian security forces continued their brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations in both cities. Based on this version, the Gulf Cooperation Council - which comprises not only the Arab Gulf States, but also all the Arab monarchies - has decided to seize the Security Council of the matter to compensate for the League’s failings and legalize military intervention.

• Abdel Halim Khaddam gave an interview to Le Figaro from his exile in Paris, and accused Syrian President al-Assad of wanting to dismantle the country in order to reduce it to an Alawite State.
The interviewer, Isabelle Lasserre, did not think of asking for what reason President al-Assad would want to bolster the project to remodel the greater Middle East, sponsored by the neo-conservatives.

• In the Corriere della Sera, an article signed by Lorenzo Cremonesi insinuated that the Syrian authorities may be responsible for the murder of Father Basilius Nassar. Allegedly, their Machiavellian design would consist in targeting the Christian minority to raise the specter of an Islamic threat.

• The Daily Telegraph (UK) reports on a meeting with Omar Bakri Mohammed in his exile in Lebanon. This individual, who is considered by the British public to be the mastermind behind the July 2007 bombings in London, stated peremptorily that the "al-Qaeda brothers" stand ready to multiply the suicide bombings in Syria as soon as the opposition gives them the signal.

• Back from an 11-day trip to the Middle East, Senator John Kerry responded to the questions of Foreign Policy. He said Syria is on the brink of civil war. He did not mention any direct action on the part of the United States, but indicated that Washington was closely monitoring the efforts of the Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council.

• L’Orient-Le Jour hails the publication of an open letter from the Syrian National Council on the relations of the future government (if the CNS came to power) with Lebanon. The text - which endorses the Sykes-Picot partition of the region, the Saudi Taif Agreement and Israel’s claim of the Shebaa Farms - gives full satisfaction to the leadership of the 14-March Coalition. The newspaper, however, regrets that this historic document, whose content is reproduced in full, is nothing but a project which has yet to be endorsed by the CNS.

• Moreover, L’Orient-Le Jour reveals that [the presidency of] the Arab League, i.e. Qatar, sounded out the Egyptian Mohammed el-Baradei as the possible special envoy of the League in Syria. In the meantime, the information has officially been denied.