Arab League in Syria: "mission impossible"
by JPG
League delegates arrived in Damascus today to find an agreement between government and opposition. State media ignore the event. Clashes between security forces and demonstrators continue. Some soldiers now oppose the regime. The annual meeting of Syrian Catholic bishops is set for 7-9 November.
Damascus (AsiaNews) – Arab League delegates arrived in Damascus today to help the government and the opposition to find an agreement on setting up a ‘Conference for National Dialogue” for this November. The diplomatic mission is headed by Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, prime minister of Qatar, and includes the foreign ministers of Algeria, Egypt, Oman and Sudan, as well as Nabil El-Arabi, secretary-general of the Arab League. However, the visit appears to be a “mission impossible”.
Decided on 16 October, the mission was initiatlly criticised by the Syrian government and state media. Syrian authorities had two main objections: Qatar as the head of the mission (because it was the first arab nation to withdraw its ambassador from Syria), and Cairo as the venue for the conference. For Damascus, any meeting could only take place in Syria. Syrian state media instead accused the Arab League of trying to “destabilise” Syria.
Eventually, the Syrian government gave in last week and accepted the Arab League proposal. State media simply ignored it. The latter also did not reprint warnings by two of the Syrian regime’s major friends, Russia and Iran.
Today, Syrian TV and press announced a visit by a Chinese envoy, Wu Sike, but did not report Chinese criticism of Syria.
“We believe the Syrian government should deliver on its reform pledges, respond to the people's appeals and that all parties should, in a constructive manner, actively participate in the political process,” a Chinese Foregin Ministry spokesperson had said.
Syria’s opposition has also criticised the League mission, calling it pointless. One of its spokerspersons said, “No one has the right to talk with this regime whose hands are tainted with the blood of innocent Syrians.”
Today, another large demonstration (the third of its kind) was held in Damascus’ Omayya Square in support of President Assad and national unity. State TV is likely to announce that more than a million people took part in it.
US Ambassador Robert Ford left the Syrian capital for security reasons. US sources say death threats were issued against him. He had presented his credentials to Bashar Al-Assad on 27 January. The post had been vacant for quite a while. In March, he explicity backed protests against the regime, something that did not go down well with the Syrian government, which refrained however from declaring him persona non grata.
In the meantime, clashes between security forces and demonstrators are become increasingly violent. More and more, the ranks of protesters are being swelled by soldiers opposed to the regime.
In fact, the violence is no longer claiming only the lives of civilians and of opposition activists (3,000 according to the latest figure based on united Nations sources), but also those of soldiers, whose funerals are shown in prime time on state TV.
The first annual meeting of the Assembly Syro-Catholic Church will be held in the Archibshop’s Residence in Damascus on 7-9 November.
The event had been scheduled for April but was cancelled. The meeting will discuss “the situation in Syria and Catholic Churches”, and will be chaired by the Greek-Melkite Patriarch, Gregorius III.
Until now, almost all Catholic and Orthodox bishops have expressed their support for President Assad.
Gregorius III is the only prelate who has expressed some guarded hope that the regime may heed the demands of young Syrians.
At the same time, Church leaders are being criticised by a small number of the faithful. By and large, Syrian Christians, whilst in favour of democratic reforms, remain sceptical about the opposition, which they fear might fall under the sway of Islamists, should the regime fall.
Decided on 16 October, the mission was initiatlly criticised by the Syrian government and state media. Syrian authorities had two main objections: Qatar as the head of the mission (because it was the first arab nation to withdraw its ambassador from Syria), and Cairo as the venue for the conference. For Damascus, any meeting could only take place in Syria. Syrian state media instead accused the Arab League of trying to “destabilise” Syria.
Eventually, the Syrian government gave in last week and accepted the Arab League proposal. State media simply ignored it. The latter also did not reprint warnings by two of the Syrian regime’s major friends, Russia and Iran.
Today, Syrian TV and press announced a visit by a Chinese envoy, Wu Sike, but did not report Chinese criticism of Syria.
“We believe the Syrian government should deliver on its reform pledges, respond to the people's appeals and that all parties should, in a constructive manner, actively participate in the political process,” a Chinese Foregin Ministry spokesperson had said.
Syria’s opposition has also criticised the League mission, calling it pointless. One of its spokerspersons said, “No one has the right to talk with this regime whose hands are tainted with the blood of innocent Syrians.”
Today, another large demonstration (the third of its kind) was held in Damascus’ Omayya Square in support of President Assad and national unity. State TV is likely to announce that more than a million people took part in it.
US Ambassador Robert Ford left the Syrian capital for security reasons. US sources say death threats were issued against him. He had presented his credentials to Bashar Al-Assad on 27 January. The post had been vacant for quite a while. In March, he explicity backed protests against the regime, something that did not go down well with the Syrian government, which refrained however from declaring him persona non grata.
In the meantime, clashes between security forces and demonstrators are become increasingly violent. More and more, the ranks of protesters are being swelled by soldiers opposed to the regime.
In fact, the violence is no longer claiming only the lives of civilians and of opposition activists (3,000 according to the latest figure based on united Nations sources), but also those of soldiers, whose funerals are shown in prime time on state TV.
The first annual meeting of the Assembly Syro-Catholic Church will be held in the Archibshop’s Residence in Damascus on 7-9 November.
The event had been scheduled for April but was cancelled. The meeting will discuss “the situation in Syria and Catholic Churches”, and will be chaired by the Greek-Melkite Patriarch, Gregorius III.
Until now, almost all Catholic and Orthodox bishops have expressed their support for President Assad.
Gregorius III is the only prelate who has expressed some guarded hope that the regime may heed the demands of young Syrians.
At the same time, Church leaders are being criticised by a small number of the faithful. By and large, Syrian Christians, whilst in favour of democratic reforms, remain sceptical about the opposition, which they fear might fall under the sway of Islamists, should the regime fall.
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