Syrian Official says Battle to Topple Syrian State is Over, Coalition moves to aid Syria rebels, It is far from over.
Syria forces 'targeting children' : Syrian authorities are systematically detaining and torturing children, the United Nations' human rights chief, Navi Pillay, has told the BBC. She said she was deeply concerned about the fate of hundreds of children being held in detention. Ms Pillay said President Bashar al-Assad could end the detentions and stop the killing of civilians immediately, simply by issuing an order. Syria has accepted a peace plan, amid skepticism about its intentions.The peace plan was put forward by UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.
Syria links troop pullback from cities to 'security': Syrian troops will stay in residential areas of cities until "peace and security" prevail, the government says. A foreign ministry spokesman made the announcement after the UN's peace mission to Syria called for troops to be withdrawn as a good faith gesture. President Bashar al-Assad has nominally accepted a peace plan proposed by UN envoy Kofi Annan.However fighting has continued between government and opposition forces, with 40 people reportedly killed on Friday.
China Calls on Syrian Opposition to Halt Armed Violence and Start Dialogue: China called on Friday on the Syrian opposition to halt acts of violence and start dialogue, reiterating welcome of Syria's acceptance of the plan of the UN special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, and hope in implementing it as soon as possible. "The Syrian opposition has to be quick in giving a specific response and creating the conditions for ending the violence and starting the dialogue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, told a press conference.
Syria's friends try to tighten the screws: Western and Arab nations sought to exert more pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, mistrusting his acceptance of a plan to end a year of bloodshed, but were not expected to arm rebels or fully recognize an opposition council. Opening a "Friends of Syria" conference in Istanbul, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told foreign ministers and other officials from some 70 countries that the "legitimate demands of the Syrian people must be met, right here, right now".
In her prepared remarks, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged members of Assad's government to halt operations targeting civilians, or face "serious consequences". She said the United States was providing communications gear among other aid to Syria's civilian opposition, and denounced Assad for failing to follow through on his agreement to a peace plan proposed by U.N. Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan.
Syrian National Council gains international support, vows to pay rebel fighters: The international Friends of the Syrian People group formally recognized the Syrian National Council as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people at a conference in Istanbul on Sunday. That effectively makes the SNC, which includes many Syrian exiles, the main opposition group that other nations will work with.
The 83-member Friends group -- which includes representatives from Turkey, the Arab League, United States, France and the United Kingdom -- declared its "support for legitimate measures taken by the Syrian population to protect themselves" -- but stopped short of agreeing to send weapons to the poorly-armed rebels. But the Syrian National Council committed Sunday to paying salaries to rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army, which consists largely of defectors from Syria's military and is now the chief force challenging President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Coalition moves to aid Syria rebels : A coalition of at least 70 countries pledged several million dollars a month and communications equipment Sunday for Syrian rebels and opposition activists, signaling deeper involvement in the conflict amid a growing belief that diplomacy and sanctions alone cannot end the regime's repression.
The shift by the United States and its Western and Arab allies toward seeking to sway the military balance in Syria, where heavily armed regime forces over match rebels, carries regional risks because the crisis there increasingly resembles a proxy conflict that could exacerbate sectarian tensions.
Syrian Official says Battle to Topple Syrian State is Over: A Syrian official says Damascus will not pull troops from cities and towns engulfed in the country's unrest before life returns to normal in these areas. Foreign and Expatriates Ministry Spokesman Dr. Jihad Maqdisi told state TV late Friday that a year-long revolt against President Bashar al-Assad is now over, but that it would retain its right to use its forces to "maintain security" before withdrawing from cities in line with a U.N.-backed peace plan. Dr. Maqdisi assured that the military is in these cities "in a state of self defense and protecting civilians."
Over in the respect that it better end or Russia, china, Iran, and Hezbollah are just beginning. They will not allow this to turn into another Libya but are prepared to turn this into the beginning of WW3.
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaveragepatriot.blogspot.com
