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ASSAD FOES MEET TO HAMMER OUT SYRIA GOVT-IN-WAITING
The Nation
Nov 9 2012
UAE
DOHA/DAMASCUS - Syrians from a wide spectrum of opposition to
President Bashar al-Assad began meeting in Doha Thursday to hammer
out a government-in-waiting world powers will accept as credible
and representative.
Many in Syria~Rs opposition, including rebels battling pro-regime
forces, have urged world powers to intervene to stop the escalating
bloodshed.
While fighting continued around the country on Thursday, as the
Red Cross said it was struggling to cope with Syria~Rs worsening
humanitarian crisis.
Heavy clashes for control of the mainly Kurdish northeastern town of
Ras al-Ain on the Turkish border killed 16 soldiers and 10 rebels,
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Syrian state television reported that ~Stroops killed dozens of
terrorists who tried to attack Ras al-Ain~T and the rebels then fled
back into Turkey.
Turkish media reported five Turks wounded by ricochets from across
the border.
Fresh violence also broke out in the southern Damascus neighbourhood of
Qadam and in Mazzeh in the west of the capital, said the Britain-based
Observatory, which relies on a network of activists and medics on
the ground. It said at least 86 people were killed on Thursday,
including 38 soldiers.
The Observatory says more than 37,000 people have died since the
uprising against Assad erupted in March 2011, first as a protest
movement and then an armed rebellion after the regime cracked down on
demonstrations. In Geneva, International Committee of the Red Cross
President Peter Maurer said the aid group was finding it difficult to
manage a crisis that has also forced hundreds of thousands or people
from their homes.
~SThe humanitarian situation is getting worse despite the scope of
the operation increasing,~T he told reporters. ~SWe can~Rt cope with
the worsening of the situation.~T In Qatar, meanwhile, Syrians from a
wide spectrum of opposition to Assad were meeting to begin hammering
out a government-in-waiting world powers will accept as credible
and representative.
Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdisi accused Arab League
head Nabil al-Arabi of being a ~Spartner, sponsor and tool of a
terrorist project to destroy Syria~T after he said on Wednesday that
Assad~Rs regime would not last much longer. Ahmed Ben Helli, deputy
head of the League - which with Qatar is brokering the meeting -
told reporters in Doha that delegates had been urged to overcome the
sharp divides that have dogged their efforts to unseat Assad.
The main opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Council,
earlier elected a new 40-member general secretariat with Islamists,
including at least five Muslim Brotherhood members, accounting for
about a third. Despite calls from Washington for the SNC to be more
representative, the some 400 members failed to elect a single woman
or any Alawite to the leadership.
SNC officials said four members representing women and minorities,
including a Christian and an Alawite, would now be added to the
secretariat, which on Friday will elect 11 members to appoint a
successor to outgoing president Abdel Basset Sayda.
Turkey confirmed it was in talks with NATO about the possible
deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missiles on its soil, while
insisting it would be purely defensive.
~SIt is only natural for us to take any measure for defence reasons,~T
President Abdullah Gul told reporters, adding that it was ~Sout of
the question for Turkey to start a war with Syria.~T
Media reports have suggested the missiles could be deployed to create
a partial no-fly zone and allow for the establishment of safe havens
inside Syria.
An Armenian plane carrying humanitarian aid for Syria was made to
land in Turkey on Thursday for what officials said was a ~Sroutine~T
search of its cargo. The plane, which was carrying 15 tonnes of food,
was ordered to land in the Erzurum airport in eastern Turkey where
teams of police and troops with sniffer dogs conducted a search of
the cargo. The plane was allowed to take off for Syria after nothing
suspect was found aboard, NTV television reported. The Armenian foreign
ministry said the landing was planned. ~SIt was a planned landing. The
plane is carrying humanitarian cargo for Syrian Armenians in Aleppo,~T
Armenian foreign ministry spokesman Tigran Balaian told AFP in Yerevan.
Diplomatic sources quoted by the Anatolia news agency said the crew
had handed Turkey a list of the cargo ahead of the flight.
Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said the landing ~Sa routine
practice in compliance with civil aviation rules being applied for
the security of Syrian people~T according to the Anatolia news agency.
It was the second time in a month that the Turkish authorities have
ordered an Armenian plane heading for Syria to land for security
checks.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/09-Nov-2012/assad-foes-meet-to-hammer-out-syria-govt-in-waiting
From: A. Papazian
The Nation
Nov 9 2012
UAE
DOHA/DAMASCUS - Syrians from a wide spectrum of opposition to
President Bashar al-Assad began meeting in Doha Thursday to hammer
out a government-in-waiting world powers will accept as credible
and representative.
Many in Syria~Rs opposition, including rebels battling pro-regime
forces, have urged world powers to intervene to stop the escalating
bloodshed.
While fighting continued around the country on Thursday, as the
Red Cross said it was struggling to cope with Syria~Rs worsening
humanitarian crisis.
Heavy clashes for control of the mainly Kurdish northeastern town of
Ras al-Ain on the Turkish border killed 16 soldiers and 10 rebels,
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Syrian state television reported that ~Stroops killed dozens of
terrorists who tried to attack Ras al-Ain~T and the rebels then fled
back into Turkey.
Turkish media reported five Turks wounded by ricochets from across
the border.
Fresh violence also broke out in the southern Damascus neighbourhood of
Qadam and in Mazzeh in the west of the capital, said the Britain-based
Observatory, which relies on a network of activists and medics on
the ground. It said at least 86 people were killed on Thursday,
including 38 soldiers.
The Observatory says more than 37,000 people have died since the
uprising against Assad erupted in March 2011, first as a protest
movement and then an armed rebellion after the regime cracked down on
demonstrations. In Geneva, International Committee of the Red Cross
President Peter Maurer said the aid group was finding it difficult to
manage a crisis that has also forced hundreds of thousands or people
from their homes.
~SThe humanitarian situation is getting worse despite the scope of
the operation increasing,~T he told reporters. ~SWe can~Rt cope with
the worsening of the situation.~T In Qatar, meanwhile, Syrians from a
wide spectrum of opposition to Assad were meeting to begin hammering
out a government-in-waiting world powers will accept as credible
and representative.
Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdisi accused Arab League
head Nabil al-Arabi of being a ~Spartner, sponsor and tool of a
terrorist project to destroy Syria~T after he said on Wednesday that
Assad~Rs regime would not last much longer. Ahmed Ben Helli, deputy
head of the League - which with Qatar is brokering the meeting -
told reporters in Doha that delegates had been urged to overcome the
sharp divides that have dogged their efforts to unseat Assad.
The main opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Council,
earlier elected a new 40-member general secretariat with Islamists,
including at least five Muslim Brotherhood members, accounting for
about a third. Despite calls from Washington for the SNC to be more
representative, the some 400 members failed to elect a single woman
or any Alawite to the leadership.
SNC officials said four members representing women and minorities,
including a Christian and an Alawite, would now be added to the
secretariat, which on Friday will elect 11 members to appoint a
successor to outgoing president Abdel Basset Sayda.
Turkey confirmed it was in talks with NATO about the possible
deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missiles on its soil, while
insisting it would be purely defensive.
~SIt is only natural for us to take any measure for defence reasons,~T
President Abdullah Gul told reporters, adding that it was ~Sout of
the question for Turkey to start a war with Syria.~T
Media reports have suggested the missiles could be deployed to create
a partial no-fly zone and allow for the establishment of safe havens
inside Syria.
An Armenian plane carrying humanitarian aid for Syria was made to
land in Turkey on Thursday for what officials said was a ~Sroutine~T
search of its cargo. The plane, which was carrying 15 tonnes of food,
was ordered to land in the Erzurum airport in eastern Turkey where
teams of police and troops with sniffer dogs conducted a search of
the cargo. The plane was allowed to take off for Syria after nothing
suspect was found aboard, NTV television reported. The Armenian foreign
ministry said the landing was planned. ~SIt was a planned landing. The
plane is carrying humanitarian cargo for Syrian Armenians in Aleppo,~T
Armenian foreign ministry spokesman Tigran Balaian told AFP in Yerevan.
Diplomatic sources quoted by the Anatolia news agency said the crew
had handed Turkey a list of the cargo ahead of the flight.
Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said the landing ~Sa routine
practice in compliance with civil aviation rules being applied for
the security of Syrian people~T according to the Anatolia news agency.
It was the second time in a month that the Turkish authorities have
ordered an Armenian plane heading for Syria to land for security
checks.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/09-Nov-2012/assad-foes-meet-to-hammer-out-syria-govt-in-waiting
From: A. Papazian