Putin orders Russian troops to begin pulling out of Syria | Fox News

Putin orders Russian troops to begin pulling out of Syria | Fox News

Syrian opposition insists on Assad’s departure before any deal - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page

 

Syrian opposition insists on Assad’s departure before any deal (File photo: AFP)

Syria’s main opposition National Coalition on Wednesday said any political settlement to the country’s two-year-old conflict must start with President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, implicitly rejecting a U.S.-Russian initiative for dialogue with the regime.

U.N.-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, meanwhile, hailed the agreement between Washington and Moscow to push both sides in the Syrian conflict to end the bloodshed and sit down for talks.

“The National Coalition welcomes all international efforts which call for a political solution to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people and their hope for a democratic state, so long as they begin with the departure of Bashar al-Assad and his regime,” the opposition umbrella group said.

The response could be a blow to the U.S.-Russian initiative, which is based on an international deal agreed in Geneva last year that makes no mention of Assad stepping down.........

FULL ARTICLE: Syrian opposition insists on Assad’s departure before any deal - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page

Song for Syria - YouTube

LINK: Song for Syria - YouTube

It's Time to Act in Syria - By Dennis Ross | Foreign Policy

There can be no doubt that the conflict in Syria confronts the United States with terrible challenges. The humanitarian catastrophe gets worse by the day: Nearly a quarter of Syria's population may now be displaced from their homes, and the death toll approaches 80,000 -- and continues to rise inexorably.

But it is not just our conscience that is affected by this gruesome war. America's interests are also involved because the Syrian conflict is unlikely to remain confined to Syria. As the country unravels, more refugees will flee to neighboring states and more armed groups will gain strength -- threatening each of Syria's neighbors with increased instability........... 

FULL ARTICLE: It's Time to Act in Syria - By Dennis Ross | Foreign Policy

Rogers: Assad Regime Crossed 'Red Line'

Rogers: Assad Regime Crossed 'Red Line'

ASSAD PROPAGANDA MANEUVER? Witnesses report onset of chemical warfare in Syria

Troops equipped for
chemical warfare

Extensive preparations by Syrian army units for launching chemical weapons against rebel forces have been sighted in the northern town of Homs, Western intelligence agencies told debkafile’s military sources Tuesday, March 19.

Damascus paved the way for resorting to unconventional weaponry with an accusation run by the state news agency SANA Tuesday that Syrian rebels had fired a rocket containing chemical substances in the Khan al-Assal area of rural Aleppo, allegedly killing 15 people, mostly civilians.

Rebels quickly denied the report and accused regime forces of “firing a chemical weapon on a long-range SCUD, after which 20 people died of asphyxia and poisoning.”

Neither of the accusations could immediately verified.

But a Reuters photographer said he had seen people come into two Aleppo hospitals with breathing problems after the attack. They claimed people were suffocating on the streets............

FULL ARRTICLE: Witnesses report onset of chemical warfare in Syria

BBC SHILLING FOR ASSAD? 'Bashar’s Broadcasting Corp'?: Syrians demand a BBC apology over ‘deceiving’ documentary - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page

'A History of Syria' with Dan Snow attempts to analyze the bloody civil war in Syria. (Photo courtesy of BBC)

Al Arabiya - Ben Flanagan

A number of prominent London-based Syrians are calling for the BBC to apologize over a “deceiving” TV documentary on Syria they say was biased toward President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Critics accuse the British broadcaster of unbalanced and distorted reporting in 'A History of Syria with Dan Snow,’ which was first broadcast last week, with some lobbying for an investigation into the show.

'A History of Syria' attempted to analyze the bloody civil war in Syria in terms of the country’s long and complex history, making reference to centuries of religious conflict and the influence of groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

But some say the BBC program gave a one-sided account of the current civil war, pandering to Bashar al-Assad’s regime at a time when Britain is considering supplying arms to opposition fighters in Syria.

Ghassan Ibrahim, a Syrian national who is the chief executive of the London-based news site Global Arab Network (GAN), called upon the BBC to apologize for what he said was a biased and “inaccurate” documentary...............

FULL ARTICLE: 'Bashar’s Broadcasting Corp'?: Syrians demand a BBC apology over ‘deceiving’ documentary - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page

FSA captures Reqqa governor and Baath Party official

Syrian rebels appear in this YouTube video gathered around two men, one of them identified as Reqqa governor Hussein Jalali. (Al Arabiya)

LINK: FSA captures Reqqa governor and Baath Party official

‘Crackdown on coffins:’ dead Syrians haunt their regime

Traditional long funeral processions were banned from the early months of the revolution because they often turned into demonstrations against the regime. (AFP) 

By Jafra Bahaa 

 DAMASCUS 

The violent repression of the Syrian revolution does not just affect survivors, for the dead have also become a source of concern for the regime, which is seen in the latest procedure of searching coffins for “security reasons.”  

The Syrian regime now prohibits the closing of coffins during funerals in the capital Damascus and the family of a dead person can only use a cloth to cover the body while the coffin remains open.

This violates a long-established tradition in Syria where a coffin is to remain closed on the way from the deceased’s house to the mosque, where funeral prayers are performed, and then from the mosque to the cemetery.....

FULL ARTICLE HERE: 'Crackdown on coffins:' dead Syrians haunt their regime

EU STILL PREVARICATES WHILE RUSSIA, IRAN ARM ASSAD: EU extends sanctions on Syria, amends arms embargo to help civilians

 

The European Union on February 18 renewed sanctions against Syria for a further three months but amended the package to enable greater assistance to civilians. (AFP)

EU extends sanctions on Syria, amends arms embargo to help civilians

Britain calls for lifting EU arms embargo on Syria, causing rift

 
Britain calls for lifting EU arms embargo on Syria, causing rift

HEZBOLLAH FIGHTING FOR TYRANT ASSAD: Syrian rebels pan Hezbollah 'military intervention' | The Times of Israel

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah speaks to supporters (photo credit: Ferran Queved/propaimages/Flash90 File photo)

Opposition forces in Syria on Sunday accused the Lebanese group Hezbollah of “military intervention” that threatened “regional peace and security.”

According to a statement released by the Syria National Council (SNC) and quoted by AFP, Hezbollah militants on Saturday attacked three villages in Homs province, near the Lebanese border, causing “civilian casualties and the exodus of hundreds of people.”

“In the past two days, 12 Syrian rebels were killed and 30 wounded, while three Hezbollah members were killed and 14 others were wounded in battles,” a Lebanese security source told The Daily Star.

The involvement of the militant group “stoked sectarian tensions” in the area, the SNC statement said.

FULL ARTICLE HERE: Syrian rebels pan Hezbollah 'military intervention' | The Times of Israel

NBCNews.com video: Activists: Syrian rebels capture airbase

LINK: NBCNews.com video: Activists: Syrian rebels capture airbase

PROBING ATTACKS: Syrian rebels close in on capital, block key highway | The Times of Israel

 

LINK: Syrian rebels close in on capital, block key highway | The Times of Israel