New news from Syria

New reports of  hope and violence from Syria:


From France ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～

Syria vows 'free elections' as pressure grows

(AFP) – 6 hours ago  

DAMASCUS — Syria vowed on Saturday to hold "free and transparent" elections by the end of 2011 as Arab states in the Gulf joined a chorus of Western pressure over its deadly suppression of anti-regime protests.

An activist, meanwhile, said hundreds of tanks and armoured cars had been deployed in the northeastern city of Deir Ezzor and around Homs in central Syria.

"Syria will hold free and transparent elections that will give birth to a parliament representing the aspirations of the Syrian people," Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said in a meeting with ambassadors posted to Damascus,

Nobody trusts Asad, but it is interesting that the Gulf  Cooperation Council, which supports the violent oppression of citizens of Bahrain, is calling for an end of violence in Syria.  The GCC represents, I believe, the largest pool of unproductive money in the world. 


 The Security Council has at least condemned the violence.


From China: ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～

Syria's general elections to take place by end of 2011: FM

English.news.cn   2011-08-06 22:53:37

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DAMASCUS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al- Moallem said Saturday that the country's general elections will take place by the end of this year, adding that it would be "free and fair."

Al-Moallem made the statement during his meeting with foreign ambassadors in capital Damascus, in which he said the new parliament will represent the aspirations of the Syrian people.

The current parliament's four-year term has expired earlier this year, and President Bashar al-Assad will set a date for new legislative elections before the end of 2011.

The Syrian leadership is going on with the process of reform, al-Moallem said, adding that all the reform steps announced by the president will be implemented soon.

He voiced the Syrian leadership's keenness to maintain the security and stability of the country and to put an end to the sabotaging acts.

The Syrian leadership is still affirming that the only way out of the current ordeal is through a national dialogue, Al-Moallem told the ambassadors, adding that in the absence of the national dialogue "because of the negativity of the opposition," the leadership has to move on with the reform.

The foreign minister's remarks came as his country is facing an international outcry over the alleged crackdown on anti-government protestors. According to activists, more than 1,700 civilians have been killed since the crisis began in mid-March. . . .

. . . U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton accused the Syrian government of killing more than 2,000 of its own citizens during its alleged " ongoing brutal crackdown against opposition protesters." . . . .

Activists said some 25 people were killed Friday, while the official media said two police officers were killed by armed men, as thousands of anti-government protestors took to the streets across Syria calling for the downfall of the leadership and demonstrating solidarity with the city of Hama, which has been under military siege since last week.

The Syrian authorities repeatedly brushed off the international pressures as "interference in the country's affairs" and blamed the violent acts on armed thugs and ultraconservative Muslims who want to establish Islamic emirates nationwide. The authorities pledged that there would be no letup in its crackdown on the gunmen to restore stability and security to the country.

From Australia  ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～


 Sydney mrning News:

President Dmitry Medvedev, in his toughest comments on Syria to date, said time was running out for Mr Assad to halt a crackdown against his people, hinting that the Kremlin, a traditional ally, may support tough action against Damascus in the UN if the bloodshed continues.
''People are dying there [in Syria] in large numbers, and that is causing us huge concern,'' said Mr Medvedev.
''Assad needs to urgently launch reforms, make peace with the opposition, restore civil order and create a modern state. If he cannot do that, a sad fate awaits him, and we will also be forced to ultimately take some decisions on Syria.''

From the United Arab Republic ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～

Al Jazeera

Government tanks and armoured vehicles have been rolled out in force in the northeastern city of Deir ez-Zor and around Homs in central Syria, an activist said.
"About 250 tanks and armoured cars have been deployed in four districts of Deir ez-Zor," Rami Abdel Rahman, of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told the AFP news agency.
In Homs, "many armoured cars and other army vehicles have been posted in the Bab al-Sibaa district", Abdel Rahman said, adding that activists in the city had reported gunfire from early morning.He said tanks were also posted around the airport in Deir ez-Zor, where many residents have fled in fear of military action.

The deployment came after security forces killed at least 24 civilians on Friday in a nationwide crackdown on anti-government protesters. 

Images from  Deir ez-Zor: ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～

Better than our rail system

 Santa Monica of the east

Santa Monica on the Euphrates 

We'd'a said, back home, that the ground wasn't properly livilid for good irrigation

From Homs: ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～

 Industrial city; makes sulphuric acid

 Good sized city

Comment: ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～ ～

Alawaites -- Muslim, perhaps Shia with Christian overtones (they celebrate Easter) -- who control Syria, are pretty awful folks; but least we forget, the Soviet Union was officially godless, and communist to boot, and killed millions; the Chinese are now mostly atheist or agnostic, and communist to boot, and killed millions; the German Nazis, mostly Lutheran or agnostic and socialist, killed millions; Pinoche in Chili and the Junta in Argentina, which killed and tortured hundreds of thousands in the name of capitalist, were Roman Catholic; The Roman Church. a theocracy, has a history bloodier than most and is responsible for the starvation of millions because of its opposition to population control; and the Tea Party is Evangelical Christian.  So, before I get on my moral high horse, I must say, a bunch of times, over and over, this chant, that the Cambodian Buddhists chanted in the Khmer Rough killing fields:

Hatred never ceases by hatred,

but by love alone is healed;

This is a great and eternal law.

Don't know any Buddhists who are or were million killers ,but I'm looking.  Seems unlikely that they escaped the general human condition.