Syria Live Blog
Violence in Syria has
escalated into what the Red Cross calls a civil war. Activists say more
than 37,000 people have died since the uprising began in March last
year. The government of Bashar al-Assad, which is increasingly losing
territory to rebel fighters, blames "terrorists" and "armed gangs" for
the unrest, while the opposition and other nations have accused Assad's
forces of crimes against humanity.
Syria
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written to Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad urging him not to use chemical weapons in the
country's escalating conflict, the UN press office said on Thursday.
In a readout of a telephone call Ban had with Ahmet Uzumcu, head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the UN press office said the UN chief told Uzumcu that "any use of such weapons would be an outrageous crime with dire consequences."
"The Secretary-General informed (Uzumcu) that he has written again to President al-Assad urging him to refrain from the use of any such weapons under any circumstances and underscoring the fundamental responsibility of the Syrian government to ensure the safety and security of any such stockpiles," it said.
[Reuters]
In a readout of a telephone call Ban had with Ahmet Uzumcu, head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the UN press office said the UN chief told Uzumcu that "any use of such weapons would be an outrageous crime with dire consequences."
"The Secretary-General informed (Uzumcu) that he has written again to President al-Assad urging him to refrain from the use of any such weapons under any circumstances and underscoring the fundamental responsibility of the Syrian government to ensure the safety and security of any such stockpiles," it said.
[Reuters]
Syria
This video uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday reportedly shows
hundreds of people awaiting bread from a bakery in the war-torn city of
Aleppo.
Syria
Syria's deputy foreign minister said on Thursday he feared
Western countries were voicing concerns over his country's possible use
of chemical weapons to lay the ground for intervention, despite Damascus
saying it would not use them.
Faisal Meqdad said media reports citing US and European intelligence officials as saying Syria was preparing its chemical weapons for possible use were "theatre" in an interview with the Lebanese news channel Al Manar. - Reuters
Faisal Meqdad said media reports citing US and European intelligence officials as saying Syria was preparing its chemical weapons for possible use were "theatre" in an interview with the Lebanese news channel Al Manar. - Reuters
Syria
German's cabinet has approved sending German Patriot air
defense missiles to Turkey to defend against possible attacks from
Syria.
Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere announced Thursday that two batteries with a total of 400 soldiers would be sent to the border area for one year, although the deployment could be shortened.
The decision must be endorsed by the German Parliament, but approval is assured.
The Dutch Cabinet is expected to announce approval later Thursday contingent on parliamentary approval. - AP
Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere announced Thursday that two batteries with a total of 400 soldiers would be sent to the border area for one year, although the deployment could be shortened.
The decision must be endorsed by the German Parliament, but approval is assured.
The Dutch Cabinet is expected to announce approval later Thursday contingent on parliamentary approval. - AP
Syria
Activists told Al Jazeera that a car bomb exploded in the
al-Zahra neighbourhood of the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday
morning, it is not yet known if there were any casualties in the blast.
The YouTube video below reportedly shows the aftermath of that
explosion.
Syria
Russian and Turkish diplomats will soon start working on new
ideas for ending the conflict in Syria which emerged in talks between
President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Tayyip Ardogan, the Kremlin
said on Wednesday.
Putin and Erdogan agreed to differ on Syria at Monday's talks in Istanbul but Russia has distanced itself from President Bashar al-Assad and tried to position itself for his potential exit from power.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed diplomats would discuss what Putin said were "some new, fresh ideas" but gave no details.
"It was agreed that these ideas will be discussed in more detail by our diplomats in the very near future, in order to understand how viable they are and how great their potential to resolve (the Syrian crisis)," Peskov said.
"It is still unclear to what degree they might be acceptable to the sides in Syria itself," he told reporters on the sidelines of a summit of the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States in Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat.
Russia has shielded Assad by blocking, along with China, three UN Security Council resolutions aimed at pushing him out or pressing him to end violence that has killed more than 40,000 people since a crackdown on protests began in March 2011.
Turkey - worried about Syria's chemical weapons, a growing refugee crisis, and Syrian support for Kurdish fighters – has backed the Syrian opposition and led calls for international action against Assad.
After talks with Erdogan, Putin said Russia and Turkey still disagreed about how to end the crisis in Syria.
Russian officials have repeatedly said Moscow is not insisting Assad remain in power, but that his fate must not be decided by foreign governments or other external forces, including the UN Security Council.
"The exit or the continuation of the Assad regime is absolutely not a must," Peskov said.
Putin and Erdogan agreed to differ on Syria at Monday's talks in Istanbul but Russia has distanced itself from President Bashar al-Assad and tried to position itself for his potential exit from power.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed diplomats would discuss what Putin said were "some new, fresh ideas" but gave no details.
"It was agreed that these ideas will be discussed in more detail by our diplomats in the very near future, in order to understand how viable they are and how great their potential to resolve (the Syrian crisis)," Peskov said.
"It is still unclear to what degree they might be acceptable to the sides in Syria itself," he told reporters on the sidelines of a summit of the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States in Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat.
Russia has shielded Assad by blocking, along with China, three UN Security Council resolutions aimed at pushing him out or pressing him to end violence that has killed more than 40,000 people since a crackdown on protests began in March 2011.
Turkey - worried about Syria's chemical weapons, a growing refugee crisis, and Syrian support for Kurdish fighters – has backed the Syrian opposition and led calls for international action against Assad.
After talks with Erdogan, Putin said Russia and Turkey still disagreed about how to end the crisis in Syria.
Russian officials have repeatedly said Moscow is not insisting Assad remain in power, but that his fate must not be decided by foreign governments or other external forces, including the UN Security Council.
"The exit or the continuation of the Assad regime is absolutely not a must," Peskov said.
Syria
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with his Italian
counterpart Mario Monti in Rome on Wednesday, and said his country would
remain neutral on the Syrian crisis.
"We spoke about the situation in Syria and about the Lebanese Government's position, which is to hold off from what is happening in the country and therefore to stay neutral on the Syrian situation", he told reporters at a joint news conference..
"We consider absolutely unacceptable the sufferings that are imposed on the (Syrian) civilians, we are actively engaged in the consolidation process of the Syrian opposition," he said.
[AP]
"We spoke about the situation in Syria and about the Lebanese Government's position, which is to hold off from what is happening in the country and therefore to stay neutral on the Syrian situation", he told reporters at a joint news conference..
"We consider absolutely unacceptable the sufferings that are imposed on the (Syrian) civilians, we are actively engaged in the consolidation process of the Syrian opposition," he said.
[AP]
Syria
Damascus has agreed to repatriate the bodies of a group of
Sunni Muslims killed by the army after they crossed into Syria to fight
alongside rebels, a diplomatic source in Lebanon told AFP on Wednesday.
The 22 men died in Tal Kalakh in the central province of Homs last week after travelling from the north Lebanese city of Tripoli to join the rebellion
against President Bashar al-Assad, according to a local official and an Islamist leader.
"The Syrian ambassador to Beirut, Ali Abdel Karim Ali, contacted Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and informed him that the Syrian authorities
have agreed" to a Lebanese request to repatriate the bodies of 21 Lebanese and a Palestinian, the diplomatic source said.
Officials from both sides were scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss the repatriation, the source added.
[AFP]
The 22 men died in Tal Kalakh in the central province of Homs last week after travelling from the north Lebanese city of Tripoli to join the rebellion
against President Bashar al-Assad, according to a local official and an Islamist leader.
"The Syrian ambassador to Beirut, Ali Abdel Karim Ali, contacted Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and informed him that the Syrian authorities
have agreed" to a Lebanese request to repatriate the bodies of 21 Lebanese and a Palestinian, the diplomatic source said.
Officials from both sides were scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss the repatriation, the source added.
[AFP]
Syria
Syria's ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali has said
that his government would hand over the bodies of Lebanese fighters
killed in Syria, Lebanon's National News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Syrian state media had earlier reported that the army had killed as many as 20 Lebanese fighters on Friday, November 30 in the town of Tal Kalakh near the border with Lebanon. The fighters were believed to have entered Syria to join opposition rebels in their fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Syrian state media had earlier reported that the army had killed as many as 20 Lebanese fighters on Friday, November 30 in the town of Tal Kalakh near the border with Lebanon. The fighters were believed to have entered Syria to join opposition rebels in their fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria
According to UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees, there is a
total of 480,419 Syrian refugees registered and pending registration in
the Middle East and North Africa.
UNHCR said, “the actual number of Syrians who have fled is higher, given that not all Syrians come forward to register.”
More detailed statistics are available here: http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php
UNHCR said, “the actual number of Syrians who have fled is higher, given that not all Syrians come forward to register.”
More detailed statistics are available here: http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php
JORDAN as of 3 Decemberhttp://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153
Number of Syrians registered and pending registration with UNHCR: 139,788 Registered / Pending registration: 98,710 / 41,078
LEBANON as of 3 December
Number of Syrians registered and pending registration with UNHCR: 136,294 Registered / Pending registration: 104,583 / 31,711
TURKEY based on Government of Turkey figures dated 30 November Number of Syrians registered in camps: 130,449
IRAQ as of 2 December
Number of Syrians registered with UNHCR: 62,148 Including number hosted in the Kurdistan Region: 53,112
NORTH AFRICA as of 1 December: 11,740
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