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26 Dec 2011 09:55

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World: Syrian violence flares up as Arab League observers arrive

  • bad Gunfire in the Syrian city of Homs killed at least 20, as rocket fire and machine gun shelling gained intensity throughout the Baba Amr quarter of the city, a focal point of opposition unrest.
  • worse This violence and gunfire came as observers from the Arab League — 50 in total — were about to land in  the country. A key opposition group said the observers must head to Baba Amr. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Dec 2011 11:08

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World: Syria, fearing UN intervention, finally caves to Arab League

  • This illustrates that the regime recognized they can’t completely turn their nose up at the Arab League and they actually do have some leverage over them. It doesn’t necessarily mean that if and when they do allow the observers in that they will give them the full, unrestricted access that they demand.
  • Economist Intelligence Unit analyst Chris Phillips • Discussing the decision by Syria to allow the Arab League to place monitors in the country — a move seen as an attempt by Syria to fend off United Nations intervention in the country. The UN totally has a reason to show up, too: Months of crackdowns on dissidents have led to thousands of deaths in the country, and Syria essentially ignored a prior agreement with the Arab League. The real question, of course, is whether Syria will follow through this time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2011 10:21

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World: Arab League approves tough sanctions for Syria amidst unrest

  • Changes that Could hit the government and its people financially: Weeks after the Arab League suspended Syria over its handling of anti-government protesters, the influential regional organization ratcheted up the sanctions — with member countries agreeing to stop transactions to and from the country’s central bank and cutting off funding for infrastructure projects. The Syrian government has called foul on the sanctions, claiming on state television that the moves are “unprecedented measures aimed at the Syrian people.” Meanwhile, the violence that led to the sanctions continued unabated on Sunday. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Nov 2011 13:12

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World: Ten days after peace agreement, Arab League boots Syria out

  • Nov. 2 Syria, facing mounting criticism over its conduct in the wake of the Arab Spring protests, agrees to an Arab League plan to end the violence against protesters in the region. Despite this, little actually changes in the country.
  • Nov. 12 The Arab League suspends Syria from the organization after the violence against protesters continues despite the agreement. The country will remain out of the Arab League until it makes changes that respect the opposition. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 15:22

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World: Syrian government already in defiance of Arab League deal

  • 30 Syrians killed in separate attacks just after the Arab League deal source
  • » It didn’t take long: Syrian citizens skeptical of the deal struck between the Arab League and the Assad government seem to have been proven right. The deal stipulated that Syrian security forces would withdraw from cities, a free domestic and international media presence would be allowed, and the government would free its political prisoners. And yet, just one day later, security forces (not having withdrawn from the city of Homs, obviously) have killed 11 people. Another 19 died in a tank shelling in the activist-heavy Bab Amro district. Maybe it wasn’t right to expect much to come of the Arab League deal, given the abysmal human rights record of Bashar al-Assad’s government, but this is horribly discouraging.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Nov 2011 19:09

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World: Syrian state television announces deal with Arab League

  • Some steps to end the violence? As we mentioned yesterday, the Assad government in Syria had announced an agreement with the Arab League to (hopefully) bring about a resolution to the chaotic violence that’s been perpetrated upon protesters and opponents. At the time, we had scant few specifics, but now we know a bit more; the deal would require Assad to withdraw security forces from cities, allow open media coverage into Syria, and release detained political prisoners. Some Syrians are skeptical that this deal is a feint by Assad to buy time, however, perhaps in advance of another brutal crackdown — this is a story that deserves your long-term attention. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Nov 2011 14:13

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World: Syria says they’ve agreed to Arab League plan to end upheaval

  • Peace can’t come fast enough: Syrian state media have claimed that Bashar al-Assad, still at the helm of a great deal of violence and death committed against the citizens of his nation, has agreed to a plan with the Arab League to quell the calamity. Specifics on the plan weren’t given, and are expected tomorrow. Syrian state media can’t really be taken at face value, however, so it’ll be very instructive to see what if anything comes from this agreement; the United Nations estimates over 3,000 people have been killed by the Assad government’s crackdown on protest and dissent. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

08 Aug 2011 08:29

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World: King Abdullah, somewhat hypocritically, speaks out against Syrian violence

  • Any sane Arab, Muslim or anyone else knows that this has nothing to do with religion, or ethics or morals; spilling the blood of the innocent for any reasons or pretext leads to no path to…hope.
  • Saudi King Abdullah • Denouncing the Syrian government’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests. Abdullah’s denunciation is politically significant, given his significance in the Arab world, and it comes on the heels of a similar condemnation from the Arab League. However, it’s worth noting that last March, Abdullah provided military support to the Bahrainian government to help it suppress on its own anti-government protests, so for him to now suddenly condemn counter-revolutionary government crackdowns seems just a tad insincere. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Aug 2011 04:51

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World: Arab League, Saudi King denounce Syrian violence

  • 200 Syrian tanks rolled into the city of Deir el-Zour on Sunday, accompanied by soldiers and armored cars
  • 50+ people were killed in the assault, which took place during the dawn call to prayer  source
  • » For the first time, the Arab League has condemned the al-Assad regime’s violent assaults on the protesters, and Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its ambassador to Syria. Saudi King Abdullah strongly denounced the violence, calling for “an end to the death machine and bloodshed.”
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Mar 2011 12:18

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World: Arab League: We wanted a no-fly zone in Libya, not airstrikes

  • What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians.
  • Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa • Speaking about the current airstrike campaign in Libya. It’s important to note that the Arab League — who, as you might remember, wanted a no-fly zone in Libya — is speaking out against the current campaign. Moussa says he’s also calling for an emergency Arab League meeting. So this could become more of a “thing” than it already is. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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