This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/27/syria-annan-plan-failing-live
The article has changed 18 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Syria: Annan plan 'failing' - live updates | Syria: Annan plan 'failing' - live updates |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 11.13am: Syria: A business man in Syria's second city Aleppo says many, like him, have stopped taking part in anti-government demonstrations out of fear. | |
| Analysts believe the Assad regime could not survive if there were large demonstrations in both Aleppo and the capital Damacus. But Ahmed (not his real name), who runs a packing firm, told the Guardian that the city is not on the verge of joining the uprising in significant numbers. | |
| He estimated that around 10% of the city actively backed the government, while opponents had grown from around 10% to 30%. But he added: "That still leaves 60% doing nothing. There is no tipping point. The tipping point is 'do I go out and commit suicide'. They are not going to go and hit the streets." | |
| Ahmed believes the Assad regime is doomed, but that it could take years before it falls. He said he stopped going on demonstrations because the odds of being arrested or shot were so great. | |
| I see demonstrations as a good thing, but I also see the futility of it. I lost my fear a long time ago, but then I gained it back again. When I saw things slowing down I thought, let's think long term. I need to be alive to tell the story. When 20% of protesters are caught, at that rate after five demonstrations I'm likely to get caught myself. | |
| The security grip on Aleppo has been a lot stronger than other places, right from the outset. Because if they lost Aleppo they would lose all logistical support in the north. | |
| I'd hear about a demonstration and within ten minutes 200 protesters would be faced by between 100 and 200 shabbiha. | |
| Most of the demonstrations I went out on were 500 to 700 if we were lucky. The purpose was to get a three minute YouTube video clip. If we had been allowed to stand our ground we would have grown to thousands, but we weren't. | |
| Demonstrations at funerals could grow to up to 5,000 people. But the thugs have mastered how to break them up. Processions are split in half by thugs attacking from the sides. They will leave the majority alone but look for the people who have cameras in their hands. | |
| Ahmed said the majority of people in Aleppo do not believe the regime is about to fall. He said: "Hedging their bets is a good description of what's going on in Aleppo ... Aleppians are pragmatic. They have a healthy scepticism towards politics, towards the international community. We our suspicious of everything." | |
| He added: "People outside Syria keep looking at Damascus and Aleppo waiting for us to rise. But people have matured in their views." | |
| He said government officials have cut red tape involved in setting up new businesses in Aleppo in an effort to keep people busy. "Before it used to take years, now it is just 'here you go'," he said. | |
| But in the long term the Assad regime will be bought down by the growing economic crisis, Ahmed said. | |
| I've never seen a kilo of tomatoes costs $1.50 before. How long can this go on? It is ridiculous. We got through one winter, but that doesn't mean we will get through another ... A lot of people are still making money in Aleppo despite the economy. But that only goes so far. If you are a big business man you need a stable economy, you need a proper judicial system, you need the borders open so that you can import and export. | |
| 11.12am: Syria: Another report from Reuters of an explosion in Damascus – possibly the same one that we mentioned earlier (see 11.03am): | |
| An explosion was heard on Friday in the Syrian capital Damascus near a government facility housing militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, residents and activists said. | |
| Ambulances rushed to the al-Sinaa district, a residential neighbourhood in the south of Damascus, where the explosion was reported, near a government bus garage. | |
| "The target is not clear. It may have been a car bomb or a roadside bomb attack on a car passing near the garage," an anti-Assad activist who gave his name as Moaz, said from the city. | |
| "Shabbiha meet there every Friday, but it is not clear that the garage was the target," he said, referring to the pro-Assad "shabbiha" militiamen who witnesses say have been using state buildings around the country as bases for themselves. | |
| The garage was used as a meeting point for militiamen entrusted with preventing anti-Assad demonstrations in the capital, Moaz said. | |
| Armed rebels, who have been operating increasingly close to the capital, have begun targeting senior security officers and shabbiha militiamen in recent weeks, opposition sources said. | |
| 11.03am: Syria: Customary Friday protests are under way in the largely Kurdish city of Qamishli, in Abu Kamal (Deir az-Zour), Ras al-Ayn (Hasaka) and in the Kfar Soussa and Jawber areas of Damascus, Shaam News Network reports. | |
| The Council of the Syrian Revolution Leadership told al-Jazeera today that there was a car bomb explosion in Damascus. Reuters, citing residents, also says there has been a "loud" explosion in the city this morning (explosions usually are loud). | |
| A photo posted on Facebook shows what is said to be the car that blew up. Assuming this relates to the same incident, it doesn't seem to have been a major explosion. | |
| 10.50am: Lebanon: Demonstrations are planned in Beirut and London tomorrow to highlight the ill-treatment of migrant domestic workers in the Middle East. | |
| In Lebanon alone, housemaids from poorer countries are reportedly dying at a rate of more than one a week – often by throwing themselves from balconies. | |
| In an article for Comment is free, Layla Maghribi discusses what can be done about this. She writes: | |
| Ratification of the [International Labour Organisation's] convention would be a simple and effective way of granting domestic workers the necessary rights and safeguards, as well as helping to clean up certain countries' tarnished image. The reluctance [to agree to that] may relate to the convention's requirement that countries inspect and monitor the treatment of migrant domestic workers within the private sanctuary of people's homes – a highly sensitive and controversial idea in the Arab region. | |
| Nevertheless, some Arab countries, such as Jordan, have enacted national laws while others are in the process of doing so. Meanwhile, any alternative immigration scheme in which national labour laws are extended to cover migrant domestic workers and ensure their protection and access to legal recourse would be welcomed. | |
| Either way, there is a genuine need to raise awareness and develop a more humane view of migrant domestic workers in Arab countries, recognising them as real workers and not servants. | |
| 9.57am: Bahrain: Imprisoned activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is in "high spirits" 79 days after beginning a hunger strike, the pro-government Gulf Daily News reported this morning, citing "well-placed sources". | 9.57am: Bahrain: Imprisoned activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is in "high spirits" 79 days after beginning a hunger strike, the pro-government Gulf Daily News reported this morning, citing "well-placed sources". |
| Concern about Khawaja's condition has been growing this week. His family have been allowed no contact with him since Monday, though they were previously in touch by telephone. His wife said she had called the hospital where he is reportedly detained, only to be told by a nurse that his room was empty. | Concern about Khawaja's condition has been growing this week. His family have been allowed no contact with him since Monday, though they were previously in touch by telephone. His wife said she had called the hospital where he is reportedly detained, only to be told by a nurse that his room was empty. |
| His lawyer, who is also reported to have been denied visits, said yesterday he would be seeking a court order to allow him to meet his client. | His lawyer, who is also reported to have been denied visits, said yesterday he would be seeking a court order to allow him to meet his client. |
| Amid speculation that he might have died, the interior ministry tweeted on Wednesday that Khawaja was "in good health despite rumours" and "in hospital receiving full medical care". | Amid speculation that he might have died, the interior ministry tweeted on Wednesday that Khawaja was "in good health despite rumours" and "in hospital receiving full medical care". |
| It is unlikely that Khawaja could have survived entirely without nutrition for so long. During the Irish republican hunger strikes of 1980-81, a group of 10 prisoners died within 46 to 73 days on a diet of only water and salt. The most famous of them, Bobby Sands, survived for 66 days. | It is unlikely that Khawaja could have survived entirely without nutrition for so long. During the Irish republican hunger strikes of 1980-81, a group of 10 prisoners died within 46 to 73 days on a diet of only water and salt. The most famous of them, Bobby Sands, survived for 66 days. |
| According to an anonymous source quoted by the Gulf Daily News, Khawaja has been taking the nutritional drink Ensure for the past two days. | According to an anonymous source quoted by the Gulf Daily News, Khawaja has been taking the nutritional drink Ensure for the past two days. |
| However, the source is also quoted as saying that Khawaja "tried to stop taking water two days ago" – which suggests that he may be receiving water and nutrition involuntarily. | However, the source is also quoted as saying that Khawaja "tried to stop taking water two days ago" – which suggests that he may be receiving water and nutrition involuntarily. |
| If he is indeed being forcibly fed, this could explain why he is being held incommunicado. Others, though, fear he may be dead and the authorities are engaged in a cover-up. Yesterday, the Irish rights group, Front Line Defenders called on the interior minister to provide "proof of life". | If he is indeed being forcibly fed, this could explain why he is being held incommunicado. Others, though, fear he may be dead and the authorities are engaged in a cover-up. Yesterday, the Irish rights group, Front Line Defenders called on the interior minister to provide "proof of life". |
| 9.10am: Syria: More details from Reuters on the deployment of the next batch of monitors: | 9.10am: Syria: More details from Reuters on the deployment of the next batch of monitors: |
| Fifteen more ceasefire monitors of a total advance team of 30 are expected to be in Syria by Monday and every effort is being made to deploy the full mission of up to 300 observers, the spokesman for international mediator Kofi Annan said on Friday. | Fifteen more ceasefire monitors of a total advance team of 30 are expected to be in Syria by Monday and every effort is being made to deploy the full mission of up to 300 observers, the spokesman for international mediator Kofi Annan said on Friday. |
| "We expect the 30 will be on the ground by the end of April, on Monday," Annan spokesman Ahmad Fawzi told Reuters in Geneva. | "We expect the 30 will be on the ground by the end of April, on Monday," Annan spokesman Ahmad Fawzi told Reuters in Geneva. |
| "There is no delay... It is a whole process," he said. "They are deploying at remarkable speed." | "There is no delay... It is a whole process," he said. "They are deploying at remarkable speed." |
| Fawzi also confirmed to AP that observers inspected the site of an explosion that flattened homes in Hama. | Fawzi also confirmed to AP that observers inspected the site of an explosion that flattened homes in Hama. |
| Fawzi said observers visited the site but he had no immediate word on what they saw. | Fawzi said observers visited the site but he had no immediate word on what they saw. |
| Two UN observers are stationed in Hama, part of an advance team of 15 monitors who are visiting hot spots to try to salvage a cease-fire that is part of a peace plan aimed at ending the violence and bringing the two sides to the negotiating table. | Two UN observers are stationed in Hama, part of an advance team of 15 monitors who are visiting hot spots to try to salvage a cease-fire that is part of a peace plan aimed at ending the violence and bringing the two sides to the negotiating table. |
| 9.02am: Syria: The full advance team of 30 ceasefire monitors is to be deployed in Syria by Monday, says a snap by Reuters, citing Kofi Annan's spokesman. | 9.02am: Syria: The full advance team of 30 ceasefire monitors is to be deployed in Syria by Monday, says a snap by Reuters, citing Kofi Annan's spokesman. |
| Earlier this week members of the UN security council expressed frustration at the slow pace of the deployment of the monitors, after being told that it would take a further month before all the 300 observers began work. | Earlier this week members of the UN security council expressed frustration at the slow pace of the deployment of the monitors, after being told that it would take a further month before all the 300 observers began work. |
| 8.44am: Syria: More footage of that inspection visit to Dera'a yesterday shows disturbing images of protesters holding aloft the body of boy for the monitors to see. | 8.44am: Syria: More footage of that inspection visit to Dera'a yesterday shows disturbing images of protesters holding aloft the body of boy for the monitors to see. |
| Warning the following clip includes distressing content. | Warning the following clip includes distressing content. |
| In an email the Syrian Network for Human Rights says the boy was shot during the visit. More gunfire is heard after the body is shown to the inspectors. | In an email the Syrian Network for Human Rights says the boy was shot during the visit. More gunfire is heard after the body is shown to the inspectors. |
| As ever the video can't be authenticated but the presence of the UN vehicle would make it difficult to fake. | As ever the video can't be authenticated but the presence of the UN vehicle would make it difficult to fake. |
| 8.21am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. Gunfire from Syrian troops has forced protesters to take cover behind UN vehicles during an inspection visit, according to activists, underlining US fears that the peace initiative is collapsing. | 8.21am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. Gunfire from Syrian troops has forced protesters to take cover behind UN vehicles during an inspection visit, according to activists, underlining US fears that the peace initiative is collapsing. |
| Here's a roundup of the latest developments: | Here's a roundup of the latest developments: |
| Syria | Syria |
| • Protesters were forced to take cover behind UN vehicles when Syrian soldiers opened fire during an inspection visit to the southern city of Dera'a, according to video footage from activists. | • Protesters were forced to take cover behind UN vehicles when Syrian soldiers opened fire during an inspection visit to the southern city of Dera'a, according to video footage from activists. |
| The protesters are seen showing the inspectors a sand-bagged army lookout post when shots are heard. Several protesters are seen hiding behind the UN vehicle, as blue-helmeted monitors sat inside the vehicle filming the scene themselves. | The protesters are seen showing the inspectors a sand-bagged army lookout post when shots are heard. Several protesters are seen hiding behind the UN vehicle, as blue-helmeted monitors sat inside the vehicle filming the scene themselves. |
| • Kofi Annan's diplomatic initiative to end the crisis "is failing", two senior Obama administration officials told a Senate committee, Foreign Policy magazine reports. Kathleen Hicks, deputy under secretary of defense for policy, and Derek Chollet, national security council senior director for strategy, both said that the Annan plan was heading toward collapse and that new options for confronting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were being prepared. | • Kofi Annan's diplomatic initiative to end the crisis "is failing", two senior Obama administration officials told a Senate committee, Foreign Policy magazine reports. Kathleen Hicks, deputy under secretary of defense for policy, and Derek Chollet, national security council senior director for strategy, both said that the Annan plan was heading toward collapse and that new options for confronting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were being prepared. |
| • UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said he was "gravely alarmed" by reports that civilian areas continued to be shelled by government forces, after activists claimed that up to 70 people died in a rocket attack in Hama. In statement from Ban's office said: "He condemns in the strongest terms the continued repression against the Syrian civilian population and violence from any quarter. This situation is unacceptable and must stop immediately. | • UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said he was "gravely alarmed" by reports that civilian areas continued to be shelled by government forces, after activists claimed that up to 70 people died in a rocket attack in Hama. In statement from Ban's office said: "He condemns in the strongest terms the continued repression against the Syrian civilian population and violence from any quarter. This situation is unacceptable and must stop immediately. |
| • UN monitors have visited the scene of the alleged attack in Hama, but have not said who was to blame for the blast. State media blamed the explosion on a "terrorist group" that accidentally set off an explosive in a house used to make bombs. | • UN monitors have visited the scene of the alleged attack in Hama, but have not said who was to blame for the blast. State media blamed the explosion on a "terrorist group" that accidentally set off an explosive in a house used to make bombs. |
| • The US should walk back its attempts to secure regime change in Syria and start fully backing Annan's attempts to find a solution with the Assad regime, argues Geoffrey Aronson director of research at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. In an article for Foreign Policy magazine he says: | • The US should walk back its attempts to secure regime change in Syria and start fully backing Annan's attempts to find a solution with the Assad regime, argues Geoffrey Aronson director of research at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. In an article for Foreign Policy magazine he says: |
| Annan's effort needs more American support than is currently the case for his effort to be credible. His effort to craft a diplomatic solution through the regime is the best attainable outcome. Adoption of such a policy will help to dispel the polarisation between the US and Russia and China that harms the prospects of a diplomatic outcome. This course charts a future in shades of grey rather than black and white - less satisfying to those lusting for Assad's head perhaps, but far more effective. | Annan's effort needs more American support than is currently the case for his effort to be credible. His effort to craft a diplomatic solution through the regime is the best attainable outcome. Adoption of such a policy will help to dispel the polarisation between the US and Russia and China that harms the prospects of a diplomatic outcome. This course charts a future in shades of grey rather than black and white - less satisfying to those lusting for Assad's head perhaps, but far more effective. |
| • Doubts are growing about the authenticity of video footage purporting to show a man being buried alive by soldiers in Qusair. An article by the opposition site Ayyam describes the difficulty of corroborating the clip. | • Doubts are growing about the authenticity of video footage purporting to show a man being buried alive by soldiers in Qusair. An article by the opposition site Ayyam describes the difficulty of corroborating the clip. |
| The video's original publisher is not known and it was not carried by any of the known activist networks in Syria. The earliest copy of the video, which was traced back to a Facebook rather than YouTube post (which is the standard), has since been deleted. | The video's original publisher is not known and it was not carried by any of the known activist networks in Syria. The earliest copy of the video, which was traced back to a Facebook rather than YouTube post (which is the standard), has since been deleted. |
| Al-Ayyam has been in contact with activists and FSA officers throughout Homs. Activists in Qusair investigated the claim that the man is from their town. Unfortunately as the man's face is covered in the video he could not be identified. However, the activists report that all their peers are accounted for. Their efforts included surveying refugees from Qusair in other towns, however, it is impossible to completely rule out that the man is in fact from their town. | Al-Ayyam has been in contact with activists and FSA officers throughout Homs. Activists in Qusair investigated the claim that the man is from their town. Unfortunately as the man's face is covered in the video he could not be identified. However, the activists report that all their peers are accounted for. Their efforts included surveying refugees from Qusair in other towns, however, it is impossible to completely rule out that the man is in fact from their town. |
| Jordan | Jordan |
| • Jordan's efforts to maintain stability in the face of the turbulence of the Arab spring suffered a new blow on Thursday when the prime minister resigned – the third time this has happened in the last 18 months. Awn Khasawneh submitted his resignation without warning after six months in office following a backlash against proposed electoral reforms in the western-backed kingdom that were seen by critics as an assault on civil liberties. | • Jordan's efforts to maintain stability in the face of the turbulence of the Arab spring suffered a new blow on Thursday when the prime minister resigned – the third time this has happened in the last 18 months. Awn Khasawneh submitted his resignation without warning after six months in office following a backlash against proposed electoral reforms in the western-backed kingdom that were seen by critics as an assault on civil liberties. |
| Egypt | Egypt |
| • A continuing failure to address weaknesses in the economy could lead to a second, angrier revolution in Egypt, writes Jane Kinninmont in a new paper for the thinktank Chatham House. It urges that international organisations, like the IMF, should be cautious about trying to impose free market solutions on country keen to tackle social justice. It says: | • A continuing failure to address weaknesses in the economy could lead to a second, angrier revolution in Egypt, writes Jane Kinninmont in a new paper for the thinktank Chatham House. It urges that international organisations, like the IMF, should be cautious about trying to impose free market solutions on country keen to tackle social justice. It says: |
| International organisations need to remember that economic policy advice on the role of the state (for instance, on privatisation and subsidies) touches on political issues and values, rather than being purely technical. Rather than repeating old mantras that a smaller public sector is always a good thing, external policy-makers should tread carefully and sensitively, recognising that having debates over the role of the state, the free market and the nature of globalization are part of democratic self-determination – and remembering that these debates are likely to be taking place in their own countries as well. | International organisations need to remember that economic policy advice on the role of the state (for instance, on privatisation and subsidies) touches on political issues and values, rather than being purely technical. Rather than repeating old mantras that a smaller public sector is always a good thing, external policy-makers should tread carefully and sensitively, recognising that having debates over the role of the state, the free market and the nature of globalization are part of democratic self-determination – and remembering that these debates are likely to be taking place in their own countries as well. |
| • A court has dismissed charges of insulting Islam bought against Egypt's most popular comic actor, Adel Iman, just days after another court fined him over similar charges. The differing outcomes underscore the confusion and irregularity in the application of Egypt's laws against defaming religion, says the New York Times. | • A court has dismissed charges of insulting Islam bought against Egypt's most popular comic actor, Adel Iman, just days after another court fined him over similar charges. The differing outcomes underscore the confusion and irregularity in the application of Egypt's laws against defaming religion, says the New York Times. |