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| Syria: China sends envoy to Damascus – Thursday 16 February | Syria: China sends envoy to Damascus – Thursday 16 February |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 9.46am: Lara Jakes of Associated Press has been looking at arms smuggling from Iraq into Syria. Business has never been better for the smugglers and the selling price for a Kalashnikov rifle has leapt to $1,000 – prompting al-Qaida leaders in Iraq to complain about profiteering. | |
| The article notes that there is a long history of smuggling cross the 363-mile Iraqi-Syrian border which, for most of its length, is marked only by a dirt berm with no signs or fences. | |
| Younis al-Lehaibi, the smuggler interviewed by AP, has been in the business for more than 10 years: | |
| He began sneaking food rations into the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq in the 1990s while Saddam Hussein was in power. Later, he smuggled satellite receivers, cigarettes and kerosene between Syria and the Kurdish region. | |
| Sometimes al-Lehaibi trades his guns for sheep — which gives him a convenient cover as a sheep dealer in the rare times border police have accosted him. | |
| "We do fear being caught, but a fundamental principle of our work is to put fear behind us," he said. "There are tighter security measures in Mosul, but there are dozens of smugglers who do this job after years of relations and help from bordering villages who have these needs." | |
| 9.29am: Fighting in Deraa broke out around dawn, with exchanges of fire between the Assad regime's forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA). | |
| The sound of explosions and machinegun fire echoed through the city's al-Balad, al-Mahatta and al-Sad districts as government troops attacked rebels, Reuters reports – and the rebels responded by firing at army roadblocks and buildings housing security police and militiamen, according to residents and activists. | |
| It appears that the goal of the regime's forces is to clear out FSA elements that have gained control of parts of the city. | |
| "We have been hearing of a military build-up around Deraa for two weeks," Hussam Izzedine, a member of the Syrian human rights organisation Swasiah, told Reuters from Deraa. | |
| "Deraa has been regaining its role in the uprising. Demonstrations have resumed and the Free Syrian Army has been providing security for protests in some parts of the city," he added. | |
| Yesterday, Fatima Qadri, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, was shot dead by security forces near the city, according to the Avaaz organisation. Speaking via Skype, an eyewitness told Avaaz: "She was hit by two bullets while traveling with her father to Deraa. Local security forces and Shabiha militiamen searched them and then fired on their car, leading to her death." Gruesome images, said to be of the dead girl, have been posted on YouTube. | |
| Also in Deraa province, Avaaz says three members of the security forces were killed in the town of Maarba yesterday following clashes against the FSA, and that the FSA also destroyed a military vehicle as it was trying to enter the town. | |
| 8.52am: A commentary this morning in the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, casts some more light on the background to China's decision to send an envoy to Syria. It warns about the risk of stirring up a hornets' nest of bloodshed and instability in the region. | 8.52am: A commentary this morning in the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, casts some more light on the background to China's decision to send an envoy to Syria. It warns about the risk of stirring up a hornets' nest of bloodshed and instability in the region. |
| Reuters has more detail about the article: | Reuters has more detail about the article: |
| "The political ecology in the Middle East is extremely frail, a tangled mess of thousands of years of ethnic and religious conflict," the commentary said. | "The political ecology in the Middle East is extremely frail, a tangled mess of thousands of years of ethnic and religious conflict," the commentary said. |
| World powers must realise this and handle bloodshed in Syria and Middle East tensions with a sense of realism, the paper said, adding that the spread of conflict would be a "catastrophe" in a crucial phase of global economic recovery. | World powers must realise this and handle bloodshed in Syria and Middle East tensions with a sense of realism, the paper said, adding that the spread of conflict would be a "catastrophe" in a crucial phase of global economic recovery. |
| "The Middle East is the world's most important fuel depot. If gripped by chaos, oil prices would skyrocket, shocking the stock market, financial systems and economies," the paper said. | "The Middle East is the world's most important fuel depot. If gripped by chaos, oil prices would skyrocket, shocking the stock market, financial systems and economies," the paper said. |
| Washington's aim was to install a friendly government in Syria to counter the influence in the region of Iran, it said. | Washington's aim was to install a friendly government in Syria to counter the influence in the region of Iran, it said. |
| 8.35am: Good morning and welcome to Middle East live. Today we'll be keeping our eyes on the continuing bloodshed in Syria as well as developments in Libya ahead of tomorrow's anniversary of the uprising against the Gaddafi regime. | 8.35am: Good morning and welcome to Middle East live. Today we'll be keeping our eyes on the continuing bloodshed in Syria as well as developments in Libya ahead of tomorrow's anniversary of the uprising against the Gaddafi regime. |
| For the moment, here's a brief summary of developments across the region: | For the moment, here's a brief summary of developments across the region: |
| Syria | Syria |
| China – which along with Russia vetoed the recent UN security council resolution on Syria – says it is sending it deputy foreign minister, Zhai Jun, for talks in Damascus tomorrow. Zhai met a Syrian opposition delegation in Beijing last week. Reuters quotes a Chinese spokesman as saying that China wants to play a constructive role in mediating an end to 11 months of bloodshed. | China – which along with Russia vetoed the recent UN security council resolution on Syria – says it is sending it deputy foreign minister, Zhai Jun, for talks in Damascus tomorrow. Zhai met a Syrian opposition delegation in Beijing last week. Reuters quotes a Chinese spokesman as saying that China wants to play a constructive role in mediating an end to 11 months of bloodshed. |
| Syrian troops have attacked the southern city of Deraa today, residents and opposition activists told Reuters. Deraa, close to the Jordanian border, is where the uprising began last March after some youths were arrested for painting graffiti that said "The people want the fall of the regime". | Syrian troops have attacked the southern city of Deraa today, residents and opposition activists told Reuters. Deraa, close to the Jordanian border, is where the uprising began last March after some youths were arrested for painting graffiti that said "The people want the fall of the regime". |
| President Assad's announcement of a referendum on a new constitutions, to be followed by multiparty elections, has been welcomed by Russia but dismissed as "laughable" by the United States. A widespread view this morning is that even if Assad is sincere in his proposed reforms, they have come far too late to salvage the situation. | President Assad's announcement of a referendum on a new constitutions, to be followed by multiparty elections, has been welcomed by Russia but dismissed as "laughable" by the United States. A widespread view this morning is that even if Assad is sincere in his proposed reforms, they have come far too late to salvage the situation. |
| Libya | Libya |
| The problems of post-Gaddafi Libya are highlighted in a report from Amnesty International as the government struggles to extend its control over the whole country. It has largely failed to rein the the militias that fought in the war and continue to assert themselves – some of them operating their own detention centres for those suspected of being linked to the old regime. | The problems of post-Gaddafi Libya are highlighted in a report from Amnesty International as the government struggles to extend its control over the whole country. It has largely failed to rein the the militias that fought in the war and continue to assert themselves – some of them operating their own detention centres for those suspected of being linked to the old regime. |