This article is from the source 'nytimes' 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.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/world/middleeast/syrias-assad-says-time-is-needed-in-fight-against-rebels.html
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Syria Needs ‘Time’ in Battle, Assad Says | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| BEIRUT, Lebanon — President Bashar al-Assad of Syria said in an excerpt from a television interview broadcast Wednesday that his government’s battle against opposition forces would need “time” and had not yet been resolved, in what appeared to be a sober assessment of the resilience of the armed insurgency and the limits of a military hobbled by a steady stream of defections. | BEIRUT, Lebanon — President Bashar al-Assad of Syria said in an excerpt from a television interview broadcast Wednesday that his government’s battle against opposition forces would need “time” and had not yet been resolved, in what appeared to be a sober assessment of the resilience of the armed insurgency and the limits of a military hobbled by a steady stream of defections. |
| But Mr. Assad also praised the heroism of his army, apparently seeking to bolster public faith that, despite 18 months of rebellion and a crackdown that has made his government an international pariah, he had not lost his will to prevail. | But Mr. Assad also praised the heroism of his army, apparently seeking to bolster public faith that, despite 18 months of rebellion and a crackdown that has made his government an international pariah, he had not lost his will to prevail. |
| “We are moving forward,” Mr. Assad said. “The situation, practically, is better.” | “We are moving forward,” Mr. Assad said. “The situation, practically, is better.” |
| The Syrian president made his comments in excerpts from an interview that will broadcast in full on Wednesday night on a private Syrian television station. He sharply criticized foreign powers, especially Turkey, where officials have raised the possibility of outside intervention in Syria. He dismissed a proposal floated by Turkey and other nations to create buffer zones inside Syria as unrealistic. | The Syrian president made his comments in excerpts from an interview that will broadcast in full on Wednesday night on a private Syrian television station. He sharply criticized foreign powers, especially Turkey, where officials have raised the possibility of outside intervention in Syria. He dismissed a proposal floated by Turkey and other nations to create buffer zones inside Syria as unrealistic. |
| “Will we go backward, because of the ignorance of some Turkish officials?” he said. | “Will we go backward, because of the ignorance of some Turkish officials?” he said. |
| Mr. Assad dismissed defectors who had fled Syria, saying that “patriotic, good people” would not leave the country. And with a chuckle, he dismissed persistent rumors that he had gone into hiding, saying that he was conducting the interview in the presidential palace in Damascus. | Mr. Assad dismissed defectors who had fled Syria, saying that “patriotic, good people” would not leave the country. And with a chuckle, he dismissed persistent rumors that he had gone into hiding, saying that he was conducting the interview in the presidential palace in Damascus. |
| The interview comes after days of fierce fighting in the capital’s suburbs, including in the city of Daraya, where hundreds of people were said to have been killed over the last week as the army tried to rout armed opposition fighters who made a base in the city. Opposition activists said that at least 11 people had been killed in fighting in the eastern suburbs of Damascus on Wednesday, where the government has said it is pursuing “cleansing” operations. | The interview comes after days of fierce fighting in the capital’s suburbs, including in the city of Daraya, where hundreds of people were said to have been killed over the last week as the army tried to rout armed opposition fighters who made a base in the city. Opposition activists said that at least 11 people had been killed in fighting in the eastern suburbs of Damascus on Wednesday, where the government has said it is pursuing “cleansing” operations. |
| In an article published on Wednesday in the British daily The Independent, residents of Daraya raised the possibility that opposition fighters were behind some of the killings last week. One woman said in the article that she saw at least 10 bodies on the road before government troops had entered Daraya. Another man said that some victims, including civil employees and off-duty conscripts, might have been killed because of their association with the government. | In an article published on Wednesday in the British daily The Independent, residents of Daraya raised the possibility that opposition fighters were behind some of the killings last week. One woman said in the article that she saw at least 10 bodies on the road before government troops had entered Daraya. Another man said that some victims, including civil employees and off-duty conscripts, might have been killed because of their association with the government. |
| Opposition fighters in the northern province of Idlib said Wednesday that they had destroyed at least five government helicopters during an attack on the Taftanaz military airport. The Syrian official news agency, SANA, quoting a military source, said that government troops had “bravely” repelled the attack and that there were no equipment losses. | Opposition fighters in the northern province of Idlib said Wednesday that they had destroyed at least five government helicopters during an attack on the Taftanaz military airport. The Syrian official news agency, SANA, quoting a military source, said that government troops had “bravely” repelled the attack and that there were no equipment losses. |
| In a further sign of the intensity of the conflict, the United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday that the number of Syrian refugees fleeing to Jordan last week had more than doubled from the previous week, raising further fears of a growing exodus from Syria that threatens to overwhelm international relief efforts. | In a further sign of the intensity of the conflict, the United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday that the number of Syrian refugees fleeing to Jordan last week had more than doubled from the previous week, raising further fears of a growing exodus from Syria that threatens to overwhelm international relief efforts. |
| Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Melissa Fleming, the chief spokeswoman for the refugee agency, said that 10,200 Syrians had crossed into northern Jordan between Aug. 21 and Aug. 27, compared with 4,500 the week before. The refugees, she said, included an increasing number of unaccompanied children, some orphans and others sent ahead by parents, sometimes without passports. | Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Melissa Fleming, the chief spokeswoman for the refugee agency, said that 10,200 Syrians had crossed into northern Jordan between Aug. 21 and Aug. 27, compared with 4,500 the week before. The refugees, she said, included an increasing number of unaccompanied children, some orphans and others sent ahead by parents, sometimes without passports. |
| “Refugees say many thousands more are waiting to cross amid violence around Dara’a,” Ms. Fleming said, referring to the southern Syrian province that borders Jordan. “We believe this could be the start of a much larger influx. Some of those who have crossed in recent days — especially Friday — report being bombed by aircraft. There are also reports of shelling, mortars and other weapons fire.” | “Refugees say many thousands more are waiting to cross amid violence around Dara’a,” Ms. Fleming said, referring to the southern Syrian province that borders Jordan. “We believe this could be the start of a much larger influx. Some of those who have crossed in recent days — especially Friday — report being bombed by aircraft. There are also reports of shelling, mortars and other weapons fire.” |
| The waves of refugees fleeing Dara’a, the Damascus suburbs, Aleppo and the Idlib region near Turkey in recent days have provided a barometer of the escalating violence in the 18-month-old conflict, in which neither the government of President Bashar al-Assad nor the opposition seems capable of striking a decisive blow. | The waves of refugees fleeing Dara’a, the Damascus suburbs, Aleppo and the Idlib region near Turkey in recent days have provided a barometer of the escalating violence in the 18-month-old conflict, in which neither the government of President Bashar al-Assad nor the opposition seems capable of striking a decisive blow. |
| Ms. Fleming said the number of refugees escaping to Turkey had multiplied to 5,000 a day from 400 or 500 daily several weeks ago. In the past 24 hours, she said, 3,000 people had entered Turkey, with 10,000 more waiting. | Ms. Fleming said the number of refugees escaping to Turkey had multiplied to 5,000 a day from 400 or 500 daily several weeks ago. In the past 24 hours, she said, 3,000 people had entered Turkey, with 10,000 more waiting. |
| In Turkey, which had said it would not accept more than 100,000 refugees, officials said that they had revised the number to 120,000, and that they were preparing contingency plans for more. | In Turkey, which had said it would not accept more than 100,000 refugees, officials said that they had revised the number to 120,000, and that they were preparing contingency plans for more. |
| Elsewhere around Damascus on Tuesday, at least 12 people were killed when a booby-trapped taxi exploded during a funeral procession in the suburb of Jaramana, in what the state news media called a “terrorist bombing.” An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw damaged buildings and shattered windows, and interviewed a woman who said her 6-year-old daughter had been killed. | Elsewhere around Damascus on Tuesday, at least 12 people were killed when a booby-trapped taxi exploded during a funeral procession in the suburb of Jaramana, in what the state news media called a “terrorist bombing.” An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw damaged buildings and shattered windows, and interviewed a woman who said her 6-year-old daughter had been killed. |
| In Idlib Province, at least 23 people were killed after warplanes bombed the city of Kafr Nabl, according to activists and a local opposition commander, who said that one bomb had hit a market and that the dead were mostly civilians. | In Idlib Province, at least 23 people were killed after warplanes bombed the city of Kafr Nabl, according to activists and a local opposition commander, who said that one bomb had hit a market and that the dead were mostly civilians. |
| “The planes used to attack the outskirts, but today they changed their habit and attacked the center,” the commander said. | “The planes used to attack the outskirts, but today they changed their habit and attacked the center,” the commander said. |
| The death toll could not be corroborated, but at least five wounded people can be seen in a five-minute video that purports to show the aftermath of one bombing. It seems to have been filmed soon after an airstrike, opening with panicked scenes of cars and shops on fire, a rubble-strewed street and buildings pulverized by an explosion. | The death toll could not be corroborated, but at least five wounded people can be seen in a five-minute video that purports to show the aftermath of one bombing. It seems to have been filmed soon after an airstrike, opening with panicked scenes of cars and shops on fire, a rubble-strewed street and buildings pulverized by an explosion. |
| A man stumbles by the camera, clutching his left ear. “Oh, God!” someone wails, as the camera turns to a man, caked in blood, on a truck bed. Two other victims are carried past the camera: one has a large wound in the right thigh, and the other appears to be dead. Past a large, round crater in the ground, another victim is rolled onto a blanket and a second is dragged by his shirt. | A man stumbles by the camera, clutching his left ear. “Oh, God!” someone wails, as the camera turns to a man, caked in blood, on a truck bed. Two other victims are carried past the camera: one has a large wound in the right thigh, and the other appears to be dead. Past a large, round crater in the ground, another victim is rolled onto a blanket and a second is dragged by his shirt. |
| Citing the failure of Syria’s fractured opposition movement to stem the bloodshed, a Syrian dissident, Bassma Kodmani, announced her resignation on Tuesday from the Syrian National Council, the main exile opposition group. | Citing the failure of Syria’s fractured opposition movement to stem the bloodshed, a Syrian dissident, Bassma Kodmani, announced her resignation on Tuesday from the Syrian National Council, the main exile opposition group. |
| Since its creation, the council has been plagued by squabbles and criticized as a front for exiled dissidents — and principally, the Muslim Brotherhood — with little support inside Syria. | Since its creation, the council has been plagued by squabbles and criticized as a front for exiled dissidents — and principally, the Muslim Brotherhood — with little support inside Syria. |
| Ms. Kodmani, who was a member of the council’s executive committee and one of its most prominent faces, alluded to those criticisms in a statement on Tuesday, saying that the council had not maintained “the required credibility” and “veered from the path we set for it.” | Ms. Kodmani, who was a member of the council’s executive committee and one of its most prominent faces, alluded to those criticisms in a statement on Tuesday, saying that the council had not maintained “the required credibility” and “veered from the path we set for it.” |
| She said that she would continue her opposition work from outside the council. | She said that she would continue her opposition work from outside the council. |
| Her comments came as a group of Syrian dissidents presented a report in Berlin that they said was intended as a road map for a democratic transition to power after the fall of President Assad. The report, called the “The Day After Project,” was drafted by 45 Syrian activists who said they represented a broad spectrum of political and religious organizations. | Her comments came as a group of Syrian dissidents presented a report in Berlin that they said was intended as a road map for a democratic transition to power after the fall of President Assad. The report, called the “The Day After Project,” was drafted by 45 Syrian activists who said they represented a broad spectrum of political and religious organizations. |
| Their meetings, held over the last year and a half, were initiated by the United States Institute of Peace, an independent but Congressionally financed organization, and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin. | Their meetings, held over the last year and a half, were initiated by the United States Institute of Peace, an independent but Congressionally financed organization, and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin. |
Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut, Melissa Eddy from Berlin, and Sebnem Arsu from Istanbul. | Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut, Melissa Eddy from Berlin, and Sebnem Arsu from Istanbul. |