Landshark
Posts: 11254
Incept: 2008-02-07
The Wild West
Online
Mar 29, 2011 Syrian cabinet resigns amid widespread protests 07:40 AM
* By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY
By Bassem Tellawi, AP
Upate at 8:56 a.m. ET: President Bashar Assad accepted the Cabinet's resignation following a meeting today. Assad is expected to address the nation in the next 24 hours to announce he is lifting the emergency law and moving to annul other harsh restrictions on civil liberties and political freedoms, the Associated Press reports.
Update at 8:45 a.m. ET: Syria's cabinet resigns amid the country's worst unrest in decades, state-run TV reports, according to the Associated Press.
Earlier posting: The Syrian government is expected to resign today as part of President Basahar Assad's attempt to introduce reforms and quell a growing series of tense -- and deadly -- protests, Al-Jazeera TV reports.
Al-Jazeera quotes senior government officials as saying the cabinet will be replaced in 24 hours. It is also possible that Assad, who has remained largely out of public view since protests erupted last week, will speak to parliament, the network says.
The latest report coincides with a massive pro-Assad demonstrations today in the capital, Damascus, with thousands of flag-waving Syrians jamming the central square.
Government officials already have announced that the country's 48-year state of emergency will be lifted.
The law, invoked when the ruling Baath party took power in 1963, has been used to prevent public gatherings, roundup opposition figures, set up closed courts and unleash the secret police.
In the past week, a crackdown on demonstrations by security forces has led to numerous deaths, including at least 61 killed in the southern city of Daraa, 12 in Latakia and at least 10 in Sanamin, Al-Jazeera reports.
Rarnopp
Posts: 892
Incept: 2008-02-26
London, United Kingdom
Assad is not as personally unpopular as Mubarak had become. He's also regarded as intelligent and genuinely committed to change, albeit of a cautious nature. The first flush of the "Arab Spring" seems to be dying down, and my bet is that the Ba'ath regime will survive, as the Egyptian regime has, by broadening its base and adopting some reforms.
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"Things and actions are what they are, and the consequences of them will be what they will be: why then should we desire to be deceived?" - Bishop Joseph Butler
Clinton at the London Conference on Libya: We deplore the crackdown in Syria. We call on Syria to respect the rights of its citizens, allow peaceful protest, work toward political and economic reform to the benefit of the Syrian people. We hope that there is an opportunity for reform. We want to see peaceful transitions, democracies that conform to the will of the people. The cabinet resigned en masse today. We support the timely implementation of reforms such as immediately eliminating the state of emergency that's been in place for years. It is up to the Syrian government.
Martin23Martin: Assad: Reform measures will be announced in about 1 month, but parliament will decide. Twitter - seconds ago
angienassar: #Assad: the important thing is to be fast, but not impulsive. #syria Twitter - seconds ago
WhiteTiger2009: Al-Assad's speech so confusing that CNN stopped monitoring Twitter - seconds ago
MohamedMascud: 30 minutes in #Assad has not announced any concrete changes or reforms - #syria Twitter - seconds ago
srmichelman: RT @glcarlstrom: Assad promises that he'll set timetables for proposed reforms. No timetable for when he'll announce the timetables ... - More » Twitter - seconds ago
hibz: #Assad: declaring a timetable 4 reforms is only a technical issue.. it is better 2 take it slow 4 the future of #syria Twitter - 2 minutes ago
KABOBfest: #Assad takes a page from the blame the media script. #Syria #basharspeech Twitter - 2 minutes ago
arunn19: Pres Assad smiling and laughing as he says media tells lies. Twitter - 2 minutes ago
glcarlstrom: Assad: Please don't get upset at what you see on satellite channels; they lie, they distort, they fall into a trap. #syria Twitter - 2 minutes ago
Update at 11:48 a.m. ET: Al-Jazeera TV quotes one witness as saying the clashes broke out in front of the mayor office in Latakia, where 12 people were killed last week during protests. The witness says the latest unrest broke out within an hour after President Bashar Assad's speech in Damascus.
Update at 11:17 a.m. ET: Witnesses say Syrian troops opened fire today during a protest in Latakia, the AP reports. It is the first reported clash between security forces and demonstrators since a morning speech by President Bashar Assad
Quote:
Update at 11:06 a.m. ET: Al-Jazeera TV reports that Syrian actvists are very disapponted with Assad's speech and have called for more demonstrations after Friday prayers.
BEIRUT (AP) -- Mass protests calling for sweeping changes in Syria's authoritarian regime turned deadly Friday, with the government and protesters both claiming heavy casualties as the country's three-week uprising entered a dangerous new phase.
The bloodiest clashes occurred in the restive city of Daraa, where human rights activists and witnesses said Syrian security forces opened fire on tens of thousands of protesters, killing 25 people and wounding hundreds.
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"The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice; you have owners. They own you. They own everything." - George Carlin
BEIRUT (AP) -- A Syrian rights activist says security forces have fired on protesters during a funeral in a volatile southern city where at least 25 were killed a day earlier.
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"The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice; you have owners. They own you. They own everything." - George Carlin
Protesters in the town of Suweida chanted "God, Syria, Freedom!" Activists used social networking sites to urge Syrians to demonstrate against the government despite a promise by President Bashar al-Assad that decades-old emergency laws will be lifted within a week.
The Facebook revolution continues in Syria this weekend.
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"The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice; you have owners. They own you. They own everything." - George Carlin
Bohemian
Posts: 9658
Incept: 2010-07-27
California
US funds Syrian opposition. No surprise.
Quote:
WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department secretly financed Syrian opposition groups and related projects, diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks indicated.
The cables indicate U.S. financial support for the London-based satellite channel, Barada TV, which beams anti-government programs in to Syria and is closely tied to the Movement for Justice and Development, a network of Syrian exiles also based in London, The Washington Post reported.
The classified U.S. diplomatic communiques indicate the State Department channeled as much as $6 million to the group since 2006 to operate the satellite channel and finance other activities inside Syria.
"The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice; you have owners. They own you. They own everything." - George Carlin
BreakingNews: Tear gas fired on mass protests in Damascus during Facebook-inspired 'Great Friday' demonstrations - CNN Mass protests unfold on 'Great Friday' in Syria - CNN.com - cnn.com Twitter - 10 minutes ago
Bohemian
Posts: 9658
Incept: 2010-07-27
California
By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press
Quote:
BEIRUT (AP) -- Witnesses say at least 15 Syrian protesters have been killed during clashes with security forces.
Security forces fired live bullets and tear gas Friday at tens of thousands of people shouting for freedom and democracy in several areas across the country.
Witnesses said they saw at least five corpses at the Hamdan hospital outside the capital. All suffered gunshot wounds.
In the southern province of Daraa, other witnesses said at least 10 people were killed when protesters marched in front of the mayor's office. They said an 11-year-old boy was among the dead.
"The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice; you have owners. They own you. They own everything." - George Carlin
At least 68 people were killed and dozens were injured when Syrian security forces fired live bullets and teargas to disperse “Good Friday” protests in several cities, witnesses reported.
The reported deaths have created a new crisis for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, raising questions about whether he is fully in control of Syrian security forces. The deaths raise questions about how far Mr. Assad is prepared to go to stay in power, and if the international community will take steps to prevent a humanitarian disaster in this geopolitically strategic Arab country.
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When they turn the pages of history, when these days have passed long ago. Will they read of us with sadness for the seeds that we let grow?
Fortunately, they don't export enough oil for us to be concerned about humanitarian issues or supporting democracy.
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"Winter is coming." -Motto of House Stark "Mo'lon La'be"- Leonidas "Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general" - Mark Rippetoe "Its like Calvinball."-MarvinMartian
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