Hama, Syria
MOSCOW, June 7 (RIA Novosti)
16:47 07/06/2012
Moscow considers a new massacre in Syria, which has claimed the lives of scores of civilians, as a vicious and despicable provocation aimed at hampering implementation of the Annan plan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Opposition activists and the Syrian government have accused each other of responsibility for the deaths of over a hundred civilians, including women and children, late on Wednesday in a new massacre in the country’s northern Hama province.
“There I no doubt that certain forces once again used vicious and despicable provocations to frustrate Kofi Annan’s plan,” spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said....
The Russian analysis is correct, but, it limits the ability to resolve the circumstances. I realize words from Russia to help define the violence is important, but, the massacres are continuing and there has to be some resolve to end them. It isn't enough to have an open mind about the words al Assad has stated in regard to whom exactly is carrying out these assassinations of innocent people. It is obviously death squads and the USA saw their work in Iraq, however, the question is very much open to the fact these militias may or may not be under the influence of the Assad government.
If these militias are a part of the government then it would be best all were called to their bases by Assad and accounted for while intelligence of the area is shared with the United Nation Peacekeepers and quite possibly NATO to discern the best approach to end the violence. If the Assad military can be accounted for by the United Nations it would limit the possibility it is them and stop the accusations.
The real problem is how much is Assad in control of his own country, has the country fallen into chaos and possibly on the way to being another Somalia and what indeed has to be done. I remind this is the Middle East. If Syria cannot control its internal affairs, Israel is not far away and such randomness to the violence will engage Israel in self defense.
Also at risk is Lebanon and not just the refugee problem either. Lebanon has been the focus of Assad criticism and his surrogate militias that acted to kill Late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The imbalance and unpredictability won't improve the stability of the Middle East, but, will escalate it. Russia has to bring some intelligence to the UN to begin to resolve this, saying it isn't enough. We all know the Middle East is a powder keg and we don't need Assad providing the fuse.
If these militias are a part of the government then it would be best all were called to their bases by Assad and accounted for while intelligence of the area is shared with the United Nation Peacekeepers and quite possibly NATO to discern the best approach to end the violence. If the Assad military can be accounted for by the United Nations it would limit the possibility it is them and stop the accusations.
The real problem is how much is Assad in control of his own country, has the country fallen into chaos and possibly on the way to being another Somalia and what indeed has to be done. I remind this is the Middle East. If Syria cannot control its internal affairs, Israel is not far away and such randomness to the violence will engage Israel in self defense.
Also at risk is Lebanon and not just the refugee problem either. Lebanon has been the focus of Assad criticism and his surrogate militias that acted to kill Late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The imbalance and unpredictability won't improve the stability of the Middle East, but, will escalate it. Russia has to bring some intelligence to the UN to begin to resolve this, saying it isn't enough. We all know the Middle East is a powder keg and we don't need Assad providing the fuse.
UN Monitors Fired On Amid Debate Over Next Steps On Syria (click here)
By Flavia Krause-Jackson and Donna Abu-Nasr - Jun 7, 2012 1:46 PM ET
United Nations monitors in Syria were shot at when they tried to reach the scene of a reported massacre in Hama province, as UN envoy Kofi Annan asked the international community to help force President Bashar al-Assad to abide by a cease-fire.
“Clearly, the time has come to determine what more can be done to secure implementation of the plan -- and/or what other options exist to address the crisis,” Annan told the General Assembly today in New York. “If things do not change, the future is likely to be one of brutal repression, massacres, sectarian violence and even all-out civil war.”
The international community remains reluctant to intervene militarily in Syria, the opposition remains divided, and Russia now wants to include Iran, a longtime Syrian ally, in efforts to seek a possible successor to Assad, a move U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected immediately.
The UN observers, some of about 300 unarmed military monitors charged with overseeing the cease-fire, were fired at en route to the village of Qubair to verify reports by the opposition that at least 78 people were killed by army shelling and attacks by Shabbiha militia. While no one was injured, one of the vehicles was damaged, according to UN spokesman Martin Nesirky. He said at this stage it couldn’t be ascertained who was responsible for the shooting....
