Thursday 3 October 2013
October 4, 2013 by sks
Filed under Iraq, News, Syrian Revolution
UN vehicles transport experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons back to their hotel in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday. Photograph: Khaled Al-Hariri/Reuters
UN Security Council: Statement by the President of the Security Council
At the 7039th meeting of the Security Council, held on 2 October 2013, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “The situation in the Middle East”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:Final death toll for 3/10/2013: More than 100 people killed. The dead: 34 civilians, 16 rebels, 7 ISIS fighters, 9 unidentified fighters, 4 foreign rebels, 11 NDF, 23 regular soldiers, 1 defected officer.
5 civilians, who are agricultural workers, were summarily executed and their bodies burnt while on their way from Sahl al-Ghab to their villages. Activists accused pro-regime popular committees from al-Sqeilabiya town.
Rebels in Yabrud city executed 2 men yesterday, they were killed by a point blank shot to the head, rebels claimed that the victims were involved in supporting regime forces and prostituting their wives.
By province: Der’a (5 rebels, 4 civilians). Damascus (1 rebel, 1 civilian*). Reef Dimashq (3 rebels, 9 civilians**). Idlib (3 rebels, 2 civilians). Aleppo (3 rebel&, 4 civilians). Deir Ezzour (2 civilians****). Hama (1 civilian). Homs (1 rebel, 4 civilians*****).
&1 rebel was killed in unknown circumstances in the southern outskirts of Aleppo. 1 rebel was killed by clashes between two rebel groups in the city of Maskanah, Reef Aleppo.
*A humanitarian relief volunteer was killed under torture after 12 days of detention by the Syrian security services.
** 5 civilians from Kafarbatna, Misraba, Fija and Khan al-Sheikh were tortured to death in the detention centres of the Syrian security services. 1 man from Kafarbatna was killed by a gunshot, activists claim he was shot by regime forces on the al-Wafideen camp checkpoint.
*** 2 civilians were killed by sniper shots, and wounds from sniper fire, in the al-Hajz garage crossing in Aleppo city. 1 man from al-Sumuma village was tortured to death by security services after 4 months of detention.
**** 1child from al-Buseira city died of injuries from the regime bombardment on the Jadid Okeidat area. 1 civilian from the city was tortured to death by security forces, after being detained 8 months ago in the Qadam neighbourhood of Damascus.
***** 1 rebel from the Jender area was tortured to death by the Syrian security services. 1 civilian from al-We’er neighbourhood was tortured to death as well. 3 men were killed by snipers in Homs city.
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A defected officer, rank of Captain, from Reef Dimashq was killed by clashes with regime forces in the town of al-Bekara in Der’a province.
7 fighters from the ISIS and rebel groups were killed by clashes with the YPG in Hasakah province and the Efrin district of Aleppo province.
9 unidentified rebels and 4 non-Syrian rebels were killed by clashes.
11members of the National Defence Force were killed by clashes, attacks on checkpoints and snipers.
23 regular soldiers were killed by clashes, attacks on checkpoints, bombardment and IED attacks: 8 Aleppo, 5 Der’a, 4 Damascus and Reef Dimashq, 2 Quneitira, 4 Homs.
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9 rebels and 1 civilian killed in previous days were recorded by the SOHR. 3 rebels killed a month ago in Nawa city by a land-mine. 6 rebels from al-Jedu’iyat village were killed by clashes 12 days ago on the Khanaser-Athriya road, southAleppo province. 1 man was killed by a sniper in the Ramusa area in 26/9/2013.
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Aleppo province: A young man was shot by regime sniper at the Karaj al-Hajz checkpoint yesterday noon. The YPG clashed last night with the ISIS and rebel fighters in the Qila Banna village, its western Reef and the perimeter of Atama town of Reef Idlib. Clashes broke out in the Qastal Jendo area of Reef A’frin city, reports that at least 4 ISIS fighters were killed and reports that YPG fighters punctured an ISIS tank and seized an ISIS vehicle. ISIS fighters took hold of the al-Khafsa town and its surrounding villages in eastern Aleppo. Clashes broke out yesterday between fighters of 2 rebel battalions in the Maskana town, a rebel fighter was killed by the clashes.
Reef Dimashq: Rebel fighters launched several domestically manufactured shells on a regime checkpoint in the Dahiyat Harasta bridge. Clashes broke out between rebel and regular forces in the perimeter of the fields in al-Qasmiya and Deir Salman towns of al-Ghouta al-Sharqiya with reports of casualties and injuries from both sides. Areas in the outskirts of the Hosh A’rab town and Sarghaya al-Shalah road near al-Zabadani city were bombarded by regular forces which led to several injuries.
Rebel fighters executed 2 men, by shots on the head, and threw their corpses in the market of Yabroud city along with a paper which mentioned that the men were subject to “Sharia punishment” because of their support for regular forces as they stormed the Yabroud city in May 2013, based on the paper which also accused them of unethical behaviour.
al-Nusra and other battalions storm Alawite village: Homs province: Last night rebels from Ahrar al-Sham movement, Jabhat al-Nusra, Liwa’ al-Haq, al-Miqdad bin Aswad battalion and several other rebel factions have taken over the village of Kafarnan, which is inhabited by Alawite civilians. This comes after violent clashes with the regime and NDF forces that began on 19/9/2013. Dozens of rebels and NDF have been killed by the clashes. The operation to take over the village began after a suicide bomber from Jabhat al-Nusra detonated a car-bomb on a National Defence Force checkpoint in the outskirts of the village. The outskirts are witnessing violent clashes this morning.
Regime forces bombarded the city of Rastan with several mortars. Regime forces bombarded the al-Ghasbiya town overnight, no reports of losses. The old neighbourhoods of Homs were also bombarded overnight.
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Blockade of entrance to Calais port: 65 people from Syria have set up camp
WHAT WE NEED ON THE GROUND :
* Tents, tarps and sleeping bags – we always need lots of them;
* Bikes, bike trailers and bike repair stuff – are always needed andreally useful for people to stay mobile and get around;
* Pots, pans, utensils, plates, cups, cutlery – for people in the squats and jungles;
* Books, dictionaries, texts, zines etc – in any and all languages. Especially, English, French, Italian, Arabic, Pashto, Farsi, Tigrinya, Amharic and Greek;
* Games & music making – card games, board games, footballs, basketballs, and any instruments etc;
* Tools – for fixing stuff;
* Phones, phone chargers and sim cards;
* Cameras – we are always in need of good cameras as they are often damaged / destroyed by the police;
* People – if you have time, energy and any skills come and support people in Calais.
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About 60 Syrian refugees, of whom 40 are on a hunger strike, have occupied a key point in the northern French port of Calais and vowed to stay put until they are sent to Britain.
On the second day of the protest and hunger strike on Thursday, the asylum seekers put up slogans scribbled on cardboard proclaiming: “Take us to the UK”, and “We want to talk to David Cameron”.
They occupied a footbridge of a ferry terminal at Calais port from which ships leave for British ports.
Many voiced disenchantment with France, which recently pledged to speed up asylum requests for Syrian refugees.
Most of them arrived a month ago in Calais.
“We thought that France was the country where human rights are respected,” said Tarik, a 19-year-old from the southern city of Deraa near the border with Jordan.
“But we live outside like dogs, hunted down by the police, we see we are not welcome, how can we seek asylum here?” he said.
The former engineering student said he was convinced he would find “more humanity” in Britain and eventually bring over his mother and younger brothers currently living in Egypt.
Ali, a 38-year-old, can barely hide his anger, saying although French President Francois Hollande had taken a strong stand against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons, the French were not welcoming at all.
“Why does the president say one thing and the police another?” Ali said, adding that he had spent $13,000 to come to a country where the “president said ‘we must help Syrians’”.
“Here even animals are better treated than us,” he said.
Zakarya, a 45-year-old from Aleppo said: “Our choice… is to go to England because the procedure for Syrians is easier than in France or other countries.”
“We will stay as long we can stand,” she said.
The UN refugee agency has said 17 countries, including France, have agreed to receive quotas of refugees fleeing the bloody conflict in Syria.
They have offered to take in a total of 10,000 people in all. That is a tiny amount compared to the 2.1 million Syrian refugees housed in neighboring countries like Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
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Guardian: Syria: chemical weapons inspectors begin securing Assad regime’s arsenal
OPCW announcement suggests process of destroying Syrian chemical weapons stockpiles and capabilities is on schedule
Weapons inspectors have begun work with Syrian officials on securing the Assad regime’s chemical arsenal, taking the first steps towards destruction of the weapons next year.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said a team of about 20 inspectors had completed a first day of work in Syriaon Thursday.
“Joint work with the Syrian authorities has begun on securing the sites where the team will operate, especially in outlying areas,” a web bulletin said. “The team has also been considering the health and environmental hazards which they may have to confront. In addition, planning continues for one of the team’s immediate tasks, disabling Syria’s chemical weapons production facilities, which should begin soon. Discussions on the size of Syria’s stockpiles are also under way, as well as long-term planning, so that deadlines unanimously imposed by the executive council of the OPCW and the UN security council are met.”
The OPCW executive council has set a 1 November deadline for the destruction of chemical weapons production. The destruction of the entire Syrian arsenal, estimated by western intelligence at 1,000 tonnes of sarin nerve agent and other poison gases, has to be completed by mid-2014, according to the OPCW decision backed unanimously by the UN security council last Friday.
OPCW officials had predicted that the first few days in Syria would be spent going through paperwork on the country’s declaration of its chemical weapons stockpile to ensure it included all the relevant information, and to make plans with Syrian officials to visit the production plants and munitions. The announcement that work had already started on locking down those sites suggests that the process could be ahead of schedule.
The weapons inspectors believe some of the sites they will have to visit will be close to the front lines in the Syria’s civil war. Other visits will involve crossing rebel-held territory, and will require UN staff negotiating safe passage with the opposition. OPCW officials are concerned aboutthe health effects of wearing chemical protection suits together with body armour, possibly with air tanks, in the 35C heat at some of the sites.
In its statement, The Hague-based organisation said: “In their discussions with the authorities, the OPCW-UN team was keen to stress that the onus was on the Syrian government to meet the verification and destruction deadlines. It was however reiterated that the joint mission will provide the necessary technical support to meet these obligations. Meeting the regular reporting requirements will be one indication of compliance.”
