Protests in Syria

[JStone]

The only solution for Syria is the total depopulation of Arab and muslime excrement in Syria and repopulating it with non-Arab Christians and Jews.

 

[Jos]

The only solution for Syria is the total depopulation of Arab and muslime excrement in Syria and repopulating it with non-Arab Christians and Jews.

The final solution?

 

[JStone]

Iran Iraq War, 1 million dead
Lebanese Civil War, 250,000 dead
Algerian Civl War: 300,000 dead
Bangladesh Civil War: 500,000 dead
Black Sept., Jordan's King Hussein murders, expells 80,000 Palestinians
Syrian army kills 20,000 Syrians at Hama
Iraq gases hundreds of thousands of Kurds
1400 year conflict between Sunnis and Shiites
Fratricide between Hamas and Fatah
Syria/Hizballah assassinate Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri

Winston Churchill...

How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy.

The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.

No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.

Amazon.com: The River War (9781598184259): Sir Winston S. Churchill: Books

 

[Katzndogz]

The only solution for Syria is the total depopulation of Arab and muslime excrement in Syria and repopulating it with non-Arab Christians and Jews.

The final solution?

It's obviously Assad's solution. He gets a cease fire, then moves into an area and systematically murders everyone he can find. He doesn't take prisoners. Haven't you noticed? Germany had concentration camps. Assad doesn't even go that far. His soldiers hunt Syrians by helicopter.

Not every Syrian is a rebel. Some of them were loyalists. Yet the entire population is being slaughterd as if they were. Not even a chance to surrender.

Assuming that at some point, the last Syrian will be killed (or get out of the country), Syria will be vacant land, who will live there?

 

[JStone]

The only solution for Syria is the total depopulation of Arab and muslime excrement in Syria and repopulating it with non-Arab Christians and Jews.

The final solution?

It's obviously Assad's solution. He gets a cease fire, then moves into an area and systematically murders everyone he can find. He doesn't take prisoners. Haven't you noticed? Germany had concentration camps. Assad doesn't even go that far. His soldiers hunt Syrians by helicopter.

Not every Syrian is a rebel. Some of them were loyalists. Yet the entire population is being slaughterd as if they were. Not even a chance to surrender.

Assuming that at some point, the last Syrian will be killed (or get out of the country), Syria will be vacant land, who will live there?

Give Syria over the the Jews in Israel and they'll turn that Syrian shithole into an oasis, too.

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria: Kofi Annan Seeks Iran's Help In Solving The Crisis; Fresh Violence Reported

TEHRAN, Iran — Special envoy Kofi Annan said Wednesday in Tehran that Iran could help solve the crisis in Syria, where activists reported fresh violence near the capital Damascus a day before an international cease-fire is supposed to take effect.

Iran is one of Syria's strongest allies, and former U.N. chief Annan went there to bolster support for his faltering plan to stop the country's slide toward civil war.

"Iran, given its special relations with Syria, can be part of the solution," Annan said during a news conference with Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. "The geopolitical location of Syria is such that any miscalculation and error can have unimaginable consequences."

The conflict in Syria is among the most explosive of the Arab Spring, in part because of the country's allegiances to powerful forces including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Shiite powerhouse Iran. The uprising that began more than a year ago seeks the ouster of authoritarian President Bashar Assad.

Iran has opposed any foreign intervention in the crisis and Salehi insisted that "change in Syria" should come under the leadership of Assad.

Syria's regime defied the Tuesday deadline to pull out troops from cities and towns that was set in the deal brokered by Annan and launched fresh attacks on rebellious areas.

But Annan insists there is still time to salvage the truce by 6 a.m. Thursday, the deadline for government and rebel fighters to cease all hostilities.

"We've been in touch with them (Syrian rebels) and have had positive answers from them. ... I think by 6 in the morning on the 12th, Thursday, we should see a much improved situation on the ground," Annan said.

"It is possible to do it and it should be in the interests of the people of Syria," he added.

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay, who met Annan on Tuesday, said the international envoy "appeared worried to me." Atalay told Turkey's TV 24 channel that the Syrian regime is not fulfilling its promise and while withdrawing its forces from one area, it is deploying them in an another.

He added that if Annan's plan does not succeed in ending the violence in Syria, "the world will rethink. This time, the U.N. Security Council will have no excuses. It will be more difficult to use their veto right." He was referring to Russian and Chinese vetoes of two past Security Council resolutions condemning Assad's regime for the crackdown on protesters.

There was more violence on Wednesday, putting the chances of a truce even deeper in doubt. Syrian troops took control of large parts of villages and towns near the border with Turkey.

Syrian state-run news agency SANA said gunmen shot and killed army Brig. Gen. Jamal Khaled in the Damascus suburb of Aqraba on Wednesday morning. It added that Khaled's driver, a soldier, was also killed in the attack.

Syria: Kofi Annan Seeks Iran's Help In Solving The Crisis; Fresh Violence Reported (VIDEO)

 

[Trajan]

merged

 

[Trajan]

kofi anan is a UN Uber hack, pimp, there fore hes the perfect useful ( but not altogether stupid) idiot for this crap...no one buys it anyway but the chattering class can convince themselves that they have taken action....meanwhile ala the Balkans time drags, people die...and on the 20th floor of the UN in the Plowshare Lounge, they pass the brandy and cigars.....

Obama does not realize ( nor does he want to ) that this is to coin a phrase, the field of decision.
Libya was some lazy backwater whose global significance had already been reduced heavily and hey if I recall the 'civil' war in Libya was no where near this bloody..... HERE is where decisiveness can really make a difference by helping bring down Assad...which means? Obama has taken a powder...so much for 3 years of stroking assad, and another foreign affairs 'victory'.....when Iran gets the bomb he'll have swept the aboard.

 

[High_Gravity]

kofi anan is a UN Uber hack, pimp, there fore hes the perfect useful ( but not altogether stupid) idiot for this crap...no one buys it anyway but the chattering class can convince themselves that they have taken action....meanwhile ala the Balkans time drags, people die...and on the 20th floor of the UN in the Plowshare Lounge, they pass the brandy and cigars.....

Obama does not realize ( nor does he want to ) that this is to coin a phrase, the field of decision.
Libya was some lazy backwater whose global significance had already been reduced heavily and hey if I recall the 'civil' war in Libya was no where near this bloody..... HERE is where decisiveness can really make a difference by helping bring down Assad...which means? Obama has taken a powder...so much for 3 years of stroking assad, and another foreign affairs 'victory'.....when Iran gets the bomb he'll have swept the aboard.

Annan has his head in the clouds, thinking the Iranians will help negociate is cease fire is fucking stupid, the Iranians are in bed with Assad and helping him crush the uprising, so how are the Iranians in the position to ask the rebels to do anything? as far as Libya goes Gaddafi was considered a pariah by pretty much the rest of the world and he did not enjoy the luxury of having hardcore support from Iran, China, and Russia, all those countries are arming the Syrians as we speak, hell Russia has a Navy base in Syria. Syria also has anti air craft systems in place, something the Libyans did not have which presents a major obstacle for anyone trying to bomb Syria, we could lose air crafts if we tried to bomb them.

 

[ekrem]

kofi anan is a UN Uber hack, pimp, there fore hes the perfect useful ( but not altogether stupid) idiot for this crap...no one buys it anyway but the chattering class can convince themselves that they have taken action....meanwhile ala the Balkans time drags, people die...and on the 20th floor of the UN in the Plowshare Lounge, they pass the brandy and cigars.....

Obama does not realize ( nor does he want to ) that this is to coin a phrase, the field of decision.
Libya was some lazy backwater whose global significance had already been reduced heavily and hey if I recall the 'civil' war in Libya was no where near this bloody..... HERE is where decisiveness can really make a difference by helping bring down Assad...which means? Obama has taken a powder...so much for 3 years of stroking assad, and another foreign affairs 'victory'.....when Iran gets the bomb he'll have swept the aboard.

Obama has moved out of Iraq.
In Syria there would be just little less problems than there were in Iraq, and anyone thinking he's able to transform Syria would have to commit itself for years to this task.

There needs to be legitimacy to intervene and legitimacy only the world communty can give. At long as we're not at that point there can and will only be management of the refugee-situation.

 

[JStone]

kofi anan is a UN Uber hack, pimp, there fore hes the perfect useful ( but not altogether stupid) idiot for this crap...no one buys it anyway but the chattering class can convince themselves that they have taken action....meanwhile ala the Balkans time drags, people die...and on the 20th floor of the UN in the Plowshare Lounge, they pass the brandy and cigars.....

Obama does not realize ( nor does he want to ) that this is to coin a phrase, the field of decision.
Libya was some lazy backwater whose global significance had already been reduced heavily and hey if I recall the 'civil' war in Libya was no where near this bloody..... HERE is where decisiveness can really make a difference by helping bring down Assad...which means? Obama has taken a powder...so much for 3 years of stroking assad, and another foreign affairs 'victory'.....when Iran gets the bomb he'll have swept the aboard.

Obama has moved out of Iraq.
In Syria there would be just little less problems than there were in Iraq, and anyone thinking he's able to transform Syria would have to commit itself for years to this task.

There needs to be legitimacy to intervene and legitimacy only the world communty can give. At long as we're not at that point there can and will only be management of the refugee-situation.

Too bad the ottoman turks aren't around to occupy syria and prevent arab independence as they did for 400 years, right?

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

BEIRUT — A fragile cease-fire brokered by the U.N. took hold in Syria on Thursday with regime forces apparently halting widespread attacks on the opposition. But there were reports of scattered violence and the government defied demands to pull troops back to barracks.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the onus was on President Bashar Assad's regime to keep the peace.

"As of this moment, the situation looks calmer," he told reporters in Geneva. But the cease-fire is "very fragile" and a single gunshot could derail the process, he added.

Ban will now ask the U.N. Security Council for speedy deployment of an observer mission, said special envoy Kofi Annan, who brokered the truce.

In the hours after the 6 a.m. deadline, a civilian was reported killed and the state-run news agency said "terrorist groups" launched a roadside bomb that killed a soldier. But there was no sign of the heavy shelling, rocket attacks and sniper fire that have become routine.

If the truce holds, it would be the first time the regime has observed an internationally brokered cease-fire since Assad's regime launched a brutal crackdown 13 months ago on mass protests calling for his ouster.

However, troops intensified searches at checkpoints, tightening controls ahead of possible large-scale protests Friday called by the opposition and meant to test the regime's commitment to the plan.

There was deep skepticism that the regime would halt its fire for long, given that Assad has broken promises in the past. Also, the regime said Wednesday, on the eve of the truce deadline, that it reserves the right to respond to any aggression, potentially a pretext for breaking the truce.

Annan's plan calls for the deployment of international observers and talks on a political transition once a truce is in place. The initiative has broad international support, including from Assad allies Russia, China and Iran, and is widely seen as the last chance for diplomacy to end the violence. The increasingly militarized uprising has been veering toward an armed insurgency.

Analysts said the apparent halt in government attacks suggests Assad's allies are pressuring him for the first time, after shielding him from international condemnation in the past. Annan has visited Russia, Iran and China to get the broadest possible backing for the plan.

The West and its allies doubt the sincerity of the regime's pledges to comply with the truce plan, which calls on the Syrian government to allow peaceful protests. A prolonged cease-fire could threaten the regime by encouraging large numbers of protesters to flood the streets, as they did at the start of the revolt against the four-decade rule of the Assad clan. The government met those demonstrations with a harsh crackdown, and more than 9,000 people have died since, according to the U.N.

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

 

[JStone]

kofi anan is a UN Uber hack, pimp, there fore hes the perfect useful ( but not altogether stupid) idiot for this crap...no one buys it anyway but the chattering class can convince themselves that they have taken action....meanwhile ala the Balkans time drags, people die...and on the 20th floor of the UN in the Plowshare Lounge, they pass the brandy and cigars.....

Obama does not realize ( nor does he want to ) that this is to coin a phrase, the field of decision.
Libya was some lazy backwater whose global significance had already been reduced heavily and hey if I recall the 'civil' war in Libya was no where near this bloody..... HERE is where decisiveness can really make a difference by helping bring down Assad...which means? Obama has taken a powder...so much for 3 years of stroking assad, and another foreign affairs 'victory'.....when Iran gets the bomb he'll have swept the aboard.

Obama has moved out of Iraq.
In Syria there would be just little less problems than there were in Iraq, and anyone thinking he's able to transform Syria would have to commit itself for years to this task.

There needs to be legitimacy to intervene and legitimacy only the world communty can give. At long as we're not at that point there can and will only be management of the refugee-situation.

You turkeys denied legitimacy to arabs for 400 years. Or, do you deny the history of the ottoman empire along with denial of your role in the Armenian Genocide?

Eminent Middle East Historian, Ottoman Empire Authority Bernard Lewis, Author, "Istanbul and the Civilization of the Ottoman Empire"

Ottoman [Turkish] Conquest of the Arab Lands

A swift campaign in 15-17 destroyed the tottering Mamluk Sultanate and swept Syria and Egypt into the Ottoman Empire. With them the Ottomans also acquired some measure of control over western Arabia with the two Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. From Egypt, Ottoman control was extended southwards down both shores of the Red Sea and westwards along the Barbary Coast to the borders of Morocco. In the East, the Ottomans succeeded in wresting Iraq from its Persian masters and extending Ottoman power to the shore of the Persian Gulf.

With the exception of ther Sultanate of Morocco, and of a few mountain and desert fastnesses where Arab independence still survived, the whole Arab world was now within the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire included the heartlands of Islam---the holy cities in Arabia, the seats of the great caliphs of Medina, Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo. The Sultan of Egypt had gone. The Ottoman Sultanate alone remained as the orthodox ruler of an Islamic state.

In the preamble to thekanuns of Suleyman the Magnificent [1520-66], the Sultan describes himself as "Sultan of the Arabs and Persians and Rum" Suleyman is thus claiming sovereingty over the three major peoples of classical Islam.

The Arab revolt against Ottoman rule was well-placed, well-planned and well-timed. The Arab revolt was launched in the Hijaz in Arabia, in a semi-autonomous province governed by a hereditary Arab ruler, the sharif Husayn, in a territory that was purely Arab and Muslim, and included Mecca and Medina, the two holiest places of Islam. It had the further advantage of being remote from Ottoman centres of power and easy of access for the British in Egypt.

The Arab rebels also had something useful to offer to the British and it was after long and careful secret negotiations that in 1917 the sharif first proclaimed the independence of Hijaz from Ottoman ruleand lter proclaimed himself "King of the Arabs"

The military significance of a few thousand Bedouin irregulars, in battles involving vast regular armies, may have been minor, but the moral significance of an Arab army fighting the Turks and, still more, of the ruler of the holy places denouncing the Ottoman Sultan, was immense.

The Arab revolt was auspiciously timed and coincided with the major retreat of the Ottoman forces in all the Arab provinces.

Arab Historian Albert Hourani, "A History of the Arab Peoples"

"In 1916 Husayn, the sharif of Mecca of the Hashimite family (1908-1924), came out in revolt against the Ottoman sultan, and an Arab force, recruited partly from beduin of western Arabia and partly from prisoners or deserters from the Ottoman army, fought alongside the allied forces in the occupation of Palestine and Syria. This movement had followed correspondence between the British and Husayn, acting in contact with Arab nationalist groups, in which the British had encouraged Arab hopes of independence

 

[Ropey]

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

BEIRUT — A fragile cease-fire brokered by the U.N. took hold in Syria on Thursday with regime forces apparently halting widespread attacks on the opposition. But there were reports of scattered violence and the government defied demands to pull troops back to barracks.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the onus was on President Bashar Assad's regime to keep the peace.

"As of this moment, the situation looks calmer," he told reporters in Geneva. But the cease-fire is "very fragile" and a single gunshot could derail the process, he added.

Ban will now ask the U.N. Security Council for speedy deployment of an observer mission, said special envoy Kofi Annan, who brokered the truce.

In the hours after the 6 a.m. deadline, a civilian was reported killed and the state-run news agency said "terrorist groups" launched a roadside bomb that killed a soldier. But there was no sign of the heavy shelling, rocket attacks and sniper fire that have become routine.

If the truce holds, it would be the first time the regime has observed an internationally brokered cease-fire since Assad's regime launched a brutal crackdown 13 months ago on mass protests calling for his ouster.

However, troops intensified searches at checkpoints, tightening controls ahead of possible large-scale protests Friday called by the opposition and meant to test the regime's commitment to the plan.

There was deep skepticism that the regime would halt its fire for long, given that Assad has broken promises in the past. Also, the regime said Wednesday, on the eve of the truce deadline, that it reserves the right to respond to any aggression, potentially a pretext for breaking the truce.

Annan's plan calls for the deployment of international observers and talks on a political transition once a truce is in place. The initiative has broad international support, including from Assad allies Russia, China and Iran, and is widely seen as the last chance for diplomacy to end the violence. The increasingly militarized uprising has been veering toward an armed insurgency.

Analysts said the apparent halt in government attacks suggests Assad's allies are pressuring him for the first time, after shielding him from international condemnation in the past. Annan has visited Russia, Iran and China to get the broadest possible backing for the plan.

The West and its allies doubt the sincerity of the regime's pledges to comply with the truce plan, which calls on the Syrian government to allow peaceful protests. A prolonged cease-fire could threaten the regime by encouraging large numbers of protesters to flood the streets, as they did at the start of the revolt against the four-decade rule of the Assad clan. The government met those demonstrations with a harsh crackdown, and more than 9,000 people have died since, according to the U.N.

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

If this is just another stalling tactic, then we'll know soon enough. I hope it's a full cease.

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

BEIRUT — A fragile cease-fire brokered by the U.N. took hold in Syria on Thursday with regime forces apparently halting widespread attacks on the opposition. But there were reports of scattered violence and the government defied demands to pull troops back to barracks.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the onus was on President Bashar Assad's regime to keep the peace.

"As of this moment, the situation looks calmer," he told reporters in Geneva. But the cease-fire is "very fragile" and a single gunshot could derail the process, he added.

Ban will now ask the U.N. Security Council for speedy deployment of an observer mission, said special envoy Kofi Annan, who brokered the truce.

In the hours after the 6 a.m. deadline, a civilian was reported killed and the state-run news agency said "terrorist groups" launched a roadside bomb that killed a soldier. But there was no sign of the heavy shelling, rocket attacks and sniper fire that have become routine.

If the truce holds, it would be the first time the regime has observed an internationally brokered cease-fire since Assad's regime launched a brutal crackdown 13 months ago on mass protests calling for his ouster.

However, troops intensified searches at checkpoints, tightening controls ahead of possible large-scale protests Friday called by the opposition and meant to test the regime's commitment to the plan.

There was deep skepticism that the regime would halt its fire for long, given that Assad has broken promises in the past. Also, the regime said Wednesday, on the eve of the truce deadline, that it reserves the right to respond to any aggression, potentially a pretext for breaking the truce.

Annan's plan calls for the deployment of international observers and talks on a political transition once a truce is in place. The initiative has broad international support, including from Assad allies Russia, China and Iran, and is widely seen as the last chance for diplomacy to end the violence. The increasingly militarized uprising has been veering toward an armed insurgency.

Analysts said the apparent halt in government attacks suggests Assad's allies are pressuring him for the first time, after shielding him from international condemnation in the past. Annan has visited Russia, Iran and China to get the broadest possible backing for the plan.

The West and its allies doubt the sincerity of the regime's pledges to comply with the truce plan, which calls on the Syrian government to allow peaceful protests. A prolonged cease-fire could threaten the regime by encouraging large numbers of protesters to flood the streets, as they did at the start of the revolt against the four-decade rule of the Assad clan. The government met those demonstrations with a harsh crackdown, and more than 9,000 people have died since, according to the U.N.

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

If this is just another stalling tactic, then we'll know soon enough. I hope it's a full cease.

I doubt it Ropey, Assads goons are going to give the resistance any room to regroup, re-arm and stregthen themselves.

 

[Ropey]

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

If this is just another stalling tactic, then we'll know soon enough. I hope it's a full cease.

I doubt it Ropey, Assads goons are going to give the resistance any room to regroup, re-arm and stregthen themselves.

It's the historical pattern since a Hudna is not a Western Style Ceasefire. Hudna/Ceasefire is the same dichotomous interpretation as much as Peace/Submission is within the Koran.

Hudna

 

[High_Gravity]

If this is just another stalling tactic, then we'll know soon enough. I hope it's a full cease.

I doubt it Ropey, Assads goons are going to give the resistance any room to regroup, re-arm and stregthen themselves.

It's the historical pattern since a Hudna is not a Western Style Ceasefire. Hudna/Ceasefire is the same dichotomous interpretation as much as Peace/Submission is within the Koran.

Hudna

There has never been a ceasefire ever honored in the Arab world.

 

[Ropey]

I doubt it Ropey, Assads goons are going to give the resistance any room to regroup, re-arm and stregthen themselves.

It's the historical pattern since a Hudna is not a Western Style Ceasefire. Hudna/Ceasefire is the same dichotomous interpretation as much as Peace/Submission is within the Koran.

Hudna

There has never been a ceasefire ever honored in the Arab world.

Guns silent in Syria, but truce terms not fully met says Annan

Syria has not fully complied with the terms of a peace plan, U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan told the Security Council on Thursday as a fragile cease-fire appeared to be holding.
Annan urged the 15-nation body to demand the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from towns, according to an official who was present.
Aside from a shooting at a checkpoint in Hama, Syrian troops held their fire in the hours after a U.N.-backed cease-fire took effect at dawn on Thursday, casting a silence over rebellious towns they had bombarded heavily in recent days.
Annan told council members that Syria's fragile truce needs support and called for the swift deployment of a first wave of unarmed observers to monitor implementation of his six-point peace plan, to be followed by a second wave of observers later, diplomats told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

It's not happening yet, but there's movement. It would be good to see the Shia pushed out of Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza. The Arabs changed the name of Persia to Iran and Persians to Iranians. They changed the language name from Persian to Farsi.

The Iranians are still pissed off as it disconnected them from their claim to the Babylonian Empire.

 

[High_Gravity]

It's the historical pattern since a Hudna is not a Western Style Ceasefire. Hudna/Ceasefire is the same dichotomous interpretation as much as Peace/Submission is within the Koran.

Hudna

There has never been a ceasefire ever honored in the Arab world.

Guns silent in Syria, but truce terms not fully met says Annan

Syria has not fully complied with the terms of a peace plan, U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan told the Security Council on Thursday as a fragile cease-fire appeared to be holding.
Annan urged the 15-nation body to demand the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from towns, according to an official who was present.
Aside from a shooting at a checkpoint in Hama, Syrian troops held their fire in the hours after a U.N.-backed cease-fire took effect at dawn on Thursday, casting a silence over rebellious towns they had bombarded heavily in recent days.
Annan told council members that Syria's fragile truce needs support and called for the swift deployment of a first wave of unarmed observers to monitor implementation of his six-point peace plan, to be followed by a second wave of observers later, diplomats told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

It's not happening yet, but there's movement. It would be good to see the Shia pushed out of Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza. The Arabs changed the name of Persia to Iran and Persians to Iranians. They changed the language name from Persian to Farsi.

The Iranians are still pissed off as it disconnected them from their claim to the Babylonian Empire.

If I were Assad I would not do a cease fire, I can't afford to let the rebels get more organized and collect more arms and give them room to plan ops against me, I would tell the international community whatever they want to hear, give them lip service about improving human rights, democracy blah blah and than I would go back to bombing the rebels.

 

[JStone]

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

BEIRUT — A fragile cease-fire brokered by the U.N. took hold in Syria on Thursday with regime forces apparently halting widespread attacks on the opposition. But there were reports of scattered violence and the government defied demands to pull troops back to barracks.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the onus was on President Bashar Assad's regime to keep the peace.

"As of this moment, the situation looks calmer," he told reporters in Geneva. But the cease-fire is "very fragile" and a single gunshot could derail the process, he added.

Ban will now ask the U.N. Security Council for speedy deployment of an observer mission, said special envoy Kofi Annan, who brokered the truce.

In the hours after the 6 a.m. deadline, a civilian was reported killed and the state-run news agency said "terrorist groups" launched a roadside bomb that killed a soldier. But there was no sign of the heavy shelling, rocket attacks and sniper fire that have become routine.

If the truce holds, it would be the first time the regime has observed an internationally brokered cease-fire since Assad's regime launched a brutal crackdown 13 months ago on mass protests calling for his ouster.

However, troops intensified searches at checkpoints, tightening controls ahead of possible large-scale protests Friday called by the opposition and meant to test the regime's commitment to the plan.

There was deep skepticism that the regime would halt its fire for long, given that Assad has broken promises in the past. Also, the regime said Wednesday, on the eve of the truce deadline, that it reserves the right to respond to any aggression, potentially a pretext for breaking the truce.

Annan's plan calls for the deployment of international observers and talks on a political transition once a truce is in place. The initiative has broad international support, including from Assad allies Russia, China and Iran, and is widely seen as the last chance for diplomacy to end the violence. The increasingly militarized uprising has been veering toward an armed insurgency.

Analysts said the apparent halt in government attacks suggests Assad's allies are pressuring him for the first time, after shielding him from international condemnation in the past. Annan has visited Russia, Iran and China to get the broadest possible backing for the plan.

The West and its allies doubt the sincerity of the regime's pledges to comply with the truce plan, which calls on the Syrian government to allow peaceful protests. A prolonged cease-fire could threaten the regime by encouraging large numbers of protesters to flood the streets, as they did at the start of the revolt against the four-decade rule of the Assad clan. The government met those demonstrations with a harsh crackdown, and more than 9,000 people have died since, according to the U.N.

Syria Ceasefire Deadline Observed, Assad Regime Forces Remain In Place

If this is just another stalling tactic, then we'll know soon enough. I hope it's a full cease.

Stalling? If?