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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 10:56 a.m. ET: AMMAN/BEIRUT -- Police and militia patrols fanned out in the Syrian capital's Mezze district on Sunday to prevent a repeat of protests against President Bashar al-Assad that have threatened his grip on Damascus, opposition activists said.
Police cars and militia vehicles patrolled Mezze while secret police agents spread out on foot, stopping men at random and checking their identification cards.
Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera reported that activists called for a 'day of defiance' on Sunday amid anger that security services fired on mourners in Damascus on Friday.
Egypt's recalling of Shawqy Ismail, its ambassador to Syria, comes as Arab states continue to pile pressure on Damascus over its crackdown on dissent that has left thousands dead.
Mohammed Amr, the foreign minister "summoned the Egyptian ambassador to Damascus ... and it was decided that the ambassador will remain in Cairo until further notice," Amr Rushdi, an Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday.
The Syrian army has continued to bombard at least half a dozen cities, despite the United Nations calling for an end to the violence. ITN's Bill Neely reports.
Violence erupted in the restive northwest province of Idlib, where gunmen opened fire on a car carrying a senior Syrian state prosecutor and a judge, killing both of them and their driver, according to the state news agency.
Syrian military defectors waging an armed struggle against Assad's regime control parts of Idlib province, which borders Turkey. It has been one of the regions hardest hit by the government crackdown on an 11-month-old uprising against Assad's regime.
State news agency SANA said Idlib provincial state prosecutor Nidal Ghazal and Judge Mohammed Ziadeh were killed instantly in the attack.
Clashes between military rebels and Syrian forces are growing more frequent and the defectors have managed to take control of small pieces of territory in the north and in central Homs province. The increasing militarization of the conflict is pushing Syria to the brink of a civil war.
About 15,000 people had turned out on Saturday, despite snowfall, to attend the funerals of four people, two of them teenagers, killed when security forces fired on protesters in the capital's Mazzeh district a day earlier.
On the international front, China said it believed a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis was still possible but Britain's foreign minister said he feared the Middle Eastern country will slide into civil war.
China's official Xinhua news agency reflected Beijing'sview a day after a Chinese envoy met Assad in Damascus while thousands of Syrians demonstrated in the heart of the capital in one of the biggest anti-government rallies there since a nationwide uprising started nearly a year ago.
Sunday, the body of Samer al-Khatib, a young protester who was killed when security forces opened fire on the protest, was buried in Mezze early in the morning.
Security forces maintained a heavy presence to prevent the funeral from turning into an anti-Assad demonstration, opposition activists contacted by Reuters from Amman said.
'Risk of arrest'
Fifteen trucks carrying security police and armed pro-Assad militiamen, known as 'shabbiha', surrounded the funeral as Khatib was buried quietly, they said.
"Walking in Mezze now carries the risk of arrest. The area is quiet and even the popular food shops in Sheikh Saad are empty," activist Moaz al-Shami said, referring to a main street.
The Damascus protest indicated the movement against Assad, who has ruled Syria for 11 years after succeeding his father Hafez on his death, has not been cowed by repression and embraces a wide section of Syrian society.
Assad, who belongs to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, in a majority Sunni country, says he is fighting foreign-backed terrorists.
Saturday's shooting by security forces took place as a Chinese envoy, Foreign Minister Zhai Jun met Assad and appealed to all sides to end the violence.
Zhai also expressed Beijing's support for Assad's plan to hold a referendum and multi-party elections within four months - a move the West and some in Syria's fragmented opposition movement have dismissed as a sham.
China has emerged as a leading player in the multiple international efforts to end the bloodshed in Syria and is one of Assad's main defenders.
"China believes, as many others do, there is still hope the Syria crisis can be resolved through peaceful dialogue between the opposition and the government, contrary to some Western countries' argument that time is running out for talks in Syria," the Xinhua commentary said.
It also criticized the West's stance, highlighting differences between foreign powers over how to deal with the conflict.
Western countries were "driven less by their self-proclaimed 'lofty goal'of liberalizing the Syrian people than by geopolitical considerations," Xinhua said.
The words might bring a measure of comfort to Assad, who is now generally reviled in the West for a crackdown in which his security forces have killed several thousand people.
China and Russia infuriated Western and Arab states this month by blocking a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that backed an Arab plan urging Assad to halt the repression and surrender power. They also voted against a similar, non-binding U.N. General Assembly resolution that was overwhelmingly passed this week.
The United States, Europe, Turkey and Gulf-led Arab states have all demanded Assad quit power.
The West has ruled out any Libya-style military intervention but the Arab League, spearheaded by Saudi Arabia, has indicated some of its member states were prepared to arm the opposition, which includes the rebel Free Syrian Army.
British Foreign Minister William Hague reiterated that view Sunday, telling the BBC: "We cannot intervene in the way we did in Libya ... we will do many other things."
"I am worried that Syria is going to slide into a civil war and that our powers to do something about it are very constrained because, as everyone has seen, we have not been able to pass a resolution at the U.N. Security Council because of Russian and Chinese opposition."
'Army is getting tired'
Leading Syrian businessman, Faisal al-Qudsi, said the government was slowly disintegrating and sanctions were ruining the economy.
He told the BBC in London military action could only last six months but Assad's government would fight to the end.
"The army is getting tired and will go nowhere," he said.
"They will have to sit and talk or at least they have to stop killing. And the minute they stop killing, more millions of people will be on the streets. So they are in a Catch-22."
Qudsi, who was involved in Syria's economic liberalization, told the BBC the apparatus of government was almost non-existent in trouble spots like Homs, Idlib and Deraa.
The opposition Local Coordination Committees said security forces killed 14 people in Damascus and other parts of the country Saturday, including five in the opposition stronghold of Homs. None of the figures could be verified independently.
Government forces bombarded Homs again Sunday. The western city, strategically sited on the road between Damascus and commercial hub Aleppo, has been under siege for more than two weeks and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding as food and medical supplies to treat the wounded are running short.
Rockets, artillery and sniper fire have killed several hundred people, according to activists' reports, but security forces have held back from a full invasion of opposition held districts. Residents fear a bloodbath should that take place.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attorney general for Idlib province, Nidal Gazal, a judge and their driver were all killed Sunday morning when unidentified gunmen shot at their car.
Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
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SOMEDAY they may figure out that they get SHOT when they protest and pick up a gun for a revolution instead!
I sure hope that this area of the world won't be the catalyst for World War 3. Its kind of scary if you think about it. All the pieces are in place just waiting for the right spark. Money, power, oppression and greed are the perfect melting pot. God help us all.
come on now; Armageddon is about the NASTY RICH..please note, i said; NASTY..the Good, WE LOVE, However; there ain't ENOUGH of Them, otherwise things would be different.......
Hello folks, I believe our intention as a society is turning more peaceful. Many people are awakening to the reality we are experiencing every day. As a result, we are noticing the corruption in our economic, educational, governmental, and religious systems. The purpose of our systems should be to lift up the people of the world not enrich the few who are manipulating all the systems for their benefit. We may feel that we don't have control over the powers that be but that isn't correct. If you see an unjustness point it out, shed some light upon it, talk to people about it. Collectively we can stop the wars our government is trying to incite. If we decide we don't want war, we don't have to support it. Anyone who has the best interest of their friends, family, and humanity need to speak up.
Why is it other countries feel like they have to defend their territory? Could it be that they know we have no problem invading their sovereignty just as we have done to countless other countries. Since World War II, 90% of the casualties of war are unarmed civilians. 1/3 of them children. Our victims have done nothing to us. From Palestine to Afghanistan to Iraq to Somalia to wherever our next target may be, their murders are not collateral damage, they are the nature of modern warfare. They don't hate us because of our freedoms. They hate us because every day we are funding and committing crimes against humanity. The so-called "war on terror" is a cover for our military aggression to gain control of the resources of western Asia.
This is sending the poor of this country to kill the poor of those Muslim countries. This is trading blood for oil. This is genocide, and to most of the world, we are the terrorists. In these times, remaining silent on our responsibility to the world and its future is criminal. And in light of our complicity in the supreme crimes against humanity in Iraq and Afghanistan, and ongoing violations of the U.N. Charter in International Law, how dare any American criticize the actions of legitimate resistance to illegal occupation.
We are going into Syria for a couple of reasons, one, we are trying to dislodge Russia from there because they have a foothold in the Middle East via two military bases in Latakia and Tartus in Syria. Two, Syria is a strong ally of Iran. If we invade Syria we take out a strong ally and maybe incite Iran to assist giving the U.S. the reason they are looking for to attack Iran. The ultimate goal is to surround, weaken and to invade Iran. The petro dollar is at stake as other countries are switching to other forms of currency in buying Iran’s oil.
Since the Russian war in 1828, Iran has never attacked another country. We on the other hand have attacked to name a few:
Libya, Iran, Nicaragua, Haiti, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Angola, Mozambique, Honduras, Chile, Congo, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, Angola, Columbia, Peru, Panama, Yemen, Pakistan, Grenada, Mexico, etc..
Wake up people we are being herded down the Military Industrial Complex gauntlet again to another false war to enrich the greedy Corporations and distract the American people. Did we not learn anything from the Iraq war where we have killed well over 1 million Iraqi people, lost thousands of American lives and God knows how many hundreds of billions of dollars?
Who do you support, humanity or the greedy elite?
Many of our soldiers don't fight for America, they fight for their lives and their buddies beside them, because we put them in a war zone. They're not defending our freedoms, they're laying the foundation for permanent military bases to defend the freedoms of Exxon Mobil and British Petroleum.
Face it we're Imperialists pure and simple. The elite look down on all of us as expendable chattel.
"Military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy" Henry Kissinger
I’m not asking you to hate war but to love peace. War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!
Whatever happened to the quotes: "Day of Rage" or "Syria Arab Spring" ?
I suppose it is getting rather old and are now using "Day of Defiance" which sounds more intimidating.
Follow the money, arms, and rebel origination. Wait a minute.....is this just another "We want Democracy" protest ? Yeah, right. It worked so well in the other ME countries.
Welcome to Sunday afternoon on msnbc:
Not enough grief for you? Consider the choices in the upcoming Presidential election.
As for me I turning this wretched machine of despair off!
.....
No one can beat a peacefull rebellion unless you're prepared to gun down 1000s of innocent, unarmed people like China did in 1989.
If we dance under the directions of beastly, feudal, highly corrupt and Sunni bigoted Saudis & co, oil companies and their lobbyists, even God can't help us much.
God could not help much in Iraq and now Afghanistan.
Here Saudis and Pakis were leading the efforts of "war on terror."
With bankrupt economies one can't do much!
China didn't gun down thousands of people in 1989. '49 '59 '69 sure. but not '89
Yes, China did gun down 1000's of students and imprisoned many more for daring to speak out then sent their families the bill for the bullets.
Arab spring simply took the lid off of Pandora's box and now battle lines are being drawn between the West, Russia- who backs Assad--- and China, who backs Iran
China will never back anyone but themselves ....
Assad is in deep Shi'ite.
NO the whole middle east is in deep sh-t. With american invasions and propaganda being the problem
Bigoted Sunni Saudi and their puppets marched their armies into Bahrain.
Now Iran and Shiites of Iraq should march into Kuwait, UAE and other Sunni nations.
Shiites should be more aggressive and spread the sectarian battles all over the Muslim world where they form more than 10 percent.
Saudis and co can't march their women and minority battling brave armies into all nations!
When Muslims want home land/separate nation when they form more than 10 percent, why should not Shiites have their Shiastans in Muslims, where they form more than 10 percent?
I like how you roll. Muslims killing muslims. It's one thing they are good at. They've had centuries of practice.
The average iq of white american males is 100, the average iq of american jews is 115, who knows whether syrians are smart or not. Wisdom is not proportional to iq.
Agreed. Wisdom comes from experience. Experience comes from lack of wisdom.
Where do you get the 115 figure?
115 comes from "American Slant Statistics"... better known as A.$.$.
In the case of most Muslims (Shiites, Sunnis and other label sectarian Muslims) addicted to heroin and other drugs of Islam, Allah, Mohammad and Quran, all IQs, wisdom, experience, history, open mind, thinking, reform with times and so on are beyond the right to left dictionaries used by them.,
Look at the hell holes in Muslim nations and the ones they invent wherever they are and go!!
Muslims enjoy killings. If non-Muslims are not there, then it should be between them.
Let them do their regular jobs to their heart's content.
Please don't disturb them or else they will label those who oppose them as "Amerikans" or "Zionists".
Am I missing something here?
I don't know who is right or who is wrong there.
But if you start a civil war, there will be shooting and people killed.
Shouldn't the Arab league be asking the rebels to quit shooting too?
What you are missing, in my opinion, is that the 'rebels' were, before being relabeled, the 'protesting people' who starting being shot at. After a while, with some defections from the army, they began shooting back (defending themselves). So, if you are shooting at and killing me (people) for protesting and I (we) start defending ourselves by shooting back, then for us to stop (defending ourselves), you should stop (trying to kill me) first!
"But if you start a civil war, there will be shooting and people killed.
Shouldn't the Arab league be asking the rebels to quit shooting too?"
Your right they should,but they are dominated by the Gulf states.They are fanatic Sunni extremists who see this as their chance to destroy the secular Syrian government.Since they are all dictatorships themselves,hearing them calling for "democracy" in Syria is laughable.Their only plan is to bring down one of the last secular governments in the Arab World.And the West is stupidly helping them out.
I wouldn't say the weekend crew at MSNBC is crazy or stupid, but they are certainly illiterate, uneducated, and ignorant. Want proof? Just read the articles.
If you don't care to read the stories here you're welcome to go elsewhere. You know freedom of speech is wonderful thing, however most pepole, myself included, don't care to hear whining.
The Chinese behavior in this is to be expected. For a communist country to support the over throw from protests and international outrage would open the door for more bold demonstrations against their own government. Countries like China and more and more Russia need friends like Assad, Chavez and Ahmadinejad. Our modern day Axis power? Russia and China would make strange bedfellows since they both have a mutual dislike for each other.
Unfortunately they are vastly outnumbered and the superior force most usually conquers. Let them kill themselves if that is their desire, but all other nations should steer clear of this conflict.
As long as the western countries stay out of this, and let the Arabs deal with it, there should not be a third world war. These people have been fighting each other from the beginning of time, let them sort it out. Might even end up with less terrorists running around.
WWIII Started September 11, 2001.
Assad is trash.
It seems to me that the Syrian Rebels need to increase the dead body count further to get world attention, hence the day of defiance.
I think the rebels need to focus on the positive, like what they stand for, rather than what they won't stand for. Who's to say the rebels are better than Assad? Does anyone really know who's behind these rebels? Maybe the country is just full of malcontents willing to sacrifice their lives for a lost cause.
It should be clear to the rebels that the Syrian military is a force not to be screwed with. The rebels are on the wrong side of the bayonet.
...which is why they went out and got some bayonets for themselves....
FAXplease,
The rebels should look to the East for their bayonets, not the West. China is the low cost supplier of bayonets. Russia is the high volume supplier of bayonets. Unfortunately, China and Russia are already sympathetic to Assad. So, maybe the rebels should lay down their bayonets and go back to their villages and not plan any more days of defiance.
Should these rebels embrace some sort of vision (ideology), such as, liberty, freedom, fraternity, democracy, patriotism, tolerance of their neighbors (Israel), or even tolerance of shiites and sunnis, then they can become members of the 21st century. Otherwise, these rebels should fall on their bayonets and go back to the Middle Ages. Honestly, the rest of the world will leave them alone.
"I'm not sure what kind of weapons will be used in WWIII, but WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones". (Einstein)
There will be no ww4.
A---RAND - I knew Einstein, and you're no Einstein.
Well, EWUSNRET, there is no Einstein. I believe he died.
Who benefits by having Assad in power and why? I really don't know?
"Who benefits by having Assad in power and why? I really don't know?"
Anyone that wants a secular Syria first.Then second,the Shia,Christians,and secular Sunni,who know they will be destroyed if the government falls.And religious Sunni extremists,backed by the Saudis take over.Russia,China,and Iran,who don't like the idea of other countries,interfering in the affairs of countries for third.
They shouldn't be called Syrian Rebels as much as they should be called Al-Qaeda supported insurgents.
I think they sould be called 'the Syrian People, joined by army defectors, with some insurgents from Iraq and Al-Qaeda joining for their own reasons'. You can short that anyway you want.
Probably a better analysis. However, based on the results of Egypt and Libya, it would appear that in the end their fate may not be any better than what it was before. Only time will tell.
I agree. Libya and Egypt at present isn't what I thought they would be. But as for as nation re-building goes, its still early. I hope for this region that their 'spring' becomes summer. Yes, only time will tell.
What history tells us about Syria is that little has changed there in 5000 years. Syria, historically, can be likened to a dog chasing its tail.
Dictators are Megalomaniacs that have to take their people down with them, like Hitler, like Qaddafi, history is replete with narcissists.
yeah
Trouble is that if the insurgents win things will get worse for the average Syrian.
An Oracle Concerning Damascus:
"See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid.
(Isaiah 17:1-2)
THEY KNOWthat the USGAY is FULL of PUSSIES in WASH. and they will NOT get any help from Barak...I was SO proud when the guy on Huckabee said...We know the usa wont help and WE will NOT wait till it,s to late..we must get them soon...KUDOS..and like MANY AMERICANS...who KNOW the USGAY will not help WE say...DO IT NOW and IF you know who gets in your way..kick his ASS also...his time is getting short....DO WHAT YOU HAVE to..the USGAY is AFRAID to FINISH a FIGHT..hell..we have lsot 3 Now...backed out and RAN...it,s our GOVT..NOT the SERVICEMEN....the Marine Corps ALONE could RULE the WORLD if we ALL get together and STOPPED Wash...barak has made the USA into a USGAY....SERIA...DONT WAIT...DO IT NOW.....don,t lay down...!WW3..thats easy..the MARRIED Soliders will SUCK the Enemy to Death..or just throw a BIG QUEER Party..IMIGAN...a 4 Star Faggot...or ...a QUEER President...it,s on the way!!!
We have already had a gay president. No. 15 James Buchanan.
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
It's over in Syria for the tyrant. If they have to patrol the capital city and check everybody's ID cards just out of fear then it is over. Bashar needs to leave.
I agree, Assad is trash, but we need to stop taking out the trash for the whole world.
Okay, how about a vote on who is nuttiest?
A. The Muslim who raves about how the US wants an excuse to go into Syria and take over another Arab country;
B. The Muslim who wants us to send troops to defend the protesters and get involved in another desert war where we will be hated no matter what;
C. The American who says we are chicken $hit for not going in;
D. The American who says we should bring back all our troops and defend our borders;
E. Me.
a, d, and e.
A and B are pretty much the exact same. I guess I'm the only one who remembers the Iraqis partying in the streets when Saddam Hussien was finally removed from power or the horror stories that came out about how his sons would systematically rape and murder his citizens. And what about the Afghans who welcomed our military with open arms and now are so afraid of the Taliban still that they help them while still saying they want the US military there? I think C is the nuttiest...but again, C is also A in the Middle East. Wisdom isn't cowardice. In the States, I'd say the nuttiest is D right now. Maybe we should consider running away after causing a mess a bad idea. We made an already existent mess worse in the process of trying to clean it up in Afghanistan. To leave now without making things make a bit of sense would be much worse. We should do the same thing we did in finishing with Iraq. And then we should never get involved again. Let them kill themselves as much as they want. We can't force them to act civilized. People have to choose what they want for themselves.
The majority are speaking. Assad is on his way out. I hope they bring him to trial, and that he DOES NOT leave the country! He should be tried for crimes against humanity. With the new internet age, he can not win. And Russia and China are really big a$$holes for denying support!
I cannot believe china was so stupid as to take sides. They had benifited mightely by keeping their nose out of other countries businesses, Perhaps Obummer can take a lesson from this.. Oh wait a minute hillary already stuck her nose into this pile of shiites.
the cia and israel are behind alot of innocent civillians being killed, check it out our government needs to quit meddleing whith @!$%# they are stupid