بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | أكتوبر 24, 2018 | Media Roundups, Syria in a Week
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
US Strategy for Syria
22 October 2018
Informed sources say that President Trump’s administration asked US institutions to develop concrete proposals and a road map to implement the US strategy in Syria.
The current US strategy includes keeping special forces within the international coalition against ISIS east of the Euphrates in the Tanf base on the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border to achieve three goals: eliminating ISIS and preventing its reemergence, getting rid of Iranian forces and militias, and pushing toward a UN-sponsored political solution under UN resolution 2254.
The sources say that US officials and experts are studying how to “use pressure and influence means, including controlling a third of Syrian territory, ninety percent of Syrian oil, and half the Syrian gas, in order to exercise pressure to reach the three goals,” stating that the White House is waiting for these proposals by the end of the year.
White Helmets in Canada
19 November 2018
The Canadian government said on Friday that is getting ready to resettle civil defense volunteers in areas controlled by Syrian opposition factions, also known as the White Helmets, along with their families, however, it did not disclose when they will arrive or where they will be resettled.
In a joint statement, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said that “Canada is working with a group of international allies on resettling a number of White Helmets members and their families after they had to flee from Syria because they were being specifically targeted by the Syrian government and its Russian ally.”
White Helmets volunteers “witnessed firsthand, as paramedics, some of the most ferocious crimes committed by the criminal Assad government,” the statement said.
On 22 July, Jordan said that it received four hundred and twenty-two members from the White Helmets who fled areas in southern Syria before government forces regained control over them, with the aim of resettling them in Britain, Germany, or Canada.
On Wednesday, the Jordanian foreign ministry said that two hundred members of those had left to be resettled in Western countries.
The world first took notice of the White Helmets after photos appeared with them searching for survivors in the rubble and carrying children covered in blood to the hospital.
The White Helmets emerged in 2013, when the Syrian crisis was coming near to its third year. Since its establishment, more than two hundred of its volunteers have been killed and another five hundred injured.
Four-way Summit on Syria
18 October 2018
Ankara announced a four-way summit on Syria that includes the leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany, and France to be held in Istanbul on 27 October.
The summit will join Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.
The spokesman said that the four leaders will discuss the situation on the ground in Syria, the agreement on the demilitarized zone in Idlib that was reached by President Erdogan and President Putin during their summit in Sochi on 17 September, the political process, and various aspects of the Syria crisis.
The four-way summit is expected to “coordinate joint efforts to find a long-lasting solution to the Syrian conflict,” Kalin said.
Delegations from the four countries met in Istanbul on 14 September to prepare for the summit. The Turkish delegation was headed by Ibrahim Kalin, while the German delegation was headed by National Security Advisor Jan Hecker, Senior Diplomatic Advisor Philippe Etienne for the French delegation, and Senior Presidential Advisor Yuri Ushakov for the Russian delegation.
The three-hour preparatory meeting discussed the Syrian issue, especially developments regarding the de-escalation zone in Idlib, in addition to fighting terrorism and other regional issues.
The delegations included technical teams to arrange for the four-way summit called for by Erdogan in July. The summit was initially planned to be held in September but was then delayed.
An Extended Deadline for Idlib
15 October 2018
On Sunday night, the deadline passed for Tahrir al-Sham, which is mainly comprised of Nusra Front (previously), to evacuate the demilitarized buffer zone in Idlib that was set by the Russian-Turkish agreement in Sochi, without any withdrawal being monitored, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Turkey has sought to convince Tahrir al-Sham, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, to implement the agreement to avoid a Syrian government offensive which Turkey fears might cause a new influx of refugees towards its border.
Turkey has managed to implement the first phase of the agreement by convincing armed factions to hand over their heavy weaponry by 10 October.
Jan Egeland, UN Humanitarian Affairs Advisor said that Russia and Turkey plan to allow for more time to implement their agreement on the de-escalation zone in Idlib, a “great relief” for three million civilians in the area.
But there were still “a million unanswered questions” about how the deal would work, and what would happen if groups designated as terrorists refused to lay down their weapons, Egeland said.
Speaking after a regular Syria humanitarian meeting in Geneva, Egeland said that Russia had confirmed that Damascus had scrapped Law Number 10, a “very concerning” law allowing the expropriation of land and property from refugees.
Idlib and adjacent areas are the last strongholds of the opposition who rose up against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, and the UN has warned that a battle to restore Assad’s control over the zone could be the worst of the seven-year-old war.
Turkey and Russia set up a buffer zone running between fifteen and twenty kilometers deep into opposition territory that originally had to be free of heavy weapons and fanatics by Monday.
“There will be more time for diplomacy,” Egeland said. “I was heartened to hear both Russia and Turkey say they are optimistic, they can achieve much more through negotiations, and they are generally very positive on the implementation of this deal which is giving a relief, a pause in fighting, to Idlib,” he added.
Egeland said there were twelve thousand humanitarian workers in the area, and Idlib had now gone five weeks without an air raid, something he could not remember in the past three years.
Four Candidates to Succeed De Mistura
18 October 2018
Russian-Western negotiations are underway to choose one of four candidates to succeed UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura who will leave his position at the end of the next month.
De Mistura told the UN Security Council that he will resign from his position at the end of November after four years as the third UN envoy to Syria after the late Kofi Anan and Lakhdar Brahimi. UN Humanitarian Affairs Envoy and Head of the Norwegian Council for Refugees Jan Egeland will also resign.
After de Mistura’s resignation announcement, consultations between UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the five permanent UN Security Council countries reached a new level in order to find the fifth envoy to Syria. According to sources, there are four candidates: the first is Nikolai Mladenov, UN Representative for the Palestinian-Israeli Peace Process since 2015, who was previously the foreign minister of Bulgaria. It seems that the Russian side objected to his name, considering him “close to the United States and not impartial.” Damascus also informed Moscow of its reservations because of Mladenov’s “political position from Syria which he expressed when he was the foreign minister of Bulgaria.”
The second is UN Envoy in Iraq Jan Kubis, who is the former foreign minister of Slovakia. It has been reported that Washington has reservations against him because of his “proximity to the Russian position,” and because it thinks that his presence is “currently essential in Iraq, which is undergoing the formation of a new government and a political process following the elections.”
The third is the Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra. Moscow and Arab countries have pushed for Lamamra to succeed de Mistura, however, Western countries expressed their objection based on previous positions that “deny him the status of mediator”, referring to his statement in December of 2016 on the sidelines of the Peace and Security Conference in Africa: “What happened in Aleppo? The (Syrian) government was able to restore its sovereignty and control over the city. These people were hoping that terrorism would prevail in Aleppo and other areas. After terrorism failed there, they think it will be able to succeed in Algeria, which is the first country to strategically win against terrorism.”
The fourth is Geir Pederson, the Norwegian ambassador in China since 2017, former Norwegian UN ambassador between 2012 and 2017, and UN representative in Lebanon between 2005 and 2008. Due to the mutual reservations between Russian and Western countries, sources close to Guterres proposed Perderson as a compromise, although some Russian sources indicated that he “represents one of the NATO member countries.”
Russian Delegation in Damascus
19 November 2018
The official news agency SANA reported the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as saying during his meeting with Russian envoy Alexander Laverntiev on Friday: “Some countries in the area and many Western countries continue to intervene in the political process and exercise pressure to impose their will on the Syrian people. This hinders reaching any progress… Syria is committed to its right, which is guaranteed by international conventions, to prevent any external party from interfering in its internal affairs.”
Laverntiev had visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which coincided with a tour to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey by US envoy to Syria James Jeffery.
Laverntiev briefed Assad on the result of his tour, which included a number of Arab countries before he arrived in Damascus, asserting that “his country is seeking to use this diplomatic activity to exchange views on issues in the region, especially the political process in Syria and completing the battle to eliminate terrorism, in order to restore peace and security and preserve the integrity and independence of Syria,” according to SANA.
Elimination of Eighty-eight Thousand Militants
20 October 2018
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed the death of nearly eighty-eight thousand militants from opposition factions in Syria in the last three years since Moscow intervened in favor of government forces, according to a statement from the Russian defense ministry.
“Throughout the process, more than eighty-seven thousand and five hundred militants were eliminated, in addition to the liberation of one thousand four hundred and eleven towns and more than ninety-five percent of Syrian territory,” the statement reported Shoigu as saying.
“Most of the militants have been liquidated,” added Shoigu.
The London based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that around three hundred and sixty-five thousand people have been killed during the course of the seven-year-war.
Russia intervened in the conflict in September of 2015, providing aerial support for President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Shoigu said that Russian aerial forces executed more than forty thousand missions, striking around one hundred and twenty thousand “terrorist” infrastructure targets.
“Syrian armed forces now control territories where more than ninety percent of the population live,” said the Russian defense minister.
However, fighting has raged in the east of the country near several villages inhabited by fifteen thousand people, including ISIS militants and their families. They were subject to attacks by Syrian government forces and Kurdish forces, forcing seven thousand civilians to flee.
Dispute on Damascus’s Share
18 October 2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Valdai Conference in Sochi that Moscow helped government forces in gaining control over ninety-five percent of Syrian territory, which was reiterated by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during his visit to Singapore.
On the other hand, US Special Envoy to Syria James Jeffery said that forty percent of Syria “is not under the control of government forces,” pointing out that Washington allies and Ankara control these areas.
“The Turks agree with our main objectives in Syria, which were clearly laid out by the President (Donald Trump) at the UN National Assembly. That is completely ousting Iran from Syria because it is an accelerant to the whole process. Secondly, de-escalating the military situation in Idlib, where Turks have reached an agreement with the Russians. And revitalizing the political process,” a US statement reported Jeffrey as saying during his visit to Turkey.
“President Trump sent tweets that summarize what we have been telling the Russians and others, which is that any attack in Idlib would be a reckless escalation of the conflict. This is very important because we think that it is time to stop the fighting. There were about three million people – and there are still three million people in Idlib, about half of them are displaced people from other areas in Syria. There is also around fifty to seventy thousand militants. Most of them are part of the opposition we used to work with and the Turks still do. There is also between seven to eight thousand people, or perhaps more, who are named terrorist organizations, essentially Tahrir al-Sham, which is the offshoot of Nusra, which in turn is an offshoot of Qaeda. There are also some elements from ISIS, and others associated with Qaeda,” he added.
“So you have got a very mixed situation there, but it would have been a huge mess if anybody had gone in, and it would have been – meant essentially the end of the armed resistance to the Syrian government. The Turks pushed back,” he went on to say.
“This is a major step because what it has done is it has frozen the conflict not only there, but the conflict is also frozen essentially everywhere else. We have forces in the south and in the northeast continuing operations against ISIS, and the Turks also have positions north of Idlib in Afrin and in al-Bab area. So essentially forty percent of the country is not under the government’s control, and we are talking with the Turks on how we can now shift to, again, the President’s words, revitalizing the political process,” Jeffrey added.
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | أغسطس 22, 2018 | Media Roundups, Syria in a Week
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Potential Crisis in Idlib
Enab Baladi
During her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angel Merkel called for avoiding a humanitarian crisis in northern Syria. “Avoiding a humanitarian crisis in Idlib, Syria and surrounding areas is a crucial matter,” AFP reported Merkel as saying during the meeting with Putin in Berlin on Saturday, 18 August. Merkel stressed that both Germany and Russia bear the responsibility of finding a solution to stop the fighting in Syria. She said that she discussed the issues of constitutional reforms and potential elections with Putin in their previous meeting in Sochi last May. On his part, Putin reiterated his call for EU countries to support reconstruction projects in Syria, citing millions of refugees distributed in EU countries, Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, and stressed the need for them to go back to their country. (Enab Baladi)
There are many reports indicating that the battle for Idlib will take place soon. The Operation Room for the Southern Countryside of Aleppo (ORSCA) declared several villages in the southern countryside of Aleppo as a “military zone” and asked residents to evacuate. In a statement on Thursday, 16 August, ORSCA said the zone included villages near or on the frontlines with the Syrian government; they include: Jazraya, Zammar, al-Othmanieh, Jdaidet Talafeh, Hweir al-I’eis, Tal Bajer, Baness, and Birneh. The statement called on residents to evacuate the aforementioned villages and take all necessary measures within forty-eight hours for the “sake of their lives.” (Enab Baladi)
United States is Financing Stability Through Allies
17 August 2018
Reuters
US President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to cut down on foreign aid, including that allocated to reinforcing stability in areas no longer under ISIS control. On the other hand, the US is encouraging allies to increase financing for reinforcing stability. On Friday, the US administration said that it has secured three hundred million dollars from its partners in the coalition, which would be used towards stabilizing the country, including one hundred million dollars pledged by Saudi Arabia. The Emirates also pledged to offer fifty million dollars in new funding. Australia, Denmark, the European Union, Taiwan, Kuwait, Germany, and France all also pledged to offer money.
Senior Advisor to Secretary of State David Satterfield said that there will be no international funding for the reconstruction of Syria until a “credible and irreversible” political process starts to end the Syrian conflict. “There will be no aid for Syria through international agreement unless the UN confirms that a credible and irreversible political process has started.” (Reuters)
Russia and Returning the Refugees
14 & 17 August 2018
Reuters
Due to Russia’s interest in the issue of returning Syrian refugees, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that the West’s position on Syrian refugees surprised Moscow and that the conditions were suitable for the refugees to return to their homes. Lavrov spoke after holding talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. In a related context, Russian news agency TASS reported the ministry of defense as saying that Minister Sergey Shoygu discussed the issue of the return of Syrian refugees to their country with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar during their talks in Moscow on Friday. (Reuters)
On Monday, Russian foreign ministry said that a four-way summit between the leaders of Russia, France, Turkey, and Germany is “scheduled for the near future.”
De Mistura and Reconstruction
16 August 2018
Enab Baladi
UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan De Mistura affirmed the need to prioritize a political solution over reconstruction projects in Syria during his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. De Mistura and Pompeo discussed the need to find a political solution in Syria for all sides and to avoid a humanitarian crisis in Idlib, State of Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Thursday, 16 August. The two sides agreed that any discussion of reconstruction in Syria is “premature,” alluding to the need to work on the political solution process and conduct free and fair elections according to UN Security Council resolutions before exercising pressure to return refugees to their county. Pompeo said that the return of refugees to Syria must be safe and under the umbrella of the UN. De Mistura and Pompeo discussed the progress achieved through the constitutional committee after the opposition and the government named their delegates to the committee. (Enab Baladi)
Iraq Bombs ISIS in Syria
16 August 2018
Reuters
Iraqi planes bombed a gathering of ISIS fighters inside Syria who were planning cross-border attacks border that left a number of ISIS fighters dead, according to a statement from the Iraqi army on Thursday. The planes targeted an “operation room” where ISIS members were meeting. ISIS, which once occupied a third of Iraqi territory, has been largely defeated in Iraq, however, it still poses a threat along its border with Syria. “According to intelligence, those terrorists who were killed were planning criminal operations using suicide vests and intended to target innocents in the next few days inside Iraq,” the military said in a statement. (Reuters)
Kurds in Negotiations
14 August 2018
Reuters
On Tuesday, Head of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Riadh Darrar said that the SDC visited Damascus the previous week to hold another round of talks with the government. A delegation that includes member from the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls one quarter of Syrian territory, held talks in Damascus this month in the first public meeting. These visits highlight efforts by Kurdish-led authorities to open new channels with the Syrian government, as they seek to negotiate a political agreement that preserves their self-rule inside Syria. Darrar said that the SDC held new talks on decentralization and the constitution. The talks included a proposal from Damascus for the self-rule areas to participate in the local elections that will take place next month, Darrar added. He said that the SDC insists on keeping its structure of governance and self-rule in any future elections and that Syrian officials proposed several matters that are still immature. “We need to agree on service provision first and this could build trust between us.” (Reuters)
Iran Continuing with Its Policies
13 & 15 August 2018
Reuters and Enab Baladi
Iran will not rein in its influence in the Middle East despite mounting US pressure on Tehran to curb its regional activities, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Qatar’s al-Jazeera television channel. (Reuters)
Iran’s policy in Syria has economic, political, and military aspects. The Ministry of Housing and Public Works in the Syrian government has made deals with Iranian companies on building residential units, including housing projects. An Iranian economic delegation reached an agreement with the ministry of housing on building thirty thousand residential units as part of the General Establishment for Housing’s project, the Iranian news agency IRNA said on Wednesday, 15 August. According to the agreement, the projects will be in Damascus, Aleppo, and Homs and the Iranian private sector will be responsible for the construction works. The two sides agreed on forming a team of Iranian contractors to supervise the work of the Syrian construction sector, according to IRNA, which also said that the Syrian Housing Minister Houssain Arnous promised the Iranian companies to provide necessary conveniences. (Enab Baladi)
Syria Exporting Electricity
13 August 2018
Enab Baladi
Lebanese Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil announced his approval to draw electric energy from Syria on 13 August. He said that “Syria offered to give electric energy to Lebanon in reasonable prices. There was a Syrian delegation headed by the minister of energy two weeks ago. They gave us a proposal that is less than the ships or even the power plants, with the possibility of up to three hundred and fifty megawatts.” This announcement comes after the huge losses that the electricity sector in Syria suffered and the immense need for electrical power in the near future. (Enab Baladi)
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | يونيو 21, 2018 | Media Roundups, Syria in a Week
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
The South on Edge
12-16 June 2018
Reuters and Enab Baladi
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that he has not taken a decision on whether the situation in southern Syria will be resolved through reconciliation or military means. “We will give way for the political process. If it does not work out, then we do not have an option other than liberating by force.”
Since last year, a “de-escalation” deal brokered by Russia, the United States, and Jordan has contained fighting to the southwest. Washington expressed its concern regarding an impending military offensive, warning of “firm and appropriate measures” in response to any violations of the ceasefire.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that the Syrian army and its allies bombed opposition fighters in Daraa, southwest of the country, on Wednesday killing at least six people. The SOHR also said that the Syrian army bombed the towns of Kafr Shams and al-Hara, near the border with the Israeli occupied Golan Heights. (Reuters)
The Syrian government continued sending military reinforcement to Daraa. Last week, the defense minister visited southern Syria and Suhail al-Hasn arrived in Daraa, signaling the completion of preparations for military action. (Enab Baladi) In a related context, a commander in the pro-Syrian regional coalition said that the Syrian army reinforced its anti-aircraft defenses near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. More defenses are scheduled for the upcoming days to “restore the air defense system against Israel.”
In recent weeks, the multi-party war in Syria shifted towards the southwest, increasing the risk for escalation in an extremely important area for Israel. The conflict was contained last year through an agreement to de-escalate brokered by the United States and Russia. (Reuters)
Ongoing Suffering in Idlib
11 & 17 June 2018
Reuters and Enab Baladi
The UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria Panos Moumtzis called for ending the war and avoiding bloodshed in Idlib, which has become a refuge for tens of thousands of civilians and fighters from opposition factions after being evacuated from other areas inside Syria.
The governorate’s population is estimated around two and a half million. It has witnessed enormous security, military, humanitarian, and economic challenges with escalation in air raids. Eleven people were killed, and a hospital was targeted in an air raid on Sunday, 10 June. The military option in Idlib could be “much more complicated and brutal” than Aleppo and Ghouta, according to Moumtzis. The civilians also have no place else to go to. (Reuters)
Idlib governorate has also been experiencing chaos in the security situation for two months. It started with assassinations of military, cultural, administrative, and medical personalities, the last of which was in the city of al-Dana on Sunday, 17 June, when an unidentified armed group stormed a hospital attempting to kidnap the medical staff but eventually failed to do so. Another group stole electronic equipment from al-Dana University. Factions are exchanging accusations of responsibility for the assassinations, especially between Tahrir al-Sham and Tahrir Souria factions. (Enab Baladi)
Corrosion of the Self-administration … and the Negotiation Option
12 & 14 June 2018
Reuters
An agreement was reached between Turkey and the United States on a plan for the Syrian city of Manbij during a meeting in Stuttgart this week, the Turkish armed forces said. On 4 June, Ankara and Washington said that they reached a road map that provides for the withdrawal of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units’ (YPG) fighters from Manbij. (Reuters)
The negotiations show the decline in the US role in supporting the self-administration and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), especially after Turkey captured Afrin with the support of opposition factions. The political discourse of some Kurdish forces witnessed a change recently, with Aldar Khalil, a prominent Syrian Kurdish politician, expressing his hope that the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be serious about negotiations with Kurdish forces, alluding to his willingness to hold talks without preconditions. (Reuters) The northeastern part of Syria seems to be at a crossroad with the potential for deterioration into military confrontations or heading for negotiations between the self-administration and the Syrian government, especially after the decline in the US role and the increase in Turkish pressure.
Afrin Infringement
14 June 2018
Reuters
Human Rights Watch documented how Turkey-backed rebels seized, looted, and destroyed civilians’ properties after taking control of the area in March. The UN estimates some one hundred and thirty-seven thousand people were displaced by the Afrin offensive, in another large population movement in the seven-year long Syrian conflict which has forced more than half of the country’s population from their homes. (Reuters)
Forced displacement and seizure and looting of property have been systematically used in the Syrian conflict to subjugate the local population and use the available resources to serve the economies of war. The situation of rights and property is exacerbated when confiscation and seizure of property during war are legitimized through laws such as the Anti-terrorism Law or “reconstruction laws” such as Law no. 10.
Staffan de Mistura … Once Again
14 June 2018
Reuters
Senior officials from Iran, Russia, and Turkey will meet in Geneva on 18 and 19 June to hold negotiations with the UN regarding the formation of a constitutional committee for Syria, the UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura said in a statement on Wednesday. The statement went on to say the de Mistura will send an invitation to other countries to hold talks related to this matter. De Mistura is commissioned with choosing the members of the committee, which is expected to reformulate the Syrian constitution, paving the way for new elections and political reform after the end of the war. De Mistura intends to meet with Russian, Turkish, and Iranian officials next week. He said that he expects a similar meeting with US, Saudi, British, French, German, and Jordanian officials on 25 June. (Reuters)
The political process in Syria has not progressed for years, and the “Geneva process” has corroded, however, UN teams and meeting have expanded as they get themselves busy “wasting time” and avoiding core issues of conflict resolution.
Mysterious Coalition Strikes … In the East
11 & 18 June 2018
Reuters
Fighting east of the Euphrates has intensified in recent weeks after Syrian Democratic Forces resumed their campaign against ISIS. On the other hand, the Syrian government expanded its operations in the countryside of Deir Azzor against remaining ISIS fighters. In this context, official Syrian media accused the coalition forces of carrying out an air strike on 11 June that left eighteen Iraqi refugees dead at a school in the southern countryside of al-Hasakeh governorate, however, the coalition denied the report. In a related context, Amnesty International issued a report last week in which it said that there is evidence that the US-led coalition violated international law in some of its airstrikes in Raqqa last year by putting the lives of civilians in danger. (Reuters)
US-led coalition planes bombed a military position for the Syrian army southeast of Boukamal city, which left a number of deaths and injuries, official Syrian media said once again on Monday, 18 June, but the US army denied the report. (Reuters)
Sarin in Latamna
14 June 2018
Reuters
Tests confirmed the use of the banned nerve agent sarin in an attack south of Latamna city, in Hama governorate on 24 March 2017, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Wednesday. “Chlorine gas and nerve gas were probably used as a chemical weapon at Latamna Hospital and the surrounding area on 25 March 2017,” the OPCW added. (Reuters)
The use of chemical weapons has been documented in the Syrian war in numerous cases and led to various international reactions, the strongest of which was the US threat of a strike after accusations of using chemical weapons in Ghouta that led the Syrian government to surrender its chemical weapons to the OPCW, and the US strike against al-Shoairat airport after accusations of using chemical weapons in Khan Sheikhon, and the US, French, and British tripartite strike on the “infrastructure” for producing chemical weapons during the recent Ghouta battle this year.
Refugees in Lebanon
11-15 June 2018
Reuters
The escalation led by Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Basil towards the UN refugee agency UNHCR continued as he accused it of working to stop refugees from returning to Syria. The UNHCR previously denied similar accusations, saying that it supports the return of refugees when it is safe for them to go back to Syria and helps those who choose to return with their documentation. Last week, Bassil ordered a freeze on applications by the UNHCR for residency permits for its staff, saying it was intimidating refugees into staying in Lebanon. (Reuters) It is worth mentioning that Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that the foreign minister’s position does not reflect that of the government. It seems that some political powers want to step up calls for the rapid return of refugees to their country, but the UN says the situation is not safe yet for their return.
The international community is “dismayed by repeated false accusations” that it is working to settle Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Germany’s ambassador in Beirut Martin Huth said on Thursday. He said that the situation in Syria is not safe yet and no agreement has been reached to end the war, adding that the international community and the UN are “fully committed to an eventual return of refugees to Syria.” (Reuters)
بواسطة Rania Mostapha | يونيو 11, 2018 | Cost of War, غير مصنف
Widespread criticism has followed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s issuance of Law 10, coinciding as it did with the regime regaining control of eastern Ghouta and the evacuation of the opposition. The law concerns the creation of one or more regulatory zones within the general regulatory plan for the administrative units. This law, which applies to the whole of Syria, completes and regulates several previous, more dangerous real estate decrees.
The law will provide a formal framework for the transfer of land ownership to the Syrian government, which has the power to award contracts for reconstruction and development to companies or investors, and to compensate citizens in the form of shares in regulatory zones.
Decentralization of regulatory zones may be normal in a country free from war, mass exodus, and conflicts between multiple occupational forces. However, the Syrian regime is using the decrees in Law 10 to exploit the absence of more than eight million Syrians displaced abroad, most of them in Turkey and Germany, who are residents of areas devastated by the regime. These residents include those wanted by and imprisoned by the regime. The law provides for a period of no more than two months to establish ownership. This is not sufficient for residents living abroad as embassies and consulates take a long time to approve the procedures for legal representation. Residents abroad also face other challenges such as financial costs and deliberate complications imposed by the security services on the accreditation of external legal representatives.
In Turkey, the legal agent cannot work without the owner’s passport. The cost of establishing a legal representative includes one hundred and fifty Turkish lira / thirty-six US dollars to book an appointment at the Syrian consulate, in addition to fees of up to one hundred and twenty-five dollars. Getting a passport issued at the consulate costs four hundred and twenty-five dollars and takes three months. There is a fast track service taking one month; however, this is only available for those over forty-two years old and costs nine hundred and twenty-five dollars! If the applicant is between eighteen and forty-two years old, he or she must bring a national service book or certificate of termination of service. If the applicant is wanted by the regime, he or she can still make the request, but there are no guarantees that the Syrian government in Damascus will accept it. A status adjustment requires a consular appointment of one hundred and fifty lira / thirty-six dollars, and the approval period is between three to six months (1).
The regime may still reject the claim despite the property owner paying all these sums to try to establish ownership. Given the large number of refugees, these fees will contribute a significant amount to the regime’s treasury. These payments alone may serve the goal of saving the regime’s eroded economy, whose primary source of income has become ever-increasing tax revenues. Any sale, proxy, proof of ownership, or registration of property in the Finance Directorate requires the owner to pay all outstanding dues, which include all invoices, traffic violations, or any unpaid taxes.
In Germany, Syrian refugees cannot enter the Syrian embassy or the German government will consider them as not wanted by the regime, and they may therefore have to return to Syria (2). According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, seventy percent of refugees lack basic identification documents.
The problem with Law 10 is not only its timing but also its details. The law is clearly top-down, as Article 1 allows the higher authorities to impose regulatory plans through the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment in the president’s appointed government (3). There is no role for the local councils or technical services directorates, and no reference to the essentials of urban planning. Previously, the local elected council, as the highest authority, was the one who proposed amendments to the regulatory chart of the region, often because of the need for expansion. The council presented the plan to the people of the region, and the residents could submit their objections to a committee of eleven members from several ministries and departments, who studied the appeals. This committee has not had full oversight of this law, which is therefore not in the interests of the population, and will also affect regime supporters.
Article 22/12 of the law turns original independent owners on the land registry into shareholders of common stock in the regulatory zone. In accordance with Article 29/17, they must register the sector in their names or form a joint-stock company to manage the investment and development of their shares. If the owners reject both of these options, the administrative unit will sell the shares in a public auction, and the beneficiary will, of course, be companies, the identity of which is as yet unknown.
The law deals with ownership on the basis of fixed ownership in the land registry (4). However, many properties are in informal areas, where the government has been failing for years to organize real estate, and the documents in the owners’ possession consist of personal contracts or electricity and water bills, so-called “hand-held documentation,” making verification of ownership difficult.
Article 21/11 of the law allows for the expropriation of private property for the public benefit without financial compensation. This is contrary to the Syrian constitution, which provides for fair financial compensation in case of expropriation of individual property for the public interest (5).
Decree No. 66 of 2012 targeted the areas of al-Razi and the organization of Kafarsousa, within the so-called “Marotta City.” The government is talking about a similar project in Baba Amr in Homs and in Eastern Aleppo. As for Darya, whose population has never been allowed to return, proposals suggest high-rise projects, and annexation to the province of Damascus while the heavy-weights in the Damascus Governorate Council suggest the entrance to the capital should begin in Qabun and the Tishreen district (6).
This new legislation and the previous decrees open doors to regime supporters to steal Syrians’ property. The law allows anonymous real estate development and joint-stock companies, regardless of their nature or nationality, to own shares in the regulatory zones, and establish themselves within these operational zones under the pretext of implementing public utilities and infrastructure projects.
Russian and Iranian allies are likely to come into conflict in the next four months regarding the quotas for each party, with the expectation that the Iranians’ share will decrease after the recent US-Israeli decision to remove it from Syria. The regime wants to strike at its opponents, and Russia wants to strike at the popular homogeneity in the opposition regions, so as to prevent objections to any future policies it may impose. Iran is looking to Yarmouk camp adjacent to the Sayyida Zeinab area to expand religious tourism and increase its influence in Syria through sectarianism.
The German government expressed its displeasure with the law, calling it “treacherous.” Germany is particularly concerned that these measures will reduce the chances of residents returning to Syria, as it is currently studying the return of two hundred thousand Syrian refugees as the first step in the process.
The United Nations has taken no steps to stop the massacres against the Syrian people. It also continues to recognize the legitimacy of the regime through allowing it to occupy its seat in the assembly and issue decrees and laws in its areas of concern. Some opposition lawyers believe that any steps taken by Syrian citizens to prove their ownership will mean recognizing the legitimacy of the law. They say that it is better to carry out international legal, human rights, and popular campaigns against these laws (7). International law protects the right of residents to adequate housing, and this must include guarantees of protection from forced eviction (8).
The official position of the regime in the face of widespread criticism is to defend the law. According to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Law 10 aims to reorganize destroyed areas and slums, and the elected local administrations will implement the changes. At the same time, the regime denies the claims regarding the confiscation of its opponents’ property. However, this confiscation has already taken place through Legislative Decree No. 63 of 2012, which enables the Ministry of Finance to seize the assets and property of individuals subject to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2012 and transfer these assets to the Syrian government. This anti-terrorism law provides a broad interpretation of terrorism and criminalizes a large number of Syrians without a fair trial.
Ironically, Ahmed al-Shara, Abu al-Julani, the leader of al-Qa’ida in Syria, still owns a home in Mezzeh, Damascus, and his father’s grocery store there – which are apparently not covered by the anti-terrorism law now affecting peaceful dissidents and activists!
References
1 – According to an article by Qusay Abdul Bari on the Eqtsad website
https://www.eqtsad.net/news/article/19667/
2- According to Ahmad Kazem al-Hindawi, the head of immigration and asylum in Europe at the Arab Organization for Human Rights, on the Eqtsad website in the previous link.
3 – The text of the decree, as published in the Syrian news agency SANA.
4- According to a Human Rights Watch report, only 50 percent of property was officially registered even before the war.
5- According to an investigation by the Syrian newspaper Anab.
6 – The Minister of Local Administration of the Syrian government, Hussein Khallouf, made a statement about the preparation of studies to organize some areas in the provinces under the new law, including the Damascus entrance from the Panorama building to the suburb of Harasta. The Damascus Governorate is considering the inclusion of the industrial zone in Qaboun, in addition to Joubar, Tadamon and Mezah 86, to be reorganized within the law.
7 – According to Hindawi’s statement to the Eqtsad website mentioned above: “We must not be dragged behind the law issued by the regime; that will give it legitimacy. The survival of Assad is based on not restoring any of the stolen rights.”
8 – According to the above report by Human Rights Watch.
Translated by Katie Jackson. The Arabic article can be found here.
[This article is published jointly in partnership with Jadaliyya.]
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | مايو 1, 2018 | Media Roundups, Syria in a Week
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
The Last Evacuation from Damascus
29 April 2018
Damascus reached an agreement with opposition factions that provides for the exit of opposition fighters from a site south of the Syrian capital that witnessed a military operation by government forces against ISIS fighters. This declaration came a week after the attack meant to oust ISIS fighters from the southern neighborhoods of the capital, including Yarmouk Camp for Palestinian refugees.
The official Syrian news agency (SANA) said that an agreement was reached on Sunday to evacuate opposition fighters and their family members from areas controlled by the opposition, east of Yarmouk Camp.
SANA cited information about an agreement being reached between the Syrian government and armed groups south of Damascus in the towns of Yalda, Bibeela, and Beit Sahem with guarantees from the Russian army, adding: “the agreement provides for the exit of fighters and their families who wish to leave, and settlement of the situation for those who wish to stay after they hand in their weapons.”
This agreement is the most recent in a series of similar agreements, in which the government took control over areas near the capital after the withdrawal of opposition fighters.
This agreement in Yalda allows the government to deploy forces on the eastern side of Yarmouk Camp, after other units advanced towards the camp from its western side, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The SOHR said that eighty-five fighters from government forces and seventy-four fighters from ISIS were killed during the ten-day battle south of Damascus.
The Three “Guarantors”
28 April 2018
The foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, and Iran concluded a several-hour meeting on Saturday in Moscow, stressing the importance of the Astana talks to push for a political settlement for the conflict in Syria.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Jawad Zarif held bilateral and tripartite meetings in Moscow. In a joint press conference held at the end of these discussions, the three ministers stressed the consensus of their views on Syria.
Russia and Iran, which support the Syrian government, along with Turkey, which supports Syrian opposition factions, sponsored the Astana talks that led to the establishment of four de-escalation zones in Syria.
Lavrov said that “the political dialogue in Astana has achieved results” more than other negotiation processes, emphasizing that the Astana talks “stand firmly on their feet” thanks to the “unique” cooperation between the three countries. Lavrov stressed that “Despite some differences, Turkey, Russia, and Iran have a common interest in helping Syrians.”
S-300 and Pragmatism
28 April 2018
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Friday in Washington that Israel is not concerned by Russia’s presence in Syria because Moscow is a “pragmatic” actor with whom deals can be struck.
“What is important to understand is that the Russians, they are very pragmatic players,” said Lieberman in response to questions regarding the current alliance between Moscow and Tehran in Syria, during a forum held by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Lieberman, who himself is of Russian origin, said: “At the end of the day they are reasonable guys, and it is possible to close deals with them and we understand what their interests are.” He added, “Their interest is very different from our interest but we respect their priorities. We try to avoid direct frictions and tensions.”
These statements came two days after an interview he made with the Ynet news website, in which he threatened to attack the Russian S-300 air defense system, which Moscow intends to supply Syrian forces with, in case it is used against Israeli targets.
Moscow signed an agreement with Damascus in 2010, in which the former delivers S-300 air defense batteries, however Damascus has not yet received these missiles primarily because of Israeli pressure, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
A “Play” in The Hague
27 April 2018
Representatives of several Western countries in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) denounced what they called a “blatant farce” prepared by Russia when the Syrian delegation in The Hague confirmed that there had been no chemical attack on the city of Douma near Damascus.
According to this delegation, which took the stand in front of representatives of the OPCW in The Hague, with the participation of the Russian Ambassador Alexander Shulgin, the supposed chemical attack in Douma on 7 April, was nothing more than a play.
Britain, followed by France, the United States, and a number of EU countries explicitly denounced the Syrian delegation’s briefing.
“The OPCW is not a theatre,” Peter Wilson, Britain’s envoy to the agency, said in a statement, adding “Russia’s decision to misuse it is yet another Russian attempt to undermine the OPCW’s work.” On his part, France’s Ambassador to the OPCW, Philippe Lalliot, called the Syrian briefing in The Hague an “obscene masquerade” prepared by the Syrian government “that has been killing and using gases against its own people for more than seven years.”
Footage from Douma was widely circulated, in which men, women, and children were sprayed with water after a supposed chemical attack.
In a press conference held in one of The Hague’s hotels, a Syrian man named Khalil, who presented himself as a doctor from Douma, said: “Unknown men created chaos and sprayed people with water … we clearly saw that there were not any symptoms from the use of chemical weapons.”
Confiscating Property of the Refugees
27 April 2018
A decree by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which allows for the confiscation of Syrian refugees’ properties, was met with resentment by the German government.
The German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, citing a statement from the German foreign ministry, said in its Friday issue that the German government intends to consult with partners in the European Union on “how to confront these treacherous plans.” The ministry’s statement said: “With deep concern, we are following attempts by the Assad government to question, through suspicious legal rules, the ownership of property belonging to numerous Syrians who fled the country.”
The ministry said that the Assad government is seemingly attempting “to radically change the situation in Syria in favor of the government and its supporters, making it difficult for a large number of Syrians to go back.” According to the newspaper’s report, the German government is calling on the United Nations to adopt this issue. The ministry’s statement said: “We call on the supporters of the Assad regime, especially Russia, to do what they can to prevent the implementation of these laws.”
Assad signed a decree this April that allows the Syrian government to put in place developmental property plans. The decree obliges house owners to present proof of ownership of their property within thirty days or else they will lose their entitlement for their property, which will be confiscated by the government. It is difficult for many Syrian refugees, who fled from the Assad government, to carry out these rules under the current circumstances.
A Decline in Aid
24-15 April 2018
UN Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said on Wednesday that donor countries pledged 4.4 billion dollars to help the Syrian people and the region in 2018, at a time when the UN is seeking to bridge the financial gap of more than six billion dollars.
More than eighty high-level delegations participated in the conference, which was hosted by the European Union and the United Nations in Brussels, with the aim of mobilizing financial support for Syria.
Lowcock said that several major donors, including the United States, had not yet confirmed their pledges for this year because of ongoing internal budget wrangling, adding that despite the shortage in funding “there is no doubt that without holding such conferences and without the funding we guarantee, things would have been much worse.”
The conference, which was attended by representatives from most of the global and regional powers, sought to revive the stalled UN-led peace process.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini called on Iran and Russia, the two main allies of the Syrian government, to “exercise pressure on Damascus so that it accepts to sit at the table under the UN auspices.”
The UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, who is trying to mediate a political agreement to end the conflict, said that he also did not expect a breakthrough after the conference, noting that military gains of the Syrian government will not be politically reflected on the negotiation table.
