Syrian Weekly Brief: 23-29 July 2012
Brief Date: Monday 30 July 2012
Top Stories:
High-level defections increase: Four senior diplomats defected to the opposition this week. They included Syria’s Ambassador to the UAE Abdelatif al-Dabbagh, his wife and Charge d’Affaires to Cyprus Lamia al-Hariri, Ambassador to Belarus Farouq Taha, and Consul to Armenia Mohammad Hafez. Ikhlas al-Badawi, of Aleppo, became the first Syrian parliamentarian to defect, fleeing this week to Turkey. As the opposition continues gaining ground and the regime intensifies its crackdowns, more government officials are expected to defect.
The regime escalates the scale of violence with fighter jets and the threat of using chemical weapons: The Syrian regime shifted its tactics this week when it began using MIG fighter jets on civilian areas and threatened to use chemical weapons against any potential foreign military intervention. This shift indicates the regime’s determination that it must use all weapons at its disposal to wipe out the rebels, who continue to gain ground, hold territory and seize key border crossings. The escalation of the fighting is expected to lead to more damage and casualties.
Uprising Developments
Regime’s Aleppo military offensive thwarted: Regime troops, backed by helicopter gunships, fighter jets, military tanks and rocket launchers, failed to retake the city of Aleppo. Despite inflicting heavy losses on rebel fighters, opposition forces repelled the ground assault and gained control of additional neighbourhoods. The regime is expected to push back against this advance, leading to intensifying clashes and higher casualties.
Syrian refugee numbers rise: The escalating violence in the country has triggered a mass exodus from the densely populated cities. The number of Syrians that took refuge in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq has reached 127,337, according to the UNHCR. Some 12,443 people fled the country within the past week, the majority from Aleppo. This means that almost 10 percent of the total number of refugees to have fled the country since the uprising began more than 16 months ago left the country last week. The number of refugees is expected to increase exponentially as the violence escalates throughout the country and especially in Aleppo.
Economy
EU strengthens arms embargo on Syria: The 27 EU ministers added 29 names to an existing list of more than 170 Syrian individuals and companies believed to be associated with the repression or benefiting from President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. They also endorsed a plan to enforce the bloc’s existing arms embargo, requiring inspections on the territory or in the territorial waters of EU states. These measures tighten the grip on the regime’s arms supply, which could give an advantage to the rebels, who have gained ground against a heavily armed regime using only lightweight weapons.
No salary increase this year: Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hejab announced there will be no salary increase in the public sector this year, due to the sinking government revenue. The international economic sanctions targeting the oil sector has cost the country more than USD 4bn in export revenue since the start of the uprising. International economic isolation will continue to squeeze the regime’s ability to prop up the public sector as well as fund its army and affiliated militias.
International Reactions
International community condemns Syria’s threat to use chemical weapons: The Syrian regime’s threat that it would use its chemical and biological weapons to combat any foreign attack has prompted international condemnation. U.S. President Barack Obama warned the Syrian regime that it would be “held accountable” for such a violation of international law while British Foreign Secretary William Hague called the threat levied by the regime “unacceptable.” Foreign ministers from the EU’s 27 member states described it as “monstrous” and “unacceptable.” Israel warned again that it would react promptly to any attempted chemical weapons transfer by the Syrian regime to Lebanese Hezbollah. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also said he was “deeply concerned” about reports that the regime might be willing to use chemical weapons, demanding that the Syrian government commit to not use them “under any circumstances.” Meanwhile, Russia said it had told the Syrian government it was unacceptable to threaten to use chemical weapons. The threat has further damaged Syria’s already abysmal foreign relations and underscored the likelihood of swift international reaction that would accompany any attempt by the regime to use or transfer chemical weapons.
International community fears massacre in Aleppo: The U.S., UK, France and UN warned that the Syrian army could be preparing to carry out a massacre in Aleppo as the regime amassed troops in preparation for a major assault inside the city. France has said that Russia and China must act within the UN Security Council to stop such a crackdown, while Russia warned that a “tragedy” was looming in Aleppo. The military build-up in Aleppo underscores the need for international will to prevent further massacres in Syria.
Russia continues to support the regime: Russia warned that it would not cooperate with European Union sanctions requiring EU governments to search vessels suspected of carrying weapons into Syria, a defiant stance that is likely to spark anger in the West and a clear indication that Russia shall continue to ship arms to the Syrian regime.
Syrian Press Focus
Iranian president offers 'unchangeable' support for Syria: The Syrian media covered an official visit to Tehran made by Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Walid Muallem where Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered continued support for the regime.
Syria faces a ‘global conspiracy’: Syrian media covered a number of op-eds in several Arabic media outlets, which talked about the ‘global conspiracy’ that Syria faces. The article described the Arab Spring revolutions in general as part of an international conspiracy in the region.
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