Syria says armed groups behind unrest
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Xinhua, November 29, 2011
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Tens of thousands of Syrians protest against Arab League's decision to impose sanctions against Syria during a rally at the Sabe Bahrat square in downtown Damascus, capital of Syria, on Nov. 28, 2011. [Xinhua] |
Syria has repeatedly accused the West of complicating the situation in Syria by urging the opposition not to embark on a dialogue with the Syrian government and to "support the armed men."
Moallem renewed the government's invitation to all opposition figures outside Syria to engage in the dialogue "to build up the future of Syria." However, he said the West is regrettably preventing opposition figures outside Syria from getting involved in a national dialogue.
Earlier this month, The U.S. Obama administration has further urged the armed groups in Syria not to surrender themselves to authorities in Syria after Damascus announced an amnesty to those who turn themselves in.
The Western-backed Syrian National Council (SNC), a group of Syrian opposition abroad, has been roaming across Europe soliciting the international community's recognition of it as the only legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
Many Syrians appeared on the national TV, pointing out that "we haven't heard of these people (broad-based opposition) until recently, so how could they represent us?"
The SNC has further called on Turkey to impose a buffer zone along its borders with Syria, apparently to give the so-called Syrian Free Army (SFA), a group of alleged defectors, a Benghazi- like area.
In anticipation to such move, the Syrian army has finished deployment along the borders with Turkey in an operation titled "break the illusion," according to the Lebanese al-Manar TV.
The SFA has recently claimed responsibility of many attacks that targeted governmental and army bases. Their latest attacks claimed the lives of 22 army officers, including 6 pilots.
While the international uproar and threats to Syrian regime increases, Russia was set to send warships, including its only aircraft carrier, to the Syrian port of Tartus in early spring next year, a senior Russian officer was cited by the Russian daily Izvestia as saying.
The vessels include the Admiral Kuznetsov, which will have eight Su-33 fighter aircrafts, several new MiG-29K fighter jets and two Ka-27 naval helicopters on board, according to the daily.
"The call of the Russian ships in Tartous should not be seen as a gesture towards what is going on in Syria ... This was planned already in 2010 when there were no such events there," the officer was quoted as saying.
However, former Russian naval chief Victor Kravchenko said the naval mission to Tartous will prevent any NATO military involvement in Syria, according to the paper.
Tartous already hosts a Soviet-era naval supply and maintenance base, under a 1971 agreement with Syria, which is still staffed by Russian naval personnel.
Moallem, however, reasserted that there would be no military intervention in Syria.
As part of the escalating pressures on the Syrian government, The Arab League (AL) on Monday hit Syria with economic sanctions after Damascus missed the AL deadline to sign a draft protocol to allow hundreds of observers into the country as part of a peace deal Syria agreed to early this month to end the crisis.
The AL sanctions included freezing Syrian government's funds, halting the commercial business with Syrian government except strategic commodities that affect people's life, and suspending flights to Syria.
The resolution was backed by 19 members of the 22-nation organization, except Iraq and Lebanon, two neighboring countries of Syria.
Syria said the draft protocol represents an encroachment against Syria's sovereignty.
Moallem said the AL was pushing, via its recent decisions, to internationalize the Syrian crisis, noting that the AL sanctions demonstrate their premeditated intention for escalation in Syria.
