Syrian rights activists say government security forces have clashed with army defectors in several parts of the country, as Syrians voted in municipal elections that are the first test of reforms promised by the government. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting Monday was taking place in the northwestern Idlib province and in the southern province of Daraa. The elections cover more than 17,000 seats on local councils across the country’s 14 provinces.  The government has called for a large voter turnout. The poll comes a day after violence killed up to 18 people nationwide.  The clashes Sunday included a major confrontation in southern Syria, where army defectors battled loyalist forces backed by tanks near the Jordanian border. Watch Syria video clip: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said eight people were killed across Syria Sunday, while the opposition Local Coordination Committee put the death toll at 18. It was not possible to independently verify the death toll. Also Monday, Syria denied any involvement in an attack Friday that wounded four French peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.  The statement by Syria’s foreign ministry followed accusations from French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, who said Sunday that Syria was probably behind the attack, though he had no evidence. In the flash point city of Homs, an opposition leader said the government has warned protesters to hand in weapons and surrender defecting military members by Monday night or face bombardment. CNN quoted Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Hamdo of the Free Syrian Army as saying the 72-hour warning was given Saturday. Several regions across Syria observed the opposition’s call for a general strike Sunday, the first working day of the week, as activists push for an end to President Bashar al-Assad’s government through civil disobedience. The opposition Local Coordination Committee has urged citizens to gradually escalate the protests by holding sit-ins, closing facilities and refusing to work in the public sector. Also Sunday, fallout from the anti-government protests spilled over into neighboring Jordan, where a crowd of angry Syrian citizens attacked their country’s embassy. The Syrian mission in Amman has been the scene of several protests since the anti-government uprising broke out in Syria nine months ago. Assad has been facing mounting international pressure to end a crackdown on dissent that the United Nations says has claimed more than 4,000 lives. Join the conversation on our social journalism site – Middle East Voices . Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page.

Continue reading " Syrians to Vote in Local Elections "

Syria faced new sanctions Sunday after ignoring an Arab League deadline to let observers into the country as part of a plan to end a military crackdown on protests, which the U.N. says has killed at least 4,000 people. Senior league officials said that failure to reach an agreement could lead to outside involvement in the Syrian crisis. The latest standoff between the two sides came as activists said new violence killed at least nine civilians Sunday, including a father and his three children and a female university professor.  At least 25 people died across Syria in anti-government unrest Saturday. A local activist network put the death toll from violence Sunday at at least 21, but the number could not be independently verified.   Meanwhile, Reuters news agency quoted Syrian activists Sunday as saying that about a dozen secret police have defected from an intelligence compound in Idlib province, near the Turkish border.  The activists said a gunfight broke out overnight after the defectors fled the compound and 10 people on both sides were killed or wounded. A senior U.S. official said Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is responsible for deepening the sectarian division in the country.  Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State ((for Near Eastern affairs)), accused Mr. Assad of forcing his minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam, into a bloody conflict with other sects and “fulfilling his own prophecy that Syria is going to move into more chaos and civil war.” Speaking in Amman, Jordan, Feltman also charged that Syria’s ally Iran was “actively engaged” in supporting the Syrian regime’s lethal crackdown and “facilitating” the murder of Syrian people.  He added that both Hezbollah and Iran had agents in Syria to bolster Mr. Assad’s waning regime. The Arab League on Saturday froze assets of 19 top Syrian officials and banned them from traveling to Arab states.   Syria’s failure to meet an earlier league deadline resulted in the enactment of a series of measures including a ban on dealings with the central bank, a halt to Arab funding of projects in Syria and a freezing of Syrian government assets. In Istanbul Saturday, visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden praised Turkey for taking steps to address repression in Syria.  He added his voice to those calling for Mr. Assad to step down. Syria has contended its actions are not a crackdown on protests, but a necessary response to attacks by “armed terrorists” on civilians and security personnel. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page.

Continue reading " Syria Faces New Sanctions as Violence Continues "

Libyan anti-Gadhafi forces are drawing closer to Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte, as they continue to search for the embattled leader after seizing control of the country’s capital. Rebel commanders in Misrata say opposition forces pushing towards Sirte from the west have moved within 30 kilometers of the coastal city, which is located 450 kilometers east of Tripoli.  An opposition spokesman said Sunday that anti-government forces would seize Sirte by force if negotiations with tribal leaders for its surrender failed. Gadhafi has not been seen since rebel fighters seized Tripoli, and the Sirte region is considered one area where he may have fled. The head of the opposition Transitional National Council, Mustafa Jalil, said Monday that Mr. Gadhafi still poses a threat to Libya and the world.  Jalil also called for the continued support of NATO, which has been carrying out airstrikes against pro-Gadhafi forces since March under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians.  His comments came as defense officials from countries involved militarily in Libya met in Qatar. Earlier Sunday, rebels said they had captured the town of Bin Jawad, 150 kilometers east of Sirte, after several days battling loyalist fighters. Human rights activists say pro-Gadhafi forces committed possible war crimes as rebels moved into the Libyan capital last week, killing scores of detainees and arbitrarily executing dozens of civilians. Human Rights Watch said Sunday its researchers have documented more than 110 corpses in four locations in Tripoli, many of whom appear to have been killed execution-style either while in detention or with their hands bound. A metal warehouse in a compound controlled until last week by Libya’s elite Khamis Brigade contains about 50 scorched skeletons. A VOA correspondent who visited the structure said another eight bodies lie outside, one with his hands tied behind his back. A survivor said that as rebel forces approached, loyalist soldiers shot their prisoners, then tried to burn the bodies. Opposition military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Bani said rebels are concerned for the fate of some 40,000 prisoners who were detained by Gadhafi’s forces. Bani said Sunday that more than 10,000 detainees have been freed from government jails since Tripoli fell last week. So far, there have been no specific allegations of atrocities carried out by rebel fighters. But the Associated Press reports it remains unclear who is responsible for some of the killings, including those of dozens of dark-skinned men whose bodies were found in two areas of Tripoli. A Red Cross ship entered Tripoli harbor Sunday carrying supplies for the city, which saw days of fighting between rebels and Gadhafi supporters last week. A VOA correspondent reported that the capital has widespread shortages of medicine, drinking water and other basic supplies. Many areas are still without electricity. Libyan rebels earlier gained control of a key border post near Tunisia, and the Reuters news agency reported Sunday that authorities in Tunis had reopened the main Ras Jdir crossing into Libya. Trucks loaded with food and other supplies began to move towards Tripoli, about a 2-hour drive away. In the west, opposition fighters were still battling for control of Zuwarah. Rebels faced stiff resistance from Gadhafi loyalists during efforts to advance into the city, which is on a major supply route into Tripoli.

Continue reading " Libyan Rebels Move Closer to Sirte "