France: We Need to Accelerate Regime Change

After the EU sanctioned Syrian oil imports, and more regime figures and entities, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called for more international pressure on Bashar Assad. The announcement came during the EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Poland, in which EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: “We’ll continue to put the pressure on and to look for ways of doing so,” and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned “one cannot exclude talks in Europe over extra measures should the repression continue.”

In the meantime, Assad’s military operations against peaceful demonstrators continued, where five people were killed in Homs, Idlib and Hama.

The city of Homs was invaded by the army and security forces amidst heavy machinegun fire in the neighborhoods of Khalidya, Qosur, Joorat Shayyah, Ghouta, Deir Baalba, Bab Hood, Bab Sbaa, Sahat al-Sa’a, Karm Shami, Palmyra square, Inshaat, and many surrounding towns, such as Hoola and Rastan, where defections took place. Warplanes flew over Homs today as reports surfaced of mutineer soldiers shelling bases of Assad militias. It is noted that last week’s demonstrations in Homs were calling for international protection and a no-fly zone, and were condemning Russia and Erdogan.

In Idlib, security forces attacked Maarat an-Numan and al-Bara town in Jabal al-Zawiya in the municipality of Idlib. Many were injured and residential areas were damaged. While in Hama, the Assad forces are still looking for the defected Attorney General Adnan Bakkour as they combed the city and the surrounding towns and villages. At least one civilian was killed by the forces upon retreat as they usually shoot at onlookers who come out to witness the extent of destruction caused by Assad loyalists.

Security forces have arrested Rudaif Mustafa, the Director of the Kurdish Committee for Human rights, Mustafa Muhammad, a Kurdish activists, Mustafa Bakr, from the Yakiti party, Ala Hama, from Azadi party, and many other Kurdish activists. The arrests campaign started after the regime lost hope of turning the Kurds and Arabs against each other, as Kurds are still taking part in demonstrations daily. The regime has built its strategy on sowing discord between minorities in the country. These efforts are still ongoing as the Assad’s new strategy lies in trying to ignite a war between Druz and Bedouins in the south, and blame it on the demonstrators.
 

فرنسا: إذا لم يتغيّر بشّار الأسد، فسيتعيَّن زيادة الضغط على سورية