Opposition groups sign deal on post-Assad Syria

Members of the Syrian opposition meeting in Istanbul on Thursday announced a list of 140 dissidents forming a "national council" they established in August.

Πηγή: Courant
Dec 31 2011

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two leading Syrian opposition parties have agreed a road map to democracy if mass protests succeed in toppling President Bashar al-Assad, according to a copy of the document seen by Reuters.
The leading opposition group in exile, the Syrian National Council (SNC), signed the deal with the National Coordination Committee, a group whose majority is inside Syria and which had disagreed with the SNC's calls for foreign intervention.

That was one of several disputes that had fractured opposition groups and prevented them from reaching agreement on what a post-Assad Syria would look like.

Under their pact, the two sides "reject any military intervention that harms the sovereignty or stability of the country, without considering Arab intervention to be foreign."

Activists in Syria expressed pessimism Saturday that Arab League monitors now visiting the country can halt Assad's nine-month crackdown on the protests and have called for Arab states to take tougher measures to stop the bloodshed.

The deal outlines a one-year transitional period, which could be renewed once if necessary. In that period, the country would adopt a new constitution "that ensures a parliamentary system for a democratic, pluralistic civil state and guarantees the exchange of power through elections for a parliament and president of the republic."

The document says the deal will be presented to other opposition groups at a conference next month. Moulhem Droubi, a top ranking member of the SNC from Syria's Muslim Brotherhood, confirmed to Reuters the document had been signed Friday.

The document states "the people will be the source of power and basis of legality" and requires the state to be based on a separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers.

It also states religious freedom will be guaranteed by the new constitution and condemns any signs of sectarianism or "sectarian militarization."

Syria's revolt has become increasingly bloody as protests become overshadowed by armed rebels taking the fight to the security forces. The violence has sparked fears of sectarian war, as the backbone of the protest movement is Syria's Sunni Muslim majority while Assad is backed by many from the minority Alawite sect to which he belongs.

Opposition groups have come under criticism from some of their own members for not condemning sectarianism more openly and seeking full religious freedoms.

Turkey Moves to Directly Support Syrian Opposition

Πηγή: VoA

By Dorian Jones

Oct 7 2011

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is increasingly taking the lead in supporting the Syrian opposition. Erdoğan condemned the vetoing of a United Nations resolution against Damascus and has announced it will impose its own sanctions. This week saw the start of military exercises on the Syrian border.

The Turkish military is currently holding a five-day military exercise on the Syrian border. The last time such a major exercise occurred was 13 years ago when Ankara threatened to invade Syria unless it expelled the Turkish Kurdish rebel leader, Abdullah Ocalan. The diplomatic correspondent for the Turkish newspaper Milliyet, Semih Idiz, says the exercises are aimed at sending a message to the Syrians.

"This will represent a kind of muscle flexing on Turkey's part," said Idiz. "But I think we've got a long way for this to translate into a some kind of military confrontation. But I don't think we are at that stage. But its a clear indication the government has given up on Damascus. and its now concerned about protecting its 850-kilometer border with this country."

Protecting that border is important Idiz says, with the expectation in Ankara that an uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will continue to grow along with a risk of more refugees crossing the border. Already thousands have fled to Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to visit the refugee camps in the near future. Following that visit sanctions are expected to be announced. Mr. Erdogan, during a visit this week to South Africa, condemned the vetoing of a United Nations motion against Syria.

Erdoğan promised that Turkey and the European Union will move to tighten sanctions against Syria.

Details of the moves remain unclear. Turkey already is imposing an arms embargo.
Last month the Turkish navy intercepted a Syrian bound ship from Iran carrying arms.

But chief economist Emre Yigit of the Istanbul financial trading house Global Securities, says any new measures will have a limited effect.

"We don't know the amount held by the Syrian leaders in Turkish bank, if any. It could hurt them that way," said Yigit. "I dont think the Syrian economy would collapse as a result of Turkish sanctions. It would have an impact, it would make life a little difficult. But it would not stop the Syrian government from having the ability to rule the country as it wished."

Ankara is closely coordinating its sanctions' plan with Washington, says Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and visiting scholar of the Carnegie Institute in Europe, says:

"There have been a number very high level phones calls, conversations between the Turkish leaders and the U.S. leadership," said Ulgen. "And now the two sides are really on the same page and Turkish policy regards to Syria does seem to have the full support of the U.S. administration."

Ankara is also allowing the Syrian opposition to meet and organize in Turkey. The leader of a self styled "Syrian Free Army," made up of defectors from Syria's armed forces, is allowed to organize in Turkey.

Soli Ozel, columnist for the daily newspaper Haberturk, says that Ankara wants to avoid intervening in Syria.

"Despite all the bravado in the talk, I think Turkey is fundamentally conservative country, it will not want to go beyond certain limits," said Ozel. "But the real problem whether or not you will be able to control every step of the way, in this unfolding problem. We now hear, and I guess its reasonable to expect the opposition to begin arming and I am sure there are plenty of sources that would like to arm the opposition. Once that starts you are in shifting sands so whatever is your position today, may not hold ground in the future."

With Ankara severing nearly all its ties with Damascus, it seems fully committed to the opposition, whatever consequences that will bring.