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‘Part of Syrian opposition wants violence to continue’
Published: 22 February, 2012, 06:12
TAGS: Conflict, Military, Politics, Opposition, War, Syria
Syria’s President Bashar Assad has proposed an urgent referendum on a draft constitution. The announcement, however, was followed by reports of new violence. At least 100 people were killed in heavy shelling by government forces in the city of Homs.
Lawrence Davidson, a professor of Middle-East History at West Chester University, believes that it would be premature to state that Syria is on the brink of all-out civil war. However, a part of the country’s opposition, he says, wants the violence to continue, whereas the voice of peaceful protesters has been lost amid the foreign-funded uprising.
“There is an element within the opposition that wants, essentially, that kind of violence, and that element is being funded and armed largely from the outside, largely from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf,” he told RT. “To a certain extent you’ve got the infiltration of mercenaries into Syria from the northern part of Lebanon.”
However, the historian points out that the large majority of those who protest in the streets do not want civil war.
“What they want is a change, an evolutionary change, in the regime,” he said. “I think that Assad is trying to sort of walk a middle line, saying ‘Look, we can evolve this regime, but you have to do it in a constitutional way. We are going to have this referendum’.”
Davidson believes that many Syrians would go for this offer. However, the armed groups have their own agenda, and this is why the referendum will not stop the violence, he added.
Another intriguing question pertaining to Assad’s initiative is whether the regime itself will follow through if things settle down. If there is no violence, no street demonstrations, then will the regime go down the announced path of democratic transformations?
“We can’t know that until it’s tried,” Davidson says. “However, it’s not going to be tried, because these outside-funded groups are not going to put down the gun.”
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- A confidential list of top Syrian officials suspected of ordering crimes against humanity including murder, abductions and torture has been given to the United Nations for possible future prosecution, U.N. investigators said on Thursday.
Syrian forces bent on crushing a popular uprising have shot dead unarmed women and children, shelled residential areas and tortured wounded protesters in hospital under orders from the "highest level" of army and government officials, the independent panel said in a report.
The
three-member panel said that they had drawn up a secret list of names
of commanding officers and officials alleged to be responsible for gross
violations.
The list, which also identifies armed opposition units tied to abuses, might help "future credible investigations by competent authorities."
"The list we have deposited with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is based on evidence we have collected since being appointed and covers the period from March 2011 to now," Brazilian expert Paulo Pinheiro who lead the team told Reuters.
Pinheiro, speaking by telephone from Sao Paolo, declined to say how many names the secret list contained or whether they included the names of ministers or President Bashar al-Assad.
"We're not a criminal investigative body or tribunal, it is not our mandate...One day a competent international body will deal with it," he told Reuters. "This is for the Syrian people to decide."
U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay -- whose office now has the sealed envelope containing the panel's list -- has previously said that the situation in Syria should be referred to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Why is the HAGUE waiting for, an international warrant should be issued for Assad and his henchmen involved with all the killing going on in Syria. They think because Assad's father did the same thing when he was in power, its going to work again. These simpletons should be hanged by the Syrain people. What do supposely intelligent and careing peope must do to stop this slaughtering thousands of innocent people. The only one's that wont'nt do anything are those who only care about doing bussiness with the ASSAD regime. Russia and China.