بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | ديسمبر 25, 2018 | Syria in a Week
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Trump Withdraws
19 – 23 December 2018
Reuters
US President Donald Trump overrode his top national security advisors, blindsided US ground commanders, and stunned lawmakers and allies with his order for US troops to leave Syria, a decision that upends US policy in the Middle East. Trump defended on Thursday his surprise decision to declare victory over ISIS in Syria and completely withdraw US troops from the country, amid criticism from some Republicans and concern from allies and some US military commanders. Trump tweeted that he was fulfilling a promise from his 2016 presidential campaign to leave Syria. Echoing a central plank of his foreign policy–that he seeks to stop the United States being taken advantage of–he said the United States was doing the work of other countries, including Russia and Iran, with little in return. “Does the USA want to be the policeman of the Middle East, getting nothing but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight,” he tweeted.
A US official said the United States would probably end its air campaign against extremists in Syria when it pulls out its troops. The US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis opposed the decision and abruptly announced on Thursday that he was resigning after meeting with the president. In a candid letter to Trump, the retired Marine general emphasized the importance of “showing respect” to allies that have voiced surprise and concern about the president’s decision. Democrats joined several republicans in Congress in urging the president to reverse course, saying the withdrawal would strengthen the hand of Russia and Iran in Syria and enable a resurgence of ISIS. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Friday called for immediate US Senate hearings on President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw all US troops from Syria, which prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The surprise announcement by Trump that he would withdraw roughly 2,000 troops has felled a pillar of US policy in the Middle East. Critics say Trump’s decision will make it harder to find a diplomatic solution to Syria’s seven-year-old conflict.
US officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said that the US military ground commanders are concerned over the effects of a rapid withdrawal and that they were taken by surprise with the troop withdrawal decision. A US official said that all US State Department personnel would be evacuated from Syria within twenty-four hours, after the White House said it had started withdrawing US forces. The official said the US plans to pull military forces out of the country once the final stages of the last operation against ISIS is complete, and that the time-frame for the troop pullout is expected to be between sixty to one hundred days. The US president said on Sunday that he spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about “a slow and highly coordinated” withdrawal of US troops from Syria. Trump said he and Erdogan also discussed “heavily expanded” trade between the United States and Turkey, after the two NATO allies’ relationship went into a tailspin over the summer. The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Saturday that United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured the Prime Minister that the US is still committed to fighting ISIS in Iraq and other areas despite its planned withdrawal of troops from Syria.
Turkey on Standby
20-23 December 2018
Reuters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “cautiously” welcomed Washington’s decision to withdraw its troops from Syria, adding that his country would postpone a military operation against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria. Reuters reported that Turkey began reinforcing its positions on both sides of its border with Syria on Sunday, as Ankara and Washington agreed to coordinate a US withdrawal from Syria. The heightened military activity comes two days after Erdogan said Turkey would postpone a planned military operation against Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria following the US decision to pull out. “We have postponed our military operation against (Kurdish fighters) east of the Euphrates river until we see on the ground the result of America’s decision to withdraw from Syria,” stressing that this was not an “open-ended waiting period”.
The Turkish presidency said that Erdogan and Trump agreed on Sunday to coordinate to prevent an authority vacuum from developing as the United States withdraws from Syria. In a phone call between the two leaders, Erdogan also expressed satisfaction with steps taken by Washington regarding combating terrorism in Syria and said Turkey was ready to provide any type of support, the presidency said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogand said on Friday that Turkey will take over the fight against ISIS in Syria as the United States withdraws its troops, in the latest upheaval wrought by Washington’s abrupt policy shift.
Russia Welcomes
19 – 22 December 2018
Reuters
The Kremlin said on Friday that it did not understand what the United States’ next steps in Syria would be, and that chaotic and unpredictable decision-making was creating discomfort in international affairs. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow wanted more information about the planned withdrawal of US troops from Syria, announced unexpectedly by President Donald Trump this week. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he largely agreed with Trump that ISIS had been defeated, but added there was a risk it could recover. He also questioned what Trump’s announcement meant in practical terms, saying there was no sign yet of a withdrawal of US forces, whose presence in Syria Moscow calls illegitimate.
TASS news agency reported the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying on Wednesday that a decision to withdraw US troops from Syria creates prospects for a political settlement of the crisis there. TASS also cited the ministry as saying that an initiative to form a Syrian constitutional committee had a bright future with the US troop withdrawal. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said that the US military presence in Syria had been “a mistake, illogical and a source of tension”, in Tehran’s first reaction to President Donald Trump’s planned pull-out.
Kurds Are Losing
19 – 23 December 2018
Reuters
After being among the biggest winners of Syria’s war, the Kurds stand to lose most from the US decision to withdraw forces who have helped them battle ISIS militants and deter Ankara and Damascus. With the US help, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have captured large parts of northern and eastern Syria from ISIS, but warn that the extremists still pose a threat even if President Donald Trump has declared their defeat.
The US-backed SDF spearheaded by the People’s Protection Units (YPG) said a Turkish attack would force it to divert fighters from the battle against ISIS to protect its territory. The co-president of the Syrian Democratic Council Ilham Ahmed said on Friday that the Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria may not be able to continue to hold ISIS prisoners if the situation in the region gets out of control after a US pullout. The US-backed SDF would have to withdraw fighters from the battle against ISIS to protect its borders in the event of a Turkish attack, spokesman Mustafa Bali told Reuters on Friday.
French presidency officials met representatives of the Kurdish-dominated SDF in Paris on Friday and assured them of French support, an Elysee palace official said. The SDF officials included Ilham Ahmed and Riad Darrar. “The advisers passed on a message of support and solidarity and explained to them the talks France had with US authorities to continue the fight against ISIS,” an Elysee official said.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, which have been fighting the militant group with US support for three years, said the withdrawal of troops would leave Syrians stuck between “the claws of hostile parties” fighting for territory in the seven-year war. The SDF are in the final stages of a campaign to recapture areas seized by the militants, but they face the threat of a military incursion by Turkey, which considers the Kurdish YPG fighters who spearhead the force to be a terrorist group, and Syrian forces committed to restoring government control over the whole country. The SDF said the battle against ISIS had reached a decisive phase that required more support, not a precipitate US withdrawal, which threatens to “revive” and lead to a “political and military vacuum in the area.”
Europe is the Last to Know
19 – 23 December 2018
Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he deeply regretted US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. This abrupt shift in Washington’s policy in the Middle East alarmed US allies. French Defense Minister Florence Parly said US President Donald Trump took “an extremely grave decision” to pull troops from Syria, adding: “We do not share the analyses that ISIS has been annihilated.”
France and Germany, US allies in NATO, warned that the US change of course risked damaging the campaign against ISIS which seized big swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014-2015 but have now been beaten back to a sliver of Syrian territory.
A German defense ministry spokesman said in a news conference on Friday that the United States’ decision to withdraw from Syria had no direct impact on Germany’s mandate in the fight against ISIS. A government spokeswoman said that German would have found it helpful if the United States had consulted with other governments before deciding to withdraw US troops from Syria. Additionally, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday that the United States’ sudden change of course on Syria is surprising and risks damaging the fight against ISIS. Similarly, British Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood said on Wednesday that he strongly disagrees with Trump, adding that ISIS “has morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive.”
ISIS Attacks Once Again
19 – 21 December 2018
Reuters
ISIS launched an attack on Friday on positions held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hajjin in southeastern Syria and the US-led coalition mounted air strikes in the area, said Mustafa Bali, Director of the Media Center of the SDF. “ISIS launched a massive attack, fierce fighting is going on there… Our forces liberated only thirty-five percent of Hajjin,” said Bali on Twitter. ISIS used car bombs and dozens of militants in the attack near Abu Khaser village in the Hajjin area of southeastern Syria, where the SDF and coalition are battling to wipe out the last ISIS pocket east of the Euphrates River, Bali added.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Wednesday that Islamic State militants had executed nearly seven hundred prisoners in nearly two months in eastern Syria. The SOHR added that the prisoners were among one thousand and three hundred and fifty civilians and fighters that the group had been holding in territory near the Iraqi border. SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Kobani told Reuters last week that at least five thousand ISIS fighters remain holed up in the enclave, including many foreigners who appear ready to fight to the death.
Constitutional Committee Fumbling
19 December 2018
Reuters
Russia, Iran and Turkey, the supporters of the main sides in the Syrian conflict, failed on Tuesday to agree on the makeup of a UN-sponsored Syrian Constitutional Committee but called for it to convene early next year to kick off a viable peace process. After the trio met UN Syria peace envoy Staffan de Mistura, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov read out a joint statement saying that the new initiative should be guided “by a sense of compromise and constructive engagement”. The ministers had hoped to seal their joint proposal on a committee–which could usher in elections – and win UN blessing for it. But the statement by the three made no mention of the composition of the panel, pointing to lingering disagreement over lists of candidates. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking to Turkish state media, said that the three countries had made “important contributions” to the creation of the panel and that suggested names were assessed.
De Mistura, addressing a separate news conference, made clear the three powers had not nailed down a workable political forum yet, after years of abortive attempts at ending a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced around half of Syria’s population. “I believe there is an extra mile to go in the marathon effort to ensure the necessary package for a credible, balanced, and inclusive constitutional committee… to be established under UN auspices in Geneva,” de Mistura added.
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | ديسمبر 19, 2018 | Syria in a Week
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Ripping the “Last Enclave”
14 December 2018
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took control on Friday of Hajjin, the most important and prominent town in the “last enclave” controlled by ISIS east of Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The SDF, which includes Kurdish and Arab factions and receives support from the US-led international coalition, has been trying to end ISIS’s presence in eastern Syria. Since the 10th of September, the SDF has led an offensive to oust the extremist group from the last enclave in the eastern countryside of Deir Azzor, near the Iraqi border, which ISIS has been fiercely defending. “After one week of fierce battles and bombardment, the SDF, with support from the international coalition, were able to oust ISIS from Hajjin, the largest town in the enclave on Friday,” chief of the SOHR Rami Abdul Rahman told the AFP.
After heavy fighting, the SDF reached Hajjin on the 6th of December and fought battles against the extremists who had to withdraw to the east using a network of tunnels they had previously built. ISIS still holds control of most of the enclave, which includes several villages including al-Sooseh and al-Sha’feh.
According to the international coalition, around two thousand ISIS militants are entrenched inside the enclave, most of whom are presumed to be foreigners or Arabs. The SDF faced numerous obstacles in advancing in this enclave. ISIS militants are fiercely fighting in this enclave, which has been besieged by the SDF for months and targeted by coalition airstrikes. According to analysts, ISIS militants realize they will be killed sooner or later and they no longer have anywhere to withdraw to, which explains their fierce fighting.
Damascus Is Watching and Moscow Is Happy
15 December 2018
The leader of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) Siban Hamo told al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper that Russian officials are “happy” about Turkish army threats to the YPG and the Americans in north-eastern Syria, and that Damascus is “watching these threats.” Hamo called on the Syrian government to work towards “protecting Syria’s border and territory, and we are ready for joint work to confront Turkey,” adding that “the US army accelerated the deployment of six observation posts on the Syrian-Turkish border and patrols” along the border. Hamo emphasized that Turkey is “doing all it can and giving priority to eliminate what Kurds have gained. It mobilized its forces on the border and carried out bombardment inside Syria. Turkish intelligence officials met with Syrian factions and told them to be ready for a military operation, in a repeat of what happened in Afrin,” in the countryside of Aleppo early this year when the Turkish army launched the Olive Branch operation in cooperation with Syrian factions.
Against “Unilateral Action”
15 December 2018
The EU Foreign Affairs Chief, Federica Mogherini, asked Turkey on Saturday to “refrain from unilateral action” in Syria after Ankara threatened to launch a new offensive against the Kurdish fighters supported by Washington. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country has launched since 2016 two attacks north of Syria, said on Wednesday that a new operation will be launched “in the upcoming days,” which will target the YPG east of the Euphrates.
“The statements of a possible Turkish military operation in north-eastern Syria are a source of concern,” said Mogherini on Saturday. She added: “we expect the Turkish authorities to refrain from any unilateral action likely to undermine the efforts of the counter-ISIS coalition or to risk further instability in Syria.” She went on to say that confronting ISIS has entered “the final stage,” calling on “all parties” to work towards “achieving the goal of ensuring its upcoming defeat, which remains an indispensable objective for any durable solution to the Syrian crisis.”
Any Turkish military operation threatens deteriorating the situation because of the US military alliance with the Kurdish fighters. Turkey and the United States are two NATO allies, however, the relationship between the two countries witnessed tensions in recent years especially after the cooperation between Washington and the YPG which stirred Ankara’s anger.
“Stay Away from the Clash of Elephants”
15 December 2018
US officials told political and military leaders in the Syrian opposition allies of Ankara that the US army considers the area east of the Euphrates and the city of Manbej a “red line”. Military and political communications between the US and Turkey intensified in the last couple of days after Ankara threatened to launch a military operation in northern Syria against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is Washington’s ally in the war against ISIS. Sources say that Syrian opposition factions will participate in the military operation.
US officials told the Syrian National Coalition and the Free Syrian Army that their “participation in the operation in any form would be considered an attack on the United States and the international coalition and would lead to direct confrontation with them. US forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces are intertwined, which means the SDF cannot be attacked without targeting the US or the coalition forces and engaging them.” US officials said that “when elephants dance, you must stay away from the dance floor.”
The US Presidential Envoy to the International Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Brett McGurk, said that any Turkish military operation “would not be wise.”
The Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said: “we are part of the international coalition against ISIS and we support the fight against terrorists, so we want to coordinate our efforts. Our military are in close contact with the Americans and the rest of the coalition, as well as the Russians, in order to avoid any confrontation.”
Head of the opposition coalition, Abdul Rahman Mustafa, said that “any military operation to eliminate these organizations (the Kurdish units) will be welcomed and supported.”
Cross-border Extension
13 December 2018
The UN Security Council extended the cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid despite Moscow’s opposition and its demand that this mechanism to be extended for six months only. This mechanism was established by the Security Council in the summer of 2014 and was extended to 10 January 2018. It was extended on Thursday for twelve months with thirteen countries voting in favor while Russia and China abstaining.
The head of the Humanitarian Affairs at the UN, Reena Ghelani, called on the Security Council in November to extend this mechanism for one year. Ghelani said: “around 4.3 million people need aid in areas not controlled by the government,” adding that “this includes around three million who cannot be reached except by cross-border operations.” She added: “renewing this Security Council resolution will allow for the continuation of saving lives. Millions of people will be affected by your decision,” stressing that “every truck is inspected to make sure that it only carries humanitarian supplies.”
This UN authorization will pave the way to provide food and medical aid to civilians in 2019 and avoid potential objection from the Syrian government or the opposition. The Security Council established this mechanism in the 14th of July 2014 under resolution 2165, which was unanimously adopted. It was extended in 2017.
Until the Last Breath
16 December 2018
The outgoing UN Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said that he would meet with high-level representatives of regional powers Russia, Turkey, and Iran on Monday the 17th of December in Geneva in an attempt to achieve progress in political talks between Syrian factions by the end of the year. De Mistura added that the Geneva talks next week would provide a gateway, and that he is preparing a final evaluation of whether there is an opportunity to form a Syrian committee that is “credible, balanced, and inclusive” in order to reform the country’s constitution.
Moscow intensified its talks with Ankara and Tehran, its two allies in the Astana process, as well as Damascus in order to solve the issue of forming the Syrian constitutional committee through the “Astana-Sochi” process, and face US intention to escalate the situation and hold the Syrian government responsible for the failure of forming the committee. If Moscow’s move succeeds, a meeting of Russian, Turkish, and Iranian foreign ministers – or high officials – will be held in Geneva to present a draft list of the constitutional committee to de Mistura early next week, i.e. on the eve of de Mistura’s last presentation to the Security Council on the 20th of December before he hands over his mission to the Norwegian diplomat Geir Perdersen.
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | ديسمبر 11, 2018 | Syria in a Week
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Northern Syria Between Turkey and the United States
7 December 2018
(Reuters)
The Turkish-US working committee on Syria said on Friday that the two countries agreed to speed up efforts to put in place an agreement on Manbij, in the countryside of Aleppo, by the end of the year. Turkey and the United States reached the deal on Syria’s Manbij this year after months of disagreement, under which the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) is to withdraw from the city. Ankara, which considers the YPG a terrorist organization, says that the withdrawal has not happened yet. During a meeting on Friday, the two sides also agreed to continue joint work with regard to other areas, as mentioned in the Manbij roadmap. The official Anadolu news agency said that Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told the US Special Envoy to Syria James Jeffrey that the United States should give up on building observation points in Syria.
Last month, the United States Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that his country is setting up “observation posts” along parts of the border between Turkey and Syria to help keep the focus on defeating ISIS in Syria. However, Turkey has expressed unease with the plans and has been angry at US support for the YPG, which is a main ally in the fight against ISIS.
More Eliminations
9 December 2018
A former leader in the Free Syria Army (FSA), Mashhour al-Kanakri, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Da’el, in the countryside of Daraa on Sunday. According to Enab Baladi website, two unidentified gunmen shot al-Kanakri while he was in Da’el and he was killed instantly. Government forces did not comment on his death and no one has claimed responsibility for the assassination. Al-Kanakri was from the city of Da’el and held a leadership role in al-Jabha al-Janobieh Brigade (The Southern Front), which was affiliated with the FSA, before he settled his status and joined the government forces in July.
In Afrin, one person was killed and several others were injured on Sunday 9 December, after an explosive device was detonated in a car for the Sultan Murad Brigade, which is affiliated with the FSA and stationed in the town of Bolbol in Afrin countryside. This is the second explosion of its kind in one week, according to Enab Baladi, after another explosive device was detonated in one of the brigade’s car in the al-Mahmodieh district of Afrin, which left one person dead and another injured. No one claimed responsibility for this explosion either. This incident comes two days after the YPG declared the deaths of members of the Turkish army and the FSA, after targeting their positions in Afrin.
SDF Progressing
9 December 2018
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that it has gained new territory from ISIS in the Hajjin area in the countryside of Deir Azzor. The SDF stated that its forces were able to advance two kilometers and deploy thirty posts in al-Baghoz and deploy thirty-five new posts after repelling fierce ISIS attacks. On the other hand, the ISIS new agency Amaq said that the group’s fighters targeted a gathering of SDF fighters with a guided missile in the village of al-Bahra, east of Hajjin. SDF has been engaged in military operations with the support of the international coalition to control the Hajjin pocket in the countryside of Boukamal, east of the Euphrates. In the last two days, the US-led international coalition’s airplanes have intensified their airstrikes against Hajjin, the last stronghold for the group.
ISIS Executions
5 December 2018
(Reuters)
The UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday that the UN has reports of ISIS executing people who are perceived as cooperating with opposition fighters in Deir Azzor governorate in eastern Syria.
Speaking to a news conference in Geneva, Bachelet voiced deep concerns for seven thousand civilians who she said were in a trapped situation by the Islamic State fighters, which has prevented them from leaving Deir Azzor and the effects of the air strikes by the US-led coalition. She explained: “we also have reports of ISIS executing people perceived as cooperating with the SDF or other parties to the conflict,” adding that civilians were being used as “pawns and bargaining chips” in the conflict.
Attack on Damascus Airport?
9 December 2018
(Reuters and Enab Baladi)
The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) issued a report on Sunday saying that the Syrian air defenses had intercepted enemy targets around Damascus international airport, but later in the day SANA said that the attack had not happened. In its initial report the agency said: “our air defenses intercepted enemy aerial targets in the vicinity of Damascus international airport in southern Damascus.” The agency later removed the report from its website. Still, it quoted later a source at the Damascus international airport as saying “there was no attack on the airport and the air traffic is normal.” However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) declared that there had been firing near the airport. Several explosion sounds were heard in Damascus suburbs as air defenses were launched close to the airport, according to the SOHR.
Al-Ikhbarieh al-Sourieh, an official TV news channel, started its live coverage of the bombing near Damascus at ten in the evening, only to abruptly stop afterwards. Damascus Now network said that, the vicinity of Damascus airport and military positions south of Damascus, were subject to “unidentified” bombardment. Voice of the Capital network also mentioned preliminary information that confirms the targeting of a recently built depot in the vicinity of Damascus airport. Israel did not comment on the bombardment, a policy taken in several bombing events of military positions in Syria in recent months. These latest events come one week after a rocket attack that targeted Syrian government military positions in al-Kisweh, in the western countryside of Damascus, and southern Syria.
North Korea and Syria
4 December 2018
Officials said that Syria and North Korea’s foreign ministers met in Damascus on Tuesday and thanked each other for their support during years of international isolation. The Foreign Minister of North Korea Ri Yong Ho thanked Walid al-Moualem for Syria’s opposition to economic sanctions on Pyongyang, according to Syria’s foreign ministry. Moualem said Syria was grateful for North Korea’s support in international forums. UN monitors say the relationship has gone deeper than diplomacy and accused North Korea in February of cooperating with Syria on chemical weapons–a charge North Korea had denied.
Israel in 2007 bombed a suspected nuclear reactor in eastern Syria which it said was being constructed with help from North Korea and had been months away from activation. Syria, a signatory of the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has always denied that the site was a reactor or that Damascus engaged in nuclear cooperation with North Korea. Both countries have faced international isolation, North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, and Syria over its nearly eight-year-old civil war.
Pressure on Refugees
6 December 2018
The Lebanese General Security announced a campaign to close violating shops that are owned or managed by Syrian citizens. The campaign includes various areas only in Akkar governorate, where the General Security is carrying out inspections of institutions and shops owned by Syrians, according to the state-run National News Agency.
In February of 2017, the Labor Ministry issued a decree stipulating conditions for Syrians to open investment projects in Lebanon. Under the decree, a Syrian project owner must have two or more Lebanese sponsors, in addition to paying due taxes. If the shop is small, the decree stipulates that the shop owner must employ a Lebanese citizen, in addition to paying taxes.
This decree led to the closure of tens of shops in various Lebanese governorates because their owners were not able to adhere to the required conditions. The Lebaneses constantly complain about competition from Syrian refugees in the labor market, and have repeatedly demanded that their commercial shops be closed.
Failure of the Return
7 December 2018
(Enab Baladi and Daily Star)
The Ministry of State for Refugee Affairs said that the Russian plan to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to Syria cannot be implemented from a practical standpoint. In a statement to the Daily Star on Friday 7 December, Minister Mouin al-Merehbi said that Russia does not have the capability to implement the plan because it did not and will not provide the necessary guarantees to encourage refugees to return. Merehbi added that the Russian plan has stalled, but Moscow did not officially acknowledge that.
In July, Russia announced a plan for the return of Syrian refugees to their country, saying that under the plan 1.7 million refugees would go back. Since then, Russia has sought to mobilize international support for its plan, however, it was faced with international refusal, especially after the European Union said that Syria “is not safe yet” for refugees to return.
Although Lebanon was one of the first countries to welcome the Russian plan, Merehbi statements indicate the failure of its implementation in Lebanon. Several Lebanese officials held meeting with Russian officials to discuss the implementation of the plan in Lebanon. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri asked his counselor for Russian affairs to communicate with Russian officials to understand the details of the suggestions announced by Moscow. A Lebanese official close to the Russian initiative said the government vacuum in Lebanon has hampered the Russian plan in the country.
بواسطة Syria in a Week Editors | نوفمبر 28, 2018 | Syria in a Week
The following is a selection by our editors of significant weekly developments in Syria. Depending on events, each issue will include anywhere from four to eight briefs. This series is produced in both Arabic and English in partnership between Salon Syria and Jadaliyya. Suggestions and blurbs may be sent to info@salonsyria.com.
Gas and shelling on Sochi
25 November 2018
In a new chapter of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, more than one hundred people were wounded in a suspected toxic gas attack in the Syrian city of Aleppo late Saturday. The Syrian government and Russia blamed opposition militants for the attack. A health official in Aleppo said victims suffered breathing difficulties, eye inflammation, and other symptoms suggesting the use of chlorine gas. The injured people were taken to al-Razi and University hospitals. Medical sources told the official Syrian news agency SANA that there were “one hundred and seven cases of breathing difficulties.” The head of health directorate said that the substance used was most likely chlorine gas. Opposition officials denied these claims and said their forces did not possess chemical weapons. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Russia’s defense ministry said on Sunday its warplanes bombed militants in Idlib whom it accused of firing poison gas at Aleppo. Major-General Igor Konashenkov said Moscow sent advance warning to Ankara through a telephone hot line. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement the chemical attack had been launched from an area in the Idlib de-escalation zone controlled by the Nusra Front militants and that it planned to talk to Turkey about the incident since Ankara was a guarantor of how the armed opposition there upheld a ceasefire. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and his Russian counterpart agreed on Sunday that “recent provocations” were aimed at harming the agreement on Idlib, the ministry said. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his Turkish counterpart on Tuesday that Moscow and Ankara needed to take swift decisions to support a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib governorate.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that planes bombed opposition-held areas northwest of Syria on Sunday for the first time since Russia and Turkey reached an agreement on a de-escalation zone in September. The SOHR added that the shelling spread a strong stench and caused breathing problems for dozens of people in government-held Aleppo on Saturday.
This attack marks the highest casualty toll in Aleppo since the government forces and their allies regained control of the city from the opposition nearly two years ago. “The explosive shells contain toxic gases that led to choking among civilians,” the city’s police chief Issam al-Shilli told state media.
Syria’s foreign ministry urged the United Nations to take action and said “the government of the Syrian Arab Republic calls on the Security Council to immediately and strongly condemn these terrorist.”
Opposition officials denied using chemical weapons and accused Damascus of trying to implicate them. Abdel-Salam Abdel-Razak, spokesman for the Nour el-Din al-Zinki opposition faction, said rebels did not own chemical weapons or have the capacity to produce them.
A past UN-OPCW inquiry found that the Syrian government used the nerve agent sarin in 2017 and also used chlorine several times. It also blamed ISIS for using mustard gas. The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons in the war.
Assassination of Kafranbel’s Raed
23 November 2018
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that armed men in Syria’s opposition-held Idlib governorate assassinated on Friday an activist who ran a radio station that provided independent news and criticized both Syrian government and opposition militants. The SOHR said unidentified gunmen shot Raed al-Fares, along with his friend Hamoud al-Juneid, in the town of Kafranbel, home to the Radio Fresh station.
Fares gained prominence early in the uprising against the government with protest banners that drew international attention on social media. The banners targeted the Syrian army, its ally Iran, Western powers that Fares portrayed as selling out ordinary Syrians through their response to the crisis, and the Islamist extremist who had emerged in the chaos. Fares also distributed photographs and video clips showing the toll that war was taking in Kafranbel where it was dangerous for foreign media to visit. In 2011, ISIS gunmen shot him in the chest, but he survived. By his own account, his offices were targeted by government bombardment and Islamic extremists abducted and tortured him several times.
Syrian journalists and activists reacted to Fares and Juneid’s assassination as the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces condemned this act, saying in a statement “this crime targeted a dear place in the heart of the Syrian revolution, especially with what Kafrnabel represents in the conscience of the Syrian people as one of the icons of the Syrian revolution with its civil and peaceful activities and its banners that expressed the aspirations of the Syrian people for years.” The National Coalition blamed responsibility for this act on what it called the “coalition of tyranny and terrorism,” adding that the two activists had previously confronted it in the past and Fares was abducted and subjected to an assassination attempt.
In addition to the coalition, the Higher Negotiation Committee condemned the assassination, saying in a statement “the dictatorial government has always targeted liberals by various means and methods. Then came along those who carried out its agenda with their extremism and conspiracy on the Syrian people’s revolution.” Active military factions in Idlib did not comment on the assassination, despite the wide chaos it caused recently, especially Tahril al-Sham, which considers Kafrnabel part of its area of influence.
The US State Department Representative in Syria Jim Jeffrey and the US Special Envoy to Syria Joel Rayburn issued a statement condemning the assassination of the two activists. The UK Special Representative for Syria Martin Longden said through the British Foreign Office’s Twitter account that Fares was the conscience of the revolution and his murder is a loss to Syria. French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the assassination.
Escalation in the Countryside of Hama and Idlib
25 November 2018
Government forces escalated their rocket attack and bombardment of the countryside of Hama and Idlib on Sunday, one day after shelling Jarjnaz, south of Idlib, which left eight civilians dead, mostly women and children. Enab Baladi’s reporter in the northern countryside of Hama said that targeting of areas, in the northern countryside of Hama and the southern countryside of Idlib, with rockets and heavy artillery has continued since early morning. Several civilians were injured, in the towns of Latmin and Kafrzait in northern Hama, as a result of the heavy rockets that targeted the towns, he said. Residents of the town of Jarjnaz and surrounding areas fled the area today as a result of the continued escalation by government forces.
Opposition factions in northern Hama retaliated with artillery shelling of government forces in the Salhab area west of Hama, no casualties were reported. Sham FM and other local networks reported that shells fell on the thermal power plant in Mahrdeh west of Hama, which left material damage. This exchange of shelling is considered as a breach of the Sochi agreement between Turkey and Russia, which stipulated establishing a demilitarized zone between the Syrian government and the opposition.
Exchange of Detainees Through Turkey!
24 November 2018
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the Syrian government and armed opposition groups exchanged detainees in northern Syria, describing it as first step to build confidence between the warring sides. The ministry said that move was part of a pilot project prepared by a working group formed under the Astana process by Turkey, Russia, Iran, and the United Nations to investigate the fate of missing people and release those who have been detained. The ministry did not specify how many people were involved in the exchange but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in the United Kingdom, said opposition factions had released ten hostages in return for the government releasing ten detainees.
SDF and ISIS Once Again
24 November 2018
ISIS launched its fiercest attack on positions for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the eastern countryside of Deir Azzor near the Syrian-Iraqi border. ISIS posted, on Friday 24 November, images of several prisoners from the SDF, which is waging a war against ISIS, under the leadership of the international coalition. ISIS also published videos from the attack that targeted the towns of al-Sha’feh and al-Bahra. Mustafa Bali, a media official in the SDF, said on Saturday that various frontlines have witnessed fierce battles between the international coalition-backed forces and ISIS.
ISIS controls the city of Hajjin and surrounding towns and villages east of the Euphrates, which are considered its last stronghold in the eastern countryside of Deir Azzor. This latest attack is considered the fiercest in the area, after the October attack when ISIS recaptured wide areas stretching to the Syrian-Iraqi border. The area it controls decreased after the SDF reached the outskirts of Hajjin, and ISIS’s presences has been limited to the Euphrates river four hundred kilometers east of Deir Azzor.
Local networks in Deir Azzor, including Furat Post, said that the attack was focused on the north part of Hajjin and the northeast the towns of al-Sha’feh, al-Kashmeh, and near the town of al-Bahra. ISIS took advantage of heavy fog that hindered visibility and paralyzed the international coalition’s airplanes. The network reported heavy raids by the international coalition on ISIS-controlled al-Kashmeh, which was confirmed by A’maq news agency through images showing coalition planes carrying out strikes in the area.
This ISIS attack comes days after the group lost its most important strongholds in the Syrian desert, as the Syrian government forces and allies took control, after long battles, of Tolool al-Safa, east of Sweidaa city in Southern Syria. Reports said that dozens of people, mostly women and children, were killed in recent days as a result of the coalition bombardment, which prompted the United Nations to issue a statement expressing displeasure and concern over the killing of civilians by both sides.
Iraq Strikes ISIS in Syria
20 November 2018
The Iraqi army said that it launched air strikes on ISIS targets inside Syria on Tuesday, destroying two buildings housing forty fighters and weapons. “Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out airstrikes inside Syrian territory based on precise intelligence information from the Directorate of Intelligence and Counterterrorism,” the Iraqi army said in a statement. Additionally, the statement mentioned that “the successful operation led to the destruction of a weapons warehouse that belongs to the so-called al-Farouq province that contained ten terrorists, rockets, and explosives belonging to ISIS gangs. The forces also carried out a painful strike in the al-Baghor area targeting a headquarter for al-Farouq Brigade that contained thirty terrorists, rocket launchers, and various rifles.” Since last year, the Iraqi air force has carried out several strikes against ISIS in Syria, with the approval of the Syrian government and the US-led coalition fighting ISIS.
US Observation over Turkey
23, 24 November 2018
Turkey is uneasy about US plans to set up “observation posts” in Syria along parts of its border with Turkey, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday the United States was setting up the posts to help keep the focus on clearing the final ISIS militant strongholds in Syria. The United States has long complained that tension between Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)–which includes the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG)–has at times slowed progress on the fight against ISIS. Akar said that, during a recent visit to Canada, he told US Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford and other US officials that setting up the posts would have a very negative impact on perceptions of the United States in Turkey. He added that “during our talks with both political and civilian interlocutors we repeatedly expressed our unease in various ways.. I think actions like this will make the complicated situation in the region even more complicated.” He also emphasized that “nobody should doubt that the Turkish Armed forces and the Republic of Turkey will take the necessary steps against all kinds of risks and threats from across its borders.”
In a related context, Turkey said on Friday that the agreement with the United States for the removal of the YPG from the northern Syrian town of Manbij, needs to be completed by the end of the year. Turkey also voiced its frustration with what the country described as a deal beset by delays. The relationship between Turkey and the United States was strained by differences over Syria-related policy. Washington has backed the YPG in the fight against ISIS. Turkey says the YPG is a terrorist group and an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
In May they reached a deal over Manbij, after months of disagreement, under which Kurdish fighters are to completely withdraw from the town– something Turkey says has not happened yet. This month, Turkish and US troops began joint patrols in the region. That cooperation has been complicated as Turkey has shelled Kurdish fighters to the east of the Euphrates and threatened an offensive there. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told CNN Turk: “this delay should not exist anymore. This issue needs to be completed by the end of the year.”
US Sanctions on Economic Networks
21 November 2018
The United States has taken action against an Iranian-Russian network that sent millions of barrels of oil to Syria. The US Treasury said in a statement that this complicated arrangement involved a Syrian citizen who used his Russia-based company to ship Iranian oil to Syria with the aid of a Russian state-owned company. Syria then helped transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in cash to Hezbollah, which functions as a political party that is part of the Lebanese government, as well as to Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
The US Treasury Department said that since 2014, vessels carrying Iranian oil have switched off transponders to conceal deliveries to Syria. The Treasury, the State Department, and the US Coast Guard have issued an advisory to the maritime community about the sanctions risks of shipping oil to the Syrian government. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi called the sanctions “fruitless, illogical, and inefficient.” State news agency IRNA on Wednesday quoted Qasemi as saying: “Those who designed and implemented these sanctions will understand sooner or later that they will not achieve their goals.”
Russia will continue supplying oil to Syria in line with its agreement with Damascus despite pressure from the United States, RIA news agency quoted Oleg Morozov, a member of the Russian Federation Council, as saying late on Tuesday. He added that “the political defeat in Syria apparently prompts the United States to return to the idea of regime change in Damascus. Therefore, economic pressure through oil supply shutdown becomes a tool of the new economic war with Bashar al-Assad and indirectly with Moscow and Iran.”
بواسطة Arwa Ghassan | نوفمبر 9, 2018 | Reports, غير مصنف
“هام جداً للسوريين الراغبين في الحصول على الجنسية التركية”، و”هذا ما عليك معرفته للحصول على الجنسية”، “كل ما تحتاج معرفته عن الجنسية التركية”، تبدو هذه العناوين الرنانة هي الأكثر جذباً اليوم للسوريين المقيمين في تركيا والذين يُقدر عددهم بثلاثة ملايين ونصف المليون، حصل نحو ٥٥ ألف منهم على الجنسية التركية حسب تقرير اللجنة الفرعية للاجئين في تركيا. ويسعى أغلب الباقين للحصول عليها أيضاً، وخاصة أن الدولة التركية تفتح المجال أمامهم لذلك مع إمكانية حفاظهم على الجنسية السورية.
وأصبح حلم المواطنة التركية أكبر الأحلام للسوريين المقيمين فيها، وخاصة في ظل الصعوبات والتعقيدات التي يواجهونها لاستخراج الوثائق الثبوتية، من إصدار جواز سفر جديد، أو تثبيت زواج أو تسجيل مولود، وما إلى ذلك، وقد أصبحت هذه الأوراق عبئاً ثقيلاً ومكلفاً ولعنة تلاحقهم أينما حلّوا.
“أرغب بالحصول على الجنسية لأن ذلك يساويني بالمواطنين الأتراك، وبالتالي أتخلّص من جملة من القوانين المعيقة لحرية التنقل والتملّك وغير ذلك”، هذا ما قالته الصحفية السورية سوزان محمد، والتي تقيم في مدينة بورصة التركية منذ حوالي الأربع سنوات، وتضيف سوزان “في المدى المنظور لا أمل لدي بالعودة إلى سوريا، وغالبية السوريين الموجودين هنا يرغبون بالحصول على الجنسية لأنها تمنحهم حقوق المواطن التركي وتضمن لهم الدخول لعشرات الدول بلا تأشيرة، فضلاً عن تخلّصهم من عبء القوانين الخاصة بالإقامات وأذونات العمل.”
ويمنح الجواز التركي حامله إمكانية السفر لـ ٧٠ دولة في العالم دون الحاجة للحصول على الفيزا، كما أن الحصول على تأشيرات الدخول لحامله لا تقارن بصعوبة حامل الجواز السوري.
وأثرت معيقات السفر هذه على العلاقات الاجتماعية بين السوريين المُهجّرين، إذ تقام كثير من الزيجات دون وجود الأهل، بسبب عدم مقدرة الأبناء على إقامة مناسباتهم في سوريا لأسباب أبرزها أمنية ومادية، وعدم قدرة الأهل على السفر بسبب التأشيرات الصعبة، كذلك لا يتمكن معظم الأهالي من رؤية أحفادهم من المواليد الجدد، سوى عبر برامج الاتصال المجانية مثل السكايب والواتساب التي تنقل الصوت والصورة وتسهم بتقريب المسافات.
أما عن الحياة في تركيا، فبعد خروج ملايين السوريين نحوها، بات الاندماج في المجتمع الجديد أمراً حتمياً عليهم سواء من حيث اللغة، أو الزواج، أو العادات والتقاليد، والبعض وصل به الأمر “حد التجانس والتطبع الكامل بطباعهم” بحسب الشاب محمد الحمصي الذي يقيم في اسطنبول، ويعمل في مجال تجارة العقارات، ويضيف محمد “بالفعل انجذب الكثير من الشبان للحياة في تركيا، وكان لكل واحد منهم سبب يخصه فمنهم من أعجبته مجالات العمل، وآخرون انبهروا بالحرية الشخصية، أو نمط الحياة المنتظمة، ناهيك عن الرفاهية التي شعروا بها سواء على مستوى تنظيم الشوارع أو وسائل النقل العامة، ووسائل الراحة الأخرى.”
ويتابع الحمصي “بالنسبة لي كشاب سوري حالي كحال الغالبية العظمى من المهجّرين من الوطن، نحبّه ونتعلق به لأننا لم نغادره طواعية بل مُكرهين، ولكن من الضروري لنا الحصول على جنسية أخرى لأن الكثير من الأمور حُرّمت علينا بسبب جنسيتنا كسوريين، الكثير من أصدقائي حصلوا على الجنسية التركية غالبهم طلاب لقد كانوا سعداء واستفادوا كثيرا منها، وآخرون من أصدقائي كان لديهم رأس مال بسيط واستطاعوا أن يشتروا بيتاً صغيراً يخلّصهم من أعباء الإيجار، وقسم منهم قام ببعض المشاريع دون أن يتم تسجيلهم كأجانب.”
العديد من السوريين حصلوا على الجنسية بالبحث عن أصول تركية ضمن أشجار عائلاتهم كما حدث مع السيدة نور والتي غيّرت كنيتها لتصبح أوغلو، بعد حصولها على الجنسية التركية منذ سنة. تقول نور إن جدّتها من طرف والدها تركية الأصل، ولدى العائلة أوراق تثبت ذلك، “قدمنا هذه الأوراق للحكومة التركية في ولاية غازي عينتاب حيث أُقيم، وبعد التحقق والتأكد من قِبلهم تمّ قبول الطلب، ولكن الموضوع أخذ طبعاً فترة ليست بالقليلة وقمنا بتوكيل محامي من أجل ذلك” تروي نور.
وتشير أوغلو إلى أن حياتها اختلفت كُلياً بعد حصولها على الجنسية، وخاصة أنها حرصت على تعلّم اللغة، وهي تعمل اليوم في إحدى المؤسسات التركية الثقافية، وبدأت فعلاً بالاندماج الحقيقي مع المجتمع الجديد غير مخفية إعجابها الشديد بالحقوق الواسعة التي يمنحها القانون للمرأة التركية.
ويتمتع السوري المجنس حديثاً، بجميع الحقوق السياسية والمدنية والاجتماعية والاقتصادية التي يكفلها الدستور التركي للمواطنين الأتراك، من حق الانتخاب والترشح وتقلد الوظائف العامة والعمل وحق التملك، هذا إلى جانب إمكانية تعديل الشهادات وممارسة مهن محظورة على الأجانب مثل المحاماة، الصيدلة، البيطرة، القبالة، الأمن الخاص والعام للمنشآت، المهن البحرية، والتخليص الجمركي.
الصحفي عبد الحميد سلات والذي وصل الآن للمرحلة الرابعة في الجنسية التركية قال: “أنا مقيم في ولاية هاتاي منذ أربع سنوات وحصولي على إقامة العمل ساعدني كثيراً للحصول على الجنسية، حيث اتصلت دائرة الهجرة بي منذ سنة تقريباً، وطلبت مني تقديم أوراقي للحصول على الجنسية، أجريت مقابلة وتم إقرار منح عائلتي أيضاً الجنسية التركية كوني متزوجاً .
وينوّه سلات إلى أن أي سوري حاصل على إقامة العمل منذ أكثر من خمس سنوات يحق له قانونياً التقديم للجنسية، ولكنه يشير إلى أن الحظ حالفه واتصلوا به قبل إتمامه المدة المطلوبة، وهو ينتظر في الوقت الحالي الحصول على الجنسية التركية الاستثنائية.
أما الشاب حسين بصبوص الذي يقيم في اسطنبول فيقول “لو سألتني هذا السؤال قبل ست سنوات، عندما كانت الثورة في أوجها، لكانت الإجابة لا، لكن بعد الانكسارات التي حدثت والحالة السياسية والوضع المبهم الذي وصلت إليه البلاد، أصبحت أسعى فعلاً للحصول على الجنسية التركية، فكلمة لاجئ تحرم الكثير الإنسان من الحقوق، أهمها الضمان الصحي، حيث يضطر السوريون لدفع مبالغ كبيرة لقاء علاج بعض الحالات الصحية، لأن الدولة لاتتكفل بها.” ويضيف بصبوص “نحن كسوريين لا نعلم ماذا ينتظرنا، وبالنسبة لي فسأنتمي إلى أي منطقة تعطيني الأمان والعمل والحياة الكريمة، سوريا حرمتني كل شيء للأسف.”
وحول فتح باب التجنيس للسوريين من قبل الدولة التركية، يقول رئيس تجمع المحامين السوريين الأحرار، المحامي علي رشيد الحسن: “تقوم تركيا بالانتقال تدريجياً من مرحلة الضيافة للسوريين إلى مرحلة الدمج المستدام، وخاصة بالنسبة لهؤلاء الذين يملكون شهادات علمية عليا وخبرات ومؤهلات مهمة في سوق العمل، لأن ذلك يؤدي بالضرورة للتأثير إيجاباً على الاقتصاد التركي وخاصة بعد دخول السوريين في الأسواق التجارية والصناعية، وضخ رؤوس أموال كبيرة من قِبل التجار، ما جعل تركيا تسرع في تجنيس السوريين.”
ويشير الرشيد إلى أن موضوع تحديث البيانات الذي طلبته دائرة الهجرة من السوريين مؤخراً، كان بهدف معرفة حملة الشهادات ومعرفة الأشخاص والعائلات من أجل ترشيحهم للحصول على الجنسية الاستثنائية، لافتاً إلى أن أكثر الأشخاص المؤهلين للجنسية هم أصحاب الشهادات وإقامات العمل، وإضافة الى معيار التزكية الجديد، هذا بالنسبة للأشخاص العاديين.
معلومات حول الأرقام التي تم ذكرها في المادة إضافة إلى بعض الصور من دائرة الهجرة حول الجنسية التركية.
