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03 June 2012

Synopsis: Assad Maneuvering To Gain Time: Prince Saud: Arab News Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal said Syrian President Bashar Assad is maneuvering to gain time. Every initiative has been accepted by the Syrian regime and was not implemented. This is a way used by the regime to gain time, Prince Saud said in a joint news conference on Sunday with UN chief Ban Ki-moon in Jeddah. (Source: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Daily; Undetermined) Syria Violence Kills 89, Including 57 Troops: The National Violence in Syria killed 89 people on Saturday, including 57 soldiers, the largest number of casualties the military has suffered in a single since an uprising began in March 2011, a watchdog said. (Source: Abu Dhabi, Multimedia company owned; Undetermined) EU and Russia to Tackle Differences on Syria, Iran: Al Arabiya Russian President Vladimir Putin will host EU chiefs for an informal dinner on Sunday at the start of a two-day summit overshadowed by clashing visions on Syria and Iran. (Source: Dubai, UAE; Independent; Claim Neutrality) Assad Says Masks Of Foreign Plot Have Fallen, Vows To Continue To Fight Terrorists: Al Arabiya President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that Syria is faced with a foreign plot to destroy the country, as he addressed parliament for the first time since May 7 elections. (Source: Dubai, UAE; Independent; Claim Neutrality) Assad Says Foreigners Plotting To Destroy Syria: Dawn President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that his government faces a foreign plot to destroy Syria, and blamed monsters for the Houla massacre, in a rare televised speech delivered in parliament. (Source: Karachi, Pakistan; Anti-Military Rule) President al-Assad: Circumstances which Syria Is Passing through Require More Courage, Strength and Responsibility: SANA President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday said the sensitive circumstances which our country is passing through necessitate us to be more courageous, strong and more responsible. (Source: Damascus, Syria; Daily; Official Govt news agency) Hizbollah Urges Syrian Rebels to Free Pilgrims: The National Hizbollah's leader yesterday appealed directly to Syrian rebels who claim to be holding 11 Lebanese hostages, saying the men should not be held responsible for grievances the rebels have against the Lebanese Shiite group. (Source: Abu Dhabi, Multi-media company owned; Undetermined)

Supporting Documentation:

03 Jun 2012 Arab News Assad Maneuvering To Gain Time: Prince Saud Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal said Syrian President Bashar Assad is maneuvering to gain time. Every initiative has been accepted by the Syrian regime and was not implemented. This is a way used by the regime to gain time, Prince Saud said in a joint news conference on Sunday with UN chief Ban Ki-moon in Jeddah.

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The CENTCOM

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03 June 2012

He is playing for time and maneuvering, he said, referring to Assad. The ministers remarks came immediately after Assad said on Sunday that his government is faced with a foreign plot to destroy Syria. Arab leaders on Saturday called on the United Nations to act to stop bloodshed that has persisted for nearly 15 months despite a UN-backed peace plan that includes the deployment of nearly 300 observers. The plan was drawn up by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, who on Saturday singled out Assad and his regime as the key to resolving the conflict as he warned of the specter of all-out sectarian warfare. Annan will present his report (on Syria) in a few weeks... It must be clear, straightforward, precise and transparent, Prince Saud said. We hope the United Nations takes a firm stance. Since the so-called cease-fire began on April 12, as many as 2,300 people have been killed out of the more than 13,400 to have died in Syria since the uprising against Assads regime began in March 2011. Prince Saud, who has repeatedly voiced his countrys support for arming Syria rebels, said: We support creating a buffer zone in Syria which the oppressed can take refuge in... but this is the responsibility of the UN Security Council as the Arab League cant do this. The real solution belies in protecting the Syrian people from the harsh military, he said. The people are unarmed whereas the regime receives weapons from several countries. The situation is very dangerous. We hope things dont deteriorate further, he added. Because of the worsening violence and Assads failure to meet commitments under the agreed peace plan, the United States has warned that it may not agree to renew the UN observer mission when its mandate expires on July 20.

03 Jun 2012 The National Syria Violence Kills 89, Including 57 Troops Violence in Syria killed 89 people on Saturday, including 57 soldiers, the largest number of casualties the military has suffered in a single since an uprising began in March 2011, and a watchdog said. The casualties also included 29 civilians and three army defectors killed in various regions of the country in shelling by regime forces or in clashes or gunfire, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Asked about the high number of troops killed in recent days, the Observatory's Rami Abdel-Rahman told AFP: "This relates to the sharp increase in clashes across the country. Troops are vulnerable to heavy losses because they are not trained for street battles and are therefore exposed to attacks." "What exacerbates those losses is that the army is fighting locals of those towns and villages, whether military defectors or civilians who took up arms against the regime, who know the area inside and out and enjoy public support." Opposition fighters are defending their towns by targeting approaching military vehicles with automatic weapons or grenades, which has taken a heavy toll on the army and security forces, said Abdel Rahman.

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03 June 2012

He added that the figures "do not include armed groups supported by the shabiha (pro-regime militia), of which thousands have been killed since the start of the clashes -- only the regular military troops." "The official Syrian media has ignored these figures so as not to demoralise the troops," he added. One civilian was killed early morning Sunday in the town of Kafr Sita in the central province of Hama, during bombing by regime forces attempting to regain control of the town after heavy losses suffered overnight Saturday. A second civilian was killed after midnight on Saturday in the northern province of Aleppo during shelling by regime troops. More than 13,400 people have been killed across Syria since an anti-regime uprising erupted in March 2011, including nearly 2,300 since the ceasefire technically went into effect on April 12, according to Observatory figures.

03 Jun 2012 Al Arabiya EU and Russia to Tackle Differences on Syria, Iran Russian President Vladimir Putin will host EU chiefs for an informal dinner on Sunday at the start of a two-day summit overshadowed by clashing visions on Syria and Iran. EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and EU President Herman Van Rompuy will be keen to sound out Putin for any hints of a softening on either crisis after his return to the Kremlin for a third term. But the ex-KGB agent stuck firmly to his refusal to back further action against Soviet-era ally Syria during a Friday swing through Berlin and Paris. Moscow signaled on Sunday that it was still in no mood to compromise. The only way out of the Syria crisis... involves a cessation of violence and consistent support for the plan of (mediator Kofi) Annan, the Russian foreign ministry said on Sunday. Russia will continue supporting this position and calls on other states to do the same. Pressure on Russia to concede that no peace talks were emerging and to promote a Syrian compromise in which President Bashar al-Assad cedes power to his inner circle has been building on an almost daily basis. A U.S. official said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov by telephone Saturday that weve got to start working together to help the Syrians with Syrias political transition strategy. The European Union plans to deliver a similar message to Putin in his native city of Saint Petersburg during Mondays more formal set of meetings. We expect to have an in-depth discussion over Syria, said an EU official in Brussels. We must act together with Russia. Russia needs to assume its role and influence. A way out of the current situation needs to include Russia, the EU official said. Putin has conceded that Syria stands on the brink of civil war despite Russias adamant support for mediator Kofi Annans tattered plan for ending a 15-month conflict in which 13,000 are thought to have died.

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03 June 2012

But Putin has cited Libya and Iraq -- two foreign interventions Moscow also bitterly argued against -- as evidence that transitions of power and outside interference do not solve problems in the long term. Russias dispute with the West over Iran also concerns what Moscow sees as attempts by Western nations to circumvent its diplomatic sway on the U.N. Security Council by acting on their own. The Kremlin has criticized the European Union sharply for imposing an oil embargo on Iran over its nuclear program and argued that unilateral sanctions only diminish the chances of compromise from Tehran. Van Rompuy countered in an interview with Moscows Kommersant business daily that whether we maintain, lift or ease sanctions (against Iran) will depend on its own future actions. Yet the two sides could still seek out common ground ahead of a crunch third round of talks with Iranian negotiators that world powers have scheduled to hold in Moscow on June 18 and 19. Moscow has been keen to stress that its ties with the European Union itself -- a 27-nation bloc representing Russias top foreign trade partner -- remained warm and were seen as vital by Putin. Overall, we believe that enhanced strategic partnership between Russia and the EU is not only useful, it is essential to all sides, Russias EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov said in Brussels. Some analysts cautioned however that the EU officials who hope to see a more accommodating Putin on his return from a four-year spell as Russian premier may be disappointed. Based on his recent rhetoric and statements, he has not become any more cooperative than he was (during his 2000-2008 presidency), said Institute of Strategic Assessment analyst Alexander Konovalov. If anything, should the financial crisis worsen, he might defend the nations interests more adamantly still.

03 Jun 2012 Al Arabiya Assad Says Masks Of Foreign Plot Have Fallen, Vows To Continue To Fight Terrorists President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that Syria is faced with a foreign plot to destroy the country, as he addressed parliament for the first time since May 7 elections. The masks have fallen and the international role in the Syrian events is now obvious, Assad said, adding that the elections were the perfect response to the criminal killers and those who finance them. The embattled leader also paid tribute to civilian and military martyrs of the violence in Syria, saying their blood was not shed in vain. During the speech, activist group, Local coordination committees of Syria, said that five people were killed by Syrian security force gunfire, Al Arabiya reported. What happened in Houla and elsewhere (in Syria) are brutal massacres which even monsters would not have carried out, Assad said. At least 108 people, including 49 children and 34 women, were slaughtered in the Houla massacre, in central Syria, in killings that started on May 25 and spilled into the next day, triggering international outrage.

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03 June 2012

Syria blames the violence, which the United Nations says Syrian forces have killed more than 9,000 people in a crackdown on protests, on foreign-backed Islamist militants. The Syrian regime says the violence has killed more than 2,600 soldiers and security force members, according to Reuters news agency. Assad said that his country was facing a war waged from outside the country and that terrorism was escalating despite political steps including last months parliamentary election. We are not facing a political problem because if we were this party would put forth a political program. What we are facing is (an attempt) to sow sectarian strife and the tool of this is terrorism, Assad said in a speech to parliament, broadcast on Syrian television. The issue is terrorism. We are facing a real war waged from the outside, Assad said. We are ready for dialogue and opposition forces have said this too, but they have not publicized it There has been ongoing cooperation for a constitutional referendum despite the threats and terrorism. The Middle Easts regional role [during the crisis] has been an embarrassment to itself, Assad added, seemingly in reference to the Arab Leagues intervention during the crisis, which assumed a generally anti-Syrian regime stance. Assad said the regime will continue to confront terrorism firmly, but will not seek revenge on those who want to return, adding that the door for dialogue still open in Syria for those who did not seek foreign intervention, or directly support terrorist groups. The speech came a day after international envoy Kofi Annan said the possibility of an all-out civil war in Syria was looming. Assads speech was delivered to the opening session of a new parliament, elected last month under a new constitution that authorities have portrayed as a move towards multi-party politics. The speech focused on the governments promises of political reform, which has been a frequent topic of discussion for the embattled leader during the 15-month uprising against his rule. Annan, the joint United Nations and Arab League envoy for Syria, told an Arab League meeting in Qatar on Saturday that the world needed to see action, not words, from the Syrian leader. Assad must make bold and visible steps immediately to radically change his military posture and honor his commitment to withdraw heavy weapons and cease all violence, Annan said. What is important is not the words he uses but the action he takes - now, Annan said. Last month, Assad said his government was capable of finding a way out of the crisis gripping his country. Syria has been able to overcome the pressures and threats it has faced for years and is able to get out of this crisis thanks to the strength of its people and commitment to unity and independence, he said. The parliament has convened for the first time since a controversial May 7 election boycotted by the opposition and dismissed by the West as a farce.

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03 June 2012

Despite changes to the constitution ending the Baaths five-decade domination of power, more than 160 of the 250 members of parliament are Baathists, and the legislature voted 225-8 to elect ruling party member Jihad Lahham as its speaker

03 Jun 2012 Dawn Assad Says Foreigners Plotting To Destroy Syria President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that his government faces a foreign plot to destroy Syria, and blamed monsters for the Houla massacre, in a rare televised speech delivered in parliament. Assads accusations came as Arab leaders called on the United Nations to act to stop bloodshed in Syria and France raised the prospect of military action against Damascus under a UN mandate. The masks have fallen and the international role in the Syrian events is now obvious, Assad said in his first address to the assembly since a May 7 parliamentary election, adding the polls were the perfect response to the criminal killers and those who finance them. The embattled leader, who was greeted with warm applause from lawmakers, said actrocities like the May 25-26 massacre of at least 108 people near the town of Houla, in central Syria, were committed by monsters. What happened in Houla and elsewhere (in Syria) are brutal massacres which even monsters would not have carried out, he said. Assad, dressed in a smart suit and tie, also paid tribute to civilian and military martyrs of the violence in Syria, saying their blood was not shed in vain. We are not facing a political problem but a project to destroy the country, Assad said, adding there will be no dialogue with opposition groups which seek foreign intervention. Syria is open to all Syrians regardless of their views, but terrorism can not be part of the political process and we must fight against terrorism to heal the nation, Assad said, dismissing the impact in Syria of uprisings sweeping the Arab world. On Saturday, violence in Syria killed 89 people, including 57 soldiers, the largest number of casualties the military has suffered in a single day since an uprising began in March 2011, a watchdog said. The casualties also included 29 civilians and three army defectors killed in various parts of the country in shelling by regime forces or in clashes or gunfire, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. As Arab leaders called for UN action in Syria, France, which spearheaded an air assault against Moamer Kadhafis forces last year, said it has not excluded military intervention in the country. France has not excluded military intervention in Syria, but only under a United Nations mandate, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday.

03 Jun 2012 SANA President al-Assad: Circumstances which Syria Is Passing through Require More Courage, Strength and Responsibility

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03 June 2012

President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday said the sensitive circumstances which our country is passing through necessitate us to be more courageous, strong and more responsible. "We pay tribute and honor the souls of innocent civilian and military martyrs," President al-Assad addressed the people's Assembly on the occasion of its 1st legislative term, saying that the martyrs blood will not be wasted. President al-Assad said "Performing your legislative and supervising duties can't be done in best way unless possessing a clear developmental vision based on constructive dialogue and communication with the citizens," The President added that concentrating on the supervising role of the Assembly should not ignore its partnership role with the executive authority. President al-Assad said: "We confront a big part of the campaign against Syria by reforms and building a strong fortress in the face of regional and international ambitions." He added: "It is our duty towards our people who proved their ability and succeeded to overcome very difficult national tests to upgrade our performance to the level of its awareness and steadfastness." The President stressed that conducting the People's Assembly elections as scheduled slapped those who want that Syria closes in on itself and drowns in the blood of its people. President al-Assad said "A year and a half after the crisis began, things became clear and the masks were removed the international role in what is taking place was exposed since decades ...colonialism remains unchanged but its methods and faces are changing and the regional role exposed itself." He added that "after all the pure blood that were shed, we need a lot of reason and to learn from the people who were able to decode the conspiracy from the beginning." President al-Assad said: "We are moving forward with the political process, yet terrorism is escalating." "Not distinguishing between political process and terrorism is a great mistake that grant terrorism a legitimacy. Separation between terrorism and political process is essential to reach a solution to the crisis," the President added. He went on to say: "We are facing a real war and dealing with war is different from dealing with internal issues. When we boycott election, we boycott the people. Any political process that is not based on popular state has no popular value." President al-Assad said " Since the first day we have known that the political track will not lead to a solution but we did it because the Syrian people need it regardless of the crisis. He added:" Syria is open to whoever wants a genuine reform and an honest dialogue; we welcome the participation of any honest Syrian in the process of developing the country." The President stressed that the national security is a red line and we can't be tolerant with whoever tries to tamper with it. President al-Assad said "Chaos brings but chaos and the society can be built only on high moral standards." The President added: " The issue is not reform or democracy but undermining Syria's resistant role, its support to the resistance and its adherence to its rights."

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03 June 2012

"There is no justification for terrorism under any pretext and no tolerance for it or those who support it unless they give up. Difference in viewpoints means richness but differences about the homeland means destruction," President al-Assad said. He added: " I am not talking about an agent inside or a conspirer outside, rather I admonish the Syrian who loved his country but he didn't know how to defend it and unintendedly contribute to undermining it." "We should differentiate between the political haziness and the national one as the national haziness is unacceptable. When the issue is national, I'm certainly with my country," the President said. He added that no institution could have been able to make sacrifices as the armed forces have done without the existence of faith that directs its members to the right track. "Mistakes committed by some individuals from time to time have been exploited and exaggerated to appear as an approach adopted by the state and its institutions in general," he said. President al-Assad added: "Our armed forces have built the homeland and have always preserved its independence. No one is allowed to undermine a symbol that represents our unity and dignity. "The crisis is not internal, rather it is a foreign war with internal tools and everybody is responsible for defending the homeland." President al-Assad: "If we united today, I confirm that the end of this situation will be soon regardless of the foreign conspiracy. We will not allow those who have nothing to do with history to write something that hasn't been written before by the history which is that the Syrians destroyed their homeland by themselves." The President went on as saying "We should work together to achieve the citizens' needs of social justice represented in a just distribution of the resources, an equality in the opportunities and obtaining the basic services." President al-Assad said: "Today we are drawing together with the arms of the honorable citizens, national institutions and the bravery of our army the lines of inevitable victory." " If some sides have sent death and destruction to our people, we want to present a civilized pattern to their people to follow to get their freedom and be partners in the homeland instead of that the leader is the owner of the land, the people and the homeland," he added. President al-Assad said:" Terrorism will not break the will of the Syrian people and Syria will ever remain the castle of steadfastness and it will recover and witness the defeat of its enemies." He stressed that Syria's sovereignty, independent decision, territorial security and the dignity of its people are always the compass.

02 Jun 2012 The National Hizbollah Urges Syrian Rebels to Free Pilgrims Hizbollah's leader yesterday appealed directly to Syrian rebels who claim to be holding 11 Lebanese hostages, saying the men should not be held responsible for grievances the rebels have against the Lebanese Shiite group.

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03 June 2012

On Thursday, the rebels, who call themselves the Syrian Revolutionaries in Aleppo, claimed in a statement obtained by the Al Jazeera television network that they were holding the Shiite pilgrims captive. The rebel group said it would not begin negotiations to free the hostages without an apology from Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hizbollah, for saying that the kidnapping would not change Hizbollah's support for the Syrian regime. Yesterday, Mr. Nasrallah urged the kidnappers to sort out their differences with Hizbollah, not the pilgrims. "If [your] problem is with me or Hizbollah or a political movement in Lebanon which has a specific stance towards the situation in Syria, separate the issue of the innocent aside and solve your problem with us," he said in a televised address. "But, to take innocent people as hostages for the sake of solving this problem ... this is a great injustice which you must put a stop to." Al Jazeera aired photographs on Thursday night said to be of the hostages, but did not say how it had obtained the material. The rebel group reportedly said the men, who were abducted inside Syria on May 22, were in good health. While the authenticity of the images and statement could not be independently verified, the announcement was the first claim of responsibility since the pilgrims were abducted a week and a half ago. Earlier reports suggested that the men's captors were holding them as bargaining chips in negotiations to free detained Syrian opposition figures. The 11 men were on their way back to Lebanon from a pilgrimage to Iran when they were reportedly taken by gunmen in the province of Aleppo while travelling by bus through Syria. Last Friday there were indications that the group had been released. But the men failed to show up at Beirut airport and they remain captives. The kidnapping has rattled Lebanon, where many fear being dragged further into the chaos in Syria. The country is largely divided between those who still support the regime of President Bashar Al Assad, including Hizbollah, and those opposed to his rule. The 15-month crisis in Syria has also raised sectarian tensions in Lebanon, which has seen deadly clashes in recent weeks. News of the kidnapping last week prompted street protests, as people burnt tires and blocked roads. However, a televised address by Mr. Nasrallah managed to defuse the situation as he urged people to remain calm. Yesterday he stressed that the Lebanese government was working to free the hostages. Also yesterday, Najib Mikati, the Lebanese prime minister, held talks on the Syria crisis with joint United NationsArab League special envoy Kofi Annan. After the meeting, Mr. Annan told reporters that the UN would do what it could to help secure the release of the pilgrims.

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