Anti-Assad demonstrations leave eight dead

AT LEAST eight people were reportedly killed in Syria yesterday in anti-regime demonstrations following Muslim prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan.

The theme of rallies in Deir al-Zor, Homs, Hama, Deraa, Idlib province bordering Turkey and the restive Douma suburb of Damascus was “patience and determination”. One of the fatalities was a Turkish truck driver said to have been killed by members of the regime’s feared shabbiha militia.

A new slogan chanted by protesters, “Bye Gadafy, Bye Bashar”, expressed the commitment to oust President Bashar al-Assad in the wake of the toppling of Libya’s leader, Muammar Gadafy.

Opposition activists had hoped to bring down the Assad regime during the holy month, which ends on Monday.

The Arab League’s peace committee is set to hold an urgent meeting tomorrow to discuss the situation in Syria where, activists say, 2,200 people have been killed since unrest began in mid-March.

The government argues that peaceful protests have been used as cover for an armed insurrection in which more than 500 security personnel have been killed, including eight soldiers in Homs province on Thursday. Thousands of protesters have also been beaten during demonstrations and swept up in mass arrests.

Among the victims of state violence was Ali Ferzat (60), Syria’s most famous political cartoonist who was snatched by security agents from the street near his home in the capital, beaten severely and dumped on the road- side near the airport. A strong supporter of Dr Assad when he first assumed office in 2000, Mr Ferzat, whose hands were broken to stop him drawing, has been increasingly critical of the regime and satirised senior figures.

Opposition figures who met in Turkey this week have delayed the establishment of a national council until consultations are held with opposition figures in Syria. The postponement exposes divisions between exiles and activists within the country as well as the diverse factions involved in the revolt. “We need two more weeks to co-ordinate with the opposition on the inside,” said Adib Shishakli, a leading figure from the exile group and grandson of a former president.

On the diplomatic front, Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki has extended support to Dr Assad. While Mr Maliki has not explained his decision, he appears to be motivated by fear that chaos in neighbouring Syria could spill over into Iraq.

He could be concerned that the overthrow of the secular regime led by nominal Shias could be replaced by a coalition including Sunni fundamentalists, some of whom have been involved in the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. Finally, Mr Maliki is an ally of Iran, which has a 30-year tie to the Assads.

Russian UN envoy Vitaly Churkin has indicated that Moscow might veto a Security Council resolution supported by the US, France, Germany, Britain and Portugal proposing fresh sanctions. He called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the crisis. The EU may impose an embargo on oil imports from Syria, depriving it of hard currency.