NYT: U.N. Observers Dodge Bullets and Mockery in Syria

[pampango]

Video of Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, the Norwegian head of the United Nations
military observer mission in Syria, speaking to reporters on Friday.

At the end of a week in which the unarmed military observers sent to Syria by the United Nations were bombed and shot, and witnessed the security forces beating protesters, the mission’s leader was forced to defend his team from the ridicule of Syrian protesters.

“We are very serious and very committed to the Syrian people,” Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, the Norwegian head of the United Nations military observer mission told reporters on Friday. But, he added, in the absence of a political solution, “no volume of observers can achieve a progressive drop and a permanent end to the violence.”

The inability of the monitors to compel the security forces to stop attacking protesters was underlined twice this week by video clips that showed one monitor crawling along a street in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, to avoid shots that were being fired at demonstrators, and another looking on helplessly from his vehicle as students were beaten in the city of Aleppo.

Those examples of impotence, and a broader frustration at the inability of the observers to keep opponents of President Bashar al-Assad safe from his loyalists led protesters in one town to carry a banner mocking the ineffectiveness of the cease-fire monitors in stark terms.



As the Syrian activist who writes the @HamaEcho Twitter feed, protesters in explained the banner carried by protesters in a town outside Homs complained that one visit by the observers had only led to the death of 15 civilians in reprisal killings by government forces.

Similar messages of frustration with international monitors sent to witness but not to end the violence in Syria have become an increasingly common site at demonstrations across the country in recent weeks.


A banner displayed recently by Syrians frustrated with international observers

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/18/u-n-observers-dodge-bullets-and-mockery-in-syria/

You are justifiably frustrated by the continuing pro-regime violence but keep up the protests. I'm sure good ol' Bashar is not happy about having international monitors in the country who are able to verify at least a small part of the regime's violence.

Worthwhile change never comes quickly and removing a dictator like this is worthwhile indeed.

[leveymg]

1. Not a word about the mass killings by armed opposition groups. No UN mandate to stop that?

Guess not. Anyway, the point of NYT coverage is to give the impression that nothing short of escalation to US-backed armed "humanitarian intervention" works.

The Neocon regime change agenda continues. On to Damascus! Real men "do" Iran!

[tabatha]

2. Please provide a link to the mass killings by armed opposition groups.

You cannot because there are none.

EDIT:

Btw, the bulk of the "protesters" who have armed are actually defectors from Assad's army - because they refuse to shoot their own people. There are defections every day.

[leveymg]

3. i.e., terrorist bombings. Find your own links, but, you'd probably rather ignore those.

BTW, most people don't buy the lie that the regime blows up its own buildings and officials.

And, then there are just the every-day sort of armed attacks on the Syrian Army and Ba'ath Party by the FSA with rifles, mortars and RPGs. We can safely ignore that, too.

[tabatha]

4. Read Juan Cole's article today.

If you had any links, you would tout them with glee.

You don't.

"BTW, most people don't buy the lie that the regime blows up its own buildings and officials. "

Who are most people?

[leveymg]

5. "Most people" are most people.

I, too, read Juan. I, too, intensely dislike Assad's police state, and support the legitimate Syrian opposition, such as the students and some of the Mennonites in Aleppo. But, frankly, the foreign-backed contingents of the SLA, most of the London exile pols, and the Jihadi are far worse.

[tabatha]

6. If you read Juan Cole's article, you would have read this:

"In fact, the Free Syrian Army, made up of defectors with weapons, which has tried to assert control in some city districts throughout the country, has just provoked artillery barrages and tank attacks from the well-armed Baath army, and the rebels have repeatedly been annihilated when they have tried to stand their ground."

How can they be far worse?

They were formed to protect demonstrators from Assad's forces.
Assad's forces have arrested over 200,000 people - most of whom are being tortured.
Assad's forces have killed over 14,000 people, including women and children.
Assad's forces have tortured children; raped women and boys.
Assad's forces have reduced many homes to rubble.
Assad's forces have far better equipment, and are openly being supplied by Russia and Iran.
Assad is detonating bombs and blaming Al Qaeda - there will be plenty of evidence once the conflict is over.

And the rebels who have "repeatedly been annihilated" are far worse.

Good fucking grief.

[riderinthestorm]

7. Here's just a sampling from the past couple weeks. There are many, many links on Google

55 killed, 170 wounded in Damascus
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/10/syria-damascus-explosions-live

Here's another one in Aleppo, again many killed and wounded
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57428521/syrian-activists-say-deadly-explosion-in-aleppo/

Here's another report of one today
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=316165