Members of the main opposition groups in Syria have issued their own plan for ending the violence in their country, saying more than 1,200 have been killed since Kofi Annan, the U.N. and Arab League envoy, announced the Syrian regime’s “agreement” to his six-point proposal. Continue reading “EXCLUSIVE: Syrian opposition groups says Annan plan ‘doomed,’ offer alternative”
Category: Activism & Advocacy
Many Skeptical Syria Cease-Fire Will Hold
“We wanted to give them a little time despite the fact that so many people are dying on the ground and in the streets that it is necessary to give the international community some time to find out if diplomacy is not going to work,” explained Syrian activist Ammar Abdulhamid. … Some in the opposition say that neither diplomacy nor military force alone will bring down the Assad government. Ammar Abdulhamid says they must be used together. “When there is an actual threat of force or force being used, I think then we might see the possibility of the Assads listening because they can see a threat,” Abdulhamid added. “They can see the seriousness of the international community. They don’t just hear words.”
The hunt for ‘plan B’ – planning for ‘the day after’ in Syria
A mention in CNN Security Blog:
Syrian activist Ammar Abdulhamid, a fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, is trying to bridge the gap between the exiles and those Syrians on the ground. He’s bringing together small groups of Syrian experts to brainstorm ideas for a transition, which he is feeding to opposition groups on the ground in Syria who the United States is now trying to reach. “We don’t have a political agenda and aren’t tabling a plan,” Abdulhamid said. “This is to raise public awareness and highlight the issues we are going to be facing once Assad falls. There needs to be a public debate and we want to empower Syrians to do that.”
No Dialogue With Assad
The New York Times: Room For Debate
In calling for dialogue with Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus, the United Nations Security Council is missing a key point: After killing more than 8,000 civilians, Assad and fellow corrupt authoritarian elites have made it abundantly clear that they will stay in power at any cost, and no international agreement can restore them to domestic legitimacy. Continue reading “No Dialogue With Assad”
The Ammar Abdulhamid Archive 