A quote in the Wall Street Journal:
The dissidents added that the Assad government uses cigarettes as a form of payment for the irregular military forces and militias, known as the shabeeha, who have had a central role in its violent crackdown. “Cigarettes are a favorite form of payment for the shabeeha,” said Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian dissident and human-rights activist based in Washington.
Quoted by Jay Solomon and Keith Johnson, The Wall Street Journal
“In general, we want to see all sanctions tightened and strengthened,” said Ammar Abdulhamid, a political activist based in Washington. “But the issue of diesel is complicated, as our own people could get hurt.”
“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.”
Interview by Spielgel Online, Germany
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Herr Abdulhamid, in der syrischen Opposition wird der Ruf nach einer militärischen Intervention aus dem Ausland immer lauter. Glauben Sie tatsächlich, dass die Nato oder eine andere Staatenkoalition Baschar al-Assad aus dem Amt bomben sollte, nach dem Vorbild Libyens? Continue reading ““Without outside help more blood will flow””
The Ammar Abdulhamid Archive 