I spoke with Monocle 24 at lunchtime about President Assad's interview with German television (see separate EA feature), considering both the presentation and the politics.
Lots of take-away points, but the most interesting may be the conjunction of the interview with UN envoy Kofi Annan's visit to Damascus today. Could Assad be gambling for his survival on a Russia-Iran-Syria counter-weight to the international pressure upon him?
To get to the interview, go to "The Briefing" page, click on "Play" on the programme for 9 July, and go to the 18:30 mark.
1700 GMT: Although one-fourth of the text required for a new constitution is drafted by the Parliament’s Constitutional Reconciliation Commission; BDP's Sirri Sureyya Onder, a member of the same commission, criticized the way articles are drafted:
Every article is started with 'national security', 'public order' or 'public morality'. We are weary of this! They are interspersing [these concepts] like a fertiliser. A constitution cannot be made like this!
1640 GMT: Turkish jets have been heading towards the northern Iraqi region from the districts of Semdinli and Cukurca of the southeastern province of Hakkari.
Now courts will interpret the [newly] adopted laws. They will make their decisions [whether to release jailed deputies] in the light of the information and laws they hold in their hands.
1818 GMT:Syria. Earlier we saw many reports of shells falling on the small town of Busrah al Harir, in Daraa province (map). Now, the LCC shares this video reportedly showing shells falling on the town:
Jürgen Todenhöfer of Germany's ARD interviews President Assad on Thursday --- the discussion was broadcast last night.
Among the take-aways, Assad claims that he still has public support, that the majority of those killed in the 16-month conflict are "Government supporters" slain by "terrorists" and "outlaws", and that the US carries part of the blame for supporting these "terrorists:
A Camel Rider in PalmyraTo the tourists he took on sunset camel rides, Abu Zeid seemed like the freest man on earth.
He was a young Bedouin who worked with his camel, Casanova, among the ruins of ancient Palmyra, in the Syrian desert. He spent his days roaming Palmyra’s bare hills and stone colonnades, and his nights chatting online with foreign friends. In recent years, his biggest complaint with the government was that the police demanded bribes.
So his friends were astonished when he told them that he had joined the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
Reports of the Sheikh's arrest brought demonstrations in the mostly Shi’a Qatif region of the Eastern Province, which has been the focal point of protests alleging discrimination.
The Ministry claimed, “When the aforementioned person [al-Nimr] and those with him tried to resist the security men and initiated shooting and crashed into one of the security patrols while trying to escape, he was dealt with in accordance with the situation and responded to in kind and arrested after he was wounded in his thigh."
Al-Nimr was taken to hospital and accused of sedition. He was previously detained for several days in 2004 and 2006
“They (police) took him from his car and blood can be seen near his car,” said his brother Mohammed al-Nimr. “He had been wanted by the interior ministry for a couple of months because of his political views. In the past couple of months he has adopted a lot of Shi’ite issues and expressed his views on them, demanding their rights."
The Assad family in Vogue, March 2011 (Photo: James Nachtwey)
Brown Lloyd James's contract with the Assad regime, signed by BLJ partner Mike Holtzman and Syrian government official Fares Kallas, expired in March of last year, according to documents posted on the Foreign Agents Registration Act website. The firm had claimed its work on behalf of the Assads ended in Dec. 2010.
But in May 2011, BLJ sent another memo to Kallas and the Syrian government, giving them advice on how to improve their image and institute a more effective public relations strategy amid the exploding violence in Syria.
1615 GMT:Iraq. Officials say a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged belt at a gathering of his family, killing his pro-government cousin and six other relatives, in Ramadi, 115 kilometres ((71 miles) west of Baghdad.
The bomber entered the home of his cousin, the local leader of the Sahwa militia, on Friday night as the extended family was gathered for a meal. He approached his cousin and detonated his explosives, killing him as well as his wife, three of their teenage children, his brother and another relative.
1906 GMT:Syria. There are a series of reports that suggest that Manaf Tlass, a high-ranking general in the Syrian Republican Guard, and a member of Assad's inner circle. Tlass is a trusted member of the regime, and a long-time friend of Assad's, but he is also a member of an extremely powerful Sunni family, and rumors have been spreading that he and his brother were increasingly frustrated at the actions of the regime. The Guardian reports:
Tlass's defection was reported by Syriasteps, a news website linked to the country's security apparatus. It said that "a highly placed source in intelligence has confirmed that General Manaf Mustafa Tlass has fled to Turkey", and quoted a security official as saying: "His escape does not mean anything."
While The Guardian offers an excellent overview of the importance of Tlass, and Reuters offers some additional context, we'd caution that this news is still unconfirmed. For hours we've been hearing these rumors, but have put off publishing them for want of a better source. By now, however, many major news agencies are reporting the story.
1823 GMT: Bahrain. Gulf News Daily reports that three of the seven men accused of attacking security forces with Molotov cocktails in Abu Qawa in February --- seriously injuring one policeman --- were in prison at the time of the attack, according to their defence lawyer. The paper quotes lawyer Shazlan Khamis as having told the High Criminal Court yesterday:
My three clients were convicted of participating in an illegal gathering and were in jail at the time of the attack, the investigating officer had initially claimed they were on the run, but that's not true because they were jailed.
The investigating officer on the case says that "secret sources" revealed to him the identity of all seven men, adding that "they were already in jail for another case when we questioned them."
1815 GMT:Bahrain. A final verdict was expected today in the case of the 28 Bahraini medical professionals facing misdemeanour charges (see 0615 entry). However, in court the judge postponed the case until September 4th, reports Human Rights First, adding that the delay is so the judge can "consider allegations of torture against the medics during their detention last year". Commenting on the decision, Brian Dooley of Human Rights First said:
“Justice delayed is justice denied even longer for these medics who should not be on trial in the first place. Today’s delay shows the dictatorship is refusing to listen to international calls for reform by continuing with these politically-motivated trials. The medics should all have been acquitted today and investigations opened into who tortured them in custody.”
The NGO also quotes the reaction of neurosurgeon Nabeel Hameed, one of the 28:
Our suffering continues and our future is unclear. All the medics are disappointed as it means our lives continue in suspended animation.
I spoke with Monocle 24 at lunchtime about President Assad's interview with German television (see separate EA feature), considering both the presentation and the politics.
Bashar al-Assad, 
