SYRIA News, Apr 17, 2013

Syria's Assad reduces sentences for some rebels Thegardenisland.com DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's president on Tuesday slashed prison terms by three quarters for an unspecified number of rebels convicted as "terrorists," as fierce battles raged around the airport of Aleppo, the country's largest city. Bashar Assad ... See all stories on this topic »

Belgian Police Raid Homes in Connection with Syrian Terror Groups Recruits Fars News Agency Sharia4Belgium is known as a Salafist group opposed to Syria's President Assad. Foreign insurgents have been playing an increasing role in Syria's crisis that began in March 2011. Belgian authorities became concerned after it was reported that about 80... See all stories on this topic » Fars News Agency

Turkey's Syrian refugee spending over $700 mln www.worldbulletin.net "Syria belongs to the Syrian people. It neither belongs to other countries nor it a personal possession of Bashar al-Assad. Syrian people must ne given means to decide on their own fate. Turkey is always ready to actively be a part of a step to be ... See all stories on this topic » www.worldbulletin.net

Syrian President Assad issues general amnesty for crimes committed in Syria allvoices Syrian President Bashar Assad announced his sixth amnesty within the past two years for crimes committed during the uprising which began mid-March 2011 with peaceful demonstrations against four decades of rule by Assad and his late father, President ... See all stories on this topic »

Iraq battered by Syria war, key elections UPI.com Baghdad fears overlap between the fortunes of the Syrian rebels and protest movements in Iraq's predominantly Sunni provinces such as Anbar, Nineveh and Salaheddin," which border Sunni-majoritySyria where the regime of President Bashar Assad is ... See all stories on this topic »

Rocket attack kills at least 12 in central Syria Kansas City Star "Just as the West financed al-Qaida in Afghanistan in its beginnings, and later paid a heavy price, today it is supporting it in Syria, Libya and other places and will pay the price later in the heart of Europe and the United States," Assad said. In ... See all stories on this topic » Kansas City Star

Assad issues fresh general amnesty for crimes committed in Syria Al-Arabiya A general amnesty for crimes committed in war-torn Syria prior to Tuesday has been issued bySyrian President Bashar al-Assad, state news agency SANA reported. "President Assad has issued decree number 23, granting a general amnesty for crimes ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria's Assad offers rebels 'amnesty' as conflict rages FRANCE 24 President Bashar al-Assad declared a "general amnesty" on Tuesday that was full of exemptions and sniffed at by Washington, as the conflict ravaging Syria showed no signs of abating. Under the latest decree, troops who deserted but did not fight ... See all stories on this topic » FRANCE 24

Brahimi eyes new UN envoy role in Syria, dropping Arab League: envoys Reuters The Syrian National Coalition, an opposition bloc recognized by the Arab League as the sole representative for conflict-torn Syria, opened its first embassy in Qatar last month in a diplomatic blow to President Bashar al-Assad. Assad said earlier this ... See all stories on this topic »

Assad prisoner amnesty deemed meaningless The Daily Star BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad announced a general amnesty Tuesday to cut some prisoners' sentences to mark a national holiday, a move opposition groups rejected as meaningless without the release of thousands of political detainees believed... See all stories on this topic » The Daily Star

Life and death in Damascus's shrinking Square of Security Chicago Tribune The once secure central neighborhoods of the city are being sucked into the turmoil ravaging Syriaas rebel fighters battle President Bashar al-Assad's forces on its periphery and step up rocket fire into central Damascus. Relatives of people killed in ... See all stories on this topic »

Tensions build on Israel-Syria border Washington Post President Bashar al-Assad's weakening regime has pulled out forces from the border region to defend the nearby Syrian capital, Damascus, they say, leaving the SyrianGolan largely under the control of opposition forces, some of which are thought to be ... See all stories on this topic » Washington Post

Assad accuses West of backing al-Qaida in Syria WHIO Radio Syrian President Bashar Assad has accused the West of backing al-Qaida in Syria and says it will pay the price. Assad spoke in an interview to be aired later Wednesday on the government-run Al-Ikhbariya channel. Excerpts of the interview have been ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria's Assad to speak in rare TV interview AFP DAMASCUS — Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is to lay out his vision of the conflict that has ravaged the country for more than two years in a rare television interview to be broadcast on Wednesday evening. The interview will air on state television ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria amnesty could free up to 7000 inmates Los Angeles Times BEIRUT — Syrian President Bashar Assad issued an order Tuesday freeing up to 7,000 prison inmates, but it was not clear whether the decree would apply to any of those jailed for participation in the rebellion that is seeking to overthrow his regime ... See all stories on this topic » Los Angeles Times

Syrian opposition begins rewriting history in textbooks Los Angeles Times In President Bashar Assad's Syria, society was built on a fealty to the Baath Party ideology, a one-party system whose influence could be seen at the lowest levels of grade school, where textbooks were tools of propaganda. The new textbooks are an ... See all stories on this topic »

US Fears Syria Rebel Victory, for Now Wall Street Journal "The end game requires a very careful calibration that doesn't tip the meter in an unintended way toward groups that could produce the kind of post-Assad Syria that we aren't looking for." But several current and former officials briefed on these ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Journal

Belgian Police Arrest 6 on Charges of Recruiting for Syrian Insurgency New York Times The foreign jihadist element in the insurgency has alarmed Western powers that want to see Mr. Assad step down but do not want him replaced by an Islamist militant government or stateless mayhem. Some of the most fearless jihadist groups in Syriahave ... See all stories on this topic » New York Times

Syria slams French amnesty criticism The Daily Star "President Assad's decree was issued on the eve of Syria's independence day from France's occupation," state news agency SANA said, citing a foreign ministry statement. "The foreign ministry said the French government should stop interfering inSyria's ... See all stories on this topic » The Daily Star

Qatar says aid for Syria rebels and Islamists won't harm region Al-Arabiya Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused Arab states who are arming and sheltering rebel fighters of actions that could “create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond,” with Saudi Arabia and Qatar clearly in mind. “Assad is not ... See all stories on this topic »

World Digest: April 16, 2013 Washington Post Assad also decreed a reduction in the sentences of an unknown number of convicted criminals ahead of Syria's independence day, state media said. He has made similar gestures since the country's two-year-old crisis began, including pardons for those ... See all stories on this topic »

Hagel, Syria and side-stepping the law The Hill (blog) Remember last year, when Congress passed a law that the Pentagon must cut ties with Rososboronexport, the Russian state-owned arms exporter at the heart of Bashar al Assad'satrocities in Syria? The Department of Defense was supposed to spend the ... See all stories on this topic »

Obama discusses Syria in talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince AFP The president will also meet the leaders of Turkey, Qatar and Jordan in the coming weeks, as Syrianrebels renew their appeals for Washington to provide weapons and as President Bashar al-Assadbattles for survival. After the lunch in the White House, ... See all stories on this topic »

Syria crisis: truce in Aleppo - Wednesday 17 April 2013 The Guardian European Union governments are expected to ease a Syrian oil embargo next week in an effort to tilt the balance of the conflict against President Bashar al-Assad, Reuters reports. At a meeting on Monday, EU foreign ministers will also agree to lift ... See all stories on this topic »

Syrian Hackers Claim NPR As Latest Victims TECH.BLORGE.com NPR's web publishing system, along with its social media accounts, were compromised late Monday night by a group supporting embattled Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. The group, calling itself the “Syrian Electronic Army,” claimed credit for incident ... See all stories on this topic » TECH.BLORGE.com

Lavrov says Friends of Syria 'negative' for dialogue AFP ISTANBUL — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said the Friends of Syriagrouping of Western and Arab countries opposed to the rule of President Bashar al-Assadundermined dialogue. "Right now we see this process is making a ... See all stories on this topic »

Assad Says West to Pay Dearly for 'Funding Qaida', Warns Regime Defeat would ... Naharnet Syrian President Bashar Assad accused Western nations of funding al-Qaida and warned they will pay dearly for their actions, according to excerpts of an interview to be broadcast later Wednesday. "The West has paid heavily for funding al-Qaida in its ... See all stories on this topic » Naharnet

Is the UN Probe in Syria Another Iraq WMD Invasion? The International Syria has yet to respond to the proposal by the United Nations, but the United States urged the Assad regime “to provide that approval as soon as possible,” said Caitlin Hayden, National Security Council Spokeswoman. However, UN diplomats said further... See all stories on this topic » The International

Al-Ikhbariya TV to air Assad interview on Wednesday Day Press News "Syria's Al-Ikhbariya has conducted an exclusive interview with President Bashar al-Assad... and it will be broadcast on Wednesday... at 9:30 pm (1830 GMT)," the channel said on its Facebook page. Al-Ikhbariya published, also on its Facebook page,... See all stories on this topic » Day Press News

Star team in war-torn Syria with aid NGO Independent Online The opposition in Syria is one of many discordant parts borne of a grassroots movement. It includes long-time opponents of Assad's regime and former supporters-turned-defectors, like his own former prime minister. Politically, they've banded together... See all stories on this topic » Independent Online

Belgian police target Syria volunteers Sky News Australia Belgian police have staged dozens of early morning raids on radical Islamists suspected of recruiting volunteers to fight the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Police carried out '46 raids essentially in Antwerp and in Vilvorde', just outside ... See all stories on this topic »

Syrian guns fall silent to allow Aleppo's dead to be collected Reuters ... with Assad's forces in different parts of the city, located 310 km (195 miles) north of Damascus.Assad's father, the late president Hafez al-Assad, forged an alliance with Aleppo's merchant class that was, until the revolt, a pillar of his family ... See all stories on this topic »

Syrian women are not captives Egyptian Gazette Some people think Al-Assad's regime has been spreading rumours about men marrying poor, underage Syrian refugee girls, taking advantage of the fact that their families are desperate for money. “This is not fair. If these men really wanted to help the ... See all stories on this topic » Egyptian Gazette

Assad accuses West of backing al Qaeda in Syria | CTV News Syria's president on Wednesday accused the West of backing al Qaeda in Syria, warning it will pay the price "in the heart" of Europe and the United States as the terror network becomes emboldened. CTVNews.ca - Top Stories - Public RSS

Assad offers amnesty under narrow circumstances | Ya Libnan ... By Sami Haddad Syrian President Bashar Assad has declared an amnesty, and troops who deserted but did not fight against the regime may be pardoned if they surrender within a month, state news agency SANA reported. “President Assad has issued decree ... Ya Libnan

Assad accuses West of backing al-Qaeda in Syria - World - CBC News Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused the West of backing al-Qaeda in Syria and says it will pay the price. www.cbc.ca/.../syria-assad-accuses-west-backing-al-qaeda.html

Syria's Assad reduces prison sentences for some rebels | Fox News Syria's president on Tuesday slashed prison terms by three quarters for an unspecified number of rebels convicted as terrorists, state media reported, as rebels ... www.foxnews.com/.../syrian-tv-president-assad-pardons-crimi...

Latest World News - Inside Syria - Preapring for the day after al ... Latest World News - Inside Syria - Preapring for the day after al-Assad's fall... World ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKzoM-BzI68

Syria's Assad issues new general amnesty: SANA : The Voice of ... Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has issued a general amnesty for crimes committed in the war-torn country prior to Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported. english.ruvr.ru/.../Syrias-Assad-issues-new-general-amnesty-S...

PYD begins fight against al-Assad regime forces in northern Syria Syrian President Bashar al-Assad s forces began targeting Syrian Kurds and the Democratic Union Party... www.hurriyetdailynews.com/pyd-begins-fight-against-al-assad...

English News Today - Syria Hysteria: 'West paints post-Assad pic ... http://www.youtube.com/EnglishNewsToday English News Today Plz Subscrib for Latest World ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk3mIxRkKi4

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