Friday, June 3, 2011

The Syrian opposition attempts to organize

Antalya (Turkey), Special Envoy - "Freedom!" Freedom! ". Under the palm trees of the garden of a luxury hotel in the resort of Antalya in southern Turkey, dozens of Syrians protest improvise a fist or forefinger, watched dumbfounded tourists Russian or British. Slogans hostile to the regime in Damascus and its leader, Bashar al-Assad, are the same as those that undermine Syria for more than two months.

This time, without risk of arrest and brutal repression. Antalya has hosted a conference Tuesday, May 31 novel which brings together over 300 opposition figures in Syria. Most live in exile in the United States, Europe ... But fifty of them also came directly from Syria. The Kurdish region, Damascus, and even Deraa in the south, the epicenter of the revolt in Syria.

Some activists are planning to return as soon as the meeting ended. "This is a meeting organized to support the protests and denouncing violence, said Ammar Qurrabi, director of the National Centre for Human Rights and expatriate in Cairo for two months. We Kurds, Muslim Brotherhood, members of various opposition parties in exile, writers, journalists ...

This is the first time we are able to meet all these people, unfortunately through the shed blood in Syria. "The organizers prefer to stay in the shadows and refuse to give interviews. But the brothers Ali and Wassim Sanqar play a key role in funding the meeting. This powerful family of businessmen was one of the most influential countries, particularly active in the automotive and construction.

Until passage of arms with Rami Makhlouf, cousin of President Bashar Al-Assad, who wanted to raid their distribution license of Mercedes vehicles. M . Makhlouf, one of the persons targeted by U.S. sanctions, controls about 60% of the Syrian economy, with interests in many companies. "It's a mafia system linked to power, as it existed in Tunisia .

Makhlouf is everything. A large company in the Gulf that worked with me has dropped plans to Syria after being threatened by Makhlouf, "said Adib Shishakli, a businessman and grandson son of a former Syrian president in 1950." The community businessmen slowly realizes the need to support the Syrian people, "said Ammar Abdulhamid, a member of a foundation based in Washington.

In the camera's Hotel Falez, political debates often turned into a cacophony. The dialogue between diverse trends of the Syrian opposition has proved tricky. "The Muslim Brotherhood and Kurdish parties are trying to get the movement," grumbles one participant. "It's very positive, yet wants to believe Abd Razak Eid, signed in exile in Damascus Declaration, a petition in opposition of 2004.

This conference delivers two messages. A young Syrians who make the revolution for them that all the colors of the Syrian society are behind them. And another to the international community who used to say that Syria is not ready to change. " The differences are emerging as among the opposition in exile and those who participated within the revolution, as Taha damascene student of 25 years, more at ease on Facebook in the middle of these endless political debates.

Abd Razak for Eid, there is no question of creating a transitional committee, as in Libya. "We do not want to talk about post-Bashar, do not give the impression of wanting to exploit the situation to satisfy political ambitions", decrypts Iyad, who escaped to the United States. "What we want is a democratic state.

The best model would be Turkey's Erdogan," said for his part, Sheikh Al-Bandar Mafarah, one of fifteen Bedouin tribal leaders also present in Antalya . "We represent 7 million Syrians," said the little man in traditional costume. The first and the only concrete step taken by the Syrian opposition was to form committees to organize nonviolent resistance, mobilizing international lawsuits against the government of Bashar al-Assad, the financial support.

"People are putting their lives at risk to secure the future of Syria. Our duty is to support them politically and logistically," said Al-Molham Drobie, member of the leadership of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and spokesman of the Brotherhood at the meeting of Antalya. "We try to provide logistical support to equip activists with cameras to document the crimes committed by the regime to show the international community," he adds.

A dozen satellite phones have already been sent to different cities. Guillaume Perrier Article published in the edition of 03.06.11

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