Assad outlines his views / plans for peace - bottom line is that he doesn't plan on leaving or talking to the rebels - US and Russia position for the upcoming battles....... Libya news of note......

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/01/2013172143332758.html

Domestic Syria opposition rejects Assad offer

Tolerated opposition group says it has ruled out direct talks, day after president outlines peace plan. Last Modified: 07 Jan 2013 22:52 inShare Email Print Share Feedback

A defiant Assad on Sunday presented what he described as a new initiative to end the civil war in Syria [Reuters]

Syria's tolerated opposition has rejected an offer to enter into talks with the government of President Bashar al-Assad to find a solution to end the 21-month conflict. The National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria (NCB) made the announcement on Monday even as Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi said his cabinet would meet soon to draw up a mechanism for the peace roadmap announced by Assad. On Sunday, Assad outlined in his first speech in months his vision to end the conflict that the UN says has killed 60,000 people. The president called for an end to the violence and dialogue with opposition figures he deemed acceptable to chart a future course. "We will not take part in a national dialogue before violence stops," the head of the opposition group, Hassan Abdel Azim, told a news conference in Damascus, setting the first of several conditions for talks with the regime. He also demanded that any dialogue be preceded by the release of prisoners, a guarantee to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered to areas hit by the violence and the publication of a statement on the fate of missing Syrians. "Any negotiation - not just a national dialogue - must be held under the aegis of the UN-Arab League envoy," he said. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday that Assad's rejection of the most important elements in an international roadmap to end the country's civil war means Assad has no real plan to end Syrians' "terrible suffering". "The secretary-general was disappointed that the speech ... does not contribute to a solution that could end the terrible suffering of the Syrian people," said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky. Ban and UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will continue to work for a political transition that leads to UN-organised elections, he said. The roadmap calls for a political transition and the establishment of a transitional governing body. No 'political solutions' Hours after Assad addressed cheering loyalists at the Damascus Opera House on Sunday, fighting erupted near the road to the city's international airport, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The anti-regime activists said artillery hit the district of Aqraba, 5km from the Opera House. Fighting continued all night and into Monday around the capital, as well as in the northern provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, it said. In central Syria, the towns of Taybet Imam and Halfaya were bombarded with aerial strikes and artillery, said Abu Faisal, an activist speaking over the internet from Taybet Imam. Abdel Azim and fellow NCB member Raja al-Nasser insisted that time had run out for "political solutions". "Assad had to make such proposals at the start of the conflict, in April or May 2011, but he refused and opted for the security solution," Abdel Aziz said. Nasser branded the initiative revealed on Sunday by Assad as a "war speech". The official SANA news agency quoted Assad's embattled prime minister as inviting government ministers to meet "in order to set up the necessary mechanisms for the national programme" outlined by the president. Assad outlined a three-phase plan, including entrusting the government with chairing a national dialogue conference with Syrians inside and outside the country to find a solution. The NCB, which was set up in September 2011, six months after the outbreak of the Syrian conflict, brings together Arab and Kurdish nationalists, Marxists and independents, such as writer Michel Kilo and economist Aref Dalila.

and.....

http://www.debka.com/article/22663/Bolstered-by-16-Russian-warships-Assad-nixes-dialogue-with-%E2%80%9CWestern-puppets%E2%80%9D

Bolstered by 16 Russian warships, Assad nixes dialogue with “Western puppets”

DEBKAfile Special Report January 6, 2013, 3:57 PM (GMT+02:00)

Tags:  Bashar Assad   Syria   Syrian opposition   Russian warships 

Bashar Assad is upbeat after 60,000 Syrian deaths

With a buildup of 16 Russian warships carrying thousands of marines on the Syrian coast “to deter the West from deploying ground forces in Syria,” Syrian Bashar Assad could afford to brazen it out in his first public speech in seven months. Speaking at the Damascus opera house, Sunday, Jan. 6, Assad said Syria no longer takes dictation from anyone and called on Syrian citizens to defend the country against “a war fought by only a handful of Syrians and many foreigners.”
He rejected dialogue with the opposition which he referred to as “puppets fabricated by the West.”

DEBKA-Net-Weekly, in its latest issue of Jan. 4, revealed that both Washington and Moscow may be encouraging the rush to Syria of al Qaeda and other radical Islamist fighters so as to put them in harm’s way on the Syrian battlefield instead of their staying home to make trouble in Asian, European and other Middle East countries.

On this point, Assad remarked: “The West tried to get rid of these terrorists by drawing them into conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places, but were unsuccessful. Now they are sending them to Syria. “

The Syrian ruler went on to maintain that it would not be too hard to get rid of them, if “all citizens are mobilized against these outside forces.” It was important, too, he said, to fight the terrorists’ ideas, before they permeated Syrian society. He vowed to fight terror “so long as a single terrorist remains in the country" and to combat the rebels fighting to overthrow his regime, whom he called “terrorists” and “criminals” who "harbor al Qaeda’s extremist ideology."
DEBKAfile: Assad’s emphasis on this point indicates he counts on his war against Islamist terrorism as a long-term insurance policy for bolstering his regime’s survival.

In Moscow, a senior military spokesman announced that Russian vessels, including battleships and landing craft carrying marines and military vehicles, would remain in Syrian waters until Easter. He said quite candidly that the presence of Russian marines near Syrian waters “will deter the West from deploying ground forces in Syria." The Russian flotilla and marines are intended to be the counterweight to the six NATO Patriot missile interceptors, the US, Germany and Holland have installed on the Turkish-Syrian border. Russia along with Iran  is providing Assad with a strong military shield, which is supplemented by Chinese diplomatic support.The Syrian ruler’s speech Sunday was therefore far more upbeat than his last address in June. Then, he defended himself against pressing international demands to step down by vowing to “live and die in Syria.” In this speech, he makes no mention of resigning or throwing in the towel.  In contrast to current predictions of his downfall, to be found in Western and Israeli media, Assad felt secure enough to set out his blueprint for ending the Syrian conflict.

The first stage of a political solution would require that “the regional powers stop funding and arming the opposition” – a reference to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Western powers.

He then invited “those who have not betrayed Syria” to a conference of reconciliation, followed by a referendum on a new constitution, the formation of a government and an amnesty.
 He rejected the Syrian opposition movement as “puppets fabricated by the West,” and said that Syria wanted to negotiate with the "master not the servants."

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-01-06/russian-ships-park-syrian-coast-nato-deploys-patriot-missiles-turkey

Russian Ships Park Off Syrian Coast As NATO Deploys Patriot Missiles In Turkey

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/06/2013 11:16 -0500

• Germany
 
• Iran
 
• Netherlands
 
• Turkey

Several hours ago, Syrian president delivered his first public speech in months, addressing the internal military conflict that has gripped his country, and whose key excerpts can befound here. In it he called for a "full national mobilisation" to fight against rebels he described as al Qaeda terrorists. "We meet today and suffering is overwhelming Syrian land. There is no place for joy while security and stability are absent on the streets of our country," Assad said in a speech at the opera house in central Damascus. "The nation is for all and we all must protect it." Assad once again blamed the west for provoking and "facilitating" the rebellion, which even the NYT admits is being orchestrated by Al Qaeda, which naturally begs the question: just what is Al Qaeda to the US and to its intelligence agencies - foe or ally? But while providing fodder for the pundits, the speech was largely irrelevant. What does merit attention is the follow up to the story from two weeks ago the Russia sent two squadrons of ship to Syria in mid-December. It appears they have arrived, and just in time to offset the positioning of NATO Patriot missiles along the Turkish-Syria border.

From Jerusalem Post:

Russia has concentrated five landing ships in the eastern Mediterranean in a show of force  meant to deter Western nations from intervening militarily in Syria, The Sunday Times quoted a Russian diplomat as saying.

According to the report, the ships are carrying military vehicles and hundreds of Russian marines, and are being accompanied by combat vessels.

Remember when the official party line was that ships are being sent to assist in the evacuation of Russian citizens? Looks like not even Russia is going with that anymore.

While officially Russia has claimed the ships have been deployed to partake in an exercise to "improve the management, maintenance and testing of the interaction of naval forces,” the Times quoted the diplomat as saying the marines were meant to deter the West from deploying ground forces in the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Meanwhile in Turkey from Al Jazeera:

NATO has begun deploying Patriot missiles in Turkey in a bid to protect the country from the threat of war from neighbouring Syria, according to the US military's European Command (EUCOM).

EUCOM said in a statement on Friday that US military personnel and equipment were sent to Incirlik Air Base in southeastern Turkey to support NATO's Patriot battery deployment at Ankara's request.

Up to 400 troops are expected to be transported to Tukey within the week to operate two Patriot batteries supporting NATO's mission there. Additional equipment is scheduled to arrive by sea this month.

"The deployment of six Patriot batteries, including two each from Germany and The Netherlands, is in response to Turkey's request to NATO," EUCOM said in the statement issued from its offices in the southwestern German city of Stuttgart.

"The forces will augment Turkey's air defence capabilities and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the Alliance's border," it added.

Yes, we too find it amusing when by de-escalation the US armed forces mean anything but.

Which then leaves the only open question: when?

“Russia should be prepared for any developments, as it believes the situation in Syria might reach its peak before Easter,” the Times quoted the diplomatic source as saying.

In other words, having been unable to convince the world that Iran is a terminal threat to "democracy" everywhere and the window of destroying its nuclear processing facilities now officially closed, and with both the Lebanon and the Gaza conflicts hibernating, the only loophole left to escalate the region is now Syria, where the event timeline now appears to culminate in 2-3 months.

Finally, let's not forget the US naval presence in the region, whose most recent update via Stratfor is shown below. Just need a few more US ships in the eastern mediterranean for things to get fun.

 

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/01/2013161004953919.html

Syria's Assad outlines new peace plan

President offers wide-ranging initiative, while refusing to talk with those he calls "criminals and extremists". Last Modified: 06 Jan 2013 13:30 inShare2 Email Print Share Feedback

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has outlined a new peace initiative, including a national reconciliation conference and a new government and constitution, but demanded regional and Western countries stop funding and arming rebels first. The president was speaking on Sunday in a rare address to the nation, his first since June. He spoke to a packed hall at the Opera House in central Damascus, and the audience frequently broke out in cheers and applause. Assad ignored international demands for him to step down and said he is ready to hold a dialogue with those "who have not betrayed Syria". The Syrian opposition, including rebels on the ground, were quick to reject Assad's proposal. Louay Safi, a member of the opposition group called the Syrian National Coalition, dismissed the address to the nation as "empty rhetoric”. "He did not offer to step down, which was a precondition to start any negotiation," Safi said. "He has shown that he is a dictator that we cannot negotiate with. I think he has no desire to relinquish power. He wants to crush the opposition and he hopes he can stay over for the next 40 years like his father did." Opposition leaders have repeatedly said they will accept nothing less than the president's departure, dismissing any kind of settlement that leaves Assad in the picture. "We are in a state of war. We are fighting an external aggression that is more dangerous than any others, because they use us to kill each other," the president said. He stressed the presence of religious extremists and jihadi elements among those fighting in Syria, calling them "terrorists" and "servants who know nothing but the language of slaughter". "We have terrorists who follow the ideology of al-Qaeda. We brothers fight against these people. Most of them are not Syrian... We will teach them a lesson," Assad said. Defiant tone Wearing a suit and tie, Assad spoke before a collage of pictures of what appeared to be Syrians who have been killed since March 2011. The internet was cut in many parts of Damascus ahead of the address, apparently for security reasons. As in previous speeches, Assad said his forces were fighting groups of "murderous criminals" and jihadi elements and denied that there was an uprising against his family's decades-long rule. He struck a defiant tone, saying Syria will not take dictates from anyone but urged Syrians to unite to save the country. "The first part of a political solution would require regional powers to stop funding and arming [the rebels], an end to terrorism and controlling the borders," he said. He said this would then be followed by dialogue and a national reconciliation conference and the formation of a wide representative government which would then oversee new elections, a new constitution and general amnesty. However, Assad made clear his offer to hold a dialogue is not open to those whom he considers extremists or carrying out a foreign agenda. In-depth coverage of escalating violence across Syria "We never rejected a political solution ... but with whom should we talk? With those who have extremist ideology who only understand the language of terrorism?'' he said. "Or should we negotiate with puppets whom the West brought. ... We negotiate with the master, not with the slave." "Is this a revolution and are these revolutionaries? By God I say they are a bunch of criminals," he said. The 21-month uprising against Assad has become a civil war that the United Nations says has killed 60,000 people. News from forgotten Libya...... http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/01/06/reports-emerge-of-magarief-assassination-attempt-in-sebha/ Reports emerge of Magarief assassination attempt in Sebha By Tom Little.  Head of the GNC Mohamed Magarief, centre, at a conference in Tripoli last week (Photo: Tom Little) Tripoli, 6 January: Reports are emerging that the head of the General National Congress (GNC) Mohamed Magarief survived an attempt on his life while he was on a state visit to the southern town of Sebha. Several different accounts of the attack have emerged, some have said that unknown gunmen opened fire on the Fezzan Hotel in Sebha, where Magarief and the visiting GNC delegation were staying, while others have said that his convoy was fired on as it drove through the streets of the town. Both accounts say that members of Magarief’s security detail were wounded in the incident. It is not thought that Magarief was injured in the attack, which is said to have taken place on Friday. Magarief had been on a visit to Sebha to meet with local council members and officials about the security situation in the town after it was declared aclosed military zone on 16 December. In the days leading up to Magarief’s visit, members of the Awlad Suleiman and Qadhadhfa tribes had clashed in the town, leaving several from both sides dead. More details to follow. and....... http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130105148163 ( note this story is not in either the Libya Herald or Tripoli Post papers )  Saif, Senussi to be tried in one month in Libya Last Updated : Saturday, January 05, 2013 12:30 AM Sami Zaptia TRIPOLI – The official spokesperson for Libya’s Attorney General, Taha Bara, said that Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and Abdullah Senussi will be put on trial in a month’s time, Libya FM radio station reported. Bara said that the reason for the delay in their trial was the continued questionning of Abdulah Al-Senussi, which had not been completed yet. Bara felt that Senussi was privy to information that would have relevance to the Saif trial. The spokesperson confirmed that Libya was not obliged to hand him over to the International Criminal Court and that he will be put on trial in Libya. Bara went further and confirmed that Saif will be put on trial in Zintan as Zintan now fulfilled all the requirements needed to facilitate the trial. – Libya Herald and...... Benghazi CID officer found dead By Maha Ellawati. Benghazi, 5 January: The body of an officer from Benghazi’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was found in the Sidi Faraj area of the city in the early hours of this morning. Nasser Al-Moghrabi’s, a colonel with Benghazi CID, was said to have been killed by a single bullet to the head. His killing comes three days after another police officer from the department, Abdulsalam Al-Mihdawi, waskidnapped by an unknown armed group as his car waited at a traffic light in the Al-Hawari area of Benghazi.