Syria......
http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/313263.html
A prominent U.S. senator has called on the administration of President Barack Obama to attack Syrian “airfields, airplanes and massed artillery.”
Egypt.......
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“We will continue our peaceful resistance to the bloody military coup against constitutional legitimacy,” the movement said in a statement on Thursday.
It added that the “peaceful and popular will of the people shall triumph over force and oppression.”
The statement comes a day after Egypt's military-backed government stepped up its crackdown on the movement. The interim government has ordered the arrest of Brotherhood's spiritual leader, Mohamed Badie.
Despite the crackdown, Egypt’s new interim Prime Minister Hazem el Beblawi says he may offer cabinet posts to Brotherhood members.
The offer has already been rejected by the group, on whose ticket Morsi won the 2012 presidential election. The movement is demanding Morsi's reinstatement.
Protests against last week’s coup have turned violent on several occasions. The Army has used force to disperse demonstrators, killing more than 80 people in Cairo.
Meanwhile, thousands of supporters of the ousted president have held fresh rallies calling for his reinstatement. The demonstrations took place in Cairo’s Nasr city as well as the second largest city of Alexandria. Morsi’s supporters say they will continue protests until the collapse of the military rule.
The Muslim Brotherhood has called for mass rallies on Friday, starting from mosques, where weekly congregational prayers are held. Meanwhile, the anti-Morsi Tamarud or Rebellion movement has invited its followers for rival rallies in Cairo's Liberation Square on the same day.
JR/KA
Supporters and opponents of ousted president Mohamed Morsi are both planning major events on Friday.
The groundwork of military coups is laid by demonstrations and through social media like in Egypt, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said in remarks apparently also referring to the Gezi protests in Turkey that have continued since late May.
"In the past military coups took place after the army went into the streets, declared martial law and occupied the radio and the television networks. Now it lays the foundations with illegal demonstrations, squares and social media, and the armed forces come right after that," Erdoğan said during a fast-breaking event of the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MÜSİAD) in Istanbul July 11.
"There is one point that all these plots and scenarios do not take into account. The same way they have plots, God also has a plot. The people have also a plot," Erdoğan said, adding that there would be sabotage attempts against the Kurdish peace process started six months ago that entered a critical phase in May with the withdrawal of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants from Turkish soil.
"A strong Turkey is not wanted in the region," he said.
The Turkish prime minister also recalled the military coup of Feb. 28, 1997, in Turkey which led to the ban of the Welfare Party (RP). "Just like in the past, they may confront us by terrorizing the squares," he said.
Erdoğan also defied once again Gezi protesters, saying that the Kazlıçeşme square where the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) organized a mass counter-rally June 16 was "much bigger than Taksim Square." "But there is still a bigger square, the ballot box," Erdoğan added.
The Turkish prime minister had accused Gezi protesters of being used by conspirators against the AKP government. He also repeatedly defended the harsh police crackdowns, refusing demands from the protesters’ representatives to remove from duty the parties responsible for disproportionate use of violence during the repression.
A group of academics, journalists, artists and activists have published a statement in which they urged the government to undertake reforms as a response to the Gezi Park protests, proposing concrete steps in a wide range of areas.
While slamming the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) repressive attitude against the wave of protests sparked by the demolition attempt of Istanbul's Gezi Park in late May, the group said a "democratic package" enhancing individual freedoms and equality was needed in a petition published July 11.
The adoption of a law that guarantees the freedom of assembly, the recognition of the education in mother tongue, the transition into a more decentralized state, the recognition of the demands of the LGBT community, the protection of Alevis’ religious rights and the revision of the government's development policy were among the propositions made in the statement.
"The concrete steps that we have enumerated above should be perceived as a call to conscience and justice to all political actors and citizens," the statement read.
Intellectuals with very different political backgrounds signed the appeal, including journalists Hasan Cemal, Cengiz Çandar, Rober Koptaş, academics Murat Belge, Herkül Millas, Dilek Kurban, writer Oya Baydar, actress Hale Soygazi and LGBT activists Mehmet Tarhan and Esmeray.
http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/313263.html
US senator calls for military strikes on Syria
Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:55AM
Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.)
A prominent U.S. senator has called on the administration of President Barack Obama to attack Syrian “airfields, airplanes and massed artillery.”
The influential chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin (D-Mich.) who has returned from a fact-finding trip to the Middle East, also expressed support for arming the militant groups fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
“Increased military pressure on Assad is the only way to achieve a negotiated settlement in Syria, which in turn is needed to restore stability to a region that certainly doesn’t need any more instability,” Levin said Wednesday during a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Levin conceded that the U.S. public opposes an increased involvement in the Syrian conflict and that there is “no consensus” on the issue on Capitol Hill.
Senator Levin and Senator Angus King (I-Maine) spent five days in Jordan and Turkey, talking to government officials as well as U.S. diplomatic and military personnel about the conflict in Syria.
The two senators also met with militant leaders including Salim Idriss, the leader of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), and visited refugee camps along the Syrian border.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, Levin and King said the U.S. and its allies should arm and train the militants and consider “options for limited, targeted strikes at airplanes, helicopters, missiles, tanks and artillery.”
However they said they were not calling for American troops on the ground in Syria.
The senators noted that “doing nothing may be the worst option of all,” potentially destabilizing U.S. allies in the region, including Turkey and Jordan, and threatening Israeli interests.
In a letter last month, Sen. Levin, Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona and Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey called on President Obama to take "more decisive military actions" against Syria.
A recent opinion poll conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that the majority of Americans, 70 percent, are against U.S. involvement in Syria’s unrest.
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_23643278/al-qaida-kills-free-syrian-army-commander
Al-Qaida kills Free Syrian Army commander
BEIRUT—Militants linked to al-Qaida in Syria killed a senior figure in the Western- and Arab-backed Free Syrian army on Thursday, an FSA source said, signaling a widening rift between Islamists and more moderate elements in the armed Syrian opposition.
Kamal Hamami, a member of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council, known by his nom de guerre Abu Bassel al-Ladkani, was meeting with members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the port city of Latakia when they killed him, Qassem Saadeddine, a Free Syrian Army spokesman, told Reuters.
"The Islamic State phoned me saying that they killed Abu Bassel and that they will kill all of the Supreme Military Council," Saadeddine said from Syria.
"He met them to discuss battle plans," Saadeddine added.
The Free Syrian Army has been trying to build a network of logistics and reinforce its presence across Syria as the U.S. administration pledged to send weapons to the group after it concluded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces had used chemical weapons against rebel fighters.
U.S. congressional committees are holding up the plan because of fears that such deliveries will not be decisive and the arms might end up in the hands of Islamist militants, security sources have said.
While Free Syrian Army units sometimes fight alongside Islamist militant groups such as the Islamist State, rivalries have increased and al-Qaida-linked groups have been blamed for several assassinations of commanders of moderate rebel units.
Egypt.......
Egypt's MB vows to continue resistance against ouster of Morsi
Egyptian supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood shout slogans in favour of Egypt's deposed president Mohamed Morsi after breaking their fasts outside Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque on July 10, 2013.
Thu Jul 11, 2013 5:52PM
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has promised to continue its peaceful resistance against the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi in a military coup.
“We will continue our peaceful resistance to the bloody military coup against constitutional legitimacy,” the movement said in a statement on Thursday.
It added that the “peaceful and popular will of the people shall triumph over force and oppression.”
The statement comes a day after Egypt's military-backed government stepped up its crackdown on the movement. The interim government has ordered the arrest of Brotherhood's spiritual leader, Mohamed Badie.
Despite the crackdown, Egypt’s new interim Prime Minister Hazem el Beblawi says he may offer cabinet posts to Brotherhood members.
The offer has already been rejected by the group, on whose ticket Morsi won the 2012 presidential election. The movement is demanding Morsi's reinstatement.
Protests against last week’s coup have turned violent on several occasions. The Army has used force to disperse demonstrators, killing more than 80 people in Cairo.
Meanwhile, thousands of supporters of the ousted president have held fresh rallies calling for his reinstatement. The demonstrations took place in Cairo’s Nasr city as well as the second largest city of Alexandria. Morsi’s supporters say they will continue protests until the collapse of the military rule.
The Muslim Brotherhood has called for mass rallies on Friday, starting from mosques, where weekly congregational prayers are held. Meanwhile, the anti-Morsi Tamarud or Rebellion movement has invited its followers for rival rallies in Cairo's Liberation Square on the same day.
JR/KA
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/76290/Egypt/Politics-/Opponents,-supporters-of-Egypts-Morsi-plan-rival-F.aspx
Opponents, supporters of Egypt's Morsi plan rival Friday demos in Cairo
Supporters of ousted president plan mass Friday protests to demand his reinstatement as supporters of Egypt's new transitional government gear up to celebrate his ouster
Ahram Online , Friday 12 Jul 2013
Supporters of ousted Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi, hold his portraits and wave Egyptian flags as they shout slogans during a demonstration after the Iftar prayer in Cairo, Wednesday, (Photo: AP).
Pro-Morsi protesters camped out en masse in Cairo since the former president's ouster last week plan to stage a large demonstration to demand his reinstatement.
His opponents, meanwhile, are calling for celebrations in support of the uprising/military intervention that unseated him.
A number of political groups have called for a communal Iftar meal on Friday at dusk in Tahrir Square and outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace, both sites of recent mass protests that propelled Morsi out of office with the aid of the military.
The latter event is meant to celebrate the 30 June uprising in which millions of Egyptians took to the streets to demand early presidential elections, prompting the army to oust Morsi on 3 July and impose a political roadmap in coordination with opposition groups.
During the Islamic month of Ramadan, which began on Wednesday, Muslims are required to fast from dawn until dusk. Iftar is the first meal of the day, taking place immediately after sunset.
Since Egypt's January 2011 revolution, similar events and celebrations have been held in the iconic Tahrir Square, including Ramadan iftars and New Year's festivities.
Groups calling for the event in Tahir – including the 30 June Front, the liberal Constitution Party, the leftist Egyptian Popular Current, the Rebel movement and others – have also called for the continuation of demonstrations to ensure that "the will of the people is expressed in the transitional phase so as to correct the path of the 25 January revolution."
A joint statement by groups calling for the event also called on the Muslim Brotherhood – the group from which Morsi hails – and the group's supporters to "immediately stop inciting violence and terrorism against Egyptians."
The Brotherhood has consistently called on group members to adhere to peaceful methods of protest. The group's opponents, however, accuse Brotherhood figures and allies of asserting that violence would persist until Morsi's reinstatement.
After Morsi's ouster, violence broke out between his supporters and opponents across the nation, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.
A confrontation on Monday between military personnel and pro-Morsi demonstrators outside Presidential Guard headquarters in Cairo's Nasr City district saw over 50 of the latter killed.
Military spokesmen later claimed that they had carried out their duty by protecting a military facility.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood and groups allied to it have vowed to maintain their demonstrations in support of the ousted president.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-led National Alliance to Support Legitimacy released a statement on Wednesday calling for a Friday million-man march in Cairo to demand Morsi's reinstatement.
The alliance, which also includes several allied Islamist groups, went on to reiterate its rejection of last week's "coup against democratic legitimacy," in reference to Morsi's ouster at the hands of Egypt's armed forces.
In its statement, the alliance vowed to continue the struggle against Egypt's new "usurper government" and the "oppressive constitutional declaration" unveiled earlier this week by Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour.
The alliance promised to maintain its demand for Morsi's reinstatement "despite the bloody massacre [at Presidential Guard headquarters], the wave of arrests [of Brotherhood leaders], false accusations [against Islamist figures and groups] and the arbitrary closure of [Islamist] satellite television channels."
Meanwhile, for the last 13 days, pro-Morsi demonstrators have maintained a sizeable sit-in outside the Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque in Cairo's Nasr City district.
Several marches have also recently been staged across the capital and in a number of provincial governorates to protest Monday's killing of pro-Morsi demonstrators by security forces.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/military-coups-are-now-prepared-in-squares-through-social-media-like-in-egypt-turkish-pm.aspx?PageID=238&NID=50547&NewsCatID=338
Military coups are now prepared in squares, through social media like in Egypt: Turkish PM
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks during a fast-breaking event of the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MÜSİAD) in Istanbul, July 11. AA photo
"In the past military coups took place after the army went into the streets, declared martial law and occupied the radio and the television networks. Now it lays the foundations with illegal demonstrations, squares and social media, and the armed forces come right after that," Erdoğan said during a fast-breaking event of the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MÜSİAD) in Istanbul July 11.
"There is one point that all these plots and scenarios do not take into account. The same way they have plots, God also has a plot. The people have also a plot," Erdoğan said, adding that there would be sabotage attempts against the Kurdish peace process started six months ago that entered a critical phase in May with the withdrawal of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants from Turkish soil.
"A strong Turkey is not wanted in the region," he said.
The Turkish prime minister also recalled the military coup of Feb. 28, 1997, in Turkey which led to the ban of the Welfare Party (RP). "Just like in the past, they may confront us by terrorizing the squares," he said.
Erdoğan also defied once again Gezi protesters, saying that the Kazlıçeşme square where the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) organized a mass counter-rally June 16 was "much bigger than Taksim Square." "But there is still a bigger square, the ballot box," Erdoğan added.
The Turkish prime minister had accused Gezi protesters of being used by conspirators against the AKP government. He also repeatedly defended the harsh police crackdowns, refusing demands from the protesters’ representatives to remove from duty the parties responsible for disproportionate use of violence during the repression.
July/11/2013
Intellectuals propose concrete reforms as response to Gezi protests in appeal to government
Acclaimed writer and columnist Oya Baydar was also among the signatories.
While slamming the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) repressive attitude against the wave of protests sparked by the demolition attempt of Istanbul's Gezi Park in late May, the group said a "democratic package" enhancing individual freedoms and equality was needed in a petition published July 11.
The adoption of a law that guarantees the freedom of assembly, the recognition of the education in mother tongue, the transition into a more decentralized state, the recognition of the demands of the LGBT community, the protection of Alevis’ religious rights and the revision of the government's development policy were among the propositions made in the statement.
"The concrete steps that we have enumerated above should be perceived as a call to conscience and justice to all political actors and citizens," the statement read.
Intellectuals with very different political backgrounds signed the appeal, including journalists Hasan Cemal, Cengiz Çandar, Rober Koptaş, academics Murat Belge, Herkül Millas, Dilek Kurban, writer Oya Baydar, actress Hale Soygazi and LGBT activists Mehmet Tarhan and Esmeray.
July/12/2013
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