PHOTO: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov

LATEST: Food and Supplies Reach Yarmouk for First Time in Months

SATURDAY FEATURES

The Syrian National Coalition has agreed to attend the international “Geneva 2” conference.

However, the decision was effectively supported by less than of the Coalition’s 120 members.

The final vote was 58-14. Another 44 members had withdrawn from the vote, threatening to resign if the Coalition accepted the United Nations invitation to the talks.

The head of the Coalition, Ahmad Jarba, said, “We will go to Geneva 2 with our olive branch, but we keep our guns at the same time.”

The Supreme Military Council, led by General Salim Idriss,has supported the decision while putting out essential demands for those attending the conference:

We support any resolution which guarantees that a political transition of authority takes place bringing the aspirations and hopes of the Syrian people to light.

We also call upon those who will be attending the Geneva 2 conference to remain committed to the initial objectives of the revolution.


Food and Supplies Reach Yarmouk for First Time in Months

Palestinian officials say aid has reached the remaining 18,000 residents in the besieged Damascus section of Yarmouk for the first time in six months.

“A first batch of food aid entered successfully this morning and distribution to residents has begun,” Palestine Liberation Organisation official Anwar Abdul Hadi said, describing the delivery as a trial run.

Anwar Raja, a Palestinian official, said much of the material was carried “on the shoulders” of members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), whose militia have been allied to the Assad regime and who were pushed out of much of Yarmouk by insurgents in late 2012.

It is not clear how much aid was allowed to enter the camp on Saturday. At least two earlier attempts by the Palestinians to deliver assistance failed this week.

Reports from inside Yarmouk say at least 40 residents have died from hunger and lack of medical care.

Video: Immediate Aftermath of Regime Shelling in Aleppo

Claimed ISIS Document Talks About “Conditions of Repentance” for Brigades Fighting ISIS in Al Bab

A Russian social media account belonging to or close to a Russian-speaking North Caucasian ISIS fighter in Syria has published a document that allegedly sets out conditions for fighters in Al Bab, Aleppo, who want to surrender to ISIS.

The document — if genuine, and it is not possible to verify its authenticity — appears to announce an amnesty whereby those insurgents who wish to cease fighting ISIS. The document invites them to do so under certain conditions, punishable by death.

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The translation (from the Russian version) is below:

Terms of repentance for traitorous battalions fighting against ISIS in Aleppo and Al-Bab.

The Islamic State of Iraq and a-Sham
Aleppo-East District Al Bab

Armistice terms for those who fought against ISIS

1. Repent to Allah and ISIS for their actions against ISIS

2. Announce / declare that they will no longer have any relationship with the Islamic Front and their brigades

3. Surrender all weapons (light and heavy) to ISIS

4. No loyalty to the Islamic Front and its brigades over weapons, ideas, tips and so forth

5. Those who repent are required to attend courses: on Sharia law as it relates to Al Tawhid al Wala ‘Wal Bara

6. Nobody is allowed to take up arms against ISIS

7. Those who resist the conditions of repentance will be executed according to Sharia law.

The place where tauba (repentance) is accepted: Masjid (mosque) Al Iman, Al Bab
17/18/19 -2014

Civilian Deaths In Air Raids On Tariq al-Sadd, Dar’aa City

Footage from Friday shows the immediate aftermath of a regime air raid on the Tariq al-Sadd neighborhood of Dar’aa city.

Civilians react immediately after the air raid:

This video shows the moment of the air raid:

WARNING: This video shows extremely graphic images of a victim of the attack in a field hospital.

Map shows the location of Tariq al-Sadd in southeast Dar’aa city:

AlAan TV has these images from the air raid:

Kerry Insists on Transititional Government Without Assad

Taking a harder line with President Assad on Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the Syrian leader cannot be part of a transitional government:

I believe, as we begin to get to Geneva (next Wednesday’s “peace” conference) and begin to get into this process, that it will become clear that there is no political solution whatsoever if Assad is not discussing a transition and if he thinks he’s going to be part of that future. It’s not going to happen.

Kerry insisted:

Nobody is going to be fooled. They can bluster, they can protest, they can put out distortions, the bottom line is we are going to Geneva to implement Geneva I (international agreement from June 2012), and if Assad doesn’t do that he will invite greater response.

9 Free Syrian Army Troops Killed by ISIS Car Bomb

The Local Coordination Committees name nine Free Syrian Army fighters killed by a car bomb set by the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham.

The blast was near the village of Jibreen in Aleppo Province.

The LCC said 108 people were killed across Syria on Friday, including 43 in Aleppo Province and 39 in Damascus and its suburbs.

Morning Summary

As the Assad regime — working with Russia and Iran — tried to seize the diplomatic high ground on Friday, the opposition Syrian National Coalition was paralyzed with indecision over participation in next week’s international “peace” conference.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov led the way in Moscow, proposing cease-fires — perhaps to be watched by troops suitable to both the Russians and Damascus — and saying that the Syrian regime might consider allowing some humanitarian aid into besieged areas. His Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Muallem, added the gesture of a possible prisoner exchange with the insurgency, as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif provided silent support.

Meanwhile, the opposition Syrian National Coalition never even opened discussions to decide on attendance at the “Geneva II” talks on Wednesday.

The Coalition was supposed to vote on the issue, but a noon meeting was delayed to 2 p.m., then 4 p.m., then put off to Saturday.

About 45 of the 120 members have said they will resign if the Coalition agrees to go to Geneva, and another 20 members are said to be considering their positions.

Coalition President Ahmad Jarba is believed to favor participation, and the US and British Government are pressing the opposition group to attend.