PHOTO: President Assad deposits his ballot in Wednesday elections for Parliament


LATEST

THURSDAY FEATURE

The Assad Regime’s Election Propaganda Fail


The Assad regime proclaimed Parliamentary elections on Wednesday, seeking the appearance of legitimacy amid political talks over Syria’s five-year conflict.

Polls were held in regime-held areas, with State media filled with photographs and videos of queuing people under President Assad’s picture and the slogan “Your vote strengthens your steadfastness”. State news agency SANA announced that polling was extended by five hours because of “massive turnout”.

President Assad and his wife Asma were shown casting their ballots, and Assad gave a brief interview heralding “unprecedented” participation and saying that “terrorism” could not destroy Syria’s “social structure, the national identity”.

Voters were selecting 250 MPs for the People’s Assembly, which has no effective power. There were no arrangements for almost 5 million Syrians to cast ballots, and those in opposition-held areas — such as Idlib Province — or locations controlled by the Islamic State had to travel to regime territory to participate.

Assad’s allies such as Iran and Russia have supported the vote, putting out false declarations of support in all of Syria for the ballot. Britain and France have dismissed the event as “flimsy facade” and a “sham”.

“These elections do not mean anything,” said Asaad al-Zoubi, a negotiator for the opposition-rebel High Negotiations Council. “They are illegitimate — theater for the sake of procrastination, theater through which the regime is trying to give itself a little legitimacy.”

A resident of opposition-held East Ghouta near Damascus, Yousef Doumani, asserted, “We used to be forced to cast our vote in sham elections. Now, we are no longer obliged to. After all this killing they want to make a play called elections.”

UN-brokered talks resumed on Wednesday in Geneva, with envoy Staffan de Mistura meeting the opposition-rebel HNC. A regime delegation is due in Switzerland on Friday.

Opposition: Regime Pretexts to Avoid Talks

After the meeting with de Mistura, the HNC’s al-Zoubi, said the regime is putting up pretexts to avoid meaningful discussions.

Zoubi reiterated that President Assad’s departure is essential for resolution, as he is “the disease that has struck Syria”.

He asserted that the Assad regime violated the February 27 cessation of hostilities on 2,000 occasions, includingd 420 barrel bombs, in March.

On Thursday, after a second day of discussions, Salim al-Muslat explained that the opposition would work with othe regime members in a transition:

There are many people on the other side who we can really deal with. We will have no veto, as long as they don’t send us criminals, as long as they don’t send us people involved in the killing of Syrians.

De Mistura maintained yesterday that — despite a surge in fighting in Aleppo Province between rebels and the Syrian military and its Iranian, Iraqi, and Hezbollah allies — that the ceasefire is holding. He said the battles were “incidents and not a bush fire”.

Meanwhile, the Assad regime — whose delegation is due in Geneva on Friday — insisted that the President’s future cannot be part of discussions.

Deputy Foreign Minister Feisal al-Mikdad said a transitional governing authority, the focus of international efforts since 2012, is a “dream” that “will never be acceptable”.


Video: Russian Airstrikes on Islamic State’s Center of Raqqa

Russian warplanes have reportedly carried out intense airstrikes on Raqqa city, the Islamic State’s central position in Syria:

Casualties are claimed by activists, but no precise figure has been given.


Videos: Rebel-ISIS Fighting and Flight of Civilians in Northern Aleppo Province

Civilians trying to flee into Turkey, amid rebel battles with the Islamic State in northern Aleppo Province:

The two sides have been at war since January 2014 in the area, but fighting has escalated this month in the area around the frontline town of Mare’ and the al-Rai border crossing with Turkey, with territory exchanging hands on several occasions.

The rebel faction Noureddin al-Zinki fighting near Mallah:


Putin Cautious Over Battles Around Aleppo and Russian Intervention

Russian President Vladimir Putin put out cautious remarks on Thursday about the battles around Aleppo city, involving rebels, the foreign allies of the Assad regime, and Kurdish militia.

In a televised Q&A session, Putin implicitly referred to the rebel-Nusra offensive that has reclaimed territory south of Aleppo city from Iranian forces, Hezbollah fighters, and Iraqi and Afghan militia.

The problem is that the situation around Aleppo is difficult….[The] armed opposition is present along with Jabhat al-Nusra. It’s difficult to divide them, they act differently.

Russia has been constrained in airstrikes supporting the pro-Assad forces because of a February 27 cessation of hostilities that it brokered.

This week, pro-Assad units have attacked rebels and Nusra north of Aleppo city and the Kurdish militia YPG — who seized opposition territory in northern Aleppo Province in February — renewed attempts to advance.

Putin said rebels, Nusra, and the Kurdish YPG “are making attempts to improve their posture”, but the regime forces troops.

Saying nothing about Russian intervention, Putin summarized, “We are closely watching this and will do everything to prevent the worsening of the situation.”

He explained that, while Moscow had withdrawn most of its forces under an order he gave on March 14, “we left the Syrian army in such condition that it is capable of carrying out offensive operations with support of remaining forces”.