Gul: Riots are not in the service of Turkey; Damascus reacts judiciously, clashes renewed
Syria, Politics, 3/17/2004

To make assessment on the security situation in the Syrian al-Jazeera area is still difficult under the contradictory information coming for the northern part of the country, being from the side of the authority, citizens and the Kurdish parties, at a time when Turkey has called for calmness, considering that these "riots are not in the interests of any side.. nor the Kurds, not the Arabs neither Turkey."

Yesterday, and for the fourth running days, the city of Raas al-Ein of the Kurdish majority witnessed confrontations between Kurds and Arab tribes that resulted in victims and several cities close to Aleppo witnessed clashes that resulted in victims.

Well-informed sources said that carrying out acts of detention in various Syrian cities came on the background of the events, in a translation for high ranking instructions to deal with this matter in a way that punishes every one who break the norms and common rules in protesting or in fabrication protests.

Human rights organizations sources in the northern area noted the increased tension in the city of Aleppo, which was visited yesterday by the chairman of the political security branch lt. Gen. Ghazi Kanaan on Monday. Member if the Arab human rights organization board Ammar al-Qurabi said that "al-Ashrafeyah and Sheikh Maqsoud quarters ( which include a Kurdish majority) were closed yesterdays evening, while witnesses were quoted as saying that armed forces manifestations were seen in the area, in a development indicates the control transfer from the civil security forces to the army.

Al-Qurabi added that news coming from Ein al-Arab ( 180 Km from Aleppo) " are very bad and indicates Kurds damaging of the municipality building and other local establishments." News also talked about two persons killed in Ifreen, another city which is of a Kurdish majority.

Al-Qurabi said that Aleppo university was yesterday " witnessing security condensate after students crashed glasses of windows of hostels." This was in contrary to the situation in Damascus where security measures seemed to be alleviated.

High ranking sources said that the killing of one policeman at the beginning of the acts of riots in a playground in al-Qamishli flared the spark of violence during the few past days and resulted in provoking the local police who felt they are before an organized act especially with the emergence of Kurdish flags among the rioters," at a time when the guards of train stations, agricultural banks or governmental buildings could not " stand as a watcher for what is taking place." The sources indicated that the outside element represented in the existence if the American occupation, few Kms from the site of the riots, especially that several American security violations were made in the area in past months and "were officially objected by the Syrian government." However, fears are still there over the reaction of the Arab citizens, as efforts of the Syrian authorities are directed to contain the unrest resulted from the acts of riots in those who came from various tribal backgrounds.

The Syrian authority shows satisfaction over the position of the Syrian opposition regarding the incidents and also the position if the Kurdish Syrian public so far. In this regard, four Syrian commissions, which are the Democratic national coalition for the human rights society, the civil society committees and al-Attasi forum yesterday issued a statement " condemning the acts of riots and attacks on the public and private interests and insulting the flag of the country, one of our main symbols for national unity and asking the help of foreign sides and threatening the national unity." The statement called on the authority to quickly " form a fact finding commission to investigate what had taken place there."

Previous Stories:
  Damascus accuses arrivals from neighbors, denies the existence of a Kurdish problem   (3/16/2004)
  Damascus denies the visit of an American delegation to al-Qamishli   (3/16/2004)
  Abu al-Abbas will be buried in Syria   (3/16/2004)

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