Syrian interior minister press conference on al-Qamishli incidents
Syria, Politics, 3/19/2004

Syria's Interior Minister Ali Hamoud on Thursday held a press conference on Thursday attended by Syrian, Arab and foreign Media correspondents.

At the beginning of the conference Hamoud said on last Friday, a rioting broke out in Qamishli city between some infiltrators of the two football teams' fans al-Jihad from Qamishli and al-Futoa from Dir-Ezzour who were present to watch a soccer game.

" Scores of thousands of innocent people rushed outside the stadium to escape the rioting acts, this caused a big friction and five people, among them children, died and about 15 others were wounded," the minister said.

" Later, and after hours of calmness in the city, scores of infiltrators exploited the rioting of the stadium and perpetrated acts of violence, devastating private and public properties and institutions," he added.

He said that on Saturday and Sunday, the acts of disturbances spread to some villages and towns in al-Hassakeh and Aleppo cities and they damaged the private and public institutions' buildings, including schools, banks, police- centers and cars.

"When police personnel interfered to put an end to these disturbances, the infiltrators fired on the innocent peoples and police, and the results were 25 people and police dead and the loses were estimated at millions of Syrian pounds," he added. He said that life returned to normal and the government took control and arrested some people who caused the violence, and investigations are being held to punish those responsible for the intended violence.

"It is clear that there are some bids to instigate the unrest and disorder to target the distinguished national unity, tolerance and coexistence in Syria, but we are confident that all people condemn those who caused the rioting," he added. He went on to say that "we witness some media campaigns trying to distort the reality in Syria and exploit what happened for political reasons, but these bids will not gain success because we are confident that people, as Syrians and Kurds, possess a high degree of awareness." Syrian Kurds are basic part of our society and they really held some high positions in the political and army posts," he added. He concluded by saying that in Syria there is nothing called "a Kurdish problem" and the Kurds in Syria are in no need of protection because they are protected by Syria.

Previous Stories:
  Some 17 Kurds killed, confrontation increases pressures in Syria   (3/18/2004)
  Gul: Riots are not in the service of Turkey; Damascus reacts judiciously, clashes renewed   (3/17/2004)
  Damascus accuses arrivals from neighbors, denies the existence of a Kurdish problem   (3/16/2004)

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