French Envoy Targeted with Stones in Damascus, 13 Civilians Killed in Homs
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
France's envoy to Damascus was attacked on Saturday by a crowd throwing stones and eggs at him after he met with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignace IV in the Syrian capital, he said.
Eric Chevallier had met with Ignace in the Christian quarter of Damascus's old city when young people and women began chanting slogans in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and threw eggs and stones at the French delegation when the ambassador was going to his car.
"The Shabiha (a pro-regime militia), some of whom had metal bars in their hands, and women threw eggs and stones in my direction and in the direction of my team, and looked threateningly at us while we were returning to our two cars," Chevallier told Agence France Presse.
On Thursday, the French envoy visited four schools in Damascus and its surrounding suburbs to express his "deep concern" following reports that protests at those schools were repressed.
On Monday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe accused the Syrian regime of "crimes against humanity" and criticized the U.N. Security Council for failing to take a strong stand on the unrest.
On September 13, Chevallier and his U.S. counterpart, Robert Ford, travelled to the Damascus district of Daraya to attend a condolence ceremony for slain Syrian activist Ghiyath Matar, who reportedly died under torture.
Damascus does not accept that popular opposition to the authorities exists, instead blaming "armed gangs" and "terrorists" for trying to sow chaos.
On the other hand, Syrian security forces killed at least 13 civilians on Saturday, nearly all in the central region of Homs, a human rights group said.
"Twelve civilians were killed in Qusseir during search operations for people wanted by the army and security forces in this locality," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP in Nicosia.
Security forces shot and killed another person in the nearby city of Hama, it added.
In addition, the bodies of two people who had gone missing in recent days were handed over to their families by the Syrian authorities, while another died of wounds suffered on Friday.
Nine people were killed by security forces during anti-regime protests in the Homs area on Friday, the Britain-based Observatory reported.
The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva has said the death toll from the crackdown on dissent since March 15 has risen to more than 2,700.
24 September 2011, 17:43
80
There are no bigger "Shabiha" than the criminal states of the US, France, the UK, Germany and above all, Israel, followed by the filthy regimes in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Bahrain. Filth upon filth upon filth upon filth, and then they have the nerve to lecture others. Go screw yourselves, you phony bastards. They deserve to be thrown with more than eggs, even more than fecal matter, these criminals who wage illegal wars and kill HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS. Should I repeat this number? HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE, and not one of these criminals is held accountable!!! Now they send a clown to appease the Christians? GO TO HELL YOU FILTHY BASTARD. Where is the Master Criminal Ban Ki Moon, WHERE? Who did he punish? Who did he scold? WHAT THE HECK IS HE DOING, THIS CRIMINAL-BY-ASSOCIATION? WHAT? CRIMINALS.
24 September 2011, 19:45
05
@fandopiado: What crimes are France and Germany committing right now? Can you inform me so I might find out?
24 September 2011, 22:52
00
@The Truth: did you forget to ask about the US, the UK and the others in your question or you are upset over mentioning Germany and France? Please restate your question for completion so that we understand where you stand if you care to inform us. You enlightening response is appreciated. Also, you are forgiven if you choose to keep us in the dark or give an answer as vague as your previous comment. Thanks in advance.
25 September 2011, 00:20
00
I don't think that Syria imports weapons through Turkey's territorial water. So this is a gesture that "Turkey is doing something" in order to appeal to the United States.
Syria has imported big quantities of weapons in the past 50 years during which Syrian-Turkish and Syrian-Iraqi relations were bad. So don't worry.
25 September 2011, 02:45
02
Those who support the Syrian regime are scared and confused. All what they could do is send their thugs to stone and egg a diplomat !
Oh, France is trembling and will, after this incident, back the regime!
25 September 2011, 04:34
00
Why are they throwing eggs and rocks the same way as the Shiites(Metawlee) do to the Lebanese Internal Forces when the latter are inspecting Lassa or Airport Road for illegal building without permits, Yes France bombed Ghadaffi but obviously you do not like Ghaddaffi because he dumped Moussa Saddr in the bottom of the sea near Ossama Bin Laden, Let it be known that the regime/habila are peeing from fear and are incapable to stop the people anymore, next the westerns will be sent home and deported from Damascus at which point the latter will be bombed since history will repeat itself.
25 September 2011, 15:36
00
To Fandopiado,
No matter what you say, do, or believe, The Assad regime will fall.
It will fall because the west wants it to fall.
And in case you are living under a rock, this is how the world operates, according to the wishes of the west.
So either grow up and get a grip of the reality we live in, or do us all a favor and go to north korea or iran, which are "west free" countries, where the standard of living is awseoume and the respect for human rights is top notch.
The car you drive, the cellphone you use, the clothes you wear and the movies you watch are all a product of the west. So either embrace the world you live in or do us all a favor and shut up.
01 October 2011, 23:22
00
اريد اقوال انا كل شخص كان او رضع او شاب او عجووز او امراء او عجوزززز كاهن كان او امام جامع كل هذه هم شبيحة اا لاسد ف لويل لكم يا من تلعبون بل نارررررررر
