Assad: challenge Syria at your peril
Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has warned that Western action against his country would cause an "earthquake" that would "burn the whole region".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8857898/Assad-challenge-Syria-at-your-peril.html
By Andrew Gilligan, in Damascus
8:43PM BST 29 Oct 2011
In his first interview with a Western journalist since Syria's seven-month uprising began, President Assad told The Sunday Telegraph that intervention against his regime could cause "another Afghanistan".
Western countries "are going to ratchet up the pressure, definitely," he said. "But Syria is different in every respect from Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen. The history is different. The politics is different.
"Syria is the hub now in this region. It is the fault line, and if you play with the ground you will cause an earthquake … Do you want to see another Afghanistan, or tens of Afghanistans?
"Any problem in Syria will burn the whole region. If the plan is to divide Syria, that is to divide the whole region."
Thousands of anti-government demonstrators took to the streets in two Syrian cities on Friday to demand the imposition of a Libyan-style no-fly zone over the country. According to the United Nations, at least 3,000 civilians, including 187 children, have been killed during protests against the regime. Thousands more have been imprisoned. The government says 1,200 members of the security forces have also died.
President Assad admitted that "many mistakes" had been made by his forces in the early part of the uprising, but insisted that only "terrorists" were now being targeted.
"We have very few police, only the army, who are trained to take on al-Qaeda," he said. "If you sent in your army to the streets, the same thing would happen. Now, we are only fighting terrorists. That's why the fighting is becoming much less."
On Friday alone, however, opposition groups claimed that 40 people were killed by the regime, and government troops shelled a district of Homs, a centre of opposition.
Seventeen soldiers also died in overnight clashes with suspected army deserters in the city, which foreign journalists are forbidden to enter.
Syria was condemned yesterday by Arab League foreign ministers for its "continued killings of civilians".
The number of protesters appeared to fall earlier this month, but has increased again after the death of Col Gaddafi gave opposition groups new heart. A general strike affected much of the southern part of the country.
President Assad insisted that he had responded differently to the Arab Spring than other, deposed Arab leaders. "We didn't go down the road of stubborn government," he said. "Six days after [the protests began] I commenced reform. People were sceptical that the reforms were an opiate for the people, but when we started announcing the reforms, the problems started decreasing. This is when the tide started to turn. This is when people started supporting the government."
Some Damascus-based opposition leaders say the reforms, which include laws ostensibly allowing demonstrations and political parties, are a start, but not enough. However, the leaders of the main protests say they are meaningless and President Assad must go.
"The problem with the government is that their dialogue is shallow and just a tool to gain time," said Kadri Jamil, of Kassioun, a Damascus-based opposition group. "They have to act to begin real dialogue because the security solution has failed. We have one to two months before we pass the point of no return."
One Homs-based opposition activist said: "Killing people is not an act of reform. We aren't calling for economic or even political reform under Assad, but for the departure of this bloodstained president and free elections."
President Assad said: "The pace of reform is not too slow. The vision needs to be mature. It would take only 15 seconds to sign a law, but if it doesn't fit your society, you'll have division … It's a very complicated society."
He described the uprising as a "struggle between Islamism and pan-Arabism [secularism], adding: "We've been fighting the Muslim Brotherhood since the 1950s and we are still fighting with them."
In interviews in Damascus, some without government minders, secular Syrians and members of the country's substantial Christian and Alawite minorities said they supported the Assad regime for fear of their positions under a new government. Those attending a large demonstration in support of the regime last Wednesday did not appear to be coerced, according to independent observers.
However, interviews, even some with minders present, revealed widespread and vocal discontent over corruption and living standards.
مراكز استلام طلبات الترشح لانتخابات الإدارة المحلية في المحافظات تشهد إقبالاً واسعاً من المواطنين
Centers to receive requests to run for elections of local administration in the provinces experiencing a high turnout of citizens
http://www.sana.sy/ara/2/2011/10/29/378643.htm
October 29, .2011
Provinces - SANA
Registered centers receiving requests for citizens wishing to run for board elections, local turnout heavy by wanting to have this experience that will take place on 12 December under the new law strengthens the role of local administrations and reduce the central and gives the opportunity for all citizens to actively contribute to the development process.
(reports from provinces omitted)
National Committee for Preparing Draft Constitution to Hold First Meeting on Monday
http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2011/10/29/378589.htm
Oct 29, 2011
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The national committee tasked with preparing the draft constitution will hold its first meeting on Monday October 31 at the committee's headquarters in the former Expatriates Ministry building.
وزير المالية: لا نية لإلغاء الحوافز أوتخفيض أجور العاملين في الدولة
Finance Minister: No intention to cancel bonuses or to decrease wages for workers in the state (but he announced that the government does not have a budget to pay a one-time allowance for Eid al-Adha this year due to a series of tax and fee exemptions.)
http://www.sana.sy/ara/4/2011/10/29/378606.htm
http://www.sana.sy/eng/24/2011/10/29/378619.htm
October 29, .2011
Damascus, (SANA) -
Dr. Muhammad Aljalilati the Minister of Finance that there are no plans for canceling bonuses and compensations or reducing the wages of state workers; on the contrary, the government is working to improve workers' conditions through health insurance and other services and increasing allocations for education, health and other sectors.
Aljalilati said in an interview on Syrian TV: The mass of salaries and wages increased in the new budget of 155 billion pounds in 2011 to 209 billion in 2012 and therefore there is no reduction in wages and salaries.
The minister pointed Aljalilati in response to a question on the possibility of giving a grant to employees in the state that in the economic conditions that prevailed in Syria as a result of the global financial crisis and economic recession there are no pockets available to give a grant for they will lead to the effects of inflation, stressing that inflation rates in Syria are low.
The Minister of Finance that the plan to rationalize spending in the state budget for the coming year does not mean reduced, but disbursement of funds very carefully in the place reserved for him under the control of any rational use of the spending, pointing out that the increase in the budget was largely in current spending, which rose from 455 billion pounds to 951 billion at 58 percent, but part of this increase is due to the reclassification of the state budget according to the principles of sound budgeting after the introduction of hydrocarbon resources to it.
The minister pointed Aljalilati to the execution rate of investment spending in the new budget increased Amilibhdod 14 percent for 2011 Modhaan investment spending over the next year will not be paid but will be given priority to the completion of the projects that started it was contracted in 2011 The new projects will be contracted to implement it after making sure their economic feasibility and the existence of the necessary financial resources to implement them.
He believed that the government and by increasing the proportion of public expenditure in the budget, create purchasing power when the citizen in return plants to full capacity and said that the budget is not deflationary evidence that the rate of annual increase of between 8 and 10 percent, while the rate of increase in the new budget is 6.15 percent, the real increase, pointing that 9 percent of which resulted from increased salaries and wages that took place in early 2011 and acquired the right of this increase for employees and the contribution from the state to raise the standard of living for the citizens.
The minister pointed Aljalilati to oil revenues in the new budget said that the ministry was able to show the true size of the general budget of the State in the field of petroleum, electric power, pointing out that oil was present in previous budgets, the full value, but it was applied to him the principle of set-off size of 25 billion pounds under the title the state's contribution in stabilizing prices, with the support of virtually 360 billion pounds.
Dealt with the Minister of Finance the issue of taxes and fees, he said, estimated tax with some other income in 2011 by about 404 billion pounds, while in the new budget was estimated at 267 billion pounds because what Nhsalh this year's tax returns to profit last year, pointing to the existence of a global trend not to impose taxes on capital or wealth tax known as the difficulty of confining potential, but must impose the tax on earned income and not capital.
He pointed out that as a result of processing erroneous tax sales real estate and real estate trade led to the creation of opportunities for senior investors that employ their money in real estate led to increased demand and increased it 20 times the tax was calculated on the basis of the value of speculative and thus benefited from an imbalance in the tax system based as are currently being reviewed in the case of real estate sales.
The minister Aljalilati It takes place in the People's Assembly debate on the draft decision to exempt from interest and penalties on taxes earned in the last ten years so he can holders benefit from it and the payment terms of suffering and the Ministry of Finance historic accumulation of tax where no more than the payroll tax and pay the entire 8 billion pounds, while tax profits are about 150 billion Syrian pounds.
The Council of Ministers approved in its meeting held on the twentieth of this month, a bill the state budget for fiscal year 2012 and the Government's statement of financial around to hit the budget allocations 550 132 600 000 Syrian pounds compared to 835 billion pounds in the budget of 2011 allocated of which 550.951 billion SL of appropriations under way and 375 billion investment of funds compared to 455 billion pounds of funds under way and 380 billion pounds of investment funds in the budget year 2011.
دعم الصادرات: قرارات وإجراءات ومعارض خارجية ووضع معايير إضافية لتجاوز العجز في الميزان التجاري
Export subsidies: the decisions and actions and overseas exhibitions and to develop additional criteria to overcome the deficit in trade balance
http://www.sana.sy/ara/4/2011/10/29/378654.htm
October 29, .2011
Damascus, (SANA) -
Government is making strenuous efforts for the success of the export sector, whether in the form of physical or artistic or through the decisions and actions and mechanisms of direct and indirect, since no improvement in export growth would be reflected positively on the increased production and investment projects and increase the proportion of employment and therefore signs of economic revival is real.
In this context, The Ministry of Economy and Trade decision to support exports of 56 companies in the garments, olive oil, Conserves for the first half of 2010 exports valued at 1,979,754,916 pounds and reached the value of support owed to these companies to 167,418,414 pounds at an average 4.8 percent of the value of their exports.
(omitted)
He also stressed the site need to establish centers and permanent exhibitions in the countries which has achieved a product Syrian presence for the addresses are permanent importers of hand and people who cannot come to Syria to provide the market directly, pointing out that the problem lies in the lack of planning and improvisation and hasty in harvesting the fruits and it is necessary quality control on exports because of the reputation of the local product is made up by exports and by the stability of quality, not cut prices to compete with goods of countries hosting the Syrian fairs.
According to the World Trade Center, the Syrian exports until mid-2011 is estimated at $ 7 billion according to sources, a percentage of the development and promotion of exports is higher than the same period in 2010, which has $ 4 billion, up $ 3 billion.
وزارة الري تشكل مجموعة عمل لتحديد موارد المياه المتاحة وإنجاز المخطط المائي لسورية لغاية عام 2040
Ministry of Irrigation is a working group to determine the available water resources and the achievement of the planned water to Syria until 2040,
http://www.sana.sy/ara/2/2011/10/29/378560.htm
October 29, .2011
Damascus, (SANA) -
Focus of the meeting held today in the Ministry of Irrigation Engineer, headed by Dr. George Sawmi Minister of Irrigation with a number of professionals in the ministry planned completion of the mechanism of water to Syria until 2040, and at the level of water basins in the various provinces.
(omitted)
الحكومة تحدد عطلة عيد الأضحى
Government sets holiday Eid al-Adha (November 6 - 10)
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=28420406fbebd3f8ab7496a55c3058eb&ar=66339825
Saturday - October 29 - 2011 - 13:21:45
Presidency of the Council of Ministers issued a communiqué includes the identification of Eid al-Adha holiday, starting on the morning of Sunday, 06.11.2011, and until Thursday 11/10/2011 in fact, according to the agency, "SANA".
He noted that the resolution to take into account the provisions of paragraph c of Article 43 of the Basic Law of the workers in the state for public entities that require the nature of their circumstances or the continuation of work.
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