القطرية للطيران تخفض عدد رحلاتها إلى دمشق و حلب و تنفي لعكس السير إيقافها كلياً
Qatar Airways reduces flights to Damascus and Aleppo, and denies to Aks al-Ser stopped completely
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=c6d89f90f49149cc98a39b25e398d65a&ar=944710678
Thursday - December 1 - 2011 - 14:02:56
الإمارات: لا خطط لتعليق الرحلات الجوية لسورية
UAE: No plans to suspend flights to Syria
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=a6b6050e3d1d83804bf8dcb32e32eaef&ar=700109784
Wednesday - November 30 - 2011 - 23:42:30
الخطوط السورية ومؤسسة الطيران المدني : لم تبلغنا شركات الخطوط الجوية العربية بإلغاء رحلاتها إلى سوريا رسمياً
Syrian Arab Airlines and the Foundation of Civil Aviation: We are not inform of Arab airlines to cancel flights to Syria, officially
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=0b497ee1cff26dab0b0cf431d47cdecb&ar=951161493
Thursday - December 1 - 2011 - 12:03:12
الأسماء ذاتها تلقاها "العربان" من بروكسل.. منع السفر من وإلى سورية.. لجنة العقوبات العربية توصي بمنع 17 من مسؤولي السلطة السورية من دخول الدول العربية بينهم شخصيات متهمة بـ"التشبيح" وتمويل "الشبيحة"
Received the same names "Araban" from Brussels .. Prevent travel to and from Syria .. Committee recommends sanctions to prevent Arab 17 of the Syrian government officials from entering the Arab countries, including figures, accusing the "Alchbih" and funding "Shabbihah"
http://www.syriandays.com/?page=show_det&select_page=43&id=29106
http://backupurl.com/psh8l7
Thursday 01/12/2011
17:54:55
(name list omitted)
Kuwait tells citizens to leave Syria
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Dec-01/155734-kuwait-tells-citizens-to-leave-syria.ashx
December 01, 2011 04:19 PM (Last updated: December 01, 2011 05:11 PM)
Reuters
KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait Thursday appealed to its nationals to leave Syria and refrain from traveling there because of safety concerns amid a deadly eight-month crackdown on democracy protests.
"The foreign ministry calls on citizens currently present in Syria to leave for their own safety," it said in a statement quoted by the state-run KUNA news agency.
It also called on Kuwaitis to abandon any plans to travel to the Arab state "due to the unstable security situation."
Similar travel alerts have already been issued by Kuwait's neighbors Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The warnings follow attacks on the Damascus embassies of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the wake of the Arab League's decision to suspend Syria's membership and slap unprecedented sanctions on its regime.
In addition, Saudi Arabia said one of its citizens was killed on Nov. 21 while visiting relatives in the restive city of Homs in central Syria.
Arab states in the Gulf have been at the forefront of calls to sanction Syria over violence the United Nations said has killed more than 3,500 people, according to its latest toll given in early November.
The brother of Syrian President Bashar Assad, several ministers and telecom magnate Rami Makhluf are on a list of 17 senior figures to be targeted by Arab League sanctions, officials said Thursday.
Under the economic measures agreed this week by the 22-member organization, they would be banned from traveling in the region and have any assets in Arab countries frozen, if the list is confirmed at a meeting Saturday.
Turkey's Tupras ends Syria crude oil deal - paper
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/30/turkey-syria-oil-idUSL5E7MU06Q20111130
ISTANBUL | Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:17am EST
ISTANBUL Nov 30 (Reuters) - Turkish oil refiner Tupras has ended an oil purchase deal with Syrian state company SYTROL, as several nations move to impose sanctions on the country, Haberturk newspaper on Wednesday quoted Tupras chief executive Yavuz Erkut as saying.
The paper said the agreement, in place since 1995, had been terminated at the start of November. Officials from the company were not immediately available for comment.
سورية تبدأ دبلوماسية جديدة والبداية مع تركيا: الحكومة السورية تعلق اتفاقية التجارة الحرة مع الجانب التركي وتدرس إمكانية اتخاذ إجراءات أخرى تتناسب مع الموقف التركي
Syria and begin a new diplomatic start with Turkey: Syrian government suspended the free trade agreement with the Turkish side and is considering further action commensurate with the Turkish position
http://www.syriandays.com/index.php?page=show_det&id=29121
Thursday 01/12/2011
21:24:35
The Syrian government announced today the beginning of direct blows to one of the countries that were on the list of close friends that have recently joined the convoy of the conspirators against Syria, and the beginning was with the Turkish side, where the Syrian government announced the decision today, suspend the free trade agreement with Turkey, but the government went on to further and also announced it is considering other measures appropriate to the political position of Turkey towards Syria.
Turkey, which has tried since the beginning of the current events in Syria win the friendship of the Western countries that planned to destabilize Syria, at the expense of her friendship with Syria, by tampering with Syria's security and to take a group of procedures which allow the entry of militants into Syrian territory through its territory, as well as a set of imposed economic sanctions including a ban on dealing with the Central Bank of Syria, and freezing the funds of the business and other customers with the Syrian authorities and other sanctions, which were issued yesterday.
The "Syriandays" has talked recently about an official memo prepared by the Prime Minister, Dr.. Adel Safar had to discuss at a meeting of the government requires suspension of a free trade agreement between Syria and Turkey, referred to as the Free Trade Agreement was signed with the Turkish side in 2004 and entered into force in 2007, and led to the lifting of trade volume per year level ranged between 30 - 40% in 2010, reaching 2 billion and $ 272 million, while the amount in 2009 billion and $ 700 million, growing Syrian exports to Turkey by 100%, especially after the abolition of visas between the two countries.
سورية تنفي إغلاق اي معبر حدودي مع تركيا
Syria denies any closure of a border crossing with Turkey
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=74438b7e84ee1d3690543afa82f0e6aa&ar=414414345
Thursday - December 1 - 2011 - 0:03:12
Syria denied on Wednesday, closing any crossing with Turkey on Wednesday approved the imposition of economic sanctions.
And agency, "United Press International," the source of a Syrian official as saying, "The Crossing (Qamishli) the Syrian and the corresponding crossing (Nisibis) Turkey continues to work was not close at all until the end of office hours on Wednesday, according to my knowledge is not closed a border crossing with Turkey today. "
The Turkish media reported today that Syria closed the crossing Qamishli - Nisibis Turkey after the imposition of economic sanctions on Syria.
It is noted that there are common along the Syrian-Turkish border, which exceed 800 km in length about 6 crossings is the gateway of Turkey in its trade with Arab countries.
وزير اسرائيلي : إسرائيل قادرة على ضرب عمق سوريا و لبنان
Israeli Minister: Israel is capable of striking deep into Syria and Lebanon
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=4839496b94fabd84b3ec7c92081e32b0&ar=686847627
Thursday - December 1 - 2011 - 2:53:11
Minister Israeli home front, "Matan Vilnai," that "Israel has the ability to strike deep inside Syria, Lebanon and places beyond, in the Tip of Iran, in what was the commander of the home front in the Israeli army said that stability in the Arab countries will take a long time.
Quoted by Israeli media for Vilnai said that "except for deterrence forces of the Israeli army we have the capabilities to collect intelligence information and hit the rocket launching sites in every place in Gaza and the depth of Lebanon and Syria in the AMAD much further if we faced a threat like that."
Vilnai said that "Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south Ertdaan day also of the greatness of the power of the Israeli army," and "Just this morning is true today may change in a moment."
For his part, the commander of the home front in the Israeli army, Major General Eyal Eisenberg "It will take years to stabilize the situation in the Arab countries around us."
Eisenberg pointed out that the threat of rockets into Israel is escalating and that "there is a rise in the capacity of reaching in and destruction of tens of thousands of rockets aimed at Israel."
Arab sanctions close net around Syrian trade finance
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Analysis/2011/Dec-01/155739-arab-sanctions-close-net-around-syrian-trade-finance.ashx
December 01, 2011 05:34 PM
Reuters
AMMAN: Arab League economic sanctions against Damascus will jeopardise several billion dollars worth of Syrian trade finance carried out through Arab banks in the region, according to bankers.
They said Commercial Bank, Syria's largest state-owned bank which handles most public sector contracts, has relied increasingly on Lebanon's banking sector, as well as Jordanian and Gulf banks, to secure dollar-denominated lines of credit.
Commercial Bank already faces U.S. and European Union sanctions, preventing it from funding trade in dollars or euros, but has been able to continue financing trade indirectly by depositing money in Damascus in the subsidiaries of Arab banks operating in Syria, several senior bankers told Reuters.
Those banks open accounts in their home countries, offering finance for commercial transactions through 'acount-to-account' transfers within the bank -- an arrangement which avoids sending the money through U.S. clearing systems -- the bankers said.
They estimated that between $2 billion and $4 billion may have been placed in the banks, mainly in Lebanon but also in Jordan, Bahrain and Dubai, helping circumvent sanctions on U.S. denominated and euro transfers.
Lebanese and Jordanian banks, which had started to compete with Beirut's traditional hold over Syrian business, had enjoyed margins of 25 percent on the Syrian operations, bankers said.
But Arab League sanctions announced on Sunday, including a halt in dealings with Syria's Central Bank and Commercial Bank, will put those arrangements under intense scrutiny.
"The risk of doing business with Syria has shot up and few banks will want to jeopardise their situation in a world where every transaction is being monitored," one banker said.
Another banker, based in Kuwait and involved in Syrian financing, said the sanctions would damage a lucrative business which he described as "an outsourcing of risk-free trade finance, with attractive margins".
LEBANON LIFELINE
Banks would not willingly halt such profitable operations, especially as President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on eight months of protests has already curbed Syria's trade. The economy is predicted to contract this year up to 6 percent.
But authorities in Jordan, a U.S. ally and recipient of hundreds of millions of aid dollars from Saudi Arabia, will not want to antagonise their anti-Assad allies and patrons.
That leaves Lebanon, which has some of the strictest banking secrecy laws in the region and which did not support the Arab decision to impose sanctions.
Syria ended nearly three decades of military presence in Lebanon six years ago. But its continued influence was shown in January when pro-Syrian parties including Hezbollah toppled the government and brought Prime Minister Najib Mikati to power.
Mikati has said his country will not stand against an "Arab consensus", but his foreign minister bluntly said Lebanon would not implement sanctions and Central Bank governor Riad Salameh said this week authorities were not required to act because Syria had no state funds with the bank.
"The Syrians will have only the Lebanese banks who will take the risk, and Lebanon will be the financial conduit of Syria," said Jordanian economist and former banker Mifleh Aqel.
The United States sent a senior Treasury official to both Lebanon and Jordan three weeks ago. In Beirut he stressed "the need for authorities to protect the Lebanese financial sector from potential Syria attempts to evade U.S. and EU financial sanctions", according to a U.S. embassy statement.
Bankers say Lebanese banks could circumvent the sanctions, although bigger institutions with interests in the Gulf would be under pressure to curtail the trade finance for fear of losing influential Gulf clients, one senior Qatar-based banker said.
OPPOSING SANCTIONS
In trade terms, Lebanon accounts for 10 percent of Syrian exports, second only to Iraq which took 30 percent of Syria exports last year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Those countries were the only dissenters in the Arab League vote against Syria, and their opposition is likely to dilute any impact from the Arab measures.
"It's one thing to announce all these sanctions, another thing is how effective they are," said Said Hirsh, Middle East analyst at Capital Economics in London.
"In Iraq the regime lasted 13 years, even though it was surrounded by unfriendly countries," he said, referring to Saddam Hussein's survival through a decade of international sanctions imposed for Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Syrian economist Samir Seifan said that the concentration of Syrian exports on the Arab market -- which he said accounted for sales worth $5 billion last year compared to $3 billion to Europe -- could give some bite to the Arab measures.
But Syria could also circumvent those measures by exporting goods via companies in Lebanon or Jordan. "There is no way of telling the source of the goods was Syria if (they) go through a Lebanese or Jordanian port," said one Jordanian banker.
But assuming Assad remains in power and sanctions continue to escalate, Said predicted a further 10 percent contraction in Syria's economy next year,
Turkey, another major commercial partner with $2.5 billion of trade with Syria, followed the Arab League move on Wednesday, suspending credit and freezing Syrian government assets.
Further tightening pressure, the European Union plans to impose sanctions on Syria's General Petroleum Corporation (GPC), diplomatic sources said, aiming to force European oil firms operating joint ventures in Syria to declare force majeure on their production.
EU sanctions on Syrian oil exports have already cut off its main crude export market, depriving Damascus of up to $400 million a month unless it can find alternative buyers.
The crisis has forced Syria to eat into foreign currency reserves -- estimated at $18 billion before the unrest erupted in March -- to pay for imports and support the Syrian pound.
Central Bank governor Adeeb Mayaleh said last month Syria had spent $1.2 billion financing investment projects after international financing was withdrawn. Authorities had also spent $3.7 billion financing imports, using money from a special fund set up for that purpose, he said.
Syria's official exchange rate has slipped 8 percent from 47 pounds to the U.S. dollar to nearly 51 pounds. But the Central Bank has also started holding weekly auctions of foreign currency, selling last the dollar last week at 53 pounds. On the black market, Syrians say the dollar fetches 56 pounds.
"I suspect this new round of sanctions will lead to more pressure on the currency," a Lebanese banker said.
Syria sanctions risk Lebanon trade routes
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Lebanon/2011/Dec-01/155694-syria-sanctions-risk-lebanon-trade-routes.ashx
December 01, 2011 01:39 AM
By Osama Habib
BEIRUT: The prospect of Syria shutting its borders with Lebanon are haunting Lebanese officials and the private sector as they come under increasing pressure from the Arab League and the West to apply economic sanctions on Damascus in response to its crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who wired $32 million to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to avoid the possibility of international sanctions on the country, realizes that any miscalculated step toward Syria could harm the Lebanese economy which is already reeling under a severe slowdown.
Most Lebanese officials and business leaders agree that Lebanon is in no position to reject or ignore any U.N. resolution and for this reason Mikati ordered the payment of money to STL.
Many bankers and businessmen had said that sanctions would cripple Lebanon financially and economically if the government failed to fund the tribunal.
But they also realize that dragging the country into an open showdown with Syria has a very high price.
Lebanon and Iraq refrained from voting in favor of an Arab League decision to tighten economic sanctions on Syria and said they would not enforce such measures, warning that this step would have negative ramifications on their countries.
The volume of trade between Lebanon and Syria is not very significant as Lebanese exports to its neighbor are relatively small compared to other countries in the region.
However, farmers and industrialists ship most of their goods through Syria since the cost of ferrying these products by air is high in comparison.
Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas told CNN that a big bulk of Lebanon's exports go through Syria since it is the only land gateway for Lebanon (apart from Israel which is technically at war with Lebanon).
"There are two sides of the relation with Syria. There is a commercial relation, where our relation with Syria on the commercial side is about 60 percent of our export to Syria. That could be handled. This is not a big impact. But the transit through Syria to the other Arab countries, if it comes to be disrupted for any reason, will have a huge impact on us. The tourism through Syria to Lebanon coming from the Arab countries or from Syria itself – this kind of activity is now reduced and tremendously reduced. That will [definitely have an impact] on the tourism activity we have with Syria and with the Arab countries. So we are feeling the heat. We are trying to see how we could disassociate ourselves because Lebanon has enough problems to have another one on its shoulders," Nahhas told CNN.
The picture drawn by Nahhas reflects the overall mood in the Lebanese government, which is not keen to antagonize its neighbor.
The number of tourists fell by more than 25 percent since the anti-regime demonstrations erupted in Syria.
Statistics show that many Arab tourists used to travel to Lebanon via Syria and most of these visitors came from Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Lebanese officials tell their Western and Arab counterparts that Lebanon will always abide by all international resolutions, while noting that the government has fully complied with a U.N. Security Council resolution to prohibit any dealings with Iranian banks.
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has reiterated that there is no direct relation or any form of business ties with the Syrian central bank.
But Lebanese banks that have a strong presence in Syria have already seen their assets, deposits and profits fall this year as a result of the current crisis in Syria.
Lebanese banks have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into their Syrian operations in the past six years.
However, all of these bankers seem determined to keep their business up and running despite the volatile situation in Syria.
"These banks will continue to operate under all circumstances," one banker told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.
Former Finance Minister Jihad Azour told The Daily Star that Lebanon should comply with all international resolutions but in the case of the Arab League decision to apply sanctions on Syria, Lebanon is not actually obliged to adhere to these recommendations.
"We should respect the decisions of the Arab League because Lebanon is a member of this league. However, we should make certain that Syria will not shut down its border as a means of retaliation," Azour said.
الجزائر تؤكد رفضها لمحاولات تدويل الأزمة في سورية
Algeria rejects attempts to internationalize the crisis in Syria
http://www.sana.sy/ara/3/2011/12/01/385484.htm
01 December 0.2011
Algeria - SANA
Algeria confirmed today rejected attempts to internationalize the crisis in Syria and said that this is a red line will not be exceeded.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Algerian Amar Blaney said in a statement received by United Press International, a copy of it has to be careful of two things first, avoid adverse humanitarian impacts of sanctions on the Syrian people and the second to make all possible efforts to prevent the internationalization of the crisis in Syria, saying that this is a line red .. And Algeria will not stretch.
Blaney noted that Algeria expressed its reservation on the Arab League suspended flights to Syria because that would involve mainly civilians, Syrian and Arab peoples.
Pro-Syrian voices
Mauritania
جبهة دعم المقاومة والدفاع عن سورية في موريتانيا تدين قرارات الجامعة ضد سورية
http://www.sana.sy/ara/3/2011/12/01/385473.htm
01 كانون الأول, 2011
Kuwait
كاتب كويتي: الدول العربية وضعت شروطا تعجيزية لسورية
http://www.sana.sy/ara/3/2011/12/01/385455.htm
01 كانون الأول, 2011
اللجنة الشعبية الأردنية لمساندة سورية تدعو لتنظيم وقفة تضامنية في عمان رفضاً للتدخل الخارجي بسورية
People's Committee of Jordan to support calls for Syria to organize and stand in solidarity Oman rejection of foreign intervention to Syria
http://www.sana.sy/ara/3/2011/12/01/385421.htm
http://www.sana.sy/eng/22/2011/12/01/385428.htm
01 December 0.2011
Amman - SANA
Called People's Committee to support the Jordanian and Syrian support for the resistance in the Jordanian capital of Amman and its sub-committees in all governorates of Jordan to participate in the solidarity vigil tomorrow evening in front of the Syrian Embassy in Amman to protest against the economic sanctions and foreign intervention in Syria.
The network quoted the unit news of the President of the People's Committee in support of Syria and supporting the resistance, former MP Mansour Murad as saying that the People's Committee calls on the Jordanian people of all classes to participate in this vigil of solidarity with the Syrian people to reject all forms of economic sanctions, stressing that the purpose of these sanctions weaken the last bastion of the Arab nation.
Murad stressed that the Jordanian people will not be part of these sanctions and will not accept to be involved in the injustice which is located on the Syrian people by the so-called Arab League.
The People's Committee to support Jordan and Syria support resistance was established since the beginning of foreign attack on Syria and carried out several activities in solidarity with the Syrian Arab people to express their rejection of the Jordanian people for foreign intervention in Syria and the economic sanctions it and to stand by Syria.
الأردن : عائلات سورية تفترش الأرض بالمفرق
Jordan: Syria families stretched out on the ground in al-Mafraq (Syrian refugees in Jordan)
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_articles&id=2e1c6aa63c43a63f9c24282d6b57269f&h=%CD%E3%D5&ar=424693044
Thursday - December 1 - 2011 - 15:04:30
The Director of the Islamic Center Society branch divider is useful for each maintained a distress call in Jordan that the doers come to the aid of families have fled to Syria, which retail at the events in Syria, critical newspaper reported "the way" of Jordan.
He noted that the Assembly is to provide help and assistance of the parcels and secure housing and rental homes and secure the basic needs of the Association as a result of increasing the displaced have lost the ability to help these families that migrated to the province by 10 families a day.
He pointed out that there are 50 families displaced in Syria retail squatters sleeping under the sky, and they need a minimum subsistence of the houses of the housing and wages for these houses and parcels brushes and treatment.
He noted that the General Assembly began a campaign especially for the relief of those in distress, since many of them have chronic diseases and children in need of treatment as a result of fluctuations in weather, cold wave with the Kingdom, adding that there are some patients displaced to have open heart surgeries and some of them suffering from diabetes, pressure, and these diseases need to monitor the periodic health, so the Assembly has decided to start this campaign to secure the basic needs of these families.
He explained that the families had rented houses in the province as a result of providing donors rent them, but a number of donors stopped their donations as a result of the length of time, as they had expected to extend the period of three or four months, which means that there are families will come out of homes as a result of its inability to pay their remuneration.
The newspaper quoted the Jordanian head of the family of a Syrian households on condition of anonymity: "We fled from the murder that we see in Homs and turned to Jordan, and appeal to the good people that come to the rescue, we Anagasa the circumstances of the life after that we were safe in our homeland."
And that most of what they suffer these days is the bitter cold, as there is no Istdfion him not to mention the few in the mattresses, the cover and the lack of medical care, as the atmosphere in these days of volatile, which offer their children the disease, but lack of money that prevent them from healing their children.
The other hand, said President of the Court of care in the Islamic Center Society Khalid Ghanim The General has to provide the service for some needy families but it is over capacity Alastaiaobeih Assembly as a result of the constant flow of displaced families.
Turkish Citizens and Tradesmen most affected by Turkish Sanctions against Syria
http://www.sana.sy/eng/22/2011/12/01/385326.htm
Dec 01, 2011
ISTANBUL, (SANA)- A number of the Turks, who are living in the villages along the Syrian-Turkish borders, more than 800 km, said that they will be the most affected by the economic measures imposed by Turkey against the Syrian people, particularly that the inhabitants of these villages were depending on trade with Syria for years.
Several Turkish tradesmen stressed that about 5000 Turkish families were working in trade with Syria through the Turkish crossing border Gilvicozi, but now all the inhabitants of these villages are concerned about their future, al-Jazeera Channel reported Wednesday.
They expressed hope that the Syrian-Turkish relations will soon get recovered and restored normal.
The Turkish tradesmen are concerned about their future due to the Turkish measures as the City of Antioch, which is considered the destination of the Syrian tourists, became deserted, meanwhile trade has deteriorated in the Turkish City of Asitaaben, a few miles from the Syrian City of Qamichli.
The report pointed out that Syria constitutes an important route for the Turkish goods to the Middle East ..cutting trade relations between the two country, the Turkish government has to find another bypass for its goods as it may turn to Iraq which will cost more money and time.
CHP leader says government's Syria policy does not befit Turkey
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-264462-chp-leader-says-governments-syria-policy-does-not-befit-turkey.html
01 December 2011, Thursday / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
In the wake of a series of sanctions Turkey pledged to impose on the Syrian administration due to its brutal crackdown on anti-government protestors, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has criticized the government's policy on Syria for being problematic.
"We should look at who supports Turkey's Syrian policy. Why are we intervening in another country's domestic issues while we have many domestic problems? Does sheltering armed forces on Turkish soil to stir up trouble in another country befit Turkey? Can a powerful Turkey shelter armed forces within its borders to intervene in another country? What will we do if another country does that that and intervenes in our domestic issues? This is not correct. This does not befit Turkey," CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on Thursday.
He was referring to Syrian army defectors who have set up a base for a Free Syrian Army among refugee camps and safe houses in Turkey's border province of Hatay.
Ankara, which has long been critical of the Syrian regime for its ongoing crackdown, on Wednesday joined the Arab League and Western powers in imposing nine economic sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to put more pressure on the Syrian administration. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkey, Syria's largest trading partner and a rising Middle East power, will block the delivery of all weapons and military equipment to Damascus and that senior officials in Assad's administration and businesspeople who have provided strong support to the government will also be banned from travelling to Turkey as part of measures aimed at persuading Assad to end the crackdown on protesters. Davutoğlu said Turkey would also consider taking additional measures in the future.
While the Turkish government has gradually toughened its stance and stepped up pressure on the Assad regime, the CHP has remained cautious and failed to condemn the Syrian rulers. Contrary to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks that "Syria is Turkey's internal affair," Kılıçdaroğlu has many times said Syria is not a domestic issue for Turkey as the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) says.
In September, CHP deputy chairmen Birgül Ayman Güler and Faruk Loloğlu visited Damascus and met with top government officials, a move that created some doubts as to whether the CHP might be "supporting" the Assad regime. Güler at the time condemned the treatment Assad had received in the international community, stating: "We see the Western media has not given accurate information about what is happening in Syria. We said, 'Let's go and see for ourselves'."
Loğoğlu then concluded that the Syrian regime had made efforts to address the Syrian people's demands for freedom, equality and equal opportunity after meeting with Syria's embattled president. He added the Syrian regime wants to enact reforms, adding that the dilemma is whether the opposition will give the regime the opportunity and the time to do so. Loğoğlu also asserted that the CHP is against any foreign intervention in Syria, that the country's domestic affairs concern only Syria and that a solution must be found by the Syrian people.
The party's stance with regards to Syria saw a silent change last month when pro-regime protestors in the neighboring country attacked Turkish diplomatic missions and burnt the Turkish flag. The party condemned the attacks and said the attacks were a big mistake on Syria's part.
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