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Syria Criticizes France’s Support of Rebels Syria Criticizes France’s Support of Rebels
(35 minutes later)
CAIRO — The Syrian government on Sunday accused France of “schizophrenia” for pledging to support a peaceful resolution to the uprising challenging President Bashar al-Assad and simultaneously aiding the armed groups driving it as a French doctor returning from a rebel-controlled hospital raised new alarms about the presence of foreign Islamist militants. CAIRO — The Syrian government accused France of “schizophrenia” on Sunday for pledging to support a peaceful resolution to the uprising challenging President Bashar al-Assad and simultaneously aiding the armed groups driving the insurrection. At the same time, a French doctor returning from a rebel-controlled hospital raised new alarms about the presence of foreign Islamist militants in Syria.
Days after the French government said that it would provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance directly to the rebels controlling five Syrian cities, a spokesman for the Syrian government accused France of undermining the first trip to the region by the new United Nations envoy charged with negotiating a peace, Lakhdar Brahimi.Days after the French government said that it would provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance directly to the rebels controlling five Syrian cities, a spokesman for the Syrian government accused France of undermining the first trip to the region by the new United Nations envoy charged with negotiating a peace, Lakhdar Brahimi.
“On the one hand, it supports Brahimi’s mission, while at the same time it makes statements demonstrating that it supports the militarization of the crisis in Syria,” the Syrian spokesman, Jihad Makdessi, said of the French government in an interview with The Associated Press. “The only way to make Brahimi’s mission a success is the cooperation of all parties to enable him to bring about calmness and then the political process.”“On the one hand, it supports Brahimi’s mission, while at the same time it makes statements demonstrating that it supports the militarization of the crisis in Syria,” the Syrian spokesman, Jihad Makdessi, said of the French government in an interview with The Associated Press. “The only way to make Brahimi’s mission a success is the cooperation of all parties to enable him to bring about calmness and then the political process.”
Western leaders and the Syrian rebels say the Assad government expressed similar support for peace proposals of the previous envoy, Kofi Annan, but in fact failed to curb its military campaign to wipe out the opposition. Mr. Annan, the former general secretary of the United Nations, quit in frustration. And the Assad government has since ruled out any talks with the Syrian rebels, dismissing them as foreign agents acting against Syria. Western leaders and the Syrian rebels say the Assad government expressed similar support for peace proposals made by the previous envoy, Kofi Annan, but in fact failed to curb its military campaign to wipe out the opposition. Mr. Annan, the former general secretary of the United Nations, quit in frustration. And the Assad government has since ruled out any talks with the rebels, dismissing them as foreign agents.
In Paris, a French doctor who just returned from a two-week medical mission to a rebel-controlled hospital in the battleground of Aleppo said he was surprised by the number of militants from outside Syria who had joined the fight in the goal of establishing an Islamist government — one of the concerns that has deterred Western government from supplying more muscular aid to the armed opposition. In Paris, a French doctor who just returned from a two-week medical mission to a rebel-controlled hospital in the battleground of Aleppo said he was surprised by the number of militants from outside Syria who had joined the fight in the goal of establishing an Islamist government — one of the concerns that has deterred Western nations from supplying more aid to the armed opposition.
The doctor, Jacques Bérès, a 71-year-old surgeon who is known for missions to war zones and co-founded the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders, said in an interview with Reuters that he had treated about 40 injured patients a day and that 60 percent were rebel fighters and half of those had come from outside Syria. The doctor, Jacques Bérès, 71, a surgeon who is known for missions to war zones and who is a co-founder of the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders, said in an interview with Reuters that he had treated about 40 patients a day, and that 60 percent were rebel fighters, half of whom were from outside Syria.
“It’s really something strange to see,” he said, according to Reuters. “They are directly saying that they aren’t interested in Bashar al-Assad’s fall, but are thinking about how to take power afterwards and set up an Islamic state with Shariah law to become part of the world emirate.” “It’s really something strange to see,” he said, according to Reuters. “They are directly saying that they aren’t interested in Bashar al-Assad’s fall, but are thinking about how to take power afterward and set up an Islamic state with Shariah law to become part of the world emirate.”
“Some of them were French and were completely fanatical about the future,” he added, according to Reuters.“Some of them were French and were completely fanatical about the future,” he added, according to Reuters.
Dr. Bérès said the high proportion of foreign Islamist fighters was a sharp contrast to his impressions on earlier trips to Syria this spring, to makeshift clinics in the cities of Idlib and Homs. Dr. Bérès said the high proportion of foreign Islamist fighters was in sharp contrast to his impressions on trips this spring to makeshift clinics in the cities of Idlib and Homs.
Activists and rebel fighters interviewed over the Internet consistently describe far lower numbers of foreign fighters and Islamist militants among the opposition, and the few reported interviews with Islamists among the fighters have suggested little agreement on what kind of Islamist government they envision— whether along the lines of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, or the emerging government in Egypt, for example. Activists and rebel fighters interviewed over the Internet consistently describe far lower numbers of foreign fighters and Islamist militants among the opposition, and the few reported interviews with Islamists have provided little agreement on what kind of Islamist government they envision— whether along the lines of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran or the emerging government in Egypt.
A blogger reportedly based in Aleppo, offered another assessment on Sunday, first cited by the Web site of the British newspaper The Guardian. “Yes there may be more foreign fighters in Aleppo than in other cities, but that can’t be used as an excuse to belittle the revolution, to stamp it as a jihadist enterprise as covert regime supporters do,” the blogger wrote. “It further gives no excuse to the wanton murderous destruction Assad gangs are inflicting on Syria as their barbarian regime finishes its transformation from a brutal dictatorial mafia regime into a sectarian mafia militia.” A blogger reportedly based in Aleppo offered another assessment on Sunday, first cited by the Web site of the British newspaper The Guardian. “Yes there may be more foreign fighters in Aleppo than in other cities, but that can’t be used as an excuse to belittle the revolution, to stamp it as a jihadist enterprise as covert regime supporters do,” the blogger wrote. “It further gives no excuse to the wanton murderous destruction Assad gangs are inflicting on Syria as their barbarian regime finishes its transformation from a brutal dictatorial mafia regime into a sectarian mafia militia.”
Dr. Bérès said that the Syrian government bombing appeared indiscriminate and that the death toll was far higher than reports had previously indicated; those reports have put the number of dead in the Syrian conflict at more than 21,000. Dr. Bérès said that bombing by the Syrian government appeared indiscriminate and that the death toll was far higher than reports had indicated; those reports have put the number of dead in the Syrian conflict at more than 21,000.
“What people have to know is that the number of dead is a far cry from what’s been announced,” he told Reuters. “I’d say you have to multiply by two to get the real figure.”“What people have to know is that the number of dead is a far cry from what’s been announced,” he told Reuters. “I’d say you have to multiply by two to get the real figure.”
Inside Syria, air assaults, shelling and street battles continued around the country, including in Aleppo.Inside Syria, air assaults, shelling and street battles continued around the country, including in Aleppo.
Opposition groups said Sunday that the Syrian Air Force had destroyed a military headquarters in the Hanano area of the city just a day after a rebel assault had taken it over. Activists distributed video that appeared to show the rubble left by airstrikes that hit sides of the complex’s central courtyard and another that appeared to show civilians searching for survivors in the wreckage of destroyed homes nearby. Opposition groups said Sunday that the Syrian Air Force had destroyed a military headquarters in the Hanano area of the city just a day after a rebel assault had taken it over. Activists distributed video that appeared to show the rubble left by airstrikes that hit the complex’s central courtyard and another that appeared to show civilians searching for survivors in the wreckage of homes nearby.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group based in Britain that tracks the violence, said at least four had been confirmed dead in Aleppo on Sunday; the Local Coordination Committees, a network of activists in Syria, said 25 had died. Because the government restricts journalists such reports of casualties cannot be confirmed independently. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group based in Britain that tracks the violence, said at least four had been confirmed dead in Aleppo on Sunday; the Local Coordination Committees, a network of activists in Syria, said 25 had died. Because the government restricts journalists, such reports of casualties cannot be confirmed independently.
Syrian activists and opposition groups, meanwhile, said that Mr. Assad’s soldiers were searching the teeming Yarmouk neighborhood of Damascus in their drive to stamp out the rebel fighters who continue to control pockets of the city and plant bombs around it.Syrian activists and opposition groups, meanwhile, said that Mr. Assad’s soldiers were searching the teeming Yarmouk neighborhood of Damascus in their drive to stamp out the rebel fighters who continue to control pockets of the city and plant bombs around it.
Founded decades ago as a refugee camp for Palestinians on the outskirts of Damascus, Yarmouk has since developed streets, shops and houses as the suburbs spread around it. The working-class neighborhoods around it became bastions of the armed opposition, and in recent days they have come under heavy shelling and invasive searching by Syrian military forces looking for the rebels. The fighters and supportive residents, in turn, have often headed for Yarmouk to hide, and it, too, has become a target of shelling by the Assad forces, activists said. Founded decades ago as a refugee camp for Palestinians on the outskirts of Damascus, Yarmouk has since developed streets, shops and houses as the suburbs spread around it. Those working-class neighborhoods have become bastions of the armed opposition, and in recent days they have come under heavy shelling, and Syrian military forces have searched them for rebels. The fighters and the residents who support them, in turn, have often headed for Yarmouk to hide, and it, too, has become a target of shelling by the Assad forces, activists said.
Interviewed by means of Skype on Sunday, residents described huge clouds of smoke rising from homes and factories burningin the adjacent neighborhood of Al Hajar al Aswad, a rebellion bastion that is now all but deserted. Interviewed by Skype, residents on Sunday described clouds of smoke rising from homes and of factories burning in the adjacent neighborhood of Al Hajar al Aswad, a bastion of the rebellion that is now all but deserted.
“I think there is not one single area in Damascus that can’t see the smoke, because I’ve been receiving phone calls from people in different places asking me what’s behind it,” said a resident of an adjacent neighborhood, Al Tadamon, who gave his name only as Abu Salam for his own safety. “I think there is not one single area in Damascus that can’t see the smoke, because I’ve been receiving phone calls from people in different places asking me what’s behind it,” said a resident of the Al Tadamon neighborhood who gave his name only as Abu Salam for his own safety.
“We’ve been bidding our martyrs and our family and our relatives and friends farewell every single day as the regime has intensified its military campaign five days ago,” he said. “The residents had to leave and look for safer places.”“We’ve been bidding our martyrs and our family and our relatives and friends farewell every single day as the regime has intensified its military campaign five days ago,” he said. “The residents had to leave and look for safer places.”

Hala Droubi contributed reporting from Dubai.

Hala Droubi contributed reporting from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.