Un-observers in syria soon to be active again

The regime of ruler bashar al-assad continues to show signs of disintegration. Brigade commander manaf tlass, a former confidant of the assad family, has defected. Shortly before the paris meeting of the group of friends of syria, egyptian minister guido westerwelle hoped for political movement in moscow. But russia remained firm and continues to trim the assad regime.

German chancellor angela merkel said thursday after talks with lebanese prime minister nadjib mikati that the use of violence in syria was dramatic. The assad regime bears responsibility for it. "It would be important to reach an agreement with the syrian opposition as well."It would be very difficult to find a solution together with assad. "The best thing was that it was agreed that a force capable of fulfilling a pacifying function would peacefully lead syria," merkel said.

The head of the UN mission, general robert mood, said in damascus that his teams wanted to be permanently present in eight cities again. However, the deployment plan would depend on the current security situation and would be reviewed on a daily basis. Mood called on the parties to the conflict to follow up their commitment to a ceasefire with action. Mandate of unarmed military observers ends on 20. July. Mood, however, expects the united nations to remain engaged in syria beyond that date.

German federal minister guido westerwelle and his russian counterpart sergei lavrov were unable to agree on a common approach to the syria conflict in moscow. While both called for an end to the bloodshed and spoke out against a military solution. But they also made clear that in berlin and moscow the ideas about the way to an end to the violence that has lasted for 16 months diverge.

Lavrov once again underscored the UN veto power’s position that russia categorically rejects any interference by auben or calls for assad to step down. He rejected suggestions from the west that assad could be granted asylum in russia as a "joke".

A "breakthrough" was not to be expected, said westerwelle. He traveled on without results to paris, where representatives from more than 100 countries and organizations held crisis talks in the friends of syria group that friday. The association is committed to a democratic syria.

According to turkish media, another syrian general left for turkey. He is the 15. General said to have fled syria for turkey. In addition, dozens of soldiers are said to have crossed the border again in the past few days.

Official syrian sources said this evening that the escaped officer is brigadier general manaf tlass, a friend of assad’s youth. Security sources said that the republican garden officer decided to flee when he realized he was under surveillance. He had maintained contacts with foreign countries and "terrorists" in the country. The general is the son of former defense minister mustafa tlass.

On thursday, opponents of the regime again claimed 28 lives within a few hours across the country. Most of them are said to have been killed in attacks by government forces in idlib province. Release of deceased video footage added fuel to conflict. The al-arabiya news channel showed a video purporting to show a mother slapping a suspected militiaman captured by resistance fighters. The man allegedly killed her son. Earlier in the day, a recording of a man in a soldier’s uniform torturing a young prisoner caused an uproar.

Activists reported that the air force intelligence service arrested the suspected activist nura kanawati in aleppo on sunday. Her father had been told to forget that his daughter ever existed.