Akram, Angry Arab chief correspondent in Syria, sent me this: "Among
the huge amount of bad news coming from Syria, a single ray of hope emerged,
when father Michel No'oman, a catholic priest serving in Homs announced that
about 300 armed men are ready to drop weapons,
adding that the "300 young people" have warranties that the Syrian army will let
them go and they will be able to continue a "non-violent political opposition".
This development came few days after two "Christian" families
succeeded in leaving the old town of Homs.
As
small and local as seems when compared with news of the fighting inside and the
ongoing negotiations between the great powers abroad, this event could be a
model of what the civil society initiatives can do, when has a chance, in easing
the tensions between the Syrian society groups and paving the way for the return
of the peaceful political activities, and this is, actually, the core of Annan's
six-points plan.
This
development contradicts the dark picture (well, it's actually dark but in a
different direction) that a suspicious extremist priest
drawn
about the situation in Homs.
An
important thing we should say is that the success of such initiatives depends
largely on the improbable good faith of the Syrian regime which must, instantly,
leash its Shabiha and Mukhabarat dogs and stop using the criminal
tactic of indiscriminate shelling of populated areas without forgetting the
armed groups themselves.
It's
worthy to notice that the Syrian regime's media didn't say a single word about
this development."
PS I should, for the record, reiterate (here as Angry Arab and not the correspondent) that I support the right of all Arab people--including Syrians of course--to revolt with arms against the regime. It is unfortunate that in the case of Syria, armed revolt is now in the hands of Saudi-run and Qatari-run Salafite and fanatic gangs.
