In a statement today the head of the Arab League defended the observer mission as making progress in Syria, noting that the Assad regime has removed tanks for major protest cities since their arrival.
In addition to removing the tanks, Nabil El-Arabi reported that the regime has released some 3,500 political prisoners since their arrival, with more expected soon. He urged opposition figures to aid them in securing further releases by providing the names of those they believe have been captured.
Recently the opposition has made a point of publicly condemning the monitors as accomplishing nothing, and while the Arab League conceded that snipers remain a problem at the rallies it does seem that slowly but surely the mission is having a real impact on the ground.
The question of how much further impact the monitors can have remains an open one, largely dependent on the regime’s willingness to offer meaningful reform as well as the growing violence of the defector forces, which are increasingly making the peaceful protests very much beside the point.
How the hell does AntiWar.Com seriously come around to the conclusion "that slowly but surely the mission is having a real impact on the ground"?Do the writers seriously believe the words coming out of the mouth of a man who served under a war criminal in Sudan?I see from this article that the statements coming out of the SNC and the LCC are being portrayed as odious or at least ridiculous.Indeed,are worldwide opposition movements only to be held under suspicion when they ask the West for help and or Western backed?And are they only to be given fair treatment in the Antiwar press when they are at least (on the appearance) Anti-American,such as in Bahrain?Are we authentically Anti-War or only Anti-War when it comes to the Western countries?
Just some salient questions……
Syria is making a big mistake by releasing the criminal protestors.