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SYRIA: Paris wants to enter international justice, the constitutional referendum plebiscite

 

AFP - Syrian authorities have welcomed Monday the results of the referendum on the new Constitution, approved in their view by nearly 90% of voters, when France claimed a referral of international justice to punish the crackdown by Damascus. While attacks against rebel strongholds do not weaken, the Qatari Prime Minister Hamed bin Jassem al-Thani s' expressed support for arms shipments to the Syrian opposition, the day after a deadly weekend in which more than 150 people died. Over 57% of voters went to the polls Sunday to decide on the Constitution, according to figures Officials announced Monday as the pro-democracy activists had claimed that many polling stations had not opened, especially in cities pounded by the rebel army. "There was a large crowd despite threats (...) by armed terrorist groups, despite the campaigns of incitement (the boycott) (...) To prevent citizens from exercising their rights and undermine the democratic process that took place in freedom and transparency, "said Minister of the Inte Interior, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Chaar. The new Constitution abolished the supremacy of the ruling Baath Party for half a century but remains large prerogatives to the head of state. The amendment of the Basic Law is part of reforms promised by the regime, refusing to admit the magnitude of the challenge, boasts the support of his people to defeat the revolt equated with "terrorism" led by "armed gangs in the pay from abroad ".

France claims a referral to the Justice Council of the International Human Rights UN France has called for a referral to international justice to punish Damascus, however, is "not a party" of the Rome Convention which established the International Criminal Court. The repression of protest has more than 7,600 deaths in 11 months, according to Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (OSDH). Monday, 29 Syrians, including six soldiers have been killed and dozens more injured across the country, according to the same source. Nine were in the neighborhood rebel Baba Amr in Homs (center), target an army offensive since February 4. "They think if they kill everyone, they will also kill the revolution", told AFP a militant, Abu Bakr, highlighting the devastating humanitarian conditions in this city known as "Capital of Revolution". For their part, the Red Cross and diplomats hoped, after several days negotiations, to evacuate the wounded, the French journalist Edith Bouvier and British photographer Paul Conroy, and the bodies of their two colleagues killed Wednesday. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that "the beginnings of a solution" é ; silent in the process of sketching, but said that the situation in Homs was "extremely complex" and "tense". The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has also entered the rebel city of Hama ( center), to which he had not had access since Jan. 17, and has distributed aid to 12,000 people, told AFP a spokesman for the humanitarian organization. In Aleppo (north), the second city in the country so far unaffected by the protest, several Hundreds of students demonstrated, calling for "the killing of the president" Bashar al-Assad. At the dental school, some have destroyed the statue of former President Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, according to activists contacted by AFP via Skype. A Qousseir (center) battles with rockets and shells, opposed the army the rebels to free Syrian Army (SLA), said a journalist from AFP. "We have some RPG rocket launchers but mostly Kalashnikovs," lamented an officer of the ASL. Qatari Prime Minister said that the international community should do "whatever is necessary to help them (the opponents, ie), including the provision of weapons to defend themselves. " The Saudi government has condemned the attitude without naming them "failing" countries that block efforts international settlement of the Syrian crisis. China and Russia blocked a resolution twice the Security Council UN condemning the crackdown. These two countries, allies of Damascus, are again on the frontlines Monday. China has described as "unacceptable" remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called to urge Beijing and Moscow to "change position" on Syria , while the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin denounced the attitude "cynical" of the West. Faced with the continued repression, the EU adopted a package of 12th sanctions against Syria, aimed primarily its central bank in an attempt to restrict the ways of funding the plan.