RBS MUNSYRIAN CRISIS COMMITTEE RBSMUN 2013 Rato Bangala School Model United Nations 2013 2013 STUDY GUIDE President: Kamakshii Kanojia Vice President: Raghav Poddar Moderator: Prerana Adhikari CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT ........................................................................................ 3 INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE ................................................................................... 4 HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................................... 5 CURRENT SITUATION ............................................................................................................. 7 RELEVANT UN ACTIONS ......................................................................................................... 9 PROPOSED SOLUTIONS ........................................................................................................12 DIRECTIVES AND COMMUNIQUES ........................................................................................14 POSITION PAPER FORMAT ....................................................................................................15 BLOC POSITIONS ....................................................................................................................17 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH .........................................................................19 REFERENCES .........................................................................................................................20 2 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Delegates, Welcome to Syrian Crisis Committee RBS MUN 2013 – the first ever Crisis Committee in the history of Rato Bangala School Model United Nations. In this committee, you will be required to solve the crises as you come across a widespread range of committed atrocities and grievances that pose a grave threat to global and regional security and we expect you do so with utmost alacrity and comprehensiveness, exploring every possible dimension of the problem provided to you and of the consequences of the actions you decide to take in order to solve them. More than 100,000 lives have been lost since Syrian Civil War began in April 2011. Millions more are estranged, living as refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq and within Syria itself. The international community has stood by watched as it let gross human right violations and the failure of the Syrian Arab Republic take place. No more, delegates. No more. You have been chosen as the delegates of Syrian Crisis Committee to tackle the crisis that is the Syrian Civil War that has been left unresolved for too long now. It is in your hands to resolve this crisis (and any more that arise during the session itself) and establish peace in the region before there are no more lives left to be lost. It is on these three days that are the committee sessions that you will decide on the fate of Syria. Bear in mind that if you fail to come up with a viable and comprehensive resolution, you let Syria turn into a chaotic wasteland used only as a battleground for expressing unresolved hostilities by ruthlessly killing anyone who dares enter the land. Expect to be constantly challenged with indefatigable updates and crises that seem too complicated to be resolved, and resolve them. This committee will be a fast-paced, nerve-wrecking, action-packed, brain-teasing experience that will test every ounce of diplomacy that you have and you will find yourself being willingly dragged into the debate and into the crises that are flung in your way. Your dais members and spent a lot of time and effort putting together this study guide for you so it can serve as a basis for your research and we suggest that you go through it thoroughly before attending the sessions and engaging in further research. Feel free to contact Prerana, your Moderator, Raghav, your Vice-President or me, your President, any time prior to the conference and we will answer any queries and clarify any concerns that you have. Yours Sincerely, Kamakshi Kanojia President, Syrian Crisis Committee, RBS MUN 2013
[email protected] 3 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE The Syrian Crisis Committee has been established specifically to deal with the ongoing crisis in Syria – the civil war, the failure of the resolution of which has caused the death tolls to rise over a hundred thousand and the number of displaced persons to rise over 1.6 million since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011. The Syrian Council is unique in the sense that it will pass directives and communiqués in addition to a resolution solving not only the Syrian Crisis, but also the other related pressing issues that the delegates will be faced with during the committee sessions. 20 parties, both states and involved parties have agreed to a one-time negotiation session. All involved parties, including certain organizations designated as terrorists by some members of the international community have come together as a one-time discussion panel under the United Nations. This committee will only be valid for the three days of the conferences and will have the right to make a binding resolution with a two-third majority without the interference of vetoes from the P5 nations, after which it will be dissolved, regardless of its success or failure. 4 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM 1946 Syria gains its independence from France but the nation’s people face unrest 19461971 The country faces numerous military coups and changes of government 1971 Hafez al-Assad is elected President by a national referendum for a seven year term 1973 Syria and Egypt go to war with Israel for the Golan Heights, which results in a disengagement treaty between Syria and Israel. 1980 Muslim Brotherhood tries to assassinate Assad 1981 Israel takes control of the Golan Heights 1982 Muslim Brotherhood leads an uprising against the government in the city of Homs but they are crushed by the government forces; the government is accused of killing thousands 1983 Hafez al-Assad falls sick; seizing his opportunity, Hafez al-Assad’s brother Rifaat alAssad carried out a failed coup against him. When Hafez recovered he sent his brother to exile pretending to send him on a mission to France. 2000 Hafez al-Assad passes away and the constitution is amended to reduce the mandatory minimum age from 40 to 34 to make Bashar al-Assad the President. To 5 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee mark his presidency, Assad releases 600 political prisoners. The Damascus Spring was a period of intense political debate with reforms discussed in informal forums called salons. The government officials announced reforms, political prisoners were released and amnesties were granted. Human rights organizations were established, and unlike under Hafez al-Assad, they were not repressed. Unfortunately, this period was short-lived; the government retightened its grip on the freedom of speech and Bashar al-Assad started employing his father’s way of ruling. . 6 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee CURRENT SITUATION Incited by the surge of revolutions brought about by the Arab Spring, the Syrian Civil War began with the uprising that took place of March 15, 2011 demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad from the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party and had reached nationwide proportions by April 2011. In retaliation, the Syrian Army open-fired on demonstrators throughout the country in April 2011, turning what started out as a peaceful protest into a full-blown civil war. The escalating violence in Syria has left a death toll of 106,423 casualties as of 9/08/2012 since 18/3/2011 according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It has reported that the deceased includes 38,660 civilians (including 5,553 women and 3,607 children) 15,191 rebel fighters 2,106 defected soldiers and officers 26,853 regular soldiers 2,680 unidentified casualties (documented with pictures and footage) 3,198 non-Syrian and unidentified rebels (most of whom are non-Syrians) 17,564 combatants from the Popular Committees, National Defence Forces, Shabiha, and pro regime informers 171 fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah These reports exclude the existence of more than 10,000 detainees, over 4.25 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) , over 6.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance within Syria itself and thousands of people who have poured into Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan as refugees. They have also stated that “the real number of casualties from regular forces and rebel fighters is twice the number documented, because both sides are discreet about the human losses resulting from clashes.” 7 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee Currently, the government controls 30-40% of the country with 60 % of the population, the rest being in the hands of the deeply divided rebels, some of whom have shown ties with terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and the Lebanese Hezbollah. These terrorist organizations have been supplying both the rebels and the Syrian Government with arms, al-Qaeda showing ties with al-Nusra and Hezbollah showing ties with Iran and the Syrian Government. International sanctions have been placed on Syria owing to its arming of the Lebanese Hezbollah. Assad’s government has shown the greatest intransigence, supporting several anti-Israel armed groups by the US such as Hezbollah and the Hamas. Also responsible for the lack of negotiations is the Syrian National Coalition, which has refused to come to any form of peace talks unless Assad steps down. The Alawite minority, represented by al-Assad in the Ba’ath party is also one of the reasons for alAssad’s prolonged rule. The minorities fear that if Assad steps down, their representation in the Syrian Government will be non-existent and will soon become extinct, which is a very possible scenario. 8 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee RELEVANT UN ACTIONS Security Council Date Actions 07/20/12 The Security Council adopted a resolution renewing the placement of 300 UN observers in Syria for 30 days in hope that the government would stop using heavy weapons and stop employing violent means 07/03/13 The deeply divided Security Council considered whether to approve a statement calling on the Syrian government to facilitate immediate access to the estimated 2,500 civilians trapped in the central city of Homs as a result of recent heavy fighting. 04/18/13 Two Security Council sessions with an open briefing followed by closed consultations took place regarding the humanitarian situation in Syria 07/16/13 The Security Council held a public briefing on the humanitarian situation in Syria followed by closed consultations 07/26/13 The Security Council held a meeting with the leaders of the Syrian National Coalition in closed sessions as organized by the United Kingdom 07/27/13 The Security Council renewed the peace-keeping mission in the Israeloccupied Golan Heights monitoring a decade-old truce between Israel and Syria that has been affected by the spillover violence by the Syrian civil war for six months now 9 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) The United Nations mission in Syria was set up in 2012 as a result of United Nations Security Council resolution 2043 which was a heavy response towards the uprising civil war that existed in Syria. Dates Actions 04/16/12 UNSMIS arrived in Syria 06/07/12 It was declared that the six-point plan of UNSMIS had not been implemented 07/20/12 The Security Council extended UNSMIS for 30 days stating that any further extension would be possible only ‘in the event that the Secretary-General reports and the Security Council confirms the cessation of the use of heavy weapons and a reduction in the level of violence sufficient by all sides’ to allow the UNSMIS monitors to implement their mandate. 08/19/12 Due to the failure in the fulfillment of the set conditions, the UNMIS was dissolved General Assembly Dates Actions 16 February, 2012 The resolution condemned the violence in Syria. Adopting an Arab backed resolution, the Assembly called upon all diplomatic efforts to end the crisis. 3 August, 2012 The UN General Assembly approved a resolution on Syria strongly condemning the increasing use of heavy weapons including indiscriminate shelling. This resolution deplored the Security Council’s failure to act on 10 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee Syria and called for political transition. 15 May, 2013 The General Assembly approved a resolution condemning the violent actions of the Syrian government: use of indiscriminate violence against civilian populations. This lead to the establishment of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as interlocutors needed for a political transition. With 107 votes in favor, 12 votes against and 59 abstentions the resolution was adopted. 11 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee PROPOSED SOLUTIONS 1. Arab League Mission The Arab League Peace Plan On 3 November, 2011, the Arab League suggested ceasefire was accepted by the Syrian government. However, the continued suppression of the rebel groups and the killing of over 250 people during the time span of 2nd to 12th November lead to the breakdown of the ceasefire. On a second attempt at a solution, Syria complied to the Arab League peace plan on 19 th December, 2011 that dictated the release of 3,500 prisoners the arrival of observers into the country that occurred on 3rd January 2012 and 552 detainees on 5th January, 2012. The Arab League Observers Mission In accordance with the Arab League Peace Plan, 50 observers arrived in Syria on 26 th December 2011. Even after the technical expiry of the Arab League Observers on January 18th, there were 165 observers as of 22nd January present in Syria. However, the mission was suspended on January 28th due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Syria. UN Resolution Proposal The Arab League requested the adoption of a Security Council resolution calling for Assad to step down on 31st January, 2012. China and Russia vetoed this resolution and a non-binding General Assembly resolution was adopted with opposing votes from China and Russia after the failure of the adoption of the Security Council resolution on 4th February 2012. 2. The Russian Proposal Russia has maintained that the Syrian conflict needs to be dealt with internally without the interference of the international community. It hosted informal talks between the Syrian Government and the opposition representatives on 30th January 2012. 3. The Kofi Annan Peace Envoy The Kofi Annan peace envoy for Syria, also known as the six-point peace plan for Syria was launched on 23rd February 2012 when Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, was appointed as the joint UN-Arab League special envoy to Syria. A six-point peace plan was submitted to the UN on 16th March, 2012, which, on 27th March, was accepted by the Syrian government. A failed attempt at a ceasefire mediated by Kofi Annan was made. On the 12th of April, the Syrian government declared a ceasefire, which only initiated on 14th April. Both sides had violated the 12 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee ceasefire agreement. Kofi Annan resigned on 2nd August 2012 on the basis of the intransigence shown by both the rebel groups and the Syrian government. The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria Security Council Resolution 2043 authorized a UN peacekeeping mission in Syria in response to the Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria. It was suspended on June 16, 2012 due to the “escalating violence” by Robert Mood, the major general commanding the mission. 4. The Lakhdar Brahimi Peace Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister, was appointed Koi Annan's position as the UNArab League special representative for Syria on August 17, 2012, two weeks after Annan resigned. 5. US-Russia Peace Proposal The United States of America and the Russian Federation issued a joint proposal in May 2013, signifying an important turn of events for the Security Council had been deeply divided with US and Russia on clashing sides on the issue up until then. G8 Summit Discussions The 39th G8 Summit came up with a seven-point plan for Syria calling for better humanitarian aid, condemning the use of chemical weapons by anyone, backing a transitional government, encouraging peace talks, maintaining Syrian public institutions and instilling a new non-sectarian government. Geneva II The Geneva II Middle-East conference will be held In September 2013, primarily focusing on the Syrian Crisis 13 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee DIRECTIVES AND COMMUNIQUES Directive: A directive is a command given by the delegate to his/her own country or organization during crisis situations. The delegates must keep in mind which commands are reasonably within the delegate’s authority to dictate. They will be written in the following format: To: The US government From: The Delegate of USA Deploy 3000 troops to Syria The approval of the committee is not required for the passing of a directive to take place. A delegate may do so of his/her own volition, but the committee will be at liberty to commend or criticize the actions of the delegate. Communiqué: A communiqué is a mini-resolution that will be used to resolve crises. A minimum of one sponsor, maximum of two and a two-thirds majority voting for the communiqué will be required in order for a communiqué to pass. It will have no perambulatory clauses. A minimum of one and a maximum of ten operative clauses may be presented in a communiqué. The delegates may make amendments to a communiqué if they wish to change any particular clause. Two types of amendments may be made. Substantive Amendment: If a part of a clause or the clause itself is to be added, amended or deleted, it will be called a substantive amendment and will require a simple majority to pass Non Substantive Amendment: If a grammatical, factual or formatting error is being corrected, a non substantive amendment is made and no voting will take place on type of amendment 14 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee POSITION PAPER FORMAT A position paper is essentially your country/organization’s stance on the issue. A sample position paper is displayed below. ___________________ Position Paper ___________________ Delegation: Republic of Korea Date:07/18/2013 Committee: Security Council Name of Delegate: XXX School: Rato Bangala School _____________________________________________________________________________________ Topic: Defining the parameters of the authority and accountability of non-state military organizations in conflict and post conflict scenarios 1. What is my country’s stance on the issue? (A sentence or two followed by an explanation if you wish to justify your position)Does my country support question 1? The Republic of Korea recognizes the need for the parameters of the authority and accountability of non-state military organizations to be clearly defined. While it recognizes the advantages of non-state military organizations functioning in conflict and post-conflict areas, the Republic of Korea is also concerned by the legal difficulty to hold them accountable for their actions. The fact that most of these non- state military organizations are profit-motivated and do not reflect the views and intentions of the country they are functioning on behalf of is also of concern to not only the Republic of Korea, but also to the rest of the global community. 2. What has my country done to support/condemn the issue in the past Supported and expressed approval of Resolutions S/RES/1540 (2004), S/RES/1810 (2008) and S/RES/1977 (2011) that decide that all states must establish laws to prevent in from “providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture , possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery” Chaired the 1540 United Nations committee on “Preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to nonState actors”, stating that “it is a global endeavor that requires sustained cooperation from all stakeholders since global impact of resolution 1540 is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain” Adopted Security Police Act of 1973 and Security Industry Act of 1976, Security Guarding Services Act 2002, Security System Enterprises Act 2001, Act Amending the 1976 Security Industry Act 1995, Act Amending the 1976 Security Industry Act 1999, which aim to minimize a lapse in security on behalf of the private sector. Established laws, in accordance with Security Council resolutions to limit the military activities of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) 15 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee 3. The Korean National Assembly refused to entertain the possibility of the formation of a private military company to organize, recruit and train a Korean constable force similar to the US-based Blackwater in Iraq in March 2008 claiming that it would be similar to sending “mercenaries” on behalf of the US What does my country plan to do in the future to further support or condemn question 1? A standard definition of what jurisdiction a non-state organization comes under and what they are authorized to do must be included in the Security Council resolutions. A monitoring body funded by respective states must be established in any country that has non-state military organizations and the actions of Private Military Companies should be strictly monitored and regulated by the government International laws demanding the regulation and control of non-state military actors and holding the said actors accountable for their actions must be established. References: http://www.un.org/en/sc/1540/transparency-and-outreach/outreachevents/pdf/ChairmanStatementaSaudi1540Event2013-Day3.pdf http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/328/43/PDF/N0432843.pdf?OpenElement http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N08/318/65/PDF/N0831865.pdf?OpenElement http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/306/79/PDF/N1130679.pdf?OpenElement http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unamid/facts.shtml http://timshorrock.com/?p=1375 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Mercenaries/WGMercenaries/Pages/NationalLegislationSurve y.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Mercenaries/WGMercenaries/Pages/NationalRegulatoryFram eworks.aspx http://psm.du.edu/national_regulation/ http://www.privatesecurityregulation.net/countries/results/taxonomy%3A237.185 16 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee BLOC POSITIONS Arab league: The Arab League, of which Syria is also a member, consists of 22 nations from the Middle East and Northern Africa. On November 12, 2011, the Syrian government's membership was suspended and sanctions were placed against members of the government due to the rapidly escalating violence. The Syrian National Coalition was invited into the League to be the representative of Syria on March 6, 2013 and is now the official representative of Syria in the League. The League called upon Bashar al-Assad to step down and hand over power to his deputy and even proposed a resolution in the Security Council asking him to do so, but it failed due to China and Russia vetoing the resolution. At the moment the Arab League has called back all its observers European Union: The European Union supports the opposition; it has condemned the use of violence by the government forces and also imposed sanctions on Syria. The sanctions include: Asset freezes and travel bans imposed on top members of the Syrian military and government, including Assad and his family Establishment of an arms embargo Sanction on the Syrian central bank Bans on the import of Syrian oil and the export of equipment for the petroleum industry China and Russia: China and Russia believe that the Syrian conflict can only be solved by internal political dialogue; both the nations are strongly against military intervention as both have important economic and military ties with Syria. They have vetoed three resolutions in the Security Council that asked Assad to step down. China and Russia fear that if a military intervention takes place, the situation similar to the chaos in Libya might arise. Russia frequently supplies the Syrian government with high-tech weapons and it also maintains a naval base in the country. United States of America: USA has supported the rebels but it refuses to intervene in the conflict as complications may arise. The United States has placed sanctions on Syria that prohibits bilateral trade. USA has frozen assets related to several Syrian Government officials and it has also frozen assets the Central Bank of Syria. Like in the EU, Syrian petroleum products are currently banned for import in the USA. Iran: Iran, along with its ally Hezbollah, has constantly aided the Syrian government with monetary funding and military assistance. It is reported that Syria was supplied with riot control equipment, intelligence monitoring techniques, oil supply, and snipers. Iran has also given $9 billion in monetary assistance to 17 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee ease the pressure of Western sanctions. Iran strongly condemns the possibility of a military intervention citing destabilization of the entire region as a consequence. However, Iran welcomes peace talks held between the opposition and the government; Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying "When there is a problem between the people and their leaders, they must sit down together to reach a solution, away from violence". Israel: Israel and Syria have had a bitter history and this history is reflecting on the crisis at hand. Syria has constantly demanded the Golan Heights and this has become a major obstacle to the peace process between them. On 24 March 2011, Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs said, “The same principles, activities the Western world [has taken] in Libya… I hope to see those regarding the Iranian regime and the Syrian regime.” Lieberman hoped for an intervention in Syria to stop the killings and peace in the region. Israel is ready to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, but it refrains from entering the civil war itself. Israel’s views were supported by actions; Israel has conducted four air strikes on Syrian land in suspicion that those weapons could or were going to fall in the hands of Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia and Qatar: Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing the rebels with light arms but at the request of the United States of America they stopped this supply; instead, they supply arms through the Supreme Military Council of the SNC. Turkey: Turkey was a staunch of supporter of Syria until the government’s aggression increased. Turkey has supported the rebels and has facilitated the arms supply to the Syrian opposition. In October 2012, Turkey shelled several Syrian targets in cross-border mortar attacks. Egypt: Egypt has called on the opposition and the government to hold talks but for the moment Egypt had cut all diplomatic ties with Syria. The Al-Nusra Front: The Al-Nusra Front has been one of the deadliest and most effective driving forces against the government forces in Syria. The fighters in the group are veterans who have previously fought in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq which makes differentiates it from all the other groups in the region. The honesty and discipline within the group has helped it to control and run several facilities and plants in the North Eastern region. Basic facilities like food, water, electricity, healthcare and even justice under the Sharia law is provided to the citizens of Shadadi. 18 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH The dais will be accepting any major news agency as a valid source of information. The delegates may, however, question the source of your information. For example, the Delegate of People’s Republic of Korea would be entitled to question the information derived from the US news agency CNN. Examples of accepted news agencies: Reuters BBC CNN Aljazeera AFP UNBISnet Sites that might be helpful for Syria-related research: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13216195 http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21579494-president-bashar-assad-and-hisforces-have-won-new-lease-life-regime-digs http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/24/world/meast/syria-101 http://www.acaps.org/en/pages/syria-snap-project http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2013/03/2013314145918144597.html Note: Please remember that these are just a few sites that might be helpful. Do not depend on them. You are required to explore other sources for information. 19 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee REFERENCES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-a-historical-perspective-on-the-current-crisis/24568 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703995 http://carnegie-mec.org/publications/?fa=48516 http://sites.mgkworld.net/thessis08/files/communique_writing.pdf http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703856 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/world/middleeast/un-reports-increased-number-ofdisplacedpeople.html?_r=0 http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/emergencies/un-relief-supplies-depart-dubai-for-syria1.1220716 https://www.facebook.com/syriaohr http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/ca9cbebc-0420-11e3-8aab00144feab7de,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2 F0%2Fca9cbebc-0420-11e3-8aab-00144feab7de.html&_i_referer=#axzz2cQohLQWE http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e486a76.html http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/index.php/crises/crisis-in-syria http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=146&Body=Syria&Body1= http://ww3.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21578443-russia-and-america-try-bitjaw-jaw-how-about-diplomacy http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/13/Syria-opposition-to-consultallies-over-U-S-Russia-peace-initiative-.html http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-01-05/syria-politicalprisoners/52387422/1 http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iOopJQLs2bnTmk3TRzytK_NIKcXg?doc Id=CNG.0fe739f1f49df34b937ed993417cb269.721 http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/arab-league-observer-assad-committing-genocidein-syria-1.403756 http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/22/189842.html http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/26/190767.html 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee 20. 21. 22. 23. http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/30/191474.html http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/sc10583.doc.html http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unsmis/background.shtml http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/UN-leads-global-calls-for-action-againstviolence-in-Syria/articleshow/13564462.cms http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/06/18/g8-harper-cameron-putin-obama.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18471686 http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/studyguides/refugees.html 24. 25. 26. 21 Study Guide: Syrian Crisis Committee