Introduction to the evening news 01-03-2012

By gaining control of Baba Amro, the Syrian regime won a significant battle in a long war. But the question remains: What comes after Homs? This city was the birthplace of the revolution and home to the neighborhood that finally succumbed after 26 days of siege. For the opposition and its supporters abroad, this city was the last strategic field and the most important symbol of Assad’s resistance. The regime gained a victory of morale, gained military control over a city which constitutes a key intersection between the coastal routes from the Turkish border to that of Lebanon, and liberated the road network from central Syria to the capital city of Damascus.         

At a time when the opposition was down the loss under the pretext of the tactical withdrawal, the Syrian National Council was announcing the unification of the opposition forces by establishing a military advisory office that serves as a Defense Ministry. But the announcement of this step from Paris was accompanied by a setback; in fact, hours after Burhan Ghalyoun’s conference, the Commander of the Free Syrian Army Riyad al-Assaad said that he did not participate in the establishment of the military council, adding that he does not know the goals of this entity. He said that he talked to Ghalyoun on Wednesday evening, but did not reach an agreement. Awaiting the International Red Cross and the Syrian Red Crescent to enter Baba Amro tomorrow, many questions are raised: Will Homs’ cannons pave the way for a political solution sponsored by Russia that will be meeting with the GCC members next week, after the regime held a winning security card?         

Will the U.S. approve of a solution outside the UNSC? The U.S. ambassador to Syria addressed the committee of foreign affairs at the parliament today, saying that the Syrian regime is now under more pressure despite the fact that the army and the security forces remain united. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey along with all the states that wanted to arm the opposition hoping for a long bloodshed, how will they respond?