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Aoun: Arab Countries Chose Wrong Path by Boycotting Syria

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun slammed on Tuesday the Arab League’s suspension of Syria’s membership.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “The Arab countries have chosen the wrong and losing path by deciding to boycott Syria.”

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Erdogan: Turkey has Lost Faith in Ally Syria

Turkey has abandoned hope that Syria will respond to international demands to halt violence and initiate democratic reforms, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday.

"We no longer expect the Assad government to show honest, persuasive, brave and determined leadership," Erdogan told his party's lawmakers. "No one expects him to respond to the demands of the international community anymore."

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Fletcher Meets Miqati, Expresses Disappointment with Lebanon’s Stand at Arab League

British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher welcomed on Tuesday strong action taken by the Arab League, hoping that its decision to suspend Syria’s membership would lead to greater freedom, stability, and respect for human rights.

He said after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati: “I underlined our disappointment at Lebanon’s position at the Arab League meeting.”

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Syrian Generals Are among 18 People Hit by New EU Sanctions

The European Union added Tuesday the commander of Syria's special forces, a militia chief and a slew of generals to a new list of Syrians hit by sanctions over a crackdown on protesters.

The military men and a lawyer are among 18 extra people blacklisted by the 27-state EU, bringing to 74 the members of President Bashar al-Assad's regime hit in past months by assets freezes and travel bans.

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Assad Loyalists Attack Jordanian Embassy in Damascus

More than 100 demonstrators stormed the Jordanian embassy in Damascus and tore down the flag in protest at King Abdullah II's call for Syrian President Bashar Assad to go, Jordanian newspapers said Tuesday.

It was the fourth such protest against embassies of regional powers by angry Assad loyalists since the Arab League voted on Saturday to suspend Syria and impose sanctions against the regime over its bloody eight-month crackdown on peaceful protesters.

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Syrian Exiles Find Fear Rather than Refuge in Lebanon

When he fled brutal persecution by the regime of Syria's President Bashar Assad, opposition activist Saeed believed neighboring Lebanon would offer a safe haven.

But four months later, he still hides behind a cap and dark sunglasses, nervously glancing over his shoulder every time he leaves his Beirut flat -- fearing Assad's allies in Lebanon will hunt him down.

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Activists: More than 50 Killed in Syria Violence in 1 Day

A wave of violence killed at least 50 people in Syria in one day, many of them Syrian soldiers who came under attack from army defectors, activists said Tuesday.

The unrest in Syria appears to be escalating as President Bashar Assad comes under mounting pressure — not only from the West but from his Arab neighbors, as well.

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Syrian Opposition Fails to Shift Russia Stance on Assad

The exiled Syrian opposition on Tuesday failed to convince Moscow to toughen its stance against the regime of defiant leader Bashar al-Assad, the leader of the Paris-based dissident delegation said.

Members of the largest and most representative Syrian opposition grouping, the Syrian National Council -- led by its head Burhan Ghalioun -- traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

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West, Gulf Dissatisfied with Lebanon as High-Ranking Official Defends ‘Inevitable’ Decision

Western countries were disappointed while Gulf nations have expressed deep discontent over Lebanon’s stance from an Arab League decision on Syria, diplomatic sources said.

Western diplomatic sources told several newspapers in remarks published Tuesday that the Western disappointment lies in not only Lebanon’s vote against the suspension of Syria’s membership in the Arab League but also on the statement made by its delegate during the meeting of the Arab committee.

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Miqati Seeks to Contain Repercussions of Lebanon’s Stance from Syria

Premier Najib Miqati has launched a series of meetings with diplomats to contain the repercussions of Lebanon’s vote against the suspension of Syria from the 22-member Arab League.

Sources close to Miqati told An Nahar daily on Tuesday that the prime minister is trying to explain the Lebanese stance, stressing to the diplomats that Beirut’s decision is not targeted at Arab countries but is only aimed at protecting Lebanon.

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