Arabic World - Latest Developments

LIBYA

While the English service of Al-Jazeera reported about further Nato bombings of Gadafi's military facilities, the Arabic service held a video conference with participants from Benghazi, Kairo and Paris on latest political development:

الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة بانكي مون يدعو إلى حل "سياسي" و "وقف إطلاق نار فوري" في ليبيا
United Nation's secretary-general Banki Mun is urging a "political" solution and an "immediate cease-fire" in Libya.

أمين عام حلف الناتو يقول إن الحلف يحتاج لمزيد من الطائرات للقيام بمهمته على أكمل وجه
The Nato secretary-general says the alliance needs the majority of [their] airplanes for the most perfect accomplishment of their mission.

هيلاري كلينتون تحث حلف شمال الأطلسي على الحفاظ على وحدة الصف في مواجهة القذافي
Hillary Clinton has incited the North Atlantic Pact to guard their unity when it comes to face Gadafi.

وصول سفينة قطرية إلى ميناء الاسكندرية قادمة من ليبيا على متنها 630 مصريا
Arrival of a [regional] ship in the port of Alexandria, the first one from Libya carrying 630 Egyptians.
[Please note: The translation could as well be "a ship from Qatar" instead of "a regional ship", the latter making more sense if one has in mind that the state of Qatar as place of ship registration could be inserted without ambiguity by simply choosing another phrase construction. Anyway, the essential information about Egyptian migrants, held in camps and willing to leave Libya, remains clear.]

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TUNISIA

Tunisian prosecutors want former president Ben Ali to face trial on the basis of 18 charges including drug trafficking and manslaughter. Ben Ali is now living in Saudi Arabia.

EGYPT

Former president Mubarak and both of his sons have been arrested only recently and are now facing charges of corruption.

YEMEN

Increasing pressure on Yemenite president Saleh to step down from office within a fortnight.

SYRIA

A new Syrian government has been formed on behalf of president Basher Assad following weeks of increasing unrest. Simultaneously, a release of political prisoners from a mass arrest has been ordered.



الخارجية الأمريكية: خطاب الأسد لا يرقى لمستوى الإصلاحات التي يريدها الشعب السوري و "يفتقر للجوهر"
اAccording to the U.S. secretary of foreign affairs, Assad's speech has not proceeded to the level of reforms wanted by the Syrian people and has been "lacking substance". [Al-Jazeera on March 30, 2011]


Shooting people from a car in the streets of Baniyas, allegedly targeting security forces, and increasing masses of protesters in Damascus:



The following news have been published on an Arabic website related to Syrian protesters. It is called FREE-SYRIA السورية الحرة

نظام الأسد يقتل الجنود الرافضين لاطلاق النار على المدنيين

استشهاد المجند \ من الفرقة الرابعة \: محمد موسى اسماعيل
الجراد ، من مدينة الحارة في درعا ، وذلك باطلاق النار عليه
ورميه امام القطعة ،لرفضه اطلاق النار على المدنيين في
بانياس ، وسلمت جثته الى اهله اليوم مضايا: عاجل: استشهاد
الضابط مراد حجو من مضايا كان الشهيد

" While shooting at citizens, the Assad
regime is killing deserted soldiers. "

" The example of a recruit / from the fourth brigade [or: division] /: Mahmud Moussa Ismail al-Djarad, from the township of al-Khara in Dira. This one has been shot at and hit by a shrapnel [that came in front of him] when he refused to target citizens in the [coastal] town of Baniyas. His carcass was delivered to his family the day [after]: Urgent [News]: Citation of the officer M. Kh. who is the witness of what happened. "