Syrian ambassador to Iraq defects; Syrian opposition figure rules out dialogue with Al-Assad following another massacre; UN mission head says contributing to facilitating dialogue in Syria
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  • According to reports, Syria’s ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf al-Fares, has announced that he has defected and joined the revolution against President Bashar al-Assad. He is the first senior diplomat to quit the Syrian government since the start of crisis. Al-Fares has said that government forces have been killing civilians during the crackdown on the 16-month old uprising. He did not give details of his location. 1

    In a separate report of an interview to the media on July 12, 2012, Al-Fares said that he would support the people’s revolution, particularly the Free Syrian Army, the Local Coordination Committees, and revolutionaries. 2 He has also stated that more defections are likely from the Syrian diplomatic corps as there are an increasing number of officials who no longer identify with serving a state that has responded with brutality to calls for openness and democracy. 3

    Meanwhile, according to reports, following another massacre in Hama apparently resulting from Syrian military operations, the head of the Syrian National Council has said this is another indication that dialogue with the Assad regime is not possible. Another member of the Council has accused the West of indifference. At least 267 people were reported killed and more than 300 injured in this latest round of killings. The Syrian General Revolutionary Council has said that women and children were killed after having their throats slashed, being hung or burned to death. 4

    In other developments, the Head of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), General Robert Mood, has said that following Kofi Annan’s latest visit to Syria, the mission is engaging in localities to facilitate dialogue between parties in order to build confidence and end the increasing spiral of violence. He said that progress has been made in the Deir Ezzor locality with a significant reduction in violence. He underlined the need for the Syria government and opposition to negotiate to end the crisis. UNSMIS observers are still based in different provinces and engage with parties on the ground. 5

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