Thousands of Syrians answer call for a 'Day of Defiance'
BBC- Arabic

Presenter, Female #1
A news agency reported that six protestors were killed by the Syrian regime?s gunfire during an anti-government protest in Homs. Reuters said that an unknown number of protestors were injured in al-Tall city, north of Damascus, after the army opened fire on the anti-regime protests. Reports said that the Syrian security forces massed in the suburbs of Damascus and cities in the north of the country in anticipation of massive a demonstration named the "Friday of Defiance." Eyewitnesses said that tanks and armored trucks were deployed around Rastan city, north of Damascus.

Reporter, Male #1
Opposition activists in Syria chose the name "Friday of Defiance" for this week, which starts today. Protests and demonstrations demanding freedom and reform have been ongoing for a month and a half in various parts of Syria. On the eve of "Friday of Defiance," these people in the northeastern city of Amouda held a candlelight vigil. Meanwhile, protestors gathered in the city of Jasim, in Horan province, in a demonstration they called "Settlement in Freedom Square." This past week witnessed what the Syrian government referred to as a military operation in the southern city of Daraa, the birthplace of the protests. The official story of what happened in the city completely contradicts what human rights activists are saying.

Guest, Male #1 (Omar Qarbi, Chairman of Human Rights Organization in Cairo)
What they meant by "military operation" was killing, demolishing houses, taking away corpses, and dragging away citizens. I believe that this operation is moving from Daraa to Banias, or Homs, or another region. Unfortunately, now the picture in Daraa has become clearer. The images from Daraa now are very very horrific and the reports are extremely saddening.

Reporter, Male #1
The images coming from various parts of Syria show the deployment of the military in a number of regions and cities. Reports say that dozens of tanks and armored trucks are encircling Homs and Banias. The suburbs of the capital Damascus also witnessed popular movements. In the Saqba region, Syrian activists reported that dozens of residents were arrested after some of them participated in the protests. Raids and arrests also reached other Damascus suburbs. The Syrian army persistently makes statements that arouse criticism. However, the Syrian authority reiterates that it aspires to protect civil safety.

Guest, Male #2 (Ahmad Siwan, Head of the National Organization for Human Rights)
The army went to Daraa and other Syrian cities around Damascus only to assume its responsibility of imposing security and stability. Secondly, the national army is capable of protecting the citizens and maintaining security and stability.

Reporter, Male #1
Even though the Syrian authorities have announced the lifting of the state of emergency and take measures for reform, rights organizations and other groups inside and outside Syria accuse the regime of wide-scale human rights violations. While the state-run TV speaks of terrorist gangs and extremist groups, university students take to the streets in solidarity with the popular movement. This was their protests at the University of Aleppo?s campus two days ago. The arrests did not prevent women and girls, some of them activists and journalists, from protesting in Arnous Square in the capital of Damascus to peacefully express their rejection of the crackdown, the security measures that have been taken, and the foreign intervention in Syria. Wael Hajar, BBC.

Presenter, Female #1
Videos spread online show protests in the Maydan neighborhood of Damascus. Reports from Damascus also indicated that the police have closed down the road leading to al-Rifai Mosque in the Kafr Soussa area to prevent protests there. The reports also said that protests calling for freedom erupted in the northern city of Amouda. These are some scenes from the protests.

Amnesty International accuses Libyan regime of war crimes
Al Jazeera TV, Qatar

Presenter, Female # 1
France has decided to expel 14 Libyan diplomats loyal to Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi?s government, granting them up to 48 hours to leave the country. Meanwhile, Russia expressed its strong opposition to any ground operation in Libya. On the ground, Gaddafi forces have continuously shelled the city of Zintan with Grad missiles. Reports from the area of Ghazay, near the Tunisian border, indicate that Gaddafi forces have separated men from women in families that support the revolutionaries.

Reporter, Female # 2
Jabal al-Gharbi and other regions revolting against Gaddafi are being subjected to his gunfire. Ongoing for three months, the colonel's fire did not bear fruit. Few images are emerging from Az-Zintan but they show the continued resistance of its revolutionaries, despite the ongoing military campaign against the city. The colonel's battalions have not halted their shelling of Az-Zintan for ten consecutive days, constantly and relentlessly pounding the city with shells and missiles. The hospital?s hallways recount some of the residents' tragedy. Medical efforts failed to save the life of a civilian burned by the battalions' fire. He leaves a family behind, as thousands of others have in the city that dared revolt against the colonel. The battalions have enforced the siege and the targeting of cities in Jabal al-Gharbi, further aggravating the humanitarian situation in al-Qal'at, Yefren, and others. The Contact Group meeting in Rome created a special fund for the revolutionaries, granting them the ability to use frozen Libyan money for purely humanitarian purposes. This step was opposed by the Tripoli regime.

Guest, Male # 1 (Khaled el-Kaim, Libya's Deputy Foreign Minister)
Libya is still, according to international law, a sovereign state. Any use of the frozen assets is like piracy on the high seas.

Reporter, Female # 2
The Tripoli regime is not concerned with the humanitarian reasons for which the fund was created and further tightened its military siege on eastern cities. This has led to a spiral of human suffering, fueled by the inability to send supplies. The World Food Programme warned that Libyan food supplies could run out within six to eight weeks unless the large gaps in the food system in Libya, particularly in eastern Libya, are filled. Otherwise, the WFP said it will have to envision a massive humanitarian operation. In Misurata, Amnesty International described the actions of Gaddafi's battalions against the residents as "horrifying" and could constitute war crimes. The organization documented the battalions' use of Grad missiles and heavy artillery shells on residential areas in addition to planting mines, which is a complete disregard for human rights and a violation of international humanitarian laws.

Yemen's Saleh vows to resist 'outlaw' protestors
New TV, Lebanon

Presenter, Female #1
Pro- and anti-government protests continue in Yemen as the Yemeni president describes his opponents as "outlaws."

Reporter, Female #2
"Friday of loyalty to the people in the south" and "Friday of security and stability" were the two counter-protests in Yemen. Each camp held a site and armed itself with its demands. In Sabe'en Square in the capital Sana'a, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh gave a speech to the masses, announcing once again his insistence on constitutional legitimacy and accusing the opposition of killing and slaughtering citizens. He described the opposition as a group of criminals, traitors, and outlaws.

Guest, Male #1 (Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemeni President)
Yes to constitutional legitimacy; no to chaos, no to sabotage, no to revenge. No to the revenge scheme; no to the plan of spite and hatred. No to the plan of spite and hatred and resentment by the groups that are violating the law and order.

Reporter, Female #2
Also in the capital Sana'a, in the Sitteen neighborhood, hundreds of thousands of anti-regime protestors rallied in response to a call by the Youth of the Revolution for a "March of Millions." The protestors reaffirmed their determination to wait in the squares until they topple the regime and its figureheads are prosecuted. Taiz and other Yemeni cities witnessed opposition protests. Thousands of protestors demanded Saleh's immediate resignation, describing him as a president who does not keep his word. They also announced their rejection of the Gulf initiative and called on the Gulf Cooperation Committee to stand by the Yemeni people. Politically, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed his regret over the impasse that the Gulf Cooperation Committee mediation had reached. In order to resolve the situation, Gulf mediator Abdullah al-Ziyani proposed that 15 regime loyalists and 15 opposition figures sign the Gulf plan. Saleh sent the names of the 15 people including the assistant secretary-general of the ruling General People's Congress, Abdullah al-Aryani. The opposition is preparing its list while insisting on Saleh's departure. The opposition is aware that the Gulf plan stipulates the participation of the opposition in a national reconciliation government in exchange for Saleh's resignation one month after the signing.

Tunisian protestors demand resignation of transitional government
Press TV, Iran

In Tunisia, one person has been killed after police attacked anti-government protestors. Police used tear gas and batons to scatter protestors demanding the president?s resignation. It was the most violent confrontation for weeks with pro-democracy demonstrators. A Press TV cameraman was among those hit by the police. The security forces also try to confiscate the films that Press TV?s crew had taken from the scene of the clashes.

Bin Laden's death may further strain US-Pakistan relations
Dubai TV, UAE

Presenter, Female #1
Days after the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, details of the U.S. sting operation continue to unfold. The CIA used a hide-out in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad to prepare for bin Laden?s assassination. The place was used as a command center to gather intelligence. The Washington Post quoted U.S. officials saying that the CIA has relied on Pakistani informants and other sources to help assemble a ?pattern of life? portrait of the occupants, recording voices inside the compound where bin Laden was found. However, the agents didn't use the hide-out to carry out the assassination. The assassination of the al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden is a message to the terrorists that the U.S. will never forget the attacks of September 11, 2001. This is what U.S. President Barack Obama said yesterday during an unexpected visit to a fire station in Manhattan. During his visit to Ground Zero in New York City, Obama praised firefighters for their actions on 9/11 nearly 10 years ago. Firefighters rushed to the World Trade Center to help rescue victims stranded in the collapsing twin towers targeted by al-Qaeda. Bin Laden's death marked the beginning of strained relations between Islamabad and Washington. The U.S. continues to insist on violating Pakistani soil and airspace in the name of the war on terror. Islamabad decided to reduce the number of U.S. military personnel in the country in a bid to redeem its image nationally and internationally. Our correspondent, Mahyub Khuder, reports from Islamabad.

Reporter, Male #1
Under national pressure and international accusations, Islamabad has shifted its position from defending itself to redeeming its image. Washington said that it reserves the right to carry out military operations, similar to the one that killed bin Laden. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry has broken its silence and warned that any unilateral military action will have "grave consequences."

Guest, Male #2 (Suleiman Bashir, Pakistan's Deputy Foreign Minister)
We feel that any unilateral military action is risky and may lead to grave and disastrous repercussions. No one doubts that Pakistan has the ability to defend itself. Preserving our country's sovereignty is a high priority.

Reporter, Male #1
This sharp tone reflects the beginning of a strained relationship between Washington and Islamabad. The Pakistani military warned that they will review their intelligence and military partnership with Washington in the war on terror. In addition, the army decided to reduce the number of US military personnel to the "minimum essential." This news comes after the US raised serious questions about the commitment and credibility of the Pakistani intelligence agency.

Guest, Male #3 (Sultan Hali, writer at the Daily Zay)
The future of the war on terror is deemed a failure. The future of the US-Pakistani relations is disastrous because Washington doesn't trust its Pakistani ally.

Reporter, Male #1
Amid the opposition's accusation of the government's failure to protect the country's sovereignty and amid public's disappointment, many Pakistanis fear that a political crisis has become imminent. To make matters worse, heated debates continue to unfold inside the Pakistani parliament over the operation that killed bin Laden and its ramifications at the national and international levels. The death of bin Laden at the hand of a US military force that entered the country without Islamabad's knowledge is sparking fear among Pakistanis over the future of their country's nuclear weapons; especially as India is seeking to exploit the situation to claim the same right as the US. Mahyub Khuder, Dubai TV, Islamabad.

Eritrea and Djibouti accept Qatari mediation
New TV, Lebanon

Presenter, Male #1
Eritrea and Djibouti are satisfied with Qatar's mediation in their strife to contain the conflicts in the Horn of Africa.

Reporter, Male #1
Qatar enters the Horn of Africa by resolving the conflicts between Eritrea and Djibouti. Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki and Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh approved of the Qatari mediation and signed an agreement vowing in front of Qatar to exert efforts to find a solution to the border disputes between the two countries and search for people who are missing. Consequently, Eritrea withdrew its troops from the disputed areas bordering Djibouti. However, Eritrea denied that the withdrawal was an acknowledgement of Djibouti's jurisdiction over the area until a final settlement is signed to end the dispute. The Qatari monitoring forces have verified the withdrawal. An executive committee, headed by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim II, was formed with the intention of ending the disputes and the border-demarcation between the two countries. Both sides will provide Qatar information about the numbers and names of prisoners detained, in addition to the numbers and names of people missing. Qatar will supervise the two countries exchange prisoners and both will share responsibility in searching for the missing people. Clashes escalated between Eritrean and Djiboutian troops in the mid-1990s and the relationship between the two countries has been tense ever since. The Horn of Africa has a strategic significance because of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, or the "Gate of Scars," through which ships from Arab and other countries pass frequently. The crisis between the two countries began with Eritrea's occupation of part of the Djiboutian territories in the Rias Doumira region. In a series of collective escapes by Eritrean soldiers, part of the Eritrean army defected to the Djibouti border areas, convinced that the war imposed by the Eritrean regime could bring no good. At the same time, certain influential powers are accused of covering up the conflicts between the two neighboring countries in order to play a role in this sensitive region.

Netanyahu to Europe to garner support against Palestinian unity deal
IBA TV, Israel

We open with the return of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Israel a short time ago after a three day overseas trip to Europe, where he exerted efforts to dissuade France and the United Kingdom from supporting the Palestinian initiative fore statehood. This as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas learned that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is against the Palestinians indented unilateral declaration in September.

** Contact Mosaic News: mosaicnews{at}linktv{dot}org