FSA gives Syrian security forces 4-day ultimatum
04/01/2012 Asharq Al-Awsat
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=27970

Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat -- The unilaterally declared truce between the Free
Syrian Army [FSA] and the Syrian regular army collapsed after the defectors
attacked the regular army's units in various parts of Syria the day before
yesterday after accusing the regime "of not stopping the killings" which
forced them to back down on "their conditional promise" to stop the attacks
during the presence of the Arab observers.

Paratrooper Captain Ammar al-Wawi, secretary of the FSA's Military Council,
asserted that the FSA "released 30 soldiers and four officers from the
regular army who had surrendered to its elements in Jabal al-Zawiyah area
the day before yesterday." He told Asharq Al-Awsat that "Al-Zawiyah martyrs'
regiment" carried out an operation at 0500 hours the day before yesterday
against a regular army unit which resulted in the surrender of 30 soldiers
and four officers. He pointed out that they surrendered without any fight
and handed over their weapons and that the investigations with them
indicated there were instructions to kill the demonstrators and
oppositionists in addition to targeting the Arab observers on their arrival
in the area and to accuse "terrorist elements." He pointed out that
simultaneous attacks were carried out in the areas of Daraa, Damascus
countryside, Jabal al-Zawiyah, and Dayr al-Zur which resulted in targeting
and killing more than 40 soldiers and officers.

Al-Wawi announced that the "FSA" has addressed an ultimatum to all the army
officers and soldiers, the security forces, and the shabbihah to stop
targeting the civilians within four days or else they would be targeted. He
said: "We have information about all the officers ordering the shooting of
demonstrators. We warn all the killers that we will deal with anyone who
hands over his weapon and surrenders on the basis of let bygones be bygones
but they would be targeted one by one if they continued with what they are
doing." [Passage omitted on FSA commander Al-As'ad's statements to Reuters]

On his part, Al-Wawi strongly criticized Arab League [AL] Secretary General
Nabil El-Araby and expressed surprised at his description of the Arab
observers as the "UNIFIL" forces deployed on the borders between Lebanon and
Israel. He said: "If El-Araby believes that the observers are UNIFIL, then
let him refer the issue to the Security Council to be the arbiter between
the people and government." After praising Ali al-Diqbasi, the Arab
parliament speaker, who demanded the immediate withdrawal of the observers
from Syria, he called on El-Araby "to resign immediately because he has
harmed the Syrian revolution, the AL, and the Arab peoples demanding
freedom, justice, and democracy."