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- "Yesterday was quiet and there were no clashes;"
- "Some places looked a bit of a mess but there was nothing frightening;" and
- Assad's government has been "very cooperative."
In other words, he contradicted Western propaganda and confirmed evidence of an externally generated insurgency. As a result, he's now assailed as unreliable. Efforts are made to discredit him. Media scoundrels cheerlead it. It's their customary role. "Shoot the messenger."
On December 27, State Department spokesman Mark Toner stopped short of vilifying al-Dabi but came close saying:
Arab League monitors "bear a heavy responsibility in trying to protect Syrian civilians from the depredations of a murderous regime."
Because Al-Dabi points fingers elsewhere, he's assailed for not cooperating.
On January 2, New York Times writer Kareem Fahim headlined, "Chief of Arab League's Mission in Syria Is Lightening Rod for Criticism," saying:
Instead of confirming regime violence, he said Assad's "government had withdrawn tanks and artillery from cities, and had released nearly 3,500 prisoners" after releasing hundreds more in November and December.
As a result, he's now criticized and accused of being "mired in controversy: a Sudanese general who, (unnamed) rights activists say presided over the same kind of deadly and heavy-handed tactics in Sudan that the Arab League is seeking to curb in Syria."Al-Dabi "once ran Sudan's notorious military intelligence agency, and has only compounded the criticism with his recent statements."
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