In protest of al-Qamishli incidents, some 30 Kurds broke into the Syrian embassy in Brussels, detained
Syria-Belgium, Politics, 3/15/2004

News reports in Brussels said that the breaking in operation of the building of the Syrian embassy in the Belgian capital Brussels, carried out by a group of Kurds ended.

The reports said that the operation ended following negotiations between the Syrian ambassador, the Belgian police and the Kurdish demonstrators. The news reports continued that the police detained some 30 persons among those who broke into the headquarters of the embassy.

The said Kurdish group hoisted the Kurdish flag over the embassy's building and tore the Syrian flag and explained what it had done as a protest for what had happened in the Syrian city of al-Qamishli to the north of the country of incidents which claimed the lives of Kurds. A story denied by the Syrian government.

The Syrian ambassador Tawfiq Salloum who arrived at the embassy short time after the breaking in operation said that between 15 to 30 demonstrators were able to enter the garden of the embassy but did not say if they had entered the embassy.

He explained that " there is no problem with the Kurds in Syria, but on Friday there was a football game.. and a row took place between the fans of the two teams. He concluded "I am waiting for the results of the investigations carried out by the police, noting that he had asked the Belgian authorities to tighten security measures around the Syrian embassy.

In Damascus, it was announced the formation if an investigation committee on whether the persons who were described as conspirators were behind the clashes which took part in the northern part of the country, which Kurdish sources said resulted in killing some 14 Syrian Kurds during 36 hours.

The Kurdish sources had announced that confrontations erupted between the Syrian security forces and citizens from al-Qamishli city who were demonstrating during a funeral for several Kurds that were killed in acts of riots that took place during a football game and after it. The Syrian authorities denied the occurrence of killing during the dispersing of the demonstration and stressed that conditions are settled in the city.

People and medical sources said that the acts of riots which were carried out by Syrian Kurds in al-Qamishli on Saturday expanded to the cities of Amouda, Rass al-Ein and Hassaka and inflected also damages on buildings.

Witnesses said that the Kurds blocked the main road leading to the Dummar residential suburbs in Damascus and damaged several cars before they were dispersed by the riot-fighting police and detained several persons.

Sources close to the government said that certain Kurdish politicians "converted the case from a riot acts during a football game to a case of a political dimension," in remark to demands raised by some 200,000 Syrian Kurds who are not recognized as citizens.

A source said that the government was about to declare solution for the Kurds but the campaign propagated by the banned Kurdish groups banned this process.

To this effect, the Syrian daily al-Baath, mouthpiece if the ruling Baath party in Syria, said on Sunday that the clashes which took place on Friday and Saturday between the Kurds and the security forces in northern East part of the country are regretted and painful for the Syrians."

However, Kurds in Syria and other minorities in Syria assumed senior posts in the government and the army including the post of the prime minister in the mid of the 1970s. However, number of Kurds in Syria is estimated at 1.5 million of the country s total population estimated at 18 million.

Previous Stories:
  Belgian parliamentarian: Syria is a significant country regarding ME peace   (3/2/2004)
  Syrian opposition holds its second conference in Brussels   (1/19/2004)
  Lizane: Syrian - Belgian relations are good   (8/20/2003)

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