Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Annan "The Evidence Shows We Have Not Succeeded"

Claimed video of protests in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province tonight (see 2050 and 2105 GMT)

See also Syria Propaganda 101: How PR Firm Brown Lloyd James Polished the Regime's Image
Saturday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: 89 Deaths, 672 Protests, and a "Liberated" Regime Convoy

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2105 GMT: Saudi Arabia. There are claims that Saudi security forces fired on protesters in Eastern Province tonight, following the early shooting and detention of a leading cleric (see 2050 GMT), with injuries and possibly fatalities.

Video has been posted of one of the wounded.

2100 GMT: Syria. A large protest in the Saleheddin section of Aleppo tonight:

2050 GMT: Saudi Arabia. The Minister of Interior has confirmed that prominent Shi’a Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was arrested in Eastern Province late Sunday after he was shot in the leg by police.

Reports of the Sheikh's arrest brought demonstrations in the mostly Shi’a Qatif region of the Eastern Province, which has been the focal point of protests alleging discrimination.

The Ministry claimed, “When the aforementioned person [al-Nimr] and those with him tried to resist the security men and initiated shooting and crashed into one of the security patrols while trying to escape, he was dealt with in accordance with the situation and responded to in kind and arrested after he was wounded in his thigh."

Al-Nimr was taken to hospital and accused of sedition. He was previously detained for several days in 2004 and 2006

“They (police) took him from his car and blood can be seen near his car,” said his brother Mohammed al-Nimr. “He had been wanted by the interior ministry for a couple of months because of his political views. In the past couple of months he has adopted a lot of Shi’ite issues and expressed his views on them, demanding their rights."

1700 GMT: Syria. The managing director of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company has said Tehran has increased liquefied petroleum gas exports to Syria as Damascus struggles with fuel shortages amid sanctions.

In April, a Syrian official said the Assad regime hoped to import liquefied natural gas from Iran, as Damascus was in need of 900,000 tonnes of LNG annually. Minister of Oil Sufian Alao said in May that the Syrian oil industry had lost around $4 billon due to sanctions.

1646 GMT: Syria. Spokesman Ahmad Fawzi says United Nations envoy Kofi Annan has arrived in Damascus for talks with President Assad.

Fawzi did not give further details of Annan's schedule.

1638 GMT: Syria. Speaking to German TV channel ARD, President Assad has accused the US of partnering with those "terrorists...with weapons, money or public and political support at the United Nations"

Assad said he will not step down "in the face of national challenges".

The interview, recorded on Thursday, has yet to be broadcast.

1630 GMT: Egypt. Back from a break to find that President Morsi has reinstated Parliament, suspended last month by the Supreme Constitutional Court as the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces expanded its powers.

Morsi also called for fresh Parliamentary polls to be held within 60 days of the ratification of a new Constitution.

The President's decision came a day before the Supreme Court was scheduled to rule on an appeal filed by members of the lower house, challenging the decision to dissolve the People's Assembly.

1420 GMT: Syria. Claimed footage of destroyed regime tanks and armoured vehicles in Deir Ez Zor on Saturday:

1405 GMT: Libya. As the secularist National Alliance, led by Mahmoud Jibril, claims an early lead in Saturday's national assembly elections, the chairman of the National Oil Corporation said three major oil exporting terminals in eastern Libya shut down by political protests last week have resumed production.

Local militia on Thursday enforced a 48-hour stoppage to protest against Saturday's election, complaining it did not adequately represent the eastern region.

1355 GMT: Syria. A march in Dael in Daraa Province, protesting regime shelling of the town:

1330 GMT: Egypt. Activists in Suez are staging a sit-in outside Governorate headquarters, demanding the release of eight people held in military prisons for protesting in Cairo this spring.

The April 6 Youth Movement and the Suez Youth Bloc are among the participating groups.

Eight activists have reportedly announced they will start a hunger strike on Sunday, the third day of the sit-in.

The detainees were seized during protests in May over an army clampdown on demonstrators in Abbasiya Square, near the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, after 11 protesters were slain on 30 April by unknown assailants.

1310 GMT: Syria. State TV has featured the "confessions" of two men, named as Mustafa Sharrouf and Sobhi Aswad, who said they smuggled gunmen and various types from Turkey into Syria. One said he received weapon training from Turkish security forces at a refugee camp.

1030 GMT: Syria. The BBC claims the stark fate of captured Syrian soldiers of "Death or Exchange":

For all the gains made so far, most territory in which opposition groups operate in Syria is still strongly contested, which means keeping prisoners for any length of time is virtually impossible for the rebels.

These groups are therefore faced with a stark choice: execute the detainee, or exchange him for prisoners held by the government.

"Exchanging captured militia or soldiers for prisoners is an option, but this depends on the group in question," says [UK-based Syrian journalist Malik] al-Abdeh.

"If they have links with a local community leader or cleric, and if the rebel commander feels it's safe, they may be able to ensure a handover is made."

1005 GMT: Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Gazette claims an American endorsement of the regime:

James B. Smith, US Ambassador to the Kingdom, lauded the efforts of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for his role in developing the country. He spoke highly of the monarch’s unshakable commitment to developing the education sector, and said, “We believe that continuing and expanding the process of development will be among the best achievements of the Saudi people.”

He praised the King’s wisdom, which he said has enhanced security, stability and peace in the region. He added that Crown Prince Salman also commands great respect.

0955 GMT: Sudan. The Independent of London accuses the British Government of "immoral" double standards, after UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), an agency of the Department for Business, co-operated with a trade mission to Khartoum last week.

UKTI also produced a brochure for British firms entitled Doing Business in Sudan, a country that "offers profitable business opportunities" in industries including gold and copper mining, oil exploration, and construction.

President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes. His regime is also accused of bombarding areas near its border with newly-independent South Sudan, fuelling a refugee crisis.

0709 GMT: Libya. Libya Herald claims that the National Forces Alliance of Mahmoud Jibril is "set for victory" in elections for the General National Conference.

The site also reports that despite early disruptions in eastern Libya, turnout was about 60 per cent, with 1.6 million of 2.8 million registered citizens voting. The electoral commission also said that only 24 of 1554 polling centres were unable to open.

Jibril chaired the executive board of the National Transitional Council during the uprising against the Qaddafi regime.

0629 GMT: Egypt. The Revolution Youth Coalition, one of the leading groups in the overthrow of the Mubarak regime in 2011, officially announced its dissolution on Saturday: "The coalition was for the transitional period and we have to renew our mechanics in defending our rights. Today is not the end."

In a final audit, the Coalition said, "We should have been more open to other parties, groups and movements in Egypt," and admitted it made strategic mistakes when when its members were divided between boycotting Parliamentary elections or participating in them.

0614 GMT: Bahrain. Six leading opposition societies have declared that the kingdom is in "an unannounced state of emergency":

The security solution currently being undertaken by the regime is costing the country heavily, as it has since even before 14th February 2011. This solution has been proved as useless and will not be able to stop the people from calling for their full rights and refuse to turn back. The people of Bahrain are an enlightened people who have taken the decision to win their rights and to be “the source of all authorities”. The people of Bahrain are intent on getting an elected government; similar to the people of the free world, along with a parliament with full powers elected by fairly distributed voting districts. They also want an independent judiciary that guarantees the rights of all citizens and a security institution based on protecting the people and capable of providing security to all.

Meanwhile, the Bahrain News Agency revealed that the British Government, which recently hosted the Minister of Interior, has also had talks with Minister of Justice Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa.

The regime agency claimed British Minister of Justice Kenneth Clarke "underlined keenness to boost cooperation with the Justice Ministry in Bahrain by providing the needed assistance to further develop the judicial field and protect the community from speeches inciting violence, hatred and sectarianism".

BNA said that the Sheikh Khalid met the British Attorney General Dominic Grieve and Minister of State Alistair Burt, "who expressed the British government’s satisfaction at progress of reforms in Bahrain and reiterated support to the kingdom’s efforts in this regard".

The news agency also announced that the kingdom --- 173 of 179 countries on Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Index --- will host the World Media Summit in 2014.

0610 GMT: Libya. Al-Monitor posts a gallery of photographs by Reuters of yesterday's national elections, including this image of young men celebrating:

0555 GMT: Syria. For many, it may have been stating the obvious, but at least United Nations envoy Kofi Annan has offered the admission that, if his six-point plan had ever brought a cease-fire and movement towards a political resolution, this was gone: "The evidence shows we have not succeeded."

Perhaps more troubling, however, was Annan's follow-up statement, "Do we have other options on the table?"

The envoy offered few suggestions for those options, other than a call for Iran to be included in international discussions, and he complained that criticism too often focused on Russia: "Very few things are said about other countries that send arms and money and weigh on the situation on the ground."

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria reports that 71 people died in violence on Saturday, with almost half the casualties in Deir Ez Zor and in Aleppo and its suburbs. Five people also died in north Lebanon when Syrian forces fired across the border, after insurgents crossed into Lebanese territory.