khad
10th September 2013, 22:23
So much for the moderates:
http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/english/2013/09/10/Freed-journalist-ducks-cover-sound-planes_9275666.html
Quirico says US intervention in Syria would be 'serious error'
10 September, 14:27
(ANSA) - Rome, September 10 - After 152 days in often-brutal captivity, veteran war correspondent Domenico Quirico, who returned to Italy on Monday, said he instinctively "ducked for cover" at the sound of airplanes overhead when he woke up in his own bed on Tuesday.
"Only after a few moments did I realize I was not in Syria, I was home. It was a beautiful sensation," he said in an interview with television network Sky TG24.
Quirico, a long-time journalist for La Stampa daily, celebrated his first day of freedom Monday after five months of captivity in Syria along with Belgian academic Pierre Piccinin.
The 61-year-old reporter, who returned five kilos lighter but in good health, said that his captors did not treat him well.
"I was scared. The revolution betrayed me," he said.
"Maybe this sounds too moralistic, but truly, in Syria I met the country of Evil," he said. Quirico warned against United States intervention in Syria.
"The Americans have made many errors over the last years.
But to carry out an action like this would only strengthen jihadist forces...it would be a serious error.
"Our captors were happy at the idea of an American bombardment," he said.
Quirico said that he believed they had originally been captured and sold by the Syrian Free Army.
"We were beaten daily and - I am duty-bound to say this - were only treated well by an al-Qaeda group.
"They were 152 days of imprisonment, small dark rooms where we were fighting against time, fear, humiliation, hunger, lack of pity, two mock executions, two failed escape attempts, the silence of God, family, of others, of life. I was a hostage in Syria, betrayed by the revolution that no longer exists and has become fanaticism and the work of bandits" he said.Another statement:
http://www.lastampa.it/2013/09/09/esteri/quirico-it-is-madness-to-say-i-knew-it-wasnt-assad-who-used-gas-FjJDJ8oeEI19AZbyKIVBHJ/pagina.html
“We heard some people we didn’t know talking through a half-closed door. It’s impossible to know whether what was said was based on real fact or just hearsay,” says La Stampa’s veteran war correspondent Domenico Quirico, who was released Sunday after being kidnapped in Syria in early April.
“It’s madness to say I knew it wasn’t Assad who used gas,” Quirico said after hearing about a statement made by Pierre Piccinin - the Belgian teacher who was also kidnapped in Syria - and the interpretations that are being given.
Quirico was eager to give his version of what happened during his and Piccinin’s kidnapping, in order to specify what information he has at his disposal.
“During our kidnapping, we were kept completely in the dark about what was going on in Syria, including the gas attacks in Damascus”, Quirico said. “But one day, we heard a Skype conversation in English between three people whose names I do not know. We heard the conversation from the room in which we were being held captive, through a half-closed door. One of them had previously presented himself to us as a general of the Syrian Liberation Army. The other two we had never seen and knew nothing about”.
“During the Skype conversation, they said that the gas attack on the two neighbourhoods in Damascus had been carried out by rebels as a provocation, to push the West towards a military intervention. They also said they believed the death toll had been exaggerated,” Quirico said in his statement.
“I don’t know if any of this is true and I cannot say for sure that it is true because I have no means of confirming the truth of what was said. I don’t know how reliable this information is and cannot confirm the identity of these people. I am in no position to say for sure whether this conversation is based on real fact or just hearsay and I don’t usually call conversations I have heard through a door, true,” Quirico said.
“You must bear in mind the conditions in which we were; we were prisoners and heard things through doors. I have nothing to judge whether the things that were said are true or not. I am used to checking my facts before I speak and confirm something as true. In this case I was unable to check anything. It is madness to say I knew it wasn’t Assad who used gas,” Quirico added.
http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/english/2013/09/10/Freed-journalist-ducks-cover-sound-planes_9275666.html
Quirico says US intervention in Syria would be 'serious error'
10 September, 14:27
(ANSA) - Rome, September 10 - After 152 days in often-brutal captivity, veteran war correspondent Domenico Quirico, who returned to Italy on Monday, said he instinctively "ducked for cover" at the sound of airplanes overhead when he woke up in his own bed on Tuesday.
"Only after a few moments did I realize I was not in Syria, I was home. It was a beautiful sensation," he said in an interview with television network Sky TG24.
Quirico, a long-time journalist for La Stampa daily, celebrated his first day of freedom Monday after five months of captivity in Syria along with Belgian academic Pierre Piccinin.
The 61-year-old reporter, who returned five kilos lighter but in good health, said that his captors did not treat him well.
"I was scared. The revolution betrayed me," he said.
"Maybe this sounds too moralistic, but truly, in Syria I met the country of Evil," he said. Quirico warned against United States intervention in Syria.
"The Americans have made many errors over the last years.
But to carry out an action like this would only strengthen jihadist forces...it would be a serious error.
"Our captors were happy at the idea of an American bombardment," he said.
Quirico said that he believed they had originally been captured and sold by the Syrian Free Army.
"We were beaten daily and - I am duty-bound to say this - were only treated well by an al-Qaeda group.
"They were 152 days of imprisonment, small dark rooms where we were fighting against time, fear, humiliation, hunger, lack of pity, two mock executions, two failed escape attempts, the silence of God, family, of others, of life. I was a hostage in Syria, betrayed by the revolution that no longer exists and has become fanaticism and the work of bandits" he said.Another statement:
http://www.lastampa.it/2013/09/09/esteri/quirico-it-is-madness-to-say-i-knew-it-wasnt-assad-who-used-gas-FjJDJ8oeEI19AZbyKIVBHJ/pagina.html
“We heard some people we didn’t know talking through a half-closed door. It’s impossible to know whether what was said was based on real fact or just hearsay,” says La Stampa’s veteran war correspondent Domenico Quirico, who was released Sunday after being kidnapped in Syria in early April.
“It’s madness to say I knew it wasn’t Assad who used gas,” Quirico said after hearing about a statement made by Pierre Piccinin - the Belgian teacher who was also kidnapped in Syria - and the interpretations that are being given.
Quirico was eager to give his version of what happened during his and Piccinin’s kidnapping, in order to specify what information he has at his disposal.
“During our kidnapping, we were kept completely in the dark about what was going on in Syria, including the gas attacks in Damascus”, Quirico said. “But one day, we heard a Skype conversation in English between three people whose names I do not know. We heard the conversation from the room in which we were being held captive, through a half-closed door. One of them had previously presented himself to us as a general of the Syrian Liberation Army. The other two we had never seen and knew nothing about”.
“During the Skype conversation, they said that the gas attack on the two neighbourhoods in Damascus had been carried out by rebels as a provocation, to push the West towards a military intervention. They also said they believed the death toll had been exaggerated,” Quirico said in his statement.
“I don’t know if any of this is true and I cannot say for sure that it is true because I have no means of confirming the truth of what was said. I don’t know how reliable this information is and cannot confirm the identity of these people. I am in no position to say for sure whether this conversation is based on real fact or just hearsay and I don’t usually call conversations I have heard through a door, true,” Quirico said.
“You must bear in mind the conditions in which we were; we were prisoners and heard things through doors. I have nothing to judge whether the things that were said are true or not. I am used to checking my facts before I speak and confirm something as true. In this case I was unable to check anything. It is madness to say I knew it wasn’t Assad who used gas,” Quirico added.