So far the bulk of international reporting has been favourable to the Opposition, or certainly weighted towards them. The Government here complains bitterly about media bias, of how some pictures and videos have been misrepresented and how widely circulated allegations of atrocities have turned out to be fabrications. Getting their side of the journey is no easy task - they don't like letting journalists in and they don’t like talking to us.
Unquestionably the Government here does enjoy a sizable support base at least, particularly for those that seeSyria as a secular multi faith society. Many Christians, Jews, and moderate Sunnis are suspicious of the ultimate intent of the opposition and wary of the violence that they have participated in.
REPORTER: Mark Davis
It's a nice time of year in Damascus. Crisp mornings, mild days, it has the feeling of a perfect Arab Spring but that is not a term you'd want to use broadly here. I came to Syria to seek the views of the Government and its supporters but with such ceaseless bad press, I think they don't quite believe me. Most Government doors remain firmly shut, so with commendable enterprise my ministry translator agrees to hit the streets with me.
This is the old market sector in Damascus, it's here where people come to shops, to promenade and to exchange views and gossip and in fact, a lot of people have been looking rather nervous that we are here to ask questions, which is exactly what we are here to do. Even though those answers may not be exactly free and forthcoming it can never the less be quite illuminating.
With so many wary of giving the wrong answers, it's a slow start.
REPORTER: With all the trouble in Syria...
MAN: No trouble in Damascus, no trouble.
REPORTER: There is trouble in lots of parts of the country though.
MAN: No.
REPORTER: No trouble?
MAN 2: No, it's good. Like normal. Like everything.
REPORTER: No, come on, it's not like normal.
MAN 2: It's normal. Believe me - it's normal.
REPORTER: There's no tourists here!
MAN 2: No, no tourists now. It's very good.
REPORTER: Is it?
MAN 2: We accept it.
MAN: This time it's winter you know.
REPORTER: It's just the weather?
MAN: Yes.
REPORTER: Are you sure. All the hotels are closed.
MAN: Really.
But the longer which stay, the atmosphere becomes relaxed enough to admit at least there are problems here.
MAN (Translation): I don’t know what to say, but I hope our country will be as it was before. It’s true there are internal problems but there’s something big that is external. So, God protect the country.
Admitting problems and admitting any support for the Opposition are totally different propositions.
MAN (Translation): If 10% of the population demonstrate and 90% support the government should we eliminate the 90% for the sake of the 10%? It is unacceptable.
REPORTER: What I'm asking you, is there anyone here who is able to say they support the Opposition. No-one? Why is that, is that free speech if no-one can say that?
MAN (Translation): No, I swear to God. I speak openly. I happened to be walking past, I said this because I’m zealous about this country. They want to destroy everything we built and take away our security and our love for one another. Their intention is to ruin it all.
This does seem to be a commonly held view in Damascus when cameras are off, people will criticise the one party state that has ruled here for decades, but fear and suspicion of the opposition is extremely high. The Government of President Assad could bank on genuine support in Damascus at least. On and off camera, Saladan a carpet dealer in the market has the same message.
SALADAN, CARPET DEALER: My children, and I have five children and they go to school without money - not pay money, go for hospital – not pay money, go for everything, and no money.
Religiously Syria is a very diverse nation, Saladan expresses a common fear of the Opposition's agenda, coming as they do from the largely Conservative Sunni areas of the country. In Damascusat least, it seems they rather like the protection the secular state has given all religions.
SALADAN: I am with Syria, I am with the President.
REPORTER: Yes.
SALADAN: Me and my children and my wife and all in my family I am with Sunni. We are not Christian, I'm Muslim Sunni, but I am Syrian. I like Syria, I like my President, I need this President. For Muslim never problem - This is the honest democracy...
REPORTER: It's a secular state.
SALADAN: Exactly. You can see it. The mosque here – the church here – the Christian here – the Muslim here live altogether like a mosaic.
But step outside the city into the rural areas, and it looks like that mosaic is beginning to fray. Not having the freedom to wander around unescorted I join a group of Russian journalists and parliamentarian who are being given a tour of the sites the rebels have destroyed. Russia has become a firm ally in recent months.
In the southern town of Daraa near the Jordanian border we are shown a burnt out courthouse where 20 police were hospitalised after being attacked by rioters. This is a particularly significant town it was here in March that the Syrian revolt began.
Every fire needs a spark and it was first lit here in Daraa, a group of school children, 11, 12, 13 were writing anti-government graffiti when they were taken into custody by security forces. They were beaten and they were tortured. When the parents gathered to demand their release at the police station and here at this courthouse, their protest turned into an uprising and the fire truly began.
Before long there were pitched battles between the protesters and the army and police that raged in Daraa for two weeks. Dozens, possibly hundreds were killed in and around the buildings we are now touring.
I'm told we are next heading for a school where I'm keen to speak with some of the older kids about what happened in March. We've been brought here, I hoped, to see the school where the children were arrested and beaten. Apparently that is not the reason we are here today, in fact it's to show that the schools are open, and they are primary schools, a little bit younger than the kids that were beaten up brutally. But they are putting on a sports demonstration for us, so we'll watch this.
While the Russians seem interested in discussing class sizes with the school principal, I want to pursue the beating and the torture of the kids.
REPORTER: What did you think as a teacher when young children were arrested and beaten - What was your feeling?
TEACHER (Translation): I didn’t hear that kids were arrested.
REPORTER: You didn't hear it. Come on, the whole world heard it. I heard it.
TEACHER (Translation): I don’t know where you heard that from, but I didn’t.
REPORTER: What if I tell you that children from this area were arrested and beaten. Does that concern you?
TEACHER (Translation): I didn’t hear about it.
REPORTER: Why do you say you haven't heard of this? This is ridiculous.
TEACHER (Translation): Should I tell him why? If I talk, my throat will be cut.
REPORTER: You cannot agree with it. How can you say you haven't heard of it. I mean, come on.
TEACHER (Translation): Tell him that. Tell him. Won’t you tell him that.
REPORTER: She can't talk. Fair, fair, I understand. OK.
TEACHER (Translation): That’s it for us. If you talk….
REPORTER: Thank you.
It's hard to know whether she's talking about the Government or the Opposition who are regularly killing opponents in this area, a fact rarely reported outside. As we are hurried on to the bus, Ivan, one of the Russian journalists tells me of his suspicions about the international reporting of events here.
IVAN, RUSSIAN JOURNALIST: We see BBC when we are watching them. We understand something terrible, yeah! But when we are here, it's not so terrible as they are talking about.
REPORTER: So the Russian media is generally more sympathetic to the Government position.
IVAN: They are not sympathetic to the Government position - we are trying to understand what’s happening.
REPORTER: Understand what is really happening.
There may well be a bias in international coverage, but with such limited access to the region, it's difficult to scrutinise the claims of the rebels. In any event, Syrian state media is hardly a beacon of truth in the region. Back in Damascus, I went to visit one of the few independently owned media outlets in the country - a fairly recent phenomena in Syria.
What's Up is an Internet news site which is on a considerably longer leash than any other journals in the country
RANI MANSOUR, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (Translation): Well, actually, we don’t focus on the political background of any staffer or journalist. They can have political backgrounds, but not necessarily of the same persuasion. Iyad is a Baathist, I, the editor-in-chief, am not a Baathist at all. Surour follows an opposition line.
Editor-in-chief, Rani Mansour is quite neutral on how the Syrian Government is portrayed in the international media. His objection is how the Opposition are portrayed as peaceful pro-democracy protesters. He shows me footage he's been gathering on Opposition action, that the Government doesn't broadcast, perhaps because it shows a situation more dire than the official narrative.
REPORTER: It's a massacre. How many dead in this incident?
RANI MANSOUR: Around 120.
Like these massacred soldiers or footage of the murder and mutilation of a man, Rani believes is a simple army postman, a civilian.
REPORTER: A mailman?
RANI MANSOUR: Yes, a mailman.
For me the most revealing footage was these images of Syrian forces under attack. It was very clear that it wasn't just protester’s sloggans that were raining down upon them.
REPORTER: What was that rocket propelled.
The biggest surprise of the visit was meeting Surour, and hearing her put views that would have been unthinkable in
PART TWO:
Reporter
MARK DAVIS
Camera
RYAN SHERIDAN
Producer
ASHLEY SMITH
Editor
WAYNE LOVE
Translations/Subtitling
DALIA MATAR
JOSEPH ABDO
Original Music composed by Vicki Hansen
INTERVIEW with Ahmad Arnous, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister:
Producer
ASHLEY SMITH
Researcher
MELANIE MORRISON
Camera
RYAN SHERIDAN