Siwar al Assad addresses Tory Party Conference Fringe Meeting

Siwar al Assad, Director, ANN Satellite Television, was one of the speakers at a fringe meeting discussing the fault line dividing the Sunni and Shiite World held at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. 

Introducing the event, chair Shree Wood, chief research officer, The Next Century Foundation, explained that the current wave of violence in the Middle East had been triggered by the invasion of Iraq by the US in 2003 but the original Shi’a-Sunni political conflict, which had now become religious, dated back to the seventh century. The structure that had contained Shi’a-Sunni tension had “cracked” in the Arab Spring, Wood explained.

Siwar Al Assad, said that in its 9,000 year history, Syria had passed through many disasters and wars but “this war seems to be one of the most difficult” because sophisticated weapons were being used and “many people were dying.” Nor could anyone have “any clear picture” as to how it was going to end, he said.

There had just been seven hours of debate in the UK parliament over the  airstrikes in Iraq. I heard that Parliament could have a meeting on Syria soon. How many hours will they need to talk about Syria?

The international community was not coordinating or trying to find a solution, said Siwar Al Assad. The great powers need to mount a joint effort, or else the chaos in Syria would spread further, he warned.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had the last local Al-Qaeda franchise in Iraq. He was killed in 2006. After his death, a Revolutionary Council led by Abu Omar Al Bagdadi was created. This Council was infiltrated by 16 ex officers of the Iraq Baath Party loyal to Saddam Hussein. This Council declared the Establishment of a  Islamic State (I.S.). Then Abu Omar Al Bagdadi was killed. Abubaker Al Bagdadi (Ibrahim Awad), encouraged by the Baathist officers, took over.

Meanwhile Al Nusra merged in 2012 with ISIS and the two factions had been squabbling with each other ever since until now that they have come under attack from America and the two factions have reached a fresh decision to shelve their differences and no longer fight each other.

The radical Islamist groups, linked to Al Qaeda, posed the most serious problems said Al Assad. The ideology of the Ba’ath party was to join all the Arabic countries together and had almost succeeded when the party had been ruling in Syria and Iraq. The outcome of the US-led airstrikes was being closely watched.

The regime existed in Damascus and did control most of Syria, said Al Assad. The regime does exist. The world has decided to ignore that fact. The world had to include the regime in a solution. Manufactured opposition had not known how to operate on the ground: they had sold the weapons that were donated to them by the West to the extremists. Reportedly, ISIS now earned £3-6m per day and no longer needed to be given weapons, said Al Assad. Bashar al-Assad was “as involved” in fighting ISIS insofar that the Syrian regime was “hitting the same targets”, and knew ISIS “better than anyone else”.

Syrians should sit around the table. Dialogue needed to begin in Syria, monitored by regional and world powers, without pre-conditions.

It was important to note that ISIS “had imperialist ideology”, warned al-Assad. The planet was “the planet of God” and they were “God’s people on Earth”. They would “never stop”, he said.

Question and answer

1. Thelma Matuk, Conservative Sutton Coldfield, asked where American and British foreign policy went “so horribly wrong”. Al Assad agreed that the West did not understand the slow processes of the region, which was 500 years behind. “You are 500 years ahead of us”. It was important “to support gradual and peaceful change”.  We have to be patient. You have to support us.
2. Gary Kent, Kurdistan Regional Government, said that he agreed that a key priority was to win over moderate Sunnis but asked how this could be reconciled with collaboration with Basher al-Assad or Iran. Also he felt that Iraq should amend rather than stop the policy of de-Baathification. He further stressed the need for Iraq to become a “confederation” as a further step towards Kurdish independence. The Sunni-Shia problem “was a very old problem”, said Al Assad, that today “did not exist”. It had been manufactured, he said. 90 per cent of Damascus were Sunni and still under regime control. Aleppo had been destroyed because the people had not joined the Revolution. It was the same in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq: Sunni and Shia “did not hate each other”. The problem was between the Muslims and the Islamists, he said.
3. Peter Goodwin (Conservative) asked about Russia’s role in the region. Al Assad said that it had mainly acted in Syria It sought to support governments to tackle terrorism, not a particular party or faction. Russia was still providing the Syrian regime with weapons, he said. Russia was encouraging dialogue without precondition and had engaged with all opposition parties, which would be the path toward a solution. The US had excluded some groups, he observed.
4. Responding to a question from Councillor Karl Cole, Conservative South Leicestershire, on the “weakness” of the United Nations, al Assad said that ultimately the UN constituted individual nations. Nonetheless, it had been proven “inefficient” in many conflicts over the preceding 20 years, he said, and had started to lose credibility. This was dangerous because the Charter was “a guarantee for world stability and peace”. 

Shree Wood thanked delegates for attending, summed up, and closed the meeting.

Assassination of three PKK activists in Paris

On the evening of January 9, three Kurdish activists were murdered inside the Kurdish Information Centre in North Paris. This comes a day after reports the Turkish government had come to an agreement on a peace plan with Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdish independence party the PKK.

One of the victims, Sakine Cansiz, helped found the PKK in 1978. Initially a guerrilla, she spent 12 years in a Turkish jail where she alleged she was tortured along with other political prisoners.  Dispatched to Paris by the PKK’s acting leader Murat Karayılan, she was in charge of the group’s civil affairs in Europe. She was killed alongside Fidan Doğan, the Paris representative of the Brussels-based Kurdistan National Congress, and a young activist, Leyla Soylemez.

Despite widespread protests calling the Turkish intelligence service MIT to account, the French authorities said it was unclear who was behind the attacks. They proposed two theories: one, that the assassination was arranged by a political party opposing Kurdish Independence or two, that it was the outcome of internal feuding between different factions of the PKK.

Tahsin Burcuoğlu, the Turkish ambassador to Paris released a statement claiming the evidence suggested an ‘inside job’: he alleged the building was secured by a coded lock meaning the perpetrator would have had to have been let in by the victims. This has prompted suspicions that the victims knew their killer.

De-facto PKK leader Murat Karayılan has long refuted accusations his group’s $140 million annual military budget is bolstered by Syria’s embattled leader Bashar al-Assad. His position has been considerably weakened by leftist factions of the PKK since he assumed leadership, and he is reported to have had problems with one of his guerrilla commanders, the Syrian Bahoz Erdal, in particular. The Turkish authorities suspect the latter to be the leader of the Kurdistan freedom Falcon’s, a terrorist group that splintered off from the PKK after becoming dissatisfied with its tactics. Furthermore, the Turkish news outlet Today’s Zaman reported in July that a senior PKK commander acting under the name “Bahoz Erdal and his team” are controlling the activities of the PYD who have been left by Assad to rule Syrian Kurdistan. 

This raises a number of questions. Given the cooperation of PKK leaders with Ankara, an assassination on the part of the Turkish authorities would seem to be if not unlikely, self-defeating, especially since the talks were well received by the public. It seems more probable that the murder was organised by parties hoping to derail the peace talks in which Karayilan has been cooperating; that the target Sakine Cansiz was a close ally of his suggests the perpetrator to have been from a faction dissatisfied by Karayilan’s leadership specifically. If links between Erdal, the Kurdistan freedom Falcons and the Syrian PYD are proved, along with evidence of the door being opened from the inside, accusations that internal fighting in the PKK emanating from Syria is responsible for the death of the three women in Paris could be strengthened.

That said, as it stands no one can say for certain who is responsible. Despite the recent rapprochement between the government and PKK, Prime Minister Erdogan has taken a hard line against the dissidents over the past year, (imprisoning many on flimsy charges for example), prompting fears of human rights abuses. It is, however, the first assassination of such a high profile to be seen outside Turkey’s borders, and, as the BBC has reported, a tacit agreement was made between both parties that high-profile attacks would not be made against either.  The only other possible case scenario is that this was an assassination orchestrated by the Turkish secret services to make the PKK’s foundations look weak. Regardless, the result has led to public empathy and popular support for the banned party for now.

Syrian National Dialogue Conference

President Al-Assad of Syria has recently allowed meetings with opposition members, aimed at creating a ‘national dialogue’.

Nearly 200 dissident opposition members have held their own meetings in Damascus, calling for a peaceful transition to democracy and an end to the rule of Al-Assad and have now been invited to enter discussions with the government; many view this as a great step forward.

The Guardian however, has been critical, suggesting that this may be nothing more than a ‘PR exercise’. The meetings have not included any of Syria’s major opposition parties or those affiliated with them and this casts doubt on whether or not meaningful reform can emerge out of this.

With protests occurring daily, not only in Damascus but throughout Syria, Ammar Abdulhamid, an exiled dissident, suggests that there is still a strong possibility of revolution.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many opposition parties have declared themselves opposed to the talks; including the main opposition party in Syria, the Damascus Declaration coalition.

The White House has called the talks worthwhile but says it will continue to put pressure on the Syrian government to end the violence towards civilians, which likewise has been condemned by the European Union.

July 10^th has now been set as the date on which Mr Al-Assad and his government will hold their ‘National Dialogue Conference’; a consultative meeting of approximately 100, again unaffiliated, intellectual and political figures, who will discuss various constitutional amendments.

It is the government’s hope that these meetings will stave off revolution and secure the Ba'ath regime. Whether or not these meetings will placate the Syrian protestors, or whether this is simply too little too late, remains to be seen.

What is clear is that this is not a true ‘opposition meeting’, but merely meetings with groups of citizens that include a few opposition members.

Assad state of affairs

President Assad’s attempts to present himself as a man of reform appear to be all talk and no trousers.

Earlier this month, Syria said it was withdrawing troops and tanks from some cities and offering a “national dialogue” with opposition figures. Giving details of the proposed dialogue, Information Minister Mahmoud said President Assad would meet with “popular delegations” from around the country and listen to “their opinions, demands, and visions about what has currently been taking place in Syria”. The offer has been rejected by Local Coordination Committees who say the government must stop shooting protesters and free political prisoners first; the responses to demands have unearthed the emptiness behind President Assad’s words.

Although Syrian authorities have indeed freed several dissidents - including opposition figure Riad Seif and human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni - the promise of troop withdrawal has been undermined by reports of renewed violence that came just one day after the proposal, with security forces shelling towns and opening fire on civilians. Thousands of Syrians have fled to seek refuge in Lebanon and yet have not been able to escape the unrest; Syrian tanks have been deployed at Lebanon’s border crossing.

Increasing the pressure to end Syria’s violent crackdown, the EU, the US and Canada have imposed sanctions - including travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes - on President Assad and other high-ranking members of his regime. The effectiveness of these actions is questionable. Arguably, these individuals are powerful enough and rich enough to be relatively unaffected by the sanctions – except perhaps in terms of emotional aggravation. In a show of unashamed spite, Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem said that Syria would respond to the sanctions by strengthening its relationship with Russia, China, and Latin America - to prove to the West that the world consists of more than Europe and North America. Not only are the sanctions apparently ineffective, they have the potential to exacerbate the situation. If sanctions do not work then the next logical step for the West would be a more extreme measure of external intervention. Yet there have been no calls from Arab countries for international assistance; in fact, its voice on Syria’s uprising is worryingly silent. If we are to avoid the mistakes of the past, it is essential that the West acquires a request from the Arab League before any intervention goes ahead.

Israel accusations against Syria

Some say that Israel is looking for an excuse to stir up trouble with Syria. The Israelis now claim that satellite images showing a Syrian nuclear facility have been released by the Institute for Science and International Security, a US based research institute. They say that the Syrian nuclear facility is thought to be related to the Dair Alzour uranium conversion site destroyed by Israel in a 2007 strike. On Wednesday, Washington's Institute for Science and International Security reported that recent satellite images showed one of the sites to be a "small uranium conversion facility," adding that the site was "functionally related" to the reactor Israel reportedly destroyed in 2007.

What went wrong?

The Syrian Reform Group based in America and led by Faride Ghadry called for demonstrations in Syria last Saturday 5th February. They were jumping on the Egypt bandwagon. Not to be outdone the Muslim Brotherhood jumped on Faride Ghadry's bandwagon and called for demonstrations a day earlier on Friday 4th February.

And what happened? There were no demonstrations of any significance. The Muslim Brotherhood were utterly humiliated. Truth is they are very weak in Syria just as they are in Egypt (contrary to Western perceptions). Indeed they were humiliated in Egypt under similar circumstances ("The 6th April Movement" in Egypt successfully called a general strike on 6th April 2010 demanding the removal of President Mubarak but a repeat demonstration called for 6 May 2010 was cancelled by them because they perceived the Muslim Brotherhood as jumping on the bandwagon - this lead to the political humiliation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt at the time).

That is not to say that they would not garner support in a genuine election in either country, perhaps even mustering 20% of the votes. But they can never be the key political force in Syria.

Is that the point? Perhaps not. It was the street, not the Muslim Brotherhood, that led the Egyptian Revolution.

So why then no street protests in Syria? Well one reason is the Syrians were not inclined to join a protest called in the name of the Muslim Brotherhood of course (the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood is already much discredited because of its close association with Khaddam, the much hated former Vice President of Syria). Another was that it takes more courage to demonstrate in Syria given the stronghold the government exercises. And a third is economic.

Economic you ask? Well yes, economic. To quote the Middle East Association this week, "Syria boasts one of the region’s most diversified economies. With ever increasing competition, the private sector is experiencing growth and a rise in foreign investment. GDP growth is 4.5%, and future growth is expected as Syria’s international standing develops. A substantial increase in bilateral trade is anticipated in 2011-12 as the country becomes more integrated into the global economy. There are promising opportunities in construction, tourism, healthcare, infrastructure, and the energy sector."

Yes but, you say, Egypt has 4-5% growth and look what happened there. Well sure but in Egypt they've had World Bank driven reforms which mean that they no longer run a centralised economy with cheap food prices. Furthermore, in Egypt the rich have displayed their wealth in lavish fashion, living in elite walled ghettos, a world apart from the people. In Syria there is still staggering poverty but none the less the wealth has spread a little further into the middle income groups than in Egypt. Furthermore Syria is a smaller country. Egypt is hugely overpopulated with 80 million people crammed into quite a modest swathe of habitable land.

And finally I guess, Syria is just better run. Less chaos. Which is why Syria gets no revolution. Syria may be vulnerable to a military coup (and that's pretty questionable) but certainly not to a street led revolution. Not anytime soon anyway. Simple eh?

Half a decade on from the "Cedar Revolution": What has changed?

Following the assasination of Rafik Hariri in February 2005 and the unprecedented mass demonstration in Beirut against Syria's overt influence over Lebanese politics, commentators familiar to the region heralded it as landmark in Lebanon's crisis-ridden history. The withdrawal of Syrian armed units from Lebanon as well as a promise from Bashar Al-Asad that the new political landscape in Lebanon would be respected, in particular, seemed to mark a divergence from the past. Nonetheless, much like the renaissance that Syria and its political elite has enjoyed since the dark days of 2005 (principally, a recognition of the fact that Syria is integral to any future Arab-Israeli Peace), the changes that Lebanon experienced in 2005 have also dramatically altered. There are many indications that seem to show that the crassly named "Cedar Revolution" was far from what its name suggested.

Saad Hariri's external and internal support, manifested in the March 14 coalition, has melted away as regional powerhouses such as Saudi Arabia have willingly prioritized reconciliation with Syria over respecting Lebanese sovereignity. In turn, those humbling treks that Nicholas Blanford impressively documents in Killing Mr. Lebanon have also resumed. Most notably, Walid Jumblatt, who once described Bashar Al-Asad as a butcher has made several trips to Damascus to meet Bashar and discuss the future of Lebanon (similarly, Saad Hariri has taken several members of the Lebanese cabinet in a similar vein to Damascus). Syria's proxy Hezbollah also continues to go from strength to strength in Lebanese politics. And within the March 8 alliance, Hezbollah wields 13 seats out of a total of 57 and there is no doubt that its arms gives Hezbollah additional influence to act on Syria's behalf (although this relationship is far from one of subservience). Even Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, who died yesterday, and is widely credited with being a spiritual guide for Hezbollah, recognized that Lebanon would be persistantly weak whilst the "state within a state" syndrome was perpetuated by Hezbollah. The simple reality is that many of the gains, such as the removal of the divisive and corrupt Rustem Ghazali (former head of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon) pale in comparison to the reality that Syria has been allowed to reassert itself in Lebanese politics as a consequence of regional powerplays that do not prioritize Lebanese sovereignity. 

The paradox faced by the Obama administration and regional allies such as Saudi Arabia is thus: by reconciling themselves with the Syrian government in order to advance the Arab-Israeli Peace Process, isolate Iran and encourage Syria to curb its support for groups such as Hezbollah, Bashar Al-Asad and his advisors get more breathing space to act as they please to undermine Lebanon and consequently Israel's unease increases - making it more likely that another war on Lebanese soil will occur (although political commentators now see 2011 as a more likely year for confrontation given that Israel is aware of international opinion in light of the flotilla crisis). Thus, despite Obama's Cario's Speech that marked a new beginning, his administration like countless others before it is now coming to realize the intracacies of Middle Eastern politics.

Ribal moves into the limelight

Interesting to see Ribal al Assad moving out of the shadows and into the limelight of late. The son of Dr Rifat Al Assad who heads the United Nationals Allaince, he is opposition of course. And of late he's been the most active of all the various opposition figures.

Click here >>>>>>>>>>>>>

There goes Lebanon

Farid Ghadry's Syrian opposition party is grumbling about Syrian interference in the Lebanon election.

Meanwhile:

Others are grumbling about Saudi interference.

At the end of the day the outcome is likely to be a pro-Syrian alliance - and the further empowerment of Hizbollah.

More trouble in Damascus

Seems there is more and more trouble brewing in Damascus. To start with the Syrian opposition was blaming the Israelis - which was wierd (see previous posts). Now they are blaming the Syrian government - which is weirder still.

October 9, 2008 //RPS News// – The Al-Arabiya web site reported this morning that a fight erupted in Damascus around noon time today between the Syrian Security Forces and unknown combatants. Al-Arabiya reporter asserted that the engagement happened next to the al-Wasseem Mosque on Al-Yaroom Street.

Goodbye Iran - Hello Russia

Have just left Gaza and am in Tel Aviv where the gossip is extraordinary. They say that Syria has evicted Khalid Mishal of Hamas and sent him to Khartoum. I am not sure at this early stage how credible that report means but if so it would mean - in turn - that the USA is now fully engaged in the Israel-Syria talks.

What is certain is that Syria is moving back towards their old friend Moscow. There is not prosepect - from an Israeli perspective - of peace anywhere else but on the Syrin track. So we all take what we can get. For the moment.

Syrian Oppression

This item sent by Felix is a reminder of the oppression wrought by the Syrian regime against dissent.

Syrian opposition activists have recently been criticizing the oppression of young people - especially students - in Syria, following the imprisonment of seven activists aged 22-32 who were involved in establishing an online youth discussion group and who posted pro-democracy articles online.

The seven, most of them students, were convicted by the Supreme State Security Court, on June 17, 2007, of "taking action or making a written statement or speech which could endanger the State or harm its relationship with a foreign country, or expose [the State] to the risk of hostile action against the State or its property," under Article 278 of the Syrian Penal Code.

After over a year in detention without trial - a procedure permitted under Syrian emergency law - five of the activists received five-year prison sentences, while the other two, who were also convicted of "broadcasting false news or reports that could harm the prestige of the State or its financial status," were sentenced to seven years

Full Article

Iranian University to Open in Syria

This just came in from Farid who seems to be the guy who sends us more stuff than anyone else on Syria:

Washington DC, July 27, 2007/RPS Staff/ -- During an interview today with Mehar, an Iran daily, Arsalan Baqeri, Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Technology for international affairs, announced the establishment of Iranian Farabi University in Syria.

In the interview Baqeri confirmed that the Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Zahedi finalized, during a recent visit to Syria, the establishment of Farabi University, which is an international branch of Tarbiat Modarres University. He also confirmed that Syria and Iran pledged to set up a new 16-member committee to conduct research in biotechnology and laser.

Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) was founded in 1982 as a graduate university specializing in biotechnology. It is the only university in Iran which offers a master program for Medical Biotechnology and only 6-9 students are admitted annually according to their performance in National Graduate Studies Entrance Exam. The university was initially in charge of training (tarbiat) university lecturers (modarres) to eradicate the era of the Shah of Iran. It selected its students after a rigorous "ideological" screening process.

It is expected that about 150 Iranian graduate students will eventually move to Syria to cooperate with Syrian students on biotechnology matters.

Quartet and Iran see different future

Rafi Dajani of ATFP sent this item in which the Washington Post reports on the concurrent meeting that Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah held to the Quartet meeting in order to strategize over their Mideast policy:

By Robin WrightWashington Post Staff WriterFriday, July 20, 2007; Page A12
Pledging to make headway where others have failed, Tony Blair made his debut as the new Middle East envoy at a meeting in Portugal yesterday with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and representatives of the European Union and Russia.
"There is no more important issue for peace and security in the world," Blair said at the Lisbon meeting of the Quartet, the group orchestrating Middle East peace efforts. "I'm nothing if not an optimist."

TO VIEW FULL ITEM CLICK HERE

Syria, Israel and the forgotten Street

Rafi Dajani of ATFP sends this item: In Asharq Alawsat (pan-Arab) former editor-in-chief Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed urges Israel and the U.S. to test Syrian intentions by resuming negotiations from where they last left off between Israel and Syria

SYRIA, ISRAEL AND THE FORGOTTEN PEACE Editorial : Asharq Alawsat (Pan-Arab) June 12, 2007

I do not know if Ehud Olmert, given his weak state, can be the Israeli leader capable of initiating peace talks with Syria. But what is for certain is that the time has come to give it a try. Syria is up to its ears in very grave regional problems while Israel today, from a security standpoint, is weaker than ever before. Since the assassination of former Israeli Prime Minster Yitzhak Rabin, observers concerned with the matter realize that peace between Tel Aviv and Damascus is more likely and easier to achieve, despite the repeated failures since Madrid in 91, followed by the negotiations in 1993, and finally the Maryland negotiations. But since the Geneva meeting between the late President Hafez al Assad and former American President Bill Clinton in 2000, everyone sensed that Syria was ready [for peace] but that Israel was reluctant. There were no further negotiations since the death of President Assad; however talks in the past had led to crucial understandings that could enable a peaceful future if indeed both sides were sincere.

TO VIEW FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE

Israeli Eyes Turn to Damascus

The Peace with Syria demonstration on the Golan was organised last week by NCF members. Pressure is building on the government of Israel. The following article from the New York Times is good for background:

The question, of course, is whether Mr. Assad actually wants to make peace with Israel in return for the Golan Heights, or simply wants to start a “peace process” that would bring him in from the cold. One top aide said last week that Mr. Olmert, though weak politically, was not going to play the easy political card and get involved in an unserious negotiation with Damascus that could easily fail and end in war, not peace.

Mr. Assad has changed since Israel’s war with Hezbollah, the official said. “He thinks he won, and his self-confidence now is unbelievable.” Mr. Assad has said he’s ready for peace, but if peace fails, he’s ready for war.

TO VIEW FULL ITEM CLICK HERE

Rice breaks the ice with Syria, but not Iran

· Iraq conference backdrop for high level discussion
· US praises Damascus's counter-insurgency effort

Ian Black in Sharm el-Sheikh
Friday May 4, 2007
The Guardian

Efforts to stabilise Iraq by involving its neighbours in talks brought Condoleezza Rice together with Syria's foreign minister yesterday for an ice-breaking meeting but talks with her Iranian opposite number, Manouchehr Mottaki, failed to happen.

The US secretary of state's session with Walid Moualem on the margins of an international conference on Iraq followed rare praise from the US military that Syria was doing more to seal its border with Iraq to foreign fighters joining the Sunni insurgency.

The high-profile diplomatic encounter in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh was the first of its kind since Syria, Iran's only Arab ally, was accused of being behind the murder of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. It denies the charge and is resisting calls for a UN tribunal to investigate the killing.

TO READ FULL STORY CLICK HERE

Farid Ghadry, from the Syrian opposition, has sent us the following opinion piece on the Rice meeting, posted on the Reform Party of Syria website.

A Safe Iraq is the Purpose
Farid Ghadry, RPS,Washington DC
May 4, 2007
With Iraq becoming the center of gravity of US foreign policy in the Middle East, the Syrian opposition is witnessing some disturbing events taking place that look like a reversal of the past policy by the US in its approach to dealing with the Assad regime. But a closer look may reveal a different perspective...

After the meeting yesterday, the White House spokesman Tony Snow downplayed its importance when he said: "Any conversations would not be bilateral discussions. They would not be formal negotiations." He added: "The one and only topic, again, in Sharm el- Sheikh is to say: 'It is time now to step forward and support the government of Iraq. ' That is the strong message that is being sent." It is obvious from the narrow goal that precipitated this meeting to take place that Iraq and only Iraq was the central issue...

TO READ OPINION PIECE IN FULL CLICK HERE

Elections in Syria

Farid reminds us that today, some Syrians will cast their votes in parliamentary elections held across Syria to elect 250 members of parliament.

The Syrian opposition has boycotted the elections.

The Political Economy of Syria

This item came in from Felix who comments that it is "Quite a good analysis":

Syria's economy, which is predominantly state-controlled, was characterizedin a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as "stable butstagnant economy"(1) because of the failure of the narrowly confinedpolitical establishment to implement extensive economic reforms. Anold-fashioned inefficient and heavily regulated socialist command conomy, restricted political freedoms under a totalitarian system of government, andwide-scale corruption at the highest levels of government have impeded theemergence of a viable market economy. The three revenue sectors that Syriarelies on annually are oil production; taxes from government services; andthe government-owned industrial companies, which are widely politicized,greatly inefficient, and bleeding red ink. Only three segments of theeconomy are somewhat profitable and, not surprisingly, the three aremonopolies: tobacco, telecommunications, and banking, although the latter isbeing opened slowly to private banking. The tobacco monopoly is run by amember of the Assad family which has a complete ownership of the businessand is not subject to pricing control.

TO VIEW FULL REPORT CLICK HERE

Arab States' Efforts to Combat Terrorism Financing

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy issued a report called "Arab States' Efforts to Combat Terrorism Financing" in which it dedicated a portion to Syria. Below is a link to that portion of the report written by Michael Jacobson.

TO VIEW REPORT CLICK HERE