Syria News Wire

Walid Jumblatt, interviewed by my beloved Gisele Khoury (see this), has called for Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad to be killed. The words of a desperate man, still clinging on to the sinking ship called March 14. I’m sure we can expect a new incarnation from the political chamelon soon enough. Even Gisele is mocking him. [...]

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Samir Qassir’s two heroes were: Jamal Abdul Nasser and Yasir Arafat. Enough said.

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Ok, se we know the Old City of Damacus only has seven gates – the entry points into the historical centre. But now the city is getting the Eighth Gate. Don’t worry, it’s just a name. The development is taking place about 15 minutes outside the Old City, in Yarfour. And it will create the [...]

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Syria has been offering peace talks for six years. And now, finally, Israel has agreed. But there are conditions: Syria must end support for Hizbollah and Hamas. That is a goalpost that Israel can shift when it feels comfortable. The important thing is that Israel is at least looking in the direction of the negotiating [...]

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Bab Touma, Old City, Damascus, Syria.

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The blogosphere at its best. Excellent piece of investigative work here by As’ad (the Angry Arab) and Hicham: Fu’ad Sanyurah has denied this news item about meeting with Israeli officials in Egypt. He said that he had meetings in Beirut on that day. But the Hariri rag, Al-Mustaqbal, had reported that Sanyurah (read the last [...]

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The plans for a ‘New Middle East’ have suffered serious setbacks recently, what with the declaration of defeat (The ISG report), the Israeli fiasco in Lebanon and the strengthened position of Iran. Tony Blair is currently in the region talking about an alliance of the ‘moderates’ (read belly dancing Arab regimes) and much much talk [...]

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Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says America is holding Israel back from talking to Syria. The cabinet is split down the middle, with the Defence and Foreign Ministers pushing for contact, and Olmert resisting. Just days ago Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid Al-Mouallim made a renewed offer to start talks – this [...]

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I mean, he lives in Beirut. For thirty years in fact, as he likes to remind us at regular intervals. And that makes him a seasoned commentator on Syrian and Lebanese affairs. So how does a man who lives in Beirut – a city dotted with Syrian flags for years – make a mistake like [...]

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Dozens of Jaja supporters have been arrested in connection with the killing of March 14th cabinet member Pierre Gemayel. Jaja and Gemayel were both members of the March 14th/Hariri movement, but it wouldn’t be the first time Jaja was accused of killing fellow Christians for political gain. Immediately after the killing there were suspicions Jaja [...]

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