Bashar al-Assad

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Syrian Troops Open Fire on Protesters

Witnesses say widespread demonstrations met with violence

(Newser) - Syria's unrest is taking a turn for the worse. Violence erupted today as troops opened fire on protesters in several cities and pro- and anti-government crowds clashed on the tense streets of the capital, witnesses said. Soldiers shot at demonstrators in the restive southern city of Daraa after crowds set...

Syria Makes Concessions, but Protesters Unswayed

Foes call for mass demonstrations tomorrow

(Newser) - The Syrian government pledged today to consider lifting some of the Mideast's most repressive laws in an attempt to stop a week-long uprising in a southern city from spreading and threatening its nearly 50-year rule. The promises were immediately rejected by many activists who called for demonstrations around the country...

Syria Still Unscathed —but True Test Awaits

David Ignatius: If Assad delays reforms, he could suffer Mubarak's fate

(Newser) - Syria has reason to be worried about the Arab revolution sweeping its neighbors, writes David Ignatius in the Washington Post . After all, it "has an authoritarian regime dominated by a corrupt Baath Party—a relic of the age of dictators that is being swept away in so many other...

Syria Lifts 5-Year Facebook, YouTube Ban

'Appeasement' measure dumps 5-year shut-down

(Newser) - Syrian authorities are lifting a 5-year-old ban on Facebook, YouTube and other Internet sites in a move seen as an attempt to appease the public and stave off the kind unrest rocking Egypt. The country's state-owned ISP is in the process of unblocking sites including Twitter and Blogspot, although Wikipedia...

Syrian Leader: You Won't See Protests Here

Syria is more stable than Egypt or Tunisia, says Bashar al-Assad

(Newser) - Syria's strongman leader says the protests in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen are ushering in a "new era" in the Middle East—but not in his country. You won't be seeing any mass protests on the streets of Damascus, Bashar al-Assad tells the Wall Street Journal , because his government has...

Obama Eyes Syria as Path to Mideast Peace
 Obama Eyes Syria as 
 Path to Mideast Peace 
glossies
Mar 30, 2009 5:00 PM CDT

Obama Eyes Syria as Path to Mideast Peace

(Newser) - President Obama may renew stalled talks between Israel and Syria, both to revive hopes of Mideast peace and isolate Iran, but the approach is laden with pitfalls, Seymour M. Hersh writes in the New Yorker. Some observers doubt Israel will ever move 20,000 settlers out of the Golan Heights—...

Syria Eyes a New Start With America
Syria Eyes a New Start With America
Dec 24, 2008 10:04 AM CST

Syria Eyes a New Start With America

President Assad moots direct talks with Israel, strategic pact

(Newser) - After years of frosty relations with George W Bush, the president of Syria is looking for a new diplomatic start with Barack Obama in 2009. In an interview with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, Bashar al-Assad says he is willing to work with the United States to stabilize Iraq, and...

Syria Formalizes Lebanon Ties
 Syria Formalizes Lebanon Ties 
Oct 14, 2008 3:12 PM CDT

Syria Formalizes Lebanon Ties

Damascus hopes symbolic gesture eases international pressure

(Newser) - Syria today established formal diplomatic relations with Lebanon for the first time since the nations won independence in the 1940s, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Bashir al-Assad’s regime sent its first-ever ambassador to Iraq yesterday, moves one expert says show Syria “wants to play ball with the world....

Tit for Tat? Russia Could Station Missiles in Syria

Moscow could regain Mediterranean naval base—and key Cold War relationship

(Newser) - Syria could host batteries of Russian missiles in return for Russian military technology and the reopening of a Soviet-era naval base on its Mediterranean coast, the Times of London reports. President Bashar al-Assad flew to Moscow today to discuss a deal, which may be Russia’s response to the US-Poland...

Iran Refuses to Cede Nuclear Rights
Iran Refuses to Cede Nuclear Rights
Aug 3, 2008 12:49 PM CDT

Iran Refuses to Cede Nuclear Rights

President rejects deadline for halting uranium enrichment

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected an informal deadline from the UN Security Council to halt its uranium enrichment program, the AP reports. In talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Ahmadinejad refused to cede "a single iota of its nuclear rights" despite threats of more sanctions. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is...

Barack: Don't Tell Europe What It Wants to Hear

Careful change is what Europe wants to believe in

(Newser) - The vast majority of Europeans are hoping Barack Obama will be elected president, according to polls that give him as much as 86% support among voters in France, Britain, and Germany. The overwhelming support reflects a hope for a new era of unity with the US, writes Roger Cohen in...

New Mediterranean Union Eyes Mideast Peace

'Gesture of peace' launches new 43-nation group

(Newser) - The inaugural meeting yesterday of the Union of the Mediterranean, which brought together the 27 EU countries and their neighbors to the south, kicked off discussions about a number of mutual projects. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy used it as an opportunity to flex some diplomatic muscle by bringing Syrian...

Syrian Expats Return Home Seeking Fortune

Looser economic regulations are creating lucrative opportunities

(Newser) - Many Syrians who long ago moved to the US are returning to their homeland to pursue business opportunities. New laws are loosening regulations on private investment and foreign exchange, creating lucrative targets for people with available funds and previous experience with Syria's bureaucracy. The Christian Science Monitor looks at an...

Israel Cautiously Invites Syria to the Table

Olmert denounces war, hints back-door deals may end in peace talks

(Newser) - Israel's PM deflected fears of a war with Syria today, and fueled semi-official rumors that peace talks are going on furtively between the two hostile countries. Olmert says he wants a sitdown with Syria—which would be the first in seven years—but warned president Assad that talks would not...

Israel Begs to Differ With Pelosi Statement

PM's office distances itself from speaker's promise of talks

(Newser) - The Israeli PM is backing off from Nancy Pelosi's suggestion yesterday that an Israeli-Syrian summit is in the offing. Pelosi told reporters that she had conveyed to  Syria's Bashar al-Assad a message that Ehud Olmert was "ready to engage in peace talks." Olmert's office quickly responded that it...

Wooing Syria Is Tougher Than Pelosi Thinks

Experts laud diplomatic offensive, warn of potential failure

(Newser) - The Wall Street Journal puts Nancy Pelosi's high profile visit to Damascus in perspective in a piece outlining the vexing complexity of relations between Syria and the U.S. A number of Pentagon and State Dept. counterterrorism officials support the  congressional effort  to moderate the President's hard line on Syria,...

Pelosi Says Syria Is Ready for Peace Talks

House Speaker ends US boycott and meets with Syrian president

(Newser) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Syria is ready to resume peace talks with Israel, based on her meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, the BBC reports. Flying in the face of Bush's Syrian boycott, Pelosi and a congressional delegation are in Damascus meeting with top leaders. Bush said the visit undermined...

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