http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/assad/ en-us Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:46:02 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285630/posts Syria's first lady has put out the welcome mat for the Obamas, a further sign that the once frosty relations between the two nations is thawing. In an interview with Britain's Sky News, Asma al Assad envisioned her husband, Bashar, and Barack Obama joining forces. "The fact is President Obama is young," al Assad said, "and President Assad is also very young as well, so maybe it is time for these young leaders to make a difference in the world." Asma was born in London and moved to Damascus after marrying Bashar al Assad nine years ago. Last week, the... CBS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285630/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:46:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284721/posts LONDON - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he would be willing to meet US President Barack Obama in Syria to discuss Middle East peace efforts, in a British television interview. “We would like to welcome him in Syria, definitely. I am very clear about this,” Assad told Sky News. Asked whether this could happen soon, the president said: “That depends on him. “I will ask you to convey the invitation to him,” he told the news channel in the brief interview broadcast Thursday. Assad’s outreach comes as Washington tries to engage with its former foe after President George W. Bush... The Khaleej Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284721/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 11:06:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284142/posts Syria's First Lady has exclusively told Sky News she would welcome the Obamas to Damascus. Asma al Assad's comments are the latest in a series of signs US Syrian relations are improving after years of tension. "The fact is President Obama is young," she said, "and President Assad is also very young as well, so maybe it is time for these young leaders to make a difference in the world". And she gladly envisioned welcoming Michelle Obama and her husband in a presidential palace in Damascus in the near future. "I can see myself hosting them in Damascus in the... Sky News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284142/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 15:41:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255556/posts Roger Cohen seems to have invented a genre. At the very least he has imitators. Olivia Sterns just published a piece at the Huffington Post decrying Syria’s “misrepresentation” in the media and arguing that President Barack Obama “embrace” Damascus’s tyrant Bashar Assad as a peace partner because the locals were nice to her when she visited Syria on vacation. Commentary Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255556/posts#comment Thu, 21 May 2009 16:18:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2232091/posts Syrian president tells Lebanese daily his country supports Shiite group because it fights Israel, says relations with Iran strategic; 'Syria-Lebanon border will be drawn only after Israel pulls out of Shebaa Farms,' he adds YNET NEWS.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2232091/posts#comment Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:24:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2217270/posts U.S. President Barack Obama is considering meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad this summer, a United Arab Emirates-based newspaper reported yesterday. The Al Khaleej daily based its report on Arab diplomatic sources in Cairo. They told the paper the United States was weighing holding the meeting, the first of its kind in nine years, as a measure to advance the Middle East peace process. Advertisement According to the report, the Obama administration is contemplating the move in the wake of a number of recent meetings between senior American and Syrian officials. Haaretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2217270/posts#comment Sun, 29 Mar 2009 06:56:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209796/posts ROME - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he hoped to meet U.S. President Barack Obama and expressed his willingness to help mediate between the West and Iran. Assad, in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica published on Wednesday, also confirmed he was ready to resume peace negotiations with Israel but expressed concern about the political climate there. “With the pullout in Iraq, the will for peace, the closing of Guantanamo, (Obama) has shown himself to be a man of his word,” he said, referring to the U.S. naval base in Cuba where hundreds of suspected Islamist militants have been... Khaleej Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209796/posts#comment Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:16:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2200896/posts Senator Kerry said: "Assad is looking past Iran to improved relations with Arab countries and with the West." Is Assad Jr, suddenly so weary of his protectors and financiers in Iran that he would abandon them just for an American smile? The Assad family and their cronies, control everything of value in Syria while engaged in a ruthless dictatorship, subjugating their own people. Are we Americans so naive as to believe that at the time when a UN Tribunal has convened to determine the depth of involvement Assad’s regime had in the murders of Rafik Hariri and other anti-Syrian Lebanese... Haaretz/Lebanon Now/Financial Times/Freedom's Cost http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2200896/posts#comment Fri, 6 Mar 2009 20:00:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2196704/posts LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands – An international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the slaying of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri opened Sunday with a moment's silence and a pledge to impartially investigate the politically charged case. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Special Court for Lebanon, prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said he will continue his investigations without political interference and said he will call "as soon as possible" for Lebanese authorities to turn over four pro-Syrian generals who are suspects in the case. Bellemare, a Canadian, said he could issue several indictments as a result of his wide-ranging investigation into the... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2196704/posts#comment Sun, 1 Mar 2009 16:15:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2190862/posts US Senator John Kerry on Saturday met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Syria's SANA news agency reported. Kerry, a former presidential candidate who now chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, is the latest US legislator to visit Damascus this week. His talks with Assad were set to focus on Syria's support for Iran and regional groups, including the Shiite Hizbullah movement in Lebanon. "We want Syria to respect the political independence of Lebanon, we want Syria to help in the process of resolving issues with Hezbollah and with the Palestinians," Kerry said on Wednesday in Lebanon. "We want Syria to help...... al Bawaba http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2190862/posts#comment Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:50:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2167079/posts BERLIN (Reuters) - Syria is ready to cooperate with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and wants him to get seriously involved in the Middle East peace process, President Bashar al-Assad told a German magazine. In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Assad also expressed some caution about future relations and said he preferred to talk about hopes rather than expectations. Ties between the West and Syria have been strained by U.S. accusations that Syria turned a blind eye to Islamist fighters infiltrating Iraq and in 2004 Washington imposed sanctions on Syria for backing anti-American groups in the region. Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2167079/posts#comment Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:04:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2156743/posts Syrian President Bashar Assad on Saturday discussed prospects for peace in the Middle east with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Syria and Israel this year held four rounds of indirect talks mediated by Turkey, but the talks made no significant headway. Advertisement In Syria Carter is also expected to meet with the exiled leadership of Hamas, Khaled Meshal. Carter's first meeting with Meshal in April drew sharp criticism from the Bush administration which labels Hamas as a terrorist group. Haaretz.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2156743/posts#comment Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:18:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2142136/posts Arabism - Violence Arabism & Violence: Dictatorship, Oppression, War, Terrorism The front runners of Pan-Arabism, brutal tyrants and waged large scale wars, such as Egypt's Nasser [168], Saddam Hussein [169], Syria's Assad (on Lebanon [170] [171] [172] and on it's own people [173] [174] including the Hama massacre [175] [176] and the dictator in Sudan Al Bashir [177] [178].The linkage to terrorProtecting terrorism, Pan-Arabism: the inhuman progenitor of Islamic Terrorism [179]. "Terror was used by the Arabs against the Jews in the Land of Israel since the dawn of Zionism." [180].An Arabist group called Jamiat-e Dawa el al Qurani Wasouna.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2142136/posts#comment Wed, 3 Dec 2008 15:39:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129342/posts One leader that could not wait for U.S. President George W. Bush to be out of office is Syrian President Bashar Assad. Assad profusely congratulated his favored candidate: Barack Obama. President-elect Obama should be careful in his dealings with the Syrian regime. In fact, quite possibly, Assad might be pondering if he could get away with reoccupying Lebanon. The whole strategy of finding excuses to re-invade Lebanon is little by little being put in place. The most ominous signs were the deployment of 10,000 Syrian special forces on the northern border followed by the recent deployment of additional troops on... Middle East Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129342/posts#comment Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:08:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2107920/posts U.S. President George W. Bush offered Syrian President Bashar Assad a secret deal to pull Israel out of the Golan Heights in exchange for Damascus breaking off ties with Tehran, according to a report published Friday in the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida. A Palestinian Authority (PA) source quoted in the report said Bush reportedly proposed "a quick and satisfactory solution" to Syria's dispute with Israel over the Golan Heights. The "solution" was to be finalized "within several weeks, before the U.S. presidential elections, in order to push the Middle East peace process, an achievement the president will be able to proudly... IsraelNationalNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2107920/posts#comment Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:57:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2098597/posts The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad is reaching out to US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and is pegging its future on the latter winning the upcoming American election. That according to a recent Forbes article by the editor of a Syrian news website. In the article, Ayman Abdel Nour of the All4Syria website writes that Assad is banking on Obama becoming president and lifting US sanctions against Syria. Cross Action News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2098597/posts#comment Mon, 6 Oct 2008 13:10:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063982/posts Everyone watching the Presidential race is talking about the "debate" at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. But no one and neither of the candidates said what should have been said. And that's that John McCain had no business being at a church of a man who legitimizes and panders to the same country he says he will not: Syria and its leader, Bashar Assad. Rick Warren not only went to Syria, he praised it as a moderate country and expressed his admiration of it. Maybe next he'll do the same for Myanmar and Sudan. Debbie Schlussel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063982/posts#comment Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:07:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058008/posts The General who knew too little or too much? By George Eid August 07, 2008 General Mohammed Suleiman, an officer of the Syrian Arab Army was found dead in Tartus. He was assassinated in Syria only six months after the assassination of Imad Moghniya. Pro-Syrians called it an accident while some others considered it an assassination. What is sure is that he was shot? Shot to shut up or shot to be shot? That is a question that has been mingling in the headlines of the major newspapers for the last couple of days. “Mohammed Suleiman, an officer of the... iloubnan.info http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058008/posts#comment Thu, 7 Aug 2008 14:02:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057219/posts THE slaying of a mysterious Syrian general, who was shot dead as he sat on the foredeck of a yacht, has sharply raised tensions in Damascus and led to speculation that cracks are appearing in President Bashar al-Assad's iron-fisted rule. Brigadier General Mohammed Suleiman was little known in Western or Israeli intelligence circles until he was killed by a sniper in a Syrian port on Saturday. He was, however, a critical go-to man for Mr Assad and a loyalist who personally kept most of the regime's secrets and knew the origins of the rest. The general is understood to have... the australian. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057219/posts#comment Wed, 6 Aug 2008 04:29:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055639/posts Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that the collapse of Israel and its government was no longer an unachievable aim. "Today's situation is that neither the return of Palestinians nor formation of a government and even the collapse of the Zionist regime is unachievable," Ahmadinejad said, according to Fars news agency. "The government has lost the philosophy of its existence and is no longer capable of implementing the policies of the United States and Europe in the region," he told visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While referring to Syria's indirect talks with Iran's arch-foe Israel, Ahmadinejad said "more joint... dpa http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055639/posts#comment Sun, 3 Aug 2008 05:54:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045099/posts France kicked off Bastille Day celebrations on Monday in a whirlwind of controversy as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad joined dozens of leaders to watch the Champs Elysees military parade. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was the guest of honour at this year's festivities and two units of UN blue helmets were to lead off the traditional march from the Arc de Triomphe down to Place de la Concorde. But President Nicolas Sarkozy's invitation to Assad has angered opposition politicians and some in the French military who served in a UN peace force in Lebanon, where Syria for years was... France 24 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045099/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:30:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043453/posts Signs Pointing to Damascus' Break with Iran July 10, 2008 Middle East Times Sana Abdallah Speculation is growing that Syria is ready to distance itself from Iran and come to the Western fold if the United States and its allies ultimately reward Damascus with political, financial and military support. Officially, Damascus insists that its third-party negotiations with Israel, which are held through Turkish mediation and expected to soon be upgraded to face-to-face talks, are not taking place at the expense of its strong strategic relationship with Tehran. But leaked information says otherwise. The latest such leak came from Alon Liel,... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043453/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:28:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042584/posts Is Syria's President Bashar Assad about to switch sides? The answer given by the entourage of French President Nicolas Sarkozy is an empathic yes. And it has to be. After all, Sarkozy has invited the Syrian leader to sit next to him in the presidential niche during the July 14 military parade, the most important public holiday in France honouring the Great French Revolution. The invitation, a rare honour bestowed on few foreign leaders, is designed to transform Bashar from an international pariah into a valued partner not only for France but also for the European Union as a whole.... Gulf News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042584/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 21:13:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041445/posts Syria is ready to break off its close links with Iran if America gives it financial and military backing, a former Israeli diplomat involved in unofficial peace talks has revealed to The Sunday Telegraph. According to the offical, who has been engaged in low-key "second track" discussions with Syrian representatives for many months, Syria's President Bashar Assad is increasingly open to a deal which would greatly weaken Iranian influence in the region. Alon Liel, a former director of Israel's foreign ministry, said the prospect of a peace agreement with Syria was growing, though it might require a new American president... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041445/posts#comment Sun, 6 Jul 2008 14:37:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026344/posts It's Time to Talk to Syria By JOHN KERRY and CHUCK HAGEL June 5, 2008; Page A19 After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991, President George H.W. Bush did the improbable and convinced Syrian President Hafez Assad to join an American-led coalition against a fellow Baathist regime. Today, these leaders' sons have another chance for a diplomatic breakthrough that could redefine the strategic landscape in the Middle East. The recent announcement of peace negotiations between Israel and Syria through Turkey, and the agreement between the Lebanese factions in Qatar – both apparently without meaningful U.S. involvement – should serve as a... online.wsj.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026344/posts#comment Thu, 5 Jun 2008 11:05:18 GMT