http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/assad/ en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:29:41 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2384144/posts The Syrian President surprised both Turkish and Arab public opinion when he advised Turkey on the importance of cultivating good relations with Israel, as this would allow Turkey to perform the role of mediator between Damascus and Tel Aviv. [Syrian] President Bashar al-Assad made this comment whilst answering a question put to him by the Turkish "Hurriyet" newspaper on whether he approved of Islamic countries having bad relations with Europe and Israel, or whether [Islamic] countries should cultivate good relations with Europe and coexist with Israel. Assad's answer was that "if Turkey wishes to help us on the subject of... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2384144/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:29:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2353082/posts PARIS, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Syrian President Bashar Assad relayed a message of support to his French counterpart as part of a broader effort to improve bilateral relations, Damascus said. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem relayed the message to French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a bilateral meeting in Paris. The talks focused on the latest efforts at reaching a comprehensive and sustainable peace in the Middle East and what role Damascus had in that initiative, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reports. Sarkozy has looked to exploit French relations in the region to lobby for a variety of regional efforts,... http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/10/01/Assad-sends-warm-message-to-Sarkozy/UPI-2019125443448 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2353082/posts#comment Fri, 2 Oct 2009 02:58:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324863/posts Syrian President Bashar Assad's..visit was officially described as a goodwill trip to congratulate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his re-election as Iran's president. But what came out following Assad's meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was an idea for an unofficial quadripartite alliance between Syria and Iran, with Turkey and Iraq....Turkey has begun to accept the possibility that its European dreams are unlikely to materialize... Obama...appears determined to announce his Middle East peace plan next month in New York in the presence of both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas Winnipeg Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324863/posts#comment Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:53:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2321886/posts Note: The following text is a quote: News American Forces Press Service Obama, Gates Lead Defense Acquisition Reforms By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2009 – President Barack Obama threw his weight behind the Defense Department’s acquisition reform efforts earlier this week, emphasizing that unnecessary spending hurts not only taxpayers, but also warfighters on the front lines. “Every dollar wasted in our defense budget is a dollar we can’t spend to care for our troops or protect America or prepare for the future,” the president told participants at the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ 110th convention, in... DEFENSElink.mil - AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2321886/posts#comment Sat, 22 Aug 2009 10:18:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2320911/posts Note: Photo included. # Note: The following blog entry is a quote: Khamenei Praises Syria's Resistance, Stresses Cooperation Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei yesterday praised Iran's key ally Syria for its "resistance" in the face of world powers, in a meeting in Iran with visiting Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. "Syria’s most important characteristic among Arab countries is its steadfastness and resistance," Khamenei said, stressing Syria's "excellent standing" in the region. Khamenei said "the resistance front" in the Middle East "should strengthen its cooperation and ties... "America’s blade has become blunter in the region," Khamenei added. He continued, "The unity between... ("Source: Almanar.com.lb, August 20, 2009") via THE MEMRI BLOG.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2320911/posts#comment Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:46:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2303677/posts The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the Obama administration gave Middle East envoy George Mitchell a treat to bring to Syrian dictator Bashar Assad when Mitchell stopped off in Damascus on Sunday: a presidential fiat will ease sanctions on Syria. According to the Journal, “the U.S. decision targets spare aircraft parts, information-technology products and telecommunications equipment, sales of which have been restricted by U.S. sanctions on Syria enacted in 2004.” All of which is very nice for the Assad family and Alawite-minority business that runs that country, while it helps their ally Iran export terrorism via Hamas and Hezbollah... Commentary Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2303677/posts#comment Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:53:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296481/posts It turns out that there are second acts in international politics. Four years after the Bush administration severed diplomatic relations with Syria, in the aftermath of the Damascus regime’s suspected involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, the unofficial member of the “axis of evil” has received a warmer reception from the Bush administration’s successor. President Obama has expressed his intention to engage Syria, and the administration took a decisive step in that direction last month when it announced plans to send an ambassador to the country. But as the U.S. prepares to engage the Assad... FrontPage Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296481/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:13:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296447/posts It turns out that there are second acts in international politics. Four years after the Bush administration severed diplomatic relations with Syria, in the aftermath of the Damascus regime’s suspected involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, the unofficial member of the “axis of evil” has received a warmer reception from the Bush administration’s successor. President Obama has expressed his intention to engage Syria, and the administration took a decisive step in that direction last month when it announced plans to send an ambassador to the country. But as the U.S. prepares to engage the Assad... FrontPageMagazine.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296447/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:06:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2290752/posts U.S. President Barack Obama stated that the United States and Syria began diplomatic contacts between them. However, he emphasized that he expects a long way ahead for the two countries. In an interview on the British Sky News TV channel to be broadcast Sunday, Obama didn’t explicitly state whether he would accept an invitation from Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. When asked whether he would accept Assad’s invitation for face-to-face negotiations, Obama said, “Well, you know I think that we've started to see some diplomatic contacts between the United States and Syria. There are aspects of Syrian behavior that trouble us... Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2290752/posts#comment Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:16:57 GMT 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