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Syria's oppression of the KurdsThe Kurds nominate Syria for regime change.The most successful Communist leader in the Arab world, Khaled Baqdash, was a Syrian Kurd. As many reporters have been noting in the last few days, ... http://www.slate.com/id/2097493/ Mourners of Stampede Victims Riot in Syria - U.S. ...Mourners of Stampede Victims Riot in Syria, Hundreds at a funeral for people ... One of the teams involved, Al-Jihad, is a predominantly Syrian Kurdish ...http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114130,00.html Kurdish Unrest Spreads in Syria; Up to 15 Dead, Scores Wounded ...Kurdish Unrest Spreads in Syria; Up to 15 Dead, Scores Wounded ... The first few victims...

Beirut - Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah has reported very disturbing information on the assassination of former MP Antoine Ghanem, including the preparation of the booby trapped car and the execution of the assassination The Al-Seyassah sources in Syria were able to link the assassination of Ghanem, his bodyguards and 3 others to the opening of the Arida and Dabussiya border crossings between Lebanon and Syria on September 17, 2 days before the assassination took place. The Al-Seyassah sources also revealed that the opening of the crossings was to facilitate the entry of the assassins with their equipment and the Mercedes car...

Exiled Syrian opposition leader Abdul Halim Khaddam says President Bashar Assad is "incapable of defending the country". He condemns Syria-Iran collaboration, and notes that last week's IAF infiltration was "one of many" which Syrian regime opts to keep silent about. Syrian President Bashar Assad "is a child, he's simply a joke," Abdul Halim Khaddam, the nation's former vice president, said Thursday. "Iran aspires to regional hegemony," he said. "Syria's ties to Iran will make it one of the battlefields in the struggle (between Iran and the West) - and for issues that have nothing to do with Syria's national interests....

US Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich, on a Mideast visit that included a stop in Syria, said the country lambasted by the Bush administration deserves credit for taking in more than a million Iraqi refugees. Kucinich, a strong anti-war opponent who trails far in the US presidential polls, also said he won't visit Iraq on his trip to the region because he considers the US military deployment there illegal. "I feel the United States is engaging in an illegal occupation ... I don't want to bless that occupation with my presence," he said in an interview in Lebanon, after visiting...

Kucinich Visits Syria, Blasts U.S. US Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), on a Mideast visit that included a stop in Syria, said he won't visit Iraq on his trip to the region because he considers the US military deployment there illegal. "I feel the United States is engaging in an illegal occupation ... I don't want to bless that occupation with my presence," he said in an interview, although insiders say the real reason was because of the very real possibility U.S. troops would fire upon the leftist candidate. Kucinich met with Syrian President Bashar Assad during his visit...

DAMASCUS, Syria, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a meeting today with Dennis Kucinich, US Democratic Presidential candidate, Syrian President Bashar Assad said that Syria would be willing to participate in a multinational conference and peacekeeping force to help Iraq to manage its transition from occupied country to sovereign nation. Assad made these assurances and other observations in a two-hour meeting with Kucinich, who traveled to Syria to discuss a peace initiative which has arisen out of his anti-war work in the House of Representatives. President Assad agreed with Kucinich that various US demands for the privatization of Iraq's oil and...

UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report released Wednesday that he hopes to appoint judges to the international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri by the end of the year. In the report to the Security Council, Ban said the tribunal would not be established until the U.N. had an estimated $35 million to fund its operations through the first year, as well as an additional $85 million in pledges to pay for the following two years. The Security Council approved a resolution in May to establish the tribunal...

Kucinich Meets with Syrian President Sunday, September 2, 2007 6:46 PM DAMASCUS, Syria -- U.S. Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, a Democratic presidential candidate, met Sunday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as part of a Middle East peace initiative and fact-finding tour to several countries over the next five days. In the meeting with President Assad, Kucinich is expected to discuss approaches to dealing with the continued violence and instability in Iraq, as well as to discuss the Baker Hamilton report to the U.S. Congress which recommended direct engagement with Syria as part of a new Middle East foreign policy initiative....

Any roll call of the world's despots is depressingly long. But only a handful of leaders threaten the security of countries well beyond their borders. Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, is the latest ruler to emerge from this pack. Rabidly anti-American, Chávez is intent on stirring up trouble -- and he's getting the help of some menacing thugs he counts as friends. Last September, Americans got a surreal introduction to Hugo Chávez. In an address before the UN General Assembly in New York, Venezuela's president launched into a tirade against the previous day's speaker, George W. Bush. "Yesterday," he intoned, "the...

TEL AVIV -- Syria continues to deploy missiles supplied by Russia and has established an anti-aircraft umbrella around Damascus and the Golan Heights. Israel's military has reported that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad deployed a range of surface-to-air missile assets in southern Syria. The military said the assets were purchased over the last year from Russia and financed by Iran. "The situation is tense," a senior Israeli officer said. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi met at the military's Northern Command headquarters near the Lebanese...

DAMASCUS, Syria - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out Thursday at unspecified enemies of the troubled Middle East, warning them to abandon their "hostile plans." During a one-day trip to Damascus, Ahmadinejad held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, who said their discussions focused on Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, where both Tehran and Damascus wield influence. "The enemies of the region should abandon plans to attack the interests of this region, or they will be burned by the wrath of the region's peoples," the hardline Iranian leader said at a joint press conference with Assad. Both Iran and...

BEIRUT - An alleged leader of the Fatah al-Islam terrorist network has testified to interrogators that the group is linked to the head of Syria's intelligence apparatus Maj. Gen. Assef Shawkat, the brother-in-law of President Bashar Assad...

CAIRO, Egypt - Hamas rejected President Bush's proposal for a Mideast peace conference, denouncing it Monday as nothing but lies, while Syria said it fears the offer is "just words." Without cooperation from key Arab players, Bush's last major push for a Mideast breakthrough could falter. Washington's close Arab allies, including the region's traditional powerbrokers Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, welcomed Bush's proposal, but stressed the importance of making an Arab land-for-peace proposal first adopted in 2002 key to any talks. Israel's support was also qualified, with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokeswoman saying it was too early to talk about...

A senior Israeli general on Monday confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are training for a full-scale war with Syria, and that plans have been laid for a swift victory. But in the event of a conflagration, will Israel’s leadership allow those plans to be implemented?

Israelis learned Monday that a "top official" in the Ba'ath Party of Syrian President Bashar el-Assad had threatened Syrian fighters would commence "resistance" operations against Jewish communities on the Golan if Israel does not relinquish those heights by September. According to the Ba'ath official, who spoke on condition his name be withheld, said such a force - the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights - has now been trained and is ready to launch attacks against Jewish homes on the Golan. "Damascus was preparing for anticipated Israeli retaliation following these attacks and for a larger war with the...

Assad ready to cut off Teheran; exiles who say otherwise deceiving us Alon Liel Published: 06.18.07, 00:16 / Israel Opinion Israelis may not remember the name Ahmed Chalabi, but in Washington it will be remembered for many years to come. Chalabi is an Iraqi exile who presented himself to the Americans as the leader of the opposition to Saddam Hussein. The neo-conservatives around President Bush who wanted to topple Saddam warmly embraced Chalabi. They accepted his political interpretations of what was going on in Iraq without question, helped feed the American defense establishment with false information, and marketed to the...

Syrian President Bashar Assad was linked to Sunday's Katyusha rocket attack on northern Israel, the Kuwaiti A-Siasa newspaper reported on Monday. In an "exclusive" article, the paper claimed that Assad's motive was his anger at the Arab League foreign ministers' position during last week's Cairo summit, particularly the stances of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, who called for an end to Syrian involvement in Lebanon. According to the newspaper, Assad reacted harshly to the criticism, saying: "They will see how I will plough up Lebanon." A previously unknown Islamic terrorist group claimed responsibility on Monday for the Katyusha attack. The self-proclaimed...

A Qatari newspaper, Al Watan, reported Friday that Syria is making concrete preparations for war with Israel, saying that the Syrian government has removed the Government and State Archives from the Damascus area. According to the paper, this move indicates preparations for war. Syrian parliament member Muhammad Habash confirmed on Al-Jazeera Arabic world news satellite TV last week that Syria is indeed engaged in active preparations for a war with Israel. The conflict, said the Syrian MP, is expected to break out during the summer months. Officials close to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reported Sunday that their efforts to begin...

(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has offered the Golan to Syria, in exchange for full peace, including cutting ties with Iran and terrorists. Israel's daily Yediot Acharonot reports Friday that PM Olmert has agreed to a deal with Syrian leader Bashar Assad, whereby Syria would receive control of the Golan Heights in exchange for revoking the Syrian-Iranian alliance and cutting all ties with terrorist organizations. Olmert reportedly informed Syria, via a third party, that he is aware that a peace agreement with Syria "means returning the Golan to Syrian sovereignty." He said he is willing to do so, but wishes...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won a new seven-year mandate after winning more than 97 percent of the vote in a referendum, the interior minister announced on Tuesday. According to AFP, Bassam Abdel Majid told a press conference that Assad, 41, won a massive 97.62 percent of the vote in Sunday's referendum, with more than 11 million Syrians responding with a "yes". "No" voters numbered 19,653, while almost 253,000 votes were void, Abdel Majid conveyed. The voters were asked whether they "approve the candidacy of Dr Bashar al-Assad for the post of president of the republic." About 12 million Syrians...

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Syria was said to operate the Al Qaida network in Lebanon and directing the Islamic insurgency in that country. Syrian opposition sources said the regime of President Bashar Assad has developed the Al Qaida network in an effort to undermine Lebanon. The sources said the Al Qaida-aligned Fatah Al Islam, which has been battling the Lebanese Army over the last week, has been led by a former Syrian Air Force officer and contains numerous former Syrian officers. "The head of Fatah Al Islam, Shakir Absi, was in the Syrian Air Force before released from a Syrian jail...

BEIRUT - Syria has built a fortified complex buried deep underground and cloaked in secrecy to manufacture and store ballistic missiles capable of striking Israel. The complex includes 30 reinforced concrete bunkers, production facilities, development laboratories and command posts, the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot quoted "foreign experts" as saying. According to the paper, Syria has 200 Scud-B missiles, 60 Scud-C and a certain number of North Korean Scud-D missiles with a range of 700 kilometres (434 miles), and has developed chemical warheads for all its Scuds...

DAMASCUS, Syria - Hundreds of thousands of Syrians thronged the capital Thursday to support a second seven-year term for President Bashar Assad. The rally came ahead of a referendum Sunday when voters are expected to approve a second mandate for Assad, who succeeded his father, Hafez Assad, in 2000 at the helm of Syria's autocratic regime. There are no other candidates. The demonstration was headed by a number of Syrian officials and ministers. It was one of several rallies held across the country since parliament, dominated by the ruling Baath Party, unanimously nominated 41-year-old Assad for a second term. Celebrations...

After Pelosi’s Syria Visit, Dissidents Cower by Katherine Zoepf Published: May 15, 2007 Photo: Reuters/Sana Nancy Pelosi and Bashar al-Assad. DAMASCUS, SYRIA—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Syria last month, and the related question of whether or not the U.S. should formally re-engage this Baathist republic, remains as controversial a topic on the streets of Damascus as it was in the days afterwards among Beltway bloggers. And, perverse as it may seem to some American liberals, it is the Syrians who are most sympathetic to their progressive values who have been most critical of Ms. Pelosi’s attempts to begin a...

GOLAN HEIGHTS - If Israel does not vacate the Golan Heights within months, a guerilla organization allegedly formed in Syria will soon launch "resistance operations" against Israeli positions and Jewish communities in the Golan, an official from Syrian President Bashar Assad's Baath party told WND in an exclusive interview. "If in the coming months an agreement is not forged between Israel and Syria for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan, the Committees will begin attacks," said the official. The official said attacks by the Committees may include the infiltration of Jewish communities in the Golan, rocket attacks against Israeli positions...

Current policy is to attack any nation that harbors terror. Why is Syria allowed to harbor terrorists that attack and kill our armed forces? This is a major blunder in war strategy. The Vietnam War was lost because of sanctuaries in neighboring countries, and sanctuaries in Syria and Iran will cause failure in Iraq unless current strategy is changed. The war in Iraq is now in the General Pressure phase, where the enemy has been defeated, but will not accept the outcome. To make Syria and Iran accept the outcome, the US must continue the attack. Playing defense, as the...

On April 22 and 23, President al-Asad failed again to deliver on his long-promised reforms, rendering Syria's parliamentary elections a meaningless exercise. Instead, the Syrian regime used a combination of unjust laws, intimidation, and manipulation by security forces to undermine independent, critical voices. In manipulating this "election," the Syrian regime once again proved it cares little for the opinions and wishes of its own people. Elections are not rituals conducted for their own sake. The goal of any free, transparent, and democratic election is to allow people to have a say in how their country is governed. The United States...

Syrians began voting for a new parliament Sunday in an election the government hopes will help soften the country's image and ease its international isolation. But the opposition called the vote a farce and urged a boycott. Turnout appeared to be low on the first of two consecutive days of voting. Critics complained that most seats were reserved for the ruling coalition and the opposition is demanding an amendment to the law to allow for freer elections with greater competition. The United States dismissed the elections as a useless exercise. The election is the second since President Bashar Assad took...

The head of the research division of Military Intelligence, Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz, said that Syrian President Bashar Assad is preparing for a war with Israel. He said that Assad has ordered increased production of long-range missiles and instructed the Syrian army to position its anti-tank missiles closer to the Syrian border with Israel, on the Golan Heights. He stressed that in Assad's view, his actions on the military front do not contradict his actions in the political realm...

There was a tinge of Hanoi Jane quality to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's exuberance in declaring during her visit with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad that the "road to peace" in the region apparently went through Damascus.

If the voting public was waiting to see Speaker Pelosi in action, their wait is over. Pelosi's Kissingerian shuttle diplomacy adroitly displayed Pelosi's absolute naivete in diplomacy, foreign policy and statesmen, er, stateswomanship. In a week's time, Madame Speaker demonstrated to the American public how shallow, uninformed and dangerous she is. The Speaker's foibles didn't begin on this tour of nations debacle. Pelosi has been stumbling right out of the gate. Even before all the votes were counted after the November elections and it was apparent the Dems would take control of congress, Pelosi over-reached and tried to install her...

If the voting public was waiting to see Speaker Pelosi in action, their wait is over. Pelosi's Kissingerian shuttle diplomacy adroitly displayed Pelosi's absolute naivete in diplomacy, foreign policy and statesmen, er, stateswomanship. In a week's time, Madame Speaker demonstrated to the American public how shallow, uninformed and dangerous she is. The Speaker's foibles didn't begin on this tour of nations debacle. Pelosi has been stumbling right out of the gate. Even before all the votes were counted after the November elections and it was apparent the Dems would take control of congress, Pelosi over-reached and tried to install her...

TWO THOUSAND years ago on the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus was struck blind, fell off his donkey, heard the voice of the Lord and became St. Paul. This week on the road to Damascus, riding on the Democratic donkey, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was struck blind by a prideful ambition - the ambition to conduct a foreign policy for the United States toward the terrorist nation of Syria separate from the one conducted by the president. On the road to Damascus, St. Paul became one of the revolutionary figures of world civilization. Nancy Pelosi - not...

A visiting U.S. congressman held talks with President Bashar Assad Thursday, a day after a congressional delegation headed by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked controversy by meeting the Syrian leader. U.S. President George W. Bush has rejected direct talks with Damascus and criticized Pelosi for her visit. Commenting on Bush's criticism, California Republican Darrell Issa said the president had failed to promote the necessary dialogue to resolve disagreements between the U.S. and Syria. "That's an important message to realize: We have tensions, but we have two functioning embassies," Issa told reporters after separate meetings with Assad and his foreign...

  based on the following news story: Pelosi meets with Syrian President AssadThis cartoon/graphic is free for noncommercial use in emails, blogs, and forums. IowaPresidentialWatch.com

Pelosi meets with Syrian President Assad By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) met Syrian President Bashar Assad Wednesday for talks criticized by the White House as undermining American efforts to isolate the hard-line Arab country. The California Democrat and accompanying members of Congress began their day by holding separate talks with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa and then met Assad, who hosted them for lunch after their talks. Pelosi's visit to Syria was the latest challenge to the White House by congressional Democrats, who...

Pelosi will talk kidnapped soldiers with Syrian president POSTED: 10:14 p.m. EDT, April 1, 2007 JERUSALEM (CNN) -- U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday she will bring up the plight of Israeli soldiers kidnapped by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah during her delegation's visit to Syria next week. Hezbollah has strong support from Syria. The Islamist militant group's abduction of two Israeli soldiers from inside Israel last summer sparked a war between Hezbollah and Israel. Speaking to a dinner of the Knesset in Jerusalem, Pelosi displayed I.D. tags of three Israeli soldiers -- Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, held...

This has been a banner week for Syrian diplomacy. First, together with their big Iranian brothers, the Syrians were given a place at the table alongside US officials at the conference on Iraqi security in Baghdad last weekend. At the same time as their underlings exchanged recriminations with the US, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and Iranian Defense Minister Mustafa Muhammad Najjar merged the Syrian and Iranian militaries at a summit in Damascus. On Sunday Najjar explained the deal to reporters saying, "We consider the capability of the Syrian defensive forces as our own and believe that expansion of defensive ties...

An Internet story on Wednesday identified a Kent State faculty member as the author of a jihadist news service on the Web. The Drudge Report story accused Julio ``Assad'' Pino of posting ``Global War'' at global-war.bloghi.com. Pino, 46, a Muslim convert and associate professor of history at KSU, did not return phone calls seeking comment. His department head, John Jameson, defended him as a good teacher and said the allegations in the story appeared to have been blown out of proportion. He said Pino told him he provided news stories to the Web site but didn't accept any ownership of...

Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Iran Saturday to discuss Iraq and other Middle East issues with President Mahmoud Ahmadinajed, state-run television reported. Assad was given a red-carpet welcome at the Presidential Palace in Tehran, the report said. Iran and Syria have long been close allies. During the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Syria was the only Arab country that supported Iran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Adhmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad on Saturday vowed to form an alliance against what they called U.S. and Israeli conspiracies against the Islamic world. Iran's ISNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that the Islamic world in general and Iran and Syria in particular should maintain their vigilance and neutralize conspiracies aimed at sowing discord among Muslims. Ahmadinejad said that what the U.S. really aims for under the pretext of development in the region "is just another effort to strengthen its own status and that of the Zionists." The Iranian president also praised the agreement by...

Al-Assad to visit Iran next week for talks on cooperation -- press POL-SYRIA-IRAN Al-Assad to visit Iran next week for talks on cooperation -- press DAMASCUS, Feb 8 (KUNA) -- Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is due to visit Iran next week for talks on ties and regional affairs concerning Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, the local daily newspaper Al-Watan reported on Thursday. Foreign Minister Walid Al-Mu'allem will accompany the president during the visit, during which he will hold talks with Supreme Guide of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The newspaper quoted official sources as saying the...

Syria says firm in support of Hizbullah, Hamas President Bashar Assad vows to keep supporting Hizbullah and Hamas despite US pressure on Syria to stop backing groups, Baath Party members say Reuters Published: 02.08.07, 05:04 / Israel News Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed to keep supporting Hizbullah and Hamas despite US pressure on Syria to stop backing the groups, Baath Party members familiar with a speech the Syrian leader gave on Wednesday said. Assad was speaking at the start of a two-day conference of the ruling Baath Party central command, which is expected to set a date before July for...

Imagine that during the days of apartheid in South Africa, Diane Sawyer had just completed an interview of the white leader of the regime. What are the odds she would have emerged to inform viewers, in sympathetic tones, that the leader had reminded her of an old Afrikaaner saying to the effect that change must come slowly? Yet that's just what Diane did after her interview with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in which he claimed Syria wasn't ready for democracy. The screencap you see here is of Diane giving a dramatic portrayal of Assad's words. Emoted Diane: "The president...

When a despot you're interviewing denigrates the value of democracy in another country, wouldn't your journalistic instincts prompt you to ask him about the utter lack of democracy in his own? Not in Diane Sawyer's case. The ABC powerhouse is in Syria this week, and scored an interview with its dictator, Bashar al-Assad. Joe Biden would surely declare Assad "articulate;" the tyrant does speak excellent English and has a mild-mannered, urbane demeanor. But, in his case, appearances are definitely deceiving. Assad is the ruthless ruler of one of the most oppressive regimes on earth. On a scale of 1-7,...

. Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, meets U.S. Senators John Kerry, right, and Christopher Dodd, second left, in Damascus, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006

DAMASCUS (AFP) - Two influential US senators, including former presidential candidate John Kerry, met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite criticism in Washington of such missions. The US embassy said Kerry and Chris Dodd, both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, held talks with Assad covering "the full range of topics relating to US- Syria relations and regional issues". They also met with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, who called for Washington to press for a land-for-peace settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict, the state news agency SANA said. "It is important for the United States to play its role as...

The Bush Administration has been quietly nurturing individuals and parties opposed to the Syrian government in an effort to undermine the regime of President Bashar Assad. Parts of the scheme are outlined in a classified, two-page document which says that the U.S. already is "supporting regular meetings of internal and diaspora Syrian activists" in Europe. The document bluntly expresses the hope that "these meetings will facilitate a more coherent strategy and plan of actions for all anti-Assad activists." The document says that Syria's legislative elections, scheduled for March 2007, "provide a potentially galvanizing issue for... critics of the Assad regime."...

December 19, 2006, 1:04 PM (GMT+02:00) Syrian president Bashar Asad arrived in Moscow Monday night, Dec. 18, with two items for his host, President Vladimir Putin: A shopping list for weapons and half a billion dollars put up by Iran - in cash if needed - to purchase Russian arms. In recent months, Tehran has been dispensing colossal sums to its Middle East allies and pawns, mostly to stock up on war materiel and upgrade their military strength. (The Palestinian Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya alone was awarded quarter of a billion dollars for his war chest when he visited...

A state-run Syrian newspaper on Saturday criticized remarks made recently by US Senator Bill Nelson after visiting Syria, accusing him of spreading "a series of lies" about his meeting with the Syrian leader. Nelson told reporters in neighboring Lebanon Thursday following a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora that he and Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom he met Wednesday in Damascus, did not see eye to eye on Lebanon. (snip) Tishrin government newspaper said in a front-page editorial Saturday that Nelson's remarks "have exceeded all limits ... He has released a series of lies which he claimed happened during...