Free Republic

BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 19 - On an unseasonably mild day last August, a small group of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's closest political allies could tell from his flushed face and subdued manner that something awful had happened in the Syrian capital of Damascus, where he had been summoned to a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad. The four men, all Lebanese Parliament members, recalled waiting for him at the Beirut mansion of the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, in the so-called garden, basically a carport paved with concrete bricks, plus one short orange tree in a faux terra cotta tub. Mr. Hariri...

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flew to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for crisis talks on the future of Syrian troops in Lebanon as Russia and Germany joined international demands for their speedy withdrawal. Damascus has faced mounting calls to end its military and political dominance of Lebanon since last month's assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister in a Beirut bomb blast. Diplomats said Assad and his foreign minister, Farouq al-Shara, met Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in Riyadh in the presence of Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal. Prince Saud earlier told reporters in Egypt his country had "no...

Assad says U.S. may attack Syrian President denies accusations Damascus played role in Hariri killing or Tel Aviv bombing By Reuters 'We are the key to the solution' Photo: Reuters ROME - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published on Monday that he thought the United States might attack his country, but did not believe a strike was imminent. Assad told Italy's la Repubblica newspaper that Syria wanted stability in the region, and insisted it had no hand in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri on Feb. 14 or in a suicide bombing in Tel...

Texas Professor And Bashar Assad, Sitting In A Tree Posted By: Dave_Cantrell.. Reneé just handed me a copy of last Sunday’s “Life” section from the local Express-News wherein columnist Susan Yerkes gushes over Trinity University Middle East history professor David Lesch, “a widely recognized Middle East expert.” He lamented the “lack of post-war planning” and demanded that the United States immediately withdraw from Iraq “in an orderly way.” So what has professor Lesch been doing in his spare time? Vacationing with Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad, of course! Assad invited Lesch to bring his wife and son to spend their vacation...

Syrian security forces stopped human rights activists from holding a protest in Damascus Thursday to protest against the continued detention of about 500 political prisoners. Nine demonstrators, most of them Kurds, were briefly questioned. On Tuesday, Syrian authorities released 112 political prisoners under a presidential amnesty. (AFP/Yahoo)

Moammar Gadhafi had a message this week for Kim Jong Il, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Bashar al-Assad. North Korea, Iran and Iraq "should follow the steps of Libya," he said, "so that they prevent any tragedy being afflicted upon their own people." Gadhafi's remarks follow his surprise agreement – announced by President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair – to disclose and dismantle the North African country's chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs. Libya's leader wisely recognized that President Bush meant what he said in the days following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York City and...

Oct. 26, 2003 Assad accuses Israel of causing 'regional turbulence' By ASSOCIATED PRESS Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday accused Israel of causing "turbulence" in the region and said it was the only country benefiting from the unrest, particularly in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. Assad was speaking in Damascus to a visiting Iraqi delegation of political, tribal and religious representatives opposed to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Assad distressed the need to "preserve Iraq's national unity" as a way to end the crisis in that country, according to the official Syrian news agency, SANA. "Israel, which tries to plant...

Oct. 16, 2003 Syrian army told to be on alert for Israeli action By ASSOCIATED PRESS DAMASCUS, Syria Bashar Assad Photo: AP Syria's military chief urged his forces to be ready to respond to any possible Israeli attack, but it still appeared unlikely Syria planned any armed response to an Israeli air strike on its territory earlier this month. There was no immediate response from Israel. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, quoted by the state news agency, on Thursday told delegates at the summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Malaysia that Israel will not intimidate Syrians and accused...

Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, granted an interview to the pro-Syrian daily Al-Safir (Lebanon). The interviewer was the editor Talal Salman. The following are excerpts: 'Israel Will Not Be a Legitimate State Even If Peace Is Accomplished' Assad: "…They [the Americans] removed their masks and said that they wanted oil and that they wanted to re-draw the map of the region in accordance with the Israeli interests. Israel has a vested interest in dividing Iraq into small ethnic, national and ethnic mini-countries, so that Israel could enjoy legitimacy. There are countries in the Middle East with diverse nationalities, but they have...