Bashar Al-Assad (784)

Exile Opposition Urges Civil Unrest as Khaddam Says He Implicated Assad in UN Hariri Inquiry
18-06-2006
Former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam’s media campaign against President Bashar al-Assad moved up a gear in June following a London meeting of the exiled Syrian opposition, with Khaddam claiming he has evidence that implicates Assad in the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri and saying he had given extensive testimony on such to the UN inquiry into the murder.

Khaddam Dismisses Summons as Jumblatt Hosts Muslim Brotherhood
18-05-2006
The unlikely pairings forged between the foreign opposition to the Syrian state continued into May with a meeting on April 30 between Lebanese Druze leader Waleed Jumblatt and a delegation from the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, Syria's largest Islamic opposition group, at the Lebanese politician’s mountain palace in Lebanon.
Syria Denies Brammertz Made Second Visit to Damascus
18-05-2006
The Syrian Foreign Ministry denied on May 16 reports that Serge Brammertz, head of the UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri had visited Syria on May 13.

Security Council Adopts Resolution 1680 Pressing Syria on Relations with Lebanon
18-05-2006
The UN Security Council adopted on May 17 resolution 1680 that calls on Syria to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon and to delineate the common border.

Report: Khaddam and Bayanouni Issue Letter Urging Syrian Uprising
03-05-2006

Syria's exiled former Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam in a letter signed with Ali Bayanouni, the leader of the outlawed Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, has called on Syrians to stand up to the government of president Bashar al-Assad.

Syria Increases Public Support for Hamas and Reaps Increased Political Costs
03-05-2006

Syria’s recent public support of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (PA) continued with the launch of a nation-wide public fundraising campaign in defiance of an EU and US freeze on aid to the militant Islamic group over its refusal to renounce violence or recognise Israel.

Assad Questioned in Damascus By Hariri Inquiry As Suspects Prepare Defence
03-05-2006
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met in Damascus Serge Brammertz, the head of the UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, on April 25, SANA reported.

Security Crackdown Focuses on Association With Muslim Brotherhood
03-05-2006
The last fortnight of April saw a number of reported human rights violations as well as the continued disappearance of a former political prisoner and the arrest of a dozen Syrians on charges related to association with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

Rafsanjani in Damascus Warns of Regional Instability if Iran Attacked
17-04-2006
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a joint press conference with Syrian Vice President Farouk al Shara in Damascus on April 16 warned that any US attack on Iran over its nuclear programme would plunge the region into instability.

Blow to UN Hariri Inquiry After Syria Cancels Meeting with President
17-04-2006
A meeting in Damascus scheduled for April 9 between Serge Brammertz, chief UN investigator into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was cancelled after disagreement over the protocol of the meeting, according to reports.

Ghazali: "I am Innocent of Hariri's Assassination"
17-04-2006
In a rare interview from Damascus published in the Kuwaiti Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper on April 8, Rustom Ghazali, Syria's intelligence chief in Lebanon at the time of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination, strongly denied his country's involvement in the murder.

Four Seasons hotel inaugurated
03-04-2006

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Prince Al-Walid bin Talal inaugurated on March 22nd, the Damascus Four Seasons Hotel, the first luxury hotel to open in Damascus in 20 years.

Document: Bashar Al-Assad's Interview with Sky's News
03-04-2006

Text of President Bashar al-Assad’s interview with Sky’s World News Tonight with James Rubin, recorded in Damascus and broadcast on March 16, 2006. Source: Sky News

Khaddam and Bayanouni Form United Front For "Regime Change"
03-04-2006
Exiled former Syrian Vice-President Abdel-Halim Khaddam and Ali Bayanouni, leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, announced the creation of a united front on March 17 aimed at forming a transitional government to bring about "regime change" from President Bashar al-Assad to democracy.

Red Lines Lower as State Cracks Down on Opposition Forces
03-04-2006
The past fortnight has seen a state crack down on opposition forces in the country, with several leading pro-democracy activists detained for varying periods of time and large numbers of Kurds arrested in developments that have attracted criticism from the US State Department.

President Interviewed by British and American Media Ahead of UN Hariri Questioning
03-04-2006

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad gave interviews to the British satellite channel Sky News and the American television network PBS in the last two weeks of March, promising that UN investigators could “ask him anything” about the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri when they meet him later this month.

Assad Meets Iranian Security Chief About Iraq
03-04-2006
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met Iranian Minister of Security Gholam Hossein Mohseni on March 20 in Damascus. The visiting Iranian minister, in a separate meeting with Syrian Vice-President Farouk al-Shara, reviewed "regional and international developments which are related to the region, especially in Iraq," the state-run Syria Times reported on March 21.

Assad meets "Slave" Siniora and Lahoud in Khartoum
03-04-2006
Bashar al-Assad met with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuoad Siniora, a man the Syrian president described in November as being a "slave of all masters", for the first time since July for a brief meeting on the sidelines of the Arab Summit being held in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Bashar Al-Assad interview with PBS on March 30, 2006
30-03-2006

The English transcript of the interview of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad with PBS on March 30, 2006.

Interview of Bashar Al-Assad by Sky News on March 17, 2006
17-03-2006

The English transcript of the interview of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad with Sky News on March 17, 2006.

Khaddam Claims Assad Launched Smear Campaign Against Hariri
17-03-2006
After fading out of the picture a little over the past month, following his media flurry over the New Year, exiled former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam was back in the spotlight, interviewed on the Israeli-Palestinian radio station ‘Voice of Peace’ on March 7.

Activists Beaten by Pro-government Students After Demanding End to Emergency Law
17-03-2006

The muted celebrations on March 8 that marked the 43rd anniversary of Ba’ath rule in Syria – a few extra party flags hung out, some signs of military brass out for show – were offset the following day as a crowd of several hundred pro-government students violently broke up a peaceful demonstration by activists calling for an end to the country’s emergency laws.

Document: Bashar Al-Assad's Speech to the Arab Parties General Conference
17-03-2006
The official text of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s speech to the Arab Parties General Conference held in Damascus on March 4. Text is from state news agency SANA.

Brammertz Says Syria Cooperating and President Will Meet UN Hariri Investigator
17-03-2006
The first report by UN investigator Serge Brammertz into the assassination of former Lebanese premiere Rafik Hariri contains “nothing that is against Syria” said Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad responding to what he described as a “highly professional” report that found Syria had cooperated with the inquiry over the past three months.

Document: Bashar Al-Assad's Interview with Charlie Rose
17-03-2006

Text of President Bashar al-Assad’s Interview with Charlie Rose recorded in Damascus and broadcast on the American PBS network on March 23, 2006. Source: PBS

Document: Jumblatt at Brookings
17-03-2006

The full text of Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt’s address to the Saban Centre of Middle East Policy at Brookings Institute in Washington on March 6. The introduction and following question and answer forum was moderated by Martin Indyk, Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution. Source: Brookings Institute

Speech of Bashar Al-Assad at the Arab Parties General Conference on March 06, 2006
06-03-2006

The edited English transcript of the speech of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad at the Arab Parties General Conference on March 06, 2006.

President Sets Targets for New Cabinet in Effort to Boost Reform
05-03-2006
Following on from a cabinet re-shuffle that appeared to put reform to key service ministries ahead of political or security reform, President Bashar al-Assad chaired a meeting of his new government on February 25, setting targets for each ministry to meet, in what appeared to be an attempt to re-start Syria’s sluggish reform process.

Rice Snubs Lahoud in Beirut Visit as Chirac Threatens Damascus Over Assassinations
05-03-2006
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew into Beirut for a brief surprise visit on February 23, meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Saad Hariri and Waleed Jumblatt, who control the anti-Syrian majority in the Lebanese parliament, to pledge US support for “the Lebanese people as they work to have a fully sovereign, democratic Lebanon."

Syria moves closer to first stock market
17-02-2006

The nomination of the members of the Syrian Securities and Exchange Commission is bringing closer the set-up of the Damascus stock exchange.

 

New Cabinet a Signal of Defiance say Analysts
17-02-2006
Analysts in Syria say the re-shuffled Syrian cabinet - which has no change in the key ministries of finance and economy and which sees the architects of Syria's foreign policy relations with the US under President Bashar al-Assad take control of the foreign affairs ministry – is a message of defiance to Syria's critics, both at home and abroad.

Riad Seif : "The Regime Cannot be Reformed. It Must be Changed."
17-02-2006

The Syria Report talks to former MP and ‘Damascus Spring’ figurehead Riad Seif, imprisoned in 2001 on charges of tax evasion following his criticism of corruption in the family of the Syrian president, and released from prison last month.

Syria Condemned After Failure to Prevent Burning and Looting of Embassies
17-02-2006
Syria has been widely criticised and the Danish ambassador to Damascus has been withdrawn after Syrian security services failed to prevent the burning and looting of the Danish and Norwegian embassies on February 4.
Khaddam Meets Bayanouni in Brussels to Unite Opposition to Regime
17-02-2006

Former Syrian Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam and the exiled leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood met in Brussels from February 7 to 8 and agreed to join forces to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

Brief: Syria Accedes to Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change
17-02-2006
Syria’s Permanent Envoy to the United Nations Faisal Mekdad presented the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan with the act of Syria’s joining to the Kyoto Treaty on climate change, the official news agency SANA reported on February 1. 

Iran's Vice President Meets Assad and Shara on Adopting "Common Tances"
17-02-2006
Ties between Damascus and Tehran strengthened further this month with Iran’s First Vice President Parviz Davoudi on February 25 describing his three-day official visit, in which he met President Bashar al-Assad, new Vice President Farouk al-Shara and Prime Minister Naji Otri as "useful and valuable".

President Puts Sovereignty Above Legitimacy of UN in Combatant Speech
03-02-2006
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on January 21 the UN inquiry into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was determined to blame Syria regardless of the facts but vowed it would not bow to international pressure.

Will They, Won't They? Hopes For Kurdish Citizenship Raised Again
03-02-2006
Fresh expectations that an estimated 300,000 Kurdish citizens are to have their Syrian citizenship restored to them were raised again in the last week of January after it emerged the Ba'ath Party Regional Leadership had invited over forty Kurdish figures to meet President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.

President Meets Hamas Chief After Sweeping Victory in Palestinian Elections
03-02-2006
Calling on the international community to respect the legitimacy of the Palestinian elections, which handed and overwhelming and unexpectedly large victory to Islamic militant group Hamas, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad met in Damascus with Khaled Masha’al, head of Hamas’ politburo on January 29.

'Damascus Spring' Figureheads Released
03-02-2006
Five key opposition figures imprisoned following the ‘Damascus Spring’ pro-democracy movement that began after Syrian President Assad took power in 2000, were released from prison on January 18.

US Treasury Freezes Assets of Syrian Military Intelligence Chief Over Lebanon Role
03-02-2006

Syria criticized on January 19 a move by the US Treasury to freeze the assets of Syria’s military intelligence chief Assef Shawkat as biased to protect Israeli interests. 

Syria Backs Iran Over Nuclear Programme as Tehran Referred to Security Council
03-02-2006
Syria backed Iran’s nuclear programme during the first visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Damascus on January 19, saying US and European fears that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons were not persuasive.
President Bashar Al-Assad's Speech to the Arab Lawyers Union Conference on January 22, 2006.
03-02-2006
Before I start my speech…when I met with some foreign officials in Syria, they criticized Syrian stances and accused her of being hardliner… They said that the speech of President Bashar al-Assad was hardliner and the like…they accused Syria’s stances of being radical, and criticized the speeches of President Bashar al-Assad in their meetings with me. I used to tell them: you should not figure out a picture of the situation through your meetings with us as officials….on the contrary we are very quite…the street is boiling and we are quiet.

Interview with Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, by Al-Hayat on January 20.
03-02-2006

Al-Hayat: Sayyed Nasrallah, are we on the verge of a civil war in Lebanon?

Sayyed Nasrallah (Laughing): This interview is starting off with a difficult question.

Speech of Bashar Al-Assad Before the Bar Association, January 21, 2006
21-01-2006

The English transcript of the speech of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad Before the Bar Association, January 21, 2006.

Cheney to Cairo and Riyadh to Head Off Deal-making on Syria
17-01-2006

United States Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Cairo on January 16 for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and other top officials focusing on Tehran’s suspected nuclear weapons programme and Syria’s non-cooperation with the UN Hariri inquiry.

Khaddam "Confession" Raises Pressures on Syria
05-01-2006
Syria is still considering a request by the United Nation's (UN) team probing the February killing of former Lebanese Prime minister Rafic Hariri to meet President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara.

Interview of Bashar Al-Assad by Turkish TV on December 28, 2005
28-12-2005

The English transcript of the interview of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad with Turkish TV on December 28, 2005.

Interview of Bashar Al-Assad by Russian TV on December 12, 2005
12-12-2005

The English transcript of the interview of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad with Russian TV on December 12, 2005.

Interview of Bashar Al-Assad by France 3 on December 05, 2005
05-12-2005

The English transcript of the interview of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad with France 3 on December 05, 2005.