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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syrian presidency reveals conditions for direct talks with US

2020-08-17

[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian presidency revealed on Saturday, Damascus’ conditions for talking to the Americans. The Syrian presidential advisor, Buthaina Shaaban, said in statements to the al-Mayadeen channel: "It is not possible to give up our land and our country, and it is not possible to talk with the occupier until after his departure from Syria; from our land." Shaaban explained, "The targeting of Syria is due to the central role of Damascus in the region and the axis of resistance, and that President Assad’s link between terrorism and the Caesar Act and the United States and Israel is important because they are all parts of one scenario, and the demands that they placed in the Caesar Act mean that we hand them what they want, and thus rob Syria’s independent decision." The presidential adviser pointed out that "only the Arabs are afraid of the American administration despite the absence of unipolarity," adding that "Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... ’s speech before the People’s Assembly was decisive, as he emphasized that the strategic vision should produce implementable plans, and that the Syrian President presented a clear vision for the official and the citizen for the stage." Shaaban’s comments to al-Mayadeen came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed that President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... sent a letter to his Syrian counterpart about direct dialogue over the case of missing journalist, Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in rural Damascus in 2012.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syrian Regime, Opposition Edge towards New Peace Talks

2014-12-03

[AnNahar] The Syrian regime and several key opponents have agreed to move towards new peace talks mediated by Russia, sources on both sides told Agence La Belle France-Presse. The initial agreement came after separate delegations led by prominent opposition figure Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem visited Moscow in November. Buthaina Shaaban, government delegation member and adviser to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... , called meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin ...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead... and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "very positive." "The Russians want to take the initiative for a real search for political solution through dialogue. They got the agreement from the Syrian government," she said by phone from Damascus. Alongside Iran, Russia is the Assad regime's main backer in a civil war pitting loyalists against Western and Arab-backed rebels. Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a source who accompanied the government delegation last week said: "There is no schedule yet. The Russians only wanted to know if the idea seems acceptable to us. We said we have no problem." The source added: "The Russians are trying... They have contact with several people. They told us that if we accept the idea they would like to start steps to prepare for dialogue in Moscow. We said that we don't mind, that we have no problem." Early in 2014, government and opposition delegations met in Geneva for two rounds of failed talks sponsored by Russia and the United States. The main obstacles to progress then were whether Assad would remain in power, the war against "terrorism" and a possible transitional government. But now things have changed. Assad is still in power after a June election denounced by the West as a "parody of democracy." Meanwhile the war against "terrorism" has become a priority for both sides because of the rise of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) group, despite the regime labeling both rebels and jihadists "terrorists." The main Syrian National Coalition, which represented the opposition in Geneva, opposes a possible resumption of talks, but has lost sway on the ground. Former coalition chief Khatib, who resigned from it in 2013 but remains an influential opposition figure, traveled to Moscow along with other military and political dissidents in early November. "It is in the Syrian people's interest for us to sit down together once and for all, and to find a way to save the people from this pain and suffering," Khatib told AFP. Speaking by phone from Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... , he added: "We want to solve the problem, because the problem now affects each and every Syrian. The regime is suffering, the opposition is suffering and the people are suffering." He also said a deal could see Assad remain in power for a limited time. "Of course (Assad) has to leave," Khatib said. "But the idea that his mandate would finish on a given date, this idea could make sense." Other opposition figures are also expected to take part in any talks, among them Gay Paree-based dissident Haytham Mannaa and Moscow-based Qadri Jamil, a former member of the tolerated opposition. Kamil told AFP he too was invited to speak to the authorities in Moscow. "But I cannot confirm that any meeting is being scheduled for December," he said, adding that there are several "nuances that need to be figured out." Waddah Abed Rabbo, chief editor of pro-regime newspaper al-Watan, told AFP: "The Moscow meeting marks a turning point because it is clear that Russia wants to make progress. Much of the Syria file is in Moscow's hands, and it has a lot of weight on the international scale." The possible resumption of talks comes as the opposition faces its most difficult challenges yet since the outbreak of the 2011 revolt. Asked whether a U.S. role has been discussed, the source that accompanied the government delegation said: "We haven't asked the question to our Russian contacts, but I don't think any (talks) would kick off without the knowledge of the Americans. They want to try to get everyone on board."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

U.N. Mediator Doesn't Expect 'Substantive' Result at Syria Talks Round

2014-01-30

[An Nahar] The ice is slowly breaking in peace talks between Syria's warring sides, U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said Wednesday, warning though that no substantive results were expected during this round. "The ice is breaking, slowly, but it is breaking," Brahimi told news hounds after a fifth day of talks in Geneva, which both sides described as "positive." He acknowledged he did not expect "anything substantive" to come out of the initial round, which is set to conclude Friday. But he stressed that simply getting the parties talking for the first time since the conflict erupted in March 2011 was an important step forward. "These people have not sat together for three years. They do not expect that there'll be a magic wand," Brahimi said, insisting he was "not disappointed." The delegations from Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... 's regime and the opposition National Coalition are set to determine Friday when they will return to Geneva, likely after a week, Brahimi said. "I hope that the second session will be more structured and hopefully more productive than the first session," he said. Opposition delegation front man Louay Safi told news hounds the future talks would need to show "substantial progress." "We're not going to stay here month after month just talking without progress," he said. Yet after days of total deadlock, both sides voiced a grain of optimism Wednesday, saying the talks had been "positive." The discussions had finally focused on the Geneva I communique -- the never-implemented roadmap to peace put out by global powers during talks here in 2012 -- but the two sides disagree sharply on what part of the text the talks should focus on. "Today we had a positive step forward because for the first time now we are talking about the transitional governing body," Safi said. The opposition says creating the transitional government called for in the Geneva I communique must be the first step towards a political solution, and insists this will require Assad to leave power. The regime denies the text requires Assad to step down and says his role is not up for debate at this conference. Regime delegation member Buthaina Shaaban also said talks Wednesday had been "positive", but said this was "because they spoke about (fighting) terrorism." She stressed that the first item in the Geneva text was related to ending the violence in Syria, something the regime largely equates to rooting out the "terrorism" it claims the opposition and its foreign backers are supporting. "We want to discuss Geneva I item by item, starting from the first item," she said, accusing the opposition of focusing on the transitional government in a bid to grab power. The two sides have been brought together in Geneva in the biggest diplomatic push yet to end a civil war that has left more than 130,000 dead and forced millions from their homes. Brahimi stressed Wednesday that "the gap between them is quite large," calling on Washington and Moscow, which instigated the talks, to "use their influence with the parties." "They are using their capacity to convince, which is more than my capacity to convince," he said. The opposition is also planning to soon meet with Russian officials in Moscow, spokeswoman Rafif Jouejati told Agence La Belle France Presse, maintaining there had been "an easing in the Russian position on Syria." No progress was meanwhile apparent towards fulfilling the only tangible promise of the Geneva talks so far: Brahimi's announcement Sunday the regime had agreed to allow women and kiddies safe passage from besieged rebel-held areas of Homs. The Old City of Homs has been under siege since June 2012 after rebels there rose against the regime, with an estimated 3,000 people living with near-daily shelling and the barest of supplies. U.N. bodies and the International Committee of the Red Thingy have said they are on standby with aid but are waiting for approval to move in. Syrian government forces meanwhile dropped barrel bombs on rebel-held districts of Aleppo, killing 13 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It took months of pressure from Washington, which backs the opposition, and Moscow, Assad's key international ally and arms supplier, to bring the two sides together. Their efforts also secured a landmark deal last year to remove and destroy Syria's chemical arsenal. Sources close to the world's chemical watchdog however said Wednesday that less than five percent of the around 700 tonnes of chemicals that were supposed to have left Syria by December 31 last year have done so. And in yet another reminder of the urgency of bringing Syria's bloody civil war to an end, U.S. intelligence said Wednesday that Damascus may now be capable of producing biological weapons.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

After Deadlock, Syria Talks to Tackle Transition

2014-01-28

[An Nahar] Syrian peace talks in Geneva were deadlocked Monday over the issue of transferring power, but neither side walked away and the U.N. said the question of a political transition would be back on the table. U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi admitted that talks "haven't produced much". But he said he would bring the country's warring sides together again on Tuesday for another attempt at political discussions. "Tomorrow we are going to put forward the Geneva communique... Then we are going to decide with them how we are going to proceed in discussing its many elements," he said, in reference to a text agreed by world powers in 2012 that calls for the creation of a transitional governing body in Syria. "We are doing what the situation allows, what the market can bear," he told news hounds when pressed on the slow pace of peace efforts. Monday marked the third day of U.N.-sponsored talks between the two sides in Geneva and the first dealing with political issues. The two sides have been brought together in the biggest diplomatic push yet to end a civil war that has left more than 130,000 dead and forced millions from their homes. Monday's session broke up quickly after the regime set out a statement of principles that did not deal with a political transition and was immediately rejected by the opposition. Regime delegation member Buthaina Shaaban said the government had presented "political principles which we thought no two Syrian persons should disagree with" -- including protecting the country's illusory sovereignty, preserving state institutions and stopping the threat from "terrorist" groups. "We were surprised that this basic paper was rejected by the other side," she said. Rima Fleihan, a member of the opposition National Coalition's delegation, said: "The discussions were not constructive today because of the regime's strategy to deflect... (and) change the subject by talking of terrorism." Officials on both sides said they had no plans to leave the talks however. "We are not relying on the government side, we know their way, we hope they will start to change it... We are going to be patient," said Louay Safi, a member of the opposition delegation. The opposition says Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... must leave power and a transitional government be formed based on the agreement reached during a first peace conference in Geneva in 2012. The regime says Assad's role is not up for debate at this conference -- dubbed Geneva II -- and denies that the initial Geneva deal requires him to go. In Damascus, official Syrian media made it clear that Assad's continued leadership remained a line that negotiators would not cross. "Those who are deluding themselves must understand that the government delegation to Geneva II did not go to this conference to hand power to those who have conspired against the people," the Tishreen state newspaper said. "They are in Geneva to speak in the name of the Syrian people who have been the target of terrorism by gangs linked to al-Qaeda," it said. The regime accuses the opposition and its international backers of promoting "terrorism" in the country, pointing to Death Eater Islamist rebel groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... (ISIL) and the Al-Nusra Front. In the first tangible promise to emerge from the talks, Brahimi said Sunday the regime had agreed to allow women and kiddies safe passage from besieged rebel-held areas of the city of Homs. The regime's promise raised some hopes of humanitarian relief, but was greeted by skepticism on the ground. Activists in rebel areas of Homs said residents had "no trust" in the regime and first wanted aid supplies and guarantees that those leaving would not be tossed in the slammer Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! . The opposition also raised concerns about a regime demand to receive a list of names of men who want to leave, saying this was part of intelligence gathering. The Old City of Homs has been under siege since June 2012 after rebels there rose against the regime, with an estimated 500 families living with near-daily shelling and the barest of supplies. Brahimi has also expressed hope that a convoy of humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter the besieged area on Monday, saying rebel forces had already agreed and the local governor was considering the issue. The Red Thingy said there had been "no concrete step" to provide humanitarian relief in Homs on Monday.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Assad Inner Circle Takes Hard Line in Syria Conflict

2012-12-28

[An Nahar] The Syrian vice president's criticism of leader Bashir al-Assad has highlighted the cracks in the regime's highest ranks, pitting supporters of compromise against the president's hardline inner circle. Assad's closest aides believe the regime should keep fighting and that they can still win a war against rebels which has left more than 44,000 dead in almost two years. "Power has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of just a few people in Assad's clan, which has grown autistic and seems to have chosen to just keep going," Gay Paree-based expert Karim Bitar told AFP. Assad's circle includes his brother Maher, 44, who heads the army's elite Fourth Division and his wife Asma, an analyst told AFP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. The group also includes Assad's notorious businessmen uncle Mohammed Makhluf, 80, cousin Rami Makhluf, 43, and Damascus ...The place where Pencilneck hangs his brass hat... security chief, Hazem Makhluf, 41. Like Assad, all are members of the minority Alawite community, except his wife, who is a Sunni Moslem. Presidential affairs minister since 2009, Mansur Azzam, 52, and former al-Jazeera journalist Luna al-Shibl are also close to Assad. Both are members of the Druze community. Alawite Hussam Sukkar, a security advisor to the president, is also key, as are two Sunni veterans: National Security director Ali Mamluk and Political Security chief Rostom Ghazali. "This is the group that takes the decisions," the analyst said. "Bashar, who runs the show, only listens to people who owe him, for the most part, for their rise." But several high-level officials, members of the state apparatus and part of the army command, understand -- like Vice President Faruq al-Sharaa -- "that neither the rebels nor the army can secure an all-out victory," said Bitar. "As such, they are hoping for a negotiated solution, which would prevent them all being swept away should Assad fall,." In an interview published in a pro-Damascus Lebanese daily, Sharaa, who for 22 years served as foreign minister, said he favors a negotiated solution to the conflict, rather than the president's strategy of crushing the revolt militarily. Assad "does not hide his desire to press on militarily until the final victory (and he believes that) after this, political dialogue will actually still be possible," Sharaa told Beirut-based al-Akhbar. Experts say that out of those who share Sharaa's views, two women stand out. One of them is Buthaina Shaaban, a 59-year-old Alawite who was close to Assad's father Hafez, and worked as his translator before becoming minister of expatriate affairs. In 2008, Shaaban became Bashir al-Assad's advisor. The other is Najah al-Attar, a 79-year-old Sunni, who was minister of culture from 1976 to 2000, and was then appointed vice president along with Sharaa in 2006. "It seems this group has been totally excluded from decision-making, because they think the war should end with no winner or loser," said a former minister who took a distance from the regime when the revolt broke out in March 2011. Assad's clique, the minister added on condition of anonymity, "treats them like cowards." The journalist who interviewed the vice president for al-Akhbar said "Sharaa is not in the decision-making circle, and communicates infrequently with the president." On Sunday, Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi played down Sharaa's assessment. "It is one opinion among 23 million opinions in Syria, which is a state led by institutions and leaders who will give the final opinion," he said. After 50 years in power, differences have emerged even among Alawites, as young members of this offshoot of Shiite Islam are killed daily in battle.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hariri Says Assad is a 'Beast' and Should be Tried as an Assassin

2012-12-13

[An Nahar] Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. described on Wednesday Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... as a "beast," who should be brought to trial for taking part in liquidations and sending explosives to Leb. "Assad is a beast who has lost humanitarian and political ethics" and will be eventually held accountable by the Syrian people, Hariri said in a statement issued by his press office in response to Syrian arrest warrants issued against him along with al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... bloc MP Oqab Saqr and Syrian opposition member Louay al-Meqdad on charges of "arming and financing terrorist groups in Syria." The Syrian president "will also definitely appear before the Lebanese judiciary for he has participated in premeditated liquidation and terrorism operations, and has sent explosives to ignite strife among the Lebanese," the al-Mustaqbal movement chief said. Assad will be brought to trial for "bloodshed in Leb, Paleostine and Iraq and for killing children and massacring the Syrian people, he added. Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said the Interpol's office at the Internal Security Forces received the warrants on Tuesday, almost two weeks after OTV and al-Akhbar newspapers aired and published audio recordings of Saqr allegedly discussing with a Syrian opposition member ways to supply rebels with arms. But Saqr later denied the accusations, broadcasting the original audiotapes during a presser he held in Istanbul in which he claimed he was negotiating the release of Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria. The Syrian warrants came a day after Leb's military tribunal called for Syrian security official Ali Mamlouk, an officer identified as Brig. Gen. Adnan and Assad's senior advisor Buthaina Shaaban to be summoned over their role in ex-minister Michel Samaha's plot to transfer explosives to Leb to carry out terrorist attacks aimed at igniting strife. Mamlouk and Adnan have already been charged along with Samaha with plotting the attacks. The warrant says Shaaban should be summoned as a witness.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Damascus: Failure to Hand over Hariri, Saqr, Meqdad is Violation of International Law

2012-12-13

[An Nahar] Syria accused on Wednesday former Premier Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. , Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... MP Oqab Saqr, and Syrian opposition member Louay al-Meqdad of committing terrorist crimes, reported Syria's SANA official news agency. Damascus ...The place where Pencilneck hangs his brass hat... ' First Attorney-General Mohammed Marwan al-Loji stated: "Failure to bring Hariri, Saqr, and Meqdad to justice is a violation of international law." "They are involved in crimes of terrorism and therefore considered to be hard boyz who can be captured by international criminal law," he told SANA. Interpol's office at the Internal Security Forces received on Tuesday from Syrian authorities arrest warrants against Hariri, Saqr, and Meqdad. They were charged with the crime of arming the Free Syrian Army. A security source later told Agence La Belle France Presse however that the Interpol has nothing to do with the arrest warrants. Loji revealed that the warrants were issued in light of the airing of audiotapes revealing Saqr's contact with Meqdad and other Syrian rebels and their striking of an arms deal. He added that the Lebanese authorities should have immediately lifted Saqr's immunity as soon as the recordings were broadcast. "Charges will be filed against anyone found to be involved in the terrorist activity in Syria," he stressed. The warrants come in light of requests by the Lebanese judiciary to question Syrian security chief Ali Mamlouk, a colonel identified only as Adnan as suspects in the case of former Minister Michel Samaha and Buthaina Shaaban, Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... 's media adviser, to be questioned as a witness in the case. Samaha was tossed in the clink ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... in August on charges of forming a criminal gang aimed at carrying out attacks in Leb at Syria's behest. OTV and al-Akhbar newspaper recently revealed that Saqr had been carrying out arms deals with Syrian opposition members, with the television station airing leaked recordings of conversations between the politician and Meqdad. Saqr said in a statement on Tuesday that the arrest warrants prove that the Assad regime "forged the recordings." He previously accused OTV and al-Akhbar of tampering with the audiotapes and saying that he will file a lawsuit against them.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria Issues Arrest Warrants against Leb Pols

2012-12-12

[An Nahar] Syria issued on Tuesday arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. , Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... MP Oqab Saqr, and Syrian opposition member Louay al-Meqdad. MTV said the arrest warrants were issued on charges of "arming and financing terrorist groups in Syria." According to information obtained by the TV network, the Syrian judiciary sent the warrants to the Damascus ...The capital of Iran's Syrian satrapy... -based criminal investigations office of the Arab Interior Ministers Council. The office in turn emailed the warrants to the Interpol office of Leb's Internal Security Forces which submitted them to Interior Minister Marwan Charbel. For his part, the minister informed State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr of the content of the warrants, MTV added. The development came a day after Judge Saqr requested the questioning of Syrian security chief Ali Mamlouk and a colonel identified only as Adnan as suspects in the case of former Minister Michel Samaha. He also summoned Buthaina Shaaban, Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ...For centuries, Aleppo was Greater Syria's largest city and the Ottoman Empire's third, after Constantinople and Cairo. Although relatively close to Damascus in distance, Aleppans regard Damascenes as country cousins... ... 's media adviser, to be questioned as a witness in the case. Samaha was tossed in the slammer Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! in August on charges of forming a criminal gang aimed at carrying out attacks in Leb at Syria's behest. Mamlouk and Syrian colonel Adnan have been also charged in the affair. OTV and al-Akhbar newspaper recently revealed that MP Saqr had been carrying out arms deals with Syrian opposition members, with the television station airing leaked recordings of conversations between the politician and Meqdad. MP Saqr last week gave a presser, accusing OTV and al-Akhbar of tampering with the audiotapes and saying that he will file a lawsuit against them. In October 2010, Syria ordered the arrest of 33 people over alleged false testimonies given in the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Leb, which is probing the liquidation of Lebanese former Premier Rafik Hariri. The Lebanese defendants include Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi, MP Marwan Hamadeh, former General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza and former Justice Minister Charles Rizk, as well as politicians, journalists and other Lebanese, Arab and foreign officials.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Security Sources Say Samaha PC a 'Valuable Treasure'

2012-10-08

[An Nahar] Former minister Michel Samaha's personal computer represents a "valuable treasure" for the security agencies because it will reveal further details about his plot, a media report said on Sunday, as Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... bloc MP Ziad al-Qaderi warned of attempts to wrap up the case by claiming that the seized explosives were targeted at resisting Israel. Lebanese security agencies unveiled the involvement of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... 's adviser Buthaina Shaaban in the case "given the fact that Samaha, who owned three cellphones, used to regularly record all his phone conversations throughout the period of three years, before copying them to the computer that was seized on the day his house was raided by Intelligence Bureau agents," security sources told al-Mustaqbal newspaper in remarks published Sunday. "The Bureau has asked the relevant judicial authorities to authorize it to transcribe the recordings found on this computer," the sources added. Military Tribunal Judge Saqr Saqr referred to Military Examining Magistrate Riyad Abu Ghida on Saturday the file on the telephone call that allegedly took place between Samaha and Shaaban, state-run National News Agency reported. "Transcribing the recordings will take some time," the sources told al-Mustaqbal, noting that "once enough evidence emerged to confirm the presence of (Maj. Gen. Jamil) Sayyed in Samaha's car, the file was referred to the judiciary, and the same thing happened after transcribing some of the phone conversations between Samaha and Shaaban, as she turned out to be aware of his mission -- the smuggling of the explosives," the sources added. "The details related to Buthaina Shaaban were discovered 10 days ago and referred to the judiciary which only acted yesterday," the sources revealed. Meanwhile, ...back at the pie fight, Bella opened her mouth at precisely the wrong moment... Kuwaiti newspaper al-Anbaa revealed that "after reviewing the recordings made by Samaha's personal cellphones and the tapes found in his car, it was noticed that he made conversations with a woman he referred to as 'My Lady,' but when asked back then whether the lady on the other side of the phone was Dr. Buthaina Shaaban, he denied that." "But upon making a comparison between Buthaina's voice during media interviews and the voice recorded on ex-minister Samaha's tapes, IT experts found out that it was actually her voice and that Samaha talked to her before and after receiving the explosives, which suggests that the handing over process was the focal point of their conversation," al-Anbaa added. Separately, MP Ziad al-Qaderi told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published Sunday that "there is a scenario to distort the facts and claim that the explosives transported by Michel Samaha were targeted at resisting Israel." Qaderi warned of a "scenario being prepared by the Syrian regime and its allies to wrap up the case, as we have received information that there are political intentions to undermine the judicial and legal course of the case, which have started to take aim at the Intelligence Bureau, in a bid to repeat the scenario of retired Brig. Gen. Fayez Karam's case."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Pencilneck Media Advisor Involved in Leb Terrorism Case

2012-10-06

[An Nahar] The Internal Security Forces' Intelligence Bureau has discovered that Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad's Horror of Homs... media adviser Buthaina Shaaban is involved in ex-minister Michel Samaha's case, a media report said on Friday. "The Intelligence Bureau has referred an additional file in Samaha's case that includes the involvement of Buthaina Shaaban," MTV quoted high-ranking sources as saying. The file includes the analysis of phone conversations between Shaaban and Samaha made during the latter's presence in Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... , the report said. "Samaha called Shaaban and informed her of the steps he intended to make," the sources clarified. The sources revealed that "the file has been referred to the military prosecutor who in turn will refer it to the military investigative judge," adding that the latter would study the case and issue an arrest warant. Lebanese judicial authorities have charged Samaha and Syrian security chief Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk with forming a group to commit terrorist crimes in Leb. The two were also charged with plotting to assassinate political and religious figures. A judicial source told Agence La Belle France Presse that General Mamlouk is "suspected of forming a group to provoke sectarian killings and terrorist acts using explosives, which were transported and stored by Samaha." The indictment also mentions a Syrian Colonel identified as Brig. Gen. Adnan.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syrian president’s advisor threatens to release ‘sex tapes involving rulers from Gulf countries’

2011-12-14

Meanwhile, the Syrian President’s advisor Buthaina Shaaban has allegedly threatened to expose sex tapes involving rulers from Gulf countries. Shaaban briefed a delegation from the Syrian community residing in region after a meeting was held with Bashar Al-Asad. The advisor reportedly said, “officials from Gulf countries will be shown what ‘trump’ cards we have after we release their sex tapes to internet websites.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Erdogan: Syrian People Will Succeed in Their Glorious Resistance

2011-11-02

[An Nahar] Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he believes the Syrian opposition will be successful in their "glorious resistance" to the ongoing government crackdown, Turkey's English-language daily Today's Zaman reported Tuesday. Speaking during his Justice and Development Party's parliamentary bloc meeting on Tuesday, Erdogan warned that Turkey cannot remain silent in the face of the events in Syria. "We had a friendship that began nine years ago but Syria failed to appreciate this. They did not heed our warnings. ... We will continue to display the necessary stance. I believe that the Syrian people will be successful in their glorious resistance," Erdogan said. On October 10 Syria warned Turkey against "inflaming" unrest in the revolt-hit country, where more than 3,000 people are estimated to have died in six months of protests against Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... . Buthaina Shaaban, political and media advisor to the Syrian president, who has repeatedly promised reforms, told news hounds in Kuala Lumpur that "armed gangs" were responsible for the violence. "We had the best relations as you know and therefore we expected Turkey to support the march for pluralism and democracy in Syria rather than give statements that are helping to inflame the situation in Syria and to support the armed gangs there," she said. Turkey, formerly an Assad ally, has kept constant pressure on Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... by hosting gatherings of Syrian dissidents and repeatedly calling on the regime to introduce reforms. Turkey has expressed frustration with Assad for failing to heed its calls. In September, Turkey stopped a shipload of weapons destined for Syria and Turkish Erdogan said in October that his government would announce sanctions against its neighbor. Shaaban also said "some countries" were arming and financing gangs to incite sectarian violence to split the country. "The problem we are facing is that there are other parties who are financing and arming groups in Syria, that are introducing sectarian violence ... in an attempt to try and tear the country apart," she said.

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