Syria

Syria suspected of concealing nuclear activity

Muslims Against Sharia (Free subscription) | 11/19/2009

WASHINGTON - The International Atomic Energy Agency and Syria are walking a tightrope and appear to be headed toward a collision over two nuclear sites where undeclared uranium was recently found. The agency found traces of uranium at the Dair Alzour nuclear site that are not included in Syria's declared inventory, according to a just released report. The Syrians said the uranium came from the Israeli...

Israeli air force works to prepare for future conflicts: report

People Daily (Free subscription) | 11/19/2009

Facing a growing anti-aircraft and ballistic missile threat against Israel, the Israel Air Force (IAF) plans to conduct special seminars to prepare pilots and ground crews for future conflicts, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday. The seminar will first be held for pilots who, in a future conflict with Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria or Iran, are expected to have to deal with an unprecedented...

The art of understatement: Syria suspected of concealing nuclear activity

Infidel Bloggers Alliance (Free subscription) | 11/19/2009

WASHINGTON - The International Atomic Energy Agency and Syria are walking a tightrope and appear to be headed toward a collision over two nuclear sites where undeclared uranium was recently found. The agency found traces of uranium at the Dair Alzour nuclear site that are not included in Syria's declared inventory, according to a just released report. The Syrians said the uranium came from the Israeli...

Syria Stalls on Signing EU Trade Deal

Law Blog - WSJ.com (Free subscription) | 11/19/2009

After years of pursuing a free-trade pact with the EU, Syria is now balking at signing a deal as local businesses express worry about competition from European goods.

The destruction of Iraq was for Israel, not oil

Yahyasheikho786's Blog (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009

n 1951 the Arab League established the Bureau for Boycotting Israel. Based in Damascus, Syria, the bureau has lost much of its authority since Egypt, Jordan and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) signed peace treaties with Israel… Before the US-led invasion, Iraq adhered closely to the instructions of the bureau. Israeli companies, those with Israeli shareholders [...]

• A-Jazeera reports documentary evidence linking the Iraq war to Israel - Deep Politics Monitor

Syria to Nuke Watchdog... Nothing to See Here, Move Along

Web Digger (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009

Two years ago, Israel bombed a suspected nuclear site in Syria. Now the UN’s atomic watchdog agency is pressing Damascus for a return visit to the bombed facility — along with access to other military sites, where the Syrians have been up to some suspicious landscaping. According to the latest report by the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, inspectors turned up...

Syria & Israel: Two Rivals In Search of a Mediator

Istanbul Calling (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009

Lots of chatter these days revolving around the issue of reviving negotiations between Syria and Israel. In recent weeks, Syrian President Bashar Assad has repeated his desire to return to the negotiating table with Israel and even asking for European and American help to make this happen (although insisting that the negotiations be indirect and use Turkish mediation.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin...

IAEA wants to inspect three secret Syrian nuclear sites

Middle East Watch (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009

DEBKAfile "IAEA inspectors are to visit Damascus on Tuesday, Nov. 17, for clarifications of the conflicting explanations Syria has offered for uranium traces. They will also insist on making return visits to three military sites which Damascus has so far refused, following information received by the agency of clandestine 'nuclear activity' there. DEBKAfile's intelligence sources reveal that Israel...

How the IAEA Encourages Proliferation

Netizen News Brief (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009

Subject: txt intl islm owg - The International Atomic Energy Agency is, as Jonathan noted , deeply disturbed by its latest findings on Iran. It is also deeply disturbed by its latest findings on Syria, which it detailed in another report released this week. Syria’s explanation of the uranium traces found at a Damascus research reactor did not fit the facts, the report said, nor did these traces...

International Relations: US on Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Colombia, Venezuela, Slovakia Czech Republic

i On Global Trends (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009

MR. KELLY: Okay. Good afternoon. I think you all know that the Secretary is in Beijing today and followed the President’s schedule, so I don’t really have any separate announcements on her schedule. Today is an important day for the people of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.You know it’s the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Velvet Revolution, and we celebrate the vibrant democracies...

Palestinian Sources: Qatar, Syria Stopped Accusations Against Hamas For Thwarting Palestinian Reconciliation

Memri Latest Blogs (Free subscription) | 11/17/2009

Palestinian sources report that on November 12, Qatar and Syria persuaded the committee monitoring the Arab peace initiative not to accuse Hamas of thwarting the Palestinian reconciliation agreement, and asked to invite Hamas representatives to a ... November 17, 2009, 10:52 am

Syria denies contact with Israeli media in Paris

The Earth Times Online Newspaper (Free subscription) | 11/17/2009

Damascus - Syria denied Tuesday that its foreign minister met with a member of the Israeli press in Paris last week. Syria categorically denied allegations made in the Israeli Maariv newspaper that a meeting took place in Paris between Syrian Foreig...

Sarkozy: Ready to mediate between Syria, Israel

San Diego Union (Free subscription) | 11/17/2009

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was quoted Tuesday as saying his country was ready to facilitate a resumption of talks between Syria and Israel and he warned that extremists could benefit from a continued deadlock in the Middle East peace process.

• French leader would mediate between Syria, Israel - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

French leader would mediate between Syria, Israel

kansascity.com (Free subscription) | 11/17/2009

The French president says his country is ready to mediate between Syria and Israel and warns that extremists could benefit from a continued deadlock in the Mideast peace process.

• French leader would mediate between Syria, Israel - San Diego Union
• French leader would mediate between Syria, Israel - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Turkey Downgrades Ties With Israel & The West

FreeThoughtManifesto (Free subscription) | 11/16/2009

And Forms Better Links With Muslim Neighbours "Turkey, which applied to join European organisations as long ago as 1958 (more than half a century ago) is still waiting for a result, and is unlikely to be accepted. German and French leaders have admitted recently that this is simply because Turkey is Muslim. The final decision of the EU will be known next month, and it will be in Turkey’s...