Latest news with #AhmadAlShara
The National
17 hours ago
- General
- The National
Under pressure, Kurdish militia resumes integration talks with Damascus
The mostly Kurdish militia that controls large parts of eastern Syria is seeking to resurrect an integration deal with Damascus following moves by the US, its main backer, to bolster the authority of the new central government established by the former rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS). The March 10 agreement faltered after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-backed militia, convened a conference of Kurdish political groups in April that demanded that Syria be governed under a federal system. However, the SDF's position has been undermined by the recent Turkish and Saudi-brokered rapprochement between Washington and the HTS-led government in Damascus. The SDF-dominated administration in the east "supports Syria's unity and sovereignty", the Kurdish delegation said in a statement issued after a meeting with Syrian officials in Damascus on Sunday. The statement said that there would be another round of talks soon, but it did not specify a date. The statement made no reference to the future of the SDF, which seeks to remain a separate unit rather than being absorbed into the new Syrian armed forces of the Damascus government. The secular SDF is the second-most powerful faction in Syria, after HTS, the religious armed group that led the rebel offensive that toppled former dictator Bashar Al Assad in December. Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara is also the leader of HTS. Restoring control of the east to the central authorities would further strengthen Mr Al Shara, whose international acceptance as Syria's new leader received a major boost after his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia last month. The US special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack, a close Trump ally who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey, met Mr Al Shara in Damascus last week and announced that Washington would lift Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. He said the US would "give this young government a chance by not interfering, not demanding, by not giving conditions". The Kurdish delegation said they also discussed the thorny issue of returning displaced people to the east during the talks on Sunday. Many among the three million population of the area were forcibly displaced after Kurdish militias who were forerunners of the SDF captured the area from the Assad regime starting in 2012, the year after the start of an uprising against the former president. The Kurdish militias expelled thousands of Arab families but many Kurds were also forced to leave after Turkey carved out a zone of control in the area in 2018. The two sides agreed to explore "mechanisms to facilitate the return of displaced persons to their areas and addressing the obstacles hindering this return". They also agreed to reactivate an agreement for Damascus security forces to enter a mostly Kurdish neighbourhood in the northern city of Aleppo, the Kurdish delegation said.
The National
2 days ago
- Business
- The National
Syria's Al Shara in Kuwait amid drive for Gulf investment
Syria 's President Ahmad Al Shara visited Kuwait on Sunday and discussed ways to stabilise his country with Emir Sheikh Meshal, official media said, amid a push by Damascus to secure Gulf investments. The official Kuwaiti news agency said the two men, who met at the emir's palace in Kuwait, discussed expanding ties and "strengthening efforts by the international community to guarantee the security and stability of Syria". It was the fourth visit by Mr Al Shara to a Gulf country since his rebel allies appointed him as leader of Syria in late January. Mr Al Shara's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), an organisation that traces its origins to Al Qaeda, took over the state after leading an offensive that toppled former president Bashar Al Assad. On Saturday, Mr Al Shara told a cabinet meeting that the authorities aim to lift restrictions imposed by the former regime on repatriation of profits, so as to attract foreign investment. He mentioned the potential for neighbouring counties taking on infrastructure projects, as local companies, he said, do not have the capital. Mr Al Shara said that there is "big appetite" to invest in airports, energy, tourism, oil, minerals, free zones, ports, railways real estate and transport sectors. Two weeks ago, Mr Al Shara met a Kuwaiti business delegation headed by Bader Al Kharafi, chief of one of the largest Arab conglomerates, Zain Group. However, no specific investments were announced. Business deals The government has signed three major concessions since the removal of the former regime. Two have been for the Latakia and Tartous ports, which French shipping company CMA CGM, and with DP World of the UAE. The third was with Qatar 's UCC to add electricity generation capacity. Syria needs an estimated $500 billion in new infrastructure after the 2011 to 2014 civil war, although violence and sectarian killings have continued across the country. Turkey's Deniz Bank, which is fully owned by Emirates NBD, expects more financing opportunities to support Syria's reconstruction. Saudi Arabia and Qatar said on the weekend that they will finance government salaries for the next three months. The move was made possible by removal of US sanctions this month. The EU followed suit and decided to remove its own sanctions on Syria's economy. Meanwhile, Dubai airline flydubai resumed flights to Damascus on Sunday after a 12-year hiatus due to the civil war. Riyadh, as well as Turkey, played a main role in the lifting of US sanctions on Syria this month, in a major development that ushered normalisation between Washington and Damascus. President Donald Trump shortly afterwards met Mr Al Shara in Riyadh. American officials have said one of the main reasons for the decision to lift the sanctions was the desire to improve living conditions quickly enough to prevent another civil war.
The National
2 days ago
- Business
- The National
Flydubai plane lands at Damascus airport to end 12-year absence
The first flydubai flight to Syria in 12 years touched down at Damascus International Airport on Sunday, marking another significant step forward in the nation's postwar recovery. The low-cost airline announced plans last week to resume services to the Syrian capital in time for the busy Eid Al Adha break. Damascus was one of flydubai's first destinations nearly 16 years ago, but services were halted due to the civil war. Pictures shared by Sana, the Syrian news agency, showed gleeful passengers stepping off the plane on arrival at the airport. The flight was received by a welcoming party, which included the Emirati ambassador to Syria, Hassan Al Shehhi, and Abdul Al Saj, deputy chairman of the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority. The restarting of regular flights will be a major boost for Syrians in both the UAE and Syria, who have been deprived of a direct air link to connect with family and friends for so many years. The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority announced the resumption of flights between the Emirates and Syria on April 14. The restoration of air travel between the nations came only days after Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara's first visit to the UAE since taking office, during which he held high-level talks with President Sheikh Mohamed. Mr Al Shara, who led the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham rebel group that ousted President Bashar Al Assad, is looking to improve relations with Arab neighbours and the Gulf states following a 13-year civil war in Syria. A landmark passenger flight from Syria arrived in the UAE on April 20 to usher in the resumption of air services. Flydubai's flight FZ 115 is to take off daily from Dubai International's Terminal 2 at 6.30am local time and arrive at Damascus International Airport at 8.45am local time. The corresponding flight FZ 116 will take off from Damascus at 10am, arriving in Dubai at 2.20pm. Flydubai will offer business and economy class seats on the flights. 'Damascus holds a special cultural and historical significance within the region and we are excited to serve the city again with a direct daily service, highlighting our commitment to supporting the UAE's efforts to foster regional connectivity,' said flydubai chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith last week. 'The relaunch of flights to Damascus will enable passengers from the UAE and around the network to enjoy convenient travel options to the market,' said Jeyhun Efendi, divisional senior vice president of commercial operations and e-commerce at flydubai. 'After working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that all necessary operational standards have been met ahead of the relaunch, we look forward to welcoming passengers back on board again soon, just in time for the coming Eid Al Adha holiday and peak summer travel period.'
The National
3 days ago
- General
- The National
Israel attacks western Syria as indirect talks take place
Israel has bombed western Syria killing at least one person in the first such attack on the country in nearly a month, state media said on Friday. "A strike from Israeli occupation aircraft targeted sites close to the village of Zama in the Jableh countryside south of Latakia," state television said. One civilian was killed 'as a result of an Israeli occupation air strike targeting the vicinity of Zama', state news agency Sana reported. This month, Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara said that his government is holding indirect talks with Israel to bring an end to Israeli attacks on Syria. The US called for a 'non-aggression agreement' between the sides. The Israeli military said it had "struck weapon storage facilities containing coastal missiles that posed a threat to international and Israeli maritime freedom of navigation, in the Latakia area of Syria". "In addition, components of surface-to-air missiles were struck," it said, adding it would "continue to operate to maintain freedom of action in the region, in order to carry out its missions and will act to remove any threat to the state of Israel and its citizens". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that jets likely to have been Israeli warplanes fired on military sites on the outskirts of Tartus and Latakia. Since 1948, Syria and Israel have technically been at war. The most notable event was when Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and carried out hundreds of strikes and several incursions. Israel said its strikes were aimed at stopping advanced weapons reaching Syria's new authorities, whom it considers as terrorists. This comes as the newly-appointed US envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, visited Damascus and said he believed peace between Syria and Israel was achievable. Mr Barrack made his first trip to Damascus on Thursday and said "Syria and Israel are a solvable problem. But it starts with a dialogue.' The US official told the press that 'we need to start with just a non-aggression agreement, talk about boundaries and borders.' The US officially issued a sanctions waiver for Syria last week. Following the waiver, Mr Barrack met Mr Al Shara and Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani in Istanbul.
The National
5 days ago
- Business
- The National
Syria signs $7bn Qatari-led deal to double power supply
Syria on Thursday signed a $7 billion deal with a Qatar -led business group aimed at doubling the country's power supply in the latest move to boost its postwar economy. The Syrian government signed an agreement with a consortium of companies led by Qatar 's UCC Holding to add 5,000 megawatts to the national grid. The country is being battered by a severe power crisis. 'Today, we are witnessing a historic moment that marks a turning point in Syria's energy and electricity sector, as we work to rebuild the crumbling infrastructure of this vital sector,' Syria's energy minister Mohammad Al Bashir said in a speech during a signing ceremony at the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus. 'This memorandum strengthens regional co-operation and integration in the energy sector and helps us promote clean and renewable energy projects,' he added. The Syrian state is able to supply only two to three hours of electricity per day in most areas – a crisis that interim President Ahmad Al Shara has pledged to address. The lifting of sweeping sanctions on Syria has rekindled interest among global investors, with several major companies already establishing a foothold in the war-ravaged economy. The agreement includes the development of four combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants, in Deir Ezzor, Mhardeh, Zayzoun in Hama province, and Treifawi in Homs province, with a total capacity of about 4,000 megawatts. It also covers a 1,000-megawatt solar power plant in Wadyan al-Rabee in southern Syria. The deal has been spearheaded by the Qatari energy and construction company UCC Holding and involves the US company Power international USA, and the Turkish companies Cengiz Enerji and Kalyon Enerji. UCC chief executive Ramez Al Khayyat praised the agreement, which he said 'marks a new phase of joint work to rebuild Syria by achieving self-sufficiency and ensuring sustainable development'. 'We will use the latest equipment in the energy sector, and the project will create over 50,000 direct jobs and 250,000 indirect jobs, contributing to the support of Syria's labour market,' he added. Fourteen years of war have decimated Syria's electricity network, reducing its capacity from 9.5 gigawatts in 2011 to 1.6 gigawatts today. The United Nations estimates that billions of dollars will be needed to rebuild it. US President Donald Trump announced the lifting of sanctions during his recent Gulf tour, a day before the historic Trump-Al Shara meeting in Riyadh. The US President said he wanted to give the new regime a "chance at greatness". The EU on Wednesday formalised its own decision to begin lifting economic sanctions, while leaving some in place related to the former regime of Bashar Al Assad.
