Latest news with #Damascus
The National
4 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Saudi Arabia expected to sign $4bn worth of deals as it holds investment forum in Syria
Saudi Arabia is expected to sign agreements worth 15 billion riyals ($4 billion) during an investment forum in Syria's capital Damascus on Wednesday. The Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum 2025 will draw broad participation from the public and private sectors, the kingdom's Ministry of Investment, which is organising the event, said on Tuesday. The move is aimed at enhancing economic relations with Syria and the two sides will explore co-operation opportunities and sign agreements that promote sustainable development, the ministry said. Business agreements totalling more than 15 billion riyals will be sealed during the visit, Saudi-based AlEkhbariya News reported. The kingdom's high-level delegation will be led by Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih and includes more than 120 investors from across the sectors, it said. The forum is also expected to set out joint projects and the signing of memorandums of understanding between the two sides in various fields, Syria's state news agency Sana reported. That includes the launch of the Fayhaa White Cement Factory project in the Adra Industrial City in Damascus, which will expand cement production and support the country's reconstruction, Sana said. Gulf states are moving quickly to invest in Syria's post-Assad future, launching diplomatic, financial and infrastructure support. Following the ousting of former Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad in December, Saudi Arabia and Qatar jointly paid off Syria's $15.5 million debt to the World Bank, unlocking access to critical reconstruction grants. In May, the Syrian government also signed a $7 billion deal with a consortium of companies led by Qatar 's UCC Holding to add 5,000 megawatts to the national grid. The deal is aimed at doubling the country's power supply to boost its postwar economy. Dubai port operator DP World also signed an $800 million agreement to develop the port of Tartus, while Emirati businessman Khalaf Al Habtoor said he would be considering investments in Syria. Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara also held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh in February on economic co-operation, with the leaders discussing collaboration in the fields of energy, technology, education and health, according to Sana. The Syrian government this month also amended the country's investment law, in a move that is expected to support more domestic and foreign investment in the country. During a visit by a Saudi delegation last week, Syria's Minister of Economy and Industry, Mohammad Al Shaar said that the new law provides an attractive legal environment that promotes the entry of capital, Sana reported. The law will support the investment process and enhance the role of the private sector in reconstruction and economic development, the minister added.
The National
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Beirut and Damascus need to mend relations after the Sweida clashes
The recent comments to this newspaper by the US ambassador to Turkey, special envoy to Syria, and interim envoy to Lebanon, Tom Barrack, about Lebanon's relations with Syria, worried Lebanese officials. It also underlined why they must normalise relations with Damascus, but also why Syria must work towards the same end. Speaking about the lack of progress in Lebanon, Mr Barrack said: 'I honestly think that they [the Lebanese] are going to say 'the world will pass us by'. Why? You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn't move, it's going to be Bilad Al Sham [Greater Syria] again.' Mr Barrack quickly corrected the impression that the US intended to sub-contract control of Lebanon to Syria, as was the case in 1976 soon after the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War. However, the damage was done. His statement was soon followed by the fighting in Sweida, where Syrian government forces clashed with the minority Druze community, reviving fears among Lebanon's non-Sunni communities – Christian, Druze and Shiite – that the leadership in Damascus is hostile to minorities. The late Lebanese journalist and author Samir Kassir famously wrote: 'There can be no freedom for Lebanon without freedom for Syria, and there can be no freedom for Syria without freedom for Lebanon.' His phrase underlined the symbiosis between the two countries, even if their common history has generated great mutual mistrust and antagonism. Under President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's attitude towards Syria today continues to be characterised by uncertainty and the suspicions of the past. Several major issues divide the countries, yet until now there has been little effort to resolve them. Mr Salam is said to be more amenable to reaching an understanding with Syria than Mr Aoun, whose military background makes him warier. Lebanon's attitude towards Syria today continues to be characterised by uncertainty and the suspicions of the past A major issue preventing improved relations is the fate of the approximately 2,100 Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, about 1,300 of whom are still awaiting trial, according to Lebanon's justice minister. The Syrians argue that many were imprisoned unfairly, on the basis of confessions extracted through torture. Just under 10 per cent of them were detained for participating in the Syrian uprising. The matter is sensitive for both sides because it highlights how previous Lebanese governments tended to collaborate with the erstwhile Assad government in Syria by imprisoning its opponents in Lebanon. Syrian officials today have not forgotten this collaboration, and moreover have condemned the fact that the Syrian prisoners are being held in dire conditions in the decrepit Lebanese prison system. Lebanese officials have said that the prisoners need to be sentenced first before they can be repatriated, which has delayed a resolution of the problem. Last week, the Lebanese government announced it would not return Syrians accused of terrorism, rape, or attacks against the Lebanese army. As a former armed forces commander, Mr Aoun in particular is not someone likely to being flexible on such issues. A second bone of contention, this time on the Lebanese side, is that Lebanon continues to host a large number of Syrian refugees. This has represented a major burden for the country's crumbling infrastructure, especially after the financial collapse of 2019-2020. Yet with Syria still in the midst of a major economic crisis, many of the refugees refuse to return home without guarantees of employment. There are other issues as well that divide the two sides, such as the presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon and cross-border smuggling – a burden for both the Syrian and Lebanese economies. A major obstacle for many Lebanese remains that the Syrian government has extremist roots, which has prompted fear among officials that its ideological proclivities may extend to Lebanon and harm sectarian relations there. There have been many rumours that the Syrians have their eye on seizing control of the Sunni-majority Lebanese city of Tripoli. This absurd story has heightened Lebanese anxieties, highlighting how unsettled relations truly are. The Lebanese army and security services remain on high alert for potential extremist influence in Lebanon. This reflects apprehension among minorities with regard to President Ahmad Al Shara's administration in Damascus. While certain Lebanese figures have sought to improve ties, including Mr Salam, Abdul-Latif Daryan, the Sunni mufti, and Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader, their efforts have been not always been welcomed. For example, after the Sweida fighting, Mr Jumblatt was criticised by many of his co-religionists who felt that his endorsement of Mr Al Shara had failed to protect the Druze. This unhealthy situation makes it imperative that Lebanon and Syria improve their relations. This means addressing their mutual resentments with an open mind, within a context of respect for the sovereignty of the other. This applies as much to Syrian extremists intervening to resolve disputes in remote regions of northern Lebanon as it does to Hezbollah's efforts to violate Syria's sovereignty by using its territory to re-arm itself. Allowing the situation to decay further will benefit neither side. Mr Al Shara has to improve his rapport with Syria's minorities – Kurds, Druze, Christians and Alawites – who represent a substantial portion of the country's population. Lebanon can play a significant role in such an effort given its own management of sectarian pluralism. Lebanon, in turn, cannot afford to antagonise Syria, its door to the region, which today enjoys substantial regional backing as well as support from the US. The Lebanese must work towards a modus vivendi, one that stabilises the relationship and helps neutralise cross-border actions from one side that cause negative repercussions in the other.
New York Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Syrian Inquiry Says Military Leaders Did Not Order Sectarian Killings in March
A Syrian commission of inquiry released its findings on Tuesday in the killings of more than 1,400 people in sectarian violence earlier this year, concluding that the bloodshed was 'not organized' and that the country's military leaders did not directly order the attacks. But some human rights experts called the fact-finding committee's failure to hold commanders accountable deeply problematic. The findings of the committee — established by President Ahmed al-Shara — were released more than four months after the March killings — and just days after a new eruption of sectarian violence in another part of Syria claimed more than 1,100 lives. Repeated waves of violence involving minority groups have raised serious questions about whether the former Islamist rebels who now lead the country can secure and stabilize all of Syria and protect its diverse ethnic and religious groups. Syria's new leadership has sought to reassure minorities that they are safe. But periodic eruptions of unrest have undermined those assurances and deepened mistrust of the central government in Damascus. The inquiry concluded that more than 1,426 people were killed over a few days in March in two coastal provinces, most of them civilians. That toll broadly aligned with those tallied by independent monitoring groups. An investigation by The New York Times found evidence that government soldiers had participated in at least some of the killings in Latakia and Tartus provinces in March. Syrian rights groups said armed groups nominally affiliated with the government were largely behind the killings of Alawites, the minority which the ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad's family belonged to. The committee's findings showed that after Assad loyalists launched the initial assault in early March, about 200,000 armed fighters from all across Syria moved into the coastal region, the committee's spokesman, Yasser Farhan, said at a news conference in the capital Damascus. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The National
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Syria's Kurdish fighters say laying down arms 'impossible'
Kurdish fighters in Syria have said it is 'impossible' to lay down their arms amid a flurry of sectarian violence in the country. The Syrian Democratic Forces, a mostly Kurdish militia, made a deal with President Ahmad Al Shara in March to merge with Syria's state institutions. The deal was part of Mr Al Shara's efforts to unify the country after years of civil war in Syria, in which various armed groups held sway in parts of the country. The SDF peace process has not gone smoothly though, with the authorities in Damascus accusing the US -backed militia of dragging its feet. An outbreak of fierce fighting in the south of Syria, with troops sent to quell unrest involving Bedouin tribes and the Druze minority, has cast further doubt on Mr Al Shara's efforts to hold Syria together. And under pressure from Washington, Syria has mounted raids against members of ISIS as the extremist group threatens to stage a resurgence. 'In light of the ongoing tensions in Syria, the escalating violence, and the threat of ISIS, it is impossible for our forces to surrender their weapons,' Kurdish media quoted SDF spokesman Abjar Daoud as saying on Tuesday. 'The SDF can join the Syrian army through a constitutional agreement that recognises the uniqueness of the Kurdish component,' he said. He added that the SDF 'is not in favour of war' but would 'defend its people' if necessary. Turkey, which opposes Kurdish autonomy, warned on Tuesday that it could intervene to stop any attempt to break up Syria. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's comments appeared to be aimed at Israel, which last week bombed Damascus on behalf of the Druze minority. Turkey has condemned the Israeli strikes as an attempt to sabotage Syria's efforts to establish peace. Mr Fidan said Israel wanted a divided Syria to make the country unstable, weaker and a liability to the region, and added that Kurdish YPG militants were looking to take advantage of the chaos. 'God willing, we will prevent this policy from being realised,' he said. In an apparent reference to the YPG, he said groups in Syria should not see such chaos as a tactical opportunity to achieve autonomy or independence within Syria and that they faced 'a big strategic catastrophe'. 'This leads nowhere,' he said.
News24
14 hours ago
- Politics
- News24
South Syria violence deepens fears among minorities
More than 1 200 people have been killed in Syria's Druze-majority Sweida amid intercommunal clashes, exposing sectarian tension and government weaknesses. Damascus aligned with Sunni tribes against the Druze, prompting Israeli airstrikes and a US-brokered ceasefire amid escalated violence. Minority fears rise as Druze resist disarmament, echoing broader struggles for government control and Kurdish autonomy negotiations. A surge of violence in southern Syria has exacerbated fears among minority communities and exposed what analysts say is the Damascus authorities' intent to rein in the Druze population. More than 1 200 people were killed in a week-long outbreak of intercommunal clashes in Sweida province, a Druze-majority region, further casting doubt on the new Islamist government's capacity to manage sectarian tensions. The week-long clashes in the Druze-majority Sweida province further raised doubts about the new government's ability to handle intercommunal issues in the diverse and war-scarred nation. Damascus has "opened the Pandora's box of intercommunal violence", Syria expert Fabrice Balanche said. What next for Sweida's Druze? The clashes initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, but government forces intervened on the side of the latter, according to witnesses, experts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. READ | Syria's Sharaa vows to protect Druze as truce strained by Bedouin offensive Jamal Mansur, a comparative politics researcher specialising in Syrian and Israeli studies at the University of Toronto, said he believed interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa made "a huge mistake" by "trying to subdue the Druze" and in using the tribes, who are part of his popular base, to do so. Balanche, a lecturer at the University of Lyon 2, said it was "easy to mobilise tribes against the Druze, but then how do you get them to fall in line?" Israel, which says it wants to protect the Druze and has demanded a demilitarised southern Syria, struck the presidential palace and the Syrian army headquarters in Damascus to force government troops to withdraw from Sweida. The United States then announced a ceasefire between Syria and Israel, which allowed government forces to deploy to Sweida province but not the city, which remained under the control of various Druze groups. READ | Bodies wait to be identified at overwhelmed hospital in Syria's Sweida Those groups are now surrounded by areas controlled by government forces and their tribal allies across the province, where sporadic clashes are still taking place. Damascus was previously negotiating the integration of Druze fighters into its ranks, but the clashes, during which large-scale abuses were committed, could prompt the Druze to refuse to hand over their weapons. Sharaa "has two options: either he obstinately continues trying to subdue the Druze", or he backtracks, said Mansur. What happened during previous violence? The bloodshed in the south followed sectarian massacres in March in coastal Syria, in which 1 700 people, mostly Alawite civilians, were killed according to the Observatory. Overthrown Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is an Alawite, and the sect was long associated with the brutal rule of Assad and his father. Security forces, allied armed groups, and foreign jihadists were implicated in March's killings. A national commission of inquiry formed by the authorities on Tuesday said it had verified serious violations leading to the deaths of 1 426 people, mostly civilians, and identified 298 suspects. Sweida was "a repeat of the same scenario: the desire to subjugate minorities, but unlike on the coast, the Druze are well armed and protected by Israel," said Balanche. Christians, Syria's other significant minority group, also live in fear following several threats and the bombing of a Damascus church in June, which killed 25 people. Syrian authorities blamed the Islamic State group, but a shadowy jihadist organisation claimed responsibility. What about the Kurds? The greatest challenge facing Damascus in its attempt to assert its authority across all of Syrian territory remains the Kurds, who control swathes of the northeast. Kurdish officials have been negotiating with Syrian leaders to have their civil and military institutions, including the powerful US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, integrated into the Syrian state. Following the Sweida violence, senior Kurdish official Bedran Ciya Kurd called on Syria's authorities to review their approach to the country's minorities as a whole. The deadly clashes had "already impacted (Sharaa's) negotiating situation with the Kurds", said Mansur of the University of Toronto. Washington, the SDF's main backer, had previously pushed the Kurds to make concessions to the Syrian government. Now, the US "need (sic) to listen to the Kurds", said Mansur.
