Syria will not attend an Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in Rabat tomorrow, called to discuss the unrest in Syria. Syria has not explained why they have decided not to attend the talks. Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi said earlier that Syria would be welcome to attend the meeting. The […]
By Mohammad Ghazal, Jordan Times. AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah’s remarks to the BBC earlier this week that he would step down if he were in Syrian President Bashar Assad’s place reflect Jordan’s deep concern about Syria, according to columnists. The columnists said Jordan cannot ignore the situation in […]
Source: Asia Times: Opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria has been firming since the beginning of the Arab Spring earlier this year. The government’s efforts to wait out and use force to end the opposition have failed thus far. Public opposition remains strong, almost mythic, even […]
By GWYNNE DYER ARABNEWS For most of its 66-year history, the Arab League was a powerless organization, dominated by regimes that made sure it never criticized their lies and crimes. But suddenly, this year, it woke up and changed sides. Last March the Arab League suspended Libya’s membership because of […]
By Taylor Luck AMMAN – As Arab and Turkish foreign ministers gathered in Rabat on Wednesday to discuss the Syrian crisis, the meeting posed diplomatic crossroads for Jordan, according to analysts. Amman is weighing a host of domestic concerns and international commitments as it stakes out its official position on […]
By Taylor Luck and Petra, Jordan Times AMMAN – The Syrian government on Tuesday apologised for an attack the previous night on the Jordanian embassy in Damascus, perpetrated by regime supporters. The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammed Al Kayed as saying that the apology was made […]
AMMAN (JT) – His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday said Syrian President Bashar Assad should start a new phase of political life in Syria. Responding to a question during an interview with the BBC in London on the current situation in Syria and what he would do were he in […]
By Omar Obeidat Jordan Times AMMAN –– As economic sanctions against the Syrian regime are set to be broadened, experts stressed that Jordan has to carefully weigh its interests before joining the drive. With the US and the European Union (EU) still working to put more pressure on Syria to […]
By AGENCIES ARABNEWS JEDDAH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) warned Syria on Tuesday about the consequences of its continued use of force against anti-regime protesters. OIC secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said in a statement that “the use of force will only lead to more violence and bloodshed, thus exacerbating the […]
SOURCE: DAILY TIMES PAKISTAN NEW YORK: The American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) announced the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality (WISE) Conference to be held from October 14 to October 17 in Istanbul, Turkey. “Soon the world will witness how Muslim women activists, scholars, politicians jurists and poets have assumed […]
SIDON, Lebanon: A senior Hamas official dismissed Friday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to seek U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state as “a political jump in the air” designed to scupper an inter-Palestinian reconciliation. Mahmoud Zahar, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, spoke to journalists after touring the Palestinian refugee […]
GENEVA/DAMASCUS/BEIRUT (AFP) – More than 2,900 people have been killed in Syria since the start of a crackdown on anti-regime protests, the UN said on Thursday a day before its human rights body was to discuss the situation. “According to the detailed list of names of individuals we’ve been keeping, […]
by Mohamed Cherif, swissinfo.ch Swiss-based Syrian opposition figure Nidal Darwish was involved in creating the Syrian National Council (SNC) – a platform for opposition to President Bashar al-Assad. In an interview with swissinfo.ch, Darwish talks about the motives behind the formation of this council and its prospects of success following […]
By BASSEM MROUE | AP ARABNEWS BEIRUT: Syrian troops fought intense battles with hundreds of fellow soldiers who have turned their weapons against the regime of President Bashar Assad, revealing the increasingly militarized nature of an uprising started months ago by peaceful protesters. Also Friday, tens of thousands of demonstrators […]
ANTHONY SHADID and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK CAIRO — By force of this year’s Arab revolts and revolutions, activists marching under the banner of Islam are on the verge of a reckoning decades in the making: the prospect of achieving decisive power across the region has unleashed an unprecedented debate over […]
source. asia times on line. In a speech on June 20, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad identified three components of the unrest in his country: citizens with legitimate grievances and needs that must be addressed; criminal elements; and “radicals” seeking to destabilize the country. He accused external forces, outlaws, and radicals […]
By: Laiq Ahmed Atif, president Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malta “Government of the people, by the people, for the people” these are the words of US president Abraham Lincoln to define democracy. The term democracy comes from the Greek language and means “rule by the (simple) people”. Philosophers have defined the […]
By Hani Hazaimeh, JORDAN TIMES AMMAN – Since the unrest in Syria began in mid-March, hundreds of Syrian citizens have fled to the Kingdom seeking a safe haven for their families – some made it through the legal channels, but many others had to jump the fence between the two […]
By IBRAHIM NAFFEE | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The situation in Syria could take a turn for the worse if the government continued to disregard calls for reconciliation and reforms, Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu warned Saturday. “We were promised by top Syrian officials that the security […]
When comparing the reaction of President Assad of Syria and King Abdullah of Jordan to the present ‘demand for change’ in both countries one small big thing has to my knowledge not (yet) been reported. Both leaders are of course reluctant to give up any of their powers. But how […]