Middle East Policy

Syria’s Alliance with Iran usip.org May 2007 By Mona Yacoubian Against a backdrop of growing instability in the Middle East, and despite continued pressure from the West, Syria’s alliance with Iran appears to be holding strong and perhaps even deepening. The United States has strongly criticized both Syria and Iran for contributing to the region’s volatility and, in particular, for playing a destabilizing role in each of three regional conflicts: Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine. Recent U.S. overtures to both Syria and Iran raise the question of whether either country can be persuaded to forsake their longstanding alliance and adopt a more constructive role in the region. Main Points: Spanning more than a quarter century, Syria’s alliance with Iran has proven to be quite durable. The alliance’s breadth has insured that the bilateral relationship is not merely a tactical "marriage of convenience." Rather, deepening ties in a variety of realms—strategic, political, economic, and c

Syrian Oppositionists Call for International Action MEMRI.org June 6, 2007 Recently, the Syrian regime has been escalating its persecution of political dissidents. This escalation is reflected in the large number of prison sentences being issued by the High State Security Court to prominent oppositionists, among whom are Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani, a human rights activist, who received a 12-year prison sentence for harming state security; Anwar Al-Bouni, human rights activists and attorney, who was sentenced to five years in prison for "harming national morale"; and Michel Kilo, activist for the Committees for the Revival of Civil Society and director of the Hurriyat Center for Freedom of the Press and Journalists in Syria, and Mahmoud 'Issa, political activist, who had been imprisoned from 1992 to 2000 for membership in the Communist Labor Party, both of whom received a three-year prison sentence for "harming national sentiment." Also sent to prison for "harming

Another Anti-Syrian Parliamentarian Assassinated Naharnet 13 Jun 07 Al-Moustaqbal Movement Parliamentary Deputy Walid Edo, an outspoken critic of Syria, was assassinated by a powerful car bomb blast that also killed his elder son, Khaled, and four other people in Beirut's seaside Manara district Wednesday. A Ranking police officer said the booby-trapped car, parked between the Long Beach and Sporting Club swimming facilities, was detonated as Edo and his son left the beach. "Their bodies were hurled by the powerful blast and found about 20 meters from the explosion site," said the source, who asked not to be identified. Edo's two body guards and two civilian pedestrians also were killed in the powerful explosion that wounded 10 other people in the district usually crowded by beach fans. Tongues of flame shot up in the sky from the gutted remains of the booby-trapped car as fire fighters fought the blaze to prevent it from spreading to other vehicles parked in the crow

Hariri court to come into force automatically on June, 30 AFP, June 8, 2007 UNITED NATIONS , June 8, 2007 (AFP) - In line with a Security Council ruling, an international court to try suspects in the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri is to come into force automatically Sunday, but will not be up and running for several months. On May 30, 10 of the council's 15 members passed a resolution setting Sunday as the date on which a 2006 agreement between the United Nations and the Beirut government to establish the court is to enter into force. Five members, including veto-wielding Russia and China, abstained, objecting to a decision that bypasses Lebanon's constitutional process. The UN ruling was also condemned by the powerful pro-Damascus Shiite movement Hezbollah as illegal and as "an aggressive interference in (Lebanon's) internal affairs." Syria, Lebanon's former power broker, was widely blamed for the Hariri killing but has denied all involvement. Har

Along with three recent explosions, the killers of former Prime Minister Hariri and other cadres of Lebanese Cedar Revolution are trying something new this time, Fatah al-Islam, exploiting apparently their excellent relations with many al-Qaeda personnel. They are obviously terrified of the upcoming International Tribunal for Lebanon , the truth time and justice time. The Lebanese democratically elected independence government is staying, and the international tribunal is coming. So, assassins get more terrified, and independent free democratic Lebanon go ahead. These are some related materials by the Council on Foreign Relations: Lebanon's Fires Burn Anew cfr.org May 22, 2007 Last summer the world watched in shock as Israel fought a month-long campaign against Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. With the aftershocks of that conflict still rippling throughout the region, it appears Lebanon could be in for another bloody summer. The latest outbreak of violence features a new

The Syrians are talking, are you listening? The international community faces a challenge in the Middle East and in Syria particularly to choose democracy, peace and moderation over totalitarianism, violence and extremism. There is no other way or other choice. Ignorance and prejudgments about the Middle East are not options anymore exactly as totalitarianism, extremism and terror. So, the international community should listen to the Middle East's intellectuals and make its decision against totalitarianism and extremism and for democracy and moderation without delay. The following is a letter from Syrian intellectuals, the prisoners of conscience and opinion in Damascus; it really explains so much the world has to know. From the Syrian Prisoners of Conscience in Damascus Central Prison We are prisoners of conscience and opinion in Damascus Central Prison, lawyer Anwar Al Bunni, writer Michel Kilo, Dr. Kamal Labwani, activists Mahmoud Issa, and Faek Al Mir, and Professor Aref Dalila

The totalitarian entity of al-Baath imposing tyranny on Syria has crossed all lines. Human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni is a Syrian hero and will always stay so to the Syrian people. Free Anwar al-Bunni Sentence against Anwar al-Bunni deals another blow to human rights in Syria AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE 24 April 2007 Amnesty International condemns the harsh sentence handed down today on human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni, following an unfair trial that appeared to be politically driven and during which he was not given full access to his lawyers. The Damascus Criminal Court sentenced Anwar al-Bunni to five years in jail on the charge of “spreading false information harmful to the state”. He has consistently denied this charge, which seems to be linked to his legitimate work in defence of human rights. "This deals another blow to human rights and human rights activists in Syria who have been the target of an intimidation campaign by the authorities," said Malcolm Sma

What do Syrians think about Lebanon? And how does the Baath regime take it? This is a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute on the Beirut-Damascus Declaration: Wave of Arrests of Syrian Intellectuals Following the Beirut-Damascus Declaration By H. Varulkar. July 11, 2006 memri.org Introduction On May 12, 2006, the Lebanese media and websites close to the Syrian opposition published a document titled "The Beirut-Damascus Declaration/Damascus-Beirut Declaration." The declaration, which calls for improving Syrian-Lebanese relations, was signed by several hundred Syrian and Lebanese intellectuals. It depicts the deterioration in relations between the two countries in recent months, and sets out, in 10 points, measures that must be taken in order to rectify these relations "from the root." The first point calls on Syria to recognize Lebanon as an independent state by demarcating the border between the two countries and establishing mutual diplomatic represen