Long WSJ piece on the potential for economic change in Syria to lead to political changes.
DAMASCUS -- Syria is accelerating its economic opening -- boosting U.S. hopes that its tight relationship with Iran might be weakened. For decades, Syria has been defined by its rigid socialist economy and its military ties to Iran against Israel and the West. Trade sanctions have taken a heavy toll: More than half the 16 jets in Syria's state airline can't fly for lack of spare parts.
But President Bashar Assad -- heir to his family's political dynasty -- has started unshackling the economy by permitting private banks and insurers to open shop and by letting Syrians hold foreign currency without risk of being tossed in jail. In March, he opened Syria's first stock exchange. Nearby are a Ford showroom and a KFC restaurant.
His four-year-old overhaul is now getting an unexpected lift from Washington. This fall the U.S. plans to name an ambassador to Damascus, its first in years. And in late July the State Department eased some sanctions set by President George W. Bush to punish Syria's support for militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Syria is accelerating its economic opening -- boosting U.S. hopes
#3
What a sickening white-wash. Amazing how you can take such damning information throw in a few sentences such as "Syria is accelerating its economic opening -- boosting U.S. hopes that its tight relationship with Iran might be weakened." or "Assad -- has started unshackling the economy by permitting private banks and insurers to open shop and by letting Syrians hold foreign currency without risk of being tossed in jail. "
... and people will read right past the fact that what this article is really saying is that:
1. we are easing sanctions with Syria to allow them to buy parts for their jets that can't currently can't fly and Oracle software for their central banks .
3. changes could simply be a tool for transferring state assets to members of the president's inner circle. Rami Makhlouf, an Assad cousin, has come to dominate the Syrian telecom and tourism trades amid a privatization push. Last year, the U.S. Treasury barred American firms from doing business with him for alleged corruption.
5. U.S. officials also believed Damascus ordered the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri..you know, the guy who inspired all of the talent to come back into Beirut. Isn't that what this article is all about? How they want to lessen restrictions to unshackle their economy and get the talent to come back?
6. The Obama administration, by easing sanctions on Syria, seemed to signal that "other things than democracy are more important for the U.S."
And I also love the way they manage to blame Bush in this article. This line is so classic right here: Senior Obama administration officials acknowledge that human rights remain a major problem in Syria. But they argue that the Bush administration's attempts to isolate President Assad only made the regime more repressive.
But don't you see, dear reader...it's all good news! Members of Mr. Assad's government say that while they are determined to improve their relationship with the U.S., they are also keeping their options open when it comes to Iran. "Syria's a friendly country toward Iran. That's not a secret," said Fayssal Mekdad, Syria's deputy foreign minister, in an interview last month. "We believe we can play a role in solving misunderstandings" between the U.S. and Iran.
Well thank goodness for that! And with the help of people like this writer from the WSJ, we can all stop misunderstanding that Iran makes clear that they want to nuke Israel, kill our troops and violently suppress their own population.
#5
Aw com'on now Y'all should know by now that Ohshit worships power and Money
note power is in first place.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/01/2009 13:17 Comments ||
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#6
The Syrian economy is in deep shit compared to the Joos and the west, therefore it has decided to slowly make some economic changes in order to avoid total collapse.
/end article
This is nothing more than a move to keep Pencilneck's position secure.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
09/01/2009 14:34 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] President Bashar al-Assad on Monday said allegations that Syria was sheltering people suspected of involvement in devastating bombings in Iraq were "immoral" and politically motivated.
His remarks were the latest salvo in an escalating war of words between the two neighbors since Iraqi officials accused Syria of complicity in a spike of militant attacks in Iraq.
His comments came as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu embarked on a mediation bid between Baghdad and Damascus to defuse tensions which worsened last week when the neighbors recalled their respective ambassadors.
" When accusations are not based on any proof, this means they are illogical in the eyes of the law "
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
"Syria is accused of killing Iraqis although it welcomes 1.2 million Iraqis (refugees)," Assad said at a joint news conference with visiting Cyprus President Demetris Christofias.
"Such accusations are immoral and political," he said.
Iraq has accused Syria of sheltering suspects allegedly involved in one of two devastating truck bombings that targeted government ministries in Baghdad on Aug. 19, killing a total of 95 people and wounding 600.
"When accusations are not based on any proof, this means they are illogical in the eyes of the law," Assad said, again calling on Iraq to present evidence about its allegations.
"Because the full confession of the man involved doesn't count as evidence. (He didn't mention my name, I hope!)"
"As soon as the accusations were made, Syria officially asked Iraq to send a delegation to Damascus with proof," he said. "So far we have not received any reply."
Presdint President Assad sounds exactly like Pakistan about the Mumbai attack. No evidence will ever be accepted as proof. (Sorry about the spelling error. -- tw at 3:25 pm)
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran's parliament began a three-day session on Sunday to debate and vote on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's proposed new cabinet following his disputed re-election.
The confidence vote comes as Iran is gripped in political turmoil after Ahmadinejad's re-election triggered massive street protests which left at least 30 people dead and shook the pillars of the Islamic regime.
The outcome of the vote on the hard-line president's 21-member cabinet is seen as a test of his hold on power after the June 12 election, which defeated candidates say was rigged in his favor. The authorities deny the allegations.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Amid growing accusations of money laundering and fact fabrication, the son of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani has left the country for the UK, a source close to the family says.
Mehdi Hashemi-Rafsanjani's visit to London, however, "is not linked with the rumors over the possibility of his arrest, on charges of orchestrating and engineering [Iran's] post-election unrest," the source said on Monday.
During the fourth round of the mass trials held for the 'post-election detainees' on August 25, defendant Masoud Bastani told the court that Mehdi Hashemi-Rafsanjani has been seeking to "smear the four-year performance of the government, undermine legal organizations of the country (such as the Basij, the IRGC and the Guardian Council) and question the veracity of the (June 12 presidential) election results," through Jomhouriyat website.
Another defendant Hamzeh Karami, the manager of Jomhouriyat website, also told the court that about USD 2 million of the budget of the Iranian Fuel Conservation Organization -- which was headed by Mehdi at the time -- was used to finance his father's presidential campaign in 2005.
"Mehdi Hashemi believed that the elections in Iran were financed with government funds. He did not believe in spending private savings for the election. So they set up a system for forgery and falsification of documents," Karami claimed.
Following the outbreak of the unrest in the aftermath of Iran's presidential election, Mehdi Hashemi-Rafsanjani and his sister Faezeh were barred from leaving the country. However, the ban was lifted shortly afterwards thanks to the then prosecutor general Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi's intervention.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Ahead of a vote of confidence on the Iranian president's new cabinet, his proposed new intelligence minister vows to use cutting-edge technological discoveries to confront the enemy.
Any djinns involved? Or computers with Israeli-made Intel chips inside?
During a heated debate in parliament (Majlis) on Monday, intelligence minister-designate Heydar Moslehi stressed the importance of his post by hitting out at the enemy for what he described as soft war conspiracies.
Outlining his planned strategies for the ministry, Moslehi said he would adopt an "aggressive approach" in countering the enemy's "software and hardware attacks" and promote the intelligence capacity of the ministry to confront their "soft war."
As the enemy makes use of state-of-the-art methods in its war against the Islamic Republic "we [in the new ministry] will use updated information and cutting-edge technology to protect the Revolution and the system," Moslehi explained.
"Preventative measures should be one of the key methods in countering threats," Moslehi, who previously held the post of a representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, added.
As different cabinet nominees received various reviews from lawmakers during Monday's session, Jamshid Ansari, a deputy from the minority bloc criticized the president's pick, saying that the Intelligence Ministry should "not be affiliated to one branch of power."
"Mr. Moslehi does not have the minimum required experience for intelligence work and therefore his presence in this critical post would not be productive," Ansari told the Parliament.
Majlis is scheduled to give its vote of confidence to President Ahmadinejad's 21-member cabinet on Wednesday.
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/01/2009 00:00 ||
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