Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani held talks with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia and the kingdom's defence minister during the Syrian interim government's first international trip, as it seeks to build alliances and bolster its regional standing during a crucial transition period.
Countries in the region and beyond have reached out to the administration led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham chief Ahmad Al Shara since the group, once affiliated with Al Qaeda, led a rebel offensive that toppled president Bashar Al Assad on December 8.
“Through this first visit in the history of Free Syria, we aspire to open a new, bright page in Syrian-Saudi relations that befits the long shared history between the two countries,” Mr Al Shibani said on X as the Syrian delegation arrived in Riyadh on Thursday. He was accompanied by the Minister of Defence Murhaf Abu Qasra and the head of the General Intelligence Service, Anas Khattab.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with the Assad regime in 2012, as did other Arab states. But Riyadh restored relations last year and was instrumental in Syria's return to the Arab League, ending its regional isolation before the regime was toppled by the rebels last month.
Gulf countries had sought assurance from Mr Al Assad that Damascus would stop the flow of the drug Captagon from Syria. The amphetamine-like narcotic was Syria's most valuable export in the final years of his rule, with the value of the trade estimated at billions of dollars.
Syrian state media said Mr Al Shibani's visit to Saudi Arabia was at the invitation of Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The delegation was received at Riyadh airport by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji.
Prince Faisal assured Mr Al Shibani of the kingdom's support to ensure security and stability in Syria during their meeting, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said in a post on X that he had discussed with Mr Al Shibani how best to support Syria's political transition.
Last week, Mr Al Shara told the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel that the kingdom “will certainly have a large role in Syria's future”, pointing to “a big investment opportunity for all neighbouring countries”.
Syria's economy and infrastructure have been devastated by more than 13 years of civil war that began with a crackdown on pro-democracy protests by Mr Al Assad's forces in 2011.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Oman pledged support for Syria in phone calls with Mr Al Shibani this week, and the charge d'affaires of the EU mission, Michael Ohnmacht, held talks with the Foreign Minister in Damascus.
Meanwhile, preparations for Syria’s National Dialogue Conference are continuing and a date for the dialogue has yet to be set, three sources from Syria’s interim government told The National on Thursday. It was previously reported that the conference was set to take place between January 4 and 5.
“The announcement that the national dialogue conference was on that date was just talk,” Mohammad Al Faisal, a political affairs official in the interim government, clarified. “In reality, we have never officially announced a date.
“Preparations are still ongoing, but it’s a big conference that brings together various facets of Syrian society, so it will take time to put them together,” he added. “It will be sooner rather than later. It’s not clear when yet, but hopefully soon.”
Another political source hinted that the conference was likely to take place towards the end of January but declined to provide a date, saying only “preparations are ongoing and procedures must be put in place”.
The announcement of the conference last week followed statements by Syria's de facto leader, who said elections in Syria could take up to four years, and drafting a new constitution might take three years.
Local media reported that 1,200 Syrians would attend the event in personal capacities rather than as representatives of any political group. Additionally, 70 to 100 people from each governorate, representing all segments of society – including women and young people – will be invited to participate.
The conference could be the first pan-national gathering of Syria's political and sectarian groups after years of civil war. It will be a critical test of whether the new regime can fulfil its promise to unite the country in the post-Assad era.
In Homs city, Syrian security forces are conducting an operation, state media reported, with a monitor saying it focused on two districts that are home to the Alawite minority.
"The Ministry of Interior, in co-operation with the Military Operations Department, begins a wide-scale combing operation in the neighbourhoods of Homs city," state news agency Sana said, quoting a security official. It added that the targets were "war criminals and those involved in crimes who refused to hand over their weapons and go to the settlement centres", as well as "hidden ammunition and weapons".
Read more about the coronavirus
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
MATCH INFO
Group B
Bayern Munich v Tottenham, midnight (Thursday)
Read more from Mina Al-Oraibi
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Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Fixtures
50-over match
UAE v Lancashire, starts at 10am
Champion County match
MCC v Surrey, four-day match, starting on Sunday, March 24, play starts at 10am
Both matches are at ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City. Admission is free.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Match info
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')
More on animal trafficking
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
More coverage from the Future Forum
Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
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Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
