Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara will reveal his “real colours” with his responses to several security challenges facing Syria and his efforts to ensure inclusivity in the political system, a former US official for the Middle East said on Wednesday.
Former US assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf was among the first western officials to meet the new Syrian leader after he came to power following a rebel-led offensive that toppled the former regime in December last year.
On Wednesday at the Sulaimani Forum in the Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah, Ms Leaf warned of the mounting tests that Mr Al Shara’s cabinet will have to pass in rebuilding Syria after 13 years of civil war.
“In the end, he’s going to be judged, I think, by how he responds to the many accumulating tests that lie out there,” Ms Leaf told a panel at the Sulaimani Forum in Iraq's Sulaymaniyah.
“What are those tests? You saw them in March – the terrible atrocities on the coast,” Ms Leaf added, referring to sectarian violence that killed more than 1,300 people in strongholds of former president Bashar Al Assad, according to figures from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Most of the dead were from the Alawite community to which Mr Al Assad belongs. It was the worst violence in Syria since the suppression in 2011 of protests against the Assad regime that led to the Syrian civil war.
Mr Al Shara has appointed a committee to investigate the recent bloodshed on the coast but he blamed remnants of the Assad regime for the violence. The coastal areas had largely been spared of fighting during Syria's civil war.
“He promised accountability. We’ll see,” said Ms Leaf. “But that is one of the lurking, dangerous threats to a successful transition – whether it's led by Al Shara or anybody else – which is 50 years, especially 14 years, of pent-up desire for prevention or reprisals.
“How he deals with the security dimension of the challenges is going to show his real colours. So, keeping a lid on that is one thing. Being accountable and transparent is another,” Ms Leaf said.
Syria officially formed a new government last month, comprising technocrats and confidants of Mr Al Shara, aiming to steer the country through a five-year transitional period and rebuild the damage inflicted by the civil war, while dealing with military incursions by Israel as well as a broken economy and limited resources.
The new government features ministers from the Alawite, Druze and Kurdish communities. The cabinet also includes technocrats who have studied abroad.
The final test for Mr Al Shara, said Ms Leaf, would be inclusivity for all components of Syrian society. But the new president may be viewing this issue from a different perspective to the Syrian people, she added.
“He is saying the right things, and he is doing some of the right things – many right things. He is making a very good impression on regional leaders,” she said.
Mr Al Shara has sought to rebuild and repair Syria’s relations with regional powers and western countries as he seeks to rid Syria of economic sanctions imposed under the Assad regime.
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Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
Race card for Super Saturday
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dh918,125) (Dirt) 1,900m.
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m.
7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
THREE
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