US troops in Syria should supervise the integration of Kurdish fighters into the country’s security forces, President Ahmad Al Shara said.
His comments came during a visit to the US, where he was received by President Donald Trump before the White House announced that Syria had joined the anti-ISIS coalition.
“I believe the best solution is that the US troops present in Syria should supervise the integration [of the Syrian Democratic Forces into the central government’s security forces]. The task of protecting Syrian territory will be the responsibility of the state,” he told The Washington Post in an interview.
It is believed that there are between 1,500 and 2,000 US troops in Syria.
In recent weeks, talks have reached advanced stages on integrating the US-backed, 40,000-member SDF into the post-Bashar Al Assad administration, without major changes to its structure. However, little appears ready to be signed, with the SDF demanding international guarantees for any arrangement, Syrian sources told The National last month.
“Syria today is capable of shouldering this responsibility. Keeping Syria divided, or having any military force that is not under control of the government, represents the best environment for ISIS to flourish,” Mr Al Shara said.
A US-brokered ceasefire on October 7 halted urban warfare between government forces and SDF-linked fighters in a Kurdish area of Aleppo, Syria’s industrial centre and second-largest city. The fighting had threatened to unravel a tentative integration deal reached in March between Mr Al Shara and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi.
On Wednesday, Mr Abdi wrote on X that he had a “wonderful phone call” with US envoy Tom Barrack to discuss the outcome of Mr Al Shara's meetings at the White House, vowing to “accelerate the integration of the SDF into the Syrian state”.
Agreement with Israel
Soon after Mr Al Shara and Mr Trump met in Washington, it was announced that Syria had officially joined the anti-ISIS coalition. Syrian Minister of Information Hamza Al Mostafa confirmed that Damascus had signed a political agreement, without elaborating.
The US State Department also announced the partial suspension of the so-called Caesar Act sanctions for 180 days, with the exception of transactions involving Russia and Iran. The Caesar Act, which encompasses most US sanctions on Syria, can only be lifted permanently by Congress. The White House previously issued a temporary waiver in May.
“Stability is linked with the economy, and the economy, or economic development, is linked with the lifting of sanctions,” Mr Al Shara said. “This discussion has been going on for months now, and I believe that we reached good results. But we are still waiting for the final decision.”
He also discussed direct negotiations with Israel regarding its troops occupying Syrian territory, saying that any agreement would only be possible after Israel withdrew from the land it grabbed following the fall of the Assad regime on December 8 last year.
“We are engaged in direct negotiations with Israel, and we have gone a good distance on the way to reach an agreement. But to reach a final agreement, Israel should withdraw to their pre-December 8 borders,” he said.
He warned, however, against Israel’s expansionist strategy.
“Israel occupied the Golan Heights in order to protect Israel, and now they are imposing conditions in the south of Syria in order to protect the Golan Heights,” Mr Al Shara said. “So after a few years, maybe they will occupy the centre of Syria in order to protect the south of Syria. They will reach Munich on that pathway.”
Mr Al Shara is a former fighter with extremist groups, including Al Qaeda. “I have fought so many wars, but I’ve never caused the death of an innocent person,” he said.
He also said he met the mother of missing US citizen Austin Tice and introduced her to his own mother.
“My mother had a similar story,” Mr Al Shara said. “I went missing for seven years, and everyone thought that I was killed except my mother. She had strong belief that I would come back one day.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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65
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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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.
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
Naga
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.