DAMASCUS // The Arab League observers in Syria were amateurish and under-resourced, and struggled to make sense of the situation they faced, according to a damning report on the mission by the man who led it.
The Sudanese general Mohammed Al Dabi says some monitors were too elderly or infirm to carry out their work, others were unqualified or unable to "shoulder the responsibility" and 22 quit.
Gen Al Dabi notes that "some observers thought their visit to Syria was for pleasure" and that they bickered over hotel rooms and cars.
At least 100 more observers, preferably "young and with military background" are needed to augment those deployed, the report says, together with armoured jeeps, bulletproof vests and modern communication equipment.
A batch of satellite phones intended for the observers was confiscated by the Syrian authorities on the Jordanian border, despite the protests of mission officials, the report says. Teams relied for communications on a few remaining satellite phones, unreliable mobiles and a handful of walkie-talkies donated by the Chinese embassy in Damascus.
The 18-page document, obtained by Foreign Policy, a US magazine, is apparently an English-language version of the monitor's findings, produced after their first month in the country and written by Mustafa Al Dabi, the mission's chief.
Given the significance of the report, which was supposed to determine the level of Syrian cooperation with an Arab League peace plan, it contains a number of confusing contradictions.
At one point it praises the Syrian government for playing a positive role, and says the authorities had placed no restrictions on movement and had helped to "alleviate any obstacles" facing the observers.
However, it also says that despite promises of full cooperation "the government put in place a tight strategy to limit access to the core areas, and keeping the mission occupied with issues of concern to the government".
The document, which covers the period 24 December to 18 Jan, is similarly unclear about how easily the monitors were able to work. It talks about their deployment going "smoothly" but then, later on, refers to the teams being assaulted by pro-regime mobs in Latakia to such a degree that an armoured jeep is "destroyed" and two of the observers injured.
But on the issue of army deployments in urban areas, it is unequivocal, stating that monitors were able to "conclude with certainty that all military vehicles, tanks and heavy weaponry were withdrawn from cities and residential quarters".
It praises the Syrian minister of defence for offering to travel with observers and order back any units they felt were breaking the terms of the Arab League deal.
Download leaked Arab League report
Protesters insist the observers were duped by the authorities, who had moved tanks a few streets away and not sent them back to their bases.
A few days after the report was presented to the Arab League last month, the monitoring mission was suspended over increased violence and the league called on the Syrian president, Bashar Al Assad, to stand down saying he had not implemented the peace deal.
That move shocked Syrian officials, and their ally Russia, who insisted nothing in Gen Al Dabi's report justified such a step.
The leaked document places a heavy emphasis on armed insurgents, and says rebels used "thermal bombs and anti-armour missiles".
It refers to the mission being able to "witness acts of violence against government forces and citizens" and states government forces resorted to violence "as a reaction to attacks".
Insurgents were also probably to blame for the death of a French journalist in Homs, the report says.
The presence of opposition "armed elements" had not been taken into fair account by the Arab League protocol overseeing the mission, the report says, although it noted these militants had "undoubtedly" arisen as a "direct result of the Syrian government's forces excessive use of force" during the opening months of the crisis.
Calling for the mission to be given more time, in addition to greater resources, Gen Al Dabi refers to "positive results - if incomplete". He says protesters welcomed the observers' presence and suggested that the
Syrian authorities had gone some way to implementing the Arab League deal.
Under the terms of that agreement, Damascus was required to pull back military units from urban areas, halt the use of deadly violence, free all political prisoners and begin talks with the opposition.
According to the report, the Syrian government had released 5,252 prisoners - fewer than the 7,604 officials claimed to have freed.
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture