DAMASCUS // A Lebanese embassy opened in Damascus today after international pressure on the Syrian government to establish diplomatic ties and treat its smaller neighbour as a fully sovereign country.
The Lebanese flag was raised on the premises in the centre of Damascus and the embassy is now staffed with a charge d'affaires, a Lebanese official said.
The two countries have not had diplomatic relations since Britain and France carved them out of the remnants of the old Ottoman Empire in 1920.
Syria, which withdrew its forces from Lebanon after a 29-year presence in 2005, opened an embassy in Beirut last year but has not named an ambassador. Lebanon has named Michel Khoury as its ambassador.
The Damascus government has in the past resisted establishing diplomatic ties with Lebanon, saying the two countries had an especially close relationship.
But Syria's critics, including France and the United States, said by resisting normal diplomatic relations with Lebanon, Syria was trying to undermine its sovereignty.
Syria dominated Lebanese politics for 30 years until the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al Hariri in 2005, which led to popular protests and the eventual withdrawal of Syrian forces.
Anti-Syrian politicians, including Mr Hariri's son, Saad, have blamed Damascus for the killing of Mr Hariri. A United Nations investigation implicated high-level Syrian security officials in the incident but Syria denies involvement.
"Opening the embassy puts the onus on the Syrians now to proceed with naming an ambassador. It is more than a symbolic step. Relations would have to go through official diplomatic channels, at least partially", said one Western diplomat in the Syrian capital.
The Syrian foreign minister Walid al Moualem said Damascus would name an ambassador to Lebanon "very soon" but he did not indicate exactly when.
The two countries also agreed last year to demarcate the border between them, but a committee to work on the issue has been slow in getting off the ground.
The Syrian president Bashar al Assad issued a decree in October to open diplomatic relations with Lebanon after a Lebanese political crisis ended in May and relations improved between Syria and the new Lebanese government.
*Reuters
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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.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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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
Overall standings
1. Christopher Froome (GBR/Sky) 68hr 18min 36sec,
2. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) at 0:18.
3. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 0:23.
4. Rigoberto Uran (COL/CAN) 0:29.
5. Mikel Landa (ESP/SKY) 1:17.
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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