BULLETIN No.3

Inside and Outside Syria, a Debate to Decide the Future
By Anthony Shadid - Washington Post, LONDON
The man who may help decide the future of Syria sits in a tidy, two-story house at the end of a drab street of a London suburb, about 2,200 miles from home.
Outside View: Syria on the Rails
By YOUSSEF M. IBRAHIM - UPI
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The French proverb, "The more it changes the more it is the same old thing'' comes to mind as we watch the contortions of the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad in the face of repeated requests by U.N. United Nations investigator Detlev Mehlis looking into who killed Rafik Hariri last February.
Mr. Assad: Time to Save Syria
Ya Lıbnan
Beirut - We have a habit in the Middle East of blaming others for our problems. The problems are within ourselves and we need to recognize this sooner rather than later, in order to solve them with the least amount of damage. We need to start maturing and be responsible for our actions.
SYRIA: For Many Kurds, Statelessness Remains a Way of Life
IRIN
HASSAKE/DAMASCUS - When Gamal Mohammed Kassem, a 32-year old Kurdish farmer born and raised in the north eastern Syrian city of Hassake, needed to travel south to Hama city for surgery, he had to ask a Syrian friend to provide the authorities with a written promise he would return.
Syria and Russia to Boost Business Cooperation
The Syrian-Russian Business Council Sunday conferred on means of enhancing and developing bilateral ties, increasing trade exchange and adopting necessary procedures to open an exhibition on Syrian products due in the Russian district of Sverdlovsk next May.
Global Investment House – Syria Economic & Strategic Outlook I – Monetary Policy and Inflation
The monetary policy in Syria, which was characterized by a multiple fixed exchange rate system, rigid interest rates and a direct government control over the banking system, has witnessed some changes lately which aims at moving towards more flexibility and responsiveness to market conditions.
Ortadoğu''da Resim Netleşirken
Hasan Ünal - Yeniçağ
Dışişleri Bakanı Abdullah Gül''ün aniden Şam''ı ziyaret etmesi pek çok açıdan ele alınması gereken bir gelişme. Şam yönetiminin Hariri suikastıyla ilişkilendirilmesi ve giderek bu rejimi devirmeye yönelik girişimler belirginlik kazanıyor.
Mehlis Discusses Interrogation Locale with Syrian Official
By Leila Hatoum – The Daily Star
UN investigator Detlev Mehlis met with the Syrian Foreign Ministry's legal adviser Riad Daoudi in Barcelona, Spain on Friday to "discuss where six top Syrian officers would be questioned," according to a UN official. UN chief Kofi Annan's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric spoke of the meeting with Mehlis, the chief investigator.
Syria Welcomes Election of Amir Peretz as Leader of Israel's Labor Party
Compiled By Daily Star
Syria regards the election of Amir Peretz as leader of Israel's Labor party as a positive move and believes he could become a negotiating partner, an Arab-Israeli MP said on Friday after talks in Damascus. Talab al-Sana, who traveled to the Syrian capital in defiance of an Israeli ban, said he had met with a number of officials during his week in Damascus.
British Foreign Secretary: "A Military Strike Against Syria is not on the Agenda of any Party"
By Mina Al-Oraibi - Finacial Times
Manama, Asharq Al-Awsat- British Foreign Office Secretary Jack Straw spoke to journalists on return from his visit to Bahrain about Syria, his recent visit to Iraq and the failure of the signing of the Bahrain Declaration.
FM Abdullah Gul's Visit to Syria
Arabic News
Turkish FM Abdullah Gul made a surprised visit to Damascus to meet with his counterpart Al Sharaa and Syrian leader Bashar al-Asad yesterday. This visit is important for two reasons.
Aoun Speaks to Supporters in Washington
By Jihane Abou Chabke – The Daily Star
Kesrouan MP Michel Aoun spoke to Free Patriotic Movement supporters at a Lebanese restaurant in the heart of Washington on Thursday. The former Lebanese Army general, who has been on a visit to the United States since last Monday, urged those gathered to work toward a better and freer Lebanon.
Syria's Desperate Jabs Merely Embarass Allies
By Walid Choucair – The Daily Star
Damascus has embarrassed its allies in Lebanon by deciding to wade deeper into a political confrontation with the international community, on Lebanese soil, with the aim of proving there are political divisions in Lebanon as a result of Security Council Resolution 1636.
Syrian Ambassador to UN Warns Mehlis' Work 'can Take Years'
By Majdoline Hatoum - The Daily Star
Amid accusations that Damascus is trying to delay the UN probe into the murder of former Premier Rafik Hariri, Syrian Ambassador to the UN Faisal Mekdad said the work of the international committee "could take years" to be concluded. In an interview with The Daily Star in New York, Mekdad said "the report, which was highly politicized, said the committee.
Is an Israeli Pollard Possible?
By Amir Oren - Haaretz
Twenty years ago today, a red Mustang carrying a man, a woman, a cat and suitcases, burst onto the access ramp leading to the underground parking lot in the Israeli embassy building in Washington.
Sharon 'Set to Quit Likud Party'
BBC
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is to quit the ruling Likud party and start a new party, reports say.
Sharon Is Said to Plan an Exit From His Party
New York Times
Ariel Sharon will quit the governing Likud Party and create a new party to try to win re-election, according to Israeli media.
Sharon to Quit Likud and Form Centrist Party
Guardian
Frustrated Israeli leader will force early elections · Former Labour chief Peres expected to give support
Explainer: Likud after Sharon
Abbas Must Act Like a Sovereign, not a Supplicant
By Geoffrey Aronson – The Daily Star
The liberation strategy of the Palestinian national movement is in crisis. The current situation offers Palestinians unprecedented opportunities for creating space for the sovereign application of Palestinian power, yet the opportunity is in danger of being missed by a leadership and an opposition that is looking forward by looking backward to an undeservedly idealized past that is gone forever.
The Economist: Democracy Taking Root in Mideast
By Agence France Presse
Democracy is taking firm root in the Middle East and North Africa where Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinians will make great strides in 2006, Britain's influential magazine The Economist predicted Friday. The international weekly news and business magazine's Index of Political Freedom ranked 20 countries on 15 indicators of political and civil liberties for its annual preview of the year ahead.