Opposition website Enab Baladi reports on the eleventh-hour struggle between political and armed opposition groups to form a delegation for next week’s negotiations in Geneva with the Assad regime
An interview with Kheder Khaddour on why, despite its weak fighting capabilities, the Syrian army remains a key element of the regime’s survival strategy. Here is the second part of the interview.
“It’s different when I wear a Syrian hijab because the Turks believe that I won’t understand them and so they avoid me and don’t speak with me.” As debate continues in the West around the compatibility of the hijab with European values, Enab Baladi speaks to Syrian women in Turkey about their reasons for adopting the the Anatolian version of the head covering
Opposition outlet AlSouria Net speaks with the Syrian actor and member of the Cairo platform about next week’s negotiations in Geneva with the Assad regime, the role rebel groups will play, as well as Moscow’s intentions surrounding the political process in Syria
Various opposition groups are refusing to cooperate to form a delegation for the upcoming Geneva negotiations with the Assad regime, as rifts emerge between the HNC and rebel leaders who participated in the Astana meetings late last month, Ibrahim Hamidi writes
Saudi-based opposition newspaper reports on accidental killing of three Turkish soldiers in Russian operation near Syria’s northern border, as Putin attributes blunder to ineffectual military partnership between the two countries
Political opposition stands its ground against attempts by Moscow to influence the make-up of its negotiating delegation at the upcoming Geneva talks, while the US presidency begins meetings with UN and regional leaders on the Syrian issue, Sada al-Sham writes
President Assad told Belgian media that statements made by Trump are promising regarding the priority of fighting terrorists, and mainly ISIS. Below is the full text as appeared on SANA:
In Saudi-owned Al-Hayat, Ibrahim Hamidi breaks down the current struggle for representation at the upcoming negotiations as well as the tug of war around prioritizing the political and military tracks
In the lead-up to the Syria talks in Geneva, attendees should prepare for the US president to shift focus from the political process to the issue of establishing safe zones, Ali Dahi writes in loyalist Al-Watan
Russia says regular meetings will be held in the Kazakh capital, and will include representatives from the Syrian government and opposition along with other countries, with the aim of working towards implementing the peace process, according to state media
Loyalist Al-Thawra reports on the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s statement to the UN calling on the international community to end Turkish aggression after forces crossed into northern Syria
“The war brought out the worst in people,” says Safaa, who left her marriage after being subjected to cruelty by her ex-husband’s family. Facing the trying pressures of wartime, many Syrians have witnessed a break up of their closest relationships, Enab Baladi writes
Thousands of people transported from the Barada Valley this week since regime forces took complete control of the area west of the capital on Sunday, opposition media Alsouria Net reports
Lebanese website Al-Modon comments on the fracturing of opposition forces in Syria’s northern provinces as internal fighting forces factions to side with one of the two main rebel groups, Ahrar al-Sham or Al-Qaeda’s affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham
Key rebel group says it will not back down until former Al-Qaeda affiliate is stopped after fighters launched attacks on groups attending the Astana negotiations earlier this week, opposition media reports
Facing discrimination, uncertainty and a lack of work, some Syrian youths are preferring to remain behind instead of migrating from the shores of Turkey to Europe, while others are weighing the cost of returning to Syria altogether, Al Gherbal writes
Souriatna speaks to women who have been forced to remain inside Turkey indefinitely, often with children and without an income, while their applications for reunification with husbands and fiances are reviewed by European governments
Syrian government’s head negotiator speaks to the press about the success of the talks in Kazakhstan’s capital, lauding the efforts of allies Russia and Iran in reaching an agreement to form a ceasefire monitor
Al Gherbal meets with entrepreneurs and residents from throughout Aleppo and its countryside who are looking to resuscitate the province’s famous industry sector in an effort to become self-sufficient and lead better lives
