Former Lebanese president Michel Aoun has denied that his surprise visit to Damascus on Tuesday was to seek the backing of Syria's President Bashar Al Assad.
Mr Aoun's media office issued a statement amid speculation that the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement was seeking Mr Al Assad's intervention in the Lebanese presidential election amid differences with its ally Hezbollah over the choice of candidates. Both the FPM and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group are aligned with Syria.
The former president “did not request a mediation or support for the position of the Free Patriotic Movement leader,” the statement said, emphasising Mr Aoun's dedication to Lebanon’s sovereignty.
“President Aoun's visit was strategic, about Syria and Lebanon's shared interests and the return of refugees to Syria, and it was not related to internal affairs,” an FPM representative told The National.
Lebanon's presidential post has remained vacant for seven months since Mr Aoun completed his term last year as parties and political blocs attempt to find a consensus candidate.
Hezbollah backs Suleiman Frangieh, leader of the Christian Marada Movement and known to be close to Damascus.
But the FPM has categorically refused to support Mr Frangieh, allying with opposition parties to back former finance minister Jihad Azour.
An electoral parliamentary session has been called for June 14.
Mr Aoun’s visit to Lebanon's war-torn neighbour was his first since 2009.
It followed Syria’s readmission to the Arab League last month, ending years of regional isolation over Mr Al Assad’s crackdown on domestic opposition to his rule in 2011 that led to a deadly and multifaceted civil war powered by international proxies.
“He has wanted to visit with Assad for years but couldn’t when he was president due to the international restrictions and the political implications,” a source close to Mr Aoun said.
The meeting between Mr Aoun and Mr Al Assad was shrouded in secrecy. Sources close to the former Lebanese president said their talks covered Syria’s return to Arab life, changes in the Middle East’s political landscape, and the Syrian refugees living in Lebanon.
Both countries are undergoing interlinked economic crises. Lebanon's economy collapsed in 2019 following years of financial mismanagement and corruption, while Syria has been affected by the destructive civil war and international war-related sanctions that have also affected Lebanon.
“The rise and prosperity of Syria will undoubtedly reflect well on Lebanon,” Mr Aoun’s media office said, acknowledging the conjoined nature of the two countries.
Mr Al Assad emphasised the importance of Lebanon’s political and economic stability, which is “in the interest of Syria and the region in general”.
Lebanon shares a complicated history with Syria, which wields influence over Lebanese politics. Lebanon’s parliamentary blocs are split according to their relationship with Syria: there is the pro-Hezbollah, Syria-aligned bloc, which includes Mr’s Aoun’s party, and a coalition of parties characterised by their opposition to Hezbollah and Syrian influence.
Syria was a warring proxy in Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war and maintained a military presence long after the war’s end.
Syria withdrew its military from Lebanon in 2005, but its occupation has left a sour association in the minds of many Lebanese. For others, the neighbouring country is viewed as a natural ally.
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
