Live updates: Follow the latest on Syria
Russia and Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), the rebel group that led the toppling of Bashar Al Assad's regime, have begun negotiations over Moscow's military presence in Syria in a "positive atmosphere", marking an unprecedented diplomatic shift between the two former enemies.
“We are at the first step of negotiations," an HTS source familiar with the talks told The National on Monday.
"People are trying hard to stop the bloodshed; they would like to build a new life and move forward. We are forced to repair relations, the country is dead, and people are very poor,” said the source.
Russia maintains strategic military assets in Syria, including the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the Tartous naval facility – both of which have been thrown into question by the ousting of Mr Al Assad, a long-time ally of Russia. The National gained rare access to the Hmeimim airbase on Monday and conducted interviews with a Russian military representative who confirmed that HTS and Russia established communication last week in an amicable atmosphere.
“We don’t feel unsafe now with the new government, and we want to have friendly relations as it will soon be legitimate,” the military representative said. Until Mr Al Assad’s fall, Russia viewed HTS as a terrorist group and had fought rebel groups for nearly a decade during the Syrian civil war.
HTS is made up mainly of groups from the extremist organisation Jabhat Al Nusra, which was linked to Al Qaeda. It shed its ties with Al Qaeda in 2016 and rebranded itself as Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, after a purge undertaken by the group's leader Ahmad Al Shara, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani.
The former president fled with his family to Moscow. On Monday, he said in a statement that his exit was "not planned" and that he was forced to leave after being evacuated from Russia's Hmeimim base. However, the Russian representative denied that Mr Assad or any security officials left via the airbase.
We don’t feel unsafe now with the new government, and we want to have friendly relations
Russian military official
The continuing negotiations centre on the two bases, which Russia is keen to retain due to their strategic importance. The Tartus naval facility, Russia’s only repair and supply hub in the Mediterranean, was leased from the Syrian regime for 49 years in 2017. The Hmeimim airbase, a crucial hub for Russian military operations in the Middle East and Africa, has served as the main base for its air campaign in Syria since 2015.
“There are no red lines; this is based on interests, not ideology,” the HTS source said. Negotiations over the Tartous port appear to be progressing, with HTS sources saying the group cannot “cancel the port lease". The source confirmed that "any new regime has to respect it".
While the future of the Hmeimim airbase is still under negotiation, HTS has shown signs of openness as it pushes for international recognition and seeks new allies. Meanwhile, the T4 airfield – another Russian military base in Homs – has been emptied, with Russian forces consolidating at Tartous and Hmeimim. The National observed dozens of tanks and military vehicles bearing Russian flags moving to the two bases.
A Russian military representative said no forces have left Syria, describing the movements as an internal redeployment pending an official decision. “It’s not a withdrawal; we’re just performing military duties."
With negotiations in progress, it remains unclear what concessions Syria might seek in return. The HTS source indicated that the group plans to request Russia extradite Mr Assad, and others wanted for war crimes, to Syria or the International Criminal Court (ICC), though they are not optimistic that this demand will be met.
An economic incentive may be on the table. Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, suspended wheat shipments to Syria following Mr Assad’s removal. HTS, however, appears to be keeping its options open as it refines its diplomatic alliances.
“Ukraine can provide wheat, but we have options: the leadership is thinking we need to balance between powers," said the HTS sources.
Russian forces are currently deployed at the Latakia International Airport base, which is now closed and sits adjacent to the military airfield and typically shares its facilities.
The airport director Ziad Tawil said he hopes it will reopen soon for commercial flights.
Inside the facility, Russian forces said they have a “good” relationship with HTS. “Our relations with HTS are good,” the Russian representative said. “We have contact and communication with the new government head, and neither side is provoking the other”.
An HTS fighter, who joined The National’s tour of the facility, was seen trying a vape offered by a Russian soldier. The two chatted casually, despite the language barrier. At one point, the fighter snapped a selfie inside the base — a scene unimaginable just a week ago.
The ground leading to the airport entrance is strewn with uniforms and weapons left behind by Syrian regime soldiers who fled without resistance. But Russian soldiers said they were “not worried about an attack” during the rebels' offensive.
“We speak to each other under military conditions. They are military personnel, and so are we,” the Russian source said.
HTS and the Russian representative confirmed that the group escorted Russian forces from the T4 airbase in Homs to Hmeimim airbase to protect them from local groups. This came after the Russians requested help due to worsening conditions, including shortages of food and medicine.
HTS is now faced with the challenge of reconciling its pursuit of new allies with anti-Russian sentiment among some of the population, given Russia’s extensive military intervention in support of Mr Al Assad's forces. Outside the facility, an HTS fighter guarding the entrance called the Russians “terrorists”.
“They all need to leave, yallah, back to Russia. They bombed us – not the military, but civilians,” he said.
The HTS source stated that “we do not forget Russia’s role in bombing innocent civilians and destroying children’s dreams". However, "we will rise above our wounds and strive to build relationships with regional countries that can help the Syrian people recover and rebuild”.
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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.”
