Head of the Syrian National Council (SNC) and Syrian opposition chief Abdel Basit Sayda speaks during a news conference in Abu Dhabi early on Sunday. REUTERS/Ben Job
Head of the Syrian National Council (SNC) and Syrian opposition chief Abdel Basit Sayda speaks during a news conference in Abu Dhabi early on Sunday. REUTERS/Ben Job
Head of the Syrian National Council (SNC) and Syrian opposition chief Abdel Basit Sayda speaks during a news conference in Abu Dhabi early on Sunday. REUTERS/Ben Job
Head of the Syrian National Council (SNC) and Syrian opposition chief Abdel Basit Sayda speaks during a news conference in Abu Dhabi early on Sunday. REUTERS/Ben Job

Syrian transitional government 'weeks away' from being finalised


  • English
  • Arabic

DUBAI // A transitional government solution for Syria is weeks away from being finalised, according to the chairman of the opposing Syrian National Council.

Abdulbaset Saida, who was in Abu Dhabi yesterday for a meeting with foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, told Sky News Arabia a transitional government proposal was discussed at the Arab Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Doha last week.

“The transitional government has been set as a priority at the last Arab meeting and we will be discussing with all the factions and parties involved in the struggle the criteria for it’s development,” he said.

Among the parties that need to be consulted are the Free Syrian Army and opposition political leaders currently in Syria, he added.

“The time frame set for this government to be formed is the next few weeks,” he said. “This government has to be set up and ready before the fall of the Assad regime.”

The Kofi Annan peace plan was a failure, Mr Saida, 55, said, referring to a plan sketched out by the former United Nations secretary general and put into play on March 27.

“After the failure of Annan’s plan, we will not accept any person from the regime to be in the government,” he said. “The opposition groups in Syria should represent this transitional government.

“We are not going to negotiate with the killers and we will not accept anything but justice against them. However, we are open to discussions with members of the regime who have not participated in the bloodshed,” he said.

Last week, the Syrian National Council (SNC) said it would accept an interim figure from the current regime, provided Bashar Al Assad stepped down as president.

Hours later it recanted the offer, saying only “a national consensus figure from the opposition” would be able to lead the country in a transition phase, and such a figure would “not be part of the regime”.

The council chairman once again called on Russia and China to support the Syrian people in his Sky News Arabia interview.

The SNC recognises Moscow as a major player, he said, but added they had not yet been approached by the Russian government for talks.

Mr Saida arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday to hold talks with Sheikh Abdullah about potential financial and technical support for the opposition from the UAE.

Future solutions should not include any offer of asylum for President Basheer Al Assad, Mr Saida told AFP, adding the president should be tried for “massacres”.

He also urged Arab “brothers and friends to support the Free Syrian Army” with weapons. “We want weapons that would stop tanks and jet fighters. That is what we want,” he said.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

HEY%20MERCEDES%2C%20WHAT%20CAN%20YOU%20DO%20FOR%20ME%3F
%3Cp%3EMercedes-Benz's%20MBUX%20digital%20voice%20assistant%2C%20Hey%20Mercedes%2C%20allows%20users%20to%20set%20up%20commands%20for%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Navigation%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Calls%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20In-car%20climate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Ambient%20lighting%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Media%20controls%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Driver%20assistance%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20General%20inquiries%20such%20as%20motor%20data%2C%20fuel%20consumption%20and%20next%20service%20schedule%2C%20and%20even%20funny%20questions%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThere's%20also%20a%20hidden%20feature%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20pressing%20and%20holding%20the%20voice%20command%20button%20on%20the%20steering%20wheel%20activates%20the%20voice%20assistant%20on%20a%20connected%20smartphone%20%E2%80%93%20Siri%20on%20Apple's%20iOS%20or%20Google%20Assistant%20on%20Android%20%E2%80%93%20enabling%20a%20user%20to%20command%20the%20car%20even%20without%20Apple%20CarPlay%20or%20Android%20Auto%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Essentials

The flights

Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes. 
 

The stay

A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

 

 

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Types of fraud

Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

* Nada El Sawy