A Syrian Kurdish woman places a candle on a grave at a cemetery in Qamishli in the north-eastern Hasakeh province on November 7, 2019. AFP
A Syrian Kurdish woman places a candle on a grave at a cemetery in Qamishli in the north-eastern Hasakeh province on November 7, 2019. AFP
A Syrian Kurdish woman places a candle on a grave at a cemetery in Qamishli in the north-eastern Hasakeh province on November 7, 2019. AFP
A Syrian Kurdish woman places a candle on a grave at a cemetery in Qamishli in the north-eastern Hasakeh province on November 7, 2019. AFP

‘Winner’ Assad has much to lose from new constitution


Khaled Yacoub Oweis
  • English
  • Arabic

President Bashar Al Assad has been pushing the idea that he has all but won the civil war in Syria and it is time to rebuild the country.

Since the conflict began in 2011, three UN envoys have failed to achieve a political transition, which they later blamed on the intransigence of the regime.

But last week the regime began UN-supervised talks with the opposition to draw up a new constitution that is seen as a first step to achieving that goal.

The 150-member Constitutional Committee comprises 50 members each from the opposition and the regime representatives.

The UN chose the other third, defining them as civil figures whether they were close to the regime or the opposition. A majority of 75 per cent is needed to pass the document.

The new constitution, under a UN Security Council Resolution in December 2015, is part of a Syrian-led political process towards “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance”.

The major point of the resolution is the formation of a transitional governing body of regime and opposition representatives, which was envisioned in the Geneva Communique of 2012.

The timing of its formation was kept deliberately vague in the UN resolution and later ones based on it, together with what defines a political transition.

Diplomats said it was the only way for the resolutions to be passed, as Russia and the US continued to have major differences over Syria.

The constitution was prioritised under Russian pressure, with the US acquiescing to Moscow’s position, a UN official said.

Moscow’s intervention in the civil war in late 2015 saved Mr Al Assad, allowing his regime to regain significant territory.

Russia intervened after Iranian efforts failed to halt a major rebel advance from the north that threatened to isolate the Alawite Mountains, the heartland of Mr Al Assad’s minority sect, from his seat of rule in Damascus.

If Mr Al Assad continues to rule, few doubt that the Geneva constitution will be as toothless as the two constitutions enacted in the past 49 years of Assad family rule over Syria.

An early 1970s constitution stipulated a maximum of two seven-year terms for the president.

But that limit was ignored as Hafez Al Assad ruled from 1970 until his death in 2000, and the slogan “Hafez Al Assad for eternity” became a centrepiece of state propaganda.

Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria. His three predecessors quit over the intransigence of the Bashar Al Assad regime. EPA
Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria. His three predecessors quit over the intransigence of the Bashar Al Assad regime. EPA

In 2012, with two years left to complete two terms, Bashar Al Assad replaced the constitution, keeping the two-term limit but starting anew, meaning he can rule until 2026 without breaking the law.

Pressured by Russia to come up with an internationally supported constitution, Mr Al Assad is negotiating with an opposition he supposedly vanquished on a document he may not be able to dictate.

But the regime has the advantage in that no time frame has been set to finish the process and the opposition is divided.

A significant proportion of the opposition delegation in the committee is influenced by Moscow and by Turkey, an opponent of Mr Al Assad which has yielded to Russia in major ways.

A confidential study presented to western and Arab governments involved in Syria shows that 17 of the 50 members of the opposition quota in the Constitutional Committee live in Turkey.

The study found Turkey had most influence in the opposition delegation, with sway over 20 members, compared with seven for Moscow and four for Egypt.

Russia’s core allies among the opposition are the five members of the so-called Moscow Platform, whose stance on not demanding Mr Al Assad’s departure is closely aligned with Russia’s.

Another five members belong to the closely aligned Cairo Platform, and six are members of the National Co-ordination Committee, who live in Syria and whose actions are under the regime’s scrutiny.

In a possible dress rehearsal for Geneva, Russia in January 2018 convened the Conference of the Syrian Peoples, in Sochi.

Billed as a national dialogue, the meeting was supposed to adopt a federal constitution, followed by elections.

Under pressure from Turkey, members of the Syrian opposition took part in the conference, although they considered it to be aimed solely at legitimising the regime.

Ahmad Tumeh, a veteran opposition member who went to Sochi and is on the Constitutional Committee, told The National that while the opposition did not want to be seen as obstructionist, that did not mean it would compromise on the core objectives of the 2011 revolt against Assad family rule.

Mr Tumeh also leads the opposition delegation to the Astana process, dominated by Moscow, which undermined the UN approach to resolving the conflict by burying requirements for a political transition.

He was a political prisoner for three years before 2011, but has lately been accused of selling out by Syrians opposed to Mr Al Assad.

But Mr Tumeh and Hadi Al Bahra, head of the opposition delegation in Geneva, are among a group that consider themselves to be pragmatists.

They regard the process in Geneva and the need to keep Turkey on their side as the only avenues left for an opposition abandoned by the rest of its allies, and a people whose plight under tyranny was eventually met with western indifference.

So far the major western powers have remained united in refusing to take part in rebuilding Syria without a fundamental change in the political system.

Although Russia shows no signs of abandoning Mr Al Assad, it also has an interest in a rebuilt Syria to show the efficacy of its approach in the Middle East.

The "pragmatists" among the Syrian opposition see their engagement in Geneva as yielding results that could undermine Mr Al Assad in the long term, however weak their position is now.

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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation

- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.

- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.

- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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MATCH INFO

England 241-3 (20 ovs)

Malan 130 no, Morgan 91

New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)

Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47

England win by 76 runs

Series level at 2-2

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier

Results

UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs

Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets

Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets

Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets

Semi-finals

UAE v Qatar

Bahrain v Kuwait

 

Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE

There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.

It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.

What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.

When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.

It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.

This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.

It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

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
How Beautiful this world is!
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

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Votes

Total votes: 1.8 million

Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes

Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes 

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.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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