First Independent Mena Newspaper
U.N Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura’s visit to Syria ended on Wednesday with condemnations of government and rebel forces for indiscriminately killing civilians. During his visit, he met with President Assad, Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem, more than 30 political parties, religious figures and civil society organizations. Discussions during the various meetings were centered […]
The Pentagon surprisingly revealed on Thursday the cost of its engagement in the war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The Bill totals $2.7. This is the first time that the US Defense department has revealed its military operation cost. The Pentagon said the bulk of the spending, more than $1.8 billion, goes to air […]
Factions and groups making up the Syrian opposition landscape will be meeting for two days in Cairo to set up what would be called the Syrian National Opposition. Haytham Manna, a veteran Syrian opposition figure and a key organizer of the event said the new body will be “totally different” from the Syrian National Coalition […]
The Egyptian government has received a big boost after it sold $1.5 billion of 10-year bonds at a yield of 6% with lead managers claiming that $4.5 billion of investor orders were attracted by the bond issuance. The success of this first international bond issuance under Sisi’s government shows signs of a return to normality […]
A joint press conference between the foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia in Cairo was used to refute reports that the two countries disagree on the policies to adopt with regards to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Saudi is a strong supporter of the rebels fighting against the Assad regime while Egypt wants Assad to […]
In a rare interview, Abu Mohammad al-Golani leader of the Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, has said that the group’s objective is to end Assad’s regime although he didn’t dwell on whether their plans are to establish an Islamic regime or state. Al-Nusra is one of the most powerful Islamist group in Syria and […]
Defense ministers and army chiefs of staff of Arab countries met lately in Cairo to discuss the project of setting up a joint military force to be deployed to defend common interest and ward off terror threats. The idea to create a joint Arab army came up after Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies formed […]
After a year without a president, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag pleaded the leaders in Lebanon to forgo their political rivalries and prioritize their nation’s interests amidst the regional crisis especially the armed conflict in Syria. Political parties have failed to reach an agreement on a Christian candidate to serve as president after […]
The two-day working visit of the head of national security and foreign policy committee of the Iranian parliament, Alaedin Boroujerdi, to Syria during which he met with prominent officials such as President Bashar al-Assad, Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi, and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem ended on Thursday. Addressing the press before leaving for Tehran, Boroujerdi said […]
Morocco and the Netherlands have been unanimously elected co-chairs of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) taking over from the US and Turkey which had chaired the forum set up in 2011. The election took place during the GCTF Coordination Committee 7th session held in Qatar’s capital Doha last week. The election of Morocco as […]