Asia Features International

Syria: A new Syrian coalition group to negotiate with Assad

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 […]

Egypt Features Headlines

Egypt: Economy shows signs of revival, two new ministries underway

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 […]

Features International

Egypt : Riyadh and Cairo unified in Syria and against Iran

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 […]

Asia Features International

Syria: Nusra Front reveals Syria plan and enemies

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 […]

Egypt Features Headlines

Joint Arab Force Project Moving Forward Slowly but Surely

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 […]

Asia Features International

Lebanon: No president for 360days, U.N concerned

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 […]

Asia Features International

Iran offers “eternal” support to Syrian regime

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 […]

Features International

Morocco, the Netherlands co-chairs of Global Counter Terrorism Forum

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 […]

Asia Features International

Turkey: Erdogan highlights interrelation between Ankara and Kuwait City

Ahead of his two-day visit to Kuwait that will begin on Monday, President Erdogan said ties between the two countries are “strengthened by their common culture and by sharing the same religion” as he pointed out that their stability, prosperity and peace are interrelated. The Turkish president is hoping to boost commercial relations between them […]

Features International

Lebanon: Hezbollah Has Built Airstrip in Bekaa Valley for Iranian Drones?

Lebanese Islamist group of Hezbollah, supported by Iran, has built a remote airstrip in the northern Bekaa Valley, says IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly in its latest release. The airstrip around 10 miles west of the Syrian border was discovered through some satellite images. According to some defence experts, the single unpaved strip is unlikely to […]