Very best to all Syria Comment readers for the New Year. Best, Joshua<\/p>\n
Latest census in Syria: Population stands at 22.331 million. The work force is around 4.9 million, of which 1.38 million employed with the government.. [Thanks Idaf]<\/p>\n
???? ????????????? ” ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????”\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 ????? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ????? 1%\u00a0 ????? ??????? ??? ???? ?? 100 ???? ??? 101 ???.<\/p>\n ????? ????????? ?? ???? ?? 600 ??? ???? ????? ???2007? ????? ??? 147 ??? ???? ?? ?????? ??? (???? ??????)<\/p>\n ????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????137 ??? ???? ???? ????? 11 ???? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ? ????? ??? ????? ??????? 4?945 ?????? ???? ???? 1?379 ????? ???? ?? ?????? ???????\u00a0 .<\/p>\n Olmert to Turkish PM: We must advance toward direct Israel-Syria talks<\/a><\/p>\n Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Turkish counterpart Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday, telling him that “Whatever we don’t do today in the Middle East, we may not be able to achieve tomorrow. We must advance toward direct peace talks between Israel and Syria as soon as possible.”…<\/p>\n Tzipi Livni on Tuesday said that if Israel signs a peace deal with Syria, Damascus must take concrete steps to ensure the accord is worth more than the paper it is written on. ….<\/p>\n \u00a0Likud chairman MK Benjamin Netanyahu, … flanked by two Likud leaders who are closely identified with security issues, former Israel Defense Force chief of staff Moshe Ya’alon and Maj. Gen. (res.) Yossi Peled, added, “We have come here to openly say that a government I will head will remain on the Golan Heights and will protect it as a strategic asset.<\/p>\n “One doesn’t have to be a military expert to understand from here why the 1967 border is not a defensive line from this direction,” Ya’alon said.<\/p>\n Peled, who was the head of the Northern Command during his army career, said, “they are trying to sell us in Turkey. The Golan is the oxygen of the Jewish state, and to discuss it is potential suicide for the state of Israel.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Asad:<\/a> Syria would eventually embark on direct peace talks with Israel, but they must be based on U.N. Security Council resolutions, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday.<\/p>\n “It is essential to apply resolutions by the U.N. Security Council” on the Arab-Israeli conflict, Assad said on Monday.<\/p>\n In exchange for peace Syria is demanding the return of the entire Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in 1981 in a move unrecognized by the international community.<\/p>\n But Israel has baulked at this, since it would mean returning land right down to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, its main source of fresh water.<\/p>\n Assad also stressed the role of Europe in the peace process, saying: “Israel-Europe relations must be linked to Israels acceptance of U.N. resolutions.”<\/p>\n Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 call on Israel to withdraw from Arab territory it captured in the 1967 war.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Ehud Barak, Defense Minister and Labor leader, says:<\/p>\n “I am continuing the policy set by [David] Ben Gurion, which states that Israel has no interest in wars. If the quiet continues, there will be quiet. If the calm breaks, we will operate.”\u00a0 He added that he was currently working together with Israel Defense Forces Chief Gabi Ashkenazi and Military Intelligence head Amos Yadlin to advance talks with Syria.\u00a0 “I am taking action to advance peace in the real world, not in an imaginary one,” Barak said. “I am active more than anyone else in trying to reach peace with Syria. The director of Military Intelligence, the chief of staff and I, in contrast to others, are pushing for a settlement with the Syrians. We are the ones who are saying that we must not wait, that we must move ahead, take risks.”\u00a0 Barak also said that the recent remarks by feted author Amos Oz that the Labor Party has ended its historical role in Israeli politics were unfair and incorrect. “What he said hurt me. I think there was something unfair in what he said.”\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/strong><\/strong>A New Partner In Syria? President Bashar al-Assad says he doesn’t want to send a message to Barack Obama, exactly, but to express a three-part hope for the incoming administration’s Middle East policy:<\/p>\n First, he hopes Obama won’t start “another war anywhere in the world, especially not in the Middle East.” And he trusts that the doctrine of “preemptive war” will end when George W. Bush leaves office.<\/p>\n Second, Assad said, “We would like to see this new administration sincerely involved in the peace process.” He hopes that Obama will back Syria’s indirect negotiations with Israel, and he urges the new administration to pursue “the Lebanese track and the Palestinian track, as well.”<\/p>\n Asked whether he would mind if the Syrian track went first (a sequence that has worried some Syrians who prefer the ideological purity of following the Palestinians), Assad answered: “Of course not. Each track will help the other.”<\/p>\n Third, he says he wants Syria and the United States to work together to stabilize Iraq as American troops begin to leave. “We can’t turn the clock back,” Assad said. “The war happened. Now we have to talk about the future. We have to forge a process, a political vision and a timetable for withdrawal.”<\/p>\n In all three “hopes,” Assad seemed to be looking for a new start with Obama after years of chilly relations with Bush. Assad said he knew little about Obama or his policies but has heard that he is more in contact with ordinary people than Bush has been, which, Assad contended, would give Obama a better understanding of America.<\/p>\n Assad spoke in English during the 30-minute interview Monday. He was accompanied only by his political and media adviser Bouthaina Shaaban. This time, in contrast to my interview with him in 2003 , when Assad was often stiff and doctrinaire, he was loose and informal, breaking several times into laughter.<\/p>\n Assad’s easy demeanor suggested that he’s more firmly in charge now. The Bush administration’s attempt to isolate Syria has failed, even in the judgment of senior White House officials. That leaves Assad in the catbird seat, courted by European and Arab nations and conducting back-channel talks through Turkey with his erstwhile enemy Israel.<\/p>\n Asked, for example, about reports that Saudi Arabia is seeking to improve its relations with Damascus because it sees U.S. engagement with Syria ahead and fears that “the train may be leaving the station,” Assad laughed.<\/p>\n “Maybe it has already left the station,” he said. But he vows that he is ready to receive any emissaries. “I have no problem with the Saudis. We would like good relations with every country in this region.”<\/p>\n Assad said that he is ready to move to direct talks with Israel as soon as he receives clarification on two points: One, he wants assurance that the Israelis will withdraw fully from the Golan Heights. To clarify that issue, he sent a “borders document” to the Israelis this month that highlights some points along the pre-1967 border. As of Monday, he said, he hadn’t received an Israeli response. His second condition for direct talks is that the United States join as a sponsor.<\/p>\n On the crucial question of Syria’s future relations with Iran, Assad was noncommittal. He said the relationship with Iran wasn’t about the “kind of statehood” Syria has or its cultural affinities but about protecting Syrian interests against hostile neighbors. “It’s about who plays a role in this region, who supports my rights,” he said. “It’s not that complicated.”<\/p>\n Asked whether Syria was prepared to restrain Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite militia in Lebanon, Assad said this was a matter the Israelis should sort out in separate negotiations with the Lebanese. Indeed, he promoted the idea of the other negotiating tracks — which would draw in, at least indirectly, Hezbollah and Hamas.<\/p>\n “The longer the border, the bigger the peace,” Assad said. “Hezbollah is on the Lebanese border, not Syrian. Hamas is on the Palestinian border. . . . They should look at those other tracks. They should be comprehensive. If you want peace, you need three peace treaties, on three tracks.”<\/p>\n A relaxed Assad clearly believes that Syria is emerging from its pariah status. An international tribunal is still scheduled to meet in The Hague to weigh Syria’s alleged role in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri. But in the meantime, Assad is receiving a stream of visiting diplomats. He looks like a ready partner for Obama’s diplomacy, but a cautious one — waiting to see what’s on offer before he shows more of his hand.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Patrick Lang <\/a>:<\/p>\n “The “borders” issue in the Golan Heights has become a non-issue.\u00a0 This is not the ’60s.\u00a0 Israel’s survival does not depend on the possession of a few hundred square kilometers of stony, scruffy land.\u00a0 Technology and capabilities have moved on.\u00a0 The military realities that the Likudniks like to talk about render such consideration “oldspeak,” mere excuses for not giving up a square centimeter of the others side(s) land,”<\/p>\n “Bashar Assad’s Syria has sought accommodation with the US for the last several years.\u00a0\u00a0 This was firmly rejected by the Bush people because it was and is neocon\/Likud doctrine that Syria must be subdued and eviscerated, not accommodated.\u00a0 Assad wants to be let out of the “doghouse.”\u00a0 He wants there to be a new beginning for the Middle East, one that a modern man like him can accept.\u00a0 This is our chance and the biggest opportunity the Israelis have ever had.\u00a0 Can the Israelis and their American “friends” rise to the occasion.\u00a0 I doubt it.\u00a0 They are so paralyzed by fear that their options are self limiting.\u00a0 We should hope for the best.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Threat on Syria’s Doorstep<\/a>, Middle East Monitor, By Stephen Starr (<\/em>See the entire issue of Middle East Monitor – esp<\/span>. Questions Remain about the US Raid in Syria<\/a>)<\/p>\n Syrian President Bashar Assad is pointing responsibility for recent terror attacks in Syria at Saudi Arabia and its Lebanese allies – and not without justification.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Israeli Author Oz Says Barak Too Easy on Settlers<\/a>: Haaretz, 2008-12-23 Oil and Gas: Oil Subsidies Bill at USD 6.9 billion at End September 2008: <\/strong>Mahrukat posted a record deficit of USD 6.9 billion in the first nine months of the year according to figures from the company. [More at Syria Report]<\/p>\n Damascus Bourse Signs With Market Evolution, Al Thawra Says \u00a0— The Damascus Securities Exchange signed a contract with Bahamas-based Market Evolution Software products Limited to install electronic systems necessary to operate the bourse in the first quarter of 2009, Al Thawra reported, without saying where it got the information.<\/p>\n The company, which installed equipments for the Macedonia Stock Exchange and the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, will provide the trading, settlement, monitoring and display systems for the Syrian bourse, the Syrian newspaper reported.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It is finally end of life for Syrian Airlines\u2019 Jubmo and Caravelle<\/span><\/a> planes: [Thanks Alex]<\/p>\n ????? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ?????<\/p>\n ?????????: ???? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???????, ???? ?????? ???????? ????? ??? ?????? ???????, ??? ?? ????? ??????? ???????? ???????\/1540\/ ???????\/132\/ ?????? ????? ????? ???.<\/p>\n ????? ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ??? ????????, ???? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??????, ??? ????? ???????? ????? ??? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?? ??? ?????? ????, ??? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???? ???? ????, ???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ??????? ???????, ???? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????, ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????<\/p>\n Oil Price Decline Threatens Syrian Refining Plan, Alao Says Syria may not be able to increase oil production and refining capacity as planned as the decline \u201cWe are concerned,\u201d Alao said today in an interview in Oran, Algeria, at a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in which Syria holds an observer status. \u201cThe private companies are reviewing their projects in light of the price decline.\u201d<\/p>\n Syria has in the past two years announced plans to build three refineries that will add 350,000 barrels a day to current capacity of 220,000 barrels a day. The nation has also invited bids for licenses to drill offshore as it seeks to stem a decline in crude oil production.<\/p>\n Kuwait\u2019s Noor Financial Investment KSCC is re-assessing its plan to build a 140,000 barrel-a-day refinery, Alao said. The other two refinery projects \u201clook secure, as they are being done with state companies,\u201d he said, referring to a 140,000 barrel-a-day plant planned with Petroleos de Venezuela S.A, the Iranian Oil Co. and Malaysia\u2019s Al-Bukhari Group, and a 70,000-barrel-a-day facility planned with China National PetroleumCorp.<\/p>\n The refineries will allow Syria to import and process Iraqi crude, offsetting its own declining supply, when they come on stream in 2012. Iraq\u2019s oil exports through Syria, which had contravened United Nations sanctions, stopped in 2003 after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Syria\u2019s crude production has fallen to about 380,000 barrels a day, from a peak of 600,000 barrels a day in 1996, according to BP Plc\u2019s Statistical Review of World Energy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n??? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? .\u00a0\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\n????? ???????? ????????? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? 2007 ??? ??? ???? ?????? ??? 331? 22 ????? ?????\u00a0 11?220 ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?????? 11?111<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>David Ignatius, 24 December 2008, The Washington Post<\/p>\n\n
\nBudget Deficit at 9 percent of GDP in 2009: <\/strong>Syria’s budget will post a deficit of USD 4.8 billion next year or 9 percent of its GDP. [More at Syria Report]<\/p>\n
\n2008-12-23, By Nadim Issa Dec. 23 (Bloomberg)<\/p>\n
\nBy Maher Chmaytelli
\nBloomberg, 17 December 2008<\/p>\n
\nin petroleum prices threatens investments, Syrian Petroleum Minister Sufian al-Alao said.<\/p>\n
\nSyria imports about 60,000 to 70,000 barrels a day of gasoil, a fuel used for heating and transportation that accounts for half its consumption of refined products. The country\u2019s electricity consumption is increasing an annual 7 percent as its population and economy grow.<\/p>\n
![Caravelle<\/span><\/a> planes: [Thanks Alex]<\/p>\n????? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ?????<\/p>\n?????????: ???? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???????, ???? ?????? ???????? ????? ??? ?????? ???????, ??? ?? ????? ??????? ???????? ???????\/1540\/ ???????\/132\/ ?????? ????? ????? ???.<\/p>\n????? ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ??? ????????, ???? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??????, ??? ????? ???????? ????? ??? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?? ??? ?????? ????, ??? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???? ???? ????, ???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ??????? ???????, ???? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????, ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????<\/p>\nOil Price Decline Threatens Syrian Refining Plan, Alao Says\nBy Maher Chmaytelli\nBloomberg, 17 December 2008<\/p>\nSyria may not be able to increase oil production and refining capacity as planned as the decline\nin petroleum prices threatens investments, Syrian Petroleum Minister Sufian al-Alao said.<\/p>\n\u201cWe are concerned,\u201d Alao said today in an interview in Oran, Algeria, at a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in which Syria holds an observer status. \u201cThe private companies are reviewing their projects in light of the price decline.\u201d<\/p>\nSyria has in the past two years announced plans to build three refineries that will add 350,000 barrels a day to current capacity of 220,000 barrels a day. The nation has also invited bids for licenses to drill offshore as it seeks to stem a decline in crude oil production.<\/p>\nKuwait\u2019s Noor Financial Investment KSCC is re-assessing its plan to build a 140,000 barrel-a-day refinery, Alao said. The other two refinery projects \u201clook secure, as they are being done with state companies,\u201d he said, referring to a 140,000 barrel-a-day plant planned with Petroleos de Venezuela S.A, the Iranian Oil Co. and Malaysia\u2019s Al-Bukhari Group, and a 70,000-barrel-a-day facility planned with China National PetroleumCorp.<\/p>\nThe refineries will allow Syria to import and process Iraqi crude, offsetting its own declining supply, when they come on stream in 2012. Iraq\u2019s oil exports through Syria, which had contravened United Nations sanctions, stopped in 2003 after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.\nSyria imports about 60,000 to 70,000 barrels a day of gasoil, a fuel used for heating and transportation that accounts for half its consumption of refined products. The country\u2019s electricity consumption is increasing an annual 7 percent as its population and economy grow.<\/p>\nSyria\u2019s crude production has fallen to about 380,000 barrels a day, from a peak of 600,000 barrels a day in 1996, according to BP Plc\u2019s Statistical Review of World Energy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nSyria not to join OPEC: oil minister<\/a>\nXinhua, 17 December 2008<\/p>\nSyrian Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources Sufian Allaw Wednesday said that his country will not join the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC) due to its small oil output and declining exports.<\/p>\n“Syria will not join OPEC due to its small output and declining oil exports,” the minister told Xinhua on the sidelines of the 151st extraordinary ministerial meeting in the northwestern Algerian city of Oran.<\/p>\nHe declined to give the “fair prices” what his country expects in the international markets, saying “each country has its own favorable prices.”<\/p>\nSyria has a daily output of some 400,000 barrels and exports half of the output.<\/p>\nEarlier in the day, Russia, the biggest non-OPEC oil exporter, also ruled out the possibility of joining the oil cartel, according to Russian Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky.<\/p>\nThe OPEC comprises Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela, but Indonesia has suspended membership and officially leaves the cartel at the end of 2008.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nAncient cemetery found in Syria<\/a>\nUPI, 18 December 2008<\/p>\nArchaeologists have dug up a large ancient cemetery in the middle of the Syrian desert, providing a glimpse into life and death in the 19th century B.C. The necropolis discovered near the Syrian oasis of Palmyra about 125 miles northeast of Damascus, has at least 30 large burial mounds, ANSA reported Wednesday….<\/p>\n”Future excavations of the burial mounds will undoubtedly reveal information of crucial importance.”<\/p>\nThe team of Italian and German experts, which concluded its 10th annual excavation in central Syria in late November, found the elaborate cemetery along a stretch of an old Roman road marked with stones bearing Latin inscriptions with the name of the Emperor Aurelius, who put down a rebellion led by the Palmyran queen Zenobia in 272 A.D. The discovery includes a Roman staging post that was perfectly preserved by a heavy layer of sand.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Very best to all Syria Comment readers for the New Year. Best, Joshua Latest census in Syria: Population stands at 22.331 million. The work force is around 4.9 million, of which 1.38 million employed with the government.. [Thanks Idaf] ???? ????????????? ” ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,4,15,22,23,44,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asad","category-economics","category-israel","category-lebanon","category-peace","category-turkey","category-us"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nPeace Talks and the Economy - Syria Comment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/peace-talks-and-the-economy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Peace Talks and the Economy - Syria Comment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Very best to all Syria Comment readers for the New Year. Best, Joshua Latest census in Syria: Population stands at 22.331 million. The work force is around 4.9 million, of which 1.38 million employed with the government.. [Thanks Idaf] ???? ????????????? ” ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? 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Best, Joshua Latest census in Syria: Population stands at 22.331 million. The work force is around 4.9 million, of which 1.38 million employed with the government.. [Thanks Idaf] ???? ????????????? ” ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ?????”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? 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