Reform Party of Syria (RPS)

Washington - November 5, 2009 (RPS Staff) - AFP (Agence France de Presse) is a well known and trusted news organization covering the world. But when it comes to Syria, its stringers write as if they belong to a third world country news agency.

The article below, with a title worthy of a Pulitzer on a Saturday Night Live episode, was published on November 5, 2009 around 10:00am EST time or around 6pm in Damascus and Israel.

What is the biggest story on Syria today? The ship that was seized by Israel carrying tons of weapons to Hezbollah and Syria. Yet, AFP, and more so Ms. Roueida Mabardi, chooses to highlight Syria's prowess and more so Assad's prowess of late (See story that follows).

Journalism is one of the most trusted métier in the world. But in the Middle East, journalism, to a certain extent, has become a "gun-for-hire" job. Reckless people who can write have smeared the profession to the point of ridicule.

We would expect the story below from a Syrian government news agency, but not from AFP. The organization is much better than its stringers, especially the ones in Damascus who simply either fall prey to the intimidation of the regime or just write to benefit the regime regardless of news.

Why did Ms. Mabardi not write about Francop rather than praise the Syrian regime? We let the reader come to his/her conclusion.

Syria gains new confidence on world stage

By Roueida Mabardi (AFP)

DAMASCUS — Emerging from international isolation with a flurry of high-level Western visitors and ties boosted with Turkey, Syria has gained in confidence to the point of holding out on an EU partnership.

The European Union hoped to sign a partnership accord on October 26, after a freeze of several years by the EU side, but the Syrian side now insists it must review the terms to protect its interests.

Damascus and the EU first drew up a draft partnership pact in 2004 but it was never signed by European countries, amid concerns by some nations of human rights abuses in Syria.

While stalling on the EU deal, Syria has been working full steam ahead to develop relations with the major powers in its back yard.

Already a strategic ally of Iran, Syria on October 8 hosted King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, resulting in a joint call for the speedy formation of a unity government in Lebanon where the two countries have rival interests.

Ties with Turkey have also been strengthened with the launch of a high-level strategic cooperation council.

The two neighbours, whose relations were strained in the 1980s and 1990s over a Kurdish revolt in Turkey, for the first time held joint military exercises in April.

Last year, Turkey hosted and mediated indirect contacts between Syria and Israel on relaunching US-brokered peace talks that broke off in 2000. They were frozen in December following the outbreak of the Gaza war.

Seen from Damascus, solid ties with a Turkey that is gaining strength as an economic power "make links with Europe less important," explained Riad Qahwaji, director of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.

"Syria does not have to make political concessions," he said, referring to European human rights demands.

Since George W. Bush, who imposed an international isolation of Syria for alleged meddling in Iraq and Lebanon, lost the US presidential election in November 2008, European, US and Arab officials have been flocking to Damascus.

The United States and France have since been playing up the "constructive" role which Syria could play in post-war Iraq, in Lebanon and in the Middle East peace process.

"All this is reassuring for the Syrian leadership," said Qahwaji.

But although President Barack Obama's administration has replaced the orders of his predecessor's era with "dialogue," there is still room for improvement, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday.

"What has happened so far is a new approach. Dialogue has replaced commands, which is good, but things stopped there," he said. "It is hard to say that big steps have been taken in bilateral relations."

On June 24, Washington announced it would send a new ambassador to Syria after a four-year break, although it has yet to implement the decision.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, during a regional tour earlier this week that did not take in Damascus, still called for changes in Syria's behaviour and actions.