Damascus, Syria
A former Syrian vice president is calling on Syrians to boot out President Bashar al-Assad and his government. Abdel-Halim Khaddam, who resigned from his post last summer and lives in exile in Paris, said he supported the Damascus Declaration, an October agreement among opposition parties to work for “drastic and democratic change.” Khaddam also accused Assad of ordering the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a charge a U.N. team is investigating. “This regime cannot be reformed,” he told the pan-Arab paper Asharq al-Awsat, “so there is nothing left but to oust it.” For 30 years, Khaddam was a trusted aide of Assad’s late father, President Hafez al-Assad.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Kim Ju Ae: North Korea’s next leader?The Explainer Kim Jong Un’s young daughter is being seen as his ‘recognised heir’ following a high-profile public appearance at China summit
-
Is the UK government getting too close to Big Tech?Today’s Big Question US-UK tech pact, supported by Nvidia and OpenAI, is part of Silicon Valley drive to ‘lock in’ American AI with US allies
-
Russia’s war games and the threat to NatoIn depth Incursion into Poland and Zapad 2025 exercises seen as a test for Europe
