The Dubai royal was awarded the Sword of Honour and first place in academic and applied military studies, becoming the first Emirati graduate to get both awards
uae1 hour ago
A Syrian Kurdish group said on Saturday it had decided with the government to "chart a roadmap to a democratic and decentralised Syria", but there was no immediate confirmation from Damascus.
Relations between the Syrian government of President Bashar Al Assad and the Kurdish-led administration in the northeast, the two sides that hold the most territory in Syria, have been pivotal in the course of the seven-year-old civil war.
However, while they have mostly avoided direct conflict, they hsave articulated sharply opposing visions for the future, with the Kurds seeking autonomy in a decentralised state, and Damascus wanting to restore full central control.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) said it and the government had decided to "form committees on various levels" to develop negotiations, end the violence engulfing Syria and chart a roadmap to democracy and decentralisation. It said it met Syrian government officials in Damascus this week at Assad's invitation after initial meetings in Tabqa on the Euphrates river that focused on restoring local services.
The talks pointed to moves by the Kurdish-led authorities to seek a deal with Assad to preserve their autonomy as he regained most rebel areas with Russian and Iranian help. Assad has sworn to regain "every inch" of Syria but said in May for the first time that he was "opening doors" for talks with the SDF, while also threatening force. He has described the Kurdish administration's democratic bodies in the northeast as "temporary structures".
"It's hard to see how they will reach more substantive agreement in the coming months because you just have a huge gap between the two sides on what the future of this region should look like," said Noah Bonsey, the International Crisis Group's Senior Analyst on Syria.
Any Syrian Kurdish negotiations with Damascus would also generate new questions for US policy in Syria, where the US military has deployed into SDF-held territory during the campaign against Daesh insurgents.
The Syrian Kurds have been put on guard towards Washington over the Trump administration's conflicting statements about its plans in Syria.
The Dubai royal was awarded the Sword of Honour and first place in academic and applied military studies, becoming the first Emirati graduate to get both awards
uae1 hour ago
Brent, WTI crude futures rise over 1%
energy1 hour ago
The summit shone a spotlight on key sectors of collaboration
business1 hour ago
Sharjah developer seeks to meet demand with new housing options
business1 hour ago
Haaland has scored just twice in the last eight games
sports1 hour ago
Programme supports research-based agricultural innovations across the Menat region
business1 hour ago
General Abdullah Alhashmi lauds UAE females for winning seven golds that highlighted Team UAE’s medal haul in Muscat, Oman
sports1 hour ago
Hundreds of people, some in Santa hats and others holding up placards with meat orders, gather in Smithfield's Victorian market building
europe2 hours ago