Syria's Assad set to extend rule

[oberliner]

Source: Al Jazeera

Syria's parliament has unanimously nominated Bashar al-Assad, the country’s president, for a second term and set May 27 as the date for a referendum which many dissidents have condemned as undemocratic.

The referendum marks another step in a process that all but guarantees al-Assad's hold on power for another seven years.

Mahmoud al-Abrash, parliament’s speaker, told the chamber: "The Council of the People approves the Arab Socialist Baath Party nomination of comrade in arms Bashar al-Assad for a second constitutional term and submits the decision to the citizens to vote on".

No opposition parties are allowed in Syria and al-Assad was the only candidate.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/75FA1D25-149B-4411-8DD0-F788C16BFD98.htm

[ohio2007]

1. ANd he appeases the west at the border

4 Islamists killed near Syria-Iraq border
NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) - Syrian forces have killed four members of Palestinian militant group Fatah al-Islam trying to sneak across the border to join the insurgency in Iraq, the group said Friday.

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A spokesman for Fatah al-Islam, who gave his name as Abu Salim, told AFP that the incident occurred on the Syrian border with Iraq almost a week ago, and that five Syrian soldiers were killed in the clash.

"The Syrian forces killed two military chiefs of Fatah al-Islam, Abu Laith al-Shami and Abu Abdel Rahman al-Shami, as well as two combatants," said the spokesman, who is based in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon.

They were killed, he added, "while trying to get into Iraq to support their Islamic brothers."

Syria has not immediately reported the deaths nor confirmed the claimed clash.

The United States frequently accuses Syria of allowing insurgents to cross into Iraq through its porous border and of having a hand in insurgent attacks in Iraq.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070511/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonsyriapalestiniansunrest
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