British Prime Minister Tony Blair has spoken for the first time about Iran's release of the 15 sailors and marines. He has thanked "friends and allies in the region".

The only country in the region that helped was Syria (Turkey offered but it didn't happen). The BBC is interpreting that this was a coded way for Blair to thank Syria. And it also says something very big: Syria now seems to be considered a "friend" of Britain.

It comes as Nancy Pelosi, the third most senior politician in the US, continues her holiday in Syria. She spent the night in Damascus, walking through the Old City talking to shopkeepers and visiting the Ummayid Mosque.

Not since Bashar visited Blair in London in December 2002 have relations been so good.

Labels: Britain, Iran, Turkey, US

Despite earlier Iranian denials, it has been revealed that Syria mediated between Britain and Iran.

And it worked. Iran has released the 15 UK sailors and marines.

Labels: Britain, Iran

Playing a very clever game here.

Syria has offered to mediate in the Iran-UK dispute. Iran is holding 15 British sailors and marines which it accuses of tresspassing into Iranian waters. The UK denies this and has refused to apologise.

Syria - which has excellent contacts inside Iran and reasonable relations with Britain - has offered to mediate. Iran has refused, saying it is a bilateral issue, and the UK knows what it has to do (sound familiar Bush?).

Labels: Britain, Iran

Jordan has put in place tough new entry requirements which effectively ban Iraqi refugees.

They require Iraqis to have a new style passport which is only available at one location in Iraq, and only for a huge bribe.

Jordan already had restrictive entry requirements before today's effective ban.

Jordan and Syria are struggling under the weight of Iraqi refugees, and the UN has asked the international community to provide them with support. That support still hasn't arrived.

It comes just weeks after Syria tightened its visa rules - previously any Iraqi could stay in Syria as long as they wanted. Now Syria requires Iraqis go through the usual visa process which all other foreigners have to.

Kuwait, Iran and Saudi Arabia banned Iraqi refugees many years ago.

The US has taken just 700 Iraqi refugees in the past 4 years.

Labels: Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Refugees, Saudi

Seymour Hersh, campaigning investigative journalist, says America is funding extremist groups inside Syria to carry out terrorist attacks.

Don't underestimate the weight of these statements. Hersh is one of the world's most successful investigative journalists. He made his name by breaking a story about a massacre during the Veitnam War. More recently, he was the man who uncovered the Abu Ghraib scandal.

He says the US has put together a plan to extensively attack Iran (but importantly NOT Syria) with just 24 hours notice.

And he says the US is funding Lebanese Sunni fundamentalist groups VIA THE SINIORA GOVERNMENT. Groups which, Hersh claims, are aligned with Al Qaeda. These fighters are based in the Bekka Valley, and have received billions, he says.

Not so sweet and fluffy now, are we Mr Hariri.

The full, remarkable story, is here.

Labels: Hariri Militia, Iran, Lebanon, Terrorism, US

"including Iran and Syria..."

"...backed by Iran and Syria"

"hoping to split Iran from Syria..."

"...dialogue with Iran and Syria"

Again and again and again, we almost never hear the word 'Syria' in a news sentence without that other part of the rhyming couplet: Iran.

I am beginning to think this is a new country. A bit like Trinidad and Tobago, maybe?

But no, Syria is an independent state, with independent motivations and independent needs. It is not an 'and'.

It is true that Syria and Iran share a lot of goals - mainly foreign policy (Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, the Golan Heights). But they also disagree in other areas - the role of religion and the state, for example (Syria is secular - in practise, not just name ... Iran is theocratic - in practise, not just name).

So why isn't Syria mentioned in a sentence on its own? Maybe it's a good thing - the only substantive* thing the US seems to have on Syria is that it is Iran's friend.

*The only substantive accusation? Doesn't the US blame Syria for:

(a) letting militants cross into Iraq (not according to US military commanders in Iraq, who have said that Syria has done a good job of sealing the border - it is now a political complaint, not a military one)

(b) killing former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri (the UN investigators have repeatedly said there is no conclusive evidence, despite initial accusations - furthermore, they have praised Syria's "full co-operation" with the inquiry, and complained that 20 other countries...thought to include the US...have not co-operated)

(c) sending weapons to Hizbollah (the Lebanese Defence Minister said this month that not a single weapon has come across the border from Syria)

(d) supporting Hamas and Islamic Jihad (Syria has repetedly offered peace talks with Israel - Israel has been tempted to dip its toes in the water, but Washington has ordered them to ignore Syria).

Labels: Hizbollah, Iran, Lebanon, Peace talks, US

A very disturbing development. Egypt has jailed a blogger for four years for 'insulting the president'.

Egypt has a strong track record of pursuing and harrassing bloggers. It is the bloggers who are standing up against Mubarak-facism, now that the journalists have gone quiet.

Abdel Kareem Soliman fell foul of a law which threatens anyone "dissmeninating news".

He now joins the 40,000 political prisoners in Egypt. Free them all NOW, and Syria's 600, although Syria, unlike Iran, Egypt and Saudi, has never jailed a blogger.

I wonder how America, and An-Nahar will react.

Labels: Iran, Syrian blogosphere

More from the ABC News series of week-long Bashar Al-Assad interviews, being shown every morning in the US here.

A quote: "So should I tell them, 'You have to go away from me. I don't need your support,' when the rest of the world is trying to isolate Syria? Of course not. We need the support of Iran. We need the support of every other country."

Labels: America, Bashar Al-Assad, Iran

When will Western journalists realise that March 14 is Saudi backed?

Let's join up the dots in Jim Muir's report.

"For many Lebanese, the most worrying confrontation was between Shia and Sunni Muslims, respectively opponents and supporters of the Western-backed Beirut government."

"On one side of that battle, the United States and its strategic ally Israel, with a certain measure of wider Western support; on the other, Iran, and its strategic ally, Syria."

"Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as the custodian of Sunni Islam, has seen the dangers. It has been talking intensively to the Iranians, and that dialogue is partly credited with persuading the factions in Lebanon to draw back from the brink."

Ahhhhhhh, so THAT'S how Saudi Arabia had control over the Sunni militias in Lebanon: because it is the custodian of Sunni Islam. Ahhhhhh.

And the custodian of Hariri's power.

Labels: Hariri Militia, Hizbollah, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi