.Syria Untouched by Outside Pressures
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - A few days after Israeli jets buzzed his summer residence, a beaming President Bashar Assad, accompanied by his elegant wife, inaugurated the first phase of restoration on an ancient citadel here.
On the surface, life in Syria is beating to the same languid rhythm, seemingly untouched by accusations from Israel and the United States of complicity in the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier.
Militants close to the Palestinian group Hamas, whose political leaders are based in Syria, have claimed responsibility for the abduction.
But stepped-up diplomatic activities and long-distance calls belie the surface calm. Assad has discussed the developments with the visiting Jordanian prime minister and Qatar's foreign minister. Egypt's president and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan have called to solicit his help in ending the crisis.
And he has chaired a meeting with the Central Command of Syria's National Progressive Front, an umbrella group of pro-government political parties, to reiterate his country's staunch support for the Palestinians.
The new pressure comes on top of Western attempts to isolate Syria after the murder of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Washington has pulled out its ambassador, U.S. and European Union leaders have stopped visiting and a U.N. investigation into the Hariri killing has implicated top Syrian security officials.
Yet despite the tight squeeze, Assad's regime appears unshaken and in full control of the country his Baath party has ruled since 1963.
And if the regime feels the heat, that nervousness is not reflected in Damascus' streets.
"We've been under pressure from Israel for more than 50 years and from the U.S. administration for more than 50 years," said Fayez Sayegh, director of state broadcasting. "We've become used to such threats."
On Saturday night, Assad spent several hours at Damascus' citadel, which dates back to 2600 B.C., looking relaxed as he chatted with dignitaries and inspected the restoration changes.
A day later, the first lady, Asma Assad, looking radiant in a white dress, attended a celebration marking the anniversary of a children's development program.
Hotels are packed, mainly with Persian Gulf tourists. Restaurants are crowded, especially during World Cup soccer games.
"Sit on the right if you're with Argentina, on the left if you're with Germany," a waiter greeted diners at a restaurant during Friday's match.
"We are a people who love life," said Meesam Othman, a 30-year-old merchant, as members of the crowd watched the game over chicken wings and crunchy nachos. "We don't obsess over the pressures. We learn how to live in spite of them."
At the opera house, which opened two years ago, Nabil al-Lawe pulls out a list detailing the number of performances in the past two years: 303 presentations attended by 371,660 people.
"Life should not stop," said al-Lawe, the opera's director.
The shows are free of charge, and Europeans still sponsor performers as part of cultural exchange programs that continue despite attempts to isolate Syria.
"The Europeans' public discourse humors U.S. policies, but on the ground things are different," said al-Lawe.
Conspicuously absent, however, are American performers, a reflection of the worsening relations between Syria and the U.S.
Al-Lawe said a U.S. cellist performed at the opera before it was formally inaugurated and the U.S. Embassy recently asked to show a jazz documentary this fall. But he turned down the request because the house is booked through mid-2008.
"If they come up with appropriate proposals for shows, we will welcome them and it will be my duty to provide them with all that's necessary for the show's success," he said. "But that doesn't mean I can guarantee a full house, because of people's sentiments" about the U.S.
Not everyone is so calm about the future.
Khaled Khalifa, an author of several TV serials and opposition figure, said he believes "the country is in real danger because of the regional developments."
The only thing that might strengthen the regime is for it to reach out to its people, including the opposition, instead of making tactical agreements such as the latest security accords with Iran, he said.
"I don't want to emigrate. I love Damascus and I want to win my battle here," said Khalifa, who was on a list of activists and opposition figures the government recently jailed after they signed a document calling for improved Lebanese-Syrian relations.
Khalifa escaped arrest by luck: A man who carries the same name but was not involved in the "Damascus-Beirut Declaration" was arrested instead. By the time authorities found out their mistake, the detention wave had stopped.
"I want to write a TV show about it in which that guy hates me because I caused his arrest, and I love him because he saved me from it," Khalifa said with a smile.
MyWay
On the surface, life in Syria is beating to the same languid rhythm, seemingly untouched by accusations from Israel and the United States of complicity in the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier.
Militants close to the Palestinian group Hamas, whose political leaders are based in Syria, have claimed responsibility for the abduction.
But stepped-up diplomatic activities and long-distance calls belie the surface calm. Assad has discussed the developments with the visiting Jordanian prime minister and Qatar's foreign minister. Egypt's president and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan have called to solicit his help in ending the crisis.
And he has chaired a meeting with the Central Command of Syria's National Progressive Front, an umbrella group of pro-government political parties, to reiterate his country's staunch support for the Palestinians.
The new pressure comes on top of Western attempts to isolate Syria after the murder of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Washington has pulled out its ambassador, U.S. and European Union leaders have stopped visiting and a U.N. investigation into the Hariri killing has implicated top Syrian security officials.
Yet despite the tight squeeze, Assad's regime appears unshaken and in full control of the country his Baath party has ruled since 1963.
And if the regime feels the heat, that nervousness is not reflected in Damascus' streets.
"We've been under pressure from Israel for more than 50 years and from the U.S. administration for more than 50 years," said Fayez Sayegh, director of state broadcasting. "We've become used to such threats."
On Saturday night, Assad spent several hours at Damascus' citadel, which dates back to 2600 B.C., looking relaxed as he chatted with dignitaries and inspected the restoration changes.
A day later, the first lady, Asma Assad, looking radiant in a white dress, attended a celebration marking the anniversary of a children's development program.
Hotels are packed, mainly with Persian Gulf tourists. Restaurants are crowded, especially during World Cup soccer games.
"Sit on the right if you're with Argentina, on the left if you're with Germany," a waiter greeted diners at a restaurant during Friday's match.
"We are a people who love life," said Meesam Othman, a 30-year-old merchant, as members of the crowd watched the game over chicken wings and crunchy nachos. "We don't obsess over the pressures. We learn how to live in spite of them."
At the opera house, which opened two years ago, Nabil al-Lawe pulls out a list detailing the number of performances in the past two years: 303 presentations attended by 371,660 people.
"Life should not stop," said al-Lawe, the opera's director.
The shows are free of charge, and Europeans still sponsor performers as part of cultural exchange programs that continue despite attempts to isolate Syria.
"The Europeans' public discourse humors U.S. policies, but on the ground things are different," said al-Lawe.
Conspicuously absent, however, are American performers, a reflection of the worsening relations between Syria and the U.S.
Al-Lawe said a U.S. cellist performed at the opera before it was formally inaugurated and the U.S. Embassy recently asked to show a jazz documentary this fall. But he turned down the request because the house is booked through mid-2008.
"If they come up with appropriate proposals for shows, we will welcome them and it will be my duty to provide them with all that's necessary for the show's success," he said. "But that doesn't mean I can guarantee a full house, because of people's sentiments" about the U.S.
Not everyone is so calm about the future.
Khaled Khalifa, an author of several TV serials and opposition figure, said he believes "the country is in real danger because of the regional developments."
The only thing that might strengthen the regime is for it to reach out to its people, including the opposition, instead of making tactical agreements such as the latest security accords with Iran, he said.
"I don't want to emigrate. I love Damascus and I want to win my battle here," said Khalifa, who was on a list of activists and opposition figures the government recently jailed after they signed a document calling for improved Lebanese-Syrian relations.
Khalifa escaped arrest by luck: A man who carries the same name but was not involved in the "Damascus-Beirut Declaration" was arrested instead. By the time authorities found out their mistake, the detention wave had stopped.
"I want to write a TV show about it in which that guy hates me because I caused his arrest, and I love him because he saved me from it," Khalifa said with a smile.
MyWay
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