Arab Meeting in Cairo Reviews Nuclear Dangers of Israel, Iran

A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, 1,200 km south of Tehran, August 21, 2010. (Reuters)
A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, 1,200 km south of Tehran, August 21, 2010. (Reuters)
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Arab Meeting in Cairo Reviews Nuclear Dangers of Israel, Iran

A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, 1,200 km south of Tehran, August 21, 2010. (Reuters)
A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, 1,200 km south of Tehran, August 21, 2010. (Reuters)

The 55th meeting of the Arab Senior Officials Committee on Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) discussed in Cairo on Wednesday nuclear dangers posed by Israel and Iran.

The current meeting, held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, is chaired by Iraq and attended by representatives of foreign ministries of the Arab League member-states.

For two days, the Committee will discuss a number of topics pertaining to nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction, in addition to armament in the region.

Participants will also evaluate the work of the 63rd session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, held in Vienna last September, in addition to an item on the dangers of the Iranian Bushehr nuclear reactor.

The Director of the Arab League's Department of Disarmament and Regional Security, Fadi Hanna Ashaia, said in a statement that the meeting would also evaluate the work of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, which was held in New York last month, upon a UN General Assembly resolution.

“The Arab strategic position is to free the Middle East from nuclear weapons, support the right of states to peaceful use of nuclear energy and any efforts to denuclearize the Middle East,” he said.



Syrian Christians Celebrate Christmas in Damascus Amid Tight Security

An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
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Syrian Christians Celebrate Christmas in Damascus Amid Tight Security

An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

Syrian Christians gathered at churches in the country's capital Damascus on Wednesday amid tight security measures to celebrate their first Christmas after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

"Today there is a large deployment of security to protect the churches, fearing sabotage, but things are normal," Nicola Yazgi told dpa, while attending a mass in eastern Damascus.

Security forces affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is now leading Syria's interim government, were deployed outside churches and in the streets in Christian-majority neighborhoods in the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

According to the UK-based war monitor, churches across Syria - including in the southern city of al-Sweida, and in the northern cities of Aleppo and Idlib - opened their doors for Christmas celebrations.

Yazgi said he was celebrating two things this year: "Christmas and the victory of the revolution and the fall of the tyrant. We hope that today will be the day of salvation from the era of al-Assad family injustices."

Suad al-Zein, an engineer, also joined the mass in Damascus. She expressed her joy despite the lack of decorations in the streets: "For us, joy is in our hearts."

Civil war broke out in Syria in 2011 following pro-democracy protests against al-Assad's regime.

In late November, HTS and other opposition groups launched a rapid offensive, making major territorial gains before capturing Damascus earlier this month. Al-Assad fled to Russia with his family.

Since then, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has tried to reassure minorities in Syria, promising moderation and respect for all religious sects.

A group of people burnt a Christmas tree in Hama province on Monday evening, prompting hundreds of protesters to take to the streets in several cities.