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Fatah Stresses Egypt’s Pivotal Role in Palestinian Reconciliation

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Fatah Stresses Egypt’s Pivotal Role in Palestinian Reconciliation

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

A Fatah delegation discussed in Egypt the developments of the Palestinian reconciliation process, stressing Cairo’s “pivotal” role in achieving it, days after it concluded talks with Hamas in Turkey and Qatar.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub, and committee member Rawhi Fattouh, at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

A statement issued by the ministry reaffirmed Egypt's steadfast stance on the Palestinian cause.

It reiterated Egypt's unwavering support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with international resolutions.

The Ministry affirmed Egypt's support for all efforts to achieve stability, peace and security.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Hafez said in a statement that the officials conveyed Palestinian appreciation for Egypt’s unwavering support.

They briefed Shoukry on the latest developments and efforts to unify Palestinians, emphasizing the centrality of Egypt’s role in achieving the reconciliation.

Shoukry, in turn, stressed Egypt’s support to the Palestinian leadership and people during these delicate circumstances.

Hamas politburo member Hossam Badran had clarified that the intra-Palestinian talks were hosted by Turkey, and not under its auspices.

He expressed his appreciation and respect to all the sponsors of the previous dialogues, adding that Palestinians are keen on maintaining good relations with all Arab and Islamic countries.

Most Arab countries have welcomed the Palestinian reconciliation and there was no official objection from any state, according to Badran.

He reported that the aim is to hold elections, followed by the formation of a national unity government that includes all parties.

The official added that the elections are the first step towards forming the new National Council.

Badran stressed that the Fatah-Hamas talks are not a substitute for a general national dialogue, indicating that any bilateral understanding can’t be implemented without the approval of all Palestinian factions.

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Syria: Elaborate Military Tunnel Complex Linked to Assad's Palace

A fighter affiliated with Syria's new administration carries the decapitated head of an equestrian statue of Bassel al-Assad, brother of toppled president Bashar al-Assad, removed from the abandoned Republican Guard base on Mount Qasyun. Bakr ALKASEM / AFP
A fighter affiliated with Syria's new administration carries the decapitated head of an equestrian statue of Bassel al-Assad, brother of toppled president Bashar al-Assad, removed from the abandoned Republican Guard base on Mount Qasyun. Bakr ALKASEM / AFP
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Syria: Elaborate Military Tunnel Complex Linked to Assad's Palace

A fighter affiliated with Syria's new administration carries the decapitated head of an equestrian statue of Bassel al-Assad, brother of toppled president Bashar al-Assad, removed from the abandoned Republican Guard base on Mount Qasyun. Bakr ALKASEM / AFP
A fighter affiliated with Syria's new administration carries the decapitated head of an equestrian statue of Bassel al-Assad, brother of toppled president Bashar al-Assad, removed from the abandoned Republican Guard base on Mount Qasyun. Bakr ALKASEM / AFP

On the slopes of Mount Qasyun which overlooks Damascus, a network of tunnels links a military complex, tasked with defending the Syrian capital, to the presidential palace facing it.
The tunnels, seen by an AFP correspondent, are among secrets of president Bashar al-Assad's rule exposed since the opposition toppled him on December 8.

"We entered this enormous barracks of the Republican Guard after the liberation" of Damascus sent Assad fleeing to Moscow, said Mohammad Abu Salim, a military official from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant group in the alliance that overthrew Assad.

"We found a vast network of tunnels which lead to the presidential palace" on a neighboring hill, Salim said.

During Assad's rule, Qasyun was off limits to the people of Damascus because it was an ideal location for snipers -- the great view includes the presidential palaces and other government buildings.

It was also from this mountain that artillery units for years pounded opposition-held areas at the gates of the capital.

An AFP correspondent entered the Guard complex of two bunkers containing vast rooms reserved for its soldiers. The bunkers were equipped with telecommunications gear, electricity, a ventilation system and weapons supplies.

Other simpler tunnels were dug out of the rock to hold ammunition.

Despite such elaborate facilities, Syria's army collapsed, with troops abandoning tanks and other gear as opposition fighters advanced from their northern stronghold to the capital in less than two weeks,.

On the grounds of the Guard complex a statue of the president's brother Bassel al-Assad, atop a horse, has been toppled and Bassel's head severed.

Bassel al-Assad died in a 1994 road accident. He had been the presumed successor to his father Hafez al-Assad who set up the paranoid, secretive, repressive system of government that Bashar inherited when his father died in 2000.

In the immense Guard camp now, former opposition fighters use pictures of Bashar al-Assad and his father for target practice.

Tanks and heavy weapons still sit under arched stone shelters.

Resembling a macabre outdoor art installation, large empty rusted barrels with attached fins pointing skyward are lined up on the ground, their explosives further away.

"The regime used these barrels to bomb civilians in the north of Syria," Abu Salim said.

The United Nations denounced Bashar's use of such weapons dropped from helicopters or airplanes against civilian areas held by Assad's opponents during Syria's years-long civil war that began in 2011.