Chirac found guilty of corruption by a French court

A French court found former President Jacques Chirac guilty of embezzling public funds to illegally finance the conservative party he long led, in a historic verdict Thursday with repercussions for his legacy and France’s political elite.

Chirac, a savvy world diplomat and icon of France’s ruling establishment for decades, will not go behind bars (more…)

Hezbollah rejects accusations of involvemment in UNIFIL bombing

Hezbollah slammed on Thursday March 14 officials for accusing the party of involvement in the attack that targeted a UNIFIL patrol last week in the southern city of Tyre, calling the accusations “dangerous and unacceptable”.

Hezbollah warned against the repercussions of such behavior by March 14 officials . (more…)

France slams the killing of The Doctor of the Syrian Revolution

France on Monday condemned the murder of Dr. Ibrahim Nahel Othman, 30 from Hama, who was assassinated by Syrian security forces on December 10, 2011

Dr. Othman who is known as The “Doctor of the Revolution,” was one of the co-founders of the Physicians’ Coordinating Committee in Damascus, (more…)

French accusations put Syria’s allies in spotlight

France says it believes Syria was behind an attack on U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon. While Paris has no proof, Damascus has plenty of armed supporters who might try to destabilize Lebanon to divert attention from its own turmoil.

Foreign Minister Alain Juppe blamed Syria on Sunday, singling out its powerful Lebanese ally Hezbollah which holds sway in southern Lebanon (more…)

Syrians vote as fierce clashes overshadow protests

Prime Minister Adel Safar urged Syrians to vote in local elections on Monday to save the nation from “conspiracies against us” but activists struggling to oust President Bashar-al Assad rejected the ballot as irrelevant at a time of violent unrest. (more…)

Syria denies attacking French UNIFIL forces in south Lebanon

Syria rejected on Monday a French accusation that it was behind an attack which wounded five French soldiers from the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon last week. (more…)

Rai for limiting arms possession in Lebanon to legitimate forces

During his sermon on Sunday Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai condemned the blast which wounded five French peacekeepers in southern Lebanon this week, National News Agency (NNA) reported.
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Lebanese leaders condemn attack against French UNIFIL forces

The attack on Friday against the French peacekeeping forces in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre was condemned by many Lebanese leaders.

MP Marwan Hamadeh , a key member of March 14 opposition blamed Damascus for the attack saying it was orchestrated with the help of its ally Hezbollah. (more…)

Bomb wounds French UN peacekeepers in South Lebanon

A roadside bomb wounded five French peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Friday, in the third attack this year on United Nations forces deployed near the frontier with Israel.

The blast hit a jeep carrying French UNIFIL troops (more…)

French ambassador returns to Damascus

The French ambassador to Syria has returned to Damascus after being recalled to Paris in mid-November following attacks on French diplomatic missions.

“Eric Chevallier returned to his post in Damascus on Monday following the consultations for which he was recalled,” the ministry’s deputy spokesman, Romain Nadal, said on Tuesday. (more…)