Madrid meeting exposes divisons in Syrian opposition

Madrid, Asharq Al-Awsat—A two-day meeting of the Syrian opposition in Madrid ended yesterday, with agreement on few issues except the refusal to negotiate with a Syrian government led by Bashar Al-Assad. The conference’s final resolution called on the international community to ensure that Assad has “no role in the decisions taken regarding Syria’s transition period or the future of the country.” The divisions within the fractious opposition movement were obvious to observers...

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Egypt’s Gas Conundrum

Madrid, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt’s government and international allies are scrambling to avert a summer energy crunch mostly driven by a growing natural gas deficit that, compounded with current economic woes, threatens to increase political instability and social unrest at this critical juncture. Until recently forecast to be one of the world’s largest sources of gas production growth, Egypt is already experiencing a supply deficit that is forcing it to idle part of its export capacit...

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