Syrian, UAE presidents hold talks in Abu Dhabi

President Ahmed Al-Sharaa of the Syrian Arab Republic and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. (SANA)
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Updated 14 April 2025
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Syrian, UAE presidents hold talks in Abu Dhabi

  • President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes second trip to Gulf after visiting Saudi Arabia in February
  • UAE leader reaffirms support for Syrian rebuild efforts

LONDON: President Ahmed Al-Sharaa of the Syrian Arab Republic arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday for talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

The sheikh wished Al-Sharaa success in leading Syria and in fulfilling his people’s hopes for development, security and stability, the Emirates News Agency reported.

He also reaffirmed the UAE’s support for Syria’s efforts to rebuild and commitment to its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which he said were essential to the broader region.

Al-Sharaa was welcomed at Al-Bateen Airport by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and other senior officials. Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani, who visited the UAE earlier this year, was also present at the meeting.

Al-Sharaa visited Saudi Arabia in February on his first foreign trip since assuming the presidency in January. The Syrian leader is keen to strengthen ties with Arab and Western governments and turn a new page in his nation’s diplomatic relations following the collapse of the Assad regime in December.

Last week, Syria and South Korea formally established diplomatic relations and agreed to open embassies in each other’s countries. Syria was the only UN member without diplomatic ties to South Korea.

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Tunisia court reduces ex-PM’s jail term over terror charges

Updated 13 sec ago
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Tunisia court reduces ex-PM’s jail term over terror charges

  • Last year, the former premier was sentenced to 34 years in prison.
  • An overnight ruling from an appeals court reduced the 70-year-old’s term to 24 years, his defense lawyer Bouthelja said

TUNIS: A Tunisian appeals court has reduced the prison sentence of former prime minister Ali Larayedh by a decade to 24 years after he was found guilty of terrorism charges, his lawyer said Friday.
Since his arrest in late 2022, Larayedh has denied the charges that he helped send militant fighters to Iraq and Syria, and his lawyers have branded the case as politically motivated.
Last year, the former premier was sentenced to 34 years in prison. However, an overnight ruling from an appeals court reduced the 70-year-old’s term to 24 years, his defense lawyer Oussama Bouthelja told AFP.
Larayedh was prime minister from 2013 to 2014. He was a leader in the Islamist party Ennahdha, which briefly governed Tunisia following a popular uprising in 2011 that launched the Arab Spring.
He is a critic of President Kais Saied.
Others prosecuted in the case included former security officials and a spokesman for Ansar Al-Sharia, a group Tunisia designated a terrorist organization in 2013 while Larayedh was prime minister.
The appeals court reduced the sentences of several others in the case, with prison terms now ranging from three to 24 years.
Ennahdha played a key role in Tunisian politics for years before its leader Rached Ghannouchi was hit with multiple prison terms, which include a 22-year sentence on charges of plotting against state security.
Larayedh had already spent 15 years in prison, including 10 in solitary confinement, for plotting against the state under longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was toppled during the Arab Spring.
The UN said about 5,500 Tunisians fought with militant groups including the Daesh in Iraq, Syria and Libya between 2011 and 2016.