Secretary General of Ex-Political Prisoners Association (EPPA) in South Africa Mr. Mpho Masemola held today talks with Syria's Ambassador to South Africa Mr. Onfonuan Naeb and his deputy Dr. Ali Muhra.

The talks focused  on the African Union's solidarity with Syria and the importance of lifting the unjust sanctions being imposed on it, according to a statement sent by Mr. Masemola  to the Syria Times e-newspaper.

The South African official indicated that the talks also dealt with the results of the recent visit made by the EPPA to Syria.

The military and strategic expert has asserted that the liberation of Khan Sheikhoun city will tighten the noose on terrorist organizations' strongholds in the northern countryside of Hama and it will be a direct military defeat for the Turkish occupation forces in Morek area and in the East of the city.

Retired Brigadier-General Haitham Hassoun told the Syria Times e-newspaper that the importance of Khan Sheikhoun city lies in the fact that it is the terrorists' largest stronghold in the south of Idleb.

The Syria Times e-newspaper conducted an interview with the SyrianPolitical analyst, Ammar Waqqaf living in the UK, the founder and director of GNOSOS, an organization that focuses on stakeholder opinion in Syria and Middle East.

 On how he currently views Syria and on whether there has been any shift in interest, he said that there hasn’t been a shift in interest although the Syrian issue has dropped from the agenda significantly. One reason for that is that the refugee crisis has eased a lot compared with three or four years ago. So, the Syrian issue is not the hot topic that it was a few years back.

The military operations and bloodshed have lessened as well .So there is not much news about the front as well. And also mainly because the ability of Europe to do something and change something has also reduced, and that also the Americans now are the one who are calling the shots basically.

Virginia Senator Richard Black has described the ‘safe’ zone which the United States and Turkey seek to establish in the north of Syria as an ‘occupied’ zone, stressing that this move is prohibited by the International law.

In an interview with Syria Times e-newspaper, the senator said that the actions of the US ignore the fact that this is not the imaginary land known as “Kurdistan.” It is Syria.

“The idea of a “no-fly zone” was intended to facilitate an all-out attack on Syria,” the Senator asserted, adding that Washington wants to preserve the Kurdish-run pocket in northern Syria in order to inhibit trade between Iran and Syria.

Member of the Baath Arab Socialist Party’s Regional Leadership Dr. Mahdi Dakhlallah has underscored that Syria eventually will unite and gain complete sovereignty over all its territories. 

He told Syria Times e-newspaper that the Turkish regime’s head Racep Tayyip Erdogan  can’t implement what he circulates through media outlets into action as regards his vow to establish a'safe’ zone and to carry out an operation east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria.