Syrian authorities have arrested two Kurdish leaders and charged one with a capital offence, as part of a campaign to crush political dissidents that has triggered international protests.
The two men were arrested ahead of a visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the Syrian capital on Wednesday.
Sarkozy has been trying to convince President Bashar al-Assad [...]

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Commentary by Michael R. Sesit
Aug. 1 (Bloomberg)
Beware of French presidents seeking grand projects.
Amid great fanfare, Nicolas Sarkozy last month unveiled the Mediterranean Union of 43 countries, consisting of the European Union’s 27 members, 14 non-EU member countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, as well as Jordan and Mauritania.
The ostensible goal is to improve the economic [...]

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BBC NEWS
Sarkozy’s Club Med

Mark Mardell
11 Jul 08, 05:30 AM

“Very nice dear, but what’s it for?” After quite a few ups and downs the French president is, this weekend, proudly showing off his shiny new gadget - the Mediterranean Union.
Perhaps we shouldn’t expect much from the first ever summit of a new organisation, but it is [...]

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