DAMASCUS, 25 April 2007 — UN chief Ban Ki-moon met President Bashar Assad yesterday during a delicate mission to Syria to discuss the planned international trial of ex-Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassins. The president and Ban “reviewed the situation in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon,” the state news agency SANA said, adding that the UN chief went on to talks with Vice President Farouk Shara.
Ban, accompanied by UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen and special coordinator for Lebanon, Geir Pedersen, was also due to meet Foreign Minister Walid Muallem during the visit.
Meanwhile, Syrian human rights activist Anwar Bunni was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday for “spreading false information” damaging to the country, his lawyer said.
In a verdict condemned by rights groups, “the criminal court in Damascus sentenced lawyer Anwar Bunni to five years in prison under the accusation of spreading false information which weakens the nation,” Khalil Maatuk said.
