Game of chess .. Letters of Assad

The national newspaper reported on the release of Sam Goodwin, a 30-year-old American tourist from Syria whose general Major Abbas Ibrahim had been the mediator, and "the mysterious chess game in the Middle East".

In his report, the newspaper described Godwin's detention a few hours after entering Qamishli under the control of the Syrian army last May "seemingly random event", pointing out that she was from a police station. great importance given the Syrian geopolitical situation and the adoption of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Iran, hostile acts climbing with the United States of America ".

In this context, the newspaper ruled that Damascus released the US citizen without consulting Tehran. According to the newspaper, Damascus was released after being confirmed that he was neither a journalist nor a humanitarian worker after entering Syrian territory without a visa from Iraq.

The New York Times quoted a knowledgeable person claiming that the family had lost contact with Goodwin two days after arriving in Syria on May 25 and had confirmed that he had been detained for 62 days. The paper pointed out that Goodwin's parents had issued a brief statement thanking Ibrahim for his role in the bargaining process without giving further details.

Back at The National, Goodwin's publication contradicts the recent escalation between Washington and Tehran, baduming that it would solve the crisis caused by Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

For Ibrahim, the newspaper says it belongs to the Shiite community and enjoys a network of regional relations, portraying it as a figure in the Lebanese political scene. In this regard, the paper recounted Ibrahim's role in the liberation of the Lebanese Nizar Zaka, the carrier of the latter, claiming that his release was a message that Iran wanted to open the door to negotiation.
For his part, retired Brigadier General Nizar Abdulqadir said that Godwin and Zakka were "unimportant", suggesting that this reality was in their interest. In his badysis, Abdul Qadir said such cases would probably leave very little room for political advances, citing the failure of high-level exchanges between Tehran and Washington since Japanese Prime Minister Sinzo Abe's visit in Iran in June.

With regard to Damascus, the paper did not rule out that the Syrian regime is "very interested" in sending its own messages to Washington, even though it is in the orbit of Moscow and Tehran, as part of the decision to isolate him from the West and his inability to obtain a large amount of reconstruction funds.

In conclusion, the newspaper pointed out that the time of the rapprochement between Damascus and Washington by the release of the detainees, "very late", explained that American officials considered the regime responsible for the disappearance of at least six Americans, including the reporter Austin Ties gone since 2011.