U.S. sanctions impede wildfire fighting in Syria

STORY: U.S. sanctions impede wildfire fighting in Syria DATELINE: July 31, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:52 LOCATION: Damascus CATEGORY: POLITICS/ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of the wildfires in Latakia 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED HASSAN QATANA, Syrian Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (ARABIC): Mohammed Hassan Qatana, Syrian Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform STORYLINE: U.S. sanctions have impeded the ongoing firefighting efforts in the northwestern Syrian province of Latakia, where wildfires are devouring swathes of forest land and firefighting supplies are in urgent need. Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Mohammed Hassan Qatana said on Saturday that the embargo on Syria poses the "biggest challenge for us." SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED HASSAN QATANA, Syrian Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform "The international embargo on Syria poses the biggest challenge for us because we need energy sources and fuel as well as machinery, water tanks, and planes. W

Alawi village in support of Syrian president

Alawi village in support of Syrian president

QATANA, Syria - A boy (L) supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad looks anguished in an Alawi village in the Damascus suburb of Qatana on June 10, 2012. The Syrian crisis, triggered by antigovernment protests and the regime's crackdowns on them, has recently been turning to hostility and violent attacks between the Sunnis, who make up 70 percent of the Syrian population and mostly oppose the regime, and the Alawis, who comprise 12 percent of the population and are in control under the regime of President al-Assad.

Alawi village in support of Syrian president

Alawi village in support of Syrian president

QATANA, Syria - Boys shout slogans in support of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in an Alawi village in the Damascus suburb of Qatana on June 10, 2012. The Syrian crisis, triggered by antigovernment protests and the regime's crackdowns on them, has recently been turning to hostility and violent attacks between the Sunnis, who make up 70 percent of the Syrian population and mostly oppose the regime, and the Alawis, who comprise 12 percent of the population and are in control under the regime of President al-Assad.

Alawi village in support of Syrian president

Alawi village in support of Syrian president

QATANA, Syria - A woman (R) supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tells a U.N. monitor (L) about deteriorated safety in her Alawi village due to shooting incidents aimed at the school and houses in the Damascus suburb of Qatana on June 10, 2012. The Syrian crisis, triggered by antigovernment protests and the regime's crackdowns on them, has recently been turning to hostility and violent attacks between the Sunnis, who make up 70 percent of the Syrian population and mostly oppose the regime, and the Alawis, who comprise 12 percent of the population and are in control under the regime of President al-Assad.

Alawi village in support of Syrian president

Alawi village in support of Syrian president

QATANA, Syria - Children express support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with a boy holding an image of him, in an Alawi village in the Damascus suburb of Qatana on June 10, 2012. The Syrian crisis, triggered by antigovernment protests and the regime's crackdowns on them, has recently been turning to hostility and violent attacks between the Sunnis, who make up 70 percent of the Syrian population and mostly oppose the regime, and the Alawis, who comprise 12 percent of the population and are in control under the regime of President al-Assad.