March 30, 2015 – Our Weekly Selection

Our selection of articles on Syria’s economy and society.

Turkey Moves to Close All Gates at Border With Syria: “After maintaining an open-door policy through the four years of civil war in neighboring Syria, Turkey has begun shutting out refugees amid fears of a possible terrorist attack.”

No sign of Turkey-Syria border reopening: “On March 9, Turkish authorities closed the Bab al-Salam and Bab al-Hawa border crossings with Syria. Commercial trucks and emergency medical vehicles were exempt.”

UN Warns Emergency Fund for Palestinians in Syria Near Empty: “Just four percent of emergency work in Syria for Palestinians has been funded so far this year, threatening the viability of a cash assistance program that UNRWA.”

The Syrian odyssey in Istanbul: “As the Syrian war enters its fifth year, Turkey’s economic centre, Istanbul, has seen the population of distressed Syrians swell. The patience of the local population, along with aid from the government, has been wearing thin.”

Regime and ISIS Agree to Share Electricity in Aleppo Countryside
: “Deal between regime and ISIS shares power station with over half of the facility’s output going to ISIS-held areas of Aleppo.”

Interim Govt. Faces Severity of Financial Crisis as Funds Deplete: “As the Syrian opposition’s interim government verges on dissolution, Interim Prime Minister Ahmed Tomeh continues to deny the government’s failures and bankruptcy.”

Regime Targets US Dollar in Damascus Arrest Campaign: “Opposition media sources in Damascus said that many arrests took place recently against the Damascene merchants who work in the dollar exchange market following tip-offs by Syrian intelligence forces.”

AOHR Requests Arab States Accept Expired Syrian Passports: “Draft resolution submitted to Arab League asks member states to accept Syrian passports regardless of their validity.”

Coalition Revokes State Of Emergency in Syria: “National coalition issues decree annulling Syria’s 1963 state of emergency act.”