EU welcomes release of Riad al-Turk

The European Union yesterday welcomed the release of the Syrian opposition member Riad al-Turk and called on Damascus to release the rest of the "political detainees." Meantime, the Northern America League for Middle East Studies ( MESA) granted its annual prize for 2002 to the Syrian activist Aref Dalila who has been detained since December 2001. This was in a celebration held at the headquarters of the League in Washington.