Damascus: canceling the contract of the republic's presidency advisor

Sources close to the advisor in the Syrian Presidency, Nibras al-Fadel, said that he was notified of the breaking of his annual contract with the Syrian Presidency recently over press statements he had made, while government sources said that al-Fadel's contract expired normally and was not renewed.

Judicial sources close to al-Fadel announced that the "Minister for the republic's presidential affairs ( Ghassan al-Laham) notified al-Fadel on April 14 that work is suspended in the contract linking him to the Presidential Palace at the directives of the President of the Republic as from the set date. The sources added the contract is valid until the end of 2005.

However, governmental sources denies this story, considering that al-Fadel's contract expired normally and that is why he left work.

Al-Fadel had supervised "economic reform plans and programs ( February 2005), financial (July 2004), judicial (December 2004) and administrative (August 2003). He also contributed to the Syria- EU association Agreement negotiations.