Vol. XL

No. 1

6 January 1997

The Political Scene

The Syrians are blaming Israel and/or its agents for an explosion on a bus in Damascus, a description which covers a fair amount of territory in Syrian official terminology. An agreement on Israel's redeployment in Hebron has been forecast almost daily over the last fortnight, but a deal has still not been done. Operation Provide Comfort (OPC) - allied air cover and humanitarian aid for the Kurds in northern Iraq - is no more, but the allies...