A leading Emirati diplomat has praised Syrian President Bashar Assad's "wise leadership", describing relations between the two Arab countries as "solid and special". The comments by Charge d'Affaires Abdul-Hakim Naimi came during a ceremony late on Monday in Damascus to mark UAE's National Day. Bashar al-Assad regime has been largely ostracised by the international community for its brutal suppression of peaceful protests in 2011 and the deaths of thousands of ...