Bashar al-Assad: "Sharon Wants War”
SPIEGEL in-depth interview with the Syrian President on the Arab conflict with Israel and accusations of anti-Semitism.

"It's obvious that Sharon and his government are trying to bring about a war. They want to plunge the entire region into war.” "Today the real dividing issue between us and the Israelis is the question who is stirring up a war and who is trying to prevent one.” When asked about Syria's support for the Hezbollah: "In political and moral terms we certainly support the Hezbollah and its just cause of winning back certain areas of Lebanon which are still occupied territory. But we are not providing them with any material support.” Asked about Arafat: "Arafat was never responsible for the intifada. … The intifada is not the work of a single man, a country or a party - it is the rebellion of the Palestinian people.” On the Madrid Conference and the peace process: "At no point in time have the Arab nations rejected the peace process. They have done their utmost to help it to succeed. It's up to Israel to do something to advance it …” On the accusations of anti-Semitism provoked by his speech during the Pope's visit to Damascus: "What's the idea? We Arabs are Semites ourselves, as descendants of Shem, one of Noah's three sons. Nobody should be against any race, against mankind or parts of it … We are not only part of this race, we are in fact its nucleus. Judaism, on the other hand, is a religion that can be assigned to all races. … We Syrians are not opposed to any religion.”

Italy - A Big Chunk for the Mafia

Billion-dollar aid from Brussels is meant to help Sicily's economy to get back on its feet. But the money supplied by European tax payers threatens to disappear down dubious channels. Organized crime once again enjoys excellent relations with the political powers. Only its style has changed.

Tour de France / Drug Abuse: "The Full Force of the Law” Interview at the start of the Tour de France with French sports minister Marie-George Buffet.

Mme Buffet: "I think these days all the participants are aware of the risks. But obviously, apart from the misconduct of individuals, there are also Mafia-like networks which are using the sport to circulate dangerous substances and which are abusing the cyclists as guinea pigs.” The minister states that "drug abuse is a global problem. Which is why the fight against drug abuse has to be conducted globally too. Otherwise we'll always remain a step or two behind the sorcerers and their illegal practices”.

Deutsche Telekom - Incorrect Opening Balance?

The public prosecutor in Bonn has extended its investigations against Deutsche Telekom. The telecommunications giant is believed to have set the value of its technical equipment too high by 15 to 22 billion marks in its opening balance of 1995. This would mean that the balance sheet total was also too high by some 100 to 14 percent.

Crime - Hour-long Phone Calls to Nigeria for Free

An extensive network of high-tech criminals is forging phone cards on a huge scale. The cards are sold on the Black market for next to nothing. Thousands of people use them to make phone calls without time limit. The damage caused to Deutsche Telekom alone is likely to be well beyond 100 million marks.

Architecture - The Bluff of the Eternal Bubble

Since designing his spectacular complex for the Guggenheim Museum in the Spanish city of Bilbao, the Californian architect Frank O. Gehry has enjoyed the status of a superstar. With fatal results: all over the world people are placing their hopes on the eccentric "Bilbao effect”. Gehry is being swamped with orders - and has no qualms about copying his own work.

Former member of the Politburo Günter Schabowski on the building of the Berlin Wall

Günter Schabowski, a former member of the Politburo of the Socialist Unity Party, SED, talks about the statement issued by the PDS regarding the building of the Wall on 13 August 1961: "The PDS made this tortuous statement because it wants to return to power in Berlin. The SPD felt that a gesture like this was desirable - so they delivered it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with morality.”

Homosexual "Marriage” in Germany - "A Law Quickly Cobbled Together”

Bavaria and Saxony have appealed to the Federal Constitutional Court to revoke the so-called "life partnership law” of the governing red-green coalition, which is meant to give homosexual couples in Germany more or less the same rights as married couples as of August 1. Eva Marie Münch, a Hamburg-based expert in family law, believes that the last-minute petition by the two states has every chance of being successful: "The Constitutional Court is virtually obliged to issue a provisional order to prevent the law from coming into force.” Because "the law has been cobbled together so quickly that it is open to attack from numerous angles.”