for making AP the first international media organization to enter the former rebel towns of Talbiseh and Rastan, north of Homs in central Syria, reporting on the uneasy coexistence between former rebels and President Bashar Assad’s troops. https://bit.ly/2OiPySv
More than three years ago, Lebanon-Syria News Director Zeina Karam in Beirut began her quest to get an interview with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Karam, along with AP’s longtime Damascus stringer Albert Aji, worked their sources, convincing reluctant Syrian officials about The Associated Press’ reach and significance. Last week, their work paid off: the first fully televised interview Assad has given to an international news agency, resulting in an exclusive, news-breaking all-formats package.
