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Assad mystery lover to get PhD from British varsity
Sunday July 08, 2012 11:35:08 PM,
IANS
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London: A Syrian
woman, said to be the mystery lover of embattled President Bashar
al-Assad, will soon get a doctorate from a top university in
Britain, according to emails released by WikiLeaks.
Lamis Omar, believed to be in her mid-30s, has been working in
Assad's own department, known as the "ministry of presidential
affairs", the Daily Mail reported. Omar's official role was to
translate Assad's speeches into English.
She has been studying for a doctorate at Durham University, and is
likely to receive her PhD in September. Her thesis is on
Shakespeare.
In more than 800 email exchanges between Omar and Assad obtained
by the WikiLeaks, "a picture emerges of a world of poetry and
jokes", the daily said.
They appear to have a "close friendship", in which he buys her
gifts and she repeatedly says that she "loves" him.
Assad has been married to 37-year-old British-born Asma for 12
years.
In the emails, Omar refers to Assad as the "sponsor" of her
course.
Fellow students say she also has a large picture of Assad on the
wall of her home in the university grounds.
Officials at the university have refused to say whether the
institution accepted money from the Assad regime in tuition fees.
Tory MP Robert Halfon said questions need to be asked as to why
the university was providing education to a member of the Assad
regime.
The emails were among 2.5 million such documents obtained by
WikiLeaks.
Most of them were written by Syrian officials and politicians, as
well as Assad himself.
Durham University said it cannot comment on financial
circumstances of individual students, but that it does not have
any formal links with the Syrian government.
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