Podcast: Middle East Analysis looks at Syria, Libya, Egypt and Iraq

Dr Harry Hagopian

As we approach Eid Al-Fitr at the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the continuing bloodshed in Syria comes into focus in this Middle East Analysis podcast. International lawyer Dr Harry Hagopian discusses the current situation and also looks at the plight of the country's Christians.

Dr Hagopian says: "I think it's gone crazy in Syria and it's really mind-numbing in a sense, the scenes that we've all seen on our television screens, the reports I get from people both within the country and outside the country. Basically what has been happening is that the military has decided to use its full force in different towns and cities in the country, the main key ones that it considers as troublesome or problematic. The idea behind it is that they think that by sheer force they can crush the popular revolts and re-establish their rule in the country, which I think is a very questionable issue."

He looks at the issue of whether supporters of the National Transitional Council (NTC) in Libya might soon be in a position to break the stalemate and oust Colonel Qadhafi from power.

A packed Middle East Analysis concludes by examining former president Hosni Mubarak's trial in Egypt and, with a spate of Church bombings in the country, how Iraq has hit the headlines for violence against Christians.

Dr Hagopian is an international lawyer and consultant to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales on the Middle East. He's also a former Assistant General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches.

Listen to the Podcast: www.catholicchurch.org.uk/mena-10

Dr Harry Hagopian's website: www.epektasis.net/