Al Arabiya exposes Syrian treasure trove

News network Al Arabiya Al Hadath is set to broadcast a controversial five-part series, new programme Al-Taqrir Al-Amni ["The Security Briefing"], about dozens of documents the Syrian opposition members have leaked to the media organisation over the past two years. And yet the programme, hosted by Mohammed Abu Obeid and produced by Hani Abu Ayash, still only manages to skim the surface, highlighting 70 out of around 17,000 documents leaked. Around 20 prominent Arab and Syrian figures will be invited onto the programme to analyse or be made to answer for some of the information gleaned from the impressive paper trail.  The Security Briefing will also assess the authenticity and credibility of these documents, which the opposition claims were obtained through Syrian intelligence services. Bahia Mardini will be a constant presence throughout the series, representing the opposition and its claims. Other guests will include Khaled Abu Salah, Anwar Malek, Riad Kahwaji, Riyadh al-Asaad, Mustafa al-Sheikh, Ibrahim Harmoush, Nawaf al-Fares, Obaida al-Nahas, Ali Nourizada, Samir al-Taqi, Walid al-Bunni, Ammar al-Qurabi, Abdel Halim Khaddam, Radwan Ziyadeh, Burhan Ghalioun, Michel Kilo and many others. The episodes follow the story of the documents, how they came into Al Arabiya's possession, what the documents say about the regime's pursuit of the opposition, the hidden secrets behind the disappearance of Hussein Harmoush and the activities of President Bashar al-Assad’s allies inside the country and beyond. The five-part series airs Saturday to Wednesday on Al Arabaiya Al Hadath at 1600 hrs GMT starting on January 12.