On March 16, Al Sharq Al Awsat reported on international and regional reactions to US Secretary of State John Kerry's recent statements concerning the fate of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Kerry recently indicated to the media that in an effort to end the conflict and pave the way for a political transition in Syria, Assad would be a part of the negotiations. Several governments quickly voiced concern over the remarks, arguing that Assad has lost all legitimacy, something the US has also claimed, and cannot be part of any solution to the Syrian civil war. Kuwait, for its part, said he could envision a scenario in which Assad was a part of a one- or two-year transition period, but not part of any permanent resolution. This is a good example of a political article quoting various figures and segmenting their remarks with phrases such as "adding", "indicating, "emphasizing." Very often these phrases provide little content or semantic benefit, but really help you to sound articulate in Arabic if you can sprinkle them in conversations.

Al Jazeera