November 25, 1998 I feel almost recuperated from the hunger strike, and it is a relief in view of the fact that the first wave of defensive manurers has come from the Syrians. I have to stay focused. This is going to get real interesting. MSNBC published Nadia's story online. The Syrian embassy in Washington, D.C. responded predictably...with a fax to me. I do not and have not interfaced with State Department for quite some time. They have compromised my case on more than one occasion. Therefore, I have been working directly with Syrian authorities and they with me and the State department, which would normally be the "middle man", is kept out of the picture. The Syrian response was not only predictable, but truly an artwork of "damage control". Politics, like chess, requires considerable skill. Unlike chess, there are no rules. Once the fax was sent, the ball was in my court. My concern is not responding, but trying to determine who the "power players" are. It makes no sense that an 8 year old girl is abducted to Syria, her father arrested, and then he flees Syria abandoning her. It makes no sense Syrian authorities not only refuse to allow me contact with my daughter (even though I have a Syrian custody order), but refuse to allow US diplomatic personnel access to her. It has been a most difficult task to determine motive and who may be holding the reins here. The fax I received today stated that a man by the name of Ahmad Madani has my child. This man is the brother to Ali Madani. Ali is an old guy that is officially retired from Syrian politics, but no one really retires. It is interesting to me that Ali, once the Syrian ambassador to Greece, would allow his brother to be entangled in my struggle for Nadia. Upon further investigation, I learned that Ali used his power and influence to make sure that his little brother, Ahmad, served his mandatory military obligation to Syria in a safe place, i.e. as a lifeguard at the Meridian hotel swimming pool in Damascus. Further inquiry revealed that Ali is well known to some who are posted at the Syrian embassy in D.C. and are "friends." In particular, the Diplomatic assistant. This is most distressing. This is a nightmare. I have been given detailed information regarding Ali's involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood. I believe the information to be valid. There are too many details. I traveled to the middle east and spoke to several that know him. They all confirmed the same stories. This would explain why the current Baath party regime in Syria is helpless to intercede on Nadia's behalf. If my information is correct, then the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the Baath party at the highest levels of government and may, in fact, truly be running the country. More disturbing is trying to figure out which party the U.S. supports. Damn I wish Bill Colby was still here! As for Ahmad, his history reveals a wife, one daughter and my Nadia. The report indicates he has had several business',none particularly successful, including a children's shop at the Meridian hotel at one time. It is odd that Amad would want to raise someone else's child. Adoption is not a standard practice in middle east countries, in fact, it is rare. I can only speculate that perhaps it is because he has only one child himself, a daughter that is one year older than Nadia. It is also unusual for a man to father only one child. Third world countries typically produce as many offspring as possible. Still, even this argument has flaws. If Ahamd's wife is unable to have more children, typically he would take another wife. Since it appears he has only the one, perhaps the problem is with him. At any rate, I believe it imperative that the resolution that Senator Robb sponsored get into the hands of President Assad. Assad does NOT like bad press about Syria. He does want Syrians portrayed in a bad light. While diplomatic protocol may demand that the resolution first be given to the Syrian ambassador in Washington and then forwarded on up the ladder, I believe it safe to speculate, that resolution will never reach the hands of any Syrian official not sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood. While U.S. authorities can arrange for the resolution to be given to Assad, this has not happened and that is where my question regarding party loyalty comes in. ....Eight years ago I dreamed of picnics in the park and tea parties for Nadia.....not playing high stakes political games to save her life.