President Assad visits church, meets senior figures

(25 Dec 2006) SHOTLIST
1. Tilt down on exterior al-Mariamieh Orthodox Church
2. Cross on church
3. Car of Syrian President Bashar Assad, arrives, he gets out and greets waiting senior religious figures: 1st man he greets is Ignace IV Hazim, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East; 2nd man he greets is Ignatius Zaka Iwas, Syriac Patriarch of Antioch; also in line are Sheikh Ahmad Badruddin Hassoun, the Grand Mufti of Syria; senior Druze figure Sheik Ahmad al Hujri
4. Interior church, various of meeting with Assad and senior religious figures, to left of Assad is Ignace IV Hazim, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, and to his right is Ignatius Zaka Iwas, Syriac Patriarch of Antioch
5. Various of religious figure making speech
6. Priests in audience
7. Bashar making speech
8. Bashar and senior religious figures appear on balcony of church
9. Bashar and senior religious figures coming down stairs
10. Group of religious figures and Assad in courtyard
STORYLINE:
Syrian President Bashar Assad visited the Syrian Orthodox Church of al-Maramieh in Damascus on Monday, where he met religious figures from the Syrian Orthodox, Muslim and Druze religions.
It was the first time a serving Syrian president had ever visited the church, and a good will visit on Christmas Day was particularly significant.

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