Damascus is often claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Ever since I first went there in the early part of 1985, I have loved the city and Syria, the people I met on numerous visits, the location, the climate, the restaurants everything in fact. Paradoxically, my first view of the country was a chilling one. Arriving at DAM the Damascus International Airport very late at night (the Airport was opened specially to receive the Company aircraft) from a refuelling stop at Larnaca, we were met on the tarmac by a deputation of high ranking army officers who accompanied us to the terminal building on special buses to collect our luggage and the trunks containing the 25 volumes of our (as yet incomplete) proposal for Phase 2 of the local manufacturing of communications equipment Contract for the Syrian Government. Almost as soon as we left the airport for the drive into the City and what was to be our home, office, meeting venue etc over the next week...