Disputes - international Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Hatay question with Turkey; dispute with upstream riparian Turkey over Turkish water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976

Illicit drugs a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets

Current issues Tajikistan has experienced three changes of government and a civil war since it gained independence in September 1991. The current president, Emomali RAHMONOV, was elected in November 1994, yet has been in power since 1992. A peace agreement was signed in June 1997, but implementation is progressing slowly. Russian-led peacekeeping troops are deployed throughout the country, and Russian-commanded border guards are stationed along the Tajikistani-Afghan border.

NOTE: The information regarding Syria on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Syria Transnational Issues 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Syria Transnational Issues 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.