On an unseasonably mild day last August , a small group of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri 's closest political allies could tell from his flushed face and subdued manner that something awful had happened in the Syrian capital of Damascus , where he had been summoned to a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad .
Bashar al-Assad /people/person/place_of_birth Damascus
IN DT RB JJ NN JJ NNP , DT JJ NN IN NNP NNP NNP NNP POS JJS JJ NNS MD VB IN PRP$ JJ NN CC VBN NN IN NN JJ VBD VBN IN DT JJ NN IN NNP , WRB PRP VBD VBN VBN TO DT NN IN NNP NNP NNP .
Bashar al-Assad
PERSON
Damascus
LOCATION
/people/person/place_of_birth