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Life Continues in Damascus Despite Surrounding Conflict

As the Syrian conflict nears its third year, Damascus remains largely detached from its rural surroundings, writes Nasser Chararah.
Men drink tea and smoke water pipe at a cafe in the old city of Damascus November 8, 2012. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman  (SYRIA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR3A600
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The signs of fatigue are obvious on the faces of the Lebanese General Security staff charged with stamping the passports of people crossing the Syrian-Lebanese border.

One General Security officer complained about the non-stop convoys of displaced Syrians entering Lebanon. "When the military situation escalates in the Damascus countryside, our work intensifies here. Sometimes we receive more than 500 Syrian and Palestinian refugees in a single day. At other times, things are puzzling, as the number of Syrian refugees coming from Syria is equal to the number of those returning to Syria," he said.

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