In March and April 2003, The Syria Times received some international attention due to its harsh condemnation of the US-led war against Iraq, well in line with the official Syrian discourse in the debates of the UN Security Council.
A report on the viability of the Syria Times was delivered to the People's Assembly (the Syrian parliament) in July, and assistance was requested to restart the newspaper.
Following lengthy delays, a 2-year agreement (since extended) was signed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to assist the newspaper to the tune of $900,000 used for analysis, restructuring, training and equipment.
The launching coincided with the country's celebrations of the 39th anniversary of the Liberation War of October, led by the late President Hafez al-Assad.
On his part, the Syria Times editor-in-chief, Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim, underlined that the daily, at the directive of information minister, Omran al-Zou'bi, would adopt in its media coverage the main principles and ethics of journalism, including those of transparency, credibility, and objectivity.