“Storms come and go”: Bashar Assad (Syria’s President); (July 11, 2009)
During the gathering of Arab States’ leaders in Beirut on April 2002, Bashar Assad said: “Storms come and go but if State’s rights and fundamentals of independence and liberty go then they are gone for ever. We cannot ask the world community to pressure Israel to return land for peace if the Arab States are not doing their homework and staying steadfast and consistent.”
Hafez Assad died in June 10, 2000 after over 30 years of reign. Bashar was appointed President in June 18 for 7 years after revising a clause in the Constitution on age limits: Bashar was 35 and the constitution required the President to be 40 or over. He proclaimed in a speech: “I am not after any position and will not shirk any responsibility. A position is not a goal but a mean for achieving goals. If we have no sense of responsibility then a position becomes power for encouraging lawlessness and embezzlement.
Bashar Assad was born in September 1965 in a traditional family; he was the third child of a large family. Bashar became an officer in the army in 1985 and then received his diploma in eye medicine in 1992 from the University of Damascus and resumed higher specialization at Western Eye in London. The elder son Bassel died in a car accident in January 1994 which prompted Bashar to return to Syria; he headed the committee of computing and information sciences. Bashar visited the Jeita Grotto in Lebanon when he was 9 years old.
Bashar lives with his family in an apartment and commute to the Presidential Palace; he walks the streets and mingles with the people. He knew more Lebanese deputies than Syrian deputies before he became Syria’s President because his older brother Bassel had a wide network of connections in Lebanon. Bashar knew Nabih Berry, head of Lebanon Parliament, since 1985 and many of the gatherings were done in company of the Syrian General Muhammad Nassif. He also knew Suleiman Frangieh and Talal Erslan. Bashar had met President Lahoud in 1996 when Lahoud was army chief who complained about the interference of many Syrian officers and named a few of these officers.
Bashar visited Lebanon officially in March 3, 2002 and he intentionally landed in the airport and the protocols of two independent States were applied. This official visit was meant to confirm Syria’s full recognition of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
In February 14, 2005, President Assad was giving an interview to Seymour Hirsh when the news of Rafic Hariri’s assassination was relayed to him; he knew that this assassination was planned to force the application of UN resolution 1559.
In March 4, Bashar announced in the Syrian Parliament his decision to with draw the troops from Lebanon. He admitted of errors committed in Lebanon by excluding contacts with many Lebanese political factions and many of the beneficiaries of Syria’s presence turned over their coat when Syria was pressured by the US and France to withdraw. By November 10, 2005 Bashar had to give a national speech asserting that the price of resisting foreign pressures is far lower than succumbing to anarchy and declared Syria’s readiness to oppose foreign interventions to changing of its regime. Bashar said: “Globalization is ignoring the civilizations and destinies of people; this is the best opportunity for the Arab people to coordinate their policies to affecting change.
In June 8, 2006 Bashar Assad sent a letter to the meeting of the Lebanese “Table of Dialogue” designed to study a strategic defensive plan saying: “Syria has no problem of opening an Embassy in Lebanon. The distance between Beirut and Damascus is shorter than Damascus to its closest main city Homs. Syria is ready as long as this demand is not attached to any foreign pressures and conditions. Syria is ready to resolve all border disputes that are not under Israeli occupation such as the Sheba3a Farms” The Syrian President went on “Syria has more cards to influence Lebanon after the withdrawal of its army (April 2005). Previously we had to deal with all the negative aspects of the mandate. We know now that Syria’s actual presence was not the main problems to Lebanon’s current dilemma. The decision to withdraw our army from Lebanon was not hard but the circumstances were. When a large portion of the Lebanese citizens started to imagine that Syria was the main problem for the assassination of Rafic Hariri then every Syrian citizen was wounded deeply.
If you ever ask any Syrian soldier whether he would have liked to remain or return to Lebanon then he would refuse this hardest of assignments. Syria would never relinquish its duty to preserve the integrity of the State of Lebanon when pressured by foreign interests. When Lebanon is no longer after “foreign western mothers” for political support then Lebanon will enjoy a par status with Syria. Syria has proven during difficult periods in the region that it can be on a par status with France and the USA. I personally visited Lebanon by plane in 2002 and I listened to the Lebanese anthem and I discussed the issue of diplomatic relations. Is my visit not a practical recognition of Lebanon as an independent State?”
President Bashar Assad learned two golden rules in international politics. First, the superpowers tend to convince smaller States that they are weak and need badly their aid. The superpowers claim that smaller States have no valuable products to trade so that State logic and values cannot be exchanged in the market. “We in Syria we won the battle because we were convinced that we had a priceless cause”. Second, superpowers take no account of other States except when in need. “When superpowers realize that a State can contribute to its interest then the past “misunderstandings” are forgotten”.
After meeting with Russia Putine, Bashar said “Who attempt to isolate Syria will realize that he is isolating himself from the Middle East issues”. In fact, France and the USA are diligently communicating with the Syrian regime and exchanging ambassadors.
No comments:
Post a Comment