Middle East Intelligence Bulletin
Jointly published by the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon and the Middle East Forum
  Vol. 3   No. 2 Table of Contents
MEIB Main Page

February 2001 


Intelligence Briefs: Syria

Bashar gets hitched
Syrian military on high alert
Kourieh set to retire
First private newspaper in 38 years to open
Syria expected to release all Jordanian political prisoners

Bashar gets hitched

On New Year's Day, Syrian President Bashar Assad married Asma Akhras, a British-born economist of Syrian descent in a private ceremony. While few have gone so far as to discount true love, most Syrian observers see the marriage as a political master stroke. It has long been considered axiomatic that Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect that dominates the Syrian regime, would seek to elicit support from the majority of the population by marrying a Sunni. Moreover, Akhras, 25, is from a traditional elite family based in Homs, symbolizing unity between Damascus and the provinces. Her British birth and profession promote an image of secularization and modernization that underscores the young Syrian dictator's own emerging cult of personality.

The bride's father, Fawaz Akhras, is a cardiologist in London and her mother is a diplomat at the Syrian embassy. Since quitting her job as an economist at J.P. Morgan and relocating to Damascus, Akhras has stayed out of the spotlight. There were no public celebrations of the wedding because the Assad family is observing a full year of mourning from the death of President Hafez Assad in June. Photos of Akhras have not appeared frequently in the Syrian press.

Syrian military on high alert

Maher Assad
Maher Assad
Syrian military forces have been on high alert since the beginning of the year, the result of fears in Damascus that Israel will launch a large-scale attack before its February 6 elections. The preparations began shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak warned that fighting between Israelis and Palestinians could erupt into a "regional" war. Earlier this month, Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered defensive redeployments along the border with Israel and put several tank divisions on special alert. The Syrians also began modifying and reinforcing air defense systems in and around Damascus. When Israel's military intelligence service (Aman) informed Barak of the preparations, the latter promptly put Israel's elite 36th armored division on a state of high alert, then sent Assad a secret message through American intermediaries, promising not to attack Syria prior to the elections.

MEIB has learned that Saddam Hussein's youngest son, Qusay, visited Damascus last month to discuss contingency plans for Syrian-Iraqi military cooperation in the event of an Israeli attack. Qusay reportedly agreed to establish a joint command and control center and place two Iraqi armored divisions (the 10th Armored Division and an unspecified Republican Guard division) on a state of heightened readiness for deployment to Syria. The deal signals the highest level of military cooperation between the two states since the October War in 1973, when Iraqi units were sent to fight Israeli forces in the Golan Heights.

According to Arab diplomatic sources in Damascus, Maher Assad, the brother of the Syrian president, made a secret two-day visit to Baghdad late last year to discuss military cooperation issues with the Iraqi regime. During his visit, he met with Qusay, who has taken charge of important security functions for the Iraqi regime.

Kourieh set to retire

MEIB has learned that Syrian President Bashar Assad has decided to order the retirement of Gibran Kourieh, his personal spokesman. Kourieh, who served the late Hafez Assad in the same capacity for many years, is the brother-in-law of Gen. Michel Suleiman, the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Army and a key ally of the Syrian regime. Assad is also expected to make several changes in the cabinet of Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa Miru.

Ali Farzat
Ali Farzat
First private newspaper in 38 years to open

Al-Hayat(London) reported on January 15 that prominent satirical cartoonist Ali Farzat and several associates of his have applied for a license to publish the country's first privately-own newspaper since 1963. The paper quotes an unnamed Syrian official as saying that a license for the paper will be approved soon. Farzat is famous for drawing extremely hard-hitting, but subtle, cartoons that poke fun at authoritarianism, corruption and other delicate issues. He is said to be close friends with President Bashar Assad.

The name of the publication, Al-Doumari, means "lantern lighter." The goal of the paper, according to its publishers, is to help "those lost in the darkness reach their destinations."

Syria expected to release all Jordanian political prisoners

On January 13, Al-Dustur (Amman) reported that Jordan has received assurances from the Assad regime that it will soon release all Jordanian political detainees currently held in Syrian prisons. Sources at the Jordanian Detainees' Relatives Committee said that arrangements were being made by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry and the relevant Syrian authorities to oversee the transfer.

Three days later, however, Al-Dustur reported that the Jordanian embassy in Damascus sent an official request to Syrian officials for a list of all the names of the detainees currently being held, as well as those who have been released in the past. Syria has not responded to the request, however. Sources at the embassy said that Jordanian officials estimate that there are "hundreds" of Jordanian political detainees in Syria but do not have an exact figure.

Earlier this month, Syrian authorities released six Jordanian detainees, including a woman, who were imprisoned charges of affiliation with Palestinian organizations opposed to Syria.


� 2001 Middle East Intelligence Bulletin. All rights reserved.

MEIB Main Page