Middle East Intelligence Bulletin
Jointly published by the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon and the Middle East Forum
  Vol. 5   No. 1 Table of Contents
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January 2003 


Intelligence Briefs: Syria

Arrest of Hamidi Sparks Outrage Abroad
Syrian Kurds Hold Rare Demonstration
Sharon: Iraq Transporting WMDs to Syria
Syrian Elections Scheduled for March
Assad's Visit to Tehran Cancelled
Assad Welcomes Chemical Ali

Ibrahim Hamidi
Arrest of Hamidi Sparks Outrage Abroad

The arrest of one of the Arab world's most renowned journalists in Damascus last month has touched off an unprecedented wave of international criticism of Syrian President Bashar Assad's crackdown on civil liberties.

Ibrahim Hamidi, the Damascus bureau chief for the London-based daily Al-Hayat, was arrested by Syrian intelligence officers on December 23, three days after he wrote an article about the government's preparations for an influx of Iraqi refugees in the event of an American-led war to oust Saddam Hussein. The official SANA news agency acknowledged Hamidi's detention four days later and accused him of "publishing false information," an offence that carries a penalty of up to three years in prison. He is expected to be tried before the State Security Court within the next few months.

Hamidi's arrest not only evoked the usual sort of protests from international human rights groups, but also prompted rare denunciations from Western governments, which have been reluctant to criticize the young Syrian leader for fear of undermining his authority within the regime. In a briefing on January 3, a US State Department spokesman expressed concern about Hamidi's arrest and warned that "the absence of a free press and basic civil liberties continue to be serious impediments [sic]" to improved American-Syrian relations. A spokesman for the British Foreign Office spokesman said, "We condemn the arrest . . . We continue to have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Syria, including the restrictions on expression and information."

Syrian Kurds Hold Rare Demonstration

An estimated 150 members of the Syrian Kurdish Yakiti party staged a demonstration in front of parliament on December 10, waving signs with slogans such as "down with the ban on Kurdish language and culture" and "respect human rights in Syria." Parliament Speaker Abd Al-Qader Qadourah met with two leaders of the party and promised to convey their concerns to Syrian President Bashar Assad. A few days later, Syrian security forces conducted a wave of house-to-house arrests of Kurdish dissidents.

Sharon: Iraq Transporting WMDs to Syria

On December 24, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon accused Iraq of transferring weapons of mass destruction into Syria in order to hide them from UN weapons inspectors. "There is information we are verifying, but we are certain that Iraq has recently moved chemical or biological weapons into Syria," he told Channel Two television in Israel.

Syrian Elections Scheduled for March

President Assad issued a decree in mid-January setting the date for parliamentary elections on March 2. Syrian pro-democracy activists say that the regime has refused to reform the country's electoral laws or provide for independent monitoring of the vote. Two members of the outgoing parliament, Riyad Sayf and Maamoun al-Homsi, were arrested in 2001 and jailed for advocating an end to the political hegemony of Syria's ruling Baath Party.

Assad's Visit to Tehran Cancelled

President Assad's last minute cancellation of a January 15 visit to Tehran has puzzled observers of Syrian-Iranian relations. Iranian officials said that the visit, Assad's second since taking office in July 2000, was canceled at Syria's request, but Syria's official SANA news agency said that no plans for a visit ever existed. The London-based daily Al-Hayat quoted an "informed" Iranian source as saying that the date of the visit had been established the week before and that the agendas for Assad's meetings with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mohammad Khatami were "organized and ready."

Syrian-Iranian relations have been strained in recent months by differing views on the impending American war against Iraq. The Iranian government unofficially supports the use of force to oust Saddam Hussein and is expected to permit US warplanes to fly over Iranian airspace. Assad, who has been very anxious to avoid being seen as cooperating with the United States, may have canceled the visit in order to avoid creating the impression that he is coordinating with the Iranians on this issue.

Assad Welcomes Chemical Ali

The notorious Iraqi General Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" in Iraq because of his use of chemical weapons, arrived in Damascus on January 17 for a meeting with President Assad, the only Arab leader willing to welcome the envoy. Majid had originally been scheduled to continue on to Cairo after his stay in the Syrian capital, but the Egyptian government cancelled the visit when international human rights groups called on Arab governments to arrest him for his role in the massacre of Iraqi Kurds in the late 1980s. Majid also served as governor of Kuwait in 1990-1991, when thousands of civilians were tortured and abducted by Iraqi intelligence.


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