NICOSIA [MENL] -- Hafez Assad, the ailing Syrian president who was eulogized
for nearly 20 years, has died. He was 69 and his death leaves a power vacuum
in Syria.
"Death has taken away from Syria a leader," an announcer on Syrian
television said before bursting into tears.
Assad died on Saturday morning of apparent heart failure. News of
Assad's death was withheld for several hours, and was not announced to the
Syrian public until 6 p.m. in Damascus.
Diplomatic sources in Damascus said Assad's condition had been steadily
deteriorating over the last week. They said his daughter, Bushra, a
pharmacist by training, had maintained bedside vigil.
By Saturday evening, demonstrations in support of Assad and his son and
heir-successor, Bashar, began in Damascus and spread throughout the country.
The crowds of largely young people shouted support for Assad in scenes
broadcast on Syrian television.
The Syrian army was reportedly placed on alert in Syria and in Lebanon,
where about 35,000 Syrian troops are deployed.
The death of Assad appears to have driven the final nail of the coffin
of peace efforts between Israel and Syria. The United States had been
exploring the prospect of renewing Israeli-Syrian talks, suspended since
January.
Hours after Assad's death, Syria's parliament voted to change the
constitution that will allow Bashar, 34, to succeed his father. The
constitution had stipulated that the president must be at least 40 years
old.
The parliament amended the constitution to make 34 the minimum age for
president. The Baath Party leadership later submitted Bashar as candidate
for Syrian presidency. A Syrian official said the Baath party conference
scheduled for Saturday has been postponed. No new date has been set.
On June 25, parliament is expected to ratify the Baath decision.
Bashar's presidency will be confirmed in a referendum. Over the last month,
Assad had prepared for Bashar's succession by jailing or exiling potential
rivals or critics of his son.
Assad's last days were marked by a purge of potential opponents to
Bashar. Syrian authorities were on alert for the prospect that Assad's
rival, his younger brother, Rifaat, would return to Syria to seize power.
Beirut's airport was reinforced with Syrian officers, who checked passengers
on incoming flights.
Arab diplomatic sources said Bashar is not expected to allow Rifaat to
attend the funeral of his older brother.
The latest apparent victim of the Assad purge was Gen. Khalil Khoder,
commander of the military college. He was found in his Damascus apartment on
Monday with his throat slashed.
Military intelligence has launched an investigation. Medical sources
said Khoder was stabbed 16 times.
Assad was said to have died of heart failure during a conversation with
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud on Saturday at about 11 a.m. Assad had
wished that Lebanon and Syria would develop together when the Syrian
president stopped speaking. The telephone connection was severed and Lahoud
later said he realized that something was wrong.
The Syrian president is expected to be buried on Tuesday in the northern
Syrian village of Kardaha. Arab diplomatic sources said Syrian Defense
Minister Mustafa Tlass could be appointed interim president until Bashar is
installed.
The Paris-based Radio Monte Carlo reported on Sunday that thousands of
Syrian laborers left Lebanon to attend Assad's funeral. More than 1 million
Syrians work in Lebanon.
