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Syrian elites demoralized by Assad's succession obsession

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, February 18, 2000

WASHINGTON -- The United States is concerned over what officials said is the power struggle in Damascus over the successor to Syrian President Hafez Assad.

Officials said the succession struggle has apparently placed Syrian negotiations with Israel on the backburner of the priorities of Damascus. They said Assad appears to have shelved plans to revive the suspended negotiations and focus on ensuring that his son, Bashar, succeeds him.

But the 69-year-old president continues to face opposition from both within his family and among military leaders, the officials said. They cited the dismissal of Syrian military intelligence chief Gen. Ali Duba to his opposition to the 35-year-old Bashar.

Officials said the Syrian president has expressed little interest in the last few weeks in reviving the negotiations. They said earlier this month Assad refused to see British envoy Lord Michael Levy during his visit to Damascus. This contrasted with Assad's meeting with Levy in November before Syria announced the resumption of negotiations with Israel after a four-year break.

The officials said Assad's health has also prevented him from taking a higher profile in peace efforts with Israel. They said Assad has reduced his work schedule and meets with few foreign visitors.

The struggle over the Bashar succession has demoralized the Syrian leadership, the officials said. They said many leading Syrians, particularly members of the ruling Alawite minority, are prepared to flee the country. They have opened bank accounts and bought apartments in France and other parts of Europe.

Arab diplomatic and Syrian sources agreed. They said Assad appears to be facing surprisingly strong resistance to the appointment of Bashar and that the ophthalmologist is uncertain whether he intends to succeed his father.

The sources said the succession struggle and doubts over Bashar's capabilities has prompted Assad into a defense of his son. They said that supporters of Assad in Syria have responded to attacks on Bashar in the Arab media. The latest such article was published in the London-based Al Hayat daily on Thursday.

At a hearing of the House International Relations Committee in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the Clinton administration has been disappointed that U.S.-supervised talks between Israel and Syria did not produce "immediate results." She ruled out the continuation of high-level administration involvement in efforts to resume the talks, saying this would continue on lower levels.

"We were very disappointed in the fact that the Blair House talks and then Shepherdstown did not yield immediate results," Ms. Albright said. "As you know better than anyone, this is a very difficult and complex situation, and we have wanted to and will continue to try to work at lower levels to bring about progress on that track, as well as on the Palestinian track."

Ms. Albright cited the Hizbullah offensive in southern Lebanon as a factor that is harming the resumption of talks. She said she urged Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk A-Sharaa to stop Hizbullah attacks.

At the hearing, Rep. Tom Lantos, a California Democrat, said Hizbullah was a surrogate of Syria. "Since he did not see the meetings in this country bringing immediate fruit, he has now wrapped up his surrogates, the Hizbullah in southern Lebanon, and has begun the pattern of violence and terrorism," Lantos said.

Rep. Steven Rothman, a New Jersey Democrat, called Assad a thug and a murderer. "He's obviously not concerned about the well-being of his people since he has kept his people under a totalitarian thumb -- his -- for decades,'' Rothman said. "The American people are disgusted and outraged at the way he continues to behave as a brutish thing of a dictator and the murderous individual that he is."

"He could have peace today with Israel on terms that any reasonable," Rothman added. "He could have had it 10 years ago, 20, 30 years ago.''

Ms. Albright did not respond to either Lantos or Rothman. "You make peace with your enemies and not your friends," she said.

For his part, A-Shaara told the United Nations that Israel is blocking peace talks. "It is clear that Israel is hampering the peace process and making it devoid of meaning," A-Shaara told UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

A-Shaara was responding to a letter by Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy accusing Syria of torpedoing peace talks.

Friday, February 18, 2000


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