Family feud: Fighting breaks out in Syria
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, September 27, 1999
LONDON -- Clashes have erupted in Syria between forces loyal to
President Hafez Assad and supporters of his brother, Rifaat, in the first
such fighting between the ruling family since 1984, a newsletter reported on
Friday.
The London-based Mideast Mirror daily reported that the fighting broke
out recently between in the city of Latakia, where the Assad family is
based. They said Syrian authorities arrested a son of Rifaat, Kaisar
Shalish.
The publication said Syrian troops have raided suspected strongholds of
Rifaat and arrested his supporters. Mideast Mirror did not say whether the
clashes were connected to the feud between the president's son, Bashar, and
Rifaat's son, Samir.
The report was not confirmed by any other source. Rifaat was allowed to
return to Syria nearly two years ago and since then has maintained a low
profile.
Mideast Mirror quoted Arab sources as saying the health of the Syrian
president is unstable and he has not been working for several days.
The Assad brothers, who cooperated in the 1970s, began to feud in the
early 1980s when Rifaat tried to impose secular norms on the conservative
Islamic population in Syria and replace members of the nation's security
forces. In 1984, Hafez Assad forced a showdown with Rifaat and the younger
brother agreed to go into exile.
The reported clash comes as the Syrian president is ordering major
changes in his security and diplomatic corps. On Friday, the London-based Al
Hayat reported that Assad has appointed Maj.-Gen. Ali Khoury as head of
general intelligence. Khoury's new aide will be Maj.-Gen Bashir Naseef. The
intelligence agency will be restricted to civilian issues.
Assad has also recalled seven ambassadors, including the Syrian envoy to
the United States, Walid Mualem. Syrian sources said the recall is aimed to
bring new blood to the diplomatic corps, where many of the ambassadors have
served as long as a decade in foreign countries.
A Russian military delegation appears ready to conclude a visit to
Damascus as part of cooperation between the armies of Syria and Russia. The
delegation met with Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass and Syrian Chief
of Staff Gen. Ali Aslan. Diplomatic sources said the Russian delegation did
not discuss the sale of military equipment to Damascus.
Monday, September 27, 1999
|