Vol. 3 No. 2 | Table of Contents MEIB Main Page | February 2001 |
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.
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Maher Assad |
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.
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Ali Farzat |
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.