President Bashar, A Year of Strenuous work for Peace, Solidarity, and Development
A year of rich harvests and great strides taken on all walks of Syrian life has
elapsed since the election of President Bashar Assad for a seven-year
presidential term on July 11th, 2000; His Excellency scored a slashing victory
where he was voted for by 97,29 percent of Syrians eligible for voting. The
election of the president came at a trying time when the nation at large was
bereaved and saddened by the untimely demise of late President, Hafez Assad, the
builder of Modern Syria; all eyes and hopes were pinned on the savior, Bashar,
where the thundering voices of millions echoed ‘ we sacrifice our blood, soul,
for Bashar,’’
The masses brought President Bashar to the helm of power; he had no way out but
to bow to the people’s burning desire and to pursue the march; “to respond to
the will of the people and to willingly accept to carry the mission I am asked
to carry and shoulder the burdens and tasks related to fulfilling my duty during
these very delicate and sensitive circumstances which our country, our nation
and the world at large
are going through at the moment.” Reminding us of his giant late father when he
condoled the sad masses over the demise of his son Bassel in 1994, President
Bashar offered his condolences over the demise of the late president to every
single family and house every where and pledged to continue the march. Like
father, like son, his father was able to change Syria in less than 30 years from
a coup-plagued country into an oasis for stability, security and, indeed, into
castle of steadfastness and pride washing the defeat of June-1967 off through
the first Arab victory against Israel in the liberation war of October, 1973;
and so does Bashar; who pledged not only to safeguard the inherited legacy and
accomplishments of the father but also to develop and modernize them. President
Bashar’s inauguration speech outlined some broad lines and approaches to be
followed as to meet the expectations of millions. Consequently, the President
started a race around the clock domestically, regionally, and internationally.
Domestically, the Syrian Citizens’ life conditions, welfare, education, health,
salary and all other necessities of their daily life have been the daily
preoccupation of the President. Several decrees were issued in betterment of the
working class salaries and life conditions. Several decrees and laws on tourism,
agriculture, investment, social insurance, transport, trade were issued. To this
effect, the President issued tens of decrees stipulating the boosting of Syrian
economic, social and ownership fields, regulating real estate rental, regulating
and facilitating vehicles ownership transference, upgrading part-time employee
status into full-fledged ones, creating of a general scientific board for
scientific agricultural researches, the protecting of authorship rights from all
forms of plagiarism, distortion, or any breach, amending of Customs Tariffs, the
permitting of creating private banks, subjugating all Syrian Banks to secrecy
opening banking accounts known only for their owners, exempting of the first
thousand Syrian pounds of employees monthly salary from taxes, exempting Syrian
originated goods from export taxes, adding 2 percent of advertisement to
journalists pension fund.
The president issued strict directions for all concerned institutions as to
facilitate administrative measures and procedures for all citizens; ministers,
directors, open their offices for citizens’ complaints and problems, offices for
the unemployed were opened, new university faculties opened, Information
Technology, Internet, Cellular spread, new newspapers published including ‘Adomari’,
‘ Al-Iqtisadya’ and many others for each party of the National progressive Front
a newspaper, new horizons for investment, job opportunities were created where
tens of decrees issued in boosting of Syria’s trade, industrial, agricultural
sectors and economic systems with their public, private and joint sectors,
banking systems improved; Syria has been transformed into a beehive working for
a gradual well-studied and planned development. Reform continued, masterminded
by a young hard working president in a country emerging out of its sadness with
the demise of her builder where no citizen was allowed to be beyond the law
under the president’s strict directions too. As the president stated in a recent
TV interview prior to his historic visit to France, "There are certain things
realized in the country since coming to the presidency; however, there are other
things which weren't realized as we did wish; at the same time, there are things
realized better than what we expected,''
In his recent visit to Germany, the president asserted Syria's continued pursue
of a comprehensive plan for development and modernization '' in all fields as to
realize prosperity'' '' depending on its self-potentialities first'', '' an on
the support coming from its friends second''
Pessimistically, as all Syrians are, the President underlined that '' conditions
in Syria go in a satisfactory form'' . In fact, Syria’s ongoing process of
reform and Modernization, as President Assad, under whose leadership political
forums of debate spread and hundreds of political prisoners were set free, cited
does face some hurdles and obstacles on this way but determination was pledged
as to eliminate all these obstacles.
"We in Syria have to tackle subjective obstacles, often linked to individuals,
and objective ones; we have to tackle first the subjective obstacles, which
would give a push for the process of development,'' the president noted. "We are
in the process of laying down the basics for democracy, the more solid these
basics were, the larger building we would construct,'' asserted the president to
this effect.
Regionally, President Bashar , walking in the footsteps of his late father, has
spared no efforts in quest for Arabs’ solidarity, awareness and full
preparedness for what to emerge in a shaky region tangled with different risks
and threats. Tirelessly, the president held intensive talks with Lebanese top
officials in the interest of both countries in line with the standing
coordination and consultation between both sisterly states. Similar efforts were
exerted as far as Syria’s relations with other neighbors; namely Jordan and
Iraq, with whom the president was keen on a solid and sound relation.
Repeatedly, the president reiterated Syria’s rejection for the continued
sanctions against the Iraqi people and called for lifting them. Syria always
underlines support for the integrity and sovereignty of Iraq, with which several
economic and trade agreements were bolstered; a Syrian Trade Center was recently
opened in Iraq. Jordan’s Monarch visited Syria to inaugurate an electric grid
along with the president and Egypt’s Mubarak and in presence of Lebanese Premier
and Turkish minister. Under President Bashar’s leadership, Syria’s relations
with Turkey were also developed and so was her strategic relation with Egypt,
Iran, Gulf countries, and with all Arab countries. For this purpose, President
Assad paid visits on different occasions to Jordan, Qatar, Emirates, Iran,
Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia , and Oman. Throughout his
visits, the issues of Arab solidarity, liberation of the occupied territories,
just and comprehensive peace realization, support for the national Lebanese
resistance were top on the agenda of held talks.
His Excellency repeatedly reiterated Syria's ever adherence and work for Arab
solidarity and joint actions. "Syria has been the pioneering in calling for
coordination among all tracks of peace. Syria does ever stand with Arab
coordination.'' The president’s firm stances and national speeches were met with
a pan Arab nationalist zeal; Arab public opinion was attracted to and supportive
of his ideas in support of resistance, intifada, and of a just comprehensive and
dignified peace away from threats, hegemony and capitulation. President Assad’s
call for a more solid, steadfast and strong Arab and Islamic position was very
well heard of where a further push was given to Arab countries relations with
other Islamic countries all over the world especially with Arabs’ strategic
ally, Iran.
Since the very beginning, the new leader has reiterated full abidance by firm
national principles, by the nation's values, by maintaining fraternal ties among
the Arabs and by reactivating unceasing efforts to sustain a joint Arab action
and support for Arabs’ national just causes. He called for increasing national
spirit,'' calling for an Arab support for the Intifada through '' direct
financial aids'', '' an international campaign to speak of the Intifada as the
legitimate resistance,'', and through ' Arab-Arab coordination,''.
President Assad stressed the need to learn constructive lessons from the past,
saying Syria extends its hands to the Palestinian brethren to best serve the
Palestinian cause and the Syrian logic has one objective _ the return of the
Arab rights undivided and undiminished. " We stand by Palestinians to help
restore Jerusalem, to pull Israeli occupation forces out till the 4 June 1967
line, to give Palestinian refugees a chance to return to their homeland and to
establish the Palestinian independent state with Jerusalem as its capital,"
Internationally, Syria’s key role as a major player in the region was further
bolstered by President Assad’s strenuous efforts to do so in the interest of
peace, security and stability. As the President outlined “We look forward to
building the strongest relations with the states, peoples and international
organizations on the basis of mutual respect and constructive cooperation and
the safeguarding of international peace and security basing our relations on the
rights of people to self-determination in a way that secures their lively
interest. “ Top on the president’s international agenda were issues related to
the realization of just and comprehensive peace in the region, an active
European role in the peace process, more secure harmonious and safe region,
even-handed US approach in tackling the region issues, more balanced world order
based on the principles of equality, justice, coexistence, and amity, activation
of the UN and its affiliated organs, disposal of double standard policy and of
selectivity in the implementation of international legitimacy resolutions,
closer Arab-Euro relations. With this in his mind, the president held intensive
meetings, apart from his numerous phone calls, with top world politicians,
figures, envoys and dignitaries including those with His Holiness, John Paul the
Second, President Castro of Cuba, UN Secretary general Annan, German Chancellor
Schroeder, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov, EU Commissioner Prodi, US Secretary
of State Colin Powell, Greek Defense Minister, Bulgarian President Petar
Stoyanov, FAO Director General, Jacques Diouf, Slovak President, Rodolv
Schuster, Belgium Foreign Minister, French Foreign Minister, and not to mention
his successful visits to Spain, France, Germany and the talks he held with their
respective leaders and dignitaries. This powerful international presence and
pivotal role by the president in less than a year in the presidency has
immensely contributed to and boosted Syria’s international exposure in staunch
advocacy of peace, liberation, and of the nation’s higher interest in tireless
search for a better tomorrow, more secure and safe for all where ‘’ the weak are
never oppressed by the strong’’, where ‘’ the Mediterranean is a lake for
peace’’ and where every one lives in peace, dignity and security; where we have
‘’ a world with no conflicts and no points of tension, a world where peace,
justice and democracy prevail among countries and in which dialogue is deepened
and broadened among different civilizations in the world of today” and where
“the North rich countries should shoulder their human responsibilities towards
the countries of the South with the aim of reaching a more secure, a more
confident and as a result a more stable world. “
As a matter of fact, the realization of peace, a key factor for development in
the president’s view, has been the preoccupation of His Excellency too;
H.E reiterated repeatedly Syria’s ever cling to the realization of just and
comprehensive peace on the related UNSC resolutions, the full return of the land
to line of June4 1967 lines, calling on Mideast peace sponsor to actively and
evenhandedly be engaged in the process and for more Arab solidarity, cooperation
and coordination. On every occasion, the President, in sharp contrast with the
Israeli politicians’ void _of_ peace statements, talks of and urges for the
realization of just and comprehensive peace. In fact, the word ‘’ peace’’ itself
was the most common word used by the president in all his speeches, meetings and
daily political activities. The nearest examples are the president’s interviews
with French, German press and meetings with both countries’ respective
officials; '' Our stance is very clear, we have no Syrian conditions but rather
rights recognized by the international community. Just and comprehensive peace
would ever be our strategic option notwithstanding the change of
circumstances,''. "Genuine peace forms the natural course for the life of
people. Peace for the Arab people is a firm conviction to which they have
adhered across history,'' The President defined the aspired for peace as that
which is '' just and comprehensive'', '' firm on the ground'', '' achieved
through convictions not through force'', '' returns the rights to their
owners'', and '' puts an end for occupation, aggression and for blood
shedding''. "Our stance has ever been so clear; we have chosen the way of peace
on the bases of the its basics recognized and decided by the international
community; namely UN security Council and General Assembly resolutions, Madrid
Terms of Reference based on the principle of the land for the peace,''
President Assad is indeed a man sincere to his national causes and people to his
constitutional oath “ I shall try my very best to lead our country towards a
future that fulfils the hopes and legitimate ambitions of our people”; the
nations hopes and ambitions in less than a year have started to be materialized
in different forms; the promised rosy and green path of the Arabian Speaker of
today’s brilliant and tomorrow’s shining world would be continued in the
footsteps of the Syrians’ guru and modern history maker. Optimistically, we,
Syrians, do aspire for a very soon translation on the ground of President
Assad’s sincere wish when the international community would work as “ to
alleviate humanity to the highest as to guarantee for our children at present
and in the future a secure life free of hatred, and full of amity, cooperation,
and tolerance”.
By
Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim
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