The Syria Monitor

News Round-Up (9/14-19)

9/14 - The secretariat general of the National Salvation Front (NSF) held its second meeting in Brussels (9/13-15), where it decided to accept five new members representing various Kurdish movements. (Arabic. AKI, 9/14/06). According to information obtained by AKI, it was decided to expand the framework of the Front internally in Syria and externally on the road towards establishing a democratic state in Syria. Also, the Front reportedly decided on a media strategy and to launch a private TV station for the Syrian opposition. (See 9/19 below for more).

9/15 - Abdel Halim Khaddam spoke to UPI at the NSF conference in Brussels. (Arabic. Via "Free Syria," 9/15/06). The lengthy interview covered a range of issues. Khaddam said that "the Front's activity had so far been focused outside Syria, while maintaining contacts with the [Syrian] interior. However, in the upcoming stage it will move inside [Syria] in order to accelerate the process of change." Khaddam refused to give details on the methods that the NSF will use to communicate with the Syrian interior citing "security reasons."  He only said that "the Front is moving to activate communication inside [Syria] and to mobilize public opinion in Syria." Khaddam denied being contacted by any Arab state in the aftermath of Bashar Assad's speech in which he attacked Arab states that criticized Hezbollah for provoking the recent war with Israel. He added that Assad "has crossed the point of no return and has made his choice, pulling himself out of the Arab circle and placing himself in the Iranian circle." As for Hezbollah's war, Khaddam said that Bashar Assad "follows his father's advice and wants to bleed Israel through Hezbollah."

9/18 - The National Organization for Human Rights in Syria (NOHR) reported that the Syrian authorities arrested Muhammad Darwish, an activist in the Committees for the Revival of Civil Society. (Arabic. Elaph, 9/18/06). The NOHR press release said that Darwish had been called in for questioning by Military Intelligence in Damascus and had not been let go since. NOHR added that there was no warrant for the arrest and thus the detention is illegal, and that Darwish should either be charged and referred to court or released. The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) later reported that Darwish was released a couple of days later. (Arabic. SHRC, 9/29/06).

9/19 - Nasr Hassan, member of the NSF's secretariat general, wrote that the Front adopted at the Brussels meeting a basic document (Arabic) detailing its views on civic rights for Syrian citizens. (Arabic. "Free Syria," 9/19/06). The document lays out the various freedoms and rights that the Front adopts, and expresses its commitment to basic human rights as laid out in universal declarations and international treaties.

9/19 - Veteran Kurdish activist and member of the NSF's secretariat general, Salah Badreddine, told UPI at the Brussels conference that after deciding to expand its secretariat general, the NSF has agreed to coordinate with the Damascus Declaration groups and to open channels of dialogue with tribal leaders inside Syria at a later stage. (Arabic. Via "Free Syria," 9/19/06). Badreddine said that he would be coordinating with Khaddam and Bayanouni on joint peaceful activism inside Syria between the Kurdish groups that he represents and groups that support the NSF. While denying that any Arab state supported the conference, Badreddine said that NSF delegates would soon be visiting Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and maybe Iraq in the future, and would also hold meetings with Lebanese democratic forces, such as the Future Movement or the March 14 groups. On the international scene, Badreddine said that the US would head the list along with Britain and France. He added that all the US officials he's met, Republicans and Democrats, including State Department officials and members of Congress, agree that the Syrian regime is dictatorial and an exporter of terrorism and must be changed, as he put it.

9/19 - Elaph reported that the security services had arrested journalist Muhannad Abdel Rahman. (Arabic. 9/19/06). According to Elaph, Abdel Rahman wrote for the Kuwaiti al-Siyassah, which follows an anti-Assad editorial line. Lately, the report added, he began publishing interviews with Syrian dissidents in The Syrian Democratic Forum, the publication of The Syrian Democratic Assembly, a European-based group.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also issued a press release on Abdel Rahman's arrest. (IFEX, 9/22/06). The report noted that "Abdulrahman, 25, was picked up by security services in Damascus on his return from the village of Qamishly, in Syrian Kurdistan, where he had interviewed a Kurdish political leader. His family has had no news of him since his arrest." RSF added that Abdel Rahman wrote for Rezgar, an online secular Leftist news and opinion site. His work included numerous interviews and profiles of Syrian political figures.

9/19 - Elaph reported that detained dissident writer and professor Mahmoud Sarem (71) has been released. (Arabic. 9/19/06). Another report by the Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) confirmed that Sarem was released on bail. (Arabic. SHRC, 9/29/06). Sarem was arrested in September 2005 and faced charges of weakening the morale of the nation and nationalist sentiment, and conducting acts aimed at armed rebellion. Sarem had described the ruling regime as fascist.

Ammar Abdulhamid on the Two NSF Withdrawals (6/14)

US-based Syrian dissident Ammar Abdulhamid discussed on his blog the withdrawal from the National Salvation Front (NSF) of two participants in its foundational conference:

There were, in fact, two participants in the foundational conference who opted at the last minute not to join the Front. That’s about it really. Now, I leave it up to you to decide whether the two figures opted out because they were not selected as members of the 11-member General Secretariat, or whether they had some lofty moral principle that was somehow violated in the process. Albeit, I have to admit that the other guy who opted out, Abdulhamid Haj Khodr, is actually a very decent fellow armed with an explosive temperament.

The two participants had complained about the way members were elected to the Front's Central Committee, describing the process as "undemocratic." Abdulhamid commented further on this issue:

Now as for the whole idea of elections that many have already griped about, frankly, they were not even on the table at this stage: we are still in the preparatory phase, we are still developing our programs, our vision and our message that we want to take to the Syrian people and the international community, and the very ideological diversity within the Front means that we cannot agree on these issues within a day or two.

Abdulhamid is a member of the NSF's Central Committee (Arabic).

Excerpts from the NSF Press Conference (6/5)

At the conclusion of the NSF conference in London, a press conference was held where Abdel Halim Khaddam, Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, and other members of the secretariat general spoke to the media. Here are some excerpts from the press conference (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/6/06).

Asked about the mechanisms of change and the issue of foreign intervention, Khaddam answered: "The Front's manifesto is clear: change must be from within and by the Syrian people. We will not invite any Arab or international power to interfere in the process of change. ... We will not drag ourselves or others into creating complicated circumstances in the region. Change will be peaceful and not through bloodletting or armed revolution." However, he said that the NSF would discuss these things in its institutions, not in the media, as publicizing them would cause harm to people inside Syria. He added that it is the people who will be leading the movement for change.

Khaddam stressed that "those who believe that change will lead to disturbances and instability are saying that we remain under authoritarianism and under economic hardship and unemployment, and that hundreds should remain in jail, and that freedoms should remain absent."

Responding to a question about sectarianism and the need to put at ease the Alawites and other sects and minorities, Khaddam said that the Front "is not sectarian. It represents the political currents that exist in Syria." As for the absence of Alawite names in the Front, Khaddam clarified that "there are Alawites in the Front, but out of concern for them and their families, their names were not publicized. When the temporary government is declared, it will include names from all the sects." He added, "The regime is trying to scare the Alawite community in order to hide behind it ... [but the regime's] persecution has included the Alawites."

Commenting on the same issue, Bayanouni said, "The regime is trying to incite civil strife and to give the illusion that the Alawite community is targeted." He added, "We don't follow the method of takfir (labeling people infidels)... The Alawites are our brothers along with all the sects that belong to Islam. ... The Alawites are our partners in the homeland. It's natural for the regime to spread fear in the community. Bashar Assad is saying 'either me or [sectarian] strife' in order to hide behind [the threat of] strife."

Khaddam added, "Every sect has its rites, and all are united by Islam. Muslims also complement Christians in the framework of national unity. ... There will be no [sectarian] strife, and the regime will go."

On the Kurdish issue, Khaddam said that it was discussed and decisions were made that would solve the problem. "We realize there is a problem and the Front will work on solving it."

Salah Badreddine, a Kurdish member of the NSF secretariat general, commented on the Kurdish issue and said, "Our desire was to see the conference adopt a number of the issues we raised, but since the conference is a coalition, and there were many reservations, we ended up agreeing on the common principles." He added, "I would have liked [for the conference] to support the the political process in Iraq and to support the federalist style of government in Iraq, but some of the brothers expressed their reservations, and so it did not appear in the concluding statement."

Asked about the right for self-determination, Badreddine said, "We are a front, and there are common agendas. Our common goal is democratic change in Syria and a new constitution that meets the ambitions of all the constituents of the Syrian people." He added, "Any people in the world, including the Kurdish people, have the right for self-determination." The NSF conference's concluding statement made reference to "the glaring injustice that has befallen the Kurdish citizens," and said that it should be addressed "within the framework of national unity and citizens' rights, as well as the  ability to exercise political, cultural, economic and social rights, like all the other elements and constituents of the Syrian people, as will be specified in the new constitution." (Arabic. An-Nahar, via "Free Syria," 6/6/06).

On relations with Lebanon Khaddam said, "the Front's manifesto made reference to Lebanon's independence and to the establishment of a relation based on equality without any form of interference. This is translated through establishing diplomatic relations."

On relations with other factions in the opposition, Bayanouni reiterated the commitment to the principles of the Damascus Declaration.  Furthermore, he said that membership in the Front does not restrict members from seeking other alliances so long as they do not contradict the Front's principles, and the Front "does not abandon the framework of the principles of the Damascus Declaration." He did admit to differences with some of the Damascus Declaration (DD) groups, confirming that the DD had nothing to do with the NSF. However both the NSF and the Damascus Declaration parties did agree that the current regime is not reformable, and therefore "change is the demand of everyone." The NSF has stressed in the concluding statement that it was "not an alternative to any national opposition group including the Damascus Declaration which the cornerstone of the national opposition movement." The statement also declared its solidarity with the political prisoners in Syria.

As for the Muslim Brotherhood's view of secular liberal parties and democracy, Bayanouni said, "We stressed in our ["Document of the National] Project [for Change"] on peaceful rotation in power and cooperation with others." As for democracay, Bayanouni added, "we are calling for it as a strategic, not a tactical, option. .. We have participated in Parliament and cabinets in the past."

As for whether there were plans to form a government in exile, Bayanouni said, "There is no intention to form a government. At a certain stage, in order not to have a power vacuum, it may be possible to form a government in cooperation with all the other parties." The NSF concluding statement suggested forming a transitional government with the rest of the national political forces for a maximum period of six months, "when the time is right." This government would adopt the 1950 constitution and would work within its framework until a new consitution was written. It would also abolish emergency laws and would return citizenship to those from whom it was stripped for political reasons.

NSF Conference in London (6/4-5)

The National Salvation Front (NSF), led by former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam and the head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, held its first conference in London on June 4 and 5 at the Dorchester hotel in London. The conference, which had invited around 50 opposition figures in exile, especially Kurds, Communists, and independents, and none from inside Syria (Arabic. AKI, 6/2/06), was attended by around 80 people according to al-Hayat (Arabic. 6/5/06), 75 according to The Times.

The purpose of the conference was for the NSF to declare its organizational structure (the general congress, the central committee, and the secretariat general), and to set its future policy and plan of action for regime change in Syria. The secretariat general is comprised of ten members: Khaddam, Bayanouni, Jean Abdallah, Bashar al-Aysami, Salah Badreddine, Zuheir Salem, Salah Ayyash, Najib Ghadban, Obeida Nahas, and Hussam al-Dairi. The NSF also launched a bilingual website (the English site is still under construction).

The opening session was broadcast live on Radio Sawa and covered by several Arab and international media (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/4/06). Khaddam and Bayanouni both gave opening speeches. In his opening remarks, Khaddam said that Syrians have before them "a path that we must take to break authoritarianism and its regime so that the people could regain their right to self-determination and to choose their leaders," stressing that "there is but one choice and that is for Syrians to choose the path of change and democracy." (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/4/06).

Acknowledging the difficulties that lay ahead, Khaddam said that these difficulties must be properly understood and then "we must work to overcome them." He emphasized the need to "break all the walls between us," and the need to "come out of these meetings with a clear picture and clear programs to convince the Syrian people that we are up to the task." He added, "The homeland has become a large prison and the people prisoners," and saluted all the political prisoners in Syria.

For his part, Bayanouni outlined three elements that the regime is using to buttress its position (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/4/06). First is the manipulation of  popular Syrian sentiment through the exploitation of jingoistic nationalism and the notion of an external foe threatening Syria. Second is the manipulation of Arab public opinion with the regime presenting itself as Arab nationalism's last line of defense against foreign designs in the region. Finally, there is the message that the regime is trying to market regionally and internationally, which holds that the only choice is between the regime or chaos and civil war, and therefore the only option is to cut a deal with the regime.

Bayanouni said that the NSF aims to counter all these points with its plan of action. The NSF's efforts would focus on putting the message out in the media in order to reach the masses and to provide them with information in order to mobilize them out of the state of passivity through better communication between the opposition and the people. The media discourse would counter the regime's propaganda to the Arab public opinion by focusing on its tyranny, corruption, and its willingness to cut deals with foreign powers in order to remain in power. And finally, the opposition would intensify its contacts and relations in the region. It would also work to undermine the regime's claim that it is the only guarantor against chaos and civil war, and correct the stereotypical picture the regime is trying to present about the alternatives to its rule.

"We must work diligently to isolate the ruling gang on an official, popular, Arab, and international level, according to a carefully studied plan of action," Bayanouni said. He concluded by reiterating the NSF's commitment to working with the opposition forces, especially those under the banner of the Damascus Declaration.

At the end of the conference, the NSF issued a concluding statement which said that the NSF's "strategic choice is changing this regime which has lost all justification to continue and has incited conflicts in its Arab neighborhood." It called on the Syrians to "break the walls of fear that [the regime] has been building for decades," and called on the armed forces to "take on its national and historic responsibility to be the army of the people," asking them to "protect the homeland and the people, not the corrupt." It also addressed the security forces, "especially its officers who are being used by the regime to oppress citizens," and called on them "to stop the excessive execution of orders by a corrupt group," so that when the regime falls, they won't have to face accountability for their actions. Finally, the statement addressed members of the Baath party and invited them to "join the ranks of the people in order to rid Syria of a corrupt and tyrannical regime." (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/5/06).

NSF Conference Next Week (5/29)

The National Salvation Front (NSF) declared that it will be holding a conference in London on June 4-5 in order to put forward its plan of action for peaceful regime change in Syria (Arabic. AFP via Elaph, 5/29/06).

A source close to Abdel Halim Khaddam told AFP that the conference "will include, alongside former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam and the head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, fifty Syrian opposition figures living outside Syria and belonging maily to Kurdish parties, Communists, and independents." No figures or parties from the opposition inside Syria will take part in the conference.

The Front will decide in the conference on a "comperhensive plan of action" to peacfeully change the regime in Syria, according to the same source. The source added that "the month of June will be an important stop," pointing out that the London conference "will take place a few days before the head of the [UN] International Investigative Commission into the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri submits his report to the Security Council in mid-June."

Report on Montreal's Opposition Meeting (4/29)

A preparatory meeting of US- and Canada-based Syrian opposition parties took place in Montreal (4/29) calling for a broad conference be held in Dublin this September encompassing all of the Syrian opposition to (Arabic. Elaph, 3/5/06).

The 27 participants in the Montreal meeting also discussed several matters including "working to unify the goals and political rhetoric of the opposition, and coordinating with the Damascus Declaration groups in the common project of bringing about democratic change in Syria." Other issues included "enshrining the concept of citizenship which holds all parts of Syrian society equal with no discrimination according to ethnicy, religion or sect," and "ongoing work to revoke emergency laws and Law 49 [which bans membership in the Muslim Brotherhood], the immediate release of all prisoners of with the help of international Human Rights organizations."

The participants also called for the formulation of a plan of action for a transition towards a pluralist, democratic system in Syria. They stressed "working on creating channels of communication between the opposition and the Syrian street that would explain the meaning of transitioning Syria towards a pluralist democratic system, and explain the details, values, and institutions of such a system."

There was also consensus on the necessity of "seeking international political support for the Syrian democratic opposition, and demanding the lifting of the cover from the Syrian regime."

Among the participants was the newly-formed Third Syrian Alliance, which was launched in Washington, DC a few days before the Montreal conference (Arabic. Elaph, 4/27/06). The Axis is a coalition of liberal North American-based parties, including: The Rally for Syria, The Reform Party of Syria, The Movement of Solidarity, The Liberal Democratic Party, and The Council on Syrian-American Relations, as well as a group of independents.

The various groups share liberal democratic values, including a commitment to free-markets, in contrast to the the Arab-nationalist, Islamic, Leftist, and Communist parties that dominate the Syrian opposition.

Two members of the Alliance, Abdel Latif Menayyar and Marwan al-Masri coordinated the consultative meeting in Montreal. Farid al-Ghadry, the head of the US-based Reform Party of Syria (RPS), did not attend in person.

It seems that the participation of the RPS caused some in Canada, namely members of the Syrian Liberal Democratic Gathering in Canada and the Syrian National Committee, to abstain from participation in the meeting (Arabic. Ahrar Syria, 4/29/06). They also expressed reservation about meeting with the newly-formed Third Alliance. The two aforementioned parties are signatories to the Damascus Declaration, which has kept an arms length distance Farid Ghadry and the RPS.

One member of the Syrian Democratic Gathering in Canada, Jean al-Abdallah, resigned from the party in protest over the participation of some of the other members in the Montreal meeting (Arabic. Ahrar Syria, 4/24/06), and few days later, other members of the Gathering followed suit (Arabic. "Free Syria," 5/7/06). His letter of resignation included a message (in English) from Ghadry explaining the goals of the meeting.

The participation of Ghadry's RPS in the Montreal Conference apparently spurred rumors about who was behind the organization and the financing of the meeting. This led the two coordinators, Menayyar and al-Masri, to issue a statement asserting that the participants covered the expenses from their own pockets, and denying that the RPS, or anyone else, sought in any way to influence the meeting financially or otherwise (Arabic. "Free Syria," 4/29/06).

Upcoming Syrian Opposition Meetings

Elaph reports that on May 13, various Syrian opposition activists, as well as Syrian intellectuals and economists, will hold the second National Syrian Gathering in Budapest (Arabic. 4/22/06).

The meeting will discuss matters relating to the current reality of the opposition and the range of its movement, as well as the image of the Syrian opposition in international circles.

Bahia Mardini also reports that another meeting called for by opposition groups in the US and Canada will be held in Montreal on April 29 (Arabic. Elaph, 4/24/06). Invitations have been sent out to opposition members inside Syria.

The meeting, according to its organizers, "is in preparation for the general conference in June."

Reactions to Khaddam-Bayanouni from Opposition in Exile

Farid Ghadry of the Reform Party of Syria published a scathing diatribe on his weblog, and in an interview with Bahia Mardini of Elaph (Arabic. 3/25/06), he blasted Khaddam's past, his lack of popular support. He claimed that Khaddam has no backing from the US government, and that he [Ghadry] is lobbying US Congress members to include a clause in the "Freedom for Syria" act that would explicitly withhold US support from anyone with ties to corruption and crimes against the Syrian people, meaning Khaddam. He also expressed regret at the MB's willingness to work with Khaddam.

In contrast, US-based dissident Ammar Abdulhamid suggested in his English and Arabic weblogs that the Syrian opposition cannot afford to ignore the Khaddam-Bayanouni alliance, and indeed, is not: "Khaddam’s break with the regime and his reaching out to Bayanouni and other opposition figures has, in reality, introduced a different kind of dynamism onto the scene, and opposition figures can feel it in their bones. Despite the fact that few nay-sayers have already appeared (though I wouldn’t read too much in their nay-saying at this stage), most, I repeat, most active opposition figures inside and outside the country are talking to Khaddam and Bayanouni, directly or indirectly, while most of the rest are complaining about being excluded."

Participants in the Brussels meeting, like the Liberal National Democratic Gathering (Arabic. Ahrar Syria, 3/2/06) and its Secretary General Husam al-Dairi (Arabic. Al-Bawaba, 3/18/06), as well as the Kurdish Leftist Party (Arabic. Via "Free Syria", 3/24/06) all defended the meeting and expressed their solidarity with and support for the opposition inside Syria, insisting they were not seeking to replace it.

For his part, Bayanouni revealed that Khaddam had contacted the MB in 2003 and told them of his plans to defect. (Reuters, 3/25/06).

Finally, a series of essays by various Syrian activists debated the issue in the past few days with views falling somewhere within the spectrum outlined above: some were critical, some were supportive, and others adopted a pragmatic approach (some pointing out that the opposition inside Syria was at one point willing to work with Asad towards reform and gradual democratization, so why not do the same with Khaddam?).

Reactions to Khaddam-Bayanouni from Inside Syria

The newly-formed "National Salvation Front," the result of the meeting in Brussels of former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam and the MB's Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, and other opposition groups (Kurdish, Liberal, Leftist, and Nationalist), continued to draw reactions from various Syrian groups and individuals both inside and outside Syria.

The initial set of reactions from the opposition inside Syria cautiously distanced itself from the Front, but did not attack it and its founders. Since then a number of activists inside Syria have become more specific in their reactions.

Samir Nashar, spokesman of the Syrian Free National Party (who was arrested two days ago) was recently asked (3/17/06) by "The Syria Report" why the Damascus Declaration had not openly denounced the meeting between Khaddam and Bayanouni. Nashar replied that the DD had wanted to denounce the initial February alliance between Khaddam and Bayanouni, but "I and other figures played a role in stopping this statement. Instead we just stood back from the meeting. I see Khaddam meeting Bayanouni as a political necessity to build a political framework that is an alternative to the regime."

Veteran dissident Riad al-Turk told the London-based pan-Arab daily al-Hayat (Arabic. 3/20/06) that he was not comfortable with forming two fronts: the Damascus Declaration and the National Salvation Front, characterizing the Brussels meeting as a "punishment" for the Damascus Declaration leaders' slow and hesitant performance. He added, "had the Declaration proceeded according to its plan and general political direction, and formed a flexible and dynamic structure, the Brussels meeting would not have succeeded."

Nevertheless, Turk hoped the Front would be "a pillar of the general political line calling for democratic change and the safeguarding of national independence, and not fall in the same crisis as in Iraq." He also expressed his discomfort with Khaddam's past, and that there should be self-criticism and accountability for this past.

Meanwhile, Hasan Abdel Azim, the spokesman for the National Democratic Rally, an opposition coalition inside Syria, denied any relation with the Brussels meeting and told Agence France Presse, "Bayanouni made two big mistakes: first in meeting Khaddam and launching the National Salvation Front, and then by not consulting [with the Damascus Declaration groups]," i.e., the opposition figures inside the country. (Arabic version here.Via Elaph, 3/20/06.)

Abdel Azim further echoed Turk's apprehension about the Front possibly undermining or coming in conflict with the Damascus Declaration saying, "The [opposition] leadership at home is the closest to events and the most effective," adding, "we respect the outside forces whose action complements that of the opposition living in Syria but they can not take its place."

Abdel Azim also told al-Hayat (Arabic. 3/20/06) that "The Temporary Committee of the Damascus Declaration" will soon meet to declare an official position on the "National Salvation Front." He stressed that the opposition inside Syria calls for gradual, peaceful democratic change ... without any ties with foreign parties."

Other figures, like Ahmad Abu Saleh al-Naqab, attacked the Brussels meeting more directly, calling (Arabic. Elaph, 3/23/06) Bayanouni's alliance with Khaddam "shameful," and criticized Khaddam's past. He also suspected that it may be willing to resort to foreign powers and to repeat the Iraqi experience.

New Arrests, Releases, and Travel Bans

The latest victim of arrest (Arabic. Elaph, 3/26/06) is Samir Nashar (Arabic. Ahrar Syria, 3/26/06), a member of the temporary committee of the Damascus Declaration, spokesman of the Syrian Free National Party (founded six months ago in Aleppo), and human rights and civil society activist. Nashar had participated in the conference of Syrian opposition groups in North America and Canada which took place in late January.

The arrest was widely condemned by Syrian opposition groups (The Liberal National Democratic Gathering, The Syrian Committee for Democratic Action, The Syrian Democratic Gathering - Canada,  The Committees for the Revival of Civil Society in Syria. Arabic. Via Ahrar Syria.) and human rights organizations such as the Arab Human Rights Organization in Syria (Arabic. Via Ahrar Syria, 3/25/06).

In other news, human rights activist Najati Tayyara, who was kidnapped on the evening of the 22nd by security agents, was released (Arabic. An-Nahar, via "Free Syria," 3/25/06) was released 48 hours after his disappearance.

Meanwhile, the activist, intellectual and author Abdel Razzak Eid was prohibited (Arabic. Levant News, 3/25/06) from traveling to Doha, Qatar, to participate in a conference on "Democracy and Human Rights in the Arab World," organized by the Aspen Institute. Eid had returned to Syria on March 11 after participating in a conference in Paris (also organized by the Aspen Institute), which was attended by various opposition groups from inside and outside Syria. Activist Ammar Qurabi had attended the same conference in Paris and was arrested upon arrival back in Damascus on March 12. He was released on March 15.

Eid recently spoke (Arabic. Middle East Transparent, 3/21/06) about his experience being interrogated and detained by the Syrian security services.