The Syria Monitor

Prominent Dissident Riad al-Turk on Khaddam (4/18)

Veteran dissident Riad al-Turk, told Elaph on April 16, "we are not betting on Khaddam's opposition because he is but one person in the opposition ... but while we are not forced to support Khaddam, nor should we fight him on behalf of the regime."  He added that "it is normal right now to see defectors among Syrian officials and we are open to all, including Baathists." (Arabic. Elaph. 4/16/06).

Turk noted that the Syrian crackdown on the opposition began after the Baath Party Conference last June, but has been escalating "to keep the domestic front calm." He added, "the regime feels it is in a decisive moment that could determine its fate, so it is resisting." (Arabic. Levant News, 4/16/06).

Turk thought that the regime was being unjust in its crackdown, as the opposition is currently unable to mobilize the street. "The main battle is between the regime and Washington," he said. "The national Syrian opposition is in the middle." Turk held the regime responsible for any potential American military intervention.

Continued Mixed Signals from DD on Khaddam Alliance (4/15-17)

Hasan Abdel Azim, spokesman for the National Democratic Gathering (a coalition of five opposition parties), told Bahia Mardini of Elaph that the Damascus Declaration (DD) has responded to a letter they received from the Muslim Brotherhood to explain and justify the its alliance with former VP Khaddam, and is now awaiting their MB's reply (Arabic. Elaph. 4/18/06).

Azim  denied  that the temporary committee of the DD had asked the MB to choose between it and the National Salvation Front (NSF). He said the issue was not a matter of making the MB choose, instead "there is a need to have certain strictures that govern all the forces of the DD."  Arabic. Levant News, 4/17/06).

Abdel Azim also said that the DD still does not have an official spokesperson for the temporary committee as a whole. This was seen as a way for him to deny that he, or anyone else, could speak for the DD, and seemed to apply in particular to Muhyiddine al-Ladqani, the secretary general of the Syrian Democratic Movement, who represented the DD at a panel in London on Saturday (4/15).

The panel was called by the Syrian Committee for National Coordination in Europe to discuss Syria's political future especially after the establishment of the NSF. A representative of the MB was also in attendance.

According to a report on the panel in Elaph, Ladqani adopted a very tough position on Khaddam, warning against any cooperation with him and saying that his final gift to the regime, of which he was a pillar, is to scatter of the opposition (Arabic. Elaph, 4/12/06).

According to the same Elaph report another member of the temporary committee of the DD, Fateh Jamous, a leader of the Communist Labor Party, said that the MB has made a historic error in allying with Khaddam, and that the temporary committee had studied Bayanouni's letter justifying joining the NSF and found it unconvincing.

The representative of the MB at the panel, Obaida al-Nahas, director of the London-based Levant Institute, defended the alliance and claimed that the DD allowed for such an alliance when it suggested working with Baathist defectors. Nahas criticized the current status of DD, saying it is no longer dynamic and its activity has been frozen.

Brotherhood Defends Khaddam Alliance (4/6)

The Muslim Brotherhood  (MB)has reiterated its adherence to the Damascus Declaration (DD), and stated that the principles of the National Salvation Front (NSF)_are not in contradiction with those the DD. The MB also noted that the DD does not restrict the political activities of its signatories (Arabic. Levant News, 4/7/06).

This comes after the temporary committee of the DD debated on April 6th how to react to the MB's alliance with former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam, and concluded that the MB should decide whether it wishes to remain within the parameters of the DD.

The MB responded by stressing that the opposition groups that were invited to the Brussels conference in March where the NSF was formed were Syrian political forces abroad that are supportive of the DD. The MB has maintained that the work of the opposition abroad complements that of the opposition inside Syria, only with more freedom to operate.

There were also rumors of stress inside the MB over the alliance with Khaddam. Muhammad Farouq Tayfour, Bayanouni's deputy and head of the MB's politburo, was said to have left the Brotherhood because of Bayanouni's contacts with Khaddam. Tayfour was quoted as saying that Khaddam was "the last to talk about reform in Syria" (Arabic. Al-Diyar via Pax Tharwa, 4/6/06).

However, in an exclusive statement to Levant News (Arabic. 4/6/06), Tayfour described Khaddam's switch to the opposition and the formation of the NSF, as "one of the most important slaps to the Syrian regime of tyranny and corruption," adding, "[it] opened the door wide for the members of the crumbling regime in Damascus to defect and join the ranks of the honorable national opposition, under the ceiling of the principles of the DD which is the common ground for all parties of the Syrian opposition."

Tayfour went on to say that the MB in Syria "through its cohesion and the unity of its ranks and through the work of its leadership, led with a team spirit by the General Guide Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, has managed to achieve more in the way of bringing together the factions of the Syrian opposition." He expressed his hope for "the NSF to be one of the active pillars of the Syrian opposition and one capable of bringing about change."

Tayfour further praised the Bayanouni's leadership stressing his consultative approach "which makes everyone a partner in the decision making."

Bahia Mardini, who also covered this story for Elaph, quoted sources inside the MB as saying that Issam Attar, the former leader of the MB now living in Germany, was not trying to form a rival wing inside the MB (Arabic. 4/6/06). Bashar Asad had appointed Attar's sister, Najah Attar, as second VP in March, fueling speculation about the regime's intentions behind this move.

The story about the alleged split inside the MB, which appeared in the pro-Asad Lebanese daily Al-Diyar, also claimed that the alliance with Khaddam had caused a split in the Canada-based Democratic Syrian Gathering , which participated in the Brussels conference. The Gathering issued a statement denying any such split, saying that the story was a plant by the Syrian regime (Arabic. Via "Free Syria", 4/16/06).

More on Friday's Damascus Declaration Meeting

More information has come out on the meeting held by the temporary committee of the Damascus Declaration (DD) to discuss its position on the Muslim Brotherhood after the latter's alliance with former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam (for the initial report, see here.)

Levant News focused on statements by some members of the temporary committee to the effect that since it is not a political party [it is a declaration to which different parties are signatories], it hja has no mechanism to exclude the MB from its ranks (Arabic. 4/7/06). Levant News hailed this as a refusal by the temporary committee to cave in to regime pressures, noting that the security forces have been summoning many of the DD sginatories and pressuring them openly to issue a statement expelling the MB. In fact, the security forces prevented the participants from meeting in Hasan Abdel Azim's office, as planned, fording them to meet elsewhere.

Aziz Dawoud, a member of the temporary committee quoted in the report, stressed that "the MB was not expelled or excised." He added, "we as the [forces of the] DD are not against Bayanouni or Khaddam. They are free to take their own positions if they so choose. However, we are not with the NSF [the National Salvation Front], since it differs in its principles and proposals with the DD." The DD thus seemed to reiterate its earlier assertions that it has nothing to do with the NSF, or the Brussels meeting  last March (where the NSF was formed). "We were not consulted in any way, and we have nothing to do with the [Brussels] conference and what came of it," said Dawoud.

Dawoud went on to say that one of the ideas discussed in  Friday's meeting was to present the MB with a choice in the future : "If they want to remain with us, there are specific conditions and that is the adherence to the principles of the Declaration." He pointed to a difference in vision between the DD and the NSF, as the NSF wants a temporary government, in contradiction with the DD. "If they want to remain with the DD they [the MB] will have to clarify their position in the future," he said.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti al-Siyasah (Arabic [PDF]. 4/9/06) quoted a statement to the Agence France Press by Hasan Abdel Azim, the spokesman for the National Democratic Gathering [a signatory of the DD], in which he took a sterner line than Dawoud, but essentially repeated the same message: "Bayanouni has justified his participation in the Brussels conference and the NSF by saying that he had sent us letters of consultation that never reached us. We have decided to send him a message to tell him that this is unacceptable and that the DD is not just a declaration of principles. It is also a standard of action that organizes [political] activism inside the country and brings together the internal political powers." He added, "Those who wish to work within the framework of the DD have to adhere to its set principles and its insitutions. Those who wish to establish other alliances have to choose between the DD and these other alliances." (See also Abdel Azim's statements to Elaph here. [Arabic, 4/7/06]. The Elaph report also quotes Abdel Majid Manjouna of the temporary committee of the DD as saying that there was no quarrel with the MB as long as they adhere to the principles of the DD and as long as they continue to work within its parameters.)

The report noted that Abdel Azim had said similar things to UPI earlier: "the DD is not simply a declaration of principles. Rather, it represents political powers and alliances, and national committees and forces. Therefore, anyone working within it should not seek other alliances before getting an approval from the DD."

Nevertheless, Abdel Azim rejected the implication of a split in the opposition saying, "the DD has unified the opposition inside and abroad and there are no splits whatsoever... The DD has made its choice and unified the ranks of the opposition, as well as its causes and its discourse," adding, "the Syrian opposition is now stronger and more cohesive than ever."

Finally, he said that the DD "represents a large segment of sympathizers on the street who are not necessarily members of its signatory parties." He added, "we represent the largest segments of the nationalist, leftist Marxist, liberal, and political Islamic movements." He did admit however that even though there are various individual Islamic figures and scholars under the Declaration's banner, each with their respective following, the MB was the only Islamic organization in the DD.

Khaddam Interview (3/29)

Khaddam gave an interview to the liberal website Middle East Transparent in Brussels (Arabic. ME Transparent, 3/29/06)., in which he repeated his claim that change in  Syria is very near, and that the UN investigation will directly accuse Bashar Asad:  "I have lived in this regime and I know its past and I know how to dismantle it. So far I have only threatened. But everything in due time. We have a program. Every step in its time."

Regarding the NSF's recent conference, Khaddam explained that some opposition parties were not able to attend for various reasons, including travel problems. Commenting on the Muslim Brotherhood, Khaddam said that they were "a serious and essential element, and their role is  essential." He added, "there are other movements with representative weight inside Syria . The common denominator is change and establishing a democratic government in the country." He went on, "we plan on bringing down the regime and establishing a transitional government for 6 months to hold legislative elections. The new government after the election will set the program for the future."

Khaddam attacked Bashar Asad, stating that while the current situation in Syria  is the result of a long history, Bashar' recklessness has exacerbated it:  "Bashar came from the womb of the regime." He also rejected any cooperation with Rifaat Asad, Bashar's exiled uncle.

Khaddam briefly explained his defection, "I was intent on defecting right after Hafez Asad's death, but some Arabs and Syrians urged me to stay. However, I became convinced that reform is impossible, and I waited for the [Baath] Party conference [last summer] to resign."

Khaddam concluded  there is now an almost unanimous consensus in Syria on  the need for change in.

Damascus Declaration Split on the NSF

Bahia Mardini reported on March 29 (Arabic. Elaph, 3/29/06) that the opposition forces inside Syria had not agreed on how to officially respond to Khaddam and Bayanouni's National Salvation Front. Mardini cited internal divisions inside the Damascus Declaration group , and noted that the Damascus Declaration groups would be meeting on April 6 to debate and decide their position.

Suleiman Yousef, a member of the Assyrian Democratic Organization in Syria, was quoted in the article saying that he had wished Khaddam had launched his reformist project from inside Syria, regardless of the consequences, as it would have been received more positively had it been declared inside Syria. Furthermore, Yousef believes that Khaddam's alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood, in addition to establishing the NSF outside Syria, have hurt the opposition by creating a source of division within it, and giving the regime a new excuse to pressure the opposition (since the Muslim Brotherhood is a signatory of the Damascus Declaration).

Yousef pointed out that before the Khaddam-Bayanouni meeting, he had warned that "the inclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Damascus Declaration would prove dangerous for the opposition, as Bayanouni's declarations have stated that the regime had lost chances for survival, which in my view does not reflect the truth. Even Khaddam's statement that Syria is nearing a popular uprising does not reflect reality. In our view, the regime has made some mistakes and taken some political hits and  suffered external pressures, but it is still  strong and cohesive, especially since the opposition is weak and unable to influence the regime."

The report noted that Yousef had been summoned for questioning by the security services earlier. Yousef told Elaph (Arabic, 3/28/06) on the day of his summoning that it wasprobably due to his writings and political activity, adding that the regime was pressuring the Damascus Declaration signatories to expell the Muslim Brotherhood from the Declaration after  they allied with Khaddam.

Mardini followed up with another report on 4/2 in Elaph citing sources alledging that the Muslim Brotherhood would be removed from the Damascus Declaration for striking an alliance with Khaddam without consulting the other signatories of the Declaration.

Hasan Abdel Azim, secretary general of the National Democratic Union in Syria and spokesperson for the National Democratic Gathering (a gathering of five opposition parties, and a pillar of the Damascus Declaration), said that the Brotherhood's alliance broke the most basic rules of alliance-building, and that the matter would be discussed in the upcoming meeting (April 6) when a final decision will be made by the other signatories. However, he once again distanced the Declaration from the NSF, and repeated the charge that the internal opposition views the NSF as an attempt to co-opt it.

Raja al-Naser, secretary general of the central committee of the Arab Democratic Socialist Union opposition party told Elaph that the upcoming April 6 meeting it would move for a declaration that participation in the NSF is outside the framework of the Damascus Declaration, and that the Declaration's leadership does not accept the NSF's direction. He added that the NSF was the choice of parties that have placed themselves outside the Damascus Declaration, and that their position is not necessarily in harmony with the Declaration's line. Nevertheless, he noted, this decision does not mean that the Declaration would oppose the positions taken by the NSF, but merely hat they do not necessarily reflect those of the Declaration.

While al-Naser insisted that this stand has nothing to do with the regime pressure, other observers interpreted this position as a response to security pressures, as well as an attempt to take back the initiative from the exiled oppostion.

Syrian activist Ammar Qurabi told Elaph that if indeed the Brotherhood were to be excised from the Damascua Declaration, he doubted that it was because of their alliance with Khaddam, as that front was formed a month ago - so why the delay and heretofore ambiguous position on the part of the Declaration? Furthermore, if such a decision were to be taken because of the MB's alliance with Khaddam, then what about the other participants in the NSF, such as Husam al-Dairi's US-based party  (also a signatory to the Damascus Declaration), considering that al-Dairi's father is a Baathist defector? Qurabi  demanded transparency and clarity  from the Damascua Declaration on all these points.

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.

Jumblat Calls For Lebanese-Syrian Anti-Regime Meeting

Earlier this week, the Kuwaiti as-Siyassah reported (Arabic. Via "Free Syria," 3/23/06) a call by Lebanese MP Walid Jumblat for a meeting between the Lebanese and Syrian groups opposing the Asad regime.

Speaking on a radio show on March 22, Jumblat said (Arabic. Excerpts via the Lebanese al-Balad, 3/23/06) that the Lebanese and Syrian movements opposing "the tyrant of Damascus," referring to Bashar Asad, must come together for a better future for Syrian-Lebanese relations and for a free and independent Syria. He added, "you cannot reconcile freedom and dictatorship."

Jumblat added that in 1952 there was a minimum of democracy in Syria, and that in 1952 Lebanon was a haven for the Syrian opposition. It is perhaps worth noting that the document issued by the newly-formed "National Salvation Front" adopted (Arabic) the Syrian constitution of 1950 as a reference for a post-Asad transitional period in Syria.

The civil society group "Rally for Syria" endorsed (Arabic. Via "Free Syria," 3/22/06) Jumblat's call. In a statement sent to the offices of ar-Ra'i al-'Aam (Arabic. 3/22/06) in Paris, Fahed al-Agha al-Masri, the general coordinator of the "Rally" stated:

"We support the call of MP Walid Jumblat, the head of the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party, for a meeting between the forces of the national Syrian and Lebanese opposition. We see that such meetings could be a fundamental pillar in reforming and restoring Lebanese-Syrian relations that were undermined by the terrorist and oppressive regime in Damascus. The "Rally for Syria" will try to hold the first meeting between the Syrian and the Lebanese opposition forces at the end of next month at the latest, and before the national conference for democratic dialogue, Paris-2, which is likely to be held in early June."

The report in ar-Ra'i al-'Aam went on to claim that Khaddam had intensified his contacts with certain parties in Lebanon, namely members of the Hariri family as well as MP Akram Shehayeb, who the report claimed was delegated by Jumblat to visit Khaddam in Paris. It is worth noting that Jumblat met with Khaddam in Paris on his way to Washington, DC earlier this month.

However, the report continued, while contacts are being made with parties in Lebanon, these (unidentified) Lebanese parties who want to see the Syrian regime toppled are expressing some reservations about meeting with the Syrian opposition on the principle of not interfering in the internal affairs of neighboring countries.

Nevertheless, the report claimed that Khaddam is preparing a "political bombshell" that he will soon reveal in light of the success of his meeting with the head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni.

Internal Opposition Avoids Official Linkage with Brussels Front

Unsurprisingly, members of the internal opposition declared that they were not coordinating with the Brussels conference.  Syrian activist and lawyer Najati Tayyara  and Human Rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni both stated (Arabic. Al-Mustaqbal, 3/18/06) that there was no internal coordination with the Brussels conference, but neither one attacked the conference or the participants. In fact, Tayyara was quoted as saying, "the internal opposition stands with any internal or external effort which aims for the good of Syria." Tayyara added,  "so far, cooperation between the inside and the outside has been confined to declarations from both sides, with the external [opposition] supporting internal activity, and the internal [opposition] welcoming any national effort outside Syria."

Also,  Asharq al-Awsat quotes (Arabic. 3/18/06) the "temporary committee of the Damascus Declaration" as saying, "the Damascus Declaration has no relation to the meeting" in Brussels, "which only concerns its participants."

Khaddam had addressed this issue in another interview (Arabic) published by Elaph on March 16:

In fact, the conference represents the the opposition [forces] in exile, and all of those have their extensions inside Syria. We avoided inviting any opposition [force] from inside Syria for security reasons. Because, as you are well aware, if a citizien so much as utters a single word against the regime, they would be immediately summoned by the security forces, beaten and imprisoned. Therefore, out of concern for the safety of these dissidents, the organizers of this meeting was careful not to send invitations to the inside, but to keep it limited to the external [forces], especially parties who have extensions inside Syria.

Indeed, recent days have seen the arrest (and subsequent release) of dissidents and activists (see these previous posts below), such as Riad Seif, who demonstrated alongside Kurds, and Ammar Qurabi, who participated in an opposition conference in Paris.