The Syria Monitor

NSF Activity in the US (11/6)

On October 20, The New York Sun reported that the National Salvation Front (NSF) was planning on opening an office in Washington. The report added that representatives from the NSF had met with National Security Council Officials on August 24.

Two NSF representatives, Husam al-Dairi and Ammar Abdulhamid, met again with NSC officials on October 26. According to an NSF source, they discussed mechanisms of democratic change in Syria. (Arabic. Levant News, 10/27/06). The report added that the NSC officials said that the White House welcomes the opening of the NSF office in DC.

Moreover, an unnamed State Department official told UPI that the US administration does not mind the NSF opening an office in DC and that the US "is ready for dialogue with any Syrian gorup or party that respects the rule of law and the principles of democracy and the principles of peaceful and legal opposition." (Arabic. Levant News, 10/27/06).

The NSF's Abdel Halim Khaddam told AKI that the Front does not have any hang-ups about talking to the US or the international community as it is all in the interest of the Syrian people and its future. He also said he was not worried about how the NSF meeting with US officials might be used for regime spin or propaganda. (Arabic. AKI, 10/30/06). He added that the NSF is interested in making its case both in the international and Arab arenas.  He stressed that the NSF would continue its diplomatic activity  to explain the plight of the Syrian people, adding that the Front "welcomes the understanding of the NSF's goals by any foreign state, Arab or Western."

Khaddam was also received by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Khaddam, who confirmed the meeting took place, reiterated his belief that the regime is "neither reformable nor viable." (Arabic. Aljazeera.net, 10/22/06).

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.

News Round-Up (8/29-9/1)

[Ed.'s Note: Due to the recent crisis in Lebanon, The Syria Monitor took a temporary back seat. Posting will now resume starting with quick round-ups from the last few weeks. Regular posting will then follow.]

8/29 - The Syrian authorities refused to allow dissident Michel Kilo to attend his mother's funeral (Arabic. AKI, 8/29/06). Kilo's lawyer told the press that the practice of allowing prisoners to attend their parents' funerals has been established for decades in Syria, but the authorities did not recognize it for Kilo. Kilo was arrested in May in the wave of arrests that targeted signatories of Beirut-Damascus Declaration, a document initially signed by 274 Syrian and Lebanese activists and intellectuals calling on the Syrian regime to correct its relations with Lebanon, by recognizing its sovereignty and independence and abiding by international resolutions. Kilo is facing charges of "weakening nationalist sentiment," "inciting sectarian and ethnic strife," "disseminating false or exaggerated news that undermine the state," and "defaming the head of state or the judiciary." (Arabic. Elaph, 8/29/06).

8/31 - Kurdish activist Abdel Hakim Bashar, member of the Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria's politburo (PDK-S/Al-Parti), was forbidden from traveling to Iraqi Kurdistan. (Arabic. Elaph, 8/31/06). This comes in a series of recent travel bans against activists in an attempt to isolate them from the outside world.

9/1 - Three Kurdish parties (Yekiti, Azadi, and the Kurdish Future Current), called for a sit-in on 9/7 in front of the Military Court in Damascus. The sit-in is to protest the prosecution at the Military Court of 49 Kurdish youth arrested last year for their participation in a rally demanding the truth behind the murder of Kurdish cleric, Sheikh Maashouq al-Khaznawi. (Arabic. AKI, 9/1/06). Khaznawi disappeared on May 10, 2005 and was found dead on June 1, 2005. His death is suspected of being the work of the Syrian intelligence services, as Khaznawi was making overtures to the Arab opposition and the Muslim Brotherhood.

9/1 - The Syrian opposition strongly criticized the speech given by Bashar Assad on August 15, where he attacked the ruling Lebanese Parliamentary and cabinet majority, the Lebanese independence movement, moderate Arab leaders, the US and Israel, and expressed support for Hezbollah. A statement by the Damacus Declaration groups criticized Assad's as inciting violence and inflammatory against moderate Arab and international parties. (Arabic. Elaph, 9/1/06).  It also called on the regime to cease interfering in Lebanese affairs. Furthermore, it noted the need for radical democratic change in public life in Syria, moving it from authoritarianism and repression to a law-based democratic system with equality, freedom and justice.

Similarly, the leading members of the National Salvation Front, Abdel Halim Khaddam (Arabic. AKI, 8/28/06) and Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni (Arabic. AKI, 9/1/06), both criticized Assad's speech and his reckless policies in back to back appearences on Lebanon's Future TV. Khaddam noted that it was the Assad regime's policy to bleed Israel through proxy war in Lebanon. Bayanouni meanwhile said that the intent to re-dominate Lebanon was "a priority for the regime." Both Khaddam and Bayanouni also expressed certainty that Assad was behind the murder of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Bayanouni also sent messages to Syria's minority Alawites in an attempt to assuage their fears of democratic change in Syria. He said that it was unfair to call the regime "Alawite" as it a family regime, and the Alawites have had their share of injustice and repression like all Syrians. Both Khaddam and Bayanouni stressed their conviction that no civil war would erupt in Syria should the regime be toppled. 

News Round-Up (8/8-16)

[Ed.'s Note: Due to the recent crisis in Lebanon, The Syria Monitor took a temporary back seat. Posting will now resume starting with quick round-ups from the last few weeks. Regular posting will then follow.]

8/9 - Exiled dissident and former reformist MP Ma'moun Homsi addressed the Lebanese people in a statement expressing solidarity with them. (Arabic. "Free Syria," 8/9/06). He said "the only thing more brutal than the war being waged against Lebanon is the dictatorial, authoritarian family regime in Syria," which is "seeking to take advantage of the carnage in Lebanon to prolong its rule after its behavior and abuse of its people and neighbors have been exposed to the world." He accused the regime of trying to sow divisions and civil strife in Lebanon and said that "the world's turning a blind eye to this regime is a danger to all because [the regime] spreads hatred and systematically supports terrorism according to its interests and in order to stay in power."

8/10 - The Damascus Declaration (DD) groups have formed a national council for the Syrian opposition. (Arabic. Elaph, 8/10/06). Sources inside the DD told Elaph that the DD groups have agreed on an organizational structure and have formed the national council from which emerged follow-up and coordination committees. Hasan Abdel Azim told Elaph that the committees have met and have estabished offices. He added that detained dissident Aref Dalilah was named an honorary member of the follow-up committee.

8/11 - The Committees for the Defense of Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria reported in a press release that on 8/11, security agents and unknown armed men surrounded the house of the Committees' spokesman, lawyer Aktham Naisse where a meeting was supposed to be held between various Arab and Kurdish parties and groups. (Arabic. SHRC, 8/11/06). The attendants were searched individually and their documents seized. Their names were then taken down and they were removed by force. Naisse remained in his house, under siege.

The Committees had declared that on 8/7, Naisse and his wife were called in for questioning at the state security branch in Lattakia as a result of an informant's report. (Arabic. SHRC, 8/8/06). The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) noted that it has recorded the existence of hundreds of thousands of informants who are either rewarded or coerced and blackmailed into writing reports about their families, friends and colleagues.

8/12 - Elaph reported that the Syrian authorities have put a new list of activists under travel bans. (Arabic. 8/12/06). The report said it found out that among of the banned were human rights lawyer Khalil Maatouq, lawyer Mahmoud Mer'i of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, who was recently released after being detained for signing the Beirut-Damascus Declaration. The Syrian authorities had recently expanded the list of travel bans to include such activists as Riad Seif, former Damascus Spring detainee Ali Khalife, Suheir Atassi, Fawwaz Tello, and Samar Labwani, wife of political prisoner Kamal Labwani.

The Syrian Human Rights Committee had also reported on 8/9 that activist Ussama Naisse was also put under a travel ban, and various other liberal activists were being summoned for interrogation. (Arabic. SHRC, 8/9/06).

8/14 - The trial of writer and dissident Ali Abdallah and his son was postponed.  (Arabic. Elaph, 8/14/06). Their lawyers presented a plea for their release but the judge turned it down. The Abdallahs denied all the charges against them. Ali is accused of spreading false news, undermining the state, and defaming the President, while his son Muhammad is charged with disseminating false news, defaming the chief judge of the State Security Court, and starting riots.

8/15 - The military tribunal in Homs -- an extraordinary tribunal -- sentenced Syrian writer and activist Habib Saleh to the maximum sentence of three years in prison for "disseminating false news." (Arabic. AKI, 8/16/06). Saleh is a former Damascus Spring detainee who was jailed for three years on 9/12/01, when Bashar Assad cracked down on dissidents and activists soon after assuming power. (Arabic. Levant News, 8/15/06). Saleh was released on 9/9/04 and was again arrested by military intelligence on 5/30/05 and charged with spreading false and exaggerated news. He had been publishing scathing articles on the web, attacking the Syrian president and his family and some of the symbols of the regime. The articles were in the form of open letters addressed to the Baath Party Congress, which took place in June 2005 and failed to introduce any reforms.

8/15 - The head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni, said in a talk to Radio Sawa that the war in Lebanon has temporarily frozen activities against the regime, but that they would soon resume. (Arabic. Levant News, 8/15/06). He added that the Syrian regime was isolating itself more and more and that the Lebanese have realized that the regime's role in the war was to employ its "cards" and to manage a proxy war outside its own borders, at the expense of the Lebanese people. Bayanouni noted that the war in Lebanon had exposed the Syrian regime and increased its isolation with Arab and Western governments. He said that there was consensus among the Syrian opposition groups that the alternative to the regime would be democratic, pluralistic, and diverse, adding that the National Salvation Front is preparing a transitional government in consultation with all other groups.

8/16 - Activist Ali Said Shehabi, who was formerly detained between 1982 and 1991 for his involvement in the Communist Labor party at the time, was summoned on 8/10 for interrogation at the state security branch and never returned home. His wife inquired about him at the security branch and was told that he was detained there, but did not allow her to see him and was not told why he was being detained. (Arabic. "Free Syria," 8/16/06).

Two Groups Join Syrian Democratic Coalition (7/10)

A statement released today by the Syrian Democratic Coalition (SDC), a coalition of seven Syrian opposition groups, announced that two new groups have joined the coalition: "The Syrian Democratic National Gathering (SDNG), a political organization that was formed in 1986 in Syria and that is led by Marwan Hammoud, and the Solidarity Council, a Kurdish organization with its leadership inside Syria."

The statement added, "[t]he announcement came from both groups while the seven parties, representing the Syrian Democratic Coalition, were meeting in Berlin to discuss the upcoming SDC conference that will be held in the Fall of 2006 in Washington DC."

The Vienna-based Hammoud had initially joined the National Salvation Front (NSF) but withdrew shortly after the NSF's conference in London last month.

The reason for the withdrawal seems to be related to disagreements over how members of the NSF's Central Committee were elected.

Khaddam Open Letter to Baathists in Syria (7/9)

Former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam addressed "civilan and military" members of the Baath party in Syria in an open letter urging them to do their patriotic duty and "shift to the side of the people and contribute in the uprooting of a regime whose continuation poses a grave danger for the future of the country, its national unity, and its security and stability." (Arabic. "Free Syria," 7/5/06).

In the letter, his second since his defection, Khaddam told the Baathists they had two choices, "the choice of the homeland and the people, and another choice which places you on the side of tyranny and corruption." He attacked the ruling Assad family regime holding it responsible for the "paralysis in the state institutions," and for the "regime's repression of citizens," and for the "break up of national unity."

Khaddam warned the Baathists not to be "fooled by those who have a hold on power who tell you that the [Baath] party is the leader of society and the state, when you know full well that it is the ruling family and its security apparatuses who rule the state, and that the role of the party's institutions is merely to cover up for errors and deviances." He asked the Baathists, "are you responsible for the impulsive and adventurist political decisions which have brought great damage to the country? Are they the work of party leadership or the work of an heir who does not realize the danger his actions pose to the country?"

He further accused the regime of a series of political assassinations of Syrian and Lebanese figures, and claimed that former Syrian interior minister Ghazi Kanaan was murdered "because he knew the truths behind the assassination of Rafik Hariri, and he knew who killed the former Lebanese Mufti Sheikh Hassan Khaled, and Kalam Jumblatt" and others, and because he knew "the secrets of the [Lebanese] al-Madina Bank scandal." He added that "the day of reckoning" for the regime is near, and called on the Baathists to help "in saving the country and liberating the people from the prison in which the regime has put them."

The National Salvation Front had included a call to Baath party members, civilian and military, in the concluding statement of its inaugural conference, inviting them to "join the ranks of the people in order to rid Syria of a corrupt and tyrannical regime."

Khaddam Comments on Assad's Statements (6/27)

Former VP Abdel Halim Khaddam replied to statements made by Syrian president Bashar Assad to the London-based daily al-Hayat in which Assad derided the National Salvation Front (NSF). (Arabic. AKI, 6/27/06).

Assad had claimed the Syrian authorities and public received the formation of the NSF "with ridicule." (Arabic. Al-Hayat, 6/26/06). In a call to AKI, Khaddam replied, "if it was received with ridicule, then why the blind reaction arresting hundreds of people?" He added, "Bashar Assad knows that the Salvation Front is a reality among the Syrian people, and knows the extent of its reach in society. The people is suffering from repression and persecution, and there are millions of unemployed and deprived people looking for salvation and a better life. This is why the Salvation Front has a significant popular weight. We are not claiming it monopolizes the public, but it is one of the opposition currents that draw people in Syria, and the polling boxes will determine the country's political color. The entire society is for change, and the wall of fear has begun to crumble bit by bit."

As for Assad's claim that the NSF was receiving international political and financial aid., Khaddam said, "the Front has not contacted any state, Arab or foreign, but many states and political and social powers around the world realize how bad the situation is in Syria and feel the need of the Syrian people to be free." He did however point out that the NSF has sent letters to member states of the UN Security Council explaining the situation in Syria, and requesting "interference in order to protect the Syrian people."

Most recently, the NSF sent a letter to the first international conference for human rights in Geneva. (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/22/06). It had also sent a letter to the European Union calling on it to support the Syrian people.

In a recently released statement, the temporary committee of the Damascus Declaration (DD) reasserted its independence from the NSF, but added that any problems could be resolved through dialogue "in order to safeguard the unity of the opposition and in the interest of national democratic change." (Arabic. ME Transparent, 6/12/06).

Similarly, Hasan Abdel Azim, the spokesman of the National Democratic Gathering in Syria (a coalition of five opposition groups) and member of the DD temporary committee, said that despite his reservations and criticisms against him, Khaddam's defection was "the regime's problem, not the opposition's," and "the NSF does not concern us. It's the regime's problem." As for the Muslim Brotherhood, which is a member of both the NSF and the DD, Abdel Azim said, "we don't want to resort to procedures such as suspending or freezing their membership... The dialogue is ongoing ... for the sake of the unity of the opposition." (Arabic. Levant News, 6/16/06).

Back in April, another veteran dissident, Riad Turk, also said, "while we do not have to support Khaddam, we will not fight him on behalf of the regime," and thereby indirectly do the regime a favor. (Arabic. Elaph, 4/16/06). He added that the opposition was open to everyone, including Ba'athist defectors.

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).

Two Withdrawals from the NSF (6/11)

One week after its first conference in London, the National Salvation Front (NSF) saw two members withdraw from its ranks (Arabic. Elaph, 6/11/06).

Abdel Hamid Khodr, the secretary general of the opposition Movement of Freedom and National Solidarity in Syria, released a statement  in which he announced his withdrawal from the Front (Arabic. tsdp.org, 6/9/06). Khodr revealed his objection to being named to the Front's Central Committee despite his refusal to accept the nomination (Arabic. Save Syria).

He asked that his name be removed, stating that he did not participate in the voting. Khodr criticized what he deemed "undemocratic practices" and stressed the need for "highly transparent democratic means if authoritarianism was to be defeated." He added that he would soon detail the reasons that led him to join the NSF as well as those that led him to withdraw his membership.

The Syrian National Democratic Gathering (TAWAD) had also announced its withdrawal (Arabic. UPI via tsdp.org, 6/7/06). The Gathering's Vienna-based coordinator, Marwan Hammoud, told UPI there were no grounds to continue working with the NSF any longer. Hammoud's reasons appear to be similar to Khodr's, having to do with the Front's Central Committee and disagreement over how its members were elected.

For its part, the temporary committee of the Damascus Declaration, in a statement by one of its members, Hasan Abdel Azim, reiterated its independence from the NSF, adding that "no coordination, talks, or relation exist between the two."

Bayanouni Interview (6/7)

UPI interviewed the head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni after the conclusion of the NSF conference in London. (Arabic. "Free Syria," 6/7/06). Here are excerpts from that interview.

Asked about whether the NSF conference received any letters of support from Lebanon, Bayanouni replied, "We in the conference did not receive any letter from any party outside Syria."

Bayanouni expressed satisfaction with the conference, adding, "It was good, and I think it has achieved the goals it set out which is to establish the general bases of the National Salvation Front and put forth a plan of action. ... I think it's a good start which calls for optimism."

As for the future of the Muslim Brotherhood's membership in the Damascus Declaration, he said, "We are members of the Declaration, and members in the NSF, and we asserted that membership in the NSF does not conflict with membership in other alliances or fronts, so long as it did not clash with the NSF's goals."

Bayanouni denied that he told a New York Times reporter that a future court would try Abdel Halim Khaddam after the current regime falls. He said, "This quote is inaccurate. I didn't say that. I said it wasn't our job to try people. If in the future there were cases brought against anybody, then those could be presented to a court. This does not only concern Mr. Khaddam, but any person. Even if Ali Bayanouni were accused of something, the national judiciary would be the one to decide."

Bayanouni went on to clarify, "We do not give certificates of innocence to anyone nor do we indict or exonerate anyone. This is not our job. We are now in the midst of a peaceful opposition to bring about democratic change in the country, and we are willing to partner with all the national groups."

He then said that the next step for the NSF will be to "turn the concluding statement of the London conference and the existing plan of action to practical steps and programs so that we could move forward and not remain confined to issuing statements."

As for the call for civil disobedience, Bayanouni said, "It is possible, but it needs to mature. Perhaps the coming days and months will bring it to maturity."