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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syria's Assad Consolidates Power |
| 2005-06-10 |
| DAMASCUS (AFP) - President Bashar al-Assad consolidated his power base as the ruling Baath party replaced many of its veterans at the top with figures close to Syria's leader, at the close of a four-day congress. The meeting ended amid news that the heat on Syria could be turned up over its decades-long domination of neighbouring Lebanon. The 21-member Baath national command was slimmed down to 14 ministers, with Vice Presidents Abdel Halim Khaddam and Zuheir Masharka as well as former defence minister Mustapha Tlass among the veterans making their exit. The congress pledged to press ahead with reform, adopting the principle of a "social market economy" that would transform the pervasive public sector while supporting the private sector... It also recommended a "revision of the electoral law" for holding legislative and local polls, the television said. And the party called for the formation of "higher council for information" and amendments to the law on publications that lays down prison terms for offenders. A new press law was expected to allow private media to play an essential role in the future. The congress recommended a new law that would authorize other political parties. However, parties could not assemble based on "ethnic, religious or regional" grounds, effectively ruling out the Kurdish minority and the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, Syria's two main opposition groups. If the regime does not change, banned opposition National Democratic Movement spokesman Abdel Azim said, "Syria will face real danger, the kind that has happened in Iraq." During debate on Wednesday, some delegates emphasised "the need to pursue dialogue with United States and Europe on different subjects," state-run newspaper Tishrin said. According to sources close to the participants, some delegates harshly criticised Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara for his dealings with Lebanon and the United States. They accused Shara of "putting Syria in a dead end" situation by allegedly remaining convinced until the last minute that a UN resolution calling for Syria's military withdrawal from Lebanon would fail to pass. In his opening address, Assad said priority had to be given to improving the living standards of the people and to battling corruption. According to a joint UN-Syrian report, one in 10 Syrians survives on less than two dollars a day, and the state-controlled economy is plagued by a 12 percent unemployment rate. |
| Posted by:Pappy |