Assad: Syria in better position than Egypt since it has no ties with Israel
Syrian President Bashar Assad says he will promote political reform in his country in the wake of popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
By Haaretz ServiceIn an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad suggested that the pressure he will face from the Syrian people to institute reforms will be less than that faced by embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak because he has not pursued close diplomatic relations with the U.S. and Israel, a position that he said puts Arab leaders at odds with their citizens.
Assad also said that he will advocate for political and economic reform in Syria, following the massive protests that have recently swept the Middle East, which he said have ushered in a "new era."
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Syrian President Bashar Assad, November 10, 2010. |
| Photo by: AP |
"Syria is stable. Why? Because you have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people. This is the core issue. When there is divergence…you will have this vacuum that creates disturbances," the article quoted Assad as saying.
Assad said that after the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, Arab leaders will now need to do more to accommodate their people's mounting political and economic ambitions.
"If you didn't see the need of reform before what happened in Egypt and Tunisia, it's too late to do any reform," Assad told the American journal, signaling that he would attempt to pre-empt a popular uprising against his own regime before potentially destabilizing demonstrations reached the streets of Damascus.
Bashar Assad assumed the presidency of Syria in 2000, and prior to that his father Hafez Assad had occupied the office of president for three decades.
Demonstrations in Egypt have demanded the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, who has held that office for over 29 years, and in Tunisia, protesters succeeded in chasing President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali out of office, after 23 years of rule.
Assad said that he was open to negotiating with Israel over the transfer of control over the Golan Heights, but that he doubted that Prime Minister Netanyahu was as interested in reaching a deal as the previous Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had been, with whom Assad claimed that he had almost clinched a peace deal in 2008.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War.
Although he said that he planned to push through some specific reforms in the coming year, Assad admitted that relatively few changes have been made during his terms as Syria's president.
Despite this, he doubted that he would move at the speed that the protest movements in Tunisia and Egypt were demanding for their own countries, suggesting that some peoples were not ready for rapid reform.
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Every syrian I've talked with about the baath-regime, defends Bashar passionately. He's especially popular with the young people. They say they don't want failed democracies like in Iraq or Lebanon, neither do they want secterian conflicts. Most of them trust Bashar and feel he's doing a lot to improve Syria and the life of syrians. Anyway, most syrians haven't experinced anything else than the bath-dictatorship, so they really don't know what democracy really tastes like. But at the same time, they say they want an evolution rather than revolution. Democracy comes little by little. So all in all, there's no way comparing Assad to Mubarak. And for those of you who likes to ''remind'' people of the massacre of Hama. You're hilarious, you hate everything that has anything to do with ''islamism'' but you don't know that this massacre was against the muslim brotherhood.
Which was the first?
Reading the talkback of Israel's supporters can be entertaining for two minutes. At that point you realize that you have read everything they have to say and the rest is reruns. I read my two minutes worth years ago, so now they are all reruns.
Being an Arab dictator allied with the US is not a good position to be these days. Tunisia, Egypt, perhaps Jordan or Saudi Arabia next. If you want to rule better to be opposed to the US. That way, even if the people have no jobs, little money, or prospects and no freedom they might like you for hating America and Israel and let you stay in power. In recent years the US, Israel, and even Turkey have been trying to nudge Syria into a deal whereby they get the Golan but abandon their alliance with Iran and Hezbollah. Since self preservation is the main objective of the Syrian regime, that deal doesn't look appealing right now. PS to ML in Houston; read carefully before you write; I wouldn't want you to knock down a straw man and make a fool of yourself like you did the other day. Hint; I didn't say all Sunni's and Christians in Lebanon oppose Hezbollah (maybe half do); I said those that do shouldn't be accused, and slandered, of being Israeli supporters because of their legitimate opposition to Hezbollah
and peace with her neighbors instead of sponsoring terror??
...because of his lack of relationship with the West or due to him being a scared and outdated tyrant?
Man, that's really digging it in, isn't it? His argument is actually a pretty good one i.e. no matter how venal his regime may act, he isn't acting that way because the USA and Israel are telling him to do it. To be honest, he has a point i.e. no matter what your opinion of him is, his policies are being dictated BY him, and not TO him.
which tells you why they are really here
The protests in Egypt and Tunisia are not about these countries relations with America or Israel. It is the ECONOMY Stupid. The upheavals we see are about Freedom , Poverty and unemployment.
Is there one Muslim nation that isn't guilty of abusing it's own people, beginning with women's rights? The rights of minorities? The same rights we Americans and Israeli's enjoy daily without risk of death? There can be no possible excuse for taking the bread out of the mouths of the poorest. Denying them jobs, oppoortunites, any avenue to dictate their own fate. The hopelessness of the hungry, extreme poverty is the direct responsibility of those in charge. If things were the same for us, I'm sure we'd do the same. Hunger thumps logic when you're starving to death.
The bad weather over the Middle East today....
There it is, the ultimate defenseive rationalization. "Jews get blamed for everything, therefore Israel can do anything it wants in compensation."
all the failures and regression.
With free elections, democracy & rapidly growing economy, Muslim's in the region are asking themselves "why can't we?"
SO THAT HE GETS CLEAR VISION !! AT THIS MOMENT HES BLIND !
Why stability in Syria? Extreme repression, torture, ruthless security services. That is the golden recipe. Remember Hamas 1982? That´s an example of how you instill fear and obedience. But Assad shouldn´t be complacent. Maybe things are stable today, but things could change -fast and dramatic.
A typing error, sorry.
His country is near ruins and he is in denial. The drought in Syria, does he care? 300,000 families have been driven to Damascus, Aleppo and other cities in one of the “largest internal displacements in the Middle East in recent years,” according to a Feb. 17 report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. And he talks about how well off his regime is. Perhaps North Korea and Syria are already so close to disintegration that they shouldn't by rights be able to continue. That is only because we can't quite comprehend the level of oppression those regimes will resort to maintain power.
Assad, running scared. A light unto the idiots.
When the eastern block fell all commentators said tha Romania couldn't fall because it was too tightly controlled..too harsh a regime..too brutal...it went...when the people sniff freedom as they are doing across the Arab world it's very hard to stop it...I hope and pray Assad gets his turn in the stockade and the Syrian people get their freedom
Wishful thinking aside, Assad is far more popular in Syria than Mubarak is in Egypt (not being a US puppet helps), and the Syrian economy cannot even be compared to Romania circa 1989. Assad is not going anywhere.
Assad is the one who has been saying he would sign a peace agreement and have full diplomatic relations with Israel if only the Golan Heights were returned first. Now he is saying there would not be unrest in Egypt if they had not normalized relations with Israel. Israel should tell him he needs to think of better lies for his time is coming..."GAME OVER."
Both the Israeli and Egyptian armies have benefited from peace. Assad is too immersed in the culture of hate and Iran to understand that he can not survive the natural desire for democracy and freedom of most people in today's world. The Egyptian Army is probably the best security which the Egyptian population has against regimes like in Syria, Iran, and Lebanon.
Despots like Assad don't understand that the only way to have economic and personal freedom is to have good relations with neighbors both local and international and especially with the West otherwise nobody will invest money in Syria and they will continue to have a per capita income a fraction of Israelis who live just a few miles away.
He shouldn't be feeling too cocky his kingdom may be in jeopardy as well.
He is in lalaland.
No one should be naive. What the Syrians say publicly and what they do behind the scene are polar opposite. A French diplomat once said... 'The Syrians shower visiting dignitaries with wonderful conversations... before sending them away empty handed'. The Syrians are masters at double-talk and atmospherics. Nothing will change their basic character. Believing that Assad is ready to promote reform or detach from the Iranian orbit... is a smoke filled pipe-dream. Let’s get real, the Syrians are exactly what they appear to be... double-dealing in lies and deceit.
cause almost everything you said was said at israel as well.
Every dictator says the same thing!
Mark your calendars, and prepare the popcorn! The era of decades-long dictatorships coming to and end, and good riddance! Maybe, just maybe, there is light at the end of the tunnel not only for the Palestinian cause but also greater Arab world.
Two-thirds of the region was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and has since been . Immediately following the Six-Day War, Israel was willing to give up the Golan in exchange for peace with Syria; however, Syria refused to negotiate
... now the whole region wants a new BLOC which lasted for 1000 years. You ll get about 30 countries which are developing like Tükiye in a Levante Union...
His analysis is very correct ; the regimes in the region that are vulnerable right now are those that have been toeing the American and Zionist line. It is now becoming apparent that Israel's interests and America's interests are not one and the same as The Israeli Lobby has been saying all these years.
The emirs in the gulf are worrying about themselves these days....probably because of their close ties with Israel. yeah, right.
The Syrian President Assad is once again playing the Anti Jew card to escape a TUNISIAN like situation. In effect he is trying to say to the people is that its corruption, nepotism, poverty etc which is the cause but ties with ISRAEL. Now lets see if the Syrians as a people are intelligent enough to see thru this charade.
Basil Fawlty is worried that he's next.
Assad you are also a murderous dictator thug and your time is coming.
The rest are denying reality even amongst themselves from what I've heard.
soon the syrian majority will rise and burn this iranian puppets house time for sacrifice syrians
Dictators in the middle east . To stay in power he won't hazitate bombing & killing his population . puting and Killing for his gang is not a big deal . Unlike Ben Ali and Mubarak , Assad will not go down without a fight , his father Hafez bombing the city of Hama for uprising against him in the eighties 30 thousand dead later the city gave up , this happened while western powers and media didn't even mention it .
do not belong in syria
Dictators in the middle east . To stay in power he won't hazitate bombing & killing his population . puting and Killing for his gang is not a big deal . Unlike Ben Ali and Mubarak , Assad will not go down without a fight , his father Hafez bombing the city of Hama for uprising against him in the eighties 30 thousand dead later the city gave up , this happened while western powers and media didn't even mention it .
Notice also that it positions him nicely to break the ice with the new regime in Egypt -- whatever that turns out to be.
Everyone has been focused on Egypt. perhaps someone should check what Asad has been doing to the opposition in Syria in the last week. I hate to think, Remember Hama?
Or is his "reform" just for Syria? Anyone who thinks he will introduce real reform is deluding themselves. He'll do some cosmetic things and under the surface tighten the screws even more on political dissidents. That's what dictators do, and Assad and his cronies are way too entrenched to seriously dilute their power voluntarily. Besides, the guy has just finished laying the groundwork for an Islamofascist regime just next door in Lebanon--think he's going to retreat from that??
He's also more pragmatic than most and is more prone to reform. But it also goes without saying that true democracy isn't going to be fully embraced anyone who stands to lose their sphere over it.
But there's a BIG hint here, Israel! Despite your insistence on denying it - or perhaps ignoring it in favor of illegally acquired territory - it's your occupations/settlements, the oppression of the Palestinian people that result from them, and your refusal to acknowledge the plight of the refugees. Yes indeed it IS these things which you prefer to pretend are not the source regional animosity towards Israel. The same things listed as requisites by the Arab initiative for exactly the reason Assad has mentioned. Wake up Israel, you'll never know peace with your neighbors until you've made peace with the people! A peace between governments is a piece of paper, nothing else! For it to be real, the people have to be included! Otherwise you get what's happening in Egypt right now, and are faced with that big uncertainty of whether there will still be peace between you tomorrow.
Read that as exterminate all his opposition.
in syria dissent is handled at the point of a gun! the only open thing might be a hand to the face if one is lucky
He must smell it fast, and do reforms while he is in a strong position. Otherwise, he will find himself obliged to do it when he is in weak position.
The will of the people will prevail anyhow..... Dutch
who believes is Syria is different than Tunisia and Egypt....he is next
Yes he is a dictator but he has much more popular support than the other two. Syrians don't necessarly wish his departure. At least he admits the need for change before being forced to do so.
Once again blame Israel and USA. Assad and many other leaders foster the hatred to these two states through a carefully controlled press and then he has the temerity to tell us that things are not bad in Syria because he and the people agree. He is trying yet again and probably will succeed in fooling Syrians.
I hope Syrians turn on their fearless leader.
When you consider all the challenges that Arab leaders have had to survive in the last ten years, Bashar has had his fair share and some. He is the youngest leader and he understands the Internet world we live, he probably even trolls on Haaretz occasionally pretending to be a right wing Jew from New York. He will reform if he needs to. I were looking to somebody to run Egypt I would look for somebody like him, smart, 45 years old, understands the 21 century and the Internet and has proven negotiating skills.
Good luck mr. president!
This has the potential of being the best best April Fool's but it is too early
Funny to see Assad scared from his own people , I have news for you ( your next )
I have douibts that Syria will be next. Egypt has more freedom of expression than Syria and north Korea and a mult party government + opposition ( even as a symbol only). Syrians still remember what his father did in the city of Hama in the late 70's. at these days there was no internet and satellite channels so it went quite unnoticed to the world.
Too bad Mubarak didn't find a clue after 30 years.