No official Syrian representation at al-Zou'bi funeral
Syria, Politics, 5/23/2000

The body of the former Syrian prime minister Mahmoud al-Zoubi was buried on Monday at his birthplace Khurbet Ghazallah, 80 Km to the south of the capital Damascus. The burial was made at his own will in a message he left to his family before his suicide on Sunday in Dummar district in Damascus.

A state-owned ambulance on Monday carried the body of al-Zou'bi from al-Mouwasat ( commiseration ) hospital to his town.

His wife Nawal al-Droubi was waiting for the body to arrive.

No official on the official level nor on the level of his province took part in the funeral, only local people in his town and other neighboring villages numbering 4,000 took part in the funeral.

On details concerning the al-Zou'bi suicide, the London-based al-Hayat daily said that al-Zou'bi was playing cards with a friend ( a doctor), when commander of the Damascus police chief came to his villa at Dummar's province to notify him about a judicial warrant released by the military investigation judge to be presented before the investigation judge to be interrogated about charges addressed to him, according to the proposal made by the Baath party regional leadership.

When the Damascus police chief entered the house after al-Zou'bi's friend opened the door, al-Zou'bi went to the upper floor of the villa. Few minutes later his elder son Mufleh ( 28) went down to his father from the interior stairs when he heard two fire shots coming from his father's room.

It was found out from investigations that al- Zou'bi fired two shots, the first was in the air and the second was in his mouth in a downward direction, in the presence of his wife Nawal, her sister, his son Mufleh and his daughter Einas. His second son Humam was not there.

Al-Zou'bi's friend and the police commander went up- stairs and found al-Zou'bi on the floor and blood spread in the room. The investigators stated after testing his personal gun that al-Zou'bi prints were on the handle of the gun. Although al-Zou'bi's head was crushed as one bullet went into his head, yet his heart continuing beating for a short period of times, when he died in the ambulance which took him to al-Mouwasat hospital.

Previous Stories:
  Former Syrian prime minister commits suicide   (5/22/2000)
  Damascus: the second phase of Baath party elections starts today   (5/20/2000)
  Damascus: A call for change   (5/19/2000)

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