Syria mourns her president
Syria, Politics, 6/12/2000

Damascus and other Syrian cities continued on Sunday their mourning of the demise of President Hafez al-Assad. His pictures and banners commemorating him are raised in every quarters of the capital with black banners wrapped buildings and cars.

A woman from Lattakia, living in Damascus, told ArabicNews while tears fell down from her eyes: " God forgive me. I would have thought that every body would die except him ( President al-Assad) will not."

I, myself, could still remember when President al-Assad assumed power in Syria in 1970, I was almost ten. He toured Lattakia among other Syrian cities. We welcomed him wearing uniforms on the city's seashore. We were elementary school children, we followed his procession while waving his hands to the people who were throwing rice and roses on him." And a whole Syrian generation of mine still have an image of him as a man of deeds and action.

Most shops in Damascus as well as the Syrian cities are kept closed and people stayed in their homes.

Meantime spontaneous parades continued on Saturday evening and Sunday day time in the city of Damascus, around the Republic's palace in Abu Rummaneh and at al-Shami hospital in the downtown of Damascus, where the body of the late president lays, chanted slogans saying " There is no God But God," "al-Assad Habib Allah" and others voicing backing to Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian Engineer Samir al-Refaee said "the death of President al-Assad was a catastrophe that did not only befall Syria, rather the Arab nation., and we all hope in the son of the late President Dr Bashar to lead the country the same way his father did."

Syrian pharmacist Khaled Jeroudi said "President al-Assad's death is a great loss to Syria. He had led the country to the 'coast of safety' and never gave up one inch of the occupied lands nor the national principles and rights."

Syrian Journalist Walid Aseed said " God blesses the soul of the late President, founder of modern Syria. We pledge him to follow his steps, under his successor."

Previous Stories:
  Reactions to President al-Assad's death   (6/11/2000)
  Iraqi dailies highlights Hafez Al-Assad's death   (6/11/2000)
  President Hafez al-Assad's funeral arrangements   (6/11/2000)

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