French media and changes in Syria
Syria, Politics, 6/23/2000

The French daily Le Monde said in its June 20th issue that the Baath party 9th regional congress in Syria has " strengthened the authority in a methodological way."

In a report quoted by the Monte Carlo radio, the French paper concentrated on the great changes that took place in Syria between the last congress of the Baath part in 1985 and the current congress. The paper added that the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the second Gulf war ( between Iraq and Kuwait) and the inter-Arab fighting and the separate peace agreements signed between several Arab sides and Israel, were all on the focal point of discussions made by the conferees.

The paper noted the absence of four from this congress. They are the late President Hafez al-Assad, his exiled brother Refaat al-Assad, the former premier, who committed suicide Mahmoud al-Zou'bi and former army chief of staff who is in the United States former Lt. Gen. Hekmat al-Shehabi.

On the other hand, Le Monde made a lengthy reportage about the Syrian evacuees who were deported from their lands in the occupied Golan.

In an article under the title " the other Golan from the Syrian side," written by a special correspondent to the paper who toured the camp which is situated near the capital Damascus. He said that those Golanese who were forced to deport the Golan since three decades numbered only 100,000 when they left and they are now almost half a million, waiting eagerly to return back to their homes.

The paper also depicted lives scenes of the difficult conditions they live in. It quoted one evacuee saying "When I left the Golan I thought that this would only last for few weeks or months, at the most. We had though we will be able to return back quickly to our homes. Now 33 years have elapsed and we are still waiting."

Previous Stories:
  Official Nomination of Bashar al-Assad for Syria's presidentship set   (6/22/2000)
  Smuggled diesel oil tanks confiscated   (6/22/2000)
  Information minister: Syria clings to national principles   (6/22/2000)

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