Syria: the first paper in the market without control
Syria, Politics, 1/5/2001

The " Sawt al-Shaab" (voice of people), mouthpiece of the Syrian communist party in Syria on Thursday resumed publications in Syria following a cessation of 50 years in another step towards launching political freedoms, on the ground that that this paper will not belong to the government and will not be controlled by inspection and will appear in the stalls like other government's publications.

" Sawt al-Shaab" seems not to be different from its sister " Nidal al-Shaab" (the struggle of people) which is not different issued by the Syrian communist party since a while.

However, the decision taken by the regional leadership of the Baath party recently to approve a decision that parties of the National Progressive Front to issue their own papers and sell them in the market made of the news issue of Sawt al-Shaab comes up of great enthusiasm.

The secretary general of the Communist party- Bakdash wing- Wesal Farha Bakdash, said that the " experimental bimonthly issue will be made a weekly and if the paper will meet the expectations it will be then a daily.

She explained that " this paper will have great tasks. As it had struggled in the past against the French mandate, colonialism and projects of military hegemony on the region. It will now defend the working class and the peasants and Syria's national policy which was established as a result of the unity of ranks and the unity of our parties with the progressive and leftist parties."

"Sawt al-Shaab" criticized in its issue the private reforms provide for permitting the establishment of private banks and wrote: "It is quite clear that the private banks project and through breaking the state's monopoly of the banking sector, prepares through permitting bringing in and getting out foreign currencies for the financial globalization forces, to work and expose the monetary and economic situation in the country to great shocks." Sawt al-Shaab with its first issue according to the current release bears number 1524 as an evidence of its continuity after its suspension in 1958 as it has been circulated in the Syrian street by volunteers who circulate some 15,000 copies on 10 to 15 news stalls and each copy is sold by 10 Syrian pounds.

This very paper started publications since 1937 but it was suspended in the years 1939 and 1941 with the beginning of the second world war and then it was suspended in the year 1947 ( because of the reactionary forces " and then it resumed publication until 1958 and it was closed after 11 months after maintaining unity between Syria and Egypt to be replaced as before as in the past by " Nidal al-Shaab" and continued publication until 2000.

For his part, member of the political bureau of the Communist party Youssef Faisal wing told reporters that they are " not in a hurry" and that their daily " al- Nour" might be published within one month after they will complete their preparations for the first step which should be " solid."

The 12- page " Sawt al-Shaab deals with various topics linked to the party's ideology which speaks about local industrial and agricultural issues that are the preoccupation of the Syrian public opinion, including the banking law, the Rend law besides other pages for Party activities in the world and a page for youth.

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