Khaddam warns the intellectuals: we will not allow to convert Syria in Algeria or Yugoslavia
Syria, Politics, 2/19/2001

The Regional Leadership of the Baath Arab Socialist party in Syria and the central leadership and the National Progressive front have continued for the second day their tour on the Syrian political, vocational and people's cadres in order to explain the lalest political developments in the region.

The Baath party Assistant Secretary general Abdullah al-Ahmad met with the Aleppo university staff, Vice President Khaddam met the Damascus University teaching staff, while vice President Muhammad Zuheir Masharqa and member of the central leadership of the Progressive Front ( under which the other parties rallied ) met with Aleppo Baathists.

In Damascus, Vice President Khaddam criticized the statements made by Syrian intellectuals and the " civil society committee" over not making an " objective analysis" of the Syrian and regional conditions in the past three decades at a complete absence of the Arab- Israeli conflict from their discussions and statements.

He questioned " Are there in Syria conflicts among people? Are people fighting each other or do they ( the intellectuals) want people to fight each other. Is there a civil society in Syria or not? Do they refuse the current society? What is the alternative. Is it what has taken place in Algeria or Yugoslavia or Somalia?" he added before " we propose a slogan we have to study the reality. There might be a violation. We have to discuss it but not to undermine the whole reality and no body is able to do so. Besides we do not permit at any rate Syria to be converted to an Algeria or Yugoslavia."

Meanwhile, the speaker of the Syrian parliament Abdul Qader Qaddoura permitted the Attorney General to interrogate with the independent parliament member Riyadh Seif in charges relating to " violating the constitution."

Vice president's Khaddam's statement was made in the course of his Sunday's meeting with the teaching staff at Damascus university in the context of a move made by other 17 members of the Baath party leadership to explain the Baath Party stances concerning internal and regional developments. Khaddam said "We, but always with freedom because it is the nature of human being and because supressing this freedom is a violation to the nature of man and kills creativity and progress. But we are not with total ultimate freedom."

Meanwhile Seif told the London-based al-Hayat daily in its today's issue that Qaddoura announced in a parliamentary session " I have permitted the Attorney general to file a case against Seif but without meaning to lift his immunity or to violate his rights."

Seif, the independent parliament members who had at his house " a national dialogue forum" in September 2000 said: " I am ready to be presented before an open and just court." He expected the reason behind filing a case against him because of his call for declaring the " Social peace movement" party few weeks ago to " amend the constitution, permit new parties and free elections after the release of the parties law."

Previous Stories:
  Sharon and peace with Syria   (2/17/2001)
  Arafat to visit Syria within the two coming days   (2/17/2001)
  Syrian premier confers with Iraqi trade minister   (2/16/2001)
  Khaddam's memoirs   (2/10/2001)
  Syrian Parliament member criticizes 1000 statement and the party split advocates   (2/9/2001)
  Branches opened for the Syrian parties   (1/31/2001)
  More political parties to be formed in Syria   (1/30/2001)

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