Al-Atasi Forum and the culture of fear
Syria, Politics, 3/13/2001

In the first meeting following the decision to link the activity of unlicensed cultural forums to a prior consent from the government sides concerned in Syria,, Syrian researcher Abdul Razzaq Eid delivered a lecture under the title "the culture of fear" at al-Atasi forum for dialogue in Damascus.

Well-informed sources in Damascus said that sides concerned in Syria did not set preconditions for those who organized the forum but just to avoid provocation during the lecture which was read before more 300 persons.

The audience gathered at the house of the late Syrian politician Jamal al-Atasi to listen to the third lecture in the series of the lectures approved by the forum.

The Syrian Baathists were there and they presented their thoughts and ideas in which they centered on the importance of keeping the door to dialogue open.

At the beginning the director of the meeting Habib Issa said that " the road is difficult and is not furnished with flowers," adding the atmosphere of dialogue and active interaction for the live society forces are filled with fears and " we have lost vast areas of a dialogue by the suspension of the activities of several forums while other forums were foiled before seeing the light." Issa expressed his hope that the Baath party will restore back "its key role at the Arab arena."

Arif Dalila said that this meeting reveals the need to get the masses involves in "minor and big issues" of concern to us, considerting that " the meeting is a vaccine against fear," whereas member of the parliament Riyadh Seif said he expected that " he will be taken by the hand which takes any body without any guilt he commits."

The Baathist Salim Barakat refused the statements of " fear," while the Syrian independent Muhammad Salaam criticized the emergency law.

The Baathist Fayez Ezz eddine said " are we making a dialogue now or we impose defeat on the Baathists," noting" if you come to impose defeat on the Baathists, I am a Baathist and I will fight you. But if you are making a dialogue, we have come to be open to each other and should fear be there such a lecture would not be (taking place in) this place ( in remarks to al-Atasi house)."

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