Syrian political security permits activity resumption of social forums
Syria, Politics, 3/1/2002

News reports in Damascus said that the political security branch has approved the resumption of activities conducted by the social forums. This is, however, positive indications that are in contradiction to the decision taken by the Syrian authorities to close the political forums. This followed imposition of hard conditions on the activities of these forums by the beginning of 2001.

Other news reports in Damascus said that the chairman of the human rights society in Syria Lawyer Haitham al-Maleh was promised positively by the minister of social affairs and labor in Syria Ghada al-Jabi to receive an official "licensing" to this society so as to be the first in the country to be concerned in human rights issues.

To this effect, the London- based al-Hayat daily said in its Thursday's issue that lawyer Ma'moun al-Tabaa said that the Syrian minister al-Jabi told the Forum's commission officially the consent of the political security on resuming its activities after freezing it since 1974 after its foundation in 1960 and that a first session was held recently between the two Syrian literary men Walid Ikhlasi and Abdul Salaam al-Ojeili, attended by the Syrian minister of information Adnan Omran.

Al-Tabaa said he had informed Minister Omran "our total commitment to the law of civil societies which goes back in Syria to the year 1959 and that the emergence of cultural and social activities in the country are officially welcomed but within set conditions, without being just 'followers'." After al- Tabaa had said that he had refused to send a copy of the lecture two weeks before delivering it, according to the executive instructions of the ministry of social affairs and that the consent of the political security to have the dialogue between al-Ojeili and Ikhalsi had arrived just one week after delivering it, he explained that the second session to be held on March 14 will not be a lecture, rather a dialogue between the two Syrian renowned women writers Salma al-Haffar al-Kizbari and Koulite Khouri.

Previous Stories:
  Damascus: The court listens to witnesses in the case of Seif on March 18   (2/15/2002)
  Accelerating the trial of Seif, al-Homsi   (2/8/2002)
  Syrian judiciary refuses to summon witnesses to Seif's trial   (1/25/2002)
  The defendant committee for al-Homsi call for transferring the case   (1/24/2002)
  Al-Homsi trial postponed   (10/31/2001)
  A call to re-license forums   (5/24/2001)
  Syria: Rejecting licensing Seif Forum   (5/11/2001)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search