Seif: Reforms should be integrated
Syria, Politics, 3/8/2002

The trial session held on Thursday for the independent member of the Syrian parliament Riyadh Seif witnessed two testimonies that served him when he stressed that he did not call for a change in the constitution illegally, besides that he never had tried to provoke sectarianism.

Among 12 witnesses the defendant invited only three were permitted, two of them made their testimonies on Thursday before the court session which was attended by western diplomats and journalists.

Seif was permitted to comment on the two testimonies. He said that there should not be a separation between economic and political reform, on the ground that both trends are integrated. This comment by Seif was added by judge Jasem Muhammad on the session minutes.

The two witnesses - member of the national dialogue forum - Nazir Jazmati and the researcher Ridwan Zeyadah - stressed that the Forum used to be held by Seif was in open and its audience varied and included all colors of the Syrian society, and they include members of the Syrian Baath Party.

Jazmati stressed he never heard from Seif any hint "from him nor the persons who made the interventions regarding sectarian matters," " Rather the issue of national unity was the base for the discussion." On an inquiry made by the judge on Seif's saying that he said in his Forum that Syria is a state governed by ( 200 officers) from the Alawite sect according to the sealed report that is in Seif's file, Jazmati said that this never happened. And Zeyadah denied this accusation addressed to Seif.

The judge permitted Seif who accepted the two testimonies to talks, and Seif called for "a political reform as a beginning for other reforms." The judge postponed the next session until March 13.

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)

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