Al-Assad appoints Asef Shawkat as chief of military intelligence
Syria, Politics, 2/19/2005

In a step which was described as to enhance his control on security departments, the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appointed his brother-in-law ( husband of his sister Bushra) Lt. gen. Asef Shawkat as chairman for the military intelligence in succession of Lt. Gen. Hassan Khalil who has retired.

The military intelligence is considered the strongest of the four Syrian intelligence departments. It supervises all Syrian intelligence activities inside and outside the country including the activities of the Syrian forces deployed in Lebanon.

Well-informed sources in Damascus said that the news of the change was not announced officially, and came one day after the assassination of Rafic Hariri in order that this change to be understood as linked to the assassination.

One official Syrian source said that the change was a routine measure, noting that Lt. Gen. Khalil retired from his post as prescribed by having surpassed retirement age and after the extension for his mission as from the beginning of 2001.

The source continued that appointing Shawkat( 54 year old) in this post, was, since months, in the course of re-organizing the Syrian intelligence. President al-Assad issued a decree in August 2004 banning the extension of services for all armed forces officers who reach the age of retirement ( 60 year old).

Lt. Gen. Shawkat is considered among the new generation in the Syria state system. He does not want to be seen in public and is considered one of the close persons to the Syrian president as he has married his sister Bushra al-Assad. Shawkat's relation with the brother of the Syrian President Maher al-Assad who occupies a high post in the military leadership is described as tense.

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