Former Syrian information minister statement to al-Sharq al-Awsat

In its Saturday's issue, the London- based al-Sharq al-Awsat said published an article written by former Syrian minister of information Muhammad Salman under the title: " The Syrian intellectuals and the open dialogue," in which he stressed that the peaceful transfer of authority in Syria had its own objective reasons which are interrelated to factors characterized Syria's solidarity.

He added that these factors proved effectiveness in filling the space upon the absence of the late President Hafez al- Assad and the state of national awareness accompanied the process of authority transfer to President Bashar al-Assad.

He indicated the gap existed between the political performance and the performance in many other fields and filling this gap needs drawing of scientific, political and economic strategies that serve the process of development and steadfastness simultaneously and not to eliminate reality as a whole. He added that the late President had criticized the government's performance and urged the need of improving its mechanisms and concentration on Baath party ' monitoring of this performance in the speeches delivered at his 4th and 5th taking oath ceremonies.

On the dialogues and ideas debated and resulted from the national dialogue started by President Bashar al- Assad, Salman noted the slowness at the Baath Party and other allied parties performance. He proposed that the Syrian people, organizations, federations and trade unions are called on to develop their organizations by its laws and regulations and formulating new relations among its members, in the first place and between it and the others in the second place under a democratic atmosphere ensured by President Bashar al-Assad.