Heitham Manaa ends 25 years in exile

Syrian opposition member Heitham Manaa ended 25 years in exile as he returned back home to Syria on Saturday and directly to his birthplace Daraa.

Manaa's coming back came at the invitation of the Syrian authorities which welcomed him at the official level. He said that there is "an intention " in the Syrian official to "open seriously the file of exiled Syrians."

Lawyer Anwar al-Bunni said that some 300 persons gathered at the courtyard of the airport to receive Manaa, who seemed very impressed embracing his parents after 25 years in exile.

He stressed that his coming back to is not preconditioned, and that the Syrian embassy in Paris notified him he can return home.

Manaa said while still in exile, commenting on the invasion of Iraq that: No Syrian opposition members in exile would accept coming back to Damascus on the back of an American tank.

Al-Manaa said on Tuesday he will visit Syria for a vacation, and then he will leave for other countries including Mauritania, Somalia and Bahrain. He said he will continue his work as a spokesman for the "Arab committee for human rights" until the end of the period for which he was elected for this post in the mid of 2004. His wife, the Lebanese Violette Dagher, is currently chairing the committee.

Manaa explained that President Bashar al-Assad who provided Limousine car at Manaa's disposal sent a representative to welcome him at the airport saying "welcome back at your country."

Manaa said "there is an intention to "look the file of exiled Syrians seriously." He added that "the pioneers of reforms (in Syria) are not in need of advice from me. I may give them some statistics and information on the situation of those exiled, but they know better than I do this issue."