Khaddam asks to be exempted from post

The Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam asked president Bashar al-Assad to exempt him from official duties in the state and the party. This was expressed in the first day of the Baath party 10th regional congress which is currently held in Damascus.

Sources in the ruling Baath party in Syria said that Khaddam's decision came following a heated discussion between Khaddam and the foreign minister Farouk al-Shara in the congress over the Syrian policy towards Lebanon.

However, a member in the "development committee" in the Baath party Ahmad al-Haj Ali said that Khaddam announced his determination to resign during the meeting of the Party's political committee for health reasons.

Another source said that Khaddam expressed his desire to quit his post but to remain in the party. The source explained that Khaddam wants to give the opportunity for young generations in the party.

Khaddam, however, is one of the two Syrian vice presidents. He has one of the longest services among the country s leaders. He worked with the late President Hafez al-Assad and now with President Bashar al-Assad.