Report: How a printing machine coproduced with Israel entered Syria
The story of the printing machine started in June of this year when one Syrian merchant, Nashaat Shaker, and his partner had an import license under no. 18191 to import a printing machine produced by the Japanese Komori company, a company which has been demanded for several times since August 1998 to provide duly ratified documents showing its relations with the Israeli company Scitex, after the Japanese company had announced in September 1997 at the international printing exposition a strategic alliance with the objective of promoting joint products with the Israeli company.
Doubtless, the machine entered the country illegally as the importer, to be able to import the machine, used documents which hide the trademark of the machine and the machine's country of origin when he submitted a preliminary bill together with an importing license issued by an American company from the Damascus directorate of economy.
Adra customs (the free trade area in Damascus ) released the final bill accompanying the machine which is released by an American company despite the fact that the bill includes the name of the machine and the address of the Japanese company, thereby violating decisions and instructions of the Ministry of the Economy which regulate imports which do not permit the import of machinery from the USA if it is of non-USA origin.
After the general customs department confiscated the imported machine, the regional boycotting office of Israel in Damascus took a controversial decision under number 1717 dated October 7, 1999 in which it permits the release of the "printing machine duly, for the perspective of the Arab boycott but under the condition to be provided with documents from the Japanese company on this matter."
The Tishreen report on this matter indicated that information by the "secret office" at the general directorate for customs showed numerous contradictions between the decisions taken by the Ministry of the Economy and the resolutions taken by both the main and the regional offices for the boycott of Israel over the Komori Japanese company. Still the Syrian customs is waiting for a clear decision on this matter.
The importer of the machine, Nashaat Shaker, said the "importing license issued in my name is legal. It is a license to import a Japanese printing machine. I do not know that the said Japanese company is demanded to provide documents showing its real relations with the Israeli company. No one at the Ministry of the Economy, nor at the regional boycotting office asked anything concerning Komori."
It seems that the debate over this matter is still open and the machine will be kept confiscated until the whole story is clarified and a decision is made on who is responsible for what had happened.