DATE=6/12/2000 TYPE=WORLD OPINION ROUNDUP TITLE=DEATH OF AL-ASSAD STIRS MID-EAST NUMBER=6-11867 BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE DATELINE=WASHINGTON EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS TELEPHONE=619-3335 INTERNET=YES CONTENT= INTRO: Most journalists covering the Middle East say the death of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad has further complicated the quest for peace in that region. With renewed talks scheduled this week in Washington between Israel and the Palestinians, many newspapers around the world now say the issue of Israeli - Syrian peace should be put on hold temporarily. They say that the 34-year-old son of President Assad, Bashar, will need time to consolidate his hold on the government. We get a sampling of international reaction now from _____________ in this edition of World Opinion Roundup. TEXT: Syria's state-controlled press mourned the death of its president with front-page pictures of Hafez al-Assad bordered in black. Many papers praised his "dedication" to Arab rights and his leadership. Israeli newspapers said President Assad's death may prove helpful to P-L-O chairman Yasser Arafat. They said the Palestinian leader's leverage has improved, since he no longer has to compete with a parallel set of peace talks, at least for the time being. Many European dailies wondered whether Bashar, the eldest living son of President al-Assad, a London- trained eye doctor, is up to the job of solidifying his power and running a country. Several made note that this is the latest generational change in the region, coming on the heels of the deaths of King Hussein in Jordan and King Hassan in Morocco. We go to Damascus first, for this comment from Tishreen. VOICE: Calamity has stricken Syria and ... Syrians have the right to lament over their late leader. Arabs have the right to mourn the loss of the steadfast advocate of Arab solidarity. The world has the right to praise the great late leader. TEXT: Another government-owned daily, The Syria Times, said: VOICE: At this ... moment, it is worthy to stress that the people of Syria are fully determined to continue looking forward to realize the noble goals ... set by the president ... We are fully assured today that Syria will continue working for the achievement of a just and honorable peace on the basis of the U-N Resolutions 242 and 338 ... TEXT: Turning to Israel, the daily Haaretz from Tel- Aviv, had these comments: VOICE: It could be supposed that a state and people ... under a one-person regime for such a long time, as well as the ruling institutions, the army, and the party, will need a period of adaptation. It cannot be expected that a change will be felt within days or weeks, not to speak of [Editors: in U-S English, we would say there: "much less"] a widening of a window of opportunities. /// OPT /// TEXT: The Jerusalem Post said "the death closes an era for Arab, as well as Syrian, history," adding: VOICE: Whether the future will be better for Syria depends in large part on whether Bashar Assad ... can put together a stable regime and institute basic reforms in domestic and foreign policy. /// END OPT /// TEXT: For the Palestinian view, we check out Al-Quds in East Jerusalem, which is calling for an all Arab summit to reassess the situation. VOICE: There is no doubt that the death of Syrian President ... Assad will affect the future of the peace process. ... Comprehensive peace in the region means achieving peace on all Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese tracks. However, the death ...at this stage means delaying the peace efforts on the Syrian track for at least a few weeks or months ... So, it is the right time now to start preparing for an Arab summit in light of the current conditions, especially ... as the Palestinian track moves towards a very critical phase. TEXT: In Egypt, Cairo's internationally known Al Ahram ran this column Monday [6/12]. VOICE: The death of [President] Assad is a great loss to the Syrian people and the Arab world, which regarded this stubborn leader as a man with the final card and the final word in decisive issues ... [It] is like the fall of a fortress of stubborn resistance to the waves sweeping the Arab world... TEXT: A view toward the future and change for the better comes from Algeria, and Sawt Al Ahrar in Algiers. VOICE: Bashar [al Assad, the President's son] belongs to the new Arab leaders' generation. He is a close friend of Jordanian King Abdullah, and also to Moroccan King Mohamed the Sixth. During his first months, Bashar will focus on fighting corruption, and most observers are expecting very few immediate changes in both domestic and foreign affairs. ... However, medium-term changes are expected, given that Bashar is a supporter of opening the country. TEXT: The London-based, international Saudi Arabian daily in the Arab language, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, says in part: VOICE: There is nothing that prohibits the new leadership in Damascus from looking for the quickest possible date to return to the negotiating table. The important thing here is that Israel not succumb to false hopes that it will now be able to obtain what it failed to obtain from President Hafez Al-Assad. TEXT: In Europe, London's Independent says the death has made people nervous in places. VOICE: The passing of President Assad has produced a visible nervousness in the capitals of the world, and the threat of instability is read ... But instability can also be an opportunity. President Clinton still has time to raise his standing in the history books, if he and other leaders ... take the chance to press the Israelis and the Palestinians to a lasting peace. /// OPT /// TEXT: Another London newspaper, The Times, subscribes to the theory that Mr. Assad's son will have his hands full domestically for a while. VOICE: The death of [Mr.] Assad puts one aspect of the ... peace process on temporary hold and the other under the international spotlight. Assuming that Bashar succeeds his father, he will have plenty of issues to deal with before he can turn his attention to renewed talks with Israel. Only when he has built his power base ... will he have time to tackle the peace process. TEXT: While the Guardian notes: VOICE: Syria's lack of credible, democratic institutions and basic civil rights, the parlous state of its economy, its army's lack of new equipment and w4eaponry, its increasingly untenable position in Lebanon, its sidelining in the peace process and the uncertain future conduct of its clannish, corrupt political faction are ... part of the overall problem which now confronts his successor, likely to be his ... son Bashar ... /// END OPT /// TEXT: In Paris, the editorial headline in France's Le Figaro, reads: "Death that changes all in the Middle East," and in the editorial below, we read: VOICE: By its suddenness, the death presents three questions: The Syrian question: The dictator's succession is uncertain. The Lebanese question: The dictator's death brings no tears but uncertainty. The Middle East question: A new chapter is opening. TEXT: Across Paris, Liberation, notes: VOICE: The death of a dictator does not always announce radiant times ahead. So it will be for Syria, despite the appearance of dynastic continuity forced on Damascus ... Whether Bashar likes it or not, the knives are drawn and it will be in Damascus that he must first prove himself. TEXT: From Poland, there is this rather optimistic opinion in Rzeczpospolita about a new generation of leaders in the Middle East. VOICE: There is a generational change of guard going on in the Middle East ... With the deaths of King Hussein of Jordan, King Hassan of Morocco, and Syrian President Assad, will it be easier to forge peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors? Their successors offer some hope for this. ... The new generation of Arab leaders ... is more interested in ... state-of- the-art technology than in the utopian vision of Arab unity, cherished for a long time by the outgoing generation... TEXT: But one of Canada's leading newspapers wonders if Bashar al-Assad is up to the job. Toronto's Globe and Mail says: VOICE: Mr. Assad's was a one-man rule par excellance, and he died without properly preparing for an heir to step into his solitary shoes. His regime bucked the worldwide trend of democratization and people's power, held together by a combination of his long- accumulated personal authority and prestige on the one hand and a military-party oligarchy completely beholden to him on the other. TEXT: Turning to Asia, the Bangkok [Thailand] Post writes in Monday's [6/12] editorial: VOICE: The late leader's son Bashar al-Assad's ... relationship with Hezbollah and his aspirations for peace are unknown at this time and will become known once the nation's 40-day mourning period if over. But those who have been involved in the peace process ... are hoping that Bashar may not be so emotionally attached to the Golan Heights as was his father and may be more prepared to negotiate with Israeli and the Palestinians... TEXT: And in South Asia, the News from Pakistan writes: VOICE: [President] Assad was a tough negotiator but could also make a compromise when required and sell it to his people ... It is on the last count that the world is most worried in the wake of his death ... TEXT: With that assessment from Pakistan, we conclude this special edition of World Opinion Roundup on the death of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. NEB/ANG/PW 12-Jun-2000 16:14 PM EDT (12-Jun-2000 2014 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
