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
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