DAMASCUS, 7 June 2005 — Syrian President Bashar Assad told his ruling Baath Party congress yesterday to ignore foreign pressure in drafting reforms he said should focus on improving the economy and combating corruption.

But Bashar set out no far-reaching initiatives in his speech to the opening session of the Baath’s first major congress in five years and made clear the party that has ruled Syria for four decades was not ready to give up its dominant role.

Officials have said Bashar did not plan to pre-empt debates at the three-day congress with decisions taken in advance.

“The economic situation is a priority for us all to improve its performance and improve the life of our citizens. So is corruption,” said Bashar, presiding over his first Baath party congress since he succeeded his father Hafez Assad in 2000.

Bashar, 39, called for “more successful and firmer mechanisms” to fight graft, which critics say has pervaded most levels of Syria’s government and state-dominated economy.

The president told the 1,231 congress members to disregard “any considerations that aim at pushing us in directions that contradict our national interests or infringe on our stability”.

Bashar said foreign-inspired political changes in the region had created ambiguous and disturbing currents for Arabs.

“This reality obliges us all to face it with more awareness and responsibility...by enhancing the values of openness, tolerance and liberalization in Arab society,” he said.

“The powers behind these events...simply aim at turning us into a negative mass that absorbs all that comes its way without the will or the ability to consider rejecting or accepting it.”

Although Bashar refrained from giving any details on foreign policy, he said it was “necessary to face international developments in a courageous manner” and to “learn lessons from them”.

“We have to address all the issues that are brought to the table. We should emphasize anything that would push reform forward addressing all the needs of our wide sectors of society.”

“We must enlarge popular participation” through “a greater opening in the direction of national forces which open the way to all for contributing towards the building of Syria,” he said, without giving details.

However he cautioned: “Any decision or motion from the party has to reflect internal needs and not damage our interests or our stability.” Bashar said the party “should open up toward other national powers” in an apparent reference to a plan to allow the creation of opposition parties. He said the Baath would maintain its “leading role”.

Speaking to reporters following the first session of the Congress, spokeswoman of the Congress and Syrian Minister of Expatriates Dr. Buthaina Shaaban said the delegates had set up three specialized committees to discuss various reports presented to the delegates.

“The Economic Committee is headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Ottri, Baath Party Regional Command Member Dr. Ghayyas Barakat chairs the Organizational Committee, while Foreign Minister Farouq Al Shaara is in charge of the Political Committee,” said Dr. Shaaban, adding that delegates will be free to join any of the three committees to take part in the various discussions and debates throughout the four-day event.