RIYADH/JEDDAH, 1 January 2006 — Statements by Syria’s former Vice President Abdel-Haleem Khaddam from Paris has raised a flurry of reaction among Arab expatriates in the Kingdom.
Khaddam’s statement that Syrian President Bashar Assad had threatened former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri with dire consequences for not toeing the Syrian line has been described as a politically motivated act.
Egyptian journalist Usama M. Alwadie said the need of the hour is solidarity with Syria so that Arabs could confront Israel as a united front. By issuing a statement that Assad had threatened Hariri and that anyone opposing Syria would be destroyed, the former Syrian vice president is sowing division in the Arab ranks and weakening the Arab position vis-a-vis its enemies.
Similar views were expressed by Walid El-Shahed, senior consultant with an advertising agency, who said the former vice president should present strong evidence if he is to be taken seriously. The fact that he has opened his mouth against Bashar when he is no longer a member of the establishment raises questions about his motive in going public now.
Hassan Abu Ayesh, an Egyptian media executive, said the articulation of Khaddam’s point of view at this stage calls into question the motive behind his statement.
“No one will take him seriously, since he did not say anything when the UN probe was going on in Lebanon,” said Abu Ayesh.
Karim Assad, a Lebanese expatriate who works as the general manager of a pan-Arab advertising agency, attributed Khaddam’s statement to a serious political struggle in the country.
“There is nothing new in Khaddam’s statement. It was well known who was behind Hariri’s assassination. Even Rafik Hariri himself had told his close associates that he was threatened by the Syrian president,” said Karim. “It looks like there is some internal conflict within the government.”
Suad Jarrous, a Syrian national who works for Al-Kifah Al-Arabi magazine in Jeddah, said she thought the opposition in Syria was behind Khaddam’s statements.
“I think that there is an obvious harmony between the Syrian opposition and Khaddam’s declarations,” said Jarrous. “After the situation started to calm down in Syria, the anti-Syrian opposition along with Khaddam is trying to start the game up again.”
Saeed Hinnawe, a Lebanese journalist at Al-Murakeb magazine, said Khaddam’s statements are an attempt at self-preservation. “I think Khaddam wants to keep himself out of the courtroom.”
