Syria Gets a New Government Tomorrow?

New Syrian Government
The latest gossip is that Syria's government has resigned and that a new government will be announced tomorrow. Abdullah Dardari will be Prime Minister and not Husseini. Dardari was in meetings all day with ministers trying to solidify the cabinet. Ghazi Kanaan, the controversial interior minister is out. One reason for changing the government now is because Mehlis plans to interview Kanaan. With Kanaan out, Mehlis will no longer be questioning a minister, which will be less of an insult to the sovereignty of the government.

Kate Seelye interviewed Kamal Labwani about the prospect of reform a few weeks ago when he had unsuccessfully attempted to launch his new political party. It aired on BBC's program, "The World," several weeks ago. She just sent it to me.

Last June, Syrian president Bashar al Assad promised major political and economic reforms. He made his pledge at a highly publicized conference of his ruling B aath party. But two months later, the Syrian government has launched yet another crackdown on political organizations. Kate Seelye visited Damascus and filed this report.

NAT SOUND UP: BIRDS CHIRPING….

TRACK 1: Syrian dissident Kamal Labwani recalls his plan to launch an independent political party in Syria…right in his own backyard.

ACT 1: I ORGANIZED A MEETING HERE, YES IN THIS PLACE, I COVERED IT AND GIVE CHAIRS…FOR ESTABLISH LDU, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY. 12

TRACK 2: He says he invited more than 500 activists several weeks ago to his lush garden in the mountain resort of Zabadani. It’s about an hour outside of Damascus. He planned to call for more political freedoms and human rights here. . But independent parties are illegal in this one party state. And Labwani’s hopes for a political gathering in his leafy backyard were dashed.

ACT2: THE AUTHORITY CUT ALL THE ROADS, SURROUND MY HOME FOR 12 HOURS AND FORBIDDEN EVERYONE TO PASS, AFTER THAT THEY THREATEN ME, THEY THREATEN TO SEND A MUSLIM FANATIC GROUP TO ASSASSINATE ME. (HE LAUGHS. )20

TRACK 3: Labwani is a doctor by training and a longtime political activist, He has spent time in prison for his political views.. He says Syrians are beginning to doubt President Bashar al Assad’s commitment to reform. At a recent conference of the ruling Baath party, Assad promised to allow the formation of new political parties and to grant more press freedoms. He removed some longtime members of the Baath party opposed to reform and consolidated power. But since then, the regime has cracked down on Syrian opposition groups, like Labwani’s. It has closed down political gatherings and interrogated activists. Labwani says it's clear that Assad is reluctant to democratize his totalitarian state.

ACT 3 HE CAN PROMISE, BUT HE CANNOT DO. I THINK WE CANNOT WAIT A VERY LONG TIME. OUR GOAL IS TO SEE THE REGIME LEAVING. 11

TRACK 4: Joshua Landis is a professor at the University of Oklahoma. He currently lives in Damascus. He says the crackdown is a reaction to Syria’s humiliating retreat from Lebanon. Landis says President Assad is seeking to reassert his power.

ACT 4: BASHAR HAS COME BACK AND HE’S FLEXING HIS MUSCLES A LITTLE BIT NOW.

TRACK 5: But Landis says the muscle flexing has undermined the president’s credibility. He says when Assad pulled out of Lebanon, he made a promise to his people, which he hasn’t kept…so far.

ACT 5: HE SAID I’M GONG TO HAVE THIS NEW BAATH PARTY CONFERENCE AND I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU DOMESTIC REFORM. THIS WAS A DEAL THAT EVERY SYRIAN ACCEPTED. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON SYRIA FIRST. WE NEED TO GROW OUR ECONOMY, WE NEED REFORMS. BUT HE HASN’T. AND IF HE DOESN’T DELIVER ON THAT PROMISE, IT’S GONG TO BE BAD 20

TRACK 6: Disappointment over the lack of reforms is emboldening Syrians in unprecedented ways. Taxi drivers long fearful of the secret police, speak openly to strangers about their frustration with the state. A university student, inspired by recent protests in Lebanon, admits she is ready to demonstrate for change. A former chief of police calls for an American military strike to bring down the regime. Ayman Abdel Noor is a reformist in Syria’s ruling Baath party. He admits Bashar al Assad’s popularity is slipping.

ACT 6: BECAUSE OF THE BAD DECISIONS, AND BAD MOVEMENTS AND BAD PEOPLE WHO ACT IN THE REGIME IN A BAD WAY, THIS AFFECTS HIS IMAGE. 11

TRCK 7: But Abdel Noor insists political reforms are on the horizon.

***PLEASE CUT UMS AND AHS****

ACT 7: SYRIA WILL HAVE A NEW IMAGE TOTALLY IN 2007. BECAUSE WE ARE HAVING THREE ELECTIONS. FIRST LOCAL ADMINISTRATION, WHICH WILL BE TOTALLY FREE, SECOND WE’LL HAVE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION, THIRD WILL HAVE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND I THINK THEY WILL OPEN IT TO BE A MULTI-PARTY ELECTION. 23

TRACK 8: But 2007 is a long ways away and trust in the government is diminishing. Professor Joshua Landis says most activists in Syria have BEEN WORKING PEACEFULLY TO REFORM THE REGIME FROM WITHIN…SO FAR AT LEAST.

ACT 8: THE OVERWHELMING LINE THEY TOOK WAS WE WANT AMERICAN PRESSURE, IT CREATES A CERTAIN SPACE FOR US, SOME PUBLIC SPACE FOR US IN WHICH WE CAN TALK AND GIVES US SOME LEEWAY, BUT DON’T BREAK THE REGIME, CAUSE WE’RE GOING TO GET IRAQ. THE DANGER FOR PRESIDENT BASHAR AL ASSAD IS THAT’S GOING TO CHANGE AND IS THAT THEY’RE GOING TO SAY SQUEEZE AND BREAK. 22

TRACK 9:. But Landis doesn’t see a viable alternative to the current Syrian regime. . He says the opposition both inside and outside Syria remains weak and divided. Syrian dissidents challenge that view. They say a powerful coalition of Syrian Islamists, leftists, and liberals is coordinating in Europe. The dissidents say the coalition is planning for a future, democratic Syria. For the World, Kate Seelye, Damascus.

Here is a good profile of Mehlis by Hassan Fattah of the NY Times.
Solving Terrorism Cases With a Detective's Flair
By HASSAN M. FATTAH and SOUAD MEKHENNET
BEIRUT, Lebanon

WHEN Detlev Mehlis faced reporters earlier this month with a progress report on his investigation into the Feb. 14 assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, he had a clear message: we're winning.