There is no one more accurate than Abdel Halim Khaddam when it comes to discussing Hafez Al-Assad. Not only was he Assad’s deputy for fifteen years, but also his foreign minister for an extensive period and his envoy to anyone delivering harsh messages laden with insults.
Furthermore, Khaddam’s association with his old Baathist colleague on the Syrian coast dates back to the years of social drought, national faith, and Baathist struggle before Hafez Al-Assad constructed the Republic of Terror and Fear, adorning Syria and its extension in Lebanon with his statues.
Hence, Khaddam emerges as the most reliable and sincere individual when speaking about Hafez. Even in our recent conversation, he insisted on addressing him as President Hafez in his Syrian dialect from Paris, stating, “Hafez Al-Assad built a system, locked it in a box, and threw away the key into the sea.”
When I inquired about the characterization of Hikmat Al-Shihabi as the second-in-command during Hafez Al-Assad’s reign, Khaddam mockingly replied, “Hafez Al-Assad is the first, and there is no second, third, or hundredth in his regime. General Hikmat is well aware of this fact. He is intelligent and respectful, staying within his limits.”
Then Abu Jamal recounted a peculiar incident involving Hikmat Al-Shihabi to me. Abu Jamal said, “President Hafez appointed General Hikmat as Chief of Staff, which placed all military units under his authority. What transpired was that General Shafik Fayyad, one of the leaders of these units, along with other commanders, appeared to be intoxicated. He made a phone call to the Republican Palace, and Abu Salim Daaboul, who holds the key to Assad’s door, answered. Fayyad hastily spoke in his Alawite mountain dialect, saying, ‘Abu Salim, tell the President that Ahmar has never met with Hikmat Al-Shihabi until he was appointed Chief of Staff. Otherwise, he would hurl the most severe insults and derogatory remarks at him.'”
Curious about Hikmat Al-Shihabi’s response to this incident, I asked Abu Jamal. He replied, “I asked Abu Hazem if he had informed Mr. President about it. Al-Shihabi said to me, ‘I mean, Abu Jamal, you knew, I mean, all the leaders knew. I mean, Mr. President knew and did nothing. Why should I bother and discuss it with him?'”
Continuing the conversation, I asked Abu Jamal, “By the way, you mentioned earlier that out of 300 military students attending a military course, 270 were Alawites and 30 represented various sects. Isn’t it strange that the Sunni Minister of Defense Mustafa Tlass and the Sunni Chief of Staff Hikmat Shihabi were absent?” With a smile, Khaddam provided his testimony, saying, “‘Abu Firas’ (referring to Tlass) arranged matters with President Hafez. He used to bring in hundreds of officers, particularly from Homs and Rastan, to join the army. His selection process was exclusive, and he displayed extreme loyalty and honesty towards the president.” Emphasizing Khaddam’s role, he added, “‘Abu Hazem,’ when I brought up this glaring flaw to him, he protested, ‘How can you, Abu Hazem, turn these regulations into a scandal and not intervene?’ He further explained, ‘These regulations originate from Military Intelligence and are signed by Abu Mohammed (General Ali Doba). They are delivered by his office manager, Brigadier General Ahmed Abboud, and carry the signature of Abu Firas as the Minister of Defense. What do you expect me to do? I am certain they have been approved by the President. Do you want me to clash with him?'”
In response to my query regarding why Shihabi didn’t rectify this defect and include general officers, considering there might be young individuals from Aleppo who wished to attend the Military School, Khaddam recounted, “‘I posed this question to Abu Hazim,’ he replied, ‘Abu Jamal, are you suggesting that Al-Emad governed my sect and prioritized the Sunnis over Alawites?'”
