Former Vice President of Syria and founding member of the National Salvation Front, Abdul Halim Khaddam, urged Syrian Baathists to “save the country” and utilize their connections with civil and military forces to overthrow the regime.
Khaddam stated in a “Message to the Baathists” distributed on the anniversary of the March 8, 1963 movement that brought the Baath Party to power, “Your responsibility is significant in saving the country and achieving change for the establishment of a democratic state.”
He added, “I hope you realize that aligning with the people, participating in change, and using your connections with forces capable of contributing to the regime’s overthrow, whether civil or military, will be recorded as a historic national act.”
In his message, Khaddam emphasized, “I know well that most of you are aware of the danger the country is facing, and that the party is innocent of everything the regime does. So, strive to be pioneers in change (…) to build a state of freedom, justice, equality, a state of law and institutions.”
Khaddam pointed out that “this regime cannot be reformed because it has become the major problem of the nation, weakening the country and giving rise to issues that Syrians have been surpassing since independence, such as sectarianism, tribalism, denominationalism, and nationalistic bias. In an environment where sectarian, denominational, and ethnic tensions are escalating, as seen in Iraq and Lebanon, change becomes a fundamental national necessity to preserve national unity and civil peace.”
