Khaddam: Our goal is to build a modern democratic civil state regardless of religion, sect, or gender.
“Syrian Opposition Dialogues” Series – Interview with former Syrian Vice President, Abdel Halim Khaddam
I challenged Bashar al-Assad to present a single file to the public related to corruption involving me or any of my children.
I have no objection for any Syrian citizen to approach the judiciary after Syria’s liberation with claims against me.
The Front has a strong presence among Alawite leaders internally, but we don’t reveal their names to avoid causing them significant harm.
The Front does not have a sectarian depth, nor will it. It considers national unity a fundamental issue in Syria’s liberation.
The main reason for the Lebanese crisis comes from outside Lebanon, from the alliance between the ruling regimes in Syria and Iran.
Details:
If you allow us to talk about you a little. You were in power for many years, and there are some who accuse you of exposing the corruption of the Assad family and Makhlouf while forgetting about yourself and your wealth. How do you see these accusations?
I hope you get to know these people, so you realize that their campaign is part of the regime’s campaign against me after I declared my stance in late 2005.
I challenged Bashar al-Assad to present a single file to the public related to corruption involving me, my children, or anyone closely related to me. If it were as some claim, let them share their files. Spreading rumors and defamation indicates the background of those who spread them.
Bashar al-Assad requested the formation of a committee to investigate corruption issues, chaired by the President of the Court of Cassation in Egypt, the Secretary-General of the Arab Lawyers Union, the President of the Egyptian Lawyers Syndicate, and a member of the United Nations Anti-Corruption Committee.
None of my children have any activities related to the state or its institutions, and most of their activities are outside Syria. The youngest among them has been in the job market for over twenty years. In addition, my financial situation was good before assuming power. I practiced law for a long period, in addition to the inheritance I received from my father and my wife’s inheritance. I challenge anyone to come forward with a file containing any wrongdoing by me or any of my children.
When you withdrew from power, many affiliated with the regime, including deputies in the People’s Council, accused you of burying nuclear waste in the desert and selling spoiled meat to the army. How do you view these accusations?
You know that my departure from the regime shook it, and the reaction was targeted campaigns of accusations and insults within the People’s Council and beyond, in addition to accusing me of having connections with a foreign state to orchestrate an attack on Syria. I was even referred to the military court, and all Syrians know my history well, and I am proud of this history and all that I did for my homeland.
Firstly, let me tell you the story of the alleged chemical waste, as it happened about 20 years ago.
A customs patrol at the port of Tartus discovered radioactive chemical materials. They traced them back to a trader who owned ships from the city of Arwad, named Mohammad Tabalo. He was aided in his operations by an officer from the military intelligence named Ahmed Abboud. When this operation was discovered, Ahmed Abboud spread rumors claiming that the merchandise belonged to my children. Indeed, these rumors spread like wildfire.
The committee, comprised of 5 ministers, the General Customs Director, the Head of the Inspection and Oversight Authority, went to Tartus and conducted a detailed investigation involving port authorities, customs, cargo clearance agents, heads of security branches, and a member of the Security Committee. One of the security branch heads presented a recorded call between Mohammad Tabalo and one of my sons, in which Tabalo asked my son for help in moving the merchandise out of Syria to another Arab country. My son responded with harsh language and abruptly ended the call.
The committee submitted its report to President Hafez al-Assad, who requested my presence at his home. After I arrived, he told me that my children had no involvement in this operation, that they were victims and the intent was to defame me. I responded that I was aware of that and knew who spread the rumors; he is an officer in the security forces. He was surprised by my statement and asked how I knew. I replied that the country’s security is stronger than both of us.
After the discovery, the customs authorities reloaded the materials onto the ship that brought them, and they were returned to Italy and unloaded in the port they came from. Hence, they were not buried in Syrian territory. All these facts are recorded in the files of the port of Tartus and customs.
I made efforts with the Cypriot government through Mr. Suleiman Haddad, our ambassador in Bonn, who had strong connections with officials in Cyprus since his time at our embassy there, to reclaim Mohammad Tabalo, who had fled to Cyprus, and hand him over to Syrian authorities. In fact, he was handed over, and the Political Security Division interrogated him. The investigation was then referred to the Economic Security Court, and he was sentenced to ten years in prison, as I believe.
I challenged the ruling authorities in Damascus to publish the investigation file conducted by the Political Security Division and the judicial file for this crime, but they did not do so. They raised this issue despite knowing that every word I spoke was true, but their goal was to defame me. This is the story of the radioactive materials (which were actually barrels of paint). Nevertheless, I challenge anyone to prove the opposite of any of my words.
Secondly, as for the issue of spoiled meat, it is part of a campaign of false accusations. Why wasn’t the file referred to the judiciary at the time? You know that the regime has no means of defending itself other than suppression and false accusations. Moreover, none of my children, as I mentioned, has dealt with government institutions, including the army.
Frankly, are you ready to submit your file to the Syrian judiciary after Syria is liberated from the authoritarian regime?
I have no objection for any Syrian citizen to approach the judiciary after Syria’s liberation with claims against me, and I am not concerned about that. I know who I am, who my family is, and what we have done to serve the country, as most Syrians know.
The National Salvation Front in Syria has made significant progress in working towards achieving change. In this stage, its efforts are focused in two directions: firstly, mobilization internally in preparation for comprehensive popular movements, and secondly, exposing the regime and working to lift the Arab and international cover from it, in addition to collaborating with all opposition forces.
We have heard many accusations against the National Salvation Front, especially after its recent conference, claiming it excludes Alawites from its ranks and forms a purely Sunni assembly… What is your opinion on this view?
The National Salvation Front in Syria includes various strong national, leftist, Islamic, and liberal currents and forces, and in most of these organizations, there is a national composition that includes Alawites. Be assured that the Front has a strong presence among Alawite leaders internally, but we do not reveal their names to avoid causing them significant harm.
The Front does not have a sectarian depth, nor will it. It considers national unity a fundamental issue in Syria’s liberation, advancement, and progress. There are no sectarian-driven agendas within the Front that weaken national unity. Alawite sectarianism is a main component of the Syrian people.
The National Salvation Front in Syria works to build a modern democratic civil state where citizens are equal in rights and duties, regardless of religion, sect, or gender.
In light of the stubborn Lebanese crisis and your extensive political experience, how do you see a way out of the crisis and reaching elections that satisfy everyone without leading to any internal strife, God forbid?
The crisis in Lebanon with its main elements is not a crisis between the Lebanese people, nor is it caused by differences over a presidential candidate. The Lebanese system is a democratic one where different factions debate over presidential and parliamentary candidates. This has been the case since Lebanon’s independence in 1943.
The major issue is that the main cause of the crisis comes from outside Lebanon, from the alliance between the ruling regimes in Syria and Iran. This alliance seeks a president who serves their strategic interests and assists in obstructing the international tribunal investigating Rafik Hariri’s assassination. Bashar al-Assad’s direction is to obstruct presidential elections, create a void in Lebanon, and incite internal strife that he believes will undermine the international tribunal’s authority and restore his influence in Lebanon. Therefore, he uses his allies and intelligence agency proxies to hinder presidential elections.
A final word at the end of this interview.
My hope is that the Lebanese leaders who deal with Bashar al-Assad prioritize their national interests, contribute to holding presidential elections, and preserve Lebanon’s security, stability, and unity through an agreement on a national program and a president for the republic.
