It was just an unplanned coincidence. I was with a friend I had met outside Jordan, and our friendship had begun over thirty years ago. Suddenly, our conversation on matters far from politics and politicians was interrupted by the ringing of a mobile phone. I didn’t try to eavesdrop or catch some snippets of the conversation, of which I only heard one side. However, due to my extensive experience in the challenging profession, where there are many connections and relationships with intelligence methods, techniques, and traditions, I realized the significance of the person on the other end of the line. I understood that the conversation taking place was of utmost importance.
My friend burst into loud laughter and said, “He’s right beside me. Would you like to talk to him?” He handed me his mobile phone, and to my surprise, the speaker on the other end was Mr. Abdul-Halim Khaddam, whom I had not known face-to-face except for a very brief acquaintance. When he was beginning his ascent in leadership in the mid-sixties of the last century, I was still a first-year university student, living in a state of political confusion and disturbance for many reasons.
Mr. Abdul-Halim Khaddam spoke to me eloquently, choosing his words carefully and displaying great refinement. After expressing his appreciation for my writings in the Middle East newspaper, he informed me that he would soon launch a satellite channel under the name of the Syrian opposition. Perhaps sensing that I had many things I hesitated to say, as the time and context were not suitable, he promised that his first appearance on this channel would be a reflection on his personal journey and his years in leadership positions within the party and the government.
Less than two weeks later, I read three episodes over three weeks published by our veteran colleague Ghassan Al-Imam in this newspaper. I, like perhaps others, was surprised to find within these three episodes remarkably positive impressions about a man who was always considered the staunch opponent of the divided Syrian regime, with his sharp tongue sparing no one. His memory, supposed to be rich with many stories of his encounters with Yasser Arafat and other Arab officials, characterized by delicacy and a minor role!
As I read these truly enjoyable episodes, firstly because the writer is our esteemed veteran, Ghassan Al-Imam, and secondly because the subject of discussion is the enigmatic figure, Abdul-Halim Khaddam. Thirdly, I was a minor player in this political equation under discussion, and I consider myself a witness to a part of that period. As I read these episodes, I paused attentively at what (Abu Jamal) mentioned about the group led by Salah Jadid – Noureddin al-Atassi, which President Hafez al-Assad overthrew in November 1970.
He described the era of this group, which spanned from February 23, 1966, to November 1970, as clean and free from corruption. This is something every Syrian citizen who lived through that period knows. President Nour al-Din al-Atassi lived in a small apartment alongside many others in an unremarkable building. Salah Jadid often drove a Peugeot car himself. Youssef Zouein, the Prime Minister, was frequently seen in a low-tier restaurant in the famous Shalan neighborhood in Damascus. This was also the situation for Dr. Ibrahim Makhus, who, when he sought refuge in Algeria to live there after the November 1970 coup, insisted on receiving only the salary of an Algerian doctor in Algerian currency.
It is not expected for Mr. Abdul-Halim Khaddam, from the perspective of non-Syrian brethren, to start his satellite channel, intended to be the voice of the Syrian opposition, by criticizing himself and his personal experience in ruling the Ba’ath Party continuously for the past forty-five years. However, it is essential and important that, with his accustomed boldness, he addresses the experience of this party as a party. He should discuss how comrades turned against each other on February 23, 1966, then later in November 1970, and all the massacres carried out by Saddam Hussein against his comrades.
Mr. Abdul-Halim Khaddam must speak about all these matters because what is in his heart does not belong to him alone but is the property of the Syrian people, the Iraqi people, and all those who went through this party and stopped at one of its stations. This includes every Arab who believed during the years of national storms and upheavals that the Arab nation is one and has an enduring message.
There are no longer those who led the front lines in the period before the corrective movement, which Mr. Abdul-Halim Khaddam is expected to consider, given that he was the right-hand man of President Hafez al-Assad during that time. What is it that this corrective movement rectified, as long as the regime it overturned was clean and non-corrupt? Syria, as (Abu Jamal) stated, witnessed corruption after that to an extent unparalleled, even in Latin American countries. Except for Dr. Youssef Zouein, who, due to his purity and simplicity, now lives in a one-room house in Budapest, and Dr. Ibrahim Makhus, who refused to collaborate with Saddam Hussein’s regime against those who turned against him and his comrades. This is despite all the temptations offered to him and to the group that remained committed to what is called the Nour al-Din al-Atassi – Salah Jadid era.
