ad info

 
CNN.comTranscripts
 
Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback  

 

  Search
 
 

 

TOP STORIES

Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business

Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake

DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers

Disney's GO.com is a goner

(MORE)

MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 


WORLD

U.S.

POLITICS

LAW

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

 
TRAVEL

ARTS & STYLE



(MORE HEADLINES)
 
CNN Websites
Networks image


Sunday Morning News

How Will Death of Syrian President Assad Impact Middle East Peace Process?

Aired June 11, 2000 - 8:20 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: What effect will the death of Syria's president have on the Middle East peace process and on Syria as a nation? Joining us from Washington this morning with his perspective is Jon Alterman, a program officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Good morning, Jon.

JON ALTERMAN, U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE: Good morning, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Do you think Mr. Assad was making any progress at all with regard to the peace process?

ALTERMAN: He was making progress but he was making progress on his timetable. His timetable didn't always jive with everybody else's timetable in the region. President Clinton and Prime Minister Barak had pretty much written off the Syria track for the near term, certainly until after the November elections in the U.S. So I don't think that his death at this point really affects the Middle East peace process in the short-term in that way.

PHILLIPS: Now, his son is known to be very progressive, very smart, very blunt. If, indeed, he does become the next president, do you think he'll have a greater effect on the peace process than his father?

ALTERMAN: Well, there are a lot of problems to be resolved in the interim. Bashar is not a shoe in to be president. There are a lot of people who've been waiting a long time for the death of Hafez Assad. His brother, Rifaq Assad (ph) has been in exile since 1983. His son owns a satellite television station. They have been waiting to broadcast the news of this death into the people of Syria, a very interesting thing to watch.

There are also some other disputes in the family. President Assad was trying to prepare the way for his son at the time of his death, but he had a five to 10 year plan. So things were in flux. Things were in motion at the time of Hafez Al-Assad's death. Whether Bashar will be able to pull it all together is really quite unclear at this point.

PHILLIPS: How do you think Assad's death will play with regard to Yasser Arafat and his efforts towards a peace process?

ALTERMAN: It certainly reminds Yasser Arafat and his partners of his mortality, that's something people have talked about, that they're going to be talking even more when Arafat is in Washington next week.

One of the other questions that we really don't know the answer to is how Hafez Al-Assad's death will affect the groups that Syria has been supporting that have worked against aspects of the Middle East peace process, Hezbollah, Palestinian rejectionist groups based in Damascus. These are all things that we have to see unfolding in the coming months and I have to say the answers are quite unclear at this point.

PHILLIPS: Jon, you believe Assad's son definitely is not a shoe in as president. Who do you think would go up against him?

ALTERMAN: Well, first of all, there are other members of the family. Bashar has a sister, Bushra (ph), whose husband is quite powerful in Syria. He's in military intelligence. Then there's the brother, Rifaq and his family based outside of Syria right now but hoping to come back. Then there are people outside of the ruling family. The Assads are from the Aloui (ph) sect. They're about 11 percent of the population of Syria. Syria is majority Sunni Muslim. It's quite possible that some Sunni military officers would try to step in.

As I say, it's really quite an open book right now.

PHILLIPS: Jon, one final question. I have to ask you about Syria and Iran. This relationship has been criticized by the U.S. because of Iran and its connection with Hezbollah. What do you think will happen to this relationship now that Assad has passed away?

ALTERMAN: It will certainly undergo some change. One of the characteristics of Hafez Al-Assad's ruling strategy was really to not consult with a large number of people, to not have large bureaucracies supporting his decisions and giving him ideas. As a consequence, when he dies, that whole relationship undergoes change.

PHILLIPS: Jon Alterman, program officer for the U.S. Institute of Peace, thanks for being with us.

ALTERMAN: Thank you, Kyra.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

 Search   


Back to the top  © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.