Assad. Eliminating witnesses?
Photo: AP
Rafik al-Hariri, former Lebanese PM
Photo: AFP
Syrian opposition member says regime ordered assassination
In exclusive interview with Ynet, Sheik Abdullah al-Raghib al-Hamed of Syrian Democratic Coalition says Assad ordered assassination of top official Suleiman to prevent him from testifying in Hariri assassination trial at international court
"The Syrian regime assassinated senior officer Mohammed Suleiman," a Syrian opposition official told Ynet on Monday afternoon. The source, Sheik Abdullah al-Raghib al-Hamed, a member of the Syrian Democratic Coalition (SDC), believes that Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered
the assassination in order to eliminate witnesses that may incriminate him before international courts investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, which occurred over three years ago.
"Suleiman was a military engineer by trade. He was surprisingly promoted until he became very close to President Assad. He was suspected of contributing to Hariri's assassination, and due to the ensuing situation he was slowly estranged from all Syrian issues he had formerly commanded except for one – liaison with Hizbullah,"
al-Hamed said.
Whodunnit
Arab website reports Mohammed Suleiman, who served as Assad's senior advisor, killed by sniper fire over weekend
When asked why he thought the assassination was masterminded by the government and not an outside source, he said, "The area in which he was killed is surrounded by sensitive military facilities belonging to the Syrian army's intelligence, and it is very well secured. The fact that a sniper shot him is more evidence that the regime did it. The regime's goal is to get rid of anyone who could arrive at an international court and incriminate Assad."
Al-Hamed claimed that the Syrian regime is well-known for using this tactic, and mentioned the case of former Interior Minister Ghazi Canaan, who was found dead in his office in Syria a number of years ago, and who the government claimed had committed suicide.
"We don't know who will be next. It may be a Lebanese opposition figure. I won't even rule out the possibility that the head of intelligence and the president's son in law, Assaf Shawkat, will 'commit suicide' in the future. It's all to do with Hariri," al-Hamed said.
When asked why he thought the Syrian regime had kept quiet over the report, he answered, "Who would they blame? There is no evidence that Israel did it. Why would Israel kill him?"
Regarding reports about Suleiman's involvement in the establishment of Syria's demolished nuclear reactor, al-Hamed said, "I don't think he was connected to it. He was removed over a year ago from all important issues… He was murdered because of the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri. He was part of the inner circle in charge of the assassination. He took care of the logistics."
'Israel preventing overthrowing of regime'
The Syrian opposition is known for its tendency to belittle the regime at every chance it gets, and al-Hamed's accusations should therefore be taken with a grain of salt, according to commentators. However the official did take the chance to send a message to Israel as well.
"We fear Israel will make a deal that will remove the risk of trial from Assad. This would be a fateful mistake, because the prolongation of the Alawites' regime will cause the Israelis to sign a temporary peace deal solely with the Alawites," he said.
"The Sunni majority knows this agreement was meant only to prolong the days of the Alawites in Syria, and these people only care about their own narrow interests. They have no real intention of honoring this deal. All Syrians know that the US is trying to overthrow the Syrian regime and only Israel is preventing this. Israel must act wisely, and make peace with the nation rather than this regime," al-Hamed concluded.
