President
Hafez al-Assad delivered the following speech at the People’s
Assembly on the occasion of taking the constitutional
oath of office for a fifth constitutional term. The speech
read as follows:
I congratulate you on the confidence that has been entrusted
in you by the people. It is precious confidence and a
heavy responsibility to bear. I do not doubt that this
great task of serving the people will require you all
taking part in legislation and supervision.
It also pleases me that your People’s Assembly (PA) will
be a true representation of the various social strata
in our country. Its members empathize with various social,
cultural and economic groups. I, also in particular, express
satisfaction regarding the increase in the number of women
in this legislative session. I am hopeful that this increase
will continue to grow, to allow women to
seriously participate
in formulating life in our country. A worthy participation.
It also pleases me to meet you, after our people granted
me their unanimous confidence which comes as a marvelous
manifestation of our national unity and internal strength.
Renewing the constitutional term of office on the 10th
of last February was mutual pledge between me and our
people, who have entrusted in me their confidence, love
and support. The past three decades have been filled with
successful work and prosperous hope. We face up to difficulties
and then we eliminate them. We have achieved tremendous
achievements and now we are enjoying them. We have moved
from a position of weakness into a state of power and
dignity. Syria has become able to carry out her national
role and preserve national independence.
I pledge, in my capacity as leader of this country to
be the keeper of this precious confidence. And to this
forum, I once again extend my thanks and love to every
citizen stressing determination to continue the struggle
in order to meet the ambitions of our people and the continued
struggle for the rights of the Arab nation.
During the last 30 years we have realized great achievements
in various walks of life. In the building of a sound economy,
services, education, culture, sciences and the arts. Syria
has built a solid base which has enabled her to move towards
a brighter future. Our confidence, from the very beginning,
was that caring about people should be to the forefront
of our priorities. We worked to consolidate our material
structure by constructing a strong national base, despite
being besieged by problems and complexities imposed by
regional and international conditions.
Therefore we have chosen a people’s democracy. We established
our democratic system based on the needs of our people,
and their economic, social and cultural conditions. This
stemmed from their belief in freedom and pride in their
own dignity.
Every citizen has become a partner in decision-making
and in bearing responsibility. In the village, in the
city, in the factory as in the farm, in various careers
and at the university. All these are linked to the process
of consolidating the multi-party system and establishing
the Progressive National Front.
Expanding the circle of decision making and freedom of
discussion and participation is the guarantee to achieve
the democratic process. In light of this, discussions
in all establishments are but a positive and constructive
phenomenon. Dialogue and discussion are the best ways
to disseminate thoughts and push forward towards shouldering
the responsibility; hence, I would indicate that democracy
is not the citizen practicing his right in electing his
representatives to the institutions. It is rather these
institutions carrying out their role according to the
constitution and the law. Any reluctance by any institution
in carrying out its role and shouldering its responsibility
and not taking relevant decisions, will weaken the country
and its people’s democratic system.
Cooperation between the PA, the Government, the Local
Administration councils and the governmental institutions
is a basic matter, but not to be at the expense of a role
to be played by any of their institutions, especially
the PA, which has effectively to carry out its role in
supervision and following up matters.
The PA’s carrying out of its role is not only an expression
of a true democracy, but it is also a guarantee for the
government to be well advised.
Mr. Speaker of the PA, the PA members,
Despite the great efforts we have exerted to develop the
State’s systems and institutions, there are still some
areas that should be dealt with to modernize the State
and enable it to perform its tasks in serving the people
and ensuring their needs.
We notice that besides those who devote themselves sincerely
and with a sense of responsibility, there are others who
have lost the sense of responsibility. They have neglected
their duties, performed badly or made mistakes. The State
cannot progress if such cases continue. Modernizing the
State requires that every worker in the State, whatever
his position, should shoulder his full responsibility.
Developing work in the State’s bodies and establishments
is an ultimate need and a national responsibility, so
that the gap between us and others will not be enlarged.
This is in order to be competent partners in all that
is going on in political and economic developments in
the Arab homeland and in the world.
Since November 1970, we have paid a great attention to
the national economy and built an economic base upon which
the progress of society and the country’s growth have
relied. We are committed to comprehensive development
as a national responsibility to the State and society.
We have developed agriculture and industry, built dams,
big industrial installations, set up economic pluralism,
encouraged talents, given opportunities to all to contribute
to society’s development. We have created solid economic
and social base which has enabled us to complete our infrastructure,
such as, electricity, roads, dams, potable water projects,
schools, universities, hospitals, medical centers, social
educational, cultural and health services, which have
all contributed to raise our people’s living standards
and meet their material and spiritual needs.
These big achievements push us to exert more effort and
to shoulder responsibility and to realize social and economic
increases which enables us to be competent partners in
this world, strongly defending our rights and future.
In the next stage, we have to concentrate on balance in
the national economy by working to increase production,
expand the base of development and investment, reconsider
Investment Law in order to close the gaps which prevented
maximum benefit from it and make new investments.
We believe that developing and modernizing banking systems
has become an urgent and necessary requirement.
The government, in the next stage, should continue to
develop agriculture, modernize agricultural investment
methods, reduce production costs, discover new markets
for agricultural products, so that this huge production
will be turned into a supply source for the economy and
not a burden on it. Also points of failure should be tackled
in the process of land reclamation and dam building which
have caused long delays in finishing the projects and
increasing the costs ratio really, something which has
caused the loss of additional revenues to the country.
The economic public sector constitutes the national economy’s
major base and a factor of economic and social balance.
This requires attention in order to be able to achieve
national and economic targets. On this basis, the government,
in collaboration with the Workers General Federation,
should study the condition of this sector on the basis
of liberating its companies from administrative and financial
bonds that hinder its development, to draw up financial
and administrative systems which enable the companies
freedom of work and movement since it is an independent
person working within the framework of the State’s general
plan and to work for upgrading this sector’s administrative,
vocational and technical qualifications of its workers.
What makes us anxious today is the state of the Arab nation,
their weakness, divisions and conflicts, fear of each
other, fear of all the foreign dangers threatening them
and working to impose hegemony and control on the Arab
homeland, besides the Israeli aggression.
Narrow regional interests surpassed pan-Arab interests
and hence foreign forces were able to impose hegemony,
and Israel was allowed to go on launching aggressions,
to the extent that the Arabs were about to lose the potential
for progress.
During the 1940s and the 1950s, the Arabs aspired for
liberation and achieving Arab unity. In the 1960s and
the beginning of the 1970s, the Arabs’ aspiration was
to realize Arab solidarity. Today’s aspiration is to end
the state of in-fighting and inter-differences. Any Arab,
whether an official or an ordinary citizen, cannot say
that such a painful state of affairs may ensure security
and stability and guarantee a decent living.
There were great mistakes committed by either this or
that brotherly state, and those mistakes have actually
left deep wounds. But for how long and what is the final
objective. Is it in the interest of any Arab official
to generate these disputes for forthcoming generations
and what is the price we pay and those generations will
pay.
I call upon all Arab officials everywhere to adopt brave
and responsible stances capable of reviewing the Arab
situation critically and objectively with a view to setting
up a new course of inter-Arab relations conducive to ending
the state of conflict and to reaching the state of cooperation
and solidarity.
With my deep appreciation for the pain suffered by each
party, great pains befall on us all, and the wounds we
are all suffering should urge us to overcome the lesser
pain in order to get rid of the greater pain. Some
talk about making peace with Israel while we refuse
peace between us. Peace with Israel will not be achieved
unless peace is materialized among the Arabs.
As she is fully aware of and deeply concerned over the
current situation of the Arab nation and the dangers
coming out of the continuation of this situation, Syria
will continue seriously to work for attaining Arab solidarity,
seeking a way-out of the current situation and founding
new controlled bases for Arab relations guaranteeing
to reach some agreement and to re-mount the struggle
for building-up and progress.
All the efforts we have exerted and those made by the
international community to establish a just and comprehensive
peace based on Madrid’s terms of reference have not
achieved objectives yet due to Israeli policies which
have refused to abide by peace obligations, and are
adamant to pursue the policy of settlement and annexation.
We have spent years of negotiations with Israel and
achieved some progress with the participation of the
US on both sides’ agreement on two main issues: pullback
to pre 1967 lines and principles of security arrangements.
But the current Israeli government has obstructed the
agreement by refusing to resume negotiations from the
point where they had stopped at and by rejecting what
was concluded with the previous government.
Peace is indispensable for all in as much as it eliminates
all causes of wars, tension and hostility, returns the
territories occupied in 1967 and the Lebanese territory
totally and recognizes the Palestinian people’s national
rights. Any other peace is a surrender which will not
be accepted by Syria and which will neither ensure security
for Israel nor maintain stability in the region.
The Israelis should realize that their current policies
towards the Arabs cannot bring security for them nor
peace to the region. The force allows launching aggression
but can’t ensure security and tranquillity. The conception
of force is relative in time and place, and the elements
of force are not static. What is going on in the occupied
territories is vivid evidence, and whatever the might
of this force possessed by the aggressors, it will remain
weaker than the will of the people and their determination
to end aggression and liberate the territories.
We are confident of restoring our occupied land in the
Golan regardless of time, the might of aggressors and
the circumstances of the Arabs.
What is taking place in today’s world under the absence
of the international balance is the domination of unilateral
pole, the double criterion, the hegemony of monopolist
superpowers, the great evolution in communications and
informatics, the increasing gap between rich states
and developing nations, the breaking out of regional
wars and ethnic and clan conflicts in different parts
of the world, the economic and cultural doctrine of
globalism, the destruction of national borders and peoples’
identities and the stereotyping of peoples’ lives, conducts,
moralities and priorities are altogether arousing fear
and worries among nations.
Today’s world is likely to be converted into a forest
where force dominates and the norms, principles and
values for which nations have struggled are absent.
No doubt that the absence of discipline, weakening the
UN role and the imposition of hegemony on "third
world" resources threaten peoples of the loss of
freedom in achieving self-determination and determining
their options. Nevertheless, the forces of hegemony
talk about human rights while they are grossly violated.
The call of the Non-Aligned Movement, China, France
and Russia for a multi-polar system is a sign of the
state of fear and worry, which is grave, if the unilateral
hegemony goes on. It may yield new conflicts having
extensions in economic wars and in instigating regional
fighting, and only then will the world lose security,
stability, justice, equality and freedom.
Within the Arab, Muslim and Non-Aligned frameworks,
we shall work to push out the mischief of the international
lawlessness and its dangers on developing countries
and world peace and security.
We shall continue to work for developing our international
relations in serving our national interests. We shall
go on making dialogue with the European Union to set
up a partnership in line with equal grounds serving
interests of both sides. We shall also work for enhancing
the role of the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement and
for investing our world relations to serve our rights
and objectives.
Mr. Speaker of the People’s Assembly and Assembly Members,
We have many duties to carry out in the forthcoming
stage. The duties are demanded by the stage’s circumstances
inside and outside the country. Our success in achieving
those duties is connected with faithfulness in words
and deed, with abidance by national responsibility,
with seriousness in action, with self-confidence and
with the love of the homeland.
The burdens shouldered by Syria in the current stage
require high degrees of responsibility. The homeland
is in need of much work, much sweat and blood of each
citizen. The homeland is a question of destiny, of the
present and of the future. Let’s work to safeguard the
home irrespective of great sacrifices.
I promise citizens to be always with them in shouldering
the home’s burdens.
May God help us all in doing what is right and what
is good. |
