Ambassador of Syria
Nawaf Fares alsayah
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In office
September 2008 ? July 2012
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Preceded by
| Post reestablished
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Succeeded by
| Sattam Jadaan Al-Dandah
[1]
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Born
| Nawaf Fares alsayah
Abu Kamal
, Syria
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Occupation
| Defector, Policeman, Governor, Diplomat
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Nawaf al-Fares
(
Arabic
:
???? ???? ??????
) is the former Syrian ambassador to
Iraq
who defected from the ruling government led by
Bashar al-Assad
on 11 July 2012 during the
Syrian uprising
.
[2]
[3]
Career
[
edit
]
Fares was a veteran of Assad's rule and held senior positions as a leading member of Syria's diplomatic corps under the late president
Hafez Assad
.
[2]
He served as high-ranking official of the
Syrian Regional Branch
of the
Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
in Deir al Zour province.
[4]
Additionally, Fares held senior security posts in Syria.
[5]
He is also a former provincial governor.
[6]
He served as the governor of three significant governorates,
Latakia Governorate
(until 2000),
[7]
Idlib Governorate
(appointed in 2000)
[7]
and
Quneitra Governorate
.
[8]
He was the first Syrian ambassador to
Baghdad
after thirty years.
[9]
His term as ambassador to Iraq began on 16 September 2008.
[4]
[10]
He resigned both from the Ba'ath Party and as Syria's ambassador to Iraq on 11 July 2012.
[4]
Defection
[
edit
]
Al Jazeera
reported on 11 July 2012 that Fares had defected from the Syrian government. His defection was considered to be a significant event in regard to the future of the
Syrian uprising
.
[11]
On the same day, Fares posted a video statement on
Facebook
, arguing that Syrian government forces were killing civilians and that he had joined the ranks of the revolution of the Syrian people. He further called for the members of the Syrian military to join this revolution and to save the country and the citizens.
[12]
On 12 July 2012, Iraqi Foreign Minister
Hoshiyar Zebari
told reporters in Paris that Nawaf al Fares is in
Qatar
.
[13]
The Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry in
Damascus
issued a statement on 12 July 2012 dismissing Fares. The declaration stated that Fares "has been relieved of his duties" and "no longer has any link with the Syrian Embassy in Baghdad."
[3]
It is further stated by the Ministry that he should be punished due to "legal and disciplinary accountability."
[14]
In his 15 July 2012
CNN
interview, Fares said that he had tried to convince the Syrian government to change its approach towards the people and that foreign military intervention was needed to end the chaos in Syria.
[15]
In a
BBC
interview, Fares warned that the Syrian government would be likely to use
chemical weapons
against rebels, and raised the possibility that they may have already done so.
[16]
Personal life
[
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]
Fares is a
Sunni Muslim
[2]
from
Abu Kamal
, near
Deir al Zor
, an eastern Syrian city.
[9]
His family is reported to partly be rooted in the Sunni tribe of
Iraq
's
Anbar Province
, which extends to Syria's eastern desert.
[3]
Fares is reported to be the leader of a powerful clan, Al Jarrah, in the
Abu Kamal
area, adjacent to Iraq.
[8]
Al Jarrah, is a branch of the
Al Uqaydat
tribal confederation, the largest in eastern Syria.
[8]
The clan has nearly 1.5 million members across 40% of Syria.
[17]
It also has kinship relations to
Saudi Arabia
,
Kuwait
and
Qatar
.
[17]
It was powerful and prominent due to its legacy of fighting against the French forces in the 1940s, and Fares' career with the Ba'athist government.
[8]
References
[
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]