Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad
Hafez al-Assad, the 18th president of Syria, died from a heart attack on 10 June 2000 at the age of 69.[1][2] His funeral was held three days later in Damascus, and he was buried in a mausoleum in his hometown Qardaha in Latakia Governorate, beside his eldest son Bassel al-Assad who died in 1994.[3][4]
Date | 13 June 2000 |
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Location | Damascus, Syria |
Participants | Syrian officials and dignitaries from foreign countries |
External videos | |
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Announcement on Syrian television relayed by Israeli television part 1 | |
Announcement on Syrian television relayed by Israeli television part 2 |
He was succeeded by vice president Abdul Halim Khaddam in a caretaker capacity until presidential elections were held. Several national leaders paid tribute as the leader's body lay in state in the People's Palace.[5][6]
Following Assad's death, 40 days of mourning was declared in Syria and 7 days in Lebanon.[7] Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Libya, Iran, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Kuwait and Qatar announced three days of national mourning.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] His funeral was held three days later.[20]
Illness and death
editPresident Al-Assad's health began to deteriorate in late 1983 due to his diabetes and varicose veins.[21] He was taken to Al-Shami Hospital in Damascus and placed under intensive care.[21] Then he transferred his powers during his absence to a committee consisting of five members from his close circle.[22]
Funeral
editDignitaries
edit- States
- Algeria President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
- Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa
- China President Jiang Zemin[23]
- Egypt President Hosni Mubarak
- Egypt Minister of Foreign Affairs Amr Moussa
- France President Jacques Chirac
- Iran President Mohammad Khatami
- Iraq Vice President Taha Muhie-eldin Marouf
- Japan Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōhei Kōno
- Jordan King Abdullah II
- Lebanon President Emile Lahoud
- Lebanon Prime Minister Selim Hoss
- Lebanon Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri
- Kuwait Emir Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
- Morocco Speaker of Parliament Abdelwahed Radi
- Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs Jozias van Aartsen
- Palestinian Authority Chairman Yassir Arafat
- Qatar Prime Minister Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani
- Russia Chairman of the State Duma Gennadiy Seleznyov
- Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Abdullah
- Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir
- Turkey President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
- UK Foreign secretary Robin Cook[24]
- Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
- US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
- Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh
- Organizations
Burial
editHe was buried in a mausoleum in his hometown Qardaha in Latakia Governorate, beside his eldest son Bassel al-Assad who died in 1994.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Syria's President Assad dies". The Guardian.
- ^ MacFarquhar, Neil (11 June 2000). "Hafez al-Assad, Who Turned Syria Into a Power in the Middle East, Dies at 69". The New York Times.
- ^ "Syria's Assad laid to rest". UPI.
- ^ "BBC Arabic News | News | الرئيس الأسد يصل لمثواه الأخير". news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ agencies, Staff and (13 June 2000). "World pays tribute to Syrian dictator". the Guardian.
- ^ "فيما تولى الحرس الجمهوري مسؤولية الأمن في دمشق". www.al-jazirah.com.
- ^ "Bashar Al_Assad - THE FUNERAL OF PRESIDENT HAFEZ ASSAD". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
- ^ "Kuna :: Egypt Mourns the Death of Al-Assad 10/06/2000".
- ^ Sachs, Susan (11 June 2000). "TRANSITION IN SYRIA; Apprehension and Hope for Stability in Mideast". The New York Times.
- ^ "CNN Transcript - Special Event: The Death of Hafez Al-Assad - June 10, 2000".
- ^ "KUNA : OMAN DECLARES THREE DAYS MOURNING FOR SYRIA - Politics - 10/06/2000".
- ^ "BBC NEWS | Middle East | Assad: Mourned by friends and foes".
- ^ "Libya Declares Three-Day National Mourning For Assad". AllAfrica.
- ^ "KUNA : IRAN ANNOUNCES 3 DAYS OF MOURNING FOR ASSAD - General - 11/06/2000".
- ^ "KUNA : MOROCCO DECLARES THREE DAYS MOURNING ON AL-ASSAD'S DEATH - Politics - 11/06/2000".
- ^ "KUNA : UAE MOURNS AL-ASSAD DEATH - Politics - 10/06/2000".
- ^ "KUNA : YEMEN MOURNS THE DEATH OF AL-ASSAD - Politics - 10/06/2000".
- ^ "Kuna :: Kuwati Declares Three Days of Mourning on Assad's Death 10/06/2000".
- ^ "KUNA : QATAR MOURNS DEATH OF AL-ASSAD - Politics - 10/06/2000".
- ^ Freedman 2002, p. 105.
- ^ a b "تاريخ أحزان الاسد ، بقلم: عادل حمودة". www.albayan.ae. 23 June 2000.
- ^ Martin Schram; Maralee Schwartz (6 December 1983). "Major Illness Said To Incapacitate Syrian President". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
- ^ "江泽民主席电唁叙利亚总统阿萨德逝世" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Britain's Cook pays last respects to Assad". UPI.
Works cited
edit- Freedman, R. (2002). The Middle East Enters the Twenty-first Century. University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-0-8130-3110-1.