Pressespiegel Juli 2009 1. US-Regierung lockert Sanktionen gegen Syrien Während der Syrienreise des amerikanischen Sonder ‐ gesandten für den Nahen Osten, George Mitchell, erklärte der syrische Botschafter in Washington, Imad Moustapha, die US ‐ Regierung habe der syrischen Botschaft offiziell mit ‐ geteilt, die Vereinigten Staaten hätten ihr Embargo gegen Syrien in Zusammenhang mit dem Import von Flug ‐ zeugersatzteilen aufgehoben. Auch seien Exporte nach Syrien in den Bereichen Kommunikations ‐ und Infor ‐ mationstechnologie wieder erlaubt. Moustapha erklärte weiterhin, die zionistische Lobby in den Vereinigten Staaten sei zwar mächtig, kontrolliere jedoch nicht alle Organe. Es gebe amerikanische industrielle und finanzielle Unternehmen, welche die US ‐ Sanktionen gegen Syrien ablehnen, da diese ihre Interessen gefährdeten. Ins ‐ besondere die Zusammenarbeit zwischen amerikanischen und syrischen Universitäten werde behindert. Auch der Flugzeughersteller Boeing lehne die Sanktionen gegen Syrien ab. Außerdem betonte der syrische Botschafter, die gegen ‐ wärtige US ‐ Verwaltung wisse, dass eine Verbesserung der bilateralen Beziehungen mit Syrien positive Auswirkungen auf den Nahostfriedensprozess haben würde.(Syria Satellite News/ Teshreen/ al ‐ Thawra/ al ‐ Baath/ al ‐ Watan 27.07.2009). Der Frieden ist notwendig „Mitchell hat erkannt, dass Syrien ernste Friedens ‐ absichten hat und eine bedeutende Rolle in der Region einnimmt. Die Umsetzung von UN ‐ Resolutionen darf nicht weiter verzögert werden. Die Vereinigten Staaten haben ungerechtfertigte US ‐ Sanktionen gegen Syrien verhängt, die immer noch nicht aufgehoben wurden. Auch wenn es nach wie vor Meinungsverschieden ‐ heiten zwischen Syrien und den Vereinigten Staaten gibt, hat die Obama ‐ Regierung angekündigt, an einer Verbesserung der Beziehungen zu Syrien zu arbeiten. Mitchell sprach vom Aufbau freundschaftlicher Be ‐ ziehungen im gemeinsamen Interesse, sowie von Beziehungen, die auf gegenseitigem Respekt beruhen. Dies wird die Grundlage für eine Verbesserung der syrisch ‐ amerikanischen Beziehungen schaffen und Frieden in der Region sowie den Weltfrieden fördern.“ As ʹ ad Aboud, al ‐ Thawra 27.07.2009 America ends internet embargo on Syria „The US is removing some of its sanctions on Syria, just months after the embargo was controversially renewed. Syria’s Ambassador to Washington, Imad Moustapha, says the block on computer equipment and internet downloads is being lifted. This part of the sanctions has been a source of anger for Syrian computer users. Moustapha says US officials have also told him that Syria will now be able to buy safety equipment for their planes. This part of the embargo has forced Syrianair to ground many of its aging fleet. He told Syrian TV that Obama is expected to remove the remaining parts of the embargo one by one, because abolishing the sanctions law in one go would require the consent of Congress. The announcement comes as America’s top envoy to the region, George Mitchell, ends his visit to Damascus.“ Syria News Wire 27.07.2009(www.newsfromsyria.com)

2 Pressespiegel Juli 2009 2. Verschärfte Gesetzgebung für Ehrenmorde Per Dekret änderte Präsident Bashar al ‐ Assad den sogenannten„Ehrenmord ‐ Paragrafen“ des syrischen Gesetzbuches. Folglich gibt es in Syrien ab sofort keine Straffreiheit mehr für Männer, die im Namen der Familienehre ihre Ehefrauen, Schwestern oder andere weibliche Verwandte töten. In der neuen Fassung werden entsprechende Delikte mit mindestens zwei Jahren Haft bestraft. Syrische Frauenorganisationen begrüßten die Entscheidung, erklärten jedoch, die Änderung sei nicht weitgehend genug. Syria increases penalty for honour killings “ The decree abolishes Article 548 of the Syrian Penal Code and replaces it with the following provision; ‚He who catches his wife, or one of his ascendants, descendents or sister committing adultery(flagrante delicto) or illegitimate sex acts with another and he kills or injures one or both of them, either deliberately or non ‐ deliberately, then the penalty for this should be a prisoner sentence of no less than two years in the case of murder.’ Prior to the amendment, Article 548 stated that anyone who commits an honour killing after catching his wife, or one of his ascendants, descendents, or sister committing an act of adultery or an illegitimate sexual act could claim mitigating circumstances and benefit from a reduced sentence. (…) The Syrian Women Observatory(SWO) has stated that between 200 and 300 honour killings are committed in Syria every year, the majority of which occur in rural and Bedouin communities. The SWO stated that half of the annual murder cases committed in Syria are cases of honour killing. However official figures indicate that only 38 honour killings occurred in Syria in 2007 out of a total of 533 murder cases. Official figures also revealed that during the first eight months of 2008 only 29 honour killings took place throughout Syria(…). Last year, the Syrian government sponsored a national forum on honour killings that both religious figures and jurists took part in. The forum ʹ s final recommendation was to call for fatwas to be issued forbidding honour killing, and forbidding those that commit this crime from making use of the mitigating circumstance article, ensuring a prison sentence of no less than 15 years be imposed upon those who commit this crime.” Saad Jarous, al ‐ Sharq al ‐ Awsat, 8.07.2009 When Salma is loved... she is killed „Salma was murdered by her brother a few hours after Mr. President, Bashar Al Assad, had issued the decree No. 27(01/07/2009), which annuls article No. 548 from the penal law concerning honor crimes.(…) A recorded video, by a cell phone, for her kissing and receiving kisses with her lover, had been circulated among people until it reached one of her relatives ʹ cell phone, whose manhood, ardency, honor and fervor had extremely inflamed. So he prompted her brothers to kill her and wash the honor of the whole family which has become dirty by her misbehavior.(…) Salma had become a story to be told all over Addrbassya City at the north western part of Syria. Her story served as a passtime for the people there, some of them may say: May God honor her family! They have avenged for their honor, others may ask for killing the young man too, just to ornament the honor by vengeance, some may think that Salma had committed a blunder and she deserves this punishment.(…) Salma was a victim of a backward community, where the honor is represented by a female ʹ s maidenhead, no more, nothing less. Despite keeping your maidenhead intact, yet you were not forgiven by such a community whose bullets were faster to pluck your soul out of this life.“ Messoud Akko, Thara 16.07.2009(www.thara ‐ sy.com) 3. Baath-Partei will interne Strukturen modernisieren Angesichts des sich vertiefenden Grabens zwischen der sozialistischen Ideologie der Regierung und der zunehmend marktorientierten Realität scheint die syrische Baath ‐ Partei einen Erneuerungsprozess zu erwägen. Ayman Abed al ‐ Nour, reformorientiertes Baath ‐ Parteimitglied und

Pressespiegel Juli 2009 3 Herausgeber der seirt einiger Zeit in Syrien verbotenen Website all4Syria, beschreibt diese Entwicklung. Zuvor war das Thema der Parteireform bereits im Mai diesen Jahres in einem ungewöhnlichen Zeitungsinterview mit Haytham Satayhi, dem Vorsitzenden des Kultur ‐ und Medienbüros der Baath ‐ Partei, zur Sprache gekommen. Satayhi erklärte, es gebe ernsthafte interne Diskussionen darüber, wie die sozialistische Doktrin der Partei mit den Entwicklungen der syrischen Privatwirtschaft zusammengeführt werden könne. Ziel der Debatte sei es, „die höchste Autorität der Baath ‐ Partei zu bewahren und gleichzeitig die neuen liberalen Wirtschaftstendenzen mitaufzunehmen“, so das prominente Mitglied der Baath ‐ Partei. Die Partei wolle eine Verbindung zwischen ihren sozialistischen Prinzipien und dem Privatsektor schaffen, um lokale und internationale Investitionen zu ermutigen, welche„den ärmeren Klassen Garantien bieten“ würden. Satayhi erklärte weiter, die Partei wolle ihre Verantwortlichkeit darauf beschränken, die allgemeinen Strategien des Landes zu entwerfen und seine Institutionen zu beobachten, um nicht weiter„in Verwaltungsdetails zu versinken“(al ‐ Watan 28.05.2009). system were also foiled. In 2005, during the party ʹ s last national conference, the national command recommended the establishment of a multi ‐ party political system and the modification of the repressive emergency laws that have governed political and civil life in the country since the 1960s. But all decisions regarding the renewal of the party were frozen by the leadership because the country was said to be under tremendous western pressure, some observers say. According to Abdulnor, there was now a revived plan within the Baath to move gradually towards a multi ‐ party system. But he said that the new potential parties would still be led only by businessmen or conservative clerics who vow loyalty to the Baath regime. Abdulnor said that many members of the Baath have been become weary of the stagnation in the party. He said that almost 80 per cent of the members have stopped attending the party ʹ s regular meetings because their demands for ‚modernising the country and opening up to other political forces’ are not being heard by the party leadership.“ (Middle East Online 27.06.2009) Whether socialism: Syria Baath Party debates renewal „Some observers say that the Baath party has become dominated by a class of businessmen who have been pushing for the liberalisation of the economy. Ayman Abdulnor(…) said that economic laws were being changed to suit ‚the sons of powerful people and prominent party individuals’.(…) Many say that the party needed to modernise its structure because it has become burdened by the size and inefficiency of the state ʹ s institutions. ‚Every decision, every appointment of any small employee needs the approval of the Baath party,’ said Abdulnor, adding that this process has exhausted the party and led to bureaucracy and corruption.(…) Although in 2003 the Baath national command recommended the separation of the Baath party and the executive power governing the country, the move was never adopted. Further attempts to modernise the