World leaders pay tribute to President Assad

World leaders have paid tribute to the Syrian President, Hafez Al-Assad, who died today. President Assad, who was 69, is thought to have suffered a heart attack. Within hours of the announcement, the Syrian parliament amended the constitution to allow his son Bashar to succeed him. President Clinton said he regretted there had been no overall Middle East settlement during President Assad's lifetime. But he said he would continue to work with Syria to achieve a comprehensive peace deal. Israel said that it understands the sorrow of the people of Syria at the death of their president. A statement issued by the office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, said that despite the death of President Assad, Israeli would continue with the peace deal it was forging with Syria.

For the past three decades President Assad was one of the most powerful and influential figures in the Middle East. He imposed himself as the country's leader following a peaceful coup in 1970 and he succeeded in transforming Syria into a major regional player. His main aim had been to curb Israel's power and influence. He fought Israel as Defence Minister in 1967, launched a surprise attack in 1973 and battled its advance through Lebanon almost ten years later. At home he showed his ruthlessness against his opponents: his troops massacred 10,000 in the early 1980's in the town of Hama after mass uprisings provoked by members of the Suni Muslim brotherhood.

Repression in Syria continued throughout his reign and many of his opponents fled the country. Syria was accused of backing state terrorism, including the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner in Lebanon. President Assad wanted to win back the Golan Heights which Syria lost to Israel in 1967, but was to never achieve that aim. The issue was to be a major stumbling block in achieving peace in the region. He moved closer to the West following the collapse of the Soviet Union and supported the Allied Forces during the Gulf War.