Syria's President Assad dies On 10 June 2000

President Hafez Assad of Syria died this morning in Damascus. He was 69 and had for some time suffered from heart problems and diabetes.
In breaking the news to the Syrian public, state-run television announced: "Death has taken away from Syria a leader." The announcer's voice choked as he began to cry.
Syrian television showed MPs standing, heads bowed in the chamber for a moment of silence, wiping away tears.
The country President Assad led for 30 years was isolated and economically troubled, but Syria's autocratic president never hinted he saw himself as a man defeated.
The Israeli government expressed sorrow at the death and said it would continue to work for peace with its longtime foe.
"The Israeli government understands the sorrow of the Syrian people over the passing of President Hafez Assad," said a statement released by prime minister Ehud Barak's office.
"Israel worked in the past to achieve peace and will continue to do so in the future."
The statement also expressed hope that quiet would be maintained along the border with Syria and Lebanon. Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon May 24 after an 18-year occupation. Syria is considered the main power broker in Lebanon.
Stop-start peace talks between Israel and Syria broke down in January because Syria insisted on assurances that Israel would withdraw from the Golan Heights and hand over land extending down to the Sea of Galilee. Israel refused to make such a pledge and insisted that security arrangements must be agreed first. Israel captured the strategic Golan plateau from Syria in the 1967 war when Assad was defence minister
A skilful and ruthless politician, Assad often succeeded by keeping both foes and friends guessing, reversing course suddenly when he saw an advantage.
Syria put aside enmity with the United States to join the US-led coalition against his longtime rival Iraq during the 1990-91 Gulf crisis. Assad sent troops to help drive Iraq out of Kuwait, and later reaped diplomatic and financial benefits that included $2bn from Saudi Arabia.
Assad could never be discounted in the Middle East equation. "The Lion of Damascus" - his family name means lion in Arabic - was one of the Middle East's longest-serving leaders. He was credited with bringing political stability to a country of 9m that saw repeated coups after independence from France in 1946. Assad's bloodless takeover was the last coup since 1970.
Assad built a Soviet-style personality cult at home, his portrait plastered everywhere in Syria. Born on October 6, 1930 into a peasant family from the minority Alawite Muslim sect, he plotted his way to power through the ranks of the military and the socialist Ba'ath Party.
He worked long hours and prided himself on managing the minutest details of his administration. His discipline extended to his private life - he was a vegetarian who abstained from alcohol, but rumours of ill health have dogged him since a heart attack in 1983.
He survived several reported several coup attempts, including a failed 1984 effort by his ambitious brother Rifaat.
Like his hero Saladin, the Kurdish warrior who defeated the Crusaders in the 12th Century, Assad dreamed of becoming the unchallenged leader of the Arab world. Israel, though, was an alternative centre of power in the region and, in Assad's view intent on weakening its Arab neighbours. His attempts to rally other Arab leaders to present a unified front against Israel gained little ground. He derided Egypt for signing a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Jordan signed its own peace in 1994 and the Palestinians were pursuing yet another settlement with the Jewish state - Assad has clashed with Yasser Arafat for control of the Palestinian cause. Syria and its client state Lebanon faced the prospect of being the last of Israel's neighbours to work out a peace deal.
Assad's confrontation with Western-backed Israel led to close ties with Moscow. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a blow, but also presented an opening for much-needed reform. Legislation meant to encourage private investment was enacted in 1991, but progress has been slow.
Assad maintained a vast army of secret police and informers. His government jailed thousands of political prisoners without trial during his rule, according to human rights groups.
In March this year the first cabinet reshuffle in eight years was seen as part of the leadership's campaign to respond to domestic concerns by modernising the administration and eradicating corruption.
Assad's son and chosen heir, Bashar, has championed economic reform and led the anti-corruption drive. Bashar's elder brother Basil had been groomed as heir, until his death in a car crash in 1994. Assad also had three other sons and a daughter.