In Damascus, at age 69, Hâfiz al-Asad, president of Syria for the last 30 years, passed away on June 10, 2000. President al-Asad spent most of his life fighting for independence and stability in Syria and Arab unity. He devoted the last years of his life to smoothing relations with Syria's neighbors and readying the Syrian people for the coming peace in the region.

One of the most despised leaders in the world popular opinion, al-Asad was privately admired by most of the world leaders he dealt with throughout his rule of Syria, which took the country from socialism and the Soviet camp to a tentative embrace of capitalism and an independent and reasoned approach in the Middle East and the peace process. al-Asad brought stability to a country that had seen a succession of governments and radical policy changes since independence, and set forth on a reasoned and intelligent pursit of peace with justice for Syria and all the Arabs.

I have developed a respect for President al-Asad, for his willingness to lead Syria to peace, his skills as a leader, and his committment to unity and justice for the Arabs. Like most, I have intensely disliked many things that Hâfiz al-Asad did, but his arguments and practices in the recent years, designed to create a just and lasting peace in the Middle East—one where not just the leaders, but the peoples as well, are supportive, and one where all sides have achieved justice—have slowly won him my respect. The world, the Middle East, the Arabs, Syria—even Israel—have lost a great statesman, a man committed to true peace.

It is my earnest hope that, one day, there will be a true, just, and lasting peace in the region, one that peoples, as al-Asad hoped, accept as much as the leaders, and one that brings justice to the Arabs and Israelis. And, one also hopes, that Syria will have a bright future, one enhanced, not hindered, by the legacy of Hâfiz al-Asad.

Thus, for the month of June, this page will greet all visitors to al-Qâhira fî Amrîkâ, in memory of President al-Asad and his struggle for justice and peace in the Middle East.

I also recommend reading Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East, Patrick Seale's insightful biography of the "Lion of Damascus" and the motivations that led him and Syria on the tightrope walk towards peace.

As-salâmu `alayka wa rahmat Allah `alayka, yâ Ra'îs al-Asad.

On to al-Qâhira fî Amrîkâ