Nawaf Fares, the first Syrian ambassador to defect to the
opposition,
was widely seen as a regime hardliner and his decision to break ranks
has triggered suspicion among activists.
Some dissidents say Fares has been likely groomed by the West to play
a role in a transitional government while others have spoken about his
"criminal" past.
Fares, who has served as governor in several Syrian provinces and has
held senior security and Baath Party posts, hails from the prominent
Oqaydat Sunni tribe in eastern Syria, which also has members in Iraq,
Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
A former policeman, Fares had close ties to the dreaded intelligence
services before becoming governor and later Syria's first ambassador to
Iraq following a 30-year rupture in ties between the two neighbors.
He announced his defection on Wednesday, as the regime battles a
growing rebellion that has claimed, according to monitors, more than
17,000 lives since it erupted in mid-March 2011.
"I announce my defection from my post as representative of the Arab
Syrian Republic in Iraq and my withdrawal from the ranks of the [ruling]
Baath Party," Fares said in a message aired on Al-Jazeera satellite
channel.
"I call on all free and worthy people in Syria, particularly in the
military, to immediately rejoin the ranks of the revolution," said
Fares, a grey-haired man who sports a bushy moustache and wears glasses.
"Turn your cannons and your tanks towards the criminals in the regime who are killing the people," he added.
On Thursday the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Fares has been
"discharged" and "needs to be legally prosecuted and subjected to
disciplinary action" due to his remarks which contradict his duty.
Fares, the first ambassador to break ranks with the regime, announced
his defection only days after Manaf Tlass, a top general with close
ties to President Bashar al-Assad, deserted.
Fares hails from the city of Abu Kamal in the eastern province of
Deir az-Zour, near the border with Iraq. He holds a degree in law and
graduated from the Deir Ezzor police academy.
He began his career as head of political security in the coastal
province of Latakia (1990-1994) before heading the ruling Baath party in
Deir az-Zour until 1998 when he served as governor of Latakia for two
years.
For the next two years he was governor of the northeastern province
of Edleb, where anti-regime sentiment is now strong, and from 2000 he
served eight years as the governor of Quneitra, capital the Golan
Heights most of which is annexed by Israel.
On September 16, 2008, Assad appointed Fares as Syria's first
ambassador to Iraq in 30 years—a clear show of trust in the new envoy.
His new mission was delicate and centered on healing ties between the
two neighbors, particularly as Iraq was accusing Syria of allowing
Islamist fighters to cross the border to carry suicide attacks in the
country.
On Wednesday, Fares, who is now believed to have sought refuge in
Qatar, a vocal critic of Assad's government, turned on the regime.
His change of heart however has failed to persuade opponents of the regime and activists.
"I know this man is a criminal," said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights which has tallied the death toll from 16
months of violence at more than 17,000 people.
"It's quite similar to the Manaf Tlass story. If the ambassador
defects, he does it because he is greedy for power because Western
intelligence agencies are looking for figures who can fit into a
transitional phase," Abdel Rahman said.
An activist in the central Syrian city of Hama, who identified
himself as Abu Ghazi, shares this view. "People are very wary of the
reasons he has defected," he said.
"This defection could be part of a scenario at a time when Russia is
starting to slightly shift in its position, and while the international
community and the regime are searching for ways to establish a
transitional government," Abu Ghazi added.
"We want to live in a democracy, in a state of law and you can't
build that with people who have so much blood on their hands and who
have been complicit for so long with the regime."
Not so, say supporters of Fares on the website of his Oqaydat tribe.
"He excelled in all his public duties... He honored his tribe and has
become a symbol for Deir az-Zour thanks to his modesty and the love he
has for people," wrote one supporter.
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