News & Analysis the Syrian Conundrum

14 June 5, 2016 News & Analysis Syria Syria’s businessmen invest in post-war reconstruction Younes Ahmed Latakia any businesspeople, including some blacklisted by Western powers, finance militants fighting along- Mside Syrian President Bashar Assad’s army in the hope that if Assad ends up with a major role in post-war Syr- ia, they would be granted lucrative reconstruction contracts. If Assad retains an important say in Syria, reconstruction contracts are likely to favour those busi- nesspersons who supported his regime, economist Suleiman Sulei- man said. “This eventuality will be normal because these businessmen spend millions of dollars in various as- pects in support of the Syrian government,” he said. Such thinking shows that the regime and its clique would have learned nothing from the war, said Issam Khoury, another economist. “Hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed, tens of thousands of Syrians were killed and millions have become refugees all over the world,” Khoury said. “However, the economic thinking of the ruling A January 2016 file picture shows the Syrian Army, backed by the pro-government National Defence Forces militia, after they seized elite is still the same. Moguls want hilltops surrounding the strategic town of Salma, in the north-western province of Latakia. to sustain their gains and privileges but in post-war Syria, they want to seaside towns in the heartland of Commandos which provided 7,000 al-Nusra Front to exchange detain- Group, the businessman, also sanc- appear as heroes, not act clandes- Assad’s Alawite sect, a source in the fighters to help the army in the bat- ees held by the regime for nuns held tioned by Western powers, has tinely as they have done for many group said, requesting anonymity. tle to recapture Palmyra from the by the Islamist militant group. He stakes in Middle East Marketing and years.” “They fight in many areas, includ- Islamic State (ISIS). is also believed to be involved in Syria International for Artistic Pro- ing Latakia, Homs and Damascus’s Jaber, a native of Latakia who wheat imports. duction. George Haswani countryside. Each fighter makes heads the Council of Iron and Steel, Other pro-government business- Hamsho, who alongside finances Qalamoun 75,000 Syrian pounds ($341) a is an investor in Al-Sham Holding people preferred to avoid militancy Makhlouf, Haswani and Majd Sulei- Shields, which month, or twice as much as a regular and partner in Addounia TV, a pro- and focus instead on supporting the man, jointly owns Al-Sham Holding, includes 2,000 Syrian Army serviceman,” he said. government privately owned chan- Army. Mohammad Hamsho, a Dam- established in 2013 Jupiter Tourist militants fighting Makhlouf, the main owner of nel. ascene merchant and an electronic Projects, which has tourist facili- close to the Lebanese Syriatel, one of two licensed mobile After Western powers sanctioned engineer, contributes money, food ties worth millions of dollars in and border. phone companies in Syria, is the Syria’s oil sector early in the war, and clothes. He also backs pro-gov- around Damascus. He also runs an only bankroller of Al-Bustan Asso- Jaber became the only importer ernment media outlets, including internet services company. Khoury said reconstruction con- ciation, which takes orders from the of oil products into his homeland, Addounia. Majd Suleiman, son of Bahjat tracts would be granted to new Syrian Army and pays compensa- sources said. His militants secure Suleiman, a retired State Security companies owned by the same mo- tion to the families of fallen fighters, production at Jazel and Shaer oil Pro-regime militant officer and Syria’s ambassador to guls, in partnerships with others for according to the source. and gas fields near Palmyra, selling groups include Amman, owns United Group, spe- camouflage purposes. “Deals will Besides Syriatel, Makhlouf is in- products to the government. Qalamoun Shield, cialising in media, advertising and be made with Russian, Chinese and volved in real estate, banking, free Western governments say George Desert Falcons, Sea marketing and runs 14 mostly non- Iranian companies. This is some- trade zones along the border with Haswani, a native of Yabroud near political periodicals, except for Bal- thing Syrian officials say already,” Lebanon, duty-free shops and lux- Damascus, is involved in buying Commandos, National adna daily, which promotes the re- he said. ury department stores. He owns oil from ISIS-controlled fields that Defence Forces and gime’s views. Pro-regime militant groups in- Al-Sham Holding, which carries out led to his blacklisting. He finances al-Bustan Association. A source at the group said it was clude Qalamoun Shield, Desert Fal- projects for the government. Many Qalamoun Shields, which includes primarily meant to launder money cons, Sea Commandos, National Western powers, including the Unit- 2,000 militants fighting close to the He is believed to have expanded pocketed by Majd Suleiman’s father Defence Forces and al-Bustan As- ed States and the European Union, Lebanese border. his businesses, relying on his ties while he was with State Security. sociation. Assad’s influential cousin have blacklisted and sanctioned Haswani owns HESCO engineer- with Maher Assad, the president’s Rami Makhlouf backs the latter. Makhlouf. ing company, which specialises in brother who is commander of the Younes Ahmed, a pseudonym Al-Bustan Association brings Ayman Jaber, a Syrian oil tycoon building oil and gas pipelines and Republican Guard and the army’s used for safety reasons, is an Arab together 11,000 fighters, hailing also blacklisted by Western pow- facilities. He gained prominence af- elite Fourth Armoured Division. In Weekly correspondent based in mainly from Tartus and Latakia, the ers, finances Desert Falcons and Sea ter taking part in negotiations with addition to Hamsho International western Syria. The Syrian conundrum Viewpoint lthough the war in repetition of what the Iranians long, claim to be on the right side of Syrians at solving their prob- Syria seemed to be did during the war with Iraq. and periodically they all claim to Peace lem on their own and the solu- stagnating, recently They would often have youth be on the winning side, too. tion, if indeed there is one, would the situation appears brigades precede regular troops Indeed, at some point in this talks — or require the intervention of two of to be moving and on the battlefield to clear land- continuing mayhem, they may rather the world’s most powerful evolving at an mines. In exchange for their lives, well be right or winning, or both attempted countries, each with its own acceleratedA pace. Russia and Iran the ayatollahs promised the boys or neither. Contributing to the reason to want to see the demise have increased their military a place in paradise. confusion are the multitude of peace of the Islamist terrorists. The involvement in Syria. Both US President Barack Obama factions engaged in the fighting. talks — in United States, of course, opposes countries contributed troops to reiterated multiple times over the Many of these groups have Geneva terrorism and wants to promote Claude the conflict in support of the past year that there would not be extraordinary names, such as the have democracy in the Arab world, Salhani Syrian president and the Russians any US troops in Syria. It seems pro-government Cheetah Force or even if it goes about it in a rather committed their air force to back he spoke too soon. It has been the Kata’ib Hezbollah. Or yet the gotten strange manner. pro-government forces. confirmed that, despite Obama’s pro-rebel Deterring the Oppressor nowhere. As for the Russians, they want The Iranians who have been promises, that there are a number Brigade. to make sure they get to defeat sending troops and Islamic of American special operations Some of these groups have the jihadists before they return to Revolutionary Guards Corps to forces on the Syrian front. several thousand men while the former Soviet republics and fight in support of Syrian Presi- Although limited in numbers, others consist of barely a handful autonomous regions within dent Bashar Assad recently ran there are nevertheless US troops of followers. But if the perhaps Russia. advertisements aimed at recruit- in Syria today. hundreds of thousands of fighters It may have taken five years of ing young boys — generally aged Peace talks — or rather engaged in the Syrian conflict are all-out war but it finally seems as 9-12 — to fight in Syria — a attempted peace talks — in unable to force a military solution though the Americans and the Geneva have gotten nowhere despite five years of continued Russians have finally realised that with the chief negotiator for the warfare and the military, finan- by working together they may be Syrian opposition throwing in the cial and political support of Saudi able to solve the crisis. It is towel, saying he was resigning in Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab perhaps to that end that US What is obvious is the protest over the failure by the Emirates, Turkey, Iran, Russia Secretary of State John Kerry and inability of Syrians at United Nations to make any and the United States as well as a Russian Foreign Minister Sergei headway. handful of European countries, Lavrov have been meeting in solving their problem on The proverbial fog of war including France and Britain, recent weeks. remains, thick as ever, rendering what on Earth could find a their own. the situation as confusing and as solution to the current conun- Claude Salhani is the Opinion murderous as ever. All sides in drum? editor of The Arab Weekly. Follow the civil war, more than five years What is obvious is the inability him on Twitter @Claudesalhani..

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