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Mahmoud Al-Zoubi

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Mahmoud Al-Zoubi
محمود الزعبي‎
Prime Minister of Syria
In office
1 November 1987 – 7 March 2000
PresidentHafez al-Assad
Preceded byAbdul Rauf al-Kasm
Succeeded byMuhammad Mustafa Mero
Member of theRegional Commandof theSyrian Regional Branch
In office
7 January 1980 – 21
Personal details
Born1935(1935)
Khirbet Ghazaleh,Syria
Died21 May 2000 (aged 64–65)
Damascus,Syria
Resting placeKhirbat Ghazalah
Political partyBa'ath Party
Other political
affiliations		National Progressive Front

Mahmoud Al-Zoubi(Arabic:محمود الزعبي,romanized:Maḥmūd az-Zuʿbī;‎ 1935 – 21 May 2000) wasPrime Minister of Syriafrom 1 November 1987 to 7 March 2000.

Early life[edit]

Al-Zoubi was born into theHasaniteAl-Zoubiclan which is aSunnifamily in 1935 inKhirbet Ghazaleh,a village 75 miles south ofDamascusin theHauranregion.[1][2]

Prime Minister of Syria[edit]

Al-Zoubi was a member of the Ba'ath Party.[3][4]Under the rule of then President Hafez Assad, Al-Zoubi was appointed Prime Minister in 1987.[5]

On 7 March 2000, Al-Zoubi was replaced as prime minister byMohammed Mustafa Mero.[6]

Currency crisis[edit]

During 1985-2000, Al-Zoubi's administration failed to arrest the 90 per cent fall in the worth of the Syrian Pound from 3 to 47 to the US Dollar.

Downfall and the Airbus deal controversy[edit]

On 10 May 2000, Hafez Assad expelled Al-Zoubi from theBa'ath Partyand decided that Al-Zoubi should be prosecuted over a scandal involving the French aircraft manufacturerAirbus.[1]Al-Zoubi's assets were frozen by the Syrian government.[6]Al-Zoubi and several senior ministers were officially accused of receiving illegal commissions of the order of US$124 million in relation to the purchase of sixAirbus 320-200passenger jets forSyrian Arab Airlinesin 1996. The indictment alleged that the normal cost of the planes was US$250 million, but the Government paid $374 million and Airbus sent on US$124 million to the senior ministers. Three others involved in the transaction, including the former minister for economic affairs and the former minister for transport were sentenced to prison for ten years.

The French company Airbus denied paying off the Syrian officials. The Syrian government in September 2003 announced its intention of purchasing six more Airbus planes for the government airline. The official finding within Syrian courts that Airbus paid over a hundred million dollars in bribes to their officials is apparently not a factor in deciding whether to continue to do business with them, especially with Boeing aircraft and spare parts being difficult to attain due to unilateral US sanctions.

Personal life[edit]

Al-Zoubi was married and had three sons and a daughter.[1]His sons were Miflih, Hammam and karim Al-Zoubi.[7]

Death and burial[edit]

Al-Zoubi died on 21 May 2000.[7][8]Conflicting reports say he died at age 62[1]or 65.[7]According to a statement from theInterior Ministry,carried by the officialSyrian Arab News Agency,Al-Zoubi shot himself in the head at his home in Dumer outsideDamascus.[1]The statement said Al-Zoubi died by suicide after learning that the Damascus police chief had come to his house to serve a judicial notice to appear before an investigating judge to answer allegations of corruption and other violations "that caused great harm to the national economy."[1][7][9]An Interior Ministry spokesman said "a shot was heard upstairs and that was a shot fired by Zohbi [sic] at himself by his own pistol on the second floor of his house where his wife and children were present. "[9]The spokesman said Al-Zoubi was rushed to the Mowasat hospital in Damascus, where he later died.[9]Hospital officials said none of his family accompanied him to the hospital.[1]In June 2000, according toLara Marlowe,there were persistent rumours that Al-Zoubi was actually murdered.[10]

Al-Zoubi was buried at his birthplace in southernSyria.[7]His funeral service took place inDeraa provinceon 22 May 2000.[9]There were no officials at the ceremony.[9]Sources said the funeral atKirbit Ghazali,about 100 km south of Damascus, was a simple ceremony limited to his close family members and some of his hometown people.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefg"Former Syrian prime minister kills self".Deseret News.Damascus. 22 May 2000.Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2018.Retrieved15 March2013.
  2. ^Robert G. Rabil (2006).Syria, The United States, and the War on Terror in the Middle East.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 31.ISBN978-0-275-99015-2.Retrieved15 March2013.
  3. ^Ray Hinnesbusch (2002).Syria: Revolution from Above.Routledge. p. 79.ISBN978-0-415-28568-1.Retrieved15 March2013.
  4. ^"Bashar Assad".APS Diplomat Operations in Oil Diplomacy.26 March 2001.Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2018.Retrieved15 April2013.
  5. ^"Syria: A commitment to change".Euromoney.July 2001.Archivedfrom the original on 3 February 2015.Retrieved10 February2013.
  6. ^abEur (2003).The Middle East and North Africa 2003.Europa Publications. p. 1019.ISBN978-1-85743-132-2.Retrieved15 March2013.
  7. ^abcdef"Ex-Premier Commits Suicide".APS Diplomat Recorder.27 May 2000.Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2018.Retrieved15 March2013.
  8. ^Kifner, John(11 July 2000)."Syrians Vote To Confirm Assad's Son As President".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 31 August 2017.Retrieved10 April2009.
  9. ^abcde"Former Syrian PM commits suicide"Archived2022-08-10 at theWayback MachineBBC News. 22 May 2000.
  10. ^Marlowe, Lara."Syrians fear challenge by Assad's brother"Archived2021-05-06 at theWayback MachineThe Irish Times.13 June 2000.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mahmoud_Al-Zoubi&oldid=1230239046"