Nawaf al-Fares
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Nawaf al-Fares ( ar, نواف فارس الصياح ) is the former Syrian ambassador to
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
who defected from the ruling government led by Bashar al-Assad on 11 July 2012 during the Syrian uprising.


Career

Fares was a veteran of Assad's rule and held senior positions as a leading member of Syria's diplomatic corps under the late president
Hafez Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 197 ...
. He served as high-ranking official of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in Deir al Zour province. Additionally, Fares held senior security posts in Syria. He is also a former provincial governor. He served as the governor of three significant governorates,
Latakia Governorate Latakia Governorate, also transliterated as Ladhakia Governorate, ( ar, مُحافظة اللاذقية / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat al-Lādhiqīyah'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in western Syria, bordering Turkey's Hata ...
(until 2000), Idlib Governorate (appointed in 2000) and
Quneitra Governorate Quneitra Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة القنيطرة / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Al-Qunayṭrah'') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in southern Syria, notable for the location of the Golan Heights. The ...
. He was the first Syrian ambassador to
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...
after thirty years. His term as ambassador to Iraq began on 16 September 2008. He resigned both from the Ba'ath Party and as Syria's ambassador to Iraq on 11 July 2012.


Defection

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
reported on 11 July 2012 that Fares had defected from the Syrian government. His defection was considered to be a significant event in regard to the future of the Syrian uprising. On the same day, Fares posted a video statement on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
, arguing that Syrian government forces were killing civilians and that he had joined the ranks of the revolution of the Syrian people. He further called for the members of the Syrian military to join this revolution and to save the country and the citizens. On 12 July 2012, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told reporters in Paris that Nawaf al Fares is in
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
. The Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry in Damascus issued a statement on 12 July 2012 dismissing Fares. The declaration stated that Fares "has been relieved of his duties" and "no longer has any link with the Syrian Embassy in Baghdad." It is further stated by the Ministry that he should be punished due to "legal and disciplinary accountability." In his 15 July 2012
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
interview, Fares said that he had tried to convince the Syrian government to change its approach towards the people and that foreign military intervention was needed to end the chaos in Syria. In a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
interview, Fares warned that the Syrian government would be likely to use
chemical weapon A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as a ...
s against rebels, and raised the possibility that they may have already done so.


Personal life

Fares is a Sunni Muslim from
Abu Kamal Abu Kamal ( ar, أَبُو كَمَال, ʾAbū Kamāl) or Al-Bukamal ( ar, ٱلْبُوكَمَال, al-Būkamāl) is a city on the Euphrates river in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate of eastern Syria near the border with Iraq. It is the administra ...
, near Deir al Zor, an eastern Syrian city. His family is reported to partly be rooted in the Sunni tribe of
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
's Anbar Province, which extends to Syria's eastern desert. Fares is reported to be the leader of a powerful clan, Al Jarrah, in the
Abu Kamal Abu Kamal ( ar, أَبُو كَمَال, ʾAbū Kamāl) or Al-Bukamal ( ar, ٱلْبُوكَمَال, al-Būkamāl) is a city on the Euphrates river in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate of eastern Syria near the border with Iraq. It is the administra ...
area, adjacent to Iraq. Al Jarrah, is a branch of the
Al Uqaydat Al-Uqaydat ( ar, الْعُقَيْدَات, al-ʿUqaydāt) is a large Arab tribe which straddles Syria's eastern border with Iraq. It is the largest tribe in the Deir ez-Zor province and according to Max von Oppenheim Baron Max von Oppenheim (1 ...
tribal confederation, the largest in eastern Syria. The clan has nearly 1.5 million members across 40% of Syria. It also has kinship relations to
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
,
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
and
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
. It was powerful and prominent due to its legacy of fighting against the French forces in the 1940s, and Fares' career with the Ba'athist government.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fares, Nawaf Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People of the Syrian civil war Syrian defectors Ambassadors of Syria to Iraq Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region politicians