“Why Manaf Tlas is Uniquely Qualified to Serve the Opposition,” by a Supporter
For Syria Comment, Sept 24, 2012
For Syria Comment, Sept 24, 2012
A letter from a supporter of Manaf Tlas
It has now been nearly three months since Manaf Tlas’s defection. At the time, his flight from Syria was hailed as the most significant defection.
Every defector has a past association with the regime he leaves. Manaf Tlas has been attacked by some in the opposition because he was part of the Asad regime. The Tlas family has been associated with this regime for decades. There is no question that the family benefited from their position. Manaf’s father was the defense minister. His brother has been a high profile Businessman. Manaf himself served in the Republican Guards and has had a close personal relationship with Bashar al-Assad for most of his life. During the last three months, Manaf has tried to explain why that past makes him particularly qualified to serve the opposition today and why he has come out squarely against the regime that he was born into.
For the first few weeks after his flight from Syria, Manaf disappeared from sight. Most suspected that he was in France. His first public communiqué was made on July 17th. On July 25th, he appeared on Al Arabiya Television Station.
He was also briefly filmed attending Umra in Saudi Arabia, when he wasinterviewed by the Saudi-owned Ashraq alawsat.
He also visited Qatar at this time, but the trip was not covered by the media. This left many with the impression that Manaf was Saudi’s man. This view was mistaken. Indeed, Manaf was warmly welcomed by the Emir of Qatar in Doha on his trip there.
Turkey, in particular, seems to believe in Manaf’s potential. His trips to that country have reportedly helped cement a solid relationship over the past three months
Lately, Mr. Tlas was interviewed by both David Ignatius of the Washington Post and BBC-Arabic where he gave his last public interview.
Read more http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/
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