The Road to Damascus
Well, here we are at last! And we were not struck down on the road ...
It was an early rise on Monday morning (March 9th) just a month after a real estate marathon with the sale of our country finca in the hills, the purchase of a new house and a removal and all in the space of one week - and what a week! - when the heavens opened and the full quota of Andalusian winter rain fell in one week-long deluge. Tranquillizers were administered to three unsuspecting cats who could not understand why these unpalatable pills were being pushed down their throats instead of being served the usual morning fare. Shortly after 7a.m. Maggie and Tim, my faithful friends and former neighbours, arrived having decided that, as they had not slept a wink all night worried that they might miss the alarm call, they might as well get the show on the road, albeit rather earlier than planned. In the end, this was fortunate in view of the attitude of the Malaga airport (male) desk staff who certainly made valiant efforts to maintain their record for unhelpfulness to the travelling public.
Although the check-in desk for the Transavia flight to Amsterdam had not yet been posted, there were already a number of early birds queueing so we joined them and, not surprisingly, immediately our little group with one large sky kennel and three miaowing cats in their respective boxes became the centre of attention. How to make a spectacle of yourself without really trying! The sale of the finca meant that I was travelling with the cats as well as the dog. Previously the cats had stayed behind and were taken care of at home.
When our turn came, the desk clerk turned into a fuming bureaucrat, mainly to disguise the fact that he did not actually know what the procedure was for someone flying to Damascus via Amsterdam who wanted three cats and one suitcase to be checked through straight to Damascus but insisted that the dog should be taken off at Amsterdam. This threw a spanner in the works of system automation. How dare anyone interfere with the automatic labelling machine? Does this mean extra work making out one label manually? So many animals travelling these days!! And why not, sir, if they are travelling with me and I’m paying for them? Luckily a Transavia female employee stepped in and resolved the impasse in approximately thirty seconds. And talking of payment, you have to pay for the dog at Transavia, because he is only going as far as Amsterdam, and then again in Amsterdam, but you must pay for the cats at Iberia.
Another encounter with male doggedness at Iberia. Right, you’re paying for 45Kg. excess baggage. Actually no, I just paid for the dog at Transavia. You can’t do that, you have to pay for them all here. Sorry, they just told me I had to pay for the dog at Transavia etc. etc. One phone call and a substraction sum later (total weight of 45Kg. minus 30Kg. for the dog) and a large sum of money changing hands solved that little problem.
Back to the check-in desk. Where’s your coupon? What coupon? You should have a coupon ... And so it went on until I finally blew a gasket and said I had enough to contend with travelling with these animals without having to put up with the stupid interrogations of a desk clerk whose job, supposedly, was to make the passengers’ experience a happy one. Once again a member of Transavia staff came to the rescue and the famous coupon was discovered to be sitting right under his nose!
The next obstacle was that Simon simply refused to take a tranquillizer. He ate every piece of madeleine offered to him until the one with the tranquillizer was proffered, at which point he turned his head to one side and refused to open his mouth one inch. What to do? Insist and make him nervous and give myself a heart attack or take a chance? Take a chance. By now it was time to check the animals through the odd-sized baggage chute, so a minor scuffle ensued to get Simon into his box, but he realized that there was not much choice and in the end did not put up too much of a struggle. Heave a sigh of relief and run through passport control just in time to board the plane.
The flight itself was quite uneventful except for a patch of turbulence just south of Paris which had us all bouncing about. Fortunately it didn’t last long. The only other excitement was that in the row of seats behind me was a man who was being flown back to Holland accompanied by a doctor who had to administer oxygen throughout the flight as a precautionary measure.
Due to headwinds the flight arrived in Amsterdam 30 minutes behind schedule. Amsterdam airport is undergoing extensive remodelling so there were barriers up all over the place. As I and another couple who were travelling with a German shepherd waited with growing impatience for our charges to appear, the animals were wheeled in on a trolley and handed over. By this time it was 3:45, so not too much time to spare.
First stop KLM Business Class check-in desk. This was a different kettle of fish. A dog to Damascus? No problem. I’ll just check that the cats are OK. One telephone call and all is well. I’ll accompany you to the excess baggage payment desk. This is certainly an expensive dog! I think it won’t be cheap. Well, what’s the option? You just pay and be done with it. Don’t even think about it. When you’re finished here, go to the odd-sized baggage desk and ask the man there if you can leave your luggage while you take the dog out. No problem. Just leave everything here with me. And so we went off for a mosey in the vicinity of the airport where not a blade of grass was to be seen. However, there were abundant planters with bedding plants and tulips whose sharp leaves were just beginning to push through the surface of the soil. They will do just nicely. Wouldn’t do to soil the pavement now would it?
A quick lie down in a strategic spot where all the air hostesses and passers-by could pat and stroke the dog to their heart’s content - much to the dog’s approval, it must be said. This is surely the life! However, this interlude could not last. At 5 o’clock it was time to retrieve the kennel and persuade Simon that he would just love to go back in there. No tranquillizer this time either. However, as the first leg of the journey did not seem to have dented his self-confidence in any way, I was less apprehensive about the second leg, knowing that the end was in sight. He was wheeled off quite happily and I made my way through passport control with just enough time to spare to change some pesetas into US dollars before boarding.
Aboard the plane I was the only woman in the Business Class section which was taken en masse by Shell workers returning to Syria after leave or business meetings. They have a plant in the north of the country bordering Iraq. Passenger care and attention could not have been better and the food was excellent. By the end of the flight some Norwegian passengers, in typical Norwegian mode, were somewhat the worse for wear, but the chief stewardess kept a weather eye on them to make sure they did not get out of hand.
At 11.30p.m. local time (10:30 Central European time) the plane landed at Damascus. All I could hope was that Robert would have done his job of setting up some kind of system to obviate the long queue and inevitable bureaucracy at passport control. Not to worry. As I stepped out of the finger into the airport building, there was a full reception committee - Robert, his driver Yahye, the owner of the house and a member of airport security who took control of the situation without delay.
Robert’s P.A., the daughter of a high-ranking figure in the country, had arranged for a special dispensation, so we did not have to stand in the queue at all but were taken by a special corridor behind passport control where my passport was stamped and a special 15 day visa issued in approximately 20 seconds. Then the security man commandeered two luggage trolleys and designated two people to wheel them for me and take care of my luggage. No need to haul or lift anything here. Any mere movement on my part sparked off an immediate response and cases, boxes and anything else were immediately conveyed to the designated spot. I simply stood in the baggage hall accompanied by the landlord, a young mechanical engineer who works for Carrier air conditioning, while Robert and Yahye made their way through to where the luggage was being unloaded to collect the dog as soon as he was taken off the plane. Calm as you like, he was apparently star-gazing (if that is possible through the roof of a sky kennel) and quite unfazed by the movement all around.
No customs check and nobody requested any of the wads of papers I had so painstakingly collected for the animals - just in case! These are the bonuses of privileged access and I was grateful for them as the tension of the days leading up to the trip had taken their toll. It was a relief just to relinquish responsibility knowing that everything was taken care of.
A half-hour drive from the airport to the house and, after the animals had been fed, straight to bed where sleep did not come but rest was complete. Dawn broke at around 5:30 and with it the first call to prayer rang out from first one, then another and then yet another mosque in the vicinity. This most haunting and beautiful of sounds ushered in my first day in Damascus.
March 10th 1998
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
THE COUNTRY
THE COUNTRY
Modern Syria is only a fraction of the Ottoman province of Syria which included present-day Jordan, Lebanon and Israel. After the first World War the Sykes-Picot Agreement split Greater Syria up into two parts: most of modern Syria and Lebanon came under the French mandate whereas the remainder plus Iraq came under the British mandate. The Balfour Declaration leading to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 laid the foundations for the conflict which still affects the whole of the Middle East, aggravated today by Israel’s relentless immigration and settlement policy which brings in radical immigrants with a ghetto mentality, largely from Eastern Europe but also from the US and elsewhere, who form the basis of the “frontier” zones.
There was a strong nationalist movement in Syria but it remained powerless in the face of European opposition and, although Syria was declared independent in 1941, it was not until 1946 that the country gained full sovereignty. Independence brought instability until 1970 when the president, Hafez al-Assad, came to power. President Assad, who is from the north of the country, is an Alawite, and it was his wish to have a secular constitution, but the strength of feeling of the sunni majority forced him to enshrine Islam as the official state religion, and to specify that the presidency of the country could only be held by a Moslem. This forced president Assad to obtain a fatwa or religious ruling from a religious court in Lebanon stating that the Alawites are a legitimate sect of Sh’ia Islam.
Although nominally a democratic republic, in practice, the president is the ultimate decision-maker, and no decisions of any importance are taken without his knowledge and consent. The president is surrounded by a group of loyal men who enjoy his confidence and trust. In the 1980s opposition to the regime and also to the pre-eminence of the Alawites in Syrian society led to uprisings spearheaded by the Moslem Brotherhood. The US, Israel and Iraq were also accused of having a hand in these revolts.The opposition was severely quelled with aerial bombings in many cities, including Hama, an Isma’ili stronghold. The key positions are occupied mainly by fellow Alawites, although in recent years the circle has been widened to include more Sunnis and even some Christians.
What will happen when President Assad dies? This is the big question. The succession seemed to be assured, the presidents’s eldest son being groomed to take over, but Fate put paid to these plans when he was killed in a traffic accident near the airport. The younger son is now being prepared to take over but, from all appearances, he would seem not to have the charismatic favour of his elder brother. Although most people seem not to be aware of it or even to think about it very much - at least they do not express any concern - the future of Syria hangs by a thread and will depend to a large extent on how things develop over the next few years.
In economic terms Syria has belonged to the socialist block since 1958 with state controlled enterprises and a planned economy. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the hectic scramble of eastern bloc countries to join the mainstream of capitalism, Syria was left with a big problem to solve. If they were to jump head first into a capitalist system, the chances were that the country would suffer the same consequences as Egypt which opted for this course with the inherent danger of Islamic extremist groups growing in membership as unemployment took a hold on society. The route chosen by Syria was gradual adaptation to the capitalist model. This has led to a hybrid system where private enterprise is being allowed to operate (and indeed flourish) in certain sectors and in certain hands alongside state controlled enterprises and a controlled exchange rate system where there is only one official bank. The restrictions in the banking sector and import controls provide a perfect breeding ground for corruption and rackets of every kind.
State-run enterprises are notorious everywhere for their inefficiency, waste, lack of management skills and worker complacency. Any exceptions to this state of affairs are only the exceptions to prove the rule. Syria is no exception with the result that factories employ far too many people for the workload and complacency is the order of the day. The official policy is that of import substitution and, from all that we have seen and heard, official circles have not yet got to grips with the implications of a free economy.
The official exchange rate for the Syrian pound is 50SP to the US$1. However, on the black market and in Lebanon the rate is rising and now stands at 53SP/US$1. This coupled with price controls means that the price of goods is not realistic. Fruit is as expensive as it is in Spain, and of poorer quality, despite the fact that salaries are much lower. In my opinion, a more realistic level for the currency would be 150SP/US$1. However, such a level would knock many businesses on the head and I would suspect that the government will not take such an unpalatable step. Only when the currency can be floated on the free market will it reach a realistic level. Meanwhile, some people make vast sums of money, and you have to fight your way through banks of Mercedes 600 motorcars (which are officially frowned upon as a luxury item) to get to the front door of companies. The government imposes a 350% tax on cars but even such penalization does not seem to deter or break the bank of a large number of extremely wealthy people for whom liberalization will probably mean no hardship - indeed it may even be a blessing - because they will have their money safely stashed away outside the country in US dollars thus safeguarding their capital.
Plus ça change plus c’est la même chose!
May 4 1998
Modern Syria is only a fraction of the Ottoman province of Syria which included present-day Jordan, Lebanon and Israel. After the first World War the Sykes-Picot Agreement split Greater Syria up into two parts: most of modern Syria and Lebanon came under the French mandate whereas the remainder plus Iraq came under the British mandate. The Balfour Declaration leading to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 laid the foundations for the conflict which still affects the whole of the Middle East, aggravated today by Israel’s relentless immigration and settlement policy which brings in radical immigrants with a ghetto mentality, largely from Eastern Europe but also from the US and elsewhere, who form the basis of the “frontier” zones.
There was a strong nationalist movement in Syria but it remained powerless in the face of European opposition and, although Syria was declared independent in 1941, it was not until 1946 that the country gained full sovereignty. Independence brought instability until 1970 when the president, Hafez al-Assad, came to power. President Assad, who is from the north of the country, is an Alawite, and it was his wish to have a secular constitution, but the strength of feeling of the sunni majority forced him to enshrine Islam as the official state religion, and to specify that the presidency of the country could only be held by a Moslem. This forced president Assad to obtain a fatwa or religious ruling from a religious court in Lebanon stating that the Alawites are a legitimate sect of Sh’ia Islam.
Although nominally a democratic republic, in practice, the president is the ultimate decision-maker, and no decisions of any importance are taken without his knowledge and consent. The president is surrounded by a group of loyal men who enjoy his confidence and trust. In the 1980s opposition to the regime and also to the pre-eminence of the Alawites in Syrian society led to uprisings spearheaded by the Moslem Brotherhood. The US, Israel and Iraq were also accused of having a hand in these revolts.The opposition was severely quelled with aerial bombings in many cities, including Hama, an Isma’ili stronghold. The key positions are occupied mainly by fellow Alawites, although in recent years the circle has been widened to include more Sunnis and even some Christians.
What will happen when President Assad dies? This is the big question. The succession seemed to be assured, the presidents’s eldest son being groomed to take over, but Fate put paid to these plans when he was killed in a traffic accident near the airport. The younger son is now being prepared to take over but, from all appearances, he would seem not to have the charismatic favour of his elder brother. Although most people seem not to be aware of it or even to think about it very much - at least they do not express any concern - the future of Syria hangs by a thread and will depend to a large extent on how things develop over the next few years.
In economic terms Syria has belonged to the socialist block since 1958 with state controlled enterprises and a planned economy. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the hectic scramble of eastern bloc countries to join the mainstream of capitalism, Syria was left with a big problem to solve. If they were to jump head first into a capitalist system, the chances were that the country would suffer the same consequences as Egypt which opted for this course with the inherent danger of Islamic extremist groups growing in membership as unemployment took a hold on society. The route chosen by Syria was gradual adaptation to the capitalist model. This has led to a hybrid system where private enterprise is being allowed to operate (and indeed flourish) in certain sectors and in certain hands alongside state controlled enterprises and a controlled exchange rate system where there is only one official bank. The restrictions in the banking sector and import controls provide a perfect breeding ground for corruption and rackets of every kind.
State-run enterprises are notorious everywhere for their inefficiency, waste, lack of management skills and worker complacency. Any exceptions to this state of affairs are only the exceptions to prove the rule. Syria is no exception with the result that factories employ far too many people for the workload and complacency is the order of the day. The official policy is that of import substitution and, from all that we have seen and heard, official circles have not yet got to grips with the implications of a free economy.
The official exchange rate for the Syrian pound is 50SP to the US$1. However, on the black market and in Lebanon the rate is rising and now stands at 53SP/US$1. This coupled with price controls means that the price of goods is not realistic. Fruit is as expensive as it is in Spain, and of poorer quality, despite the fact that salaries are much lower. In my opinion, a more realistic level for the currency would be 150SP/US$1. However, such a level would knock many businesses on the head and I would suspect that the government will not take such an unpalatable step. Only when the currency can be floated on the free market will it reach a realistic level. Meanwhile, some people make vast sums of money, and you have to fight your way through banks of Mercedes 600 motorcars (which are officially frowned upon as a luxury item) to get to the front door of companies. The government imposes a 350% tax on cars but even such penalization does not seem to deter or break the bank of a large number of extremely wealthy people for whom liberalization will probably mean no hardship - indeed it may even be a blessing - because they will have their money safely stashed away outside the country in US dollars thus safeguarding their capital.
Plus ça change plus c’est la même chose!
May 4 1998
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