Changes of security officials in Syria, perpetuating military solution or amendment of policies?
Cairo – North-Press Agency
Muhammad Abu Zayd
A movement of internal changes in Syria’s security leadership has witnessed recently where new faces were replaced with prominent figures and personalities who played different roles during the most critical periods of the Syria crisis. That movement raised questions about its causes and future repercussions on the internal security situation and security policy in Syria.
While some observers believe that these changes are only a dedication to the security solution in Syria, others believe that it is the result of political strife among international forces where some impose certain personalities, and others believe that they are a prelude to changes in the security ideology that paves the way for a political solution.
Perhaps the most significant change in the framework of these changes in the security administration in Syria is the assignment of Major General Ali Mamlouk as the Syrian Vice President for security affairs and assigning Major General Hossam Loka as the director of the General Intelligence Directorate (the State Security), replacing Major General Deeb Zeitoun.
Also, Major-General Nasser Al-Ali was appointed as head of the Political Security Department, replacing Major General Hossam Loka, and Major General Nasser Deeb as the Director of the Criminal Security Department, replacing Major General Safwan Issa, and Major General Ghassan Jawdat Ismail as the Director of The Air Intelligence Directorate.
Changes
Through a phone call, Hassan Abdul Azim, the Damascus-based General Coordinator of Syrian National Coordination Board told North-Press that “The security changes in Syria are taking place within the same security institutions by changing the official and appointing his deputy instead, and this does not radically change the policies of those institutions, as it remains in the framework of its previous policies with some development towards the reduction of killing and violence due to the political and field developments in Syria, and the distinction between a former figure and a latter one could provide better conditions”.
“There is a positive change in the Russian role, towards stopping the war and the armed conflict and towards a political solution, since Russia is keen on having an international agreement regarding its role,” Abdul Azim said, relating those changes to the Russian stance and role whether at military level or the level of the political solution, adding “so that there is a balanced political solution in Geneva to end the Syrian crisis and preserve the Russian role in Syria,” he added.
Abdul-Azim acknowledges Russia’s role in managing such changes in the security leadership, as many observers said when dealing with the issue, describing the Russians as “the most senior in management of security changes movement in Syria,” while others believe in an Iranian role, referring to some of whom were included in the movement as being related to the Iranian regime, the thing that was indicated by the Syrian military expert Ahmad Al-Hamadeh.
Russian-Iranian rivalry
“Essentially, there is no value to this change; it is formative and will not reflect positively on the security situation; all of them are from the same security family,” Al- Hamadeh told North-Press via a phone call, “but I expect General Jamil Al-Hassan to be out of the security institution, the Head of Air Intelligence, a pro-Iran and considered as a significant supporter of the regime,” he said.
Al-Hamadeh pointed out that “there is a Russian-Iranian rivalry, every country tries to attract a number of leaders and try to buy their allegiance, and this is what’s really happening”.
As for Mamlouk, the Syrian military expert sees him as “the head of the National Security, which includes the security branches and is the one behind the crimes against the Syrian people. Today, his appointment as the vice president of security affairs is a reward for him and a continuation of the security solution”.
Regarding the predicts which indicate Mamlouk as being prepared to replace the Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, Al-Hamadeh said: “The position of the vice president in Syria doesn’t mean anything; there were vice presidents as Farouk al-Sharaa and Najah Al-Attar, I think that the decision in all its details is in the hands of the Russians and the Iranians, and Bashar Al-Assad is just the executor of the orders”.