 | |
| Abbreviation | NALS |
|---|---|
| Formation | March 1982 |
| Headquarters | Paris |
Region served | Syria |
TheNational Alliance for the Liberation of Syria (Arabic:التحالف الوطني لتحرير سورية,al-Taḥālluf al-waṭanī li-taḥrīr Sūriya) was a coalition ofSyrian opposition groups, supported by theIraqi government.[1][2] The foundation of the National Alliance took place inParis in March 1982.[3][4] The charter of the National Alliance was transmitted byVoice of Arab Syria on March 22, 1982.[5] The National Alliance called for armed popular struggle in order to topple theal-Assad regime.[6]
The coalition gatheredIslamist andArab nationalist factions,[2] consisting of theSyrian wing of the Baghdad-based Arab Socialist Baath Party, theMuslim Brotherhood of Adnan Saad al-Din, theCommunist Party - Political Bureau ofRiad al-Turk, theArab Socialists ofAkram al-Hawrani and theArab Socialist Union ofJassem Alwan and Mohammed al-Jarah, as well independent personalitiesNasim al-Safarjalani, Khaled Al-Hakim and Hamoud Choufi.[3][4]
For the Iraqi government, the decision of the Syrian government to block Iraqi oil exports to theMediterranean (in the context of Syria siding withIran in theIran–Iraq War) prompted it to support the launching of the National Alliance.[1] The coalition was also reportedly obtaining support fromJordan.[7] For the Islamists, on the other hand, joining forces with secular groups had become a necessity after the defeat inHama in the same year. The charter of the National Alliance had only one passage referring to theIslamic heritage of Syria.[8] This pragmatism caused dissent both within theMuslim Brotherhood ranks (their military wing commander`Adnan `Uqla saw it as treason and hypocrisy) as well as from Islamist forces abroad.[8][7][9] A group ofulema led by Thahir Khayrallah broke away from the Muslim Brotherhood in protest against the National Alliance.[10]
However, in spite of its political breadth, it was unable to mobilize any popular revolt against the incumbent regime inDamascus. Instead, the activities of the coalition were largely limited to defamation against the Damascus government. Pro-IraqiSyrian Baathist leadersShibli al-Aysami andAmin al-Hafiz, representing the National Alliance, gave press interviews in which they accusedHafez al-Assad of being responsible for the loss of theGolan Heights in theSix-Day War in 1967, theatrocities in Hama and for pursuing a moderate line towardsIsrael and theUnited States.[2] Notably the foundation of the National Alliance came after the Hama revolt, by the time the possibility for mobilizing opposition activities inside Syria was too late.[11] By the mid-1980s the platform was defunct.[10]
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