Fawzi Selu فوزي سلو
President of Syria (military rule)
In office December 3, 1951 – July 11, 1953
Prime Minister	Himself
Leader	Adib Shishakli
Preceded by	Hashim al-Atassi Adib Shishakli (acting)
Succeeded by	Adib Shishakli (Military Rule)
Prime Minister of Syria
In office December 3, 1951 – July 19, 1953
President	Himself Adib Shishakli (military rule)
Leader	Adib Shishakli
Preceded by	Maaruf al-Dawalibi
Succeeded by	Adib Shishakli
Head of the Army Command Council
In office November 29, 1953 – July 11, 1954
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Defense Minister
In office June 4, 1950 – November 28, 1951
Preceded by	Akram al-Hourani
Succeeded by	Maarouf al-Dawalibi
Chief of the General Staff
In office April 23, 1951 – 1953
Preceded by	Anwar Bannud
Succeeded by	Shawkat Shuqayr
Personal details
Born	1905 Damascus,Syria Vilayet,Ottoman Syria,Ottoman Empire
Died	April 29, 1972 (aged 67) Harasta,Syrian Arab Republic
Political party	Independent politician Arab Liberation Movement (affiliated, due close relation with Shishakli)

Fawzi Selu (1905–1972) (Arabic:فوزي السلو,romanized: Fawzī al-Salū) was aSyrian military leader, politician and thePresident of Syria from December 3, 1951, to July 11, 1953.

He studied at theHoms Military Academy and joined theFrench-sponsoredTroupe Speciales that was created when France imposed itsLeague of Nations mandate on Syria in July 1920. He had a successful military career, and when Syria became fully independent in 1946, he became the director of the academy. He was given a command in the1948 Arab-Israeli War where he became close to chief of staffHusni al-Za'im. When Za'im came to power in acoup in March 1949, he appointed Selu military attaché to the Syrian-Israeliarmistice talks, and he became the principal architect of thecease-fire that was signed in July of that year. Selu, supported by Za'im, demonstrated a willingness to pursue a comprehensive peace settlement with Israel, including a final border agreement,Palestinian refugees, and the establishment of a Syrian embassy inTel Aviv. However Za'im wasoverthrown and killed, and civilian rule was restored with the administration of the nationalistHashim al-Atassi. Atassi upheld the armistice agreement, but refused to consider peace with Israel. Selu then allied himself with military strongman generalAdib al-Shishakli, who contrived to have Selu appointed minister of defense in three cabinets under president Atassi. Shishakli finally launched acoup in November 1951, but could not persuade the popular Atassi to stay on as president, who resigned in protest. As a result, Shishakli appointed Selu as president, prime minister and chief of staff, while retaining real power for himself with the less public role of deputy chief of staff. The two men ran a police state and suppressed virtually all opposition. Under the direction of Shishakli, Selu improved relations withJordan, opening the first Syrian embassy inAmman and befriendingKing Talal. He also sought better relations withLebanon,Egypt andSaudi Arabia.

On July 11, 1953, Shishakli finally dispensed Selu and appointed himself as president. When Shishakli was overthrown in February 1954, a military court in Damascus charged Selu with corruption, misuse of office, and unlawful amendment of the constitution. Selu fled to Saudi Arabia and became an advisor to King Saud and then his brother King Faisal. He was sentenced to death in absentia. After the overthrowing of the government that sentenced him to death, he was later pardoned by the new government and returned to Damascus. Retiring from politics, he later died in the Harasta Military Hospital at the age of 67 years old, on April 29, 1972.^[1]

• Sami Moubayed "Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900–2000" (Cune Press, Seattle, 2005).
• George Fares (1957),Who Are in the Arab World, 316, Damascus

• 1905 births
• 1972 deaths
• Presidents of Syria
• Prime ministers of Syria
• Ministers of defense of Syria
• People sentenced to death in absentia
• Syrian exiles
• Chiefs of staff of the Syrian Army
• Homs Military Academy alumni
• 20th-century Syrian politicians
• 20th-century presidents in Asia

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• Articles containing Arabic-language text