Murder blamed on fanatics

Press, 29 December 1980, Page 8

Murder blamed on fanatics

NZPA Beinit A prominent Syrian politician has been assassinated in Damascus,, and an official statement has accused the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood of responsibiltiy. The statement, quoted by the Damasus radio, said Darwich Zouni, a member of the Progressive National Front headed by President Hafez Assad, had been shot and killed in front of his home.

The Syrian authorities are determined to strike hard “against the members of the criminal group that calls itself the Muslim Brotherhood,” the official statement said. It added that Mr Zouni, who was 56, would be given a State funeral. The Progressive National front is composed of the ruling Baath Party, the Communist Party, and three other leftist groups. One of the groups, the Unionist Socialists, was headed by Mr

Zouni, a former Army officer. While President Assad derives his power mainly from the Baath Party, of which he is commander-in-chief, the National Front provides him with a wider popular base. The assassination of Mr Zouni was the third in Damascus in as many weeks. A professor and a clergyman were shot and killed early this month. The killings appeared to herald the start of a new wave of violence by the Muslim fundamentalists, who had been weakened by a campaign of suppression. Last month Syria massed forces along the Jordanian border after having accused Amman of providing military training and other assistance to the Brotherhood. Jordan denied the charge, and the crisis was defused when the Syrians withdrew their troops as a result of Saudi mediation.