Hashim al-Atassi

Khalid Hashim al - Atassi (Arabic هاشم خالد الأتاسي, DMG Hasim Khalid al - Atassi, * 1875 in Homs, † December 5, 1960 ) was a Syrian statesman. He was interim prime minister and later in 1920 with several years of interruption three times President of the Syrian Republic: 1936-1939, 1949-1951 and 1954-1955.

Youth

Hashim al - Atassi was the son of a landowner and was educated in Istanbul. Around the turn of the century, he began his political career in the Ottoman province of Beirut.

Political activity

After the defeat of Turkey in World War al - Atassi member of the Syrian Congress, which I. under the constitutional monarchy of Faisal was declared the independence. In 1920 he became prime minister for a short time, until the land was occupied by France in late 1919 as part of the League of Nations Mandate for Syria and Lebanon.

As one of the leaders, the cast had resisted, he was imprisoned by the French for a few months on the island Aradus. After his release, he was involved in the negotiations for a Franco- Syrian treaty that would ensure the independence of Syria and was signed as a " friendship and alliance treaty" on September 9, 1936.

After the implementation of parliamentary elections Al- Atassi was elected on December 21 1936 as the first president and thus Head of State of modern Syria. In 1939, he performed again from his post to protest against the incorporation of the State of Hatay in the territory of Turkey, who had been until 1938 Alexandretta as Sandzak part of Syria, and was issued by France to Turkey to get their neutrality in a to assure conflict with Germany. The French High Commissioner continued then the constitution and ruled with emergency powers.

1949 al - Atassi was az- Za'ims Prime Minister and President of Syria after the fall of Hosni. al - Atassi wanted with the support of the de facto ruler of Syria Sami al - Hinnawi, the chief of staff of the Syrian army, a union with Hashemite Iraq. After the coup of Adib al- Shishakli, who rejected this union strictly remained al - Atassi to the arrest of Prime Minister Maarouf al - Dawalibi in 1951 still president, but had little influence. During another coup Shishakli was overthrown in February 1954 Atassi returned to power. After free elections followed him in 1955 Shukri al - Quwatli as president.