Le Figaro: Suicide of Gasi Canaan adds mystery to the backstage struggle in Syria

The former "silovik" of Syria in Lebanon, Gazi Canan on Wednesday committed suicide . According to the communique, published by the official Syrian agency Sana, "General Gazi Kanan, the Minister of the Interior, committed suicide in his office in the morning," writes Le Figaro newspaper (translation on the website inopressa.ru ).

His chief of the office, General Valid Abaza added: “The general left the office and went home, but after a quarter of an hour he returned, took out a gun from the table and shot himself in his mouth,” continues the French edition.

According to one of the representatives of the Syrian opposition, the situation in Damascus was calm on Wednesday, except for the accumulation of service cars near the central hospital. Very little information seeps about the real circumstances of the death of the Minister, which occurred against the backdrop of rumors about the growing instability of the Bashar Assad regime.

According to the first version, the death of Canaan is associated with the upcoming publication of the UN report on the murder in Beirut in February this year of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The speaker, the German judge Detlev Mehlis, was supposed to talk about the first results of the work done on October 25, but I wanted the investigation to be continued. He recently talked with Canian.

In the morning, on the eve of the announcement of his death, Canan gave an interview with the private Lebanese radio station "Voice of Lebanon". The general then uttered a mysterious phrase: "I believe this is the last statement that I am making." In an interview, the Minister of Internal Affairs denied the message of another Lebanese Canal, NTV, about his testimony, the data of the Mehlis Commission. NTV claimed that Canan received $ 10 million for the “pushing” of the law that allowed Rafik Hariri at that time to the Syrian ally - to win in the 2000 parliamentary elections.

Is it possible that Canan committed suicide to avoid accusations from the Mehlis Commission? According to the mentioned Syrian oppositionist, "everything is much more complicated here."

It is possible that the causes of the death of the minister should be sought in a complex corruption system created by Syria in Lebanon. Canaan was a large figure in it. His death occurred in an atmosphere of increasing pressure on the Syrian regime. Damascus is threatened not only by the exposure of the Mehlis Commission: the regime is the target of constant attacks of the United States, requiring the support of the Iraqi rebels.

Not later than yesterday, George Bush asked Syria to "do everything possible to stop the penetration of terrorists and killers into Iraq." The leaks appearing in the media increase the threat.

According to Newsweek weekly, the American government recently discussed the issue of the possible strike at the Iraqi rebels camps located in Syrian territory.

On Monday, the Prime Minister of Syria Naji, in sharp expressions, responded to this information, saying that "if American troops dare to attack Syria, hellish gates will open before them."

However, despite these high -profile statements, there are stubborn rumors about backstage maneuvers in the highest echelons of power in Damascus. There are defectors, in particular in power structures. A few months ago, says Intelligence Online, Colonel Muhammad Safi, the head of the office of the head of military intelligence, fled to the United States through Saudi Arabia. It is alleged that he provided the Mehlis Commission for evidence that the explosive device with which Hariri was killed was made by order of Syria with one Czechoslovak company.

Driven in a corner, the regime may try to save yourself, sacrificing some of the most prominent figures. Oppositionists who are from now prohibited from gathering in Damascus (a famous activist, Dr. Sarem, was arrested on Wednesday, say Syrian sources), now hold conferences in Paris and Washington. They maintain ties with people close to the Assad family, which makes up the core of the Syrian regime. One of the relatives of President Bashar, according to some reports, also made contact with the USA and the Syrian "Muslim brothers" living in exile in London.

The death of General Canaan adds another portion of mystery to these backstage maneuvers, writes Le Figaro.