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Dubai: A defiant Syrian regime is bracing itself for a confrontation with the international community over its suspected role in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri on February 14. The Syrian Government has formed a special team to seek ways to minimise the damage of potential international sanctions, sources from the ruling Al Ba'ath Party told Gulf News. The five-member Crisis Management Unit (CMU), appointed recently by President Bashar Al Assad, is also charged with "handling the outcome of the United Nation's investigation into the assassination and any sanctions that might be imposed by the Security Council," one highly-placed source said.
He said the unit comprises four top security officers in addition to Foreign Minister Farouk Al Shar'a. They are Assef Shawkat, head of military intelligence and the president's brother-in-law, Ali Mamlouk, head of State Security Agency, Hesham Ikhtiyar, Head of National Security Council and Mohammad Saeed Bukhetan, assistant undersecretary of Al Ba'ath Party. "The formation of this unit clearly suggests the regime will not bow to any pressure and subsequently will not handover officials close to it who might be implicated in the Hariri murder," the source explained.
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