Soulieman Marouf (born August 1972 [1] ) is a British businessman.
Marouf is a friend of the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, [2] and has been called his "London fixer". [3] In October 2012, his assets were frozen and he was banned from travelling in the European Union, the first UK resident to be subject to EU sanctions against Syria. [4] This ban was lifted in May 2014. [3] [5]
His 2016 holdings included several luxury flats in London, valued at approximately £6m. [6]
He lives in St John's Wood, London, with his wife and children. [4]
Bashar Hafez al-Assad is the 19th president of Syria since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the Secretary-General of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. His father, Hafez al-Assad, was the president of Syria before him, serving from 1971 to 2000.
Maher al-Assad is a Syrian general and commander of the Republican Guard and the army's elite Fourth Armoured Division, which together with Syria's secret police form the core of the country's security forces. He is also a member of the Central Committee of the Ba'ath Party's Syrian Regional Branch. He is thought by some to be the second most powerful man in Syria after his brother Bashar, the current President. Maher is described by analysts as preferring Iran to play the largest role as the Syrian Government's main ally during the Syrian Civil War and subsequent post-war reconstruction. This is in contrast to the position of Suheil al-Hassan, prominent warlord and head of the Division 25 Special Mission Forces who has gained much influence as a result of his activities during the Syrian civil war, who was reported as preferring Russia.
Walid Mohi Edine al Muallem was a Syrian diplomat and Ba'ath Party member who served as foreign minister from 2006 to 2020 and as deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2020.
Asma Fawaz al-Assad is the First Lady of Syria. Born and raised in London to Syrian parents, she is married to the 19th and current President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad.
Diplomatic relations between Syria and the United States are currently non-existent; they were suspended in 2012 after the onset of the Syrian Civil War. Priority issues between the two states include the Arab–Israeli conflict, the Golan Heights annexation, and the Iraq War.
Bushra al-Assad is the first child and only daughter of Hafez al-Assad, who was the president of Syria from 1971 to 2000. She is the sister of current Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. She is the widow of Assef Shawkat, the deputy chief of staff of the Syrian Armed Forces and former head of the Syrian Military Intelligence, who was killed in an explosion on 18 July 2012.
The Air Force Intelligence Directorate is an intelligence service of Syria, possibly the country's most powerful, owing its importance to Hafez al-Assad's role as the Air Force commander. Despite its name, it is mainly involved with issues other than air force intelligence, and took an active part in the suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood rebellion in the 1980s. Agents of this service have frequently been stationed in Syrian embassies or branch offices of the national airline.
Croatia–Syria relations are bilateral relations between Croatia and Syria. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 29 August 1997. Croatia is represented in Syria through its embassy in Cairo in Egypt and an honorary consulate in Damascus. Syria is represented in Croatia through its embassy in Budapest in Hungary. Both countries are full members of the Union for the Mediterranean, although Syria suspended its membership in 2011.
The Military Intelligence Division, is the military intelligence service of Syria. Although its roots go back to the French mandate period (1923–1943), its current organization was established in 1969. Its predecessor organisation was called the Deuxième Bureau. It is headquartered at the Defense Ministry in Damascus.
Hafez Makhlouf is a Syrian former intelligence officer who was head of the internal branch of the General Security Directorate, Syria's civilian intelligence agency. He was a member of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's "inner circle" of close supporters.
The al-Assad family has ruled Syria since Hafez al-Assad became President of Syria in 1971 by the Ba'ath Party. After his death in June 2000, his son Bashar succeeded him.
The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided civil war, fought in Syria, between the Syrian Arab Republic led by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and various domestic and foreign forces that oppose both the Syrian government and each other.
Rami Makhlouf is a Syrian businessman and the maternal cousin of president Bashar al-Assad. He is considered Syria's wealthiest man and one of the most powerful men in Syria; according to Syrian analysts he is part of al-Assad's inner circle and no foreign company can do business in Syria without his consent and partnership. Makhlouf owns Syriatel, the largest mobile phone network in Syria, along with other retail, banking and real estate companies.
International reactions to the Syrian Civil War ranged from support for the government to calls for the government to dissolve. The Arab league, United Nations and Western governments in 2011 quickly condemned the Syrian government's response to the protests which later evolved into the Syrian Civil War as overly heavy-handed and violent. Many Middle Eastern governments initially expressed support for the government and its "security measures", but as the death toll mounted, especially in Hama, they switched to a more balanced approach, criticizing violence from both government and protesters. Russia and China vetoed two attempts at United Nations Security Council sanctions against the Syrian government.
The 4th Armoured Division is an elite formation of the Syrian Army whose primary purpose is to defend the Syrian government from internal and external threats.
Rafiq Shahadah is a Syrian Army major general. He is head of the Military Intelligence Directorate and the Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army's operations in eastern Syria.
AnisaMakhlouf was the Syrian matriarch of the Al-Assad family, which has ruled the country since 1971. The wife of the late President Hafez al-Assad, Makhlouf held the position of First Lady of Syria from 1971 until 2000. Her five children include Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria since 2000.
The petroleum industry in Syria forms a major part of the economy of Syria. According to the International Monetary Fund, before the Syrian Civil War, oil sales for 2010 were projected to generate $3.2 billion for the Syrian government and accounted for 25.1% of the state's revenue.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from September–December 2019. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.
Sanctions against Syria are a series of economic sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and the Arab League, mainly as a result of the repression of civilians in the Syrian civil war from 2011 onwards.