Fawzi Selu

Faouzi Sélou

Fawzi Selu ( Arabic فوزي السلو Fauzi as-Silu , French Faouzi Selou , * 1905 ; † 1972 Saudi Arabia ) was a Syrian military leader , politician and President of the Syrian Republic (December 3, 1951 to July 11, 1953).

Life

Fawzi Selu studied at the Military Academy Homs and joined a French Special Forces, as France his mandate of the League of Nations took over Syria in July 1920th His military career was successful. When Syria broke away completely from France in 1946, he became director of the military academy .

During the Arab-Israeli war in 1948, he met the then Chief of Staff, Husni az-Za'im . When Husni al-Za'im came to power after a military coup in March 1949 , he installed Selu as military attaché in the armistice negotiations between Syria and Israel . Selu, supported by Za'im, signaled his readiness for a comprehensive peace settlement with Israel, including a final border agreement, and advocated the settlement of the Palestinian refugee issue and the establishment of a Syrian embassy in Tel Aviv . However, this policy aroused resistance from Arab nationalists . In August 1949, Za'im was overthrown and killed in a bloody coup d'État . A civilian government under the nationalist leadership of Hashim Khalid al-Atassi took power. Atassi confirmed the ceasefire agreement, but firmly refused to make peace with Israel.

Selu allied himself with the militarily influential General Adib al-Shishakli , who persuaded President Atassi to appoint Fawzu Selu as Minister of Defense in three cabinets . After Shishakli finally seized power in a bloodless coup in November 1951, Atassi resigned as president. Shishakli thereupon appointed Selu as president, prime minister and chief of staff, while maintaining real power for himself with the less public role of deputy chief of staff. The two men established a police state and suppressed virtually all of the opposition .

Under the leadership of Shishakli and Selu, relations with Jordan improved, and the first Syrian embassy was opened in Amman . He also tried to forge better relations with Lebanon , Egypt and Saudi Arabia .

But between Shishakli and Selu there were more and more differences of opinion. On July 11, 1953, Shishakli ousted President Selu and appointed himself head of state. Finally, Shishakli was overthrown in a coup in February 1954. A military court in Damascus found ex-President Selu, who is now living abroad, guilty of corruption , abuse of office and illegal constitutional amendments . He was sentenced to death in absentia . Fawzi Selu fled to Saudi Arabia and became a military advisor to King Saud and later to his brother King Faisal .

Fawzi Selu died in exile in Saudi Arabia in 1972.