Eight days after the fall of the regime Bachar el-Assadthis question is at the center of comments in the international press this Monday.
« One struggle ends, another begins, raise it Guardian in London. Revolution breeds counter-revolution. Hopes are dashed, disappointment and disillusionment follow. Is this what the future holds for Syria? Euphoria hides deep anxiety. The challenges facing the country are numerous, complex and formidable ».
And the British daily asks: “ what should the international community do? ». First of all « extend a friendly and cautious hand to the new leaders of Damascus – and tell Israel and to the Türkiye to stop their destabilizing and predatory behavior. But the West must not try to dictate events. At this crucial moment of maximum risk and lingering mistrust, international assistance must be led and coordinated by the UN, still affirms the Guardian. This victory must not be wasted. This opportunity for real change must not be squandered. After years of failure, the world owes Syria a debt. It’s time to start paying it back ».
The fear of chaos…
« Gone is the monstrous past, it is the uncertainties about the future shape of Syria which now worry more than one, adds The Orient-The Day in Beirut. (…) G7 officials strongly reaffirmed their support for a smooth transition leading to an inclusive and non-sectarian government, respectful of the rights of women and also of Syrian religious and ethnic minorities. It’s this same message, continues the Lebanese dailywhich American Secretary of State Antony Blinken brought to Turkish President Erdogan, notorious godfather of the Assad regime’s assassins. And it is again on this burning question that a high-level conference bringing together Americans, Europeans, Arabs and Turks discussed this weekend in Amman. This (diplomatic) commotion can be explained, point again L’Orient-Le Jour, by the general fear of a chaos which could settle in Syria where the most disparate armed groups abound, chaos of which the extremists of the Islamic State would be the first beneficiaries ».
How to recover Assad’s billions?
During this time, ” the hunt for the missing billions of the Assad dynasty begins », exclaims the Wall Street Journal. Indeed, ” The Assad family had established a vast network of investments and business interests in the decades after the patriarch, Hafez al-Assad, seized power in 1970 “. There is “ prime real estate in Russia, charming hotels in Vienna in Austria, a private jet parked in Dubai, (…) real estate also in France, for an amount estimated at 90 million euros; property already frozen by Paris since 2019 ».
In total, “ the Assad family’s fortune could be around $12 billion », estimates the Wall Street Journal. In any case, for the new Syrian authorities, points out the American daily, “ this hunt to recover all these billions will probably be long, just as those of the hidden fortunes of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi were ».
Mayotte: devastation
Also in the news, the island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, ravaged by Cyclone Chido. A real “ apocalypse », exclaims The World in Paris. “ How many victims were buried in piles of sheet metal, household appliances and furniture debris? How many disappeared in the slums completely devastated by gusts of more than 200 km/h? The department had not experienced a cyclone of such violence for at least 90 years. ».
« Mayotte: a vision of the end of the world », adds Liberation. « This “exceptional” event, according to Météo France, is a natural phenomenon, of course, but in this specific case, man has an enormous responsibility.relieves Release. On two levels. By contributing to climate change which resulted in surface temperatures of ocean waters close to 30 degrees, which, along with very deep warm waters, created “a large reservoir of energy available for cyclones“. And by letting this department sink into misery when all the alarm bells had been ringing for months and even years. (…) The State, concludes the newspaperfailed in the management of this department and the local population is today paying the price. The least we can do now is to help and comfort him. Quickly, and by all means ».
