Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by
the President); national level - Supreme Constitutional Court
(adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of
laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the
President); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts
represent an intermediate level between the Court of Cassation and
local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of
First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized courts
- Economic Security Courts (hear cases related to economic crimes);
Supreme State Security Court (hear cases related to national
security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to
marriage and divorce)
Political parties and leaders:
note - legal parties include: National Progressive Front or NPF
[President Bashar al-ASAD, Dr. Suleiman QADDAH, deputy] (includes
Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD,
secretary; Muhammad BAKHITAN, assistant secretary general]; Arab
Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD,
secretary general; Muhammad BAKHITAN, assistant secretary general];
Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian
Arab Socialist Union or ASU [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party
(two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian
Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party
[Fayez ISMAIL]); illegal parties include: Kurdish Azadi Party [Khayr
al-Din MURAD]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes four parties)
[Abd al-Hamid DARWISH, secretary general]; Kurdish Democratic Front
(includes three parties but no designated leader); Kurdish
Democratic Union Party or PYD [Ali MUHAMMAD]; Kurdish Future
Movement; Kurdish Yekiti Party [Hasan SALEH]; National Democratic
Front [Hassan Abd al-AZEM];
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Damascus Declaration [Riyad SEIF, secretary general] (a broad
alliance of opposition groups including: Committee for Revival of
Civil Society [Michel KILO, Riyad SEIF]; Kurdish Democratic
Alliance; Kurdish Democratic Front; National Democratic Front;
Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); National
Salvation Front (alliance between former Vice President Abd al-Halim
KHADDAM, the SMB, and other small opposition groups); Syrian Muslim
Brotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI]; (operates in exile in
London; endorsed the Damascus Declaration but is not an official
member)
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313
FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael
CORBIN
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus
mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342
FAX: [963] (11) 224-7938
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors
associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green
five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band;
former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars
represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to
the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has
three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line
centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold
Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design
dates to 1980
Economy Syria
Economy - overview:
The Syrian economy grew by an estimated 2.9% in real terms in 2006,
led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together
account for about one-half of GDP. Higher crude oil prices countered
declining oil production and exports and led to higher budgetary and
export receipts. Total foreign assets of the Central Bank and
domestic banking system rose to about $20 billion in 2006, and the
government strengthened the private sector foreign exchange rate by
about 7 percent from the start of the year. The Government of Syria
has implemented modest economic reforms in the past few years,
including cutting interest rates, opening private banks,
consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising
prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy
remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic
constraints include declining oil production and exports, weak
investment, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by
heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial
expansion, and water pollution.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$75.1 billion (2006 est.)