Mob Storms Parliament In Damascus - 27/02/1954

The Times Records (Troy, New York)

Sat, Feb 27, 1954 – Page 1

 

Mob Storms Parliament In Damascus

Beirut, Lebanon (UP)

 

Syrian rebels broadcast an ultimatum today threatening to attack the capital of Damascus unless army forces backing ousted President Adib Shishekly join the revolt.

Rebel supreme headquarters in Aleppo gave the Damascus garrison until 5 pm to abandon their support of Shishekly and recognize Hasham El Atassy, whom shishekly ousted in a coup in 1951.

 

Unless the ultimatum is complied with, the rebel said, they will attack the capital.

A howling mob of 5,000 stone-throwing rebel supporters stormed the parliament building in Damascus. They forced parliament to dissolve on the ground that it was elected under Shishekly’s dictatorship, and beat at least one deputy. The mob smashed windows and, bursting into the chamber, tore up seats.

 

Asks Army Support

Shishekly, who had fled Damascus to this Lebanese capital, left by plane under heavy guard today for Saudi Arabia.

 

Lt. Col. Feisal El Atassy, nephew of former President Atassy, was in command of the rebel forces with headquarters in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and biggest port.

 

He appealed to army troops in Damascus to support the rebel movement.

 

It was reported that a squadron of Syrian jet meteor fighter planes, responding to the appeal, flew to Aleppo from the air force base near Damascus to join the rebels.

 

In Damascus, Dr. Mahmoun El Kuzbari, speaker of the chamber of deputies, had assumed the acting presidency in accordance with constitutional procedure after Shishekly fled.

 

Demand Resignation

The rebels demanded that Kuzbari resign in favor of Hasham El Atassy or face the consequences of bloodshed.

 

A mob marched on Kuzbari’s residence in Damascus shouting “Down with Kuzbari”.

Jet Air Force flew over Damascus, showering leaflets demanding that Kuzbari get out.

Rebel headquarters in Aleppo asserted that the army supporters of Shishekly in Damascus had arrested Lt. Col. Shawkat Shuqayr, army chief of staff, and demanded his immediate release.

 

It was reported here that Col. Rasmi Al-Kudsi, whom the rebels had branded “a mercenary of imperialism and servant of French aggression”, had proclaimed himself chief of staff. Syria and Lebanon were formerly French colonies.

 

Denounces “Renegades”

 

Lt. Col. Atassy in an impassioned broadcast from Aleppo denounced the army supporters of Shishekly as “criminals, runaways and slayers”.

“Rise in the face of these renegades”, Atassy pleaded with troops of the armored forces in the Damascus area. “We do not want to hurl the army into a battle against a number of its sons.

 

“We have one objective – to liberate the country from the despotic dictatorship and restore the reign of a free and honorable republican regime”.

Shishekly, who had found sanctuary in the Saudi Arabia legation at Beirut, flew to Saudi Arabia today under the strongest security precautions.

 

The ousted president, his brother Salah Shishekly and seven Syrian guards accompanied Shishekly on the flight board a Saudi-Arabian DC-3 but his wife and three children remained in Beirut.

 

Shishekly was driven to the airport in a Cadillac at high speed with an escort of more than 300 heavily armed police.