President al-Assad swears in new ministers, affirms that priority is to combat corruption

Damascus, SANA-President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday swore in the newly- appointed Ministers , Lieutenant general Mohammad Khaled al-Rahmoun as Interior Minister, Mohammad Rami Ridwan Martini as Minister of Tourism, Imad Mwafak al-Azab as Education Minister, Bassam Bashir Ibrahim as Minister of Higher Education, Suheil Mohammad Abdullatif as Minister of Public works and Housing, Eyad Mohammad al-Khatib as Minister of Communications and Technology and Mohammad Ma’an Zein al-Abiden Jazba as Minister of Industry. Later, the President chaired a meeting for the Cabinet with all members, talking about the priorities of work in the next stage, most importantly, combating corruption. “We should look at corruption through a comprehensive vision, because it is not limited to using authority to achieve private interests, but, any defect in the state is a corruption, like wasting money, striking institutions and the retreat in the quality of services are faces of corruption that lead to the culture of chaos and frustration, so a lot of people consider corruption and terrorism as two faces for one coin,” President al-Assad said. The President considered that punishing the corrupt is necessary, but most importantly is deterrence and prevention, affirming that the prevention starts from structure, legislations and laws. President al-Assad made clear that the biggest part of corruption comes from some gaps in the laws, indicating that the common denominator among the majority of laws is putting exceptional items in them, and that leads to corruption, affirming that all ministries must work immediately to abolish the exceptions in the laws. “All Ministers should take immediate procedures that achieve tangible outcomes to be touched upon by the citizen,” President al-Assad said, adding that not only the corrupt must be punished, but we should strike the corrupt environment to decrease those corrupt officials in a way to have a more simpler punishment process. The President went on to say that combating corruption also comes through facilitating and simplifying the dealings and daily measures needed by the citizen that open the door for corruption, pointing out to the importance of expanding the centers that offer services for citizens. President al-Assad affirmed that the people, with all spectrums, have offered sacrifices and were patient, on top of them, the armed forces, adding that it is the right of all who had offered and were patient to see the results of this patience, they made sacrifices for a precious price-which is the best Homeland-and they have the right to see the best and it is our duty to make them see these results, mainly, combating corruption. At the conclusion of the meeting, President al-Assad considered that there is a conviction which should be consolidated in any person who assumes a post, which is that the field where he works is the public service, which means he or she should be in the service of the citizen, not the contrary.