Hafez Assad

ANTAKYA, Turkey - In newly printed textbooks at dozens of Syrian refugee schools, a small piece of Middle East geography has been amended. Seventy-five years ago, Turkey annexed the northern Syrian territory of Hatay against the will of Syria, but maps in Syrian schoolbooks during the lengthy reign of the Assad family have continued to include Hatay inside Syria's borders. The maps in the new schoolbooks show Hatay in Turkey, one of a number of political changes made by the Syrian opposition group that published the books.

Presi dent Hafez Assad's eldest son and presumed political heir to the leadership of Syria died Friday in an auto accident. Basil Assad, 31, emerged two years ago as the expected successor to the 63-year-old president, who has ruled Syria with an iron grip since 1970. Basil Assad was considered his father's favorite and was apparently being groomed to carry on the dynasty.

Syria's ruling Baath Party elected Bashar Assad, 34, to the post of secretary-general of its executive, bringing him another step closer to the presidency left vacant by the June 10 death of his father, Hafez Assad. The late president came to power after a 1970 coup. The unanimous vote in Damascus, the capital, for Assad to head the 21-member regional command came a day before parliament was expected to approve his nomination for the presidency.

Syrian President Hafez Assad decried the changes sweeping Eastern Europe as a boon to Israel and called for a holy war "as long as time" against the Jewish state. Assad also fiercely denounced the recent wave of Soviet Jewish emigration to Israel, saying migrating Jews would force Palestinians from their homeland.

President Hafez Assad, Syria's leader for 28 years, has been reelected to a fifth seven-year term after winning 99.98% of the vote in a national election, the interior minister said in Damascus. Assad's victory was a foregone conclusion, as there was no other candidate. Celebrations began as early as Jan. 14 when parliament, which is dominated by a pro-government coalition, nominated Assad. Interior Minister Mohammed Harba noted that 219 voters said "no."

Lebanon's President Elias Hrawi met with Syrian President Hafez Assad to discuss his plans after the toppling of rebel Christian Maj. Gen. Michel Aoun. Hrawi was greeted in Damascus by Assad and a 21-gun salute. Syrian officials said talks focused on plans to disband militias, form a new government and free southern Lebanon from Israeli occupation. Lebanese government officials said the seven existing militias, estimated to number 40,000 men, will be disbanded within six months.

Syrian President Hafez Assad made a rare visit to France to seek European help to relaunch a Middle East peace process that he said has been paralyzed by Israel. In his first official visit to the West in 22 years, Assad wasted little time before lashing out at what he called "Israeli intransigence" in dealing with its Arab neighbors. President Jacques Chirac met for nearly three hours with Assad and held a state dinner for him later. The two leaders were to meet again today.

A likely power struggle within Hafez Assad's family led to the shooting of the Syrian president's son-in-law by Assad's son, the French daily Liberation has reported. Assef Chawkat, head of army intelligence and husband of Assad's only daughter, was hospitalized in Paris in early November, the paper reported Monday. It said he had since returned home.