Firas Tlass

Firas Tlass
Born Firas Mustafa Tlass
(1960-08-20) 20 August 1960
Damascus, Syria
Nationality Syrian
Occupation Businessman
Years active 1980s – present
Religion Islam
Spouse(s) Rania al Jabiri (married 1984)
Children Yara
Mira
Lara
Yasmine
Mustafa
Parent(s) Mustafa Tlass (father)
Relatives Manaf Tlass (brother)
Abdul Razzaq Tlass (cousin)
Website Official website

Firas Mustafa Tlass (born 20 August 1960) is a Syrian business tycoon and a member of a significant Sunni family who had close relations with former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, but defected to the rebels during the Syrian Civil War.

Early life and education

Firas Tlass was born in Damascus on 20 August 1960.[1] He is the second eldest child of Mustafa Tlass, a former Syrian Minister of Defense from 1972 to 2004.[1][2] Next to the Assad clan, his family was the most famous Sunni family in Syria, known for supporting the government.[3] On the other hand, the members of his family worked for the Ottoman suzerains as well as French occupiers after the First World War.[4] Manaf Tlass, who was a senior military official and defected in July 2012, is his younger brother.[3]

He attended Ecole Laique in Damascus, graduating in 1978. He studied business administration at Damascus University, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in economy in 1984. He went to France to study French and obtained a degree in commerce from Paris.[1]

Career

Firas Tlass is described as a business tycoon[5] and Syria's sugar king.[6] He was the second richest person in Syria after Bashar al-Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf.[3] Firas Tlass was a significant supporter and also, beneficiary of Bashar al-Assad's liberal economy policies over the past decade.[7] He is said to have had the inside track during the privatization process in Syria.[7] It was speculated that Firas Tlass had business relations with Rifaat al-Assad’s sons.[8]

Firas Tlass founded Min Ajl Suriyya (MAS) (“For Syria” in English) in 1984. MAS deals with different commercial activities, ranging from roasting coffee beans to producing metal, canned food, and dairy products.[1] MAS also provided the Syrian army with clothes, food, and medicine.[9] In 2004, Tlass also began to provide financial assistance to the website Syria News that was owned by the Syrian Economic Center (SEC).[8] In 2010, he launced EFG Hermes Syria with EFG Hermes, the leading Egyptian investment bank in the Arab world.[10] It was reported that EFG Hermes Syria was a partnership between EFG Hermes (70%) and Firas Tlass (30%).[11][12] Tlass became the chairman of the firm.[12] Additionally, Tlass was the local joint venture partner for French cement company Lafarge.[10] He is also Chairman of Palmyra-SODIC.[13] His other business activity is the Palmyra real estate development company, of which he is the general manager.[14]

Firas Tlass is a former member of the Ba'ath Party.[15] However, in 2005, he and another Baath member, Abdel Nour, argued that they supported multi-party elections and ending the Baath monopoly on power in Syria.[15] Firas Tlass also said that the relations with the US should be better.[15] Until his defection, he and his brother Manaf Tlass were regarded by Bashar al-Assad as peers and friends.[16]

Controversy

At the beginning of the 2000s, Israel and the US accused Syria that it enabled Arab mujahideen to percolate weapons through its borders into Iraq, mainly through influential Firas Tlass.[17] In 2003, it was also claimed that Iraq officials sent their banned weapons to Syria via Tlass, who had trade connections with Iraq.[18] Firas was also accused of corruption and of benefiting from the Assad government.[19] Forbes argued in 2011 that he was among those who got a 5% commission on deals they brokered in Syria.[6]

Defection and views

It was reported by AFP that Firas and his father, former defense minister Mustafa Tlass, arrived in Paris in March 2012. But their move was not seen as a defection.[20] However, there is another report on his defection. It states that Mustafa Tlas and his son, Firas, both left Syria since the revolt against Assad began in 2011.[21] It is added that Mustafa Tlass left for France for what he described as medical treatment, while Firas left Syria for Egypt in 2011.[21] There is another report, indicating that Firas is in Dubai.[22] It is also argued that Firas in France with his father.[23] There is another report, arguing that Firas travels between the United Arab Emirates and France.[24] His younger brother Manaf Tlass, a Syrian officer, defected from the Assad government and fled to Turkey and on 6 July 2012, he went to France from Turkey.[21][23]

On 26 July 2012, Firas Tlass expressed his support for Bashar Assad’s resignation. He further declared that he had provided the Farouq Brigades in the Free Syrian Army, commanded by his cousin Abdul Razzak Tlass, with the humanitarian and relief aid.[25] On 8 March 2013, he told Al Arabiya that Syria had had secret business deals with Israel.[26]

Personal life

Tlass married Rania Al Jabiri in 1984.[1] She hails from a prominent Sunni family based in Aleppo and part of the Aleppine upper class.[8][27] They have five children: Yara (born 1989), Mira and Lara (twins born 1991), Yasmine (born 1998) and Mustafa (born 2000).[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Personal Profile". Firas Tlass.com. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  2. ↑ Briscoe, Ivan; Floor Janssen Rosan Smits (November 2012). "Stability and economic recovery after Assad: key steps for Syria’s post-conflict transition" (PDF). Clingendael: 1-51. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Olmert, Josef (6 July 2012). "With Tlass Defection Bashar Assad's Troubles Are Mounting". Huffington Post. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  4. ↑ Kechichian, Joseph A. (27 July 2012). "Syria is bigger than individuals, says defected brigadier". Gulf News. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  5. ↑ Neil MacFarquhar (6 July 2012). "Military Confidante of Syria’s Assad Is Reported to Have Defected". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  6. 1 2 Moukheiber, Zina (30 March 2011). "President Assad and The Syrian Business Elite". Forbes. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  7. 1 2 Elizabeth Palmer; Khaled Wassef (6 July 2012). "Syrian Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass not first in his powerful family to defect". CBS. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 Bar, Shmuel (2006). "Bashar's Syria: The Regime and its Strategic Worldview" (PDF). Comparative Strategy 25. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "The story behind the defection of Syrian general Manaf Tlas". Al Arabiya. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  10. 1 2 Abigail Fielding-Smith; Simeon Kerr (6 July 2012). "Assad sees childhood friend leave". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "EFG Hermes expands into Syria, launches Syrian private equity fund". AMEinfo. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  12. 1 2 "News in brief". Daily News Egypt. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  13. ↑ "Director's Bio". Palmyra Sodic. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  14. ↑ "Honorary shield for Palmyra real estate". Jasmine Hills. 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 Biedermann, Ferry (8 June 2005). "All Set For A Great Shuffle Forward". Inter Press Service (Damascus). Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  16. ↑ Hinnebusch, Raymond (2011). "The Ba'th Party in Post-Ba'thist Syria: President, Party and the Struggle for ‘Reform’". Middle East Critique 20 (2): 109–125. doi:10.1080/19436149.2011.572408. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  17. ↑ Athanasiadis, Iason (9 October 2003). "Syria: Odd man out in a tough neighbourhood". Asia Times. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  18. ↑ "Damascus Rejects 'Unfounded' Arms Claims". APS Diplomat Recorder. 29 March 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "Manaf Tlas: Syrian regime 'taking country to Hell'". BBC. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  20. ↑ "Syrian former defence minister Tlass in France". Agence France-Presse. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  21. 1 2 3 Oweis, Khaled Yacoub (5 July 2012). "Newsmaker: Syrian general breaks from Assad's inner circle". Reuters. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  22. ↑ Julian Borger; Martin Chulov (5 July 2012). "Top Syrian general 'defects to Turkey'". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  23. 1 2 Malas, Nour (6 July 2012). "Defected Syrian General Heads to Paris as Diplomats Meet". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  24. ↑ Karam, Zaina (6 July 2012). "Syrian defector _ regime insider from Sunni family". AJC. AP. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  25. ↑ Al Hindi, Omar (26 July 2012). "The life and times of the defecting Syrian army man, Manaf Tlas". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  26. ↑ Miller, Elhanan (7 March 2013). "Assad’s Syria sold Israel oil, businessman claims". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  27. ↑ "Lt. Gen. Mustafa Tlass". Middle East Intelligence Bulletin 2 (6). 1 July 2000. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
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