
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 22, 1994                   TAG: 9401220168
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: DAMASCUS, SYRIA                                LENGTH: Short

SON OF SYRIAN PRESIDENT DIES IN CAR CRASH

President Hafez Assad's eldest son and presumed political heir to the leadership of Syria died Friday in an Basil Assad auto accident.

Basil Assad, 32, was being quietly groomed to succeed his 63-year-old father, who suffers from diabetes and a heart condition.

Basil was headed for the airport to catch a flight to Germany, driving at speeds of up to 80 mph along the foggy highway, sources close to the family said. He missed the airport turnoff and slammed into a barrier, and the car flipped several times, they reported, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Basil's cousin, Hafez Makhlouf, 24, was treated for a head wound. A backseat passenger, the chauffeur who would return the car, was unhurt, the sources said.

Although the death could affect Syria's future, it was not expected to change Syria's negotiating strategy or positions in Middle East peace efforts. - Associated Press

Keywords:
FATALITY

by CNB