Bashar al-Assad issued a decree replacing five governors in different provinces.
Mohammed Marwan Oulabi was appointed Governor of the province of Aleppo, Khairuddin as-Sayyed as Governor of Idleb, Ibrahim Kheder Salem as Governor of Lattakia, Ahmad Sheikh Abdul Qadir as Governor of Quneitra and Safwan Abu Saada as Governor of the province of Tartous.
Assad kept the Governor of Damascus Countryside, Hussein Makhlouf, in his position after he was nominated to receive one of the ministries in the recently formed government under Prime Minister Wael al-Halki.
A source in the province of Damascus told All4Syria that the most likely reason for retaining Makhlouf is security reasons and the fact that he was able to run the rest of the province of Damascus Countryside, participated in the armistices in some areas, as well as his relations with the security forces that will help in the coordination between the security and military agencies fighting in the province.
According to media sources, the new Governor of Aleppo, Oulabi, was previously Branch Secretary of the Baath Party in Aleppo University, and is a sick and old man.
Remarkably, the Governor of Homs, Mohammed Talal Barazi, retained his position despite numerous calls for his dismissal, especially after the bombing of Ikrema school.
With the escalation of Iranian influence in the province of Homs, Barazi enjoys important relations with the Iranian military and security circles, especially with General Qassem Suleimani.
Assad had appointed Barazi as governor under the Legislative Decree No. 256, issued on 17 July last year. Barazi was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Damascus International Organization for Artistic Production and holds a BA in Economics and Business Administration from Damascus University. He is also a member in the Damascus Chamber of Commerce and the Damascus Chamber of Industry.
Barazi was a consultant in administration and public relations in the free zone of Sharjah Airport, and established the Talal Barazi International Foundation in 1997, which includes the Damascus International Organization for Artistic Production, Talal Barazi Convention and Exhibition Center, and Barazi Contracting Foundation.
Barazi is a partner and Director of Arab Relations at the National Agency for Public Relations and Communication NAPRC, and is also a founding partner in several companies operating in education and medical services, tourism investments and real estate development.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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