The Prime Minister of the Assad regime, Hussein Arnous, claimed that securing food is one of the government’s top priorities, as well as securing the requirements of agricultural and industrial production, and oil derivatives, and launching production in medium and small enterprises. He gave statements that were detached from reality.
“There will be no problem with food in Syria and we have enough wheat until after the next harvest season. This comes in addition to the continued supply of wheat and basic food, with several locally produced food products temporarily suspended,” he said.
Arnous made the remarks while participating in a meeting of the so-called National Progressive Front, led by regime leader Bashar al-Assad. It was attended by the Front’s Vice President Mohammed al-Shaar, on the president’s behalf.
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During the meetings, power was suddenly cut off due to the Syrian rationing plan. The prime minister asked loudly about the minister of electricity after the power outage. Minister Ghassan al-Zamil seemed to be standing in the dark, holding his mobile device, trying to contact those concerned to restore electricity to the complex.
Loyal media sources stated that the incident prompted many citizens to wonder about the leadership’s failure to bear the power cut for one minute, while most Syrians live for hours without it. They expressed their hope by inviting them to leadership meetings illuminated with abundant electricity.
It is not the first time that the Assad regime has sparked controversy over food security. A newspaper close to the Assad regime quoted Amr Salem, the minister of internal trade and consumer protection in the regime’s government as saying that “food security is secure and more than excellent,” contradicting UN statements, studies, and reports from international actors on food insecurity in Syria.
The National Progressive Front is a group of nationalist and left-wing parties that are virtually ineffective, led by the Baath Party.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
