[The following statement was issued by the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in Washington D.C. in response to a recent New York Times article that extensively quoted Syria`s leading businessman and cousin of President Bashar al-Asad, Rami Makhlouf, on developments in Syria. The original article can be found here.]
PRESS OFFICE
May 12, 2011
Statement regarding the recent NY Times interview with Mr. Rami Makhlouf
The New York Times published today the following letter from the Ambassador of Syria in Washington in regards to their interview with Mr. Rami Makhlouf:
“I wish to inform you that Rami Makhlouf, a businessman whom you interviewed at length, is a private citizen in Syria. He holds no official position in the Syrian government and does not speak on behalf of the Syrian authorities. The opinions he expressed are exclusively his and cannot be associated in any way with the official positions of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic.”