Fares al-Khoury

Early years

Fares Khoury was born in Kfeir in the Hasbaya District in modern-day Lebanon to a Greek Orthodox Christian{{cite book Khoury then became Minister of Finance in the new Syrian cabinet of Prime Minister Rida Pasha al-Rikabi. His post was renewed by Prime Minister Hashim al-Atassi in May 1920. He held this position until King Faisal was dethroned and the French Colonial forces imposed their mandate on Syria in July 1920. Khoury laid the groundwork for the Syrian Ministry of Finance, created its infrastructure, distributed its administrative duties, formulated its laws, and handpicked its staff. In 1923, he helped found Damascus University and along with a group of veteran educators, translated its entire curriculum from Ottoman Turkish into Arabic.

Later years

In 1925 Khoury joined Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar to found the People's Party, of which he became vice-president. Minister of Education from April to July 1926, he was elected member of the Syrian Constituent Assembly in 1928, then elected to the Syrian Parliament in 1932, reelected in 1936 (and president of the Parliament till 1939) and 1943 (and again president of the Parliament till 1944). He was a member of the Syrian delegation that negotiated the Franco-Syrian Treaty in Paris in 1936.

Foundation of the UN

Fares Khoury was the first Syrian statesman to visit the United States and represent his country in 1945 at the inauguration of the UN. Syria was one of the original 53 founding members of the United Nations. As the head of Syria's delegation in San Francisco, Faris al-Khoury's superb oratory and astuteness made a strong impression in front of world leaders. After hearing Khoury's eloquent speech, a US diplomat remarked: "It is impossible for a country with men like these, to be occupied!"

One of the amazing stories in the history of the United Nations is when Faris Al-Khoury sat on France's chair instead of Syria's, After a few minutes, the French representative to the UN approached Faris and asked him to leave the chair, but Faris ignored the Frenchman and just looked at his watch, a couple of minutes later, the Frenchman angrily asked Faris to leave immediately, but Faris kept on ignoring the Frenchman and just staring at his watch, After 25 minutes of sitting in France's chair, Faris left the chair and said to the French representative: "You could not bear watching me sitting in your chair for a mere 25 minutes, Your country has occupied mine for more than 25 years, hasn't the time of your troops departure come yet?". The process of Syria's independence started in this same UN session.

Political career

He became Prime Minister from October 14, 1944, till October 1, 1945, then again president of the parliament till the military coup of Husni al-Za'im who dissolved it in April 1949. After free elections in October 1954, he returned as Prime Minister from October 25, 1954, till February 13, 1955, when his pro-Western government, hostile to a union with Egypt, was toppled by the parliament.

Death

In his old age, Fares al-Khoury spent more time with his wife, child, and three grandchildren, Fares Jr, Colette, and Samer. He continued to travel to attend annual law conventions in Switzerland, until he fractured his leg and was forced to stay at home for the final two years of his life. On January 2, 1962, the former Syrian prime minister died in Damascus, at the age of 84, ending a career that spanned over 50 years in Syria’s political sphere. He received presidential honors at his funeral as one of the founders of the Syrian Republic, unlike any prime minister before or after him. Making a statement even in death, Muslim community leaders were allowed to recite the Quran during the condolence service. Suheil al-Khury accepted this rare act to show how secular his father had been, and how close he had been to both Muslims and Christians. Faris al-Khoury's death came three months after the dissolution of the United Arab Republic between Egypt and Syria (1958–1961) during which he was an active political opponent.

Legal opinions

As a typical Syrian nationalist, he considered the territorial transfer of Hatay Province to Turkey by the French government as illegal under international law. For that reason, he also opposed the proposal to declare every unprovoked invasion by armed gangs of another country as criminal under international law, claiming that such gangs often served interests of national liberation of certain territories. However, he considered the refusal of government parties to a dispute to submit to UN Security Council resolutions as an international crime.

References

References

1. (2006). "Steel & Silk: Men and Women who Shaped Syria 1900-2000". Cune Press.
2. [https://books.google.com/books?id=AFgBAAAAMAAJ&q=%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A+%D9%82%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A1+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A '''فارس''' عن نفسه قال ان اسم والده يعقوب بن جبور بن يعقوب بن ابراهيم '''الخوري''' . وقد اخبره جده جبور عن اسلافه قال : جاء جدنا الاكبر '''الخوري''' جرجس ابو رزق الى كفير حاصبيا مع اخيه عبد الله من '''قضاء الزبداني''' ومعها عائلات ابي جمره وخلف والحاج وغيرها]
3. "مذكرات فارس خوري بخط يده في "المضحك المبكي" ..اصله .. والده وجده .. دينه ومذهبه ..؟".
4. عباس, عبد الهادي أحمد. "الخوري (فارس-)".
5. al-Bustani, Butrus. (2019-04-30). "The Clarion of Syria: A Patriot's Call against the Civil War of 1860". Univ of California Press.
6. Yazıcı, Sibel. (2018). "Osmanlı Meclis-i Mebusanı ve Faaliyetleri (1914-1918)". Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstütüsü Tarih Anabilim Dalı.
7. [[The Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies#Leila Fawaz (2001-2012). Fawaz, Leila Tarazi]] (2014) ''a land of aching hearts : the Middle East in the Great War'' Harvard University Press. {{ISBN. 978-0-674-73549-1. p.122
8. "Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar". answers.com.
9. Moubay, Samy. (24 December 2007). "Good Christians, and Orientalists to the Bone". The Washington Post.
10. (February 2009). "The story of Asma and Fares". Forward Magazine.
11. ''Yearbook of the ILC, 1950'', vol. 1. p. 77
12. ''Yearbook of the ILC, 1950'', vol. 1, pp. 119, 169
13. ''Yearbook of the ILC, 1950'', vol. 1, p. 168