1. Sabri al-Asali was a Syrian politician and a three-time prime minister of Syria.
17 Facts About Sabri al-Asali
1. 2.
Sabri al-Asali served as vice-president of the United Arab Republic in 1958.
3.
Sabri al-Asali's uncle, Shukri al-Asali, was a prominent national leader, and a deputy in the Ottoman Parliament.
4.
Sabri al-Asali attended Damascus University and graduated with a law degree in 1925.
5.
That same year the Great Syrian Revolt against the French occupation erupted, and Sabri al-Asali participated in the uprising by helping smuggle arms and supplies to the Syrian fighters in the Ghouta area.
6.
In 1936 Quwatli invited Sabri al-Asali to join the National Bloc, an umbrella group that led the political struggle against the French occupation.
7.
In 1948 Sabri al-Asali was again appointed the interior portfolio by Prime Minister Jamil Mardam Bey.
8.
Sabri al-Asali's term was marred by domestic unrest resulting from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
9.
Sabri al-Asali became very unpopular and only narrowly survived several attempts on his life in 1948.
10.
Sabri al-Asali remained under house arrest until al-Za'im's government was overthrown by another military coup.
11.
Under the military government of Adib Shishakli, Sabri al-Asali allied himself with former president Hashim al-Atassi and conspired to bring down the Shishakli government, and restore a civilian administration to Syria.
12.
Sabri al-Asali's tenure saw the assassination of Colonel Adnan al-Malki, the deputy-chief of staff, by a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.
13.
Sabri al-Asali was credited with convincing Quwatli, another pro-Nasser leader, to run for president again in 1955.
14.
President al-Quwatli and Sabri al-Asali travelled to Cairo to finalize the agreement and announced the United Arab Republic, under the leadership of Gamal Abd al-Nasser, on 1 February 1958.
15.
Sabri al-Asali's opponents accused him of receiving illicit funds and forced him to resign.
16.
Sabri al-Asali supported the 1961 coup d'etat that ended the union and signed the secession declaration.
17.
Sabri al-Asali retired from public life and died in Damascus on 13 April 1976.