A witness to triumph

Peter Ford: I have never seen a people as welcoming as the Syrians

Peter Ford, the senior fundraising executive for the United Nations Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) based in Amman, is better known among Damascenes for being the former British ambassador to Syria. A seasoned diplomat with plenty of friends left behind in Syria, he lived in Damascus during the difficult years of 2003-2006, when Syria’s relations with the United States collapsed, and briefly with Europe as well. Never for a moment did Ambassador Ford lose faith in Syria or the Syrian people. He stood out in the diplomatic community as a European gentleman who was always willing to conduct dialogue and exchange ideas, no matter how seemingly outrageous they were to the West. An eternal optimist, he always spoke of better days for Syria, and promised that light always prevails over darkness, claiming that Syria shall overcome. Ford is currently responsible for UNRWA’s relations with Arab donors, working impassionedly for another people whom he greatly respects, the Palestinians. His bond to the Arab world dates back to the early 1970s, when he held diplomatic posts in Cairo and Beirut. Prior to his appointment in Syria in 2003, Ford was Britain’s Ambassador to Bahrain.

Earlier, in 1994-1999, he was head of the Near East and North Africa Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. In the early 1990s, he had served as a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University, shortly after the job of commercial councilor for Her Majesty’s Government in Saudi Arabia. During a recent visit to Damascus in his capacity with UNRWA, he spoke to FW: about his new job, Syria’s recent diplomatic successes in Europe, and the situation in the Middle East at large.

You served as ambassador to Syria during the roughest times in Syrian-British relations, which included the assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Harriri, which was blamed on Syria. Back then, however, you stood out as one of the few foreign diplomats in Damascus who remained optimistic. Was that optimism justified?

I thought that Syria would succeed in riding the storm and I think that view has been justified by developments. Whichever way you look at it, Syria has faced down many of the pressures on it and emerged in a strong position. People always tend to underestimate Syria and it is a mistake.

The scene has almost dramatically changed today, with Syria opening a new page in its relationship with France, and exchanging embassies with Lebanon. Syria went to Annapolis. Indirect Syrian-Israeli talks, under auspices of the Turkish government, are currently underway. What has changed since 2005, and why?

I think that basically what has happened is that Syria has stood its ground and soaked up the pressures on it while its opponents have lost focus or become preoccupied by other issues. The failure of Israel to crush Hezbollah in 2006 was another major factor in Syria emerging in its strong position today.
Should Syria expect serious change from an upcoming US administration, regardless of who becomes the new president of the White House? Or is there a system in the US that would prevent any real breakthrough, given all the accumulated tension that was created since 2003?
All we can say is that following the Doha agreement on Lebanon and the onset of indirect talks with Israel some interesting new perspectives have opened up, assuming any new Israeli government stays committed to the talks. You can either try to develop these perspectives or you can choose to follow another path.

You witnessed a boom in Syrian society, that resulted in the exodus from Lebanon in April 2005. This meant more banks, insurance companies, and universities for Syria, to compensate what was being left behind in Lebanon. On another level the exodus helped end one level of major corruption. Can you tell us some of the observations you had of the Syrians during your stay in Damascus and your repeated visits since leaving your job at the Foreign Service?

On my regular returns since I left two years ago I have been impressed by the modernization of Damascus. I find the building projects in Kfar Susa, for example, really impressive. The economy seems to have progressed steadily, which is remarkable considering the pressures Syria has been under. Of course prices have risen and ordinary people are having a hard time but that is the same everywhere.

What remains in your mind and heart from your “days in Damascus”?

The people. I have never known a people more friendly and welcoming than the Syrians. And the excitement: there is always something bubbling, whether it is political, economic or cultural. Syria is very special.

On to your new job with UNRWA, can you tell us more about that, and about how proactive Arab society has been, and Syrian society in particular, towards raising funds for the Palestinians?

My new job as one of the Directors of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) mainly involves fundraising with the rich Arab countries. This is a big challenge because, surprising as it may seem, these countries for many years have provided far less financial assistance for the refugees than Western countries, even though the Palestine issue is an Arab cause par excellence. Syria already helps a lot by providing a temporary home to over 400,000 Palestinian refugees and treating them decently.

How can Syria and Syrians pitch in to the UNRWA effort?

Through the General Agency for Palestine Refugee Affairs, an office of the government, Syria is helping us to persuade the oil producing countries to donate more. This cooperation has recently resulted in a $5 million donation from the UAE for phase one of rebuilding a very dilapidated refugee camp at Nairab near Aleppo. It is also helpful for the Syrian media to report the facts of how much or how little the richer Arab governments are helping Palestinian refugees. We particularly need help at the moment in rebuilding Nahr el-Bared Camp in North Lebanon, which was destroyed in fighting last year.