Saeb Salam

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Saeb Salam
صائب سلام
Rachid Karami
Succeeded byAmin Hafez
Personal details
Born(1905-01-17)17 January 1905
Beirut, Ottoman Empire
Died21 January 2000(2000-01-21) (aged 95)
Beirut, Lebanon
NationalityLebanese
Political partyIndependent
SpouseTamima Mardam Beik
ChildrenAmra, Surreya, Faisal, Amr Salam,Tammam Salam
Parent
ReligionSunni Islam

Saeb Salam (17 January 1905 – 21 January 2000) (

Prime Minister six times between 1952 and 1973.[1] Following his death, the Lebanese daily As-Safir described Salam as "most successful in dealing with the media and in presenting a particular image of himself to people on a daily basis through wearing his customary carnation ... and expounding unforgettable slogans", and that he was Lebanon's most popular prime minister after independence leader Riad Al Solh.[2] A significant aspect of Salam was that, unlike other Lebanese leaders, he did not act as a chief over a particular area in the country. Salam fiercely advocated the unity of Lebanon.[3][2]

Early life and education

Anbara
and Rasha, 1925

Salam was the son of

French Mandate, being a member of the Ottoman parliament, and an import-export businessman.[4] He was born on 17 January 1905.[3][5] He held a bachelor's degree in economics.[6]

His family was liberal in regard to religion and his sister,

Anbara Salam Khalidy, was the first Lebanese Muslim woman, who did not wear the veil in public.[7]

Career

Salam (left) and ally Kamal Jumblatt (right) in the Damascus office of Syrian President Shukri al-Quwatli, 1958

The younger Salam got his first taste of politics in 1941, when he started campaigning against French and British mandates in the

President Bechara El Khoury was forced to resign. Salam's government resigned too. He was recalled on 1 May 1953 by the new president, Camille Chamoun (whose election Salam had supported); this time, his term of office lasted 106 days, until 16 August. The cabinet was formed to oversee the general elections.[8]

Salam was appointed oil minister by prime minister

Aramco and Tapeline companies to connect the Zahrani and Baddawi refineries with oilfields in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. President Chamoun's support for the British, French, and Israeli invasion of Egypt during the Suez Crisis, however, led both Yafi and Salam to resign in protest.[4]
He participated in demonstrations in 1958 that followed, was wounded, and was subsequently placed under arrest while recovering in hospital. He was released after a five-day hunger strike, however.

In the

gerrymandered was little disputed. Yafi and Salam led a strike upon these events.[9] On 25 September 1957, Salam, Yafi and Hussein Oweini, who was also former prime minister, were indicted due to their alleged involvement in organizing an armed coup and rioting.[9]

Salam, Karami, Yafi and Jumblatt subsequently formed an opposition bloc espousing

Fuad Chehab, who was perceived as a moderate, as president in September; Salam declared the end of the violence with what was to become his trademark slogan: "No winner, no loser." His attitude at that time made him a communal hero.[4]

Nasser_and_Saeb_Salam
Salam with Egypt's president Gamal Abdel Nasser in Demascus, 1959

Salam became prime minister again on 2 August 1960, and remained in office until 31 October 1961. Salam held the office of

Elias Sarkis
.

Frangieh appointed Salam prime minister for the fourth time on 13 October 1970.

army commander, General Iskandar Ghanem, for negligence.[11] Salam declared that he would not accept the post of prime minister again. During the civil war Salam's motto was "One Lebanon, not two."[12]

Out of office, Salam remained influential. In the wake of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, he mediated between the

National Assembly members to vote for him. Salam retired from politics in 1992.[13]

Exile and charity activities

Politics of Lebanon

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In 1985, Salam went into exile in Geneva, Switzerland, after surviving two assassination attempts. He had angered the Syrian government and hardline Muslim groups with the conciliatory stands he had taken at peace conferences held at Geneva and Lausanne the year before, and he did not feel safe to return to Lebanon until 1994. From exile, however, he played a key role in the negotiations that led to the Taif Agreement of 1989, which eventually led to the end of the civil war. A noted philanthropist, Salam headed the Makassed foundation, an educational and healthcare charity, from 1957 to 1982, when he was succeeded by his son Tammam.[14]

Personal life

In addition to Tammam, Salam had two other sons Faisal and Amr, and two daughters with his wife, Tamima Mardam Bey,

Syrian origin and hails from Damascus.[16][17]

Death

Salam died of a heart attack on 21 January 2000, 4 days after his 95th birthday.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Saëb Salam - Prestige Magazine". 15 January 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b Yehia, Ranwa. Salam bid farewell. Al-Ahram Weekly. 2 February 2000.
  3. ^ a b c d Kechichian, Joseph A. (9 May 2008). "One Lebanon was his vision". Gulf News. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-1-86064-715-4
    . Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Saeb Salam, 95, Former Lebanese Prime Minister". The New York Times. 21 January 2000. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  6. ISBN 978-0-87395-291-0
    . Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Saeb Salam". The Guardian. 1 February 2000. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  8. ^ Nassif, Nicolas (9 April 2013). "Tammam Salam Interview: I Am Your Savior, Maybe". Al Akhbar. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-0-231-50536-9
    . Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  10. ^ "الوزراء المتعاقبون على وزارة الدفاع الوطني" [Successive ministers of the Ministry of National Defense]. pcm.gov.lb (in Arabic). Government of Lebanon. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  11. ^ "The Prime Minister and the Cabinet". Country Studies. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  12. ^ Mourtada, Hania (7 April 2013). "Tamam Salam Asked to Form a Government in Lebanon". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  13. ^ "In Brief". Ain Al Yaqeen. 28 January 2000. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  14. ^ "Lebanon names Salam as prime minister". The Guardian. Associated Press. 6 April 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  15. ^ "Lebanese Prime Minister Saeb Salam with Damascus notables - 1946". Syrian History. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  16. ^ Mroue, Bassem (5 April 2013). "Lebanon Names UK-Educated Lawmaker Prime Minister". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  17. ^ "Lebanon's Salam - consensus PM for tough times". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 6 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
Political offices
Preceded by
Prime Minister of Lebanon

1952 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Prime Minister of Lebanon

1953 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ahmed Daouk
Prime Minister of Lebanon

1960-1961 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Prime Minister of Lebanon

1970-1973 		Succeeded by
Amin al-Hafez
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