Nureddin Mustafa Ali al-Atassi (, 11 January 1929 – 3 December 1992) was a Syrian politician who served as the

president of Syria The president of Syria (), officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, is the head of state and head of government of Syria. The president directs the executive branch and serves as the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Army and Syrian ...

from 1966 to 1970.

Early life and education

Nureddin Al-Atassi, born in 1929 in

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

to an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

family, and belonged to the renowned Al- Atassi family. Following his mother's early death, he was brought up by his paternal grandfather, Judge Fuad Effendi al-Atassi. Surrounded by his grandfather's intellectual circles, which were populated by poets and scholars, Nureddin developed a deep admiration for

Arabic poetry Arabic poetry ( ''ash-shi‘r al-‘arabīyy'') is one of the earliest forms of Arabic literature. Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry contains the bulk of the oldest poetic material in Arabic, but Old Arabic inscriptions reveal the art of poetry existe ...

from an early stage in his life. Nureddin obtained his education in schools located in

and actively took part in the city's protests against French colonial rule throughout his early years. Despite being young, Nureddin's desire for reform motivated him to distribute pamphlets advocating for student disobedience in schools in

. However, his advocacy led to his arrest on one occasion prior to him turning fifteen years old. In 1948, Atassi enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Damascus. Throughout his time in the city, he established his ties with influential individuals in the

Baath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

, such as Akram Al-Hourani and

Michel Aflaq Michel Aflaq (‎, ; 9 January 1910 – 23 June 1989) was a Syrian philosopher, sociology, sociologist and Arab nationalism, Arab nationalist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of Ba'athism and its political movement; he ...

, who were rising leaders in the party during that period. Atassi has been affiliated with the

since 1944. During his time in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, Atassi actively engaged with the student group associated with the

. He was elected as a representative and then became the president of the leadership body, serving from 1948 to 1955 until he graduated from the Faculty of Medicine.

Career

After completing his education, Atassi served his mandatory duty, during which he observed the tripartite invasion of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

in 1956. He stood with the Syrian army when they relocated to

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

in a show of unity. Upon fulfilling his obligatory service, Atassi offered his assistance to the Algerian revolution, rendering medical aid to revolutionaries in close proximity to the Tunisian-Algerian border. After returning to Syria, Atassi focused on general surgery at Damascus Hospital. Afterwards, he took jobs at other hospitals in

. Following that, he went back to his native city of

, where he persisted in his medical profession, working at the National Hospital and managing his own private clinic. Following the March 8, 1963 coup, Atassi was designated as the Minister of the Interior in

Salah al-Din al-Bitar Salah al-Din al-Bitar (; 1 January 1912 – 21 July 1980) was a Syrian politician who co-founded the Ba'ath Party, Baʿath Party with Michel Aflaq in the early 1940s. As students in Paris in the early 1930s, the two formulated a doctrine t ...

's third government. This government served from August 4, 1963, until November 12, 1963. Afterwards, he assumed the position of Minister of the Interior in the first government of

Amin al-Hafiz Amin may refer to: People * Amin (name), a masculine given name and also a surname * Al-Amin, sixth Abbasid caliph, who ruled from 809 to 813 * Amin (Qing dynasty), Imperial Prince of the Qing Dynasty * Idi Amin (c. 1925–2003), military ruler ...

, which was established on November 12, 1963, and held the position until May 14, 1964. In October 1964, he took on the position of Deputy Prime Minister in the second administration of

Amin Al-Hafiz Amin may refer to: People * Amin (name), a masculine given name and also a surname * Al-Amin, sixth Abbasid caliph, who ruled from 809 to 813 * Amin (Qing dynasty), Imperial Prince of the Qing Dynasty * Idi Amin (c. 1925–2003), military ruler ...

. This government began on October 3, 1964, and ended on May 23, 1965. In addition, he was designated as a member of the National Revolutionary Council on December 23, 1965.

Presidency

Shortly after the February 23, 1966 coup, Atassi assumed the role of head of state and Secretary-General of the

. Throughout his time in office, Atassi implemented substantial projects and participated in important domestic and international activities. Significantly, he entered into a partnership with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

to build the Euphrates Dam and issued other decrees targeting economic and social change. These initiatives encompassed the formation of the Land Bank, the implementation of the Economic Penal Code, and the foundation of the People's Army, which was affiliated with the Ministry of Defense. In November 1967, Atassi took the lead in establishing the Central Financial Supervision Organization and the People's Legislative Council. This happened after the revolution, which resulted in the suspension of parliament. In addition, he founded the Supreme State Security Court and streamlined travel for people to Arab Economic Unity countries by allowing them to use ID cards instead of visas. Atassi became the first Syrian president to address the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

General Assembly after the June 1967 War. Atassi additionally assembled numerous conferences and presented speeches, such as the urgent assembly of the Central Council of the Arab Workers Union to express solidarity with the fight against the

Jewish state In world politics, Jewish state is a characterization of Israel as the nation-state and sovereign homeland for the Jewish people. Overview Modern Israel came into existence on 14 May 1948 as a polity to serve as the homeland for the Jewi ...

(May 1967), the inaugural gathering of the Committee for Defending the Homeland and Protecting the Revolution in Hasakah (November 1967), and the Arab Lawyers Conference in

(September 1967). Atassi adopted a strong stance towards specific Arab nations, aligning with Salah Jadid in this regard. Significantly, he supported the dismantling of oil pipelines owned by the Iraq Petroleum Company that traverse Syrian land. In addition, Atassi suspended the transportation of oil across Syrian territory until the corporation complied with Syrian requests. Furthermore, Atassi provided support to a range of movements and causes, including giving his full backing to the Eritrean campaign for independence. Upon

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

's declaration of war on

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

and its pursuit of independence, Atassi promptly recognized and endorsed their cause. He rendered support by sending insurgent groups, providing instruction, monetary assistance, and weaponry. The help provided by Atassi played a crucial role in

's final accomplishment of independence, resulting in lasting gratitude from the Eritrean population. Additionally, Atassi's government demonstrated unity with Lebanon in its demands for the removal of King Hussein bin Talal and offered assistance to Palestinian combatants. Atassi intervened to advocate for the

Palestinian cause Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 19 ...

during the "

Black September Black September (), also known as the Jordanian Civil War, was an armed conflict between Jordan, led by Hussein of Jordan, King Hussein, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by chairman Yasser Arafat. The main phase of the fight ...

" period, issuing a public threat to invade

in response to ongoing violence against Palestinians. He commanded the Syrian army to progress, ensuring the safety of the Jordanian border and seizing

Irbid Irbid (), known in ancient times as Arabella or Arbela (Άρβηλα in Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek), is the capital and largest city of Irbid Governorate. It has the second-largest metropolitan population in Jordan after Amman, with a ...

in order to protect Palestinian interests. On November 13, 1970, Defense Minister

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad (6 October 193010 June 2000) was a Syrian politician and military officer who was the president of Syria from 1971 until Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad, his death in 2000. He was previously the Prime Minister of Syria ...

orchestrated a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

known as the Corrective Movement, resulting in the overthrow of Atassi.

Arrest and death

Following the coup, Atassi, along with other government officials, was detained without undergoing a trial. He was imprisoned in Mezzeh prison in

for a period of 22 years. In early 1992, Atassi suffered a severe heart attack, leading to his transfer to a military hospital. Subsequent medical examinations revealed

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

, prompting authorities to detain him in the hospital as a political prisoner. During this time, access to Atassi was restricted to his immediate family members only. Atassi remained hospitalized for several months, during which his health deteriorated rapidly as the cancer progressed, spreading to his liver. Eventually, authorities decided to release him from detention. Following his release, he was transferred to his residence in the city of

. In November 1992, the French authorities became aware of Atassi's medical condition and extended an offer to provide him with medical treatment which was rejected by Syrian authorities until he came into a state of semi-consciousness. Afterwards, he was sent to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

where he received medical treatment at the

American Hospital of Paris The American Hospital of Paris (''Hôpital américain de Paris''), founded in 1906, is a private, not-for-profit, community hospital certified under the French healthcare system. Located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, Fra ...

. Despite medical treatment, Atassi died on December 3, 1992, at the age of 63. His body was transported the following day to Homs, where he was laid to rest in the Al- Atassi family cemetery in Kafr Aya.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atassi, Noureddin al- 1929 births 1992 deaths Noureddin People from Homs Presidents of Syria Prime ministers of Syria Vice presidents of Syria Leaders ousted by a coup Members of the National Command of the Ba'ath Party (Syrian-dominated faction) Members of the Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region Syrian Arab nationalists Syrian Sunni Muslims Syrian people of Turkish descent Heads of government who were later imprisoned