Mustafa Tlass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mustafa Tlass
مُصْطَفَى طَلَاس |
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Mustafa Tlass in his office in Damascus
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| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 22 March 1972 – 12 May 2004 |
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| President | Nureddin al-Atassi (1968–1970) Ahmad al-Khatib (1970–1971) Hafez al-Assad (1971–2000) Bashar al-Assad (2000–2004) |
| Preceded by | Hafez Assad |
| Succeeded by | Hasan Turkmani |
| Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army | |
| In office 1968–1972 |
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| Preceded by | Ahmad Suwaydani |
| Succeeded by | Yusuf Shakkur |
| Member of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch | |
| In office 28 September 1968 – 9 June 2005 |
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| In office 4 April 1965 – December 1965 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mustafa Abdul Qadir Tlass
11 May 1932 Rastan, French Syria |
| Died | 27 June 2017 (aged 85) Paris, France |
| Political party | Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party Was a member of the original Ba'ath Party and its Syrian Regional Branch until 1966 |
| Relations | Nahed Tlass (daughter) Manaf Tlass (son) Firas Tlass (son) Abdul Razzaq Tlass (nephew) Akram Ojjeh (Son-in-law) Mansour Ojjeh (Grandson-in-law) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Syria |
| Branch/service | Syrian Army |
| Years of service | 1952–2004 |
| Rank |  Colonel General |
| Battles/wars | |
Mustafa Abdul Qadir Tlass (Arabic: مُصْطَفَى عَبْد الْقَادِر طَلَاس, romanized: Musṭafā ʿAbd al-Qādir Ṭalās; 11 May 1932 – 27 June 2017) was an important military officer and politician from Syria. He served as Syria's Minister of Defense for a long time, from 1972 to 2004. He was also a key member of the Regional Command during the time when Hafez al-Assad was president.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mustafa Tlass was born on May 11, 1932, in Al-Rastan, a town near Homs in Syria. His family was well-known in the area. His father, Abdul Qadir Tlass, came from a Sunni Muslim background. His paternal grandmother was from a group called Circassians, and his mother had Turkish roots.
Mustafa Tlass went to primary and secondary school in Homs. In 1952, he joined the Homs Military Academy. This is where he began his career in the military.
Military and Political Career
Mustafa Tlass joined the Ba'ath Party when he was 15 years old. He met Hafez al-Assad while they were both studying at the military academy in Homs. They became good friends.
From 1958 to 1961, Tlass and al-Assad were both stationed in Cairo. This was during the time when Syria and Egypt were joined together as the United Arab Republic. Both Tlass and al-Assad believed in Pan-Arabism, which is the idea of uniting Arab nations. However, they felt that Egypt had too much power in the union. They both worked to end this union. When Hafez al-Assad was briefly put in prison, Tlass helped rescue al-Assad's wife and sons and bring them to Syria.
In the 1960s, Hafez al-Assad became more important in the Syrian government. This happened after a coup (a sudden takeover of power) that the Ba'ath party supported. Al-Assad then helped Tlass get important jobs in the military and the party. In 1968, al-Assad made Tlass the new Chief-of-Staff of the Syrian Army.
In 1969, Tlass traveled to Beijing, China, to arrange for Syria to buy weapons. This trip was also meant to show the Soviet Union that Syria had other options for support. The Soviet Union then agreed to sell weapons to Syria.
In 1970, Hafez al-Assad took full control of Syria. He became the leader, and Tlass was promoted to Minister of Defense in 1972. Tlass remained one of al-Assad's most loyal supporters for the next 30 years. He was very important in the Syrian government.
In 1999, China's defense minister, General Chi Haotian, met with Mustafa Tlass in Damascus to talk about military cooperation. After this meeting, General Chi Haotian also visited Israel to discuss military relations there.
By the early 2000s, Tlass was also a deputy prime minister. He was a member of the Ba'ath Party's main committee. He also led the party's military groups.
After Hafez al-Assad
When Hafez al-Assad passed away in 2000, his son, Bashar al-Assad, took over as president. Mustafa Tlass was part of a group of senior officials who helped make sure this change happened smoothly.
In 2004, Mustafa Tlass was replaced as Minister of Defense by Hasan Turkmani. Tlass also left his role in the Ba'ath Party's regional command in 2005.
After the conflict in Syria began in 2011, Mustafa Tlass left Syria and went to France for medical reasons. His son, Firas Tlass, who was a businessman, also left Syria. Another son, Manaf Tlass, who was a Syrian officer, also left the government in 2012 and went to France.
Personal Life and Death
Mustafa Tlass married Lamia Al Jabiri in 1958. She came from a well-known family in Aleppo. They had four children: Nahid (born 1958), Firas (born 1960), Manaf (born 1964), and Sarya (born 1978). His daughter Nahid married a wealthy businessman named Akram Ojjeh.
Mustafa Tlass was known for being involved in Syria's traditional social life. He enjoyed hobbies like horseback riding, tennis, and swimming.
Mustafa Tlass passed away on June 27, 2017, in Paris, France. He was 85 years old.
Honours
National honours
- Syria:
Order of the Umayyads (1st class)
Order of Civil Merit (1st class)
Order of Military Honor (1st class)
Order for Bravery (1st class)
Order of Devotion (Special class)
Medal for Long and Impeccable Service (Special class)
Medal for Preparation
Order of Federation
Commemorative Medal 'March 8'
Commemorative Medal 'October 6'
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Foreign honours
- Austria:
- Egypt:
Knight of the Order of Merit
- East Germany:
Scharnhorst Order
Combat Order for Services to the People and the Fatherland (Gold)
- Greece:
Grand Cross of the Order of Honour
- Kazakhstan:
Order of Friendship (1st class)
- Lebanon:
Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Cedar
- North Korea:
Order of the National Flag (1st class)
Order of the National Flag (3rd class)
- Pakistan:
Nishan-e-Imtiaz (1st class)
- Russia:
Order of Friendship
Order of Zhukov
Jubilee Medal "50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
- Soviet Union:
Order of Friendship of Peoples
Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
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See also
In Spanish: Mustafá Tlass para niños
