Sami Khiyami

Sami Khiyami is a Syrian diplomat, former Syrian ambassador to London.

Sami Khiyami
سامي خيامي
Ambassador of Syria to the United Kingdom
Assumed office
July 2004[1]
Preceded byMouafak Nassar
Personal details
BornDamascus, Syria
NationalitySyrian
Spouse(s)Yamna Farhan
ProfessionPolitician

Background

Khiyami studied at university in Beirut, Lebanon, and Lyon, France. An electronics expert by training, he has held a number of professional roles, including senior advisor to the Syrian banking industry and a member of the board of Syrian Arab Airlines. He speaks Arabic, English, French, and German.

Issues

In July 2006 Khiyami announced to the London media that Syria was attempting to dissuade Hezbollah from continuing to launch rocket attacks on Israel, the latter being part of the claimed justification for Israel's July air strikes on Lebanon.

Khiyami has also argued that the international community, when gauging its response to the Middle East conflict, should examine the totality of the conflict's victims.

Khiyami was seen as collaborating closely with Ghayth Armanazi of the Syrian Media Centre, London, and the British Syrian Society.

On April 28, 2011, Khiyami's invitation to Prince William's wedding was formally withdrawn due to Syria's violent response to protesters.[2] Labour MPs said that his presence would have been "bordering on grotesque".[3]

Khiyami left his position as ambassador to the United Kingdom in March 2012.[4] He quit the diplomatic service shorty thereafter, citing the excessive use of violence of the Syrian governments against protesters as the reason for his resignation.[5]

According to German and Arabic media reports Khiyami is among the founding members of an initiative called the 'Council of the Syrian Charter' that unites elders and representatives from various Syrian families, clans, tribes and communities both inside and outside of Syria.[6] [7] Khiyami is said to have played an important role in the drafting of a document known as the 'Code of Conduct for Syrian Coexistence' that was solemnly signed by community representatives, including Syrian Alawites, in 2017.[8]

See also

References

  1. Eyal Zisser, Commanding Syria: Bashar Al-Asad And the First Years in Power, p. 61
  2. Milmo, Cahal (29 April 2011). "Palace's headaches with the Abbey guest-list". The Independent. London. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  3. Chapman, James (29 April 2011). "A day after the outcry, William Hague bars Syria's envoy from Royal Wedding". Daily Mail. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  4. Gilligan, Andrew (2012-03-15). "Syria: Assad's father-in-law compares Syrian uprising to London riots". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  5. Spillius, Alex (2012-07-30). "Syria's senior diplomat in London quits over 'violent and oppressive' regime". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  6. Metzger, Nils. "Frieden für Syrien: Geheimmission Versöhnung (Peace for Syria: Secret Talks for Reconciliation)". www.zdf.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  7. "Syrian Sunni-Alawite Dialogue Forms Council to Implement Coexistence Agreement". The Syrian Observer. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  8. Inna Rudolf, ICSR (2018-01-18). "Syria's Best of Enemies Breaking Good". ICSR. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
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